New Year's Eve in Germantown

Gather with your neighbors Saturday night, Dec. 31 for the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks and giant wienerschnitzel drop.

Time: 11pm

Location: Intersection of Monroe St. and 6th. Avenue North.

Christmas Tree Drop-Off

Christmas Tree Drop-off and Recycling at Metro Parks Will start December
27. Check our website at www.nashville.gov/recyle for locations and
more details, or call 880-1000. Residents can also take their Christmas
trees to Metro's mulch facility in Bordeaux.

Thanks for helping New Orleans Pets, from the Stetars

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

THANK YOU. Your support of our New Orleans trip was beyond generous!

The trip went well, and we brought home a beautiful, little girl named Gracie. She is a 10-week old yellow lab mix. No doubt, you will see her walking us around the neighborhood over the holidays.

Because of your help we were able to provide Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) and the Southern Animal Foundation (SAF) with $520 in monetary donations, a $50 gift card from PetsMart, and hundreds of dollars worth of pet food and other supplies.

Our timing was good because when we arrived ARNO was in the process of trying to buy a new computer to track the rescued animals, but had found they didn't have enough money to get the system they needed. The donations we delivered from Nashville made up the difference.

We first arrived in New Orleans at night and were stunned by the miles and miles of darkened, abandoned neighborhoods that we passed through as we drove through the city to reach our hotel. We stayed downtown, near the convention center, in an area that hadn't flooded, but that had been heavily looted after the storm. There was a lot about New Orleans that was depressing, but parts of the city are recovering and seem relatively normal.

We were impressed and inspired by the animal rescue folks. We met volunteers from as far away as Oregon and Vancouver. We spent out first day helping to move supplies from their old facility--an old nail salon, damaged by the storm and covered by a blue tarp-- to a new shelter they are setting up on the other side of town. ARNO, SAF, and Best Friends have teamed up and are leasing an 18,000 square-foot building that will provide shelter for the animals (150 cats and 105 dogs) and the volunteers--many of whom were camping in the parking lot or sleeping in their cars at the old facility.

The second day we got to move one of the cats to the new shelter in our van which the boys loved, and later in the day we participated in a cat trapping mission. We went looking for a pregnant calico that someone had reported hiding under an abandoned house, but found at least 6 other cats living in the same area. We only managed to get one, but ARNO will go back for the others another day.

Thanks again for your support.

Happy New Year from Gracie Stetar and Family.

Car Stolen from alley behind 5th Avenue, then Totalled

Just to let everyone know....Felix's car was stolen on December 15th. It was later found and a total loss because it had been wrecked. It was in our driveway behind our garage just off of the alley. Everyone please be careful and let's keep an eye out for each other!!

Other than that our Christmas season has been wonderful! On that note I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope to see lots of people at The Mad Platter for the countdown of the New Year!!

Peace,
Rebecca Hottenstein

Wine Tasting Club

Interested in forming a Wine Tasting and Pairing Club for Historic Germantown Neighborhood?

Contact: Norman Farber at dblmartiniup@comcast.net or 255-4421.

Help Displaced Pets of New Orleans

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

For several weeks my son, Nicholas, has been asking to go to New Orleans to help rescue the animals that were left in the aftermath of Katrina.

So, when Christmas break begins this Friday, we're headed to New Orleans to spend time working with a group called Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO).

According to ARNO, "We currently have over 3,000 locations in our database where animals have been reported hiding under porches and homes. Many are still out there. Around corners. In sewers. On ledges. In the woods. If not us, who will hear them? Please volunteer your time and heart for animals in New Orleans." http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com/

Before we leave we hope to fill up the van with donations of pet food and other supplies that are needed in the ongoing effort to rescue the abandoned pets of New Orleans. The van can only hold so much so we're hoping to collect financial contributions as well. All money collected will go to ARNO in the form of a check or gift card (e.g., Wal-Mart). Any pet supplies that won't fit in the van will be donated to the Nashville Humane Association.

If you'd like to participate, please drop off items (see list below) on our porch (1210 7th Ave. North) anytime between now and the evening of Thursday the 15th. If you would like to make a financial contribution, I will come pick it up or you can drop it in the mail slot in the door of Hatcher and Fell Photography next door to us. Please make checks payable to Lisa Stetar. My cell number is 482-7747. You can also make contributions directly to ARNO or other groups involved in the animal rescue effort. See the above website for more information.

The items needed by ARNO include:

Dry Dog/Cat Food * Wet Dog/Cat Food
ANC (pop-top) Canned Cat Food and/or Canned Mackerel (for cat/dog traps)
Deep Dish Aluminum Trays (disposable lasagna trays), Litter Boxes, Basins,
Buckets...(or anything to hold water on the streets)
Slip leashes, Paper Collars (as used in vet clinics for intake ID)
Large/Medium Plastic Dog Crates (for cat/dog transport)
Towels and Sheets
Fresh Water (gallon containers)
Pedialyte

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.