East of the River Magazine October 2015 by Capital Community News

East of the River Magazine October 2015

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

East of the River Magazine October 2015

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

DCR A F R E E B u s i n e s s S emi na rs How to Open a Small Business by Navigating through DCRA’s Regulatory Process Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am Location: 1100 4th Street SW 2nd Floor (E-200) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/5p7OYz

SmartStart Integrated Licensing and Money Smart for Small Business Program Date: Monday, October 19, 2015 Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am Location: 1100 4th Street SW 2nd Floor (E-268) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/lcQXJe

A Comprehensive Guide for Small Business Planning Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm Location: 1100 4th Street SW 4th Floor (E-4302) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/iMTsGF

Meet One-on-One with a Lawyer for Free! Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Time: 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm Location: 1100 4th Street SW 2nd Floor (E-200) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/zIHVop

Navigating Government Contracting with DC Procurement Technical Assistance Center Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015 Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Location: 1100 4th Street SW 4th Floor (E-4302) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/O1sRUS

Money Smart for Small Business Workshop: Financial Management & Credit Reporting for Small Businesses Date: Thursday, October 29, 2015 Time: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Location: 1100 4th Street SW 4th Floor (E-4302) Washington, D.C. 20024 To Register: http://goo.gl/ZiW2eO For further information : Jacqueline Noisette (202) 442-8170 jacqueline.noisette@dc.gov Claudia Herrera (202) 442-8055 claudia.herrera@dc.gov Joy Douglas (202) 442-8690 joy.douglas@dc.gov East of the River Magazine October 2015

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

Fall arts & Dining

A New District of Food and Drink

Theater Alliance Rises

Craig Kraft Opens New Studio in Anacostia

Jazz Avenues

ongress Heights Neighborhood Welcomes C New Arts & Culture Center by Phil Hutinet

by Annette Nielsen

by Barbara Wells

by Phil Hutinet

by Steve Monroe

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS In Every Issue Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Washington

East of the River Calendar

The Classified

The Crossword

Bulletin Board

E on DC

The District Beat

The Numbers

Our River: The Anacostia

ashington Area Community W Investment Fund Invests in DC

Peace Fellowship Church

by E. Ethelbert Miller

by Jonetta Rose Barras

by Ed Lazere

by Bill Matuszeski

by Phil Hutinet

by Virginia Avniel Spatz

REAL ESTATE

Changing Hands compiled by Don Denton

KIDS & FAMILY ON THE COVER: Youth Art Studio Opens in Anacostia. Photos: Courtesy of Project Create Story on page 50. O n l in e Da ily, P rin te d Mon th ly

Kids & Family Notebook

Construction Academy Gives More Options to Ward 7 High Schoolers by Christina Sturdivant

by Kathleen Donner

E as tof th e R iv e r D C News.c om

ATTENTION: Trusted Health Plan Members Medicaid and Alliance Benefit Provider

We’re in Your Neighborhood! The Health and Wellness Outreach Center is Open!

SPECIAL UPDATE:

Trusted Health Plan celebrates its 2 year anniversary serving Medicaid & Alliance members in the District of Columbia.

8:30 to 5:00 pm Monday - Friday 10:00 to 2:00 pm Saturday We Offer: • Diabetes Education • Case Management • Glucose, Weight and Blood Pressure Screening • Exercise Classes, Including Yoga and Dance • Computer Library • EPSDT Outreach Coordinators • Member Services • Cooking Demonstrations and Nutrition Education

Free to all Members!

STOP BY OR GIVE US A CALL TODAY!

(202) 821-1090 3732 M innesota a venue ne W ashington , DC 20019 TO ENROLL, CALL (202) 639-4030 WWW.TRUSTEDHP.COM East of the River Magazine October 2015

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READ ALL ABOUT IT!

F A G O N

GUIDE TO CAPITOL HILL

Capital Community News, Inc. 224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 • 202.543.8300 • capitalcommunitynews.com Executive Editor: Melissa Ashabranner • melissaashabranner@hillrag.com Publisher: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2015 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.

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BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESS

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 Editor: Kathleen Donner • kathleendonner@gmail.com Food Editor: Annette Nielsen • annette@hillrag.com

Patricia Cinelli • ﬁtmiss44@aol.com Jazelle Hunt • jazelle.hunt@gmail.com Candace Y.A. Montague • writeoncm@gmail.com

KIDS & FAMILY Kathleen Donner • kathleendonner@gmail.com Susan Johnson • schools@hillrag.com

ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT Art: Jim Magner • jjmagner@aol.com Dining: Emily Clark • clapol47@gmail.com Celeste McCall • celeste@us.net Jonathan Bardzik • jonathan.bardzik@gmail.com Literature: Karen Lyon • klyon@folger.edu Movies: Mike Canning • mjcanning@verizon.net Music: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Stephen Monroe • steve@jazzavenues.com Theater: Barbara Wells • barchardwells@aol.com Wine Guys: Jon Genderson • jon@cellar.com

HOMES & GARDENS Derek Thomas • derek@thomaslandscapes.com Catherine Plume • caplume@yahoo.com Cheryl Corson • cheryl@cherylcorson.com

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

Demons Exorcised in Hirshhorn’s ‘Black Box: Sergio Caballero’ Relating a darkly comic tale of a child’s exorcism, “Black Box: Sergio Caballero” is a 25-minute film that runs continuously when the museum is open, through Jan. 3. The film blends homespun puppet animation and live action with a deliberately low-budget and slapdash aesthetic. Sergio Caballero’s characters are agglomerations of food, hair, plant materials, cardboard, plastic, foam rubber, rubber bands, surgical tubing, fabric scraps, clothespins, and googly eyes. The dialogue is largely in English, but the artist also provides English subtitles, since the voice acting intentionally verges on being incomprehensible. Taking inspiration from the “black paintings” of Goya in the early 19th century, Caballero engages with the tradition of the grotesque, adapting it to current-day models. With this film, artist and filmmaker Caballero (b. 1966, lives and works in Barcelona) is making his international museum debut. hirshhorn.si.edut “Stills from Sergio Caballero’s ‘Ancha es Castilla’ or ‘N’importe quoi’” (2014). Photo: Sergio Caballero

‘Question Bridge: Black Males’ at the Phillips “Question Bridge: Black Males” is a documentary-style video art installation that aims to represent and redefine black male identity in America. Since its inception in 2008 the project has recorded more than 1,600 questions and responses from black males of all ages and backgrounds that illuminate diversity of thought, character, and identity. To foster honest expression and healing dialogue, the Question Bridge project allows one participant to ask a question while looking directly into the camera, and later another participant answers the question in the same way. The question-and-answer approach allows speakers to feel comfortable as they express their feelings on subjects that divide, unite, and puzzle. Artists Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Kamal Sinclair, and Bayete Ross Smith have recorded more than 160 men in nine American cities, documenting their exchange of ideas and then shaping that content into an engaging, five-screen video installation. “Question Bridge: Black Males” is on view at the Phillips from Oct. 8 through Jan. 3. phillipscollection.org Photo: ‘Question Bridge: Black Males’

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

National Arboretum Full Moon Hikes Take a brisk hike through moonlit gardens, meadows, and woods. Your guide will share specially chosen points of interest and seasonal highlights. The two-hour walk over hilly and uneven terrain is a brisk hike, not a garden tour, so please prepare accordingly. The group will hike approximately four miles with few stops. No children under 16 or pets, please. The hikes fill up rapidly so move quickly on Nov. 2 when they post the December, January, and February dates. $22. Email registration is required at usna.usda.gov/Education/events.html. It’s worth the effort. One of Washington’s most notable and unusual landmarks is the National Capitol Columns at the Arboretum. Photo: US National Arboretum

‘Oliver!’ at Arena Consider yourself invited to the theatrical event of the holiday season. Charles Dickens’ unforgettable characters burst to life in the Tony Award-winning musical, “Oliver!” Artistic Director Molly Smith (“Fiddler on the Roof”) blends the chaotic worlds of Victorian London with 2015 London to give a modern edge to the classic story about an innocent orphan living among double-dealing thieves and conmen. Some songs you’ll know are “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two,” “ Consider Yourself,” “Where Is Love?,” and the scrumptious “Food, Glorious Food.” arenastage.org Jake Miller as the title character in “Oliver!” at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, Oct. 30 through Jan. 3. Photo: Tony Powell

Night of the Living Zoo Prepare to witness death-defying acts and amazing oddities at the National Zoo’s annual adults-only Halloween event, Night of the Living Zoo. With live music, craft beer, food trucks, a costume contest, performance artists, and glow-in-the-dark lawn games, it’s a wicked night of fun that you won’t want to miss. Night of the Living Zoo is on Friday, Oct. 30 (rain or shine), 6:30-10:00 p.m. You will have access to the Small Mammal House, Great Ape House, and Reptile Discovery Center. There will be live entertainment, an 8:30 p.m. costume contest, temporary tattoos, $2 carousel rides, and food, beer, and wine for purchase. Must be 21. nationalzoo.si.edu Photo: FONZ Photo Club

East of the River Magazine October 2015

CALENDAR

calendar OCTOBER

HalloWeen

Soul Strolls-Twilight Tours at Congressional Cemetery. Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 (rain or shine); 6 PM to 9 PM. Over 65,000 individuals are laid to rest in Congressional Cemetery. From Congressman to carpenters, suffragists to bootleggers, each resident has a unique story to tell. Soul Strolls explore these stories through guided tours led by costumed interpreters. $10 to $20. Historic Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. 202-543-0539. congressionalcemetery.org Haunted Museum Historic Ghost Tour. Oct. 23, 25 and 31; 8 and 9:15 PM. Explore the haunted past of the National Building Museum on this lantern-light tour. Mysteries await. go.nbm.org

Ghost & Graveyard Special Halloween Tour. Oct. 23, 7 to 9 PM. Tours begin at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St., Alexandria, VA. 703-519-1749. alexcolonialtours.com

orately costumed drag queens racing down 17th St. NW from R to Church Streets. Large crowds to cheer them. The race begins at 9 PM, but the real fun begins before the race. An informal block party follows.

Pumpkins in the Park. Oct. 24, 11 AM to 1 PM. Canal Park, 200 M St. SE. capitolriverfront.org

Hilloween at Eastern Market. Friday, Oct. 30, 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Bring the kids for hayrides, a moon bounce, photo booth, candy treats, games and conteStreets The fun takes place on the 200 and 300 blocks of Seventh St. SE between Pennsylvania and North Carolina Avenues SE.

Del Ray Halloween Parade. Oct. 25, 2 PM. Participants meet on Mount Vernon Avenue south of Bellefonte Avenue prior to 2 PM. Adults, children and dogs are welcome. visitdelray.com Drag Queen High Heel Race. Oct. 27, 9 PM. Always fun, always outrageous and always held on the Tuesday before Halloween, this event features elab-

Dia de los Muertos. Oct. 31 and Nov 1. View several ofrendas (altars), and special programming that includes food demonstrations of traditional foods for the dead around the outdoor firepit; music and

SEENOSUN PRESENTS BUG AT ANACOSTIA ARTS CENTER Through Nov 1. Paranoia is contagious. In this tale of love, loss and government conspiracy a lonely bartender haunted by the disappearance of her young son falls for a disturbed drifter. The awkward romance takes a dysfunctional turn when their trashy roadside motel room and its occupants become infested with bugs that only they can see. $25. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-631-6291. seenosunonstage.com Matthew Marcus (Peter) and Aaron Tone (Goss) in SeeNoSun’s “Bug.” Photo: Courtesy of SeeNoSun OnStage

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EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

dance performances. National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall. nmai.si.edu Find a Nearby Pumpkin Patch. pumpkinpatchesandmore.org

sPecial events Taste of DC. Oct. 10 and 11. Noon to 7 PM, daily. Taste of DC is a culinary and cultural event that packs four blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue with area restaurants, great drinks, entertainment, and fellow Washingtonians and visitors. Event entrance is at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh St. NW. thetasteofdc.org Under the Big Top Gala at the Atlas. Oct. 15, 7 PM. An exhilarating evening of dining, dancing, and performances. The Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. 202-399-7993. atlasarts.org

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US? Call Kira Means 202-400-3508

or kira@hillrag.com for more information on advertising.

Expo Italiana. Oct. 17, 9 AM to 4 PM. Expo Italiana showcases the best of Italy with the finest Italian food and specialties, wine, fashion and culture. Free admission. Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (Exhibition Hall C), 2660 Woodley Rd. niaf.org/40 Joe’s Movement Emporium 20th Anniversary Block Party. Oct. 17, 2 to 6 PM. Music, vendors, dance, food and more. Outside of Joe’s on Bunker Hill Road between 33rd and 34th Streets., Mount Rainier, MD. joesmovement.org Washington International Horse Show. Oct. 20 to 25. This event hosts horses and riders from around the nation and the world. Verizon Center. wihs.org International Gold Cup Races at The Plains. Oct. 24, 10 AM (gates open). Race day activities include terrier races, shopping, hat contests, tailgate contests, and some of the best steeplechase racing anywhere. Great Mead-

East of the River Magazine October 2015

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Moms On The Hill

2015 School Information Night

[ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH ] [ 2:00–5:00 PM ]

[ CAPITOL HILL DAY SCHOOL ] [ 210 SOUTH CAROLINA AVENUE SE ] The closest Metro stop is Capitol South on the blue and orange lines Preschool, Public, Charter, Private, Catholic/Parochial, Middle Schools, High Schools and other programs. Come see all of your options! More Info:

[DOWNEYSCHOOLCONSULTING@GMAIL.COM] ALL PARENTS (including non-members) ARE WELCOME Organized by MoTH (Moms on the Hill)

ow Event Center, 5089 Old Tavern Rd., The Plains, VA. vagoldcup.com Artomatic 2015. Oct. 30 to Dec. 12. Artomatic returns for its signature free art event to be held this year in Hyattsville, Maryland. 1000 artists and performers throughout the area showcase their talents for a six weeks free exhibition that routinely attracts more than 75,000 visitors. 8100 Corporate Drive, Hyattsville, MD. Artomatic.org “40 Chances-Finding Hope in a Hungry World.” Through Jan. 3. The Photography of Howard G. Buffett,” featuring 40 photos documenting the world hunger crisis. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. newseum.org

arounD tHe neigHBorHooD A Strayhorn Sunday Afternoon. Oct. 11, 1:30 PM. Concert performed by The US Army Blues. Free. The Episcopal Church of the Atonement, 5073 E. Capitol St. SE. 202582-4200. atonementepiscopalchurch.org Violins for Douglass at THEARC. Oct. 11, 3 to 5 PM. Please join FDMHA for a tribute to civil rights leader, scholar and violinist, Frederick Douglass. The event features need-based Scholarship awards, musical petting zoo, special performance by Eboni Strings, special music recognition conducted by Ottley Music School, and more. Free. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Frankie Beverly & Maze Tribute Concert at THEARC. Oct. 17, 8 PM. $30. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Film and Discussion. Oct. 21, 2 to 4 PM. A Great Day in Harlem; Nov. 7, 2 to 4 PM. Eye on the 60s. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu

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about his descendants—the Plummer family and how the family’s diaries became part of the museum’s current exhibition Hand of Freedom: The Life and Legacy of the Plummer Family. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu How the Civil War Changed Washington Exhibition. Through Nov. 15. This exhibition examines the social and spatial impact of the Civil War on the social mores, size and ethnic composition of Washington, DC. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu Hand of Freedom: The Life and Legacy of the Plummer Family. Through Dec. 27. This exhibit examines the life of the Plummer family in 19th Century Prince Georges County. Adam Francis Plummer, enslaved on George Calvert’s Riversdale plantation, kept a diary for over sixty years. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202633- 4820. anacostia.si.edu

sPorts, Fitness anD Dance Washington Capitals Ice Hockey. Oct. 10, 13, 15, 17, 28, 30 and Nov. 3. Verizon Center. capitals.nhl.com Hot Cider Hustle (5k, 10k and 15k). Oct. 24, 9 AM. Run the DC Hot Cider Hustle and get hot cider and caramel apples at the finish line. All participants get a ﬂeece hoodie. RFK Stadium. runwashington.com Marine Corps Marathon. Oct. 25. Registration closed. Find a course map at mcmlocator.com/map. Washington Wizards Basketball. Oct. 31 and Nov. 4. Verizon Center. nba.com/ wizards

Delusions of Grandeur Exhibition. Through Oct. 23. Honﬂeur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-365-8392. honﬂeurgallery.com

Adult Yoga. Saturdays, 8:45 to 10 AM. Vinyasa Yoga is a practice where postures or asanas are connected through the breath for a transformative and balancing effect. It builds heat, endurance, ﬂexibility and strength. $6 for 20020 or 20032 residents. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202889-5901. thearcdc.org

On the Porch at Cedar Hill. Oct. 24, 3:45 PM. The program will present readings from Frederick Douglass’s speeches and writings, as well as music from his era. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1411 W St. SE. 202-426-5961. nps.gov/frdo

Zumba. Mondays, 7:15 to 8:15 PM. Ditch the workout, join the party! Latin DanceFitness fuses hypnotic rhythms and easy moves. $6 for 20020 or 20032 residents. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202889-5901. thearcdc.org

Chromatic Canyon Exhibition. Through Oct. 27. An installation of stalagmites, hoodoos, and spires made from individually cut and stacked felt, Elisa Berry Fonseca creates a fantastical universe. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE.

Adult African Dance. Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Taught by Sylvia Soumah, founder of Coyaba Dance Theater and teacher at The Washington Ballet (SE Campus), These adult classes provide a friendly environment to learn West African dance. $6 for 20020 or 20032 residents. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org

Hand of Freedom Gallery Talk. Oct. 31, 2 to 4 PM. Reverend Jerome Fowler talks

Yoga @ the Library. Saturdays, 10 to 11 AM. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a mat. Don’t have one? Yoga mats are available. Classes, taught by a yoga activist, are held on the lower level of the library in the Larger Meeting Room. Free. Benning Neighborhood Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE. 202-2812583. dclibrary.org/benning Yoga “Mortis” at Congressional Cemetery. Every Monday through end of October, 6 to 7 PM, in the chapel. All levels welcome. No reservations are necessary. Props and a limited number of mats are provided. Wear comfortable clothing. $10 suggested donation. Historic Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. 202-543-0539. congressionalcemetery.org Public Skating at Fort Dupont Ice Arena. Fridays, noon to 2 PM and Saturdays 12:45 to 1:45 PM. Public Skate, $5 for adults (over age 13); $4 for seniors and children (under age 12); $3, skate rental. Fort Dupont Ice Arena, 3779 Ely Pl. SE. 202-584-5007. fdia.org

H y p e r L o c a l | hīpər

. lōk(ə)l |

Hyperlocal connotes information oriented around a well defined community with its primary focus directed toward the concerns of its residents. synonym: eastoftheriverdcnews.com Daily online. Monthly in print.

Free Public Tennis Courts. 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 Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE; Anacostia Park, 1900 Anacostia Dr. SE; Bald Eagle Recreation Center, Martin Luther King, Jr Avenue and Joliet Street SW; Congress Heights Recreation Center, Alabama Avenue and Randle Place 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 first-come, first-serve 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 Barry Farm (indoor) Pool. Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30 AM to 8 PM; and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to 5 PM. Free for DC residents. 1230 Sumner Rd. SE. 202-730-0572. dpr.dc.gov Deanwood (indoor) Pool. Mondays to Fridays, 6:30 AM to 8 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, 9 AM to 5 PM. Free for DC residents. 1350 49th St. NE. 202671-3078. dpr.dc.gov Ferebee Hope (indoor) Pool. Open weekdays, 10 AM to 6 PM. Closed weekends. Free for DC residents. 3999 Eighth St. SE. 202-645-3916. dpr.dc.gov Tidal Basin 3K Monthly Run. Third Wednesday of each month at noon. This run is free and informal. West Po-

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

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CALENDAR tomac Park (meet on Ohio Dr. at West Basin Dr., near the Tourmobile stand). 703-505-3567. dcroadrunners.org

markets

Eastland Gardens Civic Association Meeting. Third Tuesday, 6:30 to 8 PM at Kenilworth Elementary School Auditorium, 1300 44th St. NE. Contact Javier Barker, j58barker@yahoo.com or 202- 450 -3155.

Ward 8 Farmers’ Market. Saturdays, 9 AM to 2 PM. St. Elizabeth’s Gateway Pavilion, 2730 Martin Luther King Ave. SE. EBT, SNAP, WIC coupons and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers accepted. ward8farmersmarket.com

Anacostia Coordinating Council Meeting. Last Tuesday, noon to 2 PM. Anacostia Museum, 1901 Fort St. SE. For further details, contact Philip Pannell, 202- 889- 4900.

The Farm Stand. Saturdays through Nov. 14, 3 to 7 PM. The stand features fresh produce grown both locally. It accepts WIC, SNAP and Produce Plus. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-889-5901. thearcdc.org Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market. Sundays (rain or shine), year round, 10 AM to 1 PM. 20th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW, 1500 block of 20th Street NW. 202-362-8889. freshfarmmarket.org Eastern Market. Daily except Mondays and important holidays. Weekdays, 7 AM to 7 PM; Saturdays, 7 AM to 5 PM; Sundays, 9 AM to 5 PM. Flea market and arts and crafts market open Saturdays and Sundays, 9 AM to 6 PM. Eastern Market is Washington’s last continually operated “old world” market. 200 block of Seventh St. SE. 202-698-5253. easternmarketdc.com H Street NE Farmer’s Market. Saturdays, through Dec. 19, 9 AM to noon. Located at H and 13th Streets NE. EBT/Food Stamps can be redeemed at the information table. All EBT customers and WIC/ Senior coupon customers receive “Double Dollar” coupons to match their EBT dollars or WIC/Senior coupons redeemed up to $10. freshfarmmarket.org Branch Avenue Pawn Parking Lot Flea Market. Saturdays, year-round (weather permitting). Set up after 10 AM. 3128 Branch Ave., Temple Hills, MD Union Market. Tuesday to Friday, 11 AM to 8 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, 8 AM to 8 PM. Union Market is an artisanal, curated, year round food market featuring over 40 local vendors. 1309 5th St. NE. 301652-7400. unionmarketdc.com

Oct. 24. 9 AM to noon. Volunteers will help the gardens’ staff winterize the plants and grounds or take a last swipe at litter and invasives. To RSVP, contact Tina O’Connell at tina@friendsofkenilworthgardens.org. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. nps.gov/keaq Photo: Courtesy of Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

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Congresswoman Norton’s SE District Office. Open weekdays, 9 AM to 6 PM. 2041 MLK Ave. SE, #238. 202-678-8900. norton.house.gov

Market SW “night market”. Oct. 23, 4 to 9 PM. Bills itself as “an evening of arts, food, ﬂea & fun, live music.” Market is at Fourth and M Streets SW. marketswdc.com

Arcadia’s Mobile Farmers Market. Wednesdays through Nov. 11, noon to 2 PM. Shop for fresh, local fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy and bread. Arcadia accepts cash, debit, SNAP, WIC and Senior FMNP.

VOLUNTEER EVENT AT KENILWORTH PARK

Penn. Ave. SE. 202-581-1560.

Georgetown Flea Market. Sundays year around (except in the case of very inclement weather), 8 AM to 4 PM. 1819 35th St. NW. georgetownﬂeamarket.com Maine Avenue Fish Market. Open 365 days a year. 7 AM to 9 PM. 1100 Maine Ave. SW. 202-484-2722.

civic liFe Councilmember Alexander’s Constituent Services Office. Open weekdays, 10 AM to 6 PM. 2524

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 to 9 PM. UPO Anacostia Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. For further details, contact Charles Wilson, 202 -834 -0600. Anacostia High School Improvement Team Meeting. Fourth Tuesday. 6 PM. Anacostia High School, 16th and R Streets SE. Fairlawn Citizens Association. Third Tuesday, 7 PM. Ora L. Glover Community Room at the Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE.

anc montHlY meetings ANC 7B. Third Thursday, 7 PM. Ryland Epworth United Methodist Church, 3200 S St. SE (Branch Ave and S St. SE). 202-584-3400. anc7b@pressroom.com. anc7b@earthlink.net ANC 7C. Second Thursday, 7 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 PM. Jones Memorial Church, 4625 G St. SE. 202-582-6360. 7E@anc.dc.gov ANC 7F. Third Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, 200 Stoddert Place, SE ANC 8A. First Tuesday, 7 PM. Anacostia UPO Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-889-6600. anc8adc.org ANC 8B. Third Tuesday, 7 PM. Seventh District Police Station Community Center, Alabama and McGee Streets SE. 202-610-1818. anc8b.org ANC 8C. First Wednesday, 7 PM. 2907 MLK Jr Ave. SE. 202-388-2244. ANC 8D. Fourth Thursday, 7 PM. Specialty Hospital of Washington, 4601 MLK Jr. Ave. SW. 202-561-0774. Have an item for the East of the River Calendar? Email calendar@hillrag.com. ◆

East of the River Magazine October 2015

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

East of the River Magazine October 2015

of Food and Drink article and photos by Annette Nielsen

From winning food truck of 2014 to winning the Launch Pad competition (with part of the prize being able to set up shop in Union Market), Gabriella Fabres and co-owner, Ali Arellano are able to grow their Venezuelan food business, Areppa Zone. Here with their populare tequenos (cheese sticks with an amazing sauce).

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he first time I landed in DC, I was moving from New York City – and it was 1990. Outside of living across the street from Eastern Market and getting to know the great family of vendors there, I was a little discouraged at my options for food – both for sourcing and eating out. If you’ve been living in a place like New York, there’s always somewhere you can find an ingredient or satisfy a hankering for dumplings at 1:00 pm in the morning. But today, I know a different DC, one that has embraced food passionately. There’s no question that restaurants are drivers of economic growth. When my family and I returned to the District in 2012 after being gone for over a decade, we were impressed with Capitol Hill’s restaurant lineup, particularly the number of new openings along Barrack’s Row. According to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, restaurant employment in DC is projected to grow about seven per

cent over the next decade. Currently, the metropolitan area has over 11,000 restaurants with approximately 217,000 jobs. The District alone had 2,144 eating and drinking places in 2014, and it’s projected that the 2015 figures for District restaurants will realize $2.8 billion in sales and account for 60,000 jobs, 8 percent of DC’s employment. Over the last several years, the District’s restaurants and chefs have been making national news, Union Market and Maketto debuted, and businesses are expanding their reach opening second and third locations. The farmers’ market circuit has grown beyond Fresh Farm locations to include urban farming, community gardens and pop-up style or mobile markets in neighborhoods in all eight wards. Certainly, the nation-wide focus on sustainability, artisanal creations and a celebration of the chef as rock star has helped drive the trend here, but it’s clear a vibrant food culture has been established in DC.

Food Trucks While the entry point for a typical brick-and-mortar restaurant can be cost-prohibitive for many, the food truck makes it easy to test a food concept without losing your apron. Arepa Zone, with their authentic, home-style Venezuelan fare, highlights arepas, the grilled corn patty that’s opened to make a pocket and stuffed with flavorful fillings along with tequenos (cheese sticks served with a killer sauce) and cachapas (sweet corn pancakes from real sweet corn). Since opening in spring of 2014, co-owners Gabriela Febres and Ali Arellano have garnered great acclaim – the Daily Meal named them one of America’s Top 101 Food Trucks and Timeout named them the best DC food truck this year. Gabriela and Ali share Venezuelan roots and met at a soccer match. They soon found themselves planning a get together for the soccer community giving them opportunity to prepare some of their Venezuelan favorites. Out of that chance meeting, they realized there were some favorite foods that were missing in DC. “We couldn’t find arepas in DC at that time,” says Ali, “and as we worked on our recipe, we thought about finding restaurant space.” Being cautious about making a huge investment in real estate for a restaurant, the two went to Marietta, Georgia late in 2013 to meet the team that would build them a food truck. Their business was a huge success. But now they’ve decided to test next steps toward a more permanent space to complement their food truck locations. They entered the Launch Pad at Union Market competition, with part of the prize being a six-month stint at Union Market. An idea grown by Al Goldberg of food incubator Mess Hall, and advisors such as Chef Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington, Ris Lacoste of Ris, Aaron Silverman of Rose’s Luxury and more, the competition was designed to identify and launch a promising culinary concept at Union Market. The professional team provides advice on raising capital, leasing, and valuable net-

East of the River Magazine October 2015

Pia Carusone at Republic Restoratives, DC’s first women-owned distillery, as they ready for an opening on New York Avenue later this year.

working opportunities with the ability to test out their idea in a fully built-out space in a proven food hub. It wasn’t just a popularity contest that won Arepa Zone the Launch Pad prize this year. Wendy Stuart of Food Works Group, was brought in to look closely at viability and the numbers. She’s an expert at analyzing market demand and is known for her work as a local food systems specialist, a role that may have not even existed a decade ago. According to Stuart, “The folks at Arepa Zone already have a positive cash flow fromtheir award-winning food truck. Their financials were based in part on these numbers, and were realistic, thorough, and perhaps even conservative projections. Further, they will fund their expansion in large part through their own cash reserves, which is impressive for a startup with large capital expenses.” As ArepaZone launched this summer in Union Market, we can look forward to it being part of this hybrid of a community of restaurants and specialty food items.

Spirited Work One of the welcome additions to the District’s food and beverage evolution is the presence of small batch distillers. Republic Restoratives is on its way to being the first DC-based, woman-owned distillery. Founded by Pia Carusone and Rachel Gardner, Republic Restoratives will open their space at an Ivy City warehouse at 1369 New York Ave. NE before the end of the year. The two will initially offer vodka, and a variety of rye and bourbon will follow after the maturation process is complete. The women grew up together in Saratoga Springs, New York and remained close friends for more than thirty years. Pia moved to DC in 2009 as the chief of staff for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and bought a house in the neighborhood. Rachel, with an MBA, worked in resource management, and also studied in the state of Washington with master distiller, Rusty Figgins, learning the craft of making whiskey. The two have retained Figgins as a consultant for their production methods at Republic Restoratives. “When we got serious about this project and started looking for a building, it was a challenge identifying the right space.” While they didn’t personally purchase the huge warehouse space, the investor group they assembled wanted to make certain the full 24,000 square feet would be rented. They were able to secure a 17,000 square foot lease for their new neighbor Union Kitchen, the kitchen incubator that already has one location in NoMA. The distillery will have a first floor tasting room, bar and event space. The 1,000-gallon capacity still, fermenting tank, mash cooker are being readied for installation and trench drains are being built.

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Growing each month and expanding their reach, Living Social alums, Alan Clifford and Ian Costello started the meal delivery service, Galley. They’ve moved from their start-up space in Penn Quarter to larger digs in Ivy City. Photo: Nick Heyd

With over 80,000 cars passing by their distillery each day on New York Avenue, they’re excited about the opening. “We should wrap construction in November and host our opening party in early December,” says Pia. The duo are enthusiastic about being part of the District’s food and beverage scene, too, “When Rachel and I were coming up with a name for our business, we really wanted to tip our hat to the Capital – this vibrant and interesting place in and of itself.”

Tai Heath, at her space at Mess Hall DC. Heath is decorating custom-designed cookies for a Redskins wives’ fashion event. Tai is a co-owner of the business, 5-12 Dessert Boutique, that she started with her mom, Daneen.

Home Cooking, Delivered Former Living Social alums, Alan Clifford and Ian Costello, started Galley with a concept of meals-on-the-go. At the end of 2014, they left their jobs and started thinking more about food and how to look beyond traditional take-out with its typically geographic limitation to food delivery service. Many of the online food delivery service companies require a subscription and ship customers prepped ingredients so that they can create the meals themselves, however Galley is different in that they send chilled meals that are already prepared by their team of chefs. Whether ordering lunch or dinner, prices for a meal are $14 or less (including delivery, tax and gratuity). Customers get a 30-minute delivery window and directions for heating their meal. Partnering with VSAG restaurant consultants (the Founding Farmers team), they moved to Ivy City at 1350 Okie Street and

started lunch production, followed by dinner in the beginning of July of this year. With an app and online access, ordering lunch or dinner couldn’t be easier. “We’re making hundreds of meals a day,” says Alan and notes that they have thousands of customers in the District now and recently expanded to Baltimore. “Our core audience is in their late 20s or 30s – everyone is focused on the convenience factor – they are looking for a high quality meal and healthful offerings.”

Mess Hall Initiatives Al Goldberg is building a community around food. After spending a number of years in the catering world, he wanted to break out and do his own thing. He knew that many craft producers were finding space in church kitchens or using restaurant space in off hours, but he also knew

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Al Goldberg of Mess Hall envisioned a food community in a welcoming space. Opened less than a year ago, it is already home to over 30 food start-ups, and has hosted many events from educational workshops for food entrepreneurs, cooking classes with demonstration kitchen, to fundraisers for those in need.

that bringing together a group of people in one space would foster a camaraderie and support system for those launching a culinary concept. Working through Eagle Bank, a preferred SBA lender, and using his own savings, he found a space at 703 Edgewood Street NE, opening Mess Hall’s doors in October of last year. Al sees a time when DC follows along with initiatives like he’s seen in Brooklyn – where hotels there might promote hand-crafted food items made in the borough. He also notes that it takes lots of entrepreneurs to make this type of community a reality. “I can see a District hotel offering cookies baked by a local producer – there’s a level of pride with restaurants featuring DC products.” Mess Hall has noted DC producers like Bullfrog Bagels making hand-rolled bagels in the authentic tradition, 5-12 Dessert Boutique and Lounge run by mother-daughter duo Daneen and Tai Heath who create specialty baked goods and cookies, and Tory Pratt’s True, syrups and garnishes (tonics and grenadines done in the style of those produced pre-prohibition).

Says Tory who used to work in international development, “Most of my business comes out of this space, it fits a niche you maybe didn’t think was there – I was one of the first 10 in the space, now we have close to 40.” Recently, Mess Hall applied for and won a Small Business Association Growth Accelerator Award – over 600 businesses applied and a little over 10% of applicants won, each receiving $50,000. Earlier this summer Al took the lead on coordinating Launch Pad, collaborating with DC culinary leaders to help a promising food business (see Arepa Zone under Food Trucks above) take logical next steps. Another part of the focus of community is engaging interns from DC Central Kitchen with the hopes that the entrepreneurs using the Mess Hall space might grow their business and have the potential to provide a job. Says Al of Mess Hall’s role in the food culture in DC, “What you’ll see is that we’ll continue to try and find new and meaningful ways to have impact in enabling the DC small producers to create a sustainable food economy.” Annette Nielsen has been the food editor of the Hill Rag since 2012 and has recently taken a position with Futuro Media Group in New York; reach her at annettenielsen@mac.com or follow her on Twitter @The_Kitchen_Cab. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

Reimagining a Community Pillar by Barbara Wells heater Alliance has emphatically found its voice. Last year the company earned seven Helen Hayes Awards; this season it’s won a $10,000 National Theatre Company Grant from American Theatre Wing, bestowed on theaters that have “articulated a distinctive mission, cultivated an audience, and nurtured a community of artists in ways that strengthen the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theatre.” But like all seemingly “overnight” successes, Theater Alliance’s rise is really a testament to decades of sustained support and the tenacity of visionary leadership. From its humble origins as a community theater, by 2002 Theater Alliance had joined Washington’s fledgling professional companies and taken up residence at the new H Street Playhouse amid burgeoning neighborhood revitalization. But eventually management changes and a tough economy took their toll, reducing the company’s 2010 season to just one production: a reprise of Black Nativity. Enter Colin Hovde. In 2011, H Street Playhouse founder and Theater Alliance board member Adele Robey asked Hovde to apply for the theater director’s job — a position he seemed destined to take. A self-described child of hippies, Hovde chose a career in theater as a form of social service; a way to build community connections. As a teenager approaching high school graduation, he’d even contemplated joining the

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Peace Corps — until his mentor said he could do more to help people in the theater. At the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, he realized his mission: producing plays that challenge people to think in a more compassionate way. “I want our theater to be about your daily life. I want you to walk down the street and feel more connected to the people you see,” Hovde says. “Of course we want theater to be entertaining, but it’s so much more fulfilling when it entertains and asks hard questions that make us think.” In 2004, when nearly every one of his college classmates made a beeline for New York, Hovde took off for Macau, China, to produce the Worldwide Arts Collective Festival. Strangely enough, that’s where he met Jeremy Skidmore, a kindred spirit who was then Theater Alliance’s artistic director. The two North Carolina graduates immediately connected, and Skidmore invited Hovde to become the company’s associate director the following year. After his work at Theater Alliance, Hovde spent the next five years as a free-lance director and producer until he received Robey’s momentous call to return. He would spend the next year rebuilding the company’s financial base and navigating its transition from H Street to the new Anacostia Playhouse. “It was a pivotal moment for Theater Alliance,” he says. “We had to ask ourselves, ‘Why are we here? Why do we need to stay alive? What value do we add to the community?” In March 2013, Hovde finally found his answers in Word Becomes Flesh, a hip-hop exploration of a father’s right to choose between a commitment to his child and abandonment. The heart-breaking piece featured five young men grappling with fatherhood, visibly changing the perceptions and stirring the emotions of audience members, and Hovde himself. The play influenced Theater Alliance’s first season as the resident company at Anacostia Playhouse. All three of the season’s plays were rooted in relatable human experience, but produced in distinct ways that stretched theatrical boundaries: Broke-ology is a classic “kitchen sink” production, using a realistic set to portray the ordinary struggles of a working class family; White Rabbit, Red Rabbit eschewed scenery and even rehearsal altogether, featuring various actors reading the play for the first time at venues across the city; and The Wonderful World of Dissocia was a sort of naturalistic fever dream that explored mental disease caused by trauma — and received four Helen Hayes Awards.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Occupied Territories. Photo: C. Stanley Photography. Word Becomes Flesh. Night Falls on the Blue Planet. Photo: C. Stanley Photography

The next season built on the company’s momentum, including a production of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, directed by the widely acclaimed Timothy Douglas — a major coup for the company. For Hovde, an even greater milestone was Occupied Territories, a story of the lasting impact of war that deeply affected its audiences. Like other Theater Alliance productions, the play included post-show “talkbacks” for audience members to discuss their reactions. “We need to be talking about race. We need to be talking about gender inequality. And theater gives us to the opportunity to do that face to face with people we may never otherwise speak to about these things,” states Hovde. Hovde aims to showcase issues that are never fully addressed, in the voices of people who are too rarely heard: veterans grappling with the psychological effects of war; gay youths dealing with bullying and rejection; people with disabilities confronting prejudice. And it’s no accident that today Theater Alliance features the works of playwrights who are more often people of color than white; more often female than male. Some of these playwrights emerge from Hothouse: Theater Alliance’s program to develop new works by local writers. This year Hothouse received 23 submissions and selected four, based on not only the potential of the work and its phase of development, but also the under-represented perspectives of the playwrights themselves. “These are important stories that we don’t often hear,” Hovde says. “And even though they may not have anything to do with one audience member’s, life they are so specific that they capture a universal

human challenge that crosses boundaries.” Theater Alliance nurtures these works by hiring a director, actors, and dramaturg to spend one week with the playwright, talking, trying new things and rewriting, culminating in a public reading followed by further conversation with the audience. But the relationship with the company continues long after the program ends, with playwrights submitting new drafts or other plays in the works, and Theater Alliance lending a special understanding of how the writer thinks and speaks. This year’s season opened with a world premiere of a Hothouse play: Kathleen Akerley’s Night Falls on the Blue Planet, part of The Women’s Voices Theater Festival that the company describes as “a woman’s complex and unexpected journey to herself.” Hovde seems most excited about the return of Word Becomes Flesh, the play that redefined Theater Alliance’s mission back in 2013. Presented in repertory with For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, the play is now part of a complex conversation at the intersection of race and gender. While the plays’ stories are about black men and women, men and women of all races can relate to their characters, and people of each gender can learn about the opposite sex, revealing answers to questions they may not be able to ask for themselves. “These two pieces are why I do this work,” Hovde says. “What we do saves lives and increases compassion. That’s not an abstract concept. It’s a reality.” For more information about Theater Alliance, visit theateralliance.com Barbara Wells is a writer and editor for Reingold, a social marketing communications firm. She and her husband live on Capitol Hill. u

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Opens New Studio in Anacostia article and photos by Phil Hutinet fter two years of grueling construction and regulatory delays, light sculptor Craig Kraft will officially open his new studio on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kraft’s studio will become part of a growing list of art spaces that have opened in historic Anacostia since 2013. The list includes the Anacostia Playhouse, which relocated from H Street NE, and the Anacostia Arts Center, which transformed the former ARCH Development Corporation training center into a series of galleries, boutiques, and rehearsal spaces. Wedged between Honfleur Gallery and the Anacostia Arts Center on the 1300 block of Good Hope Road SE, Kraft’s new space boasts an exhibition area, a large workspace, an office, and second-floor living quarters for the artist. The exterior of the two-story, brick-front storefront façade – an architectural style found throughout DC’s commercial corridors – belies the gallery’s spacious and modern interior, which features high ceilings, concrete floors, and a modern wing in the rear portion. Kraft purchased the space

in late 2013 and had hoped to open the studio to the public in the summer of 2014. However, a series of permitting and construction snags delayed the project until this fall. Before Kraft transformed the space, the building at 1239 Good Hope Road SE sat vacant for years and constituted what realtors and developers would consider a “total shell,” complete with collapsing roof and dirt floor. While many prospective investors, including a string of potential restaurateurs, found the property’s drawbacks insurmountable, Kraft saw the potential of a blank canvas and an opportunity to create something new. “I bought this abandoned building and started from a pile of loose bricks from which I have created a modern sculpture studio and dynamic living space,” Kraft says. Kraft is no stranger to moving into neighborhoods that many developers and other artists might overlook. He established his original DC studio, which he purchased in 1992, in an old firehouse in Shaw. Kraft recalls a series of harrowing experiences in the neighborhood during the 1990s, when the city’s crime waved had reached its peak. Now Shaw, like many neighborhoods in Northwest Washington, has undergone transformative redevelopment and gentrification, leaving the neighborhood for better or for worse, depending on whom you ask.

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LUMEN8ANACOSTIA 2013 introduced Kraft to what he calls “Anacostia’s neighborhood renaissance.” During the 2013 neighborhood arts festival run by ARCH Development Corporation, ARCH selected Kraft to create a large temporary public art piece at the entrance of the neighborhood to greet festival goers. “Random Neons for Anacostia” enlivened the former theater at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Good Hope Road, greeting all those who crossed the 11th Street Bridge into the historic east-of-the-river community. The overall experience convinced Kraft to take the plunge and move east of the river and re-root himself in historic Anacostia. “I love the energy of the area,” Kraft says, “it’s a neighborhood in transition and there is an eager anticipation for arts development in Anacostia.” Kraft also sees Anacostia as a neighborhood endowed with a well-established artist community and a group of well-connected neighbors. Kraft is known nationally and internationally for his work with neon lighting. A tenured faculty member of the Smithsonian Institution Studio Art Program, he has shown in over 125 exhibitions. Municipalities and arts organizations throughout the region have commissioned him to produce large-scale public art pieces. Selected public works that readers may recognize include “Falling Man” (1995) in New York City; “Lightweb” (2004) in Silver Spring, Md.; “Crossroads” (2006) in Rockville, Md.; “Fire and Water” (2007) in Concord, N.C.; “Connective Ascension” (2009) in Loveland, Colo., and most recently “Vivace” (2010) in Washington, DC, outside the Shaw public library. “Untitled,” which once rested on the façade of the Arlington Arts Center (AAC), has found a permanent home atop the Anacostia Arts Center – the other AAC located across the east branch of the Potomac – right next door to Kraft’s studio. What does Craig Kraft have in store for his new home in Anacostia? Back from a trip to France and Spain, where he privately toured several early human cave drawings, Kraft has set out to create a new series of work inspired by what he calls “man’s universal urge to mark.” His gallery space will also feature work from the “Unintentional Drawing” series, the “Ground Zero” series, and the “Random Neon” series. Kraft plans to host a series of community-centered programs in addition to continuing his artistic practice. “I will be creating both monumental and studio works as well as teaching workshops” he explains. Craig Kraft Studio is located at 1239 Good Hope Road SE. For more information about the artist, his work, and his new studios space please visit home.craigkraftstudio.com. Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, dedicated to DC’s visual arts. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com. u

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

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Anacostia Arts Center Welcomes Akua Allrich Located on one of our busiest streets, the Anacostia Arts Center on Good Hope Road in Southeast DC nevertheless always provides a cozy escape for those seeking artistic enrichment through paintings, drawings, sculpture, and other works. Coming up Oct. 17 for the center’s free Live Saturdays show will be the musical arts of Akua Allrich, one of our more dynamic and entertaining vocalists. DC native and Howard University graduate Allrich has “musical roots” that “run deeply into blues, soul and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music.” She is well known for her tribute programs devoted to Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, and other great African-American women of jazz, and is enjoying acclaim for her CD “Soul Singer,” released a few months ago. The Anacostia Arts Center’s Live Saturdays shows started in September with the goal of introducing new artists and audiences to Anacostia and “boosting” the artistic life of the neighborhood, according to arts center information. The events are free but reservations are recommended. Shows begin at 5 p.m. See www.anacostiaartscenter.com for more information.

InPerson ... CBCF Jazz/Gary Bartz This special report on the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s jazz concert last month, which also featured a scintillating set by Yosvanny Terry’s group, comes via the esteemed saxophonist/bandleader/composer Rahmat Shabazz: “Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz, recipient of

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this year’s CBCF Jazz Legacy Award, gave a fantastic performance that skirted musical boundaries. ‘When we play… it is church … John Coltrane, Charlie Parker (etc) … it is church,’ Bartz gently explained before ripping into his seamless set of interstellar blues and more. A repertoire highlight was the Walter Davis Jr. tune ‘Uranus,’ a beautiful yet technically challenging piece that provided a wonderful platform of creativity for Gary and his band (James King on bass, Paul Bollenbeck on guitar, Greg Bandy on drums, and Larry Willis on piano).”

InReview … Ben Williams’ ‘Coming of Age’ Homeboy bassist Ben Williams, who went on to Michigan State and the Juilliard School to further his craft, has produced a noteworthy CD with “Coming of Age” for the Concord Music Group. The recording has a soulful/R&B feel with hip hop/rap getting its due on “Toy Soldier.” Williams’ bass work stands out throughout with his vintage throbbing and always lyrical driving grooves, and his bandmates are first rate, including Marcus Strickland, tenor and soprano sax, and Matthew Stevens, with special guests including trumpeter Christian Scott, vibe guru Stefon Harris, and vocalists W. Ellington Felton and Goapele. Highpoints include Williams originals “Strength and Beauty,” with Sands and Strickland trading melodies and riffs; the popping jam “Forecast,” with Davis and Charles pulsatingly pushing the tune through a winding blend of Strickland’s soaring sounds over Sands’ piano ripples, and Sands’ dramatic chords and edgy riffs of his own over Williams’ rumbling bass work; and the title tune with its lilting, waltzing opening quickly ripping into a frenetic chase, and Williams, Sands, and Strickland matching each other with vibrant flights of lyricism and charm. See www.benwilliamsmusic.net. And a Happy, Happy Birthday! to living legend Pharoah Sanders, 75 years young, Oct. 13, and appearing at Bohemian Caverns Oct. 16-17. October Highlights: … Shannon Gunn &

Bullettes, Oct. 10, Durant Art Center/Alexandria … E.J., Marcus Strickland, Oct. 10, Kennedy Center … Matt Lucian & Matt Maneri Duo, Oct. 11, Bohemian Caverns … Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz Strayhorn Dance Party, Oct. 12, Thurgood Marshall Center … Carl Grubbs/“An Evening of Artistic Excellence”/ Baker Award Winners, Oct. 14, Baltimore Museum of Art … Samara Pinderhughes Ensemble/Strayhorn: The Sutherland Hotel Period, Oct. 15, National Portrait Gallery … Larry Brown Quintet, Oct. 16, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Joanne Brackeen, Oct. 16, Kennedy Center … Ron Sutton, Oct. 16-17, Twins Jazz … JAZZForum: Bobby Felder, Oct. 21, University of the District of Columbia Recital Hall … Ran Blake, Oct. 23-24, Atlas Performing Arts Center … Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown/Listening Party, Reimagined, Oct. 24, Kennedy Center … Rudresh Mahanthappa “Bird Calls,” Oct. 24-25, Blues Alley … Three Ladies Singing Strayhorn, Oct. 24, University of the District of Columbia Recital Hall … Allyn Johnson/Meet the Artist, Oct. 27, University of the District of Columbia Recital Hall … Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Jason Moran and The Bandwagon, Oct. 28-30, Kennedy Center … Remembering Willis Conover, Oct. 30, Westminster Presbyterian Church … Remembering Ronnie Wells and Ron Elliston, Oct. 30, Montpelier Arts Center/Laurel … Mark Meadows, Oct. 30-31, Twins Jazz … October Birthdays: Walter Bishop Jr. 4; Jo Jones, Larry Young 7; Pepper Adams 8; Abdullah Ibrahim, Kenny Garrett 9; Thelonius Monk 10; Junior Mance, Harry Edison, Art Blakey 11; Mel Rhyne 12; Art Tatum, Ray Brown, Von Freeman, Lee Konitz, Pharoah Sanders, Johnny Lytle 13; Fela Anikulapo-Kuti 15; Roy Hargrove 16; Cozy Cole 17; Wynton Marsalis 18; Jelly Roll Morton 20; Dizzy Gillespie, Don Byas 21; Ernie Watts 23; Jimmy Heath 25; Milton Nascimento 26; Zoot Sims 27; Clifford Brown 30; Illinois Jacquet, Booker Irvin 31. Steve Monroe is a Washington, DC, writer who can be reached at steve@jazzavenues.com and followed atwww.twitter.com/jazzavenues. u

Congress Heights Neighborhood Welcomes New Arts & Culture Center

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New Cultural Center Will Connect Community to the Arts article and photos by Phil Hutinet n Friday, July 31, the Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center opened its doors for the first time to the community after which it was named. Located at 3200 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, across the street from DC’s landmark Engine 25 fire station, the multilevel, foursquare hometurned-cultural-center lies in the heart of Ward 8. Phinis Jones, a long-time Ward 8 resident, originally intended to donate the space, which he owns, to exhibit his extensive art collection. Upon reflection Jones expanded his vision from showcasing his artwork to creating a neighborhood cultural center and gathering place. Those familiar with the neighborhood will recognize the 3200 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave address as the former headquarters of Capitol Services Management Inc., an organization run by Jones. The center’s opening comes on the heels of a number of other east-of-the-river art-related developments, notably in Ward 8, such as the opening of the Anacostia Playhouse and the Anacostia Arts Center in 2013. By late 2016 or early 2017, Curtis-Four Points will open a series of street-level artist’s work/live spaces, further anchoring historic Anacostia as an arts destination. However, amid all of the new development in historic Anacostia over the past three years, the Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique, a neighborhood mainstay located across from the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, closed its doors permanently on Dec. 31, 2014. Its closure left a powerful vacuum in Ward 8, as the surrounding community lost a favorite meeting place, cultural center, and marketplace. As fate would have it, the opening of the Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center could not have come at a better time. Like the Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique, it is locat-

ed in a residence, immediately putting visitors at ease. The center has even more spaces to showcase concurrent exhibitions as well as areas dedicated to the sale of local crafts, books, and other items, a format reminiscent of what one would have found at the Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique. Even the Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique’s curator, Barry Blackman, has landed at the center to collaborate and program a number of upcoming exhibitions. He has begun populating the center with a variety of objets d’art – as he did at the Anacostia Art Gallery and Boutique – which he discovers during his global travels. Blackman sees the Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center as “an empowerment zone” where members of the community can “feel at home.” The center will afford Blackman the opportunity to continue his extensive curatorial work on the African diaspora, ensuring that its important cultural influence finds an anchor and a proper voice in the Washington, DC, art world. Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center’s executive director, Keyonna Jones-Lindsay, has ambitious plans for the space. She plans to establish a series of programs which extend beyond the visual arts to include the culinary, the literary, and the performing arts. In addition, as part of the center’s offerings, Jones-Lindsay will include wellness courses, money-management classes, and other programming that will benefit local residents. First and foremost, Jones-Lindsay sees the Congress Heights Arts & Culture Center as a gathering place to actively involve the community in outreach and education. “The center’s goal,” she explains, “is to inspire, educate, and expose the community, especially our youth, to arts, not only in our history but in our own com-

munity.” Jones-Lindsay adds, “There is an immense history of Washington, DC, specifically in Southeast, that will be highlighted.” And the center is already having an impact on the community. Blackman recalls seeing a young man enter the center during one of the early workshop sessions. “He did not appear to be the kind of person you would normally think would be interested in art.” As it turns out, he was. Now the center provides him with a safe and nurturing place to learn new skills and techniques. This experience exemplifies the spirit of what Jones-Lindsay hopes to accomplish with the center’s educational programs. As far as the art exhibitions are concerned, Jones-Lindsey has already established a rigorous 2015 programming schedule, which last month included a retrospective of Ted Ellis’ work to inaugurate the center’s gallery. In October the center will open a group exhibition, “The Black Doll Show,” featuring renowned lifelong doll artists Betty Baines, Gwendolyn Aqui Brooks, Francine Haskins, Jeri Hubbard, and Paula Whaley. In November Malia Shalaam and Keisha Carroll will present concurrent solo exhibitions. And in December look for a major retrospective by Lois Mailou Jones which will include a number of pieces from private collections. The Congress Heights Arts & Cultural Center is looking for community involvement and volunteers. To contact the center call 202563.5033.

Executive Director Keyonna Jones-Lindsay at the Congress Height Arts & Culture Center.

Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, dedicated to DC’s visual arts. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news / buLLetin board

new sPorts arena at st. es

how we lost dC: exhibition at honfleur gallery Wesley Clark, The New American Pastime, plywood, oil paint, resin, acrylic, 52-68 inches, 2015. Photo: StereoVision Photography

Mayor Muriel Bowser, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Majority Owner and CEO Ted Leonsis, and Events DC President and CEO Greg O’Dell have announced plans to build a state-of-the-art Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeth’s East in Ward 8. The $55 million joint venture will become the future practice facility for the Washington Wizards, home court of the Washington Mystics, and a premier entertainment venue in the District. Operated by Events DC, the new complex is projected to produce $90 million in new tax revenues over 20 years. The 118,000-square foot, 5,000-seat facility will attract more than 380,000 annual new residents and visitors per year to Congress Heights producing more than 600 construction and 300 permanent jobs.

sheridan station welComes new residents

How We Lost DC is a visual discourse around gentrification. The artists of Delusions of Grandeur present a range of perspectives engaging the cultural and physical redeveloping of a landscape; and the struggles, both personal and political, taking place in Washington DC and across the urban terrain of the United States. Members of the Delusions of Grandeur collective are Wesley Clark, Larry Cook, Shaunté Gates, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Stan Squirewell. How We Lost DC is at Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE, through Oct. 31. 202-365-8392. honfleurgallery.com

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

The District of Columbia Housing Authority, in partnership with developer William C. Smith & Co., welcomed more than 325 families to their new homes at Sheridan Station. The 14-acre property, formerly Sheridan Terrace public housing, now is home to a new mixed-income community of 327 units, 80 of which are affordable. There are also an additional 247 affordable rentals to serve families with incomes up to $64,000. The first of these were delivered in December 2012. The development also boasts a 5,400-square foot private medical office located on the first floor of the multi-family building.

forum on women of Color and enVironmental JustiCe A continuation of an August community discussion, this forum on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2 to 4 p.m.., at Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE, will focus on Diversifying the Green Movement. Women of color will discuss their place in the fight for environmental justice, its impact on female communities; and the importance of self-

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District Of Columbia Housing Authority REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR

Combined Cooling, Heating And Power System - Langston Terrace RFP No. - 0038-2015

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY (“DCHA”) solicits proposals from qualified Project Developers interested in the development of an on-site Combined Cooling, Heating and Power System (“CCHP”) at the Langston Terrace property located at 2101 G St NE, Washington, DC 20002.

reliance, activism, and resistance. To sign up, call 202-633-4844. For more information, visit anacostia.si.edu.

Anacostia Heritage Trail Opens Over the centuries, groups ranging from Native American traders to freedmen and freedwomen to the US military have found a home on this hilly land along the eastern shores of the Anacostia River. Walk the new Anacostia Heritage Trail to learn Anacostia’s complicate history while savoring the best views in the District. Meet Frederick Douglass and John Wilkes Booth. Witness the transformation of a oncebucolic landscape into a thriving urban neighborhood. Visit culturaltourismdc.org/portal/991 to learn more.

Help Restore Shepherd Parkway Volunteer from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, Oct. 17, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12. Shepherd Parkway’s 205 acres are home to two Civil War forts, two bald eagle nests, and some of the oldest forests in DC. Help remove trash and invasive species from this important but neglected natural area in Ward 8. Meet at the picnic tables near the corner of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Avenues SE. Gloves, bags, and light refreshments will be provided. Wear boots and work clothes. For more information, contact Nathan Harrington at nbharrington@ yahoo.com or 301-758-5892; or visit shepherdparkway.blogspot.com.

District Grant for Sustainable, Affordable Housing The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the

Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) have been selected by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) to participate as part of a Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot Project. The District is the only city on the East Coast to receive this award. As part of the project, DHCD and DOEE will turn a formerly vacant site in Deanwood into an equitable, mixedincome, and sustainable development of 10 to 15 townhouses employing cutting edge, environmentally-restorative design. The project will meet the rigorous green building standard certification set by the Living Building Challenge. Although the District received no direct funding for this project, the technical assistance package provided by ILFI equates to hundreds of hours of documentation review, facilitation, and other technical expertise at no cost. For more information on the International Living Future Institute, go to livingfuture.org.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS will be available at the District of Columbia Housing Authority Procurement Office, 1133 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 300, Office of Administrative Services, Washington, D.C. 200027599 (Issuing Office); between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, October 5, 2015, after 4:00 p.m. SEALED PROPOSALS ARE DUE: no later than Monday, November 23, 2015 @ 2:00 p.m. at the Issuing Office identified above. Please contact Kimberly Allen, Procurement Manager at 202-535-1212 or kallen@dchousing.org for additional information.

Volunteer at Kenilworth Park With the arrival of fall, it is time to begin putting the gardens at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE, to bed for the winter. On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will help the gardens’ staff winterize the plants and grounds. Please RSVP. Contact Tina O’Connell at tina@friendsofkenilworthgardens.org. friendsofkenilworthgardens.org.

Coloring Club at Bellevue Library Thursdays at 4 p.m., parents and caregivers visiting the Children’s Room at the Bellevue Neighborhood Library, East of the River Magazine October 2015

115 Atlantic St. SW, can relax and color. Coloring pencils, markers and crayons will be available. For more information call 202-243-1185 or visit dclibrary.org/bellevue.

nCPC aPProVes Plans for st. e’s Center building

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US? Call Laura Vucci 202-400-3510

or laura@hillrag.com for more information on advertising.

Constructed in 1853 as the first federal mental hospital in the United States, the 264,000 squarefoot Center Building on St. Elizabeth’s West Campus is slated to become the main headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security housing approximately 900 personnel. The 1,000-foot long structure consists of seven buildings constructed between 1853 and 1884. The General Services Administration (GSA) plans to restore the historic façade, protect as much of the historic fabric as possible, and provide 133,000 square feet of office space. The roof on buildings 1, 2, 6, and 8 will be replicated. Those on the remaining buildings will be replaced with a sloped concrete roof deck. 1,300 windows will be restored or replaced. The proposed landscape plan will add additional trees, reinstall a brick paving skirt, and repair historical elements. At its monthly meeting on Sept. 3, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved GSA’s preliminary site design. In its comments, the Commission recommended that GSA include a refined landscape plan, a more detailed description of the proposed design for new egress doors and the porte-cochere, and an update to the Transportation Management Plan regarding conformance to parking ratios set forth in its final submission. ncpc.gov

new Play reading series at anaCostia Playhouse Every Monday in October at 8 p.m., Theater Alliance’s Hothouse Readings will take place at the Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. SE. They will be followed by an audience discussion with the playwright, director, and artists. Admission is free. Remaining readings include: Oct. 12, Dane Figueroa Edidi’s Absalom; Oct. 19, Kitty Fel-

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

de’s Western & 96th; and Oct. 26, Chinita L. Anderson’s We R Punk Rock. Call 202-290-2328 or visit theateralliance.com for more information.

East of the River Economic Summit to Held On Nov. 5, the City First Foundation convenes a summit, “Equitable Economic Development East of the River.” The day-long event discusses the primary challenges and opportunities impacting East Washington neighborhoods. Bringing together the District’s key community development stakeholders and thought leaders, participants will discuss housing, commercial corridor revitalization, and small business development. This forum is a place to share industry best practices, trends in public policy, and incubate new and innovative ideas. To see the agenda and read more, visit cityfirstfoundation.org.

The 50th Anniversary Spiral Collective In 1963 Hale Woodruff and Romare Bearden organized an alliance of artists who met weekly to discuss their work, politics, and civil rights. The group exhibited only once in New York in 1965 before disbanding. On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., join Anacostia Community Museum’s Collections Manager Joshua Gorman as he shows selections from the museum’s permanent collection including works by Bearden, Robert Alston, Norman Lewis, Alvin Hollingsworth and other artists--before and after Spiral. The museum is located at 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia.si.edu

Volunteer to Collect Wetland Seeds On Thursday, Oct. 22, 9:30 a.m. to noon; Thursday, Oct. 29, 1 to 4 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 9:30 a.m. to noon; and Thursday, Nov. 12, 1 to 4 p.m., join volunteers at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 601 Annapolis Rd. to help collect wetland plant seeds from the marshes that line the shores of the Anacostia River. The Anacostia Watershed Society will propagate these seeds next spring as part of the the organization’s wetland re-vegetation effort. All necessary tools and supplies needed will be provided. Walking some distance in waders through thick mud is required. Register at anacostiaws.org. Contact

Volunteer Program Manager Joanna Fisher at jfisher@anacostiaws.org or 301-699-6204 ext. 109.

Calling Wards 6, 7 and 8 Vendors The 11th Street Bridge Project is searching for caterers, graphic artists, photographers/videographers, event producers and printers located in Wards 6, 7 and 8. Contact shahara@ bridgepark.org. bridgepark.org

DC Health Link Launches DC Health Link Plan Match The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (HBX) has launched the DC Health Link Plan Match on DCHealthLink.com. This new tool allows DC Health Link customers to compare health plans based on current or future medical needs. It is anonymous and available to all. Simply enter age, health status, and anticipated medical needs. The Plan Match estimates the total out of pocket costs including premiums, deductibles, copays and coinsurance for each of the 31 health plans currently available to individuals. District residents may shop for health plans during HBX’s open enrollment that starts Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31, 2016.

Women, Arts and Social Change Project Launched Women, Arts and Social Change (WASC) addresses social and political issues relevant to women, across disciplines, through provocative programming that inspires dialogue and action at The National Museum of Women in the Arts located at 1250 New York Ave. NW. “Righting the Balance—Can there be gender parity in the art world?” on Oct. 18 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. considers the inequality that persists for women artists today. Make a reservation at nmwa.org/events/fresh-talk-rightingbalance. The cost is $25 for general admission; and $15 for members, students, and seniors. nmwa.org.

Rare Bible Exhibited at Library of Congress The Library of Congress today received as a gift from Saint John’s Abbey and University an Apostles Edition of The Saint John’s Bible. A work of art with more than 1,130 pages and 160 il-

East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news / buLLetin board luminations that reflect life in the modern era, the tome measures two feet tall and three feet wide when open. It is the first handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned by a monastery since the invention of the printing press. The Bible is displayed on the north side of the Great Hall of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE., through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. loc.gov.

Veterans housing worKshoP Housing Counseling Services, Inc. offers a Veterans Resource Workshop on Monday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. Information will be available on how to search for affordable housing, understanding what landlords are looking for, budgeting, credit repair, and tenant rights and responsibilities. Interested veterans should call 202-667-7006 to reserve a seat or email to HCS at info@housingetc.org. Housing Counseling Services, Inc. is located at 2410 Seventh St. NW, Suite 100. housingetc.org.

helP with seCtion eight housing disCrimination If a landlord or management company has refused to rent to you because you have a Section Eight Housing Choice Voucher, Housing Counseling Services can help file a fair housing complaint. Many DC residents may not know that “Source of Income” is a protected category under DC fair housing law. This means it is illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to a potential tenant because the tenant plans to pay rent using a voucher, a government subsidy, or any other form of non-employment income. If you believe you have been the victim of “Source of Income” discrimination, contact HCS at 202-667-7006 to speak to a fair housing specialist.

three dC-based grouPs to helP PeoPle enroll in health CoVerage The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority Executive Board has approved grants to three DC-based community organizations to serve as Navigator entities. These groups will provide in-person assistance to individuals and families looking to enroll in health insurance coverage through DC Health Link, the District’s online health insurance marketplace. The grantees are: African Methodist Episcopal Church Second District Religious, Educational and Charitable Development Projects, Inc. (AME Second District RED); DC Primary Care Association (DCPCA); and Whitman-Walker Health (WWH).

the gift: an interaCtiVe healing and reConCiliation exPerienCe Before there was a television special on father absence, jonetta rose barras had already written “Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl?” On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30 to 8 p.m., at the Reeves Center (Second floor), Fourth and U Streets NW, she joins Esther Productions Inc, and artists/healers Brittany Nicole Adams, Joy Jones and Tracie Robinson in presenting THE GIFT: An Interactive Arts Healing and Reconciliation Experience. The program features a specialized opening ceremony, creative exercises and a group-affirmation. If you have suffered a traumatic loss like father absence and have had difficulty stabilizing your life or developing healthy relationships, then this powerful interactive, therapeutic healing may be for you. For more information call 202-829-0591 or send an email to estherproductions.

identify Persons of interest in murder of CCn Journalist CharniCe milton Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch need help identifying and locating seven vehicles and fourteen people in connection with the murder of 27 year-old, Capital Community News reporter Charnice Milton. Milton was killed on the 2700 block of Good Hope Rd. SE on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 9:41 p.m. Please have a look at this video (youtu.be/0xhK6Y274_M) and call the police at 202-727-9099. Have a story for the Bulletin Board? Email bulletinboard@hillrag.com u

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EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

light sCulPtor Craig Kraft oPens anaCostia studio Craig Kraft, the internationally known light sculptor, has opened his freshly renovated studio space at 1239 Good Hope Rd. SE in Historic Anacostia. No stranger to the neighborhood, Kraft was introduced during the LUMEN8ANACOSTIA arts festival in 2013. That year he unveiled his “Random Neons for Anacostia” installation at the corner of MLK Jr. Avenue SE and Good Hope Road. Three months later he signed an offer to purchase his studio/residence at the opposite end of the block, sandwiched between the Anacostia Arts Center and the Honfleur Gallery. There he installed a 2006 piece, “Anacoiti.” Kraft Studio is. To find out more about Kraft’s work, visit craigkraftstudio.com. Random Neon; Craig Kraft; neon & steal frame; 14-7-1 feet. Photo: Meredith Lucks

Have You Seen My Edison, My Einstein? by E. Ethelbert Miller

hen I look around our city, as well as the rest of the world it becomes obvious that we have entered a period of transition and transformation. Are you going to catch a cab or an Uber? Is that real money in your wallet? When did print from a newspaper make you wash your hands? These are the small windows of change one can call the daily weather report. Global warming is another term for fever. Every day we need to ask ourselves, how sick are we? Illness can result from sitting still too much or never getting out of bed. Sickness can be your tongue having a problem with the language you need to speak. I’m tired of my tongue speaking in Wards. Washington, DC, is now a place of pulsating neighborhoods. Trying to find the line where your Ward begins or ends is like trying to find the equator on a globe in pre-school. It’s only there because your mother or teacher told you so. When someone mentions Ward 5, I look at my hand. Why is Ward 1, Ward 1? Why can’t Ward 8 be 1? How long must we use an old colonial map to find our way around this city? The first thing to go when there is a major change or paradigm shift is history. History often introduces herself the morning after seduction. If people keep failing to avoid the mistakes of his-

tory it might have something to do with the sex. How long are we going to be addicted to things that no longer work? Let’s take our rainbow metro for an example. Pick a color, Red or Green. It’s 5 p.m. and you’re at Metro Center. It’s a New York, Tokyo, type of rush hour. There are only two tracks running in two directions. I have no idea why people have returned to the bicycle as the vehicle of the future. Didn’t the Wright Brothers give up their Dayton bike shop for airplanes? What century are we living in? I don’t drive or bike and too often find myself like Walt Whitman caught walking around during a Civil War. This one is between the past and the future. If I know what Pluto finally looks like I should be capable of imagining my destination on the Red Line before dinner. During these dark days of race matters it appears Go-go is gone. We have failed to bust loose from our memories. We lack the vision of the musician Sun Ra. Why can’t the next stop be Jupiter? What is the state of things without Statehood? And is a State what we still desire? Do we want to be Ohio or New Hampshire? Or do we simply want to be one city under a groove? I don’t think so. Everyone has their own playlist. In these times of transition and transformation there is a need for new music and outlooks. Washington,

DC, must become the cultural capital of our nation. We are the future, a city of many languages, a mosaic of colors blending into brightness. It’s time to move beyond our circles that too often box us in. Time to think new and be new. It’s either change or die. Even the sufferers are on the move. Our world and city will never be the same. Is this the awakening we’ve be studying in Bible class? People keep saying the city is changing. Well, are you changing with it or are you simply standing in the way? The Pope will be here this month, we need to either seek a blessing or request blueprints for the ark. E. Ethelbert Miller is a writer and literary activist. His Collected Poems edited by Kirsten Porter will be published next spring by Willow Press. In April 2015, Miller was inducted into the Washington DC Hall of Fame. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news / the district beat

Ending Homelessness: The Impossible Dream? the district beat by Jonetta Rose Barras

“H

omelessness is fundamentally about a lack of housing.” This unequivocal declaration appears in “Homeward DC,” the recent report issued by DC’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH). It is an enthusiastic embrace by Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration of the philosophy of “Housing First.” The city is playing follow-the-leader. The Housing First methodology has been aggressively pushed for several years by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Not surprisingly, DC Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger, whose agency handles the city’s homeless programs, once headed this organization. This is her second time at bat leading the District’s fight against homelessness. Prior to her stint in the federal government Zeilinger held a similar brief under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Zeilinger tells the District Beat that during the past several years, which undoubtedly means under Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration, the city lost ground. “[It] stopped investing in permanent housing; it stopped investing in housing first.” Now, according to the ICH, the District has the “highest rate of chronic homelessness of other similarly sized cities in America, and family homelessness increased a staggering 50 percent over the past five years,” she states. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development defines the chronic homeless person as “someone who has a disability, is unsheltered or sheltered, and has been homeless consistently for a year or more, or has had four separate episodes of homelessness within the last three years.” The Bowser administration has pledged to end chronic homelessness for families by 2017. That’s more than a notion. On any given day, under the flags of all the states flying just outside historic Union Station, there is an encampment of homeless men and

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

women. It may be hard to see them from a car or bus; they are hidden inside the architecture. But there are dozens of them. It’s their anchor home, just as Franklin Park at 15th and K streets NW is for others, and Dupont Circle and the corner of 10th and G streets NW for still more. The 2015 “Point-in Time” count of the region’s homeless population found there was an overall 2.7 percent decrease between 2014 and 2105. But 63 percent of the 11,623 “literally homeless” individuals were in the District.

Is Homelessness the Problem? Unemployment, substance abuse, and mental health issues all contribute mightily to individuals and families becoming homeless. So is homelessness merely a symptom of an amalgam of social ills and gaps in the healthcare system? Or is it the singular problem? The Bowser administration’s own council found that at least one cause of the increase in homelessness in the District was the “closing of a state psychiatric institution without concomitant creation of community-based housing and services.” A primary cause for family homelessness is poverty, acknowledges Zeilinger. “The characteristics of the homeless are not much different than people who experience extreme poverty.” Yet no District official has called for a reassessment of the city’s decision to release massive numbers of persons with mental illness from government facilities and institutions. Nor have the city’s leaders floated an aggressive, comprehensive, and cohesive campaign – a local version of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society,” perhaps – focused on ending poverty. Instead there is a hodgepodge of programs without a common organizing core. Does Housing First provide the necessary structure?

Will “Housing First” Work? Ralph da Costa Nunez, head of the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, has conducted research around the impact of Housing First. It is important to provide shelter for the homeless, he agrees, with a caveat. “Thus far the data – collected in 12 cities from 2,300 participant families [by HUD] – shows that rapid re-housing does not prevent future episodes of homelessness,” he wrote in September in the Huffington Post. Other experts have been equally critical of Housing First. Both programs rely on government vouchers or similar subsidies. The rental amount that participating individuals or families are required to pay is based on their income. In some instances they pay nothing. “For the majority of homeless families who constantly struggle with multiple manifestations of chronic poverty, rapid re-housing will not likely yield success,” Nunez wrote. Zeilinger differs with that view: “We’ve seen when we use Housing First we can dramatically reduce the number of homeless people.” Karen Cunningham, executive director of the Capitol Hill Group Ministries, says she is excited to see the city “putting significant resources into prevention that will really keep people from having to resort to shelter.” Her

organization is one of several the city has tapped to provide those services, which could include working with families to mitigate conflicts that result in homelessness or persuading relatives to take in a family to keep them out of a shelter. “Under those circumstances,” says Cunningham, “it is going to be important for it to be clear that [families] don’t have to go into shelter to be connected to housing and other services they need.” The Bowser administration also expects to ramp up the production of affordable housing units. It has placed $100 million in the Housing Production Trust Fund. It also is asking the DC Council to change the current law, to permit the agency to “clarify and provide for a more robust eligibility process.” Further, the mayor wants to have more flexibility on whether to house homeless families in apartments or what amounts to SROs – single rental occupancy units – which mimic efficiencies with communal bathrooms. “No one has seen the legislation,” says Cunningham. “It hasn’t been vetted with service providers.” Still there are some concerns. What happens, asks Cunningham, if a family in the “diversion program” has a problem with a relative and can no longer live in a particular place, and it happens on a warm night instead of a hypothermia evening which would give them a right to shelter? “Would the family be denied shelter?” Cunningham says advocates and providers are talking with Bowser administration officials to ensure there are protections for families seeking emergency relief. They want to ensure that such applicants remain eligible for long-term housing benefits.

Deja Vu All Over Again That all sounds good. But, truth be told, there is very little difference in the “Homeward DC” plan from the ICH and the 2004 “Homeless No More” proposal issued under Mayor Anthony Williams. The problem looks and feels the same, and one package of solutions echoes the other. Calling his plan a “blueprint for ac-

From left, Executive Director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness Kristy Greenwalt, City Administrator Rashad Young, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, Director of DC Department of Human Services Laura Zeilinger and DC Department of Housing and Community Development Director Polly Donaldson meet with members of the District’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) on September 1, 2015. During the meeting, Mayor Bowser announced a set of legislative and administrative measures to improve the Districtís homelessness crisis response system for families and called on residents to sign a pledge to end homelessness. Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah, DC Government

tion,” Williams pledged to end homelessness in 2014. His administration also promised to construct 6,000 units of affordable housing for low-income residents, increase preventive services using local and federal resources, and coordinate with mainstream organizations to provide social services for the homeless. At the time it issued its report, a version of Housing First had been “initiated in partnership with the DC Housing Authority,” providing “Section Eight” vouchers for adults. Now Bowser proposes to “develop a more effective crisis response system; increase the supply of affordable and supportive housing; remove barriers to [existing] affordable and supportive housing; increase economic security of households in our system; increase preventive efforts to stabilize households before housing is loss.” She has promised to end chronic homelessness by 2017, and pledged that by 2020 homelessness in the District will be “a rare, brief and non-recurring experience.” Despite the merry-go-round aspect of all of this, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, whose Committee of the Whole oversees homeless-

ness, promises to move quickly on Bowser’s package of requested legislative changes. “What the city is trying to do makes sense,” he says, adding that “the executive will need to ensure homeless advocates concur with the proposed changes.” “There is a quality of life issue,” continues Mendelson, acknowledging that the city likely will never “end” homelessness.” Still, the District’s effort to house the homeless is “the right thing to do.” Dealing with the issue hasn’t been cheap and “it’s not going to be cheap. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get the cost down,” Mendelson adds. Bowser has set aside $26 million for homeless programs in fiscal year 2016. Combined with the housing trust money, the city could spend more than $126 million on housing the poor and homeless. Providing shelter is “less expensive than doing nothing. You can’t change their course without housing,” says Zeilinger. “If you don’t provide it, they will continue to suffer. You have to give people a fighting chance.”

What about Existing Social Services? It’s not as if the city doesn’t have an existing network it could more effectively use to prevent homelessness. Many at-risk families receive a variety of District social services: Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), food stamps, and low-cost or no-cost health insurance. Monitoring their situations more closely could help the city stay one step ahead of evictions leading to homeless shelters. Moreover, in any given week hundreds of troubled families and individuals can be found in the DC Superior Court’s Landlord Tenant Division. In these cases the city could opt to use its own

housing subsidy program to provide vouchers to such families or individuals. Equally important, the city’s public housing administration has embraced a mixed-income housing renovation strategy. In Ward 8’s infamous Barry Farm complex, for example, such plans could jeopardize the living situation of dozen of families for whom there are no large rental apartment alternatives. “It’s a really complicated issue. There may be more than one worthy model,” says Cunningham, adding that the administration intends “to collect a lot of data to determine what works.” Didn’t the Williams administration, the Fenty administration, and the Gray administration also collect data? Yes, admits Cunningham. Yet this time “it feels to me there is genuine commitment to address this issue.” Is that a case of wishful thinking? jonetta rose barras has reported or commented on District affairs for more than 20 years. She occasionally blogs at www.jonettarosebarras.com. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news / the numbers

Too Many Families in DC Live on $2 a Day. It’s Time to Do Something about It the numbers by Ed Lazere

ard as it is to picture, a growing number of DC families live on less than $2 a day per person, and decisions by Mayor Bowser and the DC Council will help determine whether this problem gets worse over the next year – or better. Recent cuts in income assistance to DC’s poor families mean that 13,000 children are in families with incomes this low, and a pending time limit in DC’s welfare-to-work program could reduce families’ incomes even further starting next year. The District’s economy is growing but not creating equal opportunities for success. Some 18,000 more DC residents were poor in 2014 than in 2007, before the last recession, with African-Americans being hardest hit. This stubbornly high poverty reflects jobs that have not fully come back since the recession, except for residents with a college degree or beyond. This means that there is no guarantee that families who lose support will be able to land a decent job. The District has an opportunity to do better. Mayor Bowser and the DC Council will be making changes over the next year to employment services and the time limit in the city’s welfare-to-work program – TANF. Those changes will determine whether more families get the help and protections they need or, on the flip side, whether more families fall into deep poverty, with severe consequences for family stability and the ability of children to develop healthfully.

The Safety Net for Children Is Getting Weaker A new book details the harmful impact of restrictive time limits on families facing limited job opportunities. The book, “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America,” found that the number of US families with extremely low incomes doubled over the past 20 years. The authors conclude that this is what happens “when a government safety net that is built on the assumption of full-time stable employment at a living wage combines with a low-wage labor market that fails to deliver on any of the above.” While time limits on cash assistance have been the norm for almost 20 years, there is growing evidence that they are leaving many vulnerable families without any help. In some states fewer than one in 10 poor families gets any assistance from their state’s welfare program. Yet the best job option for workers with limited skills often is a lowwage job with uneven hours that make planning family life and paying for necessities difficult. Many families who lose their cash assistance are therefore not able to replace that with a job.

DC’s Growing Number of $2-a-Day Families In DC the issue of time limits stems from legislation adopted in 2010 and 2011 that reduced cash assistance benefits for families who have received benefits for more than 60 months from DC’s TANF welfare program. Those benefits now equal $152 a month for a family of three – about $1.70 per day per person. Under the law, families that reach 60 months will lose all cash assistance in October 2016. Yet little is known about why so many DC families are not succeeding in the job market, and are instead opting for such a small TANF benefit. Research from other communities suggests that families who stay on cash assistance the longest tend to have problems with mental health or physical limitations, cognitive impairments, or responsibility for family members with disabilities. These barriers have been identified among DC fam-

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

ilies as well, though from research that is more than 10 years old. While little is known about the circumstances of families, a lot is known about their job opportunities, which are pretty bleak. • One of three DC adults without a college degree is either unemployed, working fewer hours than desired, or too discouraged to look for work. • Wages for DC residents with a high school diploma fell $2 an hour in just the last seven years, from $15 to $13 an hour. • Many residents without advanced education end up in retail or food service jobs, which tend to be part-time with uneven hours from week to week. Half of these workers get their schedule less than a week in advance, according to a recent survey in DC. And it is not uncommon to get sent home early – without pay – or to be told to be on call for work but not to be called in. It is not surprising, then, that poverty remains stubbornly high despite signs of a strong economy. About 110,000 DC residents are poor, living on less than $20,000 for a family of three. In 2007, before the last recession, 92,000 DC residents were poor.

dents through increasing the minimum wage and requiring employers to give workers advance notice of their weekly schedules. DC’s minimum wage will rise to $11.50 next year, and an initiative may be on the ballot to raise it further, to $15 an hour by 2020. But it is not easy fully to address an economy that is benefitting a privileged few and leaving more behind. Many families will struggle to find work that pays enough and offers enough hours. That is why it is important to maintain a strong safety net. Fortunately the Bowser administration has committed to improving employment services and modifying its welfare time limit for families facing hardship. Those are positive steps, and the details will be important. There is reason to believe that policymakers and DC residents will support the idea of a welfare program that helps families gain the skills needed to succeed and protects children from harm. That’s the simple formula for making sure that no one has to live on just $2 a day. Ed Lazere is executive director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (www.dcfpi.org). DCFPI promotes budget and policy solutions to reduce poverty and inequality in the District of Columbia and to increase the opportunity for residents to build a better future. u

Keeping Families Safe, Giving Them the Help They Need The District has important opportunities to improve the job prospects of its residents. Mayor Bowser has committed to reforming the city’s job training system, and a new federal law requires the city to develop a new workforce development plan by March 2016. These efforts should focus on preparing residents for jobs in DC industries that are growing, and offer entry-level jobs and career pathways for workers without advanced education, especially in hospitality and health services. In addition to better education and training, the District can improve the quality of jobs for all working resiEast of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news / our river

An Environment Foul at the Soccer Stadium? our river: the anacostia by Bill Matuszeski

few months ago I reported on efforts by the District government to pursue a voluntary cleanup of the site of the new DC United Soccer Stadium on Buzzard Point. The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) committed itself to carrying out an open process of analysis. In particular it pledged to accept public comments on the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s (DMPED) Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) for 90 days this fall. On Aug. 14 the DOEE gave notice in the DC Register that it had received the CAP from DMPED. This is the part of the Voluntary Cleanup Plan (VCP) that quantifies the risk from toxic pollution and details remediation. The deadline for citizen comments was Sept. 4. Any normal person would have assumed the clock would have begun ticking on the 90-day deadline for the completion of agency review. The citizen review and comment can be scheduled at any time during the 90-day review period, according to DOEE. DC Code §

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8-636.01 provides: • “(a) Prior to the approval of any application or cleanup action plan (CAP), and before the issuance of a Certificate of Completion, DOEE shall provide the public with a 14-day notice to comment on the proposed approval or issuance. Public comments required pursuant to this section shall be considered by DOEE in acting upon an application, cleanup action plan (CAP), or the issuance of a Certificate of Completion.” • “(b) The notice issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be published in the District of Columbia Register, and shall be mailed to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in the neighborhood where the concerned property is located. The notice may also be published in a newspaper of general circulation.” The statute does not define what “mailed” means. However, under the act establishing Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (DC Code § 1-309.10(b)–(c)), notice of “proposed District government actions” generally must be in the form of first-class mail. Approval of a CAP is not such an action for the purposes of that law. However, since first-class mail is how ANCs are generally notified by the District, arguably they are entitled to the notice by first-class mail. It is DOEE policy to provide 21 days of public notice, stated an agency representative. On Aug. 3, DOEE received the CAP from DMPED. DOEE sent all ANC 6D Commissioners a Dropbox link to the document

on Aug. 4. Andy Litsky requested a physical version. The agency provided him with three CDs on Aug. 5. The CAP was not sent via the US Postal Service. “So, the ANC and one private citizen actually had 30 days to review, not the 14 days required by law,” pointed out a DOEE representative in an email.

Dissing the Public Joe and Jane Public had to remember to read the August DC Register and submit their comments on the CAP from the beach before Labor Day. DOEE provided no version of the CAP on its website. Residents were required to contact the department and request a copy. DMPED scheduled no meetings to explain its plan. Tight timing of the comment period made any meaningful review of the CAP by ANC 6D impossible, since the commission does not hold an August meeting. Commissioners Andy Litsky and Ronda Hamilton submitted individual comments, since there was no opportunity for ANC 6D to vote on a collective position. So much for “great weight.” After some protest on the part of community residents and environmentalists, a meeting was held on Sept. 21. What had happened? Here is one theory. DC United, which bears the construction cost of the new stadium, apparently had a change of plans. Rather than take delivery of the stadium in early 2018, some exposition games were scheduled for December 2017. The new plans required cutting a few months out of the proposed construction schedule. To adhere to DC United’s wishes, a decision was made somewhere in the Wilson Building to move up the CAP approval to Sept. 30. The public comment period was shortened from 90 to 21 days to accommodate this date. Asked whether this theory was correct, officials in DOEE and DMPED remained silent.

An Absence of Crucial Detail If DOEE’s rush to approval was not bad enough, DMPED’s CAP itself was a complete disappointment. In my opinion it fell well short of activist and citizen expectations in the manner in which it dealt with the issues of toxic contamination resulting from the long history of industrial activity on Buzzard Point, particularly on the parcels located between R, T, 2nd, and Half streets SW. Moreover DMPED’s CAP contained no details on identifying and removing

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toxic chemicals in the deep groundwater from the area that includes the site and the land between it and the Anacostia River, 500 feet to the east. According to the District, there were three reasons for the CAP’s lack of detail. First, the construction will not actually reach the deep groundwater, which lies about 20 feet down. The excavation will go down seven feet. There is also a layer of clay underneath the land below that depth that will prevent the contaminated water perched above from entering the deep groundwater. Second, regulations governing a VCP do not require the builder to “chase the contamination off the site,” but merely to define its extent and remediate the contaminated soil and perched water at the venue in question. Third, the city plans to dig deep monitoring wells to ensure that the clay layer is not penetrated, which would contaminate the deep ground water. DOEE’s rush to approve the CAP has complicated matters. The CAP proposes to remove an existing toxic surface pond on the site as well as any contaminated soils and perched water. Other groundwater, initially identified in the VCP application and reported during DC Council hearings as “contaminated,” is now said to be “perched water,” intermittently present over the clay layer. While water above the clay will be removed, deep groundwater below the clay layer will be left in place untreated. The submitted CAP called for removal and replacement of 10 feet of soil over the entire site, but DMPED has since revised. Now, about 200 borings will be done on site. The highly contaminated soils will be removed, and those less contaminated will be treated in situ. This is a

much more complicated process subject to great risker, in my opinion.

unexPeCted good news There is some unexpected good news about the contaminated groundwater on Buzzard Point. Construction is about to begin nearby on the replacement South Capitol Street Bridge. According to DOEE Director Tommy Wells, this will require the removal and treatment of deep groundwater throughout the area. Other issues remain. Air-quality monitoring must be carried out during the six to eight months required to sort and remove the toxic soils. In sum, the city’s rush to judgment on the VCP significantly undermined public confidence in what should have been a straightforward environmental win for its residents. Why the self-inflicted wound? The public’s confidence in the DOEE’s process will be difficult to regain. “The rush is pushing the people aside, and I cannot take back confidence to my community,” states Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Rhonda Hamilton (6D06). In my opinion, a judicial review of the city’s process to date would bring the entire project to a screaming halt. If this is Mayor Muriel Bowser’s “New Era of Government Accountability,” I fear for the health of Our River. Bill Matuszeski writes monthly about the Anacostia River. He is the retired director of the Chesapeake Bay Program, DC vice-chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Anacostia River, and a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River. u

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news

Washington Area Community Investment Fund Invests in DC by Phil Hutinet Tim Flanagan, WACIF’s executive director. Photo: WACIF

here do small businesses and budding entrepreneurs go when commercial banks find their proposals too risky? They go to the Washington Area Community Investment Fund, referred to more commonly by its acronym, WACIF. For over 25 years WACIF, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has provided business counselling and capital to hundreds of small local businesses, which in turn have created hundreds of jobs and reinvested millions of dollars in local communities.

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What Is WACIF? WACIF works closely with the US Treasury Department as a CDFI, or community development financial institution, and also maintains a partnership with the US Small Business Administration (SBA). In DC, WACIF works closely with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD). “The Washington Area Community Investment Fund has been a steadfast partner of the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD),” says Ana Harvey, director of DSLBD. “WACIF has been instrumental in our efforts to make capital more accessible to DC small businesses and improve their financial literacy.” The organization applies for and receives grants from federal and state agencies to sustain operations, provide programming, and lend money. In

addition it receives funding and support from banks and private investors. Tim Flanagan, WACIF’s executive director, and his staff prepare a roadmap to help small businesses that do not fit traditional bank loan underwriting models. Flanagan explains that “at the end of the day we are part of the spectrum. We are filling a niche, and most banks in DC have an active relationship with WACIF and are very generous with their time and resources.” These banks include large national corporations like Capital One and PNC Bank as well as smaller local institutions such as Industrial Bank and City

types of loans,” concludes Flanagan. In addition the interest derived from the augmented loan portfolio will help sustain WACIF’s operations. Dawn Leary, a WACIF board member since 2007, explains that “under Tim Flanagan’s leadership, WACIF has expanded its loan portfolio which has made WACIF less dependent on grant funding sources, allowing the organization to grow even if certain grants get slashed from government budgets.”

Going the Extra Yard

One Bank. “The local community banks in particular,” adds Flanagan, “are committed to seeing community development thrive.” However, long before qualifying for a traditional bank loan WACIF gives its clients a track record. Unlike a mortgage, which uses property as collateral, most business loans have little or no collateral for a lender to recoup in the event of default. Smaller businesses therefore often borrow using credit cards or “hard money,” a term describing high-interest private loans. CDFIs like WACIF provide a much needed alternative. Flanagan recalls a client who was paying 28 percent on their line of credit. “Our 10 percent line of credit was a huge savings for their business. It allowed them to protect margins, give them breathing room, and pay down other debt. When a small business’s financial health improves they are more likely to hire and to reinvest into the community.” WACIF may lend up to $300,000, but the average loan is about $80,000. Every year it closes 20-30 loans, and historically fewer than 4 percent of them have defaulted, beating industry-proven standards. In the past five years WACIF has increased the size of its loan portfolio from $1.3 million to $3.2 million, doubling the size in the last three years alone. “This shows demand for these

Loans are only part of WACIF’s mission. The organization also provides technical expertise, advice, and education. Jeremy Cullimore, director of communications and outreach at WACIF, provides startups and existing businesses with “Small Business Technical Assistance Program” workshops. On average WACIF runs two workshops per month. Classes are held in Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8 at public libraries and community centers. Topics include basic coursework such as “How to Write to a Business Plan” or “Taxes & Insurance.” Another important workshop is “SWOT” (Strength Weaknesses, Opportunity, Training), presenting a methodology that forces business owners to take time out once a year to understand threats to their business, examine their business environment, and analyze where they are financially. In another workshop, “Legal Formation,” hosted by the DC Bar, a business owner might ponder whether to become an LLC, for example. Once a month WACIF hosts “Small Business Loan Days,” a counseling and technical assistance hybrid where prospects can ask bankers about small business financing. WACIF also offers one-on-one business counseling

People Are Talking about WACIF’s Success At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, who recently attended a crowded WACIF workshop on access to credit, remarks: “Some of those in the room had great ideas but little business experience, or student loans and other debt that weighed down their credit score. WACIF makes these aspiring entrepreneurs into growing businesses that generate revenue and jobs for our city by making credit and technical assistance available to those considered too ‘risky’ for traditional lenders but who deserve an opportunity to succeed. And the return on investment has a multiplier effect. Just look at the new energy in commercial corridors such

as Rhode Island Avenue NE!” One such entrepreneur is Kendra Blackett-Dibinga, a Ward 7 resident, who has been with WACIF for two years. She first approached WACIF with a dream to open up her own Bikram Yoga studio. “Initially I didn’t have my finances in order,” admits Blackett-Dibinga, “and they told me what I had to get done. They helped me ‘right-size’ my expectations advised me about my financials and prepared me for bank financing.” WACIF lent BlackettDibinga $70,000 to open her first studio in Riverdale Park, Md. Her enterprise has been so successful that Blackett-Dibinga is getting ready to open her second Bikram studio in Ivy City, in Northeast DC, just a year later. Hanif Aljami, owner of New World Development Group, a commercial general contractor located in Ward 7, approached WACIF for assistance at the onset of the recession. As the economy improved, Aljami’s company was awarded a $1.3 million drywall contract by American University. In construction, contractor payments are generally done in draws which come at the end of stated deliverable periods. Draws create cash-flow problems for small outfits like New World Development. A loan from WACIF allowed Aljami to meet payroll and keep the project on track. WACIF also assisted Aljami during a rough patch during which a large contract did not pay on time. “[WACIF] allowed us to pay just the loan interest until we were repaid. It’s amazing how much they help small businesses in the District,” recalls Aljami. Community Forklift, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this November, illustrates all the facets of WACIF’s capabilities and the impact that community reinvestment can have not only on the local economy but on the environment. It was founded by the Sustainable Community Initiative (SCI), established as a 501(c)(3). Based in Capitol Hill, SCI seeks to recycle waste and create jobs to provide concrete examples to support environmental advocacy. “When we talk about zero waste, Maryland’s climate action plan, green jobs, or sustainability, SCI can now talk about Community Forklift as an example. When groups talk about job losses due to a closure of an incinerator or a coal mine, SCI can provide proof about creating green jobs to replace them,” says Ruthie Mundell, director of outreach and education at Community Forklift. With WACIF’s help, SCI formed Community Forklift as a for-profit LLC, and provided business advice and debt consolidation to offset crippling credit card rates. Community Forklift now employs 45 people and keeps thousands of metric tons out of area landfills annually by diverting construction waste to a retail warehouse for resale to the public. “WACIF has gone above and beyond the financial contribution,” explains Mundell. “They have been an emotional support for us. They have held our hand every step of the way.” Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen has seen the work of WACIF in the community. “WACIF is an important resource for small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the District that are looking to grow,” he remarks. It is “helping them access much-needed capital and providing technical financial assistance. Our small businesses are crucial to building strong neighborhoods. WACIF’s support for District entrepreneurs and organizations helps them grow, create jobs, and invest in our communities.” Tim Flanagan will be leaving the organization sometime in early 2016 as soon as he helps transition a yet-to-be named successor. Board member Dawn Leary explains that “we’re building on a legacy that was started under Tim’s Leadership. We are looking for someone to continue Tim’s work.” For more information about WACIF or to attend a workshop visit www.wacif.org. Phil Hutinet is the publisher of East City Art, dedicated to DC’s visual arts. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

neighborhood news Peace Fellowship Church at the beach.

Peace Fellowship Church moving toward new neighborhood commitments article by Virginia Avniel Spatz / photos by Fellowship Church

eace Fellowship Church, in Ward 7’s Deanwood neighborhood, has a “geographically specific mission,” a new commitment to realize it more fully, and doors open to all who want to join them. “Peace,” as regulars call it, was founded in 2001 “to develop disciples of Jesus Christ east of the river who love God and love their neighbors.” Originally meeting in members’ homes and other temporary locations, the congregation moved to Hunt Place NE five years ago. Peace now barely fits in this space. Under the relatively new leadership of Rev. James Ellis III, the church is considering a move to somewhere larger as part of an initiative to better meet its mission.

History and Mission Peace Fellowship Church is nondenominational. It was founded by Rev. Dennis R. Edwards, then living in Deanwood, along with several others from a local Mennonite congregation. Peace remains a “Partner in Mission” of Mennonite Church USA, one of three “historic peace churches” (together with Brethren and Friends/Quakers). That historic association is still present, says Rev. Ellis. The peace testimony means there is no flag on the premises, for example. And the church does tend to attract those from Mennonite colleges and peace church traditions. But the congre-

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

I visited Peace Fellowship Church on Sept. 13, for the first in a series exploring worship communities east of the river from the perspective of a participant-observer, a roving Jew in the pew... gation encompasses people from many backgrounds. A long-time member notes that some originally joined because “we had a relationship, through study, with Dennis.” A newer repeat visitor is drawn to a number of communities: “I don’t believe the Spirit, the Love, is any one place.” Participation “ebbs and flows,” says one five-year member. “DC is a transient town, with many young people here for a season.” “Peace includes people from many different denominations and ways of doing church,” Rev. Ellis explains, noting the range of educational backgrounds and different neighborhoods, in and beyond the city, represented. But the original east-of-the-river-focused mission remains.

Welcome Welcome at Peace began at the door and extended throughout worship and fellowship afterward. I was offered the standard “here’s a program” and “there’s the bathroom” at the door, as well as a formal introduction opportunity during the service. There was a thorough visitor’s card suggesting many avenues for connection. I was also approached, once seated, by a number of participants who took time to introduce themselves to a newcomer. Elder Dakota Pippins invited participation in newly forming weekly

groups: youth and adult Bible study, pre-service prayer, and men’s, women’s, and co-ed gatherings. “Small groups create context for the lows and highs in life,” she told the congregation. “As you struggle, having that group helps you navigate.” After-service fellowship included a full meal (vegetarian choices; limited vegan options). Conversational clumping showed the usual self-segregation of young families in one area and unencumbered adults in another. With the congregational meeting to follow, lunch was somewhat rushed; more leisurely lunches perhaps include broader mixing, but no one was left alone for long. Electronic engagement is also an option. Sermons are posted online, for example, with comments encouraged.

Worship Congregant Brett Theodos offered the call to worship: a brief scripture lesson with a reminder to “worship God not ourselves,” followed by singing of “I give You All My Worship.” A small ensemble of voices and instruments led musical ministry. (The music director, we were told, had been called away on a family emergency.) Large-type lyrics projected at the front of the sanctuary were especially helpful to newcomers. Participation felt encouraged, not forced, and the music was uplifting without overwhelming the congrega-

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tional contribution. After opening worship through song, children joined Sunday school. Sept. 13 launched a new order of worship, with the pastor’s words (see below) earlier in the service, an attempt to reduce “focus on the sermon as the big bang.” Prayer requests and praises – most brief, a few meandering – focused primarily on personal and family well-being, a few communal concerns, no national or global issues. Each was shared via projector, fully serving only the keen-sighted in the first few pews, but encouraging all to pray for congregational concerns. A vibrant mix of silent and vocal prayer was followed by a second set of worship through song, benediction, and passing of the peace.

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“Reaching Ward 7, and Deanwood in particular,” remains a challenge for Peace, Rev. Ellis told me before the service. “Our mission is very specific, oriented to east of the river. At the same time, we don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome, if you don’t Pastor James Ellis III, with non-grape congregants.

live east of the river or know much about it. This is an open struggle.” The sermon “From Crying to New Commitments” declared: “There’s no way to make disciples among a highly specific geographic region, if our congregation has little to no sustained presence where we want to make disciples.” In the Hebrew scriptures, Judges 2:1-5, God chastises the Israelites for not fulfilling their covenant. In response the people cry out, so that the place is named “Crying.” Pastor Ellis summarized Peace’s previous efforts, “in fits and starts,” to meet its mission, calling it “a promise to God that we’ve struggled to honor in recent history.” This “very explicit mission,” he argued, requires the church to “commit to being on the ground east of the river ... letting our light shine, as well as letting the light of God present in others shine on us ... Real-life interaction with real people who need a real God.” He concluded: “Crying does not always lead to new commitments ... But whatever tears our modest congregation has shed, I hope that they lead to – for us – new commitments.” The congregational meeting focused on “being collectively present in Deanwood.” One strategy will be enjoying H.D. Woodson football games “as a means of practicing incarnational ministry.” Possibly “adopting” Woodson was discussed, with additional plans to develop “as more doors in the community open through relationships.” Everyone is welcome to visit or join Peace Fellowship Church, and Peace looks forward to engaging more with its nearest neighbors. Peace Fellowship Church, 4339 Hunt Place NE. 202-525-6930. peace-dc.org. Sunday service begins at 10 a.m. Fellowship follows. Dress is casual: men, including pastor, wore no coat or tie; a few women wore dresses, many slacks, few hats. Virginia Avniel Spatz participates in a range of Jewish and other worship communities. She participated in Hartford (Ct.) Seminary’s “Building Abrahamic Partnerships” program and has worked on a number of interfaith and interdenominational projects. She blogs on faith topics at songeveryday.org. u

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CHANGING HANDS 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.

District Of Columbia Housing Authority REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR

On-Site Solar Power Purchasing Agreement @ Various Facilities RFP No. - 0039-2015

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY (“DCHA”) solicits proposals from qualified on-site solar electric power (“photovoltaic” or “PV”) project developers (“Offeror(s)”) interested in the development of solar power generation systems (“solar power” or “Systems”) at multiple locations throughout the District of Columbia. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS will be available at the District of Columbia Housing Authority Procurement Office, 1133 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 300, Office of Administrative Services, Washington, D.C. 200027599 (Issuing Office); between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, October 5, 2015, after 4:00 p.m.

f -

SEALED PROPOSALS ARE DUE: no later than Friday, November 6, 2015 @ 2:00 p.m. at the Issuing Office identified above. Please contact Kimberly Allen, Procurement Manager at 202-535-1212 or kallen@dchousing.org for additional information..

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East of the River Magazine May 2015

Kids & FAMiLY / noTebooK

notebook by Kathleen Donner

Youth art studIo oPens In anaCostIa Project Create, an organization that provides accessible arts education to promote positive development in children, youth and families, debuted its new Anacostia art studio, 2028 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE, on July 17. The studio features a state-of-the-art projection and sound system, gallery walls and lighting, and flexible visual and media art workshop space. Studio classes are complimented by open studio time, family art workshops, student exhibitions and performances, and arts enrichment field trips. Register for classes at projectcreatedc.org. All classes are free to the general public. Photos: Courtesy of Project Create

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EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

Frederick Douglass House Family Fun Day On Sunday, Oct. 18, noon to 4 p.m., bring your family for a fun day of free activities, including house tours and living history programs. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, 1411 W St. SE. 202-426-5961. nps.gov/frdo

Wednesday Chess and Checkers Club Wednesdays at 4 p.m., students are invited to learn to play chess and checkers. Lessons and play will continue into the evening for all who are interested. All ages and levels are encouraged to join the fun. There will be prizes for children who participate. Chess and checkers help students to develop their critical

thinking skills in a safe, fun and competitive environment. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s librarian Mr. Lawrence will be in charge of instruction and coordination. Bellevue Library, 115 Atlantic St. SW. 202-2431185. dclibrary.org/bellevue

Kelly Miller Hosts Youth Poetry Slams Do The Write Thing of DC (DTWT) is sponsoring a series of Youth Open Mic Poetry Slams at DC Housing Authority sites primarily in Wards 7 and 8. The theme for the events is Black Lives Matter. The slams will be co-hosted by Kelly Miller Middle School students that are participating in a poetry club established at their school by DTWT and Eric Powell, an alumnus of the DC

East of the River Magazine October 2015

Kids & FAMiLY / noTebooK Youth Poetry Slam Team. Residents will have an opportunity to take the stage and share their poems, raps and songs dealing with the murders of black youth and men by police officers. Featured performers will include current members of the DC Youth Poetry Slam Team, who wrote poems/songs and produced music videos about Black Lives Matter. Open mic poetry slams are noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, Lincoln Heights, 400 50th St. NE; Saturday, Nov. 21, Highland Dwellings, 914 Waller Pl. SE; and Saturday, Dec. 12, Barry Farm, 1230 Sumner Rd. SE. For more information, call 202-518-1084.

tICkets For the nutCraCker at thearC avaIlable noW This celebrated production has become DC’s perennial holiday favorite. Set in historic Georgetown with historical figures and whimsical touches. This sumptuous production showcases the grandeur of The Washington Ballet’s international roster of dancers and majestic Tchaikovsky score. Replete with swirling snowflakes, cherry blossoms and historic characters including George Washington as the Nutcracker and King George III as the menacing Rat King! Start a new holiday tradition with your loved ones. Performances are Saturday Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29: 1 and 5:30 p.m. each day. $30-$50. Get tickets at thearcdc.org.

neW MoM suPPort GrouP at thearC This group is for pregnant women and new mothers, who want to learn new ways to cope with stress, enjoy their babies more and meet other moms. Refreshment and child care provided. Group meets every Tuesday from 10 to 11 a.m. at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-8895901. thearcdc.org

CIvIl War treasure hunt On Sundays, Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, 11 a.m. to noon, families get a personal docent-led tour of the exhibition How the Civil War Changed Washington and participate in a self-guided treasure hunt activity. Kids receive a free museum token for finishing the hunt. Each Tours to Treasure program lasts approximately 90 minutes; recommended for families and children (6 years and up). Call 202-633-4844 to register. Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Pl. SE. anacostia.si.edu

GIrls ultIMate FrIsbee ClInICs Learn to play Ultimate Frisbee. Girls Ultimate Clinics are on Sundays, Oct. 18, Nov. 1, Nov. 15; 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at West Potomac Park Polo Fields (West Basin Drive SW). To register, email Laura at lperkins.letitbe@gmail.com. These Girls Ultimate Movement clinics are free and open to girls in grades 5 to 8. No experience nec-

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EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

“saturdaY MornInG at the natIonal” On Saturdays at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. there are free live performances for children in the National Theatre Helen Hayes Gallery. Tickets are distributed first-come basis half hour prior to performances. One ticket per person in line. The National Theatre is at 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. 202-783-3372. Here’s the remaining fall line-up: Oct. 17, Rocknoceros; Oct. 24, Rainbow Puppets: The Really Big Dinosaur Show; Oct. 31, Sleepy Hollow; Nov. 7, Single Carrot; Nov. 14, Barynya; Nov. 21, Tales as Tall as the Sky; Dec. 5, Virginia Ballet Company & School, The Nutcracker Selections; Dec. 12, Dickens’s Tale. Read more at thenationaldc.org. Rocknoceros, rocks the National Theatre with two free shows on Oct. 17. Photo: Nicole Wolf

essary. Each two-hour clinic will introduce the basic skills and concepts of Ultimate Frisbee, one of the fastest-growing team sports in the country. Attend one clinic or all three. Clinics are led by experienced players from the DC area.

aFter sChool volunteers souGht Higher Achievement is accepting new academic mentors to volunteer one night a week from 6 to 8 p.m. at one of their eight locations throughout the area. For more information, or to apply online, visit higherachievement.org/volunteer.

WashInGton InternatIonal horse shoW kIds’ daY On Sat., Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, kids can participate in more than a dozen handson educational and fun activities, including pony rides, the Animal Planet Horseless Horse Show, horseshoe painting, face painting, pony brushing lessons, plus giveaways from Paisley Pony magazine and Georgetown Cupcake. Klinger, the famous US Army Caisson Platoon horse, attends as

a special guest to greet the children. And there’s even a pony kissing booth with Mosley, the mini pony. Kids’ Day is a free event held both inside Verizon Center and outside the arena on a city street closed for the occasion. wihs.org

boo at the Zoo On Oct. 23, 24, and 25, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., come for Washington DC’s favorite not-so-spooky Halloween haunt, Boo at the Zoo. With more than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, keeper chats, and decorated trails, this frightfully fun evening is a treat for the whole family. New this year will be an entertainment stage with a DJ spinning Halloween favorites, musicians, and jugglers. Also, don’t miss a themed hay maze and scarecrow field. $30. All guests two and older, adults included, must have a ticket. Reserve tickets at nationalzoo.si.edu.

GIrl sCout broWnIe daY On Saturdays, Oct. 24, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to noon; and Jan. 9, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., discover how objects help you learn about your family story. Tour the DAR Museum’s Period Rooms. Interact with objects from the Museum’s collection. Make a memory box and family tree. Share stories about your family with other Brownies. $10 per child (includes badge and supplies). DAR Museu, 1776 D St. NW. 202-628-1776. dar.org An adult chaperone must be present with children at all times. Siblings welcome, but a gentle reminder the program is for Brownie participants. If a parent wants a younger sibling to participate in art activities, they ask that you

register the sibling. Non-Girl Scouts may register for this program, but they are unable to receive the Girl Scout badge.

Free Kids’ Movies “The Amazing Wiplala” (ages 10, up), Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the East Building Auditorium. Nine-year-old Johannes needs a friend. After the recent death of his mother, Johannes struggles to connect with his busy father and older sister. Then one night, the little boy discovers Wiplala, a tiny man with magical powers who lives in the kitchen cupboard. Johannes is thrilled--until one of Wipala’s spells accidentally shrinks Johannes and his family down to four inches in height! Wracked by self-doubt, the well-intentioned Wiplala must figure out a way to return everyone to normal. But first, he must learn that there is no greater power than belief in oneself. “Finn” (ages 10, up), Sundays, Oct. 25 and Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. in the East Building Auditorium. Still mourning the death of his mother, gentle nine-year-old Finn also has to struggle with his father’s insistence that he be like all the other boys and play soccer, despite the fact that he has no interest in the sport. When Finn meets a mysterious old man at an abandoned farm and hears him play the violin, he is entranced by the beauty of the music. Determined to learn how to play the instrument, he sneaks away for lessons while his father believes he’s at soccer practice. Finding comfort and strength in his music, and the visions of his mother that it evokes, Finn seems to have found his calling—but will his father ever accept his newfound passion?

Children Hunt Bats On Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., come as a bat, come as a plant pollinated by a bat, or simply learn about bats. There will be bat-related activities throughout the Conservatory. Come and learn why bats matter! Free, no registration required. US Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. usbg.gov

NSO Family Concert “A SLEEPY HOLLOW” All Hallows’ Eve has arrived for Ichabod Crane as Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke leads all the ghoulishly attired orchestra members in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, his riveting reimagining of Washington Irving’s classic ghost story. For age 5, up. Come early for trick-or-treating and a special Haunted Hall Musical Instrument “Petting Zoo,” a project of the Women’s Committee for the NSO. Immediately following the 4 p.m. performance, meet concert artists for a free Kids’ Chat. Concerts are on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 and 4 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are from $15. kennedy-center.org

Halloween Family Day Ghosts and goblins and witches, oh my! On Sat., Oct. 17, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., get in the Hal-

loween spirit with spooky craft activities, scavenger hunts, and live music and performances. Whether in new costume or an old favorite, all are welcome to arrive wearing their Halloween best. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. americanart.si.edu

begin at 5 p.m. and prizes will be awarded for most fang-tastic “George” and “Martha” costumes. Participate in a scavenger hunt, take a wagon ride, and create a boo-tiful Halloween craft in this unforgettable evening. Participate in a Halloween craft activity in the greenhouse. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and close at 6. mountvernon.org

Los Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead

Disney on Ice is coming to the Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax, Va., Oct. 21 to 25. Celebrate the legacy of Disney in this ice skating spectacular as Mouseter of Ceremonies Mickey Mouse leads a parade of characters including Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and an ensemble of Disney Princesses. Be dazzled by the magic of Disney’s Frozen with Anna, Elsa and the hilarious Olaf. Sing along to more than 30 of your favorite Disney songs including “Leg It Go!,” “You’ve Got A Friend in Me,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Tickets are $20, up. Order tickets by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.

The migration of the monarch butterflies home to Mexico is believed by many communities to be the spirits of their ancestors returning and marks the start of the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. On Sat., Oct. 31 and Sun., Nov. 1, join the museum in its annual Día de los Muertos program. This colorful celebration of life includes food demonstrations by the museum’s Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe and a cultural presentation of La Danza de los Tecuanes (Dance of the Jaguars and Dance of the Old Men). Learn how to create papel picado butterflies, marigolds and sugar skulls. nmai.si.edu

Mount Vernon’s Fall Harvest Family Days On Oct. 24 and 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mount Vernon celebrates the autumn season with Fall Harvest Family Days. The entire family enjoys autumn activities including wagon rides, wheat treading in the 16-sided barn, 18th Century dancing demonstrations, a straw bale maze, farrier demonstrations, apple-roasting, corn husk dolls demonstrations and early-American games and music. Potomac River sightseeing cruises are half-price this weekend only. mountvernon.org

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella With its fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess, this hilarious and romantic Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella combines the story’s classic elements--glass slippers, pumpkin, and a beautiful ball along with some surprising twists. More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairy tale setting. She is a spirited young woman with savvy and soul who doesn’t let her rags or her gowns trip her up in her quest for kindness, compassion and forgiveness. She longs to escape the drudgery of her work at home and instead work to make the world a better place. She not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realize his dreams too. At the National Theatre, Nov. 18 to 29. Tickets at thenationaldc.org.

Trick-or-Treat at Mount Vernon On Friday, Oct. 30, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.; join the costumed cast of interpreters for a special opportunity to trick-or-treat in the historic area. A children’s costume parade around the Mansion will

Disney on Ice

HPV Screening Grant for DC Kids Awarded The American Cancer Society Human Papillomavirus Vaccinate Adolescents against Cancers (HPV VACs) project is being implemented across the nation to increase HPV vaccination rates for adolescents, particularly among boys and girls ages 11 and 12. Annually in the United States 27,000 people are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV, according to the CDC. That’s one case every 20 minutes. Additionally, more than 330,000 women undergo treatment for pre-cancers every year in the US. In Washington, DC, Mary’s Center is one of 30 federally qualified health care centers that have received funding to increase HPV vaccination rates through a pilot program of the American Cancer Society fueled by a multi-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For more information, visit maryscenter.org.

“When She Had Wings” In this world premiere as a part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, Beatrix, or “B” as she prefers, is about to turn 10. Her fascination with Amelia Earhart’s disappearance story is equal only to her fears about the impending big 10th birthday. As B struggles to hold onto her own sense of childhood freedom, she meets a mysterious character who lands in the make-shift wooden cockpit of her backyard tree. B believes that A is actually her heroine Amelia Earhart, who was never seen again after taking off across the Pacific Ocean. In exchange for B helping A finish her famous last flight, A promises B that she can and will fly! Best for ages 5, up. On stage through Nov. 1 at Imagination Stage’s Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre in Bethesda. Tickets start at $10, and can be purchased online at imaginationstage.org, at the Imagination Stage box office, or via phone at 301-280-1660.

“College Bound” Design, Fashion, Media Arts, and Culinary Courses The Art Institute of Washington announces its new program, College Bound that allows high school juniors and seniors to experience college-level design, media arts, fashion, and culinary courses at its local campus. The classes, offered on Saturdays during the school year, are non-credit bearing. A tuition and materials fee is required for enrollment in College Bound. Learn more at getcreative.aii.edu/collegebound.

DC Bilingual Public Charter School DC Bilingual Public Charter School, 33 Riggs Rd. NE, has opened. Founded in 2004, DC Bilingual serves more than 350 students in grades PreK3 through Fifth. The school implements an academically demanding dual-language program to foster bilingualism and bi-literacy for all children. dcbilingual.org Have an item for the Kids & Family Notebook? Email bulletinboard@hillrag.com. u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

Kids & FAMiLY

Construction Academy Gives More Options to Ward 7 High Schoolers by Christina Sturdivant

he fall 2015 school year is opening new doors to students at IDEA Public Charter School in Ward 7’s historic Deanwood neighborhood. Since its existence, IDEA has offered JROTC courses for students interested in pursuing a military track out of high school. Now students can learn trade skills from the Academy of Construction and Design, a career technical education (CTE) program sponsored by nonprofit DC Students Construction Trades Foundation. Ten years ago the academy began offering courses to students at Cardozo Senior High School in Northwest DC. Focusing on the building industry, Habitat for Humanity became a significant program partner. “We helped to build 25 homes,” says the academy’s director, Shelly Karriem. “To watch a high school student do this with their own hands [is amazing because] they don’t really get to see a lot of things go from idea to fruition.” After partnering with Habitat for over four years the academy transitioned to building its own homes. Most recently students helped build the exterior of a home in DC’s tiny house community in Northeast’s Stronghold neighborhood. “Now that we’re at IDEA we’re talking about towing it over here so students get to finish the interior,” says Karriem.

PreParInG For ConstruCtIon Students are recruited for the program from middle schools in Wards 7 and 8. “We expected 70-75 and we ended up with over 100 ninthgraders,” says Karriem. To get students prepared, ninth graders will take an introductory course in construction, while upperclassman will take level-one construction as well as architecture design. “In the years to come we’ll branch out and do specific trades whether it be carpentry, HVAC, or plumbing,” says Karriem. Students will also

EastoftheRiverDCNews.com

April 2014, students erect walls on the Academy of Construction and Design’s 160 square-foot micro-house project in Northeast Washington.

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plan, create, and operate a youth farmers’ market to Contact information grow produce on the school’s campus and expand access to Shelly Karriem healthy food for themselves Academy for Construction and Design and Deanwood residents. 202-780-7750 The academy’s partneracademy@dcstudentsctf.org ship with workforce-prepaDC Students Construction ration organization SkillsUTrades Foundation SA will give students access 202-340-5657 to enrichment programs that info@dcstudentsctf.org will expose them to workplace skills and resources to Justin Rydstrom help them further prepare for IDEA Public Charter High School life after high school. 1027 45th St. NE, Washington, DC 20019 Academically, students 202-399-4750 can connect their trades jrydstrom@ideapcs.org skills with traditional academics. “Whether it’s geometry and the angles of a roof mographics.” And even if they do not or science and the life cycle of plants purchase homes, they can be empowand animals, all of that is related and ered to control the housing market. will help students have a passion for “We would much rather our kids get learning,” says Karriem. into the [house] flipping business as

The Importance of Providing Options For IDEA’s head of school, Justin Rydstrom, adding the academy to its programming fits into the mission of providing a myriad of options for students after graduation. “There’s no charter school that I’m aware of other than IDEA that is really trying to prepare students for career as well as college,” says Rydstrom. “College has definitely taken over the charter sector even more so than DC Public Schools, which is hard to imagine. Our focus remains on both.” Attending college and entering the workforce are not mutually exclusive, Rydstrom adds. “One path is to leave high school, work for a few years, save for college, and then have a little more money,” he says. Or students can start their own electrical company, then go to business school, he continues. “I have a young lady who graduated [college with little debt] and ended up being a project manager,” says Karriem. “She just bought her first house at 23.” Rydstrom notes that “the ability for minority youth who grew up in the city to own property as adults is crucial in combatting changing de-

opposed to it being something happening around them – this gentrification that they can’t control – when in fact these skills are not that difficult and there is an opportunity for them to be a part of it.” Past graduates have also been able to take their skills overseas. “I have a young man who came here from war torn Sudan,” says Karriem. “When his father died he was responsible for all nine of his sisters and brothers and so he went back to Sudan. By that time they had split, and he was helping with the infrastructure of the new Sudan.” Another student is now in Atlanta, Ga., and works as a screenwriter, she says. “As long as you are successful in your life then what we do here is successful. If you go into construction trades, kudos ... great, but if you don’t and you go off and you make yourself successful I’m ok with it,” she says. In the end the goal is to offer pathways. “We have to stop pigeonholing our kids,” says Karriem. “We have to be able to make sure that they are tax-paying, law-abiding citizens who can provide for their families, and this is a way to do it.” u

East of the River Magazine October 2015

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East of the River Magazine October 2015

Crossword Author: Myles Mellor • www.themecrosswords.com • www.mylesmellorconcepts.com

“Name Game” by Myles Mellor Across:

1. Artemis’s twin 7. More salacious 13. Fallacious argumentation 20. Expression of respect 21. Small dry fruit 22. Aggravation 23. Poem division 24. Julia’s star pupils? 26. Brass 28. Sorority letters 29. Garden tool 30. Ends partner 31. Nicholas II, for one 33. ___ Oop 35. Folklore ﬁend 37. Sharon’s charity? 41. Start of a refrain 46. Jockey Turcotte 47. Chinese dynasty 48. “Chances ___” 49. Head covering worn by Muslim women 50. ___ case 53. Lowly worker 55. Mint family member 56. Besets 57. Jude’s rulebook in Vegas? 59. Man of La Mancha 60. Stirred 61. Big Apple attraction, with “the” 62. Desert-like 63. Medicine measure 66. Fish hawk 69. “Begone!” 73. Chinese dynasty 74. Old World bird 75. Assoc. of nations 80. Kevin in Vancouver? 84. What’s left 86. Sustenance 87. Double curve 88. Euripides drama 89. Scattering 90. “That’s nice!” 91. Lightning fast Jamaican 93. Balderdash 94. Skating jumps 95. In need of Johnny? 100. Computer menu option

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102. “Gotcha” 103. Heidi’s home 104. Black 108. ___ Baba 109. Mediocre 110. Cartoon bear 112. Bill-paying time for Doris? 116. Swindler 120. German city 121. Draw near 122. Dark green mineral 123. Au courant 124. Long Island county 125. Like some hair

Down:

1. Infomercials, e.g. 2. Fave 3. Fertility clinic stock 4. Exotic fruit 5. Gecko, e.g. 6. Like some history 7. Varnish ingredient 8. Level 9. Bleach 10. Snags 11. Concludes 12. Capitol V.I.P. 13. Butt of jokes 14. Command 15. Islands dish 16. Justice Black 17. Footnote abbr. 18. Runners carry it 19. Clutter 25. River of Lyon 27. Shaping machines 31. Flute sound 32. Vacation souvenir? 34. Golf ball position 36. Old anesthetic 37. Tightens, at sea 38. Masseur’s target 39. Starch source 40. “Carmina Burana” composer 42. Indian melodies 43. “Haste makes waste,” e.g. 44. Hermit 45. Came up 49. Aegean vacation locale

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com 51. Before now 52. Bean ___ 53. Cause 54. Meadow mother 55. In excess of 57. Journal 58. Concert array 60. English writer John Barrington 64. Behind 65. Musical chairs goal 66. Mitch Miller’s instrument 67. Fall from grace 68. Its motto is “Lux et veritas” 69. La ___ 70. Chalice 71. Japanese cartoon art 72. Indian tongue

74. Diamonds, to hoods 76. Fluid container 77. Catch 78. Straddling 79. Poet’s “below” 81. Doltish 82. Tusked animal 83. Turkish honoriﬁc 84. Place for bats? 85. Low woman? 90. Room at the top 91. Colorful ﬂower 92. Poetic homage 95. Mum 96. Pitchfork parts 97. “Pocket full of ___...” 98. Seasoned stew

99. Dependent 101. Starts of some pranks 104. Old Icelandic literary work 105. Fishhook’s end 106. ___ and terminer (criminal court) 107. Bridge site 109. Fizzy drink 111. Edible tubers 113. Govt. agency 114. Understanding 115. Bearded beast 117. “Cool” amount 118. Grazed 119. Nancy Drew’s beau

Southwest Redux

{last shot} Photo: Andrew Lightman