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April 25, 2010 |
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Streetwise: Mural project hopes to inspire community pride April 25, 2010 Mural, mural on the wall. What's the best subject for a mural, y'all? OK, so we're bad at rhyming, but a group of artists wants your help this coming Gallery Walk and beyond. They don't have a location quite yet, but Leif Larson, Rich Norenberg, Fred Farmer and Rick Maki plan to create large-scale community murals. They want you, Oshkosh, to help them pick what to depict, so be sure to stop down to the Gallery Walk on Saturday, May 1, and cast your ballot. They also want your help painting, but that's not until this summer and fall. The idea behind this is one Streetwise likes: A community project. This continues the spirit that built the Little Oshkosh playground and made the Pride of Oshkosh lions so popular. With your help and a little hope from Streetwise that they can figure out how to get these put up outside in true mural fashion, Oshkosh will add more vibrancy to its landscape. Has anyone else noticed the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's academic building's rapid rise? That bugger's already got walls taking shape! On top of that, we're already digging on its design. Between the new building, renovations and the Health and Wellness Center, we think you'll see UWO have a much bigger impact on the appearance of Oshkosh soon. Women's clothing store Karniby's, 100 City Center, has decided to take the space Loulou Boutique vacated at 419 N. Main St., soon. That means the Shops at City Center will lose Morton's Pharmacy, the Paper Tiger and Karniby's, all before the end of the year in all likelihood. We wouldn't worry too much about the sudden vacancies there, though. Streetwise wouldn't be surprised if one of the companies in that area of downtown already has eyed up one of those soon-to-be vacant spots. On top of that, the other businesses in there such as Thimke Jewelers, Planet Perk, Caramel Crisp Café and Trillium Salon will keep things busy until new tenants spring up. Streetwise is a little bummed we haven't gotten the call up to the big leagues of botany: tree planting. Sure, we've been honing our green thumb with our indoor plants, hoping to plant a few of the 2,000 trees the Taking Root Fund expects to plant this year and next. But alas, the work has already started. Word comes to us from Operative Zinth to look for newly planted trees on Otter, Waugoo, Plummer, George, 11th and 19th streets. You might even notice a few more trees in Westhaven Park, Stevens Park off Frankfort and East Hall Park, the UWO-owned park between Jackson and Wisconsin streets, south of New York Avenue. The fund has raised $340,000 thus far including a $150,000 challenge grant from the John E. Kuenzl Foundation. Rabbits might have been the most appropriate name for the tavern at 1601 Oregon St. because operation continues to hop from person to person since JJ Fiddler's closed a few years back. But Rabbits is no more. In its stead, you will now find PJ's, with agent John Gosar at the helm. The tavern opened on April 15. Gone in a flash: Stratt Apparel. The uniform retailer was in City Center for a while, then relocated to the 500 block of North Main Street before it disappeared entirely. Work started this past week on roof repairs at the City Center Hotel, 1 N. Main St. We saw the crane lifting materials atop the roof ourselves. Here's to hoping that's the first of many renovation projects coming in the near future that will spruce up the hotel to match our Convention Center. Jeff Bollier: (920) 426-6688 or jbollier@thenorthwestern.com.
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