By MIKE OWEN

The final resting place of some of the city’s most distinguished citizens is getting a facelift — along its back side.

Up until recently, historic Linwood Cemetery has been surrounded on two sides by black wrought iron fencing, topped with sharp spires. And since 1957, the back two sides of the cemetery, which run along 17th Street between Fifth and 10th Avenues, and a stretch of the west side facing Fifth Avenue, have been graced by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire to discourage trespassers.

For a week now, workers have been digging and welding in place matching iron fencing along Fifth Avenue and are working their way up the 17th Avenue side, courtesy of the Historic Linwood Foundation.

The foundation, established in 1997 as an effort to restore and renovate the city’s first cemetery, works together with the city to maintain the 28-acre historic property.

Foundation Executive Director Jane Brady said she was not at liberty to divulge how much the project will cost, but said it was made possible by a gift from Warren Foley, chairman emeritus of the foundation’s board of directors.

“We’re so glad it will finally encircle the entire cemetery,” Brady said. “We’re always doing something here to renovate, restore and beautify.”
The fencing project, being done by Iron Works International of Atlanta, will replace more than 2,000 feet of chain link fencing with wrought iron.

The work was originally estimated to take about two months.
“But they’ve only been at it about a week,” Brady said.
“And you can see how far they’ve gone.”

The workers have finished the stretch along Fifth Avenue and about 150 feet along 17th Street.

The Historic Linwood Foundation and the Riverdale/Porterdale Foundation provide private funding and volunteer help to assist the city in maintaining its historic cemeteries, according to Deborah Abraham, cemetery division manager for the city.

“We’re in partnership with the foundations,” she said. “They do whatever they can do that we’re not able to do to help enhance the cemeteries.”
Riverdale, Porterdale and East Porterdale, the city’s other three cemeteries, are clustered near the intersection of Victory Drive and 10th Avenue. Porterdale was established in 1836, Riverdale in 1890 and East Porterdale in 1946.

But Linwood Cemetery is literally as old as the city. It was established in 1828, the same year the city was incorporated by the state legislature.
Its first resident, whose grave’s actual location has long been lost to time, was 7-year-old Truman Thomas. He was the son of Edward Thomas, the city’s first surveyor and planner. The boy succumbed to the elements of an unusually harsh winter of 1828 and was buried on land that his surveyor father would soon dedicate to be the city’s cemetery.

Among the others interred at Linwood are: Francis Joseph Springer, founder of the Springer Opera House; W.C. Bradley, the industrialist founder of the business empire that still bears his name; Dr. John Pemberton, the pharmacist who created Coca-Cola; H. Augusta Howard, the woman who founded Georgia’s Women Suffrage Association; and Confederate Gen. Henry L. Benning, for whom Fort Benning is named.

In the southwest corner of the cemetery, an old iron cannon stands sentinel over some of the hundreds of graves of Confederate soldiers buried there.

from ledger-enquirer.com

By Joe Zekas

Dennis Rodkin recently visited a Victorian home on the 2000 block of Seminary, in Lincoln Park’s DePaul neighborhood, and recounted some of its early and more recent history:

Built in 1861 as the farmhouse for a truck farm that delivered its produce into Chicago, the house still has several of its original elements. The ornate gingerbread on its Victorian façade, the front porch, and even the wrought-iron fence are all believed to date to the home’s construction.
…
The house was rundown and a candidate for demolition in the early 1990s. That’s when a renovation partnership bought it from the family that had owned the property for about 90 years.

When I lived on the 2000 block of Seminary, the home was known as “Mrs O’Neill’s house.”

Edna O’Neill was in her 90s when I moved there in the late 70s, and most of the block came together to help her care for her home and herself. People took turns taking her grocery shopping, shoveling her snow, maintaining the house, helping her get to doctor appointments, etc. The block held a birthday party for her in the back yard of her home every year. The neighborhood was far less homogenous and far less affluent at the time, and still had traces of its once largely Italian population.

In her younger years Mrs O’Neill had been a secretary to Bathhouse John Coughlin. She also remembered attending the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition as a young girl.

The home evidently passed through an estate, since 14 separate owners executed deeds in 1991 to transfer the property to new ownership, according to the Cook County Recorder’s office.

The home, at 2029 N Seminary, is currently listed for sale at $1,574,900 with Coldwell Banker’s.

from chicagonow.com

Chef Francis Derby, an alum from Gilt, Tailor, and Momofuku, recently opened King, appropriately named after its location on 5 King Street. The antique decor and menu are both channeling old world Europe. The reviews have been mixed with some raves, some prominent shills, some references to Medieval Times, and some debate about the champagne buttons. Let’s take a more in depth look at what the early patrons have to say.

REB Eats writes a detailed account of her experience at King, with this excerpt summing it all up: “Dark wood and leather accents, wrought iron chandeliers, and sepia-faded antique portraits, emanate an elite underground society from the days of yore. Yet the staff could not be more welcoming and the cuisine could not be more progressive. The ambient historical charm only sets the platform for food – and drink – with a nouveau twist.”

Essential Luxuries writes an in depth description of a recent meal at King, ending with: “There were many things about the King Restaurant that I liked – several of the dishes were quite unique and lovely. Others, such as the scallops and the poached apple, were not quite as strong – they lacked in flavor and consistency. I am excited, however, to return to this newcomer restaurant after it has had time to work out the kinks (which there are only very few of).”

“We seemed to have a lot of waiters helping our table but they didn’t get our white wine out in time for our appetizers, which was too bad. All in all, they seemed a bit clueless about wine service. However, they did take the entire cost of the white off our bill, which I thought was overly generous. I’m not sure if we were comped anything else, but Francis did come out to say hello at my tipsy request. An interesting and baffling detail- every table has a light switch which can be triggered for champagne delivery. We triggered the switch (before we knew exactly what it was) and a waiter came over about 20 minutes later to ask if we wanted something. According to Francis they’ll have a lot of champagne choices in the future, when they’re able to fill out the wine list a bit more. A bit like calling over a stewardess…All in all, a very good meal with mostly hits and a few neutrals. The food is much more interesting than what Francis was doing at Shorty’s 32. I think it will be interesting and exciting to watch them find their feet here.”

An Eater commenter compares King to Medieval Times: “Went last night. Disorganized, slightly strange, poorly executed. Medieval Times was the pervasive theme, from the heavy curtains and candelabras, to the gothic, nearly illegible font on the menus. Food was disappointing and lacking distinction.”

TIn response Adventures in Shilling, this commenter wrote: “I don’t know why you think this is shilling, have you tried King? Chef Derby is taking some of the tricks he learned running David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar and outdoing his former boss! Everybody talks abou the Gougeres at EMP, but the beer cream here puts them over the top. Even my non-foodie friends liked the Tripe Gratin…so unexpected and delicious! Can’t wait to go back, the whole menu sounds great and the champagne buttons are so much fun. And have you seen the brunch menu?! Hopple Popple will be hopping into my mouth next Sunday!! Standing ovation to Chef Derby and his team and thanks for choosing my neighborhood!” [Eater Comments]

The Needs Improvement News: The Food Doc thinks King still has some work to do: “Sometimes, the marriage of the classical and avant-garde works, as in the case of Mr. Derby’s version of Caesar salad, wherein frisee, soft-cooked egg, and smoked octopus substituted for the lettuce, coddled eggs, and anchovies, producing a dish that is both familiar yet unique, and certainly scrumptious. Other times, the results are head-scratching, such as the tripe stroganoff, where the “creme fraiche noodles” turn out to be limp and flavorless, and do little to enhance an otherwise wonderful tripe stew. Other dishes may need a bit of tweaking: the skate was a tad too salty, overpowering the cauliflower puree; the fluke crudo needed some sweetness to balance the acidity from the citrus and the herbal notes from the fennel; the curd in the lemon tart was too stiff, and the espresso foam was bitter (fortunately, the sambuca syrup was a lovely addition); and the salted caramel creme brulee was too rich. All in all, The King is a restaurant whose food has yet to equal its ambition. In time, perhaps, and with a few improvements, the restaurant will produce a menu that embodies its objective to a T.”

Alexis de Boschnek

from ny.eater.com

Anthony Brand

HOONS have gone on a rampage at a Coast sporting field, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

The wrought iron gates of Landsborough’s Peace Memorial Park weren’t enough to keep them from ripping up the turf with a vehicle on Friday night.

The ground is home to the Landsborough Cricket Club and maintained by volunteers in conjunction with the council.

Cricket club life member David McIntyre said the offenders removed the bollards from in front of the fence and drove through it before smashing through a separate piece of fencing on their way out.

“They lifted the bollards and drove straight through the fence,” Mr McIntyre said.

“They then proceeded on to the ground and drove all over the grass, ripping up a lot of the turf.

“As they left they drove through another part of the fence.”

Mr McIntyre said the vandalism was a slap in the face for volunteers who worked tirelessly to maintain the once-immaculate turf, mowing the ground themselves.

“When I saw the damage my immediate thoughts were with all the volunteers that help to keep the ground in such great shape,” he said. “We’ve had so much support from those volunteers and to see the damage done is very disappointing.”

Early estimates put the damage bill at more than $2000, with the club having to dig into hard-earned fundraising dollars to foot the bill.

“We don’t know exactly how much it will cost at this stage,” Mr McIntyre said.

“They’ve done at least $2000 to $3000 worth of damage – maybe more.

“Along with ripping up the grass, they ripped up the artificial turf on the wicket as well, which adds to the cost and we’ll probably have to replace that too.”

The damage comes in the middle of the cricket season, forcing matches to be moved to other fields.

“It means the ground will be out of action for some time,” Mr McIntyre said. “We’ll get it back as soon as possible but in the meantime the matches will be shifted to other grounds. We’re not sure where yet.”

from sunshinecoastdaily.com.au

By Chitra Ramaswamy

The 65 km drive from Sunset Beach Resort where we are vacationing is scenic. Our agenda for the day is visiting the famous Nerja (pronounced ‘Nerkha”) Caves in the municipality of Nerja, most picturesquely located on Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast marking the eastern tip of Malaga’s Costa del Sol.

Once called “Detunda” by its Roman settlers, “Nerja” the town’s present name is perhaps derived from “Narixa” meaning abundant spring. The town was so renamed by the Arab settlers who were immensely attracted to its agricultural and silk products. At one time, a fishing town, Nerja located in the Axarquia region of Malaga, is now a much sought after tourist destination. The scenic Sierra de Burno, Sierra de Almijara and Sierra Tejeda descend down dramatically upon the 16 km turquoise aqua stretch and overlook the town. We drink in the vista from the spectacular Balcony of Europe, so named by King Alfonso XII who visited the town in 1884. Once the site of the great Moorish castle, this romantic setting, the venue for various cultural activities has a scenic promenade adorned with palm trees and exotic plants providing an enchanting view of the Mediterranean coastline.

Considered to have the best climate in Europe, Nerja is an year-round visitors’ paradise with cafes, restaurants, bars and water sports aplenty. The town is an aesthetic blend of the old and new with well-preserved, rich Andalucian architecture. We walk along the narrow winding streets of its old quarter with its freshly painted houses roofed with wrought iron terraces from which spill out plants with multicoloured flowers. As several other tourists, we also fancy riding a horse-drawn carriage to explore parts of the city.

We catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Gardens of Capistrano Playa which descends to the Burriana Beach before heading by car, towards the principal object of our visit, the Cave of Wonders.

A few kilometers in the outskirts of the town of Nerja we come upon the famous Caves, located on the lower slopes of the Sierra Almijara at its lowest point. The caves, the formation of which dates back to around five million years ago, were a chance discovery in January 1959 by five young Spanish schoolboys from Maro: José Luis Barbero de Miguel, Miguel Muñoz Zorrilla, Francisco Navas Montesinos, Manuel Muñoz Zorilla, and José Torres Cárdenas. For days together they had watched in fascination, huge numbers of bats flying out during the hours of twilight, through a narrow hole in a dry sink La Mina. When curiosity got the better of they decided to explore the region from where the bats emerged. They squeezed themselves in through a narrow opening, coming upon what is known today as the Cataclysm Chamber. And the rest as they say is history. On 15 June 1961, the Cave at Nerja was declared an Artistic Historical Monument. A monument to the five children who discovered the cave, in the form of a stone sculpture is erected at the cave entrance.

The cave measuring 7,220 metres from North to South is divided into three sections — the Lower or Tourist Galleries, Upper Galleries and the New Galleries discovered in 1969. The cave has two natural entry points and a third one built in 1960.

We walk down the pathway set in the midst of lush greenery, pass the monument to the kids and proceed to the man-made cave entrance. We descend down 8 metres through a flight of steps and have our first view of the miraculous structures in the caves. Beginning with the Entrance Hall, the first of seven chambers in this lower gallery, we walk along well marked pathways to access the Christmas Crib, Elephant’s Tusk, Cascade or Ballet, Cataclysm, Cavern and Mine chambers, each with its strange and mesmerising natural creations.

Awesome, bewildering, bewitching, we gape in utter disbelief at the world’s longest stalactite measuring 63m in length, wondering how mere drops of water could give rise to such a grand formation! We are held spellbound by the poetry in stalagmite-stalactite in the Hall of the Cataclysm, which is more than 100 meters long, 50 meters wide and over 30 meters high. In the centre is the Great Column, a 32-metres-tall structure, supposedly the largest cave structure known to date, formed from 1,000 billion drops of water.

Still under the hypnotic spell cast by the cave’s fascination formations, we leave its precincts late evening as the sun prepares to retire.

from deccanchronicle.com

Justin Bieber has tweeted a ‘family’ photo of sorts to share with his followers. It’s actually his ‘fan family’, but he loves them just the same! Justin has always been mindful of the roles his fans play in his successful career and tries to show his love and appreciation as much as possible.

According to a report from Hollywood Life, this photo the Biebs tweeted is a rather peculiar one. It shows his fans on one side of a black wrought iron fence—not unlike the prison bars of days gone by. And Justin appears on the other side—rather strangely dressed in attire akin to that of a cat burglar!

The Never Say Never and Baby singer even holds hands with a couple of fans through the bars, one of which actually appears to have very hairy, masculine arms. Is that a guy holding hands with Justin Bieber? It’s likely a photographic trick on the old eyes—so many of these less-than-stellar quality photographs can be a bit misleading.

You can check the photo out for yourself by clicking here.

Justin Bieber certainly appears happy to be in the company of his fans, and even looks like he’s saying ‘Cheese!’ for the camera. It’s actually a great shot of him with his Beliebers behind him.

Are you impressed with the steps Justin takes to show his appreciation to his fans? He’s come under a bit of scrutiny lately for being stand-offish or rude, but do you think that’s really the case? Might some people simply misunderstand his actions when time is of the essence?

This photo certainly doesn’t convey a young man who treats his fans rudely. This one conveys pure love!

from celebs.gather.com

A Viking axe head found in a Gloucestershire village could be evidence of a battle more than 1,100 years ago, according to archaeologists.

The wrought iron object, found in Slimbridge in 2008, has now been identified as being of Viking origin.

Historians say a band of Vikings sailed up the River Severn and fought against the Anglo-Saxons in 894 AD.

Archaeologists say where the axe head was found is where they could have tied up their ships.

It was discovered by Ian Hunter Darling under a hedge in his garden.

“I couldn’t believe what I saw. I thought it could have been an agricultural implement of some description,” he said.

He said an archaeological visit to the farm where he lives had got the experts “quite excited”.

“They said I should take it to a museum to have it looked at.”

According to historians King Alfred the Great fought the Vikings in a bloody battle at Minchinhampton, about 10 miles from Slimbridge, in 894 AD.

Three Viking princes were killed in the battle, and fighting could have ranged over a wide area of the Berkeley Vale.

For over a century archaeologists have speculated where the Vikings could have moored their ships.

“They realised my driveway would have been creek in those days before there was a sea wall on the River Severn,” said Mr Hunter Darling.

“The boats could have tied up at the bottom of my garden.”

Members of Slimbridge local history society now want to gather further evidence of Viking activity in the village.

Peter Ballard, from the society, said: “A member of a local family claimed he found a Viking sword in a ditch by the River Cam many years ago, but that has now been lost.”

They are asking for residents who may have found other Viking objects to come forward.

A meeting to highlight the importance of the discovery will be held in Slimbridge Village Hall on 21 February.

The axe head is to go on display at Stroud Museum in the Park

from bbc.co.uk

By Beverly Tuskan

The George County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft of a 125-year-old wrought iron fence that borders the Fairley Cemetery.

“A graveyard is supposed to be a place of rest and peace, but not this past week, as thieves interrupted that by stealing the fence from around the cemetery,” Sheriff Dean Howell said.

The cemetery sits just off Lela Mae Road in the Benndale community on a 1,000-acre tract that is leased by the Draughan/Fairley Hunting Club.

As part of the lease agreement, Howell said, it is the responsibility of the club to maintain the cemetery.

“This is the first time that the fence has been removed,” Howell said. “They (thieves) had like a portable hacksaw, a saws saw, to cut up the fence and made off with it.”

According to sheriff’s detectives Don Hartley and Billy Colburn, the thieves ripped the wrought iron fence right out of the ground, leaving only the cemetery gate. The gate has been cemented into supporting posts.

Hartley said the metal structures were likely taken by thieves with the intention of selling them at a scrap yard, a common source of income for methamphetamine users.

Colburn said local scrap dealers have been notified, and patrols have increased around cemeteries.

Howell said owners in the scrap or secondhand business are required to obtain photo identification of a seller.

from blog.gulflive.com

By Michelle Blodget

Neighbors along Marietta Avenue could soon see a buffer between their homes and the public parking lot across the street.

A retaining wall and fencing are planned for the Marietta Public Parking Lot, which was recently expanded. Maplewood City Council approved a design during last Tuesday’s meeting that consists of a mosaic retaining wall and wrought iron ornamental fence.

City council still must approve spending roughly $140,000 on the project. If approved, the city would start collecting bids and complete the project by August, City Manager Marty Corcoran said.

The wall, which would run along the sidewalk beside the parking lot, would be roughly two-and-a-half feet tall, Corcoran said. That could be a safety hazard for people walking in the parking lot at night, so fencing would run along the length of the wall to prevent injuries.

The plan also calls for steps and handrails in the center of the fenced area for additional safety and convenience. The fence and walls also would extend far enough to slow down potentially hazardous traffic.

“We won’t have people cutting in there with cars, and customers walking over to the sidewalk won’t take a nasty spill,” Corcoran said.

The proposal is just one part of a larger streetscape plan for Marietta, which will eventually include wheel stops, light fixtures and an upgraded sidewalk, along with additional landscaping.

from maplewood-brentwood.patch.com

A national urban planners association is asking people to vote for their favourite public spaces, and among the nominees are a number of places in the Maritimes.The Saint John Market has been a popular gathering place since it opened in 1876.

The Saint John Market has been a popular gathering place since it opened in 1876. (Great Places in Canada)

The Canadian Institute of Planners is accepting nominations and votes for locations across the country.

The Saint John Market has held a prominent place in the city for more than 100 years.

The building takes up a full block and features a wrought iron gate and brickwork from the late 1800s. It opened for business in city’s uptown in 1876.

“It’s about people earning a living, it’s about people buying product for their households, and it’s a place to socialize. It’s the essence of our society,” Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase said Sunday.

Chase said the architecture, along with the rows of merchants inside, makes it a big draw to the public.

“It’s where you come and you meet acquaintances, meet new acquaintances, talk about the news of the city, the news of the country and gossip.”

Prince Edward Island has two nominees.Victoria Park was granted by Queen Victoria in 1873.Victoria Park was granted by Queen Victoria in 1873. (Tourism PEI)

One is a pedestrian mall Victoria Row, and the other is 16-hectare Victoria Park, granted to the city by Queen Victoria in June 1873.

Charlottetown mayor Clifford Lee said public spaces are important no matter where they are.

“It’s about the quality of life here in the city, it’s nature, it’s a real healthy environment,” Lee said.

Nova Scotia has five nominees, including the LaHave River and King Street in the town of Lunenburg — which is on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage list.

from cbc.ca