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In what is typically a time for reflection at the end of a swiftly passing year, I’m reminded of what a wise man once said: "The key is in not spending time, but in investing it." It is tempting to dwell on the lingering effects of Covid on our community. We all rode the roller coaster: the hope of a vaccine, the rise of the Delta variant, the availability of boosters, vaccines for everyone over five, and now the worrying news of another variant. Like everyone, MidTown Inc. has had to battle supply chain issues and the availability of services we rely on to keep moving. But it’s more productive to look at what we’ve been able to do through the year, in spite of those challenges.
Those successes? One was celebrating the 10th anniversary MidTown Mingle in a safe time during the pandemic with over 900 of our friends, neighbors, and businesses from all over Columbus. Another was collaborating with the Integrity Alliance Ministry to reimagine and implement improvements along Wynnton Road – something we all agree is much needed – by adding more inviting landscaping and façade improvements on the corner of Wynnton Road and Forest Avenue. And our complementary study with the Incremental Development Alliance has inspired us to continue making progress, one lot at a time.
Throughout all the uncertainty, MidTown, Inc. has remained strong, inspired and energized. The generosity of our supporters, at all levels, reminds us daily that our love for MidTown is shared by many.
We would be remiss during this reflection not to call to mind a member of the MidTown family, Bess Dedwylder – the daughter of John and Bitsy Dedwylder – whose sudden passing this year was a staggering loss. Bitsy has been a key part of MidTown, Inc. for more than 10 years, and we are grateful for the time that she has invested in making MidTown better. On behalf of our board and staff, thank you for the phone calls, the emails, the floral arrangements, the hand-written notes, and the drop-ins who have checked on Bitsy in recent weeks. This shows a caring MidTown community in action, and I hope you’ll continue to keep the Dedwylders in your thoughts.
Most of all, happy holidays from MidTown Inc! We look forward to 2022 as a year full of days that are well invested in lively, safe, and rewarding pursuits.
With warmest thoughts,
Julio A. Portillo, Jr.
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Are we on your "Nice" list?
When you think about your year-end giving, we hope you will consider a gift to MidTown, Inc. We are funded entirely through private and foundation gifts, grants, and our sole fund-raising event, the MidTown Mingle. This is an exciting time of growth for our community, but we cannot do it without you. Please help us advance our mission to “Make MidTown EVEN Better”!
Please click here to make a year-end contribution.
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Wynnton Road | Redevelopment, Lot-by-Lot | |
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“A single storefront can transform a street. A loveable building can lift a whole neighborhood. We have seen this and know that no one is coming to do it for us. If we want to live in places that our kids love coming home to, we’ve got work to do.”
-From the “About” section on the Incremental Development website. MidTown was fortunate enough to serve as a small laboratory for their work several years ago.
MidTown, Inc. met the pastor of International Alliance Ministries in March to discuss the best and highest use for a parcel the church had leased on the corner of Wynnton Road and Forest Avenue. Rev. Lyndon Townsend and his team decided on that location after noting the dramatic improvements that had occurred nearby, thanks to the Wynnton Streetscape project. They shared their ideas for a thrift shop and café to help fund the church’s ministry programs. Eager to improve the building façade and the landscaping, they sought our input for ideas. MidTown, Inc. subsequently approached Emily Flournoy, an architect with 2WR, who earlier in the year had offered pro bono design assistance in celebration of the firm’s 20-year anniversary. Emily’s tremendous creativity allowed us all to have a clearer vision for the property and to quickly begin to implement low-cost, impactful improvements.
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The church hosted a festive ribbon cutting ceremony this past summer. Thanks to collaboration and teamwork, we can proudly point to a more vibrant, reactivated corner in the heart of MidTown -King of Kings Korner- that hosts food trucks on the weekends, gathers to watch NFL football on Thursdays, and most recently opened a small food bank to help those in need. Pictured to the left are Denesha Jordan, Ebony Green, Shamika Scott, Debbie Townsend, Lizelda Bacon, Jason Bacon, Lyndon Townsend, Julio Portillo, Lori McQueen, Brian Waters, and Jacqueline McQueen. The church is also in the process of adopting several greenspaces on Wynnton Road…watch for additional landscaping and beautification to come!
We could not be any prouder of our partnership with Rev. Townsend and his incredible team, who share a common vision for MidTown and our Columbus community.
MidTown, Inc. plans to establish a revolving fund to make more of this work feasible. Please stay tuned!
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Flint & Steel performing Neil Young's classic "Heart of Gold"
Frank Thomas, nicknamed "the Big Hurt", started his legendary baseball career at Lakebottom Park. Carson McCullers wrote award-winning Southern Gothic novels based on her childhood memories on Stark Avenue. MidTown may have another claim to fame in Flint & Steel, a young band with a fresh, original sound, whose members all live in Hilton Heights. They practice about once a week in Carrie and John Sigman’s garage. They recently played a gig at a neighborhood block party and received excellent reviews.
Steven Ellis, son of Mark and Courtney Ellis, is a guitarist for the band. He started taking lessons about a year ago and is also self-taught from watching YouTube videos. In addition to the guitar, he has also started playing the piano. He loves playing "Comfortably Numb", by his favorite band Pink Floyd. He is also a tremendous admirer of Neil Young. Steven is a 6th grader at Brookstone and wants to be a naval engineer when he grows up. His older sister, Avery, serves as the band's manager.
On drums is William Powell, son of Leigh and Rhett Powell. When William joined the band, they lacked drums so William improvised by playing on an overturned bucket. He has been taking lessons ever since the band was able to obtain a traditional drum set and hopes to learn how to play the guitar. He shares "Comfortably Numb" with Steven as his favorite song to play, and Surfaces is his favorite band. William is in the 6th grade and attends St. Luke School.
An aspiring engineer, George Sigman plays a variety of instruments, including electric guitar, keyboard, and the harmonica. He began piano lessons about four years ago, recently started taking guitar lessons, and taught himself to play the harmonica. His dad, John, plays the guitar and sometimes joins them when they play. John also helps them “pick through songs if they need help, but most of the time they work them out on their own.” George is in the 6th grade and attends St. Luke School. His favorite Flint & Steel cover song is Bob Dylan’s "Knocking on Heaven’s Door".
Lead singer and future cetaceans marine biologist, Riley Connery is learning to play the keyboard and can also play guitar. She started taking voice lessons about five years ago. Her favorite singer is Olivia Rodrigo, and her favorite song to sing with the band is Tom Petty’s "Free Fallin’". She is a 7th grader at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts and is the daughter of Ami Connery.
Flint & Steel’s raw, garage acoustics and Riley’s edgy vocals combine to bring a straight-forward sound to their music. If you are interested in hiring them, you can contact their manager, Avery Ellis, via Steven (706-905-8941) or George (706-888-4850).
MidTown’s charming neighborhoods foster this kind of wholesome fun for children. We wish the Flint & Steel band members the best of luck, a very Merry Christmas, and a rockin’ New Year!
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Merry and Bright in MidTown | |
It’s the most wonderful time of the year when MidTowners gather to deck the street with a beautiful Christmas tree! Many thanks to Chris Harman, Noah Fussell, Cameron Bean, Rick Covington and Anne Yu for trimming a lovely Christmas tree, donated by Kimi Farms, on Wynnton Road. | |
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Thank you for reading MidTown Momentum!
MidTown, Inc.: Sustaining and enhancing the neighborhoods and businesses in MidTown Columbus
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MidTown, Inc.
1236 Wildwood Avenue Columbus, GA 31906
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