Hello Neighbors: Thanks to our lively committees and task forces, our Spring calendar is filled with a variety of activities. You will find our most recent calendar in this newsletter with dates for neighborhood cleanups, an Easter party and a wine-tasting event. Our February Civic Club meeting with newly elected Council Member Joaquin Martinez was very well attended and we had a great discussion with CM Martinez. Many thanks to Irma Niño and Carmen Martinez for hosting a wonderful crowd.

On March 9 at 10am, the Centennial Task Force committee will meet to discuss, plan, and schedule activities for the Idylwood 2028 Centennial Celebration: Karen & Barney Giesen’s home, 6740 Meadowlawn Dr.

Contact Karen at [email protected]

Our March 19 meeting will be at the home of Monique & Bill Studak, 6720 Sylvan Rd at 7 pm. We will spend much of our meeting time in committee groups and task forces. Before we break into committees, we will have 2 short discussions for the entire group:

Focusing on Idylwood committee meetings has proven to be both popular and productive. We also like to stay informed on neighborhood events, so if you have a suggestion for outside speakers or topics, please contact me at [email protected]. Similarly, we still have 2 openings for hosting: June 18 and September 17. Please let me know if you would be willing to host.

Harris County Primary Elections take place on Tuesday, March 5th. Click the links below to view the sample ballots for our Precinct 0218.

If for some reason you are unable to edit the Sign-Up form online, contact Irma Niño with your details at: [email protected]

... and the tennis courts at Mason Park have been resurfaced. Pickleball is now an option, although you'll need to bring a portable net to accommodate the alternate court set up (thanks to Tim Bachle for the photo & Pickleball info).

Thank you to all who voted in the Idylwood Art Stairs Mural Project proposed for Spurlock Park. We had an amazing turnout in just a few days of voting. The community favored the finalist design by Bradly Brown whose creation staggers Whimsical Bayou Creatures all over on the stairs. Bradly lives on Rockbridge Lane and is a Gallery Director and Professor of Art at San Jacinto College. We are very excited to see his artistic vision translate to reality in our park. 

We want to thank our other amazing Idylwood artists who submitted designs for the project. Robin Whalan of Sylvan Road submitted the vibrant, bright, and colorful design, asking "Could This Be The Place Where All The Good Things Begin?" Tony Hurtado, who also lives on Sylvan, saw the staircase featuring the rolling hills of Idywlood colored with earth-tones. Each artist will be receiving an appreciative stipend for their design submissions.

The Civic Club will work with Bradly to seek final approval from the City for the design, which has already been submitted. Depending on the City's sign off, we are hopeful the art project will be installed sometime this spring. As we continue to coordinate with Bradly on the execution of his design, we will be in touch about potential dates for volunteer work days to those who have expressed interest in participating in this community-based art project.

Saturday, March 23 from 8:00-11:30am is the 30th Annual River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash®. There are two Brays Bayou sites this year: Mason Park and Kuhlman Gully, which is across S. Wayside from the Gragg Park complex. Click below for full details on either site and the volunteer requirements to participate.

Saturday, April 6 from 8:30-11:30am will be a beautification and pocket prairie planting event at Dawson Lunnon Cemetery, 5737 Kemp St, 77023, across from the METRO Operations Facility on Polk St near S. Wayside. Dawson Lunnon Cemetery is a historic African American Cemetery along Country Club Creek. Click for details on the cemetery's history.

All supplies will be provided, and this event is kid friendly. Contact Amy Dinn at [email protected] for more info.

Save the date! Saturday, April 27 from 9-11am will be our Idylwood Spring Cleanup day. More details to come in our April newsletter. We will be making plans for this event at our next Civic Club Meeting on March 19th. Please join us for our committee planning session.

Finally, the Idylwood Board will be submitting a letter of support for a proposed trash boom on Brays Bayou. Galveston Bay Foundation is applying for a grant from NOAA for a trash boom on Brays Bayou upstream of Idylwood somewhere between Lidstone Bridge and Telephone Bridge. This trash collection initiative would help reduce floatables downstream of I-45 and help us maintain our beautiful bayou vistas in Idylwood.

please scoop our poop!

It's early spring and our lawns and flowerbeds are starting to show signs of new growth. Yeah!! At first glance, you'll see small to medium sized blooms of white, yellow, lavendar, and pink. Bees are particularly attracted to the nectar from the small white or pink flowers that bloom in the spring.

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Jo Ann and Paul moved to Idylwood in 1997. They spent almost two years driving every street, every day looking for new listings. “Back in 1995-1997 there were no internet listings, just signs in the yard. The market was so hot homes rarely went more than a day without a contract,” Jo Ann remembers.

Jo Ann was born and raised in Houston. Paul is a “transplant” from New York but has lived in Houston most of his life. Jo Ann has lived in the East End area (Denver Harbor and Magnolia) her entire life. While “Paul lived in Cypress before getting married and being transplanted to Idylwood,” Jo Ann says.

Jo Ann loves “the cute charm of the area and homes” of Idylwood and the neighborhood is also near downtown and Jo Ann’s extended family. The couple have two daughters, Amber and Jade who have grown up here in Idylwood. Jo Ann says, “We love the community and all the Halloweens and Christmas decorating we have shared with them through the years. The Halloween trick or treating parties are our most fond memories.”

Jo Ann is the gardener in the household, and she loves working with a variety of flowers in both her pots and front beds. Jo Ann says she travels from nursery to nursery picking out what she likes and what she thinks will work in the yard. She says she loves color and variety but claims not to “have knowledge about any of it” and just “hopes the flowers make it thru each season.” The plants in Jo Ann’s pots and beds include Day Lilies, Impatiens, Spiraea, Easter Lilies, Day Lilies, Hydrangea, Society Garlic, Phlox, Coreopsis, Amaryllis, White Agapanthus, and Canna Lily.

As far as landscaping features go, Jo Ann enjoys changing out the plants in her various pots and tries to make the front and back yards more attractive and interesting. They also added a stepping stone walk from the driveway to the front porch.

Great way to connect with East End residents. It’s a great place to report or look for a missing pet, announce a garage sales, put out a crime alert, etc. This site is endorsed and its use encouraged by HPD. Sign up here

If you are not currently a member and would like to join, please send an invitation request to [email protected].