East of the River Magazine June 2012 by Capital Community News

EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE | JUNE 2012 | CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 08.............Go See Do

10.............East of the River Calendar 14.............STAYCATION • by Kathleen Donner 24.............The Bulletin Board 28.............The District Beat • by Martin Austermuhle 30.............The Numbers • by Kwame Boadi & Ed Lazere 32.............DCPS Barring Notices • by Virginia Avniel Spatz 34.............Turner Elementary Sets Elections • by Virginia Avniel Spatz 36.............New Libraries Open • by John Muller 38.............Francis Gregory Library Open? • by Michelle Phipps-Evans

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE

40.............ACM: Out and About • by Michelle Phipps-Evans

42.............Books on Effects of Race Riots • by Stephen Lilienthal 44.............The Health Scholar Next Door • by Candace Y.A. Montague

KIDS & FAMILY

46.............Kids and Family Notebook • by Kathleen Donner

HOMES & GARDENS

51.............Changing Hands • compiled by Don Denton 52.............The Classifieds 54.............The Nose • by Anonymous

34 ON THE COVER:

After a barring notice, Geraldine Washington can no longer accompany her first-grade nephew to Randle Highlands.

Hill Rag Mid City DC East Of The River Fagon Community Guides THE EDUCATION EDITION

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KIDS & FAMILY

Managing Editor: Andrew Lightman andrew@hillrag.com CFO & Associate Editor: Maria Carolina Lopez carolina@hillrag.com School Notes Editor: Susan Braun Johnson schools@hillrag.com Kids & Family Notebook Editor: Kathleen Donner kathleen.donner@gmail.com

Kathleen Donner • kathleen.donner@gmail.com Susan Johnson • schools@hillrag.com

Society & Events

Mickey Thompson • socialsightings@aol.com

Homes & Gardens

Arts, Dining & Entertainment

Art: Jim Magner • jjmagner@aol.com Dining: Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com Hit the City: Joylyn Hopkins • joylyn@joylynhopkins.com Literature: Karen Lyon • klyon@folger.edu Movies: Mike Canning • mjcanning@verizon.net Music: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Retail Therapy: Scott Fazzini • scott.fazzini@gmail.com Theater: Barbara Wells • barchardwells@aol.com Travel: Maggie Hall • whitby@aol.com The Wine Guys: Jon Genderson • jon@cellar.com

Calendar & Bulletin Board

Hill Rag, MidCity DC & East of the River: Calendar Editor: Kathleen Donner calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

General Assignment

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6 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

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Michelle Evans • invisiblecolours@yahoo.com Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com Heather Schoell • hschoell@verizon.net Virginia Avniel Spatz • virginia@hillrag.com Peter Waldron • peter@hillrag.com Kathleen Donner • kathleen.donner@gmail.com Stephanie Deutsch • scd@his.com Melanie Sunukjian • melsunuk@gmail.com Shannon Holloway • holloway.shannon@gmail.com Alice Ollstein • alice.ollstein@gmail.com Amanda Abrahams • manda.abrams@gmail.com Lex Kiefhaber • lexk24@gmail.com Roberta Weiner • rweiner_us@yahoo.com Gwyn Jones • gwynjones@aol.com John H. Muller • jmuller.washingtonsyndicate@gmail.com

BEAUTY, Health& Fitness

Patricia Cinelli • fitmiss44@aol.com Ronda Bresnick Hauss, LCSW • www.quietwaterscenter.com quiet_waters_center@yahoo.com Peter Sherer • Peter@expmatters.com

Rindy O’Brien - Hill Gardener • rindyob@mac.com Derek Thomas • derek@thomaslandscapes.com Judith Capen • judith.capen@architravepc.com HomeStyle: Mark Johnson • mark@hillrag.com

News & Neighborhood Reports anc6a, 6b, 6c, 6d:

Roberta Weiner • rweiner_us@yahoo.com • gwynjones@aol.com Barracks Row: sharon@barracksrow.org H Street Life: Elise Bernard • inked78@hotmail.com the Nose: thenose@hillrag.com Logan Circle • mark@hillrag.com Shaw • Ralph Brabham: Ralph • ralphbrabham@yahoo.com Bloomingdale: Eleanor Gourley • ecgourley@gmail.com 14th & U: Catherine Finn • cathefinn@gmail.com anc6b: Gwyn Jones

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Deadlines & CONTACTS

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We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com.

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t t h a e T N H A G I TS! N A To Benefit Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region Wednesday, June 20th, 7:05pm Nationals vs. Tampa Bay Rays

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$40 includes game ticket (outfield reserved), *ROOFTOP PREGAME PARTY, and parking $30 includes game ticket (outfield reserved) and parking * Pregame Party includes beer, wine and snacks. Limited to first 100 tickets sold 5:30-pm-7:00pm Party located at the Onyx Apartments Rooftop 110 First St., SE â€“ a few blocks from the Metro and Stadium

To buy tickets or for more information please visit: www.livingclassroomsdc.org or call 202-488-0627 x247

GO.SEE.DO. step afrika! dancers. Photo: tony Powell

Step Afrika! at the Atlas

Step Afrika! is the ﬁrst professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Founded in December 1994, the company is critically-acclaimed for its efforts to promote an understanding of and appreciation for stepping and the dance tradition’s use as an educational tool for young people worldwide. Step Afrika! reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year and has performed on many stages in North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. After a year touring across the globe, Step Afrika! returns home to Washington, DC to present its biggest production of the year. This June, Step Afrika! explores hip-hop and technology with “superhuman” guest artist Kenny Muhammad the incredible “Human Orchestra”. Tickets are $20$39.50. June 21-July 1. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. 202-399-7993. atlasarts.org

Jazz in the Garden Concerts

visitors to Jazz in the garden relax around the grand fountain in the national gallery of art sculpture garden. Photo: Courtesy of the national gallery of art

This free concert series features an array of jazz artists performing a wide variety of styles-including salsa, blusion, vibraphone, and Afrofunk-every Friday evening in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Musicians perform in front of the Pavilion Café while visitors sit around the grand central fountain or relax on a blanket, enjoying the beautifully landscaped grounds. The Sculpture Garden is on the National Mall at 7th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. This time of the evening, parking on the Mall eases up. Fridays through Aug 31, 5:00-8:30 p.m. nga.gov

Jazz and Blues in SW

Westminster Church is famous for its weekly Friday Night Jazz and Blue Monday Blues. The music starts at 6:00 p.m. both days and you can expect a large, fun and friendly crowd. There’s reasonably priced food downstairs at communal tables and you’re also welcome to bring a plate up into the audience area. The table area has closed-circuit TV coverage of the music upstairs. The cover is $5. Children are welcome and free under 16 years old. Westminster Church, 400 I St. SW, (Fourth and I, south side of intersection). 202-484-7700. westminsterdc.org

The USCGC Eagle

Baltimore’s War of 1812 Star-Spangled Sailabration

Star-Spangled Sailabration is the national launch of the War of 1812 Bicentennial. An international maritime and air festival in the Baltimore region and the Chesapeake Bay, this week long event will feature dozens of tall ships and naval war ships, the premiere of a new symphonic work, and an air show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. The air show is June 16 and 17, 1:00-4:00 p.m. The best viewing location is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The Aircraft Display & Festival is also on June 16 and 17, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at Martin State Airport. Tour the ships at the Inner Harbor and Fell’s Point every day. starspangled200.com

7th Street Wharf

The Wharf comes alive in summer with an artist market, farmers market and community work-outs. On Thursday evenings, there’s a Farmers Market with Jazz and Blues, 6:00-8:30 p.m.: June 7, featuring Washington Jazz Ensemble; June 14, featuring Bill Heid Blues Band; June 21, featuring Arnold Sterling Jazz Ensemble; June 28, featuring Daryl Davis Band. On Friday evenings, there a Summer Sounds Artist Market also at 6:00-8:30 p.m.: June 8, featuring Loyd Dobler Effect-Pop/ Rock; June 15, featuring Johnstone-Reggae; June 22, featuring The Grandsons-Americana; June 29, featuring Wil Gravatt Band-Country. And on Saturday mornings, there are Waterfront Workouts, 9:00-11:00 a.m.-Yala Fitness at 9:00 a.m. and Flow Yoga at 10:00 a.m. 7th Street Landing at 7th and Water sts. SW. wharfdc.com CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 9

CALENDAR

Fresh heirloom tomatoes come along with recipe cards at Ward 7’s newest farmers market. Photo: Christopher Bradshaw

Aya Community Market

June 16, (first and third Saturday of every month through Nov 17), 10:00 AM-3:00 PM, Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 3000 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The market provides resources for healthy and sustainable communities through farm fresh produce; educational health speakers and live musical performances; locally produced handmade crafts and baked goods; art, youth activities and more. dreamingoutloud.org JULY 4TH AND PATRIOTIC EVENTS Post Game Fireworks at Nat’s Park. July 3. Game begins at 6:35 PM. Fireworks about 9:30 PM. Watch from inside the park or anywhere you can see the top of the park. washington. nationals.mlb.com July 4th National Symphony Orchestra Concert Full Dress Rehearsal. July 3, 7:30 PM. US Capitol west lawn. You will find a much smaller crowd at the concert rehearsal. You will be allowed on the Capitol grounds starting at 3:00 PM. You will go through security and alcohol may be confiscated. Free. nso.org July 4th Fireworks and National Symphony Orchestra Concert. July 4, 8:00 PM. US Capitol west lawn. Fireworks at about 9:15 PM. No one will be allowed on the Capitol west lawn until 3:00 PM. Come early with a picnic and a blanket to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for the National Symphony Orchestra Annual

10 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

Independence Day Concert. The fireworks can be seen from all over the mall, from many rooftops and from across the river. Just make sure that you have a clear view of the top half of the Washington Monument. You will go through security and alcohol may be confiscated. The fireworks and concert go on except in the case of extremely bad weather. Your best source for up-to-the-minute information is local TV and radio stations. Free. nso.org Capitol Hill July 4th Parade and Festival Picnic. July 4. Parade,10:00 AM. Festival, 11:00 AM. Parade route is along 8th St. SE between Penn. Ave. and I St. SE. Festival is at Eastern Market Metro Plaza. Free. The National Archives Celebrates the Fourth of July. July 4. Band performance, 8:30–9:45 AM; Ceremony, 10:00-11:00 AM; Family activities, 11:00 AM-2:00 PM. The celebration will include patriotic music, a dramatic reading of the Declaration by historical reenactors, and exciting free family activities and entertainment for all ages. Free. Constitution Ave. and Seventh St. NW. 202-357-5400. archives.gov | JUNE 2012

America’s Independence Day Parade. July 4, 11:45 AM (sharp). Parade begins at Constitution Ave. and Seventh St. NW and proceeds on Constitution Ave. to 17th St. The parade consists of about 20 marching bands (including fife and drum corps), 15 floats, military units, giant balloons, equestrian units, drill teams, municipal entries and celebrities. july4thparade.com “What to the Slave?” Speech Reenactment at Frederick Douglas National Historical Site. July 4, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. Frederick Douglas reenactor delivers the famous “What to the Slave?” (does July 4th mean) speech from the front porch of the home. Kids activities follow. Free. 1411 W St. SE. 202-426-5960. nps. gov/frdo Independence Day Celebration and Air Force Band Concert. July 4, 8:00 PM (fireworks over Washington Monument follow). Air Force Memorial at One Air Force Memorial Drive in Arlington, VA. (14th St. Bridge into Virginia, merge onto Washington Blvd. and

then Columbia Pike in the direction of the Navy Annex. Then follow signs and crowds.) Contemporary and patriotic tunes and spectacular views of the nighttime Washington, DC skyline. Free. airforcememorial.org 2012 Twilight Tattoo at Fort Myer. Wednesdays, June 20 and 27; July 11, 18 and 25, Aug 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. 7:00 PM with pre-ceremony pageantry starting at 6:45 PM. The 2012 Twilight Tattoo season has been extended and will run through the entire summer. Members of the 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard), the US Army Band “Pershings Own,” Fife and Drum Corps and the US Army Drill Team will perform an hour-long sunset military Pageant. Over 100 Old Guard soldiers dressed in period uniforms will provide a glimpse of Army history from colonial times to the soldier of the future. Summerall Field on historic Fort Myer in Arlington, VA. usarmyband.com Marine Barracks Evening Parade. Friday evenings through Aug 31. Guests admitted starting at 7:00 PM. Guests should be seated by 8:00 PM. Program begins at 8:45 PM. The

Evening Parade has become a universal symbol of the professionalism, discipline and Esprit de Corps of the United States Marines. The story of the ceremony reflects the story of Marines around the world. The ceremony begins with a concert by the United States Marine Band. Free. It is wise to have reservations that can be made online at mbw.usmc.mil. Marine Barracks (front gate), Eighth and I sts. SE. 202433-4073. mbw.usmc.mil Navy Memorial Concerts on the Avenue. Tuesdays, through Aug 28, 8:00 PM. Come out to the US Navy Memorial for an evening of relaxing music by the United States Navy Band and its specialty groups. Free. US Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-7372300. navyband.navy.mil Docent-Led Tour of Historic Congressional Cemetery. Saturdays at 11:00 AM. Free. 1801 E St. SE. 202-543-0539. congressionalcemetery.org Military Band Concerts at the US Capitol. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays in summer (weather permitting). 8:00 PM. Mondays, US Navy Band; Tuesdays, US Air Force Band; Wednesdays, US Marine Band; Fridays, US Army Band. Free. West Terrace US Capitol Building. Frederick Douglass National Historical Site. Open daily, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Tours at 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM From 1877 to 1895, this was the home of Frederick Douglass, the nationâ€™s leading 19th century African American spokesman. Visitors to the site will learn more about his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for human rights, equal rights and civil rights for all oppressed people. Free. 1411 W St. SE. 202-426-5960. nps.gov/frdo

SPECIAL EVENTS DC Caribbean Carnival. June 23-24, noon to 6:00 PM. Parade on Saturday and Caribbean style arts, crafts, food and music both days. Free entrance (food is extra). Bannaker Recreation Area (on Georgia Ave. across from Howard University). 301-346-9635. dccaribbeancarnival.org Safeway Barbecue Battle. June 23, 11:00 AM-10:00 PM; June 24, 11:00 AM-7:30 PM. $5-$15, day-of. Pennsylvania Ave. NW, between 9th & 14th sts. bbqdc.com Smithsonian Folklife Festival. June 24July 1 and July 4-8. 11:00 AM-5:30 PM. Evening events at 6:00 PM. Festival features programs on Campus and Community, Citified, and Creativity and Crisis. Free entrance. National Mall between 7th and 14th sts. folklife.si.edu/center/festival Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran. This summer, from Memorial Day

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CALENDAR through Labor Day weekend, enjoy special exhibitions and programming free of charge in addition to Gallery tours, select workshops, demonstrations, and performances for all ages. Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW. 202-639-1700. corcoran.org

SUMMER MUSIC South on South Capitol Southern Rock Concert Series. June 22, July 27 and Aug 24; 11:30, on. Bands all day, mechanical bull, picnic tables. Half and M sts, SE at the Navy Yard Metro. fairgroundsdc.com Yards Park Friday Evening Concert Series. Through Sept 14, 6:30-8:30 PM. Spend your Friday evenings on the river, relaxing on the terraced lawn steps with family and friends and listening to live music from the Yards Park’s boardwalk stage. Friday evening concerts will feature a wide range of live musical performances including jazz, salsa, reggae, and more. capitolriverfront.org Golden Triangle Summer Concerts. Thursdays through June 21, 5:30-7:30 PM. Farragut Square, 17th and K sts., NW. goldentriangledc.com Jazz in the Sculpture Garden. Fridays in summer (rain or shine), 5:00-8:00 PM. National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Live jazz performed by an eclectic mix of top artists from the Washington area entertains visitors outdoors in front of the fountain or in the Pavilion Cafe (if it’s raining). The Pavilion Cafe features a seasonal tapas-style menu and bar service during the concerts. Everyone can enjoy these concerts. You do not have to order food or drinks. Free. 202- 289-3360. nga.gov Strathmore Free Outdoor Summer Concerts. Wednesdays, 7:00 PM, June 20-Aug 1. This series goes back to local with season celebrating emerging artists living in and from DC. The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org

OUTDOOR SUMMER MOVIES Front Flicks Movies. Thursdays, June 14, National Treasure; June 21, The Goonies; June 28, Raiders of the Lost Ark; July 5, City Slickers II The Legend of Curly’s Gold; July 12, O Brother, Where Art Thou; July 19, The Da Vinci Code; July 26, Muppet Treasure Island. Movies are held at Tingey Plaza just one block from the Navy Yard Metro (New Jersey Ave. exit) behind the US Department of Transportation building. capitolriverfront.org NoMa Summer Screen. Wednesdays, June 13: Shaun of the Dead; June 20: Wall-E; June 27; July 4: Independence Day; July 11: Red Dawn; July 18: War Games; July 25: The Incredibles; Aug 1: Jurassic Park: The Lost World; Aug 8: Deep Impact. Food and music at 7:00 PM. Screening at 9:00 PM. Each film preceded by live DJs, barbecue, special guests and more. Free. Children and friendly dogs are welcome. Loree Grand Field at 2nd and L sts. NE. nomasummerscreen.com

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MUSIC, THEATER AND EXHIBITIONS Community Café-Reach Beyond. June 16, 6:00-10:00 PM. The Inner-city Muslim Action Network teams up with Project REACH for the first DC Community Café. The Community Café uses the arts to break down societal barriers present in today’s world. Audiences are able to experience jazz musicians, hip hop artists, poets, dancers, visual artists, actors, scholars, and speakers in a family-friendly, communitystrengthening environment. The event intends to showcase conscious artists, creating cross-cultural communication and building mutual understanding, while raising awareness about Project REACH’s work with youth in DC. $10. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Fort Dupont Summer Concerts. (Save the dates.) Saturdays, July 14-Aug 18. The National Park Service offers 6 Rhythm and Blues performances in July and August as part of Fort Dupont Park’s “Summer Theatre” concert series. The concerts’ are sponsored solely by the National Park Service and free to the public. Past performers have been the SOS Band, Rose Royce, Kindred, Regina Bell, Mandrill, Roy Ayers and ZAPP. There is a Jr. Ranger tent offering programs for children and general information about Fort Dupont Park. nps.gov/fodu He’s Not Mine, She’s Not Mine at THEARC. June 24, 3:00 PM. Promise Productions presents “He’s Not Mine, She’s Not Mine,” a heartfelt play that exposes the challenges and struggles of blended families. What happens when a son and his stepfather refuse to get along and the mother/wife is in the middle? Will the family ever survive? $25. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Le Temps Devant (Our Time Ahead): Anachronism and Utopia in the French Countryside. Through June 29. Our Time Ahead takes you to a place of history while simultaneously drawing a familiar connection with modern life. The photographs prompt the viewer to consider their lives, the role of the countryside today, farming and other rural lifestyles through a subconscious co-mingling of contemporary living. Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-365-8392. honfleurgallery.com birdsdecay at Vivid Solutions. Through June 29. “birdsdecay,” is Benjamin Nguyen’s solo exhibit at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions. Benjamin K. Nguyen is a self-taught, multidisciplinary visual artist from Northern Virginia. Selections from the latest release of his ongoing project birdsdecay emphasize geometrics in organic form. This focus allows Nguyen to explore the inherent mathematical qualities in his chosen subjects. The Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. 202-365-8392. vividsolutionsdc.com/gallery

CLASSES, TOURS AND TALKS Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens Tours. June 9 and 10; 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Awaken your senses and sense of discovery with a ranger led tour of the ponds and wetland | JUNE 2012

area that borders them. Find out who was out during the night eating water lilies and which plants are in bloom. 9:00 AM tour is best for night blooming water lilies. Free. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6905. nps.gov/keaq Listen to the Music. June 10, 17 and 24; 1:00-3:00 PM. Listen to the sounds of nature, try some meditation, and some yoga for a half hour to heal and relax the spirit. Meet at the visitor center. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-4266905. nps.gov/keaq Monday Night Knitting Club. June 11, 6:30 PM. Do you enjoy fiber arts? Are you just curious? If so, join them for a two-hour program. All ages and skill levels are welcome! Deanwood Library, 1350 49th St. NE. 202-6981175. dclibrary.org/deanwood Anacostia and More-Community History Series. June 12, 7:00 PM. Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Senior Historian Gail Lowe and Associate Director for Education Robert Hall offer an illustrated presentation on the history of Anacostia and other communities located in the Ward 8 section of Washington, DC. For registration, call 202633-4844. Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. honfleurgallery.com Verbal Gymnastics-Call and Response Poetry. June 20, 11:30 AM. Participate in an interactive workshop that incorporates poetry and storytelling led by poet and playwright John Johnson. This workshop allows individuals the opportunity to use observation of their community and personal experience to create a unique and original piece that will unlock the poet and wordsmith in everyone. John Johnson will also share some of his poetry and tips that will highlight the creative spirit of the spoken word. For reservations, call 202633-4844. Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, 3500 MLK Ave. SE.

SPORTS, DANCE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Nats Baseball. June 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 and 21. $5, up. Nationals Park. 202-675-6287. washington.nationals.mlb.com National’s Ballpark Tours. Wednesday-Sunday (non-game days), 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM. On day of night-time home games, tours at 10:30 AM. Take the Nationals Park Ballpark Tour for a behind-the-scenes look at Nationals Park. Over the course of an hour and fifteen minutes you will visit the PNC Diamond Club, the Lexus Presidents Club, the Stars & Stripes Club, luxury suites, the Shirley Povich Media Center, Nationals dugout and Nationals clubhouse. Throw a pitch in the Nationals bullpen. $12-$15. All proceeds from Nationals Park Tours will be donated to the Nationals Dream Foundation. washington.nationals. mlb.com Washington Mystics Basketball. June 15, 26 and 29; 7:00 PM. $17, up. Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. wnba.com Purple Stride 5K. June 16, 7:00 AM. Walk

or run a 5K course in downtown Washington, D.C. Join them for music, food, kids’ activities, their PurpleStore, and awards, all while raising awareness for pancreatic cancer. Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave. NW between 13th and 14th sts.). 310-725-0025. kintera.org The Naked Foot 5K. June 24, 8:00 AM. They have partnered with the charity Soles4Souls and encourage runners to bring a pair of shoes to donate and challenge them to run barefoot (although completely optional)! Also included in entry is a really awesome high-tech tee, a raffle for a chance to win amazing prizes, and on-going giveaways by their sponsors. The 1K Kids Fun run is free. thenakedfoot5k.com DC United Soccer Home Match. June 30, 7:30 PM. Vs. Montreal Impact. $23-$52. RFK Stadium. 202-587-5000. dcunited.com Semper Fi 5K. June 30, 8:00 AM. All proceeds will benefit the Semper Fi Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides crucial medical and financial assistance to U.S. servicemen and women wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as to their families. Anacostia Park. semperfi5k.com Adult Dance Classes. Mondays, 7:00-8:15 PM, African dance; Tuesdays, 8:00-9:15 PM, Ballet; Saturdays, 9:00-10:00 AM, Zumba. The Washington Ballet @ THEARC offers three adult classes this year. Classes are $10 each or you may purchase a $100 class card for 12 classes. Classes are only $5 for residents who live in the 20020 or 20032 zip codes. (Valid ID required.) THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Free Yoga Classes at Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Every Thursday, 7:00-8:00 PM. Yoga is a great way to relax, unwind and get grounded. Even if you’ve never done yoga before--this class is for you. Open to people of all abilities, ages and body types. All you need to bring is yourself, comfortable clothing and an open mind. Judgment free zone: having a great time is encouraged! Register in person at Anacostia Neighborhood Library, or call 202-715-7707. 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. dclibrary.org/anacostia Free public tennis courts in Wards 7 and 8. Fort Davis Community Center, 1400 41st St. SE; Hillcrest Recreation Center, 3100 Denver St. SE; Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation Center, 4300 Anacostia Ave. NE; Randle Highlands Tennis Courts, 31st St. and Pennsylvania Ave. SE; Anacostia Park, 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE; Bald Eagle Recreation Center, Martin Luther King, Jr Ave. and Joliet St. SW; Congress Heights Recreation Center, Alabama Ave. and Randle Pl.SE; Fort Stanton Community Center, 1812 Erie St. SE. All courts are open daily, dawn to dusk. Some are lighted for extended evening play. Courts are available on a firstcome, first-served basis for one-hour intervals; extended use of tennis courts requires a permit. Proper shoes and attire is required. 202-671-0314. dpr.dc.gov Roller Skating at Anacostia Park. Skate weekends, sunrise to sunset. This is a covered, outdoor skating pavilion. Free. One-hour free skate “rental” has started but sizes and supplies are limited. During summer months, open daily. Go east on Penn. Ave. across Ana-

costia River and make the first right turn onto Fairlawn Ave. and another right onto Nicholson and then into the park. 202-472-3873.

Councilmember Alexander’s Constituent Services Ofﬁce. Open weekdays, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. 2524 Penn. Ave. SE. 202-581-1560.

East Potomac Driving Range. Open daily except Christmas, 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM. Tuesdays open 10:00 AM to 9:30 PM. The East Potomac Driving Range features 50 covered and 50 uncovered stalls for year-round golf practice. $6 for 51 balls. East Potomac Golf Course, 972 Ohio Dr. SW. 202-554-7660. golfdc.com

Councilmember Barry’s Constituent Services Ofﬁce. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. 2100 MLK Ave, SE, #307. 202-698-2185.

Langston Driving Range. Open every day except Christmas, sun-up to sun-down. In addition to the driving range, Langston has an 18 hole course, snack bar, pro shop and offers golf lessons. 45 balls, $4.75. 180 balls, $14.25. $2, golf club rental. 26th and Benning Rd. NE. 202-397-8638. golfdc.com Anacostia Pool. 1800 Anacostia Dr. SE. 202-724-1441. dpr.dc.gov Barry Farms Pool. 1230 Sumner Rd. SE 202-645-5040. dpr.dc.gov Benning Park Pool. Southern Ave. and Fable St.SE. 202-645-5044. dpr.dc.gov Douglass Pool. Frederick Douglass Ct. and Stanton Ter. SE. 202-645-5045. dpr.dc.gov Fort Dupont Pool. Ridge Rd. and Burns St. SE. 202-6455046. dpr.dc.gov Fort Stanton Pool. 1800 Erie St. SE. 202-678-1798. dpr.dc.gov Kelly Miller Pool. 4900 Brooks St. NE. 202-724-5056. dpr.dc.gov Oxon Run Pool. Fourth St. and Mississippi Ave. SE. 202645-5042. dpr.dc.gov NOTE: All outdoor pools are open weekends, noon6:00 PM. They open daily for the season on June 18. Weekday hours are 1:00-8:00 PM. Every pool is closed one day a week for cleaning and maintenance. All pools for free for DC residents. Have picture ID.

CIVIC LIFE DC Demcratic State Committee 26th KennedysKing Gala. June 21, 6:30 PM. The program will feature outstanding local and national Democratic awards presentations, Congressional guests, a silent auction and a live auctioneer, fashions and door prizes. Washington Hilton Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-714-3368. Financial Literacy Seminar. June 21, 6:30-8:30 PM. Free. Greater Washington Urban League, 2901 14th St. NW. 202-265-8200. gwul.org Annual Tenant Town Hall. June 23, 1:00-4:00 PM. Join Tenants from across the city to talk with elected officials and government agencies about our housing needs and priorities! Get involved in campaigns for affordable housing and strategize to build a stronger tenant movement in DC. Free lunch and childcare will be provided. Please RSVP for childcare by June 15th. There will be interpretation in Spanish, Amharic and Chinese. National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-5407419 or TenantsRights@ledcmetro.org Congresswoman Norton’s SE District Ofﬁce. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. 2041 MLK Ave. SE, #238. 202-6788900. norton.house.gov

Anacostia Coordinating Council Meeting. Last Tuesday, noon-2:00 PM. Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort St. SE. For further details, contact Philip Pannell, 202-8894900. Capitol View Civic Association Meeting. Third Monday, 6:30 PM. Hughes Memorial United Methodist, 25 53rd St. NE. capitolviewcivicassoc.org Historical Anacostia Block Association. Second Thursday, 7:00-9:00 PM. UPO-Anacostia Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. For further details, contact Charles Wilson, 202-834-0600. Anacostia High School School Improvement Team Meeting. Fourth Tuesday. 6:00 PM. Anacostia High School, 16th and R sts. SE. Deanwood Citizens Association General Body Meeting. Fourth Monday, except Aug. and Dec., 6:30 PM. 1350 49th St. NE. Eastland Gardens Civic Association Meeting. Third Tuesday. 6:30-8:30 PM. Kenilworth Elementary School (auditorium), 1300 44th St. NE. Greg Rhett jrhett3009@ aol.com or 202-388-1532. Fairlawn Citizens Association. Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Ora L. Glover Community Room at the Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. ANC 7A. Second Tuesday, 7:30 PM. Benning-Stoddard Rec. Center, 100 Stoddard Pl. SE. 202-727-1000. 7A@ anc.dc.gov. anc7a.org ANC 7B. Third Thursday, 7:00 PM. Ryland Epworth United Methodist Church, 3200 S St. SE (Branch Ave and S St. SE). 202-584-3400. anc7b@pressroom.com. anc7b.us ANC 7C. Second Thursday, 7:00 PM. Sargent Memorial Presbyterian Church, 5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE. 202-398-5100. anc7c@verizon.net ANC 7D. Second Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Sixth District Police Station, 100 42nd St. NE. 202-398-5258. 7D06@anc. dc.gov ANC 7E. Second Tuesday, 7:00-8:30 PM. Jones Memorial Church, 4625 G St. SE. 202-582-6360. 7E@anc.dc.gov ANC 8A. First Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Anacostia UPO Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-889-6600. anc8adc.org ANC 8B. Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. Seventh District Police Station Community Center, Alabama and McGee Sts. SE. 202-610-1818. anc8b.org ANC 8C. First Wednesday (June meeting is on the nineth because of the holiday), 6:30 PM. 2907 MLK Jr Ave. SE. 202-388-2244.

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ANC 8D. Fourth Thursday, 7:00 PM. Specialty Hospital of Washington, 4601 MLK Jr. Ave. SW. 202 561-0774 ANC 8E. Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM. SE Tennis and Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-561-6616. 8e02@ anc.dc.gov ●

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! N O I T A C STAY

Wild, Wacky and Wonderful Ways to Enjoy the DC Area and Beyond This Summer

by Kathleen Donner

n one hand you have high summer gasoline prices, crowded planes (airline travel isn’t glamerous anymore), body scans, flight delays and luggage charges. On the other hand you have the remarkable place that is the Washington DC area in summer. Forget what you’ve heard about the city having been built on a swamp and that everyone who can get away, does. Our art scene remains vibrant. Our street markets are open and thriving. And you can spread out a blanket and hear live music or see an outdoor movie every day of the week. For ideas of what to do, and special hotel rates if you want to take a real “staycation,” check out Destination DC’s website (http://washington.org/planning/about-destination-dc).

DC’s adjoining counties also offer a dizzying array of festivals, fairs and special events. Labeled DC’s largest creative event, Artomatic blazes along in Crystal City through June 23 (artomatic. org). Alexandria celebrates its birthday every year on the Saturday after Independence Day with a festival, concert and fireworks. The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, August 10-18, at the Gaithersburg Fairgrounds, attracts tens of thousands (mcagfair. com). Within a 2-hour drive, there are beaches, battlefields, mountain trails, amusement parks, sports events and historic sites. It’s all here or just a short drive away. Below is our listing (in no particular order) of twelve reasons to hang around. CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 15

unfamiliar. The gardens today are both a snapshot of the typical garden of the day and an expression of Jefferson’s ambitious planting schemes. Charlottesville is about 120 miles from DC. monticello.org

Experience History

Ford’s Theatre offers History on Foot walking tours of downtown led by a costumed actor. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:45 p.m., join Detective McDevitt for a first-hand look at the investigation into the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy and the events of April 14 and 15, 1865. The tour lasts about two hours and involves a 1.4 mile journey. $17.75. fordstheatre.org The often overlooked Fort Ward, 4301 W. Braddock Rd., in Alexandria is the best preserved of the system of Union forts and batteries built to protect Washington during the Civil War (1861-1865). Fort Ward Museum interprets the site’s history and offers exhibits on Civil War topics, education and interpretive programs, tours, lecture and video series, bus tours, and living history activities throughout the year. It’s a fascinating place with excavations, reenactments and costumedcharacter tours. alexandriava.gov/ FortWard The Gettysburg battlefield is the site of the Civil War’s decisive battle and the last time the south invaded the north. They are a year away from their Sesquicentennial reenactment but this is a great time to make the short trip (about 90 miles) out of town for a ranger led tour of the major battlefield sites. For more intense Civil War enthusiastics, local historians offer to drive you around in your car for a sweeping overview of the three-day battle. The ranger tours are free and the local historians work for tips. A visit to the nearby Eisenhower farm is worth the effort. The only way to get there is by shuttle bus from the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. $5-$7.50. gettysburgfoundation.org

from DC, is the most popular historic estate in America and is open every day. They are famous for their rare daylight fireworks display on Independence Day but any day is wonderful at Mount Vernon. Something new this year is the Dinner for the Washingtons Walking Tour-Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. This one-hour tour showcases food, hospitality, and dining at Mount Vernon by taking an in-depth look at locations around the Estate, including the Mansion’s basement. The tour will end in Mount Vernon’s greenhouse with a special tasting. $5 in addition to estate admission. mountvernon.org Great Falls is also worth another look. It’s a gem of a destination and only 15 miles from DC in McLean. Three overlooks give different views of the Great Falls. All are within a five to ten minute walk from the Visitor Center. Access to the Falls is by walking only. Overlooks 2 and 3 are handicap and stroller accessible. Try to visit after a lot of rain when the falls are at their most dramatic. nps.gov/grfa

Re-visit Old Favorites

Smell the Flowers

Slip the Surly Bonds of Earth

Monument of 155th PA Volunteers at Gettysburg. Photo: Ron Zanoni

Locals all know that the best way to see the monuments is at night. The Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, FDR and Korean Memorials are all etherally beautiful after sunset. Now you can add in the World War II and MLK memorials. If you go when it’s raining, you should have Lincoln’s second inaugural address all to yourself. Park on Ohio Drive. nps.gov Mount Vernon, only 16 miles

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Brookland is the Franciscan Monastery, 1400 Quincy St. NE and their delightful adjoining gardens. The gardens seem to be more for contemplation than for play. If you’re inclined, the Monastery itself can be toured on the

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hour every day. myfranciscan.org Visit the American Horticultural Society’s River Farm. The lovely “farm” serves as the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society. Situated on 25 acres of landscaped lawns and gardens, it is located at 7931 E. Boulevard Drive in Alexandria. Here’s what blooming in JuneSouthern magnolia, iris, viburnum, lilies, daylilies, herbs, firethorn, golden raintree, serviceberry, hops, herbs; July-Buckeye, crapemyrtle, daylilies, oakleaf hydrangea, purple coneflower, ornamental grasses; and AugustChaste tree, crapemyrtle, mahonia (fruit), ornamental grasses, passion flower, pawpaw (fruit). Free admission. ahs.org Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello was a botanic laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world. Jefferson grew 330 vegetable varieties in Monticello’s 1000-foot-long garden terrace and 170 fruit varieties. Jefferson employed the latest gardening practices and grew many varieties that have since become

Franciscan Mnastery and gardens

Climb the Netherlands Carillon during their weekly Saturday concerts in June, July and August, 6:00-8:00 p.m. The Netherlands Carillon is a bell tower adjacent to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington that was given to America as an expression of gratitude from the Dutch people for aid provided during and after World War II. The Netherlands Carillon has nice grassy grounds and offers a wonderful panoramic view of DC. nps.gov/ gwmp/nethcarillon Depending of which way the wind is blowing, watch the planes at Reagan National take off or land at Gravelly

Hot air balloon over the Virginia countryside. Photo: Vern Wells

Point Park in Arlington. There are always plenty of picnickers and plenty of parking. The only way to get there is by travelling north by car on GW Parkway just past the airport. The airport runway is just 400 feet away and the planes sweep by at 150 mph and as low as 100 feet. The ultimate trip is in a hot air balloon over the Virginia countryside near Warrenton or over the Eastern Shore. 800soaring. com lists a ballooning site near Baltimore and they seem to be having a saleregularly $199.95, now

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Horse Center. rockcreekhorsecenter.com If you do become “horsey” you may want to save a few dates. The Washington International Horse Show (wihs. org) is October 2328 at the Verizon Center. The Equine Extravaganza (equineextravaganza. SCUBA diving students in the pool Photo: Blue Planet Scuba Diving com) is November 2-4 at the Richmond $169.95. The Flying Circus Hot Air International Raceway. Balloon Festival in Bealeton, VA is August 18 and 19. You negotiate price directly with the balloon pilot. No Watch a New Sport matter where you’re flying from, the If you haven’t seen DC United best times are mornings, 7:00-9:00 yet, this may be the moment to get a.m. and evenings, 6:00-8:00 p.m. hooked on professional soccer. The when the wind conditions are right. remaining summer home matches at Bealeton is about 60 miles from DC. RFK are June 30 vs Montreal Imflyingcircusairshow.com pact; July 28 vs Juventus; Aug 4 vs Columbus Crew; Aug 19 vs Philadelphia Union; Aug 22 vs Chicago Learn a New Sport If you don’t know how to swim Fire; Aug 29 vs New York Red Bulls. adequately or are uncomfortable in dcunited.com The DC Bocce League claims the water, this may be the summer that their balls are harder. The DC to learn to swim. Basic swimming Bocce League was created by a group lessons are available at all DC public of friends looking to bring a differswimming pools for $10. Just ask the ent social and recreational experience pool manager. You’ll be in a class with to DC. Th e idea was sparked by first other new learners. You can also congeneration Italian-American Richtinue with more advanced classes and ie DiFranco, who spent his youth lifesaving if you choose. dpr.dc.gov playing bocce with his family in his Once you’ve learned to swim and hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Th e have started eyeing an exotic vacaCapitol Hill Division play at Garfi eld tion, consider SCUBA diving lessons. Park, 2nd and F sts. SE on Tuesday SCUBA stands for self-contained unand Wednesday evenings in summer. derwater breathing apparatus. You’ll be breathing compressed air and, with the help of a weight belt, sort of flying through the water below the surface. It’s another world entirely. There are several dive schools in the DC area each offering lessons with certification. The closest ones are Blue Planet Scuba Diving (blueplanetdc.com) at Dupont Circle and SPE Dive School in Chevy Chase (scubaedu.com). This might be the summer when you learn how to ride a horse. Many people prefer to take a few private lessons before starting instruction with others. All area riding schools teach the English “Hunt Seat.” The only intown lessons are at the Rock Creek DC United at RFK. Photo: Ben Keller

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Spectators are welcome. dcbocceleague.com The ballparks are cozier, the hot dogs are cheaper and the Bowie Baysox are a lot of fun. It’s counter-intuitive for major league city dwellers to travel to the outer burbs in search for baseball but AAA ball is an entirely different experience. milb.com

vide the tubes, life jackets and some guidance. White water tubing means small rapids. Flat water tubing means no rapids, just drift, and can be enjoyed by young children. Expect to spend about $30-$50 per person for a 1-2 hour experience. Harpers Ferry is about 70 miles from DC. riverriders. com or rivertrail.com

North Beach on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Photo: Courtesy of the Town of North Beach

Get Wet

Dotted all over DC are clean, safe and welcoming outdoor public swimming pools, free for DC residents. When school is out, they open at 1:00 p.m. and operate seven days a week. Every pool, however, is closed one day a week for cleaning and maintenance. Have ID with you. dpr.dc.gov North Beach, Chesapeake Beach, Solomons Island and Sandy Point State Park are all charming Chesapeake Bay destinations a short drive from DC on the Western Shore. Sun bathe, spash in the water, fish, eat crabs and take in the atmosphere of the slower pace and hospitality of this area. North Beach is a quaint, small town. Its seven-block waterfront contains a public fishing pier and a half-mile-long boardwalk with accompanying bike path. The boardwalk is dotted with benches for residents and visitors to linger and Bay-watch. ci.north-beach.md.us White water and flat water tubing is a reason to drive to Harpers Ferry. The tubes used to be tire tubes and this activity used to be haphazzard. Now it’s highly organized and there are several companies that pro-

Listen to the Music

Military Band Concerts at the US Capitol are a rite of summer. On Mondays hear the Navy Band; on Tuesdays, the Air Force Band; on Wednesdays, the Marine Band and on Fridays, the Army Band. All concerts start at 8:00 p.m. (weather permitting) and are a great mix of good music and patriotism. The West Terrace setting couldn’t be better. Bring a folding chair or blanket. The National Park Service offers 6 Rhythm and Blues performances in July and August as part of Fort Dupont Park’s “Summer Theatre” concert series. The concerts are free to the public. There is a Jr. Ranger tent offering programs for children and general information about Fort Dupont Park. Concerts this year are Saturdays, July 14-Aug 18. nps.gov/fodu To celebrate Alexandria’s birthday, on Saturday, July 7, enjoy a concert by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, birthday cake, food and fireworks. The evening culminates in Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” The concert is at 6:00 p.m. and the fireworks are at 9:30 p.m. at Oronoco Bay Park. Free. visitalexandriava.com

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by Chuck Werner... and one more truck to be announced! $5-$15. hagerstownspeedway.com Tour the Dover International Speedway Monster Mile, labeled the worlds fastest one mile oval, on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. The speedway is the only close NASCAR venue and tickets for September races are on sale now. Dover is about 95 miles from DC. doverspeedway.com

rides and doesn’t charge admission. So the Arlington County Fair is worth a visit. August 8-12. 3501 2nd St., So., Arlington. arlingtoncountyfair.us

Amuse Yourself

Don’t worry, Deanwood’s ultimate water slide is also for grown-ups. Deanwood Aquatic Center is open seven days a week, Sophie as Crab and Benjamin Curns as Launce in The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Photo: Michael Bailey Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, a National Historic Site. The Thomas Go Farther Afield 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. It’s free for By following the basic principles Stone House in LaPlata is about 30 DC residents but please remember to of Renaissance theatrical production, miles from DC. nps.gov/thst have ID with you. 1350 49th Street, the American Shakespeare Center NE. dpr.dc.gov Lt. Cmdr. Brian O. Walden, commanding in Staunton, VA gives its audiences Find Out What the Farm Kids Do Kings Dominion started as a safaofficer of the US Navy Band, conducts the some of the pleasures that an Elizari-style ride through an enclosed wildConcert Band during an evening concert at bethan playgoer would have enjoyed. the US Capitol. Photo: U.S. Navy photo by The Prince George’s County Fair Chief Musician Stephen Hassay For instance, Shakespeare’s actors is Maryland’s oldest fair dating back could see their audience; ASC actors to 1842. The annual family-friendly can see you. When an actor can see event includes carnival rides, live aniMove Out of Your Comfort Zone an audience, they can engage with an mals displays, family circus, fireworks, Paintball seems to be a fun, leaudience. Leaving an audience in the live entertainment, food, arts and gal way to do battle with your fellow dark can literally obscure a vital part of crafts, beautiful baby contests, and man. We know this sounds like a copthe drama as Shakespeare designed it. much more. It’s always a pleasure to out but we’re going to direct you to a Coming up are The Merchant of Ven- see the tenderly-cared-for pigs, cows website that features, with details, 24 ice (starts June 20), The Lion in Win- and cabbage. September 6-9. Water paintball sites in Virginia and 18 in ter (starts June 19), Two Gentlemen St., Upper Marlboro. Maryland. There are no DC paintball of Verona (starts July 8). Staunton is The Prince William County Fair sites. They all seem to be out in the Deanwood’s great water slide. Photo: Courtesy about 150 miles from DC. american- in Manassas is the largest county fair of DC Department of Parks and Recreation country, with handpainted signs and shakespearecenter.com in Virginia. They will have over 200 the prices that vary widely. Here’s the In 1935, Frank Lloyd Wright dewebsite, pbreview.com, and lood luck. signed a modern vacation house for life park that contained lions. Hence The Advance Auto Parts Monster the Edgar J. Kaufmann family, boldly the name. It’s now a major amusement Jam is in Philadelphia at the Lincoln extending it over a waterfall in a beaupark with thrill rides, water park, kids’ Financial Field on June 9 and Hagertiful forest. Today, Fallingwater is a area and live entertainment. No one stown at the Hagerstown Speedway on famous National Landmark visited by mentions the lions. Kids will like the July 2-22. USHRA Monster Trucks over 135,000 people every year. FallDinosaurs Alive! area where you step including Grave Digger driven by ingwater is the only major Wrightback in time to periods between 245 Chad Tingler, Maximum Destruction designed house to open to the public million and 65 million years ago in driven by Tom Meents, Advance Auto with its furnishings, artwork, and setthe world’s largest animatronic dinoParts Grinder driven by John Seasock, ting intact. Mill Run, PA is about 200 saur park which features 36 life-sized Grave Digger The Legend driven by miles from DC. fallingwater.org dinosaurs in a Jurassic forest setting. Adam Anderson, Wolverine driven by Prior to the Revolutionary War, Kings Dominion is just off route 95, Alex Blackwell, El Toro Loco driven Thomas Stone led a very comfortabout 85 miles south of DC. There’s a able life as a planter and lawyer. significant saving if you purchase tickYoung man grooming a goat for competition After realizing war with Great ets online. kingsdominion.com Photo: Courtesy of Prince George’s County Fair Britain was inevitable, he risked Ocean City has one of the great everything he held dear-life, for- commercial vendors and 3,000 vol- old, tacky boardwalks with their wontune, and sacred honor-to safe- unteers. They even have a beautiful derful smells of greasy fries, boardwalk guard American rights. To that baby contest and the fairway rides are pizza and cotton candy. It’s not withend, Thomas Stone became one especially impressive. August 10-18. out the standard, rigged-to-be-decepof 56 men to sign one of the most pwcfair.com tive games of chance and thrill rides, important documents in World Arlington County doesn’t actually including a few old roller coasters. It’s History; the Declaration of In- have farms but they do have a fair. It’s part of summer and it never seems to dependence. His original farm more for beekeepers and florists, how- change. Ocean City is about 140 miles Ther Monster Mile. Photo: Courtesy of Dover Internahouse and out-buildings are now ever. This fair is fun, has small kiddie from DC. ococean.com. ● tional Speedway 20 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

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Summer Destinations at a Glance Chesapeake Beach Water Park • www.chesapeakebeachwaterpark.com At the resort community of Chesapeake Beach, less than an hour from Washington, DC, you can have a splash-in’ fun- in- the- sun time in their eight water slides, fountains, waterfalls, a lagoon, kid’s activity pool and more, guaranteed to treat everyone to a cool time! Everyday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Fridays July 6 - August 10, Open Late, 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. THEY HAVE NIGHT SLIDES AGAIN THIS YEAR! Destination DC • www.washington.org/summer Plan your summer in Washington, DC today! Find special values at leading hotels, tours and attractions, plus 100 free (and almost free) things to do in DC. Entertainment Cruises • www.EntertainmentCruises.com Introducing National Elite private yacht—new to National Harbor, Maryland. Perfectly exclusive for up to 150 guests, National Elite offers completely customized events with flexible menu, beverage, entertainment, décor, route and cruising options. At your command and available for charters starting Summer 2012. Call 866.834.7245 for more information. Gaylord National • www.gaylordhotels.com Just minutes outside of Washington, DC, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center offers visitors everything they are looking for in a vacation, weekend getaway, business trip or just a night out. Discover fine dining and casual restaurants, unique shopping experiences, an indoor pool, and a 20,000-square-foot spa and fitness center. George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum and Gardens www.mountvernon.org Experience history at every turn at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Museum and Gardens. Tour the mansion and the stunning gardens, grounds and river view. Explore the Ford Orientation Center and the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, home to 25 engaging theaters and galleries with original artifacts.

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Kutztown Festival • www.kutztownfestival.com Enjoy old-fashioned affordable family fun at the 63rd Kutztown Folk Festival. Over 200 demonstrating craftsmen, 2,000 beautiful hand-made quilts, folk life demonstrations, six stages of entertainment, lots of children’s activities, with the best Pennsylvania Dutch food anywhere. This year featuring the Pennsylvania State Civil War Roadshow, and “Pennsylvanians in the Civil War.” June 30 – July 8, 2012. Mountain Side of Maryland • www.mdmountainside.com Mountain Maryland makes for perfect weekend getaways. From Outdoor Adventure to Arts and Entertainment, Museums and Galleries to Steam Train Rides, Hiking and Biking Tours, Camping and Lodging Deals and plenty of shopping, there is always something for the whole family to enjoy! Located so close to DC, you will spend less time travelling and more time having fun!

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Kingsmill • www.kingsmill.com The beauty of the James River is enough to warrant a trip to Kingsmill Resort. Now, when you stay Sunday through Thursday, you get your fourth night free!! Bring the whole Family to experience their marina, five on-site restaurants, a tranquil spa, a full-service fitness center and three 18-hole golf courses.

| JUNE 2012

National Archives Foundation • www.archives.gov/nae The National Archives experience tells the stories of the American Journey to young and old, scholars and students, cynics and dreamers. Discover a number of public programs this June including; From the Vaults: 100 years of the Girl Scouts; Angel Island: Immigration Gateway to America and 1940: America Goes to the Movies! North Beach • www.northbeachmd.org Spend a day on the Chesapeake Bay! Nestled on the bay’s western shore at the northern tip of Calvert County, North Beach offers the best of many worlds. This quaint, small town has easy access to Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its seven-block waterfront contains a public fishing pier, half-mile-long boardwalk/bike path, warm, sandy beach and Wetlands Overlook Park! Shopping and dining options are within walking distance from the boardwalk.

19th Annual

Hillcrest Garden Tour June 23 â€“ 10 AM & Noon The Hillcrest Garden Tour Committee (HGTC) is creating a different experience for you this year. The Committee decided to give back to the Community by making over the front gardens of two senior members of the Hillcrest family. Both seniors were delighted by the prospects of having their gardens reinvigorated. HGTC developed designs for the projects then set to work digging up tree stumps, trimming hedges, removing weeds and poison ivy, preparing garden beds, and planting flowers. Funding for materials is being provided by the Hillcrest Community Civic Association. We will tour the homes at 10 AM and Noon departing from the corner of 33rd and Denver Streets SE. No tickets are required.

The Hillcrest Garden Tour Committee www.hillcrestdc.com CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 23

BULLETIN BOARD Child enjoys the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Photo: Coourtesy of DDOT

Follow the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Like Never Before

Signs of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative’s progress in creating a world-class waterfront in the District of Columbia are all around, but now anyone can follow that progress like never before at anacostiawaterfront.org. The latest information about new bridges, trails and other transportation improvements that are helping to drive a renaissance of the Anacostia River and surrounding neighborhoods is only a few clicks away. The District Department of Transportation launched the new site to better inform the public about the important roles its infrastructure projects and partnerships are playing in the rebirth of the waterfront. All Anacostia Waterfront Initiative projects and program benefits are profiled with descriptions, photos, drawings, maps, plans and other information at anacostiawaterfront.org, along with current news, upcoming events, frequently asked questions and employment opportunities.

Hillcrest Day

The Hillcrest Community Civic Association (HCCA), the Metropolitan Police Department and the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation invite you to the HCCA’s first Hillcrest Day on Saturday, June 23, 2012, from 11 AM to 5 PM at the Hillcrest Recreation Center at 32nd and Denver Streets, SE. There are several planned activities, including sack races, face painting, relay races, bingo, card games, and putting contests, in addition to free food and other vendors. Contact Earl Williams for 24 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

more information at (202) 584-2703.

Dedicated Tutors Needed

Since the launch of the Deanwood GED/SAT tutoring clinic in October 2011, over 30 volunteers have worked extensively with students to prepare them for the standardized tests necessary to take the next steps in their educations and careers. One of the only free, drop-in tutoring opportunities in the District, the Deanwood clinic has provided individualized support to 26. To make the Deanwood tutoring clinic effec| JUNE 2012

tive, they need dedicated people to work on test prep. Training for tutors will be held in the upcoming months, but in the meantime, anyone who is interested is encouraged to register. With any questions, contact Torey at thollingsworth@greaterdccares.org or 202-777-4453.

able footwear. June 23, 9:00 a.m.noon. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6906. nps.gov/keaq

June’s Friends Day at Kenilworth Park

Join the Anacostia Community Museum staff in celebrating the creativity and cultural expression found in schools, churches, community organizations, businesses, and other venues in the East of

They need 20-30 volunteers for a variety of light duty volunteer projects to help the park out. Meet at the maintenance yard wearing comfort-

Anacostia Community Museum Featured at Smithsonian Folklife Festival

the River neighborhoods. Festivalgoers will meet exciting artists, and enjoy performances by line dancers, African dancing and drumming, church choirs, hip-hop dancing, and go-go bands. Enjoy stories by a master storyteller: see demonstrations on the art of tattooing and learn about its history; meet members of a multi-generational quilting guild and learn to make quilt blocks; learn crafts; and meet creative and inspiring residents from this part of Washington, DC. Smithsonian Folklife Festival. June 24-July 1 and July 4-8. 11:00 AM-5:30 PM. Evening events at 6:00 PM. Festival features programs on Campus and Community, Citified, and Creativity and Crisis. Free entrance. National Mall between 7th and 14th sts. folklife. si.edu/center/festival

Penn Branch Community Yard Sale

The Penn Branch Citizens/Civic Association is holding its annual community yard sale on Saturday, June 9, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., in the parking lot of the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, 30th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. Proceeds from the sale of household items, furniture, and collectibles will support the activities of this 40+-year-old civic association, including the maintenance of the Ward 7 9-11 Memorial Park. Contact Susan Hormuth at susanhormuth@verizon.net or 202-5843994 for information on donating items for sale.

District Calls for Proposals for St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion

In a bold step that opens the gates toward transforming the historic St. Elizabeths East campus into a birthplace for new and profitable commerce, the District of Columbia Department of General Services has issued a Request for Proposals for the design and construction of an innovative, flexible, and aesthetically unique structure to serve a wide range of interim uses and allow visitors to experience the site before redevelopment is complete. Envisioned as a destination for casual dining, as well as a venue for hosting a farmers’ market and other weekend and afterhours, com-

munity, cultural and arts events, the Gateway Pavilion will set the stage for a once-in-a-generation development that will cultivate globally significant economic opportunities. While predevelopment and development activities take shape, and until new permanent uses begin in earnest, the Gateway Pavilion will serve as an interim (2-5 years) heart of the East Campus, drawing heavy pedestrian traffic from the West Campus, the Congress Heights neighborhood, and the adjacent Congress Heights Metro station. In addition to accommodations for community activities and farmers’ markets, the Gateway Pavilion will host a number of small vendors/food stalls, food trucks and other mobile vendors, shared seating for patrons, and support facilities including storage and restroom spaces. To realize the District’s goals of fiscal stability, job creation, and economic competitiveness, the redevelopment will provide amenities for both the surrounding Ward 8 communities and the 4,400 Coast Guard employees who are scheduled to arrive on the West Campus in May 2013. dgs.dc.gov

Core Health & Wellness Center Opens in Ward 8

The Core Health & Wellness Center at Sheridan Station, 2516 Sheridan Rd. SE, is a private physician’s office that will provide primary care services to not only the immediate residents, but to the greater Ward 8 community and anyone else who would like to be serviced there. It reflects the commitment of a minority provider to give back to the community. The wellness center is a 100% private investment in primary care and preventive healthcare. It is the brainchild of Dr. Gloria A. Wilder, and her decision to establish her practice in Sheridan Station demonstrates her commitment to reinvest her own resources in local underserved communities. Her goal is to be a part of rebuilding and strengthening strong communities for all families living in the District of Columbia. Dr. Wilder is a nationally recognized pediatrician, public speaker and expert on poverty and social jus-

tice. Dr. Gloria, as her patients call her, has received numerous awards including being named Physician Humanitarian of the Year by George Washington University in 2004 and the National Caring Award for exceptional generosity and commitment to service in 2005. Her work has been featured on CBS’ 48 Hours and NBC’s Dateline. She was also featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, where she was given the Oprah Winfrey Use Your Life Award.

SOS: Steps of Success to Wellness at THEARC

The SOS: Steps of Success to Wellness is a training series, taught by experienced medical practitioners including several pediatricians and a dentist. Sessions take place the third Thursday of every month from 5:007:00 p.m. The final session is June 21-Waiting to Exhale: Living with Asthma led by Dr. Wood. Free. For more information or to register, contact Ellen Wiggins at 202-436-3076. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org

East of the River Distinguished Artist Award Call to Artists

The first Annual East of the River Distinguished Artist Award recognizes a current East of the Anacostia River artist for artistic excellence as well as significant impact on the DC cultural life. One EOR artist is honored with this $5,000 award each year. Nominations for 2012’s East of the River Distinguished Artist Award are due by June 15, 2012. Artists who currently live East of the Anacostia River neighborhoods in all disciplines-including dance, film, literature, music, theater, photography and visual arts-whose careers have made a substantial impact on the arts in the District of Columbia may apply. Artists must have lived East of Anacostia River for at least one year and worked in District of Columbia for more than five years. No one may receive the award more than once. No posthumous awards will be made. Application must include at least two pieces of work that have been completed or are in progress from the current year of application. The award celebrates the achievements and contributions of

East of the River artists. In recognizing them, the award will help document the East of the River cultural history and continue the long succession of tradition EOR artists. This award is the newest component of the ARCH Development Corporation support for local artists and will be given on an annual basis. Applications are accepted either by mail only or dropping off applications in person. An application form, a one to two page description of the candidate’s career and its impact, up to fifteen (15) images or documentation of the work along with a required image script, resume and two letters of support are required. Anyone that qualifies as an East of the River artist may apply. For more information, visit honfleurgallery.com.

Green Tip from the Center for Green Urbanism

Avoid Chemical Air Fresheners. The problem: Air fresheners can contain dangerous ingredients like dichlorobenzene, naphthalene, and formaldehyde. Conventional scented candles aren’t much better. Many are made from petroleum-based paraffin wax, which releases carcinogenic soot when burned, and some have leadcore wicks, which release toxic lead into the air when burned. Linked to: respiratory irritation, cancer. The solution: Avoid candles and air fresheners with synthetic fragrances. Instead, leave out a bowl of baking soda to absorb odors, and switch from paraffin to 100-percent beeswax or soy candles with cotton wicks. Center for Green Urbanism, 3938 Benning Rd. NE. 202-506-3867. centerforgreenurbanism.org

Southeast Tennis & Learning Center Offers Adult Tennis Lessons

The Southeast Tennis and Learning Center is a premier tennis site of the DC area. The center has 4 indoor tennis courts and 6 out-door tennis courts. During the school-year the center offers after school programming for ages 6-17 with playing levels of beginner to advanced. In the evening and weekend adult advanced/intermediate classes are offered. Beginning and intermediate CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 25

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Casey Trees volunteers plant a tree. Photo: Courtesy of Casey Trees

Fort Dupont Park Needs Volunteers

There are many reasons why you might consider volunteering in Fort Dupont Park, and there are a variety of ways in which to help. Perhaps youâ€™d like to see a cleaner local community park.. Maybe you would enjoy community garden, or enjoy the fresh air and exercise required to maintain our trails. They can always use help with traffic control and other tasks during the popular summer concerts. You might think of other ways to help, as well. The National Park Serviceâ€™s Volunteers-In-Park (VIP) program was authorized by public law enacted in 1970. Anyone can be a volunteer. Volunteers are accepted from the public without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. For volunteer information contact the Fort Dupont Activity Center at 202-426-7723. Projects are available for individuals and groups of any size.

classes are $10 for the series. Register online. 202-645-6242. dpr.dc.gov

Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. nps.gov/keaq

Listen to the Music at Kenilworth Park

Washington Highlands Interim Library Closed

Listen to the sounds of nature, try some meditation, and some yoga for a half hour to heal and relax the spirit. This program is especially beneficial to those recovering from surgery or illness. Call Kate at 202-426-6905 for more information. June 10, 17 and 24; July 8 and Aug. 4; 1:00-1:30 p.m. Kenilworth

The Washington Highlands Interim Library closed permanently on May 19 in preparation for the opening of the new library. The new library at 115 Atlantic St. SW will open on Wednesday, June 13 at 11:00 a.m. with a ribbon cutting with Mayor Gray. During the move, library users can pick up holds at Parklands-

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| JUNE 2012

Turner Library. dclibrary.org

Public Ice Skating at Fort Dupont Resumes in July

Fort Dupont Ice Arena has been closed for annual maintenance since March. It will reopen July 8. Dress for warmth and safety! Clothes should be easy to move in, and pants must not fall below the heel of the skate (sweatpants or leggings are a good choice). Everyone needs to wear gloves or mittens, and one pair of thin, long socks or tights that fit

snugly (no ankle socks). A helmet or knit hat is strongly recommended (loaner helmets are available). Skating is $5 for adults and $4 for kids 12 and under and seniors 65 and older. Skate rental is $3. 3779 Ely Pl. NE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org

Discovering Community

Behind the Scenes at the Anacostia Community Museum

On certain Fridays, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at of some of the holdings used in ex-

panding the Anacostia Community Museum’s role as a community museum. The tour will explore art that provides daily inspiration, observe some of the museum’s ongoing preservation projects, and possibly preview some of the objects being assembled for future exhibitions. The tours are at 10:00 a.m. on June 15 and 22; July 13, 20 and 27; August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. Space is limited. Reservations are required; call 202-633-4844. Participants meet at the museum’s rear parking lot staff entrance by 9:55 a.m. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202633-4820. anacostia.si.edu

Wards 7 and 8 Animal Health Fairs

Ward 7 Animal Health Fair is June 16, 9:00-11:30 a.m. at Triangle Park, Minnesota Ave. and Croffut Pl. SE. The Ward 8 fair is June 16, 1:30-4:00 p.m. at Knox Pl. and Alabama Ave. SE. Services offered are free vaccinations, dog licenses, adoptable animals and emergency preparedness. You can also learn about animals and “Ask a Veterinarian.” The free animal health clinics are a part of the Department of Health’s efforts to prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases transmitted from animals to humans. District law requires all owners to license their dogs, and vaccinate all cats and dogs over four months old against rabies and distemper. Dogs must be secured on a leash and cats must be secured in a carrier box. The cost of a dog licenses is $15 for a spayed or neutered dog, and $50 for an unneutered dog. Pet owners are advised to bring pet vaccination records if pets have already been vaccinated prior to attending the animal health clinic. Upcoming animal health clinics will also feature information on responsible pet ownership, such as how to properly dispose of dog waste and the importance of following the District’s leash law. 202-5352323. doh.dc.gov

Sasha Bruce Youthwork Transitional Youth Housing

In July 2011, Sasha Bruce Youthwork accepted the donation of two adjoining lots totaling roughly one-quarter of an acre at 5032 D St. SE in Ward 7. Their vision is to rehabilitate an existing, abandoned structure on one of these lots for use as affordable, service-enriched transitional housing for homeless youth. Their workforce development program, YouthBuild, has extensive experience in training youth and young adults in a variety of construction trades. They are eager to use this donated property as a hands-on training site and community service endeavor for the young people enrolled in their YouthBuild program. sashabruce.org

Public Art East of the River Tour

Some of the most exciting public art in the District of Columbia is on view east of the Anacostia River. The artworks make bold statements and reflect the diversity and craftsmanship of artists through mosaics, paint, and a variety of sculptural materials. On Sunday, June 10, 2:00-3:30 p.m., join The Anacostia Community Museum on a guided tour and travel to select sites and view art by Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Roderick Turner, Uzikee Nelson, and others. Mixed-media artist Deidra Bell will serve as your guide. For registration and meet-up location, call 202-633-4844. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu

Unity Health Care Anacostia Center Grand Opening

This May 7 event celebrated a mission accomplished for DCPCA’s Medical Homes DC program, which is expanding access to primary care for the Ward 8 community. It also witnessed a transformation in health care services from a Quonset hut to a brand new medical home. Unity Health CareAnacostia Health Center is located at 1500 Galen St. SE (near 16th & W sts.). l

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY DCHA Public Hearing Notice The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is providing notice of a Public Hearing to discuss and solicit comments on the agency’s proposed 2013 Moving To Work (MTW) Plan. The hearing date is Tuesday, June, 26, 2012, 6:00 p.m. at 1133 North Capitol Street, NE, in the 2nd floor Board Room. The MTW program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that allows select public housing authorities to design and implement innovative programs and policies with the intent to 1) reduce costs and improve efficiencies; 2) encourage residents to obtain employment and become economically self-sufficient; and 3) increase housing choices for low-income families. To request a copy of the plan, please contact DCHA Office of Public Affairs (202) 535-1315. Written comments on the proposed plan initiatives can be submitted via e-mail prior by June 22, 2012, to: MTW@dchousing.org or by mail to Eileen Neely, Director of Strategic Planning, DCHA 1133 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20002. Information on the MTW program is available on the DCHA web-site at www.dchousing.org CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

District Beat

The Scandal That Shouldn’t Have Been by Martin Austermuhle

fter a year of speculation, conjecture and political guessing, in May U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ron Machen made his move against two campaign aides to Mayor Vince Gray for their role in paying Sulaimon Brown to attack Mayor Adrian Fenty during the 2010 campaign. Assistant campaign treasurer Thomas Gore pleaded guilty to illegally funneling money to Brown and then lying about it, while Howard Brooks admitted to being less than truthful about the affair when asked by federal investigators. Both are likely to serve jail time, but their admissions of culpability have brought the simmering year-long scandal to a fullfledged boil. With Gore and Brooks having admitted their roles in the Brown affair, there are still any number of questions that remain unresolved. How much, if anything, did Gray know? Does Machen have enough evidence to roll up towards Gray, or did Gray remain insulated enough to provide the sort of reasonable doubt that a jury would use to acquit him if taken to trial? Will Gray even finish his term? But even more pressing is the question that Gray’s supporters, advisors and campaign staff must be asking each other now—was it even necessary? That’s probably the easiest question to answer. No, it wasn’t. Illegality aside, there was simply no reason that the Gray campaign needed to illicitly hire an attack dog to let loose against Fenty. Gray didn’t need Brown to attack Fenty to make the point that Fenty shouldn’t be re-elected because it seemed that most residents felt that way even before Gray decided to get into the race. In 2009, the Clarus Research Group found that 53 percent of voters wanted someone other than Fenty. In a two-way matchup against 28 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

Mayor Gray talks to a supporter. Photo: Andrew Lightman.

Gray, it reported, Gray would win with 41 percent to Fenty’s 37 percent. Though 38 percent of voters admitted to not knowing much about the man who would eventually become mayor, they were already inclined to vote for him over the man who was serving as mayor. A few months later, a January 2010 poll published by The Washington Post similarly found that Fenty’s approval rating going into election year stood at 42 percent, a huge drop from the 72 percent he had enjoyed two years prior. Among African American voters, the decrease in support was even more stark—from a high of 68 percent in 2008, Fenty fell to a mere 29 percent in 2010. Even Fenty’s closest advisors seemed to see the writing on the wall—Bill Lightfoot, his campaign chair and a former member of the D.C. Council, recently told the Post’s Robert McCartney as much: “We knew already in May and early June, before they did anything il| JUNE 2012

legal, that Adrian was in very deep trouble, because people just didn’t like him.” Given the strong anti-Fenty sentiment in the city at the time, Gray didn’t need to make much of a case for his own candidacy—much less did he need someone like Brown to make it for him. Brown was the quintessential fringe candidate, with little money, virtually no staff or organization, and no chance of winning. Additionally, there were other mayoral hopefuls that took aim at Fenty’s policies without having been paid to do so, including Leo Alexander and Ernest E. Johnson. Beyond the political wisdom (or utter lack thereof ) of illegally paying Brown to attack Fenty—which he did with gusto, sometimes crossing lines that even alienated hardcore Gray supporters—it seems mind-boggling that Gore, Brooks and the other unnamed conspirators were convinced that they needed Brown’s services to make the case for Gray stronger. On primary day, Brown could only muster 200 votes for his own candidacy, leaving plenty of people to ask: if you can’t even get people to vote for you, could you get them to vote for anyone else? Numerically, there simply wasn’t a Brown bloc that moved towards Gray, and many of the people who voted for Gray would have done so with or without Brown’s constant haranguing of Fenty on the campaign trail. Of course, various former Fenty supporters argue that Brown only helped strengthen the existing narrative against Fenty, not to mention throw him off his game at campaign debates. But would that have been enough to swing an election that already seemed like it wouldn’t be particularly close? No.

On September 14, 2010, Gray defeated Fenty by over 13,000 votes— far beyond what Brown could have helped him deliver. D.C. voters were already willing to throw Fenty out of office—they didn’t need a fringe candidate like Brown to make the decision any easier. But we now know that Brown was paid for the troubles and offered a government job in the aftermath. The discovery of that fact last year and the ensuing year-long federal investigation hasn’t only landed two people in jail, but has also distracted Gray and strengthened the very narrative that he sought to downplay during the election—that he was just another Marion Barry in the making. Worse yet, it may derail what’s left of Gray’s term or cut it short altogether. The city’s chattering political types are openly speculating that Gray won’t be around for much longer, further sinking confidence in his leadership and eroding what little political capital he might have had left. Given the favorable political environment they faced in 2010 and the crisis that their decision to fund Brown has caused, Gore, Brooks and the rest of the Gray campaign conspirators shouldn’t only be ashamed that what they did was criminal, but that it was criminally stupid. They didn’t need Brown to get Gray elected, but it could well be Brown that brings him down.

McDuffie Delivers in Ward 5

While the mayoral scandal gained steam, the scandal that felled Harry Thomas, Jr. (to be known as prisoner 31866-016 for the next three years) finally found some closure on May 15 as Ward 5 voters selected Kenyan McDuffie to fill the seat on the D.C. Council that Thomas had once held. McDuffie, a former letter carrier turned prosecutor, won the crowded contest convincingly, taking just over

43 percent of the vote and besting second-place finisher Delano Hunter by over 2,000 votes. What accounted for such a lopsided victory? Plenty of things. First off, McDuffie enjoyed both broad union support and backing from progressives and newer Ward 5 residents. The unions played to the ward’s middle class roots, while progressive support brought out new voters in what turned out to be McDuffie’s strongest precincts, those encompassing parts of Bloomingdale, Eckington, Brookland, and his home base, Stronghold. The breadth of his support was obvious when the votes were tallied—McDuffie outright won 10 of 18 precincts, and in the eight that he didn’t win, he placed second. In the precincts he won, he won big, taking between 67 and 71 percent in his top two. Second, many of his competitors either didn’t adequately define themselves, took too long to hit the ground running or were conflicted by past positions. Republican contender Tim Day could boast of having brought down Thomas, but he fell short on retail politics. Frank Wilds, who finished third, raised a lot of money quickly, but early in the campaign couldn’t accurately inspire any confidence as to why he was running. Hunter struggled with his 2010 opposition to samesex marriage; progressives distrusted him for it, while fellow opponents of marriage equality were upset that he was trying to distance himself from a past policy position so quickly. McDuffie, who will have taken office when this column hits the stands, can use the broad support—after having been unrepresented on the council since January, Ward 5 residents can at least move on from Thomas with a representative that was widely supported. Martin Austermuhle is the Editorin-Chief of DCist.com and a freelance writer. He lives in Petworth. l

Record of Decision U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS AT ST. ELIZABETHS, WASHINGTON, DC

PUBLIC NOTICE The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) National Capital Region has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Master Plan Amendment for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths. GSA previously issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) identifying the impacts of this amendment in March 2012 for a 30-day public review period. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), it is GSA’s decision to implement the Preferred Alternative of construction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, roadway improvements to Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue, and roadway improvements to the Interstate 295/Malcolm X Avenue interchange. These actions are necessary as part of the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths Campus associated with consolidating DHS Headquarters. The complete ROD is available on the project website: www.stelizabethsdevelopment.com. If you have questions, please contact Denise Decker by phone at 202-538-5643 or email at denise.decker@gsa.gov. CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 29

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

The Numbers

LivingSocial’s Latest Deal A Big Tax Break from DC

ivingSocial, the online daily deal company, is looking to take advantage of a deal all their own — from the DC government. The company has asked the city for a $32.5 million tax break package, and in return it is pledging to keep its global headquarters in the District.

Should the City Buy This Deal?

Mayor’s Gray and his economic development team are eager to keep LivingSocial here. It is a homegrown company and it has grown from almost nothing two years ago to 1,000 employees in the District today, half of them DC residents. The mayor hopes that LivingSocial will help create a high-technology hub in DC and diversify our economy. Yet a tax break package of this size raises eyebrows and a number of concerns. LivingSocial says they are negotiating incentive packages with other cities, but the company also has made clear that its employees enjoy working and living in the District, and it badly wants to consolidate its six scattered DC offices into one building. Offering LivingSocial a big tax break will probably create bad sentiment about the city’s commitment to small businesses, and it sets a bad precedent if a large employer can threaten to leave if it doesn’t get a tax break. In the end, the only way to judge whether this deal is worth buying is to look at the fine print. And that closer look shows that the deal is not as good for DC as it may appear. On one hand, LivingSocial would have 30 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

by Kwame Boadi and Ed Lazere to build or renovate a major office building in the city, and it would face some requirements for hiring new employees and specifically DC residents. On the other hand, the deal could allow LivingSocial to claim substantial tax breaks without hiring many DC residents and without expanding, and it would allow the company potentially to leave the city in just a few years, after claiming its tax subsidies. Unless those issues are addressed, the DC Council should say “No thanks.”

What’s Right About the LivingSocial Deal

LivingSocial is a large employer with growth potential. Its main product — online retail discounts — is a new industry that has shown volatility and undoubtedly will change as it matures. Nevertheless, the chance that LivingSocial could grow substantially and help diversify the DC economy — they currently plan to grow to 2,000 DC-based employees in the next few years — is enough reason for the District to encourage the company to stay. LivingSocial has promised to provide social media and training opportunities for small businesses and to train software developers in the District, which could help build DC’s high-tech profile. Beyond that, Mayor Gray has negotiated a deal with LivingSocial that attempts to build some protections for the city. LivingSocial won’t be able to use any subsidies until 2016, and more than half the subsidies are tied to corporate income | JUNE 2012

tax breaks that require the company to actually be profitable. The deal also requires LivingSocial to occupy 200,000 square feet of office space and enter into a 10-year lease if they choose to rent rather than own. The package also tries to tie the tax subsidies to LivingSocial’s expansion and on hiring DC residents. To get the maximum subsidy, LivingSocial must continue to hire new employees throughout the tax abatement period, and at least half of its new hires must be DC residents.

What’s Wrong with the LivingSocial Deal

If LivingSocial were to do what it says it plans to do — grow to 2,000 employees, continue to hire DC residents, and occupy a major chunk of DC real estate for a decade or more — a subsidy deal probably would make sense. Unfortunately the terms of the deal negotiated with the city don’t promise any of those things. Consider this: Even if LivingSocial does not hire a single District resident, it still could get $16.5 million in tax breaks — half of the total package. Moreover, while the subsidy deal requires “new hires,” the fine print shows that this could come merely from turnover — new employees replacing departing ones. The only real employment floor in the subsidy deal is that LivingSocial employ 1,000 workers — its current employment level. If LivingSocial doesn’t have to expand its DC employment at all, that is not much of a deal. Even it hires 1,000 more, with 500 from DC, that works out to a subsidy of

$65,000 per new District resident employee, a very high cost. An Illinois job development program caps subsidies at $5,000 per new job. Beyond the limited job guarantees, the deal DC has negotiated would allow the company to take the money and run in as little as a few years. LivingSocial is considering relocating because commercial property rents in the District are extremely high. That will continue to be true when LivingSocial’s tax abatements run out, which could happen pretty quickly. The city estimates that LivingSocial could claim all property tax abatements in as little as three years from the start date, which means by the end of 2018. The corporate income tax abatements also could be used quickly if the company is as successful as it expects to be. There is nothing to make the company repay if it leaves before the end of the 10year abatement period.

Making the Best Possible Deal for DC

The LivingSocial subsidy package could be altered to guarantee real benefits for the city. First, LivingSocial should not get any subsidy if the share of employees who are DC residents falls below a certain floor. Since one-third of all jobs in DC are held by DC residents, we suggest at least 40 percent of new workers should be DC residents. Second, the subsidy should be tied to actually increasing employment in DC. While it may make sense to offer some tax break in recognition of the 1,000 jobs LivingSo-

cial has created already, LivingSocial should be expected to continue growing in the District to claim the full subsidy package. Third, LivingSocial should be required to pay back a portion of the tax breaks it receives if the company leaves in less than 10 years. If the goal of keeping LivingSocial here is to attract other companies, that won’t work if LivingSocial itself doesn’t stay. Fourth, the city should scale back the size of the subsidy per job to something more reasonable. Finally, DC should expect LivingSocial to provide greater community benefits. The company should commit to the number of summer job program participants it will hire, the number of DC businesses it will work with, and the number of software developers it will train. It would be even better if LivingSocial would commit to working with local institutions, like the University of the District of Columbia or the Community College, for some of its training programs, to increase the chances that DC residents can be put on a pathway towards employment with the company. LivingSocial officials have made clear that they want to be in DC and continue to grow here. That’s good news for the District’s economy, and it may make sense for the city to offer something to LivingSocial in return. But like any good consumer knows, the District shouldn’t take this deal unless it is guaranteed something good in return. Boadi and Lazere are staff at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (www.dcfpi. org), which conducts research on tax and budget issues that affect low- and moderate-income DC residents. l CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 31

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

DCPS Barring Notices “Safety Tool” or “Outrageously Skewed” Practice? by Virginia Avniel Spatz

very morning for months, a six-year-old Randle Highlands student traveled to school in care of his aunt. His aunt stayed with him through breakfast and helped him transition to the classroom. Then, one day during breakfast, another child told his aunt about something disturbing that had happened to him at school. Shortly after she reported the incident to proper authorities, her family’s morning routine was interrupted suddenly and indefinitely. Arriving at school as usual on Dec. 6, Geraldine Washington and her first-grade nephew were surrounded by police officers. Washington was issued a “barring notice,” revoking visiting privileges. Washington complied, calling another relative to remain with her nephew, who was frightened by his aunt’s apparent arrest. Since then, the child’s mother has had to take daily leave from her job to help with classroom transition. Washington’s nephew will likely remain at Randle Highlands in Ward 7, according to family members, despite the barring upheaval. For one Ward 8 family, who prefers to remain anonymous, however, a barring notice they believe unwarranted led to the children immediately enrolling at another DC public school; they find the atmosphere more welcoming, and the children have been thriving there for two years. As both cases highlight, parents, guardians and other community members can be barred from a school without due process. There is no appeal procedure. Barrings are of indefinite duration. In addition, says At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson, “it isn’t clear as to what criteria are” for barring someone. Mendelson is also concerned that records “suggest disparate treatment, depending upon where the school is located,” with far more notices issued at schools in Wards 5, 7 and 8 than elsewhere in the city.

Disproportionate Use

After a barring notice, Geraldine Washington can no longer accompany her first-grade nephew to Randle Highlands. Photo by Andrew Lightman

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| JUNE 2012

A DCPS barring notice forbids the recipient from entering school property under threat of arrest. Materials collected by the DC Council show that, since 2007, DCPS issued 60 such notices to individuals including parents/guardians of current students. Research for this article uncovered three more. One barring notice in the past five years was issued in Ward 3; none in Ward 2; a handful in Wards 1, 4 and 6; two system-wide. The vast majority – 52 out of 63, or 83% -- were issued at schools in Wards 5, 7, and 8 (45% of DCPS schools). Most barring notices – 38 of 63, or 60% – were issued east of the river (where 33% of DCPS schools are located).

“These barring notices are very skewed in the way they are issued. There is a greater chance that if I’m in a Ward 7 or 8 school, I will be barred,” Mendelson told DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson at an April 18 Council hearing. The Councilmember calls this disparate pattern and the absence of legal safeguards “outrageous.” At the Council hearing, Henderson responded: “Our general counsel actually reviews all barring notices before they are issued to ensure that we are abiding by the appropriate criteria and whatnot.” There was no response to a follow-up query to DCPS concerning disparities in application of the barring policy.

No Process, No Appeal

DCPS issues barring notices based on “Superintendent’s Directive Number 260.1-Procedure for School Visitors.” These directives date back more than three decades with frequent changes over the years. Community activists note long-standing concerns that these directives are not readily known, or easily available, to the public. Directive 260.1 focuses largely on logistical prohibitions, such as “using perimeter doors improperly.” It also includes standard trespass language allowing a principal to remove from school property “visitors who violate established procedures,” jeopardize student and staff safety, endanger school property or interfere with school programs or activities. Principals must submit a request through “the appropriate Assistant Superintendent” to obtain a barring notice. The directive does not reference profanity, “inappropriate language,” or disrespect. Reporting suspected abuse is not included among the violations of established procedures. (Such reporting is, in fact, protected by federal and DC law.) In recent years, however, community members have been barred from schools for these reasons. In addition, says Mendelson, most notices are of indefinite duration: “Someone could be barred for life over an argument with one

DC’s Child and Family Services Agency offers tips on what to do if a child confides in you about abuse, neglect or sexual contact (minors cannot give consent). All adults are encouraged to report any suspicions, which CFSA will investigate; certain professionals, including teachers and administrators, are mandated to make such reports. Federal and DC law protects anyone who makes a good faith report, even if suspicions later turn out to be unfounded. In the Randle Highlands case, Chancellor Henderson argued during the April 18 Council hearing, the barring notice was issued due to an “altercation with parents” and not as a response to a good faith report. Under “grounds for this administrative decision,” however, the barring notice itself says: “You persisted in initiating a claim of sexual misconduct to law enforcement officers without just cause.” Councilmember Mendelson insists that DCPS is “acting outside the law.” Visit cfsa.dc.gov or call 202-671-SAFE.

teacher.” Instructional Superintendent Adderley reports, however, that the bar lasts only for “the duration of the school year” and that a barred individual can request an exception for a performance of commencement exercise, for example. “The safety of our students remains and will always be a top priority at our schools,” Salmanowitz responds. “We are currently reviewing and updating the directive which was issued prior to the Chancellor’s appointment (and before the Education Reform Act was passed in 2007).”

A Balancing Act

“Parents or legal guardians are critical to their child’s education and DCPS wants to take all steps to ensure that they are fully engaged and an important part of their child’s education process,” Salmanowitz explains. “There are instances where we allow parents or guardians in the classroom to help with adjustment, recognizing a student’s needs in specific situations...[However,] DCPS is responsible for the safety of the other children in the building to whom that parent has no relationship. DCPS works hard to balance these needs.” More generally – according to policy language DCPS shares with school systems around the country – principals are responsible for balancing the “needs of the school, its safety, and the right of the public to visit the school.” In addition, schools must plan for a range of potential emergencies, from fire and severe weather to terrorist attack and kidnapping.

It is the lack of objective criteria in the barring policy, Mendelson suggests, that “lends itself to subjective abuse.” Charles J. Brown and Michael Johnson, long-time school volunteers, add that parent-principal communications have degenerated in recent years and suggest that community organizations, which can serve as necessary buffers in conflict situations, have been less welcome in DCPS since the mayoral takeover. Brown, of Healthy Families DC, says parents and principals – especially newer principals unfamiliar with the community – “do not know how to talk to each other.” Organizations like his can provide crucial help, he says, because “we respect both sides and know how to speak to both.” Johnson notes that some DCPS parents are less likely to have a spokesperson or the political savvy to deal with conflicts at their child’s school. Community organizations, like East of the River Clergy-Police-Community Partnership with whom he works, “have been here, we know the parents, the siblings, the community.”

Reconsidering Policy

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells believes “only the student is entitled to due process if suspended or expelled from a school,” noting that “barring is one of the tools used by principals to ensure the safety and order of their schools.” Other local officials believe current DCPS policy needs reconsideration. “Given the strong correlation between parental involvement in a

child’s school and a child’s potential for successful educational outcomes,” says Monica Warren-Jones, Ward 6 State Board of Education Member, “we should be doing everything possible to keep parents in positively involved in their child (or custodial child’s) school, not bar them.” She adds, however, that a principal must “consider the well being of each and every child in her building” as well as DC law. “The ‘Superintendent’s Directive’ may be outdated and, as such, questionable as a reliable regulatory tool in addressing trespassing at a DCPS school.” Lisa Raymond, senior education advisor to Council Chair Kwame Brown, says her office is working on a letter regarding the barring policy. Mendelson continues to advocate for objective criteria as well as due process and procedures for appeal. At press time, more than six months later, he reports, “nothing has changed.” “I raised these issues at the oversight hearing in February. DCPS did nothing. I raised them again at the budget hearing in April. DCPS has done nothing. The Deputy Mayor has done nothing. Six months have gone by since the Randle Highlands case, and they have done nothing. I think it’s pretty bad what the school system has and has not done.” In late May, DCPS spokesperson Melissa Salmanowitz reported that it is “currently reviewing the barring policy to identify ways to update and improve, if need be, and to ensure that our students safety and wellbeing is protected.” l CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 33

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34 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| JUNE 2012

Turner Elementary Sets Elections Community Invited to Join PTA and Vote by Virginia Avniel Spatz

nyone interested in the welfare of Turner Elementary School and its community is invited to join the PTA and participate in election of officers. The election, the first in three years, is scheduled for June 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the school. Only PTA members can vote, but membership is not restricted to parents and teachers. On the same night, parents/guardians of current students can vote for a parent representative to the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT). In one of a complex series of steps and missteps to this election, $5 dues are being collected in Turner’s school office, 1500 Mississippi Ave. SE. Election notice and nomination forms were to go out on June 4, Principal Robert Gregory reported at press time. Nominations for the ballot were due June 8. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor on election night. Gregory added that PTA membership would close on June 11, to ensure that only members vote for officers. One election organizer suggested, however, extending the deadline for maximum participation. The Turner PTA was established in 2009. The treasurer has since been removed from office, and another founding officer no longer has children at the school. The current president, Cheryl Moore, has been serving for three years; for much of that time, meetings have been held away from school due to an on-going dispute with the principal. Gregory first contacted DC PTA, the District’s “state level” organization, for assistance just a few months ago, however. “Turmoil at Turner,” quoting the current PTA president, appeared in the March edition of EOTR; Gregory contacted the DC PTA “in early spring,”

he says.

Steps Toward Officer Elections

At Gregory’s request, DC PTA president Gwendolyn Griffen facilitated two meetings intended to organize new PTA elections. Participants raised a number of wider concerns at the April 12 meeting, however, and election procedures were not established. At a second meeting, on May 1, Griffen outlined a nominating and election procedure. She stressed that the local and DC PTAs would jointly oversee elections and that Moore would convene a nominating committee. Membership roles were being kept, at that point, by DC PTA. After the May 1 meeting, Moore says she contacted Griffen to move forward on the election. She reports receiving only a “happy Mother’s Day” text and a promise of a conference call, with DC and National PTA officials, upon Griffen’s return from travel. On May 22, meanwhile, Griffen convened another meeting at the school; Moore says she was unaware of the meeting. Griffen did not return EOTR phone calls; an in-person inquiry was interrupted by an urgent request that Griffen speak with Gregory. On a June 1 visit to the school, the May 1 meeting was still advertised on the school’s notice board, along with parent-teacher conferences. No May 22 meeting was posted. Gregory says flyers and two “Connect Ed” calls announced the May 22 meeting, but Moore and others say no such communications were received. At the May 22 meeting, Gregory says, “Ms. Griffen shared that she had been trying to get in touch with Ms. Moore to no avail.” Griffen established a new nominating committee: Linda Colon, school coun-

selor; Helen Davis, a teacher; and Rev. Anthony Motley, a local minister-activist and Turner alumnus. As of June 1, election notification had not yet gone out, and nomination forms had not been distributed. Gregory added, however, that the three-week advance notice required for LSAT elections was reckoned from May 22.

Wider Concerns

At the May 1 meeting, Griffen arranged for concerns and questions – which some participants said were the same ones raised on April 12 -- to be recorded. She said that individuals most able to respond to each item would appear at a follow-up meeting set for May 15. The May 15 meeting did not take place, and neither Griffen nor the school office had rescheduling information. At the May 22 meeting, Gregory, who sat silently as concerns were listed on May 1, says he addressed all the concerns himself. Asked for a copy of the responses, Gregory explains: “I didn’t script out anything. I just read out each question and responded.” Turner concerns took up a substantial portion of community comment at Ward 8’s Education Town Hall Meeting, attended by DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson on May 23. Look for a future article exploring these concerns, as well as the excitement Gregory says most in the community feel about “the quality of education at Turner” and amenities the newly renovated building on Stanton Road will offer: a library and full-time librarian, a gym and tennis courts. In response to a request at the Town Hall, Henderson said she would meet with Turner community members. At press time, no such meeting had been scheduled. l

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

New libraries Open in Bellevue & Hillcrest by John Muller

ood things come to those who wait. By the end of this month two new branch libraries on either ends of East Washington will open with the Bellevue Library at 115 Atlantic Street SW and the Francis Gregory Library at 3660 Alabama Avenue SE in Hillcrest. Designed by world-renowned architect David Adjaye, both libraries have encountered delays in their construction but when open promise to become attractions in their respective neighborhoods much the same as the recently opened branches at Anacostia, Benning, Deanwood, and Parklands-Turner. Without a dedicated capital budget and the determination and wherewithal of a talented staff at the DC Public Library (DCPL),

led Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper, with the support of Board of Library Trustees President John Hill and the commitment of the past three mayors joined with resident participation, it is unlikely the vision of these libraries would have been realized. The DC Public Library, in fact, seems to be in a whirlwind since Cooper took helm of the neglected system in August 2006, inheriting ambitious but nascent plans conceived by Mayor Anthony Williams to transform the city’s public library system. Nearly half a dozen years later, a physical transformation of the system is nearly complete. “All over the District, more residents are using libraries and checking out more books,” Cooper says. “We are excited to see that enthusiasm spread to the Bellevue and Hillcrest

36 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| JUNE 2012

communities. With these architectural gems, we are affirming the District’s commitment to providing modern library service in world-class buildings in every part of the city.”

Increased budget

News of the branch openings has been buoyed by a proposed FY2013 Budget that is nearly $5 million more generous, an increase of 13%, over last year’s library budget. According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), “[a]fter several years of cuts, DC’s public libraries are finally seeing increased funding.” In FY 2009 DCPL received $48.9 million, from that baseline the budget was cut more than $10 million over the next three years, down to $38.55 million in the ap-

proved FY2012 budget, according to DCFPI. Over the past year, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells has settled into his position as Chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks, Recreation, and Planning by getting to know the lay of the library’s citywide system. Speaking on the new branches in Bellevue and Hillcrest, Well says, “These two new branches represent a commitment to high quality library services in every neighborhood of the city. And they go beyond books on the shelves -- today’s libraries are community gathering places, continuing education centers, online job application sites, the go-to spot for computer access or WiFi, and much, much more.” More than just far removed talk, Wells has embraced his role as chair, meeting with library staff and citizen groups to discuss the range of issues impacting the system. Taking these discussions into the policy arena, Wells says his “first priority has been to rebuild the books and materials within our libraries. Over the last five years, the city’s budget for new materials was cut nearly 60% -- from $4.1M to just $1.7M.” Additionally Wells has heeded the battle cry of library activists seeking to restore Sunday branch hours, which have fluctuated throughout the years. “As we rebuild the city’s library system, we need to next look for ways to keep our libraries open longer and on Sundays to better serve residents.”

Ribbon Cuttings

The ribbon cutting for the Bellevue branch at 115 Atlantic Street SW will be Wednesday, June 13th at 11am with the ribbon cutting for the new Francis Gregory branch at 3660 Alabama Avenue SE scheduled for Tuesday, June 19th at 11am. According to a press release from DC Public Library Mayor Gray will attend both events. l

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Will Francis Gregory Library Open On Time? Torrential Rains Dump Water in the New Library article & photos by Michelle Phipps-Evans

or Hillcrest resident Miles Steele III, it was a chance visit to the newly designed and constructed Francis A. Gregory Library in mid-May, about a month before the library’s long-awaited June 19 opening that led to a surprising discovery. Steele, the president of the advocacy organization Friends of Francis Gregory, was not prepared for what greeted him. Water was everywhere. The carpet on the second floor was drenched. The first floor had puddles of water, water was dripping from the ceiling light fixtures, and water had seeped into the basement as well. He did not see if newly placed books and materials were damaged. He believed it was a problem with the roof ’s structure. But that was not what upset him most. “No one told us anything,” said Steele, a longtime supporter and advocate for the library. “They will call us for anything else but not to let us know there’s a problem with the construction. Someone should have said something. Someone had to sign off on this. We need to find out whom.” Then torrential rains hit the D.C. area on June 1. According to resident Rev. Kenneth Burke, his wife Yvonne Burke, also a Friends member, visited the library within 24 hours of the June rains, and observed more flooding. Weeks before its grand opening, “the roof had still not been fixed,” said the Rev. Burke, who brought the flooding issue to the attention of the membership at the Hillcrest Community Civic Association (HCCA) during its monthly meeting on June 2. “She took photographs of carpet pulled up from the floor and several construction fans blowing on the pieces of pulled up carpet,” the Rev. Burke said, adding she had photos of walls showing signs of water damage and water under bookshelves. According to Steele, there are certain processes needed to avoid mold and mildew. “The carpet really needed to be ripped up and replaced,” he said. However, a spokesperson for

38 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

Water damage on the first floor of the new Francis Gregory Library. Photo: Yvonne Burke

A blower and humidifier are used to dry carpeted areas on the second floor. The carpet is pulled up around the edges. Photo: Yvonne Burke

Accumulation of debris in the glass roof led resident to ask how the roof will be cleaned. Photo: Yvonne Burke | JUNE 2012

the D.C. Public Library (DCPL) said that after the leak, the water was removed and the carpet was dried. The humidity and moisture levels in the building were tested, which found that the building was dry enough to prevent mold growth. “Generally, mold starts to grow 24 to 48 hours after a leak when an area remains wet or damp,” said Media Relations Manager George A. Williams. “By removing the water, drying the carpet and ensuring that the humidity and moisture levels remained low, the conditions for mold growth did not develop.” Williams also said via the social media site, Twitter, that the water Steele saw in the basement “flowed from the upper level,” and that the contractor is responsible for all damages and repairs. Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander, who was at the HCCA meeting, sent staff to investigate the library. “While I do have immediate concerns with some potential structural challenges regarding the leaking roof,” Alexander said, adding that she commended the Friends of Francis Gregory for staying on top of the issue. “I am confident that the corrective action will take place from the feedback I have received.” According to Burke, the Friends organization has been meeting to discuss the leaks among other issues. Fed up Hillcrest residents took their complaints to the Hillcrest list serv, which caught the attention of At Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson and DCPL’s executive director and Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper. According to Cooper, the library’s roof design is “unique and complicated.” She said the roofer, construction firm and designer had “spent considerable time” ensuring that the roof would not have this very issue. She said DCPL was aware there were two leaks—one in May and the other in June 1. For each leak, contractors “immediately responded by extracting water from the carpet, drying it with fans, blowers and dehumidifiers,

and repairing the section of the roof that leaked,” she explained. “No books or furniture were damaged as a result of the leaks on May 15 or June 1,” Cooper said. “After the first leak, the contractors thought that the problem was limited to one area of the roof. Since the second leak occurred in a different location on the roof, the contractors are now examining and repairing the entire roof.” In the case of both leaks, which affected different parts of the children’s area, according to Cooper, the building’s air quality and humidity levels were tested, which came back normal with no threat of mold or mildew. “However, if we find that mold or mildew begins to grow, all affected carpeting will be replaced,” Cooper said. “This roof problem is a construction defect and the contractor is 100 percent responsible for the repair, clean up and replacement of anything damaged by these leaks.” Cooper wrote in an email to a Hillcrest resident. “The contractor accepts this responsibility and is working hard to solve this problem. We are committed to ensuring that the Francis Gregory Library is a spectacular building for the Hillcrest community. We look forward to the opening of your new library.” Francis Gregory Library, located on 3660 Alabama Ave., SE, is a highly anticipated project in Hillcrest as it has been “such an important cornerstone” of the community, according to long-time Hillcrest resident Paul Savage. He suggested there should be no rush to dedicate the library until the roofing problem is solved completely. “The last thing we need in Hillcrest or Ward 7 is another construction project that is poorly designed, poorly constructed and poorly managed by District government inspectors and construction project managers,” said Savage, who sent the initial emails onto the list serv. The dedication is set for June 19 at 11 a.m., and the grand opening for June 30 at 10 a.m. According to Cooper, the expectation is that the library will open as scheduled, and “all will be as it should be by that time.” The Francis A. Gregory Library was originally built 1961. The newly designed and constructed two-story

22,000 square feet library promises to house up to 80,000 books, CDs, DVDs and other library materials; have separate reading areas for adults, teens and children; 32 public access computers with free Wi-Fi Internet access; comfortable seating for 200 people; parking for 14 vehicles; meeting rooms, public art and more. Constructed for about $13.4 million, the library was designed by award-winning architecture team of Adjaye & Associates and Wiencek Associates. Hess Construction Inc. partnered with Broughton Development LLC to build the new library under the Library’s Mentor-Protégé program. Developed with the D.C. Department of Local Small Business Development, the program partnered small certified local businesses with larger businesses to create more opportunities for smaller firms to work on government contracts. Francis Gregory was the 14th library construction project under the Library Building Program, an extensive project designed to bring the District’s neighborhood libraries into the 21st century. The library has been closed since April 2011 and an interim library was set up near Anne Beers Elementary School. That was closed May 26. “The general contractor, Hess Construction, is to provide a full report of what happened, what was done to mitigate damage, and what repair work was complete,” said Jeffrey Bonvechio, director of DCPL’s Capital Project Office. “Hess Construction will also test the repair under a simulated rain event to assure that this problem never happens again.” Savage said that besides delaying the dedication and the opening until the library corrects the roofing problem, DCPL ought to convene a meeting with the Hillcrest residents “to give a full account of what has happened, why it has happened and how problems with the construction design will be solved.” “In my opinion, it is very important to establish and maintain open and candid communications during this period,” Savage said. “As a matter of fact, good communications and dialogue with citizens are the centerpiece for understanding and cooperation. We should not ever have to receive information via the rumor mill.” l CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE

ACM: Out & About features on Sunday, June 10, the program “Public Art East of the River” that involves a tour of exciting art works such as this mural which pays tribute to the Deanwood community. Credit: Photograph by Susana Raab.

ACM: Out and About

The Anacostia Community Museum Takes Art Into the Community by Michelle Phipps-Evans

hen an organization decides to close its doors for major renovations, it generally closes or reduces operations to its barest minimum. For the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum, that is not the case. The museum on Fort Place, SE, in Ward 8, recently closed its physical building from May 7 until July 29 as it undergoes major renovations : a lighting upgrade to the galleries and program room, modernization of the building entrance to include improved handicap accessibility and lighting, and various water and heat-related safety upgrades. Instead of ceasing museum programming, the Anacostia Community Museum under the direction of Camille Giraud Akeju, is taking its community museum “on the road” with ACM: Out & About, a special initiative that will be presented at primarily offsite venues throughout the Washington, D.C., area. 40 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

ACM: Out & About features collaborative arts and cultural programming, including a major showcase in Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River, which will be featured at the Smithsonian 2012 Folklife Festival from June 27 to July 1, and July 4 to 8. “I see it as a wonderful opportunity, not only for us but for the artists and artisans,” said Akeju, who has been the museum’s director since 2005. “They are celebrated East of the River and people know them here. This is an opportunity to showcase them to a public that doesn’t really know them. It’s a phenomenal opportunity for an exchange of culture and exposure to our community.” While the Anacostia Community Museum has contributed to other festivals in the past, this is the first time that its work has been the focus of a program at the 2012 Folklife Festival since its inception in 1967, according to Akeju. Citified joins two other programs, | JUNE 2012

“Campus and Community” and “Creativity and Crisis.” At Citified, visitors can join in celebrating the creativity and cultural expression found in schools, churches, community organizations, businesses and other venues in the East of the River neighborhoods. There will be artists, African dancers and

drummers, line and hip-hop dancers, Go-Go bands, comedians, master storytellers, poets, tattoo artists and quilt makers among others. Robert Hall, the associate director of education at the museum, said he hopes to build an audience and engage them in art through ACM: Out & About and especially Citified, which will feature about 175 presentations during the course of 10 days in three areas including a tented stage. According to Hall, some of the locally known names from the community featured at Citified include Melvin Deal, an expert on African dance and drumming for more than 30 years; Baba C, a master storyteller and griot; the Iverson Mall Line Dancers; as well as liturgical dancers, rap artists and more. “I want them to see how rich the East of the River culture can be,” said Hall who worked on other “Out & About” programs to be featured during the closure of the museum’s public spaces. He said most of what will be featured at both Citified, and at the other locations until July 29, will be performance-based such as poetry, storytelling, and call and response, as well as jewelry making. These other programs will be at the Benning Road or the Anacostia libraries or Honfleur Gallery and other sites throughout the city. Originally developed as an exhibition by curator Portia James, Citified was reorganized to be one of the three programs featured

Participating at the “Citified” program of the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival are Da’ Originalz (hip hop dance group) seen here rehearsing “Beat Ya Feet”. Photograph courtesy of Susana Raab.

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at the Folklife Festival. According to the Smithsonian festival website, Citified alludes to the fact that many African-American residents living East of the Anacostia River have parents or grandparents who migrated from the rural South, particularly South and North Carolina, and who continue to maintain connections with their southern heritage. Citified also refers to the ongoing transition from cultural and performance traditions shaped primarily by southern rural agrarian environments to those shaped primarily by wage work in urban industrial environments. Therefore, there emerges a diverse range of arts and cultural activities practiced in formal and informal settings in these communities. It can include singing in local choirs to cooking at home, from mural painting to television production, and from tattooing to storytelling, people creatively express their identities and demonstrate their community commitments. These artists foster learning between generations, and provide inspiring examples for strengthening social relationships and building healthy communities. Citified is able to take these nuances and put them on display for the broader community. The Citified program is part of a longterm Anacostia Community Museum initiative, Call & Response: Community and Creativity, which explores arts and creativity through exhibitions and installations, museum collections, and community-focused programs. The first of these exhibits featured the artist BK Adams; another showcased artist Steven Cummings, and the final is Citified, the community artists and performance

arts. Adams is featured in Citified, which “is formatted in a way that lends itself to being presented outside the walls of the museum,” James explained. The Anacostia Community Museum is dedicated to a mission centered upon contemporary urban communities, and to research, documentation, and programming that are community-focused. At the core of the museum’s work is the belief that active citizen participation in the recovery and preservation of community historical assets, cultural and arts activities, and community advocacy are important and powerful instruments for creating and maintaining a sense of community and civic ownership. “It’s a wonderful feather in our cap,” Akeju said about Citified. “When I go to the directors’ meetings in the Smithsonian Castle, I love to brag about all the work we have been doing.” On July 30, the improved public spaces of the museum will reopen and the onsite programming will resume, as well as access to the popular semi-permanent exhibition, Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia. The Anacostia Community Museum, which is located 1901 Fort Place, SE, will reopen July 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free. Visit its Web site at www.anacostia.si.edu for more information on ACM: Out and About and the free shuttle transportation service to and from the Smithsonian 2012 Folklife Festival, call (202) 633-4820. For more information on Citified and the Folklife Festival, visit www. festival.si.edu. l

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EAST WASHINGTON LIFE successful restaurant. Angry whites, frustrated in their unsuccessful attempt to lynch Bowen, found other targets in free blacks such as Snow. That effort against Snow provides the title for the book. The upshot of the Bowen trial and the resulting violence is that free blacks find their freedom being suppressed.

1968: DC On Fire

Authors Jefferson Morley and Clay Risen illuminate largely forgotten chapters in DC history by examining the history of the 1835 and 1968 riots.

Two Books on the Effects of Race Riots in DC DC’s 1835 and 1968 riots have unexpected results by Stephen Lilienthal

“V

iolence is necessary, it is as American as cherry pie.” No doubt many people will take exception to this assertion by H. Rap Brown. But critics have only to look at two riots that occurred in DC to discover that mass violence impacted DC and spurs change. Two authors, Jefferson Morley and Clay Risen, explore riots which upended the city. At the heart of each book lies race and violence. Both events are largely forgotten yet illuminate crucial impacts on DC’s history, particularly regarding race relations.

1835: Snow-Storm In August

Morley’s book, “Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835.” (publication date: July 42 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

3) provides a snapshot of a Washington that bears scant resemblance to today’s DC. In the 1830s, DC was a much smaller area comprised of downtown, Georgetown and Alexandria, then part of the District. Its populace was not the high-minded citizenry one might have expected. “Really, it was more like a town in the wild West,” the veteran Washington journalist explained. “There was gambling, whoring, and race mixing.” Now a staff writer for Salon. com, Morley found his interest in DC piqued by writing articles for the Sunday Washington Post Magazine, including a 2005 article on the very riot that “Snow-Storm” explores.

The Powderkeg And The Match

Serving as the riot’s powderkeg is the relationship between the widow | JUNE 2012

of Dr. William Thornton, designer of the Capitol, and the son of her slave. When eighteen year-old Arthur Bowen barges into his master’s room one night in August 1835, it leads to his being charged with murder and facing a trial in which the prosecutor is an ambitious Francis Scott Key, who’s well remembered for writing the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner, but whose reputation on racial issues remains a flash-point for debate even today. Lighting the match is the resentment many whites harbored against free blacks, many newly arrived from the South, who represented approximately one-third of the city’s population. A vigorous anti-slavery movement sought outright abolition of slavery rather than the more expedient course of colonizing Africa. Bowen’s case stokes racial resentment among whites. A victim of that acrimony is Beverly Snow, one of the two African-Americans credited with opening the city’s first

The assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 represents an event of international importance given King’s prominence as a Nobel Prize-winning civil rights leader and Vietnam War critic. Its aftershocks take place in the streets of America’s inner cities, producing riots in approximately 120 cities. Clay Risen’s “A Nation on Fire” covers the action in several large cities, but much of it takes place in a Washington, DC that is largely unknown by younger Washingtonian residents.. It’s a Washington in which segregation has ended, but AfricanAmericans endure countless slights and are usually excluded from better jobs, schools, and neighborhoods. Even the city’s mayor, Walter Washington, is not exempt from racism. When Washington delivers the city’s first budget to Congress, the crusty old chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia reciprocates by sending watermelons to the mayor’s office.

Much of “A Nation on Fire’s” action takes place in DC -- 14th and U Street is a central location for the action -- but also in the corridors of official power including the White House and Congress. Playing detective as much as journalist, Risen, now a member of the New York Times’ op-ed page staff, relied on old newspaper accounts of the D.C. riots, then tried to track down the people quoted in the stories. Most were difficult to find. One man Risen was fortunate to find was Paul Devrouax, a young Army Sergeant, who later designs the Frank Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U Streets, where the riots in DC first started.

The Impact

The damage done by the riots can certainly be measured by destroyed property, even quantified monetarily. Still, there were deeper impacts. Morley says property caused by the riots was extensive. An AME church on Capitol Hill, which serves also as a center of the abolition movement on Capitol Hill is ransacked. So is Snow’s own restaurant. So is a seminary school. The city remained integrated until after emancipation. “What was changed by the riots was black aspiration. The riot was white Washington’s way of saying black aspiration would not be tolerated,” Morley contends. Restrictive laws post-1835 passed by

the city council establish definite ceilings on black aspirations. Snow moved to Canada to find a more hospitable environment for his own drive to succeed, leading Morley to assert that the rioters “only shamed themselves.” and that “Snow-Storm” represents more than another simplistic tale of “black dispossession and white cruelty.” The impact of the 1968 riots are ticked off by Risen. Damage measured in 2007 dollars: $354.1 million. Over two thousand people losit their homes. Nearly 5,000 lost jobs, a majority of which were held by blacks. For decades, despite promises issued by the Federal government to rebuild DC, blocks destroyed by the riots were not redeveloped and deteriorated even further. Only in recent years have neighborhoods most impacted by the riots -- H St. NE, 7th St. NW, and 14th St. NW, recovered, as young urban professionals move into condominiums blocks once home to burnt out buildings, vacant lots, or substandard housing.. The result Risen says is that Washington “has one of the bestand worst-educated populations in the country -- the most residents with advanced degrees and the highest level of adult illiteracy.” Morley and Risen provide reminders that the changes which take place in our country occur not just in institutions of government but also the streets. Walk down 14th and U Street, the starting place for the 1968 riots, or Pennsylvania Avenue where Snow’s restaurant stood and you are walking right by history. Both the 1835 and 1968 riots produced changes in DC, but the results were nor always predictable nor desirable. Stephen Lilienthal is a freelance writer who lives in Washington, DC. l

HEALTHY FOOD, HEALTHY COMMUNITY Fresh produce from local farmers, plants, art, food-preparation workshops, children activities, nutrition, NEW Homestyle Barbeque!, music and more...

Starting Saturday, June 2th! Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Bread and Meat.

We DOUBLE your EBT,WIC and Seniors Coupon dollars!! (as long as funds last) “Look for our Ward 8 Shuttle Bus Circulator this season! Check our website for route and dates. Ward8FarmersMarket.com” Saturdays: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm At THEARC!! 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE - Front parking lot Ward8FM@gmail.com • www.Ward8FarmersMarket.com

ANNOUNCING Ward 8 Farmers’ Market Circulator Shuttle Bus FREE TO THE PUBLIC!! Runs on Saturdays 9:30 am – 1:30 pm. Every 20-30 minutes

STARTS ON JUNE 16 Ward 8 Farmers’ Market / THEARC (1901 Mississippi) Salvation Army / Spirit Health Center (2300 MLK Ave.) Big Chair (stop in front of Chair) Friendship Academy (645 Milwaukee Pl. SE) (Stop on MLK across from St. E’s Chapel Gate) Washington Gas Bldg. (3101 MLK) - across from Historic Old Congress Heights School Secrets of Nature (3923 South Capitol St. SE) Southeast Tennis Center (701 Mississippi Ave. SE) Alabama Ave & 10th Place (1000 Alabama Ave. SE) IHOP / Giant (1523 Alabama Ave. SE) (stop in front of IHOP) Ward 8 Farmers’ Market [REPEAT LOOP] – every 25-30 minutes Thank you to our Ward 8 Circulator Sponsors: Anacostia Coordinating Council • Congress Heights Citizens Association Secrets of Nature – Natural Foods Store • Georgetown University CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H

EAST WASHINGTON LIFE during her undergraduate years that she became interested in tackling the issues in the AfricanAmerican community that influence health. Saxton-Ross continued her studies in graduate school at Howard University. She taught Physical Education at Drew DC Public Schools for five years. She eventually transitioned to the DC Department of Health where she is now a specialist with P.A.N.O. (Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity) and Worksite Wellness Coordinator. She also coordinates the Healthy Corner Initiative (a partnership with DC Central Kitchen) that was started to get fresh produce into neighborhood corner stores with limited access. So what does this PE teacher turned government Health Specialist think about wellness, physical activity and the differences between Wards 5, 7, and 8? Many, many thoughts.

On starting her career in Ward 7

I remember telling my uncle the name of the school that I was assigned. He said ‘Drew? Over on Burroughs? They will eat you up over there.’ But they were fine with me. They respected me because I was a teacher and they knew that I cared about the kids. I was never disrespected or attacked. I even had the drug boys helping me walk the kids to Kelly Miller pool in the summer. I know more about Ward 7 than I do about Ward 5. I feel like that part of town really taught me about DC. That’s why the work I do is focused over there.

On the health differences among Wards 5, 7, & 8

The Health Scholar Next Door A Profile of Dr. Autumn Saxton-Ross by Candace Y.A. Montague

hances are most adults over the age of 30 never had a Physical Education teacher like Autumn Saxton-Ross. She is not the kind of expert who wears her Ph.D on her sleeve. Instead she is the trusted sister-friend that people go to for advice and she gives it straight up. As she settles into her seat 44 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| JUNE 2012

for brunch in her Bloomingdale/LeDroit Park neighborhood, you can tell almost immediately that there’s more to Autumn than a pretty face and long flowing dreds. Dr. Autumn Saxton-Ross migrated to the District from Kansas City, Missouri in 1994 for college at George Washington University. It was

I think there’s very little difference between the wards. If you look at the data Ward 5 is almost as bad as Wards 7 and 8. Health wise all three wards have terrible stats. It really boils down to where you are. If you are on survival mode, prepping food and having a grocery list is not a ‘normal’ way of life. In some neighborhoods [in all three of the wards], the residents have a more educated background. When you’re not exposed to certain norms, you don’t have the knowledge to create healthy habits. So you do whatever you can to get by. That’s the difference and especially when you talk about health.

On what the missing link is for making Wards 7 & 8 healthy

People don’t realize how larger structures influence health. A perfect example would be during “snowmageddon.” All of the Metro lines betweens Wards 7 & 8 are above ground. So if you lived in Ward 7 you couldn’t take the train because all of the train lines were above ground. What happened when they needed to go to the store? And think about what’s over there. They don’t have gyms. They don’t have structures that really help with health behaviors. They do have parks. But because of the history of what was done in those parks,

the community doesn’t see it as a health resource. When you think about it closely, those wards lack structures that give you choices. If I want to walk, ride my bike, or take the train it is all an option in Ward 5. I have a Farmer’s market two blocks away from me. There’s no excuse not to go. We have to figure out a way to show that everything affects health.

On the difference is between African-American health in the past and now

There used to be a time when we walked everywhere. We had gardens. Our jobs included manual labor. A lot of that made us healthier in the past. Now that we achieved certain opportunities, it’s a status symbol not to have to do those things. We can drive everywhere. We can go out to eat every night. We can make sure our children have televisions in their rooms. People, not just African-Americans, don’t connect the high number of SUVs on the road with higher asthma rates. Kenilworth used to be an old city dump in southeast and PEPCO is right there also. So it’s no surprise that the highest rates of asthma are in Wards 7 & 8. We have an unhealthy history in that region. Look at our water supply. People don’t think about how using plastic forks and Styrofoam plates will pollute our water and we have to pay more for it to be drinkable. It’s not just what we eat or if we are active. Everything that surrounds us affects our health.

On how she makes a difference

For me I have to remember to care-- not to get beat down by our systems and all the processes. It’s about everyone. It’s not just about me. If you lift up the lower of us, all of us are in a better place. Candace Y.A. Montague is a freelance writer based in Washington, DC l

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KIDS & FAMILY

The Arts and Technology Academy kids in rehearsal.

ORIGINS: ONE HEART BEAT, the History of African-American Dance and Music The Arts & Technology Academy celebrates its 10th year of bringing great musical performances to the stage with it’s first dance concert! The Arts & Technology Academy, in partnership with Urban Artistry, presents ORIGINS: ONE HEART BEAT, the History of African-American Dance and Music on June 14 and 15, 7:00 p.m., at THEARC Theater, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. The concert will feature 80 dancers, 5th Grade String Ensemble, ATA Choir, Staff and ATA Percussion Ensemble. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For more information, call 202-398-6811 ext. 5004. For tickets, call 202-398-6811 ext. 5274.

Kids & Family Notebook by Kathleen Donner

Lotus Craft with Alexis Kids Program and Junior Ranger Tour

Lotus have fun seed pods. Join Alexis to see how they can be used in fun crafts. June 16, 1:002:00 p.m. On June 30, 1:00-1:30 p.m., join Alexis again for a special walk around the ponds for the grade school set. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6905. nps.gov/keaq

Jester Nicolo Whimsey at Deanwood Neighborhood Library

Travel to the land of dreams with jester Nicolo

46 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| JUNE 2012

Whimsey. Combining juggling, music, poetry and storytelling, Nicolo emphasizes language skills and encourages children to discover and voice their creativity and tolerance as well as the joys of reading. For ages 4-9. Thursday, July 5, 1:30 p.m., Deanwood Library, 1350 49th. St. NE. 202-698-1175. dclibrary.org/deanwood

Daddy’s Corner Planting and Nurturing the Seeds of Fatherhood

Daddy’s Corner helps fathers get grounded this Father’s Day by planting nutrient rich vegetables, herbs and fruits for the Benning Terrace Public Housing Community. The residents will soon

enjoy local, seasonal produce grown in their own backyard. They are inviting all fathers to come out and join them on Friday, June 15, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Benning Terrace, behind 620 46th Pl. SE. They will kick the Father’s Day weekend off with a picnic featuring a healthy gourmet feast along with cooking demos from Zenful Bites Kitchen, specializing in plant-based cuisine. Goodies Gourmet Custard Mobile Truck will provide creamy, homemade custard treats for all the fathers. Volunteers are coming out as a large day of corporate service through a partnership with Greater DC Cares. Daddy’s Corner’s mission is to change the lives of low-income and disadvantaged youth by focusing on strengthening community and creating

programs that encourage and aid the involvement of young fathers in their children’s lives. daddyscornerinc.org

Children’s Entertainer Uncle Devin Visits Ward 8 Farmers Market

On Saturday, June 30, Uncle Devin will appear at the Ward 8 Farmers Market from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The Uncle Devin Show is a live, interactive musical experience for children five and over by renowned drummer Devin Walker. The show cultivates the minds of children through percussion instruments and is a dynamic cross between Fat Albert and Schoolhouse Rock. This interactive show will allow children to participate individually or as an audience, with specially designed activities that includes clapping, dancing, singing and the African tradition of call and response. The Uncle Devin Show provides a high quality, live musical entertainment experience for children through the drum, both traditional and electronic, to convey universal principles of love. He also uses an assortment of percussion instruments, including cowbells, triangles, shakers, congas and timbales, as learning tools for his message. Ward 8 Farmers Market, THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. ward8farmersmarket.com

Mention This Ad and Get a Free Tube with the Purchase of Flat Kit*

*A Flat Kit consists of tire levers, patch kit, mini pump or c02 inflator. *This coupon cannot be combined with any other offer. One coupon per person per visit. Past purchases are not eligible. Some other restrictions apply. Ask at the store for details.

May is Bike Month. Join us for Bike to Work Day May 18 and lookout for other events. Visit www.capitolhillbikes.com or like us on Facebook to keep up with the action.

At Capitol Hill Bikes, we take our name from the neighborhood we’ve served for 12 years!

The mission of Richard Wright Public Charter School for Journalism and Media Arts is to transform students in grades 8-12 into well-versed media contributors by providing a student-centered environment that connects them to the classics and modern languages and a curriculum focused on strong writing skills and vocabulary.

Juneteenth Family Day at American Art Museum

On Saturday, June 16, 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., join the American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and Anacostia Community Museum as they mark the arrival of news of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Events include historical re-enactors, a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, storytelling, live music by Follow the Drinking Gourd, craft-making activities, and a genealogical workshop. Free. Pre-registration is required for

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Strong emphasis on writing and vocabulary development Laptop provided to each student for school and home usage Student-centered environment Highly Qualified administrative and instructional staff Solid blueprint to graduation Student Government Association, Clubs, and Athletics

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KIDS & FAMILY Par-Allèles conducted 75-minute workshops with nearly 100 third, fourth and seventh grade students, giving brief performances and then inviting the students to get on their feet and learn a few moves. Within the cultural framework of the program, the Alliance strives to introduce students to contemporary Francophone experiences. Using dance as a common language, the workshops illustrate that different doesn’t have to be foreign. Students learned steps to both American and French rap and pop songs, further emphasizing that hip-hop is not limited to being an American staple, but is also an international experience. For more information visit francedc. org.

Mission: Preservation at Anacostia Library

Kids enjoying last year’s football clinic. Photo: Courtesy of the Military Bowl

Military Bowl Youth Football Clinic Registration is open for the NCAA Football Youth Clinic hosted by the Military Bowl, Events DC and Positive Choices, to be held on Saturday, June 23 at Eastern Senior High School, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The free clinic is open to boys and girls ages 7-14, and features instruction by college coaches and current professional players. Participation is limited to children in grades 1-8 (participants cannot be in high school). Participants will run offensive, defensive and agility drills; learn proper techniques to promote on-field football safety; and learn about the importance of character development and good sportsmanship. Current professional football players scheduled to participate in the clinic include Dwight Bentley (Detroit Lions), Roc Carmichael (Houston Texans), Victor Cruz (New York Giants), Joe Haden (Cleveland Browns), Janoris Jenkins (St. Louis Rams), Ryan Williams (Arizona Cardinals) and Nate Bussey (New Orleans Saints). For more information, visit militarybowl.org or call 202-776-2509. To register, please visit the NCAA Football Youth Clinics registration page on militarybowl.org. the workshop only. To register, email AmericanArtPrograms@si.edu or call 202-633-8490. Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F St. NW. 202-633-7970. americanart. si.edu 48 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

French Hip-Hop Artists Animate DCPS Students with Dance Workshops

On May 25, two French hip-hop companies visiting Washington for the week-long Urban Corps dance | JUNE 2012

festival took their art from stage to schoolyard during interactive workshops at Orr Elementary School and Noyes Education Campus. In partnership with the Alliance Française Educational Initiatives program and DCPS, companies De Fakto and

Investigate! Be a Conservator: Learn about conserving historical documents in this interactive workshop. Kids will watch a short film and then read Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Ramsey as a group. Next, children will be guided through an activity to determine the damage inflicted upon historical artifacts. They’ll put on white cotton gloves and analyze authentic artifacts, record observations and determine a preservation plan for each object. Students will keep their gloves and be inspired to go home to preserve their own family history. For ages 8-11. Friday, June 15, 1:30 p.m. Anacostia Neighborhood Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-715-7707. dclibrary.org/anacostia

Bank on DC Financial Literacy Technology Platform for Teens

Bank on DC has announced a new partnership to bring financial literacy education to high school students across DC by providing them with access to the DC Chamber Financial Scholars Program, powered by EverFi. This web-based platform uses the latest in new media technologies-video, animations, 3-D gaming, avatars, and social networkingto bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation. Through the platform, students will

Ten-year-old Michael Jarwlee is from Ferebee-Hope Elementary. Students from five programs across DC had designed their own project and tested hypotheses and presented their results before 100 people at the Carnegie Institution for Science on May 24 at “Turn Up the Sound on Science,” an event hosted by the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation.

become certified in over 600 topics in financial education, allowing them to become more informed, responsible citizens. Bank on DC has partnered with the DC Chamber of Commerce Foundation and EverFi, Inc. to include the interactive financial management platform to their financial education seminars. The platform is available to DC students and residents at no cost thanks to the generous support of the DC Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The six hour, 10-unit course teaches, assesses and certifies students in a variety of financial topics including credit scores, insurance, credit cards, student loans, mort-

gages, taxes, stocks, savings, 401k’s and other critical concepts that map to national financial literacy standards. The platform uniquely tracks the progress and score of every student and provides students who successfully complete the course with Certification in Financial Literacy, a valuable mark of distinction on resumes, college applications, and job applications. bankondc.org/ youthportal

Sunup to Sundown

The Slave Life of Slammin’ Joe

In honor of Juneteenth, children will learn about the life of one of George Washington’s enslaved CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H

workers, Slammin’ Joe, who dug ditches and only had time to visit his wife and children-who worked in the fields-during his one day off on Sunday. Portrayed by an historical interpreter from the Mount Vernon Estate, Slammin’ Joe engages the audience in a dialogue about the practice of slavery in early America and his dreams of freedom. See history come alive! Tuesday, June 19, 2:00 p.m. MLK Library, 901 G St. NW. 202727-0321. dclibrary.org/mlk

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Perry Street Preparatory Public Charter School, 1800 Perry St. NE, is participating in the USDA Summer Food Service Program this summer, June 18-July 30. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, free of charge, to children and teens, up to age 18 (up to age 22 for those with disabilities). Children do not have to be enrolled in Perry Street Prep or any other school to receive the summer meals. No registration is required. Kids can just walk-in. Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:45 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Children are asked to use the main entrance in the front of the school building on Perry St. 202-5510804. pspdc.org

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Perry Street Prep Offering Free Breakfast and Lunch This Summer

| JUNE 2012

School is out, and many kids are already spending hours inside glued to their electronic devices. It’s time to boot them outside so they can benefit from fresh air surrounded by a world of green. A great place to start is by having your family participate in the 8th annual Great American Backyard Campout on June 23. National Wildlife Federation’s fundraising event encourages parents and kids alike to trade screen time for green time by spending a night under the stars. When you register your Campout on National Wildlife Federation’s web site you get helpful information to make your camping experience a fun one including campfire recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, campfire songs and games, nature activities and much more. You’ll also be able to fundraise for exciting prizes. backyardcampout.org.

Family-Friendly “Truck Touch” at RFK

The DC Department of Public Works invites the public to attend the 5th annual “Truck Touch” Saturday, June 16, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at RFK Stadium, Lot 7. A host of DC government agencies will present and demonstrate nearly 30 vehicles used to clean and repair streets, change traffic lights, collect refuse, clear snow, provide emergency services, administer mobile health care, and more. The event will feature vehicles from the DC Departments of Public Works, Transportation, Health, Employment Services, Parks and Recreation, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the DC Water and Sewer Authority. 2400 E. Capitol St. NE. l

HOMES & GARDENS

Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY Changing the face of east of the Anacostia River living. We’re showcasing the best the area has to offer in real estate and development. Neighborhood

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FEE SIMPLE ANACOSTIA

1328 T ST SE 1326 MORRIS RD SE 2323 NICHOLSON ST SE 2320 MINNESOTA AVE SE 1328 MORRIS RD SE 1242 V ST SE 1316 DEXTER TER SE 1766 W ST SE

BARRY FARMS

1347 TALBERT TER SE

CHILLUM

211 SHERIDAN ST NW 18 NICHOLSON ST NW 239 MISSOURI AVE NW

DEANWOOD

318 60TH ST NE 5024 SHERIFF RD NE 122 DIVISION AVE NE 4811 JAY ST NE 5654 A ST SE 5639 CLAY PL NE 112 35TH ST NE 913 45TH PL NE 5120 JAY ST NE 5069 SHERIFF RD NE 136 48TH PL NE 4730 BLAINE ST NE 63 55TH ST SE 3951 CLAY PL NE 4632 HUNT PL NE 5601 EADS ST NE 4437 GAULT PL NE

16 35TH ST NE 5602 BLAINE ST NE

FORT DUPONT PARK 1207 42ND ST SE 371 CHAPLIN ST SE 488 BURBANK ST SE 700 ADRIAN ST SE 4311 TEXAS AVE SE 3307 B ST SE 1505 FORT DAVIS ST SE

$332,000 $213,000 $150,000 $120,000 $109,999 $101,000 $89,000 $65,000

5 3 3 4 3 3 2 2

$79,000

$460,000 $304,220 $257,000

4 4 3

MARSHALL HEIGHTS

$294,000 $282,000 $259,000 $255,000 $240,000 $227,000 $225,000 $200,000 $186,900 $179,900 $155,000 $150,000 $125,000 $115,250 $99,900 $92,000 $90,000

5 6 5 4 3 4 4 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 4

RANDLE HEIGHTS

HILL CREST

2032 36TH ST SE 3122 NASH PL SE 2137 36TH PL SE 2801 R ST SE 5100 D ST SE 5319 CENTRAL AVE SE 5101 AYERS PL SE 3415 25TH ST SE

$75,800 $75,000

3 2

$230,000 $225,000 $189,500 $167,375 $143,000 $105,000 $95,000

4 3 3 3 3 3 2

$340,000 $340,000 $250,500 $203,900

3 3 3 6

$80,000 $74,000 $44,000

3 2 2

$129,000

$60,000 $45,000

2 2

$46,000

$32,000

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LASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS To place a classified in East of the River, please call Carolina at Capital Community News, Inc. 202.543.8300 x12 or email Carolina@hillrag.com

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Our website just got a whole lot better!! www.capitalcommunitynews.com 52 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

| JUNE 2012

CBE and Section 3 SUBCONTRACTORS NEEDED Bids due by 6/29/2012 Providence Construction, Inc. is seeking CBE and Section 3 subcontractors for the rehabilitation and modification of a house in Adams Morgan for Jubilee Housing. Trades being considered are: Demolition, Concrete & Masonry, Plumbing, Fire Sprinklers, HVAC, Electrical, Roofing, and Interior finishes (drywall & painting, ceramic tile, carpet). Plans & specifications are available to view for bidding purposes at the Manna offices. Bid requirements: CBE certificate, DC license, Liability & Worker’s Compensation Insurance, Davis Bacon Certified weekly payroll reports, Section 3 compliance, First Source Agreement compliance for contracts over $100,000. Bids due June 29, 2012. Please contact Charlene Tibbs (ph. 202-832-1845 X 202) Monday thru Friday between 9 AM & 4 PM to reserve a viewing time for the plans & specs for bidding purposes.

OPORTUNIDAD LABORAL SUBCONTRATISTAS CON CERTIFICACION CBE y Sección 3 Licitación Cierra en Junio 29, 2012 Providence Construction, Inc. necesita subcontratistas con certificación CBE y Sección 3 para la rehabilitación y modificación de una casa en Adams Morgan para Jubilee Housing. Los oficios que se consideran son: Demolición, Concreto y Mampostería (albañiles), Plomería, Sistema de Extinción de Incendios, Unidad de Calefacción, Ventilación y Aire Acondicionado, Electricista, Construcción de Techos, y Terminados de Interior (placas de yeso y pintura, cerámica, baldosa y tapetes). Los planes y especificaciones están disponibles para propósitos de estudio de la licitación en las oficinas de Manna. Requerimientos de la Licitación: Certificado CBE, licencia del Distrito, Seguro de Compensación Legal para Accidentes de Trabajo, Formularios certificados de informe de nómina de pago semanal Davis Bacon, conformidad con la Sección 3, Cumplimiento con el Acuerdo de Primer Origen para contratos por encima de $100,000. La licitación cierra en Junio 29, 2012. Por Favor contactar a Charlene Tibbs (tel. 202-832-1845 X 202) de Lunes a Viernes entre (9 AM & 4 PM) para reservar un tiempo para ver los planos y especificaciones para propósitos de licitar.

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CAPITALCOMMUNITYNEWS.COM H 53

THE NOSE

by Anonymous

“A

ll the World’s a Stage,” the Bard once wrote. Never was this sage observation truer than in our fair metropolis this past month. Here, politics, in The Nose’s opinion, have veered from the comic to the tragic. One moment saw the famous “Mayor for Life” pontificating on the ethnicity of the nursing profession. Another witnessed the fallen scion of a long-standing political dynasty embarking on a four-year, all-paid vacation at Camp Fed. Even The Nose, a satirist of no little competence, would find inventing the range of characters that stride across our city’s dais quite a challenge. When the local broadsheet broke the news last year that the Gray campaign had made under-the-table payments to fringe candidate Sulaimon Brown, most DC insiders were perplexed. “What a waste of money! Why would they have bothered? Nobody could have been that stupid,” folks opined. Gray repeatedly denied any involvement or knowledge. To many, the notion on its face seemed absurd. Now, Gray campaign strategists Howard “Cash Envelope” Brooks and Thomas “Tear It Up” Gore have both pled guilty to organizing a scam to support Brown’s quixotic mayoral quest with the understanding that he would continue to attack Fenty at debates. Their charging documents largely corroborate Sulaimon’s imaginative council testimony. They confirm in an especially ironic twist that the Gray organization was the largest contributor to Brown’s campaign. The Nose has drawn several important lessons from Brooks and Gore’s travails: 1. If you are going to break the law, DO NOT write it down. 2. If you are foolish enough to scribble a record of your misdeeds in a spiral notebook, DO NOT rip it up. 3. If an FBI agent interviews you about your questionable actions and said spiral notebook, TELL THE TRUTH. 4. Never, never use money orders when you can pay in cash. The Nose is honestly beginning to wonder if Gray’s 2010 campaign was run by the Keystone Cops. Even the Watergate burglars did better job covering their tracks. In the nation’s capital, truth is truly stranger than fiction. This, Dear Readers, is the reason that The Nose has drawn much of his more arcane inspiration from the great works of musical theater. And so, inspired by a recent trip to Arena Stage to see The Music Man, The Nose has penned this ditty: Well, either you’re closing your eyes To a situation you do now wish to acknowledge Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated By the presence of Politicians in your community. Ya got trouble, my friend, right here, I say, trouble right here in Latté City. Why sure I’m a voter, Certainly mighty proud I say

54 H EAST OF THE RIVER MAGAZINE

I’m always mighty proud to say it. I consider that the hours I spend Watching District Cable are golden. Help you cultivate horse sense And a cool head and a keen eye. Never take and try to give An iron-clad leave to yourself From a twenty-hour marathon hearing? But just as I say, It takes judgment, brains, and maturity to pull that lever In a political game, I say that any boob kin take And check that box. And they call that sloth. The first big step on the road To the depths of deg-ra-Day-I say, first, small contributions from a developer, Then free three-martini lunches. An’ the next thing ya know, Your candidate is pitching for money In a pinch-back suit. And list’nin to some big out-a-town corporate magnate Hearin’ him tell about Internet gambling’. Not a wholesome lottery, no! But a Iphone App where they play blackjack in a library! Make your blood boil? Well, I should say. Friends, lemme tell you what I mean. Ya got one, two, three, four, five, six contributors in a bundle Bundles that mark the diff ’rence Between a Bribe and a Contribution, With a capital “C,” And that rhymes with “P” and that stands for Politician! Trouble, oh we got trouble, Right here in Latté City! With a capital “T” That rhymes with “P” And that stands for Politician, We’ve surely got trouble! Right here in Latté City, Right here! Gotta figger out a way To keep the politicians moral BEFORE elections! Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble... The District truly has become a theater of the absurd. Perhaps, it is now time for a new casting call. l

| JUNE 2012

Join the CaPitol hill Fourth oF July Parade!

oin neighbors, family, friends, princesses, pets, PTA’s, “The Commandant’s Own,” The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps. and the contestants for the Ms. United States Pageant! It’s the 2012 4th of July Parade on Capitol Hill! Walk, run, roll or dance down Barracks Row in your best Independence Day design. Bang pots, blow a kazoo, decorate a bike, car, float, wagon or yourself with streamers, balloons, paint or flags. The more creative the better! The Miss United States Pageant Contestants will sign autographs at the Metro Plaza for attendees afterwards. It’s the eleventh year for our community event. You can’t miss it!

Wednesday July 4th, 2012 @10 aM starting at 10 aM at 8th and i and ending at the eastern Market Metro Plaza For more information and to register...please register by July 1st, even if you just want a space in the line-up! www.tiberdc.com/4thofjuly http://4thofjulyparadeoncapitolhill.eventbrite.com/

Sponsored in part by Tiber Creek Associates of Capitol Hill, Inc., Naval Lodge No. 4, Barracks Row, The Miss United States Pageant, The Commandant’s Own Drum and Bugle Corps, Robert Bergman and The Hill Rag,