Farny Art Park Dedication

Free pizza, friends in period costume, and art. What a way to kick off the weekend!

The new art park dedicated to Henry Farny [(1847-1914, also friend of local Covington, KY artist Frank Duveneck (1848-1919)] took place this afternoon, a half block from our home.

It's great to see the neighborhood coming together to take vacant lots and make something artistic and community oriented out of it, most due to gracious volunteers, and artwork by another up and coming local artist, David Michael Rice, (who we've seen do a show downtown Cincinnati... very cool stuff this guy makes. Very cool.) Seen here above *inside* his latest sculpture.














Just remember, whatever happens, "Don't Break Character!" (Ref.: South Park episode 1207). It appears that Henry F. Farny attended the event as well.















The sculpture which is the centerpiece for the park, by David Michael Rice, is a depiction of Henry Farny's signature character, seen in the bottom right corner of the artwork below, which I believe (and I'm open to correction on this) means "Long Boots" in Sioux.

































There were quite a few 'dignitaries' here to officially open the park, so as for the ribbon cutting ceremony, there were a lot of scissors needed.














Seven, I think.














David did the honors after the ribbon was cut.














Kids were having as much fun as the parents were...



And then again, some were just having fun all by themselves. (You guys are just too cute for words... )
















Then David rested IN his laurels ;-)

Of course, we thought one of the better parts of the park was the clever use of local native arbor species to represent the signature of Farny....














Looks familiar, don't it? (Here's why)

Henry Farney Art Park

The Dedication ceremony is Saturday 6/27/09. 12:00-2:00.

Corner of Banklick and Robbins. Check out the rather neat artwork by David Rice.


Check out the flyer, here.

Be there, or be square.

This Old House Honors Covington

This Old House' honors Covington

By Mike Rutledge
mrutledge@nky.com

COVINGTON - "This Old House," the 30-year-old television program that helped make restoration of older homes more fashionable, has ranked Northern Kentucky's largest city as one of the country's best places to buy an Old House.

"Houses here are beautiful, solid and cheap," touts the television program's Web site. "Covington is a New Urbanist's dream, with shops, groceries, parks, bike trails, and the city of Cincinnati, all within walking distance."

Covington Historic Preservation Officer Beth Johnson prefers the word "affordable" rather than cheap, because the homes - many of them constructed with bricks, and many 100-plus years old - were built to last, with both flair and sturdy craftsmanship.

"You can go down a street and see large amounts of intact historic fabric," Johnson said. "You can go block for block and see another beautiful Italianate, then you see a Queen Anne, then you see a Second Empire."

Another big thing is "the people who fill the houses," Johnson said, and the active neighborhood associations "that automatically make you feel welcome, because they're out there talking to you."

You're not just buying a house, she said: "You're buying a neighborhood, and you're buying a great place to live."

"We have a lot of historic buildings, and I think we're beginning to become more and more recognized for that," said Aaron Wolfe-Bertling, Covington's housing development director. "They are not only very affordable, but located literally in the center of a large metropolitan area that offers all kinds of amenities."

Wolfe-Bertling lives in Covington's Mother of God neighborhood, within walking distance of both the MainStrasse entertainment district and Cincinnati's sports stadiums.

Covington was among 16 Southern places that made the list, joining the Poplar Springs area of Meridian, Miss.; East Durham, N.C.; and the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. It was among 51 places nationwide.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090624/NEWS0103/906250349

And while you're at it, here's a cheap house in Covington.

Lead Safe Work Practices Class

Lead Safe Work Practices Class

Thursday 4/16/09 AT

6 pm to 8:30 pm

LOCATION:

Newport Brighton Center

8^th and Central

Newport, KY 41071

Who is the class for?

· Homeowners doing renovation, repainting, or remodeling work where lead-based paint may be encountered

· Building supervisors and landlords

· Homeowners and property owners associations

· Community and social service organizations

· Home (or code) inspectors

· Maintenance workers

· State and local municipal agencies

NOTE: This class does not satisfy HUD requirements for lead safe training for workers on federally funded projects between $5k and $25k. Please call for more info if you need a class for this purpose.

What will be covered?

This class will teach attendees lead-safe work practices and the strategies for implementing them. Many homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint, so it is important that renovation, remodeling and repair activities use methods that reduce and control dust and debris created during work. Even a small amount of dust can pose a serious health risk to children and families.

Is there a cost involved?

Class is free of charge

Is there a deadline for registration?

Thursday 4/16/09

To register call

Tony Powell at 859.363.2049

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and CARD Grant

According to Paul Bogenschutz of the Home Builders Ass. of Northern Ky, the Kentucky Housing Corp  (inter alia) plans to advance the federal first-time home buyer tax credit (up to $8,000) to be used as down payment money at closing.

Folks, here in the Covington Arts District, we've already got a $6,000 forgivable loan that can be used at closing for down payment. If you buy here in the district that's up to $14,000 in down payment help that doesn't have to be repaid if you buy your house this year and live in it for 5 years! 

Plus, if you do a full rehab (which it appears at this point is "building a home" for the purposes of the credit) you can also qualify for home energy tax credits if you replace windows, doors, furnaces, insulate, and possibly even if you put a metal roof on your home. This is a credit of up to $1500 at 30% of the cost of the applicable project(s).

Remember, the first-time home buyer tax credit is a REFUNDABLE credit. If you don't owe taxes, they cut you a check. There are income limits, but they're generous. The CARD loan/grant has no income guidlines.

Many of these funds can be used for new construction like the Pulse Lofts or for a rehab project like this one in our first post about the financing incentives.

Add these credits and grants to the extremely low rates that are available (5.1% right now for a 30 year), and, well, this is a heck of a time to buy a house, lemme tell you. These credits could be gone at the end of the year, however, so now is the time to get a move on.

Mark

Got Your Calendar Yet?

Get your Neighborhoods of Covington Calendar

here

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras 2009 Feb 20-21 in MainStrasse Village

Get in on the recession procession. You can register for a chance to win free tickets!

Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21 - 8:00 p.m. until 1 a.m. Presale tickets available at www.mainstrasse.org for just $8 for 1 night, or $15 for two. Tickets at the gate will be $12.

Friday night: Kristen Key
Saturday night: Forehead

Entertainment Tent and Cajun Food booths open at 8 p.m.
Music begins following the parade both nights.

BIG HEAD PARADE on Friday and GRANDE PARADE on Saturday begin at 8:00 p.m.at 9th & Willow Run and proceed east on 9th to Main Street and north on Main Street to 5th Street.

This year tickets are JUST $8 in advance each night and $15 for both nights if purchased on line by February 13. You can find them here starting January 26th.

After February 13 on line tickets will be $12 each night and $20 for both nights.

Tickets will also be available for purchase at MainStrasse bars beginning February 16. ONLY 6,000 tickets will be sold for each night. Buy on line so you don't get shut out!

YOU MUST BE 21 TO PURCHASE A TICKET

Complimentary parking is available in the IRS Parking Lot at 4th & Johnson Streets.

1st Friday Gallery Hop

1st Friday Gallery Hop

Description:	Enjoy the Covington Arts scene the first Friday of each month. Galleries, shops, restaurants and bars all participate in this monthly tradition of art awareness. www.covingtonartmerchants.com
Date:	Friday, June 1, 2007
Repeat Type:	Friday, June 1, 2007 (every 2nd Month / 1st Friday)
Time:	6:00pm-10:00pm

Welcome

This is a brand new blog-in-development to provide a clearing house for community information, and involvement. If you have a community organization in Covington, and would like to promote your events or your mission, please feel free to contact us by leaving a comment below with enough information for us to find you. We'll set up a mail account especially for this blog shortly.

Stay tuned for more, as we complete our set up.