East Nashvillian Issue 05

Vol. 1 Issue 5 May/June 2011

Inside the Lives of

East Nashville

Flood Survivors East Nashville’s Newest Tradition

The Man Behind the Curtain

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NASHVILLE JULY 9, 2011 CENTENNIAL PARK

REGISTER 9AM BIKE PARADE 10AM REVIVALATION 11AM -4PM

SQUIRM BURPEE CIRCUS THE DOVEKINS

DAREDEVIL CHICKEN CLUB MUCCA PAZZA

Benefiting Sound Forest and Walk/Bike Nashville

ile m S o T n o s a e R There Is A New ville In East Nash

Publisher Lisa McCauley Managing Editor Chuck Allen Art Director Mark Pilkinton Ad Design Curt Perkins

Full-Service Family Dentistry Cosmetics Implants Sedation

The Ultimate in New Technology And Comfort TVs in the Ceiling!

Dr. Thomas Had

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Photographers Chuck Allen Jeremy Hundley Carolyn Manney Tonda McKay Daniel Menlove Gracie H. Vandiver

Contributing Writers T.J. Anderson Helen Gaye Brewster Joanne Chantelau Francie Hunt Eric Jans Carolyn Manney Hannah Meigs Jonell Mosser Alan Murdock Carol Norton Lynn Taylor Andrea Bailey Willits

Webmaster Laura Ewen Advertising Contact: Lisa McCauley lisa@theeastnashvillian.com

after

615-582-4187 www.theeastnashvillian.com Cover photo by Daniel Menlove

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The East Nashvillian is published bi-monthly by Kitchen Table Media, LLC. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents East Nashville Farmers Market Story by Carolyn Manney

fEASTival East Nashville’s Newest Tradition Story by Hannah Meigs Business Profile: The Building Nashville’s Inspiration Hub Story by T.J. Anderson Charity Spotlight: The Next 100 Years Neighbors Helping Neighbors Story by Helen Gaye Brewster

Photo by Gracie H. Vandiver

Inside the Lives of East Nashville Flood Survivors Story by Andrea Bailey Willits

Artist Profile: Tom Britt Story by Jonell Mosser

Main Street National Spotlight on East Nashville Story by Carol Norton Rescuing Brian’s Pack Story by Joanne Chantelau

Quality Early Education in East Nashville Story by Francie Hunt

Are you dreaming of building a garage?

Story by Lynn Taylor The ArtHouse Gardener: The Greatest Show on Earth Story by Alan Murdock

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8 13 15 18 21 24 28 32 34 36 38 40

Profile: Dan Heller The Man Behind the Curtain Story by Eric Jans

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Letter from the EDITOR Water. Too much or not enough. That seems to be the way it is around here. Thankfully the downpours have been spread out such that a repeat of last year’s deluge has been avoided. Unfortunately, there are many among us who have yet to recover from the flood. There have been triumphs as well. What I took away from our cover story is that no matter what hand fate has dealt we’re all in this together.

Many thanks to my fellow East Nashvillians who provided photographs for this story.

“Rescuing Brian’s Pack” beautifully illustrates this very theme. “The Next 100 Years” takes it to the community level, reminding us that what we can’t do alone we can do together. If your thing is social togetherness perhaps “fEASTival” might be worth checking out. Or maybe one of the events at The Building.

Eric Jans provides us with an in depth look into the world of Dan Heller, perhaps one of the single most influential individuals in East Nashville today, and a man who doesn’t shy away from risktaking- or taking on City Hall.

Kudos to Jonell Mosser for the great read she provides us with in her profile of guitar player Tom Britt.

Our favorite gardener Alan Murdock gives us his typically twisted take on things that grow up from the ground. Rounding out the line-up we have stories on the Main Street Program, preschool child care, and building your own garage.

My sincere apology goes out to all members past and present of the Marine Corps for my no excuses can’t-believe-that-one-got-by-me misspelling of their esteemed organization.

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Chuck Allen chuck@theeastnashvillian.com

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Profile: Dan Heller The Man Behind the Curtain

Who is Dan Heller?

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You have probably dined inside one of his development properties. You have likely shopped for eclectic or vintage treasures within one of his renovations. You may have even strolled through a beautifully landscaped courtyard that was his brainchild - all without knowing the man behind it all. So who is this modest wizard behind the curtain? Meet East Nashville developer and resident small business champion, Dan Heller.

Known today as “Riverside Village”, the corner is seen as an alternative destination to Five Points and a favorite gathering place for neighbors and visitors from all over Nashville. It’s Heller’s most visible project because of its size and its many changes, always with a focus on all-local businesses – a crucial element, Heller says, of the area’s success. What was once a shady storefront is now the well-respected, East Nashville School of Music. A few doors down, Mitchell’s Deli and Sip Café, once an auto accessories store and beauty shop, respectively, draw more and more customers every year not only for the great sandwiches and ice cream, but for the beautifully landscaped courtyard and community garden. And on the corner, Watanabe offers sushi and Asian cuisine, a far cry from the run-down abandoned market that it replaced. As a result of the economic flux and community convergence on this once quiet corner, Riverside Village proudly played host to the 1st annual Inglewood Cherry Blossom Festival for the first time this year, a community event that neighbors hope to see grow larger every year.

Story by Eric Jans Photos by Carolyn Manney

A native Nashvillian, Heller lived in Colorado for twelve years where he worked as a broker in commercial real estate, then moved back to Middle Tennessee in 1995. Heller moved to East Nashville, buying a 630 square foot “fixer-upper” in Inglewood for $45,000. Over the next few years, he bought the building that houses M&M Furniture and the house that is now Village Pub, both for what would now be considered bargain prices. He then patiently and methodically acquired several more parcels nearby like the new shop Old Made Good, and the main strip of commercial buildings on McGavock Pike. As a result of his foresight and faith in East Nashville, the formerly blighted intersection of Riverside and McGavock has now become a hot spot for dining and shopping in the ‘hood.

Heller got to know East Nashville through another prominent developer, March Egerton. Heller and

Egerton have known each other since the 7th Grade and, after going different directions, both moved back to Nashville around the same time. Heller says that March was the reason he chose East Nashville. Egerton had been blazing his own trail over here for several years developing the buildings that now house Bongo Java and Margot, Marche, PizzeReal, the Chop Shop and many others. “March is uncannily accurate in his predictions and has an amazing track record of success in highrisk ventures and creating value in the neighborhood. I respect him a great deal for that.” Heller says. Egerton encouraged Heller to explore East Nashville and partnered with him on some projects: The Watanabe building in Riverside Village; the building that houses Pied Piper Eatery/ Fairytales Bookstore; and the Kingston Building on Gallatin and Ordway where No. 308/Sherwin Williams are located.

decline in revenue or unexpected increase in costs immediately puts the business in jeopardy. “It’s easy to overestimate revenue and underestimate costs, especially in the excitement of starting a new business.” Heller says. “But it pays to be especially conservative in making projections because things rarely go as well as planned.”

Heller employs this experience and expertise to advise small businesses in the area, often brainstorming through problems and working through marketing plans with receptive owners. In that way, Heller has provided not just physical space, but helps incubate small businesses.

Some succeed and stay, others expand or move to

“Of all the people I talked to about East Nashville and Inglewood who had no familiarity with what is going on over here,” says Egerton, “Dan is possibly the only one who believed me enough to do something about it. He has good instincts and is adept at …. finding the right tenants - ones that are qualified, eager and have an interesting viable business idea.”

You’ll most often see Heller, at all hours of the day, talking on his phone or to visitors in the area.

He loves giving “the tour”, walking people around the village, singing the praises of all the business Dan Heller at the entrance of the courtyard at Riverside Village owners. “That place has great stuff !” Heller says, pointing to Thrifty Threads, a another space in the neighborhood, and the ones that new ladies consignment shop across from the Village fail are replaced by someone else with hopes of success.

Pub. His support for area small businesses goes beyond It’s an evolving process with surprising twists and turns. his own investments. Heller includes Bailey & Cato’s One recent example includes Bagel Face Bakery, located BBQ, A Bark Above, Thrifty Threads and others on his just outside the courtyard gate. With its growing success Riverside Village website, even though he does not own in Riverside Village, Bagel Face is currently moving to the buildings those stores are in. “We’re in the same its own, larger building on Main Street. But the space community, we’re neighbors. Let’s support each other. won’t be vacant for a single day. The adjacent business, The rising sea raises all the boats.” Unfortunately, not Olive & Sinclair Chocolate, Co., will be expanding into all small businesses succeed and it pains him personally the space immediately, effectively doubling their size when they don’t. Heller says a common mistake some to meet demand. “These are great, new businesses that new businesses make is opening too soon without a know how to execute. It’s exciting to see.” clear plan or adequate capital reserves. Even the smallest

A Small Business Advocate In addition to providing personal guidance and support to small business, Heller has also stepped out as an advocate. Heller made the news in 2008 when he helped Matt Charette get his restaurant Watanabe open in the prime corner space in Riverside Village. Charette ran into a problem with the city and the water “capacity fees” being charged. “Matt called me and said ‘Dan we have a problem that’s going to stop our restaurant from opening.’ It turned out Metro was charging $42,000 to turn on his water. The line was there. No

to see a financial return. But he does it anyway and we are all better for it.”

Heller strives to create spaces that are constantly improving. In 2009 he was awarded the East Nashvillian of the Year Award by his peers at the Historic East Nashville Merchants Association for his redevelopment efforts. Heller brought his first form of inspiration to the ceremony, his father, now 89 years old and his mom, now 82. He cites his parents as role models for who he is today - his dad still working as a home builder, a business he started when he was 68. Heller himself is uncomfortable being praised but says he loves being a part of this process that neighbors have responded to with such warmth. “People often express to me what seems like an emotional attachment to this neighborhood and all the great businesses that have come here. There’s a tangible feeling of community ownership that I really love.”

What’s next for Dan Heller and East Nashville?

Not surprisingly, Matt Charette is a big supporter of Heller’s and calls him a “community visionary”, but initially had to be convinced about the space for Watanabe. “The place was just a disaster when Dan started talking to me about it, I just didn’t see it,” Matt says. “It was only after I saw what else he was doing in the area that it made sense. Dan’s whole vision is about improving this neighborhood. He is willing to invest in parts of it, like the community garden, that are not going

Photo courtesy of Dan Heller

digging was required. That fee was simply to turn on his water.” Heller wrote an op-ed in The Tennessean, led a neighborhood petition drive, lobbied city council members and, through his councilman Erik Cole, arranged to meet Mayor Dean to discuss the problem with Charette and Egerton. “The results were positive”, Heller says. “Once everyone in Metro realized how these fees were killing new restaurants and other small businesses and slowing development in East Nashville and elsewhere,” he says, “our city leaders stepped up to fix it quickly. I really applaud Mayor Dean for getting behind that. “ In the end, City Council voted to lower the water fees by 75%, a move that Heller says continues to save small businesses city-wide millions in start-up costs every year.

Heller’s next endeavor takes the idea of “community ownership” to a new and truly innovative level. He and several other neighbors have formed a non-profit organization to build Urban Green Lab— Nashville’s first-ever community center dedicated to sustainable living. Envisioned as a gathering place for all neighbors to come for hands-on workshops in urban gardening and other activities, it will also be a place to see small-scale theater, film and musical performances.

Formerly a discount tobacco store, now the home of Watanabe

Once built, Urban Green Lab will also tie-in to S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering and math) curricula, an attractive offering for East Nashville parents with kids in area schools.

The facility will be almost entirely “off the grid” with geo-thermal, solar and rainwater collection systems, community composting, and a commercial kitchen available for rent. The group is raising $1.5 million to build the center on the vacant lot at Maxey and McGavock and have already received a great deal of support from many sources. Heller is deeding the nearly half acre commercial property to the non-profit as a gift to the organization in order to get the project going. Heather Langford is working with Heller on Urban Green Lab. She says, “Dan cares deeply about this community and continually finds ways to give back and involve others.”

“I am really proud to be a part of Urban Green Lab and to be working with so many talented people from the community. I love having the opportunity connect with people in very productive ways.” Heller says. And as for the neighborhood? We might not always recognize the vast contributions Dan Heller has made to the area, but through our heightened sense of community and opportunity, we recognize and salute Heller’s visionary work and are proud to call him our own.

For more information on Urban Green Lab visit www.urbangreenlab.org

East Nashville Farmers Market Story and Photography by Carolyn Manney

Starting on Wednesday, May 11th, our very own East Nashville Farmers Market will begin its 2011 season. Located a stones throw from Five Points at the corner of 10th street and Russell, just a block behind the Turnip Truck on the lawn of the Freewill Baptist Church, our market is the one-stop shopping spot for all things local, organic and delicious.

family, and much more. All of these incredible options are produced locally, within a few hours drive of Nashville.

One of the great things about a farmers market is that it is a true collaboration in every sense of the word. It is the combined effort of farmers, bakers, artisans and businesses that makes the market what it is, a unique and important asset to the community. Farmers markets rely on the sponsorship of local businesses not only to help curb the start-up costs, but also as a way to show support of what is an important and integral part of the neighborhood. The Turnip Truck, whose owner John Dyke helped start the East Nashville Farmers Market back in 2007, will continue to be a sponsor as will The Green Wagon,

a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring some of Nashville’s top local chefs, such as Jeremy Barlow of Tayst, Jen Franzen of Flyte and Tandy Wilson of City House, along with Councilman Mike Jameson. And our favorite neighborhood food

truck, Mas Tacos, will be there in all of their mouthwatering, tacorelated glory. You won’t want to miss it!

We are also excited to announce that through a partnership with Community Food Advocates, this year the East Nashville Farmers Market will accept SNAP (food stamps). Through direct outreach to the community surrounding the farmers market, we hope to offer more people convenient access to fresh, nutritious food and to truly support the neighborhood in which our farmers market is located.

Each Wednesday afternoon from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, the farmers market will feature artisan handcrafted cheeses, organically grown produce, grass fed meats and fresh pastured eggs, along with a whole slew of other products such as handmade soaps, candles, pies and cookies, healthy treats to spoil the four-legged members of your

the neighborhood hub for all things local and sustainable, along with Roast, Inc., Provence Breads and the restaurant, City House.

This year we are kicking off the season with live music from Summertown and Loving Touch petting zoo will be there with lots of cute animals for the kids (and adults!) to enjoy. We will also have

When it comes to buying food, it really doesn’t get much better than a farmers market. That direct contact with the people who made, grew or raised your food, of looking them in the eye and handing them your money, is a key component of a thriving local community. We look forward to spending a little bit of time with you each week, and be sure to bring a sun hat or an umbrella because barring any unforeseen floods, you can count on us to be there rain or shine.

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As anyone who lives in East Nashville knows, we are all about supporting our local community.

If you live in the neighborhood, not only is buying local usually the best, most convenient option, but by being conscious of where you spend your money, you are also supporting someone who probably lives around the corner from you, helping to keep the neighborhood fun and eclectic.

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First Annual

East Nashville’s Newest Tradition It’s no secret that here in East Nashville, we love our festivals. Be they art, beer, or tomato festivals, we relish every opportunity to gather on the streets of Five Points and celebrate the eclectic display of creative, culinary, and musical talent that our neighbors have to offer. These events never fail to highlight that unique spirit of unity and pride in our community, which, for many of us, is what drew us to East Nashville in the first place.

Scott Caldwell and Julie Trull are two East Nashvillians who, like so many of us, simply can’t get enough of this place – or its festivals. When they met a few years ago at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., they became fast friends and soon discovered that they had a common dream – to found a festival of their own. Trull and Caldwell fondly recall sitting in the kitchen late one night about two years ago, excitedly brainstorming and working up the first plans for what has become known as fEASTival, a food, music and art festival scheduled to make its first annual debut in Five Points on May 21. The hope that Trull and Caldwell have for the festival is that it will be an event that will attract people from all over to come see what our neighborhood has to offer. “We want everyone to be exposed to East Nashville,” says Trull.

promotion. Trull’s years of marketing and promotion experience have earned her a wealth of experience, planning events for such companies as MTV and Ecko Unlimited. Caldwell, a talent agent hailing from Michigan, has been promoting and planning concerts and events since the early age of fourteen.

After two years of hard work and planning, Trull and Caldwell are finally ready to see the fruits of their labor, and fEASTival looks like a guaranteed hit.

Key elements of the festival include a “Taste of East Nashville” section where East Nashville restaurants will showcase their food, an art section, a live music stage, and an interactive Kidzone. Taste of East Nashville will feature such restaurants as Silly Goose, The Wild Cow, Nuvo Burrito, and a new restaurant soon to open in East Nashville, Burger Boutique, which will be debuting its local, all organic sliders at the festival. The music stage will include a good mix of “homegrown” music, with a medley of Indie rock, Americana and Bluegrass. At least 25 local artists plan to showcase their work at the festival, including Danielle Duer of Simple Syrup Designs, a new gallery that features clothing, home and textile design.

In the interactive Kidzone, kids can enjoy such activities as face painting, story telling, and arts and crafts. The Bongo Java Kidzone Outdoor Stage will host a lineup of bands performing children’s music throughout the day.

There will also be plenty of surprises for the kids.

Caldwell and Trull can’t seem to overstate their immense

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For those who know Caldwell and Trull, it probably comes as no great surprise that the two were both drawn to the idea of starting a festival from scratch, as they each have over a decade of experience in event planning and

By Hannah Meigs Photo By Carolyn Manney

15 Julie Trull at Five Points

gratitude to the East Nashville businesses that have gotten behind them and sponsored the festival in its first year.

“The community has really made this possible,” says Caldwell. “Your first time around, it’s hard to get people to believe and get behind you, but we’ve had so much support.” Trull adds, “They’ve also given a lot of time and effort. Their passion and excitement has made this a lot more fun for me, too. This doesn’t really feel like a job.”

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As fEASTival grows closer, its founders are growing more and more eager to see what it will shape up to look like. “It will be interesting to see the people who come out and the interaction and dynamic of the event,” says Caldwell. “That’s the excitement of it – even though we have it all planned out in our heads, it changes daily, and how it looks the first year will kind of determine how it looks from here on out.” Trull and Caldwell have great ambitions for the future of the festival. “We started out with really big ideas, and we’ve had to scale down quite a bit,” explains Trull. “Those ideas aren’t going anywhere, though. We’re going to do them all at some point.

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Well, East Nashville, you know the drill. On May 21, let’s put on our sunscreen and our walking shoes, pile those kiddos in the car, and head to Five Points. And while we’re at it, why not invite someone from out of town? After all, East Nashville’s got it – so let’s flaunt it.

FEASTival is a free, open event, and all ages are welcome.

For more information or to volunteer, visit feastivalnashville.com or email feastival.nashville@gmail.com

“What’s Happening” 10th Annual Vintage Bike Show Hosted by Drifters May 15th, noon - 8 pm 1008 B. Woodland St. www.tonupclub.com Buffalo Festival Hosted by Dickerson Road Merchants Association June 25th, 10 am - 4 pm 631 Dickerson Pike www.buffalofestival.org The Eastwood Ensemble Presents: A Spring Concert of Menotti, Faure, and Bass Clarinet Rag! June 26th, 3:00 pm Eastwood Christian Church 1601 Eastland Ave. www.eastwood-ensemble.org

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2011 Music City Hot Chicken Festival July 4th, 11 am - 4 pm 700 Woodland St. www.hotchickenfestival.com

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615-226-0555 Custom Commission work Repairs and Supplies Classes available Come visit our gallery – We have the works of over 50 artists displayed – or – Visit us on the web at www.stainedglassaccessories.com

Memorial Lutheran Church

Join us for our monthly Song Writer’s Evening Sunday May 22, 2011 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Memorial Lutheran Church 1211 Riverside Drive East Nashville, TN 615-262-0224 www.memoriallutherantn.org

East Nashville has long offered the opportunity to live on the creative and inspired side of the River. Artistic expression is found in the start-up businesses, restaurants and, most recently, the reinvention of the space behind Drifters BBQ in Historic 5 Points. Dubbed “The Building” by its three pioneering owners, artists of every medium now have a creative outlet as well as a space to work. The Building also acts as a venue for events as varied as the personalities involved in putting it all together.

Visual artist and art director Anthony Billups launched Billups Art in June of 2009 with the idea to have a “custom venue that celebrates creativity.” As a singersongwriter and mixed media artist, Billups lights up at the fact that The Building has evolved into something completely unique to the Nashville creative community.

Billups notes: “The Building reinvents itself every night with the vibe created by all the people involved.” The evolution of the space is as creative as the work done inside its vintage walls.

Creative director Laura Godwin moved to Nashville in the spring of 2008 from New York City. As a photographer and makeup artist for film and television, artistic expression is her passion. After reading about Billups, she stopped in at an Art Fair being hosted at the venue. Godwin “loved the space.” She “immediately felt this is what I had been missing in Nashville that I missed so much about New York – that vibe. I walked to the front door and there was Anthony, a super friendly guy.” The two talked about the idea of creating an “artist collective.” Godwin was looking for a space that would be a “perfect haven in Nashville for all things creative with no judgment allowed.”

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Nashville’s Inspiration Hub

By T.J. Anderson Photos by tonda mckay

With Billups blessing, Godwin and her boyfriend David Oakleaf, a songwriter and touring artist, put together their first music and art event, complete with a roaming vintage clothing rack. Billups loved the event and wanted the three to start having one every week at the beginning of 2010. Inspired by Oakleaf ’s 1975 Open Road vintage RV, “Open Road Mondays” was born.

Monday nights were just the beginning of this artistic friendship and business collaboration. Billups offered artists studio space for lease in January of 2010 and, with hosted events happening daily, the trio decided to become full-time business partners. The resulting creative marriage created the umbrella that is now called “The Building.” Billups Art is still active as an entity within The Building.

Artistic talent is not a prerequisite to use this space.

“We provide a diverse and creative space for artists of all types. Visual or performance artists – anything,” Godwin explains. “Our gallery is an open space that is ever changing. We are open for whatever you need us to be. If you want to rent the space for a wedding reception,

writers night, family reunion, concert/CD release, art show, video shoot, workshop, etc. – The Building can adapt itself for whatever you need it to be.”

East Nashville businesses are getting into The Building as well. Saturday nights offer local artists the opportunity to display their work during the “East Side Art Stroll.” The most unique event may just be the “You Tube? We Tube!” night. Visitors can enjoy YouTube clips they request on the big screen, while sharing with others.

Billups, Godwin, and Oakleaf have created a venue limited only by Nashville’s collective imagination. It’s this artistic spirit that has turned a simple building in the “Alley,” into East Nashville’s inspiration hub.

As an event venue, The Building has created an a la carte menu of services, vendors, and artists for your every need, including: • Painters • Caterers • Fashion Designers • Sculptors • DJ • Stylists • Jewelry Designers • Musicians • Videographers • Welders • Photographers, • Producers • Writers • Makeup Artists The Building currently hosts the following studios: • Open Road Vagabond Thrift • Molly Rose Jewelry Design

• High Class Hillbilly Vintage • Sarah Ballard Paintings

• Karlie Driscoll Painings • Billups Art

Contact Info: The Building | 1008C Woodland St | Nashville, TN 37206 Anthony Billups | billupsart@gmail.com | 615.489.5100 | www.anthonybillups.com Laura zGodwin | laurakgodwin@yahoo.com | 917.776.9762 David Oakleaf | davidoakleaf@yahoo.com | 785.341.1857 You can also find The Building on Facebook.

The Building crew

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Call us today for a free quote on a deck, fence, patio or landscaping project! Serving East Nashville for over 10 years.

By Helen Gaye Brewster Photo by Gracie H. Vandiver

Catherine McTamaney at ArtHouse Gardens during flood relief efforts

Although The Next 100 Years is the brainchild of Alan Murdock, he’s quick to say it’s not about him, but about the community. The idea was born from the flood relief efforts last year and the amazing response from the community to help those in need.

So Alan began to think, “The community did an amazing job, but we could have done even better if we’d already had a plan in place. What if we knew our neighbors better and knew who had more urgent needs in a disaster like the elderly, disabled, or out of work.” Alan was joined in this idea by Alan Hayes with Rediscover East! and Catherine McTamaney.

Together they began to nurture a new non-profit, The Next 100 Years.

To make the idea work, The Next 100 Years wants to energize our neighbors then harness the energy of East Nashville to create a community of volunteers from the neighborhood associations that will be prepared to serve more quickly and efficiently in the face of a disaster. It’s also a way to promote local businesses and be a catalyst for local businesses to grow. And, it’s a way to create awareness for our neighborhood to those outside the community.

According to Alan, one common thread heard throughout the flood relief efforts from volunteers was that they had never been to East Nashville and

had never been shown our neighborhood by realtors.

These volunteers found the neighborhood charming and loved the community spirit.

To achieve the goals of The Next 100 Years the organization is working with Ron Harmon, retired disaster coordinator for the Salvation Army, to formulate a plan for when disaster occurs. After Ron retired he started a consulting company called “Have Must Hang…Will Travel.” Goals include creating the plan, creating awareness of the plan, engaging First Responders, and providing information to organizations such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army. There will be professional disaster volunteers as well as volunteers from our community.

There are some points of difference in The Next 100 Years and CERT Programs. One is creating community spirit as well as being prepared in case of disaster. Another is that The Next 100 Years will help us get to know our neighbors face to face. A third is the creation of a calendar of events for the next 100 days from now till the Tomato Art Fest in August.

The calendar will include all things East Nashville: events, festivals, races, neighborhood association meetings, church and school activities, fundraisers, block parties, social enterprise, neighborhood work days, support your local business days and anything else that helps us get to know our neighbors and create a strong spirit of community. And, most importantly, asking neighbors to sign a contract to commit to being involved in your community for the

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“The Next 100 Years is designed to build an even stronger community that encourages people to get to know their neighbors, their neighborhood and the greater East Nashville area.”

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next 100 years!

The Next 100 Years isn’t ready to stop with just helping East Nashville. Future goals include creating a model for other communities, opportunities to work with Metro Nashville on a disaster plan based on geographic neighborhoods and nurturing relationships with other local non-profits to build and strengthen partnerships.

What can the residents of East Nashville do to collaborate with The Next 100 Years? Well, here’s a list to get you started.

1. Sign up! To receive information and en-vites send an email to: tn100y@gmail.com 2. Get to know your neighbors and community.

3. Attend your neighborhood association meetings and invite others to attend.

4. Get creative! Tell the non-profit organizations you’re already involved with about The Next 100 Years and find ways to create partnerships.

5. Submit your community events from now till Tomato Art Fest in August to The Next 100 Years calendar at tn100y@gmail.com. Include community events, festivals, neighborhood association meetings, neighborhood work days, fundraisers, block parties, etc. This calendar is hosted by www.rediscovereast.org.

6. Create your own neighborhood event to get to know your neighbors better. Have a porch party and invite people on your block you’ve never met. Grill out in your front yard instead of your back and invite the neighbors to throw something on the grill. Have a yard sale and ask your neighbors to contribute and give the money to your favorite organization.

7. Volunteer to help The Next 100 Years.

8. Develop ideas of how to help our community in the next 100 years and submit them.

9. Have the heart of a volunteer.

10. Commit to being involved in your community for the next 100 years!

Alan is “personally honored to be in a community of amazing people that can become even better in the next 100 years.” Alan, our community is honored to have you help us become better in the next 100 years.

In the days after the

By Andrea Bailey Willits

historic May 2010 flood, our East

Nashville neighbors shared with us how the

floodwaters turned their lives upside down. As the one-year

anniversary of the flood approached, we caught up with them—and

a few other survivors—to see what they’re doing now, how they’ve adjusted to

their new reality, and the triumphs and struggles that surprised and encouraged them.

Photo by Gracie H. Vandiver

A few weeks ago, Jeremy Hundley was getting dressed for a wedding when he realized he didn’t have a single tie to go with his suit. His ties were lost in three feet of dirty river water in last year’s record flood, but until that moment, Hundley had never thought about replacing them. w w w. t h e e a s t n a s h v i l l i a n . c o m

For Hundley, though, it’s not just the ties. It’s the missing rolling pin in the midst of making apple pie. It’s the missing level that he needs to hang a picture. When Hundley and his wife Leila first spoke to The East Nashvillian last June, the flood had destroyed the couple’s 2,000-squarefoot ranch on Brittany Drive and all the contents therein. Today, they’re preparing to move into a brandnew home built on the same spot, but these small, weekly reminders continue to haunt him.

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“You just take so many little things for granted,” the realtor says.

Starting From Scratch

Hundley’s angst is fading, though, in his excitement about their new home, elevated eight feet above the ground, milky white siding lending the rectangular structure an ethereal glow. Repairs on the old house proved so expensive that the Hundleys brought in an architect and started from scratch. As they waited for the house to be finished in May, they lived with friends and relatives, rented a house in Inglewood, and house-sat for friends.

“I feel like I’ve aged about five years in the past 12 months. I’m exhausted,” Hundley says. “My wife feels the same way.”

All they own is a mattress and some clothes, but the couple can finally rest after emerging victorious from a fourmonth battle with their insurance company.

“When the adjuster came out, he

gave us the impression he was going to take care of us,” Hundley says. “I thought, finally someone’s on our side. But from then on it was a fight.

It took him almost a month to get me my estimate, and it was $80,000 on a $225,000 policy.”

Through persistence and patience, Hundley saw his estimate jump more than $70,000. But, as he points out, few other flood victims had the time, energy and real estate knowledge to outrun the insurance companies.

Hundley’s neighbors, an elderly, disabled couple, have a house 800 square feet larger than his, but their estimate came in $40,000 lower. A year later, their roof still isn’t finished.

“There’s a lot of bad information out there,” Hundley says. “I tell everybody, document everything.

Check your policy limits. Use a public adjuster. Expect that it’s going to be a ‘used car,’ haggling game where you have to fight.”

Kathleen Campbell-Smith, a massage therapist and single mom whose backyard edges Shelby Bottoms, also received low estimates after three feet of water swirled through her house and 10 feet filled her garage.

“We were very persistent. The first adjuster came here and didn’t cover the drywall and the insulation in the walls, among other things,” she says.

“I forced them to come back and deal with issues that hadn’t been covered.

They sent another adjuster who did a very good job and we got some more money to help with renovations.”

Neighbors and friends helped with gift cards and checks, but the renovations dragged on for the better part of a year. CampbellSmith hoped to move back before Thanksgiving; contractors pushed the date to February 1. Now, after months of renting, she’s finally home again, unpacking boxes, painting and

negative emotion away.”

She’s not the only flood survivor who’s added a few bells and whistles.

Since sharing their flood experience with The East Nashvillian last year, Lee Shropshire and Andy Scheinman say they’ve made improvements to their 1940s home on Sunnymeade Drive.

The musicians used the floodwaters that rose five feet in their basement as an opportunity to go eco-friendly and cut their utilities in half.

During eight months of repairs to the house and yard, contractors installed ductless splits heating and air, a tank-less water heater and an energy-efficient washer and dryer.

As normalcy returns to many flood survivors, others simply haven’t had the chance to heal. For 20 years, Gayle O’Hanlon, the petite blond

Heavy Losses

Photo by Jeremy Hundley

Better Than Before

more now—not that anyone would want to buy it!”

Hundley’s inundated house

owner of Enchanted Gingerbread, created exquisite gingerbread masterpieces for clients like Oprah and Gaylord Opryland in a sparkling custom kitchen in her Moss Rose Drive home—until seven feet of floodwater engulfed her equipment and workspace. O’Hanlon and her family escaped in kayaks.

“It forced us to redo our house,” Scheinman says with a wry smile.

“I had already completed 1,000 ornaments for Christmas at Gaylord,” O’Hanlon says. “The stench of the wet gingerbread was awful.”

The couple had to borrow against their home to pay for the repairs—they were told they didn’t need flood insurance since they weren’t on a flood plain— but $7,000 from FEMA helped them complete the job. Shrophire says she’s relieved it’s all over and tickled they got the screened-in deck they always wanted.

Hundley’s new house

finishing small construction. Most of her neighbors are just now trickling back to their homes—and they’re all planning a big summer block party to celebrate.

“I’m still a little angsty because I “My house is a lot better looking than lost my [art] studio,” she says. “But our first and foremost feeling, when it used to be,” Campbell-Smith says. knew we still had a house—we “I turned my garage into a living space, and opened up my kitchen and were immensely grateful for that.

Gratitude took a bunch of the modernized it. The house is worth

Photo by Chuck Allen

Photo by Chuck Allen

The flood set in motion a series of setbacks leading to O’Hanlon’s financial ruin. Friends raised $800 to help salvage her business and she did her best to fulfill vast gingerbread orders in friends’ kitchens and a warehouse off Gallatin Road, but in

The drywall is still cut out of O’Hanlon’s kitchen a year later

April, she could no longer afford to operate. In tears, she moved back into her gutted house with her son and dogs; their jumble of belongings still sits in a storage unit on the front lawn.

with Tennessee clay, it offers an eye-popping view. As O’Hanlon lives in the upstairs bedroom of what she calls her “Shangri-La,” she’s looking for a job so she can pay back her creditors.

“For 20 years, you could ask me any given day how many days there were until Christmas,” O’Hanlon says. “This year, I don’t know what Christmas means to me, because I don’t know if I’m going to get to do gingerbread. This whole thing has devastated me emotionally.”

“This year, I don’t know what Christmas means to me, because I don’t know if I’m going to get to do gingerbread. This whole thing has devastated me emotionally.”

–Gayle O’Hanlon

Friends encourage her to declare bankruptcy, but O’Hanlon is determined to pay back every penny she owes, and to rebuild her home by hand. From the back porch, steps wind down to a beautiful deck and grilling station, as well as an in-ground pool overlooking the river—even stripped and crusted

“My goal is to continue to make gingerbread, but I am also an airbrush artist and sew and bartend and cater,” she says. “I have an occupational permit and I can still give workshops to children and hold cake decorating classes. I’m trying to reinvent myself.”

O’Hanlon welcomes job leads and

additional hands to help organize her belongings. “I’m just trying to focus and compartmentalize all these things that have happened,” she says.

“I’m trying to do little things to get myself back in the swing.”

Gaining Perspective

For some flood survivors, this year has brought closure. For others, like O’Hanlon, it’s only the beginning.

But many, like Hundley, are finally able to put it all in perspective.

“We don’t have a vacuum cleaner, scissors or a power strip,” Hundley says. “I was the guy you borrowed tools from; now they’re just all rusted and gone. It’s been tough. It was not expected. But we all need to help each other. I want to give back to the community any way I can. There are worse things: You look at Japan and this looks like a mud puddle.”

Photo by Chuck Allen

Gayle O’Hanlon hangs out in “Shangri-La”

Friends Unite to Save Shelby Park As floodwaters receded last May, East Nashvillians formed a united front to help Shelby Park and Bottoms, the beloved 361 acres where residents play, bike, walk and fish. More than 100 volunteers from Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms, Hands On Nashville and neighborhood listservs pitched in to clear debris—and salvage the athletic programs dear to the

Friends of Shelby. “Jess Neely is so important to the youth in East Nashville, and they are up and running this season.”

Signups for the league declined after the flood, but thanks to a little help from friends, baseball season is once again in full swing. Jess Neely received donations from several area businesses and organizations,

ceremony, and kids played on a Major League-quality infield for the first time.

“The flood gave us perspective on what we needed to do to keep baseball in this community,” says Jason Barrett, vice president of Jess Neely Athletics. “If we didn’t put the hard work into it, there was a chance it would die out. Our

“The flood gave us perspective on what we needed to do to keep baseball in this community” – Jason Barrett

Photo by Chuck Allen

New Jess Neely diamond

community. Friends of Shelby worked tirelessly to restore what they could of Old Timers Baseball Field and Jess Neely Athletics’ fields, removing thick silt, debris and dead fish caught in the fences.

“People came from everywhere to help on the designated workday,” says Carol Williams, president of

as well as almost $70,000 from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, to support renovations of its fields and buildings and under gird the Revive, Rebuild, Sustain Project, focused on enhancing and promoting baseball programs in East Nashville. On April 2, the Nashville Sounds came out to celebrate the new park’s opening

community needs structures in place to create future leaders, and baseball is a part of that.”

East Nashville neighbors’ ownership of the park and willingness to come to its aid still inspire Williams. “Once again we were touched by the community spirit in our great city,” she says.

Tom Britt Artist Profile

“Piece of cake”, I foolishly spouted, when Lisa asked me to do this article. “I’ve been thinking about trying my hand at some other form of writing besides songs”, ha, what an egotistical goon! Why did I think this would be easy? Well for one, I’ve known the subject more than half my life, and spent countless hours with him making music, working in the studio, traveling all over. Two, even after having known him for so long, I am always surprised by how much more there is to him. He’s a truly fine painter, terrifyingly good Scrabble player, {only his brother Bob can absolutely trounce him} and also a competent engineer.{He would argue that last one, but I have the demos to prove it} Still, to put words on paper, trying to describe him and his art, his life, to try to ask pertinent and intelligent questions.

Story by Jonell Mosser Photograph by Tonda McKay w w w. t h e e a s t n a s h v i l l i a n . c o m

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He was born a poor black child {his words, apologies to Steve Martin} in a manger {again his words} in Clinton, Iowa, November the 7th 1953. Second to last of four brothers, Jim, Bill, Tom and Bob. He claims his dad was not musically inclined although his grandfather played for a time with big band great Wayne King.{Wayne King and the Waltz Kings} But his mother, Mary Jean, was very musically gifted and played both the piano and the harp. The last two Britt boys both started playing guitar right about when puberty hit. Now, nearly every guitar player I know will admit that part of the

allure of learning how to play early on can be attributed to wanting to get girls but being unwilling to dance and something seriously interesting happens when hormones and musical ability collide. There are stories that Tom was grounded the entire summer before 7th grade, and that might have contributed to the

habit he has of playing an unplugged electric constantly. The family also lived for a time in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, and Cincinnati, then moved to San Francisco for a while. At the time, not a music scene he found to his liking. Moved back to Evansville and got a job working for the state of Indiana, giving tours to school

children of the Indian burial grounds there. I asked about the first time he heard something that musically “bent” his ear and he said it had to be his brother Jim’s Elvis records {therefore probably James Burton or Scotty Moore} that really made him want to know what that sound was, and of course it was an electric guitar. He described the first time he got to play a “real guitar, through a real amp”. He was about 10 or 11. His buddy, Tom Kass, told him to come over because his older brother Dave had gotten a Fender, a brand new 1963 candy apple red Stratocaster and a Fender Twin amp. Britt seems to remember a glow and a mist about the room, maybe the faint strains of some celestial choir echoing through the garagez as he strapped it on the first time and hit the strings, “I remember thinking, oh yeah, THAT’S the way it should sound!” Up until then he’d only had an old Silvertone, nearly unplayable acoustic

Britt seems to remember a glow and a mist about the room, maybe the faint strains of some celestial choir echoing through the garage as he strapped it on the first time and hit the strings, “I remember thinking, oh yeah, THAT’S the way it should sound!” to strum around on, it was eventually replaced the next Christmas with a Greco hollow body. That guitar was sold several years later and Tom bought his first Martin, a D18, around 1971. When asked about influences from the radio he avows there was only one rock station available to him in Souix City, it was out of Chicago, so it would have had to have been WLS. The only other stations they could tune in were country. At this point he also cited Chet Atkins as a major influence for that fingerpicking style of playing.

Pretty much completely self taught, he says there was really no one around who could show him the things he wanted to learn {even finding a decent guitar was iffy} he says he gleaned what he could from guitar chord books available at the time.

“Mel Bay?”, I asked and he answered “Probably.” Apparently with Mel and Tom, a little went a long way. Once he got his first professional gig, he never looked back. Though his first real paychecks came from playing country, upon hearing Ry Cooder for the first time his personal style took a turn in that very eclectic direction. Tom Britt took up residence here in Music City sometime in 1974 and has lived in East Nashville since around 2003. His pedal steel has been on this side of the river a bit longer though, as it resided in my basement in the East Hill part of our town starting in 1988 until sold to another friend {saxophonist Joe McGlohon} around 1995. Britt moved to town from Evansville, Indiana to play steel with the legendary Dottie West. Though his first big time gig was with rock icon Leon Russell, initially on guitar and then pedal steel because as he put it, “Sam Bush told on me” speaking of the morning he told Sam that he could play steel, he was called upon to do it onstage that very night with Leon. Those days were his introduction

to life on the road. He makes it clear that road life then is not what it is now. “Now we’re all just trying to get some sleep” he says, and reminisces about when the object was to do just the opposite. They did shows with Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard and various other deities in the country pantheon... his stint with Dottie established his residence in Music City.

He started with Leon at age 24, played with him two or three years then Dottie for four years, {he and Steve Wariner were roommates for much of that gig} playing guitar and steel. He then played with Patty Lovelace off and on for the next fifteen years, {still does the occasional show with her}. His main gig these days {besides being my band leader} is with the mighty Vince Gill, doing about 40 shows a year. And of course, like any good side man, he started doing sessions when he was off the road. Tom has played on recordings with hundreds of folks, most notably, Leon Russell, Willie Nelson, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Patty Lovelace, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Brady, Rodney Crowell, Al Anderson, John Cowan, and yours truly. Ask anyone around these parts and you’ll find out that being a Britt brother is synonymous with being a great guitar player. Upon hearing him play slide with me one night at the Bluebird, guitar great Mike Henderson {Bluebloods, Steeldrivers, Kingsnakes} made a point of telling Britt this town wasn’t getting any bigger and that he knew of an opening for a vacuum cleaner salesman in Billings, Montana.

Also an in demand producer these days, there are those of us who wouldn’t dream of going into the studio without him. He has taken a few guitar students on in the past couple of years and seems very impressed by the talent he is seeing in them at such a young age.

He has lived in three different sections of East Nashville since coming to our side of the river, and one of the things Tom digs most about the community in which he’s living now is how vital and compact it all is. He loves being just a few blocks from most anything he desires, “Living here, I can walk everywhere and get what I need, coffee in the morning, lunch at Mitchell’s Deli, sushi at Watanabe, beer at the Village Pub, I can even get a haircut, it’s kind of like being Andy Griffith.” {At this point we riffed on Mayberry and I did my best Floyd, ‘oooh Andy’} “I have a bunch of younger friends I have coffee with in the morning and here I’m like the 90 old man who tells great stories. I get to eavesdrop on conversations. I love the mixed race aspect of this neighborhood too, makes it more enjoyable, the diversity”. “Is that enough?” “Are you done with this interview with a vampire thing?” “Come on, let’s finish this song.” He snubs out his cigarette and gets up from the porch, lanky frame unfolding from the step he was sitting on...

Alright, I guess I’m through being a journalist, now I’m a girl singer/songwriter and we’re two lines short of having another song finished and ready to put on tape. Back to work.

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Main Street

Story and Photo by Carol Norton

National Spotlight on East Nashville Have you seen the really big light?

The NATIONAL spotlight that’s been on East Nashville lately--not those Chinese lanterns floating around awhile back.

The AIA (American Institute of Architects) magazine featured East Nashville in the February issue with a “whatever happened to” story. It tells of the mess left behind from the ’98 tornado, and the AIA plan that helped us prioritize how to make East Nashville even better than it was before. And the formation of Rediscover East! to help do it. If you missed it on the listserv, you can catch up here: http://www.architectmagazine. com/urban-development/civicslessons.aspx Shortly afterward, East Nashville was the pick of This Old House (and why not?!) as the Tennessee rep for their annual “Best Place to Buy an Old House” issue. Again, you can catch up by reading all about it: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/ photos/0,,20466509_20913545,00. html And that brings us to the National Trust Main Street

Program Assessment Survey visit.

Rediscover East! began the process for our commercial core to become an official Main Street Program, and this was the first step. Teresa Lynch, senior program director, conducted the Assessment over parts of three days, February 23-25. Many folks—business and property owners, neighbors, church and social service reps, and city officials, too—participated in stakeholder meetings to share thoughts and visions of what we’d want to happen in the Historic East Nashville business district— Main and Woodland Streets as it connects to Five Points. However, the Main Street Program isn’t just about what we “want”, it’s also about what we’re willing to do to get it done.

Luckily the Main Street staff, both nationally and here in Tennessee, know how to successfully guide communities through pulling it off.

Three decades of experience across the country is a pretty good track record. It’s not a “quick fix”. This is all about rolling up our sleeves to make the plans and then doing it. The only thing holding us back is the bucks. You see, it takes staff and a roof over your head to pull this off. You can’t keep living in a Post Office box, and there has to

be somebody at the helm keeping track of everything. Several recommendations were made for what to tackle—like how do other folks even f ind East Nashville?

(We’ve already started working on that one, btw.) We got high praise for our diversity and our intention is to keep it that way; not be a cookie cutter version of suburban strip malls.

So, next step? Find money!

Thanks go out to Mayor Dean’s Office and MDHA for funding the Assessment Survey and Report, but the city’s belt tightening again and there won’t be much ongoing financial support. No one’s yet located a millionaire philanthropist to cut a check. What can you do?

Be on the lookout for other sources of funds. Grants? Foundation awards? Has your creative mind just thought of a great fundraising effort? Let us know! Even without being “official”, there is work we can do.

Stay tuned and stay in touch!

Carol Norton, Chair Rediscover East!

Public Spaces & Transportation. c.norton@comcast.net

w w w. t h e e a s t n a s h v i l l i a n . c o m

32 Neighborhood leaders share their insights with Main Street Program staff

Smart Growth Starts Here

As your District 6 representative, I’ll work to promote:

Vote August 4, 2011 Early Vote Begins July 15

Livable i Sustainable, Neighborhoods

i Vibrant, Safe Streets For more information about me, visit:

Responsible i Effective, Government

www.peterwesterholm.com Westerholm for Council 1502 Long Ave, Nashville, TN 37206 paid for by westerholm for council - treasurer wes aull

Rescuing Brian’s Pack

By Joanne Chantelau

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“One time my house was like a zoo, totally full,” Brian says. “It was crazy.” All in all, he rescued 15 to 25 dogs during the flood alone. “He goes over and above to rescue a dog,” says his friend Mary Warren. “There’s not a single dog who is not good enough for him to rescue.”

Photo Courtesy of Brian Breagel

When the Cumberland flooded downtown Nashville in May 2010, Brian Breagel rescued lost dogs and helped reunite them with their families. Once, he and a friend saw a dog in the river, and his friend swam out to get him. The stray dog, maimed, turned out to have heartworms. Brian cared for the dog, getting treatment through his veterinarian, then found a home for him. He kept all the stray dogs in his home until they were reunited with their owners or placed with new owners.

“They did it for me and the dogs, and it was really amazing. I’m really lucky to have such a group of friends.”

Even his neighbors, who adopted a rescued dog through the services of the East Nashville-based nonprofit organization East C.A.N. (Community Action Network), helped out when the snow prevented others from coming over.

“As much as his friends always cared about the welfare of Brian, we also cared about the welfare of Brian’s Pack, because that’s ultimately what Brian cares about,” says Mary, a member of East C.A.N., which facilitates neighbors helping neighbors with animal and human welfare needs.

Kravitz and Jerry anxiously await Brian’s homecoming

One day last fall Brian, a five-year resident of East Nashville, collapsed.

He became paralyzed from the chest down, requiring long-term care in hospital and rehabilitation facilities.

At the time Brian had eight dogs at home, which his friends affectionately call “Brian’s Pack”, all of which he rescued from abuse or abandonment. That’s when friends and neighbors in the community he’s helped so much came to his rescue.

“People took time out of their day, two to three hours, to help me out,” Brian says. One woman created a schedule with morning, afternoon and evening shifts, built around Brian’s regular routine with the dogs.

As it became clear that Brian’s illness was not going to be temporary, Mary enlisted East C.A.N.’s help with the dogs’ care. The group found new homes for four of Brian’s Pack, and two more have been placed in foster homes.

Those two dogs are Bam Bam, a male pit bull, and Jefferson, a male black lab mix, and both need permanent homes. Both dogs were weak and sick when Brian found them. “Bam Bam reminded me of the kid on The Flintstones, kind of stout, a brute, but he was strong,” Brian says. He came home one day to find the dog lying on his porch, bleeding. At first, Brian thought he was dead. But he took him inside, bathed

him, covered his puncture wounds with Neosporin, and wrapped him in gauze. Because Bam Bam’s wounds were all located on one side, Brian suspects he may have been a “bait dog”—tied to a post and exposed to attacks of fighter dogs without the ability to defend himself.

But thanks to Brian, Bam Bam is now healthy and likes to sleep under the covers with his owner. “He’s very attached to people,” Brian says. “He is a little snuggler.”

Jefferson is named after the place where Brian found him—the Jefferson Street exit. Brian didn’t even recognize him as a dog because he was emaciated and without fur. Brian’s veterinarian treated him for skin infection, fleas and parasitic worms. Jefferson, who now has a beautiful coat of hair, visited Brian while he was in rehab. “He’s very spunky, almost like a cat,” Brian says. “He likes to play and needs exercise.”

East C.A.N. will ensure that Bam Bam and Jefferson are current on all their shots and medical needs before adopting them out.

Originally from Chicago, Brian moved from Los Angeles to East Nashville with four rescued dogs in tow. His friends from his college days at the University of Kentucky recommended he settle in East Nashville.

“I love it!” he says. “It’s off the main road.” He likes the small businesses—“mom and pop” coffee shops and bistros, the tattoo parlor. “The people are very laid back…it’s an amazing mix of people, really diverse.”

Brian, who used to keep stray dogs in his back yard as a child, learned of East C.A.N. and had planned to contact the organization before he got sick. He wanted to talk about his ultimate goal: creating a safe haven for rescued dogs on a rural property. “I read an article last year that said last August they had 3,000 dogs put down in Metro Nashville,” Brian says. Part of his passion is to help prevent dog abandonment and abuse by educating people, including children, on proper pet care and the importance of vaccinations and neutering.

“I just really would like to encourage people in general to go get a rescue dog before they go to a breeder,” he says. “They are very loyal pets, have more compassion, more emotion.” Besides that, Brian believes people can learn a lot from owning a rescued dog. “I think when a dog has had a rough life, their individual personality shines through more than their breed-specific personality. They are pretty resilient,” he says. “They learn to trust people again.”

The final two dogs of Brian’s Pack, RottweilerAustralian shepherd mixes Jerry and Kravitz, are waiting for him to come home. And Brian, uncertain about his future medical needs, is hoping to get home to them soon.

He’s been ill for every holiday since Halloween, including his birthday. He admits that he’s spent some difficult nights alone thinking about what he’s been

through since the collapse. “They don’t know if I’m going to walk again,” he says. But the 35-year-old’s passion for dogs, for his future, and for life is evident in his upbeat and expressive voice. “You can’t waste time being depressed when you could be in a good mood,” he says.

“I just really would like to encourage people in general to go get a rescue dog before they go to a breeder,” he says. “They are very loyal pets, have more compassion, more emotion.”

– Brian Breagel It’s that resilience and positive personality that has kept him from responding in anger when he sees mistreated dogs and animals, even though he does sometimes feel angry. “It’s not going to stop you from getting dog a home,” he says.

“Brian’s larger-than-life energy and enthusiasm for dog rescue is why I’ll continue to do dog rescue for the rest of my life,” Mary says. “If for nothing else, Brian’s Pack.”

For more information about Bam Bam, Jefferson or other dogs in need of adoption, send an email to: info@eastcan.org.

Quality Early Education in East Nashville

By Francie Hunt Photo by Chuck Allen

This summer is bittersweet. My son just turned 5 and I can’t believe that I have just become the mother of two school aged children. My family has enjoyed the wonderful support of early learning providers in Nashville and I’m “happysad” that my son will soon be growing out of Montessori East. Through the years as a working mom, a former early educator and a child advocate, I am amazed how much there is to finding quality care and education.

If you are looking for quality child care, here are a few lessons I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way):

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1.

Start looking early. As soon as you make your first prenatal appointment with your doctor or mid-wife, your next call needs to be with local child care centers or familyhome providers. I remember my teary-eyed conversation with a center director who told me the waitlist was over a year. I said “But I’m only pregnant for 9 months!” And even with maternity leave, there was no guaranteed opening by the time I actually needed it. Reality check: East Nashville is not Sweden (where parents get paid parental leave for a year; another form of quality child care, but I digress…)

2.

What’s important in your village?

While it was hard for me to leave my little ones in the hands of someone else, I also realized widening my circle of people who love my children and family was important.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and knowing the qualities you value in your village is key. Do you want your caregiver closer to home or closer to work? Is there a certain kind of early education that is important to you, like Waldorf or Montessori? What is your philosophy on child rearing? On discipline? How much can you spend? What age range of care do you need? Do you want your child cared for in a home or a center?

3. Use the Internet. Before you start calling and visiting child care providers take a look at the Tennessee Department of Human Services website to find child care, including before and after-school programs. You can sort by zip code, find their location, know when they open and close, whether they provide transportation, whether they take child care assistance, whether they are a free, public pre-k, whether its childcare in a home, and what their star rating is. [Star rating is a 0-3 star rated licensing system that helps parents understand the level of quality.] You can also look at the nationally accredited programs through the National Association for the Education of Young Children, www.naeyc.org. In East Nashville, those centers are the Martha O’Bryan Center and McNeilly Center for Children.

4. Take a visit. Once you’ve created your short list of favorites, schedule a time to visit each childcare provider.

Google “Parent’s Handy Workbook for Choosing Quality Childcare” and find the Department of Human Services’ terrific checklist of questions to ask when you tour. The upshot is: observe the teacher and observe the children.

Are they happy and engaged? The checklist serves as a wonderful tool to help you observe and discern quality.

East Nashville has terrific child care options and many well-established high-quality providers. A couple new developments worth noting in the neighborhood. Fannie Battle Day Home, which is the oldest child care center in the United States, will be moving from its location on Shelby Avenue to 108 Chapel Avenue. Formerly the Mustard Seed, El Jardin de los Niños/The Children’s Garden provides the only Spanish-immersion preschool care in Nashville, located at 211 North 11th Street.

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful choices in our neighborhood.

Stand for Children is a grassroots lobby for children and our state headquarters are located in the historic Five Points, dangerously close to Pied Piper Creamery. Francie Hunt works for Stand for Chidlren.

Are you dreaming of building a garage?

By Lynn Taylor | Photo by Chuck Allen Over the years, I have answered many questions about building garages. Garages can be an asset to a property and provide much needed space for homes with little storage.

There are so many variables when deciding to build a garage, so this will give you a start for the process.

First, you will need to determine your zoning and overlays; for example, Urban Zoning Overlay (UZO), Historic Conservation, or Historical Preservation Overlay. You can find this information on the property maps at the Metro government site. The smallest two-car garage I recommend is 24’ x 24’. In the UZO, the maximum square footage of your garage is 700 sq. ft. or half the square footage of your home, whichever is greater. Usually you can build a garage no taller than your house with vertical walls rising no higher than twenty-four feet. If your property is located outside the UZO boundaries, the maximum square footage of your garage is 700 sq. ft., and garage vertical walls may rise no higher than sixteen feet tall. Otherwise, you will have to apply for a variance at the Building Codes department.

Of course, before you start building a garage, I highly recommend you at least get your property lines “pinned” by a surveyor. It’s best to have a complete survey done on your property locating all property corners, buildings, easements, trees you may want to keep, fences, flood plains, etc.

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Building code restrictions are subject to change even as I am typing. This information is meant to get you started thinking about what questions you will need to ask your residential designer and the building code official.

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The arthouse gardener The Greatest Show on Earth Ahhhh, spring. I know it’s officially spring not only because the ice cream truck is bouncing up and down the street at all hours of the day (and night) – heralding a mixture of Christmas and circus songs no less, but because the foliage has just finished unraveling itself from those formerly thin, brown rods we grew accustomed to over the winter. After a long and bitter season that seemed almost eternal we feel a lot of emotions about the passing of Winter as Spring plots her return. Anticipation is one of those emotions and as gardeners we could learn a few things about anticipation, layers and keeping our audiences guessing from the famous showman P.T. Barnum.

Barnum was a con-artist – but I think one that mankind benefited from. He gave adults permission to see things as a child again. He gave children permission to build brilliant imaginations. He gave thousands of marketing directors, managers and ad consultants their jobs because

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By Alan Murdock Photos by Chuck Allen

tents? No. The stakes are much higher and more real.

Winter must truly believe she can defeat Spring because the war they wage is powerful and so important in the balance of nature. Winter plays the part perfectly and with valor.

Perhaps even Spring is not sure of her ability to triumph over Winter. It appears that Spring is strong, but tentative and retreats from time to time. Don’t think for a moment that this war is not personal either. As citizens of this planet we find ourselves at the mercy of the effects of this battle.

Sometimes waters rage with anger, the winds roar with potentially painful results and our buildings and homes are often casualties of the war. The outcome of nature’s battles impacts our crop production and our livelihoods. But after the dramatic clashes of celestial armor have made their last deadly blow we finally have a victor. Soon it’s a sweet realization that Spring has ultimately won. She is weak and modest for only a moment for now she is ready to begin her reign for a season. She smiles with confidence because she not only has won, she has won big. Her only lasting punishment for Winter is that she flaunts the spoils of her victory in Winter’s face and makes it clear that their battle, her victory, was just the beginning of The Greatest Show on Earth.

Barnum made it clear that we seem to need help in buying, selling and even understanding. But “con” aside, Barnum was simply an artist. He understood how to mix colors, textures, phrases, things that we like and things that scare us into a mesmerizing package. He understood how to take what each person or animal was given and package it in a bold and unique way. Barnum’s circus if often referred to as The Greatest Show on Earth. I am convinced that Barnum must have had an amazing show, but the greatest? No. I think that we experience The Greatest Show on Earth in our neighborhoods each spring.

Obviously, Barnum can’t compete with the realness of the changing of the seasons but he can certainly teach us how to be better gardeners from a structural and marketing standpoint.

He could also give us the tools and insight to lend our guests the excitement and allure of the circus. In fact, it’s not hard to imagine him trying to get us to pay for the chance to witness the battles as well as the colors of spring. If you listen closely, you might hear Barnum yelling in the distance, “Step right up and glare at the bearded iris, get snarled at by the wolfsbane, be riveted by the six, silly Russian sages balancing act, see the lady with the bleeding heart, get close to the ferocious snapdragon and don’t leave without beholding the white peonies trotting around the ring of red roses right before your very eyes”!

Think about it. Sure, Barnum had the “Strong Man” but where else can you see such an epic battle of good versus evil as the cold and desperate hands of Winter try to beat back Spring from her sleeping slumber? In one of Barnum’s

And as quickly as our brains have exploded from the anticipation, discovery and the first-hand view of the oddities, he ushers us to the egress before we can figure out we’ve been duped into paying for what we might have even

had in our own back yard.

Imagine for a moment that P.T. Barnum was our gardening coach. He would teach us to showcase and expose the “oddities” as prized subjects of interest while insisting we have a few Jenny Linds, aka, the Swedish Nightingale, on display too. He would instruct us the importance of the rise and fall of the blossoms on our flowering plants to keep a changing and perpetual colorful presence. Barnum would lead us down paths to garden rooms, revealing that his gardening and circus philosophy is, as far as I can tell, an ancient Asian and English landscaping design model. He would bar us from being able to stand in one spot and see everything in our layout at one time because he understand the art of adventure and how paths and rooms pull us to explore further. Barnum would warn us that too many oddities in one place doesn’t actually look odd at all. Even oddities in groups or large mass appear to be the norm.

For the advanced gardener you can certainly have a circus of color and textures, full of carefully crafted “tents” of canopied trees and sideshows containing a mix of dwarfed plants that are bordered by evergreens. Don’t forget incorporate rooms with the oddities that are contrasted by more proper yet striking roses and laurels. For those with less time or experience consider hiring a professional or if the budget doesn’t allow, just consider your block or your neighborhood

as the circus. Your yard is but just one room or tent in the whole experience so make the most of it. We may have different levels of ability, skill and patience, but we all must do our part, however big or small, because The Greatest Show on Earth is counting on you. I’ll gladly accompany you to the egress because there are a ton of shade loving plants over there.

Alan Murdock www.arthousegardens.blogspot.com

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