Sligo Woods Civic Association

With the continuing developments with the Covid-19 situation, and following suit of local, state, and national government, the Board has decided to postpone the Sligo Woods quarterly program.  The program, originally scheduled for Thursday, March 26th, we expect will now take place on Thursday, April 30.

As our annual meeting, there is certain business to be taken care of, including voting in new board members for the positions coming open, and approving the budget for the upcoming year.  All board members serving in a vacating position have agreed to stay on until elections can be held.  While the budget still requires approval for the upcoming year, we will continue to pay for items that fall under our normal operating expenses (PO Box, website, etc.).  Think of it like the continue resolutions that we are all too familiar with; we honor existing commitments without taking on any new ones.

All of us will experience some difficulties in the upcoming weeks: physical, mental, emotional, and financial.  Some will be staying home from work, some will be working more (and under adverse conditions); some will be taking care of ill family members; some will not be able to visit friends or families; some will lose income because of business closures.

The neighborhood has an established communication mechanism.  Official info is emailed to all members who have provided an e-mail address.  Postings and replies and e-discussions among members are possible via the listserv–a googlegroups arrangement.  If you are not on the listserv but now want to sign up, just email the civic association’s e-office and ask for info to be sent to you so you may join.  Make use of these resources.

There has been a lot of talk of ‘social distancing’.  I don’t care for the term.  I feel a more appropriate term is ‘physical distancing’.  The primary way to avoid contracting (and spreading) the virus is to not be around someone who has it.  It stands to reason that if we can minimize close contact with other people, the odds go down that we will run into someone who has the virus.  We, as families, neighbors, and a community, can certainly remain social and remain safe.

Our community has held some great events: The Winter Social, the Summer Picnic, the Halloween Parade, and many great quarterly programs.  We’ve put faces to names, met new people, learned about our local community (and eaten some really good food).  Let’s keep this momentum going.

Wave to someone (everyone) when you’re out walking; check in with people by phone or e-mail; see if a neighbor needs some extra help in these trying times.   Find other ways to keep the community spirit strong.  Virtual book club, recipe swaps, online meeting software to host a cocktail party (and you don’t need to clean the house!).  These are just a few ideas.

Be patient with people and show a little extra consideration, especially when it’s the hardest; we’re all stressed about this and may not be at our best.  A little extra kindness or a thoughtful gesture goes a long way.

Todd Sleeman, President
Sligo Woods Civic Association

It was another great year for the Halloween decorating contest with Sligo Woods residents showing their “spirit” with great displays.  Our judges had a hard time deciding “witch” displays were the best.  “Ghost” see them before they disappear.  Click here for 2019 winner photos and names.

The Sligo Woods neighborhood will enjoy three events this October–

• • A Tree Walk–Sat the 12th, 4-5 pm.  Questions?  < lauramolmail@gmail.com >
  • Second Annual Halloween Decorating Contest–entries by Thurs the 24th
    to  moorem09@verizon.net, judging on the 26th
  • The Fifth Annual Halloween Parade–Thursday the 31st, 5:30 pm

All who live in the neighborhood are welcome!
Details below (including opportunities to volunteer to help).
Updates will be posed here.

===================================================
Tree Walk in the Neighborhood
Take an hour’s stroll with some of your neighbors, enjoying sidewalk views of trees in the Sligo Woods neighborhood–in front yards as well as streetside.  The outing begins at Tenbrook Drive & Robin Road (top of the “Kids Sledding Hill”). Leader Laura Mol, of Robin Road, says, “We’ll take a different route than last year, ‘though beginning at the same place.”  Light spatters won’t get in the way but the walk will be cancelled in the event of serious rain; check the website for an announcement, if necessary.
Questions to < lauramolmail@gmail.com >.

Halloween-Decorating Contest! 
Time for our second annual Halloween Decorating Contest, with judging on October 25-26.  Join in a friendly competition and celebrate Halloween with your neighborhood!  The contest offers 3 ways to participate–
!  Decorate your yard/house
          & send in your address by Thursday, October 24th (OR you may nominate
a neighbor’s decorations): please send all nominations by Thursday
October 24th to moorem09@verizon.net.
!!  Serve as one of the judges and help choose the winners;
          you must be available Saturday 4-6 and 7-9 pm.  Email ASAP for this role.
(Judges may also come for the preview Fri at 7 or deliver awards on Sun 1:00 pm)
!!!  Volunteer to be the photographer
available on Saturday and Sunday for a few hours.

Contest Rules:  1. Open to all homes in the Sligo Woods neighborhood, except those of the judges. Neighborhood boundaries are here.  2. House numbers must be visible from the street both day and night.  3. Each home can only win in one category​:
          Best… Overall / Daytime / Nighttime / Theme   [plus honorable mentions]
4. Homes with decorations that have been left up from previous holidays will be ineligible.​  Winners earn a certificate and a sign posted in their yard for a week. Pictures of homes will be posted on the Sligo Woods Civic Association website (here are last year’s winners).

Halloween Parade
Robin Sleeman of Calumet Drive is heading up this year’s parade.  Festivities begin at 5:30, gathering at the corner of Dryden and Calumet.  Teen and adult volunteers are welcome as route marshalls, and photographers are needed–please contact Robin at ​< robinzs@me.com >.  The website will have route and other details closer to The Day.

Thanks to Robin for leadership of this most-popular-of-all civic association events, and gratitude to her predecessors–Proctor’s Lashon Lissimore and once-of-Calumet’s Jasmine Kuzner.

Come one, come all … to the annual Sligo Woods Community Yard Sale to be held this Saturday, September 28, from     8 AM to 1 PM.   (No early birds please!)   See what treasures your neighbors are selling!  Find that perfect item you didn’t know you needed!  You can pick up a list of participating homes from the table at 701 Justin Way.  The rain date is September 29th.

Sponsored by the Sligo Woods Civic Association
Questions?  Please email moorem09@verizon.net

The civic association’s fall program featured  Mr. Devang Dave from the Traffic Engineering Department of Montgomery County.  He described the County’s process for development of traffic calming and the role that a neighborhood’s civic association can play—in fact, must play, according the County regulations [MoCo Exec Regulation 1-18AM], which is designed to assure community participation and approval as a required part of the process. 

Some 18 residents of the Sligo Woods neighborhood were present, and there were clarifying questions and good, informative exchanges in the question-answer opportunity that followed with Mr. Dave (“DAH-veh”).  As planned, Mr. Dave was not discussing any specific plans for our neighborhood streets–which have yet to be proposed–but the focus was on the general process and how we can be engaged in it.

Quarterly programs are now held at the Sligo-Dennis Park building (10200 Sligo Creek Parkway, between playground and basketball courts), a switch from Good Shepherd Church’s building hospitality, which we enjoyed for the first several years of civic association programs/meetings.

 Would you like to meet new neighbors?

Our welcome new neighbors committee is looking for some additions to our current group. There are two tasks involved. One is to ask our local merchants if they would like to contribute to our bags with an item or coupon. We have had pizza, florist, bakery and gas stations involved in the past.

The second task is to visit new neighbors monthly, let them know about the Sligo Woods Civic Association, answer their questions, and give them our gift bag.

Please email Mary if you are interested or need more information. Our current members work 1 to 4 hours a month, depending on their availability.