Changing Fast, Changing for the Good (I think)

For almost a year, I abandoned this blog to focus on my neighborhood Facebook page called, "It's Happening in Woodlawn." It started first as an FB page called "It's Happening on Dekum Street," just the same as this blog title. But as it so happened, it attacted a lot of FB fans and I decided that Dekum Street was too narrow so I changed the name to become more inclusive of the neighborhood.

That FB page now has almost 500 fans, which is crazy more than I could have imagined. And, I find, it is no longer "my" page as much as me posting info for the neighbors.

Which is what brings me back to this blog - my blog.

So much has happened on Dekum Street in the past year:

• Concordia University is really making progress on their new ball field. Houses have been removed and from the street you can now see the new library. Passers by will now see the university from the street! Seeing it gives me a thrill - it's like I am more engaged and intellectually stimulated just by looking at it.
• Classic Foods has opened. Hello, fresh pasta and spices!
• Breakside Brewery has opened.
• Rumpspankers has closed, thank God. And they somehow managed to screw up having the nation's first legal cannibis cafe, which I thought was potentially cool.
• The Oregon Community leased the Village Ballroom, which is cool, and they are opening up a non-profit pub in the old restaurant space.

Unfortunately, the eyesore known as 18th & Dekum Market is still an eyesore. And no one has leased the old Sylvia's restaurant. But, so much good has gone on it gives me and I think a lot of others reason to be enthusiastic.