MidCity DC Magazine – May 2020

MAY 2020

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CONTENTS

NEXT ISSUE: June 6

MAY 2020

06

your neighborhood 06 What Would it Take to Reopen the District? • Elizabeth O’Gorek 10 Changes to Primary Voting Due to COVID-19 • Elizabeth O’Gorek

ON THE COVER:

12 Shaw Streets • Pleasant Mann 16 Bulletin Board • Kathleen Donner 22 ANC 6E • Pleasant Mann

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From a series of art works of iconic businesses by Christine Vineyard. You can buy your favorite to help raise funds for DC Central Kitchen. Read how you can help on page 23.

23 Buy a Print to Support DCCK! • Elizabeth O’Gorek

out and about 24 At The Movies • Mike Canning 26 In Search of Dandelions • Michelle LaFrance

homes and gardens 30 Cleaning – Naturally! • Catherine Plume 32 Changing Hands • Don Denton

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Capital Community News, Inc. 224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300. Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 www.capitalcommunitynews.com • www.hillrag.com

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NEIGHBORHOOD

What Would it Take to Reopen the District?

With Benchmarks Identified, An Expert Looks at Data and Testing

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

W

certain because even a gradual lifting of protective measures is likely to eventually trigger a new rise in cases, forcing leaders to reimpose strict measures.

Finally, there is question of what will be allowed to reopen and who will be permitted –or compelled—to step outside the restrictions first.

If COVID-19 was taking place outside of social and economic concerns, it may be desirable for social restrictions to remain in place until a vaccine was approved. However, even the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges the real-life conditions that make this impossible. During an April 13th press conference, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the huge number of people who have lost their jobs and the closure of schools disrupting education for years to come. “This has halted their education, opened some to increased risk of abuse and deprived many children of their primary source of food,” he said.

e’ve all heard the stories, and some of us are living them.

People have lost their jobs, local businesses are worried about paying staff and staying solvent.

Restaurants are closing, some temporarily and some for good. People are sick, and people have died. As the COVID-19 crisis continues in the District, the question everyone is asking is: when do we turn a corner? And, who will be at the rudder?

Scientists are already trying to map a pathway out of the pandemic. On April 17, experts at Johns Hopkins University released guidance for governors on a phased reopening, which Mayor Muriel Bowser said would guide decisions on the reopening of the District. Most experts agree that the return to something approaching what was once called ‘normal’ will be a slow, phased process.

Slow Phases to Reopening

Right now, the District and most of the nation are in the first phase described in the John Hopkins report, where we try to slow the spread of the disease by staying away from one another, shutting down non-essential businesses and limiting gatherings. District officials say that while there were fewer confirmed cases than expected in late April, with hospitals running at about 75 percent capacity as of April 20, they are still planning for cases to peak in late June.

Most experts agree that the District cannot reach the third phase, when restrictions are completely lifted, until there is a coronavirus vaccine. In early March, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci said even under these urgent conditions a vaccine could take 12 to 18 months to develop.

In between, there is the second and most uncer-

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What to Reopen, and When?

tain phase, a gradual reopening on the local level. It is an uncertain phase because it is not clear what metrics or data will be used to determine when each jurisdiction is ready to reopen. It is also un-

Healthcare Systems Engineer Julie Swann agrees. The A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Swann was an advisor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. She said that the lessening of restrictions is primarily about the financial and social implications.

“The disease has had just catastrophic financial impact on households and the economy,” she said, “with estimates of the resulting unemployment rate as high as 30 percent. Is

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NEIGHBORHOOD

the federal government going to pay for food for all of these people?”

In the next phase, many people would go back to work and school, under more relaxed restrictions, but Swann said large social gatherings, such as mass sporting events, festivals or concerts, will probably still be forbidden.

What will open first will vary from state to state, and should probably be dictated by local conditions, Swann said. “Maybe we’ll focus on businesses where there are fewer vulnerable people, there are small sizes of gatherings or there are financial or other implications for society,” she said. Child-care centers, elementary schools and small restaurants might reopen, each with sufficient distancing.

Other businesses that involve close contact between employees and a number of people, such as hair salons, would have to develop appropriate policies to prevent transmission, she said, opening the possibility of a waiver-system for reopening such as Bowser recently created for farmer’s markets in the District.

“I think every sector of our society will need to think about what we have in place to reduce infections,” Swann said.

The initial timing and length of phase two depends on multiple conditions, she added, such as increased levels of testing, conformity to social distancing and the capacity of the health care system, but she said that if the number of COVID-19 in the District peaks in June as is currently projected, phase two could last for months.

Expert consensus so far seems to be that the decision to reopen should be made on the state level, a point made in the John Hopkins Report and an American Enterprise Institute Report on which is it based. On April 16th, the White House presented a three-phase plan for reopening to governors, telling them that the states would “call the shots.”

On April 24, Mayor Bowser announced that she is forming a ‘Reopen DC Advisory Group’ to guide the process and monitor progress. But both Bowser and DC Health Director Laquandra Nesbitt say that before District restrictions can be loosened, they need to see a consistent downward trend in new cases over a 14-day period.

They also want to be sure the medical system can provide appropriate care for everyone who needs it. Following the John Hopkins report, Nesbitt also emphasized a need to test all those with COVID-19 symptoms, close contacts and those in essential roles, and the ability to do contact tracing for all new cases.

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Challenges to Reopening

Bowser has announced that the District is now in the process of hiring contract tracers, building the team from 65 to 200 tracers now, with a goal of around 900 by the time restrictions are loosened in the next phase. Still, there are a few challenges with assessing and maintaining many of those standards. The availability of PPE is one, a problem exacerbated by the fact that many manufacturers are located in countries already hard-hit by the virus, in addition

people. Bowser said that as of April 23, DC facilities could run just under 3,700 tests each day, with testing at the public health lab expected to double to 1,000-1,300 per day over the next few weeks.

With an insufficient number of tests available, testing is reserved for at-risk cases, meaning that the true prevalence of COVID-19 is unknown.

Nesbitt, echoing Mayor Bowser, said she was still concerned about how to get the type and amount of testing that can demonstrate that the community had reached necessary benchmarks.

Local Information, Local Decisions

Dr. Julie Swann, Healthcare Systems Engineer and A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Swann was an advisor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response. Courtesy M. Culbertson/Signal Group

to the reluctance of the White House to release nationally-held supplies or invoke executive powers over industrial production.

A similar challenge is the availability of the coronavirus test. While the District has not specifically identified the ability to test all those showing COVID-19 symptoms as a benchmark, it is suggested in the John Hopkins report, which adds testing of close contacts and essential workers. A Harvard University report recommends populations be able to test between two and six percent of their population per day before lifting stay-at-home orders. Based on District population data for 2019, that is between 14,115 and 42,345

Another problem is that while DC will make its own decisions, it does not exist in isolation. According to the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in 2017 there were 141,367 federal employees in DC and 282,666 in the metropolitan area. Whether or not that population will be expected to head to the office is a decision that will be made federally. The governors of Maryland and Virginia joined Bowser in writing a letter April 23 requesting that the OPM Director continue stayat-home policies as they combat the pandemic.

The unity of the three leaders speaks to the jurisdictional concern. While the authors of the John Hopkins Report argue that decisions should be made at the state level, calling for the strengthening of data and surveillance systems, Swann also argues that some decisions should be made at the county level, and that effort should be made to improve local data reporting.

Swann explained that knowing what is happening in Prince George’s County would be more useful for District decision-makers than knowing what is happening in the whole state of Maryland. Cases and deaths due to Covid-19 are being tracked at the county level by The New York Times, but the data is built on inadequate testing.

Swann said while national data on influenza-like illnesses could point to potential infections, it is poorly reported on the county level. Too poorly, she said, to ensure that local leaders are making good decisions.

The professor said she is surprised that DC has not reported higher levels of infection. The District, she said, has all the hallmarks for the spread of disease, including a dense urban population, connectivity with other communities and a local population with health vulnerabilities.

“People may go into and out of the community during the day, but then their reporting is attributed to a different state. I think DC may be a hidden hotspot,” Swann said.

Pendulum Swinging Between Phases

Most experts indicate that the possibility of a return to the strict conditions we are currently experiencing should be built into plans, a sort of pendulum swinging between looser and tighter restrictions. The AEI report says triggers for a return include the number of cases increasing over a five-day period; cases that cannot be traced to other known cases; or if hospitals cannot safely treat COVID-19 patients without going back to crisis mode. “We’ll need to get to the point where we can also make local decisions with local interventions, and we’re not close to that yet,” Swann said.

While the standards by which jurisdictions like the District have been sketched out, there remain many questions without clear answers. One thing many experts agree on is that the road out of the current crisis will be a lengthy and bumpy one, and the ‘normal’ we return to may look quite different from the lives we lived before COVID-19 hit.

Bowser has said that the reopening of the District will be a process, but that she is confident in the District’s ability to recover, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to rebuild and address issues that have long been a part of the city.

“As we think about reopening, we also see this as an opportunity not just to go back to the way things were before, but to do and be better than before,” she said. “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reopen our city in a way that builds a more equitable DC, and we should not let this opportunity pass us by.”

Learn more about the District efforts to fight COVID-19 by visiting coronavirus.dc.gov. Read the John Hopkins ‘Guidance for Governors’ at https://www.centerforhealthsecurity. org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubspdfs/2020/200417-reopening-guidance-governors.pdf. u

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NEIGHBORHOOD

Changes to Primary Voting Due to COVID-19 All Voters Should Request Mail-In Ballots

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

There are two ways to vote and six ways to request a ballot for the June 2 primary elections. Image: DCBOE

L

ike everything else in the District, the 2020 elections will be affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. The District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) is encouraging all residents to request a mail-in ballot and vote by mail in the June 2 Primary Elections. Every eligible voter can request a vote by mail. This is especially important because DCBOE will not operate anywhere near the usual number of precincts, or voting places, on election day.

For the 2020 June primary election, the usual 144 precincts will remain closed. Instead, DC-

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BOE will operate the 15 Early Vote Centers and five additional, larger vote centers. These 20 voting places will be open from May 22 until primary election day June 2.

Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. On election day polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voting centers will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, strict social distancing measures will be in place during lineup, registration or check-in and during actual voting at voter centers. Masks will be required to vote.

DCBOE will also implement cleaning protocols on site. Same-day registration will still be available at these voting locations with a valid proof of residence, but DCBOE says these locations should be reserved for those unable to request a mail-in ballot.

“These locations, while increasing in number, will adhere to CDC guidelines regarding COVID-19 and they should be reserved for those unable to request a mail-in ballot. It’s imperative that we protect our fellow citizens as well as the thousands of DCBOE volunteers and all of our

employees,” said DCBOE spokesperson LaDawne White.

The Board encourages ALL residents to request a mail-in ballot for the June Primary. Voters can request mail-in ballots: • online at https://www.vote4dc.com/ApplyInstructions/ Absentee • via the DCBOE mobile app vote4dc

• by calling the DCBOE at (202) 727-2525 or (202) 7415283, or by calling TTY at 711 • by fax at (202) 347-2648

• or by mailing or dropping off in person a ballot request form to: DC Board of Elections, 1015 Half Street SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003.

Forms are available online at https://dcboe.org/Data-Resources-Forms/Forms-and-Resources/ AbsenteeBallotRequestForm.aspx DCBOE also mailed request forms to all registered voters in March and will send two forms and a postage-paid envelope in each Voter Guide by May 8. The guide is also available at dcboe.org/ Elections/2020-Elections.

The last day to request a mailin ballot for the 2020 June Primary elections is May 26. Mail-in requests must be postmarked by that day, and DCBOE must receive the completed ballot from voters no later than June 9, 2020.

You can track your mail-in ballot online at https://dcboe.org/ Voters/Absentee-Voting/TrackAbsentee-Ballot u

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NEIGHBORHOOD

Shaw Businesses Deal With Coronavirus Crisis Shaw Streets

by Pleasant Mann

Free COVID-19 testing is offered by Bread for the City twice weekly. Photo:Pleasant Mann

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usinesses in Shaw continued to deal with another month of lockdown.

The list of restaurants offering takeout food and packaged cocktails were joined by newcomers including Halfsmoke, Gogi Yogi, Zepplin, Maxwell Park, Green Almond Pantry and Farmers and Distillers. Thanks to the DC Council, a change in regulations allowed live music venue DC9, considered a nightclub, to offer takeout versions of its notable hamburgers and bar items. You can get a current list of the Shaw restaurants offering takeout at shawmainstreets.org/news/.

The restrictions imposed by the lockdown led some businesses to expand their offerings. American Ice Company, typically a good-times watering hole, now has A Moveable Crab Feast each weekend, delivering a package of steamed

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local crabs with beer. Espita Mezcaleria, typically focused on Mexican food and mescal drinks, is now offering a Fresh Grocery Box. Each box includes a mix of vegetables, starches, milk, fruit, along with a selection of Mexican staples and fresh house-made tortillas from the Espita kitchen. Capo Italian Deli is reflecting the times by offering Fauci Pouchys, cocktails from its BackRoom speakeasy, packaged with the profile of Dr. Anthony Fauci, famed immunologist and media star of the moment.

The last weekend in April also saw a virtual Small Business Saturday. Usually a celebration of small retailers during the holiday shopping season at the end of the year, this Small Business Saturday was set up to give prominence to the online shopping opportunities offered by local businesses in the District

that had their physical operations shut down during the Coronavirus crisis. Notable Shaw retailers Lettie Gooch boutique and Cherry Blossom Creative stationers joined over 100 other District businesses in the virtual celebration.

Shaw Businesses Give Back

Although a number Shaw businesses have been hurt by the arrival of the Coronavirus lockdown, they still recognize that others have also been hurt or are on the frontline of the crisis. A number of Shaw restaurants have provided takeout meals to hospital workers and first responders. For example, Shaw’s Tavern, Nellie’s Sports Bar and Bistro Bohem donated meals to the Metropolitan Police Third District, along with three fire stations, including Shaw’s Engine Company 6.

Shaw’s Tavern also takes out a day every week to make and deliver meals to unemployed food workers at Hook Hall. Chef Massimo Fabbri and his son Lorenzo from San Lorenzo Ristorante brought meals to the health workers at George Washington Hospital. All Purpose donated 200 pizzas to frontline workers at George Washington Hospital and the United Medical Center as well. The Columbia Room started a pop-up sandwich shop “Get a Hero Be a Hero” where every sandwich sale is matched by a sandwich donated to a hospital.

The Brixton, a cornerstone of the Shaw hospitality community, also provided food for struggling families in the neighborhood. The Shaw Main Streets Clean Team distributed 100 boxes containing dairy, eggs and fresh produce to grateful residents of the Lincoln Westmoreland and Foster House apartment buildings.

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The Fauci Pouchy at Capo Italian Deli. Photo courtesy Capo Italian Deli

Shaw Restaurants Still Winning Recognition

Even though Shaw restaurants have had to shut down their normal operations during the Coronavirus crisis, they are still receiving accolades. Laotian restaurant Hanumanh made GQ Magazine’s list of The Best New Restaurants in America, 2020.

The publication’s Brett Martin

visited 93 restaurants in 23 cities to come up with a list of 16 of the nation’s best. Martin raved about a curry “spiked with lychee and chrysanthemum and host to delicate chunks of white crab, that I dream of returning to at Hanumanh, in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington D.C.” To the critic, Hanumanh created a vision of dining that was “small, ambitious, personal, casual: The Future.”

Lincoln Westmoreland Apartments residents were among the recipients of grocery boxes donated by The Brixton. Photo: Pleasant Mann

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SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP TODAY For existing & aspiring District businesses - the Small Business Resource Center is here for you!

Shaw restaurants and team members dotted the nominations for this year’s RAMMY Awards from the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Unconventional Diner is a nominee for the title of Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year, while its chef David Deshaises is up for the Chef of the Year award. Service Bar is nominated for Cocktail Program of the Year, All Purpose Shaw for Casual Brunch of the Year and plant-based Shouk is vying for Favorite Fast Bites of the Year. Shaw has two nominations for the RAMMY Employee of the Year award, Yesenia Neri Diaz of Espita Mezcaleria and Kyare Turner of Right Proper Brewing Company.

COVID-19 Testing Comes to Shaw

Shaw institution Bread for the City (1525 Seventh St. NW) has become a site for providing COVID-19 tests in the District. Tests are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Testing is open to anyone that has had trouble accessing healthcare services. Testing is free, and no health insurance or doctor’s referral is required to take a COVID-19 test. Access to the service is on a walk-up basis, although patients are requested to wear a face covering for the nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others in line. Up to 50 tests will be given each day of testing.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2020 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Via WebEx Register: dcrasbrc.ecenterdirect.com/events/49765

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WEBINAR: MARSHALL HEIGHTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION PARTNERSHIP: STEPS TO OBTAINING A BUSINESS LICENSE1 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Via WebEx

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Jacqueline Noisette | (202) 442-8170 | jacqueline.noisette@dc.gov Claudia Herrera | (202) 442-8055 | claudia.herrera@dc.gov Joy Douglas | (202) 442-8690 | joy.douglas@dc.gov Tamika Wood | (202) 442-8004 | tamika.wood@dc.gov

Right Proper Brewery Wins Poll

Shaw’s Right Proper Brewing has won the poll of hangout website Barred in DC for Best Brewery in the DC Metro Area. It triumphed over its final competitor Flying Dog by winning 62 percent of the online vote. This is a first time win for Right Proper, remarkable considering that it is only six years old, challenging much more established breweries in the contest. ◆

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NEIGHBORHOOD

BULLETIN BOARD

Order Soup, Hug a Farmer (virtually)

To help hard-hit local farmers, Soupergirl has partnered with Spring Valley Farm of West Virginia to deliver a fresh and unique selection of early spring fruits and vegetables to DC-area shoppers. Soupergirl is also now delivering the fresh “Farmer’s Market Box” to the front door of DMV residents. The Market Box is $35 when added to any soup order and can be purchased at thesoupergirl.com/local-dc-options. Typical produce includes spinach, salad greens, apples, asparagus and more--in short, whatever is available at harvest time. Soupergirl is selling the Market Box at just over cost, to support area farmers. Consumers can add the Market Box to any Soupergirl purchase, to bring fresh Spring Valley Farm vegetables and fruits to their door. Throughout this crisis, Soupergirl will continue to offer a 15% discount on all orders—use the code, COMMUNITY 15.

Soupergirl is a Washington, DC, based soup company with a mission to change the world, one bowl at a time. The soups are a fusion of modern flavors and old-fashioned cooking techniques that highlight seasonal, fresh ingredients. To order and learn more, visit soupergirl.com.

Two New Hospitals to Bring Equity to DC’s Health Care System

Mayor Bowser has announced two agreements to improve health care and address inequalities in health outcomes for District residents. The agreements include the construction of two new, stateof-the-art hospitals: a 136-bed hospital at St. Elizabeths East in Ward 8, operated by Universal Health Services in conjunction with George Washington University and George Washington Medical Faculty Associates; and a 225-bed Howard University Hospital on Georgia Avenue NW in Ward 1.

Through a $225 million tax abatement provided by the District, Howard University and its new operating partner Adventist Healthcare envision a new, $450 million, 225-bed, Level I trauma and academic teaching hospital, with plans to complete by 2026. The current Howard Hospital will remain open until the new hospital is completed. In addi-

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tion, the District is committing $25 million in public infrastructure support and $26.6 million over the next six years to support five Centers of Excellence at Howard Hospital – Sickle Cell, Women’s Health, Oral Health, Trauma and Violence Prevention, and Substance Abuse. Finally, in support of Howard’s redevelopment plans, the District has committed to establishing a government agency as a tenant in one of the planned new office buildings.

Peregrine Customers Contribute to Healthcare Workers

On April 1, Peregrine Espresso delivered the first round of coffee and pastries for local healthcare workers. Since then, customers have contributed over $10,500 toward coffee and pastry deliveries, serving 2,100 healthcare professionals and first responders. Peregrine Espresso continues to in-

vite customers to buy coffee and pastries, which will be delivered to professionals working at local healthcare facilities, as well as to other first responders, as funds allow. Customers can visit the online shop to buy coffee for one, coffee for 10, coffee for 50, or multiples of any package. Deliveries include coffee, condiments, mini pastries and a thank you card with the names of contributors. Coffee and pastry drop offs have, thus far, served: George Washington University Hospital, Georgetown University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Whitman Walker Health Centers, local fire stations, and several smaller facilities. Peregrine has three DC locations at 660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE on Capitol Hill, 1718 14th St. NW in MidCity and 1309 Fifth St. NE inside Union Market.

Visit peregrineespresso.com/sendcoffee to send coffee to healthcare workers.

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NEIGHBORHOOD

DC Center/Center Arts Presents Reel Affirmations Online

Visit The Social Distancing Festival

New and exciting documentary, short and feature films are screening on demand at reelaffirmationsfilmfestival.vhx.tv. A virtual ticket is $12 for 72 hours access. The DC Center for the LGBT Community educates, empowers, celebrates, and connects the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. thedccenter.org.

The Social Distancing Festival is an online artists’ community that celebrates the work of the many creators around the world who no longer have a showcase. It offers daily livestreamed events, archived videos, and original content that represents a full range of experiences, from art exhibitions in Paris to the new full-length work Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddler and the Drum, from the Alberta Ballet to music from Mexico City. The site’s regularly updated calendar is a feast for international culture lovers of all kinds. socialdistancingfestival.com.

Sixth & I’s Virtual Shabbat

Sixth & I is a mission and values-driven community dedicated to bringing people together. Accordingly, they offer a virtual Shabbat experience every Friday night on facebook.com/sixthandi for the foreseeable future. Since they use many different Adelaide, Australia – Artist Liza Merkalova worked for over a year for the exhibition Apperceptions, melodies during services, they have crewhich was to be held at Gallery M and feature 30 of her works. ated a music library to help you feel more comfortable adding your voice to the comYork Ave. NW, now offers limited services by apmunity. Follow the links at sixthandi.org/jewishpointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Services In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the life/shabbat-music/ to listen to audio files for each include use of restrooms, showers, laundry, phone DC Board of Elections has developed the Vote prayer and download the transliteration. charging and emergency clothing. Lunchtime meal Safe DC campaign. The purpose of the campaign service continues to be offered daily, including is to ensure that every vote is counted and that weekends, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the park adjaeveryone, from voters to election workers, is safe. cent to the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Two new 930 Club bandanas are available at The District of Columbia’s 144 voting precincts, To schedule services, contact Pathways to Housing merch.930.com for $10 each. Two dollars from which contain the polling stations where voters at 202-674-2365 or ddsc@pathwaysdc.org. each bandana sale goes to the I.M.P. Family cast their ballots, will remain closed on election Fund. The Fund goes to 930 Club employees days in June ( June 2 and June 16). Instead, the 15 who have been out of work a while. Read more early voting centers, where early voting typically at merch.930.com. occurs, will be expanded to 20 to accommodate additional voters. The BOE urges voters to reWhile you can’t visit your local gym or do a workout quest a mail-in ballot instead of voting in person. class during these challenging and isolating times, If voters do not choose to cast their votes by The District has ten school locations that distribute exercise is still one of the most effective ways to remail-in ballot, massive lines and delays are exfree groceries to residents in need each week at 12:30 duce anxiety and stay healthy. That’s why #FITDC pected at the early voting centers. The BOE is to 2 p.m. Nearby distribution locations are Brookis bringing you free, elevated workouts to do from developing safety protocols to protect voters and land Middle School (Mondays), 1150 Michigan the comfort of your home. Flatten the Curve Fitelection workers in consultation with the CDC Ave. NE; and Columbia Heights Education Camness is a series of online adult, senior and familyand other leading federal agencies to make early pus (Fridays), 3101 16th St. NW. coronavirus.dc.gov. friendly workouts. To access them, go to flattenthevoting centers as safe as possible. However, the curvefitness.spashthat.com. safest option for voters to reduce their risk of contracting or spreading the COVID-19 virus is to mail in a ballot. Visit dcboe.org/RequestHelp keep DC restaurant jobs and help feed DC Your-Ballot-by-Mail. families and healthcare workers in need. $13 feeds an individual; $54 feeds a family. Read more and After collecting feedback from audiences, Synetic donate a meal at fooditforwarddc.com.

Theater has been looking at innovative ways to engage students virtually--and give parents a much-needed break. Consequently, Synetic Theater presents storyThe Library of Congress is celebrating its telling class for kids, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fri220th birthday with a present for music-makers days, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., through May 22. Read more and music-lovers everywhere: a chance to play The Downtown Day Services Center, 1313 New and sign-up at synetictheater.org/kids.

Vote Safe DC

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Downtown Day Center Modifies Services

1 8 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

Synetic Theater Announces Storytelling Class for Kids

Library of Congress Needs a Few Citizen DJs

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M AY 2 0 2 0 1 9

NEIGHBORHOOD

with Citizen DJ, at labs.loc.gov/experiments.citizen-dj, a groundbreaking project that inspires hip-hop music-making from home and opens new doors into the Library’s extensive audio collections. The public can experience Citizen DJ and provide feedback by visiting the test site (above) and following the prompts.

The demo takes about 15 minutes to complete. User testing is open until May 15. To stay up-to-date on Citizen DJ when it goes live, visit labs. dc.gov.

Using some of the Library’s free-to-use audio and moving image collections, Citizen DJ enables users to select short samples to create their own beats and sound mixes. By using the tool, musicians, students, researchers and curious citizens alike can discover items in the Library’s vast collections that they likely would never have known exist. loc.gov.

DC Greens Tips to Stay Safe While Shopping

Before you shop: stay home if you are sick; order ahead; make a shopping plan; wash reusable bag before you leave; take a mask, gloves and hand sanitizer; only one person from household shops. While you shop: wipe down your cart or basket; maintain six feet of distance; do not touch food at farmers markets; use hand sanitizer; pay with credit card or other electronic form. After you shop: discard mask and wash hands; sanitize your groceries; discard plastic bags; wash hands again after putting groceries away. dcgreens.org.

DC Small Business Recovery Microgrants Program Expanded

Mayor Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development have announced more than $8 million in additional support for the DC Small

2 0 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

Business Recovery Microgrants Program. This program was created by the COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 on March 17. The fund was created to provide relief to local small businesses for expenses such as employee wages and benefits, rent, and other operating costs. For more resources and information about the District’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

Shopping Angels DC Seeks Volunteers

Shopping Angels DC is part of an international volunteer program designed to provide services to people deemed especially at-risk for COVID-19. To help ease the uncertainty, anxiety, and fear surrounding this pandemic, they volunteer their time to deliver groceries or other shopping necessities to those who should stay home. Their priority service extends to typically high-risk individuals, including senior citizens, parents of infants, and individuals with heart, lung, or immune conditions. They will deliver to individuals with COVID-19, but this status must be disclosed so that both parties can exercise strict caution during the delivery. Volunteers must complete a form at facebook.com/ shoppingangelsinc. For more information, call 202-630-7556 or email shoppingangelsdc@gmail.com.

Coronavirus Contact Tracing Force Established

Mayor Bowser has established the DC Contact Tracing Force to hire hundreds of additional tracers at DC Health. DC Health currently has about 65 contact tracers, and about 70% of confirmed cases have been traced. The Force is in the process of increasing that team to about 200 tracers, with up to an additional 700 tracers to be hired through Phase One of re-opening the District. coronavirus.dc.gov.

Changes in Tenants’ Rights in DC During the COVID-19 Health Emergency

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, both Congress and the DC Council have passed emergency legislation that impacts DC tenants’ rights. These changes will be in effect until the end of the public health emergency. (1) Landlords can still collect rent but may not increase your rent or charge late fees. (2) DC Landlord and Tenant Court is closed until May 15. All evictions are currently prohibited by DC Law. (3) If you need an emergency repair and your landlord has not responded, you can contact the DCRA at 202-442-9557, ext. 6 or you can call 311 to request a virtual inspection. (4) To obtain information about Emergency Rental Assistance Program appointments, call 202667-7339 or email erap@housingetc. org. (5) if you live in HUD-subsidized housing, public housing, have a Housing Choice (Section 8) Voucher, or live in a LIHTC building; no eviction proceedings may be brought for nonpayment of rent until August 2020, and only after you’ve received a 30-day notice. In addition, your subsidy cannot be terminated during the public emergency. (6) All deadlines related to TOPA are on pause during the public emergency. (7) All gas, water, and electricity shutoffs are prohibited by law. If your water is shut-off, contact DC Water at 202354-3750 or restore@dcwater.com.

To discuss restoring electricity call PEPCO at 202-833-7500. (8) If you have any tenants’ rights-related questions, leave a message at 202-6677426 or tenants@housingetc.org.

The Kennedy Center Launches Couch Concerts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces a free, live digital performance initiative, Couch Concerts, to help inspire, uplift, heal, and bring the perform-

ing arts from the homes of artists into homes across the country and around the world during these difficult times. For 23 years, Millennium Stage has brought free performances to audiences in person at the Center and virtually through a livestream.

The Kennedy Center will now stream concerts direct from artists’ homes on kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/couch-concerts, at 4 p.m., every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while the Kennedy Center remains closed.

DC Shorts Free Film Festival

DC Shorts presents over 375 films from the past ten years. Sort through the genres or years they were programmed and click to watch. All films may be watched full-screen-and many are in HD. More films are added all the time, so come back often. Enjoy! archive.dcshorts.com.

Be Washington: IT’S YOUR TURN TO LEAD

Step into the boots of George Washington as you confront the very challenges that he faced during the Revolutionary War and as our first President. Select SINGLE PLAYER, HOST A GAME or JOIN A GAME. Then pick a scenario: 1777 Second Battle of Trenton; 1783 Newburg Conspiracy; 1793 Genet Affair; or 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. play.bewashington.org.

You may also want to take the new virtual tour of the Mount Vernon mansion and grounds at virtualtour.mountvernon.org.

Environmental Film Festival Offers Streaming Links

Enjoy over 300 of their past Festival selections (many free) while social distancing. This includes over 60 from their 2020 online DC Environmental Film Festival. dceff.org.

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital is the world’s

premier showcase of environmentally themed films. Since 1993 their mission has been to celebrate Earth and inspire understanding and stewardship of the environment through the power of film.

DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival Call for Entries

The DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival (DCPFAF) is looking for film entries from Palestinian directors, producers, and writers for their 10th year this October. They accept feature films, documentaries, shorts, animation and experimental works. The DCPFAF showcases the diverse and creative work of Palestinian filmmakers and artists across the globe. Submission deadline is June 1, 2020. Read more and submit entries at dcpfaf.org.

Social Distancing Delivery and Pickup for DC Medical Marijuana Patients Announced

District-registered dispensaries are now allowed to provide medical marijuana to District residents registered as qualifying patients through delivery, curbside pickup, and at-the-door pickup options. The rules can be found at coronavirus.dc.gov/medicalmarijuana. This patient-centric, emergency rulemaking is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of District residents, and is similar to what other states are putting in place to continue access to medical marijuana. Under Mayor’s Order 2020-053, medical marijuana dispensaries are considered essential businesses as healthcare and public health operators.

Student Loan Relief Announced

Financial relief options have been expanded for District residents who are struggling to pay private education loans due to the coronavirus (COV-

ID-19) public health emergency. The initiative, launched by the District and several states, will provide qualifying District residents with loan forbearance and other financial protections. Relief options include providing a minimum of 90 days of forbearance; waiving late payment fees; ensuring that no borrower is subject to negative credit reporting; ceasing debt collection lawsuits for 90 days; and working with borrower to enroll them in other borrower assistance programs, such as income-based repayment. To get details on federal loans and servicers, visit the US Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System at nslds. ed.gov, or call Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4333243 or 1-800-730-8913 (TDD).

Borrowers with private student loans may check the contact information on their monthly billing statements.

Bard High School Seeks Applicants

Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC), a new school in Ward 7 at 4430 H St. SE, is recruiting its second class of students. Bard DC is a fouryear public school that offers students the opportunity to take a two-year, tuition-free college course of study in the liberal arts and sciences following the 9th and 10th grades. Through the partnership between Bard College and the District of Columbia Public Schools, students can earn a high school diploma and up to 60 transferable college credits and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard College within four years, free of charge.

Bard DC is accepting applications from rising 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students who live in Washington, DC. The process includes an interview and a writing assessment.

Visit calendly.com/amanda-washington for an admissions interview.

Reach out to Bard DC Admissions Coordinator Amanda Washington at amanda.washington@k12. dc.gov with questions. u u

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NEIGHBORHOOD

ANC 6E

A

dvisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E held its monthly meeting for April on Tuesday evening, April 7, 2020. The meeting had to be held virtually through an online application due to the restrictions on public gatherings imposed by the Mayor’s order on the Coronavirus crisis. Commission Chair Rachelle Nigro (6E04) called the meeting to order with Alexander Padro (6E01), Michael Brown (6E02, Secretary), Frank Wiggins (6E03, Vice Chair), Alex Marriott (6E05, Treasurer), Alvin Judd (6E06) and Kevin Rodgers (6E07) in attendance. There was a quorum to conduct official business.

Police Service Area (PSA) Reports

Captain Dorrough of the First District reported that there were still problems with people hanging out at the Sursum Corda site. There were also complaints of house parties that violated the prohibition on large gatherings during the first week of the Mayor’s shutdown. There has been an increase in domestic violence calls over the past month.

The numbers for property crimes have gone down.

Commissioner Marriott asked how domestic violence incidents should be reported. The captain suggested DC Safe, which can arrange for shelter and assist with obtaining stay-away orders. Commissioner Judd noted that there was a lack of lighting on the unit block of New York Avenue, which may prevent the police from recognizing problems.

Captain Kim from the Third District reported a shooting on March 26 on Rhode Island Avenue.

A lookout resulted in the vehicle used being located and the arrest of a suspect. Other crimes in 3D included the robbery of a purse, with a suspect arrested; an arrest for dealing crack cocaine on N Street; and an arrest for a stolen vehicle. The crime numbers for PSA 307 looked good, with a reduction in thefts from autos. Commissioner Wiggins asked if there was any information about an earlier shooting on the 600 block of S Street. Kim replied that they had leads on the case. Commissioner Padro complained that that there were still parties being held on a lot on Rhode Island Avenue. Kim said that he would look into it. Padro added that the visible presence of police in the neighborhood during the health emergency has helped make residents feel safer, although he would like more attention to the area of Eighth and O Streets. Kim expressed frustration dealing with a gathering of 40 people that assembled at Seventh and O.

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by Pleasant Mann Jacqueline Beathea, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Third District, introduced herself and said that she was a resource to deal with public safety issues. A property owner in the audience complained about criminal activity in the parking lot at Eighth and O Streets. Captain Kim noted that the lot was in the area managed by Captain Mack.

Commissioner Padro added that suspicious activity was brazen in the area, and offered to help the property owner contact Captain Mack.

Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee

There were three establishments requesting support for licenses on the agenda. Commissioner Padro stated that the Committee postponed consideration of them since the DC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board had stopped holding public hearings until at least June, due to the lockdown brought on by COVID-19. Commissioner Marriott, however, said that he still wanted to hear from the public if they had any issues with Cloakroom (476 K Street NW ), which was asking for an increase in their allowed operating hours, but not their hours of alcohol service.

Zoning and Planning Committee

1331 Eighth Street NW. Commissioner Padro introduced the project. The plan by Roadside Development is to build a condominium building on the District-owned lot at the southwest corner of Eighth and O Streets. The project has previously completed the approval process, but the authorization given by the DC Council has expired, requiring the Council to pass a new measure. Richard Lake, principal of Roadside Development, said that the project, which would have 79 units, 30 percent of them affordable, had all of its financing in place and that the closing on the property could take place by the end of 2020.

Padro said that the project extension was supported

by Councilmember Allen and other members of the Council. Commissioner Wiggins, in whose single member district the project is located, said that he supported the project. A resolution to support the project passed unanimously. Padro noted that the Commission’s approval should be sent to the Mayor, DC Council and the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

111 Massachusetts Avenue NW. Drew Turner of Douglas Development asked the Commission to support an extension of the Planned Unit Develop-

ment (PUD) approval for the proposed redevelopment of the building, colloquially referred to as the Darth Vader Building. It is currently being leased by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which had planned to leave for a new building in Prince Georges County. However, the new CBP building is behind schedule, requiring Douglas Development to extend their lease, delaying the planned redevelopment. Douglas Development is asking the Zoning Commission to extend the length of the PUD, which expires in May, so that their redevelopment can start next year. The ANC unanimously supported an extension of the PUD.

Transportation Advisory Committee

Alex Lopez, chair of the Committee, had three resolutions that it wanted the ANC to pass. First, it wanted the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to do a traffic safety assessment at Rhode Island Avenue and Q. That intersection requires a sharp turn, a danger since it is in front of Seaton Elementary School. The Committee suggests that there be a physical intervention to slow vehicles turning from Rhode Island to Q. Commissioner Padro added that the current turn is right in front of the area where parents drop off and pick up students.

The second resolution was to request a traffic study of the impact on the neighborhood of the new Banneker High School now under construction.

Commissioner Padro said that the request came from residents in the vicinity of the site. Padro added that the study should look at the parking demands created by the new school’s staff.

The third resolution was to reinstitute the DC Circulator’s Convention Center/SW Waterfront bus route. The route was one of the original Circulator lines, going up Seventh Street from the harbor all the way to O Street and back. It was discontinued in 2011, and there is currently no substitute for the route it took. The resolution proposes ending the new Circulator line at Florida Avenue. Commissioner Nigro added that she thought it was a well-used route and that it should not have been discontinued.

All three transportation resolutions were passed by the Commission unanimously.

ANC 6E will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. Plans are to continue to hold virtual ANC meetings until the Coronavirus emergency is lifted, allowing large public gatherings to take place. Visit www.anc6e.org for more information. u

NEIGHBORHOOD

T N I R P A Y BU TO SUPPORT D C C K !

Artist Christine Vineyard Sells Prints of Iconic DC Businesses to Raise Money For Charity

H

ill-based artist Christine Vineyard is using her work to promote local business and raise money for the DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). Vineyard, who publishes on social media as Lidflutters, wants to use her work to make a difference for families during this difficult time. She’s selling prints depicting iconic local businesses to benefit the nonprofit.

DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. In response to COVID-19, DCCK is serving more than 40,000 emergency meals each week at dozens of sites across the city, keeping healthy food on the shelves of corner stores, and supporting Culinary Job Training students whose training and careers have been disrupted by this crisis.

Their efforts make a difference to the kids she misses, Vineyard said.

A trained artist and educator, Vineyard usually spends her days teaching at McKinley Middle School (150 T St. NE). The school is a “homeless status” school, Vineyard said, meaning that many students do not have permanent addresses. Many live in shelters, the hotels retained by the Department of Human Services (DHS) along New York Avenue, in foster care or even in cars.

She said DC Central Kitchen is great because it helps everyone. “I

by Elizabeth O’Gorek know I’m not necessarily helping my kids directly,” she said of the project, “but if my efforts help students and families who are in need across the District, then I’m happy to do it.”

Her students aren’t doing their best learning right now, either, Vineyard said. DC Public Schools (DCPS) has provided schools and students with devices. However, many do not have access to Wi-Fi or electricity, or where they do, they often lack the skills necessary to connect all three. That’s a national issue, she said. “They’ve given out devices, but there needs to be a follow-up.”

She’s worried about the students at her school.

So, about a month ago, with her workload shifted after the closure of school buildings, Vineyard was able to focus some of her attention on her other skillset, art.

Vineyard has produced prints depicting 62 different iconic District. She started her work by capturing Capitol Hill Books (657 C St. SE), followed by others such as the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), where Vineyard sometimes teaches an art class and Labyrinth Puzzles and Games (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). She also has depicted businesses in the wider District, such as Kramerbooks (1517 Connecticut Ave. NW), Call Your Mother (3301 Georgia Ave. NW)

The iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl at 1213 U Street NW is one of the business portrayed by artist Christine Vineyard.

Prints are available on her website and proceeds will be donated to the DC Central Kitchen.

and Ben’s Chili Bowl (1213 U St. NW), posting them online to her Instagram and Twitter accounts.

People started noticing, and she started getting requests from current and former residents to do their favorite businesses. Some businesses reached out to her directly, and it just snowballed from there, she said (look out for Trusty’s, coming out in art soon). She has a queue of 50 requests right now. “Now this is a thing,” she said she realized, “I need to do something with it.”

Starting Friday, April 24, Vineyard is selling the prints online in the ‘local’ section of her Etsy store and at her website, www.lidflutters.com.

She’ll keep enough to cover the cost of production (about 40 percent, or $9.50), with the remainder of profits

going straight to DCCK. Prospective buyers who wish to increase their purchase price or who want a larger format can contact Vineyard and she will try to accommodate requests.

Increased profits will be increased donations, she said. If her efforts really take off, Vineyard said, she will also contribute profits to Sasha Bruce Youthwork.

Vineyard has donated her work to each business depicted to do as they wish with the images and has received consent from each for the use of their images in the campaign.

You can see and purchase Vineyard’s work at www.lidflutters.com or by following @lidflutters on Instagram and Twitter. Reach her with questions, orders or requests via email at lidflutters@gmail.com u

M AY 2 0 2 0 2 3

OUT AND ABOUT

At The Movies Inspiring Docs: True Stories of Terrific Kid’s Competitions

by Mike Canning

W

ith movie houses still closed at the time of this writing, the Hill Rag offers readers another selection of recent movies to watch while sequestered at home.

The theme of this month’s minireviews is “Inspiring Docs,” an collection of heartwarming documentary films from the last 20 years that were little seen upon release but will give you a feel-good break from the grimness of the moment.

Even better, they all cover actual kid’s competitions, giving you a rooting interest and bolstering our hope for a better world that hath such kids in it.

Readers can find these titles on disc (rental or purchase) or on selected streaming services. So, grab your popcorn and try out these stirring flicks.

Competing science students entering International Science and Engineering Fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center (National Geographic)

Spellbound (2002)

This is—dare I say—a spell-binding documentary that covers the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, told in mosaic form by following eight finalists from different regions of the country.

The kids portrayed are utterly charming in eight different ways, and we learn much about them and their varying family contexts. The last third of the movie concentrates on the final bee at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown DC, where clever editing gives us the built-in drama of the competition, contestant after contestant struggling with their words, their parents agonizing, the never-changing baritone drone of the word reader, as, one after another, the kids slowly drop away. This finale itself contains more true tension than most other “dramatic” films released in recent years.

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

A sweet and heartening film about a kids’ competition, with much of the flavor of “Spellbound” (see above). Here the contest is a city-wide ballroom dancing challenge among fifth-graders in the New York City public schools. The girls are uniformly sweet and eager to learn and compete, while the boys are somewhat embarrassed and reluctant to participate. It is their teachers and instructors who are the inspiration—patiently guiding their nov-

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ice charges as they learn a range of dances, from ballroom to tango. It all leads up to the big finale dance-off in a Manhattan park. This is a movie where you end up rooting for everybody!

The Heart of the Game (2005)

An inspirational story set in the world of girls’ high school basketball. Darnellia Russell is a gifted player from the poor part of Seattle who elects to play at middle class Roosevelt High under the tutelage of firebrand coach Bill Resler. Their journey takes them through racial sensitivities, hard work, and tough decisions (young Russell leaves school at one point to have a child) only to lead up to a Washington state girls’ basketball championship. These two contrasting figures become part of an unpretentious epic that took director Ward Serrill seven years to make and which ends in a thrilling fairy tale finish.

War/Dance (2007)

A moving documentary which shows the transformation of a group of poor, war-damaged Ugandan

orphans into a joyous music and dance team ready to compete in a national music festival. The film, made by documentarians Sean Fine and Andrea Nix, focuses on several individual Ugandan kids— all charmers and each with a story more heartbreaking than the last—who live in a northern refugee camp where they are given training in traditional African music and dance. They then travel to the country’s capital, Kampala, to compete in the National Music Festival. A heart-stirrer.

Step (2017)

A compelling true story about an African-American step-dancing troupe in a small private school in Baltimore. The film highlights three senior girls who look to “step” to learn discipline and teamwork and to foster creativity and camaraderie—all of which they achieve. Just as important to their success (all three, of modest means, go on to higher education) are their step teacher, their academic counselor, and their varied families. You ache for them when they encounter obstacles, then root for them as they gear

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The three dancing stars of the rousing documentary “Step.” Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

up for a major step dance competition. Not to mention the vigor and pulse of the dancing itself: a stomping jamboree!

Science Fair (2018)

A wonderful true-life Revenge of the Nerds.

The film follows nine high school students from around the world as they compete in an international science competition, an annual event that attracts some 1,700 of the brightest (and quirkiest) teenage scholars.

The kids the filmmakers highlight are a varied and fascinating batch, from a lively math genius from West Virginia to a self-effacing Muslim girl from South Dakota to a lanky German trying to revive single-wing aircraft. Co-directors and co-writers of “Science Fair,” Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, have pulled off a true winner in their first documentary feature.

And for something completely different but just as moving, let’s take a look at another documentary which has the same kick from the other end of life.

Young @ Heart (2007)

A buoyant and upbeat motion picture depicting the “Young at Heart Chorus” from Northampton, Massachusetts, told through several key members of the group—whose average age is 81—and their dedicated music director Bob Climan. This seniors group specializes in up-tempo pop standards— even some hip-hop—and performs for delighted audiences anywhere from prisons to packed auditoriums. As American as this story is, it took a couple of Brits, Stephen Walker and Sally George, to get it made. Much more than a movie simply about “cute old people” (although many of those are featured), it highlights how the human spirit can be uplifted through song and community.

Mike Canning has written on movies for tCapital Community News since 1993 and is a member of the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

He is the author of “Hollywood on the Potomac: How the Movies View Washington, DC.” His reviews and writings on film can be found online at www.mikesflix.com. u

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M AY 2 0 2 0 2 5

OUT AND ABOUT

In Search of

Dandelions

Flower Wine Making Under Lock Down

by Michelle LaFrance

I

t’s the first day of the stay-at-home order, but I’m in a field in Northern Virginia, fifteen miles from my home, bowing to finger through the speedwell, cleavers, purple deadnettle, purslane, chickweed, and clover. I’m collecting a plastic grocery sack full of fat, wide-open dandelions. My thumbnail is grimed with the gooey black sludge of lush stems. My fingers and palm are coated with a thick yellow paste—dandelion pollen. The world feels like it’s in a scary freefall; but in this moment I’ve found a meditative rhythm. Peace of breath and motion amidst the furor.

I brew flower wines. Dandelion wine is one of my favorites to make. Every spring, I am out somewhere in the DMV, collecting dandelion heads, so that I can stew the flowers with sugar, citrus fruit, and spices, then ferment the mix into a golden-yellow wine. A year and a few months later, the taste mellows into a smooth and ginger-sweet beverage. It’s been my spring ritual for five years now, but the process has taken on special significance this year, the year of Coronavirus.

The Value of Small (and Common) Things

Most people think of the dandelion as a spring nuisance. They are remarked upon for their weedy tenacity—their fierce yellow heads and scalloped leaves take root in a crack in the pavement and in disturbed soils where little else would choose to grow. Found around the world, dandelion is known by a number of names that reference its bitter taste, golden and mature flowers, and its ubiquity: bitterwort, cankerwort, clockflower, common dandelion, blow-ball, puffball, Irish daisy, piss-in-bed, pissinlit, priest’s crown, swine’s snout, telltime, and yellow gowan. Its English name is said to be derivative of

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Only wide-open flowers will do

the French dent-de-lion or lion’s tooth.

The plant itself is remarkable for its resilient bioengineering. Its tap root reaches deep into the dirt and will re-grow a whole new plant if broken off.

What we see as a single yellow flower is, in fact, a head of unique florets, each with its own seed. These will dry into the highly recognizable puff ball and scatter on the winds in its later stages of growth. For wine making, you want to pick only the flower. The greens—the involucral bract, receptacle pedicel (or stem), any small trace of grass leaf or stray deadhead-will turn the wine bitter.

Some sources claim that dandelion was brought to the US with early European colonists who planted medicinal herb gardens, thus seeding the North American continent. Its medical uses are extensive and the dandelion has been used around the globe—

in Arabian, Native American, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicinal practices—to treat a range of ailments. Naturopaths and herbalists of today note the immunostimulatory, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticoagulant, and antioxidant properties of the dandelion. There’s no shortage of online sources or recipes to harness the dandelion’s “healing” power.

The origin of dandelion wine is often ceded to the ancient Celts and Anglo Saxons, though the Greek naturalist Theophratus prescribed a “dandelion tonic” to treat freckles and liver spots. Northern Europeans historically drank the wine and derivative liqueurs to prevent scurvy and as a diuretic and laxative. Folklorists have collected dandelion wine recipes from homebrewers across Ireland, the UK, and Northern Europe, and subsequently in many US-locations where the Gaels and other Northern Europeans settled—an inexpensive and useful spring brew.

This Work of My Hands

My forays for dandelions this spring have all been edged with a sense of audacity and purpose—an act of resistance in a time when leaving the house carries any number of social implications.

And yet, I couldn’t shake the need; I had to make wine this year. I needed the brush with normalcy after all the other cancellations, plan b’s and setbacks of the previous months. I craved the comforts of a detailed and time-consuming project.

Gathering enough dandelions is the first and the hardest step in making dandelion wine. The trick is to find a field or lawn that has not been treated with fertilizers or weed killers. I prefer to gather away from busy roads and areas that have been or may be polluted with exhaust or other run off. I also avoid the “pee zone,” which often coincides with dandelion hot spots, such as busy corners

“My forays for dandelions this spring have all been edged with a sense of audacity and purpose—an act of resistance in a time when leaving the house carries any number of social implications. And yet, I couldn’t shake the need; I had to make wine this year.” and walk ways where dogs habitually mark.

Planning for and strategizing collection typically begins in mid-March as I case potential sources.

Some years, when I lived in a rental house outside the city, I was able to collect in my yard and from neighbors. Another year, a friend invited me to collect on his aunt’s farm in Maryland. In other years, I have haunted the fence edges and abandoned plots of community gardens.

This year, my first in the city proper, I’m sharing a 900-square foot condo in SW with my partner, so I can only turn to shared spaces—the spaces that are increasingly forbidden—for what can be collected.

Parks and facilities have closed. Hains Point and the Tidal Basin are completely cordoned off. People are wearing masks and bandanas when they do venture outdoors. I’ve seen people recoil from the proximity of others—even when outside on a broad path in a city park—to maintain six feet of distance.

Finding a source for dandelions in the city-limits initially daunted me. The constellations of flowers I saw in many closed parks, in the church yard just down the street from my grocery store, and beside the closed schools down the street—all—were simply out of bounds. I couldn’t be sure they hadn’t The stew is called “must.”

been sprayed or graced how about now? Even by dog or human byonce we had enough, products.

I couldn’t break my As the weather habit of scanning the warmed the flowers greens we passed, ridbecame more assering up from the Native, appearing defitionals Stadium, over ant and gleeful in evthe Benning Road ery patch of grass and bridge and behind on every corner. But Congressional Cemenone of these spots tery, and back through provided the right the Navy Yard. place to pick.

There’s a method I was anxious to it, I’ve discovered, and preoccupied for after so many years a few days. I paced of picking. Rifle the fenced line of a through the other vacant, overgrown weeds and pull the lot that awaits conflower free of other struction, calculatleaves and greens. ing whether I could Grasp the flower jump over or shimmy just under the head under or squeeze with pointer and ring through. Through the finger, pull the stalk gaps in the landscaptaut. Sluice the head ing fabric zip tied from the stem with to the chain link, I your thumb nail. If could see plenty of you simply pull up, clusters of dandelions the stem will stretch waving in the wind. and snap off closer to Dandelion flowers stewed with citrus and ginger Over dinner, I rumithe leaves. You will nated on whether I’d be arrested if I was caught then have to pair off that little bit of stem—which in the field. you do not want in the must.

I texted friends for recommendations—one sugAfter our trip up and down the Anacostia, I gested a closed park in Ward 7. Others shrugged— tucked three plastic grocery bags full of dandelion who paid attention to dandelions? I finally made three heads in the freezer so that I could begin to brew trips to one of my usual suburban picking grounds, the next day. I could breathe again. There was going coming home with two good bags full of flowerheads. to be wine this year.

But these were not enough for my preferred recipe— so we took to our bikes on a scouting expedition.

The fields along the Anacostia bike path offered Collecting dandelions, their yellow heads a different all the dandelions I still needed, the stretches of oversort of corona, in the age of global pandemic is low grown boundary-turf hadn’t been mowed, there were risk in comparison to a trip to the grocery store or no signs of spray, and the walkways had lighter dog going about many aspects of daily business as usual. and pedestrian traffic than usual due to the city’s There’s little risk of infecting others when out alone closures. My partner and I picked together for an (or with a partner) in an empty field. But neither is hour, him impatiently asking me if we had enough going among the weeds sheltering in place. Or givyet—did we have enough now, is this enough now, ing in to fear because we still cannot know what

A Forager’s Meditation

M AY 2 0 2 0 2 7

FIND US AT THESE LOCATIONS! Street Box

First & Bryant, NW

Long View Gallery Box

1234 9th St. NW

Street Box - Bikespace

440 K Street, NW

Union Kitchen

1251 9th Street, NW

A Baked Joint

440 K Street, NW

Lost & Found

1240 9th St. NW

Street Box - Bus Boys & Poets

1025 5th ST NW

Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro

9th & G Street, NW

Safeway

490 L St. NW

Habesha market

1919 9th st

Logan Hardware

1734 14th St NW

Serve U Liquors

1935 9th Street, NW

CVS

2129 14th ST NW

Buttercream Bakeshop

1250 9th Street NW

CVS

3031 14th ST NW

Atlantic Plumbing Apartments

2030 8th St. NW

CVS

1000 U ST NW

Bazarr Spices

2130 8th Street, NW

Safeway

1747 Columbia RD NW

7th Flats - Daniel Sticco

1825 7th St NW

Safeway

1701 Corcoran ST NW

WeWork Wonder Bread

641 S St. NW

Whole Foods

1440 P Street NW

Field to City

1818 2nd St NW

Commissary

1443 P St NW

Meats and Foods

247 Florida Ave NW

CVS

1418 P ST NW

S&S Cleaners

84 Rhode Island Ave NW

CVS

1637 P Street, NW

Flagler Market

2200 Flagler Pl NW

United Bank

1301 U St NW

T & G Grocery

1727 North Capitol St NE

Rite Aid

1306 U Street NW

Kearney’s Grocer

90 O St NW, Washington

Giant at O Street Market

1400 7th St NW

2M

2 M St NE

CCN Office

224 7th ST SE

Flats 130

130 M St NE

Asbury Dwellings

1616 Marion St NW

The Elevation

100 Florida Ave NE

Street Box

First & W, NW

MOM’’s Organic

1501 New York Ave NE

Red Hen Box

1822 1st St NW

Mount Vernon Plaza

930 M St NW

Sunset Spirits

1627 First St. NW

Eleven A Condominium

1111 11th St NW

Bloomingdale Wine & Spirits

1836 First St. NW

M Street Towers

1112 M St NW

Harris Teeter *

1201 First St, NE

King Towers

1220 12th St NW

Cambria Hotel

899 O St. NW

Crescent Towers Condos

1239 Vermont Ave NW

Jefferson Marketplace Box

1550 7th St. NW

Radius Condominiums

1300 N St NW

Bread for the City

1525 7th Street NW

20 20 Lofts

2020 12th St NW

Senior Building

1713 7th St. NW

Lincoln Condominium

2001 12th St NW

Lincoln Westmoreland Apts.

1730 7th Street, NW

The Floridian

929 Florida Ave. NW

NW Settlement House - S St. Entrance 1739 7th St., NW

Rhapsody Condo

2120 Vermont Ave. NW

Right & Proper Brew Box

624 T St. NW

1225 Lofts

1225 13th St NW

CVS

1900 7th ST NW

The Harper

1919 14th St NW

Dunkin Donuts

1739 New Jersey Ave NW

The Louis

1920 14th St NW

Howard University

2225 Georgia Avenue, NW U Street Wine

1351 U St NW

CVS

400 Mass. AVE NW

Passport

11th & U Streets, NW

Marriott Hotel

901 Mass. Ave NW

Walgreens

Boundary Stone Box

116 Rhode Island Ave. NW Studio Theatre Street Box

Grassroots Gourmet, LLC

104 Rhode Island Ave NW

Reeves Center

2000 14th ST NW

T Street Market

80 T St. NW

Reeves Center Street Box

14th & U Street, NW

Foster House Apartments

801 Rhode Island Ave, NW Paul Laurence Dunbar Sr. Apt.

U & 15th Street NW

Trilogy NoMa

151 Q Street, NE

Java House (Deliver on 17th & Q)

1645 Q ST NW

City Market at O

1414 8th St NW

Velvet Lounge

915 U Street, NW

Hodge on 7th

1490 7th St NW

Dodge City

917 U Street, NW

1330 Seven St.

1330 7th St NW

Ben’s Chilli Bowl

1213 U ST NW

Yale Steam Laundry

437 New York Ave NW

City First Bank

1432 U ST NW

Meridian

425 L St NW

Third District MPD

1620 V ST NW

460 NY Ave.

460 New York Avenue NW

Yale West

443 New York Ave NW

K at City Vista

475 K St NW

Gables City Vista

460 L St NW

Capitol One

475 K St NW

Sweet Green

1065 5th St NW

Wells Fargo

490 L St NW

ABC Grocery

1401 6th St NW

Jefferson Market Place

1550 7th St NW

Shaw Mainstreet

875 N Street, NW, Suite 201

Seylou Bakery & Mill

926 N Street, NW

Modern Liquors

1200 9th ST NW

Shaw Metro Street Box - NE Corner 8th & R Streets., NW Shaw Metro Street Box - NE Corner 7th & S Streets., NW Mount Vernon Sq. Metro

7th & M ST NW

Mount Vernon Sq. Metro

9th & M ST NW

2 8 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

1325 14th ST NW 14th & P Street, NW

MIDCITY MIDCITY

#ShawTakeout will be irrevocably changed by our global pandemic.

The weeks of lock down and social distancing have brought my relationality and interdependence into much higher visibility. I have been forced to reflect on what goods and services I take for granted, the supply chain that sustains me, and the patterns of employment and movement that sustain my friends and family.

None of us are able to comfortably escape questions about how we share quarters and public spaces with our neighbors, friends, and family. We have yet to see the enduring impact this experience will have upon our communities and our dailyrelations going forward.

I’m reminded then, that flower wine making – and so too our crafting, making, baking, singing, and sharing – are how many of us hold hope, if not optimism, closely. We imagine a future of many promises.

A year from now, the flavors of 2020’s flowers will have blended with lemon zest and spices. The yeast will have fermented and died off. The wine will have been bottled. It will settle, clear, and mature. I will uncork a bottle and think back to this time in a similar spirit, grateful that our difficulties are behind us.

Michelle LaFrance is a writer and poet, living in SW. An English professor at George Mason University, Michelle teaches writers to love every stage of the composing process. She loves a good homebrew, misses live music shows, and still can’t stop looking for dandelions to pick. ◆

YOU COULD USE A DRINK RIGHT ABOUT NOW! ESPITA MEZCALERIA

Whether your taste runs toward the classic or creative, Shaw’s bars offer a wide range of tastes, from divey Ivy and Coney to world class Columbia Room, from sudsy Right Proper to frenchy La Jambe.

You can’t sit at the bar right now, but you can order your favorites to go or try something new.

TAKE A SIP OR CHUG A PINT. EITHER WAY, IT’LL BE #SHAWSOME!

www.shawmainstreets.org Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor ©2020 Shaw Main Streets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

JOHNSON LAW GROUP Wills, Estates and Trusts Business Law and Government Contracting Property and Housing Disputes Elder Law 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue SE • Washington DC 20003 202.544.1515 • www.jlgi.com • law@jlgi.com

M AY 2 0 2 0 2 9

HOMES AND GARDENS

Cleaning – Naturally!

by Catherine Plume

I

t’s an interesting paradox that while many people are moving towards organic foods, household cleaners—which are often filled with toxins— are kept at the ready in many homes. With everyone, including kids and pets, spending more time at home these days than anyone ever imagined, reducing the number of toxic chemicals in your home makes a lot of sense. But, in these days when hygiene and cleanliness are of paramount concern, which natural cleaners really work?

White vinegar is a cleaning staple in our home.

Straight white vinegar in a spray bottle will make your stainless steel appliances shine, while a douse in your laundry will work as a fabric softener substitute. I put a half cup of vinegar in my dishwasher and run it on the “quick wash” cycle every few weeks to keep food particles from building up inside the machine. A half cup of vinegar mixed with a cup of water, two tablespoons of oil (grapeseed, olive, coconut, etc.), and a drop or two of your favorite essential oil will give your wood furniture a beautiful glow. Put equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and you’re ready to tackle almost any cleaning project in your home from cleaning windows and mirrors to countertops. Though white vinegar doesn’t have a lingering smell, you can add some citrus peels to some vinegar, set it aside for a couple of weeks, and then add a bit of it to your vinegar and water solution for

3 0 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

a clean, citrusy smell. And the addition of those fruit acids to the vinegar will increase the solution’s ability to clear stubborn stains.

When you need a bit of grit for your cleaning, baking soda is an excellent light abrasive. I buy it in bulk, so I have it on hand for any project.

(You can purchase it online at Ace

my older dishes from time to time. (It works!) And, it will even work as a stovetop and oven cleaner. Apply a paste in your oven, leave it for a few hours and return for a quick clean up. When baking soda is mixed with vinegar, it becomes two new chemicals carbonic acid and sodium acetate – a fizzy concoction that kids will love to watch. A one to two ratio mix of these two ingredients will create a mixture ideal for cleaning toilets and keeping drains flowing.

Thyme oil – and more specifically “thymol” found in thyme and bee balms among other plants—is proving to be another excellent natural cleaning/disinfecting product that can be used as a cleaning product throughout your home, though research indicates that it is ineffective against COVID-19. It, like neem oil, however, can also be an effective natural pesticide for household and outdoor plants.

Sometimes natural cleaners need a bit of a boost Citrus peels added to to do an effective job. I’ve white vinegar will give found that a solution of 70% your cleaning solution a sprite and pleasant smell. isopropyl alcohol (which is Credit: C. Plume what stores commonly sell), soap, and water can give my granite countertops a shine that a simple vinegar Hardware and have it delivered to and water mix can’t. Meanwhile a Frager’s for pick up.) Baking soda dash of hydrogen peroxide added will bring shine and cleanliness to to a laundry load will make colors any number of things – from your brighter, or diluted in water, it can kitchen and bathroom sinks, the botbe an effective disinfectant. tom of your grimy pots and pans and If you’re trying to disinfect for even your grandma’s silver or that old COVID-19, remember that just like brass doorknob. I use it, or cream of a good soap and water wash will kill tartar, to get rid of the scratches on

White vinegar, water, and baking soda, and you’re ready to clean. Credit: C. Plume

the virus on your body, a good soap scrubbing will kill it on any surface.

A March 2020 Consumer Reports article reminds us that using or adding anti-bacterial soap to the mix has no added value against the COVID-19 as it is a virus versus a bacteria. And, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, and bleach can destroy the virus when in the right concentrations while vinegar, vodka, and tree oils, can’t.

While using natural cleansers will help you minimalize the chemicals in your house, you’ll also save money. A gallon of white vinegar costs less than $3 while baking soda costs around $10 for a 13lb. bag. You’ll be able to get a lot of cleaning done with those quantities, and you’ll have a lot fewer toxins in your home.

Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer, and blogger for the DC Recycler: www.DCRecycler. blogspot.com; Twitter: @DC_Recycler.

She is also the Chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, however, perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. ◆

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M AY 2 0 2 0 3 1

HOMES AND GARDENS

changing hands

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

Neighborhood

Price Br

1058 Quebec Pl NW

$730,900

3

1104 Euclid St NW #2

$492,500

1

1300 Park Rd NW #1

$455,000

2

1372 Randolph St NW #106

$287,623

1

ADAMS MORGAN

1401 Columbia Rd NW #402 $520,000

2

1719 Euclid St NW #3

$610,000

2

1441 Euclid St NW #B1

$381,100

1

1839 Kalorama Rd NW #3

$620,000

2

1450 Fairmont St NW #A

$514,500

2

1615 Q St NW #611

$395,000

1

1

2617 University Pl NW #3

$525,000

2

1745 N St NW #102

$560,000

1

2656 15th St NW #104

$399,900

1

1816 New Hampshire Ave NW #808 $442,000

1

3318 Sherman Ave NW #103 $470,000

2

1907 S St NW #B

$741,000

2

3515 Hertford Pl NW #22

$353,150

1

1301 20th St NW #517

$282,000

0

CENTRAL

757 Kenyon St NW

$665,000

2

1330 New Hampshire Ave NW #314 $555,000

2

1830 Jefferson Pl NW #19

764 Irving St NW

$687,500

2

1514 17th St NW #203

$255,000

0

780 Lamont St NW

$500,000

2

1526 17th St NW #304

$398,000

1

785 Fairmont St NW

$725,191

3

1545 18th St NW #206

$399,999

1

14TH STREET CORRIDOR 2125 14th St NW #405

$439,000

2633 Adams Mill Rd NW #304 $430,000

1

BLOOMINGDALE 1718 1st St NW #8

$415,000

$500,000

2

1

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1020 Fairmont St NW #9

$300,000

3 2 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

1

113 Forrester St SW

$380,000

3

DOWNTOWN 1314 Mass. Ave NW #304

$390,000

1

400 Mass. Ave NW #909

$500,000

1

DUPONT CIRCLE

1601 18th St NW #905

$449,000

1

1624 Corcoran St NW #D

$715,000

2

1701 16th St NW #448

$399,999

1

1725 P St NW #302

$499,900

1

1728 New Hampshire Ave NW #301 $584,500

1

1735 Seaton St NW

$940,000

3

1775 Church St NW #4

$418,900

1

ECKINGTON 1831 2nd St NE #304

$185,000

1

1831 2nd St NE #507

$304,000

1

FORT DUPONT PARK 1306 44th Pl SE

$499,000

3

1575 41st St SE

$424,000

4

3308 B St SE

$240,000

3

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3312 D St SE

$250,000

2

3952 Burns Pl SE

$375,000

3

4261 Hildreth St SE

$430,000

3

LOGAN CIRCLE 1101 L St NW #703

$337,000

1

1211 13th St NW #805

$661,500

1

1736 13th St NW #2

$625,000

2

1239 Vermont Ave NW #907

$390,000

1

1550 11th St NW #105

$374,900

1

1715 15th St NW #202

$486,300

1

MT VERNON SQUARE

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475 K St NW #421

$616,000

2

440 L St NW #1013

$520,000

2

555 Mass. Ave NW #409

$480,000

1

811 4th St NW #715

$479,000

1

24 Florida Ave NE #201

$389,900

1

50 Florida Ave NE #222

$485,500

1

1390 V St NW #214

$560,000

1

1425 11th St NW #103

$415,000

1

1615 Q St NW #801

$422,500

1

1731 Willard St NW #505

$433,000

1

475 K St NW #906

$599,000

1

555 Mass. Ave NW #808

$483,000

1

2030 8th St NW #212

$530,000

1

311 P St NW #1

$899,900

3

910 M St NW #1002

$550,000

1

910 M St NW #405

$599,000

1

910 M St NW #901

$542,500

1

$730,000

2

1440 W St NW #305

$163,000

1

1474 Belmont St NW #2

$550,000

2

2120 Vermont Ave NW #219

$469,500

1

2120 Vermont Ave NW #407

$483,000

1

2120 Vermont Ave NW #520

$500,000

1

$585,000

1

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M AY 2 0 2 0 3 3

CLASSIFIEDS 3 4 M I D CI T Y D C N EWS . C O M

ADDRESS NUMBERS

CLEANING SERVICES

LANDSCAPES Thomas Landscapes DEREK THOMAS / PRINCIPAL

Over 20 Years of Experience in Capitol Hill FULL-SERVICE LANDSCAPE DESIGN & MAINTENANCE • Installation, arbors, retaining walls, • walkways, lighting, water features • Patios, roof top gardens, townhomes, single family homes • Trees & shrubs, formal & informal gardens • Custom Masonry, Fencing and Iron work • Restoration and Enhancement

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AIR CONDITIONING

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Contact CARO at 202.400.3503 & carolina@hillrag.com

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MASONRY CONCRETE & BRICKPOINTING Historic Masonry Repointing & Repairs Restoration Cleaning on Historical Brick and Stone Basements & Waterproofing

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PLUMBING

Just Say I Need A Plumber®

Dial A Plumber, LLC®

• Licensed Gas Fitter • Water Heater • Boiler Work • Serving DC • References John • Drain Service • Furness Repair & Replacement

PAINTING Licensed Bonded Insured

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DC PLUMMER’S LICENSE #707

ROOFING

G G ROOFING

AWARDED BEST WASHINGTON, DC CONTRACTOR OF 2012 BY ANGIE’S LIST FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED • “50 YEARS EXPERIENCE”

Flat Roof Specialists Modified Bitumen • Skylights • Shingles • Slate •

WE STOP LEAKS! • Roof Repairs • Roof Coatings • Rubber • Metal • Slate

• Tiles • Chimneys • Gutters • Waterproofing • Roof Certifications

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Member

202-223-ROOF (7663)

CLASSIFIEDS

MASONRY

#ShawTakeout ONLY SHAW CAN OFFER YOU MEALS TO GO FROM MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANTS AND ETHNIC FAVORITES!

PO BOY JIM BAR & GRILL

KINSHIP/METIER

Shaw Main Streets bars and restaurants aren’t able to offer dine-in service right now, but you can order your favorite dishes and alcoholic beverages from many of Shaw’s best for carryout and delivery! You can also purchase gift cards for many of these restaurants and bars, which will also help support the businesses and their employees (and allow your friends to explore their food and drink offerings!).

CHECK OUT OVER 50 GREAT OPTIONS AT

www.shawmainstreets.org Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor ©2020 Shaw Main Streets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.