💀 Halloween is Near 👻
And the happenings are aplenty! If you’ve not signed up for our Nightmare in Elmwood 5k & Fun Run OR stocked on candy for our thousands of trick-or-treaters…well, let’s just say you’re gonna have a big case of FOMO. Here are details on all things Halloween in Elmwood Park and a few more updates from our community. Happy Halloween! 🎃
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This weekend is THE weekend! This year’s Nightmare in Elmwood Park 5k is Saturday, Oct. 28th, and to our delight, the response and community excitement has far exceeded our expectations!
A huge crowd is anticipated and we want to showcase Elmwood Park in the best way we know how. So, how can you help? Help us ramp up the race route! If you don't plan to run or walk in the event, we would love your help with the following:
- Volunteering - we still need race-day volunteers.
- Cheer on runners - running is fun, but sometimes folks need some extra encouragement to make it through. Let’s show the racers that we support their healthy choice!
- Decorate your yard - part of the 5k experience is seeing all the great decorations in our awesome neighborhood. If you haven’t already, go all out with decorating…there’s a prize in your future if you win one of our “best” prizes this week, too…(more details below)!
- Play music/put out a fog machine during race time - what better way to pump up participants than by giving them the chills? Throw our your creepiest tunes and shroud them in fog to give the ultimate spooky experience.
- Chalk up the road with encouraging and Halloween-themed messages - we appreciate all the racers and want to keep them motivated to go on or even come back next year! Let’s draw/write in our streets with chalk and be creative!
🎃 Do you have Halloween decor that you're about to toss? Donate it to our 5k! We have sections of the route that need to be spookified, so any donations would be appreciated. Email Ebonn to donate.
🚨NOTE: Portions of Park Street, Lincoln Street, and Aiken, as shown in the map below, will be closed from 8 a.m. until noon on race day. Please plan accordingly.
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Thank you to our sponsors:
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Halloween Street Closures
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On Tuesday, October 31st, the Columbia Police Department will close the following streets from 5 - 9 p.m. to ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters and pedestrians.
- Park Street from Bryan Street to West Confederate Avenue
- Clark Street from Bryan Street to Price Avenue
- Price Avenue from Clark Street to Park Street
- Lincoln Street from Abbeville Street to West Confederate Avenue
- Gadsden Street from Abbeville Street to West Confederate Avenue
- Aiken Street from Park Street to Gadsden Street
- Chester Street from Park Street to Gadsden Street
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Join CPD for the Jack-o’-Lantern Halloween Jamboree: Oct. 28
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The Columbia Police Department is hosting its Jack-o’-Lantern Halloween Jamboree on Oct. 28 from 5 - 9 p.m. at the Busby Community Center at 1735 Busby Street. Join our local officers, firefighters and EMS staff for trunk or treat, games, bounce houses and food!
The Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association was also glad to support this community event with a $250 donation to the Columbia Police Department, which was presented at our National Night Out event this month.
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2201 Lincoln Lawsuit Update
On October 10th, Judge Coble found in EPNA's favor against the owners of 2201 Lincoln Street and
- Declared the blighted vacant property in its condition a public nuisance and a danger to the safety and health of residents.
- Issued a permanent injunction to future code violations and public nuisances stemming from Rhinehart Investments, LLC's ownership of the property.
- Awarded money damages (TBD) and costs of the action;
- Retained jurisdiction to consider putting the property in receivership if problems continue despite the permanent injunction.
Construction has since begun in earnest on the property and we have finally been in communication with the investment company.
Elmwood Park resident, attorney, and City Council candidate Tyler Bailey represented the neighborhood association on a pro bono basis – and we are very grateful for his commitment to and support of our neighborhood.
Tyler adds, "Thank you to the entire EPNA board for taking this step to ensure our neighborhood is beautiful, safe, and vibrant. I would especially like to thank our neighbors Cathy Brookshire and John Wilkinson for their in-court testimony, along with Corporal Jamie Rogers and Officer Robert McNeal with the City of Columbia. I’m glad we’ve reached a resolution. However, we’re going to keep the pressure on them until the project is fully completed and will be vigilant to ensure the at there are no more continuing issues."
Read more in The State's article, Vacant Columbia house has welcomed crime and vagrants, residents say. Now, neighborhood is suing.
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Congratulations to Elmwood Park resident @noellebrault on winning big at the @scstatefair. Her beautiful oil painting titled, The Oar House, won second place in the fair's professional division. Well done, Noelle!
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Also, congratulations to Andrew Grizzell on placing 2nd at the ICF Freestyle World Championships (whitewater kayaking). He's also a park ranger at Saluda Riverwalk. Well done!
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🎃⚰️Halloween Decorating Contest🪦👻
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In addition to October's Yard of the Month award, Elmwood Park is holding a Halloween Decorating Contest! Categories, Rules, and Prizes below! Let's get spooky, EP!
Categories
- Festive
- Scary
- Kid-friendly
Prizes
Each category will have a first-place winner, good for a $30 gift card to Elmwood Park’s very own Curiosity Coffee or The War Mouth (winner's choice), and a sign designating the victorious yard. Three honorable mentions (total) will also be recognized with a $10 gift card to Curiosity Coffee.
Rules
- Residents may submit up to three photographs of their or others’ yards by email to beautification@historicelmwoodpark.org along with the address of the property and the category in which they wish to be considered. Deadline: October 26, 2021
- The Elmwood Park Yard of the Month committee will select the winners and honorable mentions from the submissions by October 28, 2021, when signs will be installed in the yards of the winners in time for Halloween.
- Members of the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association Board are ineligible to win.
- Members of the Elmwood Park Yard-of-the-Month committee whose houses are nominated must recuse themselves from voting on prize-winners.
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Looking to recycle your pumpkins this year, check out Green Solutions's recycling program! Located in Rosewood, this landscaping company will gather your old pumpkins and use them to feed animals of local farmers. Contact them for more information!
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Neighborhood Safety Reminder
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Please always call 911 first for immediate help and then follow up with our Community Response Team (CRT) Officers. You can also call the non-emergency number (803-252-2911) first.
CPD contacts:
- Officer Hendrix at 803-318-6986
- Corporal Rogers at 803-397-2090
- Lieutenant Brink at 803-509-1787
Please also continue to file police reports for anything of concern. There is a convenient online reporting tool for non-emergency matters.
Additional key contacts:
- Yellow Shirts: Timothy Smith, Outreach@msdcolumbia.com, 803-995-2316
- Transitions Outreach Coordinators:
- Larry Benjamin (evening): lbenjamin@transitionssc.org, 803-363-4581
- Alycia Roach (daytime): aroach@transitionssc.org, 803-467-0411
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Show Your Neighborhood Pride With Elmwood Park Merch
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Our new logo means new merch! Head over to the Elmwood Park website to purchase shirts, hats, cups, flags and even a new apron.
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October Yard of the Month
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Congratulations to Jeremy and Deanna Rowe at 914 Abbeville St. for being selected as October's Yard of the Month (YOM) winners!
Thank you to Image 360 for providing us with beautiful YOM signage and to Gardner's Outpost for providing all winners of Elmwood Park's YOM a gift certificate to use at their store on Franklin St. in Cottontown. We appreciate your support!
We are bringing back our Halloween decoration contest! Keep your eyes peeled for more information.
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Renew Your EPNA Membership
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While we moved to rolling annual memberships last year, many memberships are coming up for renewal now! Please be on the lookout for your renewal email from our Wild Apricot membership platform. If you’re not yet a member yet, join us!
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Join us for our November porch party at Andy Burns house on Friday, Nov. 17 from 6 - 8 p.m. at 1103 Bryan Street.
Interested in hosting a porch party? Email the board with your name, address and preferred month. The parties are potluck; hosts need only provide whatever food and drink they'd like, a place for people to gather, and (preferably) restroom access. We'll connect you with our Porch Party Captain, Bart Tittle, to help with coordination.
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Join Our Neighborhood Garden Renovation
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Elmwood Park recently won a grant through the Columbia Green Grant Program to renovate the neighborhood garden at Park and Barrett Streets. The garden sits in Elmwood Park but is an important interface to Earlewood with a large volume of pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic.
Interested in helping with the project? Email the board.
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Gardener’s Outpost Fall Tip
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Mums! Yep, it’s mum season! When picking out your mums to decorate your porch, consider cracking and tight buds. Fully blooming mums are gorgeous, but picking out ones with little color and lots of tight buds will ensure your porch gets color longer.
Decorating tips:
- Position your mums so they don’t touch! Wherever mums touch each other they won’t bloom well, but don’t worry they like other plants!
- Yes, you can plant mums in containers! Consider 4” mums in different colors to add pop to your fall planter.
- Each time you walk past your mums, consider pinching the spent flowers to encourage them to keep blooming. No tools are necessary, just pinch and go!
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Need help or have questions? Visit Gardener’s Outpost at 1211 Franklin Street!
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Interested in becoming a neighborhood sponsor? We'd love to have you! Let us know!
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