Tree Sale

 Keep Carbondale Beautiful will have its spring tree sale this Saturday from 8;30 to 2 p.m. at the Town Square Pavillion.  Shrubs ar3 $35 and trees are $40

Cleanup

 In case you are not going to Salukicon, Keep Carbondale Beautiful will have its spring cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon on April 22. Or you could help out at the cleanup in the morning and visit Salukicon in the afternoon. If you register, you get lunch and a free t-shirt. You may get them anyhow as the announcement says registration is not needed but registering is one way to make sure.

City Wide Cleanup

 Keep Carbondale Beautiful will organize a city wide cleanup on April 23. I remember Glenn Poshard complaining about the trash on the west side of Carbondale, back when he was President of SIUC. I think it is much better not than then but the town can always use litter pickup.  Email  eepcb1326@gmail.com for Details

Tree Planting

 Keep Carbondale Beautiful will host a tree planting on November 13 to restore the location of the old Econo Lodge/ Day's Inn. 

You have, no doubt, driven by the flat, blank, urban decayed space that is 801and 827 E Main. This site is the location of the Econo Lodge that was perennially flooded and finally torn down. Keep Carbondale Beautiful intends to renew and beautify the blighted area with a tree planting project. Grant funded, through the Illinois Forestry Development Council, this urban reforestation project will restore this location with selected native, site appropriate trees, and pollinator plants and, eventually, an informational sign, elaborating on the local ecology of Southern Illinois.

Volunteers are welcome to join Keep Carbondale Beautiful in tree planting on Saturday, November 13th, 9 a.m. until 2 pm. Tree plantings will be flagged for location in a staggered, grid-like, pattern for ease of mowing and to create a park like atmosphere. Shovels, gloves and all other supplies will be provided. Parking for volunteers is located at the Ashley Furniture warehouse, 715 E Main.

Legacy Bright Spot Award

 Keep Carbondale Beautiful has introduced its Legacy Bright Spot Award, given to previous winners of the Bright Spot Award who have undertaken long term care of the property. From the press release

The Legacy Bright Spot award is an award given by Keep Carbondale Beautiful to recognize previous recipients of the Bright Spot award. This recognition is intended to encourage and maintain long term care and stewardship to the local environment of Carbondale. One of the missions of Keep Carbondale Beautiful is to preserve and maintain the local natural beauty of Southern Illinois.

The inaugural Legacy Bright Spot award winner is kicking off with 601 W. Walnut. Kathy and Austin Rigney recall receiving the Bright Spot award in July of 2004. “A sign just showed up in our yard one day, and that was the bright spot award” Kathy laughs, telling what she remembers. The home was built in 1917 and has been added on to over the years. They moved to the residence in 1988. Preparing for a growing family, Kathy began gardening in the front yard. In this nesting garden, irises, spiderwort and Pocomoke crape myrtle were planted. The oldest surviving plants are Jerusalem roses, over 20 years old.

The May 8^th storm shifted their yard around, an 80 ft oak lodged in their attic. Getting the tree out, “we were entertainment for the whole neighborhood” Kathy recounts. After that, they had the bug for reorganizing the landscape. A white blooming redbud took its place, casting its canopy over hydrangeas and boxwoods lining the front of the home. A Japanese maple shades a horseshoe shaped garden with English ivy and ferns. Around the side of the home is an oasis from the busy city street, birdfeeders are set among a variety of herbs and large hostas. 

Bright Spot Award

 The repainted mural on the side of Town Square Market on North Washington won a Bright Spot Award

Gail and Linda White are the proud recipients of the Keep Carbondale Beautiful Commercial Bright Spot award. The east facing brick wall, right around the corner of Town Square Market, on N. Washington st, is a superb layer collage of graphics. Previously, fragments of faded paint still clung to the wall for years as upgrades to the building were being made. Expert repair masonry prepared the wall for the final design.

 

Mural artist Christine Brunk DeShazo was employed to make the dream come true. Met in 2019, Gail, Linda and Christine pieced together historical photographs of the building’s past. Vintage fonts and art styles were diligently researched for an amalgamation of layers. Various names, like “Siebert” was the name of the drugstore and building from the 1920’s to the 1950’s. Old commercial art articulates the industry of the day. The brick warehouse building next door was a Coca-Cola bottling warehouse for many years before closure. The weathered texture is preserved and honored while being hand drawn/painted as close to the original as possible. A collection of 80 hours paint time in 2 full weeks, the beauty of the past is vibrant again along N. Washington St.

 

If you would like to nominate a business or residence to receive the Award, please call the Keep Carbondale Beautiful office at 525-5525 or e-mail BrightSpotAward@gmail.com.  Archives of some past Bright Spot Award winners may be found at keepcb.org.

May Bright Spot Award

 From a press release from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

May’s Keep Carbondale Beautiful Bright Spot award recipient goes to 613 Skyline rd. Linda Ward has been tending this home and garden since 1978 when she and her husband moved to the area. Now retired, Linda participates in the Evergreen Garden Club. Many of the flowers have been sourced from friends in the club. She smiles and says, “when the flowers bloom, I think of them.” The eye-catching variety of colorful irises initially caught the attention of the community, but many more blooming flowers and plants round out the beautiful array. A towering pin oak shades the west facing front yard and deck. Linda chuckles, “That was just a small guy when I moved here.” Landscaped around the front are small cacti, purple spiderwort, columbine and snap dragons. Threading up the deck and bird feeders are the magenta and orange native honey suckle vines, rising just above pink azaleas. During the afternoons, hummingbirds are seen to frequent the area for nourishment. 

Bright Spot Award

 From the Press Release from Keep Carbondale Beautiful

Keep Carbondale Beautiful September winner of the Bright Spot award goes to 716 McKinley ave. The landscaping is done by husband, Andy Fonck and the plant is done by wife, Francine Fonck. Andy and Francine have lived at their residence for 17 years. Driveway side border is boxed in with reclaimed wood. The raised bed holds a colorful array of hardy crimson mums, purple cockspurs and ginger marigolds. Exposed aggregate walkup is framed by rock and 3 ft tall canna plants. Sweeping along the right side of the house, is a lush stand of hydrangeas, intended to softly camouflage the front window.

          A standout aspect of this particular yard is the management style the Fonck’s are able to achieve. Rainwater is collected in barrels to water the garden. Beautiful white marble border stones were brought from a previous home in northern Illinois. Upcycled and found objects dot their garden and tell the stories of their lives. “I’ve done a lot with not too much money” recounts Andy Fonck, “I’m a blue-collar man, and I have to be resourceful.” Around the back of the home, is a vegetable garden, and a surrounding sitting area with upcycle car tire seats.

 

The Keep Carbondale Beautiful, Inc., Board selects businesses or residences to receive the Bright Spot Award for enhancing the beauty of our community by means of revitalization of property, new construction, plantings and beautification, upkeep and maintenance, or rehabilitation.

 

If you would like to nominate a business or residence to receive the Award, please call the Keep Carbondale Beautiful office at 525-5525 or email keepcb1326@gmail.com.  Archives of some past Bright Spot Award winners may be found at keepcb.org.

 

Bright Spot Award

 From the press release from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

This month’s Keep Carbondale Beautiful Bright Spot Award winner goes to 1013 Emerald lane. Retired Carbondale High school administrative employee, Sandy Brown dedicates time during the growing season to maintaining a lovely landscape. A healthy gumball tree shades a single story brick home. An adorable, silvery Yorkie named DeAngelo oversees the yard.  Welcome signs decorate and greet a visitor. Up the walkway is a handicap accessible ramp, folded in nicely with a large brick planter and surrounding green vegetation. A curvy brick border breaks up the straight lines of the yard and house, and wraps around the house. Playfully arranged blooms of color match the rocky hem of the border.

Box bush, black eyed Susan’s, lavender, calla Lilly and english ivy are all carefully arranged through out the front. Very modestly, Sandy states “I take a little time to water it when it doesn’t rain, about 30 minutes a day. Every year I add two or three new plants to the front of the house.” When asked if she had trouble with deer, she proclaimed the chipmunks are the biggest nuisance.

Southern Illinois Cleanup

 From a press release from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

On September 12^th motorcyclists of all backgrounds will descend upon southern Illinois natural areas for a litter cleanup, and event intended to be a fundraiser for the local nonprofit Keep Carbondale Beautiful. (501) (c) (3). Riders and non-riders alike are invited to this opportunity to contribute to the beauty that southern Illinois has to offer.

The event will start at 1:00 PM at the downtown Carbondale pavilion for check-in and meet-and-greet. KCB asks participants to observe recommended social distance guidelines and to bring a mask for any activities occurring indoors. Opportunities to sign up for membership for Keep Carbondale Beautiful will be available, as well as a chance to enter into a raffle of items donated by S.I. Motorsports, Black Diamond and Philips Pro Cycle.

A route has been pre-planned with the intention of providing both access litter sites as well as a lovely chance for riders to enjoy a beautiful afternoon out in the countryside. Three sites have been selected in conjunction with local natural areas agencies for safe parking, a short litter cleanup, and a bit of shade. The event will then regroup downtown at the pavilion for pictures, thanks-yous, and one last chance to enter the fundraising raffle.

The raffle will be held at 5:00 PM at the nearby bar, PKs, a.k.a. Pizza King. A mask is required to enter the building, and social distancing must be honored. Participants must be present to win. Motorcycle related items have been donated by local repair shops and dealerships. S.I. Motorsports, Black Diamond, Philips Pro Cycle and others are contributing.

“We are so lucky,” says longtime rider and Executive Director of KCB, Anne Krippenstapel, “to live in such a wonderful and picturesque recreational riding country.”

The event was inspired partially by “poker run” events held by other motorcycle clubs and organizations in charity/fundraising efforts and motivated by the presence of trash blowing on the side of distracting viewers on scenic routes. This project is the first of its kind in the area, combining recreational riding with stewardship of the land. If the reception and goals are successful, KCB will consider making this an annual event.

Anyone who is looking for a truly hands-on way to get involved. Volunteers will be provided with gloves and bags of refreshments on site. No entry fee is needed. Keep Carbondale Beautiful supports environmental education, Litter clean-up, public beautification and waste reduction.

Trash Pickup

From Keep Carbondale Beautiful

Keep Carbondale Beautiful thanks all those in the Carbondale community who participated in their 30-Day Challenge.  Nearly 50 people reported that they had been out and picking up litter, and most said that they are doing it on a regular basis.   

Estimates are that hundreds of hours were put in.  “But more importantly,” according to Executive Director Anne Krippenstapel, “the community came together.  I am heartened by the stewardship of our citizens.”  Some people were out every day, especially if walking a dog.  Sunny warm days saw more participation, as recorded on Keep Carbondale Beautiful’s Facebook page.

Sponsors of the 30-Day Challenge cleanup include Burris Disposal, CIMCO Recycling, and Southern Recycling.  KCB also gets critical funding from the City of Carbondale.  All participants are eligible to receive a T-shirt or a tote-bag.  Contact Anne Krippenstapel for more information: 618-525-3075 or keepcb1326@gmail.com.

New Director at Keep Carbondale Beautiful

From the press release

Carbondale, Ill (April 8, 2020) - The Keep Carbondale Beautiful board is pleased to announce the selection of a new Executive Director.  Anne Krippenstapel brings experience in natural resources, community education, and art.  Her degrees are in Art and in Forestry.  She hails from Bloomington and came to Carbondale four years ago via Champaign.  Board President Sandy Litecky says, “The basics will stay the same – litter control, waste reduction, beautification, and education.  We’ll see some things get jazzed up ….  The board is already jazzed up about the potential for Anne at Keep Carbondale Beautiful.”  Anne is interested in combining her skills to work on new ways of beautifying Carbondale, involving the community in an artful way: “It’s all about working together.  I like to make people feel included in community projects.”

Current KCB work is affected by the restrictions on movement and group meetings. The spring tree and shrub sale wasn’t held, but Anne will supplement the fall sale with alternative planters by upcycling old work boots, bird cages, and motorcycle tanks.

Spring Cleanup and Recycling Day has been extended to the whole month of April.  The KCB Challenge is 30 days of cleanups all over the community.  Anne says, “I’ve been going out and getting exercise and fresh air while I beautify the neighborhood.” To volunteer and get a street assignment, or for more information, see the website <keepcb.org> or call 618-525-5525.

Position Open

The position of Executive Director for Keep Carbondale Beautiful will open up soon. It is a part time position requiring about 20 hours of committment per week and pays, I believe, $950 per month or around $11 per hour. Any applicant would need good organizational ability and a strong interest in Carbondale and environmental issues.

Bright Spot Award to the Landings

The Landing at Reed Station Road, a retirement home focusing on veterans, received a Bright Spot Award from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

Nominated by the board of Keep Carbondale Beautiful for the March Bright Spot award, The Landings at Reed Station Crossing presents itself as a resort both inside and outside.  Local owners Charlie and Trace Brown followed Trace’s vision for building design as well as landscaping that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.  Not obvious from the street, the north side of the building has a pond and a gazebo, which allows residents to be outside and enjoy the scenery.

A new development on the property is the garden project. Executive Director Andrew Belt said Home Depot awarded them a grant for the project, which will include fencing, fruit trees and berry bushes, and raised beds with vegetable and herbs, which will be used in the kitchen.  Most importantly, a committee of residents will advise on the garden-to-table concept, and paths and ramps will allow residents to work in the garden. Kristen Bathon, Director of Sales and Marketing, added, “We really want residents to be engaged in this on a daily basis.”

The Keep Carbondale Beautiful, Inc., Board selects businesses or residences to receive the Bright Spot Award for enhancing the beauty of our community by means of revitalization of property, new construction, plantings and beautification, upkeep and maintenance, or rehabilitation.

Tree Sale

Tree sale coming up at the Town Square Pavilion on the 23rd

We all need trees: they filter the water and clean the air; they lower cooling costs and mitigate flooding; they add beauty and value to a property; and they provide habitat and food for fauna.  Start thinking about adding trees and shrubs to your landscape.  Keep Carbondale Beautiful will be selling native trees and shrubs at the Carbondale Town Square Pavilion (northeast corner of Main and Illinois) on Saturday, March 23, from 9 am to 2 pm. 

  

Although KCB will special order other plants, they specialize in those native to the area, which means they are better suited to the local environment, thus more likely to thrive, and provide essential habitat for native birds and butterflies.  Two nurseries supply plants: Forrest Keeling in Missouri has a wide variety of plants.  Tabor Nursery is closer and, for this sale, promises “some really nice black gum, bald cypress, water tupelo, bur oak, cherry bark oak, and water hickory.”

The Keep Carbondale Beautiful website <keepcb.org/tree-sale> lists all the trees that will be for sale, plus suggestions of other natives that are hard to find and can be ordered.  The trees (5-6’ tall) sell for $30 and shrubs for $20 each (all in 3-gallon containers).  Pre-ordered trees get a discount. March 17th is the deadline for all special and pre-orders, which can include non-natives. Contact KCB at 618-525-5525 or keepcb1326@gmail.com.

Bright Spot Award

From an email from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

Carbondale, Ill. – Peggy and Andy Polovich’s home at 304 South Oakland has earned a Bright Spot Award from the Keep Carbondale Beautiful board.  Directly in front of the house is a Japanese-style rock garden, inspired by Andy’s two tours of duty in Japan.  Sculptures include one large and several small pagoda statues, plus two cranes and a fish around the pond, shaded by a Japanese maple tree. A Gold Mop Cypress provides a backdrop to the large pagoda.  Along the sidewalk, large pots overflow with lilies and pansies in the summer.   Observers may see the rocks and think, “no need to mow,” but Peggy Polovich warned, “It’s a little more maintenance than I thought.”

The KCB Board selects businesses or residences to receive the Bright Spot Award for enhancing the beauty of our community by means of revitalization of property, new construction, plantings and beautification, upkeep and maintenance, or rehabilitation.

Bright Spot Award

From Keep Carbondale Beautiful.  Always glad to see a residence or business in town notice for the effort it/they puts into making the spot more attractive:

Sewer line work in the front yard usually leaves a mess.  But some home-owners turn it into an opportunity.  At 301 Wedgewood, Virginia Gregory put in a unique sculpture and surrounded it with flowers and greenery, earning a Bright Spot Award from the Keep Carbondale Beautiful board.  The sculpture was done by Kathi Borrego, a friend in Oregon, and Greenridge Landscaping did the heavy lifting.   “They put in a ton of work, and a lot of nice landscaping,” in the words of the nominator.  Besides the sewer line mess, Mrs. Gregory had another motivation: “Once you paint the garage door mustard yellow, …. Fortunately, chrysanthemums come in that color.”

The KCB Board selects businesses or residences to receive the Bright Spot Award for enhancing the beauty of our community by means of revitalization of property, new construction, plantings and beautification, upkeep and maintenance, or rehabilitation.

Ashtrays

Phillip Morris and Keep America Beautiful have a program in place to install cigarette receptacles in communities. Here is the email I received on the topic from Keep Carbondale Beautiful:

In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, KAB affiliates and partner organizations have an opportunity to participate in a Philip Morris USA initiative. Philip Morris will place 10,000 litter stands to collect cigarette butts  in communities nationwide and educate adult smokers 21+ on the importance of disposing of their cigarette butts properly.

Adult smokers are being given the opportunity to enter locations (city and zip code) on a map to indicate where they would like to see a litter stand installed. As stands are placed, an interactive map will populate featuring local stories and showing locations that have been selected.

Keep America Beautiful & Philip Morris USA request your help in finding locations to place litter stands to provide opportunities for adult smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts properly.

                                                                                                                                                

Requirements:

·        Install the litter stand(s) in an accessible place (e.g., outside entrance to retail location, or transition point where adult smokers commonly dispose of cigarette butts). Hardware is included to mount each receptacle.

·        Maintain litter stand(s) (e.g., regularly empty cigarette butts into garbage).

Share the GPS coordinates of each litter stand’s location with KAB to include on the interactive map. 

Saturday Cleanup

Spring cleanup of Carbondale this Saturday (assuming it doesn't snow):

What:  Please come together to beautify the Arbor District this Saturday!  

When: Saturday April 21 at 10am til noon

Where: Meet at the entrance  of the Catholic Church

Why:  Meet your neighbors! Feel good about doing something as a community! Make the neighborhood look better! Have fun! Get some fresh air!  

Clean Up Carbondale

If you want to help with the city's spring cleaning Keep Carbondale Beautiful is looking for volunteers on April 21:

 Carbondale’s Annual Spring Cleanup and Recycling Day will be on April 21, and Keep Carbondale Beautiful is putting out the call for public participation.

KCB is looking for suggestions of “blight spots” that need attention.  The public is asked to call or email the locations. KCB Executive Director Sarah Heyer noted, “After last weekend’s Big Event, a lot of litter has been picked up in the central part of town. That should free us to get to spots that are further afield.  But we need help identifying those locations.” The general public can also help by providing their used two-handled shopping bags for individuals to carry so that everyone participates.  Larger bags will be provided.

KCB is also recruiting volunteers from the community to help with the cleanup.  Pre-registration is encouraged (go to keepcb.org) and increases points in the contest.  Start time is 9 am.  City crews pick up the bags, and volunteers from the Rotary Club of Carbondale weigh them. Prizes are given in several categories for the most litter collected.  T-shirts are distributed and lunch is provided, with the help of Arnold’s Market and others.

Critical to success is support from local businesses, as event sponsors and as donors of food, supplies, or prizes.  This year’s sponsors include Burkdell Mulch, Burris Disposal Service, CIMCO, Southern Recycling Center.  In-kind support comes from Silkworm, SIUC, the City of Carbondale, and the Carbondale Park District.

For more information, check the website at keepcb.org, call Keep Carbondale Beautiful at (618)525-5525 or email keepcb1326@gmail.com.