Our annual Egg Hunt and Spring Planting will be held on Saturday, March 27 (rain date Sunday, March 28). More details will be available soon.

This will be our first coordinated event of the year to further improve the landscaping at Normandy Park. The weather will dictate what and how much we can plant. As the shoots begin showing themselves around your garden, start thinking about what plants you want to thin and donate to the park.

Rumor has it that the Easter Bunny will make an appearance as we welcome in spring.

Our next monthly SABA meeting will be held this Wednesday, March 10 at 7:30. As usual, we will meet at the house at Normandy Park.

Turnout for the meetings during the winter was low, which makes sense since it is a quiet time for SABA. Plus, the weather kept many of us hunkered down at home. Now, the snow is finally melting, flower shoots are beginning to sprout up, and we are starting to go outside because we want to, not because we have to shovel snow. This is when SABA activities begin to pick up speed and we are most in need of your energy and enthusiasm.

Brandy my year and half old Lab loved the snow. Me not so much.
Click the following to see more :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24126870@N07/sets/72157623310185945/

Before the next little addition of snow happens. I thought I would share a few photographs taken outside my home. Did not want to venture to much further.

Dear neighbors,

Have you adopted an African-American child? Do you have friends or family in the area (Ardmore, Main Line, or West Philly suburbs) that are an African-American adoptive family? We would love to hear from you!

Krista and I are hoping to start an informal lunch and play group for families that have adopted an African-American child. There are plenty of such groups for families that have adopted children from Asia. The idea is to get together and share experiences, challenges and successes, and for the kids to have some fun together. We would love to hear from families with children of all ages, and from multi-racial or African-American families.

If interested, please contact Krista at krista_malott at hotmail dot com. If you know someone who might be interested, please make them aware of this announcement.

Thanks in advance.

Here are some of the plans SABA has for Normandy Park. Your input and additional suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Our longtime volunteer, Bill Davis, died last fall. SABA would like to honor his years of contribution to the neighborhood and to Normandy Park in particular with a memorial at the park. Bill was a quiet, understated man who did a tremendous amount of work for the community without seeking the spotlight of recognition. Our plans are to install a park bench with a memorial plaque and to plant a tree near the bench. You can donate to the funds for this memorial. Simply send a check to SABA (SABA, P.O. Box 772, Ardmore, PA 19003) with "Bill Davis Memorial" on the memo line.

Steve Fischer has been investigating options for painting the house at the park. With the new roof and our ongoing landscaping and furniture improvements, painting the house seems like the logical next significant improvement that can be made to the look of the park.

As you know, SABA survives and thrives on the generosity of neighbors who volunteer their time and energy. These volunteers have created and continued our many local traditions. Without them, our neighborhood would not be the wonderful place to live that it is. Unfortunately, over the past year, we have lost a number of important volunteers and we are need of finding their replacements. These positions include:

President
Civic Council Liaison
Newsletter Coordinator (and someone to arrange the layout for printing)
Block Captains
Event coordinators and volunteers
We might also me losing our Treasurer

SABA publishes a newsletter about the events and activities of the civic association and neighborhood. This newsletter is distributed to every household in the community twice a year. Usually this occurs in the fall and spring. Last year we did not write a newsletter in time for distribution in the fall, Therefore, we are trying to write and distribute one this winter.

The content of the newsletter typically includes a review of some recent SABA events, plans for upcoming events, updates on community projects, a list of officers and key volunteers, and information for contacting and donating to SABA. Other articles or submissions are welcome.

The next monthly SABA meeting will be this Wednesday night, Jan 13 at 7:30 to 9:00. We will meet at the house at Normandy Park. I will not be available to attend this meeting but I encourage all officers and neighbors to attend to discuss our current issues and events, especially since no one was able to attend the December meeting so progress was not made on them.

The agenda for the meeting is:

1. Update on Winter newsletter

2. Volunteers needed:
- Civic Council Liaison. Bill Davis had served in this position for several years
- Block Captains
- Newsletter coordinator
- Event coordinators

3. Update on plans to paint Normandy Park house

4. Memorial to Bill Davis for Normandy Park:
- Tree and bench
- Donations can be sent to SABA with "Bill Davis Memorial" on the memo line of the check

5. Discuss possibly applying for grant for the park through Fiskars company grant program. Info available at http://www.projectorangethumb.com/.

Hi everyone,

This Saturday, our neighborhood judges will be out taking a look at all the house decorations. They will select the 3 best decorated houses in the neighborhood. If you are interested in helping with the judging, please contact me.

This Sunday evening, 12/20, is the night for this year's Luminaria Night. We have luminaria bags and candles available for purchase. A set of 10 bags and 10 candles is only $5 and create a beautiful glow for your house. The sets are available at Diane Wilder's house at 807 Aubrey. There is a chest on her front porch so you do not need to call ahead. Simply leave a check for $5 made out to SABA in the envelope in the chest when you pick up your supplies.

Also, the Luminaria Night Celebration is this Sunday at Normandy Park from 5:00 to 7:30. Please come join your neighbors for a little holiday cheer, caroling, and more luminaria as we celebrate the season and the winter solstice. Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering for this event. We will announce the winners of the House Decoration Contest at the Luminaria Night Celebration

Hope to see you there as we all enjoy our neighborhood-wide celebration of light on one of the shortest days of the year.

Bill Gardner
SABA Volunteer Coordinator
wingardner AT earthlink.net