Pushcart Derby Rolls Again!

The 8th Annual Pushcart Derby was held this past weekend. What a blast! The derby which was founded by local artist Cruz Ortiz as a performance art event has morphed into a community based event that brings the Dignowity Hill community together for a day of rogue silliness and competitive pushcart racing! This year's derby was a great success thanks to the efforts of Rina Moreno, derby manager and queen and her co conspirator Mike Belardi who together put on one of the best derby's yet!

Team Calypso

Hmmmmm!

This is serious!

Janet Grojean from Tx Public Radio

The winning team: The Highland Park Fliers

The Little Luchaderos

Safety Check

What the ....

Rina and Mike deserve all the credit for making this happen.  Over the last 8 years the derby has evolved into a great community event that typifies what Dignowity Hill is all about! We hope that this will continue for many years to come!!

The Derby is On!! Good News for Lockwood Park!

The 8th Annual Pushcart Derby is on for Sat October 27, 2012 from noon till 7pm! The brain child of artist Cruz Ortiz, the derby has evolved from his idea of bringing together a group of artist friends for a day of artistic, fun, and somewhat competitive racing of hand made pushcarts to an event that has grown to be the signature event of the year for the neighborhood.  One thing remains the same and that is the spirit of the derby: which is to bring families, kids and neighbors together to enjoy a day of fellowship and community building.  And the pushcarts still need to be hand made with available materials!
For more info on the derby  go to:
http://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialDignowityHillPushcartDerby

On the same day as the derby we will have an "unveiling" celebration of the Texas Public Radio (TPR) Lighter Quicker Cheaper award for Lockwood Park. Back in August TPR in partnership with the City, the Project for Public Spaces, and the AIA San Antonio asked the city residents to re-imagine a public space in their own respective neighborhoods across the city. A concept submitted by one of our neighbors became one of 5 finalists and eventually came in as the top idea.  The concept was refined to constructing designated seating using rock ledges and terracing to take advantage of the view of downtown.  Construction is scheduled to beging soon and will be completed by pushcart derby day. For more info regarding this exciting improvement to Lockwood go to: http://tpr.org/articles/2012/05/lqc.html

Dignowity Hill on the Move

A couple of weeks ago the first annual Bowden Elementary School 2 Mile Fun Run/Walk took place along a route that took us through the streets of the neighborhood and over the Hays Street Bridge.  The brainchild of Gregorio Velasquez, assistant principal at Bowden, the run/walk is one great example of the kind of vibe that is unique to Dignowity Hill. The event pulled in over 340 participants!  Dignowity Hill in motion, bringing students, teachers, parents and neighbors together!!

Speaking of uniqueness, check out the recent posting on the Rivard Report on the craziness called the Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby. Go to the link below to see a short film by local film maker Jim Mendiola. The derby, which was conjured up Dignowity Hill artist Cruz Ortiz, has become synonymous with the neighborhood, brings families, friends and residents together for a day of celebration.
 Rivard Report-Pushcart Derby 

Pushcart Derby

Well, another successful Pushcart Derby took place this past Saturday. The year's event was by far the biggest so far with double the number of entries from last year. Mucho thanks to Cruz and Rina Ortiz for their vision and tireless efforts in organizing what has become a great event for the neighborhood.

Derby Day

The annual neighborhood gathering known as the Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby took place the other day. Only in San Antonio and definitely only on The Eastside! Local artist and Dignowity Hill resident, Cruz Ortiz, came up with the idea of bringing together artists and other creative minds for a day at the races on Dignowity Hill Park. This was the fourth year that the Pushcart Derby has been held and it was bigger than last year's pachanga. In case you haven't attended this great race....well....it's not exactly NASCAR but more like PUSHCAR. You see, if you want to compete in this race you have to design and build your own "pushcart, which is powered by two team members pushing the cart down the course. Oh yeah, some one has to steer. Entries are also judge on artistic and creative appearance of the pushcart with engineering pretty much kept to a minimum. My favorite entry was the Mad Cows. Nice set of horns but not very aero dynamic!
Apparently, the the team that won this year's race has also won it for the past 3 years! Might have to check what's under the hood of that cart at next year's derby, which, by the way will be held in March.


Cruz likes to say that this kind of event is "art intervention" to save the neighborhood from hungry developers and drug dealers. I haven't run into any hungry developers but I have seen some of the drug activity and the prostitution that surrounds our neighborhood. I like the notion that art can play a part in saving communities or at least that art can make us aware that we all have a part in making a community safer, better, and good. It was nice to see more folks attend the derby this year because it means that walls are beginning to come down....it's OK to come to the Eastside...the people here are good. The derby also helps build a sense of pride and hope for the residents of Dignowity Hill and the Eastside. In spite of all the challenges, it can only get better! See you in March 2009!