Author: Tom Eblen

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association is planning a second Home & Garden Tour fundraiser for Sunday, Sept. 15, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

If you are within the neighborhood boundaries and have any interest in having your home and/or garden on the tour, please contact Shelby Reynolds at reybart88@yahoo.com no later than May 31. We would like to have six-to-eight properties for the tour. We also want a wide variety of homes and gardens — large to small, simple to elaborate — showing the diversity of our neighborhood.

The neighborhood’s first tour, in September 2014, was very successful. It attracted about 400 attendees and raised more than $3,000 for neighborhood activities and projects. 

Thanks to everyone to organized and came out for this morning’s annual Mentelle neighborhood Easter egg hunt and plant swap. Despite the damp, chilly weather, everyone seemed to have a great time. Special thanks to our  neighborhood businesses — Nate’s Coffee, Epping’s Bakery and Spalding’s Bakery — for refreshments.  (Click on any photo to see slide show.)

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It’s cold and wet, but our weather apps are predicting no more active rain this morning. So, the Egg Hunt and Plant Swap will begin at 10 a.m. if you, your children and plants want to brave the weather.  Dress warmly, and rain boots would be a good idea. (The city hasn’t mowed the median yet, so the grass is a bit tall.)  Hope to see you soon!

Mentelle neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend Ashland Elementary School’s Gallery Hop late this afternoon in the Warehouse Block, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Start by coming to Varsity Print, 728 National Ave., at 4:30 to pick up a brochure with a map of student art exhibit locations and a schedule of musical and talent performances. Rolling Oven Pizza is offering pepperoni and cheese slices for $5, and there will be a live auction at 6 p.m. at Mirror Twin Brewing.

See the attached flyer for more details. Come out this afternoon and support our neighborhood school and businesses!

Thanks to our generous neighbors, we have plenty of candy-stuffed plastic eggs for Saturday’s Mentelle neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. The stuffing party this afternoon won’t be necessary.

However, the weather forecast for Saturday calls for rain. We hope that will change. Watch for email updates Saturday morning from this site, or look on the Mentelle Neighborhood page on Facebook, to see if we need to push back the 10 a.m. start time or cancel the event. Keep your fingers crossed.

Any member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association is always welcome to attend board meetings. Typically, board meetings are the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Local’s restaurant, 701 National Ave.  If the meeting date or location changes, we try to note it here.

This month, the board will meet on the usual day and time (7 p.m. Wednesday, April 17) but at the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass, 162 N. Ashland Ave., so board members can learn more about this social service agency whose headquarters is in our neighborhood. As always, any association member is welcome to attend.

More plastic Easter eggs filled with candy are needed for Saturday’s Mentelle neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt and plant swap, which begins at 10 a.m. Please bring eggs (preferably filled) by Wednesday to 800 Aurora Ave. and place them in the bin on the front porch. Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

The Lexington Herald-Leader today has this update on the Midland Avenue sewer project, which will affect traffic around the neighborhood.

How? 

1. Donate plastic eggs. We need about 400 eggs for this event.

2. Donate candy for filling the eggs. Bring eggs (preferably filled) or candy to 800 Aurora Ave., at the corner of North Ashland and Aurora avenues, and place them in the bin on the front porch. Please bring your donations by Tuesday, April 16.

3. Take part in an egg stuff-a-thon from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19, at Linda and Jeff Worley’s house, 800 Aurora. 

4. Bring a plant or two to swap at the event, 10 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Mentelle Park median near Cramer Avenue.