News

Need volunteers for April 27 Community Garage Sale

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Info for volunteers

Looking to part with some stuff after spring cleaning? Stuck with a garage full of unused treasures? Consider participating in the Vernedale Yard Sale! The neighborhood-wide yard sale will held on April 27th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We are asking participants to donate a minimum of 10% of their sales to the Vernedale Neighborhood Association to go toward operating costs and future projects.

Sign up to have your house listed on the garage sale map. Please complete the form by April 20th.

Info for attendees

One neighbor’s trash is another’s treasure.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th, Vernedale Neighborhood Association is hosting a community yard sale.

Check out the addresses and map below to see which households are participating:

  • 5832 Vernedale Rd
  • 4626 Sunlea Lane
  • 4812 Cricklewood lane

Map

Note from the President

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Hi Neighbors!

My name is Katie, and I have lived in Vernedale for over five years.

Even in that short time, I have seen quite a bit of change.

Home values have increased, the Eastland Yards development has made progress, large companies have targeted homes to buy to flip and use for rental properties, and the City has passed a new comprehensive plan and Unified Development Ordinance that opens single-family neighborhoods up to higher density development.

There have also been positive changes: lots of homeowners have been improving their properties, three of our streets have been adopted for litter clean up, and we have a strong neighborhood association that regularly communicates with our elected City and County representatives.

Still, we have to keep pushing …

If you have lived in the neighborhood for at least two years, you are eligible to run for election to the Board. We are currently seeking nominees for:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • At-large

The deadline to volunteer to run in the election is October 25, 2023. No experience is necessary to run, just a strong desire to improve the neighborhood and a commitment to attending meetings.

There are other ways to get involved, too. We need grant writers, Keep Charlotte Beautiful clean up volunteers, and folks who are willing to get dirty and help with beautification projects.

If you want to get more involved, please reach out to vernedalefarms@gmail.com!

Sincerely,

Katie Turner
Vernedale Neighborhood Association President

What's in the name 'Vernedale'? Turns out, a lot of history.

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A story about how the Vernedale neighborhood got its name.

Many new residents living in the area called Vernedale, bordered by N. Sharon Amity on the north and Hickory Grove to the east, do not know the history of its development or its odd connections to a national grocery store chain or its founders’ involvement in shaping education nationally and statewide liquor laws.

Or the research and development that benefited dairy farmers.

Or how the many smaller subdivisions with cedar-sided houses and large, brick ranches came to border each other.

There are more stories to tell about the aforementioned in the future, but this piece starts with how “Vernedale” got its name.

“Vernedale,” which most non-residents tend to misspell by leaving out the silent “e” inherited from its namesake, comes from LaVerne Harris Childers, wife of Harris Teeter founder, Baptist philanthropist and politician W.T. Harris.

The Harris family purchased a large swath of land where Wellington Farms apartments, Vernedale Park and Vernedale Farms subdivisions are now in 1940.

The land was used as a dairy co-op prior to being developed into a residential area. The dairy from the co-op was pasteurized at what is now the Pet Dairy plant on Plaza Rd.

As you can see from the news clipping on the right, according to Mrs. Harris, Vernedale became the name of the road that is now the main entrance to our neighborhood in order to eliminate confusion about mail delivery.

Vernedale Rd. was once called Lake View Rd., which appears on the original deeds for the area. Because so many roads in the area were named for lakes or had “lake” in the name, the post office requested a name change.

Mr. Harris believed naming the road “Vernedale” for his wife was appropriate because in French, “verte” means green, and so a road leading to a farm called Vernedale would evoke the freshness of his produce and diary products.

The name traveled beyond our neighborhood when he decided to sell the produce from his farm under the “Vernedale Farms” store brand in Harris Teeter grocery markets. Archival ads from the Charlotte Observer show that items sold under that label include “ice milk,” similar to ice cream but a more affordable and less dense dessert, ice cream in a variety of flavors, pork and other dairy products.

If you enjoyed this story or have other neighborhood resources, please reach out and let us know at vernedalefarms@gmail.com.

Newspaper clipping dated Aug. 5, 1969 reads:

Mr. and Mrs. W.T. Harris and daughter Resa of Vernedale Road are just back from a trip to California and the Hawaiian Islands. The Harrises had been to Hawaii in 1961 and decided to take Resa, who will enter Agnes Scott as a freshman this fall, as a graduation gift.

They left Charlotte and flew to San Francisco where they toured the city before flying to Honolulu. Mr. Harris, who is president of Harris-Teeter Supermarkets, has a friend who is a representative of Libby’s and he conducted them on a personal tour of the city.

Then they went to Hilo Island and saw one of the two active craters on the islands. Mrs. Harris explained that you couldn’t view too long because the sulphur fumes were almost more than you could stand.

Back to the U.S. they came and took in Disneyland before returning to Charlotte.

Noticing that the Harrises live on Vernedale Road in Hickory Grove and realizing that the Harris-Teeter brand foods are call Vernedale, I asked Mrs. Harris how it came about.

“Well, first of all, my name is LaVerne, which is French. And I’ve been told that it means fresh and green. When we bought the farm in 1940, we had to name it because we had registered cattle. So Mr. Harris decided to name it after me.

“The road we lived on was called Lake View or something like that and somebody from the courthouse called me one day and said because so many roads in the this area had Lake at the beginning of the name, people’s mail was getting confused. So, he said that as of that day they were changing the name to Vernedale because of the name of the farm.

“So when Mr. Harris started his own brand of things, he said he couldn’t think of a better name than Vernedale, because of the French meaning.”

Note from Incoming President Joshua Miller

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Dear Vernedale Neighbors,

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy 2023. Beginning a new year affords good opportunities to reflect on the work we have accomplished and to plan for the year ahead.

2022 was a productive year for the Vernedale Neighborhood Association (VNA). Under the guidance of outgoing president Nilda Navedo and the 2022 VNA Board, we organized neighborhood clean-ups, won a City of Charlotte Neighborhood Matching Grant, installed new sign toppers marking the Vernedale boundary, and started a Yard of the Month competition to recognize the hard work we do to beautify the neighborhood.

2023 promises an equally ambitious agenda to capitalize on last year’s momentum. We will continue hosting local government representatives and community organizers at our regular meetings. We will maintain our commitment to beautifying the neighborhood through community clean-ups. And we will extend our focus to enhancing Campbell Creek Park, the hidden gem of the neighborhood. 

I hope you have all enjoyed the holiday season, epic cold snap notwithstanding. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our first meeting of the year on January 25th. In the meantime, please take a moment to meet the 2023 VNA Board. And if you forgot anyone on your holiday list last year, it’s never too late to send them some VNA merch from our online store! All proceeds go to support neighborhood activities.

Warmly,

Joshua Miller

President, Vernedale Neighborhood Association

Sign toppers installed

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A total of six sign toppers have been placed at major intersections in the neighborhood with the Vernedale wordmark and dogwood flower. The project started nearly five years ago with a first attempt at getting funding through the Neighborhood Matching Grant.

While the first attempt at getting signage was not successful, the experience taught the association that better organization would be the key to securing the grant and ultimately getting the sign toppers installed.

With the Vernedale Neighborhood Association reorganized as its own association two years ago, it has been able to get funding and volunteer hours (thanks to many gracious neighbors) to have the signs produced and installed. The logo was a labor of love by a new Lake Mist resident, who generously donated her time and expertise to provide multiple versions of the logo and a revision based on resident feedback.

The funding for signs was provided the City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program. The program awards up to $25,000 in funding toward neighborhood improvement projects.

Congrats to the November Yard of the Month Winner!

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Congratulations to 5832 Hanna Court for receiving this month’s Yard of the Month award.

Help us identify and reward renters and homeowners who are beautifying and maintaining their yards. Nominations for Yard of the Month are open!

Winners receive a yard sign to display for a month that recognizes their contribution to making Vernedale a more beautiful place to live.

Photo of 5832 Hanna Court
5832 Hanna Court

Thank you volunteers!

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Six Vernedale residents completed a combined total of 10 hours of clean up on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Volunteers cleaned Cricklewood Ln., Butterwick Ln., and Vernedale Rd. A total of seven trash bags were collected. Candy wrappers, beer cans and take out bags were the most common pieces of litter.

If you are interested in joining a future Keep Charlotte Beautiful cleanup, please subscribe to the Vernedale newsletter for information and announcements.

Thanks for keeping Vernedale beautiful!

Keep Charlotte Beautiful volunteers.

Run for election to the Vernedale Neighborhood Association Board

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Each year beginning in September, the Board solicits nominations for elections to the Board for one-year terms beginning on January 1, 2023.

All members of the current Board must run for reelection and win if they wish to keep their seats. Elections occur by electronic ballot each November.

We are looking for multiple candidates for the following positions:

  • President
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer
  • Two at-large members of the Board

Please consult the VNA bylaws for position descriptions. This is a great way to get involved in the neighborhood and meet new people, help organize events and support the efforts of the association.

Candidates who do not win election may be called upon to serve in the event that a seat becomes vacant.

Nominations close on Oct. 31, 2022. If you have questions, please reach out to vernedalefarms@gmail.com.

Congratulations to September Yard of the Month winner

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Congratulations to 4924 Cricklewood Ln. for receiving this month’s Yard of the Month award.

Help us identify and reward renters and homeowners who are beautifying and maintaining their yards. Nominations for Yard of the Month are open!

Winners receive a yard sign to display for a month that recognizes their contribution to making Vernedale a more beautiful place to live.

Show your Vernedale pride with new merch!

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The Vernedale Neighborhood Association Board is proud to bring you an exclusive collection of Vernedale merchandise on Bonfire.com. 100% of the proceeds from sales of merchandise will go toward funding community events, activities and communications (e.g., continued support of the website).

Take a look at some of the neat products and check back as more merchandise is added to the store.

Screenshot of storefront

Vernedale Storefront