THE VILLAGE

Fall Makers Market Returns to Dumbarton House

BY STEVE HOLTON

On Saturday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. some of the area’s finest vendors will converge upon the historic grounds of Georgetown’s renowned Dumbarton House Museum located at 2715 Q St. NW to attend the Fall Makers Market.

What’s old will be new at the market. Items from D.C.’s pioneer vendors of the early 1800s will be featured alongside the vendors of today who will be showcasing a wide variety of their own products such as coffee, tea, candles, home goods, jewelry, and art. The Dumbarton House began the seasonal vendors market in the fall of 2019 and continued the event the following fall and spring of 2021. This Saturday will mark their fourth Fall Makers Market.

The market will display historical handmade items parallel to current vendors showcasing their own crafts. Silver, brick, and books are just a few of the items of yesteryear to be put on display. The market will be held outdoors and spaced throughout the grounds for consumers to enjoy the garden scenery and beautiful fall day with social distancing.

The event continues to gain traction with turnouts of 300 to 500 people. Promoting and supporting local vendors and businesses, it has received positive feedback from the community. “Craftsmanship is the heart of American style and culture,” Carol Cadou, executive director of Dumbarton House Museum, said. “Historic trades like glassmaking, printing, and metalworking, are just as relevant today and programs like our Makers Market provide the opportunity to celebrate modern Artisans.”

Tickets for the Fall Makers Market are available with a pay-what-you-wish donation which will include admission into the Dumbarton House Museum. For a list of vendors and a way to register for the event visit dumbartonhouse.org. Attendees should enter through the main gates of the property. Covid-safe masks are encouraged outdoors and required indoors to visit the museum.

Friends of Book Hill Park board members: Melissa Anderson, Virginia Poole, Richard Dunn, Frank Randolph, Julia Diaz-Asper, Lee Childs. (Not pictured: Adam Shirvinski, Al Russell, Terry Bell and Laura Nelson.) Georgetowner photo.

Friends of Book Hill Park Needs Your Help

BY ROBERT DEVANEY

The last two years have been challenging for everyone, and the Friends of Book Hill Park is no exception. Due to the pandemic, FBHP could not host its fundraiser. In late 2020, as funds began to run low, members Ginny Poole and Lee Childs spearheaded an effort to begin maintenance of the park themselves. “Living on the same block, I did my best to keep an eye on the park,” said board president and co-founder Julia Diaz-Asper. “I think we all quickly felt that we would never be able to keep Book Hill in a state that neighbors have come to enjoy.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Georgetown Garden Club and frequent donor and neighbor Gale Arnold, Friends of Book Hill Park raised enough funds to rehire its landscaper. The group is thankful for Mayor Bowser’s administration for its help cutting the grass. However, with city services stretched thin and the unknown timeline before it can host a fundraiser, the Friends group is reaching out to all who know and love the park to consider contributing to its maintenance fund. The board urgently needs funds to make repairs, paint the trident fence, remove the leaves, maintain the landscaping and replace the roses.

Friends of Book Hill Park is a non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible and may be made out to Friends of Book Hill Park, 3219 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, D.C. 20007. You may donate online by visiting www.bookhillparkdc.com and clicking donate at the bottom of the page.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

NOVEMBER 14

DUMBARTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: STAINED GLASS HISTORY TOURS

3133 Dumbarton St. NW.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 17

GEORGETOWN CELEBRATES THE ARTS

On Book Hill (Wisconsin Ave from Volta Pl. to Reservoir Rd.) This outdoor exhibit hosted by Washington Print Foundation consists of “kekemono” pole banners and ground installations with print work from 40 local artists. Ballots are provided to vote on your favorites. For more information, go to washingtonprintmakers.com/ georgetown-celebrates-the-arts.

NOVEMBER 18

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS (CFA): MEETING

401 F St. NW, Suite 312, Washington, D.C. 20001.

NOVEMBER 29

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION, ANC2E

Next Virtual Public Meeting via Zoom: Meeting agenda and access info posted at anc2e.com.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 30

GEORGETOWN BID: GEORGETOWN GLOW: SUMMER EDITION

Experience the magic of light at Glow in Georgetown, the region’s only curated outdoor public light art experience. Set against the historic backdrop of Washington’s oldest neighborhood. For information go to georgetowndc.com/ event/georgetown-glow/.

DECEMBER 2

OLD GEORGETOWN BOARD (OGB)

401 F St. NW, Suite 312 Washington, D.C. 20001.

Q&A w/Fashion Santa

BY KATE OCZYPOK

Santa as a silver fox? Paul Mason thinks so. The New York City-based model has made a name for himself going viral as a sexier, smoother, but still as jolly Santa Claus. Dubbed “Fashion Santa,” Mason spends his holiday seasons giving back to charities that mean a lot to him while bringing joy to people with “Santa selfies.” Read on to find out more about our cover star.

GT: HOW DID THE NAME “FASHION SANTA” COME ABOUT?

PAUL MASON: It’s funny, because I was a model in New York for quite a while. Unfortunately, my mother passed, she had cancer, and I went home. I went to sleep for six months and didn’t shave. When I woke up out of my grief, I guess you’d call it, I looked like this mountain man or this Santa Claus-like guy

Small Business Saturday is Nov. 27. Photo by Sam Kittner. Courtesy Georgetown BID. with this big white beard. All I wanted to do actually was just open the doors at department stores and say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” that sort of thing. I put together a pitch and a retailer in Canada actually said they wanted to collaborate with me. That went viral in 2015. We had something like two billion impressions over that period, that Christmas was nuts. It was really cool.

GT: WHY DO YOU THINK “FASHION SANTA” HAS CAUGHT ON AS MUCH AS IT HAS?

PAUL MASON: I collaborated with a Canadian mall in Toronto where I did appearances. I did eight days, maybe eightto-10 hours each day. I did my research, 80 hours’ worth of selfies. People were looking for something a little different. It brought something to the holiday. I think the new approach to St. Nick or Santa Claus, it went across different nationalities and cultures. It wasn’t depicted by the Santa that we know. I think my vision of Santa could’ve been for anyone. I think that’s the appeal to it. Also, every appearance I do has a charity involved. It’s not like the old Santa making toys. It’s bringing awareness to a cause or creating a buzz around a charity. I initially debuted with a world-renowned children’s hospital in Toronto. I generated a bit of income for their Children’s Miracle Network. It’s funny because I’m not really the children’s Santa, but I often raise money for children.

GT: WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO DURING THE PANDEMIC?

PAUL MASON: That was tough. Last year we were on lockdown in Toronto. I initially got on to Cameo and got accepted. I didn’t end up going for it though -- I didn’t have the time. I was able to do a couple of big jobs while the stats were controlled, so that was good. I’m not technically inclined so all my messaging and videos had to be done on my own.

GT: HOW DO YOU THINK YOU’RE LIKE THE ORIGINAL SANTA?

PAUL MASON: All those hours of selfies, it brought a minute or two of joy to people. It’s just a quirky kind of thing that the holidays represent, the joy and the smiles and lightness of it.

GT: WHAT’S IT LIKE MAKING SANTA COOL AGAIN?

PAUL MASON: Well, it’s a bit of a challenge. You don’t fool with such an iconic person. You have to tread lightly. Because of my involvement with charity and various causes, I think I get a pass because it’s a feel-good idea. I think there’s a bit of room for modification!

To Keep Georgetown Distinctive, Support Small Business Saturday

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES

With so many highly commercialized holiday shopping days popping up in recent years -- from Black Friday to Cyber Monday to Super Saturday -- it’s easy to become a grinch.

Could it all just be a plot by major retailers to boost needless consumerism and profit by separating us from our hard-earned incomes? Not necessarily.

One such holiday shopping day -- Small Business Saturday (SBS) -- has a different and arguably more noble purpose.

Undoubtedly SBS -- which falls on Nov. 27 this year -- is intended to boost local consumerism, but many might not know it was originally created to restore economic vitality along the nation’s often beleaguered Main Streets, to boost local employment and wages, and to assist with the historic preservation and revitalization of such communities.

How did SBS begin? In 2010, at the height of the Great Recession, the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation joined with American Express in an effort to redirect consumers away from big box holiday shopping toward “shopping small” locally. As an antidote to the shopping frenzy of Black Friday, SBS was established to be held yearly on the first Saturday following Thanksgiving, the day after Black Friday and its association with desperate consumers trampling Walmart greeters in search of midnight bargains. Countering Amazon’s rising domination in online holiday sales was also one of its implicit messages.

VISIT GEORGETOWNER.COM FOR THE FULL ARTICLE.