The March meeting will feature a discussion of the 2011 Neighborhood budget. With the city facing tough budget times, this will be an important discussion as we will be making significant decisions about current and future spending priorities that may have an effect on traditional Council functions.

The Community Council meets Tuesday March 15th beginning at 7:30pm

As always there will be lots of good information about our community and a great chance to meet your neighbors.

The meeting will take place at the Kennedy Heights Presbyterian Church on Kennedy Ave. and will be proceeded by the regular meeting of the executive board.

Sampler Weekend, sponsored by Macy's, celebrates its 25th Anniversary and ArtsWave - formerly known as the Fine Arts Fund is trying something new by scheduling the Arts Sampler over six weekends during the 12-week community campaign for the arts from mid-February through April.

District-a is pleased to bring together a Sampler Day for Kennedy Heights and Pleasant Ridge on Saturday March 26th. Some Highlights:

at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center -
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
World Drumming Demo and Workshop
Experience Baba Charles Miller directing the Kennedy World Drum Ensemble in lively African and Latin rhythms. His interactive workshop invites everyone to play along on drums and other percussion instruments. No prior experience is necessary. All Ages

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Before and after the Drumming Workshop, tour the gallery and enjoy hands-on art making activities for everyone. All Ages

At AIM: Cincinnati
See Cultures of Dance, a hold-your-breath tour of classis ballet, Hispanic and Indian dance and hip-hop; it's amazing!

Next Up: Excerpts from Lord of the Jungle and other performances by studio classes.

All Ages Welcome. No dancing required by audience members - but you can if you want to join in!

And finally at the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church
District A and PRPC host the MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS and YOUTH CHORUS. This May Festival performance is made possible by ArtsWave (formerly The Fine Arts Fund). The May Festival is the featured arts organization in this fourth of six regional Arts Sampler Weekends.

Top off your day in Kennedy Heights/Pleasant Ridge with the sounds of 100 + voices from the May Festival Chamber Choir and Youth Chorus in the exquisite sanctuary of PR Presbyterian Church. You'll hear repertoire not usually performed during the May Festival Season. Selections will include spirituals, American folk songs like Shenandoah and My Gentle Harp, and several arrangements by Aaron Copland, including At the River, Simple Gifts and Zion's Walls.

The Arts Sampler Weekends celebrate the creative things - music, dance, theater, museums, and festivals - happening in large and small ways throughout our region. These weekends are great opportunities for families, friends, and neighbors to connect with one another and experience the arts through free events.

On April 15-16, 2011, aim cincinnati brings to life the popular stories of Tarzan through the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series, creatively transformed into an original, fun, family-friendly show that encourages families to read together. Scripps-Corbett Award winner aim cincinnati presents the original dance production which features a lively variety of music, colorful sets and costumes, original choreography by Artistic Associate J. Karin Bond-Williams and pre-professional, professional and community dancers from 5-60+ years in age. Activities surround Lord of the Jungle and include a free online Study Guide in English and Spanish; poster and poetry contest; free performances at a variety of public venues, CAA School Time performance on Friday, April 15th and a book giveaway. A diverse cast that includes community dancers and professional lighting, sets and costumes will mesmerize the audience as they encounter life with Tarzan, Jade and all of the inhabitants of the Jungle.

Come sing with us! During the month of March, the Kennedy Heights Arts Center will be hosting musician, Terry Boyarsky as our "Artist-in-Residence." Enjoy her opening performance on March 6th at 2PM at the art center. She will lead a variety of groups throughout the 4 weeks in choral music exploration. Sign up for a group and join in this multi-generational, inter-faith community choral project! Our final collaboration will be a group performance on March 31 (details to follow).

Group times include:
Adult Choral Groups (teens are invited to join) Mondays - March 7, 14, 21, & 28 from 6 - 8PM Tuesdays - March 8, 15, 22, & 29 from 6 - 8PM Thursdays - March 10, 17, 24, & 31 from 10AM - Noon

Youth Choral Groups Ages 5-8 on Thursdays - March 10, 17, & 24 from 4:00 - 5:30PM Ages 9-12 on Fridays - March 11, 18, & 25 from 4:00 - 5:30PM One-day workshop for ages 5-12 - Wednesday, March 30 from 9:30AM - 2:30PM* * This is during Cincinnati Public Schools' Spring Break. After-care available until 6PM.

Family Folk Dance Workshop Saturday, March 26 from 6 - 8PM

Please contact us with any questions at: 513-631-4278. The Kennedy Heights Arts Center is located at 6546 Montgomery Rd.
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Performance by Terry Boyarsky Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 pm

Please join us for a free performance at the Arts Center, as we welcome our 2011 artist-in-residence. Terry Boyarsky, masterful pianist, and Oleg Kruglyakov, balalaika virtuoso, will share their soulful, passionate music. Their extensive repertoire draws from Russian folk music, romances, dances, classical music, gypsy melodies and traditional songs. All ages are invited. Refreshments served. .
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Fibers: A Celebration of Cincinnati's Fiber Artists open Through March 23 This exhibit at Kennedy Heights Arts Center showcases fiber arts in its many forms by regional artists. Works include examples of quilting, weaving, surface design, assemblage pieces, sculpture, dolls, basketry, wreaths, papermaking, dying and mixed media using yarn, fabric, paper and other fibers. The diversity of contemporary fiber arts is surprising and sure to delight.

In 2010 Kennedy Heights Development Corporation (KHDC) was selected as the recipient of a $200,000 grant under the City of Cincinnati's Neighborhood Housing Initiative.

Cincinnati City Council selected Kennedy Heights to be one of five neighborhoods to receive federal money for the acquisition, rehabbing and re-selling of four residences. The program requires eligible neighborhood properties to have been vacant and to have gone through a foreclosure. KHDC's Board of Directors established a committee to lead the effort to work with the City of Cincinnati and The Homesteading and Urban Redevelopment Corporation (HURC) to identify suitable properties and determine the feasibility of rehabbing and re-selling the homes.

HURC entered into a contract with the City of Cincinnati under the City's Neighborhood Homes Initiative to facilitate the acquisition and rehab of foreclosed properties in 2009. HURC was organized and established in 1976 by the City of Cincinnati under the HUD 810 Urban Homesteading Program. They are a 501.c.3 not-for-profit corporation which operates with a volunteer board of directors. It's Executive Director, Ed Rust, was a former member of the Board and is past President of Centennial Savings Bank. In the past 33 years, HURC has been responsible for the rehab of over 700 houses, including 4 in the past year using the HUD Good Neighbor Program to acquire vacant properties.

KHDC's Housing Selection subcommittee is chaired by Melissa Wolfe McNally, a volunteer and Davenant resident. (Melissa's father, Jim Wolfe) was also a volunteer with KHDC's predecessor organization.) This is the first time in 30 years that a Kennedy Heights organization has been involved in rehabbing.

Work to date has involved the study of nearly two dozen properties that fit the federal criteria. KHDC's goal is to stem the decline of property values within the neighborhood while improving the overall quality of the neighborhoods housing stock.

For more information about the KHDC, visit the Kennedy Heights website.

Councilmember Charlie Winburn reminids us that there is still time for you to take advantage of the Second Chance Tax Amnesty Program! This program allows individuals and companies to file and pay local payroll taxes and net profit taxes without being assessed interest and penalties. Until March 31st, take advantage of this Second Chance to "catch up" on outstanding income taxes due.

For more information, contact the Tax Amnesty Hotline at 513 352 3837 or visit our website at www.CincinnatiAmnesty.org.

You can now pay overdue parking fines; Here are three ways to pay parking violations incurred before June 30, 2010. This includes parking fines only and does not include speeding violations or other moving violations.

1. COME BY Visit Patricia Clancy, Clerk of Courts, 1000 Sycamore St. Room 112, Cincinnati, OH 45202 to pay parking fines Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, personal and certified checks, money orders, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover (there is a fee for credit cards).
2. CLICK http://www.courtclerk.org/parkingticket.asp to pay overdue parking fines online.
3. CALL 513 946 6000 to pay overdue parking fines by phone

Please visit the Amnesty Program website often as we roll our future phases of the program.

You can access the Facebook page here and our Twitter page here.

Watch your Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on our neighborhood's many happenings, and make sure and pass the word along. The more the merrier!

The Kennedy Heights Community Council next regularly scheduled meeting will take place on Tuesday February 15h at 7:30. The executive board meets immediately before.

Contact the Kennedy Heights Community Council:
6463 Kennedy Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45213
513.531-4041
kennedyheights.org
khcc@kennedyheights.org

email: khcc@kennedyheights.org

web: http://www.kennedyheights.org