August 2025 News

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View this email in your browser Friends of Woodfords Corner News August 2025   FWC news Friends of Woodfords Corner Achieves Next Level:  We've Hired a Program & Operations Director! Over the past 10 years, dozens – if not hundreds – of people have helped in FWC's work to enhance and showcase Woodfords Corner as the wonderful place it is. FWC has grown immensely as an organization, from the initial organizing of a neighborhood railroad clean-up event back in 2015 to today – putting on 20 (or so) events each year, coordinating ongoing advocacy to improve our pedestrian and bike safety, installing enhancements like our planters and bike racks, bringing our neighbors together, and so much more!  At its founding, lead volunteers would not have imagined that within just 10 years we would be able to hire an employee to partner with our board and community in fulfilling our mission. We are delighted to welcome Becca Wertheimer as our first-ever Program & Operations Director! Becca will be working up to 20 hours/week on all aspects of FWC's work, collaborating closely with the board and our incredible volunteer corps. Please be sure to welcome Becca to the team next time you see her (or shoot her an email at becca@woodfordscorner.org!) As the FWC Board reflects on how far we've come, we want to express our immense gratitude for all the ongoing support we receive from our community – we would not have been able to make this leap as a nonprofit organization were it not for all of you. THANK YOU for the thousands of hours spent volunteering, the generous donations and sponsorships, the expertise lent, the connections made, and the investment of all our local businesses who have made Woodfords Corner their home. Look how far we've come! Welcome, Becca, FWC Program & Operations Director! Becca has happily lived in Woodfords Corner for 16 years and is thrilled to be joining the Friends of Woodfords Corner team!  As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and owner of a small business, she is excited about supporting the community of neighbors who are working to make the Corner a wonderful place to live, work, and play.  She is eager to make connections with businesses and neighbors and to get to work on creative projects to make the Corner welcoming for all who live and visit here. And, the commute is a pretty nice job perk! She lives with her husband, two children, and a dog. You can find her walking around the neighborhood listening to a podcast, chatting with a friend on her porch, or forcing her husband and kids to walk around the block with her. SAVE THE DATE: Celebrate 10 years of FWC at CornerFest on Sept 12! To celebrate this milestone, we’re hosting a birthday party for the entire neighborhood! Friday, September 12, 5 - 8:30pm (rain date Saturday, September 13) Grace Street, Portland Join us at a festive neighborhood block party with games, music, food, and friends. Area restaurants and eateries will sell food and drinks, the VFW will host an outdoor beer garden, and local organizations and businesses will have activities for all to enjoy. We’ll have musical acts and a dance party at the end of the night! This event is FREE and open to the public! More details coming soon! SAVE THE DATE: Fall Yard Sale Trail on Saturday, October 4! Back by popular demand our bi-annual Yard Sale Trail! Clean out your closets, cupboards, basements and garages and participate in this neighborhood-wide yard sale. Focus on turning your pre-loved items into someone else's treasure, and leave the promotion/advertising to us!    Register Your Sale Today! >>> Learn more about Yard Sale Trail >>>   corner news Exciting NEW rental property at Woodfords Corner!  After a year of total renovations, the well known REO Window Shade Co building, located at 156 Woodford Street, has been fully transformed by Sam Harmon of Harmonious Holdings LLC into a 7 unit rental property, with 6 residential units and 1 commercial unit. Conveniently located in the hub of Woodfords Corner, this new rental property is currently accepting lease applications!  See the listing for more information! >>> Take Advantage of Sundays on the Boulevard Sundays on the Boulevard: now through September 28, Baxter Boulevard is closed to vehicular traffic on Sundays only from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, and OPEN for walkers, bikers, pedestrian traffic, and play!  Take this opportunity to get out and enjoy the nice weather, teach a kid to bike or introduce a friend to safe biking practices, take up skateboarding or rollerblading, and reclaim this space for outdoor fun! City of Portland Sustainability Office Announces Mini Grants & Home Energy Tax Credits! Federal tax credits for heat pumps, weatherization, insulation, rooftop solar, and more are set to expire at the end of this year. State rebates and incentives still exist for EVs, insulation, heat pumps, and more. Understand your options so you can take advantage of these tax credits while they are still available.     Learn more about home energy tax credits! >>> And while you are at it, do you have an idea for a project to make your neighborhood more socially connected, sustainable, resilient, or inclusive? Need a little help in covering the costs? The City of Portland’s Sustainability Office is currently accepting applications for the first round of Neighborhood Mini Grants until August 30 at 5pm EST.  Learn more & apply for a mini grant! >>> Discounted Tickets for Maine Summertime Fun! While we think spending time in Woodfords Corner is the best way to pass the summer days, you may want to explore beyond our neighborhood and take advantage of discounted tickets through the City of Portland to Funtown Splashtown! Grab your tickets for just $49! That's a fantastic $10 savings off the gate price of $59 for guests 48" or taller. Find more info here and pick up your tickets >>>   corner events There are myriad events, classes, and happenings in Woodfords Corner every week – check out our Community Calendar to view all that's going on! August 9: Monthly Storytime with Lindz Amer Saturday, August 9, 11:00 - 12:00pm Back Cove Books, 651 Forest Ave, Portland Join Lindz Amer at Back Cove Books for a monthly fun-filled storytime with stories and music! Mx. Lindz is an author, troubadour, and harbinger of joy, weaving stories and songs for all ages. They created the award-winning LGBTQ+ family webseries Queer Kid Stuff, which has amassed over 5 million lifetime views, and they are the author of Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies (St. Martin’s Press) and the picture book Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They! What Are YOUR Pronouns Today? (Simon & Schuster).  Learn more>>> AUGUST 16: Table Top Gaming and Boardgames Saturday, August 16, 6:30 - 11:30pm  Woodfords Club, 179 Woodford St, Portland Join us for tabletop games every Saturday night at 6:30pm. Take the stairs to the right when you enter the building. No membership necessary $1/person for club use/maintenance More info here>>> August 24: Dance Church Sunday, August 24, 11:00 - 12:30pm Casco Bay Movers, 517 Forest Avenue, Portland Dance Church® is an all-levels movement class taught by professional dance artists that offers a fun and inclusive approach to dancing. Designed for people of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and identities, Dance Church is a communal space for people who want to move their bodies. Dance Church in Portland happens every Sunday morning at 11am at Casco Bay Movers with Natalie Gotter! Sign up here>>> August 29: One Parent Families by Design Friday, August 29, 6:00-7:30pm Birth Roots, 16 Vannah Avenue, Portland This Shared Identity Group was created for people who are choosing, or have chosen, to enter into parenthood on their own - by design: (birthing and/or adopting, mother-identifying and/or nonbinary parents), in the space between pre-conception, TTC, pregnant or awaiting adoption - and continuing throughout the first year of new & early parenthood. Babies are welcome. This particular group is intended to be a gathering of sole parents, without a second adult in the picture, no matter how peripherally. Offered monthly. Pre-registration is required. Register here>>> August 30: Portland Ballet Presents 'Boy Meets Girl' Saturday, August 30, 2:00 - 3:00pm Stevens Square Theater, 631 Stevens Avenue, Portland Come be part of an enchanting evening with Portland Ballet, where love blooms in a 1950’s Italian-restaurant setting on date night. Over the course of the night, dance stories of different characters entwine to create a fun-filled evening where love is in the air, and everyone leaves with a song in their hearts! $30 Adult / $15 Child (including fees)   Purchase tickets here>>> about fwc Support Friends of Woodfords Corner! For 10 years Friends of Woodfords Corner has served as a voice for the Woodfords area and a catalyst for building a sustainable, diverse community. And we're just getting started – we have big plans for the coming years! Make a donation in honor of 10 years of Friends of Woodfords Corner, and help us be successful for many years to come! Donate Today! Join Our Team: Volunteer for Friends of Woodfords Corner! Join us in our efforts to foster a thriving, welcoming, and sustainable village hub in Woodfords Corner, and make an impact on your community! We're always looking for more volunteers for our committees and folks who want to serve as board members. Complete one of the forms, linked below, to inquire and learn more! Volunteer with FWC Inquire About Board Membership FWC & Main Street America In 2019 (a mere 6 years ago) Friends of Woodfords Corner became a Main Street Affiliate, and we thought it might be time to explain what this means for our organization and our community, and how how this makes us unique among many varied community groups in the Portland area! Learn more>> Friends of Woodfords Corner is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works to preserve the diversity and unique history of Woodfords Corner and foster a thriving, welcoming, and sustainable village hub.  Copyright © 2025 Friends of Woodfords Corner, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Friends of Woodfords Corner 651 Forest Avenue #2 Portland, Maine 04101 Add us to your address book Call us! 207-805-1151 Want to change how you receive these emails? 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