Jugband, Bluegrass & Folk Headline Green L(a)unch Saturday, July 23

Image: Duncan Ramsay

Turk and Lyon this Saturday -- The corner will rock, buzz, twang, and throb as gardeners, neighbors and friends get in the dirt, amend the soil, shovel, rake, edge new beds, and settle-in new plants. All to the accompaniment of live bluegrass, jug band, folk, and jazz tunes.

Erich Silvester (Hot Steel & Cool Ukulele) will delve into his rich repertoire plucking favorites from the jug band revival of the 1960s to his latest jumping uke sets from last month's San Francisco Free Folk Festival. NOPA's own Wigg Party will also send up the hill its hot band-buds to keep the green glow on the corner through the afternoon.

The day's line-up for work and play goes like this:

10 am

• gardeners assemble
• work begins: weeding, sifting soil, shoveling, adding new soil, edging beds, planting
• tour and description of sidewalk plans -- what will & won't be happening
• chances for door prizes, plant sales, kids stuff

12 - 2pm

• Green Lunch provided (donations welcomed)

12:30 - 4pm

• Live Music begins
• Building Tours
• More cool door prizes & kids play

Stop by for a look, lend a hand, check out the bands, get a great lunch

Saturday, July 23, 10am to 4pm

Turk and Lyon

Info: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com or 415 218 7937

Green L(a)unch Sat July 23 workday / party

Image: Duncan Ramsay

It's going to be Green. It's a Launch and a Lunch, a Workday and a Party.

NOPA neighbors and friends, stop by the corner of Turk and Lyon on Saturday, July 23 to help transform 160 square feet of concrete into landscaped, permeable surfaces. All the better for rainwater to replenish the aquifer, for runoff to be diverted from the sewers, and to provide a more attractive, livelier swath of green along the sidewalks.

The concrete squares will be removed a few days before the event, and the new spaces will be ready for topsoil, plants and permeable materials. Volunteer gardeners will amend the soil -- what lies below sidewalks at least 50 years old? -- and prepare the beds for planting. Helpers 16 years of age and older are encouraged to help with lifting, shoveling, and raking. Bring tools and gloves if you can.

But it's a party, too, with live music, games, door prizes, kids stuff, sparkling green drinks, and a remarkable lunch. Think double tomato crostini, bite-size caprese salad, stuffed sweet peppers, inside out carrot cupcakes, and take-home treats. Donations appreciated for lunch.

Help make NOPA greener one corner, one block, one building at a time.

Saturday, July 23, 10 am to 4pm

Lunch at Noon, Music starts at 12:30pm

Turk & Lyon at St. Cyprian's

More info: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE: Green L(a)unch Party & Workday Sat July 23

Bring some green to the top of Lyon at Turk

20 + concrete squares to be removed for landscaping

Our Green Turk & Lyon project is about to delve into the dirt to make this corner greener, more sustainable, and definitely more permeable (let the rain soak in, fill the aquifier and spare the sewer system). On Saturday, July 23rd neighbors from the North Panhandle, Anza Vista, Alamo Square, the Richmond, and the Haight (and anyone else too) will gather at Cyprian's to make the city's latest greening project happen.

Stop by, lend a hand and celebrate during the Turk & Lyon Green L(a) unch -- project kick-off, free green lunch and desserts, green door prizes, info on how you can transform your own sidewalk, and live music through the afternoon.

For those wanting to get in the dirt, we'll mix top soil into more than 20 squares formerly covered by concrete, place pavers for convenient crossing, and start the planting for a new community green spot. Tools will be available but bring your own if you can (trowels, rakes, shovels and gloves).

Free lunch at noon (we guarantee you'll get your green quotient for the day)

Live music in the afternoon. Bring an instrument!

The Green Basics:

Green L(a)unch Party & Workday

Saturday, July 23, 10 am - 4 pm

Free lunch at noon, donations appreciated

Green door prizes, kids activities

Work in the dirt: tools provided and bring what you can

Information: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com

RSVP: help us plan for lunch, let us know if you'll join the launch

While you're there, check out Cyprian's, the neighborhood's newest performance venue. (We've got a concert planned with SF Live Arts for the evening of July 27 too).

Turk & Lyon Closer To A Greener, Friendlier Future

Green Possibilities for Turk Street near Lyon

Image: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Associates

Green Turk & Lyon Fundraiser at Chile Pies Photos: Dale Danley

Jarie Bolander (left), NOPNA President, and with Honoree Michael Helquist

Thanks to everyone who joined the party and fundraiser at Chile Pies (& Ice Cream) last week -- all 60 of you and those unable to attend who also donated to the Green Turk & Lyon project. Your support helped raise $1100 that will bring greener sidewalks, benches and bike racks to the southeast corner of Turk and Lyon.

An occasion like this is always the result of help and contributions from many people. Thank you to everyone and special thanks to

• Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi for designating community member Michael Helquist as District 5 Person of the Month for June and especially for all his efforts to support individuals and groups in this amazing district
• Vallie Brown, Ross's legislative aide, who takes good ideas and guides them to implementation
• Trevor Logan, owner of Green Chile Kitchen and Chile Pies. His generosity and support of the fundraiser has been remarkable
• Kalie Nickless, manager of Chile Pies, who made all arrangements incredibly easy
• James Munden, neighbor and landscape architect with Marta Fry Landscape Architects, whose images of the Green Turk & Lyon project inspire us to create a model for green permeable sidewalks in NOPA
• The members of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, led by Pastor Will Scott, for their ongoing engagement with the community and eagerness to transform the sidewalks along the church property for a green neighborhood respite
• NOPNA, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Sunday Streets, Walk SF, Fix Masonic and NOPA VELO for co-sponsoring the fundraiser

Next steps for the project will be a community meeting in July to review designs, workplans, and a timeline for removing the concrete and enlivening the Turk and Lyon corner. Date and time will be posted here on Green Turk and Lyon. Take a look at the corner this Saturday night, June 4, before a special concert, an Evening of Song, at Cyprian's.

Interested in volunteering or want more information?: greenturkandlyon@gmail.com

To donate to the project: so far we're set up to accept checks made out to St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church; please write on memo line: "Turk & Lyon Project". All donations will go to a separate Turk & Lyon account. Thank you!

Note: A variation of this story is being co-published -- as a time-saver -- with the site BIKE NOPA.

Turk and Lyon: How It Looks Now

Green Turk & Lyon: A plan to bring a little more green along Lyon and Turk

Envision a landscaped greenway on Lyon from the tree on the right to the corner of Turk

Turk street view -- more plantings here, bike racks, landscaped expanses along curb

A good start with four street trees along Turk near Lyon but so much potential for more

Photos: Michael Helquist

The Green Turk & Lyon project is all about creating community and transforming long stretches of concrete into a landscaped expanse that is greener, more sustainable and more inviting. The photos here represent the "before." In the months ahead neighbors will work with a designer to develop final designs for the "after."

The next phase of development begins tonight Wednesday, May 25, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm with a fundraiser. Donate $15 - $20 to make the neighborhood greener, and get a free slice of pie, beer, wine, New Mexican hot chocolate, and other specialties from Chile Pies, 601 Baker at Fulton.

Each $5 of your donation will remove one square foot of concrete. All proceeds go to the Turk and Lyon Project.

An "after" view of Turk with more planting, bike racks,

and design reflecting lines of building

Image: James Munden, Marta Fry Landscape Architects