SINCE 1954
GEORGETOWNER.COM
VOLUME 65 NUMBER 24
SEPTEMBER 25–OCTOBER 8, 2019
SCÈNE DANS LES RUES 2019/2020 FALL/ WINTER FASHION
D .C . STATEHOOD H E A R IN G • R E VIE W IN G EVANS PROB E R . I . P. M A R K P L O T KIN • H O LY T R IN IT Y AT 225 FA L L G A L A G U IDE
IN THIS ISSUE IN THIS ISSUE
ABOUT THE COVER
FWGT Fashion 2019 - 2020 By Lauretta J McCoy Photographer Michael Wilson @rackfocus Fashion/Beauty Editor Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth Models Awuor @moodmodelmgmt Model Stefanie @ cimatalentmanagement Creative Direction Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth Assistant Stylist Stefanie Pharr @stefpharr Makeup Lauretta J McCoy Hair Latrice Strader @ latricestrader Fashion Assistant Cayla Foston @caylafoston
NEWS · 3 - 6
Up & Coming Events Town Topics
DOWNTOWNER · 7 Downtown News
EDITORIAL/OPINION · 8 Editorial Jack Evans Report An Appreciation
THE VILLAGE · 9
Holy Trinity Refreshed, Ready for Founder’s Day CALIFORNIAN TAKES CHARGE AT AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM
BUSINESS · 10 - 11 Chamber CEO Vincent Orange Ins & Outs
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robert Devaney
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Charlene Louis
COPY EDITOR Richard Selden
FEATURES EDITORS Ari Post Gary Tischler FASHION & BEAUTY DIRECTOR Lauretta McCoy GRAPHIC DESIGN Troy Riemer Elena Hutchinson PHOTOGRAPHERS Philip Bermingham Jeff Malet Neshan Naltchayan Patrick G. Ryan ADVERTISING Evelyn Keyes Richard Selden Kelly Sullivan
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Peggy Sands CONTRIBUTORS Mary Bird Susan Bodiker Allyson Burkhardt Evan Caplan Jack Evans Donna Evers Michelle Galler Stephanie Green Amos Gelb Wally Greeves Kitty Kelley Rebekah Kelley Jody Kurash Shelia Moses Kate Oczypok Linda Roth Alison Schafer Mary Ann Treger
BY R IC H AR D SEL D EN
Anthea Hartig. Photo by Robert Devaney.
COVER · 12 - 13
Scene Dans Les Rues SINGING, DANCING CATS AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
HAUTE & COOL · 14
BY GARY TISC H L ER
Keep it in Check!
Keri René Fuller as Grizabella. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Courtesy Kennedy Center.
ARTS · 15
At SAAM: David Levinthal’sCurious Photographs KIDS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE IN D.C. (PHOTOS)
BOOK CLUB · 15
Kitty Kelley Book Club
BY JEFF M AL ET
CLASSIFIEDS · 16 Service Directory
Marchers in D.C. call for action on climate change on Sept. 20. Photo by Jeff Malet.
FOOD & WINE · 17 The Latest Dish Dining Guide
GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES · 18 - 19 Social Scene Events
Photo of the Week
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Your number-one source for everything Georgetown subscribe to our newsletter georgetowner.com Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Sept. 19th at the DC Statehood Hearing. Photo by Jeff Malet
2 SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
PUBLISHER Sonya Bernhardt
UP & COMING
SEPTEMBER 30
CELEBRITY GOLF TOURNAMENT IN FAIRFAX
SEPTEMBER 27
MEET THE NEWZDUDES FUNDRAISER The Newzdudes are male and female on-air talent from all media affiliates who have come together to support the mission of Men Against Breast Cancer. All proceeds raised at the event will help Men Against Breast Cancer continue to develop and implement educational programs across the country. Tickets are $10, $25 and $50. For details, visit menagainstbreastcancer.org. La Vie Penthouse Rooftop, 88 District Square SW.
SEPTEMBER 28 AND 29 “NEW ENGLAND SCENES”
A solo show of paintings and drawings made by Paul Zapatka in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, will be on view in Glen Echo Park’s Yellow Barn Gallery. Hours are noon to 6 p.m., with a reception
“Moon over Mt. Blue, Weld, ME,” watercolor on paper. on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. For details, visit glenechopark.org. 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Maryland.
SEPTEMBER 29
GEORGETOWN ARCHITECTURE TOUR Established 50 years before Washington, D.C., itself, Georgetown — now host to some of the District’s most expensive and desirable property — originated as a gritty port city on the banks of the Potomac. DC Design Tours will lead a two-mile walking tour of Georgetown with a focus on architecture and urban planning. Tickets are $35, $20 for ages 5 to 16. For details, visit dcdesigntours.com.
The seventh annual Walking With Anthony Charity Celebrity Golf Tournament & Dinner is a day of golf with current Washington Redskins players, alumni, legendary sports celebrities and VIP guests, followed by a cocktail reception and dinner, honoring author and speaker Chris Norton, to raise funds for spinal cord injury victims. Tickets are $500 for individual golfers, $1,800 for foursomes and $150 for dinner only. For details, visit walkingwithanthony.org. Country Club of Fairfax, 5110 Ox Road, Fairfax, Virginia.
interspersed with English narration by actor Rick Foucheux. Tickets, including a post-concert reception, are $75 ($99 VIP). For details, visit thercas.com. Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road NW.
OCTOBER 5 AND 6
2-DAY YOGA IMMERSION Uprising Yoga Center is offering a twoday immersion/refresher/16-CEU training, certified with Yoga Alliance and open to all. The program will provide insight for all practitioners, ranging from novice to veteran, who are looking to heal and grow in their practice. Tuition is $420. For details, visit uprisingyogacenter.com. Uprising Yoga Center, 3212 O St. NW.
OCTOBER 4
RUSSIAN FAIRY-TALE OPERAS In partnership with Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, the Russian Chamber Art Society will open its season with selections from fairy-tale operas by Glinka, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov sung in Russian,
VISIT GEORGETOWNER.COM TO SUBMIT YOUR EVENT TO OUR ONLINE CALENDAR.
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SEPTEMBER 25 2019
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TOWN TOPICS
NEWS
Cameras Are Helping to Fight Crime in Georgetown BY PEGGY SA NDS It’s becoming the most anticipated part of the monthly Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E meetings at Georgetown Visitation School: the police report at the beginning of every meeting about crime in Ward 2. Increasingly, the officer giving the report shows commissioners and attendees the latest video footage of crimes in progress, almost always perpetrated by some unfortunate malefactors who got caught on tape and, shortly thereafter, by the police. The videos come not only from cameras placed by business owners on storefronts and inside their establishments; nowadays they also come from cameras installed by homeowners at strategic places near front doors, on roofs and even — the latest — on so-called “smart door ringers.” Often the cost of these home surveillance
devices has been subsidized by the D.C. government, which offers rebates of up to $200 per camera (with a maximum rebate of $500 for residences and $750 for other types of buildings). The program, administered by the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants, creates an incentive for residents, businesses, nonprofits and religious institutions to purchase and install security camera systems and register them with the Metropolitan Police Department. The Citizens Association of Georgetown also provides cameras as part of its Public Safety Program, and lists a number of sources of internal, external, street and business surveillance cameras. “CAG’s goal is to provide and support further coverage of important entries and exits to Georgetown, such as Q Street and Reservoir Road,” according to the organization. In addition, the Georgetown Business Improvement
Courtesy DC government. District has installed cameras on Wisconsin Avenue and M Street. A relatively new company, Ring, has installed millions of internet-connected doorbell cameras that can be triggered when someone nears or presses the home door ringer. As part of the company’s Neighbors program, Ring has established video-sharing partnerships with more
than 400 police forces in cities across the United States, including Washington, D.C., granting the company potential access to homeowners’ camera footage within a specific time and area. “Connected security cameras are the fastest-growing home improvement gadgets since garage-door openers,” according to a January 2019 Washington Post article. In most cases, police requests to view footage captured by privately owned cameras can be declined. In the last few weeks, there have been some shocking crimes in Georgetown: a 1 a.m. bedroom rape, serial car-window smashing on certain un-surveilled parkside curbs and robberies from stores and home entrances. In almost every case, the perpetrators were arrested after an engaged citizen had shared and/or seen a surveillance camera video of the crime scene and identified them (in the case of the rape, reportedly by the accused rapist’s mother).
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TOWN TOPICS
Ribbon Cut at Restored Canal Locks BY RIC HARD S E L DE N Recalling the origins of Georgetown Heritage, Jennifer Romm, chair of the organization’s board, said: “The canal boat is how we started this whole thing.” Romm was speaking to several dozen attendees at a Sept. 12 ribbon cutting for two newly restored locks, numbers 3 and 4, on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, just south of M Street between 30th and Thomas Jefferson Streets in Georgetown. The Georgetown, a replica canal boat that took tourists on mule-powered rides, stopped operating in 2011 and was rotting away. Before a new boat could be put into service, work had to be done on the canal. With support from the community and the Georgetown Business Improvement District, a new nonprofit was formed. Georgetown Heritage became the National Park Service’s partner in restoring and enlivening the Georgetown stretch of C&O Canal National Historic Park. Romm said that revised design plans would be shared soon and a new boat, paid for with a grant from the District, is expected next August. After remarks by Andrew Trueblood, director of D.C.’s Office of Planning, Romm introduced the new executive director of Georgetown Heritage, Jeffrey Nichols, former president and CEO of
BE
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, outside Lynchburg, Virginia. “I think we won the lottery,” she said. Nichols commented that he had come to realize how important Kevin Brandt, the park’s superintendent, had been to the project. Brandt will retire at the end of September after 23 years. On the job for a bit over a week, Nichols said, “Like canal ships in the night we pass,” since Brandt is moving to Lynchburg. Though Brandt credited Joe Reed, the Park Service civil engineer who supervised the restoration of the locks — “Every stone was numbered” — he said that the project wasn’t just about infrastructure. Every D.C. third-grader will have a hands-on experience on the new canal boat thanks to a planned Georgetown Heritage program, thus becoming “future stewards” not only of the park but of other Park Service sites. With that, the representatives of the partner organizations cut the ribbon, a wicket on Lock 3 was opened and some Potomac River water gushed east. The remaining crowd chatted, munched on pizza from Il Canale and cookies from Baked & Wired and sought relief from the unseasonably hot afternoon. No children, unfortunately, had shown up to take advantage of the coloring tent.
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Council to Hold Hearing on Georgetown Playing Fields BY PEGGY SAN D S The Jelleff playing field’s controversial extended contract between the Department of Parks and Recreation and Maret School will be publicly discussed at a D.C. Council committee hearing on Monday, Oct. 7, at 11 a.m. at the John Wilson Building. The deal gives Maret School prime-time use of the main playing field at the Jelleff Recreation Center, located at 3265 S St. NW, for most school days in the fall and spring for the next nine years. In exchange, Maret, a private school located at 3000 Cathedral Ave. NW, has committed $750,000 to renew the fields and fencing and $250,000 as an unconditional contribution to the center’s reconstruction. The contract also gives Hardy Middle School at 1819 35th St. NW use of the field during prime after-school hours on Wednesdays. The Oct. 7 hearing is also expected to address the pending transfer of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts playing fields on 39th Street NW from DC Public Schools to DPR, according to Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Kishan Putta. “Residents feel these decisions were made without a transparent process, even though we have been asking for one for almost a year,” Putta told The Georgetowner.
“The ANC 2E also never was consulted, even though they issued three strong proclamations to be included.” At a Sept. 17 meeting with Mayor Muriel Bowser, DPR Acting Director Delano Hunter and Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn, Putta and his ANC 2E colleagues Elizabeth Miller and Joe Gibbons, who chairs the commission, made clear that area residents have long thought that having the field’s immediate after-school hours, for which demand is highest, reserved for a single (private) school is unacceptable, according to Putta. “Mayor Bowser said that she would instruct her agencies to take another look at the deal,” Putta wrote in a report about that meeting. “She also said she would consider increasing funding for the Jelleff Recreation Center building renovation.” Putta’s report did not mention Maret School’s $3-million investment in the Jelleff field over the years, nor did it mention the contract with Hardy for prime-time use on Wednesdays. DPR has committed $7 million to make the building ADA-compliant. But many who use the popular facility, also used by Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, are asking that it be totally rebuilt into a fullservice community center.
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SEPTEMBER 25 2019
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TOWN TOPICS
Congress Asks Metro IG to Study Probe of Jack Evans BY RO BERT DEVANEY
Legislative attorney Kenneth Thomas, D.C. CFO Jeffrey DeWitt, District Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Kerwin Miller, veteran and D.C. resident, and Roger Pilon of the Cato Institute. Photo by Jeff Malet.
Bowser, D.C. Officials Make Compelling Statehood Pitch to Congress BY PEG GY SA NDS A hearing by the normally staid House Oversight Committee erupted for more than three hours on Sept. 19, with Mayor Muriel Bowser and other District officials testifying in support of legislation to convert most of the nation’s capital into Washington, Douglass Commonwealth — America’s 51st state. Proposed by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), the legislation would shrink the District — the official seat of the federal government — to two square miles. Ceded by Maryland and Virginia, the original 100-square-mile District (mandated in the Constitution as “not exceeding ten miles square”) become the capital of the young nation when the Constitution was ratified in 1788. The new District would encompass the White House, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court and most of the federal agency buildings and memorials around the National Mall. Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) has said he has no plans to advance the legislation at the moment, although he intends to hold another meeting to prepare the bill for a vote on the House floor. While many Democrats believe the bill can pass the House with their party in the majority, most do admit publicly that the proposal has no chance to win in the Republican-controlled Senate. Nevertheless, the debate was passionate — at times contentious, emotional and wonky. It started off with ranking Republican Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) putting a motion on the table to postpone the discussion on statehood until the committee could “assess the cloud of scandal” surrounding Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans. After 10 minutes, the 6 SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
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motion was withdrawn. In her testimony, Mayor Bowser — along with District Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, CFO Jeffrey DeWitt and others — argued the following: “To deny statehood to the 700,000 residents of D.C. deprives us not only of full representation, but also of a vote on issues all other American citizens have including on how taxes are appropriated.” They pointed out that D.C. residents pay the highest federal taxes per capita of any U.S. state, concluding, “It is truly taxation without representation.” Still, Republican lawmakers said they opposed statehood because it would violate the intention of the framers of the Constitution. They also questioned how the new state could pay for the more than $1 billion of expenses that federally mandated funds now cover, such as Medicaid and prison services. District officials argued that with a $15.5-billion budget and a rapidly rising population, the District can financially support itself as a state. “The District expects a population of over one million by 2045,” Bowser said. The ongoing question, however, was whether a new state actually could be created out of Washington, D.C., by legislation or if a constitutional amendment or revision would be required. Roger Pilon, constitutional studies chair at the libertarian Cato Institute, and Kenneth Thomas, legislative attorney for the Congressional Research Service, spoke about the historical precedents and obstacles facing the creation of such a state. Maryland and Virginia had originally given the land for the District. (Virginia’s 31-square-mile contribution was retroceded in 1847 due to the District’s anticipated
ban on slavery.) Witnesses argued whether or not the original ceding of state land was unconditional, or if Maryland would have to agree to make the District a separate state, since it had originally ceded land in order to create the nation’s capital, not for “a new state on its border.” Politics also was debated. Bowser and others remarked that Republicans were objecting to D.C. becoming a state because it was likely to elect two Democratic senators, increasing the party’s influence in the Senate. Some, such as Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia), also insisted that Republican objections were based on racism. Some of the arguments echoed those in 1993 when — on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, during Norton’s second term in the House and Bill Clinton’s first term as president — a D.C. statehood bill came to a House vote. Only 151 Democrats voted aye, along with one independent, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and one Republican, Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland. 218 votes were needed to pass. “In 2009 and ’10, it would seem that Democrats again had a chance to pass statehood,” wrote Georgetowner columnist and D.C. statehood advocate Mark Plotkin in a column on Nov. 24, 2017. “The Democrats controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. But while President Obama paid minimal lip service to D.C. statehood, he but never put his office behind the issue.” Most Americans, in fact, probably do not even know that the residents of Washington, D.C., do not have voting representation in the House or the Senate.
Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and Gerald Connolly (D-Virginia) asked Geoffrey Cherrington, inspector general of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, to investigate evidence that Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans and Corbett A. Price sought to obstruct Metro’s investigation of Evans. Both Evans and Price formerly served on Metro’s board, Evans as chairman. Cherrington told the Washington Post, which first reported the story, that he was still reviewing the congressional request but planned to honor it, adding: “Of course we’ll investigate it, but we’re evaluating what our next steps are going to be.” Cummings is chair of the House Oversight Committee; Connolly chairs its government operations subcommittee, which oversees WMATA. Their request to the Metro IG was announced on Sept. 13. The probe will join the list of other investigations concerning Evans. The U.S. attorney’s office and a law firm hired by the District Council are reviewing his conduct as a Council member. A Metro ethics committee concluded that Evans did not admit to a conflict of interest with Colonial Parking, although its investigators presented other ethical violations by Evans. Metro has received two grand jury subpoenas regarding Evans, according to the Washington Post. On June 21, FBI agents searched his home. A week later, Evans resigned as Metro chairman and from its board. The House Oversight Committee obtained more than 900 pages of Metro documents in July detailing the agency’s probe, the Post reported. “These documents paint a disturbing picture of Mr. Evans’s ethical transgressions that resulted in his resignation from the Board,” the letter from Cummings and Connolly said. The documents also detail efforts by Evans and Price “to impede the Ethics Committee’s investigative process,” the letter said. “These actions include verbal attacks and intimidation against staff and efforts to stifle the release of the findings of the Ethics Committee’s investigation.” A government operations subcommittee hearing dealing with Metro safety as well as alleged misconduct by Evans has been scheduled for Oct. 22.
DOWNTOWNER
BY KATE OCZ Y P OK
CHEH, GRAY PROPOSE VAPING RESTRICTIONS
On Sept. 17, Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced a piece of legislation, the Flavored Electronic Smoking Device Prohibition Amendment Act of 2019, that would prohibit the sale or distribution of flavored e-smoking devices. Also that day, her fellow Council member Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7) proposed a bill to limit vaping product sales to pharmacies and marijuana dispensaries.
RFK STADIUM COMING DOWN BY 2021
The District announced Sept. 5 that it has decided to demolish the aging RFK Stadium by 2021. D.C. United left RFK a few years ago and the Redskins departed the complex, which opened in 1961, in the ’90s. Events DC, manager of the stadium, is reviewing bids for contractors to take it down. RFK is said to cost D.C. $3.5 million per year in maintenance, security, utilities and other services.
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING GWU?
Currently the biggest university in D.C., Georgetown Washington University is competitive and financially sound, with growing enrollment. Despite these positives, however, the university is choosing to shrink itself, bringing the undergraduate population down by 20 percent (approximately 2,000 fewer students), SentinelSource.com reported. Faculty members are concerned that less financial aid and fewer professors are part of the plan.
RBG GETS U ST. MURAL
Thanks to real estate group Flock DC, revered Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has found her way onto a mural on U Street NW. Artist Rose Jaffe created the mural on the side of a building in the
THE WORLD FAMOUS
1500 block. Painted smiling and in her robes, RBG appears to tower into the sky, rising several stories up on an alley-facing brick wall.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT REOPENS
The Washington Monument is back in business after three years of renovations. The revamped security includes a new blast-proof building made of glass and steel, replacing a temporary building constructed after 9/11. Visitors now go through an airport security-like experience, head to a holding room, then finally board the elevator to the top, from which they can view the Capitol, Reagan National Airport and other sights.
ACCUSED KILLER OF DOG WALKER HELD IN JAIL
Accused of stabbing 27-year-old dog walker Margery Magill to death on a D.C. street in August, Eliyas Aregahegne, 24, will be held in jail until his trial. Though the evidence against Aregahegne is circumstantial, a judge decided that Aregahegne — who has a history of mental illness and previously claimed that “dark forces” spoke to him at the crime scene — should be kept in custody.
invites you to bring the clubs, kids, dogs, or appetite for a fall day in the Virginia countryside!
POLICE UTILIZE ‘RED FLAG’ LAW FOR FIRST TIME
5th Annual Fall Fundraising Drive, Golf Event & Open House: Oct. 6, 2019
In the first application of the District’s new “red flag” law, Metropolitan Police seized a handgun and a rifle from a Northwest D.C. man earlier this month. When he tried to register his .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun at police headquarters, the man was observed by officers to be acting oddly. Court documents showed he had a pending assault case in Montgomery County and had been previously investigated after police found a gun in his car at George Washington University.
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SEPTEMBER 25 2019
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EDITORIAL
OPINION JACK EVANS REPORT
Playing Fields & a Clubhouse, for All BY JAC K EVAN S Send Your Feedback, Questions or Concerns, Tips and Suggestions to editorial@georgetowner.com or call 202-338-4833
D.C. Statehood: Let’s Keep the Pressure On
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton takes the lead on D.C. statehood. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other D.C. officials testified before the House Oversight Committee on Sept. 19 during a hearing on H.R. 51, which calls for a new state to be created from most of what is now the District of Columbia, leaving a small portion to serve as the capital of the United States and remain under the control of Congress (as prescribed by the Constitution). The 51st state would be called “Douglass Commonwealth” in honor of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, whose house is in Anacostia under the care of the National Park Service. The desire for D.C. statehood has been gaining popularity in recent years due to the sometime congressional interference in local government. Other D.C. mayors have joined the march before, but Bowser — with a parade, 51-star flags posted along Pennsylvania Avenue and her influential testimony last week — has made this issue one of her administration’s most urgent goals. At the very least, says the mayor, it is a fairness issue for Washington to have voting representation in Congress (which every state has, of course). Also part of that argument
is a very American axiom: “No taxation without representation.” Bowser and her team make a strong case. More people are moving into D.C., which now has a population of 700,000 and a budget of $15.5 billion. We are on track to grow to one million residents by 2045. Our ongoing success is obvious in the number of construction cranes obscuring the sky. The next hurdle after last week’s hearing is a favorable vote in committee. Then there needs to be a vote in the full House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats. After that, the Senate, controlled by the Republicans, will get a look, but perhaps only a look, letting this year’s effort die. But the issue isn’t going away, and we are convinced that the arc of the future is bending in favor of statehood. Think of what this region will be like with a continuing influx of new people, along with the “Amazon effect” and more high-tech employers. One Georgetowner quipped that by the time D.C. becomes a state he will be dead. Be not discouraged, fellow citizens. Let’s keep the pressure on.
What does D.C. statehood mean to you? YOUR OPINION MATTERS. Post your response. Facebook.com/TheGeorgetowner
8 SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
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In recent weeks, there has been some controversy about the playing field at the Jelleff Recreation Center. There’s a history to the Jelleff field and clubhouse that may not be known to everyone and I believe it’s important to keep in mind how the field and swimming pool as we know them came to be. This was originally a clubhouse and field owned and operated by Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. Facing extreme financial hardship in 2008, BGCGW made the decision to sell Jelleff and its Capitol Hill facility. Because the city did not want to lose these iconic facilities, where so many D.C. residents had spent hours after school, the city purchased the facilities and the fields, paying $20 million for Jelleff. This was a sizable investment for the city, especially during the financial crisis of 2008. There was no additional funding at the time to repair the field and the pool, which were unusable. The District’s Department of Parks and Recreation entered into a publicprivate partnership with Maret School to repair the Jelleff field and install a new public swimming pool. I approached other schools and entities to partner on the renovations; no one else was interested. The city agreed to a contract to allow BGCGW to keep using the facility, and I personally advocated for longtime manager Bob Stowers to stay on in that role, where he continues today. In 2009, Maret invested $2.4 million in upgrades, including a new AstroTurf field, new field lights and a brand-new pool. Without this investment, the field and pool would have sat vacant for many more years. As part of the school’s arrangement with the city, Maret received, for 10 years, preferred permitting for two hours a day
after school in the fall and in the spring: 20 weeks total per year. The rest of the time, the field is used by the entire community. Maret wanted a 20-year agreement with the city for its investment. A compromise was reached whereby the city would give consideration to extending the relationship for an additional 10 years if Maret delivered on the terms of the contract in the first 10. When Maret approached DPR to extend the agreement, per the original terms, the school offered to invest an additional $1 million in the field and in clubhouse improvements. Stating that Maret met the terms of the agreement, DPR renewed the contract for the additional 10 years. Prior to extending the contract, DPR met with several ANC members and had several public meetings. The process was completely transparent. The clubhouse is budgeted to get an upgrade of $7 million in the fiscal year 2020 budget. I do not think this funding is sufficient to bring the facility to where it needs to be. I have met with the mayor and she has agreed to build a brand-new clubhouse. I will work with her to identify the funding in next year’s budget. Many years ago, then Western High School (now Duke Ellington School of the Arts) and Gordon Junior High School (now Hardy Middle School) used Ellington field, which is located three blocks away, for afterschool athletic programs. More recently, it was used for youth football and baseball programs. This could again be an option for additional field space for Hardy and other public schools. However, I have asked Mayor Bowser to hold off on any decision regarding the use of the Ellington field until a series of public meetings are held to better understand what residents want. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the use of Ellington field. Jack Evans is the District Council member for Ward 2, representing Georgetown and other neighborhoods since 1991.
AN APPRECIATION
A Political, Passionate Voice BY GARY TISC H L ER There had been a march, as in bygone days, and now Mayor Muriel Bowser and others, including D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, were on Capitol Hill on Sept. 19 testifying why Congress should move toward making the District of Columbia the 51st state of the Union. But there was something, or someone, missing from this contested but very visible hearing. It was a sharp, loud voice which had almost always been heard on not only statehood and D.C. voting rights, or Mayor Marion Barry’s latest election bid, but just about every issue D.C. folks talked about when it came to the politics of the nation and the city. Mark Plotkin wasn’t there. Plotkin, a passionate, per pet ual supporter of D.C. statehood, a political
Georgetowner columnist Mark Plotkin. reporter, writer and columnist for D.C.-area media outlets, known for his humor, intensity, sometimes combativeness, with a voluminous knowledge of local politics and the body politic in general, died Sunday, Sept. 22, at the age of 72. Read more of this appreciation at Georgetowner.com.
THE VILLAGE
Holy Trinity Refreshed, Ready for Founder’s Day COMMUNITY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 ANC 2E
The Rev. Kevin Gillespie, S.J. THE OLDEST CATHOLIC PARISH IN WASHINGTON, D.C., CELEBRATES ITS 225TH ANNIVERSARY
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Holy Trinity Catholic Church 3513 N St. NW Washington, DC 20007 trinity.org 202-337-2840 Holy Trinity School 1325 36th St. NW Washington, DC 20007 htsdc.org 202-337-2339 Fiscal Year 2018 Revenues and Expenditures Parish: $4,424,000 School: $6,050,000
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3 OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD
BY RO BE RT DEVA NEY he Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., is elated, even proud, as he shows off the refreshed interior of Holy Trinity Church, on 36th Street between N and O Streets in Georgetown. The 165-year-old main church shimmers, after being closed during the summer for upgrading. Behold the new mahogany pews, the new acoustics above, the enhanced lighting and the improved heating and air conditioning. Even the restored Stations of the Cross have a fresh white luster, revealing new details. The parish is excited, too, for its Mass and other activities on Founder’s Day, Oct. 6. Pastor since 2015, Gillespie, who was president of St. Joseph’s University and taught at Gonzaga College Prep and Georgetown Prep, has led the anniversary celebrations for Holy Trinity School (1818) and for the original building of Holy Trinity Church (1794). “When I arrived at Holy Trinity four years ago, one of the features that impressed me was a sense of the parish’s potential,” Gillespie noted. “At the time, when the parish and school capital campaign, ‘Building on Tradition,’ was nearing completion, one had the sense that resources were available to fund not only programs in Ignatian Spirituality and Social Ministries, but also improvements in the church and the school’s facilities.” The campaign eventually raised more than $12.5 million. Founded in 1787 by the Jesuits, Holy Trinity says it is the oldest parish and church in continuous operation in Washington, D.C. In
The Georgetown-Burleith-Hillandale Advisory Neighborhood Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Georgetown Visitation School, 1524 35th St. NW, second-f loor Heritage Room. For details, visit anc2e.com,
1794, the first church building — the presentday Chapel of St. Ignatius on N Street — was completed and the first Mass was celebrated. The parish’s founder was Archbishop John Carroll, founder of Georgetown University next door. The first pastor was the Rev. Francis Neale, S.J. Today, with four other Jesuit priests — Paul Campbell, S.J., Patrick Earl, S.J., Benjamin Hawley, S.J., and William Kelley, S.J. — Gillespie tends to a Holy Trinity flock of more than 4,500 families registered as parishioners. Holy Trinity School instructs 343 students. Holy Trinity is best known for John and Jacqueline Kennedy attending Mass there. More recently on the social scene were highprofile funerals for Tim Russert in 2008, with Barack Obama and John McCain on hand, and for Rep. John Dingell in February, with Bill and Hillary Clinton and members of Congress in attendance. Still, Holy Trinity prides itself on its social justice programs. There are sister parishes in El Salvador and Haiti. The parish oversees grants to a number of nonprofit organizations, as well as supporting migrants and refugees. Other new efforts include Holy Rood Cemetery — controlled by Holy Trinity and Georgetown University — up 35th Street at Wisconsin Avenue, where a new columbarium will be dedicated in November. Meanwhile, 225th Anniversary Manager Ashley Klick is ready, along with hundreds, for the Oct. 6 Founder’s Day culmination.
T h e Old G e o r ge t ow n B o a r d – Commission of Fine Arts will meet at 9 a.m. at 401 F St. NW, Suite 312. For details, visit cfa.gov.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 HOLY TRINITY FOUNDER’S DAY Holy Trinity Church will celebrate its 225th anniversary and Founder’s Day with an 11 a.m. Mass. A campus-wide reception will follow on 36th Street. For details, visit trinity.org/founders-day/.
CHRIST CHURCH BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS Christ Church’s annual Blessing of the Animals will take place at 4 p.m. in the Chapel Garden, 31st and O Streets NW. For details, visit christchurchgeorgetown.org.
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS The annual Blessing of the Animals at St. John’s will be held at 2 p.m. on the front lawn, 3240 O St. NW. For details, visit stjohnsgeorgetown.org.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 ROSE PARK FALL CELEBRATION T h e Old G e o r ge t ow n B o a r d – Commission of Fine Arts will meet at 9 a.m. at 401 F St. Area residents are invited to Friends of Rose Park’s Fall Celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. at 1601 31st St. NW. For details, visit roseparkdc.org.
QUALITY WOODWORK by PHILIPPE MOUGNE Artisan Craftsman • Built-in shelving • Furniture repair and refinish • Art displays and hanging (202) 686-6196 phmougne@yahoo.com
The Rev. C. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., Pastor 202-903-2800 kgillespie@trinity.org Kevin McShane, Principal 202-337-2339 kmcshane@htsdc.org Chris Kehoe, Director of Finance 202-903-2811 ckehoe@trinity.org Chris Hannigan, President, Parish Pastoral Council ppcpresident@trinity.org
Pastor Kevin Gillespie, S.J. and Holy Trinity Catholic Church cordially invite the Georgetown community to Founder’s Day on Sunday, October 6, celebrating our 225th anniversary. Activities begin at 10:30am and include an Anniversary Mass featuring our commissioned anniversary hymn and icon (pictured), a festival for all ages with arts and crafts, a petting zoo, history tours, and food trucks, and a matinee of Mystery on Holy Hill, a play that highlights how our church and school fit into moments in American history. Free admission to all events. Church is located on 36th Street NW, between N and O. Learn more at www.trinity.org/225. GMG, INC.
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BUSINESS
Chamber CEO Vincent Orange: Promoting What Makes D.C. Special BY G ARY T IS CHL ER When Vincent Orange became president and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce back in August of 2016, it seemed like a good fit for him, a kind of climax to the natural curve of his professional life. “The transition was seamless to me,” he said. Now three years into the job, he radiates confidence, looking forward to fall events, notably the Chamber’s Choice Awards & Gala on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the National Building Museum. Orange is a familiar face and presence in the District of Columbia. Arriving from Oakland, California, he jumped into and maintained a position as a high-profile politician and elected leader on the D.C. Council, and therefore in Washington politics. He ran successfully for a seat on the Council for two terms in Ward 5, from 1999 to 2007, and later served as an at-large member, winning a special election in 2011 and a regular election the following year. The city went through a period of highs and lows, then began to rise again during
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that time. The experience gave Orange opportunities to work with people at all levels of government. “When you’re at that level, you get to see how the whole city works, and the people who are getting things done and the city’s relationships to its regional neighbors,” he said. “You see how things work and how to make them work, and use the tools at hand, including finding equitable taxation and regulatory mechanisms to make the District attractive to prospective businesses.” That is, one would think, the essence of what a chamber of commerce does. He’s proud of what he accomplished as a Council member, especially being a proponent and leader in the passage of the $15 minimum-wage legislation, the establishment of sick-leave pay and the reopening of McKinley Tech as McKinley Technology High School. He seems especially proud of the latter, a venture that connects with what’s special in the identity of the District of Columbia.
Vincent Orange, president and CEO, at the DC Chamber’s 2ist Street headquarters. Photo by Robert Devaney. “It’s about directly working on education issues. I think there’s been a tremendous amount of progress here, but we have to do a lot more and we can contribute to that with our resources at the Chamber of Commerce.” He’s particularly concerned about the continuing difficulties at the point where fourth graders move on to middle school. Although he feels that he was an effective legislator and leader on the Council, he doesn’t feel nostalgic about the body. “I don’t miss it,” he said. “To be honest. I think the Council has changed quite a bit in recent years. There’s fewer long-term members, or a sense of the history of the Council.” As a Council member, you could readily identify Orange as the kind of politician and Council member who was comfortable in most communities, neighborhoods and organizations. There’s an open-faced approach that he carries with him, and it feels authentic, whether at a business association meeting, an ANC meeting or the year-round celebrations that identify neighborhoods. “This city is so special and what we do — it was our 80th anniversary when I came to the chamber — is to put out what makes us special to potential business owners, to people who want to bring their work and their vision here,” he said. “It’s a city of neighborhoods, and the reality is that the city is changing, in a positive way, in economic terms. Just look
around you — look at Southwest, downtown, finding new uses for old buildings. And it’s happening all of the time,” he said. “That’s change, and that can be challenging, too. We have to make sure that the people that live here now can be a part of that change, and be able to live here. This is about housing and jobs.” Orange is also very aware of the recent spate of violence that’s hit the District. “It’s very concerning, of course,” he said. “I think we need to find more ways for the communities to work with the police department. People need to feel safe.” And as for statehood? “I’m a big supporter, one hundred percent,” he said. “I think what we see now is a passion and enthusiasm for the prospect and idea of statehood. It’s not going to happen overnight, but now you have a lot of people who are willing to listen to the idea. And that’s a little different from even 10 years ago.” In Orange, the Chamber of Commerce has a savvy leader, a man who knows the city and its various leaders at different levels. He knows where to go for what. He is the classic co-operator, not operator. There used to be talk, during local election cycles, about bringing the city together, or One City. If anybody seems fit to accomplish that, it’s probably Vincent Orange, who’s a true believer when it comes to working with other people.
Brian Pieninck, President & CEO of Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield, will speak at the DC Chamber of Commerce’s State of the District & Region Conference on Friday October 4, 2019.
Former Mayor, Anthony Williams will be a featured panel member the DC Chamber of Commerce’s State of the District & Region Luncheon on Friday October 4, 2019.
BUSINESS
INS & OUTS BY RO B E RT DEVA NEY
OUT: GEORGETOWN SCOOPS
IN: ALLBIRDS FLYING IN
Looks like Allbirds shoes will be taking over the shuttered Ben & Jerry’s at 3135 M St. NW. The business — whose slogan is “the world’s most comfortable shoes” — will take over the 3,696-square-foot space on two levels of the building, according to the Washington Business Journal. The property owner is Georgetown Electric Company (formerly at that spot; its sign in the back can still be seen from the alleyway), and about 30 years ago the upstairs held the production office of The Georgetowner. News outlets also are reporting that next door at 3131 M St. NW Johnny Rockets is set to depart, as the lease for the property is being advertised.
MOVED: EVERFI EXPANDS TO WEST END
Founded 10 years ago in Georgetown on Potomac Street, fast-growing EverFi, a leading education technology provider, celebrated its new digs at 2300 N St. NW with friends, family and employees — along with Mayor Muriel Bowser, Kenan Thompson of “Saturday Night Live” and Georgetown and NBA star Jerome “Junk Yard Dog” Williams. Said EverFi co-founder and CEO Tom Davidson: “Ten years ago, EverFi was
EverFi CEO Tom Davidson, Kenan Thompson and Mayor Muriel Bowser. Photo by Robert Devaney. founded in a small D.C. row house with the idea that we could harness innovative, digital education to engage learners around some of the country’s most intractable issues, including financial illiteracy, student loan debt, sexual harassment and violence and workforce access.”
OUT: MONO DINER; ‘WAGE THEFT’ ALLEGED
After opening in March, Mono Diner at 1424 Wisconsin Ave. NW never quite took off and closed in August. Amid the financial problems incurred by owners Mohammad Esfahani and Ebrahim Esfahani, who own All About Burger, are allegations of wage theft from former Mono Diner employees. A former manager of the restaurant, Charles Ordoqui, says he was told to withhold employee’s last paychecks. The Esfahani brothers deny this — and the D.C. branch of the Industrial Workers of the World is now involved to help the laid-off employees get their full paychecks.
This favorite place for ice cream, sorbet, gelato and Vietnamese coffee at 2818 Pennsylvania Ave. NW abruptly closed last week.
GEORGETOWN FALL MARKET
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: SCHEELE’S MARKET
Donguk Kim, owner of Scheele’s Market for seven years, has sold the business to Daniel Hong. Located at 1331 29th St. NW, the neighborhood grocery store that seems to have everything one needs is more than 120 years old. Thank you, Mr. Kim, for your dedication to Georgetown, as well as your cheerful manner and great customer service. And welcome, Mr. Hong. The store remains the same, with a few additions that include sushi.
10TH ANNIVERSARY: LUKE’S LOBSTER
Holden, a Georgetown University business school alumnus. His family owns a lobsterprocessing company in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Holden opened his first spot in Greenwich Village in 2009.
Just in time for National Lobster Day, Sept. 25, Luke’s Lobster is celebrating its 10th birthday with special versions by local chefs of its Maine lobster roll in the cities where it is located. José Andrés will devise the roll at the Georgetown spot, which opened in 2012 at 1211 Potomac St. NW. The company was founded by Luke
On Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5, more than 20 Wisconsin Avenue boutiques, cafés, salons and galleries between O Street and Reservoir Road will celebrate the season with special promotions, live music and fall treats from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Fall Market will feature sidewalk displays as well as in-store offerings. Attendees can enter a social media contest for the chance to win one of several themed prizes, including three bottles of wine from Bacchus Wine Cellar, dessert for 12 from Pâtisserie Poupon, a handcrafted fall table centerpiece from TD Bank, a bread board from Moss & Co. and a Daylesford linen tea towel from Pillar & Post. For contest details, follow @officialgeorgetowndc and @georgetownmainst on Instagram with #georgetownfallmarket. For a list of participating merchants and promotions, visit georgetowndc.com/fallmarket.
The Contents of a Virginian Country House The Collection of Eric Steiner Los Angeles | October 10, 2019
All lots under $5,000 to be offered for sale without reserve. PREVIEW October 4 - 9
INQUIRIES Anna Hicks +1 (323) 436 5463 anna.hicks@bonhams.com bonhams.com/privatecollections
AFTER RUBENS Lion hunt, after the original in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich $ 20,000 - 30,000 © 2019 Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers Corp. All rights reserved. Bond No. 57BSBGL0808
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SCÈNEDANS LES RUES BY LAURETTA J. MCCO Y PHO TO G RAPHER MICHAEL WILSO N FO R MO RE LO O KS, SEE O UR O NLINE ISSUE
STEFANIE Rhinestone Gold Top - @uesagoods_vintage Jean Jacket @ragandbone M Street DC Plaid Shirt @stefpharr Red Velvet Top @wardrobewillbblessed Vintage Velvet Pants Stylist Own
AWUOR Gold Brocade Dress and print blouse @losgitanos_vintage
2019/2020 FALL / WI NTE R FA S H IO N I N G EO RG E TOWN 12 SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
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TEAM CREDITS Photographer Michael Wilson @rackfocus Creative Director, Fashion/Beauty Editor Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth Models Awuor @moodmodelmgmt Stefanie @cimatalentmanagement Assistant Stylist Stefanie Pharr @stefpharr Makeup Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth
STEFANIE Red cap - @uesagoods_vintage Sweater LOU LOU @loulougtwn Plaid shirt @ragandbone M Street DC Velvet print dress @uesagoods_vintage Bracelet as brooch @loulougtwn
AWUOR Cable Knit Scarf @ragandbone M Street DC Zebra jacket uesagoods_vintage Black track pants - @ragandbone M Street DC
Hair Latrice Strader @latricestrader Nails LaToya Duckett @toyduckcreations Fashion Assistant Cayla Foston @caylafoston
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AWUOR Scarves and Bralette LOU LOU @loulougtwnVintage Crochet Dress Uesa Goods @uesagoods_vintage Quilted Trench Coat - William Henry Rawls @ wardrobewillbeblessed Fanny Pack Rag and Bone Cuffs LOU LOU @loulougtwn
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TEAM CREDITS Photographer Michael Wilson @rackfocus Creative Director, Fashion/Beauty Editor Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth Models Awuor @moodmodelmgmt Stefanie @cimatalentmanagement Assistant Stylist Stefanie Pharr @stefpharr Makeup Lauretta J McCoy @beautycomestoearth Hair Latrice Strader @latricestrader Nails LaToya Duckett @toyduckcreations Fashion Assistant Cayla Foston @caylafoston
AWUOR Cable Knit Scarf @ragandbone M Street DC Zebra jacket uesagoods_vintage Black track pants - @ragandbone M Street DC
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HAUTE & COOL
KEEP IT IN CHECK! BY A LL Y S ON B UR K H A R DT What better way to prepare for fall than to embrace the power of plaid? The distinguished pattern has become impossibly chic. Just check out the Paris runway shows or Rihanna’s latest look. You will see the iconic check has undergone quite a style evolution.
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Of course, there is a lot for the choosing. Whether in gingham, houndstooth or buffalo check, plaid is definitely more colorful. The most modern looks were bright, patterned combinations of mid-length skirts, layered separates and exaggerated outerwear. You will see new shapes emerging in all of the above. Not ready to be the center of everyone’s attention? Simply adding accessories in chic black-and-white tartan provides an instant update. So let’s elevate this season by keeping our checks in balance!
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Allyson Burkhardt is the founder of Let’s Get Dressed! Image & Style Services. Visit her on the web at letsgetdresseddc.com.
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RAG & BONE Camile Plaid Shirt $325 Rag & Bone Georgetown
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MADEWELL Woven Pouch $29.50
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Tailored Midi-Coat $686 Farfetch Plaid Tote $398 Tory Burch Georgetown Arabella Dress $1,295 Moda Operandi
Ballet Flat in Tartan $890 Dior.com
Hunting Jacket $895 Nordstrom
VISIT GEORGETOWNER.COM TO VIEW ALL THE STYLES FROM THIS ARTICLE.
ARTS
At SAAM: David Levinthal’s Curious Photographs BY AR I P OS T The photographs of David Levinthal are utterly peculiar, American curiosities. For the past 40 years, he has been fastidiously arranging toy soldiers, Barbie dolls, baseball figurines and other vintage playthings in elaborate dioramas, then turning his camera on them with such a shallow depth of field that the finished pictures defy all connection to their subjects’ original proportions. It’s not that his pictures trick the eye into thinking that the plastic dolls are real (although at a glance you would be forgiven for assuming so). Levinthal’s particular gift is in plainly showing you that each scene isn’t real — and still eliciting a genuine emotional reaction. Like a puppeteer working the strings of a marionette, Levinthal’s focus on the cutesy thingness of his models makes his work that much more enchanting, enigmatic and likely to get stuck in your head. Add to this his choice of subjects — sluggers, cowboys, war heroes and babes — and Levinthal becomes something like a manufacturer of golden-age nostalgia for the American mind. “American Myth & Memor y: David Levinthal Photographs” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum is a Jungian dive into the subconscious of mid-century America. It’s warped, it’s charming, it’s totally delusionary and a little perverted. And it’s well worth seeing before it closes on Oct. 14. Levinthal owes a lot to Edward Hopper, who, perhaps more than anyone (other than the Coca-Cola Company), codified the aesthetic of American nostalgia. Hopper is in many ways the only elite American painter in the Western canon prior to the 1950s whose subject matter was the stuff of America itself: landscapes, people, architecture, furniture. His work looked American not in concept — not because his brushstrokes were vigorous — but literally. His buildings were large panes of glass and concrete, his downtown streets were lined with barber poles and his figures dressed like Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Then there was his way of painting, with dramatic, warm light and blocky, softedged shapes, which acted as a hazy filter to images that were otherwise crystal clear. More than anything, though, Hopper captured an almost unbearable sense of longing in his work, his figures almost universally solitary, staring into some distant nowhere. Levinthal utilizes a lot of Hopper’s visual codes of light, tone, softness and figural characterization. But Levinthal only began his work in the 1970s, at which point these subjects and images were already distant relics. And he’s doing it with toys. The exhibition is broken into a number of subjects: History, Modern Romance, American Beauties, Barbie, Baseball, Wild West. A lot of space and attention is devoted to his Western series — Cowboys and Indians, like my dad played in the 1950s — a subject that could be explored endlessly as a vessel for anything from colonialism to toxic masculinity. But I’m less taken with them, as Levinthal here tends to manipulate his images to effect something too pseudo-lifelike. But they don’t really seem real. So I prefer the conceit that they are obviously toys to an attempted illusion of realism. His best work by far is in his Barbie and
From the series “Baseball,” 2003. David Levinthal. Courtesy SAAM. American Beauty series, not least because the toy-ifying of women in American culture is the most poignant marriage of his medium to its content. Unfortunately — and I know this is a terrible follow-up thought — they are also just a joy to look at. You at once recognize them as dolls, but you’re also quite earnestly attracted to the images, as naturally as to a photo of Rita Hayworth. They have a kind of technicolor glow, like cake icing, but mellowed adoringly through Levinthal’s lens. It’s a funny window into the beautiful nightmare of being a woman in the 1950s. This work is also a testament to the power and influence of the camera. It rather shames the notion of photography as a documentary medium. As Levinthal reveals it, more clearly than any photographer I have ever seen, it is a profoundly biased and manipulative tool. It ’s s o r t of a m a z i n g h ow ic o n ic Levinthal’s pictures feel, despite their obvious kitsch. From across the room, you see the profile of a black convertible town car, though only the front wheel is in focus. A cotton-puff of pink is all that defines a figure in the backseat. It is instantly recognizable as Jackie Kennedy moments before her husband, JFK, was assassinated. But the image is not really based on any single image that ever existed. We recognize this scene as a composite of every photograph, video, movie and documentary we’ve ever seen about that day over the past half-century. It’s like looking at an echo of a memory.
AMERICAN MYTH & MEMORY: DAVID LEVINTHAL PHOTOGRAPHS Through Oct. 14, 2019 SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM 8th and F Streets NW Open daily, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free admission americanart.si.edu 202-633-7970
KITTY KELLEY BOOK CLUB
‘Patrimony: A True Story’ WORTH A REVISIT: PHILIP ROTH’S PLAINSPOKEN, POIGNANT MEMOIR R EVIEWED BY KITTY KEL L E Y One of life’s toughest journeys is sounds like a play-by-play between two accompanying a loved one into old exuberant boys, until the father remembers age or disability. It is a trip that will his son is calling from England. inevitably lead to the grave, and that “Hey … This is going to cost you a fortune.” final farewell can bring crushing grief Ecstatic that his father’s tumor has given him and an awful aloneness. enough remission to enjoy the game, Roth I n “Pat r i mony: A Tr ue Stor y,” urges him to continue. “Go ahead, Herm. I’m published in 1991, Philip Roth made a rich man. Pitch by pitch. Who’s up?” that journey with his 86-year-old father, Roth found his father in advanced age who had been struck by a virulent brain to have become “annoyingly tight” about tumor, leaving him “utterly isolated spending money on himself — for a cleaning within a body that had become a lady or for a subscription to his beloved New terrifying escape-proof enclosure, the York Times. One wonders why the “rich” son holding pen in a slaughterhouse.” did not step forward to provide those small With unsparing prose, Roth chronicles luxuries; perhaps the leaf did not fall far from the last two years of his father’s life, the tree. which became a horrifying excursion Yet, as a good son, Roth stepped up to into modern medicine — different doctors usher his father through his last 24 months with various diagnoses and misdiagnoses, of life, taking care of him as one might a some of which required crippling newborn child. He drew his Epsom salt baths, surgeries by men the author “wouldn’t tested the water, helped him in and out of trust to carve my Thanksgiving turkey.” the tub and observed — as only the author T h e q u e s t io n a ble r e s u lt s a nd of “Portnoy’s Complaint” would — that his protracted recovery left father and son father’s member “looked pretty serviceable. bewildered and frustrated as they tried Stouter around, I noticed, than my own.” to make wracking decisions about Roth’s writing here is extraordinary but prolonging life and postponing death. In hardly elevating. The New York Times called the end, they decide against all surgeries the book “American storytelling at its least and try to deal with the effects of the lyrical.” One of the “least lyrical” parts of growing tumor, which leaves Herman this memoir, which won the National Book Roth disfigured with facial paralysis, Critics Circle Award, is the breath-stopping deaf in one ear and blind in one eye. scene of the father’s incontinence in his son’s Through the son, we come to know the home, where the old man dissolves into tears father as a “pitiless realist” who tossed and shamefully admits, “I beshat myself.” out his wife’s clothes hours after she died. The son goes down on his hands and Philip Roth’s mother had been “a good- knees, stifling disgust and nausea, to clean a natured, even-tempered, untroublesome bathroom floor full of his father’s excrement, partner whose faults and failings [his which, he relates with mordant humor, is true father] could correct unceasingly.” patrimony. “And not because cleaning it up We see “the poignant abyss” between was symbolic of something else, but because the pair. Two generations removed from it wasn’t, because it was nothing less or more Galicia (now in Ukraine), with only an than lived reality.” eighth-grade education, Roth’s father Roth saw his patrimony not in inherited was a salesman for Metropolitan Life wealth or in the accumulated treasures of a in Newark, New Jersey. His hard work lifetime from his father, but in cleaning up paid for the elixir, higher education, his father’s befoulment. that would elevate the future author On his last day of life, Herman Roth was far beyond his parents — socially, rushed to the hospital, unable to breathe. The intellectually and professionally. attending physician was prepared to take Roth earned his master’s degree in “extraordinary measures” to keep him alive literature from the University of Chicago, when Philip Roth arrived. The son had to became a Distinguished Professor at decide whether to follow his father’s living Princeton, wrote 32 books of fiction and will, which stipulated no life support. He nonfiction and won almost every literary writes that he had to sit with his father a very prize imaginable. long time before he could say, “Dad, I’m For many years, Roth distanced himself going to have to let you go.” from his hectoring father, who, he writes, Only at the end of the book do we learn “had no idea just how unproductive, how that, “in keeping with the unseemliness of maddening, even, at times, cruel his my profession,” Philip Roth had been writing admonishing could be.” Yet he pays this memoir all the time his father was ill and him loving tribute for being a survivor: dying. Many will be grateful that he did.” for surviving financial setbacks, for surviving an immigrant’s humiliations, Georgetown resident for surviving discrimination in the claws Kitty Kelley has written of anti-Semitism. several number-one New Father and son finally bond over York Times best-sellers, their shared passion for baseball, a bit including “The Family: reminiscent of “Field of Dreams.” One The Real Story Behind of the most affecting scenes in the book t h e B u s h D y n a s t y.” is Roth’s recollection of game five of the Her most recent books playoffs between the Mets and the Astros in clu de “Ca pt u r ing on Oct. 14, 1986, when he was in London, Camelot: Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images six hours away from the game his father is of the Kennedys” and “Let Freedom Ring: watching in New Jersey. Stanley Tretick’s Iconic Images of the March Their transcontinental conversation on Washington.” GMG, INC.
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FOOD & WINE
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH: THE TATANKA
Dining Guide
WASHINGTON DC’S FINEST RESTAURANTS
CLYDE’S OF GEORGETOWN 3236 M ST., NW 202-333-9180 | clydes.com
This animated tavern, in the heart of Georgetown, popularized saloon food and practically invented Sunday brunch. Clyde’s is the People’s Choice for bacon cheeseburgers, steaks, fresh seafood, grilled chicken salads, fresh pastas and desserts.
BY J UD Y KURA S H Before modern medicine gave the world Viagra, there were many folk remedies believed to increase a man’s sexual prowess. Several of these involved alcohol and are still in use today. For example, in China, wine distilled from the blood of poisonous snakes will purportedly make a man very powerful and virile. It’s believed that the more deadly the serpent the more potent the effects. A similar antidote is found in Vietnam, where men mix bear bile with rice wine because they believe it makes them stronger and able to drink more. The problem with this cure is that it is extremely cruel to the bears, which are kept in small cages and milked from open wounds. Fortunately, there is a movement against this practice and several bear “farms” have been shut down, with sanctuaries set up for the rescued animals. On a less exotic note, Ireland’s Guinness stout is rumored to make a man last longer in bed. This claim, coming from a company that once employed the advertising slogan “Guinness is good for you,” does have some scientific backing. In a New York Post article, Dr. Kat Van Kirk claims: “dark beers such as Guinness can boost a man’s libido and lead to longer, more intense erections because of their high amounts of iron, which increases the amount of blood circulation.” During a recent trip to Poland, I discovered another powerful potable: bison grass or Żubrówka (pronounced ju-broofka) vodka. The name Żubrówka stems from the words for “bison grass” in Polish, Belarusian and Russian. The spirit gets its name because each bottle is infused with the plant and contains a blade of bison grass from the Białowieża Forest. The mixture results in a greenishyellow spirit with an herbal taste. When tasted straight up, Żubrówka has a distinct flavor all its own: grassy, floral, with strong sweet and nutty notes like pecan or walnut. Bison grass is rumored to be a source of strength and virility. It was actually banned in the U.S. until about 10 years ago because of its medicinal qualities. However, these had nothing to do with it being an aphrodisiac. Bison grass contains an organic chemical compound called coumarin that acts as a blood thinner. It wasn’t until vodka producers found a way to distill it without the coumarin that Żubrówka became available in the States.
3 oz. Żubrowka bison grass vodka 5 oz. fresh apple juice Juice of ½ lime
ENO WINE BAR
2810 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW 202–295–2826 | enowinerooms.com HAPPY HOUR: Offered nightly Tuesday - Thursday from 5 - 7 PM & Sunday from 4 - 7 PM. Enjoy select $7 wines on tap. Join us on Wednesday’s for College Nights from 9 - 11 PM and Sunday’s for 30% off bottles. Our delightful wines are best enjoyed with local charcuterie, cheese and small plates.
Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into an ice-filled glass This is similar to absinthe, which was unavailable in the U.S. before producers found a way to remove the thujone. Since I’ve had the opportunity of tasting Żubrówka both in America and in Poland, I can attest that, overall, the flavor profile is nearly identical — although the Polish version does taste a touch heavier, with some vanilla notes (which come directly from the coumarin). The unique flavor of Żubrówka on its own is a refreshing change from the artificially flavored, chemical-tasting vodkas that have been immensely popular in the U.S. In Poland, bison grass vodka is most commonly served with apple juice in a cocktail called the Tatanka. If the name of this drink rings a bell, you can thank Kevin Costner. The Lakota word “tatanka,” meaning bison, was used prominently in his Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves.” I discovered this drink on a sunny June afternoon in Krakow. I had ducked inside a quiet bar before the evening rush for a conference call. I wanted something fresh and cooling and my bartender immediately suggested a Tatanka. It fit the bill perfectly. While the apple juice does add a lot of sweetness, I found the Polish version of the mixer less cloying than the commercially produced bottled juices typical in the States. The natural sugar from the juice, combined with the botanical and nutty flavors from the vodka, were reminiscent of a fluffy apple pastry that didn’t weight you down. It came garnished with a fresh flower, giving it an ethereal vibe. The exceptional aspect of this simple highball was complexity of flavors, imparted by the vodka’s multilayered earthy and floral components, which instantly gave it a craft cocktail aura. As for its additional “benefits,” I cannot comment, since I was on a solo venture and retired to my Airbnb alone. But if you would like to conduct further research, the Tatanka can be assembled easily at home.
THE OCEANAIRE SEAFOOD ROOM 1201 F ST., NW 202–347–2277 | theoceanaire.com
The Oceanaire blends a sophisticated atmosphere with simple, seasonal and regionally-inspired cuisine – the result is “the ultra-fresh seafood experience”. From our wines and cocktails to our seafood, steak and desserts, our commitment to sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients is apparent in everything we do. Reserve your table today for an extraordinary dining experience.
FILOMENA RISTORANTE
1063 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–338–8800 | filomena.com A Georgetown landmark for over 30 years featuring styles and recipes passed through generations. Balanced cuttingedge culinary creations of modern Italy using the fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch sauces and pastas. Seen on The Travel Channel, Award-winning Filomena is a favorite of U.S. Presidents, celebrities, sports legends, political leaders. “Don’t miss their bakery’s incredible desserts” - Best in D.C.
ROCKLANDS BARBEQUE
2418 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-2558 | rocklands.com This original location has served barbecue since 1990. We now have more space for you to sit down with family and friends at our new dining room Driving or walking up Wisconsin Avenue, you ask “mmmm, what’s that aroma??” That’s pork, beef and chicken coming out of our wood-only smoker, falling off the bone and ready for a dousing with our Original Barbeque Sauce.
CAFE BONAPARTE
1522 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202–333–8830 | cafebonaparte.com
MARTIN’S TAVERN
1264 WISCONSIN AVE., NW 202-333-7370 | martinstavern.com Fifth generation Lauren Martin learns the family business from her dad, Billy Martin, Jr. Since 1933, the warm atmosphere of Martin’s Tavern has welcomed neighbors and travelers looking for great food, service and years of history within it’s walls. Fourth generation owner Billy Martin. Jr. continues the tradition of Washington’s oldest family-owned restaurant.
Captivating customers since 2003, Cafe Bonaparte has been dubbed the “quintessential” European café, featuring award-winning crepes and arguably the “best” coffee in D.C.! Other can't-miss attractions are the famous weekend brunch every Saturday and Sunday until 3 p.m. and our late-night weekend hours serving sweet and savory crepes until 1 a.m.
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GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES
GALA GUIDE SEPTEMBER 27 ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL GOLDEN GALA The event is an opportunity to honor t he ch ild ren of St. Jude Ch ild ren’s Research Hospital. Embassy of France. Contact Erin Farrell at 703-650-4504 or erin.farrell@stjude.org.
HALCYON AWARDS T he Halcyon Awards recog nize and honor talented arts icons, successful social entrepreneurs and public policy visionaries. Entertainment and Sports Arena. Email Andrew Jacobs at a.jacobs@halcyonhouse.org.
SEPTEMBER 28
The Women’s Committee of the Washington Ballet will host the season- opening celebration with an exclusive preview of dancers performing an excerpt from NEXTsteps. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard. Email Emily Magenheimer or Rebecca Soloway at rsvp@washingtonballet.org.
OCTOBER 19 HUMAN RESCUE ALLIANCE’S BARK BALL This is the only black-tie gala where guests are encouraged to bring their canine companions as their dates. Washington Hilton. Call 202-735- 0324 or email events@humanerescuealliance.org.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN NATIONAL DINNER
WOOLLY MAMMOTH’S DINNER ON STAGE
The HRC National Dinner celebrates advancements in the fight for full LGBTQ equality. Walter E. Washington Convention Cent e r. Email H RC event s t ea m at galadinners@hrc.org.
Guests can explore backstage with a cocktail in hand, revel in magnetic performances and enjoy an elegant dinner on stage. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Call Annalise Aguirre at 202-312-5265 or email events@woollymammoth.net.
NYUMBANI BENEFIT GALA Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are the evening’s honorary hosts. A cocktail reception will include silent auction items ranging from African treasures to lavish vacation packages and a raffle for a luxurious Kenyan safari for two. Dinner will be followed by a report on Nyumbani’s accomplishments and plans by Executive Director Sister Mary Owens, as well as award presentations, special guests and a live auction. Fairmont Washington, D.C. Contact Heidi Webb at heidi.webb@us.nyumbani.org.
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION’S CHEFS FOR EQUALITY
G a l a p r o c e e d s s u p p o r t t h e NS O’s educational and community engagement programs. Kennedy Center Concert Hall and the Reach. Call John Guastello at 202-416-8102.
OCTOBER 11 The evening benefits Building Bridges Across the River’s work on behalf of children and adults who reside east of the Anacostia River. The Wharf (concert at the Anthem followed by dinner at the Intercontinental). Contact Beth Sadler at 202-889-5901, ext. 100, or bsadler@thearcdc.org.
OCTOBER 17 SIBLEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL SOIRÉE Sibley Memorial Hospital relies on the support of the community to maintain a standard of excellence in public health services. Embassy of France. Contact Casey Cave at 202-660-6539 or ccave@jhmi.edu.
OCTOBER 18 THE WASHINGTON BALLET’S GRAND JETÉ SOIRÉE GMG, INC.
NOVEMBER 1 KNOCK OUT ABUSE AGAINST WOMEN GALA Proceeds from the event provide funding for four local beneficiaries that aid survivors of domestic violence. Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Visit knockoutabuse.org.
NOVEMBER 2 COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE’S BLUE HOPE BASH Proceeds benefit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and its research, prevention and patient support programs. Andrew Mellon Aud itor iu m. Call Stepha n ie Marcos-Hanns at 202-628-0123 or email bluehopebash@ccalliance.org.
NATIONAL ITALIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION GALA The 44th annual event is dedicated to preserving, promoting and protecting Italian American heritage. Omni Shoreham Hotel. Email information@niaf.org.
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NOVEMBER 4
Signature Chefs showcases the city’s culinary masters as they raise funds for programs sponsored by the March of Dimes Foundation. Marriott Marquis. Contact Kate Leib at 571257-2309 or kleib@marchofdimes.org.
OCTOBER 25 MERIDIAN BALL
AFTERDARK4THEARC
PEN/FAULKNER GALA: RISE UP! Event proceeds help underwrite the PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction and Writers in Schools programming. Katzen Arts Center. Contact Shahenda Helmy at 202-898-9063 or shahenda@penfaulkner.org.
Over 150 of Washington’s greatest chefs, bakers and mixologists participate to benefit the fight for full LGBTQ equality. Washington National Cathedral. Email chefstickets@hrc.org.
MARCH OF DIMES FOUNDATION’S SIGNATURE CHEFS AUCTION
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SEASONOPENING GALA
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OCTOBER 22
competition and benefits the United States Equestrian Team Foundation. Capital One Arena, Stella Lounge VIP Club. Email Mary Helen Shaughnessy at maryhelen@wihs.org.
Guests attend one of 35 ambassador-hosted dinners, followed by dessert and dancing at the historic Meridian House. Meridian House. Contact Olivia Dorieux at 202-939-5892 or odorieux@meridian.org.
SALVATION ARMY WOMEN’S AUXILIARY FASHION SHOW The 70th an niversar y Fashion Show Luncheon and Auction, in partnership with Bloomingdale’s, suppor ts local Salvation Army programs. Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. Call 202-756-2618 or visit salvationarmynca.org.
OCTOBER 26 WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL HORSE SHOW PRESIDENT’S CUP PARTY The evening includes a world-class equestrian
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY GALA T he ga la prov ide s f u nd i ng for t he Shakespeare Theatre Company’s ar ts education and community engagement programs. National Building Museum and Sidney Harman Hall. Call Clare Klanderman at 202-547-3230, ext. 2327, or email stcgala@shakespearetheatre.org.
NOVEMBER 9 SOME (SO OTHERS MIGHT EAT) GALA The annual gala supports SOME’s affordable housing programs for homeless and lowincome families. National Building Museum. Contact Ingrid Feigenbaum at 202-750-3738 or ifeigenbaum@some.org.
NOVEMBER 14 FIGHT NIGHT 2019 The evening’s proceeds help improve the lives of at-risk children throughout the Mid-Atlantic through quality youth sports programming. Washington Hilton. Contact Judy Wrench at 202-772-0417 or judy.wrench@fightforchildren.org.
LAB SCHOOL OF WASHINGTON GALA
All funds raised will go toward financial aid for students and professional development opp or t u n it ie s for t he L ab School’s educators. National Building Museum. Contact Dia Ruocco at 202-944-2204 or dia.ruocco@labschool.org.
NOVEMBER 17 NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY’S AMERICAN PORTRAIT GALA The American Portrait Gala was established in 2015 to strengthen the National Portrait Gallery’s endowment for exhibitions and to focus attention on contemporary artists. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Call 202-633-8309 or email npg_gala@si.edu.
NOVEMBER 23 GEORGETOWN COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER’S LOMBARDI GALA Proceeds from the gala will fund worldclass research and treatment programs at Georgetown Lombardi. Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Contact Sharon Courtin at 202-687-3866 or sc830@georgetown.edu.
DECEMBER 8 KENNEDY CENTER HONORS Ar tists to be honored in 2019: Ear th, Wind & Fire, Sally Field, Linda Ronstadt, Sesame Street and Michael Tilson Thomas. Kennedy Center Opera House. Email honors@kennedy-center.org.
THE WASHINGTON BALLET’S NUTCRACKER TEA PARTY The holiday tradition includes a ticket to “The Nutcracker” at the Warner Theatre and an elegant tea party. Willard Intercontinental Hotel. Email Emily Magenheimer or Rebecca Soloway at rsvp@washingtonballet.org.
DECEMBER 16 CHORAL ARTS SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON’S HOLIDAY CONCERT & GALA The evening incudes a holiday concert, dinner and dancing. Kennedy Center. Contact Regina Burgher at 202-244-3669 or rburgher@choralarts.org.
JANUARY 9 WASHINGTON WINTER SHOW PREVIEW NIGHT The VIP reception affords a first look at the show. Katzen Arts Center. Contact Jonathan Willen at 202-248-7159 or jon@jonathangwillen.com.
JANUARY 18 RUSSIAN BALL The Russian Ball is the leading heritage event celebrating Washington’s Russian community. Private social club. Email therussianball@gmail.com.
GOOD WORKS & GOOD TIMES
Big Night: For Singapore and Wolf Trap BY STEP HANIE GREE N It was a shining night for Singapore at the Wolf Trap Ball on Sept. 14, as the arts center raised a record $1,730,000. Microstrategy CEO Michael Saylor was among the 750 guests at the annual Wolf Trap Ball, which partners with an embassy to showcase a country’s cultural heritage. This year’s salute was to Singapore — some 650 lanterns and a reproduction of a super tree as found in Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay created a magical riot of colors. Décor reflected Chinese, Indian and Malay influences, representative of Singapore’s diversity. Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States, Ashok Mirpuri and his wife Gouri Mirpuri, served as honorary hosts. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring were among the guests.
30 Years, 3,000 Trees BY M ARY BIR D On a delightful late summer evening, Jennifer and David Romm hosted guests for the 30th Anniversary of Trees for Georgetown Garden Party at their 30th Street home. Betsy Emes welcomed all and shared that when she accepted to head the group 15 years ago she was assured it would require five hours a week. She soon discovered it was closer to five hours a day. Council member Jack Evans, who read from a Ceremonial Resolution that declared Sept. 15 “Trees for Georgetown Day in the District of Columbia.” In 1989, with government funds lacking, Trees for Georgetown, began as a volunteer committee under the Citizens Association of Georgetown, working with Casey Trees and the Urban Forestry Administration to plant and care for trees on Georgetown streets. The celebration was enhanced by hors d’oeuvres and shucked oysters by Susan Gage Catering as well as donated wine selected by Leonore Moog, manager of the wine department at the Georgetown Safeway.
Wolf Trap Chairman Dan D’Aniello, Ginny Friend, the Washington Ballet’s Julie Kent and Victor Barbee. Photo by Tony Powell. Betsy Emes, Dave Dunning and advisory neighborhood commissioner Gwendolyn Lohse. Photo by Robert Devaney.
Gideon Malone, Wolf Trap CEO Arvind Manocha, Manjula Pindiprolu, Srikant Sastry, Ball co-chairs Annie and Patrick Pacious, Gouri Murpuri and Singapore Ambassador Ashok Mirpuri. Photo by Tony Powell.
African Look at Black Caucus Gala BY CH RIST INE WA RNK E The quintessential African look stole the show at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Gala, when all CBC Senate and House members strolled onto the Washington Convention’s ballroom stage Sept. 15, wearing beautiful African fashion ensembles. The theme of celebrating African American history, spanning 400 years took center attention, as attendees listened to some of our nation’s African American heroes.
Hosts David and Jennifer Romm with Christi Cline and Betsy Emes of Trees for Georgetown. Photo by Robert Devaney.
Diplomatic Support for MS Fight The 41st Annual Ambassadors Gala on Sept. 10 at the Anthem clearly showed the diplomatic engagement and support for research on multiple sclerosis. The annual event also attracted State Department officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Susan Blumenthal, M.D., and Japanese Ambassador Shinsuke Sugiyama. Photo by Tony Powell. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). Photo by Patricia McDougall.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) at the center of the stage. Photo by Patricia McDougall.
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