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Neighborhood News

Jan 13 2021
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Special Delivery for our Mail Carrier, Andrea Jackson

By Community, Neighborhood News

 

Author: Kathryn Bursch
Published: 10:27 AM EST January 13, 2021
Updated: 10:27 AM EST January 13, 2021

SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Andrea Jackson has delivered mail for 14 years, the last seven of them in the Crescent Lake neighborhood of St. Petersburg. She’s known for both her excellent service and her wide smiles.  When asked what she likes best about her job, Jackson replies, “the people.”  And “the people” like her right back.

While this mom completed her bachelor’s degree (while also working fulltime), residents cheered Jackson on. And when people found out Jackson wanted to become a nurse, one resident set up a GoFundMe page to help with her tuition. Nearly $5,000 has been donated.

It’s no surprise neighborhood residents were sad to learn about Jackson’s last day. Jackson walked her final route last week, because she is starting nursing school.
Instead of delivering messages, on her final day, Jackson received them. The sidewalks along her route were lined with colorful chalk expressions of support. You Rock!, Andrea’s a Star, Andrea is Awesome, We admire you for following your dreams, We’ll Miss You– are just a few examples of the well wishes written by residents.

“They’re so overwhelming,” said a shaky-voiced Jackson. “I keep catching myself crying.” And the final message that Jackson delivered to people along her route? “I promise to visit.”

Jan 06 2021
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Preludes in the Park featured on 10 Tampa Bay

By Community, Neighborhood News


Author: Kathryn Bursch
Published: 9:38 AM EST January 5, 2021
Updated: 9:38 AM EST January 5, 2021

SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Music means different things to different people.

“Music can bring joy, can bring love, can touch one’s heart, can bring people together—all great things,” explains violinist Yuan-Yuan Wang.

But ask most any player and they’ll also tell you this.

“Music to me, at least, is no fun to do by yourself. It’s meant to share with an audience and to share with your colleagues and play together,” said Kaitlyn Resler, who plays French horn.
And that’s why a group of music makers, all friends from the Florida Orchestra, have been holding concerts outside a house across the street from Crescent Lake Park in St. Petersburg.
The Preludes in the Park events started, because the musicians were tired of being silenced and isolated because of COVID-19. But even though the Florida Orchestra is now performing again, the informal events have continued.
“We don’t need anything fancy to share music,” said tuba player TJ Graf. “That’s what we love to do.”
Residents from the neighborhood and parkgoers have been enjoying the concerts. “It was so nice and peaceful, and just relaxing,” said Deborah Lane from her beach chair on the grass. “I’ve been working two jobs, so this was the perfect thing for me to get away from all of that.”

The musicians have been collecting donations for various charitable groups. One event in November was dedicated to the memory of Matthew Matchin, the co-owner of Plant Love Ice Cream who died in September. The musicians wanted to support his mother, who is now running the shop alone.

Matthew’s mother, JoAnn Matchin, attended the concert. “I could feel Matt beside me. The tears rolled down my face as the music wrapped its arms around me and embraced me,” described Matchin.

The outdoor acoustics may not be perfect, but when music comes from the heart—it’s a notable experience.

There is also a GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Matchin.

The musicians plan to hold more concerts. You can find out when and where, by following “Preludes in the Park” on Instagram.

Mar 04 2020
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Crescent Lake Wins Neighborhood of the Year!

By Neighborhood News

You know you live in a great neighborhood, but its pretty cool that we were acknowledged as the Neighborhood of the Year for 2019 at the Mayor’s Annual Neighborhood Awards held in early March. The winners of various awards were decided by independent judges who reviewed nominations that detailed the work City of St. Petersburg neighborhood associations accomplished in 2019.

The Mayor’s Annual Neighborhood Awards had taken a hiatus and was resumed back in October, 2018. In 2018, Crescent Lake Neighborhood’s President, Lisset Hanewicz, won President of the Year, we received Runner-Up for Neighborhood Partnerships (Multiple Neighborhoods) for Friends of Woodlawn Elementary, and Honorable Mention for Neighborhood of the Year.

Thank you all for supporting Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association and contributing to maintaining our quality of life in our neighborhood!

Feb 15 2020
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New Crescent Lake Street Signs

By Neighborhood News
We would like to thank the sixty (60) volunteers below that made it possible for us to meet our contractual requirements with the City of St. Petersburg through the Matching Grant Program! We recently submitted the Final Report to the City of St. Petersburg. In total, we contributed 607.8 volunteer hours (above our required 594.2) and $5,740 in CLNA funds to match the City’s $20,000 match. These volunteer hours were gained through various projects including alley cleanups, lake cleanups, Friends of Woodlawn Elementary mentoring and volunteering, Friends of Woodlawn Elementary Learning Garden Project, volunteering for CLNA events, and distribution of CLNA door hangers. The majority of the monies contributed by CLNA had been in our account for many years and finally went back into the community through a project that benefits our entire neighborhood. All these efforts have improved our neighborhood and community, forged new relationships, and have resulted in twenty-three (23) street signs installed on the boundaries of our neighborhood, which increases neighborhood identity and pride. Thank you all!
Jim Anderson
Kristi Aussner
Gia Blackshear
Jalessa Blackshear
Richard Bruce
Andrew Bundschuh
Andrea Carvill
Danny Carvill
Leslie Craig
April Currie
Chris Dalyander
Theresa Darlington
Peter Fritsche
Jeannine Gonyon
Carla Gregory
Kaitlin Hammersley
Bart Hanchey
Tracy Hanchey
Ana Sofia Hanewicz
Lisset Hanewicz
Bill Holden
Meghan Irmler
Sonia King
Deborah Lane
Carol Marks
Julie Meyer
Steven Meyer
Jim Montante
Sheila Montante
Bill Motter

Kimberly Naff
Alex Neely
Antonio Neely
Jack Neely
John Neely
Max Neely
Pam Neely
Sam Neely
Samantha Neely
Amanda Ocker
Cory Ocker
Shelly Painter
Dale Parker
Fanny Rovira
Devan Ryan
Laura Ryan
Slade Ryan
Cindy Seletos
Ellyn Shriber
Chris Sorenson
Warner Sudderth
James Trimarco
Lucy Trimarco
Maureen Twombly
Bill Venezia
Evelyn Vo
John Vo
Bill Vrooman
Lola Ward
Chuck Williams

Dec 31 2019
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2019 Roundup

By Neighborhood News, Uncategorized

Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association had a very busy end of the year. We finished 2019 with events such as our Holiday Movie in the Park (Merry Madagascar and The Grinch) with a special appearance by The Grinch, a porch party at The Ocker Residence, our new book/movie club, and friendly competition at the Neighborhood Shuffleboard Showdown! Our biggest accomplishment in 2019 was obtaining designation for Huggins-Stengel Field on the National Register of Historic Places! Our street signs project is well underway and we expect the new street signs with our logo (replacing the current signs on the perimeter of our neighborhood) to be in place by February 2020. By end of November, we had almost 380 hours of volunteer hours entered by Crescent Lakers in support of the street signs project.  The street signs project was made possible by a City of St. Petersburg Matching Grant, a contribution from Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association, and Crescent Lakers’ volunteer hours. Crescent Lakers volunteered by participating in projects such as Crescent Lake cleanups, adopt-an-alley cleanups, mentoring at Woodlawn Elementary, and participating in the establishment of a learning garden at Woodlawn Elementary.

Our hard-work is paying off as we expect to have the Crescent Lake street signs with our logo proudly displayed on the perimeter of our neighborhood and have a learning garden established at Woodlawn Elementary in early 2020.  We will also continue to find ways to strengthen and bring our community together. Here’s to 2020!

Nov 08 2019
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New Mural Celebrating Birds of Crescent Lake

By Neighborhood News

A Crescent Lake neighborhood family has commissioned a mural by artist, Cecilia Lueza, an Argentine American artist and sculptor, who has worked on a variety of public art projects here in St. Petersburg and throughout the United States.  The mural is a celebration of the variety of birds you can find in the neighborhood.  We are fortunate to have Crescent Lake in our neighborhood since the lake attracts many birds into the area.  Many residents and organizations work with Friends of Crescent Lake to keep the lake healthy and ensure there is a healthy habitat for wildlife.  The mural can be found on 19th Ave N between 7th and 8th St N.  Although you can see birds throughout the year at Crescent Lake Park, the winter months provide the best opportunity for birdwatching since many birds make their way down here from up north.  So, pack up a picnic, blanket, and find out if you can you identify and find all the birds in the mural at Crescent Lake Park!

Oct 02 2019
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Huggins-Stengel Field on the National Register of Historic Places

By Neighborhood News

Secretary Lee Announces the Designation of Huggins-Stengel Field on the National Register of Historic Places

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced today that Huggins-Stengel Field in St. Petersburg has been listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

“I am pleased that Huggins Stengel Field has been designated on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Secretary Lee. “Major League Baseball spring training has long been an indelible part of Florida’s culture and few sites are as intricately linked to spring training as Huggins-Stengel Field.”

Huggins-Stengel Field, located in St. Petersburg, served as the Major League Baseball spring training grounds for the New York Yankees (1925-1941, 1946-1950, 1952-1961), New York Giants (1951), New York Mets (1962-1987) and the Baltimore Orioles (1992-1995). A total of 17 New York Yankees World Series winning teams played at Huggins-Stengel Field in addition to the 1969 and 1986 New York Mets championship teams. Initially named Crescent Park Field, the name was changed to Huggins-Stengel Field in 1962 in honor of renowned Yankees team managers Miller Huggins and Casey Stengel.

Custom built for Babe Ruth, the field hosted the Yankees at the height of what many consider to be the greatest dynasty in major professional sports. Starting with the St. Louis Browns in 1914, Major League Baseball spring training was a significant tourist draw for the city of St. Petersburg. It was the arrival of the Yankees at what is now Huggins-Stengel Field in 1925 that made the city renowned as a spring training site. Some of the greatest baseball teams, including the 1927, 1939, 1953 and 1961 Yankees and the 1969 Mets, played at Huggins-Stengel Field.

The field has also seen some major moments in baseball history, including the 1936 debut of Joe DiMaggio as a Yankee. During spring training in 1939, Lou Gehrig first started showing signs of ALS, the disease that ended his career and took his life. During its long history, the field hosted legendary baseball players such as Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken, Jr. among many others. The New York Mets formed in 1962 and held their first spring training at Huggins-Stengel Field under the guidance of former Yankees manager Casey Stengel. After the Orioles left in 1995, it marked the end of an era for the field.

Huggins-Stengel Field is now part of Crescent Lake Park and is still used by local baseball leagues. The park is managed by the City of St. Petersburg and was designated as a local historic landmark by the city in 2018.

Jan 08 2019
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2018 Roundup

By Neighborhood News

We had an eventful 2018 at Crescent Lake! One of Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association’s most important goals was achieved: we obtained Local Landmark Designation for our historic Huggins-Stengel Field. It was a lot more work than expected, but on October 18, 2018 City Council unanimously approved our request for local landmark designation. The work was well worth it as Huggins-Stengel Field is protected as a local landmark. We now have two official local landmarks in our neighborhood: the Crescent Lake Water Tower and Huggins-Stengel Field.

Another important goal achieved was that we have a new logo! Poll results from a poll sent out to our members and the recommendation of the logo committee of the same logo made the decision easy for our Board of Directors. The results were unanimous for the logo below which captures some of the essential elements of our neighborhood in a modern yet retro design.

We also unexpectedly won a few awards from the Mayor this year: President of the Year, Honorable Mention for Neighborhood of the Year, and Runner-Up for our Neighborhood Partnership: Friends of Woodlawn. It is great to be recognized for all the hard work that has been put into our neighborhood. We have accomplished so much recently and will continue the momentum into 2019.

We collaborated with surrounding neighborhoods to begin a Friends of Woodlawn Elementary to support our zoned elementary school. The first step was to get mentors to the school. At the first mentor training we had a room full of community members ready to become mentors. We recently had a paper and expo pens drive for the teachers at Woodlawn Elementary. We will continue to find ways to support our zoned elementary. If you are interested in our efforts and participating, please contact us at info@clnastpete.org.

We also had a lot of events this year! Two new events were the Shuffleboard Tournament and the Fall Festival. The Shuffleboard Tournament was held between eight neighborhoods. It was very popular and, as a result, it appears we will have another chance next year to bring home the trophy. We also had a Fall Festival this year for the first time in a long time. It was a hit as you can see from the photos. The Holiday Movie in the Park wrapped up our events this year with Merry Madagascar and Elf. We will start 2019 with our Potluck Picnic in the Park in February.

It will be hard to top 2018. However, there are more goals that need to be accomplished. Plus, the work of strengthening and bringing our community together is always in progress. Looking forward to another productive year!

Aug 14 2018
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Local Landmark status for Huggins-Stengel Field

By Neighborhood News

How many people in the City of St. Petersburg know that there is a historic ball field hidden in the Crescent Lake neighborhood? The historic baseball field is Huggins-Stengel Field. How many people have walked by this historic ball field without knowing that some of baseball’s greats once trained here? Baseball greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Cal Ripken Jr., Roger Maris, Tom Seaver, Daryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Nolan Ryan, and Willie Mays played at Huggins-Stengel Field. The time has come for this historic ball field to be recognized.

A recommendation of the 1994 Crescent Lake Neighborhood Plan was to pursue city landmark designation for Huggins-Stengel Field and Crescent Lake Water Tower. In 2008, the Crescent Lake Water Tower was designated a local historic landmark. The City of St. Petersburg filed the application to designate the Water Tower as a local historic landmark. Yet, as of today, Huggins-Stengel Field is not on the City of St. Petersburg’s Register of Historic Places.

In April 2018, the Crescent Lake Neighborhood Association filed a Local Landmark Designation Application to obtain local landmark designation for Huggins-Stengel Field.  We want to ensure the preservation of this important part of our City’s and neighborhood’s history. What happens when you don’t preserve important places or buildings. They disappear. They are forgotten. They are torn down as the original clubhouse of the Yankees at Crescent Lake Park was torn down. We want to preserve what is left of the history of major league baseball spring training in Crescent Lake Park.

A hearing will be held before the City’s Community Planning and Preservation Committee (CPPC) on September 11, 2018 at 2 p.m. The hearing is open to the public. After the hearing, the Commission will vote on a recommendation for or against designation, which will be forwarded to City Council. The City Council hearing is October 18, 2018 at 6 p.m.

To read the Local Landmark Designation Application for Huggins-Stengel Field, click the below link. It has a detailed history section along with many historical photographs:

https://clnastpete.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Huggins-Stengel-Field-LLDA-final.pdf

If you want to see videos of the New York Yankees holding spring training practice at Huggins-Stengel Field and photographs of Marilyn Monroe visiting with Joe DiMaggio go to our Home Page Menu at the top. They can be located under Neighborhood > Landmarks > Huggins-Stengel Field.