Yes, everything you need to know about LITH 2019 is in the November issue of the WHCA newsletter.
Over 2000 copies have been printed and are being hand-delivered to WH homes by our team of volunteers. Delivery started December 1st and will hopefully be completed by December 10th.
Not into paper? You can download a PDF version right here.
Hello friends and neighbors,
The cool weather is here, reminding us that the holidays, and thus Lights in the Heights®, are just around the corner!
NOW is time to purchase your official 2019 Lights in the Heights merchandise, before online sales close on December 8 at midnight!
We have a brand new hand-crafted cloisonné ORNAMENT for 2019. (Did you know this year's logo was designed by Oli Bayse, a middle school student in Hogg's graphic design program?)
We have T-SHIRTS this year! They come in a 50/50 cotton/poly blend in both men's and ladies' sizes.
And back by popular demand is the Woodland Heights ceramic COOKIE JAR. (It would make such a great gift!)
We also have party ESSENTIALS like cocktail napkins, aprons, private party signs, and MORE.
Quantities are LIMITED, so go online now to reserve yours!
https://www.woodland-heights.org/store
ALL merchandise will be available for pickup at Friday Night Lights on the Norhill Esplanade on December 13, from 5-9pm.
Thanks for supporting LITH and WH!
Melissa and Beth, merchandise co-chairs
501 Highland is a pretty and highly manicured little yard with an inviting front porch. Have a look as you take in the Lights in the Heights on December 14th!
Honorable Mention goes to 3405 Northwood! If you have a yard you would like to nominate for consideration, please email beautification@woodland-heights.org.
- Stephanie Riceman, Dir of Beautification
Live along the Lights in the Heights route and would love to light up the night with your home, but untangling light strings gives you nightmares? Or, more seriously, age, injury or illness makes decorating a challenge? Santa’s elves, otherwise known as the LITH committee, may be able to help.
Volunteers will again be providing assistance to those who can’t do the decorating themselves. Send an email to lightsintheheights@gmail.com to be considered. Please indicate if you have lights or need them supplied. Also send us a message if you have extra lights or other decorations you’d like to donate, or if you’re willing to help with the decorating.
LITH committee needs volunteers to help with cookie baking! This long-standing tradition provides cookies to the houses that volunteer their porches for the night’s live entertainment along the route.
Whether you can provide one dozen, five dozen, or more: be a part of the tradition. Cookies will need to be delivered between Dec. 12th and 13th. Please email robyn.klepper@nadel.com to volunteer or for more details.
Kick off your Lights in the Heights weekend at Friday Night Lights on Friday, December 13 from 5:00 - 9:00 pm on Norhill Esplanade. At this festive event, neighbors can gather around the campfire and toast marshmallows or enjoy dinner from a local food truck under the glow of Jurassic Christmas displays.
Lights in the Heights merchandise will be on sale all night, so be sure to grab your private party signs and keepsakes. Some of our generous sponsors will also be at the event to spread the holiday cheer.
Enjoy the lights around the neighborhood by hopping on the famed hayride, starting at 5:30. Children can take part in a 30-year old neighborhood tradition at the craft tent and decorate a luminaria. And while you are enjoying all the fun, keep your ear out for sleigh bells because Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 6:30.
To give back as a neighborhood, Woodland Heights will host a toy drive in coordination with the Lights in the Heights festivities. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Norhill Esplanade on Friday, December 13 from 5-9 pm. There will be large donation boxes with the Operation: Stocking Stuffer logo for your gift.
To volunteer to help with FNL please contact katie.m.mccafferty@gmail.com.
For the second year in a row, we are proud to partner with Lyft to help you get to and from Lights in the Heights safely. Share the promo code LIGHTSRIDE with your friends and party guests, and they will receive 50% off two (2) rides (up to $4 per ride) during Lights in the Heights. Otherwise, very limited parking is available in the neighborhood, including at Vineyard Church, Zion Church (fee applies), Hogg Middle School (fee applies), Woodland Park, and Stude Park.
*** Note that the deadline for this program has now passed ***
Lyft is also generously offering a Woodland Heights Resident / Party Host Program for those hosting parties or residing in the neighborhood. Lyft will provide up to 50 households a set of exclusive promo codes to be shared with their friends, family and party guests.
Residents must opt-in to the program, at which point they will be contacted by Lyft with instructions and codes. Lyft will be donating a portion of the proceeds from every ride to the WHCA in support of the neighborhood!
This promotion includes the following:
Each WH resident will receive 10 promo codes
Each promo code is valid for $15 in ride credit (up to $7.50 on 2 rides)
Valid Friday, December 13 at 12:00pm until Sunday, December 15 at 12:00pm
If you wish to participate, please visit the link below and enter code lyftlights.
A Lyft hot chocolate truck will be on the Norhill Esplanade during the event from approximately 5:00-9:00 pm (or while supplies last). Visitors who show a Lyft receipt reflecting a ride to Lights in the Heights will receive one (1) free hot chocolate. For those without a Lyft receipt, hot chocolate can be purchased with a $2 cash donation, which will go directly to WHCA.
To get around traffic, encourage your friends and guests to leave their cars at home and arrive by bicycle to enjoy Lights in the Heights. BikeHouston will be providing free monitored bike parking on the Norhill esplanade at Bayland Street starting at 6:00 pm and ending at 9:00 pm Saturday December 14, 2019.
Bike valet is for visitors on bikes who want to experience Lights in the Heights on foot. It’s simple. Your friends and guests can ride their bikes to the Norhill esplanade at Bayland Street. Volunteers will check their bike in and provide a claim check.
Make sure your guests pick up their bikes before 9:00 pm when BikeHouston packs up and goes home.
The Travis Elementary Girl Scouts are collecting new toys for the Star of Hope “Christmas Toy Store” as part of their holiday service project. The Girl Scouts will be on a caroling hayride through the neighborhood to collect donations from your porch from 3-5 pm on Saturday, Dec. 7.
If you would like to donate, please email Melanie Gehman (Girl Scout Leader and WH Resident) at Melanie.Gehman@gmail.com with your address by Thursday, Dec. 5.
The Star of Hope is especially in need of baby toys and art supplies for all ages. To learn more about their mission, please visit: https://www.sohmission.org
Thank you for supporting your neighborhood Girl Scouts. We will see you again in January when cookie sales start!
- Melanie Gehman
We had a fantastic turnout for this year’s Lights in the Heights Holiday Masquerade Bash on Friday, October 25. From ticket sales, auction items, and sponsorships, the Bash brought in over $43,000! About $13,000 alone were from the silent and live auction. What a wonderful turnout and a wonderful fundraising event!
Lucienne Duforets and Daniel Rueda.
Jayne Porter & Pat Rutledge in most impressive costumes made by Terry Tiemann.
In the photo booth with Farrah Cauley, owner of Sonoma Wine Bar & Restaurant & Executive Chef Ja’Nel Witt.
Event co-chairs: Ashley Allison, Lynette Crocker, Lauren Snead, Shani Jackofsky & Karen Stowers.
It was a beautiful, cool evening at 1111 Studewood where we enjoyed the amazing Houston cityscape from the rooftop balcony. Friends and neighbors enjoyed food and drinks graciously donated by our favorite neighborhood establishments. Helen in the Heights and BCK donated food. Sonoma Wine Bar, Eureka Heights Brewery, and Christian’s Tailgate donated wine, beer, and bottled water. This event would not have been possible without these tremendous donors.
Several individuals and local businesses donated silent auction items, and the evening concluded with a live auction hosted by Johnny Holloway.
Special thank you to the Bash Co-chairs: Karen Stowers, Ashley Allison, Lynette Crocker, Shoshana Jackofsky, and Lauren Snead. Their hard work and organization of the event and the auction made this a successful event. An additional thank you to Ward & Susan Pennebaker, Beth Allen-Brock, Melissa McKee, Greg Stowers, Michael Graves & Estella Espinosa for your expertise and assistance in making this event possible.
Lastly, thank you to all of our neighbors and friends who came out to support Lights in the Heights!
- Lauren Snead, Auction Co-Chair
Harry McMahon, President, addressing the November WHCA General Meeting
At the most recent Woodland Heights Civic Association General Meeting, the Board of Directors announced a significant change in the way we take payments for subscriptions for both WHCA Membership and WHCA Constable Patrol. For those of you who did not brave the unseasonably cold weather that night, I would like to reiterate that announcement.
Commencing immediately, those who sign-up for WHCA membership and/or the Constable Patrol Program via our website can select a one-time transaction or an annually auto-renewing subscription. The auto-renewing option ensures your WHCA membership and/or support of the Constable Patrol Program never lapses.
Current WHCA memberships and CP subscriptions will expire on March March 31, 2020. You can renew online at the WHCA store or send a check to:
Woodland Heights Civic Association
P.O. Box 7754
Houston, Texas 77270-7754
If you are not a current subscriber, all you have to do is go to the WHCA online store and subscribe (auto-renewing or one-year.) You can also make your payment by mail.
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign....
Now for the tough part… delivery of Constable Patrol signs and sign stickers. As a Board, we have struggled in getting the stickers delivered. However, we are working diligently and have made excellent strides in getting the existing signs updated. If you have not had your active subscription sticker delivered and if you would like to pick-up your sticker, send an email request to Kelly Hare at membership@woodland-heights.org. She will put a sticker for you in a specifically designated mailbox at her home.
For those subscribers who don’t have a sign, we have ordered new signs and will deliver them as soon as we can.
I am in the process of updating our subscriber database and need your help. If you have paid for Constable Patrol and don’t have a 2019 sticker for your old sign or don’t have a sign, please let me know. You can email me at president@woodland-heights.org.
I want to thank all the Woodland Heights residents who have subscribed to the Constable Patrol or enrolled in the Woodland Heights Civic Association. The Constable Patrol is 100% funded by subscriber dues. Constable Patrol dues fund the Constable Patrol only; nothing else. The more folks who subscribe, the better patrol coverage we can fund.
I also want Membership subscribers to know we use the funds from dues to support many efforts around the neighborhood. Beautification, deed restriction support, infrastructure issues, neighborhood involvement events and civic awareness are all issues we regularly and ardently champion.
Please be involved. Please be a Member. We can all help to move our wonderful neighborhood forward with your support.
- Harry McMahon, President
Woodland Heights Civic Association
The highlight of the agenda for this week's meeting is as follows:
The leadership of the Lights in the Heights committee will give an update on their status. This includes a look back at the Holiday Masquerade Bash, auction results, etc. Also, a look forward at events planned for December.
The LITH merchandise team will be there taking orders for great LITH goodies.
Mr. Tom King of cohousinghouston.com will introduce their effort to start the first cohousing community in Houston. What is cohousing you ask? Please check their website: cohousinghouston.com. Also check out the national site: cohousing.org.
As usual, there will also be updates from the WHCA board of directors and (possibly) other committees.
Constable Patrol: If you need a sticker for your Constable Patrol sign, you can pick it up at the meeting.
WHCA Membership: You can also sign-up for the constable patrol or renew your WHCA membership in-person.
Reminder: WHCA Secretary Alaina Hebert is leading a new effort to encourage the proper recycling of batteries and consumer electronics items with batteries inside. Following the guidelines offered at Call2Recycle.org, items will be collected at WHCA General Meetings.
Bring your old cell phones and batteries, so they can be properly recycled.
We hope to see you there!
The following is the monthly report issued by CrimeReports.com for Woodland Heights, for the period of October 1 to 31st, 2019.
Your CrimeReports alert for the period: Oct 01, 2019 — Oct 31, 2019. This update includes all incidents added to the map since the last update you received.
Note: Alert areas are calculated using a standard-sized monitor. Depending on the size of your browser window, you may see a different number of incidents when you click the "map incidents" link.
Location: Woodland Heights
Oct 01, 2019 — Oct 31, 2019
13 Incidents
12
3
3
5
1
1
1
Property Crimes
Breaking & Entering
Property Crime
Theft from Vehicle
Theft of Vehicle
Violent Crimes
Assault
Are you a member of the WHCA Constable Patrol Program? The presence of the Harris County Precinct One Constables on patrol in the neighborhood reduces response times dramatically when an incident is reported.
An all-time favorite is back! This year’s Tree Ornament is hand-made of cloisonné and has golden bells surrounded by holiday lights. Order one for your collection today—they usually sell out before Lights in the Heights!
Back by popular demand is the Woodland Heights cookie jar! The 10” ceramic jar is glazed white, with the Woodland Heights Blue Tile Logo and the words “Since 1907”. This popular jar will be a great year-round addition to your kitchen.
Pre-order these LITH items and more: https://www.woodland-heights.org/store
Questions? LITHmerchandise@gmail.com.
The corner at Julian and Ridge has been a mystery to me for several years, so I was happy to meet Gene and Chris Feronti, who have raised their family adjacent to the corner since 1984, and began this 'Orphan Garden' ten years ago!
It started as a blank slate and a couple donations of yucca and agave cacti when a friend and neighbor's succulent sprouted seedlings. The trans-plantings took off! They managed a variety of random donations from neighbors and written-off dumpster or discount finds of succulents, grasses, and flowering beauties into an inspired design. Their yuccas are peacefully at home here, standing tall, spines shimmering in a breeze, with a symmetry that snaps back when the air is calm again. The heat and periodic droughts agree with them as the garden thrives without irrigation!
Their Orphan Garden includes:
yucca
agave
prickly pear
sago palm
asparagus fern
firecracker bush
Mexican petunia
daylilies
nandina
mother of thousands
native Texas grasses
and a rich jasmine and monkey grass ground cover
A variety of trees and bushes too:
camphor
pecan
oleander
crepe myrtle
Stroll by this peaceful bend at Ridge and Julian and let the calm set in. Thank you to the Ferontis for sharing their yard with us!
- Stephanie Riceman, Dir of Beautification
Questions about WHCA finances can be directed to treasurer@woodland-heights.org.
The Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry, located at 3523 Beauchamp, serves our neighbors in need and is a great place to give back to the community right around the corner!
We just celebrated our 10th anniversary. Since opening, we've served more than 44,000 families and 166,000 individuals.
We are 100% supported by donations & volunteers.
We are supported by 6 member churches, as well as many business and individuals, which include:
Member churches: Zion Lutheran, St. Mark's Methodist, Christ the King Catholic, St. Andrew's Episcopal, The Vineyard, and the Church at 1548 Heights
Stores / Organizations: Second Servings of Houston, FruitShare Houston, The Kolache Shoppe on Heights Blvd, Panera Bread, Kroger
Community support: Corporate groups, school & scouting groups, neighbors
In 2018 our volunteers served more than 5700 hours.
To learn more about how you can help, visit himfoodpantry.org or call/text 832-478-5444
We are a client-choice food pantry, allowing clients to select non-perishable items (canned goods, rice & beans), as well as fresh bread, eggs, produce, frozen meat, and some toiletries. We are open twice a week, and are centrally located in the Heights: 3523 Beauchamp, 77009. We ask clients to bring a photo ID, and a bill/piece of mail w/their local Houston address. We serve clients from all ZIP codes in the Houston area. Our primary client hours are: Thursdays 5 - 7 PM and Saturdays 10 AM - Noon
Volunteer Opportunities & Service Day Ideas:
Hold a food drive, and bring the collection to stock our shelves. Stocking our shelves can be done on most weekdays or Saturday afternoons. (Needed items that can be collected are listed below.)
Volunteer during our open hours, and assist clients who are selecting their food. Volunteer times: 4:30-7 PM Thursdays, 9:30 AM-Noon Saturdays. You can sign up directly via SignupGenius at himfoodpantry.org. Youth groups are great - older middle school and high school students can help clients. Younger volunteers may come with adults.
We receive deliveries from the Houston Food Bank on Thursday mornings where lots of hands help immensely. Deliveries are approximately every 3 weeks. We receive pallets of food that need to be unboxed and stocked in the pantry and our outside shed.
We need volunteers to pick up donations from area restaurants throughout the week and throughout the month.
Deliver frozen boxed meals to homebound seniors.
Plan a work day inside the pantry: paint our door jams, fix doors & caulk holes in walls (yes, we have a few!)
Build shelving inside our shed. We provide materials.
Assist during a 5th Saturday Food Fair - we receive a Houston Food Bank truck full of goods and distribute the contents to the community. These are held from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM on 5th Saturdays throughout the year. Our next 5th Saturday event will be in February, 2020.
We especially appreciate the following donations:
Shelf Milk (boxed liquid)
Meals in a Can, such as Ravioli & Spaghettios
Canned fruit and canned vegetables
Canned tomatoes & tomato/spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti
Noodles
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Vegetable oil
Diapers & wipes
Adult underwear/Depends
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Finally! Mother Nature has started teasing us with sporadic days of cooler weather, and our thoughts turn to the holidays, which are right around the corner. Our beloved neighborhood holiday tradition, Lights in the Heights®, is coming on December 14th!
Lights in the Heights Merchandise is now on sale on the Woodland Heights Civic Association website: https://www.woodland-heights.org/store. We are excited to offer new merchandise, as well as some of the favorites you’ve grown to love. LITH T-shirts have a new style this year, and come in both a men’s and ladies’ cut! Made of 50/50 cotton and polyester, the shirts feature the 2019 LITH Bell Logo on the front. This year’s festive logo was designed by Hogg Middle School student, Oli Bayse, in Hogg’s graphic design program.
Orders for LITH merchandise can also be placed at the WHCA General Meeting on Tuesday, November 12th, at 7:00 pm, at Travis Elementary School.
All merchandise can be picked up at Friday Night Lights on December 13th, on the Norhill Esplanade. Remaining in-stock merchandise will also be for sale (cash, check or charge accepted).
Additional pick-up dates for pre-ordered items will be during the week of December 16th. More information will be announced soon. Questions about LITH Merchandise can be submitted to LITHmerchandise@gmail.com.
As we mentioned before, the board has started a new feature providing periodic updates of infrastructure-related issues, both big and small, happening in and around the neighborhood. If you have a question or see something interesting, email us at infrastructure@woodland-heights.org.
As you probably noticed, the Studewood construction finally finished a few weeks ago. The City was fixing sewer lines in response to a 311 Request. Some of our neighbors on Merrill had been living with a sewage smell for a number of weeks, and the City was working to find and fix the source of the problem. Hopefully those neighbors are smelling cleaner air. As far as the safety improvements planned for Studewood and 11th Street, including the pedestrian refuge islands, we still haven’t heard anything. We’ll let you know when we hear an update.
But here’s an update on something exciting near the neighborhood . . .
Have you been on the White Oak Bayou Trail and wondered why it stops at Stude Park and does not connect to the Heights Hike and Bike Trail? They were funded as part of different projects, leaving a small gap. The Houston Parks Board just announced that it now has plans to finish that gap as part of its Bayou Greenways initiative. It also announced plans to build a trail head and small park on the East and West sides of Studewood, respectively. Expected completion is summer 2020. You can read more about the White Oak Bayou Greenway and planned projects here https://houstonparksboard.org/about/white-oak-bayou and links to the design pictures here https://houstonparksboard.app.box.com/s/lchqmdolwoso1rm19iuhr8ggkpthhzp1.
That’s it for now. We’d love to hear from you about infrastructure projects you’d like to see in and around the neighborhood. And please let us know of current or future projects you hear about. Again, email us at infrastructure@woodland-heights.org.
- Brad Snead, WHCA Director of Infrastructure
As many of you know, this summer, our Director of Membership, Sharon Greiff, resigned her post on the Woodland Heights Civic Association Board of Directors. Speaking for the entire WHCA Board, we wish Sharon the best and hope to see her back involved with our wonderful neighborhood soon.
Since Sharon’s resignation, the Board has been keeping an eye out for a suitable replacement. Effective as of our last Board meeting, October 1, 2019, our search was officially ended. Kelly Hare, a 15-year resident of the Woodland Heights, accepted the Board’s nomination and was duly appointed to replace Sharon. Needless to say, the Board is excited to have Kelly on board. We all feel she will to a great job.
Kelly and her husband, Perry, have two boys. One son attends Travis Elementary and the other goes to Hogg Middle School. Professionally, she is Speech and Language Pathologist with her career currently on hiatus.
Please reach out to Kelly if you would like to become a member of the Woodland Heights Civic Association or if you have any questions about what being a member means. Her official WHCA email address is membership@woodland-heights.org.
