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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Taking a Tip From Joan of Arc
Dear Editor,
I think the way some people
are ready to demolish Ivy Island
in service to the Farid Bolouri
Development is the wrong di-
rection. I think we have come to
take Ivy Island for granted. After
all, it is “just” a traffic island that
we drive by all the time with little
notice.
What if we take a tip from Lau-
relhurst? Just by saying the word
“Laurelhurst,” for most people,
the first, and sometimes the only
thing that comes to mind, is the
Joan of Arc statue on the 39th
Street Traffic Circle. Without
that, Laurelhurst would just be
part of the blur of neighborhoods
on the Eastside, and certainly
no one would give any thought
to the traffic circle. Laurelhurst
made their ordinary traffic circle
significant and delightful. The
first time you see it, it’s totally
unexpected and charming and
it stays in your mind. It’s some-
thing you can easily picture when
you’re someplace else. Wherever
you may be, the Traffic Circle
places and anchors the Laurel-
hurst Neighborhood.
Could we do something sim-
ilarly amazing with Ivy Island
on behalf of St. Johns? If we
could, it would be a boon for the
St. Johns Business District. I’ve
always wondered how extraor-
dinary it would be if something
as simple as artistically dramat-
ic floodlights were part of the
Ivy Island experience. Banners?
Flags? Amazing art? But most of
all, a statue of James John! Kin-
da like the Ugly Duckling story,
where from a humble beginning
COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS
RHS theater students volunteer to
Trick or Treat for hunger
Ivy Island transforms into a beau-
tiful swan and becomes a truly
valued part of our community.
A memorable entrance that cele-
brates the independent spirit of St
Johns.
For the many reasons that peo-
ple want the Bolouri Project, I’ve
yet to hear that aesthetically, driv-
ing into a “lovely” four-story wall
of unremarkable apartments is
one of them. This is what we will
have when driving west on Lom-
bard when the Bolouri Project is
finished. Or that anyone actually
desires for its own sake, a right
turn stoplight into St. Johns. In
accepting the Bolouri Project into
our community, we give up some
of our small town appeal and end
up looking like every other gen-
trified neighborhood in Portland.
Our St Johns charm becomes col-
lateral damage. Acknowledging
how nice the landscaped Ivy Is-
land has become, Bolouri Project
is like the Ugly Duckling story in
reverse.
There are other options and traf-
fic strategies to solving the Blind
Lombard Curve at the Charles-
ton corner, other than razing Ivy
Island. A lot is going to change
these next few years as Develop-
ers discover our community, and
seemingly, we have little control
over what happens. But I think
we should try to keep a bit of
our historical and traditional St.
Johns for St. Johns.
John Teply
Find more info at “Save Ivy Is-
land” on FaceBook
Friends of Multnomah County
Library holds fall used book sale
Oregon’s largest used book sale,
organized by the Friends of the
Multnomah County Library, takes
place the weekend of October 23-
26 at the DoubleTree Hotel Exhib-
it Hall at Lloyd Center, 1000 NE
Multnomah St., Portland, Oregon
97232. Proceeds from the sale
benefit the Multnomah County Li-
brary.
It will open with a Members-On-
ly Night on Friday, October 23,
from 6 to 9 pm. Annual member-
ships can be purchased at any time,
including at the door Friday night,
for as low as $10 for individuals or
$15 for families. Admission is free
to the public on Saturday 9 am to
9 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, and
Monday 9 am to 3 pm.
New this year is a Literary Trivia
event, with a cash bar, on Satur-
day, October 24 from 6 to 9 pm.
Also, for the first time is a Hal-
loween Costume Contest, for all
ages, Sunday, October 25 at 1 pm.
More details can be found on the
Friends of the Library website:
friends-library.org
The Friends’ Fall Used Book
Sale boasts of 100,000 items at
great prices. Hardcover and qual-
ity trade paperbacks start at $2,
mass-market paperbacks and chil-
dren’s books at 50 cents, CDs at
$2, and DVDs at $3. Also avail-
able are audio books, LPs, video
games, pamphlets, sheet music,
and maps – all sorted and in good
condition.
No electronic devices to check
prices will be allowed during
The St. Johns Review * #21 OCT. 16, 2015 * Page 3
Friday’s Members-Only Night.
Phones and scanners will be al-
lowed Saturday through Monday
for checking individual items.
Items may not be set aside to be
scanned later.
Monday will be a 50% off Dis-
count Day on all remaining items.
The ever-popular Collector’s Cor-
ner is back. These special and rare
books and ephemera are culled
from the Friends’ online store and
will be available for purchase Fri-
day and Saturday.
The DoubleTree at Lloyd Cen-
ter is easily accessible by TriMet
and MAX. Metered street park-
ing is available. The DoubleTree
Hotel parking offers a special day
rate with a voucher available at the
sale.
For more information or to be-
come a Friends of the Library
member, see www.friends-library.
org or contact the Friends at 503-
224-9176.
The International Thespian
Society (ITS), a division of the
Educational Theatre Association
(EdTA), is pleased to announce the
participation of Roosevelt High
School, Thespian Troupe #7289, in
the Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat
program. Trick or Treat So Kids
Can Eat is a national community
service program for ITS-member
schools to collect canned and dry
goods for local charities and food
banks.
Theatre students from Roosevelt
High School (RHS) will be dressed
in costumes to collect food dona-
tions in the RHS neighborhood
during the local Trick or Treat
activities on Friday, October 30
from 12:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M. If
you are not in the immediate RHS
neighborhood, but wish to help,
feel free to drop off donations in
Ms. Lane’s classroom between
12:00-2:00 P.M. the same day.
These donations will go to benefit
Oregon Food Bank. Thousands of
pounds of food will be collected in
one night across the state, giving
organizations the ability to help
thousands of local people.
About the International Thespian
Society
Founded in 1929, The Interna-
tional Thespian Society (ITS), is
an honorary organization for high
school and middle school the-
atre students located at more than
4,300 affiliated secondary schools
across America, Canada, and
abroad. The mission of ITS is to
honor student achievement in the
theatre arts. High school inductees
are known as “Thespians” and ju-
nior high/middle school inductees
are known as “Junior Thespians.”
St. Johns Main
Street hosts
monthly Plaza
clean ups
For those concerned about keep-
ing the neighborhood clean and
tidy, the St. Johns Main Street
organization says, “Show your
neighborhood pride by giving our
plaza some love!!”
Every third Sunday of the month
at 1:00 p.m., there will be a neigh-
borhood plaza clean up.” Main
Street will provide the supplies
and there is no need to sign up, just
drop by and lend a hand!
For more information, visit: st-
johnsmainstreet.org or email Syd-
ney Leonard at: sydney@stjohns-
mainstreet.org.
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503-283-5086
ITS is a division of the Education-
al Theatre Association (EdTA).
About the Educational Theatre As-
sociation
The Educational Theatre Associa-
tion (EdTA) is a national nonprofit
organization with approximately
90,000 student and professional
members. EdTA’s mission is shap-
ing lives through theatre education
by: honoring student achievement
in theatre and enriching their the-
atre education experience; sup-
porting teachers by providing
professional development, net-
working opportunities, resources,
and recognition; and influencing
public opinion that theatre edu-
cation is essential and builds life
skills. EdTA operates the Inter-
national Thespian Society (ITS),
an honorary organization that has
inducted more than two million
theatre students since its found-
ing in 1929. EdTA also publishes
Dramatics, a monthly magazine
for high school theatre students,
and Teaching Theatre, a quarterly
journal for theatre education pro-
fessionals.
North Star Village
offers Age is Place
talk
If interested in remaining in your
home as you age, now is the time to
start planning.
North Star Village is hosting Vil-
lage at Home talks introducing the
local Village Movement and how
Villages support folks to remain in
the homes they love and the famil-
iar neighborhoods they cherish. It’s
called “aging in place” and is a na-
tional movement responding to the
need for services so folks can age
comfortably and safely at home.
Invite your neighbors, friends,
co-workers and reserve your seat
for one of these living room talks
on Saturday, October 24 from 2:00
- 4:00 pm. Find out what North Star
Village will offer and how you can
join others to shape the services
and programs of our own virtual
village.
Space is limited and those in-
terest are encouraged to call
503.978.0540 or go to www.North-
StarVillagePDX.org to reserve your
place and receive the location.