The inaugural NoLi Night Market; photo by Angela Hensley

Update
This was a big month for the NoLi CDC. We got a new office located right on North Limestone Street. We’re now housed in the same building as Bullhorn Creative (a branding group) and Kentucky for Kentucky (whose mission is to engage and inform the world by promoting Kentucky people, places, and products.) Both of these groups are great examples of new, creative businesses that have started up in the Northside in recent years. Both groups are well known in Lexington for producing creative work, and capturing new audiences. We’re really excited to be working side-by-side with these guys and gals daily.

Another big deal for us was the launch of our program “The Night Market.” Our first event was developed in consultation with Kentucky for Kentucky, WRFL 88.1FM, the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, and the Lexington Film League. We had 18 different local makers, artists and nonprofits, food trucks, craft ice cream, beer from West Sixth Brewing, live music, and a presentation of the film Koyaanisqatsi. It was a blowout success. We expected 150 to 250 people to attend, but had over 1,000 friends and neighbors come out! There were so many people that we ran out of food and beer! We had so many people telling us they wanted another event, that we’re going to be launching it as a monthly event for the Northside. Our next one was September 21st and was sponsored by WRFL 88.1FM, who will present it as a part of their annual multi-venue festival Boomslang: A Celebration of Sound & Art. We’re really excited to say that Body/Head (featuring Kim Gordon, of Sonic Youth) headlined that Market.

Recent Wins
1. Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras launched its NoLi MusicWorks program, which was developed in consultation with the NoLi CDC. It is now bringing in 20 second and third graders for two and a half hours of musical instruction, daily.

2. NoLi’s very own Castlewood Park will see the “Easy Rider Castlewood Cross Series,” described as “a FREE, Grassroots cyclocross racing series that is all about fun and the local bike culture. There will be something for kids, first timers and "seasoned" veterans,” the series will happen every weekend in October, and will add to the Northside’s growing reputation as one of the centers of Lexington’s bike culture.

3. Local restaurant Minton’s @ 760 just celebrated its one year anniversary. Minton’s has become a staple of the Northside, and is located directly in front of the project site for the LuigART Makers Spaces. We’re thrilled about the success they are having, and are really glad that their delectable food is in the neighborhood (especially those Tempeh Sloppy Joes).

Insight Provocation
We recently had a neighborhood incident where a local TV station covered crime in the North Limestone neighborhood, with the suggestion that it is hampering commercial redevelopment. The piece as a whole was poorly researched, and not reflective of what is going in the North Limestone community at all. It brought a severe backlash from the community, with the North Limestone Neighborhood Association even “banning” the reporter from the neighborhood. Our question for everyone out there is this: How do you deal with misconceptions within the local media, and specifically, how do you counteract any misconceptions people have about your community?