This story has it's beginning back in 1984. That was when a handful of people from Windsor's advertising industry decided to take a chance at life on Monmouth Road. In the beginning it was just that simple. We were thinking of our own fortunes at the time. Monmouth Road was no mans land. The only thing going for it was it's unique architecture and history. Very few recognized any of that because the street was buried deep beneath years of neglect and decay. Social and physical. For the most part it was left for dead except for a handful of elders who had made it their home and who were holding the beachhead since more than fifty years prior. They lived behind chain link fences and unruly thorny hedges. Security measures that kept them insular amidst the Monmouth Road of their day. It was one of the rudest neighbourhoods in the city. It was distinctly separate from Old Walkerville. Kids were not allowed to go there or to associate with anyone who lived there. The western alley separating Monmouth from the rest of Old Walkerville was openly but not lovingly referred to as "The moat". Friends, relatives and parents did not understand why anyone would be so crazy as to invest anything into this street. Money or sweat. It was a gamble for sure but those who bet on the street persisted. Yes...We were thinking of ourselves and Monmouth Road was going to be our great investment. That was the entire depth of our plan.
The snap shot of Monmouth during the summer of 1985 was that of an impoverished depression era borough. An anomaly that never woke up since Hiram Walker untethered it from the corporate town in 1936. It never went anywhere. Time just stopped. 1984 was still 1936. The home values were even stuck. In the mid 1980's homes on Monmouth were selling for $8000.00. The only thing growing was social detritus. Front yards were mostly mud and weeds littered with tired lawn chairs, broken toys, tires and dead soldiers. Musty old furniture and appliances adorned most stoops. Every back yard had its share of derelict cars, washing machines, furniture and junk of any possible kind. Many of the homes were already condemned and many more should have been. The vast majority were rental units and many of those housed single parent families. At the time some of these houses were home to twenty plus occupants. There were long standing resident bootleggers, there were drugs, there were thieves and there was prostitution. There were people on Monmouth that many claimed came from another planet. In 1984 a few of us moved in and made them our neighbours.
We lived together.
The newcomers on Monmouth Road were more of a curiosity to the local residents than vice versa. Even the block elders wondered why anyone would spend their time and money on these seemingly unsalvagable places. It wasn't long before the hood started to mesh. After day jobs let out, suits were hung up in plastic bags and the wrenching would begin. The interiors were gutted, the plumbing and electrical were hacked out and the restoration of this formerly glorious hood was on its way. At the end of every evening we were blackened with the soot of time. After coughing up a few black oysters we could savour our new hood from front stoops with cold beer in hand. It became a protected luxury to be able to walk up the dark street at 12:30 A.M. and purchase a case of beer for a small premium. Even if we did have to step over a couple of exuberant regulars along the way. Neighbours kept their eyes open for us and we did the same for them. Everyone was on a first name basis.
The first projects were quite visible if only because they were in such obvious contrast to the rest of the street. Gawkers started to drive by and take notice of newly installed windows, shutters, acid washed facades and fresh, colourful landscaping. Solid brick and mortar were more tangible than a shapeless vision. People were beginning to see. New tool boxes were showing up on Monmouth one at a time. The restoration of a few homes was quickly morphing into the reclamation of a much larger historic gem. Best of all, home prices were literally doubling every year. Even some of our long standing neighbours saw the opportunity to invest in their own homes. Help was always there. Right from the beginning people were helping people. Lending a hand was a given because each and every one of these homes was recognized as a part of the greater hood. Old Walkerville woke up to Monmouth and welcomed us in. In many ways the re-birth of Monmouth brought Old Walkerville into the slip stream as well.
One day it finally happened.
Somebody, at some social gathering, over a large bowl of Merlot said it: "Monmouth Road has been gentrified". There was a moment of silence. Peoples eyes met in that moment. It was true. Not a single Monmouth Roadie had even seen it. Probably because we grew with the street amongst neighbours old and new. We were all too busy renovating, landscaping and promoting. We were living in our own sense of accomplishment. In real estate parlance Monmouth Road became a location. People and families are buying in because it is a great and beautiful neighbourhood. We are executives, lawyers, architects, artists and doctors. We are artisans, nurses, educators and students. We are sales people. We are all characters in a huge plotless play.
Monmouth Road literally evolved and developed legs. After twenty six years of hard wrenching and shameless promoting 1936 was put in its rightful place between 1935 and 1937. Now, in 2010 Monmouth Road has caught up with the modern world. We are once again a productive contributor to a larger community that is Old Walkerville and on a grander scale Windsor. We are seen globally now as yet another community called Monmouth. There seems to be lineage. Anybody who lives on Monmouth or who had lived on Monmouth at some point during it's transformation is a life long ambassador to its very existence. Everyone in this unique alumni still promotes Monmouth Road as a living, breathing community with historical significance. Roadies witness the meaning in that every time a tour bus rolls up the street.
Along the way, "The Mayor of Monmouth", the blog was born. At it's inception in 2004 it's sole purpose was to promote Monmouth Road within the context of Old Walkerville within the context of Windsor. With the exception of a couple of minor distractions it has largely fulfilled this mission. The actual moniker was the brainchild of a couple of Roadies bent on razzing this blogger. It made for a catchy blog handle and it has helped impinge a picture of the street on every Windsorite's frontal lobe. Monmouth Road is more than a living entity; it is a personality. Can any other street or neighbourhood in Windsor claim that? Not yet anyway. This is a fiercly proud neighbourhood and if you ask anyone living here today they will tell you that there are still real estate opportunities to be had. They will also tell you that there is still plenty of work to be done. Discussions like that now happen over martinis and caipirinas.
Today you are reading the last post from the Mayor of Monmouth. At least in it's present form. We will be looking at some new ideas and formats; hopefully with broader input from Old Walkerville at large.
July 19, 2010
The Personification of a Street. The First and Last Story
July 16, 2010
Old Walkerville Art Walk Tonight and Tommorrow!
Here's one for all friends of the Roadies. It starts this afternoon and a good chunk of it will be in the Club Lofts Parking Lot at Wyandotte Street and Monmouth Road. There is a Mojito Tent sponsored by Lambs, live entertainment for both evenings, tons of fun for kids on Saturday and over 40 shops and businesses for those who do the tour. Be sure to bring your passports and get them stamped along the way for a chance to win 500 Walkerville Dollars (We have our own currency). The whole shootin match is here so take a look:
This event is always a lot of fun. Make an evening of it by hanging out at our wonderful eateries and pubs or simply come by for an ice cream cone and some good old fashioned socializing. It's going to be a hot weekend folks so come to a place that is really, really cool. See you out there.
June 28, 2010
Wine in a Box? Wine 'ot
There is no money in blogging but there are riches. Sort of. Every now and then gifts just show up at the door. A bottle of scotch, a netbook, Kraut juice (don't ask) and now this little gem. It comes from an old hoodie who has embarked on a new business venture and it looks like a good one.
No... This is not the waxed paper box with plastic spout that you see "some people" toting out of the LCBO. These are eleganly crafted wood boxes with anything one might want embossed (actually carved) into the box. A great gift idea with a nice touch. Any occasion, or not. Any quantity.
Thats the plug. This is a blog after all. For the real meat please vist the Wine' ot's web site here:
Mark it a s a favourite. It's got to prove handy sooner or later.
Roving Roadie Reporter Covers G-20
This just in! The G-20 is proceeding as planned. Back to you MOM.
June 21, 2010
Monmouth Road JAZZED by Belgraves - Big Tony's
Marcus Belgrave at Big Tony's First Annual Jazz Festival. Perfect!
Monmouth roadies had back stage passes...Make that: Monmouth Road was THE backstage to Big Tony's first annual Jazz Festival. What a treat, what a perfect venue! A whole weekend of top notch jazz performances by local and international musicians culminating with the headline act from non other than internationally renownd horn man, Marcus Belgrave. But wait...That's not all! Also sharing that stage was the sexy, soulful and powerful Joan Bow-Belgrave whos voice carried up tree-lined Monmouth with the sweet clarity and perfection that is her. Incredible!
How Did this Come to Be?
Would you believe with a phone call? Tony from name sake restaurant "Big Tony's" decided to take a shot at making a phone call to Marcus Belgrave's home. After a couple of rings a voice answered "Hello". Tony asked if Mr. Belgrave was available and the voice replied: "You got him" and that was that. Mr. Belgrave brought Tony's jazz festival out of the dream phase and gave Big Tony the horsepower needed to make it an annual event. After that it was Tony's turn to put wings on this thing. He quickly had posters made up, worked out the logistics with the city and with the neighbourhood (what another party?) and as the story goes...
The weekend's line-up looked like this:
Big Tony’s JazzFest Music Lineup
Friday, June 18
5:10 – 6:10 Acoustix Quartet
6:30 – 7:30 Black Orchid
7:50 – 8:50 Ian Smith & Friends
9:10 – 9:55 The Lucky Strike Trio
10 - 11 Soiree
Saturday, June 19
12:30 – 1:30 Walkerville High School Band
1:50 – 2:50 Black Orchid
3:10 – 4:10 Acoustix Quartet
4:30 – 5:30 Al Lukas Band
5:50 – 6:50 Clover Joy
7:10 – 8:10 Chimoca
8:30 – 9:10 Six Degrees
9:20 – 11 Marcus Belgrave
Sunday, June 20
12 – 1 Acoustix Quartet
1:20 – 2:20 Six Degrees
2:40 – 3:40 Soiree
4 – 5 Hula Dog
5:15 – 6 Max Marshall Trio
The show started early on Friday evening and went pretty as scheduled until about 10:30 P.M. when the show was stopped due to an ugly storm front moving in quickly from across the river. Heavy winds touched down, toppling the stage lighting truss sending the Mars Media crew scrambling to secure and waterproof the the gear. Saturdays weather was perfect. Sunny all day with continued clear sky into the evening. By ten P.M. Marcus Belgrave and company were on stage doing their sound check and from there went seamlessly into their set which lasted until midnight. The sound was perfect and the the crowd (estimated at about 600 strong) was in jazz heaven. Big Tony pulled it off. Hopefully Windsor and indeed Old Walkerville will see this Jazzy event return next year.
Chimoca
Six Degrees
Joan Bow-Belgrave along with Marcus Belgrave. What a treat!
Brought to Windsor by:
Posters, CDs, memorabelia still available at Big Tony's
June 14, 2010
How to Market Grass Roots or Please Pass the Beefsteaks
Downtown Farmer's Market from the Street
This past Saturday saw the seasonal opening of Downtown Windsor's fledgling Farmer's Market. Attendance for both vendors and the patrons was high as if last Winter and Spring did not happen. Business seemed brisk and by all accounts this new venue for Downtown Windsor seems to have wings. Hopefully it will see some critical mass with more vendors and attrractions to come. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pics:
Click on them to enlarge!
Love them Beefsteaks.
Arts and Crafts
Taloolamobile
Staawberries!....BloooBerries!
Tasty Beefsteaks. Its tomato sandwich season!
Current Ward3 Councillor Valentinis Chatting it up with Patrons and Constituents
Summerberry Fruit Dip Mix Anyone?
Organic Stuff
Brisk Business
Something for Everyone
Bring your family and friends next Saturday morning!
June 9, 2010
RED BULL OUCH!
An ex-Windsorite from Elliot Lake sent this in. Courtesy of Break Media. Watch it very carefully. Enjoy.
Plane Nearly Crashes Into Water - Watch more Funny Videos
June 7, 2010
Wyandotte Open to Traffic on Wednesday
Temprary asphalt bridge at Wyandotte and Walker.
Click on Images to Enlarge
Wear sunglasses on Wednesday. This street is brighter than the salt flats.
Devonshire approach will be paved today and tomorrow.
For Old Walkerville residents who have endured the the Wyandotte street traffic detour traffic over the past few weeks your frustration is about to end. Wyandotte Street will be open to through traffic starting this Wednesday.
Over the past couple of months Old Walkerville has been under siege by detour traffic at all hours of the day. Traffic has been pouring through the neighbourhood side streets with Cataraqui, Devonshire, Argyle, Monmouth and Niagra getting the brunt of it. There have been several near accidents as commuters, unfamiliar with the neighbourhood, frequently run through stop signs. Speeding has also been a problem and neighbours are pretty frustrated with peeling tires and throaty mufflers.
A temporary asphalt approach has been planted at Walker and the approach to Wyandotte at Devonshire will be layed today and tomorrow. Wyandotte will be open to through traffic Wednesday. Construction of the second phase (Walker Road North and South of Wyandotte) will begin on Wednesday as well. Now lets see if everyone in Old Walkerville can get some sleep for a change.
Half of Monmouth Road Blacks Out. Area Population May see Growth.
Large bore Poplar tree snapped in higdh winds.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Hydro crew removing tree in front of Francis Bakery.
Brittle Poplar tree with ant damage snapped just above the fence.
It seems that two parties broke out right after the power failure. The west side of the street with power partied loudly into the wee hours while the east side of the block went unusually quiet with the only sign of life being the faint glow of candle light eminating from just about every home. Nobody on the entire block had any clue about the downed tree in the alley or the 16,000 volt line lying on the ground and sparking away like Dr. Frankenstein's lab.
The supervisor for the Hydro crew said that poplar trees are notorius for causing damage because they are very brittle. In this instance he said the problem was aggravated by a carpenter ant infestation. The tree snapped at that weak point. These trees are also notorious for crushing sewer pipes, forcing very costly repairs.
As the next morning was heralded by the sound of cars and people heading towards Art in the Park the roadies on the west side of the street were still sleeping off hangovers while everyone on the east side were up and about with bratty, glowing smiles. That glow eventually turned to angst as east side roadies started to realize that they couldn't brew coffee at home and that the old stand-by, Tim Hortons, was also without power.
By one P.M. on Saturday all of the homes on Monmouth were up and running again. So too was the Francis Pita Factory as was evident by it's workers who showed up to charge Art in the Park patrons for parking in their lot.
The actual effect of this power outage will be more accurately measured in about nine months.
June 6, 2010
Art in the Park a Wash for Windsor
There were tents here.
Hopefully this nice booth is not permanently damaged.
Mud Soup
Water everywhere.
A time to reflect
Packing it in.
Swampland
Even under the big tent.
This one usually has lines of people around it.
At 8:30 A.M. today (Sunday, June 06, 2010) all was eerily quiet save for the sound of feet sloshing through Willistead Park. Vendors were already starting to pack up their soggy inventory and effects and making their way out of town. By eleven thirty, Windsor's Art in the Park was officially cancelled. Most vendors were quiet and resigned to the hand dealt by Mother Nature. A couple of them were overheard talking about the curse of Windsor's Art in the Park. Of coarse they were referring to the rainy weather that always seems to plague the event.
For over a week Windsor's festivity planners and patrons alike had their fingers crossed hoping that the long term forcast for this weekend would change. It did not. During Friday evening a massive wind and electrical storm tore its way through Windsor downing trees and hydro lines. Art in the Park was stopped dead in its tracks. Music fans were crammed into a festival tent for as long as they could wait but that evening was cut short. Downed trees in the vicinity of Willistead Park cut power to much of that neighbourhood for the following seventeen hours. One tree on Monmouth snapped in half taking a 16,000 volt power line to the ground. Even Tim Hortons was down for the count. High winds tossed large temporary street signs from the Wyandotte Street construction project into parked cars while on Argyle a very mature tree missed a historical brownstone by inches.
The following day Art in the Park showed signs of redemption. Parking in Old Walkerville was near impossible to find and the streets were swarming with patrons. All looked like it was going well. Once again, as the evening rolled around it started to rain cancelling music events for that evening. By 10:30 P.M. thunder showers brought more lightning and gusting wind. Again the music venues were cancelled. It poured rain all night. As morning rolled around the festival's fate was obviously sealed. Six to eight inches of water covered much of Willistead Park. Even the large festival tents had several inches of water under them.
As vendors waded in bare feet to and from their vehicles a radio, tuned to CKLW, was covering the news about the devastation from tornados that had spun Leamington into a state of emergency. In a way that seemed to make everything at Willistead Park OK.
If it Wasn't for Bad Luck...
This year Parks and Rec worked at a feverish pace for two weeks primping the Park for this year's event. Gardens were cultivated and planted, weeds were wacked , garbage was picked up, trees were pruned and some even felled, and a section of wrought iron fence that was taken out by a drunk driver was repaired and re-set. Fresh garbage barrels and new picnic tables were positioned throughout the park. All for naught? Let's just say that the effort did not go unnoticed. Thank you Green Dogs!
The Dirt on Art in the Park
Not that long ago the question was posed: "What to do with all of the dirt from the retention basin at the riverfront?" Could this be the lead-up to a marriage made in heaven? Since Willistead Park is essentially a soup bowl why not bring some af that dirt over to fix this perennial problem? Art in the Park aside, every resident and regular visitor to Willistead Park knows that even the slightest rain leaves the park pocked with puddles. Why not do something good for this park and it patrons and how about those wonderful artisans who come here from all over Ontario, Canada and the U.S. to sell their wares. How about simply doing a good turn for the Rotary Club? Perhaps if we do, they will keep coming. Perhaps if we don't they won't. This may not be wild speculation as the Town of Tecumseh might attest.
May 30, 2010
Annual Street Sweep and Some Angels
A toast to a job well done and a very shiny new street.
Every year on the weekend preceding Art in the Park Monmouth Roadies get up real early, head into the street and greet their neighbours with a cache of brooms, shovels and rakes.
The mission: Spring cleaning of the neighbourhood kind. It's a pretty good social event as neighbours work side by side to literally scoop up the road goo that has accumulated over the fall and winter months and then take it away to the city yard waste site off of Central Avenue. Usually about two pick up trucks full.
There is a second purpose to this as well. Monmouth Roadies know all too well that there is no other neighbourhood like theirs anywhere in Windsor and they like to show it off. Next week Art in the Park will draw thousands of tourists and visitors to the area and a great many of them will walk Monmouth on their way to and from the event. Every year residents get hundreds of compliments from total strangers about how clean and pretty the street is.
The mission: Spring cleaning of the neighbourhood kind. It's a pretty good social event as neighbours work side by side to literally scoop up the road goo that has accumulated over the fall and winter months and then take it away to the city yard waste site off of Central Avenue. Usually about two pick up trucks full.
There is a second purpose to this as well. Monmouth Roadies know all too well that there is no other neighbourhood like theirs anywhere in Windsor and they like to show it off. Next week Art in the Park will draw thousands of tourists and visitors to the area and a great many of them will walk Monmouth on their way to and from the event. Every year residents get hundreds of compliments from total strangers about how clean and pretty the street is.
The annual street sweep has become not only an annual tradition but a successful marketing event. Residents on Monmouth are approached very often by people who are looking to find a home on this unique street. They drive up and down looking at the homes, some knock on doors and many approach residents out in the street who they think might have some privy real estate information. On that same note, more homes on Monmouth sell privately every year than through traditional real estate listings. For a street that only 25 years ago was referred to as the Old Walkerville Moat this branding effort has payed off.
This year's sweep was a little tricky. For the first time in the event's history no pick-up trucks were available. Another big issue was the roadwork detour for the Wyandotte and Walker upgrade. Over the past few weeks Monmouth has been the main detour route bringing a very unnerving amount of traffic and construction equipment up and down the street. There have been more than a few near accidents. Residents were concerned about working safely in the middle of it all. Neighbours quickly worked out a "Plan B". All road debris was scooped up as usual but packed into yard bags to be diposed over the next few days. Traffic cones were strategically placed to route traffic across Monmouth and over to Walker Road. All worked out surprisingly well.
Without Asking the Angels Came
The element of surprise lives on Monmouth. As the sweep started to ramp up, a coffee cart was delivered to the block courtesy of Taloola Cafe. A nice, well received touch. Soon after that, one of the neighbours handed off some extremely delicious lemon cake to all of the street cleaners. It was turning out to be a great day in the hood. And then it got even better. Around noon, as the sweep was successfully winding down and the street was looking absolutely spotless, a few troops were hoisting martinis and brooms near the corner of Monmouth and Niagra . A city yard waste truck making its way back to the depot stopped and the driver asked what was going on. Within seconds he and his partner rounded the block , picked up all of the yard waste bags and tossed them into their hopper. Unbelievable! What a perfect ending! Fists and high fives were the order of that event. The sad part is that these guys will probably be losing their jobs to outsourcing if the current city council and administration get their way. Hats off to these CUPE members. This attitude and ethic won't be matched by any outside contractor.
So, in the end Monmouth Road is once again all spanky, shiny for Art in the Park. This was our best Street Sweep ever.
Thanks everyone!
This Years Pics: Click on images to enlarge
Friends and neighbours chip in.
New faces in the Hood
Look what fell out of the sky.
All for one. One for all.
Scoop and Bag.
New Roadie growing in the patch.
Socializing on a fabulous day.
May 16, 2010
May 13, 2010
Urban Blight. No Sense Talking About it
Controlling urban decay has a real payback for any community. A fresh coat of paint and clean yard goes a long way to improving the overall optic of a city. When we look good, we feel good and when we feel good about ourselves we go out of our way to promote continuous improvement.
So where do we start? The first and most obvious place is at the top. Our local politicians have to take inventory of their respective wards and they have to put an action plan into place. Property Standards are set for a reason so there is no excuse for not enforcing them. Citizens are an amazing resource. A little bit of organization and good will goes a long way and in these parts we have proven that over and over.
So how do we start? Once again we have to start at the top. Our Mayor has to take ownership of his city. Together with his council they can set the agenda and put some pretty quick wheels on such a project. It's funny in one respect. We voted these politicians in to serve us and our community in the best possible way. That means that if we ask loud enough they should respond accordingly. It also means that if they ask us in return to give them a helping hand with such a project then we can easily be there to help out. So who's asking?
Here are but a few examples of Made in Windsor blight:
Click on images to enlarge.
Condemned and waiting for what? Repairs? Arson?
It starts here and it has to be ended here A.S.A.P.
Art in ownership. Really?
Historical gem just sitting, rotting, doing nothing.
A whole row of decay. It's been sitting in this condition for years.
Government planned blight.
Blight from an obvious source.
A closer look
Blight as a lifestyle? Probably not.
The dish farm. Easily controlled through Property Standards.
Some paint, flowers and tenants. Why is this place sitting totally vacant?
Why is this allowed?
Planned blight in progress?
Dish farm, decay, zero lot line.
No rules in this place? Dishes could go on the roof too.
The Dish farm. They can all go on the roof.
A burned out Pita factory. Its been sitting in this condition for years. Why?
Pick a siding. asbestos, bitumen, aluminum or corrugated steel?
Could this kind of Civic improvement be another municipal election platform?
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