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The Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s annual meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Ashland Elementary School. All association members are encouraged to attend. Information about joining the association can be found here. Dues are $10 per year or $50 for a lifetime membership.

The meeting will include a recap of the past year’s activities, a discussion of plans for the next year, an opportunity for members to contribute ideas and express concerns, and the election of officers and board members for the coming year.

Over the summer, Shelly Fortune stepped down as president because of added family and professional responsibilities. The board elected Ann Olliges to serve out Shelly’s term. Ann took the lead in organizing the neighborhood yard sale July 22 and the neighborhood picnic Sept. 17. Ann will be seeking a full term, and other officers are seeking re-election. But Shelly and Elaine Cook are not seeking re-election to the board, which leaves two board vacancies.

All offices and board seats are up for re-election annually, and any association member is eligible to submit his or her name for the ballot. If you are interested in running for the board or a specific office, please email secretary Tom Eblen no later than 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, to have your name included on the ballot. Nominations also may be made from the floor.

Don’t forget the annual Mentelle Neighborhood picnic today, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the North end of the Mentelle Park median. All neighborhood residents are welcome: homeowners, renters, association members or not. Hamburgers, hotdogs, brats and the trimmings will be provided by the association and expertly cooked by Eddie Owens. Bring a dish to share.

The street will be closed this afternoon around the last median. If you are parked in the street, please try to move your car no later than 4 p.m. and limit trips in and out for everyone’s safety. Thanks for your consideration.

The annual Mentelle neighborhood potluck picnic is this Sunday, Sept. 17, 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., in the Mentelle Park Median. Eddie Owens will be grilling hamburgers and brats. Please bring a dish to share, plus your own beverage and a chair or blanket. 

There will be street games and live music; neighborhood musicians can bring their instruments and join in. The Lexington Fire Department will have a truck there to see, and you can chat with firefighters.

The association has a city permit to close Mentelle Park around the median nearest Cramer Avenue between about 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. For everyone’s safety, it would be helpful if parked cars were moved off that section of the street beforehand and in-and-out traffic was limited during the picnic. Sorry for any inconvenience.

If you can help tidy the median Saturday, please email Tom Eblen. If you can help set up or cleanup Sunday, please contact Ann Olliges

Catch up with your neighbors at the annual Mentelle neighborhood potluck picnic in the Mentelle Park Median on Sunday, Sept. 17, 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Please bring a dish to share, plus your own beverage and a chair or blanket. 

This year, we will have street games. There also will be live music; neighborhood musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and join in. And the Lexington Fire Department will have a truck there on display and you can chat with firefighters.

The University of Kentucky’s Urban Forest Initiative will lead a two-hour urban tree workshop for our neighborhood on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. at La Petit Delicat, 722 National Avenue. Seating is limited, so RSVP soon to Elaine Cook, elainecookharp@gmail.com.

The workshop will cover the importance of urban trees and the benefits they provide; how to recognize urban tree health characteristics; resources and ways of communicating about urban tree problems; and how to be an ambassador for tree canopy health. 

The workshop will include a lecture and hands-on outdoor training — walking through the neighborhood to assess the health characteristics of different street trees. This workshop will help participants become more familiar with how to look at trees and communicate future problems with tree professionals.

The University of Kentucky’s Urban Forest Initiative will lead a two-hour urban tree workshop for our neighborhood on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. at La Petit Delicat, 722 National Avenue. Seating is limited, so RSVP soon to Elaine Cook, elainecookharp@gmail.com.

The workshop will cover the importance of urban trees and the benefits they provide; how to recognize urban tree health characteristics; resources and ways of communicating about urban tree problems; and how to be an ambassador for tree canopy health. 

The workshop will include a lecture and hands-on outdoor training — walking through the neighborhood to assess the health characteristics of different street trees. This workshop will help participants become more familiar with how to look at trees and communicate future problems with tree professionals.

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association has partnered with Bat BnB, a new local business to offer residents attractive wooden bat boxes that can be installed on your property and which will hopefully reduce mosquitos and other insects without the needs for chemicals, whilst enhancing the look of your property.

The manufacturer has plenty of information and pictures of the boxes on their website (www.batbnb.com) or you can contact Richard Coles for more details.  

At this time we are trying to find out if anybody is interesting in buying a box – we do not yet know the final price and whether we can get a discount as part of the Association but it does sound like we can get free installation and free advice as to the best placement. Bat BnB has indicated they might sell for $179 to $199.

Please email or call Richard Coles on (859) 533 3216 or charlesdoric@gmail.com  to confirm your interest on or before Wednesday July 26 

More than a dozen neighborhood families participated in the inaugural Mentelle Neighborhood Yard Sale, and it was a big success. We had good crowds and most families reported good sales.

Several families who didn’t want to have their own yard sale donated items for an association booth that Ann Olliges organized in the Mentelle Park Median. The booth earned $265.50 for the association. Thanks to the donors, Ann and her helpers, who included Shelby Reynolds, Beverly Fortune, Ron Mitchell and Becky and Tom Eblen.

Please send your feedback about the yard sale to a board member. We plan to make this an annual event. But next year we will order cooler weather.