Hill Rag Magazine – November 2023 by Capital Community News

HILLRAG.COM NOVEMBER 2023

Brokerage • Development • Investments

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Wow So Much to Be Thankful For…. My Family, My Friends, My Clients, Living in the Greatest Neighborhood in the Greatest City. Thank You Capitol Hill!

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��e ��s��n�� e ��s��n�� ou did a fantastic job and �� ated us like family. We really Selling the Hill... A Way of �� Life for The Generations ��

preciated it! iously your help getting the perty ready was above and �� ree� �� ond any of our expectations. �� o�e�e� �ar�arn �on�o one could have done more on��o�e��o� us.” a �a��l� �ro�er�� s a real s��l�� an� � �a�e �ha� TIME TO SELL s��l�� ser�ousl�� h � ��ree� �� ou�h �arol�na ��e General’s House ��e ��s��n�� did a fantastic job and �� d us like family. We really ciated it! sly your help getting the Call me today at 202-256-1353! rty ready was above and ’ Don Denton �� n� de��any of our expectations. �� on�ra�� e�could have done more � �� ”

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730/730A/732 11th Street SE ncredible investment opportunity. 4 units. Live in one and rent the other 3!

1013 I Street SE Unmatched Historic Gem

Listing Agents: Don Denton (202)256-1353 & Sam Pastore (202)441-9823 SOLD - $1,535,000

Listing Agents: Don Denton (202)256-1353 & Topher Cushman(202)327-4682 Active - $1,999,000

946 14th Street SE

Sweet front porch for rockin the evenings away! Listing Agents: Don Denton (202)256-1353 & Topher Cushman (202)327-4682 SOLD - $785,000

1225 C Street SE

Selling Agent: Don Denton (202)256-1353 SOLD - $800,000

If you are a prospective seller and plan to sell in the next two weeks or the next two years, it is time to sit down and map out your sales strategy. What is the local market looking for. Staging? Absolutely. Today it makes all the difference. It is a big mistake to put your property on the market empty or with your own old comfortable furniture! A little market fluff? Essential! $15,000 to freshen up the look! Will make all the difference. I can make the process easy, painless and affordable.

1417 A Street NE Coveted Carbarn Condo

Listing Agent: Don Denton (202)256-1353 SOLD - $432,000

902 South Carolina Ave

Listing Agent: Don Denton (202)256-1353 SOLD - $1,300,000

Associate Broker

Coldwell Banker Realty ®

648 Mass Ave NE

Listing Agent: Don Denton (202)256-1353 SOLD - $2,000,000

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C: 202-256-1353 E: ddenton@cbmove.com

11 4th Street SE The General’s House

Listing Agent: Don Denton (202)256-1353 SOLD - $1,550,000

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I N THIS ISSUE

eastern market

November 2023

15 0 SPECIAL!

Holidays Are a Time for Giving by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Destiny Concealed The Story of Eagle Academy: A Documentary

Gratitude for Gardens on the Hill

106

Girls on the Run Not Just an Exercise Program by Pattie Cinelli

by Matthew McClure

40 To Eastern Market, With Love: Slow Shopping and The Value of Community by Andrew Lightman

by Rindy O’Brien

30 Eastern Market [a recent history] The Creation of the Modern Eastern Market by The Overbeck Project, CHCF

WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON

LOCAL CALENDAR

capitol streets 47

Big Board Restaurant Sues ANC 6C by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Holidays Are a Time for Giving by Elizabeth O’Gorek

CHV Focuses on Pedestrian Safety by Dawn Nelson

Our River, the Anacostia: A Proposed Bridge Across the Anacostia – Impacts, Pros and Cons by Bill Matuszeski

H Street Public Safety – ANC 6A Report by Sarah Payne

In-Person Meetings Open Budget Debate – ANC 6B Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Bike Lane Vs. Parking for the Disabled – ANC 6C Report by Sarah Payne

First District Commander Visits – ANC 6D Report by Andrew Lightman

Community Says “No” to Stadium – ANC 7D Report by Sarah Payne

Councilmember White On Public Safety – ANC 8F Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Bulletin Board by Kathleen Donner

homes and gardens 77

Building Back Better – and Greener Housing Returns to DC Alley Ways by Catherine Plume

Gratitude for Gardens on the Hill by Rindy O’Brien

The “Other” IRA: Tax Credits and Rebates for Green Energy Investments by Catherine Plume

Changing Hands by Don Denton

Dear Garden Problem Lady by Wendy Blair

arts and dining 91

The Fourth Wall: The Hill Rag’s Curated Selection of Theater in the DMV by Matthew McClure

Destiny Concealed: The Story of Eagle Academy: A Documentary by Matthew McClure

Hill Center’s 12th Annual Pottery on the Hill: Friday-Sunday, November 17-19 by Phil Hutinet

Art and The City by Phil Hutinet

100

Capitol Cusine by Celeste McCall

102

Literary Hill by Michelle LaFrance

103

Poetic Hill: Kenneth Carroll by Sandra Beasley

family life 105

The District Vet: Raising Calvin by Dan Teich

106

Girls on the Run: Not Just an Exercise Program by Pattie Cinelli

110

School Notes by Susan Braun Johnson

112

Kids and Family Notebook by Kathleen Donner

110

CLASSIFIEDS

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CROSSWORD on the cover: My Fleeting Life. Sabiha Iqbal 12”x16”, Collage with gouache on paper. $300 www.sabihaiqbal.com/home From Studio Gallery • studiogallerydc.com

Also at Studio: From October 25th to November 18th, Studio Gallery presents Irene Pantelis’ solo show Of Water Too Are the Grasses, curated by Aneta Georgievska-Shine, with works inspired by lawns, weeds, and water. In the lower gallery, a group photography exhibit, Microcosm-Macrocosm, curated by Carolee Jakes and coordinated by Lynda Andrews-Barry, will be on display. The group show, united by themes of storytelling and perspective. From November 22nd to December 16th, Studio Gallery will present our Winter All Members Exhibit, featuring a range of artworks taken from our diverse cooperative of 60+ local artists. More information can be found at studiogallerydc.com. 2108 R St. NW, Washington, DC 20008. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday-1pm-6pm, Saturday-11am-6pm

Next Issue: December 2

Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of: FAGON

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Capital Community News, Inc. PO Box 15477, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 • www.capitalcommunitynews.com • www.hillrag.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner • melissa.ashabranner@gmail.com

Editorial Staﬀ

M�� E��: Andrew Lightman • andrew@hillrag.com C�� F�� O��: Maria Carolina Lopez • carolina@hillrag.com E�� R��: Elizabeth O’Gorek • liz@hillrag.com K�� F�� E��: Kathleen Donner • kathleendonner@gmail.com Intern: Sarah Payne • sarah@hillrag.com

Arts, Dining & Entertainment A��: D��: L��: P��: M��: T��: W�� G��:

Phil Hutinet • phutinet@yahoo.com Celeste McCall • cmccall20003@gmail.com Michelle LaFrance • mlafran2@gmu.edu Sandra Beasley • sandrabeasley@earthlink.net Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Barbara Wells • barchardwells@aol.com Elyse Genderson • elyse@cellar.com

Calendar & Bulletin Board

C�� E��: Kathleen Donner • calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

General Assignment

Ken Cummins • kennethvcummins@aol.com Tom Daniel • tom@rthomasdanielrooﬁng.com Stephanie Deutsch • scd@his.com Anthony Diallo • adike611@gmail.com Maggie Hall • whitby@aol.com Leniqua’Dominque Jenkins• Pleasant Mann • pmann1995@gmail.com Meghan Markey • meghanmarkey@gmail.com William Matuszeski • bmatsedc@gmail.com Elizabeth O’Gorek • Liz@hillrag.com Philip Pannell • philippannell@comcast.net Sarah Payne • sarah@hillrag.com Peter Waldron • peter218@prodigy.net Barbara Wells • barchardwells@aol.com

Beauty, Health & Fitness

Patricia Cinelli • ﬁtmiss44@aol.com Candace Y.A. Montague • writeoncm@gmail.com

Real Estate

Don Denton • DDenton@cbmove.com

Kids & Family

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

Homes & Gardens

Catherine Plume • caplume@yahoo.com Rindy 0’Brien • rindyobrien@gmail.com

Commentary

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Deadlines & Contacts

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We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com. 10 ★ HILLRAG.COM

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WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON Rothko Room Reinstated at the Phillips

The Phillips Collection Rothko Room Courtesy of The Phillips Collection. Photo: Carl Nard

Through March, 31, 2024, the Phillips Collection presents an unprecedented reinstallation of its renowned Rothko Room, providing guests the rare opportunity to experience new works in the space. For the first time in over 20 years, three of the four original Mark Rothko paintings installed in the Rothko Room will be on loan, traveling to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. In their place, the Phillips showcases three other Rothko paintings on special loan from the collections of Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko, the artist’s children. The intimate Rothko Room reflects the artist’s preference for exhibiting his art “in a scale of normal living.” Museum admission is $20 for adults; $15, seniors; $10, students/educators; $12, military; 18 and under, free. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW, is open daily, except Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. phillipscollection.org.

Pottery on the Hill Show & Sale

On Saturday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., see 18 of the best ceramic artists in America at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Pottery on the Hill features functional pottery, all meant to be used in everyday life. This year, they welcome ten new potters to their Pottery on the Hill family: Christina Bendo, Danielle Carelock, Guillermo Cuéllar, Andrea Denniston, Seth Gutovsky, Matt Kelleher, Shoko Teruyama, Doug Peltzman, David Young, and Junko Young, while welcoming back so many potters from previous shows. Pottery on the Hill is curated by potter Dan Finnegan who will be selling his work both in person and online for the show. On Friday, Nov. 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., get a first chance to see and purchase the works of their artists. Hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer included in the ticket price of $40, advance; $45, day of. The first 100 people at the door receive a handmade cup by potter Dan Finnegan. hillcenterdc.org.

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Holiday Boat Parade at the Wharf

On Saturday, Dec. 2, 6 to 9 p.m., celebrate the holidays with this iconic DC event that features over sixty beautifully decorated boats parading along the Washington Channel. Get into the spirit with ornament decorating and face painting by Recreation Pier. Roast s'mores at the Camp Wharf fire pit and visit their lighted 45ft. Christmas Tree. Skate at The Wharf Ice Rink on Transit Pier and sample winter drinks at their Pacifico Beer Garden. And bring your camera for pictures with Santa. wharfdc.com.

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“How Sweet it is: The Men of Soul” at Signature

From Nov. 7 to 19, groove to the classic soul of “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” “Let’s Get it On,” “Try a Little Tenderness” and “A Change is Gonna Come” as Signature salutes the smooth style of America’s Sam Cooke, Bill Withers, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. $45. Signature Theatre is at 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA. sigtheatre.org.

WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N Michael Tilson Thomas

Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Mozart & Brahms at the KC

On Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m., superstar maestro, composer, and Kennedy Center Honoree Michael Tilson Thomas makes a grand return to the Kennedy Center Concert hall conducting Olly Wilson’s Shango Memory, inspired by the Nigerian god of thunder, and Brahms’ beautiful Piano Quartet. Orion Weiss makes his anticipated NSO debut performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12. $15 to $112. kennedy-center.org.

Mickalene Thomas, Baby I Am Ready Now, 2007 acrylic, rhinestone and enamel on panel diptych, overall, 72 x 132 in. (182.9 x 335.3 cm)

“A Christmas Carol 2023” at Ford’s

From Nov. 17 to Dec. 31, join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic, with familiar characters, ghosts and a children’s ensemble in the spirit of the holidays. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge in Ford’s annual tradition heralded as a rich visual and vocal treat and infectiously jolly. $44 to $139. Recommended for ages five and older. 511 Tenth St. NW. fords.org. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge. Photo: Scott Suchman

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“Singular Views: 25 Artists” at the Rubell Museum

Singular Views: 25 Artists is drawn entirely from the Rubells’ unparalleled and ever-growing collection of contemporary art of more than 7,700 works. Encompassing over 120 artworks across media, the exhibition features solo presentations of work by 25 artists, among them Amoako Boafo, Mickalene Thomas, and Hank Willis Thomas. Also featured is work by a number of DC and Baltimore-based artists, including February James, Murjoni Merriweather, Rozeal, Sylvia Snowden, and John Waters. Singular Views: 25 Artists is on view at the Rubell Museum, 65 I St. SW, through Oct. 2024. Open Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission free to DC residents with ID. rubellmuseum.org/dc.

Page Chor

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WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N

Handel’s Messiah at the National Cathedral

On Friday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 9 and Sunday, Dec. 10, 4 p.m., join the Cathedral Choir and Baroque Orchestra for Handel’s beloved Messiah featuring Laura Choi Stuart, soprano; Zoie Reams, mezzo-soprano; Rufus Muller, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone. The Cathedral’s soaring architecture and Gothic splendor offer a venue unlike any other in DC to experience this masterpiece. Running time is three hours with a 20-minute intermission. On Saturday, Dec. 9, noon, experience the best of Messiah with the whole family–a 90-minute performance of Messiah highlights, perfect for busy families with young children. cathedral.org.

Diana Ross at MGM National Harbor

As Billboard’s “Female Entertainer of the Century,” Diana Ross holds an unrivaled place among R&B’s rich history of legendary divas. From her time leading the Supremes to her extraordinary solo career, Ross’s supple voice, striking looks, and effortless style have made her a timeless icon, as charismatic today as she was in the ‘60s. Featuring her greatest hits, Motown-inspired backup singers, and all the costume changes you’d expect from a diva’s diva. Tickets are $99 to $342. Diana Ross is at MGM National Harbor, Oxen Harbor, MD, on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Thursday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. mgmnationalharbor.mgmresorts.com.

Winter Festival & Tree Sale at the Arboretum

On Saturday, Dec. 2, and Snday Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors will be able to buy Christmas trees and other holiday greenery, shop from over 25 local vendors and enjoy other free holiday-themed family activities at the US National Arboretum. This is the Friends of the National Arboretum’s annual winter fundraiser, and a portion of all purchases supports FONA’s work at the Arboretum. fona.org. Photo: Courtesy of the Friends of the National Arboretum

May Erlewine at Pearl Street Warehouse Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour at Capital One Arena

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, known professionally as Doja Cat, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her music has been described as hip hop, pop, R&B and pop rap. Her second full-length studio album, Hot Pink, is built with her own beats as well as a series of videos written and conceived by herself. She claimed the era was a firm restart for her career, and the most “refined, chiseled” representation of herself. Her escapist fantasy worldview is reflected in the music by its upbeat production style. $112 to $160. Doja Cat: The Scarlet Tour is at the Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW, on Monday, Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m. capitalonearena.com. 16 H HILLRAG.COM

One of the Midwest’s most prolific and passionate songwriters, Erlewine has a gift for writing songs of substance that feel both fresh and soulfully familiar. Her ability to emotionally engage with an audience has earned her a dedicated following far beyond her Michigan roots. She shows us her heartbreak, but she also shows us her empowered and emboldened spirit. In her quest to find her most authentic self, Erlewine gifts each listener with a powerful, emotional experience that immediately connects us. Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW, on Thursday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. $16 to $25. pearlstreetwarehouse.com.

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Photo: Anne Weathersby

WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N

“As You Like It” at STC

It’s the 1960s and flower power, peace, and love are in the air. The free-spirited Rosalind is exiled from court and escapes to an alternative community, where everything is possible. Mistaken identities and mixed signals come together, melding the Bard’s verse with the beloved music of The Beatles. This tuneful take on Shakespeare’s romantic classic will be perfect for the holiday season, reminding us that in times of trouble, all you need is love. Tickets start at $35. As You Like it is at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harmon Hall, 610 F St. NW, from Dec. 2 to 31. Shakespearetheatre.org.

Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival

The Annapolis Chocolate Binge Festival takes over the first block of West Street on Sunday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in a family-friendly celebration of all things cocoa. This year the festival is hosting its second gingerbread house decorating contest. All the houses will be displayed at the Visitor Center at 26 West Street from Dec. 3 to 10. Stay all day for the festival because you will not want to miss the twinkling holiday lights will sparkle overhead at dusk. After, walk downtown to City Dock to enjoy the festive decorations up and down Main Street. Attendees are asked to donate nonperishable food items or make a monetary donation. visitannapolis.org.

George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” at Washington Stage Guild

Dish! The Storytelling Dinner Show at Crazy Aunt Helen’s

“Dish! The Storytelling Dinner Show” is DC’s newest storytelling show with a bite. They’re serving up something saucy on the fourth Thursday of every month at Crazy Aunt Helen’s, 713 Eighth St. SE, on Barracks Row, Capitol Hill. The venue has been described as a nostalgic, southern-leaning, comfort food restaurant where everyone is welcome. The show starts at 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.). Tickets are $15; fancy dress optional. Looking to perform? Email events@crazyaunthelens.com.

Cheers! A Cocktail for Every Day

Writer and cocktail expert Philip Greene wants you to celebrate every day with a cocktail and a toast. His new book, aptly titled Cheers! Cocktails & Toasts to Celebrate Every Day of the Year, provides the convivial blueprint. On Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6:45 to 8: 45 p.m., at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Greene offers delicious cocktail recipes along with a backstory connecting the recipe to a particular day and a toast to raise in celebration. He draws on a range of interesting and (usually) fun events, some significant and some trivial, from the pages of history, literature, sports, entertainment, and more. $70. smithsonianassociates.org. 18 H HILLRAG.COM

In Arms and the Man, G. B. Shaw shatters romantic illusions about love and war in one of his most sparkling comedies. In the aftermath of the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885, heroes turn out to be hypocrites and cowards turn out to be heroes. What is a romantic girl to do when she realizes she may be in love with the wrong one? First produced by the Stage Guild in 1992, from Nov. 16 to Dec. 10, Arms and the Man makes a welcome return in a fresh take. $50 to $60. The Washington Stage Guild performs at 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW. stageguild.org.

“When the curtain fell on opening night, the original cast of Arms and the Man received a unanimous standing ovation, all save one critic booing in the back row. The playwright, George Bernard Shaw, stepped onstage and solemnly addressed the man in the back. “My dear fellow, I quite agree with you, but what are we two against so many?” Amelia Pedlow, The Juilliard Journal. Photo: Bernard Shaw in a 1908 Autochrome Lumière by Alvin Langdon Coburn.

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WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” at the National

Pretty Woman: The Musical, based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories of all time, springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Featured in the musical is Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Pretty Woman the film was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990. Now, 30 years later, Pretty Woman: The Musical is at the National Theatre from Dec. 12 to 17. $50 to $110. The National Theatre is at 1321 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. broadwayatthenational.com. Are you ready to fall in love all over again? Photo: Morris Mac Matzen

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Jon Langford: Song for Song at Sixth & I

On Saturday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), two legendary artists, Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Jon Langford (of the Mekons and Waco Brothers), recreate their exclusive pandemic live-stream performance, song for song, for a live, in-person audience at Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Featuring Langford sitting alone on stage at the deserted FitzGerald’s roadhouse playing to Oldham on a laptop screen, the collaboration, meant to be an hour of music, turned into a nearly three-hour-long show. For Langford, the concert was a high point of lockdown, despite the strangeness and physical loneliness of the situation. $35 in advance; $40 day of. sixthandi.org.

Mostly recorded live, the album Emotional Contracts brings its combustible but sharply crafted sound to an often-pensive look inward.

“Fat Ham” at Studio

Hamlet, but with more barbeque and disco. Swapping a Danish castle for a North Carolina BBQ pit, Fat Ham remakes Shakespeare’s story of murder and revenge into a hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy. Juicy, a Black queer Southern kid, has a lot on his plate already when his father’s ghost shows up, demanding vengeance. As generations clash at the family’s backyard barbeque, Juicy must face the legacies of violence he’s been raised with and shape the man he wants to be in James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play fresh from its Tony-nominated Broadway run. Fat Ham is at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. through Dec. 4. studiotheatre.org.

Deer Tick at 9:30 Club

Emotional Contracts, the latest full-length album from Deer Tick, catalogs all the existential casualties that accompany the passing of time, instilling each song with the irresistibly reckless spirit that’s defined the band for nearly two decades. Before heading into the studio with producer Dave Fridmann, the Providencebred four-piece spent months working on demos in a perpetually flooded warehouse space in their hometown as they carved out the album’s 10 raggedly eloquent tracks. Emotional Contracts fully echoes the unruly energy of its creation, ultimately making for a heavy-hearted yet wildly life-affirming portrait of growing older without losing heart. $28.50. Deer Tick is at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m. 930.com.

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WHAT’S ON W A S H I N G T O N

Fleeting Moments: Street Photography at the Athenaeum

Fleeting Moments features photographs that capture candid moments, revelatory interpretations, and brilliant reflections of the mundane--work commonly referred to as “street photography.” In 1943 the New York Times referred to the street photography of Helen Levitt, as, “fleeting moments of surpassing lyricism, mystery and quiet drama.” Those qualities are the hallmark of the works selected for this show. The photos in this exhibition were selected after an open call to creatives living or working in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas. A $750 prize will be awarded for best-in-show and a $500 prize will be determined by the people’s choice. Fleeting Moments: Street Photography is at the Athenaeum Gallery, 201 Prince St., Alexandria, VA, through Nov. 26. The Athenaeum Gallery is open Thursday to Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. nvfaa.org.

Deformation to tail, possibly resulting from a ship strike in a Bryde’s-like whale from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Photo: NMFS SEFSC under MMPA permit

Amy Bruce, Flat White, Digital Photography

Scientific Symposium: Whales on the Brink

On Thursday, Nov. 16, 8:30 to 5 p.m., join the Natural History Museum (ground floor, Baird Auditorium) in celebrating Rice’s whales, large whale conservation efforts, and the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. The symposium will feature experts from the marine mammal scientific research, conservation, and management communities who have pioneered the tools and techniques used to study whales. It will highlight results to date from their research and how the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act are successfully facilitating conservation of large whales. Free and open to the public. naturalhistory.si.edu.

“One Mo’ Time” at the Anacostia Playhouse

One Mo’ Time is a musical revue and tribute to the great Black vaudeville performers that were overworked, underpaid yet persevered as entertainers, set in the Lyric Theatre of New Orleans in 1926. $35 TO $50. One Mo’ Time is at the Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. SE, from Dec. 2 to Dec. 31. anacostiaplayhouse.com.

Susto at The Atlantis

Susto (which the band usually capitalizes as SUSTO) is an American indie rock band from Charleston, South Carolina. Current band members are Justin Osborne, Marshall Hudson, Kevin Early, Johnny Delaware and Ian Klin. The name of the band is from the Spanish word "susto", meaning "an intense fear understood as a condition of the soul", reflecting the Cuban roots of some of the band, as well as being drawn from letters in the band leader's name. SUSTO is at the Atlantis, 2047 Ninth St. NW, on Sunday, Dec. 3, general admission doors at 5:30 p.m. $22, plus fees. theatlantis.com. Susto frontman Justic Osborne

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SBRC ONE-ON-ONE CALL SESSION: STEPS TO OBTAINING A BUSINESS LICENSE Monday – Friday By appointment between 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Register: dlcpsbrc.ecenterdirect.com/events

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MEET IN PERSON MONDAY - 1.1 BUSINESS SESSION Mondays by appointment between 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Register: dlcpsbrc.ecenterdirect.com/events

Small Business Resource Center (202) 442-4538 | dlcp@dc.gov

November 2023 ★ 23

Art Framing ost M & Life’s Precious s Moment

We Are Throwing A Party! Celebrate Music on The Hill’s 10th Anniversary

Saturday, Nov. 11 Noon to 6 @ 801 D Street NE We are closing the block for LIVE MUSIC I FOOD BY THE TRIPPY TACO TRUCK FREE RAFFLE OF INSTRUMENTS ACCESSORIES I VENDOR SWAG

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LOCAL CALENDAR Capitol Hill Christmas Tree Lighting. Saturday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. The Capitol Hill BID’s Men in Blue will serve hot chocolate and doughnuts while local music groups perform. All festivities will be held at the tree known as “Sonny” in the SW quadrant of Eastern Market Metro Plaza, corner of Seventh and D streets SE. www.capitolhillbid.org

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Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Hill Business Improvement District

US Capitol Specialty Tours. All specialty tours are offered Monday through Friday and last about 45 minutes. Halls of the Senate tours are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Votes for Women tours are at noon. Indigenous Peoples in Capitol Art tours are at 1 p.m. Heroes of Civil Rights are at 3 p.m. www.visitthecapitol.gov “Brick City” at the National Building Museum. Through spring 2025, “Brick City” celebrates iconic architecture from cities around the world through carefully recreated constructions made from LEGO bricks by UK-based artist Warren Elsmore. $10 admission for adults; $7, kids. The National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW, Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.nbm.org Capitol Hill Jazz Jam. Every Wednesday, 8 to 11 p.m. The Capitol Hill Jazz Jam is a weekly session held at Mr. Henry’s restaurant, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. www.mrhenrysdc.com We Happy Few’s “Kill the Ripper.” Through Nov. 18. This is revisionist history told through a feminist lens and with plenty of action. Tickets are $5, up. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 Seventh St. SE. www.wehappyfewdc.com/killtheripper “Solas Nua: The Honey Trap.” Through Nov. 19. When two off-duty British soldiers go for a drink on the outskirts of Belfast in 1979, they meet two local girls. What seems like a typical night at the pub turns into something much darker. $5 to $45. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. www.atlasarts.org

Mosaic Theater’s “Confederates.” Through Nov. 19. Sara is an enslaved rebel turned Union spy. Sandra is a tenured professor at a modern-day university. Despite being 160 years apart, their parallel struggles unite them across time. $42 to $70. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. www.atlasarts.org “The Winter’s Tale” at the Folger. Nov. 4 to Dec. 17. With the elements of a fairytale, Shakespeare’s romance is a thrilling journey filled with emotional depth, extreme behavior, complex relationships and a pursuing bear. Folger Shakespeare Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. www.folger.edu Global Sounds on the Hill. Nov. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m., Rwandan duo The Good Ones in concert. $20. Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. www.hillcenterdc.org Sing Out Piano Bar and Open Mic with Gay Men’s Chorus. Nov. 8 and Dec. 13, from 7:30 to 11:00 p.m. Sing with live piano accompaniment or just enjoy the music. Free admission. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. www.atlasarts.org “Come Write In” at SW Library. On Nov. 8, 15 and 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. During National Novel Writing Month, join fellow writers for dedicated time to work toward your November writing goals. Light refreshments provided. SW Library, 900 Wesley Pl. SW. www.dclibrary.org

Live! at the Library: Shakespeare Everywhere Festival Concert. Nov. Season’s Greenings at the 9, from 6:30 to 8:00 Botanic Garden. Nov. 23 to p.m. Enjoy a concert of Shakespeare-inJan. 1, daily (except Christspired music feamas), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This turing the Cafritz annual holiday display features model trains in the gat- Young Artists of the Washington Nationed outdoor garden, festive al Opera as part of lights throughout the garthe citywide Shakedens, and in the Conservaspeare Everywhere tory poinsettias, holiday deFestival. Free admiscor and DC landmarks made sion. Coolidge Audifrom plants. www.usbg.gov torium. www.loc.gov November 2023 H 25

LOCAL CALENDAR Wharf Ice Rink Opens for Season, Nov. 22. Wednesday to Friday, from 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Adults, $13; 12 and under, $10; senior/military $11. Skate rental, $7. Wharf Ice Rink is on Transit Pier outside The Anthem. www. wharfdc.com/wharf-ice-rink

UPCOMING PROGRAMS SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM Pottery on the Hill

Friday, November 17 Sunday, November 19

STUDIO ARTS

Contemporary Watercolors Course Monday, November 6, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Easy Vegetarian Indian Cooking: Diwali Dinner Party

Wednesday, November 8, 6:00pm-8:00pm SOLD OUT

Pera Eats: Cooking Lamb the Kurdish way!

Thursday, November 9, 6:00pm-8:30pm

Long Lunch: Asian Dumplings with Chef Mark Haskell Friday, November 10, 11:00am-1:00pm

Basic Drawing Techniques: Drawing From an Image

Kitchen 101: Knife Skills

Contemporary Watercolors Course

Thursday, November 16, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Tuesday, November 7, 6:30pm - 8:00pm Monday, November 13, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Basic Drawing Techniques: Drawing From an Image

Tuesday, November 14, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Contemporary Watercolors Course

Monday, November 27, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Basic Drawing Techniques: Drawing From an Image

Tuesday, November 28, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

CONCERTS

American Roots: Session Americana

Tuesday, November 14, 6:00pm-7:30pm

Fish Bootcamp with Chef Mark Haskell

ONGOING PROGRAMS

Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) Basic Drawing Techniques Busy Bees: Music & Art Playgroup Contemporary Watercolors French Courses: Various Levels District Flow Yoga Frontlines: Infant and Child CPR Gottaswing

Sunday, November 5, 7:00pm-9:00pm

Meditation in Capitol Hill

Global Sounds on the Hill: Rwandan Duo The Good Ones in Concert

Mr. Mike’s Music Together

Tuesday, November 7, 7:00pm-9:00pm

COOKING CLASSES & TASTINGS

Classic Italian: Pasta Making with Chef Mark Haskell

Wednesday, November 1, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Classic English Tea with Globetrotter Marianne Tshihamba

Saturday, November 4, 11:00am-2:00pm

On the Noodle Road with Jen Lin-Liu: Deep Dive into Dumplings Sunday, November 5, 10:30am-2:30pm

A Trip to Belgium: Moules Frites (Mussels & Fries)

Tuesday, November 7, 6:00pm-8:30pm

26 H HILLRAG.COM

Opera Starts with Oh! - Opera Lafayette * Piano Lessons with Gordon Tenney Profs & Pints DC* Shakespeare Theatre Company* Spanish Courses: Various Levels Studio One Dance*

Grown-Up Game Night at NE Library. Nov. 9, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. (every second Thursday). Wii’re “Switch”-ing it up in November with Nintendo Night! (See what they did there.) They’ve got a switch and a Wii, so join them for the chance to destroy your enemies in Mario Kart … or “Just Dance.” NE Library, 330 Seventh St. NE. www.dclibrary.org Carpe Librum Book Sales. Saturdays, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join Carpe Librum in the middle block of Canal Park, 200 M St. SE, for an outdoor pop-up, nonprofit used-book sale. Browse through thousands of books all under $6. www.capitolriverfront.org/canal-park The “Wait Wait” Stand-Up Tour. Nov. 11, from 8:00 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.). NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” with Brian Babylon, Helen Hong, Maeve Higgins, Mo Rocca and Negin Farsad. $35 to $110. The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. www.theanthemdc.com Absolute ABBA: A Disco Made in Sweden. Nov. 11, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Free admission. Wunder Garten is at 1101 First St. NW. www.wundergartendc.com House Concerts at Hill Center: Ft. 84 Faces. Nov. 12, at 4:30 p.m. 84 Faces is a duo from the DMV area consisting of Licui & Slater the Genius. Their styles blend to create a fu-

Super Soccer Stars Tai Chi Chuan Tippi Toes Dance Warrior Fusion Karate Programmatic support provided by the Capitol Hill Community Foundation and the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.

“Enchant” at Nats Park. Nov. 24 to Dec. 31. “Enchant” is an immersive experience weaving magic into every corner for joyful seasonal celebrations. The Reindeer Games offer a light maze that is the cornerstone to the “Enchant” experience. Tickets from $32 for adults; $24 for kids. www.enchantchristmas.com/ washington-dc-nationals-park

sion of alternative hip hop, RnB, pop and jazz. 84 explores dynamics from relationships to race using music as the battleground. $8 to $15. Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. www. hillcenterdc.org Unleash your Creative Spirit at CHAW. On Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2 to 4 p.m. A collage workshop to honor veterans and caregivers. Led by Teaching Artists Carolina Mayorga and Sharon Burton, participants will create a collage to honor themselves, veterans, and caregivers. Celebrate creativity, self-expression, and a sense of community. Light refreshments served. $15. The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is at 545 Seventh St. SE. chaw.org. Capitol Movement’s DC Artist Exchange. Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Capitol Movement’s DC Artist Exchange explores inclusivity in the arts and our community. $25 to $28. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. www.atlasarts.org Chiarina Chamber Players Concert. Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. The architecture of Bach’s solo work gives way to Szymanowski’s hypnotic sound world. Brahms’s lyrical warmth rounds out this program featuring Grammy award-winning violinist Domenic Salerni and Chiarina artistic director Efi Hackmey. $30; 18 and under, free. St. Mark’s Church, 301 A St. SE. www.chiarina.org

“Swept Away” at Arena. Nov. 25 to Dec. 30. When a violent storm sinks their whaling ship, the four survivors face a reckoning. Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. www. arenastage.org Inside the Season: “The Winter’s Tale.” Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. Join Folger Shakespeare Library Director Michael Witmore as he engages in a discussion with Karen Ann Daniels, artistic director of the Folger Theatre, about the opening production of the homecoming season. $25. Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. www.folger.edu The District’s Holiday Boat Parade. Dec. 2. From 6 to 9 p.m. Get into the spirit with ornament decorating and face painting by the Recreation Pier. Roast s’mores at the Camp Wharf firepit and visit the lighted Christmas tree. Skate at The Wharf Ice Rink on the Transit Pier and sample winter drinks at the Pacifico Beer Garden. Bring a camera for pictures with Santa. www.thewharfdc.com Atlas Presents Silent Film Series: “The Merry Widow” (1925). Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. “The Merry Widow,” a romantic drama/ black comedy, was based on the 1905 Franz Lehár operetta of the same name. $25. The Atlas, 1333 H St. NE. www.atlasarts.org Celebrating the Master of Suspense at Miracle Theatre. Fridays: Nov. 3, “Rear Window”; Nov. 17, “Notorious”; Nov. 24, “To Catch a Thief.” From 7 to 9 p.m. experience your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies on the big screen. $8 for adults; $6 for kids and seniors. Miracle Theatre, 535 Eighth St. SE. www.themiracletheatre.com Capitol Hill Menorah Lighting. Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. The annual menorah lighting, co-hosted by the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District and Hill Havurah, celebrates the start of Hanukkah on the front steps of Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St. NE. The BID’s Men in Blue will serve donuts and hot cocoa. www.capitolhillbid.org u November 2023 H 27

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0 5 1

eastern market

! s r a ye

November 2023 ★ 29

By the 1950s

eastern

A view of the South Hall in 1972. Photo: Baird Smith

market [a recent history]

the Creation of the Modern Eastern Market ABOVE: Peter Eveleth, Chair Emeritus of ANC 6B, longstanding member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society holds up a renovation plan for 7th Street SE dating from the late Seventies. Photo: Andrew Lightman

A show at The Market Five Gallery circa early 1980s. Photo: John Harrod

Eastern Market in 1978. Photo: Baird Smith

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, Eastern Market was the last remaining City Market and its South and Central Halls housed merchants who had worked throughout the earlier municipal market system. With Eastern Market threatened with closure in the early 1950s, Charles “Charlie” Glasgow, Sr., who ran Southern Maryland Seafood, suggested he assume management, forming the Eastern Market Corporation that leased the South and Center Halls from the City in 1954. In 1968, Harold Guilland convinced Glasgow, Sr. to lease him the used tearoom and kitchen complex in the Eastern Market’s Central Hall for a pottery studio. He was soon joined at the new Eastern Market Pottery by Chuck Brome, who worked first as an instructor and later as the studio manager. Brome purchased the business in 1974 and operated through 2019 when he sold it to Hansaloe LLC. In the early seventies, the arts at Eastern Market expanded under the leadership of John Harrod. The North Hall, which had been used to store fire equipment and municipal vehicles since 1929, was turned over to Harrod’s Market 5 Gallery and Kumba Center. This organization used the space to hold exhibits, concerts, performances and dances. These three institutions, Eastern Market Corporation, The Market Five Gallery and the Eastern Market Pottery, formed the core of the modern Eastern Market. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, Eastern Market remained an endangered institution. Ill-maintained by municipal authorities, at various times it faced demolition either by intent or neglect. Fortunately, there were many individuals in the Capitol Hill community that valued its unique character and services. It would be impossible to mention every citizen activist by name. One leading supporter was Peter Eveleth. As Chair of ANC 6B, active member of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, Chair of the ANC 6B Committee on Economic Development, Eveleth fought to preserve Eastern Market’s historic character for decades, playing a leading role in defending the Market against numerous ill-advised renovation plans.

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eastern market

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The Market Expands Outdoors

The Northern Plaza of Eastern Market on a busy Sunday afternoon before the ﬁre. Photo: Joe Shymanski

ABOVE: Looking north along the Farmer’s Line towards the Flea Market before the ﬁre. Photo: Andrew Lightman RIGHT: Tom Rall, organizer of the Sunday Flea Market. Photo: Elizabeth Dranitzke

32 ★ HILLRAG.COM

The Overbeck Project records the history of Capitol Hill through interviews. It is an initiative of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. Below are excerpts of interviews with John Harrod, owner of Market Five Gallery and Tom Rall, founder of the Sunday Flea Market about the Flea Market’s early days. For full interview transcripts, visit www.CapitolHillHistory.org.

John Harrod: “Faneuil

Tom Rall: “

Literally, that Hall, Quincy Market, was this big comfirst Sunday in 1984, the alcoholics were mercial thing—not much I could learn sleeping in the doorways of Eastern Marfrom that—but what they did have was ket. It was, really, a run-down, abandoned these tables outside that building on Sundays. You local artists could rent could take a bowling ball and sell their wares—jewand roll it the whole length elry, clothing, hats, whatof the farmers’ line canopy ever. [We thought] that on a Sunday morning and could work at [Eastern there wouldn’t be a single Market]…And so, in ’79, person under the farmers’ I did the first one of our line shed on Sunday. But Saturdays there, asked as we began to advertise, artists to come in… I that began to change… advertised for it, and We started at the word of mouth, and they north end of the Market came in. I may have goton the North Hall plaza, ten about 19 or so peowhich then wasn’t an ideMany buskers play along 7th Street to entertain strollers. ple who came down. The al space—it had a huge Photo: Joe Shymanski Post did an article called tree and a driveway into “The Arts Join the Fruits the North Hall, and it was and Vegetables at Eastern Market.” a lot of mud, actually. The bricks on the And then a guy by the name of Tom North Plaza didn’t come in until a lot latRall had been doing auctions there on Sater. We set up in the mud underneath the urdays, like, once a month or something trees and it took two or three years to actulike that. These great auctions he was doally populate the whole North Hall. ing on Saturdays. They were incredibly We also started to use the covered popular…He said, “Man, is that your idea canopy adjacent to North Hall and probof a flea market?” I said, “Look, don’t talk ably within three years we had filled all of to me! All I care about is the Redskins are that area. And I said to John, “Well what going to the Super Bowl. Why?” He said, do you think we would use the rest of the “Because I’m pretty good at that. Are you canopy?” And he said,“Sure, go ahead.” interested in somebody managing that?” Eventually, come 1989, 1990, we filled all I said, “Yes. Let me check it out.” the way around C Street. We had begun You know, I never sat down and said, to go down the west side of the building “You know, this is the way you’ve got to do on the North Hall side with exhibitors. this thing. This is the way the way I want We were in the expansion mode from you to do this thing.” But he brought the 1984 to 2004...Once we had reached 100 same vibe and love, commitment, focus to exhibitors or so I started to hire managethat place, and he had a job. ment help on Sundays. It was overwhelmWe ran into something that people ing for one person…With the hoards of were normally coming to at the Market people waiting for setup, I could be walkalready on Saturday, but Sunday had to ing around on a Sunday morning with 25 be built. And this is my deal with him to or 30 people following me around lookstart: you build this thing up. Charge what ing for space… you think you need to charge. You take “I haven’t seen a market have anycare of your staff and advertisement and thing like Eastern Market, which had a your salary and give me, I think I took 10 huge arts movement attached to it and percent of whatever they made, 20 persuch a strong cultural piece. To have a galcent, something like that. Whatever it was. lery on end of the building and a butcher “That will get you paid and get the Galon the other and that could be put togethlery something.” And he said, “Ok.” And er and made into something…I haven’t we shook hands on it. That was a 20-year seen anything that really has that dynamhandshake. Two guys lost in the ’60s! ic…and this one has a gloriously restored And you’ve seen what he’s done. historic structure attached to it, too.” –John Harrod, Market Five Gallery –Tom Rall, Sunday Flea Market, rerecorded for the Overbeck Project. corded for the Overbeck Project.

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eastern market

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The South Hall Merchants We have beautiful customers.

Joanne Jung, Capitol Hill ltry. Produce and Capitol Hill Pou Photo: Elizabeth Dranitzke

Jennifer Glasgow, Fine Sweet Shop. Photo: Andrew Lightman

Of course the neighbors first, around Washington, but we have lot of customers too from Maryland, Pennsylvania—you know they come—everywhere, everywhere…We have fun with the children and all my life when the mothers had them like me, in the stroller—they bring them in. Now they move, they got married, they bring the children and they say this is the lady—you know—give us banana, an apple or I treat the children. Sometimes I used to peel the grapes for them. I have fun. They love me. Oh my gosh, they come and hug me like I’m grandmother. I’m very proud, very proud. For all the people I know through my life and now they, like I say, they got their children. Sometimes they got the grandchildren and I feel great. I feel like a million dollars. – Maria Calomiris, Calomiris Fruits and Vegetables, recorded for the Overbeck Project.

Emilio Canales, Canales Quality Meats. Photo: Andrew Lightman

The Farmers An outdoors Farmers’ Line existed

Marvin Ogburn. Bunk Knopp.

from the Eastern Market’s earliest days. In 1931, a continuous shed was erected to provide shelter. It was an inexpensive, simple, corrugated metal roof with a double row of columns. It was replaced with the present structure in 2004. By 1987, the number of farmers selling at the Market had decreased substantially in number. So much so that the Flea Market had expanded into the northern portion of the Farmers’ Line. Today, the public’s increased appetite for fresh produce has led to an expansion of fresh markets across the city. However, only Eastern Market retains a handful of faithful farmers that have been selling their produce for decades.

Daniel Barker. Photos: Andrew Lightman

The Vendors Arts and Crafts vendors outside the Market at 7th and C Sts., SE. Photo: Andrew Lightman

34 ★ HILLRAG.COM

The EMCAC

Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee

In 1999

, Ward 6 Councilmember Sharon Ambrose drafted legislation that redefined how the Eastern Market would be managed, regulated and improved. It placed the Market under the jurisdiction of the Office of Property Management (OPM), required unified management and created the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee (EMCAC) to Brian Furness, Presiadvise OPM about the oper- dent of the Capitol Hill on Society and ation, management and capi- Restorati one of the authors of tal improvements. the EMCAC legislation. EMCAC is in an adviso- Photo: Brian Furness ry group that represents the entire Eastern Market Community, consisting of repEllen Opper-Weiner, ﬁrst resentatives from all stakeholders: community organiChair of EMCAC, former Mayor’s representation zations, District of Coto EMCAC and one of the lumbia elected officials, authors of the EMCAC legislation. Photo: Anvendors, merchants and drew Lightman professionals that do business on Capitol Hill, and representatives elected or appointed to represent their respective constituency. “When Sharon [Ambrose] became the Council member, she wisely said, ‘OK, I’ve had Mary Farrell, citizen activist it. I mean, the place is going to fall down if we involved in the legislation responsible for the historic don’t find some way to figure this out.’ So she designation of Eastern Marbrokered the deal and she managed to get all the ket’s interior. Photo: Mary Farrell. stakeholders to the table and craft legislation... one of the very key factors of it was this Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee.” – Donna Scheeder, Chairperson EMCAC, recorded for the Overbeck Project. “... the [Capitol Hill] Restoration Society convened neighborhood organizations to address the problems of Eastern Market, and I was the chair of this Eastern Market Community task force. That was in 1995. We spent three years of meetings, cajoling, the proverbial herding cats, but finally we wrote legislation that would address Sharon Ambrose, the management problems and the uses of Eastern Market, former Councilmember but above all would give the community a solid role—that for Ward 6, who secured the passage of the EMwould permit the community to be consulted on things CAC legislation. Photo: that would hapAndrew Lightman pen at the Market. Council Member Ambrose introduced our legislation with very minor changes; it was passed by the Council in 1998 and although it has not been perfect, it provides a basis for community participation, for getting all of the various economic stakeholders at the Market to work together, to think about the Market as a whole, with professional management with which I’m Nicky Cymrot (l) and Stephanie Deutsch (r) of the Capitol Hill Community not always happy...” Foundation pose with Donna Scheeder, – Brian Furness, Former President of Chair of EMCAC, 2009, recipient of a 2009 Capitol Hill Community Achievethe Capitol Hill Restoration Society ment Award for her work with Eastern Market. Photo: A. Lightman

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The Fire: April 30, 2007 It was just blazing! At three o’clock in the morning, it looked like daylight. Flames

shooting out…They had water going everywhere…And then to look at it at 5:00 am when the flames went out and then to see it flame up again… It was tough. That night, that day, was one of the longest days we’d ever had, you know. But you know it was alright, I knew we were going to be okay, it would be taken care of …And I had to console my wife, my son, customers. – Mel Inman, Market Poultry, recorded for the Overbeck Project. The Market in Ruins. Photo: Andrew Lightman

Richard and Chad Glasgow ponder the destruction. Photo: Andrew Lightman

Pushing in the damaged roof. Photo: Andrew Lightman

A Smoking Ruin My first reaction was that it was all over…there goes my livelihood, there goes a

whole culture, there goes the heart of Capitol Hill. You think there’ll be something to salvage, but at the time there was no idea that government would step up to rebuild it or that the community would rally in the way that they did for the people there… – Michael Berman, well-known local painter, Eastern Market Vendor and partner of Tom Rall, recorded for the Overbeck Project.

LEFT: The interior of the Market on the day of the ﬁre, April 30, 2007. Photo: Baird Smith

We Will Rebuild! “After the fire, we didn’t want just funding, just

money, a handout just to live off of. We wanted to be able to make money, to be able to satisfy customers, to be able to make this thing work, to be a viable entity in this market row here while this market is down, to let our customers know that we still care about them. And the Capitol Hill Community Foundation said, “Tell us what you need, we’ll get it for you.” And the next day, they write me out something. I say “Do you need a receipt?” They say, “No, we don’t need a receipt. We don’t need anything else.” I came in with all this stuff to justify the fact, and they said, “NO, just come up. Is that what you need? Will that work?” I said yes! They wrote me a check out, and gave it to me, and said, “Go buy your trailer. Is that enough?” And I was like, “Man!” They, like, CRUSHED me when they did it. I was CRUSHED, you know, totally crushed…Because you think that people in this day and society would not, but this community did.” – Mel Inman, Market Poultry, recorded for the Overbeck Project. “Every single one of us came back…Gary Peterson (of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation) was talking to me 36 ★ HILLRAG.COM

Nicky Cymrot of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation confers with Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells on the morning of April 30, 2007. Photo: Andrew Lightman Photo

Mayor Adrian Fenty pledges to rebuild the Eastern Market in a May 1, 2007 press conference. Photo: Andrew Lightman

about allocating funds and I’ll remember this until the day I die… He asked me, “Would you rather have everybody get the same percentage? Or let’s say somebody needs more or they’re not going to make it. Would you rather see Selling “Rebuild Eastern Market” T-Shirts to help them go out of business?” And I rasise money. Photo: thought for about two seconds, Andrew Lightman and I said, “No. Do whatever it takes to make sure everybody comes back. If some get less, so be it. We want everyone back.” And there ended up being enough money between the government and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation to make sure everybody would come back…and that just goes to show you how much the community loves the merchants.” – Bill Glasgow, Union Meats, recorded for the Overbeck Project. “Only I can say one time more to the government, to the neighbors, thank you for all your help.” – Emilio Canales, Canales Quality Meats, recorded for the Overbeck Project

East Hall Opening. Photo: Andrew Lightman

From The East Hall to The New Market “[At 1 a.m. the night of the

fire, Mayor Fenty and I] actually had a quick conversation about exactly what it meant for Eastern Market to be on fire. What did it mean for the city? What does that symbolize. … Eastern Market represents community. It represents neighborhood, it represents people from all over the city coming together. … But it was still meaningful and powerful for me to know right away that the symbolism, the importance, the significance of Eastern Market is not … just a Hill phenomenon. We learned that, I think, as a community the next day.

– Dan Tangherlini, DC City Administrator recorded for the Overbeck Project

My management style at the Justice Department … was called “management by walking around.” So I transferred that to the Market … I would try to go by there twice a day and just talk to people. … All I had to do was listen. … And that’s how … we could start setting priorities and we could start getting estimates. … [the Capitol Hill Community Foundation has] done close to $450,000 in small grants … [to] cover their expenses. – Gary Peterson, Board of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation and point person for the Market Recovery

Wells on appropriating $20 million: ...the Market is a citywide treasure and not just an investment in one neighborhood. Everyone recognized that the Market is a treasure for the whole city. There was no controversy. Wells on government response: The government response

was just extraordinary. My hat's off to the mayor... He had only been on the job four months, and that was his first, I think, signature event, showing how fast government can move under his type of leadership. They showed to the city you don't have to go through a whole bunch of bureaucracy in order to get something done-you can just do it. And they did. And it's pretty breath-taking. Tangherlini: I just said that one of the things we were going to have to do in doing this was we’re going to have to fix Eastern Market in a way that avoided the politics of Eastern Market…We were able to overcome it by really coalescing around a very fast-paced effort I remember when it was just finishing up and I walked in and it was that bright white structure, the sun streaming through, there was all that glistening new stainless steel. And they had signs for each one of the stalls that were exactly the same. I said, “Oh my god, they’re going to hate this.” But once all of the goods were moved in and the flowers and you know, and people were so happy to have it back…And I think in many ways it shows what we can do when we set our mind to it and when we come together as a community and we work together and there’s still—even today there’s some of that atomization still happening. One group’s fighting with another group. But, I think, collectively as a group of citizens, the kind of collective quiet group who rely on that place to be great, we need to stay focused in the way we were immediately following the aftermath of the fire. Tommy Wells during the reconstruction of the South Hall. Photo: A. Lightman

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People Made the Difference! The New Eastern Market

is a monument to what can be achieved when government, non-profit organizations and citizen activists cooperate. Here are photos of a few of the individuals who really made a difference in the effort.

Mayor Fenty tasked Dan Tangherlini, then DC City Administrator, to ﬁgure out the details of the Eastern Market’s reconstruction. Tangherlini put the District Department of Transportation and Oﬃce of Property Management to work constructing the East Hall in record time and repairing the historic market in just two years. Here, Tangherlini and Fenty hold a press conference at the opening of the East Hall. Photo: Andrew Lightman

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells from the very night of the fire worked tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure that Eastern Market was rebuild. In this photo, Wells answers a question from merchant Chris Calomiris about the Market reconstruction at a public meeting. Photo: Andrew Lightman ABOVE: Donna Scheeder was Chair of EMCAC and shepherded the $22 million reconstruction of the Market after the fire. Photo: Andrew Lightman RIGHT: Monty Edwards, the Stanton Park Neighborhood Association’s representative on EMCAC, chair of its Capitol Improvements Committee, and historic preservationist exhaustingly lobbied the city to preserve Eastern Market’s historic architectural fabric. Photo: Andrew Lightman 2nd RIGHT: An unsung hero of the Eastern Market reconstruction, Linda O’Brien, Deputy Chief of Staff to Councilmember Tommy Wells, worked hard to remove any and all obstacles faced by merchants, vendors and community activists. Photo: Andrew Lightman

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Immediately after the Eastern Market ﬁre, Mayor Adrian Fenty made a very public commitment to rebuild this cherished community institution. As a Washingtonian and shopper himself, the Mayor understood its immense value. Here, Fenty conducts a press tour of the reconstruction. Photo: Andrew Lightman

The Eastern Market was more than a building. It was a community of people that need to be supported and cared for. Gary Peterson led the Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s eﬀort to aid those damaged by the ﬁre, particularly the South Hall Merchants. In this photo, Peterson works to help merchant Juan Jose Canales relocate his business into the East Hall. Photo: Andrew Lightman

LEFT: Peter J. Waldron, former Chair of ANC 6B, wrote a monthly column for the Hill Rag newspaper beginning after the ﬁre entitled “Market Watch” that closely chronicled the Eastern Market reconstruction. Waldron’s reporting played a critical role in maintaining public attention on the conservation of this important institution. Photo: Andrew Lightman

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To Eastern Marke t, with

Love

Slow Shopping And The Value of Community

by Andrew Lightman

Discovering The Market

I first came to the District in 1993, a graduate student working at the Library of Congress. I settled on Capitol Hill with my now ex-wife, renting an English basement on Seward Square. In those days, The Hill was down on its heels. Beautiful historic homes with lush gardens coexisted with homeless encampments, punctuated by ubiquitous piles of trash. The closest Safeway was a dozen blocks away. Without an automobile, it was a nearly unnavigable distance. Taking a cue from many of my neighbors, I began to shop for groceries at the Eastern Market. So began a love affair.

Falling in Love

The first thing one noticed walking into the Market in the early 1990’s was the fetid smell of food, produce, meat, fish and trash. In the absence of adequate air conditioning, the odor grew worse in the summer months. Unlike now, the Market in those days possessed no center aisle. Glancing north from the southern end of the South Hall, the view was obstructed by huge freezers, now housed underground. It was a maze. In the South Hall, a large meat stall occupied the majority of the south end. A tiny bakery was tucked into the southeast corner. The northeast corner, then as now, housed The Market Lunch, but with little or no seating, across from a much larger fishmonger.

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A pottery studio with a working kiln occupied the upper floors of the Center Hall, above where the bathrooms now sit. In the North Hall was a funky, Afrocentric, non-profit gallery, operated by John Harrod who was responsible for the weekend craft and flea markets. On weekends, artisan booths and farmers stands garlanded the Market’s periphery and northern plaza. However, while architecturally striking on Mike Bowers, Bowers Fancy Dairy Products the outside, what really distinguished the MarThe bakery, a Jewish instituket was its merchants, farmers and tion, was helmed by Doris and her vendors. It was a chaotic, charming brothers Irv and Moe. Once one got old world venue populated by a cast past her brusque demeanor, remiof colorful characters. niscent of Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, Doris was a charming raconteur. Next door was a meat counter run by Mark Glasgow. I don’t remember Mark ever having any customers. Mostly, he sat with his elbows on the counter glowering at passers-by. Mark and Doris were grumpy exceptions. Maria and Chris Calomiris were more the norm. Proprietors of Thomas Calomiris & Sons, the couple always greeted me warmly, asking after my family. Maria, known to all as “Momma,” was a fount of recipes. Her baklava and

other Greek foods powered me through many afternoons of dissertation writing. Chris told me stories about selling vegetables in his youth in the metallic stalls that still stand behind Union Market, rusted witnesses to a different age. To this day, no child leaves the Calomiris stall without a gifted banana. The Market was a social hub where one exchanged news with neighbors and shopped with

Happy Holidays and Congratulations EastErn MarkEt on 150 yEars! Thomas Calomiris, Jr., Calomiris Fruits and Vegetables

friends. My shopping trips soon turned into a daily ritual. Eastern Market taught me the art of “slow shopping.”

Shopping Slow

While the “Slow Food” movement has received a great deal of press, journalists have yet to turn to their attention to the subject of “slow shopping.” Most Americans travel anonymously to a supermarket where one never has to share more than two to three sentences with an-

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other human, or they shop on Instacart and never leave the house. Slow Shopping, on the other hand, embeds the purchase of food in a thick social context. In simpler terms, slow shopping is buying what you eat from people that you know. It is an antidote to the demands of this hyper-connected, distracted world, where many cannot walk the streets without gazing at a tiny screen. To this day, I do the vast majority of my food shopping “slowly” at Eastern Market. I buy cheese from Mike. Cross examining me on my culinary plans, he unerringly selects the perfect fromage for any occasion. Handing out samples to everyone in line, Mike provides a running commentary on his selections, politics, the Eastern Market and vagaries of modern existence. Billy Glasgow at Union Meat is my go to for culinary advice whenever trying a new

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Union Meat’s Bill Glasgow. Photo: Andrew Lightman.

cut of beef or lamb. A devotee of Asian cuisines, I rely on Joanne, the proprietor of Capitol Hill Poultry and Paik Produce for Korean, Japanese and Indian ingredients. Where else can one find kaffir lime or bitter gourd? Certainly not at “Whole Paycheck.” Members of the Canales clan have tutored me in the mysteries of fine Spanish hams and El Salvadoran delicacies. Their fresh pasta succors my soul, while their cuts of “the other white meat” delight my palate, reminding me of my allegiance to “The Pig.” Angie decorates my dining room table with artfully arranged blossoms. Outside the Market’s doors, I shop with farmers who drive from as far away as Pennsylvania to serve Capitol Hill customers. Even the Amish join us on Tuesday evenings. While I peruse their produce, we commiserate over the weather, discuss the merits of seasonal planting and chat about my garden. My kitchen is enriched by the prizes I purchase such as duck eggs, ugly heirlooms, seedless yellow water melon, oyster mushrooms or fresh garlic. Always more than a building to its patrons, the Market was and is the collective gestalt of its merchants, vendors and farmers. So today, despite the explosion of grocery options in Ward 6, you will still find me shopping slowly at Eastern Market. While Doris may no longer be around to bend my ear, I choose to spend my money with friends. These rich interactions form a community that transcends the Market, creating the village in the city that we call Capitol Hill. ◆

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CAPITOL STREETS

Big Board Restaurant Sues ANC 6C

he operators of The Big Board (421 H St. NE) are suing Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C. Flannery v. Eckenwiler was filed Sept. 25 in US District Court. The suit names six commissioners who served on ANC 6C from 2022-23. The lawsuit cites the First Amendment, claiming that the commission protested the renewal of the restaurant’s liquor license “to punish and harm Plaintiffs, without a valid basis, in retaliation for Plaintiffs’ expressed views.” Lawyers for The Big Board call the suit against ANC 6C “an important constitutional rights case.” They argue that whatever the phrasing in the official protest document, the ANC 6C protest of The Big Board’s license renewal was actually taken in retaliation for The Big Board owner Eric J. Flannery’s opposition to the District’s pandemic-era mandates. That, they argue, violates Flannery’s First Amendment rights. The plaintiffs seek attorney’s fees, “which are substantial,” as well as punitive damages, wrote David Tryon of the Buckeye Institute, a conservative think tank out of Columbus, OH representing the Big Board in the case. “Any settlement discussions would be private,” Tryon added. The protest was unanimously supported by ANC 6C at a Nov. 9, 2022, meeting and was withdrawn by the ANC on March 8, 2023. “The claims are for First Amendment retaliation by public officials,” explained Tryon. The six defendants named in the case were elected representatives of ANC 6C during the time of the protest. Named in the suit are Mark Eckenwiler (ANC 6C04, Chair); Joel Kelty (6C05, treasurer) and Jay Adelstein (6C03), who were re-elected to office. Also named in the suit are three commissioners who stepped down at the end of 2022, including Karen Wirt (formerly 6C02), Christine

by Elizabeth O’Gorek Healey (formerly 6C01) and Drew Courtney (formerly 6C06).

Background

The Big Board made national news after it had its liquor license suspended and was forced to close

funding campaign that raised tens of thousands of dollars. The Big Board’s stance was celebrated by conservatives critical of vaccine mandates, including Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who reportedly dined at the restaurant the day it was shut down by DOH.

The Big Board on H Street. Photo: E.O’Gorek/CCN

by the DC Department of Health (DOH) in late January 2022. At the time, the city had vaccine and mask mandates in place related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant had been fined twice and warned repeatedly after it violated Mayor’s orders requiring employees to be masked and for staff to check customer vaccination status. The restaurant reopened in March after paying $4,000 in fines with the proceeds of a crowd-

Later that year, in October 2022, The Big Board sued the District, alleging that the Mayor and DC Council lack the legal authority to make mask and vaccine requirements without the approval of Congress. That case is still pending; the District has filed a motion to dismiss. The Buckeye Institute has represented the restaurant in all three cases. That same month, The Big Board applied to November 2023 H 47

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renew their liquor license, which was granted by the District’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA, now the Alcohol and Cannabis Regulation Administration, ABCA). Like many other commissions, ANC 6C has made a practice in recent years of seeking a Settlement Agreement (SA) with food and beverage businesses. An SA is a type of contract between the applicant and the ANC on behalf of the community that addresses neighborhood concerns such as trash, parking and noise. Those familiar with general procedure say ANC 6C generally uses the same template as a starting point for SA negotiations with businesses. ANC 6C voted unanimously to protest the liquor license renewal at the Nov. 9 meeting of the full commission. In a letter sent to ABRA, commissioners cited three reasons for the protest: the impact of The Big Board on property values, peace order and quiet, and on noise and litter provisions. By law, opinions of the ANC must be given great weight by District agencies.

However, court documents filed on behalf of The Big Board argue that the ANC protest was premised on false claims. The suit alleges that more was said on the topic at a meeting of the Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) Committee on Nov. 7, 2022 —two days prior to the vote by the full commission. According to the suit, “At the November 7, 2022, meeting, Mr. Eckenwiler stated that The Big Board’s license should be revoked because, ‘I mean just some of the things he’s said publicly, we should go ahead and protest the license’.” “The ANC 6C claims that no meeting notes or recordings exist for that November 7, 2022, meeting,” lawyers allege in court documents. “So, if that meeting was recorded, as indicated in the Webex invitation, it was destroyed, i.e., spoliated.” The suit further points to statements made by Eckenwiler on a personal social media account that lawyers for The Big Board argue “showed his disdain for Mr. Flannery’s expressed views and his animosity and animus towards Mr. Flannery.”

Grounds for Protest

What Next?

Prior to the Nov. 9 vote to protest, then-ANC 6C06 representative Drew Courtney asked for clarity. “Can I ask on this one, again, just kind of what’s the thinking here?” Courtney asked commissioners just prior to the vote. “‘Cause I know, I believe, Commissioner Eckenwiler had some public space concerns; I also know that this is an establishment that has displayed bad behavior in recent years.” Eckenwiler, who represents ANC 6C04, replied. “The concerns that I have go toward the improper public space occupancy,” he said. Eckinwiler did not respond to requests for comment. But sources familiar with ANC 6C proceedings say that concern had been expressed about the restaurant’s use of sidewalkadjacent public space to store bins for trash, grease and linen. Similar concerns with the business next door, Sidamo Coffee (417 H St. NE) were addressed in a 2018 Settlement Agreement with the ANC.

The current and former commissioners named in the suit either declined to comment or could not be reached. The Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (OANC) said that it would not comment on pending litigation. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) did not respond to repeated requests for comment. All commissioners are being sued in their personal capacity. But former Executive Director for OANC Gottlieb Simon said that while the commissioners must apply for representation, he would be surprised if they were not represented by DC OAG in the case. That’s because the suit turns on actions undertaken in their official capacity. “I am perplexed as to why they [The Big Board] think they have a case given that what the commissioners did was manifestly, obviously, clearly and unarguably an action that they took in their official capacity,” said Simon. Big Board representative Tryon said the

claim is being made under a section of US Code allowing civil action for deprivation of rights. “That statute requires bringing a suit against public officials in their personal capacity when they violate their duties as public officials,” Tryon said. A lawyer with decades of experience in First Amendment law said these sorts of cases are filed all the time. He said whether the case has legs will turn on the facts. If there’s evidence that the restaurant was singled out or punished based on what they were saying, there could be a case. But, he cautioned, that is different than being in violation of the law and then being punished for that violation, a situation that can exist completely apart from protected speech. Another case may play a role here as well, experts note. On Oct. 31 the US Supreme Court will hear O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier. In that case, two school board officials allegedly blocked people from following their social media accounts. The case considers whether, in so doing, those officials engaged in state action subject to the First Amendment —i.e., whether those private accounts are public. That case could have some bearing on the interpretation of statements made by a public official, he said, even those made from a social media account created for private use. That could affect the way lawyers for The Big Board tries to present the tweets made by Eckenwiler. The case has been assigned a judge in DC District Court, but a hearing date has not yet been set. u November 2023 H 49

CAPITOL ST.s

Holidays Are a Time for Giving

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

very month for the last 20 years, John M. has been giving $120 to organizations he selected through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). He chose nonprofits that work for causes he believes in and has personal links to, including the Capital Food Bank (CFC # 30794), where he has volunteered. John is one of nearly 81,000 people who together donate over $70 million a year to nearly 5,000 charities through the CFC. That’s an average of about $73 dollars a month for each person, Tens of thousands of people contributing consistently over a year makes a real difference to those causes that receive their support. “People should give however feels best for them, based on the avenues that are available,” said Kate Akalonu of Everyone Home DC (everyonehomedc.org, CFC #36006), a nonprofit that works to provide services and secure housing for District residents. November is about being thankful; it is also about paying forward that gratitude through giving, providing organizations with resources to transform our communities and the world. One study estimates that 17 percent of annual giving happens in December alone. For those with the desire and ability to do so, there are many ways to give. Little Lights is an award-winning nonprofit on Capitol Hill serving vulnerable residents living in public housing. All donations help to empower children, youth, and families in our community. Photo: Courtesy Little Lights Urban Ministries

Direct to Charities

Volunteers and their children help sort diapers in the warehouse at the Greater DC Diaper Bank, which provides basic baby needs and personal hygiene products to people in the DC Area. Courtesy: GDCDB

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The most obvious way to donate is to choose a nonprofit and write a check. While direct giving requires you to put in the time and research, it also ensures that your gift will be directly allocated to causes and organizations that you wholeheartedly support. Search for charities on give.org, a website run by the Better Business Bureau. One feature of the site is that administrative costs are listed. Smaller charities might not be listed on give.org, but you can still vet charities in your neighborhood. One way is to visit the nonprofit websites. The National Council of Nonprofits says nonprofits are required to have three years of financial reports and tax forms available to the public on request; most have them available online.

If your time allows, get up close and investigate by volunteering with an organization yourself. That can give you a sense of their mission and spirit and the way they operate, in addition to being a valuable gift to the organization itself. Finally, you can contribute to the organizations that you have seen and continue to see doing work in your community. When you pass by a backto-school fair, check which organization is offering back-to-school supplies to students with limited means.

Federated Funds

Another way to donate is by contributing to federated funds. These are a group of nonprofits that voluntarily work together for the purpose of raising money, distributing or delegating the administrative burdens.

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In addition to the CFC, some of the most well-known federated funds are the United Way and America’s Charities. Many of these operate as payroll deduction programs as well, like the CFC, the largest of the US federated fundraising organizations. Donations to the CFC of the National Capital Area can be allocated to where you live. Donors can select from 8,000 different nonprofit organizations, including more than 500 District-based nonprofits. These include So Others Might Eat (SOME, CFC #237098123), Sasha Bruce Youthwork (CFC #71809), The Anacostia Community Boathouse Association (CFC #87883) Capitol Hill Village (CFC #55474) and the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CFC #50747). Search for your favorite organization at cfcgiving.opm.gov/offerings. There are opportunities for those nonprofits to meet with donors, too, building local connections. Corinne Cannon, founder and Executive Director of the Greater DC Diaper Bank (GDCDB, CFC #18074), a nonprofit dedicated to providing basic baby needs and personal hygiene products to individuals and families in the DC Area, said GDCDB sets up info tables frequently during the height of the CFC season. These events help get federal employees engaged in the fundraising campaign, Cannon added. “One of the things we really love doing is getting in front of employees and telling them about the work we do,” she said. “It makes a big difference in the turnout [of donors].” Steve Park, Executive Director of Little Lights Urban Ministry (CFC #89156, littlelights. org), said donations through CFC provide much needed unrestricted funds that allows the organization the flexibility to put dollars where they are needed most. “Whether it is for our new College and Career Program or for the Clean Green Team [or] our landscaping social enterprise, donations from the CFC help strengthen Little Lights to better serve our youth and families living in public housing,” Park said. The downside of federated funds is overhead costs, which reached 19 percent for CFC in 2019. Nonprofits have to apply to be part of the campaign, with application and listing fees starting at $364. That process and cost can mean newer or smaller nonprofits might not be part of the program. 52 H HILLRAG.COM

Payroll Giving

As noted, federated foundations like the CFC are often part of employer-sanctioned campaigns. This is part of payroll giving, when an employee designates a charity and the amount to donate directly through payroll deduction. It is an easy way to make tax-deductible donations to charities employees select from a portfolio of options that range from a couple of nonprofits to thousands. But the awards can literally multiply. Many companies will double –or even triple – donations allocated to charity. Donation matching by employers has become so common at some larger companies that many employees don’t even realize it is possible. That can be true even for direct contributions to a nonprofit. It is worth inquiring at your office. The World Bank Group (WBG), for example, has an in-house payroll giving program, the Community Connections Program. The WBG matches employee donations made through the program. When the campaign reaches set annual goals, employees can earn rewards from the Bank. One benefit of a payroll giving campaign, like federated foundations, is that selected charities are generally vetted. And not only are deductions an easy way to ensure you are giving back, often within your local community, but since most deductions are taken from after-tax earnings, they are tax deductible. Regardless of whether they are made directly to the nonprofit, through employer programs or federated foundations, regular donations are beneficial to the charities because they provide a consistent source of income, allowing them to better plan their work because they have a baseline of support. If a company targets payroll donations to a single cause or charity, the giving is multiplied; a $10 donation monthly from 1,000 employees is $10,000 a month. That is a lot of punch.

Community Fundraising

Another way to ensure you give where you live is to donate to a community foundation. Community foundations pool donations from a particular region or community. The foundation board then selects nonprofits to receive grants, usually made with the goal of improving and enhancing the lives of people in a defined local area. There are more than 900 community foun-

dations throughout the nation. Examples of these organizations in DC include the Greater Washington Community Foundation (https://www. thecommunityfoundation.org/about) and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF, https://capitolhillcommunityfoundation.org/) which has been actively supporting Hill schools and organizations for over 30 years. The benefit of these local foundations is that they and their board members are part of the community, familiar with the individuals and organizations that call it home. The combination of their usually small size and proximity to the people and problems where they live mean they are often able to meet concerns swiftly as they arise, addressing needs in areas from arts and education to disaster mitigation. For example, in 2020 CHCF managed to augment their usual grants with an additional $100,000 in special grants to organizations struggling to meet community needs during the pandemic. That was on top of the $220,000 in regular grants provided that year. Funds for CHCF grants come from residents and businesses of the Capitol Hill community. There are no paid staff; everything is done by volunteers. The 28-member Board covers all administrative costs. “We pool the resources of everyone in the community to make big things happen,” said CHCF President Nicky Cymrot. Since its founding in 1989, CHCF has donated more than $13 million to a broad range of local organizations and initiatives.

Giving Circles

Giving circles are a group of people with shared values who pool donations and decide collectively where to contribute the funds. Giving circles are described as “people-powered philanthropy” by Philanthropy Together (philanthropytogether.org), an organization that promotes and supports collective giving. According to philanthropy magazine Alliance, giving circles were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s by women, often women of color, who were beginning to earn their own money and who wanted to distribute it in a way that challenged the patriarchal structure of giving. One of the most widely-popularized ear-

ly DMV giving circles, Womenade, began when a physician working for Unity Health Care and her friends decided to make their monthly potluck gathering donation based. The monthly $35 donation was pooled and donated to a variety of worthy causes. Today, more than 2,500 giving circles exist across the nation, many in the District. Founded in 2019, Next Gen Giving Circle (NGGC, www.nextgengivingcircle.org) pools monthly donations, then makes monthly grants to causes through an applications process. In 2023, NGGC identified organizations working to advance the economic justice and financial security of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) in the DC region. Giving circles allow most everyone with a modest amount of monthly income to directly participate in philanthropy. The volunteer nature of the system reduces overhead costs. The democratic nature of the process means circles have greater flexibility to meet hyperlocal needs as they arise. That means giving circles can target smaller, often overlooked needs and causes, from granting funds to purchase a projector needed for an art project to providing a deposit that secures housing for a family at risk. Giving is the important action. “People need to explore what works best for them,” Everyone Home DC’s Akalonu said. “At the end of the day, give where it makes you feel comfortable. There are so many different ways that you can support organizations and make a difference.” ◆

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CAPITOL ST.s

CHV Focuses on Pedestrian Safety by Dawn Nelson

n March 2023, the Capitol Hill Village (CHV) formed a Sidewalk Safety Team (SST) in response to two-thirds of their members expressing concern over sidewalk hazards. The team has met every two weeks since then to address this problem and is working with several Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs), Councilmember Charles Allen’s office and personnel from the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) to find a solution. In a survey by ANC 6A, out of the 473 Capitol Hill households responding, 305 reported a fall (sometimes multiple falls) in the last two years, with 263 injuries. The DC government paid $1.9 million in FY 2021-23 to settle claims citywide for sidewalk injuries. Looking forward to the February 2024 DDOT oversight hearings—chaired by Ward Six Councilmember Allen—the SST hopes to show the need for an improved DDOT response to sidewalk hazards.

The Sidewalk Safety Team has four goals: 1. To increase the DDOT budget for sidewalk repair. 2. To reduce DDOT’s timeline for implementing sidewalk repairs. DDOT currently tries to fix sidewalk hazard complaints as soon as weather and materials allow but it has up to nine months to do so, whereas it must fix potholes in three days.

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4. To establish a DDOT program to monitor sidewalks. The SST is gathering significant and reliable data to present at the hearing in February. It is receiving help from a George

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Washington University intern whose specialty is data crunching and analysis. As it strengthens its case for the hearings, the SST looks forward to being joined by the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, other Villages, ANCs across the city and many community organizations. The SST has set up a system for people to report sidewalk hazards to CHV, which in turn reports the problems to DDOT’s 311 system and keeps track of the repairs. The SST asks residents to take pictures of dangerous sidewalk conditions, label the picture with the closest house address (number, street, quadrant) and send the photos and information to CHVpedestriansafety@gmail.com. That email address has been posted on Capitol Hill Listservs, posters in parks and in various organization newsletters. Resident reports are playing a vital role in helping Councilmember Allen and others to grasp the pervasiveness and seriousness of this problem. This is clearly an example of the community sensibly addressing a problem. u

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Our River, the Anacostia

A Proposed Bridge Across the Anacostia – Impacts, Pros and Cons

by Bill Matuszeski

hen we are dealing with just one part of a very complicated project, it is important to keep the other pieces in mind and not to get too far ahead of them. A good example is the new bridge that will cross the Anacostia from Kenilworth Park to the National Arboretum. How and when it is built will impact any number of other projects and issues that will affect other parts of the Anacostia River’s restoration. The National Capitol Planning Commission, which has authority over such actions on Federal lands has scheduled a meeting on the bridge project for December 7. The meeting willl take place at NCPC headquaters at 401 9th St. NW at 1 p.m. Sign up in advance at www.ncpc.gov. Minutes of the meeeting can be viewed on the site. For more information call 202-482-7200, ext. 500. The bridge will be part of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail,

and at least for now will be the only safe river crossing for walkers between Benning Road and Bladensburg. The trails at the other side could go no farther than the Arboretum entrance, or they could turn south to join up with the trail from the south which currently crosses the Benning Road bridge to existing trails on east side of the River. New trails could also continue north to a potential crossing below the railroad and New York Avenue to connect the Arboretum with the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a trail many have dreamed about for years. Or the trail could continue under the railroad and Route 50 and run up the west side of the valley to Bladensburg. The capacity of our new bridge should reflect the likely trail construction for the next few years. Another set of issues with the new bridge relates to access by official and contract vehicles of the National Park Service.

Providing for such access would mean a design to handle much more weight on the bridge and provide roadways on both sides. Aside from the visual impact of such roadways next to natural trails near the water, this would require the bridge to be heavier and larger. If bridge supports are then required in the water, this would add danger for boaters learning how to steer while heading downstream and learning how to avoid obstacles. It is not clear why vehicle access is required when the Arboretum has vehicular access down to near the water through woods on hidden trails. Overall, the issues with the bridge are related to the existing “atmosphere” of the areas on both sides of the Anacostia. The Arboretum side is essentially a narrow strip of Park Service property along the River which is mostly wild with a dock and a picnic table. The Kenilworth Park side will be managed by the City with Park Service oversight. The fields will need to undergo some upgrading to become safe athletic areas; augmenting the thin layer of soil used to cover the remnants of the previous trash and chemical disposals. The potential issues on both sides of the river are great, so stay abreast of plans for the bridge when they are announced so you can respond to the effects those plans can have in the surrounding areas. Bill Matuszeski is a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, and the retired Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He also serves on the board of Friends of the National Arboretum. ◆

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CAPITOL ST.s

H Street Public Safety ANC 6A REPORT by Sarah Payne Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC 6A) met via Zoom on Oct. 12. Commissioners Keya Chatterjee (6A01, vice chair), Mike Velasquez (6A02), Roberta Shapiro (6A03), Amber Gove (6A04, chair), Dave Wethington (6A05), Robb Dooling (6A06) and Steve Moilanen (6A07) were in attendance.

Street Main Street (HSMS) Executive Director Anwar Saleem briefed the commission on crime trends for his service area. He shared future plans as well. In a recent HSMS survey, businesses near H St. NE listed crime as their number one concern. While noting the importance of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) presence, Saleem emphasized the vital role of other District agencies and community partners, such as the DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), play in creating a safe place for neighbors and businesses to thrive. HSMS has used its own resources to increase H Street NE security. The organization plans to take additional steps to market the neighborhood to customers in 2024. In particular, HSMS is working to establish an H Street Business Improvement District (BID) and recruit new businesses to the corridor. Additional security measures including security wands and ID scanners, Saleem said, could prove helpful by allowing law enforcement to identify perpetrators after crimes occur. He emphasized the importance of youth programming and resources to keep teens off the streets. “Some of these kids don’t have an outlet so they are going to create something for themselves to have fun,” Saleem said.

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“Most of the time that creation is detrimental to us.” Commissioner Chatterjee echoed It is important to address crime at the source. Universal basic income, affordable housing and job stability, she said, are key components of the public safety solution. “If we actually want to reduce crime, enforcement is the last resort,” Chatterjee stated. First District Commander Colin Hall also briefed the commission on public safety. Commissioner Shapiro applauded the First District team’s “exemplary” engagement efforts with the community. Shapiro is “encouraged” by the progress already made under Hall’s leadership.

Other Matters

The commission voted to: • support to DC Council members for the Open Movie Captioning Requirement Act of 2023; • request the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) conduct a comprehensive study of pedestrian safety and vehicle circulation around Lincoln Park; • join ANC 7D in supporting the honorary renaming of the 1300-1600-blocks

of A St. NE to recognize the Eastern High School Blue and White Marching Machine. The next meeting of ANC 6A is at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 via Zoom. Get details on committee meetings and how to join online at anc6a.org. Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com. ◆

In-Person Meetings Open Budget Debate ANC 6B REPORT By Elizabeth O’Gorek Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B met via Zoom on Oct. 12. Frank Avery (6B01, treasurer); Jerry Sroufe (6B02); David Sobelsohn (6B03, secretary); Frank D’Andrea (6B04); Chander Jayaraman (6B06,

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 6A AMBER GOVE, CHAIR, 6A04@ANC.DC.GOV Serving the Near Northeast, North Lincoln Park, and H Street communities ANC 6A generally meets the second Thursday of the month, virtually on Zoom.

www.anc6a.org

ALL ARE WELCOME vice chair); Vince Mareino (6B07); Edward Ryder (6B08, Chair); and Matt LaFortune (6B09) were present. Kasie Durkit (6B05, parliamentarian) did not attend.

he commission agreed to re-examine allocations in the commission’s annual budget and spending procedure at a future meeting of the executive. The discussion was sparked by ANC 6B Alcohol Beverage Committee (ABC) Chair Jayaraman, who objected “strenuously” to the language in the financial report that suggested Jayaraman initially declined to provide justification for rental fees for event space at The Yards at 700 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The ANC has a monthly space allotment at the site; use over those assigned hours incurs a fee. The disagreement stems from procedure in ANC 6B bylaws which dictates that commissioners should first look for no cost options. If none exists, commissioners should seek three different quotes and justify any costs. This is to ensure the ANC is on the same page about need and costs and to flag large expenditures that could require a vote of the whole commission, Treasurer Avery said. The ANC 6B budget allocated $1,000 towards meeting space for the year. Justification for space rental must be provided, he said, because it can be cited in budget allocation of taxpayer dollars. It was a window into how ANCs must negotiate changes after three years of virtual meetings due to the pandemic. DC Code permits commissions to meet virtually until Jan. 9, 2024. LaFortune and Sobelsohn also pointed out that the ANC will soon need to allocate funds for in-person

meetings of the full commission as well as the committees. Avery notes that at this point, the ANC is $800 over budget for that line item. Commissioner LaFortune noted that moving forward the ANC may have to look for alternate space that is suited to the audio-visual needs of a hybrid meeting. Both the ANC Public Safety and Alcohol Beverage Committees meet in a hybrid format. Those needs are only likely to increase. Currently, committees can meet for free at the Southeast Library. But it is expected to close for renovation in early 2024, increasing the need for alternate space. Avery agreed to amend the lines in the financial report referencing the lack of justification for event space spending. He noted that the bylaws could be changed, but said the process is designed to share resources equally among the commissions. LaFortune suggested that he and Commissioners Ryder and Avery look for good alternative meeting space options. If more meetings go hybrid, the ANC needs to find somewhere relatively inexpensive that could work for everyone, he said. No vote was taken; the ANC will discuss potential process and bylaw revision at a future meeting of the executive.

Support for Safe Passages

The commission voted unanimously to support a letter requesting immediate funding for inclusion of Eastern Market Metro Plaza and Potomac Avenue Station as safe passage areas. The Safe Passages program places trusted adults along specific routes to and from school to ensure students safety. The ANC letter quotes previous missives sent by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Al-

The Next meeting is 2nd Thursday, November 9, 7:00 p.m. Transportation & Public Space Committee meeting 3rd Monday, November 20, 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting via Zoom Economic Development and Zoning Committee meeting 3rd Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting via Zoom Community Outreach Committee meeting 4th Monday, November 27, 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting via Zoom Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee meeting 4th Tuesday, November 28, 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting via Zoom Call in information will be posted under Community Calendar at anc6a.org 24 hours prior to the meeting. Instructions for accessing the meeting via Zoom have been posted under Hot Topics at anc6a.org. Call in information will be posted under Community Calendar at anc6a.org 24 hours prior to the meeting. You will be able to enter the meeting no earlier than 15 minutes prior to its scheduled start time.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7D “Uniting Communities East and West” Representing the Capitol Hill/Hill East, Eastland Gardens, Kenilworth, Kingman Park, Mayfair, Parkside, River Terrace and Rosedale neighborhoods

Join us for our November Virtual Public Meeting Tuesday, November 14, 2023 - 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm How to participate:

By computer: https://zoom.us/j/98224657261 Passcode: anc7d Or by phone: 1-301-715-8592 Webinar ID: 982 2465 7261 Passcode: 421519

YOUR COMMISSIONERS ELECTED TO SERVE YOU Who

Where

How to Contact Me

Wendell Felder Chairperson Brian Alcorn Vice Chair Brett Astmann Treasurer Ashley Schapitl Secretary Siraaj Hasan Commissioner Mike Davis Commissioner Ebony Payne Commissioner Marc Friend Commissioner Brianne Eby Commissioner

Parkside - 7D03

7d03@anc.dc.gov

Capitol Hill/Hill East – 7D08

7d08@anc.dc.gov

Rosedale – 7D07

7d07@anc.dc.gov or 202-630-1632 7d09@anc.dc.gov

Hill East – 7D09 Eastland Gardens/ Kenilworth – 7D01 River Terrace – 7D04

7d01@anc.dc.gov

Kingman Park – 7D05

7d05@anc.dc.gov or 202-427-2068 7d06@anc.dc.gov or 202-455-6238 7d10@anc.dc.gov

Rosedale – 7D06 Hill East – 7D10

7d04@anc.dc.gov

Volunteer Opportunities!

We are now recruiting community volunteers to build our five Commission committees. Our committees include: Community Outreach/Grants, Economic Development/Housing Justice, Environment, Public Safety, and Transportation/Public Space. Contact any Commissioner or 7d@anc.dc.gov for more information.

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len (D) and State Board of Education (SBOE) Representative Brandon Best, both of which pointed to the stations as school transportation hubs. The commission letter also notes that including the two stations in the program is a way to support school communities as they deal with effects of gun violence on families. The letter will be sent to the Deputy Mayor for Education and the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.

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The commission resolved to write the DC Council Committee on Libraries and DC Public Libraries (DCPL) to request an explanation of when and how notice will be provided of: the date of actual closure of the Southeast Library. They also asked for a promised meeting prior to that closure and that services to community to be provided at Arthur Capper Community Center, 1000 Fifth St. SE. Additionally, they encouraged DCPL to take up the offer of a neighbor at 648 South Carolina Ave. SE to use his home as the construction headquarters. The ANC voted to: • support a Historic Preservation Application (HPA) for the repair and replacement of crumbling concrete front entrance stairs and railings in kind to go down into two basement apartments at 390-311 Fourth St. SE. The project addresses safety issues and makes modifications to bring the entry in line with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); • A letter to DC Council and DC Public Schools (DCPS) supporting the renaming of Tyler Elementary School (1001 G St. SE) as Shirley Chisholm Elementary School. The PTA conducted a survey and vote over the summer. Councilmember Allen introduced legislation to initiate the name change in law. If the bill passes, the change would go in effect for the 2023-24 school year. • A reappointment of 6B03 resident members to the ANC Public Safety Committee. Formerly full resident member for 6B03, Chuck Burger will be the alterna-

•

tive and Chuck Schmoyer the resident member. A letter to ABCA requesting an extension of the petition deadline for Dos Toros Taqueria (215 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), planned for the former site of Firehook Bakery, pending pursuit of a settlement agreement (SA). A letter to ABCA requesting a delay of the protest hearing for Okamase, a sushi restaurant planned for the second floor of Extreme Pizza (522 Eighth St. SE), pending a SA. The delay was supported by the applicant, who was present at the Oct. 12 meeting.

ANC 6B next meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. See the agenda and information on how to join at anc6b.org ◆

Bike Lane Vs. Parking for the Disabled ANC 6C REPORT by Sarah Payne Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C met on Oct. 11 via WebEx. Commissioners Christy Kwan (6C01), Leslie Merkle (6C02, secretary), Commissioner Jay Adelstein (6C03), Mark Eckenwiler (6C04, chair), Commissioner Joel Kelty (6C05, treasurer), Commissioner Patricia Eguino (6C06) and Tony Goodman (6C07, vice chair) were in attendance.

he commission weighed conflicting Notices of Intent (NOI) issued by the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT). The first NOI was to reserve a curbside parking space for a disabled community member. The second was for an extension of the protected bike lanes along K Street NE.

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The two conflicted. The installation of the protected bike lanes along K St. NE interferes with the reserved parking space. In its report, the ANC 6A Transportation and Public Space (TPS) Committee noted a need for a reconciliation of the two NOIs in order to accommodate the reserved disabled parking space. Several neighbors and family members of the disabled applicant attended the meeting to provide additional context for the application, who is a 60-year resident of Sixth and K streets NE. While the applicant owns a rear parking space on the property, family members noted, the person’s disabilities make accessing it impossible. Under District law, permits reserving curbside parking for a disabled resident may be granted where a resident “does not have off-street parking available” on the premises. “I want to be helpful to somebody who has a disability, I think we all do, but the District of Columbia law does not allow what is being requested,” Treasurer Joel Kelty said. “If we support this, we’re actually asking the government to disregard its own regulation.” Other neighbors also raised objections to the protected bike lane. One neighbor objected to the removal of 23 parking spaces to accommodate the bike lane. DDOT should present “creative” solutions to accommodate all residents, she said. “There are people who want to bike to work and there are drivers who need to park to get to work,” the neighbor said. “We’re hoping that DDOT would come up with a viable solution to re-

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www.anc6c.org

Next meeting Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Information will be posted on the ANC 6C website.

ANC 6C COMMISSIONERS ANC 6C01 Christy Kwan 6C01@anc.dc.gov ANC 6C02 Leslie Merkle 6C02@anc.dc.gov ANC 6C03 Jay Adelstein 6C03@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C04 Mark Eckenwiler 6C04@anc.dc.gov ANC 6C05 Joel Kelty 6C05@anc.dc.gov ANC 6C06 Patricia Eguino 6C06@anc.dc.gov ANC 6C07 Tony Goodman 6C07@anc.dc.gov

ANC usually meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm, 214 Massachusetts Ave, N.E. Please check the ANC 6C website for dates.

ANC 6C COMMITTEES Alcoholic Beverage Licensing First Monday, 7 pm Contact: drew.courtney@gmail.com Grants Last Thursday, 7 pm Contact: torylord@gmail.com Twitter: @ANC_6C_Grants Environment, Parks, and Events First Tuesday, 7 pm Contact: jgmccann@gmail.com

Transportation and Public Space First Thursday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.tps@gmail.com Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development First Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contact: 6C04@anc.dc.gov Twitter: @6C_PZE

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spect the community who, I would say, a significant majority have opposed.” A “creative” solution is not possible given space constrictions on the street, stated Commissioner Goodman. Parking must be eliminated on one side in order for the bike lane to be constructed. “This bike lane has been in the works for many, many years, and there is no guarantee of having a parking spot in front of your house,” Goodman said, noting that there are many streets in the District where this is not possible. He conditioned his support for the reserved disabled parking spot on its lack of impact on the bike lane. Commissioner Eguino echoed Goodman’s comments noting that bike lanes are more than just a recreation area for many District residents. “Bike lanes are also saving the lives of cyclists,” Eguino said. “Bike lanes slow drivers down, they physically are extremely helpful in avoiding deaths and injuries to both cyclists, pedestrians and drivers themselves.” The commission voted to send a letter of support for the reserved parking space on Sixth or Seventh Streets NE, whichever is closer or more easily accessible for the resident, provided it does not impede the extension of the bike lane. The motion passed with Commissioner Merkle abstaining.

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The commission voted to: write to DDOT opposing the extended setbacks, due to the loss of additional parking space on either side of the alley at the 400 block of Fourth St. NE; request the interim director of DDOT urgently allocate a second crossing guard to J.O. Wilson Elementary at 660 K St.

•

NE and other schools as needed and identified by the ANC; request DDOT remove the illegal curb cut at 921 Third St. NE in response to reports of illegal construction at 303/305 K St. NE; write to inform DDOT of the illegal appropriation of public space for private parking at 401 K St. NE, requesting space be immediately returned to public use; support the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application for Rock Creek 650 H LLC (650 H St. NE) for a special exception to permit a financial services use on the ground floor of an existing six-story mixed-use building, conditioned upon their strict compliance with the zoning regulations to ensure exterior windows are not completely covered or opaque.

ANC 6C will next meet on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. via WebEx. Visit anc6c.org to learn more about the commission and register to attend the meeting. Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com. u

First District Commander Visit ANC 6D REPORT by Andrew Lightman Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6D met on Oct. 16 via Zoom. Commissioners Bob Link (6DO1, vice chair), Ronald Collins (6D02, treasurer), Andrea Pawley (6D04),

•

Ashton Rohmer (6D05), Bruce Levine (6D06, secretary), Fredrica (Rikki) Kramer (6D07, chair) and Rhonda Hamilton (6D08) were in attendance. Gail Fast (6D03) was absent.

etropolitan Police Dept. (MPD) Commander Collin Hall briefed the committee on public safety. The First District’s focus is on community engagement, particularly community walks and movie nights, Hall stated. “Every time I go out on these (walks), I learn something new,” he said. The First District is employing stayaway orders to bar people from areas where they are public nuisances, Hall said. He also is deploying bicycle units with metro stops, the Wharf, H Street NE and Eastern Market singled out for special attention. He also promised increased traffic enforcement including dedicated officers. Is the First District at its authorized staff level? asked Treasurer Collins. More officers are choosing to stay and there has been active recruitment, Hall responded. The First District is 58 officers ahead of its planned hiring goal, he said. “Can we do the job with what we have? Yes,” Hall stated. What type of crimes will you respond to at Safeway? asked Commissioner Pawley. “We will enforce the law whenever we see a crime,” Hall responded. MPD will respond if called even for theft, he stated. “From my experience, it is very important to enforce retail theft,” he said. Where are the guns coming from? asked Chair Kramer. “There are just too many guns

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in the city. We are working on gun interdiction,” Hall responded. Carjackings are coming from the Sixth District across the Anacostia River; most are armed with firearms, he said. How do we adapt to the influx of visitors into Southwest due to the stadiums and The Wharf ? asked Vice Chair Link. More than 20,000 can turn out for a normal weekend, he pointed out. “We not only have to think about our regular type of crime with residents, but we have to think about visitors,” Hall stated. MPD Capt. Kevin Harding and Lt. Elias Danho briefed the commission more specifically on public safety in Southwest. The last 30 days saw three assaults with dangerous weapons, two robberies and no homicides. Assaults are down, but motor vehicle theft remains a problem, officers stated. There was a gunfight at The Point, 2100 Second St. SE, Harding reported. Police located a victim in 2100 block of Second Street. Two more victims were found on 1200 block of Delaware Ave. SW. Police recovered two firearms. One arrest has been made and a second is expected shortly.

Other Matters

The commission received an update on The Long Bridge Project. It is moving into final design. Construction starts in 2025 with an estimated completion in 2030. Commissioner Fast appointed Patrick Revord to the Transportation Committee. The commission voted to support historic designation for Landsburg Park, citing concerns about the impact of adjacent development. Commissioner Rohmer voted in opposition. The commission voted unanimously to approve Community Agreements with Hell’s Kitchen, 652 Water St. SE; and Little Chicken, 11 Pearl St. SW. The treasurer is exploring obtaining a debit card to help pay for the commission’s Zoom accounts. Commission approved his efforts. ANC 6D meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month. The next meeting is Nov. 13, 2023. For more information, visit www.anc6d.org. u

64 H HILLRAG.COM

Community Says “No” to Stadium ANC 7D REPORT by Sarah Payne Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 7D met Oct. 10 via Zoom. Commissioners Siraaj Hasan (7D01), Wendell Felder (7D03, chair), Commissioner Mike Davis (7D04), Ebony Payne (7D05), Marc Friend (7D06), Brett Astmann (7D07, treasurer), Brian Alcorn (7D08, vice chair), Ashley Schapitl (7D09), secretary) and Brianne Eby (7D10) were in attendance. Single Member District 7D02 remains vacant.

he RFK Future Taskforce presented the preliminary results of the group’s online survey of public opinion on future uses for the RFK Stadium campus. More than 1,700 responses were received. 67 percent preferred the site be used for other purposes than a sports stadium. Respondents expressed interest in a park, outdoor recreation uses and a sports and learning complex with facilities and activities for all ages. Take the online survey at rfkfuture.org or via email at rfkfuture@ gmail.com.

State Superintendent of Education Visits

DC State Superintendent of Education Dr. Christina Grant briefed the commission on programming within the DC school system. In addition to its state educational functions, The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) serves as a support system for families navigating the public school system. Grant discussed teacher retention, truancy and school resources. She described the multitude of internship and dual enrollment opportunities available to DC students. A community member asked about the intersection of juvenile crime and public safety. What role should the schools play in mitigating violence? she asked. The pandemic, Grant pointed out, brought nearly two years of virtual learning for DC stu-

dents, many of whom missed key components of development in a peer setting. “Our children are not out of control and our children are not bad children. They are adolescents that missed critical milestones and their adolescent development,” she said. Grant stressed the importance of “having additional support in schools” such as school resource officers so that children learn how to have safe interactions with law enforcement. Conflict resolution and de-escalation are essential skills for middle and high school students to build in a supportive setting, she stated.

Other Matters

At-Large Councilmember Robert White (D) briefed the commission on the DC Council’s work on housing, public safety and violence interruption in the District. The community cannot “police its way out of a public safety crisis,” he stated, noting the importance of addressing root issues of violence and crime including education, housing stability, employment and mental health. The commission voted to: • approve several community members to serve on the commission’s Public Safety Committee (PSC); • support a Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) application for special exception relief to construct a rear addition to an existing, attached two-story principal dwelling unit at 1602 D St. NE; • draft a resolution acknowledging the Cain family, who lives on the 1500 block of A St. SE, for their contributions in civil rights legislation; • support to the Mayor’s Special Events Task Group for Eastern High School students and alumni to host their pre homecoming grade on Friday Nov. 3; • write to the District DMV Director concerning an org tag for ANC commissioners and alumni to help build awareness of ANCs and their work in the District. ANC 7D meets next on Nov. 14 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Learn more about the commission and register to attend at 7d0761.wixsite.com/anc7d-1. u

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ard 8 Councilmember Trayon White (D) paid the commission a visit. Aware of the issues with juvenile crime in The Navy Yard, the councilmember touted his violence prevention work. He reiterated his support for the NEAR Act, which he pointed out was never fully funded or supported by the mayor. He also has sponsored ten public safety bills. “There are lots of laws on the books, but it’s really about enforcement,” stated White. Pointing out the impact of the District’s struggles with its crime lab, “We don’t have the capacity in the police department to carry things out,” he stated. White cited “conflict between DC detectives and federal prosecutors” as a particular problem. Citing distrust of the police and “no snitching” mentality, the community also needs to step up and cooperate, he said. White cited the District’s difficulties staffing public safety

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agencies. “We can’t replace the officers as fast as they leave,” he said. Shifts are not a full staffed and officers are working too many hours, ending up exhausted. “We need something in addition to waiting for Superman to come help us in this city,” said White. There is no real strategy, he said. “The reality for me is that DC has never recovered from the Crack Epidemic,” said White. It resulted in lots of single parent homes with multiple kids. In addition, he argued, there has been a historic disinvestment. All of this drives the crime, stated White. “The greatest influence on a youth is another young person,” said White, citing the importance of youth ambassadors and violence interrupters. Youth accountability begins in elementary school, White argued. He cited the utility of community members, particularly violence interrupters, as the key to reducing crime. They can identify misbehaving kids early on and correct their behavior before it becomes criminal, he said. White was questioned by community members and commissioners about the lack of programing at the Arthur Capper Community Center. He promised to look into the matter.

Transportation

Commissioners closely questioned DC Dept. of Transportation (DDOT) Ward 6 Specialist Abraham Diallo on the progress of the M Street SE Safety Corridor. The project involves the construction of dedicated bus lanes, island bus stops and protected bike lanes between 11th and Half Streets SE. It has halved the number travel lanes on M Street SE. Construction, which began in August and was to have been completed by the end of September, is ongoing. (See: https://www.hillrag. com/2023/07/21/construction-on-m-street-bikebus-lanes-begins-aug-7/ and https://www.hillrag. com/2023/01/27/protected-bike-lanes-comingto-m-street-se/) “It shouldn’t be a work in progress when it is an accident waiting to happen,” stated Daniels. “Right now, M Street isn’t working,” pointing out the recent accident involving a struck police officer at the corner of M and South Capitol Streets SE due to confusing signage and construction barriers. DDOT’s earlier presentations in January and July as well as its Notification of Intent (NOI) 66 H HILLRAG.COM

gave the project’s western end at First Street SE, so commissioners were perplexed as to why the project had been extended all the way to South Capitol Street SE, especially since plans to bring that street to grade have yet to be finalized. Lack of signage encouraged bikers to use the protected lanes before they were completed, a dangerous situation at multiple corners where automobile right turn lanes were left unsignalized leading to conflicts between cars and cyclists. DDOT will install signals to regulate traffic, Abraham stated. Chair Daniels asked him to return with an update at the commission’s next meeting. Commissioners also received a briefing on the I-695 Freeway Bridge Rehabilitation Project, which will reconstruct all highway bridges and ramps from Second Street SE to Second Street SW. Design will be completed by February of 2024. DDOT plans a public meeting on the project shortly afterwards. Recent revisions to the project’s scope have added the NJ Avenue Bridge and the pedestrian underpass from Randall Field. The whole highway deck will have to be rehabilitated, stated DDOT’s project manager. Two travel lanes will be maintained at all times. Lighting underneath the bridges is slated for replacement. There is yet no date for construction as the project is still not funded, but construction is likely to begin in 2025. The estimated duration is 24 to 36 months. The manager promised to bring the commission a detailed traffic management plan that will take into account stadium and special events.

Other Matters

Metropolitan Police Dept. (MPD) Lieutenant Kenneth Taylor briefed the commission on public safety. The last month has seen a spike in robberies, but a drop in burglaries. Motor vehicle theft, which includes carjackings, is up 80 percent compared to 2022. However, theft from autos is down. Moreover, MPD detectives have cleared four out of the current year’s six homicides with arrests. To be more specific, The Navy Yard in the last 30 days has had no homicides, two assaults with a dangerous weapon, five robberies, seven burglaries, 27 motor vehicle thefts, 16 thefts from autos and 48 general thefts. In answer to commissioner queries, Taylor stated that MPD has moved away from foot patrols due to volume of calls for ser-

vice. Cars allow officers can stay mobile, he said. Taylor warned of the tremendous uptick in parking garage thefts throughout the city. Criminals piggy back in with residents on foot or in vehicles, he said. The commission voted unanimously to write a follow up letter regarding the conditions at the Onyx, 1100 First St. SE. A representative of the building’s tenant’s association rep stated living conditions had further deteriorated. “The lion’s share of violations have not been remedied,” she said. Building management has taken measures that border on retaliation with people served with notice to vacate despite paying their rent, she stated. She accused the building’s managers of conducting in-unit inspections of apartments without notice and evicting tenants based on fabricated causes. Commissions discussed issues at the Virginia Avenue Dog Park at New Jersey and Virgina Avenues SE. Despite repeated calls, the city has not fixed the dog water fountain. Commissioner agreed unanimously to send a letter requesting it be repaired. The DC Council, reported Commission Wilson, has secured funds for a temporary library at The Capper Recreation Center while the Southeast Branch is under construction. Commissioners agreed to endorse ANC 6B’s letter to the DC Public Library requesting details on planned interim services and the specific timing of the Southeast Branch closure. ANC 8F generally meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 28 at DDOT Headquarters at 250 M St. SE. For more information, visit anc8f.org. u

DESIGNING & CREATING A PRIVATE GARDEN PRESERVATION CAFE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 6:30 PM Claudia Kousoulas, author of “Private Gardens of the Potomac & Chesapeake,” will give a presentation about the work of the Capital region’s premier designers, giving insight into the gardens they’ve created, from urban balconies to waterfront estates. See reworked existing sites and new architecture and gardens, enhanced work-athome and play-at-home spaces, and gardens created on a deadline as well as life-long projects. Free and virtual. Info and reservations at chrs.org/designing-garden-pc/.

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King had retired two years earlier from being a decadeslong employee at Congressional Cemetery on Capitol Hill, not far from his long-time family residence in the 1300 block of Independence Avenue, SE. King was truly an inspiration for those of us that worked amongst him, with him, and even as his boss. He made Congressional Cemetery what it is today, interacting with the thousands of dog walkers that roamed his territory over the years (even with a bite here or there). Mr. King was buried in Congressional Cemetery on November 2, 2023. – The Staff of Congressional Cemetery

November 2023 ★ 67

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Bulletin Board 150th Anniversary Celebration of Eastern Market

The 150th anniversary weekend, Nov. 10 and 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., includes live music, walking tours, ghost tours, giant games of chess and jenga, scavenger hunts, classes and demos, highwheel (bikes) exhibition, a silhouette artist and historic impersonators. Eastern Market was completed on Nov. 12, 1873 as part of L’Enfant’s 1791 vision for the city of Washington. As the only historic public market building left in DC that has retained its original public market function, Eastern Market houses more than 12 mer-

chants—some of whom have held their businesses here for more than 50 years. easternmarketmainstreet.org/150.

Music on the Hill’s 10th Anniversary Party

On Saturday, Nov. 11, noon to 6 p.m., Music on the Hill, 801 D St. NE, is throwing a block party featuring live bands, food by the Trippy Taco Truck, free raffle of instruments, and accessories and swag from their suppliers. Festivities kick off with an intimate, ticketed in-store concert featuring old-time musicians Sophie Wellington and Rachel Eddy.

CHRS Preservation Café: Designing & Creating a Private Garden National Christmas Tree Lighting Lottery Dates

Free tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 30, are awarded through an online lottery, which closes at 3 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 8. To enter the lottery, visit www.recreation.gov and click TICKET LOTTERY. You may also call 877-444-6777 to enter. Lottery applicants will be notified about their ticket status Nov. 15. The National Christmas Tree site opens to the public on Dec. 2. www.thenationaltree.org 68 H HILLRAG.COM

On Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m., Claudia Kousoulas, author of “Private Gardens of the Potomac & Chesapeake,” will give a presentation about the capital region’s premier designers, giving insight into the gardens they’ve created, from urban balconies to waterfront estates. See reworked existing sites and new architecture and gardens, enhanced work-at-home and play-at-home spaces and gardens created on a deadline as well as lifelong projects. Free and virtual. Hosted by the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Details and reservations at chrs.org/designing-garden-pc/.

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rates lower mortgage city. Thisand program offers competitiveinsurance interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on first trust costs on first trust mortgages.You HPAP provides interest free deferred loans forloans downfor down HPAP deferred homebuyer or a D.C.interest resident are not provides required to befree a first-time , be purchasing a home in the as a co-administrator of homebuyer orserves a D.C. resident serves as a co-administrator of District of Columbia. this DC Department of Housing and Community DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer tothis qualify for DCOD. You must, Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer program. program. be purchasing a home in however, HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down the District of Columbia.

serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first-time buyer years or older who have fallen behindhome on insurance program. DC4ME and tax payments as a result of their reverse years or older who have fallen behindmortgage. on insurance Qualified District homeowners can receive up to and tax payments a result of their reverse mortgage. DC4ME providesasmortgage assistance Qualified District homeowners can receive up to

with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME mortgage assistance optional years or provides older who have fallen behindwith on insurance down paymentisassistance totoD.C. government DC4ME offered current fulland tax payments as resultto ofcurrent their reverse mortgage. employees. DC4ME is aoffered full-time DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with Qualified District homeowners can receive up to optional time District government employees, District government employees, including employees down payment assistance to D.C. government of District government-based instrumentalities, employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time including employees of District independent agencies, D.C.employees, Public Charter Schools,employees District government including and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's government-based instrumentalities, of District government-based instrumentalities, employer falls under the oversight of the Council of independent agencies, D.C. Publicwith Charter Schools, DC4ME provides mortgage assistance optional the District of Columbia. independent agencies, D.C. Public andpayment organizations, provided applicant/borrower's down assistance to D.C. the government employer falls under theorganizations, oversight the Council of employees. DC4ME is offered to currentoffull-time Charter Schools, and the District of Columbia. District government employees, including employees the applicant/borrower’s COVID-19 ofprovided District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance employer falls impacts underofthe oversight ofto and organizations, the those affected by the provided theapplicant/borrower's COVID-19 employer falls under the oversight of pandemic. Qualified can receive aCouncil loan of of COVID-19 the Council ofborrowers the District ofthe Columbia. thetoDC District ofCOVID-19 Columbia. up $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage MAP provides financial assistance to for up to six months.

those affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage COVID-19 for up to six months. DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to those affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of Visit www.DCHFA.org up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage tomonths. apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. forhow up to six

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THANK YOU FROM THE CAPITOL HILL RESTORATION SOCIETY TO OUR GUESTS AT HOUSE EXPO 2023 AND TO THE PARTICIPATING HOME SERVICE EXHIBITORS: ABAY IRON & METAL WORKS . . . . CUSTOM IRONWORK AMERICAN PROFESS. CHIMNEY . . . . CHIMNEY SWEEP CAPITOL HILL VILLAGE AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY CHEMSTRIP REFINISHING REFINISH METAL/WOOD CHRIS COX/FIRST SAVINGS MORT. MORTGAGE LOANS CHUCK BURGER/ COLDWELL BANKER REAL ESTATE COLE ROOF SYSTEMS ROOFER DC FIRE/ EMS SAFETY DOB (FORMERLY DCRA) DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS DLCP LICENSING & CONSUMER PROTECTION DOEE DEPT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT EASTERN MARKET MAIN STREET SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS EMCAC EASTERN MARKET CITIZEN ADVISORY FROSTY’S HEATING & COOLING HVAC IMAGE PAINTING PAINTER JOEL TRUITT BUILDERS REMODELING, REPAIRS MASTERWORKS WINDOW FASHIONS INTERIOR DESIGN MERLINO CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR MICHALIGA MASONRY BRICK/STONE ARTISAN MIKE JONES/STATE FARM INSURANCE MPDC METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPT N&M HOUSE DETECTIVES HOUSE HISTORIES PARICK DESIGN LANDSCAPER SOLAR UNITED NEIGHBORS (SUN) SOLAR CO-OP STUDIO LYEW INTERIOR RENOVATIONS TAYLOR POWER WASHING HANDYMAN SERVICES TRUITT REALTY SERVICES PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WILCOX ELECTRIC ELECTRICIAN WOODLAND ESTATE & TITLE TITLE COMPANY/LOANS W.S. JENKS HARDWARE YOUR MOVING MEN MOVING COMPANY And our sponsors:

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US Capitol Christmas Tree Delivery to the West Lawn

On Friday, Nov. 17, the Truckload Carriers Association will deliver the tree to the Capitol West Lawn. Santa will be present. The 2023 tree will come from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. www.truckload.org/cct Also, they are selling excellent, donated guitars at reduced prices as a fundraiser for Guitars for Vets. There will also be discounts on ukuleles, sheet music, and accessories for instruments of all shapes and sizes and, of course, birthday cake! musiconthehilldc.com.

Small Business Saturday at East City Bookshop

Celebrate Small Business Saturday with East City Bookshop, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, on Saturday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Stop in throughout the day for refreshments, giveaways, flash sales, interactive activities and more. www.eastcitybookshop.com

Adult Hoops on the Hill

Adult Hoops on the Hill consists of 50+ hoops junkies, ages 25 to 45, who play 48 weeks a year, three days a week, on two full courts on Monday and Thursday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Required skill level: played some high school ball and had some but not much coaching. Adult Hoops on the Hill plays at St. Coletta, 1901 Independence Ave. SE, seven minutes from the Capitol. $750 per year. There are openings for 10-15 new players. Compliance with DC vaccinations required. If interested, text/call Peter Waldron at 202-494-8043, peter218@prodigy.net.

“Forces of Nature: Voices That Shape Environmentalism” at NPG

“Forces of Nature: Voices That Shape Environmentalism” at the National Portrait Gallery presents some of the key scientists, politicians, activists, writers and artists whose work has influenced attitudes toward the environment in the United States from the late 19th century until today. It combines portraiture, visual biography and the sitters’ own words. To complement the exhibition, the Portrait Gallery and the Monterey Bay Aquarium will co-host a panel discussion, “Forces of Nature: The Future of Environmentalism,” featuring Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru, environmental justice warrior, Rhodes Scholar and founder of Black Girl Environmentalist; Dolores Huerta, labor and environmental activist; Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; and Dorceta Taylor, author and a leading environmentalist. Free. Nov. 14, at 6 p.m., in the museum’s McEvoy Auditorium. www.npg.si.edu

Brent Annual Holiday Tree Sale

Brent Elementary School, 301 North Carolina Ave. SE, holds its annual Holiday Tree Sale from Thursday, Nov. 30, to Sunday, Dec. 3.

“America is at a crossroads. Extremism and authoritarianism are not acceptable. Independents are problem solvers, centrists, negotiators, and team builders.”

TOGETHER, LET’S MAKE AMERICA WORK FOR ALL CITIZENS! HERE IS WHAT I SUPPORT: 3 Tweaking SBA To Create 30 Million New Biz Owners

3 Tweaking FHA To Raise Homeownership To 90% 3 Returning Student Loans To Bankruptability Status 3 Reforming Healthcare, Primary

Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals aka QuigleyCare

3 Building CO2 Scrubbers & DAC,

Desalination Plants, Reforestation, Rewilding America, Electric Vehicles, Solar Homes, Wind Turbines

3 Term Limits, Supreme Court & Judicial Reform 3 Wall Street Reform, Eliminate

Speculation, Day Trading & Short Selling

3 Cannabis Legalization At Federal Level, Safe Banking, Criminal Conviction Expungement

3 Strong Military 3 Authoritarianism & Weak State’s Rights 3 Higher Minimum Wage To $16/Hr

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Candidates, Public Funding For All Federal Candidates & Universal Voting Mandate

3 Top 10% Over The Needs Of The People 3 Unregulated Abortion 3 Federal Reserve Reform 3 Mental Healthcare Reform 3 Strong 2nd Amendment 3 Housing The Homeless 3 Veterans Benefits & VA 3 Minimum Social Security Check of $3,000 Per Month

3 Reduced Taxation, Elimination Of

Property Taxes & Free Utilities For All Citizens 55 And Over

3 Freedom Of Speech On All Digital Platforms And Universally

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Equal Time To All Politicians & Parties In Same Time Blocks Free As Public Service For Federal License

3 That All Sexuality Issues Be Removed From Public Square & Returned To Private Bedroom Status

3 Higher Taxes On All Folks Earning More Then $1 Million Per Year And On All Wealth Above $10 Million Per Person

3 Closed Southern Border 3 Quashing Modern Drug War

3 Limitations On Non-USA Citizens,

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Perpetrated By China All Democracies

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Re-establish National Cottage Industry, Expansion Of Family Farms & Sustainable Agriculture

Residents & Green Card Holders From Owning Real Estate

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Scan to learn more! November 2023 ★ 71

America’s Trot for Hunger on Thanksgiving Morning

The recently elected executive committee of the Capitol Hill Village Board, from L to R: Tama Duﬀy Day, President; Ceci Albert, Treasurer; Maury Stern, Vice-President; Elizabeth Cabot Nash, Secretary.

Capitol Hill Village Elects New Officers

SOME (So Others Might Eat) is hosting its annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger 5k on Freedom Plaza, Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th Street NW. Race morning check-in is at 7 a.m.; Little Turkey One-Miler is at 8:30 a.m.; 5k waves begin at 9:15 a.m. The route runs along Pennsylvania Avenue and is an official 5k course and timed and certified by USATF. Registration is $65; $35 for Litle Turkey One-Miler for ages 10 and under. Funds raised help benefit families and the elderly by providing food, housing, access to healthcare, employment training and long-term comprehensive substance use disorder treatment programs. www.trotforhunger.org

t its recent meeting the Capitol Hill Village Board of Directors elected officers for the coming fiscal year. Re-elected as president for a third one-year term was Tama Duffy Day of Gensler Architects, where she helps lead its Senior Living Design practice which develops design solutions in health care settings for an age-inclusive world. The current treasurer, Maury Stern, who oversees large multi-family, multi- use projects for Insight Development, will now take over as vice president from outgoing three-term Vice President Michael Hash. Retired Air Force officer and IT consultant Ceci Albert will use her own insight and attention to detail as the next treasurer. Elizabeth Cabot Nash, formerly with the United Health Group, and an active Hill parent and longtime Board member, accepted the nomination as secretary. All live on Capitol Hill and will lead the Village under its new Strategic Plan. While regular Board terms are for three years, officer's terms are only one year, though most serve several consecutive terms. Executive Director Judy Berman observed, “We have an active and strong Board overall, but I especially appreciate the dedication and many hours spent on Village business by the officers who comprise our Executive Committee.” Several recently appointed Board members voted for officers for the first time: James Kennedy, community activist; Linda Pettie, longtime realtor with Coldwell Banker; and Cynthia Whittlesey, retired State Department employee. At this meeting the Board also elected attorney and former Hill staffer Christine Healey. More information about the Village, upcoming activities, Board bios and the Strategic Plan can be found at www.Capitolhillvillage.org ◆

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Village Voices: Ambassador Hoagland, Central Asia in the Spotlight

On Monday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., via Zoom, Ambassador Richard Hoagland will draw on his experiences in diplomatic positions in central Asia to discuss issues faced by these geographically important frontline states. Village Voices presentations, sponsored by Capitol Hill Village, are free and open to the public. For more information and to register, go to www.capitolhill.helpfulvillage. com/events/10900-villagevoices-richard-hoagland

Memoir Writing Workshop Series at SW Library

The outdoor sale, open Thursday and Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, winterberry and Hanukkah items in addition to trees at competitive prices. Customers may have their trees delivered on the day of purchase and set up in their home. Profits from the sale provide resources for students and staff at this public school on the Hill. www.brentholidaysale.com

“Color Explosion” Exhibition at CHAW

The members of the Capitol Hill Art League have been asked to challenge their usual palette choices and dive into color. See the results of this juried art show, “Color Explosion,” at the opening reception at CHAW, 545 Seventh St. SE, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The show may be enjoyed through Dec. 2. www. caphillartleague.org

Aspiring memoirists are invited to the SW Library, 900 Wesley Pl. SW, for a four-part series on Tuesdays, Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 26, 10 a.m. to noon. Using “Memoir Writing for Dummies” by Ryan G. Van Cleave as a guide, the series will cover important themes in the writing and publication of a memoir. Sessions last approximately two hours. Registration is not required, but registrants will receive an email reminder prior to the event. www.dclibrary.org

NoMa BID Announces Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza

The NoMa Business Improvement District has announced that Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Plaza was selected by the community as the winning name for the trio of new public spaces coming to NoMa by the reconstruction of the Florida Avenue/New York Avenue NE intersection. Mamie “Peanut” Johnson was the first woman to pitch in the Negro League and a longtime resident of Washington, DC.

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Public Comment Invited on RFK Demolition

Through Nov. 9, the National Park Service is seeking public comments on the environmental assessment for the demolition of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium). www.parkplanning.nps.gov

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On Wednesday, Nov. 15, at noon, come out and meet community leaders at the monthly AARP speaker series and interactive session at River Park Mutual Homes South Common Room, 1311 Delaware Ave. SW. Speakers are Dr. Oye Owolewa, US Representative for the District of Columbia; Adrian Hall, medical insurance expert; and Jean Bethel of the Office of the People’s Council. $5 for lunch. All are welcome. For more information, contact Betty Jean Tolbert Jones, bettyjeantolbertjones@yahoo.com or 202-554-0901.

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NGA Sculpture Garden Ice Rink Opens for Season

The 2023-24 Sculpture Garden Ice Rink season runs from Monday, Nov. 20, through March 3 (weather permitting). The rink invites visitors to skate among the museums on the National Mall, surrounded by monumental sculptures by modern and contemporary artists. The rink will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday (closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1). Skating sessions begin on the hour and last 45 minutes, leaving a 15-minute break for ice maintenance. To celebrate the start of the skating season, the ice rink hosts figure skaters from Team USA for pop-up performances at 6 and 7 p.m. on opening day, Nov. 20. Two back-to-back sessions cost $12 for adults and children 13 and over. Adults 60 and over, children 12 and under, military servicemembers and students with a valid school ID pay $10. Skate rentals are $6, and free lockers are available, first-come, first-served. www.nga.gov/skating

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Downtown Holiday Market Opens

DC’s annual Downtown Holiday Market kicks off the holiday season on Friday, Nov. 17, and runs daily (except Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, and Dec. 4) through Dec. 23, from noon to 8 p.m. The outdoor market continues to support small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region. This year’s retail lineup will feature more than 70 exhibitors including Black-owned and minority-owned businesses from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development’s Made in DC program. Six food vendors will provide treats and hot beverages. Additional new features include a live stage of regional performers. The market is on F Street NW between Seventh and Ninth streets. www.downtownholidaymarket.com

treats. Congressional Cemetery is at 1801 E St. SE. congressionalcemetery.org.

Walk to End HIV at Anacostia Park

Held for the past 37 years, the Walk to End HIV is Whitman-Walker’s signature fundraiser to support comprehensive and accessible healthcare to those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The 2023 Walk to End HIV is on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at Anacostia Park. Volunteers are needed throughout the morning. Those interested in volunteering (either as an individual or as part of a group) please contact Dave Mallory at dmallory@whitman-walker.org. Those who donate or raise $35 for the walk qualify for a signature T-shirt. www.walktoendhiv.org

Organic Trinida Farmers Market Opens

Trinidad Farmers Market is open year-round most Sundays (rain or shine), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1299 Neal St. NE, in the parking Lot of Joseph Cole Community Center. It is on the southern border of the Trinidad neighborhood and a short walk from H Street NE. (Market closed on Sunday of Thanksgiving week and Dec. 24 and 31.) All foods sold are organic, although they may not always be certified organic because obtaining a certification can be a financial barrier for some small farmers. www.trinidadfarmersmarket.net 74 H HILLRAG.COM

Food & Friends Thanksgiving Pie Sale

Food & Friends’ Slice of Life Thanksgiving pie sales have become a tradition in the Washington metro area. Pie sellers and Pie teams come together to raise money, ensuring that neighbors facing serious illnesses can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal complete with two delicious pies. Select from apple crumble, classic pumpkin, nutty pecan, sea salt chocolate chess and sweet potato. Each pie sale provides a full day’s worth of meals for a neighbor in need. Pie sales have started at www.sliceoflifedc.org.

Art Enables Offers Wreath Making Workshop

On Thursday, Nov. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m., join Art Enables, 2204 Rhode Island Ave. NE, and Sweet Root Village for an evening of creativity and holiday spirit at the Wreath Making Workshop. Led by floral artisans of Sweet Root Village, the workshop will guide participants through crafting fresh foliage wreaths that add a festive flair to the home this holiday season. The workshop is most appropriate for participants aged 18+. Tickets are $90, which includes all materials, expert guidance, light bites, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and an evening filled with community and holiday spirit. www.art-enables.org

Habitat Restoration Workdays at Kingman

On Sunday, Nov. 12, and Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will join the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) and National Links Trust for a Habitat Restoration Workday. They will help with invasive plant control and revegetation efforts along the riverside area of Kingman Island at Langston Golf Course. This is part of a natural resources management plan for the golf course in partnership with National Links Trust. Meet at the Driving Range Parking Lot of the Langston Golf Course. Read more and sign up at www.anacostiaws.org.

DC Leaf Collection Begins

DC’s Department of Public Works has begun leaf collection, with more and better equipment provided in DC’s FY 2024 budget. Check website at dpw.dc.gov to confirm leaf collection dates.

Special Waste Collection Events

Household hazardous waste, electronics recycling and document shredding have been relocated to RFK Lot 3, 2400 E. Capitol St. NE (across from the DC Armory), due to the temporary closure of the Benning Road Transfer Station. Special waste collection events take place on one Thursday and one Saturday each month through March 2024. Upcoming dates are Nov. 16 and 25, Dec. 16 and 28, Jan. 11 and 20, Feb. 8 and 17, March 7 and 16. Collection is Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.dpw.dc.gov

Donate A/C Units to Community Forklift

If you’re removing an air-conditioning unit in preparation for cooler weather and are thinking about getting rid of it, consider donating it to Communi-

ty Forklift. Every year Community Forklift provides dozens of free air-conditioners to households with limited incomes. Donate unneeded window or in-room air conditioning units (under 10 years of age and including all components) at the reuse warehouse, 4671 Tanglewood Dr., Edmonston, Maryland. Open daily, noon to 5 p.m. www.communityforklift.org

Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade

On Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to noon, see inflatable turkeys and penguins, glittering floats, marching bands, dancing groups and Santa and his elves at the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade. Held in downtown Silver Spring, the parade traditionally heralds the start of the holiday season. It steps off from Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street and proceeds south

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run/Walk

The annual Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run/Walk, on Sunday, Nov. 12, offers the only chance to run or walk across the majestic Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which is typically closed to pedestrians. Organized by Corrigan Sports, Maryland’s premier race company, the event is open to runners and walkers alike. The course traverses the eastbound span of the bridge from Anne Arundel County to Kent Island in Queen Anne’s County and finishes with a huge postrace party. The race is open to participants of various fitness levels and physical abilities who are able to complete the event at an average pace of 19 minutes/mile. Parking with shuttles to the start is available from both Anne Arundel County and Queen Anne’s County. Registration is $100. www.thebaybridgerun.com

on Georgia Avenue, ending at Silver Spring Avenue. www.silverspringdowntown.com/ montgomery-county-thanksgiving-parade

Thanksgiving Organ Recital at National Cathedral

On Nov. 19, at 2 p.m., attend a recital featuring Caroline Robinson, organist and associate-choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. No tickets necessary to attend inperson. www.cathedral.org

NGA Seeks Volunteers

The National Gallery of Art is looking for friendly faces for its information desks and guides to lead school tours. Applications are due Monday, Dec. 18. www.nga.gov/opportunities/volunteer-opportunities

District’s First Stabilization Center Opens

On Monday, Oct. 30, DC’s first Stabilization Center opened at 35 K St. NE. The new 6,400 square-foot healthcare facility provides emergency crisis intervention, typically lasting 24 to 72 hours, for adults who are experiencing substance use disorder. Services will be available 24 hours a day for those who are 18 years and older and is free of charge with no insurance or residency requirements necessary. DC’s Stabilization Center offers individuals with a safe and comfortable space to receive immediate care, along with individualized supports such as peer counseling and resources to sustain long-term recovery. It offers patients a safe and comfortable space to undergo stabilization, with recliners, beds, and secure lockers. Upon arrival, patients will receive a comprehensive medical and psycho-social evaluation, as well as an individualized treatment plan. The center also offers patients with approved buprenorphine medication on the spot, which, when combined with counseling, is effective in treating opioid use disorders and can help individuals sustain long-term recovery. dbh. dc.gov/service/dc-stabilization-center. u

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HOMES& GARDENS

Building Back Better – and Greener Housing Returns to DC Alley Ways

ou never know what you’ll come across in a Capitol Hill alley. A discarded chair that’s perfect for your living room, a community garden ‒ and now sustainable housing and a whiff of root beer.

by Catherine Plume One-hundred years ago, alley houses were common across DC, providing homes for some 20,000 people, most of whom were African American. But in the 1930s the Alley Dwelling Authority began removing these homes, based on concerns for health and overcrowding. Flash forward

90 years, and in 2016 the chronic housing shortage spurred the DC Council to pass zoning changes that allow new construction in alley lots across the District. Architects Andrew Linn and Jack Becker had established the architectural firm BLDUS (https://

The Linns’ alley home is a model for sustainable housing.

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tia. “We saw that most District architects bld.us/) in 2013 and saw this zoning Andrew Linn (right) and Jack Becker outside the BLDUS office were clustered in a few wealthy neighborchange as an opportunity to create susin Anacostia. hoods,” Linn explains, while Anacostia’s tainable and climate-friendly housing in residents “wage an admirable battle for the District. “Jack and I met on the first the integrity of their historic district as day of architecture school at Cornell,” developers propose projects that overexplains Linn. “We both wanted to delook its intimate, village-like scale.” The sign healthy houses that reconsidered BLDUS office is in the Grass House, traditional, natural materials in innovaa carriage house next to the Frederick tive ways.” Douglass House. “We are thankful that After graduation they moved to DC we have opportunities to contribute to to make their dream houses a reality. Linn the preservation of the neighborhood’s and his wife Hannah needed a place to existing historic fabric through new conlive, and a 1,900-square-foot alley lot textual houses,” says Linn. “We also feel near Congressional Cemetery came up better equipped to design for such a comfor sale. The lot provided an ideal setplex area because we are based there.” ting for BLDUS to showcase its vision BLDUS is building sustainable while providing the Linns with a home and healthy homes across the District, for their growing family. and not all of them are in alleys. In adSustainability was an overarching dition to collaborating on construction priority. “Buildings are a leading cause of projects in Anacostia and the Linns’ alclimate change,” says Linn, “and houses ley home, they’ve built an alley home in are likely a leading cause of cancer. Since Capitol Hill’s Overbeck Alley, are comso many cheap building materials are pleting an alley house in Parkview’s Lois unhealthy, it’s easy to build an unhealthy Mailou Jones Alley NW and are workhouse without even realizing it.” He coning on a pair of alley houses in Petworth. tinues, “A healthy house doesn’t have to Linn and Becker also teach at Virginbe more expensive than a conventional ia Tech’s Washington Alexandria Arhouse, but it does require a concerted chitecture Center, training architects in effort to find the materials and convince sustainability concepts. people to allow you to use them.” As Becker notes, “We’re constantly Linn and Becker’s vision came toexploring opportunities to add new alley gether in a two-story house that is the houses where they make sense. DC is in ﬁrst residence on the East Coast with a dire need of new housing, in all shapes bamboo wall system with wool insula‘interesting’ or ‘weird’ ‒ and that doesn’t necesand sizes, so we are happy to add high-quality tion. The exterior bamboo walls are covered in sarily mean they like them or dislike them.” As he units wherever possible.” And possibly add an poplar bark panels, while the interior walls are notes, “If someone understands the magnitude of aroma of root beer to the DC air! ﬁnished in nontoxic coatings such as milk paint the housing crisis in DC and America and/or the and hemp oil. A central skylight admits light, while environmental damage caused by the production Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer a sassafras fence provides privacy and the unforeof gypsum or the damage that fiberglass insulation and an active member of the Sierra Club DC Chapter. seen benefit of making the whole house smell like can cause to someone’s lungs, they are generally The perspectives expressed are her own and do not necroot beer when it rains. Almost all materials are supportive of our designs.” Without considering essarily represent the positions of that organization. u sourced in the US, reducing the carbon footprint the context of climate crisis, the housing crisis and incurred through transportation. And the design is potential health impacts, Linn adds, “our more nateasy on the pocketbook. The Linn’s August elecural-looking houses certainly can look weird. Our tric bill was only $30 – and they don’t even have wood (and bamboo) houses have a traditional DC solar panels on the roof. precedent, but there is no precedent in the DisTo say that BLDUS’s homes aren’t your typtrict or even in the country for houses as healthy ical Capitol Hill house would be an understateas these.” ment. According to Linn, “People’s responses to As part of the commitment to thinking outour houses can generally be categorized as either side the box, BLDUS located its office in Anacos78 H HILLRAG.COM

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Couvillion’s friends and family provide clippings for plants that she nourishes along with tropical plants and herbs.

Brandi Couvillion, here with her dog Chablis, has created a garden that encourages friends and neighbors to stop and sit awhile in the verdant green space.

Gratitude for Gardens on the Hill

ovember is a season of thankfulness and gratitude. As we harvest the last of the summer and fall crops, the colors and greenery give way to falling leaves and more monotone colors. It is a chance to see the bones or structure of our gardens and be thankful for all the beauty the garden has given us over the year. Gardens on the Hill come in different styles. There is the formal English or Victorian style. Think boxwoods and geometric designs with flowers. Then we have the cottage style full of black-eye Susans, oak leaf hydrangeas, hostas and herbs. There are tropical gardens and what

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article and photos by Rindy O’Brien I call organic natural gardens. All together, they make the Hill one of the most charming neighborhoods in DC. For some people planning a garden, the best option is to hire a professional landscaper or horticulturist. Collaborating with the homeowner, the professional develops a plan and, in just a few days, turns over the soil and plants thousands of dollars’ worth of trees, shrubs and flowers. These gardens tend to be more formal and are often stunningly beautiful. But some properties, often rental ones, feature a more naturalistic design, with different layers developed over time. These gardens can

range from an artless jumble to a well-thoughtout look. Seats and tables may be carefully placed to encourage friends and neighbors to stop and enjoy the informal space. Over the years, two dazzling organic gardens have evolved on the Hill at a rental home on North Carolina Avenue SE and at an apartment building on 12th Street SE near Lincoln Park. Tended by the residents of the buildings, the gardens started out with bare soil and a handful of ivy or struggling rosebush plants.

New Orleans Charm

The first organic garden is in the 900 block of

Building Smart from the Start

North Carolina Avenue SE. It is hard to miss the house, as it is painted an unusual olive green and yellow. It rests on a typical Hill lot with a long front yard. Brandi Couvillion, her husband and their 15-year-old dog Chablis have lived in the multi-unit home for the past four years. Couvillion moved here from New Orleans, leaving behind a rambling Victorian home and garden. She first gardened in the back of the house. But two years ago, the family moved to the top floor and lost access to the back. Not to be deterred, Couvillion gained access to the front garden. “I wanted to create a space that people would like to congregate in,” she says. The front garden space has two sitting areas, one around a firepit and the other with café-style table and chairs. “I am looking forward to the cooler weather when we can get out and use the firepit.” “As a renter,” Couvillion remarks, “I haven’t wanted to invest much money into the space, but I still want to have a special space with some character.” She uses pots, including the plastic pots the plants arrive in. “I have over 50 plants in my apartment,” she explains, “so my better pots are inside.” She is a believer in generational gardening, taking cuttings from family and friends, growing the plants and sometimes returning new cuttings to the original donor. It is an inexpensive way to have many great plants and bring a feeling of home to your garden. Couvillion, a jewelry artist at the Torpedo Factory, has a mantra, “Jewelry weaving the poetics and place with the fab-

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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: The garden began as a patch of dirt and grass five years ago. Photo: Archives of the building Yellow mums and native grasses are surrounded by pots of herbs and asters. Each side of the apartment building’s gardens has a different feel and character, reflecting the gardeners’ personalities.

ric of time.” This philosophy is reflected in her organic garden, full of rosemary, ivy and tropical plants. She regards the garden as meditative, a place to quietly putter around. “I grow my herbs from seeds,” she says, “because I love to see the life of a tiny plant take off.”

A Garden Collection of Pots

A second organic garden is a few blocks away at the 50-unit apartment building off Lincoln Park on 12th Street. It is blessed with several active gardeners, who tend to a double garden separated by the sidewalk and stairs leading to the front door. The residents have even brought flowers and herbs to the fifth-floor rooftop, where the view of the city is breathtaking. The gardens have a variety of shrubs and plants, while magnolia trees provide shade. 82 H HILLRAG.COM

The current garden began five years ago with a volunteer who had previously had an active container garden but had not actually worked with plants in the soil. A second gardener, Rose Marie Althuis, joined the effort after she moved from Connecticut. “I had a very large garden in my previous home,” says Althuis, “and really missed getting out gardening. So, I was thrilled to be given permission to help with the front garden.” Besides the many hours the volunteers give, they purchase all the plant material and pots themselves. Both gardeners say they garden out of love and as a peaceful escape. The garden has come to feature a plentiful array

of pots. Althuis says that the pots help get around the awful clay soil. When she started to garden here, she thought a young man in the area could help her turn the soil over, but even with his help it was a challenge. Thus the pots. Frager’s brings the larger pots to Althuis, who does not own a car. The garden is full of potted plants with other plants like mums and hydrangeas in the ground. The potted plants can be easily moved around, trial and error style, until they find the right spot. Sometimes a plant might need different light or would look better nestled with another plant and needs to be moved. Besides the flowering plants, the gardeners put in kale, cherry tomatoes, grapes and herbs. They like to experiment with plantings to keep the garden fresh with something new each season. Althuis relies on her gardening experience growing up on a farm in Michigan and

her time spent cultivating a large garden in Mystic, Connecticut. “I am adjusting to the more southern climate of DC,” she says, “which is fun because the weather is milder and I can try many more plants.” The television show “Gardeners World,” produced by the BBC and shown in the US on Amazon Prime, has been helpful as well. If you look closely, you will find that this organic garden is full of little surprises. It is a great example of a community effort

Rose Marie Althuis is one of several gardeners working to bring color and life to the front of their 12th Street SE apartment building.

driven by people who love to garden. It is a gift not just to the apartment dwellers but to the entire neighborhood. Variety is the spice to our lives. And these wonderfully unique gardens reflect Capitol Hill’s embrace of the personal styles of many kinds of gardeners. We are blessed to be surrounded by such variety. Rindy O’Brien’s own garden is a mix of formal and cottage. Contact Rindy at rindyobrien@gmail.com. ◆

202.544.7577 www.newmangallery.com ROTAT I N G E X H I B I TS O F LO C A L A RT I S TS November 2023 ★ 83

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The “Other” IRA:

Tax Credits and Rebates for Green Energy Investments by Catherine Plume

ave you heard? Federal government rebates are no longer limited to solar installations. If you’re looking to upgrade your windows, install a wood pellet stove, purchase an induction stove or make any number of other green energy investments, your timing is ideal. The Inflation Reduction Act, also known (somewhat confusingly) as the IRA, was passed by Congress in August 2023. The IRA and its associated programs provide tax credits and rebates for a wide array of green energy investments. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been slow to provide details about which investments qualify under the IRA, it is beginning to release information at www.irs.gov/inflation-reductionact-of-2022. The IRA provides residential tax credits ‒ which reduce the amount of tax owed or increase a tax refund ‒ for a wide range of improvements ranging from exterior doors to windows, skylights and insulation materials. Importantly, renters may also be able to claim credits as well as owners of second homes used as residences. And some clean energy investments incurred in 2022 may still qualify for rebates. The amount of credit you can take is a percentage of the total improvement expenses in the year of installation, but in general the rebates include: • 2022 investments: 30% up to a lifetime maximum of $500 • 2023 through 2032 investments:

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30% up to a maximum of $1,200 • Heat pumps, biomass stoves and boilers: a separate annual credit limit of $2,000 with no lifetime limit. In addition to credits for home improvement investments, the IRA provides credits for the purchase of new and used electric and hybrid vehicles for personal and commercial use. While the rules on qualifying vehicles have changed over the last year, the Environmental Protection Agency now has an online calculator (fueleconomy.gov/feg/tax2023.shtml) that will tell if a vehicle qualifies for a credit and how much it will be. The High Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA) (www.energy.gov/scep/home-energy-rebate-program) is part of the IRA and provides rebates ‒ funds credited or returned to a customer on completion of a transaction ‒ for efficient electric appliances, of up to $14,000 for low-income households and 50% of costs up to $14,000 for households where income is 80% or more but generally not greater than 150% of the average median income for a specific geographic area. In DC, median income in 2021 was $93,547 (www.datausa.io/profile/ geo/washington-dc/). That would mean households with income up to $140,320 qualify for rebates. (Check with a tax advisor for 2023 DC median income levels.) Qualified electrification projects under HEEHRA include heat-pump HVAC systems and heat-pump water heaters, electric stoves and cook-

tops and heat-pump clothes dryers, as well as costs for upgrading circuit panels, insulation, ventilation and wiring. Local businesses are busy meeting demand for these green energy improvements. Tracy Wilcox, vice president of finance at Wilcox Electric, notes, “We’re inYou can improve indoor air quality, reduce stalling approximately two to your carbon footprint and speed up meal prep times with the purchase of an induction three new dedicated circuits stove. The purchase might even qualify for a for EV charging stations evfederal rebate. Photo: J. Canon ery week. The cost of these jobs varies widely depending for home or business, including reon the distance between the frigerators and electric lawnmowers. electrical panel and the intended Ernest Jolly, managing director location of the EV charging station, of the DC SEU, notes that his organiand whether or not that distance is zation has been offering energy effia clean run or if there are obstrucciency rebates to residents and busitions. Installing an EV charging stanesses since 2011. The rules around tion within 15 feet of the panel may what qualifies for an IRA tax credcost about $800.” it and can be combined with a DC Wilcox is expecting to get even SEU rebate are evolving and specifbusier as people learn more about ic to each individual, he explains. the rebates. “To date,” says Wilcox, “We always encourage residents to “we’ve not seen many people askreview IRS guidance and consult a ing for new or expanded electrical tax professional as it relates to tax panels to accommodate new electric credits for energy efficiency and reappliances. I don’t think people are newable energy measures.” yet focused on and informed about Stay tuned to the IRA and what the IRA tax credits are. WilDC SEU websites for more inforcox Electric foresees a lot of electric mation. These rebates are helping work, and we are starting our educamake green investment a bit easier tion process about the rebates.” on your checkbook! In addition to federal incentives, a green energy investment may also qualify for rebates through the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DC SEU, www.dcseu.com/). The DC SEU also provides rebates for some purchases that the IRA doesn’t cover

Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer and an active member of the Sierra Club DC Chapter. The perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. u

Read his story at CapitolHillHistory.org

Photo by Elizabeth Dranitzke

DC native John Harrod considered himself to be an athlete. Yet in the late 1970s, when he realized that visual and performance arts could excite and inspire young people as much as football, John created Market 5, a vibrant venue showcasing the arts in Eastern Market’s North Hall. He also helped lay the ground work for the outdoor flea markets that attract crowds to this day. Learn more about John by reading his oral history at CapitolHillHistory.org. Keep Capitol Hill history alive by becoming a volunteer.

AN INITIATIVE OF THE CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

November 2023 ★ 85

HOMES&GARDENS

Changing Hands Changing Hands is a list of residential sales in Capitol Hill and contiguous neighborhoods from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker Realty on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms. NEIGHBORHOOD PRICE

1123 Chicago St SE 1344 Valley Pl SE 1760 W SE 2213 Retta Gilliam Ct SE 2237 Nicholson St SE

$400,000 $440,000 $345,000 $595,000 $340,000

BARRY FARMS 2431 Elvans Rd SE

$530,000

BLOOMINGDALE 159 Adams St NW 2021 1st St NW 28 Quincy Pl NW

$860,000 $1,315,000 $1,165,000

CAPITOL HILL 104 4th St SE 1121 C St NE 1207 C St SE 1234 Linden Pl NE 1306 C St NE 1330 Independence Ave SE 1407 A St SE 1637 Potomac Ave SE 1724 Potomac Ave SE 1732 D St NE 300 Tennessee Ave NE 324 Kentucky Ave SE 404 E Capitol St NE 408 4th St SE 507 6th St NE 616 6th St NE 640 E St SE

$1,695,000 $1,158,000 $1,300,000 $794,900 $1,087,000 $1,265,000 $943,500 $585,000 $850,000 $995,000 $1,005,000 $775,000 $2,195,000 $1,300,000 $1,000,000 $1,295,000 $1,150,000

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1016 Park Rd NW 956 Shepherd St NW 1225 Randolph St NW 1343 Randolph St NW 1456 Park Rd NW 2627 Sherman Ave NW 3542 10th St NW 3626 New Hampshire Ave NW 4214 14th St NW 909 Columbia Rd NW

$1,225,000 $1,180,000 $753,500 $1,238,000 $850,000 $630,000 $1,075,000 $757,000 $685,000 $740,000

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 161 Elmira St SW 1435 Congress Pl SE 41 Brandywine St SW 610 Darrington St SE 919 Blakney Ln SE

$448,000 $440,000 $365,000 $220,000 $474,000

DEANWOOD 100 46th Pl NE 4008 Blaine St NE 4241 Dix St NE 4740 Blaine St NE 821 50th Pl NE

$508,000 $510,500 $475,000 $575,000 $420,000

DUPONT CIRCLE 1800 S St NW

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$1,585,000

$1,850,000 $3,300,000

ECKINGTON 172 Uhland Ter NE 181 V St NE

FEE SIMPLE ANACOSTIA

1630 19th St NW #C 1735 19th St NW

3 3 4 3 3 4

$636,000 $650,000

FORT DUPONT PARK 206 36th St SE 5053 Benning Rd SE 700 Ridge Rd SE

$305,000 $299,000 $300,000

FORT LINCOLN 3627 Hansberry Ct NE 3810 Fort Lincoln Dr NE

$705,000 $725,000

H STREET CORRIDOR 4 3 4 4 3 3 2 3 4 3 2 3 4 3 2 5 3 2 3 2

900 8th St NE

$1,515,000

HILLCREST 2907 Denver St SE 3016 Nash Pl SE

$460,000 $700,000

KALORAMA 2402 Wyoming Ave NW

$3,800,000

KINGMAN PARK 1619 Rosedale St NE 519 23rd Pl NE

$445,000 $440,000

4 4 5 3 2 4 4 4 4

LEDROIT PARK

1932 2nd St NW 36 U St NW

$1,175,000 $595,000

LILY PONDS

114 33rd St NE 3460 Dix St NE

$465,000 $455,000

LOGAN CIRCLE

1451 Swann St NW 1928 15th St NW 1116 T St NW 1244 10th St NW

$1,503,000 $1,500,000 $1,170,000 $1,706,500

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5543 B St SE

$250,000

4 4 2 3 3 6 3 6 2

705 Kentucky Ave SE 805 Maryland Ave NE

$710,000 $870,000

OLD CITY #2 1424 10th St NW 2016 15th St NW 78 Q St NW

$800,000 $1,625,000 $975,000

RANDLE HEIGHTS 2208 R St SE 2429 Skyland Pl SE 3120 20th St SE 3406 23rd St SE

$340,000 $550,000 $440,000 $235,000

RIVER TERRACE 121 Anacostia Ave NE

$399,900

2 4 2 4 4 2 3 3 2 3

NOMA SHAW

4 4

OLD CITY #1

5 3 2

614 Morton Pl NE

1147 Abbey Pl NE 206 17th St NE 37 16th St NE 403 Guethler’s SE 414 15th St SE 455 15th St NE 635 Orleans Pl NE 658 11th St NE

$904,185

$935,000 $650,000 $650,000 $1,300,000 $1,265,000 $590,000 $825,000 $1,265,000

3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3

1831 Vermont Ave NW 1844 8th St NW 1909 8th St NW

$1,469,000 $850,000 $910,000

SW WATERFRONT 608 H St SW

$1,227,000

3 3 3 4

TRINIDAD 1209 Queen St NE 1215 18th St NE 1324 Staples St NE 1329 West Virginia NE 1408 Morse St NE

$765,000 $736,082 $815,000 $1,070,000 $760,000

U STREET CORRIDOR 1227 T St NW 1916 11th St NW 2265 12th Pl NW

$1,464,500 $1,560,000 $807,500

SW WATERFRONT 650 Wharf St SW #Y01

$302,000

3 4 4 4 3 3 4 2 3

3 4 3 4 1 4 5 3 4 2

CONDO

3 3 3 3 3

BARRY FARMS

ADAMS MORGAN 1810 Kalorama Rd NW #A3 1855 Calvert St NW #502 1882 Columbia Rd NW #102 2240 Ontario Rd NW #3

$620,000 $435,000 $1,185,000 $360,000

ANACOSTIA 2123 Young St SE #201

2605 Douglass Rd SE #401

$265,000 $280,000

BLOOMINGDALE 1722 1st St NW #1

$765,000

CAPITOL GATEWAY 3 3 3 4 3 5

88 V St SW #510

$499,900

CAPITOL HILL 1324 E St SE #108 1391 Pennsylvania Ave SE #468 1443 E Capitol St SE #2 311 6th St SE #3 401 13th St NE #402

$428,500 $513,000 $505,000 $675,000 $475,000

2 1 3 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 1

FALL BACK… IN LOVE WITH HOME!

523 8th St NE #105 900 D St SE 909 E St SE #5

$465,000 $469,000 $383,500

CAPITOL HILL EAST 256 15th SE #5

$375,000

CAPITOL RIVERFRONT 1211 Van St SE #914

$240,200

CARVER LANGSTON 2001 I St NE #7

CENTRAL 2117 N St NW #1 616 E St NW #708 631 D St NW #931

$618,500 $335,000 $478,000

2 0 1

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 3865 Halley Ter SE #203

DUPONT CIRCLE 1401 17th St NW #406 1619 R St NW #603 1813 16th St NW #1A 1830 17th St NW #504 1907 S St NW #B 2142 O St NW #900 1260 21st St NW #502 1545 18th St NW #509 1621 T St NW #203 1711 Massachusetts Ave NW #403 1724 17th St NW #66 1736 Willard St NW #302

ECKINGTON 213 R St NE #A 221 Randolph Pl NE #1 241 R St NE #A

FAIRFAX VILLAGE 3911 Pennsylvania Ave SE #P24

3 2 4 2 2 1 1 4 3 2 2 3 4

$129,010

$675,000 $605,000 $675,000 $492,500 $710,000 $1,422,500 $360,000 $350,000 $475,000 $305,000 $530,000 $420,000

2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1

$649,900 $700,000 $770,000

2 2 3

$15,999

1332 Independence Ave SE 5BR/5.5BA/PARKING $2,700,000

! EW G N IN T S LI

E BL A IL W! A O AV N

342 8th St NE 3BR/3BA/2,448 SF $1,299,000

EW ! N ICE PR

RARE MIXED USE OPPORTUNITY IN CAPITOL HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT! WIDE 2-unit building delivers tremendous flexibility: Unit 1 features classic retail storefront with tall ceilings, big dimensions (20’x60’), bay front, and bonus basement studio with kitchen. Currently the home of Nana’s Place - trusted neighborhood early childhood daycare provider to Hill families. Second floor features unit 2 - spacious THREE BR apartment with renovated kitchen and TWO updated baths. LOFT-like feel includes exposed brick, skylights, gleaming floors, new windows and HVAC. Live upstairs while the Unit 1 LEASE PAYS ALL the monthly costs of ownership!

EW ! N ICE PR

602 12th St NE 3BR/2.5BA/Parking $785,000

208 6th St SE 4BR/2.5BA/SOLAR PANELS $1,490,000 Nestled on a rich row of Victorian bay-front homes just 1 block from Eastern Market! Inside: a truly RARE curated collection of historic architectural features: original foyer, formal front parlor, GIANT 8’ pocket doors, + heart-ofpine floors. Marvel at the museum-quality faux-painted casework in the entry hall, central dining room with chestnut wainscot panels, and much more! Morning sun graces the rear kitchen, complete with second brick hearth and overlooking GLORIOUS private gardens! Turned iron staircase leads to your private sanctuary, with brick walls and mature plantings. Upstairs find 3 large bedrooms with soaring transoms, 7 smart closets, and updated bath. BONUS lower level English basement delivers classic Capital flexibility: guest suite, rental, or home office, complete with separate front entry, second kitchen, bedroom, and full bath + 3rd fireplace! Don’t miss this rare specimen for historic detail, smart systems updates, and savvy rental potential!

GRACEFUL GIANT GRABS SOUTHERN SUN ON 4 STUNNING NEW LEVELS! Behind a rare bayfront brownstone facade FOUR FULL stories tall, this graceful GIANT grabs southern sunshine across 4200 STUNNING square feet! 3 LARGE levels above grade feature 4 BRs, 4.5 baths, and three separate living and lounge zones. Plus, BONUS lower level with 2 separate entrances and DEEP 3-room guest apartment with kitchenette offering endless flexibility! Outdoors, savor 4 spaces - roof deck, primary balcony, covered rear porch, and lower stone patio. Prominent position 1 block from Lincoln Park and a short stroll to Metro, Groceries, Roost, and more. 100% re-engineered to last the next century by SCHMIDT BUILDERS, with new structure + high-efficiency systems, yet inspired at every turn by timeless building traditions and techniques.

1 1

$1,100,000 $575,000 $682,000 $565,000 $587,883 $414,900 $383,950 $1,133,000 $798,000 $459,900 $335,000 $820,000 $824,900

! EW G N IN T S LI

$315,000

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1343 Kenyon St NW #1 1380 Quincy St NW #4-C 1410 Newton St NW #1 1415 Chapin St NW #101 1419 Girard St NW #3 1464 Harvard St NW #8 1495 Newton St NW #101 3200 13th St NW #ONE 3645 Warder St NW #2 4306 Arkansas Ave NW #203 550 Hobart Pl NW #4 632 Rock Creek Church Rd NW #2 720 Kenyon St NW #1

1 1 1

1825 Massachusetts Ave SE 4BR/2.5BA $985,000 SERENE SLICE OF CAPITOL HILL WITH SMART SETUP! Just past Lincoln Park and steps to Metro and new cafes, a row of DEEP front gardens and proud porch fronts! Steps inside to a delightful balance of historic features - original oak floors, casing, doors, hardware -- and transformative interior updates, all basked in southwestern sunshine! Fantastic flow: Spacious living room leads to large central dining, open to fully custom kitchen of copious cabinets, plus stunning rear sunroom! Upstairs a skylit modern bath is book-ended by spacious front bedroom, and three rear rooms offering ultimate family flexibility. The lower level boasts a BONUS: second kitchen, separate entry, and full bath perfect for welcoming guests, or short term rental stays.

3 T! LY EF N SL O IT N U

COMPELLING CAPITAL CONDO CAPTIVATES INSIDE & OUT! Lives like a semi-detached house, but lowmaintenance like a condo, with really rare private outdoor spaces. Facing 12th Street to welcome morning sun, 602 12th is brand NEW from ground up and lives large over FOUR levels plus GIANT wrap-around driveway, patio, and back yard ! Wide plank floors, striking open kitchen and marble mosaic baths. Big windows and sliding glass doors welcome wonderful natural light across this open layout, lower den/living room, and top level penthouse suite, with plenty of room to spread out, huge walk-in closet, and spa-like tiled bath with glass shower.

1300 Eye Street NE 2BR/2BA/ROOFDECK Unit 1: $725,000 Unit 4: $719,000 Unit 5: $725,000 STUNNING BOUTIQUE CONDOS! ONLY A FEW UNITS REMAIN! All new ground-up construction of unparalleled quality from Schmidt Development - maker of Hill mansions! Every unit is a grand corner at ‘Eye’ Street Condominium; Unit 1 delivers a private entrance, Units 4 & 5 offer entry from 13th Street gardens with roof deck access. Fully custom kitchen and baths with Amish cabinets, Carrara marble kitchen and baths, plus wide oak floors. Easy access to H St/Atlas and Union Market District.

H STREET CORRIDOR 1020 Florida Ave NE #3 1402 H St NE #305 215 I St NE #308 646 H St NE #PH-2

IVY CITY

1921 Capitol Ave NE #1

KALORAMA

1820 Kalorama Rd NW #1 1954 Columbia Rd NW #702 2129 Florida Ave NW #203 2230 California St NW #4B-E 2230 California St NW #6A-W 2301 Connecticut Ave NW #6A 1900 Kalorama Pl NW #57 2227 20th St NW #107

$413,000 $450,000 $1,195,000 $1,100,000

1 1 2 2

$475,000

$800,000 $410,600 $385,000 $1,775,000 $2,100,000 $1,600,000 $836,000 $439,900

2 1 1 3 0 2 2 1

202.243.7707

info@joelnelsongroup.com November 2023 ★ 87

LEDROIT PARK 2119 Flagler Pl NW #2

LOGAN CIRCLE 19 Logan Cir NW #200 1125 12th St NW #33 1201 N St NW #E 1300 13th St NW #102 1300 N St NW #10 1311 13th St NW #T05 1313 11th St NW #7 1401 Church St NW #303 1425 Rhode Island Ave NW #71 1441 Rhode Island Ave NW #401 1445 Church St NW #43 1715 15th St NW #41 1109 O St NW #401

$885,000

$500,000 $280,000 $565,000 $615,000 $420,000 $220,000 $549,900 $1,037,500 $1,000,000 $799,000 $1,350,000 $700,000 $638,000

1 1 1 2 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 2 3

MOUNT VERNON TRIANGLE 555 Massachusetts Ave NW #307 555 Massachusetts Ave NW #506 811 4th St NW #616 437 New York Ave NW #418

OLD CITY #1

1211 Van St SE #408 1350 Maryland Ave NE #501 917 7th St NE #2

OLD CITY #2

1816 New Hampshire Ave NW #1004 2000 16th St NW #604 437 New York Ave NW #411 811 4th St NW #504

PARKSIDE 717 Parkside Pl NE

PENN QUARTER 631 D St NW #1237 915 E St NW #1105

RANDLE HEIGHTS 1907 Good Hope Rd SE #111

NEW MILLENNIUM

PROUD TO BE AGENTS WITH THE #1 CENTURY 21 FIRM IN THE WORLD! Joan Carmichael Realtor 202.271.5198 joanvcarmichael@gmail.com

SHAW

1336 8th St NW 449 R St NW #301 711 S St NW #2 810 O St NW #601 817 S St NW #101 350 G St SW #N419

TRINIDAD

FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS

88 ★ HILLRAG.COM

350 G St SW #N212 355 I St SW #304 700 7th St SW #309

SW WATERFRONT

Bridgette Cline Realtor 202.271.4196 bridgette.cline@c21nm.com 1000 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Wash., DC 20003 office # 202-546-0055

RLA (SW)

NEW MILLENNIUM

1239 Simms Pl NE #5 1240 Holbrook Ter NE #204 1270 Meigs Pl NE #4 1717 W Virginia Ave NE #101

$450,000 $448,500 $490,000 $537,500

1 1 1 1

$770,000 $475,000 $1,200,000

2 2 4

$425,000 $489,900 $299,000 $640,000

1 1 0 2

$595,000

$470,000 $700,000

1 2

$126,500

$389,500 $495,000 $335,000

1 2 1

$1,800,000 $750,000 $399,999 $999,900 $1,200,000

2 3 1 2 3

$410,000

$525,000 $405,000 $699,000 $324,500

2 2 3 2

U STREET CORRIDOR 2132 11th St NW #2 1320 Belmont St NW #301 2020 12th St NW #703 923 V St NW #UNIT 202 ◆

$785,000 $498,000 $602,500 $586,900

2 1 1 2

HOMES&GARDENS

The Capitol Hill Garden Club presents

Dear Garden Problem Lady, by Wendy Blair How do you keep tuberous begonias over the winter? Are dahlias the same? Neither shade-loving tuberous begonias, nor full-sun loving dahlia tubers can survive DC winters. By December cut all leaves and stems back to the shallow horizontal tubers (roots) of your plants. Lift the tubers, dry them with a soft cloth and place them atop a single layer of peat moss, vermiculite, or sawdust in a low cardboard box. Then cover the tubers with additional peat, vermiculite, or sawdust. Store in a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not allow the tubers to freeze. Replant in spring after all danger of frost is gone. I know autumn is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, but what about alliums – they bloom kind of late. Are they more like lily bulbs, which one can plant in the spring? Plant allium bulbs in the fall. As with all flower bulbs, plant alliums to the same depth as the bulb itself – up to six inches deep. They need full sun. Because they are tall plants put allium bulbs a good 12 to 14 inches apart. Then water moderately. Soil must drain well – avoid places where rainwater pools. Next year, after bloom ends

in mid-summer, leave the leave on until they dry up completely. Exactly how does water flow upward in plant roots and stems (against gravity)? Your question demands an understanding of botany at a cellular level, which I will try to simplify radically. The same thing happens physiologically inside the bodies of animals. Know simply that inside every plant there are two very narrow tubes (ducts) inside stems and trunks. These two narrow tubes distribute water and nutrients (minerals, carbohydrates) both upwards

and downwards. Also know that water molecules are charged – they have an electrical attraction to each other and cohere. The two tubes are called Xylem and Phloem. Inside these narrow tubes (as narrow as the veins in a human body), cohesive water molecules create a force stronger than gravity to push all the way from plant roots to tree-tops. Xylem lets water and nutrients move in only one direction, up, from roots. Phloem lets water and nutrients travel both up and down the plant, from top leaves down. These chemical reactions depend also on sunlight (Photosynthesis) and the reactiveness of water (Hydrolysis), both of which chemically react with nutrients and minerals inside the narrow tubes, to create – synthesize -- food in the forms that plants need. Capitol Hill Garden Club meetings are free and open to all. At the NE Library on Tuesday November 14 at 6:30 pm, Hillwood Museum Horticulturist Drew Asbury will illustrate “Succession Planting” – how and what to plant for all four seasons. Feeling beset by gardening problems? Send them to www.hillrag.com/editor. Your problems might even prove instructive to others and help them feel superior to you. Complete anonymity is assured. ◆

November 2023 ★ 89

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ARTS& DINING

The Fourth Wall

The Hill Rag’s Curated Selection of Theater in the DMV

ovember means different things to each of us. For some it’s a time for families ‒ both biological and those we choose – to break bread in recognition of everything we’re thankful for. To reach across cultural, religious and ethnic divides and find commonality in our shared humanity. To others (at least in the Northern hemisphere), November is a time to prepare for the bite of winter. For the comfortingly familiar stories of star-crossed lovers, fate and destiny to be dusted off and shared around a warm fire. This month’s column has a bit of all of this. Read on for our curated selection.

by Matthew McClure

Misha. Photo: Joe Curnutte, courtesy of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

On Right Now

“Public Obscenities,” Woolly Mammoth Theatre Showing Nov. 13-Dec. 23 www.woollymammoth.net Earlier this year, playwright and director Shayok Misha Chowdhury brought the story of Choton and his Bengali family to the stage at the Soho Rep Theatre in New York City. Audiences and critics alike were enthralled by Chowdhury’s tale of the queer American-Bengali PhD student’s journey back home to Kolkata, with his Black American photographer boyfriend Raheem, and the family secrets Choton uncovers while conducting research for his doctoral degree. Now theatergoers in DC will get the chance to experience Chowdhury’s magical writing and directing for themselves at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Penn Quarter. I asked Chowdhury how he feels about presenting his play to a new audi-

Shots of the NYC Soho Rep performance. Photos by Julieta Cervantes

ence. “I started writing the play in January of 2021 and have been working on the piece full-time since then, so it does feel as though I’ve been in a relationship with this constantly evolving organism for nearly three years,” he replied. “This time around, I’m in the thick of doing some significant rewrites. The theaters are so different, so it’s been an opportunity to work with the design team to reimagine the metacontainer of the piece to live in a larger theater. In some ways it’s going to be familiar, but folks who saw the last iteration will be seeing something quite different this time around.” “Public Obscenities” is entirely bilingual, with dialogue in both English and Bengali, something that Chowdhury has been wanting to do for years. “I’ve been wanting to write a bilingual play for my whole adult life,” he explained, “but I’ve always been terrified of doing so because I had no sense of how we would actually manifest it ‒ cast people who could play these highly specific roles that required these very specific linguistic fluencies.” It’s here that the real power of the play resides. A cast that so nimbly navigates the intricacies and subtexts of language, and how Chowdhury’s writing untangles translation and interpretation, that they collectively won the 2023 Drama Desk Ensemble Award in May. Abrar Haque takes on the role of Choton, with Jakeem Dante Powell as Raheem, Gargi Mukherjee as Choton’s aunt and trans activist and TV presenter Tashnuva Anan as Chou, who makes a spectacular entrance toward the end of the play. This production will be co-presented with Theatre for a New Audience, and I’d suggest booking your tickets immediately. November 2023 H 91

ARTS&DINING

into the twin traps of right or wrong. “We’re not setting up a good and an evil. We’re talking about how a man becomes susceptible to his own beliefs in a way that threatens his life, his livelihood and all that he values,” she explained. “We’re all Leontes. We all have the possibility of descending into our systems of belief, so much so that our beliefs take over our identity. Then when we let go of our beliefs, we let go of our ‘Who am I?’ and that’s where we are as a country.” As current debates center on justice, conflict, forgiveness and identity, “The Winter’s Tale” reaches across 400 years to be as relevant today as the day it was written.

The Winter's Tale cast with director Tamilla Woodard during first rehearsals. Photo: Peggy Ryan.

In the Spotlight

“The Winter’s Tale,” Folger Theatre Showing Oct. 24-Nov. 22 www.folger.edu Shakespeare, you say? Oh yes. The 16th-century English bard’s work can still jump off the pages of dusty old high school reading lists and onto a contemporary stage to shock, entertain and – most importantly – make us think. As part of the Shakespeare Everywhere Festival across DC, from October to the end of December, the Folger Theatre is welcoming audiences back to the venue in Capitol Hill, for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a performance of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Tamilla Woodard ably takes on the role of director for this interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s later, and perhaps most unique, plays. “We’ve been talking about this play for more than 19 months now,” said Woodard. “What I love about this play is that it feels like we get to see a piece of art that shows us the world we’re living in now, but also how we might change it. How we might be.” It’s clear that she’s excited about the opportunity to put a modern spin on the story of King Leontes of Sicily, his queen Hermione, Polixenes of Bohemia and a host of other characters who battle with the lasting effects of a horrible mistake. “The Winter’s Tale,” as its name suggests, is the kind of story you settle down with around a warm fire as snow falls outside. It’s full of myth and fantasy. It demands suspension of disbelief. What Woodard brings to this fertile material is the opportunity to reflect on morality, responsibility and redemption, without falling 92 H HILLRAG.COM

Don’t Miss

It may not be part of the play, but Anke Neumann’s otherworldly, 15-foot hanging sculpture, “Cloud of Imagination,” is the perfect welcome to Shakespeare’s world of fable. Neumann’s work was installed at the Folger Shakespeare Library in August and is composed of 250 individually illuminated flax paper elements, a tribute to the collection of 16th- and 17th-century literature at the core of the library.

Special Mentions

“See You Tomorrow,” Theater J Showing Nov. 14-22 www.theaterj.org Writer, director and actor Iris Bahr’s mother lives in Israel. Daily Whatsapp video calls are the only way that Bahr can stay connected to her from the US in this autobiographical work, set in pandemic times. Then, an emergency forces Iris to relocate her life and take up a caregiving role back home.

From a hotel room in Rome while heading back to Israel, Iris offers some insight into this poignant piece of theater. ACT ONE: New Voices New Works 10-Minute-Play Festival, Anacostia Playhouse Showing Nov. 6, 13 and 20 www.anacostiaplayhouse.com The Anacostia Playhouse started life on H Street in 2002, moving to its current location on Shannon Pl. SE in Historic Anacostia in 2013. Artistic Director Stephawn Stephens and his team have provided a much-needed platform for highlighting the voices of talented actors, directors and writers in the historically underserved neighborhoods of Wards 7 and 8 East of the River. Over three days this month, the New Voices New Works Festival will explore the theme of family through the lenses of triumph and trauma. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the country’s future stage talent in the formative phases of their careers. u

Anke Neumann's work at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Photo: Lloyd Wolf Anke Neumann. Photo: Lloyd Wolf

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ARTS&DINING

Destiny Concealed

The Story of Eagle Academy: A Documentary by Matthew McClure, photos courtesy Eagle Academy

Destiny Concealed: The Eagle Academy Public Charter School Story is a powerful

ter School Story documentary, was born. Montalvo’s background is in news gathering. Together with a powerful team, she documentary film that honors the founders of Eagle helps to tell nuanced and diverse humanAcademy Public Charter School and marks its 20th interest stories, creating content for high anniversary. Eagle’s inaugural campus, the first pubprofile networks and agencies such as lic charter school for PK3-K in the District, opened CNN and HuffPost. Since 2023 marked in the “Blue Castle” at the corner of 8th and M streets the 20 year anniversary of the opening SE in 2003 with 114 students. After rapid expanof the first Eagle Academy, the time was Destiny Concealed Director sion, a second location opened its doors a few blocks Cheryl Montalvo right for a commemoration of Pinkney away on New Jersey Avenue Southeast in 2010. Toand Smith’s efforts to shatter the neglect day, Eagle operates two state-of-the-art campuses in by city services in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. the Congress Heights and Capitol Riverfront neighborhoods Montalvo and her crew started filming in early 2020. of Washington, D.C., bettering the lives of hundreds of chilThey spent over 16 months conducting 38 interviews with dren across the city. parents, staff and alumni of Eagle Academy, community memWhen the Covid 19 pandemic shut the world down in bers, Pinkney’s family, and the many whose lives had been early 2020, Karen Alston—the Chief Marketing Officer for Eachanged by a woman that many viewed as a modern-day bibgle Academy Public Charter School—had an idea. Cassandra lical matriarch. Pinkney, as we learn through the documentaPinkney, the co-founder of Eagle Academy, had passed away ry, was someone who – through the struggles she faced with four years before, and Alston wanted to honor her contribuher own son as a young mother in an underserved communition to early childhood education in DC’s Southeast wards. She ty – was inspired to help build intellectual generational wealth reached out to her friend Cheryl Montalvo, an experienced film for hundreds of families. director, to see if she would be interested in telling the story of Stylistically, Montalvo’s Destiny Concealed is a quietly Cassandra Pinkney and Dr. Joe Smith, an advocate with experpowerful piece of documentary filmmaking. There is no metise in public charter schools, and how they came together to diator. No superfluous technical detail interferes with the increate the school. She was. herently powerful subject matter. “What’s unique about this And so Destiny Concealed: The Eagle Academy Public Chardocumentary is that I used one cameraman. One Director of Photography.” Montalvo says. “Having just one person and myself created a level of comfort not only in the communities but also with those I was able to sit down with and interview.” The result of this intentional and sensitive approach is a piece of film making that gives priority to the voices of the community. Perhaps the most impactful contributions are those of Dr. Joe Smith and Onari Jackson, Pinkney’s only surviving child. Jackson is the ExEagle Academy Capitol ecutive Director of the Cassandra S. Pinkney FounRiverfront campus dation. Through the eyes of these two people who arguably spent the most time with Pinkney during her journey, we learn more about Delrico Tyrone Durham, Pinkney’s son and the inspiration for the creation of Eagle Academy. We come to understand 94 H HILLRAG.COM

Cassandra S. Pinkney, Eagle Academy co-founder

Dr. Joe Smith, Eagle Academy co-founder

Onari Jackson, Executive Director of the Cassandra S. Pinkney Foundation

how, when Pinkney worked with Smith to open the first Eagle Academy Public Charter School, she had young mothers in mind who were juggling jobs and parenting along with family responsibilities and commitments within social and economic systems that weren’t sym-

pathetic to their needs or the specific requirements of their young children. “The passion that you see from Onari as she’s talking about the journey and how Joe and her mother came together really set the pace of where we went with the story and who we talk to next.” Montalvo says, explaining how she decided to guide the production and tone of the documentary. “Everyone who spoke of Cassandra and spoke of Joe, they were full of passion. It was invaluable to hear these stories. Hear how Cassandra affected them and the families and children.” Throughout Destiny Concealed, Montalvo is particularly successful at detailing the context of the communities and neighborhoods that Pinkney, Smith and their colleagues were working in without making gun violence, substance abuse, lack of quality education and nutritional challenges in these areas the primary focus. Through Ronald Hasty (former principal of the first Eagle Academy Campus), Aaron Lecoin and Royston Lyttle (principals at the Congress Heights and Capitol Riverfront Eagle Academy campuses respectively), we learn about how families in DC’s wards 6, 7 and 8 struggled to find safe spaces to grow, and found them in the school. If you need two good reasons to watch this documentary (there are many), do it to learn more about the famous swimming pool at the Eagle Academy Congress Heights campus that Pinkney fought for, and to witness first-hand the effect that Pinkney’s legacy had on her young grandchildren through a powerfully raw interview with them. Be sure to keep your tissues handy. Destiny Concealed: The Eagle Academy Public Charter School Story can be streamed by creating a free 30-day account at umff.com ◆

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JOE.COFFEE November 2023 ★ 95

ARTS&DINING

Hill Center’s 12th Annual Pottery on the Hill Friday-Sunday, November 17-19

by Phil Hutinet, photos courtesy Pottery on the Hill and Hill Center Fluted Brown Bowl – Guillermo Cuéllar

ill Center’s “Pottery on the Hill” features the exquisite work of 20 of the nation’s finest ceramic artists. This annual pottery show and sale kicks off with a ticketed preview reception and silent auction on Friday evening. The event continues throughout the weekend with free admission for the public to explore and purchase one-of-a-kind creations. This year’s roster boasts 20 ceramicists from various regions, including: • Christina Bendo from Waynesville, NC • Danielle Carelock from Charlotte, NC • Guillermo Cuéllar from Shafer, MN • Andrea Denniston & Seth Guzovsky from Floyd, VA • Dan Finnegan from Fredericksburg, VA • Richard Hensley from Floyd, VA • Matt Kelleher & Shoko Teruyama from Alfred Station, NY • Michael Kline from Bakersville, NC • Matthew Metz from Alfred Station, NY • Doug Peltzman from Shokan, NY • Donna Polseno from Floyd, VA • Mark Shapiro from Worthington, MA • Stacy Snyder from Arlington, VA • Sam Taylor from Westhampton, MA • Catherine White & Warren Frederick from Warrenton, VA • David & Junko Young from Gettysburg, PA Pottery on the Hill shines a spotlight on functional pottery, emphasizing pieces that are not only artistic but also designed for practical

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use. The showcased handcrafted masterpieces encompass a diverse range of items, from mugs and pitchers to plates, serving platters, vases, and planters. The show allows attendees to support the ceramics community, contributing to Pottery on the Hill’s reputation as one of the premier pottery shows in the nation.

North Carolina and the Pottery Connection

When I interviewed Finnegan about highlights of this year’s show he was in the North Carolina Highlands where he was teaching a pottery course at the world-famous Penland School. North Carolina has been a center for ceramic making in

A Celebration of Clay Art

This year, the exhibition welcomes an array of new exhibitors, offering new perspectives on ceramic making. While Pottery on the Hill has a core group of exhibitors, show curator Dan Finnegan always makes room for guest artists, providing the expo’s audience with an opportunity to see a wide array of new works.

Farm-to-Plate-to-Table

Two of the spotlight artists of this year’s edition are David and Junko Young, an artist couple who have not only mastered the craft of pottery but also manage a family farm in Gettysburg, PA. With an inspiring journey that includes studying pottery in Japan, their story reflects a blend of culture, art, and agriculture. David and Junco Young bring new ideas about farm-to-table or more precisely, farmto-plate-to-table to this year’s Pottery on the Hill. Tulip Vase – Stacy Snyder

the United States since the colonial era. Geologically, the region’s ubiquitous clay deposits made it an ideal location for pottery production. Coupled with the presence of the Penland School, one of the oldest craft schools in the country, the region is home to many prominent American potters. This year’s Pottery on the Hill hosts three ceramic artists from the Tar Heel State, including Christina Bendo, Danielle Carelock and Michael Kline.

SCHEDULE

Fri., Nov. 17: Ticketed Preview Reception; 6:30pm-8:30pm Tickets: $40/advance, $45/day of Free Show & Sale; Sat., Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Sun., Nov. 19, 11am-4pm Raku Firing with District Clay; Sat., Nov. 18, Noon to 3pm Potter Demonstrations ; Sun., Nov. 19 Hill Center is located at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE www.hillcenterdc.org/artist/pottery-on-the-hill-2023-the-potters

Minnesota’s Flourishing Pottery Scene

New to the show this year is Guillermo Cuéllar, originally from Venezuala. He has found his artistic home in Shafer, Minnesota. His journey in ceramics is intertwined with the legacy of Warren MacKenzie, a renowned American potter who nurtured several generations of ceramic artists. Guillermo’s creations seamlessly blend functionality with a heartfelt tribute to the indigenous crafts of Venezuela. Cuéllar plays an essential role in his community, hosting the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour since 2009. This eagerly anticipated annual gathering unfolds against the breathtaking backdrop of the St. Croix River Valley in Minnesota.

Green Mug – Junko Young

Touching History Through Clay

This year Finnegan has organized a special treat for the participating ceramicists. A curator from the Smithsonian Asian Art Museum will guide them through the unique privilege of not just observing, but physically interacting with vessels that have endured the rigors of history, spanning hundreds and even thousands of years. What is clear is that regardless of the approach each artist takes, the common thread weaving through Pottery on the Hill is an unyielding passion for clay. The diversity of techniques, inspirations, and backgrounds on display at the event is a testament to the enduring allure of the medium. With each piece, the potters participating in the event leave their fingerprints on history, bridging the divide between utility and artistry.

Demonstrations and Silent Auction

Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy special highlights, such as a Raku Firing with District Clay on Saturday and engaging potter demonstrations and conversations on Sunday. In addition, select potters will donate pieces to a silent auction, with proceeds benefiting Hill Center’s operations. Pottery on the Hill promises a diverse array of functional and beautiful work, a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship of these American artisans. Hill Center is located at 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

From Electric to Atmospheric Firings

Not all pottery is created alike. Pottery on the Hill features a wide range of firing methods, each creating vastly different final products. While most participating artists fire their pottery at high temperatures (around 2,350 degrees), the firing process itself varies significantly from one artist to the next. For example, Stacy Snyder employs the use of imagery and decals on her pottery. To produce exact results, she uses an electric kiln. In contrast, artists like Mark Shapiro, Sam Taylor, and Finnegan employ atmospheric firings. These firings, often using wood as fuel or introducing salt into the chamber, infuse unique character and texture into the

pottery. You never know what you are going to end up with until the firing is done!

www.hillcenterdc.org/artist/pottery-on-thehill-2023-the-potters Phil Hutinet is the founding publisher of East City Art, DC’s visual art journal of record. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com u

Plate with Pattern – Michael Kline

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Art and the City by Phil Hutinet Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Simone Leigh November 3, 2023 through March 3, 2024 hirshhorn.si.edu/visit The Hirshhorn Museum will host the first comprehensive museum survey of the work of celebrated artist Simone Leigh. The exhibition follows her representation of the United States at the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, where she garnered significant acclaim through a commission by the Institute of Contemporary Art/ Boston (ICA). The exhibition, curated in tandem with her Venice presentation, will not only showcase works from that landmark event but also debut three new bronze sculptures. Simone Leigh’s art focuses on Black femme subjectivity in contemporary art discourse, spanning sculpture, video, installation, and social practice. She delves into issues of race, beauty, and community, drawing inspiration from diverse historical periods, geographies, and traditions. The exhibition will feature a range of materials, including ceramic, bronze, and raffia, highlighting Leigh’s fluency in these mediums. Her ceramic works, both intimate and large-scale, draw inspiration from traditions in the American South, the Caribbean, and the African continent. Additionally, the artist will introduce three new sculptures: “Bisi” (2023), “Herm” (2023), and “Vessel” (2023), which focus on the Black female form across various materials and historical periods. Independence Ave and 7th St SW. Open 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. 202-633-1000 National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) nmwa.org National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) reopened on October 21, 2023, 98 ★ HILLRAG.COM

following an extensive two-year renovation. The renovation has rejuvenated the museum’s historic 1908 Classical Revival building, preserving its iconic features while making substantial improvements to the facade, interior spaces, and infrastructure. Notably, the inaugural exhibitions and remixed collection installation introduce fresh perspectives, with nearly 40% of the works displayed at NMWA for the first time. “The Sky’s the Limit” presents contemporary sculptures and immersive installations by 13 artists from around the world, offering a rare survey of large-scale work by women from the last two decades. Two focus exhibitions, “Hung Liu: Making History” and “Impressive: Antoinette Bouzonnet-Stella,” provide a closer look at the works of renowned artists from different periods. “Remix: The Collection” offers thematic and thought-provoking combinations of works from NMWA’s extensive NMWA – Installation view of Mariah Robertson’s “9” (2011), collection, creating engaging sightlines befeatured in “The Sky’s the Limit” at the National Museum of tween pieces. Women in the Arts; Photo: Jennifer Hughes, courtesy of NMWA. As the museum unveils its new Learning Commons thought leadership and community engagement. and research center, the “Holding 1250 New York Ave. NW. 202-783-5000. TicketGround: Artists’ Books for the ed entry required. National Museum of Women in the Arts” exhibition showcases Phillips Collection – The Rothko Room works by book artists inspired by October 18, 2023, through March 31, 2024 NMWA’s mission. The “In Focus: https://www.phillipscollection.org/curation/ Artists at Work” exhibition profiles rothko-room women artists in NMWA’s collecThe Phillips Collection has unveiled a transfortion through commissioned videos. mation of its celebrated Rothko Room, providAs these exhibitions demonstrate, ing a unique opportunity for visitors to encounNMWA remains unwavering in its comter new artworks in this revered space. In a rare mitment to championing women artmove, three of the original Mark Rothko paintings ists and addressing the gender imbalthat have adorned the Rothko Room for over two ance in the art world, promoting decades are set to embark on a journey to the Fonchange and offering a space for dation Louis Vuitton in Paris. To fill this void, the Hirshorn – Simone Leigh, “Herm” (2023). Bronze, 98 x 30 x 28 inches (249 x 76 x 71 cm). ©Simone Leigh, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. Photo: Timothy Schenck.

11 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Mondays. 202-3872151. Ticketed entry required.

Rubell Museum – February James. The Color of Sound, 2021. Watercolor, ink, sharpie, oil pastel, oil stick, and charcoal on canvas 73 3/4 x 78 in. (187.3 x 198.1 cm). acquired in 2021. Courtesy Rubell Museum.

Phillips Collection has displayed three other Rothko artworks, on loan from Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko, the artist’s children. This temporary reimagining of the Rothko Room will be open for viewing through March 31, 2024. Three iconic abstract paintings by Rothko from the 1950s, specifically “Untitled (Yellow, Pink, Yellow on Light Pink)” (1955), “No. 14” (1951), and “No. 12” (1951), will temporarily replace three paintings originally acquired by the museum’s founder, Duncan Phillips. These three original paintings will be featured in the major Mark Rothko retrospective at the Fondation Louis Vuitton through April 2, 2024, in a room designed to emulate the chapel-like ambiance of the Phillips Rothko Room. The Rothko Room at The Phillips Collection, established in 1960, has remained virtually unchanged in scale and character since its inception. Duncan Phillips, who regarded Rothko as one of the greatest contemporary American artists of his time, believed that Rothko’s paintings possessed a transformative magic that enveloped viewers, evoking profound emotions and a sense of greatness. This visionary approach continues to define the Rothko Room, emphasizing the enduring influence of Rothko’s art on the history of modern and contemporary art. 1600 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC. Tue.-Sun.,

Rubell Museum “Singular Views: 25 Artists” and “Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’Art du Defi, the Art of Challenge,” rubellmuseum.org/dc The Rubell Museum DC opens two exhibitions on November 2 as part of a comprehensive museum-wide reinstallation. “Singular Views: 25 Artists” showcases the work of 25 contemporary artists from the United States and around the world through individual presentations. In this exhibition, over 120 artworks spanning various media will be on display, featuring renowned artists such as Amoako Boafo, Mickalene Thomas, and Hank Willis Thomas. Additionally, it includes the work of several talented artists from the DC and Baltimore areas, including February James, Murjoni Merriweather, Rozeal, Sylvia Snowden, and John Waters. Concurrently, the museum will host “Alexandre Diop: Jooba Jubba, l’Art du Defi, the Art of Challenge,” which highlights the Franco-Senegalese Vienna-based artist Alexandre Diop. Diop’s work delves into the legacies of colonialism and diaspora, addressing universal themes of ancestry, suffering, and historical violence. The exhibition features pieces created during his 2022 residency at the Rubell Museum, accompanied by a catalog containing an essay by scholar Mara Niang and a conversation between Diop and Hans Ulrich Obrist, along with a selection of color photographs. A 288-page catalog, “Collection Highlights and Artist Writings,” accompanies the exhibitions, reflecting collector and museum co-founder Mera Rubell’s vision of presenting artists whose work addresses contemporary ideas and introducing new talents to the DC cultural scene. Each artist’s work is showcased in focused solo exhibitions, offering deeper insights into their practices. 65 I Street SW. Open Daily. Free admission for DC Residents. 202-964-8254. Phil Hutinet is the founding publisher of East City Art, DC’s visual art journal of record. For more information visit www.eastcityart.com u

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BELOW: The house specialty at Makers Union is the Sea-Cuterie, a generous platter heaped with mouthwatering seafood and accompaniments.

Capitol Cuisine by Celeste McCall

Right: At the District Wharf, Makers Union sports an attractive, convivial atmosphere and sensibly priced fare.

we settled in the handsomely appointed dining area. The 3,550-square-foot space is bedecked with blue velveteen banquettes, exposed faux brick and comfy blue chairs. A neon “Get Nauti” sign adorns one wall. The sign refers to the restaurant’s signature item, Sea-Cuterie, a generous platter heaped with a half-pound lobster tail, a half-dozen local oysters, jumbo shrimp and lump crab cocktail, all accompanied by warm butter, cocktail sauce and Champagne vinaigrette. Feeding an entire table, the $85 price tag seems reasonable. Since Makers Union touts its Southern cooking, I started with the Nashville hot chicken tenders. The crispy fried tenders packed plenty of firepower but not enough to blow me away. Accompanying coleslaw provided a cooling touch. Crowned with a lacy parmesan crisp, the cheddar broccoli soup was delicious, thick with broccoli chunks and plenty of cheese. Accompanied by french fries, Peter’s fried codfish sandwich was moist and flavorful and crunchy on the outside. Other midday choices include Makers nachos with the usual toppings, “classic” burgers (real or “Impossible”), fried chicken sandwiches, Asian steak salad, poke bowl and much more. Dinner brings New Zealand lamb chops, The kitchen at Makers Union also concocts a delicious broccoli Alfredo pasta, more fried chicken (with waffles). cheddar soup, replete with cheese and veggie chunks. s the holidays approach, much is happening at the District Wharf, especially on the restaurant front. Among recent gustatory arrivals is Makers Union, 664 Maine Ave. SW. The lively gastropub made its splashy debut next to sister restaurant Milk & Honey. Specializing in Southern comfort food, both restaurants are part of the minority-owned Thompson Restaurants group, based in Reston, Virginia. On an unseasonably warm October afternoon,

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And – drumroll, please! – a 42-ounce tomahawk ribeye steak for two, complete with salads and side dishes. Price: $150. Besides enjoying a scrumptious repast, we were pleasantly surprised by Makers Union’s sensible prices. Unlike some neighboring Wharf eateries, Makers Union keeps most entrees in the $20 range, except for the $85 Sea-Cuterie and the gargantuan tomahawk steak dinner which feeds two or more. Much of Makers Union business comes from cocktails, especially drinks made with bourbon, Scotch, whiskeys and other spirits, enjoyed at the handsome, convivial bar. There’s also a brief wine and beer listing; I sipped a pleasant pinot grigio. Makers Union is open all day, every day, including a weekend family-style brunch. For exact hours and more information, visit www.makersunionpub.com.

Pan-Asian Fare

It had been quite some time since we’d dined at Kaliwa,751 Wharf St. SW. Cathal Armstrong’s panAsian kitchen showcases Thai, Korean and Filipino dishes. On another pleasant fall afternoon, we decided to discover what we’d been missing. For one thing: higher prices. (But that’s not unusual, as tabs have risen almost everywhere.) In Kaliwa’s pleasant-

Check out all of our happenings at Also at the District Wharf, the pan-Asian restaurant Kaliwa oﬀers interesting Thai, Korean and Filipino dishes.

visit www.kaliwadc.com. Coming soon, if not already: Limani Greek Mediterranean restaurant, 670 Wharf St. SW, and Kinfolk Southern Kitchen, 685 Wharf St. SW, in the Hyatt House hotel. Watch for updates.

And Many More...

Happy anniversary and congrats to Las Placitas, 1100 Eighth St. SE, celebrating its 33 years in business. The homespun Mexican/Salvadoran mainstay was originally located up the street at 517 Eighth but decamped to its present digs in 2015. At the foot of Barracks Row, Las Placitas, the Mexican/Salvadoran eatery, has celebrated its 33rd year in business.

ly appointed interior, folks were watching football and soccer on several TV screens. But we opted for patio seating. Sipping our $17 drinks (Whispering Angel rosé and a mimosa), we ordered our lunch. I had my heart set on the crispy tempura avocado with spicy mayo. But alas, the kitchen was out of avocado. Instead, we shared the bibimbap salad, a rather lackluster mélange of sliced lotus root, bean sprouts, kimchi and cukes on a bed of steamed rice. Spicy sauce rescued the bland dish somewhat. For an entrée, I sprang for the red curried rice with Maryland blue crab. The $38 price tag seemed a bit steep for lunch, but the dish was delicious, laced with big chunks of lump crab. The curry hit the balance of sweet and hot, delivering the right amount of firepower. I was tempted to lick the boatshaped dish. Among other menu options are salmon crudo, Korean-style wings, spring rolls, bulgogi. For hours and more information,

Coming Soon If Not Already...

... to the H Street corridor: Kangnam Chicken & Seafood, 1125 H St. NE. The menu encompasses assorted types of fried chicken – including spicy wings with various sauces. Among seafood offerings are fried whiting filets, salmon, fried shrimp and steamed crabs. For hours and more information, visit www.khandc.com. Due to debut near the H Street corridor is Pascual, 732 Maryland Ave. NE, where Kenny’s BBQ used to be (and long before that, Hogs on the Hill). For the future south-of-the-border enterprise, chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conway will tap the flavors of their native Mexico City. Chef Coss, who previously wielded her whisk at Georgetown’s ritzy Lutece, was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine in 2023.

www.Mrhenrysdc.com LIVE MUSIC Wed through Sat evenings. Tickets at

Instantseats.com Every Wednesday Capitol Hill Jazz Jam 11/4 - Renee Georges

11/17 - Kevin Cordt

11/9 - Karen Gray

11/18 - Stickman

11/10 - Time to Eternity Band

11/24 - Shannon Gunn

11/11 - Stan Killian

11/25 - Andrew Musselman

11/16 - Kristine Key

11/30 - Jeff Antoniuk

Gone

Fancy Radish, 600 H St. NE, the well-received, fiveyear-old “modern vegetable restaurant,” departed last month. Opened in 2018 by James Beard Award-nominated chefs Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, the plantbased eatery garnered positive reviews. No word yet on who will occupy that spot.

And…

As always, La Plaza Mexican & Salvadoran Cuisine, 629 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, will be open on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23. For menu and exact hours, visit www.laplazadc.com. ◆

Mon-Fri 11am – 1:30am Sat & Sun 10:30am – 1:30am

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the LITERARY HILL A Compendium of Readers, Writers, Books, & Events

by Michelle LaFrance

open this month’s column with an interview of Tom Hughes, author of Alleys of Washington, DC: A Hidden City’s Past, Present, and Future. Tom is a food historian, author of several books about global foodways, and the former proprietor of DC’s The Potato Museum. MLF: You and your family used to run an unusual museum in DC and now run an online museum—how do those experiences overlap with your work for this book? Tom Hughes: In the early 80s, my wife and I provided tours of The Potato Museum collection we had created in Brussels, on display by appointment only in a gallery space of our Capitol Hill home. (In the early 90s, the collection was part of a major exhibition at the Smithsonian called “Seeds of Change”.) After moving to New Mexico, we established the Food Museum Online, among other food-themed projects and books. After university study in New Mexico and the UK, our son, Gulliver, moved back to the Hill. MLF: With so many tourist destinations in a city like DC, it’s an unusual choice to focus on alleys! Why look at alleys? TH: I wrote the alleys book initially to showcase Gulliver’s photos. On my regular visits back to DC, I’d accompany him into the favorite alleys he had been photographing, unfamiliar parts of the city for me. I became enchanted, as he was, with their variety and old-world charms, away from the clamor and crowds of the nearby streets. I wanted to know more, and quickly discovered that studying alleys provided valuable perspectives into issues such as urban growth patterns, racism, gentrification, and affordable housing. MLF: How did you select the alleys you focus on in this book? Capitol Hill’s alleys are the best preserved and interconnected network in the city. They are safe, walkable and full of variety. For most of the city’s history, alleys were the home of mostly minority groups. Some of those unnamed alleys I named for notable African American women who made significant contributions to the city but are otherwise not memorialized in our nation’s capital. Tom Hughes

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As a food historian, I also came to realize the vital role alleys traditionally played in a city’s food system. It was in alleys where foods were processed, preserved, packaged, and distributed. Horses and delivery wagons were housed in alley stables and buildings. I hope the book encourages DC residents to better understand, appreciate and enjoy exploring this hidden and well-preserved historic network. I think visitors will also enjoy, as I have, experiencing a unique and largely unknown part of our nation’s capital. To find out more about the Potato Museum, please see potatomuseum. com. The Food Museum can be found at Foodmuseum.com. Other releases about food history by Tom Hughes can be found at Bookshop.org.

November Reviews

Alleys of Washington, DC Tom Hughes’ latest book, filled with history, photographs, maps, and directions for those who’d like to explore the alleys themselves, is sure to delight fans of walking tours, architecture, history, and DC’s most loved neighborhoods. Beginning with L’Enfant’s original 1791 design of the city—that included no alleys—Hughes nods to the growth of alleys through the 19th century as sites that typically housed the city’s working classes. Through mid20th century revisions of city policy to accommodate the city’s increasing density, the growth of federal office complexes, and late 20th century zoning and development negotiations, Hughes shows the importance of preserving a less visible part of DC’s architectural history. Gulliver Hughes’ sharp and celebratory photos lend a vibrant eye to a fascinating read. Alleys of Washington, DC is available through online retailers. Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers Georgina Warren’s debut collection is a delightful departure from the weary figure of the “wicked stepmother.” In twelve original fairy tales, stepmothers take redemptive center stage as loving family guardians and

Georgina Warren

Poetic Hill Kenneth Carroll

enneth Carroll is a poet, writer and arts educator. His writings appear in numerous journals and anthologies. He is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the 2022 “Blood Orange Review” short fiction winner. He has performed in readings and performances at the Kennedy Center, Nuyorican Café, Beyond Baroque, Gala Hispanic Theater and universities around the country. He is former director of DC WritersCorps and the African American Writers Guild. A native Washingtonian, Carroll grew up in Ward 5, where he was Sterling Brown’s paperboy and fell in love with literature at the Woodridge Library. He is the proud father of a daughter and two sons. This poem is from a chapbook, “A Jim Crow Drowning.”

encouraging mentors. Drawing inspiration from her own connection with her stepmother, Warren’s writing is fresh, imaginative, and heartfelt; her stories are entertaining and charming remakes of stories of the blended family. Readers can look forward to guest appearances by princesses and princes, dragon mothers, giants, ogres, unforgettable weddings, delicious puddings, and more. To hear more about the collection and Warren’s writing, tune to “In the Blend,” a podcast about blended families: https://intheblend.com.au/podcast/georgina-warrenon-tales-of-virtuous-stepmothers/ Halcyon: A Novel A finalist for the 2023 national book award, Elliot Ackerman’s latest novel revises US history—circa 2004—to flip culture war scripts. Martin Neumann, simultaneously an everyman and a jaded college professor, encounters issues of mortality, memory, and the entrenchments of political divisions many US voters would rather ignore than lean into. As “resurrection, a process of taking on a new life” is discovered, as Gore is elected president and gears up to pardon Clinton, as Obama’s presidency is not bad, as activists petition to remove statues of the Confederacy, as conservative politicos challenge scientific progress, Neumann composes a book that meditates on the reconciliation of North and South in the trauma-filled aftermath of the Civil War and social attitudes change beneath his feet.

Have a Look at Bookshop.org

Don’t have time to get to the brick-and-mortar bookstore you’d prefer to shop at? Looking for alternatives to that enormous online retailer gobbling up local markets? Bookshop.org, an online “affiliate marketing” site, works similarly to other online book sellers— you hop online, browse, read reviews, choose the books you’d like to buy, and ship your selections. Click, click, click—done. Support local, independent booksellers. Unlike other large web-based retailers, Bookshop.org sends a portion of the sale to the local bookstore of your choice. Like other

by Sandra Beasley

CROOM, MARYLAND For Great Grandpa Diggs a slave For my father a sharecropper i know these trees how they speak in a summer’s breeze accompanied by twittering birds & the neighing of horses in distant pastures

Elliot Ackerman

online retailers, you can create an account and store your information for easy return purchasing. Delivery times are akin to those available through other online retailers. All your favorite neighborhood DC bookstores can be found in Bookshop.org’s list of local retailers: East City Books, Solid State Books, Little District Books, Mahogany Books, Capitol Hill Books, Bus Boys and Poets, and Politics and Prose. Michelle LaFrance is Associate Professor of English at George Mason University. She teaches creative nonfiction, life writing, and civic writing at the Hill Center and blogs about writing, her upcoming writing classes, and writing retreats at writinglostriver.org. u

i know these furtive creeks & rivers that wind past green stalks of corn sweetened by maryland sunrises

Photo: Courtesy Derek Baker

i know this dirt that cradled my people’s feet, that drained their sweat & tears, that demanded blood & life a sharecropper’s toil i know this place where my family demanded respect, refusing to be silenced in a jim crow county, where challenging evil could leave you hanging like tobacco in a smoke-filled barn i know this place where black men kept their shanks sharp their double barrels loaded their minds on freedom i know this place i have been waiting for it to die i have been waiting to reclaim it. Poetic Hill curator Sandra Beasley, a resident of Southwest, is the author of four poetry collections. If you live in DC and are interested in being featured, reach her at sandrabeasley@earthlink.net for questions and submissions (one to five poems). u

November 2023 H 103

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FAMILY LIFE

The District Vet Raising Calvin

by Dan Teich, DVM istrict Veterinary Hospital is proud to introduce our new chief of pet relations, Calvin T. Dog. Being a nine-weekold puppers, he’s in training, learning how to provide the best service and support to our furred friends. He’s also getting grips on where to pee. It’s a work in progress. Calvin reminds me and the entire crew at District Veterinary Hospitals that raising a puppy requires more patience than one would think. We want our new friend to immediately understand that the outdoors is for eliminating and the coffee table is ornamental, not chewable. The first weeks are akin to having a newborn at home. We must not lose patience and must understand that training takes time, dedication and quite a bit of pluck. I have learned that consistency and keeping training simple is the best path toward success.

NOT ENGAGE. Remember, puppies see attention as a reward. If they are biting you, stand up and walk away. If you cannot get away, pick up the pup and put it in the bathroom for five minutes and ignore. Only give attention when you deem pup’s behavior to be appropriate. 4. Play with the toes, toenails, ears and teeth under the cheeks. This will get pup used to all these areas being touched, making nail trims, foot care, tooth brushing, grooming and ear treatment much easier down the road. Play with all of these for five seconds each, 10-30 times a day. Yes, really, that many times. You will be thankful in the long run. 5. Grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs. So is chewing gum. Be wary of marijuana blunts on the sidewalk. 6. Have fun. Puppies are the meaning of life. And remember, it will turn out all right.

Six Basic Rules

I selectively forget how much puppies drink and urinate. It’s amazing the capacity of their urinary bladder. When housetraining, the key to success involves trying to not let the pup fail. We take Calvin outside to eliminate at least hourly during the day. And giving praise when he achieves the mission. At night he is in a crate next to the bed. When we wake in the morning, we throw on some semblance of clothing and take him right out to the grass. Do not use puppy pee pads. They may be convenient but in the end all they do is train your dog to eliminate in the house! You may find that the dog will be walked but not urinate, then urinate once inside. To train this out, walk the pup, and if you think it should have urinated/defecated but did not, return inside for 30 sec-

Here are the six basic rules of puppy training from my Puppy 101 class: 1. A tired puppy is a BETTER puppy (mentally and physically). It goes without saying that when they have energy and are bored, trouble ensues. 2. The Five Minute Rule for preventing separation anxiety. Use a dog crate starting immediately. Put your friend in a crate at least five minutes before you need him/ her in the crate and then do not acknowledge any crying or whimpering. When you return, be present but do not engage for five minutes, then take your friend out to pee without any fanfare. 3. Reward good behavior, ignore bad behavior. If pup is barking, do not pay attention. Do not correct, do not say no, DO

Housetraining

onds, then take the pup outside again. This usually works to stimulate their elimination response. For chewing on you, do not tolerate it! Simply put the dog down and ignore the behavior. Engaging in any meaningful manner is rewarding the behavior. They are so cute, but do not give in and do not get frustrated!

Proper Food

Use a well-formulated and established diet such as Purina ProPlan, Royal Canin or Science Diet. Many of the “boutique” foods on the market have little research behind them and may be detrimental to your pet in the long-term. This has been the experience of many veterinary professionals over the past years.

Resources

Some good resources for training and basic behavior include: – “The Perfect Puppy in 7 Days” by Sophia Yin – “Puppy’s First Steps: Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Dog” by the faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine – “Decoding Your Dog” by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists – “A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog!” by Niki Tudge – The canine behavior series on www.veterinarypartner.com – Clicker training library on the Karen Pryor website at https://karenpryoracademy.com/what-is-clicker-training/. – The Indoor Pet Initiative by Ohio State University Raising Calvin is fun. It’s a challenge! Most important is that working with our new friend reminds us of the challenges and joys of puppies. Calvin works primarily at our Navy Yard and Eastern Market hospitals. Dr. Teich is the medical director for District Veterinary Hospitals in Navy Yard, Eastern Market and Brookland. Visit www.districtvet.com for more information. u

November 2023 H 105

FAMILY LIFE

Girls on

the

Not Just an Exercise Program by Pattie Cinelli, photos by Caitlin Arbuckle

arolyn Bruckner’s daughter, a student at Brent Elementary School, was not interested in exercise. In fact, she hated running. Bruckner enrolled her in Girls on the Run (GOTR) anyway. GOTR is a nonprofit afterschool program available in several Capitol Hill elementary schools designed to enhance children’s social, emotional and physical skills to help them successfully navigate life experiences. To her parent’s surprise, Bruckner’s daughter discovered that she couldn’t wait to participate in the 75-90 minute practice twice a week. “We were so excited for our daughter to be a part of the (GOTR) team,” Bruckner said. “She loves the program because it’s more than just running. It’s about confidence, connection and movement. She can’t wait to do it again in the spring.” GOTR is a nationwide organization with a research-based curriculum that is structured around giving girls an understanding of themselves, fostering physical health, valuing relationships, teamwork and recognizing how they can shape the world at large. Participants can gain critical life skills that strengthen their potential at a time when societal pressures and conflicting messages about how to feel and act can cause doubt and uncertainty. Founded in 2006, GOTR has grown from one team to 50 teams and more than 750 participants, explained Rachel Malku-

106 ★ HILLRAG.COM

GOTR-DC’s team from Brent Elementary celebrate the power of team work and determination after crossing the ﬁnish line.

Run

sak, GOTR-DC program director. “This one-of-a-kind program offers a safe space for everyone to recognize and develop the connection between mind and body which can have a life-long impact on participants.” At each of the several Capitol Hill area schools, Malkusak said the GOTR program is after-school, but depending on need, some locations may choose to hold sessions before school. The program begins each fall and continues for 10 weeks. This season, GOTR culminates with a community 5K event at Anacostia Park on Sunday, Nov. 19th. Based on the premise that children today are exposed to longstanding gender stereotypes, societal obstacles and cultural challenges that can be detrimental to their emotional and physical health, GOTR has developed evidence-based programs that inspire all girls “to build their confidence, kindness and decision-making skills,” according to the website. Dynamic lessons instill valuable life skills including the important connection between physical and emotional health.

Lessons Enhance Living

Rain or shine, program participants from Brent Elementary School never stop. RIGHT: GOTRDC Program Director Rachel Malkusak

GOTR coaches are the heart of the program, according to Malkusak. They are trained volunteers who lead a team of participants through a season of fun and powerful lessons. For example, in Lesson 5, girls learn about the importance of finding balance in their lives. Children are prompted, “Why do you think balance is important?” According to the lesson plan, competence, confidence and caring are the life skills targets in Lesson 5. The curriculum encour-

November 2023 H 107

Hill-O-Ween THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FOR HELPING TO CREATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HILLOWEEN CELEBRATION!

Participating Organizations Get to know the participating organizations by visiting them below.

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The Brent team radiates joy and accomplishment

after conquering the community 5k. ages girls to use their brains, brawn and emotions. Girls learn about their ability to shift their thinking and reactions to create a better-feeling thought and consequently result in their everyday lives. Participants gather in a circle with a coach in the middle for each lesson. In Balance they explore answers to questions such as, ‘How do you take care of your body? What do you do to make your brain stronger? What activities do desire to support and encourage the you enjoy? What are some emotions next generation. Plenty of other volyou have experienced? and Who are unteer opportunities exist. GOTR the important people in your life?’. needs help with the 5K this month, “There is always a workout after the and also has slots for groups that circle,” said Malkusak. “It’s either would like to help as well as onewalking, running or whatever a haptime opportunities. “Anyone is welpy pace is.” She said each session come to volunteer,” said Malkusak. ends with a wrap up, a cool down and “We have 1500 terrific volunteers discussion on what to work on in bebetween the fall and spring programs tween practices so they have an idea with all different backgrounds.” of how to keep themselves balance. Maybe this year, GOTR leaders “Being a coach for Brent’s and participants can take a trip up GOTR team has been one of my East Capitol Street and their share favorite experiences,” said Caitinsights with about creating a suclin Arbuckle. “As a full-time teachcessful program that is inclusive and er at Brent, I see girls in the classsupportive. Building a world where room and around school every day, every girl can know and activate their but there is something special about limitless potential is powerful. The seeing them during GOTR. They organization is dedicated to incluget to show us a side that they don’t sion, diversity and equity – values always have a place and time to exthat would serve our confused leadpress. The girls I coached are funers very well. ny, kind, supportive and unique. For information about volunteerIt’s a privilege to help them explore ing or the 5K race: www.gotrdc.org. themselves and their friendships, all while seeing their confidence soar.” Pattie Cinelli is a health and fitness profesCoaches receive tools and support sional and journalist who has been writing her column for more than 25 years. She as needed and often find they get as focuses on non-traditional ways to stay much out of coaching as they give. healthy, get fit and get well. Please email Not a runner? Not a problem at her with questions or column suggestions GOTR. You simply need to have a at: fitmiss44@aol.com. ◆

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FAMILY LIFE

School Notes by Susan Braun Johnson

Maury

For the past ten years, Think Tank at Maury Elementary has been inviting beekeepers Toni Burnham and frequent volunteer Barry Hayman to teach second graders a series on pollination, bees, related insects, food and the environment. The kids dissect flowers; learn honeybee anatomy and behavior through direct observation; discover how people partner with bees for our food supply; create posters about honeybee and pollinator wellness; make beeswax candles and

Mundo Verde

Friends Community School

that each one was able to type on a real typewriter, there is no question that typewriters are in fact real. FCS kids are learning about historical and new things every day! Visit the magic that a Quaker progressive education brings to a child

by attending an Open House. Friends Community School, 5901 Westchester Park Drive, College Park, MD; friendscommunityschool.org

Mundo Verde

Students at Mundo Verde enthusiastically immersed themselves at their Diversity Fairs, discovering diverse cultures and embracing the joy of learning. Mundi Verde: J.F. Cook Campus, 30 P St NW; Calle Ocho Campus, 4401 8th St NE; mundoverdepcs.org.

Maury beekeepers.

pollinator plant seed balls; and finish the year by harvesting honey to take home. Maury, 1250 Constitution Ave. NE, mauryelementary.com.

Friends Community School

If you asked a kindergartener in Ms. Jennie’s class if typewriters were real, they would have told you that they were a thing of fiction. That was their response after reading Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin. So, they went back in time (which was down to the 8th grade classroom) to experience typing on a typewriter. The photo shows members of Ms. Jennie’s class exploring this historical machine. Now 110 H HILLRAG.COM

Miner

Miner Elmentary

Miner Elementary celebrated Math Night on October 12. Students and adults had a great time visiting different stations where they completed math related activities, crafts, games, and more. Kudos to the staff at Miner for com-

Waterfront Academy

Templeton Academy

ing up with new and exciting ways to make learning fun for all ages! Miner, 601 15th St, NE; minerelementary.org

Waterfront Academy

Waterfront Academy elementary student’s art project for October. Each student created a circle that was combined with other students’ circles. Waterfront Academy, 222 M St, SW, waterfrontacademy.org.

Richard Wright Schools

Honoring Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice Richard Wright Schools is proudly hosting the South Carolina Combat Veterans for a 10th year! Each year, Richard Wright Schools

Eastern HS

the Veterans come to teach students and staff about service to the country. In this photo, Logan captures them marching by the Veteran’s Wall at the Vietnam Memorial Park. paying their respects to fallen colleagues. Thanks to all the Veterans for their service and sacrifice. We will remember, always. Richard Wright, 475 School St, SW; richardwrightpcs.org

Eastern HS

Eastern’s sports are coming on strong this fall with football currently ranking in the top 3 and volleyball in the top 6. Here, Eastern Girls Volleyball Team celebrates. Eastern Senior High School, 1700 East Capitol St, NE; easternhighschooldcps.org

Templeton Academy

Students at Templeton Academy have been fundraising for their summer Earthwatch trip to Ecuador. Templeton Academy, 406 7th St, NW, www.templetonacademy.org/dc

Northeast Stars Montessori Preschool

Northeast Stars students recently worked with the brown stairs. The

brown stairs are a series of ten brown, wooden quadrilateral prisms. This activity is intended to help children understand sequence and order, to experience the concepts of numbers 1 to 10, the decimal system, and the relationship between squaring and area. This work helps children develop visual discrimination and mathematical concepts such as adding and subtracting. Northeast Stars Montessori Preschool, 1325 Maryland Ave NE; nestars.net. u November 2023 H 111

Kids & Family

“The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me” at the KC As the first Christmas nears, who among the animals can lead Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem? Based on the award-winning children’s book, this production features a cast from the Kennedy Center’s Cafritz Young Artist Program and the WNO Children’s Chorus. $25 to $49. Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre on Dec. 8, at 7 p.m.; Dec. 9, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Dec. 10, at 2 p.m. www.kennedy-center.org

Season’s Greenings at the Botanic Garden

Open on Thanksgiving Day through Jan. 1 (except Christmas), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the popular annual holiday display at the US Botanic Garden features model trains in the gated outdoor gardens, while in the Conservatory there are displays of poinsettias, holiday decor and DC landmarks made from plants. Season’s Greenings is also open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Dec. 14, 21 and 28. www.usbg.gov

Photo: Scott Suchman

DC Children of the American Revolution Clean Indigenous Graves

LEGO Brick City at the National Building Museum

Through spring, 2025, “Brick City” celebrates iconic architecture from cities around the world through carefully recreated constructions made from LEGO bricks by UK-based artist Warren Elsmore. Visitors discover destinations across all seven continents. Young builders channel their creativity in an interactive area where they construct their own masterpieces out of LEGOs. An expansive “graffiti wall” provides a canvas to create pixelated art using the toy bricks, while building areas prompt visitors to build imaginative cities of their own. $10 admission for adults; $7, kids. The National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW, is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.nbm.org

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (formerly Columbus Day), the Washington, DC, State Society of the Children of the American Revolution held an educational ceremony at Congressional Cemetery and cleaned the gravesites of indigenous peoples. This was a unique opportunity for children aged 5-17 to learn about the role of cemeteries in historic preservation, gain handson volunteer opportunities and learn about this important holiday.

Visitors experience Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin” (2016) before Storytime. Photo: Kate Warren, Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for Storytime, a unique experience that offers kids (birth to age eight) and their caregivers a fresh theme each week. They can enjoy hands-on fun with artmaker projects inspired by the Hirshhorn’s collection, plus read-alouds filled with music, tales and movement. Storytime is always free, no reservations or tickets required. Museum doors open at 10 a.m. The Storytime group will leave for the galleries at 10:15 a.m. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the lobby and on the lower level. For access services or accommodations to make the experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation), contact hmsgeducation@si.edu. One to two weeks’ advance notice is recommended but not required. The Hirshhorn is at Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. www.hirshhorn.si.edu 112 H HILLRAG.COM

Photo: R Nowitz for ACVA

Alexandria’s Scottish Christmas Walk Parade and Concert

On Saturday, Dec. 2 (rain or shine), at 11 a.m., this family-oriented parade begins at St. Asaph and Wolfe streets and concludes at Old Town’s Market Square with a massed band concert at 1 p.m. www.campagnacenter.org/scottishwalkweekend

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“Snow Maiden” at Synetic

In a frozen forest high in the mountains, a lonely boy builds a girl from snow. When she mysteriously comes to life, mischief and enchantment abound. Told through movement, dance and acrobatics, Synetic’s take on the folktale “Snegurochka” comes to life in a 45-minute production set to an enchanting score. $35. “Snow Maiden” is at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington (Crystal City), Virginia, from Dec. 9 to Jan. 6. www.synetictheater.org Maryam Najafzada for Synetic Theater’s “Snow Maiden” 2022. Photo: Johnny Shryock

My School DC Guide and Key Dates for Public School Lottery

Find critical dates for applications to public schools and most public charter schools at www.myschooldc.org. Call 202-888-6336 with questions.

Step Afrika’s “Magical Musical Holiday Show” at Arena

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The first holiday show incorporating the African American tradition of stepping, Step Afrika!’s “Magical Musical Holiday Step Show,” is a feast for the eyes and ears. Dance along with awardwinning dancers on Arena’s Fichandler Stage as DJ Nutcracker sets the tone for a family-friendly holiday “stepstravaganza.” $56 to $95. For ticket discounts, visit www.arenastage.org/tickets/savings-programs. Step Afrika’s “Magical Musical Holiday Show” is at

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Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW, from Dec. 8 to 16. www.arenastage.org

Discovery Theater’s “Seasons of Light”

This signature Discovery Theater show celebrates the history and customs of Diwali (Devali), Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia Day, Kwanzaa, Christmas and the First Nations’ tradition of the winter solstice. An interactive event, “Seasons of Light” is at Discovery Theater, Monday to Friday, from Dec. 1 to 20, at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m., with an additional 1 p.m. performance on Dec. 8, 13 and 15. Recommended for ages 5-10. $9 for adults; $8 for kids; $3 for kids under two. Tickets on sale now. Discovery Theater’s Ripley Center is at 1100 Jefferson Drive SW (on the National Mall). www.discoverytheater.org

Washington Ballet’s “Nutcracker” Family Day

on THE

Hill

Sharon L. Bernier RN, PhD Psychotherapy Individuals & Couples

202-544-6465 116 H HILLRAG.COM

Set in the heart of DC, this reimagined ballet features a George Washington Nutcracker who leads a heroic battle against the notorious Rat King. An interactive experience for all ages, the Washington Ballet’s Nutcracker Family Day is on Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Warner Theater, 513 13th St. NW. Children can participate in activities and festivities prior to the 1 p.m. matinee performance. Visit craft stations for coloring and search-a-word, photo ops with dancers and more. Family Day activities are included in the ticket price. Events begin at 11:30 a.m. $48 to $135. www.washingtonballet.org

Enchanted Pages Community Day at Planet Word

Planet Word presents Enchanted Pages Community Day on Saturday, Nov. 18, starting at 10 a.m. This free, all-day celebration of the people who bring us books and the readers who love them will feature pop-up appearances by authors and noted word lovers, performances that bring stories to life and book-inspired activities for all ages. Get free tickets at www.planetwordmuseum.org/events/enchanted-pages-community-day. Planet Word is at 925 13th St. NW (entrance on K Street). www. planetwordmuseum.org

The Ndlovu Youth Choir on the Millennium Stage

The Ndlovu Youth Choir’s run on “America’s Got Talent” (season 14)

Thanksgiving Little Turkey One-Miler and Family-Friendly Festival

This Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, be part of a timehonored DC tradition at SOME’s (So Others Might Eat) annual Thanksgiving Day Trot for Hunger 5k on Freedom Plaza. The Little Turkey One-Miler is at 8:30 a.m. ($35). The racefinisher, family-friendly festival, with music, activities, tastings and live entertainment, is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. www.trotforhunger.org

Handel’s “Messiah” (Family Edition) at the National Cathedral

On Saturday, Dec. 9, at noon, experience the best of “Messiah” with the whole family. An abbreviated performance of highlights is perfect for busy families with young children. $25 to $55. www.cathedral.org Photo: Danielle E. Thomas / Washington National Cathedral

made it the first choir in the history of either AGT or “Britain’s Got Talent” to reach the finals. It performs at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. Standing room is available behind the seated area as space allows. www.kennedy-center.org

Pick Your Own Christmas Tree

Find a Christmas tree and winter events near you. At some farms you can select and cut your own tree, at others you choose and they cut, while tree lots offer a variety of cut conifers ready to take home. Find other winter activities like sleigh rides, hayrides and wagon rides. www.pickyourownchristmastree.org

Calling Young Playwrights: Submit Your Script

Mosaic Theater is hosting its fourth annual High School Playwriting Contest for students in grades 9-12 at public and charter schools in the Washington metro area, including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Northern Virginia. Winning playwrights will receive a cash prize and have their plays read and directed by professional theater artists at the Petworth Branch of the DC Public Li-

brary during the live presentation and readings on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. Submit your play by Dec. 1 for consideration. www.mosaictheater.org/playwriting-contest

Theater Jr.’s “Tiny Lights: Tales for Hanukkah”

There is nothing like a great story, welltold. Taking inspiration from the Hanukkah tales of Isaac Bashevis Singer, theatrical storytellers will weave tales out of words, a few simple props and theatrical devices, and then teach you and your young kids how to do the same. On Dec. 3, 9 and 10 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., celebrate the joy of Hanukkah and the power of the imagination. 1529 16th St. NW. www.dcjcc. org/programs/theater-jr

Family Christmas Service at the National Cathedral

On Saturday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m., a menagerie of live animals helps bring the Nativity to life in this service of carols and prayers in the festively decorated cathedral nave. ASL interpretation is offered. Free in-person passes are required and available at www.cathedral.org/calendar/family-christmasservice-2. u November 2023 H 117

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admin@anchorcomputers.com

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CONTRACTORS

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ELECTRICIAN

HANDYMAN A Little Company with Big Results

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REFERENCES UPON REQUEST

John Himchak Construction Co. Inc. SATISFYING CAPITOL HILL CUSTOMERS FOR OVER 27 YEARS

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FITNESS

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HOUSE SITTING

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TRUSTED HOUSE SITTER Remote-working professional seeking house-sitting opportunities. No pets are preferred. Contact Richard at 703-798-1027 or Richardbarry80@ gmail.com.

INTERNET

New Student Special* One week class pass – all inclusive $39. *For local, new students only. Please pre-register, and arrive 10-20 minutes before the class starts. Masks are NOT required while on your mat taking class, but are required at other times at the studio. (Subject to updates) We continue to offer ZOOM and on-demand classes.

410 H Street NE • 202-547-1208 hotyogacapitolhill@gmail.com

FOR RENT OFFICE/WAREHOUSE SPACE Office/Warehouse Space to share in Cheverly. Call Steve at 301-351-4033. Up to 1,000 sq. November 2023 ★ 119

IRONWORK

PAINTING

PET SERVICES

Preserving Capitol Hill B R I C K BY B R I C K since 1985

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MASONRY

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WINDOWS

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YARD SALE 20 HOUSEHOLDS Saturday, October 14, 2023, from 9 AM - 4 PM at 700 7TH Sreet SW, Town Square Towers. LʼEnfant Plaza or Waterfront Metros; Buses: LʼEnfantEastern Market Circulator, 74 or 52 LINES, or Free SW Shuttle.

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hillrag.com

November 2023 ★ 121

www.themecrosswords.com • www.mylesmellorconcepts.com

CROSSWORD “Who’s for Tennis” by Myles Mellor

Across:

1. A path set aside for walking 6. Provoke 12. Texan independence landmark 17. Imprison 19. Mandarin 20. Renders unclear 22. Open stage 24. Start of a point 26. Ship 27. Relied on 28. Pro votes 30. Hunter of thrillers 31. Community spirit 34. Elementary atomic particle 37. Paddle 38. Perfect places 39. Bounding main 41. Love affairs 44. Dry up 46. Prefix with -nautics 47. Board, in a way 52. One of two smashing siblings 57. Point in tennis 58. 70s rock group, abbr. 59. Butchers’ offerings 60. Little piggy 61. Swords used to fence with 62. Aerospace educator, DeVore 64. Weapon of knights 65. Good name for a Dalmatian 67. Kid 68. Home paper 70. Aces, sometimes 72. Induction motor inventor 75. Djokovic for one 79. Liking 82. Drags 86. Anticipate 87. Singer, Rawls 88. Et ___ 90. Roger Daltrey band, with “The” 91. Woman’s tennis star 93. Tennis shot

122 H HILLRAG.COM

96. Dutch Renaissance humanist 98. Infant’s achievement 99. Make blank 100. Harriet Beecher-Stow character 103. Yesterdays 105. Watch part 109. Goal 110. Comes closer 112. One showing curiosity 116. Palm reader, for one 117. Record 119. Flower holders 121. Post-E.R. place 122. Tennis court item 124. Playing a tennis shot 129. Reddish brown 130. Out of it 131. Faze 132. Old Ford car 133. Slot-machine fruits 134. Some are inert

Down:

1. Arouse 2. ‘’It’s ___-see!’’ (rave review) 3. Tennis shot 4. U.S.’s Ryder Cup foe 5. Leftover 6. Alleviate 7. Small groups 8. “Dr. No” author Fleming 9. Genetic stuff 10. Not very pretty 11. Bygone Barcelona buck 12. Lack 13. Wine sediment 14. Atlas Mtns. locale 15. Changed residence 16. Pointed arch 18. Hosp. chart 21. Sweep with binoculars 23. Capital of Italia

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com 25. Naval rank, abbr. 29. Antonio or Andreas 32. Slow movement 33. Pine, e.g. 35. Ultimatum words 36. “Me neither” 38. Beauty lover 40. Allow 42. Palace protectors 43. Certain MD’s specialty 44. Unite 45. Fairway club 46. Meg’s “Prelude to a Kiss” co-star 48. Most juicy 49. Side squared, for a square 50. Suffix with social 51. Nasdaq competitor 52. Take in 53. Certain dyes

54. Wayside stop 55. Floor cleaner 56. Keyword improvements for a website (abbr.) 63. Wings it 66. Muscular 69. Take in, slangily 71. Tension 72. Robber’s loot 73. Open vessel 74. “CSI” character Sidle 76. Santa’s help 77. “Winnie-the-Pooh” baby 78. Explode 79. Systematic plan 80. Multitude 81. UK TV news and content provider 83. Hooting experts 84. “Whoopee!”

85. Sauce source 89. Heart’s main artery 92. Look for a seat 94. Posh British school 95. Miss 97. Kerry Washington stars in it 101. Sparked 102. Chef based in New Orleans 103. Fork protrusions 104. Goes with Spumanti 105. Nine-digit ID 106. Jordan Spieth accessories 107. Tighten, maybe 108. Moved in a curve 111. Cooking bib 113. Bagpipers’ wear 114. Etudiant’s milieu 115. Cartoonist, Goldberg’s 117. Sea eagle 118. Descartes who wrote “Cogito, ergo sum” 120. Elder 123. Switch settings 125. ___ O’Shanter 126. Strange flyer 127. ___ order 128. “___ theater near you!”

Juvenile Carjacking Motivation & Accountability

SAVE THE DATE December 5, 2023 - 7 to 9 PM Hill Center - 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Hosted by the Hill Center, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen and the Hill Rag will lead a panel discussion of stakeholders and community on the motivations that lead youth to carjack; and the way the District’s justice system holds them accountable for their actions. The discussion will be based on the recent article that ran in the October Hill Rag: “Why Do Kids Carjack?” (https://www.hillrag.com/2023/09/29/why-do-kids-carjack/). Full list of the panel participants will be announced in the December Hill Rag. Also, look in that paper for a second installment on juvenile carjacking and accountability. Councilmember Allen will be moderating. To submit a question for the panel, email ward6matters@hillrag.com. Written queries will also be permitted at the forum itself.

Sponsors:

To HILL with the Suburbs! 1100 E St, NE

NEW PRICE

A labor of love, a home of distinction!

The current owners took a large (3000+ sf!) unique & historic corner porchfront, then Restored & Renovated the home with taste and practicality. Upstairs, the Original details, hardwood floors, arched windows and expansive floor plan were upgraded w/ Pella windows, refinished floors, and beautiful decor, and renovated the kitchen w/ island, fireplace, walk-in pantry, and designer bathrooms. The basement was converted into a legal 1BR used for AirBnB ($30K!). The exterior has an NG grill, 2 patios, and great front and rear porches. Add in the heated 2 car garage, plus driveway, and this is a fully equipped, classic home, waiting for YOU!

630 13th St, NE

NOT just a house, but a Home!

Current owners lived and loved this 3BR/2.5ba home. Two zoned CAC, Open LR/ DR, Modern Kitchen, plus a grand MBR Suite with 2 lofts! Add in a back deck for coffee or cocktails, paver covered patio, secured parking, and a full footprint basement, in a great location, and you’ll love this home too!

50+ YEARS; THOUSANDS OF HOMES!

COMING SOON!

THE SMITH BROTHERS Licensed in DC & MD

jsmithteam@gmail.com John Smith Aaron Smith Office Direct

202.262.6037 202.498.6794 202.608.1880 202.608.1887

4110 1st St North Beach, MD Beachwalk Home!

This Unique, 100 yr. old home has been upgraded with a gourmet kitchen, 4 fireplaces, beautiful grounds w/ an additional 900 sq.ft. ADU. Not too far from DC, its a short walk to cafes and shopping and the Chesapeake bay Boardwalk, or simply sip coffee and watch the sunrise from the front porch! A lovely place, a lovely home! Garage Sale - Fri & Sat, Nov. 10th & 11th

Traditional Homes! Traditional Values!

THE SMITH BROTHERS

Hire Us, and We Will Put Our Experience and Skill to Work for YOU! KEEP IN TOUCH ABOUT HILL REAL ESTATE AT/ON: www.facebook.com/TheSmithTeam.DC

twitter.com/OneHillofaAgent

705 North Carolina Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003

LICENSED IN DC & MD