Ice Harvest @ Hanford Mills

It's winter, and a cold one at that. Across the country we've been seeing all sorts of ice festivals and even an Ice House in Detroit (icehousedetroit.blogspot.com). But in a small town in New York, the unique historic site of Hanford Mills has an ice festival with a twist--and with a purpose.

Back in the 1800s, rural New Yorkers would cut ice from their local lakes and ponds and store them ice houses to use (or sell) in warmer months for refridgeration. Two weeks ago, over 1,100 people showed up at Hanford Mills to continue the tradition. Using a truly frightening-looking ice saw and other tools, the community harvested the ice from the Mill's pond and then transported it to an on-site ice house, where it will be stored until the Mills use it to make ice cream on the 4th of July. In addition to the harvest, attendees at the event could enjoy ice-fishing, ice sculpture demonstrations, and a delicious buffet of soups provided by over twenty local restaurants. A giant 2,500-lb ox was on-hand and was a big hit with children, as was a modified Model T snowmobile. Visitors could also enjoy sleigh rides of the Mill grounds, a National Register historic site and one of the few water-powered mills in the country still in operation.

The harvest has been an annual tradition since the 1980s. This year's attendance has been one of the biggest showings yet, and is quite impressive given the town of East Meredith has a population of about 1,000. The Harvest is an excellent example of preserving community memory in a way that is not only interactive, but fun and brings together the community. Plus, using the ice for future community events provides a thread of continuity that truly echoes the

historic purpose of the process--in a way that is stil relevant to today. The Executive Director of the Mills, Liz Callahan, says it best in article in The Daily Mail: "We try to connect and celebrate the past and present resources of life in a rural community like ours in tangible and engaging ways for our visitors and the broader community. We have a very rich history and a very unique community. It's important to celebrate this!"

For more information on the Mills, check out their webpage and take a virtual tour at http://www.hanfordmills.org/.

Holy Moly! A Historic--and green--Holy Cross

In honor of the Saints' Super Bowl victory, I'd like to highlight some of the great things happening in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans' 9th Ward.

Holy Cross is located east of the French Quarter and Marigny along the river bank. Primarily it is famous for its gingerbread-esque "River Boat Houses", that thankfully most of which survived Katrina relatively intact. Thanks to an active, vocal civic group called the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association (HCNA), Holy Cross was named the "Best Comeback Neighborhood" by Southern Living Magazine in December.

The neighborhood couldn't have done it though without the help and energy of a number of other organizations. Historic Green is a unique organization that seeks to revitalize New Orleans through sustainability practices and heritage conservation. According to the organization's vision, it "represents a blend of the past, the present and the future." New Orleans' 9th Ward--particularly the historic Holy Cross neighborhood--is one of its laboratories. Not only is the neighborhood a focus for its hands-on revitalization workshop (Mar 9-19, 2010), but Historic Green volunteers do on-going projects such as helping residents establish rain gardens on their properties.

Another organization at work in Holy Cross is the Preservation Resource Center (PRC). Since Katrina, PRC has invested over $2 million in the purchase and rehabilitation of Holy Cross homes. Once these homes are ready to sell, many go to first-time home-buyers and others to help re-populate the neighborhood and bring back its vitality. As part of its Preserving Green initiative, PRC is currently planning for the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association Center, which will be a reconstruction of the neighborhood's prototypical "camelback" architecture. Not only will the building serve as the focus for community gatherings and other civic functions, it will also employ green building technologies.

If historic architecture is not your aesthetic but Holy Cross is your location, Global Green is an option. "Global Green" homes are new structures that are modern in their design, yet complement the neighborhood's existing context in setback, height, and other structural characteristics. These homes are intended to serve as models for new, green construction practices in New Orleans that respects the city's heritage but also look to the future character of the community as it rebuilds.


And finally, this wouldn't be a Community Memory Project post without a dose of art thrown in. Prospect New Orleans is a biennial show of contemporary art held in New Orleans. This is no every-day art event however. The main goal of Prospect is to play a significant role in the revitalization of the city by building an art tourism infrastructure and supporting local artists and entrepreneurs. With installations across the city, some poignant ones highlight the history--and the loss--experienced in the 9th ward. The first biennial was in 2008, with the next schedule for Nov 13, 2010 - Feb 13, 2011.

What makes this a particularly inspiring example of Community Memory is the number of different organizations that have invested and collaborated in a single neighborhood to make change happen. The residents and organizations at work in Holy Cross are not only saving the historic character of their neighborhood, but improving it so that future generations can live more sustainably amongst the Boat Houses and along the river.

South Wedge Farmers Market - Portrait Party

South Wedge is a funky, diverse neighborhood just south of downtown Rochester. Though it experienced decline in the last half of the twentieth century, the neighborhood has come back as a vibrant, urban village.

One indicator of the neighborhood's village-like atmosphere is its Farmers Market, held June through October on Thursday evenings. On average, about 700 of the neighborhood's 4,000 residents make an appearance.

Why feature this on Community Memory? Well, in addition to serving a community need in a historic neighborhood, the Market celebrated its opening with a portrait party, capturing the market's vendors, people, and even "Zach and Kate's chicken". This simple project--using a funky old sheet as a backdrop--has some visually stunning results. Not only does it help create a sense of the community today, but the portraits can also be thought of as documentation to help future generations understand the evolution of the South Wedge and its residents.

In a non-history related tangent, be sure to check out the market's website: http://www.swfarmersmarket.org/ Not only can you see more of the portrait party, but you can snag some amazing sounding recipes from residents. Raspberry buttermilk cake with strawberry basil pesto...mmm....