July 2025 News

Extra, extra! Read all about it!

View this email in your browser Friends of Woodfords Corner News July 2025 JULY 16: Don't Miss the 4th Annual Maine Pops Summer Concert in Heseltine Park! Join us for the 4th annual Summer Concert in Heseltine Park featuring the Maine Pops Concert Band! Wednesday, July 16, 7 - 8pm Heseltine Park, Irving Street, Portland Sponsored by Friends of Woodfords Corner, Back Cove Neighborhood Association, and Sammy's Scoops, it's a delightful summer evening with your neighbors from across the Woodfords neighborhoods. This event is free and open to the public. Bring your chair or blanket, a picnic dinner, and save room for ice cream from Sammy's! Source your picnic dinner from one (or more!) of Woodfords Corner's wonderful eateries or markets Bring the whole family to enjoy the playground and park while being serenaded by Maine Pops! There is no rain date, so let's hope for a cool, dry (enough) summer evening. If the event is cancelled, we'll announce by noon on Wednesday. Check out the complete event details here >>>   corner news Welcome, Shaghf Cafe, Now Open on Forest Ave! Brothers Ahmed and Mokhalad Albadri returned to Portland from Texas (they went to Deering High School) to open a coffee house in their old stomping ground. It took a year of planning and buildout to create the lovely new space. The atmosphere is bright and cheerful, air conditioned, there is plenty of seating, and WiFi. Stop in to check them out at 645 Forest Ave! Established in 2018, Shaghf Coffee Company is the pioneer of Arab coffee culture in the UAE, and the Woodfords location is the latest of 13 franchises. "Shaghf is an Arabic word that means passion, and that is exactly our goal, to create something where passion meets opportunity," states their website. Best yet, Shaghf Cafe is open from 11am - 10pm daily, bringing Arabic flavors and delicacies to bridge the gap of hours one might otherwise be in search of their caffeine/sugar fix or need to meet up with colleagues in the Corner. It's the perfect complement to our other neighborhood coffee shops! Learn more about Shaghf! >>> New Pedestrian Safety Improvements in the Corner Way back in 2019, the FWC “Active Transportation Committee” (ATC) conducted a couple of walking audits in the Corner to engage and educate the community on what makes their area safe and inviting for walking…and what doesn’t! From these audits, we identified and advocated to Portland Public Works Department to install two Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB’s) on Forest Ave to make crossing safer. After years of waiting (and prodding), we are so grateful that they are finally here!  Learn more about FWC's work to get the RRFB's installed >>> Shalom Community Park is Open for All to Enjoy In June the Shalom Community Park opened its gates for public use on evenings and weekends. Located at the corner of Devonshire Street and Deering Avenue, on the property of Temple Beth El and Levey Day School, and with inspiration from Congress Square Park and Pond Cove Playground, the emphasis on community has been present from the start.                     Learn more about Shalom Park! >>> More Corner Residents Working to Slow Local Traffic Last summer, Hersey Street residents, led by FWC board member, Kellan Simpson, tapped into their creative community energy and built and installed traffic calming planters as an antidote to the fast and plentiful cut-through traffic on "Hersey Highway."  This summer, as part of the major water-sewer overflow project, the City is rebuilding Hersey Street so there's no room for the planters – a welcome opportunity to Mackworth Street residents to use the traffic calming solution on their street! By placing four 5 x 2 foot planters about 5 feet from the edge of their street, the equivalent of a parked car, the motorists had to slow down, thus improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Learn more about this innovative solution to get cars to slow down! >>>   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! JULY 11:  Texas Hold'Em at the VFW Friday, July 11, 6 - 9pm VFW, 17 Vannah Ave, Portland Our local VFW Post continues to host open-to-the-public Texas Hold'Em tournaments every other Friday! Head on over to join in the fun, and support our all the great works that VFW does for our community and our veterans.  Not interested in playing a hand? Pop in to the VFW for a drink, to play pool or darts, or connect with neighbors! We're lucky to have a local post that welcomes ALL-- not just members.  JULY 12: Coveside Market at Coveside Coffee Saturday, July 12, 10am - 2pm Coveside Coffee, 28 Vannah Ave, Portland All those great mini-markets this spring/early summer have been warming us up for the main event. THIS Saturday, July 12, Coveside Market returns! Head on over to Coveside Coffee for their biggest event of the year — 13 craft vendors, empanadas and maple creemees, and a Back Cove-themed community art activity in partnership with Friends of Casco Bay! Be sure to check their instagram for any weather or event updates! JULY 15: A Year with the Seals with Alix Morris at Back Cove Books Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 - 7:30pm Back Cove Books, 651 Forest Ave, Portland Back Cove Books is excited to host Alix Morris for the launch of A Year with the Seals! Alix will be in conversation with Lynda Doughty, Founding Executive Director of Marine Mammals of Maine, and a portion of sales from the event will be donated to MMoME.  A Year with the Seals documents Environmental journalist Alix Morris as she spends an eye-opening year getting to know these elusive, intelligent creatures, investigating the effects of their extraordinary return from the brink of extinction and how we can try to bring nature back into balance. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about her fascinating experience and get her book! Learn more & RSVP >>> ... AND, Back Cove Books keeps the summer reads coming! The Back Cove Books team never fails to help us grow our reading lists; they've planned tons of fun for all of our area bookworms, packing July and August with book launches, book groups, author talks, and more! Upcoming events include: JULY 19: Kate Spencer's All's Fair in Love & Pickleball  JULY 20: Storytime: The King of Books with Gina Perry JULY 24: Ice Cream Day with Maine Maple Creemee JULY 24: Book Club: I See You've Called in Dead   JULY 19: Create-a-Palooza at Trinity Church Saturday, July 19, 10am - 12:30pm Trinity Church, 580 Forest Avenue, Portland It's Trinity Church's second annual all-age day of art and music! Join community members to make your own musical instruments and other arts and crafts; enjoy free pizza; take part in a musical workshop with Eileen Rose, a Rolling Stone-reviewed musician who works with children and youth at Trinity; participate in a musical performance; and help unveil our summer art project!   Register for free here >>> JULY 20: Eat Dessert First: An Ice Cream Social! at Woodfords Church Sunday, July 20, 11:15am - 12pm Woodfords Church front lawn, 202 Woodford Street, Portland The greater community, families, and friends are invited to an ice cream social and concert from 11:15 to noon on July 20 at Woodfords Church. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy some free ice cream and frozen treats while listening to the Bellamy Jazz Band on the front lawn. Parking is available in the church lot. The event will be held rain or shine.  Learn More >>> JULY 23: Behind-the-Scenes Happy Hour at Portland Ballet Wednesday, July 23, 4:30pm-6:30pm Portland Ballet, 517 Forest Ave, Suite 2, Portland All Ages Welcome! Tickets: $10 at the door See Portland Ballet behind the scenes, including its dance studios, costumes on view, staff and dancers in action, fun summer merch, raffles, giveaways, and information about the upcoming season of shows and classes for all ages and levels! Drink ticket and light refreshments are included. Questions? Email office@portlandballet.org about fwc Immense Gratitude for Our Graduate Assistants, Prashiddhi & Eric! Through FWC's partnership with the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service, we have benefitted greatly from getting to work beside seven different incredible graduate assistants over the years. This past month, our latest two teammates through this program have wrapped up their work with FWC.  We want to extend our deepest appreciation to Prashiddhi Pokhrel and Eric Blasco for all the work they have done to make FWC the organization it is today, and the incredible impact they have had on our team and our mission. Read more about Eric and Prashiddhi's contributions to FWC in our News posts, linked below. Read About Prashiddhi! >>> Read About Eric! >>> 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! FWC & Main Street America In 2019 (a mere 4 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>> 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 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? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.