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Thank you from the Westport Neighborhood Association and
Westport Community Partnerships. Thank you to everyone who helped make
this year’s Westport Block Party a wonderful event.
  We could not have done it without the help of our
volunteers. Special thanks to the
BRANCHES crew from Parks & People Foundation and the festival organizers’
family members who came from near and far and worked all day to help set up and
clean up, cook and serve food, manage kids’ games, take pictures and generally
make the party a success.
  Thank you to Westport Academy school #225 for providing the
beautiful location. The wide grassy field with its stunning view of the
Baltimore skyline was a lovely place to spend the day. DJ Sir Gil kept
the party going. And this year, live R&B musicians Simply Black
entertained the crowd, setting the groove for hours.
  Booths from the National Aquarium, Rebuilding Together,
Johns Hopkins CARES Safety Center, South Baltimore Learning Center, Education
Online and Harbor Bank kept neighbors interested. The BNEC Energy Booth
was giving away amazing gifts and prizes. And the Baltimore Rowing Club’s
rowing machines stayed busy all day, as the kids worked off the calories from
all of the cupcakes and cookies they ate from the Bake Sale Table. Parks
& People’s Nature Play Space kept kids thinking and building green.
And the Fire Department’s Engine No. 58 set the backdrop for their
recruiting team’s table.
  But it was the Baltimore City Police Department’s
participation that put the event over the top when police helicopter Foxtrot
circled around above the festival a couple of times, landing right there on the
school field. For hours, the pilot talked to the neighbors and let the
kids take turns climbing aboard the helicopter and checking it out. Then
he climbed back in, lifted off, and circled the field a couple of times as we
all waved goodbye and watched him fly away. It was spectacular!
  The WNA was able to bring you a great festival this year
because of its generous sponsors Wheelabrator Baltimore, Family Health Center,
Harbor Hospital, Parks & People Foundation, Fitch Co. and Jack’s Deli.
The BNEC Energy Booth and giveaways were made possible by a grant from
the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge. And a most generous grant awarded
by the Baltimore Community Foundation through its Neighborhood Grant program
helped ensure the event could be taken to a new level.
We hope to keep the trend going with bigger and better fairs
every year. And we look forward to seeing all of our wonderful
volunteers, participants and sponsors back again next year. Thanks to you
and to everyone who attended for helping us celebrate Westport!
Click here to enjoy the Westport Block Party 2011 Photo Album with over 125 pictures of the event. It's almost as much fun as being there!
Hot off the presses, the Summer 2011 Newsletter is here...
The Summer 2011 newsletter is printed and distributed to every door in Westport and is emailed directly to the Inbox of everyone on our email list, (click here to join). All of Westport Community Partnerships' newsletters are available online anytime. In this issue...
 Westport Reclaims its "Main Street," Annapolis Road...
After three years of hard work and community effort, the rezoning of Annapolis Road is complete. The rezoning bill went into effect on May 11, 2011, together with the Annapolis Road Urban Renewal Plan (URP). Congratulations to the many neighbors whose resolve and endurance was vital to keeping the process moving forward. Westport has taken its first step toward bringing back “Main Street. Check out our program initiative, "business development," for more detail. Or just catch up on the latest update in our Summer 2010 newsletter.
 Parks & People Foundation Brings New 'Green' Careers Program to the Middle Branch...
This spring, at the request of the Parks & People Foundation, the Abell Foundation awarded funding to continue cleaning and greening efforts in Westport and the other Middle Branch neighborhoods. The new program will focus on training young adults ages 17-26 in skills they can use to find permanent “green” jobs. There will be three 16-week training sessions over the course of a year, with 4 team members and 1 team leader in each session. See the Summer 2010 newsletter for more detail.
 A New Mural on Annapolis Road...
Through the Baltimore Mural program presented by BOPA, Westport has the opportunity to refresh the old faded and graffitied mural on the side of the building at 2009 Annapolis Rd, the northern gateway to "Main Street." Learn more at the WNA meeting June 2nd, 6:30pm, Westport Academy, 2400 Nevada St.
 The Rotary Club Continues Its Partnership with Westport...
For the second year in a row, the Baltimore City Rotary Club is generously sponsoring a Westport baseball team made up of boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14 who attend Westport Academy. The team plays in the Baltimore Baseball League (BBL) organized by Parks & People as part of their Hooked on Sports program. And they are lucky to have Coach Chris James return this year as well. To learn more, check out the Summer 2011 newsletter.
 Westport Cares About the Boys & Girls Club...
The Westport Homes Boys & Girls Club has, to date, received 49 summer camp scholarships, (a donation of $75/each), for the children in Westport. Each scholarship will allow a child to attend summer camp who would otherwise not be able to go. “I personally want to thank all the neighbors as well as the company Polk Audio who contributed to this success,” said Laure Julliard, Program Director. Camp runs from June 27th to August 5th, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4 pm for kids ages 5 through 12. For more information or to learn how to make a scholarship donation, check out the Summer 2011 newsletter.
News and Notes about the Neighborhood...
Check out the Summer 2011 newsletter for the latest information about what's happening in and around Westport -- cookouts and parties, highlights from what's on the horizon for fall, a Note from the Prinicpal, Ms. Felecia Irick, and more. And stay tuned to this website for the latest on Westport throughout the summer...
Looking back through time...
The June 2010 newsletter took a look back at Westport’s history, reaching back through the generations as Westport’s future shares ties with its past. It includes an excerpt from “A History of Westport,” written by three Westport Academy teachers in 1950. That excerpt was continued in the September newsletter, the December newsletter, and the Spring 2011 newsletter. Check out the Summer 2010 newsletter and read the continuing story. This latest chapter picks up with talk of a new fire station...
Join Team Westport in the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge!
 Westport has entered the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge (BNEC). And at least 16 of your neighbors have volunteered to be Neighborhood Energy Captains. Their goal is to raise neighborhood awareness and help reduce Westport's energy usage house by house. Neighborhood Energy Captains are reaching out to inform their neighbors about energy saving measures and help them access information and resources, including grant and assistance programs, market-rate energy services and more. Reduce your energy usage -- take the pledge. For more information or to learn how you can get involved, contact Tom Caponiti or Bonnie Crockett.
Westport "Main Street" & Gateway Design Plan for Annapolis Road
The Westport Neighborhood
Association (WNA) has been working with Westport Community Partnerships and the
Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) to create a Westport "Main Street" &
Gateway Design Plan for Annapolis Road.
The project started in July of
2009, when the WNA was successful in its request for support from the NDC. Over the course of close to a year, NDC
volunteer architects, designers, and city and traffic planners attended six public
meetings, giving all of the neighbors the opportunity to participate in the
project, and receiving input from a wide variety of neighbors. In addition, NDC volunteers attended WNA
Board of Directors' meetings to discuss the design plan in great detail
 The final product, which was presented
to the neighborhood at the WNA's June 3, 2010 general meeting, and to the Dept.
of Transportation, the Dept. of Planning and the Baltimore Development Corp. on
June 10, 2010, is a true reflection of the Westport neighborhood's vision for
the future of its "Main Street."
The final plan and a poster summarizing the key elements are available here for download…
Many thanks and kudos to
the NDC volunteers who worked on this exciting plan. In particular, Claudia Barragan, Mauricio Del Pozo, Meg
Maffeo, Gerald Neilly and Steven Parsons, who went above and beyond. Their final plan is a product of the neighbors' ideas and
visions captured with remarkable creativity and professionalism. The WNA and Westport Community
Partnerships are fortunate and thankful to have had such a talented design team.
The next steps will be
equally challenging. The WNA
and Westport Community Partnerships will work together on the long process of
applying for grant funding and undertaking other efforts to implement the plan
over the next few years as the revitalization of Westport continues.
Westport's History in Photos
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Everyone enjoys looking at old photos. It is fascinating to compare the
‘before’ and ‘after.’ To enjoy some wonderful old photos of Westport,
check out the Historic Photos
& Maps picture album. Westport Community Partnerships would
like to start a collection of old Westport photos and other artifacts
for display in its upcoming Annapolis Road office where everyone can
enjoy them. If you have old pictures you could add, (copies can be made
and the originals returned to you), or other artifacts to contribute,
please contact Bonnie Crockett at bcrockett@westportpartnerships.org
or call 443.717.3627 and help bring Westport’s history back to life!
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Enjoy all of Westport Community Partnerships' Photo Albums!
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Check out the hundreds of photos of Westport neighbors and neighborhood
events in Westport Community Partnerships' fun Photo Albums.
It's almost as much fun as being there!
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Westport Community Partnership Newsletters
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