No.31 August 27, 2008 - The Current Newspapers

Transcription

Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama & Logan Circle
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
INS
IDE
:
Vol. VII, No. 12
TAX
-SA
LE N
OTI
CE
THE DUPONT CURRENT
Protest builds
over dismissal
at Wilson High
Hopefuls square off
for Ward 2 council
GOLDEN JUBILEE
■ Election: Tone gets more
By JESSICA GOULD
personal as primary nears
Current Staff Writer
The first time Wilson High
School student Hanna Mahon saw
Arthur Siebens, he was riding a
motorcycle.
The next time she saw him, he
was standing in front of her
Advanced Placement biology class,
strumming his guitar and singing
songs about cells.
It didn’t take long for Mahon to
realize there was something different about Siebens. “He was always
looking for opportunities to teach
more ... to jam information into us,”
she said.
So when Siebens was dismissed
from Wilson earlier this summer as
part of the school’s mandatory
restructuring, the senior swung into
action. “We had to do something
about it,” she said.
Together with a friend, Mahon
penned a petition to get Siebens
rehired, testified at a D.C. Council
hearing and pleaded her case to new
principal Peter J. Cahall.
“I have so much Wilson pride
and public school pride. It’s hard to
justify an action like this,” she said.
On Monday, Siebens was teaching again — at H.D. Woodson High
See Teacher/Page 22
By KATIE PEARCE
As voting day nears, the race
between longtime Ward 2 D.C.
Council member Jack Evans and
his challenger, neighborhood
activist
and
lawyer
Cary
Silverman, is taking on a sharper,
more personal tone.
A packed-house Aug. 20 debate
at St. Stephen Martyr Church in
Foggy Bottom took place after
Norton finds federal
parks in good shape
■ Tour: Mall’s problems don’t
seem to extend to local sites
Bill Petros/The Current
Patrick Pope, who led tours of the
renovated and new portions, the latter including a gymnasium and a
wing along 34th Street. He gave the
Visitors to Saturday morning’s
tours to students who would begin
open house at Georgetown’s Hardy
classes on Monday and their parMiddle School saw plenty of workents, to adults who had graduated
ers hurrying to complete the twofrom Hardy years before and to
year renovation of the arts-and
curious neighbors.
music-focused school at 1819 35th
“It has really surprised me how
St. The only remaining tasks in this
Bill Petros/The Current many people are alumni coming
large project were the finishing
back for a look — or people whose
touches.
Principal Patrick Pope welcomes
children may be in second grade and
Outside, workers laid sod and students back to school Monday.
they want to know what’s in store
sprinklers encouraged newly planted ground cover, while inside, employees wiped con- down the road,” Pope said.
One such person, who asked to be described as a
struction dust from interior doorknobs and kickplates.
See Hardy/Page 28
In the middle of all the activity was Hardy principal
By CAROL BUCKLEY
Owner lists historic
Georgetown estate for
$30 million. Page 3.
■ Farm-to-table eatery
to open in Foggy
Bottom. Page 7.
■
EVENTS
■ Carrie Fisher brings
solo show to Lincoln
Theatre. Page 18.
■ Exhibition looks at
coded messages in
clothing. Page 18.
By IAN THOMS
Long lines formed all weekend in front of Ben’s Chili Bowl on
U Street as customers came to eat and to celebrate the
restaurant’s 50 years in business.
Hardy opens doors after two-year wait
NEWS
some
press-release
slinging
between the two campaigns:
Evans’ camp called Silverman a
gun-industry lobbyist; Silverman’s
camp dismissed the charge as “wild
and baseless.” The debate also took
place the night after a group of
activists — all Silverman supporters — accused Evans of violating
the Hatch Act with a full-page ad
featuring the D.C. police chief.
“Frankly, I really wish the campaign would focus on the issues
involved in the ward and not on
this negativity that is really, really
starting to creep into this camSee Debate/Page 23
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes
Norton knows better than to assume
that government agencies are taking
care of their jobs. “If the Mall is
being neglected, how can I assume
that the National Park Service is taking care of the parks in our neighborhoods?” she said.
So last week Norton decided to
“go on patrol.” Along with aides and
a few reporters, she toured a federally owned park in each of the city’s
eight wards, shuttling herself to the
day’s diverse destinations in her
Camry Hybrid. In Northwest, she
visited Meridian Hill Park in Ward
1, Dupont Circle in Ward 2, Glover
Archbold Park in Ward 3 and Fort
Stevens in Ward 4.
At park after park, Norton confessed to having expected worse.
Her day began at Dupont Circle’s
namesake park, where Norton presumed heavy use would have taken
its toll, but she said, “We haven’t
PA S S A G E S
■ Local cancer survivor
triumphs at Ironman
contest. Page 13.
■ Dupont author writes
tribute to grandson.
Page 13 .
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says
the Dupont fountain is beautiful
but needs a good scrubbing.
picked up a lot of complaints.”
“What I’m glad I don’t see is a
lot of trash,” Norton said.
She wanted to check out the circle’s benches, which she expected
might need updating, but again did
not find much to criticize. “Given
the funding problems in the Park
Service, I’m not going to complain
about these benches,” she said.
Norton turned her attention to the
circle’s fountain. As a man waded in
its water, collecting the change peoSee Parks/Page 28
INDEX
Business/7
Calendar/14
Classifieds/36
District Digest/4
Dupont Circle Citizen/11
Exhibits/19
In Your Neighborhood/24
Opinion/8
Passages/13
Police Report/6
Real Estate/21
Service Directory/30
Theater/18
Week Ahead/3
THE CURRENT
D
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008
F
3
Appeals court ruling deems wall next to Wesley Heights Park illegal
By KEVIN HILGERS
A four-year-old wall built to level the backyard of a Wesley Heights home was illegally
permitted and rightfully protested, according
to a recent D.C. Court of Appeals ruling.
The permit, issued by the D.C. Department
of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs,
“obscured the magnitude of the project” at the
Dexter Place home of Frank and Constandina
Economides, according to the Aug. 14 deci-
sion. This damaged the Economideses’ chief
contention that the neighbor who appealed to
the Board of Zoning Adjustment did not do so
in time.
Consequences for the homeowners,
including having to destroy the wall and refill
the yard, will be up to the regulatory agency,
but officials have not yet decided what to do
next.
“We’re reviewing the decision and do not
wish to comment at this time,” said Michael
Rupert, a department spokesperson.
Halcyon House owner puts
circa-1783 estate up for sale
The Economideses’ attorney, Paul
Kiernan, also declined to comment on the
decision or what his clients will do next.
Much of the ruling’s rationale stemmed
from the zoning board’s argument in 2005,
when it upheld the appeal of the neighbor,
Patrick Carome of Fulton Street, which is on
the other side of Wesley Heights Park from
the Economideses’ house.
The board contended that the 370-footlong wall, which is 30 feet high at its tallest
point, was much more than a retaining wall
San Miguel Middle School to move to Ward 4
By IAN THOMS
By CAROL BUCKLEY
A storied Georgetown mansion
soon will leave the hands of the
owner who has steered it for 30
years and conducted a widely
acclaimed restoration of the property.
Halcyon House, a circa-1783
Georgian home at 3400 Prospect
St., was listed for sale last week for
$30 million.
The current owner, sculptor John
Dreyfuss, is not speaking to the
press about the sale, said Realtor
Hugh Oates of Tutt, Taylor &
Rankin Sotheby’s International
Realty, who with Judy Lewis is
managing the listing. But, said
Oates of Dreyfuss’move: “The family feels that it’s time to pass stewardship to someone else.”
Dreyfuss is the latest in a string
of owners of Halcyon House that
also includes his father, who purchased the home as an investment
property.
The original owner of the home
was Benjamin Stoddert, who was
the first secretary of the Navy from
1798 to 1801 and was a pallbearer at
George Washington’s funeral.
Stoddert was responsible for pur-
Current File Photo
Halcyon House has a $30 million
asking price.
chasing land in the area of what
would become the District of
Columbia and transferring the
parcels to the federal government.
Little wonder, then, that the situation of Halcyon House is an enviable one, as Oates observed. “Even
though this city is built along a river,
there are very few historic properties with river views like the one at
Halcyon House,” he said.
Dreyfuss’ task, at which he
worked for almost 20 years, was to
make the views inside the home as
pleasant as those outside.
From 1900 to 1930, Halcyon
House was the property of Albert
Adsit Clemens, an eccentric nephew
See House/Page 28
The week ahead
Thursday, Aug. 28
At-large D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson, chair of the Committee on
Public Safety and the Judiciary, will hold a community meeting to get feedback on
public-safety issues affecting residents of the Metropolitan Police Department’s
4th District. Agenda items will include enforcement of current laws, pending legislation and community concerns. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the 4th
District Headquarters, 6001 Georgia Ave. NW. For more information, call Celeste
Duffie at 202-724-8137.
Thursday, Sept. 11
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board will hold a public
forum on the Transportation Improvement Program for the Washington
Metropolitan Region. The meeting will include discussion of transportation priorities and projects under consideration in the District, Maryland and Virginia. The
meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the ground-floor Training Center at the
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 777 North Capitol St. NE. For
details, contact Andrew Austin at 202-962-3353 or [email protected].
Saturday, Sept. 13
The DC Family Education Expo will feature workshops, giveaways and exhibits
about educational programs for students of all ages. Topics will include literacy
and lifelong learning; special education; general education; school safety, behavior
and discipline; and parent and child learning. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. at McKinley Technology High School, 151 T St. NE. Admission is free. To
register, visit osse.dc.gov.
for which the permit was issued. That was
because it was designed to flatten the backyard for recreational purposes, not restrain
earth as retaining walls do, the board argued.
The board gives 60 days from when a person should have reasonably known about a
permit to protest it, or 10 days from when the
structure is “under roof.”
The Economideses began construction in
June 2004. Carome filed his appeal in
December. He said he was not aware of the
See Debate/Page 26
San Miguel Middle School will move in the
spring from its 16th Street location to a Georgia
Avenue building recently purchased by St. John’s
College High School, which operates the middle
school.
St. John’s bought the building at 7705 Georgia
Ave. this summer so it could move San Miguel, a
sixth-through-eighth-grade school for Latino boys,
out of leased space at St. Stephen and the Incarnation
Episcopal Church.
St. John’s is in the process of renovating the
three-story, 11,500-square-foot Georgia Avenue
building. “We’re completely gutting it,” St. John’s
president Brother Thomas Gerrow said in an interview yesterday. “There’s some major, major work to
be done. We’ll be putting more into the building economically than it cost to buy.”
Gerrow did not disclose how much his school
paid for the building, but he said the school intends
to spend more than $2 million to renovate it.
Currently, 55 students attend San Miguel. Most
of the past graduates have gone on to Catholic high
schools, but only a handful enroll at St. John’s,
according to Gerrow. He said graduates have
enrolled at Gonzaga College High School in the
District but most now attend Don Bosco Cristo Rey
High School in Takoma Park, Md.
San Miguel intends to increase its enrollment to
95 students at the new site, according to Gerrow.
He said the school opened six years ago at the
corner of 16th and Newton streets NW to prepare
Latino students from disadvantaged backgrounds to
complete high school — a priority of the De La Salle
Christian Brothers, sponsor of St. John’s.
“They’re the kids who need help the most,”
Gerrow said. The Latino population throughout the
See Move/Page 26
4
THE CURRENT
District Digest
When architects removed glass
this summer from their designs for
the new Watha T. Daniel/Shaw
Neighborhood Library, some community members weren’t happy
with the change, accusing the D.C.
Public Library system of ignoring
the public’s wishes.
But the glass is back, according
to George Williams, the library system’s public information officer.
This time around, the designers are
using frosted glass instead of the
more-expensive channel glass originally proposed.
The Shaw library, which has
been closed since 2004, is scheduled to be rebuilt by late 2009. Last
winter, design team Davis Brody
Bond Aedas showed drawings of a
new, modern, translucent library,
dominated by channel glass. Some
nicknamed the planned building
“the jewel of Rhode Island
Avenue.”
By June, however, planners had
opted to remove much of the glass
-&5µ4
talk
3&"&45"5&
THE THREE
“COMPARABLES”
When you buy a house or refinance your
present home, your lender will ask you
to pay for an appraisal to help ensure that
the sales price and mortgage amount are
consistent with the property’s market
value. The appraiser will look for three
“comparables” --homes that are very similar
to the one you are buying--and make
adjustments to reflect the differences
between the properties.
Housing patterns tend to be homogenous,
meaning that homes worth $100,000
are located in neighborhoods where
the average price of a house is in that
range. It is important for properties to be
within the general pricing patterns of the
neighborhoods because over-valued homes,
even exceptional ones, are sometimes
difficult to sell at full market price.
This is not the only factor in determining
the value of a property, but it is an important
one. The buyer or seller may view the
property as their home or an investment,
but lenders view a property as security in the
event a borrower fails to repay a mortgage.
Therefore, lenders must know real estate
values in order to limit their risks.
For expert advice and exceptional
service in all your real estate needs call
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Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.
240-497-1700
pd. adv
due to unanticipated budget concerns, most involving building
complications at the 8th Street and
Rhode Island Avenue site.
Some community members battled the change, and a rally took
place Aug. 19. Library advocates
and neighborhood leaders at the
protest said the loss of glass from
the designs made the building look
blocky — not unlike the old
Brutalist-style Watha T. Daniel
library.
In response to such concerns,
the library system worked to
restore a glass element. In an email yesterday, Shaw advisory
neighborhood commissioner Alex
Padro wrote, “I saw samples of the
proposed glass and am confident
that the dramatic transparency portrayed in the original renderings of
the buildings will be achieved.”
Padro thanked Ward 2 Council
member Jack Evans and D.C. chief
librarian Ginnie Cooper for listening to the community.
Using frosted glass as opposed
to channel glass has allowed the
budget to remain at $9.5 million,
according to Williams.
Williams said the library system
will present the new designs at a
Sept. 4 meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the
interim library at 945 Rhode Island
Ave. NW. Construction is slated to
begin this fall.
— Katie Pearce
Store owner gets jail
for various tax issues
A local grocery store owner was
sentenced Tuesday to a year in
prison for failing to pay $580,000
in individual and business-related
taxes to the D.C. and federal governments, the Justice Department
Pellew and Lucas were found
guilty this past June of one count of
conspiracy to rob, one count of second-degree burglary while armed,
three counts of armed robbery,
three counts of kidnapping while
armed, one count of felony threats
and nine counts of related gun
charges.
Pellew was also found guilty of
one separate count of aggravated
assault while armed and one count
of possessing a firearm during a
crime of violence.
Judge Robert I. Richter sentenced Pellew to 24 years in prison
and five years of supervised
release. Lucas received 23 years in
prison and five years of supervised
release.
The other men involved in the
robbery were previously sentenced
after having pleaded guilty.
announced this week.
Stephen B. Cohen, a District
resident and one-time lawyer, withheld payroll taxes from the paychecks of his employees at the
Western Market in Bethesda but
failed for 16 years to pay those
taxes to the Internal Revenue
Service.
Cohen, who also owned the former Washington Park Gourmet delicatessen and grocery store in
Woodley Park, also did not pay
sales taxes owed to the D.C. government, nor did he file federal or
District individual income tax
returns for years at a time, according to a release from the D.C.
Office of Tax and Revenue.
Cohen pleaded guilty on March
10 and has paid $360,000 in restitution to federal and local tax
authorities. Chief Judge Royce
Lamberth said that Cohen committed a serious offense and that
imprisonment is necessary for a
deterrent effect.
Wells tapped to lead
Chesapeake group
Ward 6 D.C. Council member
Tommy Wells was recently elected
as chair of the Chesapeake Bay
Local Government Advisory
Committee, which advises the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Virginia and the mayor of the
District on ways to improve the
restoration of the polluted
Chesapeake Bay.
Wells will lead 21 local elected
officials from the District and three
states to develop strategies and policy recommendations for cleaning
up the Chesapeake, according to a
news release from his office.
“Unfortunately, if we fail to
restore the Bay, the economic,
recreational and public health consequences are profound. Here,
within the District of Columbia,
Judge sentences pair
in jewelry store case
In D.C. Superior Court last
week, two men received sentences
of more than 20 years each in
prison for their roles in the robbery
of a Georgetown jewelry store in
2006.
Lexton Pellew, 24, and Jose
Lucas, 29, were two of five men
from Brooklyn, N.Y., who were
found guilty of robbing the
Georgetown Jewelry Store, 1265
Wisconsin Ave., on Aug. 20, 2006.
During the robbery, Pellew shot the
owner, Moshe Motai, in the stomach at close range. Motai survived
and was present at Friday’s sentencing.
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Glass again dominant
in Shaw library design
our own Anacostia River is a
reminder of how pollution can take
away a valuable community amenity,” Wells said in the release. “But
just as we are working diligently
to restore the great Anacostia
through measures such as new
storm-water management requirements, sustainable transportation
strategies and public infrastructure improvements, municipalities
can make an impact on the larger
Bay by focusing on their own
local piece of it.”
National Zoo contest
to select light display
Friends of the National Zoo, a
nonprofit advocacy and fundraising
arm of the National Zoo, has
announced a contest inviting children to design a display to be featured at ZooLights, the zoo’s annual winter light-sculpture festival.
Ages 8 through 14 may submit
a drawing of one of 10 specified
animals, along with an explanation
of their choice of animal, until
Sept. 30. A list of permitted animals is available at fonz.org/zoolights.htm.
The winning design will
become a light display constructed
exclusively from environmentally
friendly light-emitting diodes and
will join more than 50 other light
displays for ZooLights 2008.
The winner will receive tickets
to ZooLights’ opening night as well
as a gift basket and will be recognized by a sign on his or her display.
Entry forms are available at
fonz.org/zoolightscontest.htm.
Corrections policy
As a matter of policy, The
Current corrects all errors of substance. To report an error, please
call the managing editor at 202244-7223.
THE CURRENT
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7ASHINGTON$#
D
THE CURRENT
F
Taxes, stadium among differences in Ward 2
Current Staff Report
While Democrats Jack Evans and Cary Silverman
agree on many subjects on their campaign trail in quest
of the Ward 2 council seat, they disagree on several
major issues.
The candidates aired their views during recent individual three-hour interviews with The Current and at a
debate later at The Phillips Collection.
Both incumbent Council member Evans and challenger Silverman support the mayoral takeover of the
school system. But they have major differences when it
comes to other subjects, including taxes, noise control
and the use of city funds to build Nationals Park.
During his interview, Evans said he thinks District
taxes are too high. Silverman, in his interview, said that
because the city needs to serve its residents, the tax rates
are about right.
Evans was one of the two prime sponsors of legislation that resulted in lowering the District personal
income tax rates to a level that today is lower than those
paid by residents in neighboring Montgomery and
Prince George’s counties. In his interview, Silverman
said he would have voted against the legislation. But in
the subsequent debate between the two candidates, he
said he probably would have voted for it.
Evans said having a tax rate no higher than those in
the suburbs encourages affluent people to live in the
District, resulting in a net increase in tax revenue for the
city. Silverman said the city’s service needs are so great
that they should have taken priority over tax decreases.
Asked whether further tax reductions should center
on real estate or income taxes, Evans said lowering
income taxes should take priority, “as our real estate
rates are the lowest in the area.” Silverman said a
decrease in real estate taxes for long-term District residents should come “before anything else.”
Evans said he favors a cap on residential real estate
tax increases to 5 percent a year at the highest, while
Silverman opposes such a change for fear the government would not have enough funds to meet pressing
service needs.
Evans said the city’s commercial real estate and corporate business taxes, both of which are the highest in
See Ward 2/Page 26
In Ward 4, policies split council candidates
Current Staff Report
The candidates vying for
Democratic nomination for the
Ward 4 D.C. Council seat have a
host of disagreements on policy
questions facing the city.
In a three-hour interview, incumbent Muriel Bowser said the District
should try its best both to attract
more high-income taxpayers and at
the same time to try to slow down
the process of gentrification to protect long-term, low-income residents and the area’s diversity.
In similar interviews, challengers
Malik Mendenhall-Johnson and
Baruti Jahi said the city’s priority
should definitely be to protect longterm residents and slow gentrification. A third challenger, Paul
Montague, declined to be interviewed. Mendenhall-Johnson said
current policies are adequate to slow
gentrification, while Jahi said developers should pay a fee to subsidize
more affordable housing.
Bowser said she supports the
mayoral takeover of the school system, while Mendenhall-Johnson
and Jahi said they would have voted
against it if they had been in office.
They favor a return to an elected
school board’s running the school
system.
Both Jahi and MendenhallJohnson said they would have
opposed the recent closing of a large
number of public schools. Bowser
said the closures were essential to
streamline facilities to accommodate student numbers.
The two challengers support a
moratorium on new charter schools,
while Bowser said she would support only an annual limit on the
number of new charters.
Bowser and Jahi strongly disagree on tax policies. Bowser said
she probably would have voted for
legislation passed several years ago
that gradually brought the District’s
income taxes to lower rates than in
Prince George’s and Montgomery
counties. Backers of the legislation
say it has resulted in affluent hightax-paying residents moving into
the District. Jahi said he would have
voted against the bill out of budgetary considerations. MendenhallJohnson said he is unsure how he
would have voted.
Mendenhall-Johnson said he
would have voted for the Nationals
baseball stadium financed in part by
a special tax on the District’s larger
businesses. He also would vote for a
proposed $150 million soccer stadium. Both Bowser and Jahi would
See Ward 4/Page 26
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THE CURRENT
Police Report
This is a listing of reports
taken from Aug. 18 through 24
by the Metropolitan Police
Department in the 2nd District
and parts of the 3rd and 4th
districts.
PSA
PSA
201 201
■ CHEVY CHASE
Stolen auto
■ 3300 block, Military Road;
street; 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19.
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 2600 block, Military Road;
unspecified premises; 3 p.m.
Aug. 18.
PSA 202
■ FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS
PSA
202
TENLEYTOWN/ AU PARK
Robbery (gun)
■ 4100 block, Nebraska Ave.;
sidewalk; 1:45 a.m. Aug. 20.
Burglary
■ 4300 block, 44th St.; residence; 9 p.m. Aug. 19.
Stolen auto
■ 4200 block, Alton Place;
street; 12:30 a.m. Aug. 22.
Theft (below $250)
■ 4500 block, Wisconsin Ave.;
drugstore; 11:54 a.m. Aug.
19.
Theft from auto ($250 plus)
parking lot; 5:25 p.m. Aug. 21.
PSA
PSA
203 203
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Nearby shops
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Secure gardens
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Pets welcome
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This ad created by the daughter of a satisfied resident from the actual checklist she used.
Theft (from mail)
■ 2900 block, Brandywine St.;
unspecified premises; noon
Aug. 20.
PSA 204
■ MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE
HEIGHTS/ CLEVELAND PARK
WOODLEY PARK / GLOVER
PSA
204
PARK / CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS
Stolen auto
■ Connecticut Avenue and
Rodman Street; street; 10
a.m. Aug. 19.
Stolen auto (attempt)
■ 2700 block, Ordway St.;
Theft (below $250)
unspecified premises; 3:30
p.m. Aug. 19.
■ 2200 block, Cathedral Ave.;
Theft from auto (below $250)
■ 2500 block, Calvert St.;
■ 2500 block, Porter St.;
street; 6 p.m. Aug. 19.
Simple assault
■ 2800 block, Woodley Road;
residence; 11:15 p.m. Aug. 18.
PSA 205
Please send me more information: For me
For my
WESLEY HEIGHTS/ FOXHALL
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone: ( )
■ PALISADES
/ SPRING VALLEY
PSA
205
Best Time to Call
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 4800 block, MacArthur
Blvd.; sidewalk; 9:50 p.m.
Aug. 22.
Theft from auto (attempt)
■ 4100 block, 49th St.;
p.m. Aug. 20.
PSA
PSA
206 206
■ GEORGETOWN / BURLEITH
Burglary
■ 2900 block, N St.; residence; 9:15 a.m. Aug. 19.
■ 1200 block, 33rd St.; residence; 4 a.m. Aug. 22.
■ 1700 block, 37th St.; residence; 8:10 a.m. Aug. 22.
■ 3700 block, R St.; residence; 9 p.m. Aug. 19.
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 3000 block, M St.; store;
7:03 p.m. Aug. 18.
store; 7:06 p.m. Aug. 21.
■ 3100 block, K St.; park
area; 8 p.m. Aug. 21.
PSA
PSA
207 207
■ FOGGY BOTTOM / WEST END
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 500 block, 21st St.; unspecified premises; 10 p.m. Aug.
18.
Theft (below $250)
■ 23rd and E streets; residence; 10:30 a.m. Aug. 18.
■ 1300 block, 23rd St.; street;
10 p.m. Aug. 21.
PSA 208
■ SHERIDAN-KALORAMA
PSA
208
DUPONT CIRCLE
Burglary
■ 1000 block, Connecticut
Ave.; drugstore; 3:10 a.m.
Aug. 19.
■ 2100 block, K St.; medical
facility; noon Aug. 19.
Stolen auto
■ 2500 block, Belmont Road;
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 2100 block, N St.; residence; 8:35 a.m. Aug. 20.
■ 1700 block, N St.; hotel; 3
p.m. Aug. 20.
■ 1000 block, 18th St.; store;
6:35 p.m. Aug. 21.
Ave.; store; 3:25 p.m. Aug.
22.
Theft (below $250)
■ 1800 block, 18th St.; sidewalk; 7 p.m. Aug. 18.
■ 1800 block, M St.; tavern;
2:15 p.m. Aug. 19.
Theft (bicycle)
■ 2000 block, L St.; sidewalk;
9 a.m. Aug. 20.
■ 1300 block, 20th St.; street;
7:25 p.m. Aug. 18.
■ 1500 block, M St.; street;
11:30 a.m. Aug. 19.
11:45 a.m. Aug. 21.
3:30 p.m. Aug. 22.
Ave.; street; 10 p.m. Aug. 18.
■ 2100 block, N St.; street;
10 a.m. Aug. 20.
■ 1500 block, M St.; unspecified premises; 12:40 p.m.
Aug. 21.
900 block, 20th St.; street;
12:05 a.m. Aug. 23.
■
PSA
PSA
303 303
■ ADAMS MORGAN
Robbery (force and violence)
■ 2600 block, Mozart Place;
sidewalk; 3:45 a.m. Aug. 23.
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 1800 block, Columbia Road;
Theft (bicycle)
■ 17th Street and Columbia
Road; street; 1:30 p.m. Aug.
22.
■ 1700 block, Lanier Place;
■ 1700 block, Euclid St.;
PSA
PSA
307 307
■ LOGAN CIRCLE
Sexual abuse (adult,
first-degree)
■ 1300 block, Rhode Island
Ave.; street; 4:06 a.m. Aug.
24.
Robbery (assault)
■ 1200 block, O St.; sidewalk;
6:50 p.m. Aug. 23.
■ 1300 block, 14th St.;
a.m. Aug. 21.
■ L Street and Vermont
Avenue; sidewalk; 3:44 a.m.
Aug. 22.
Robbery (fear)
■ 1300 block, N St.; sidewalk;
2:05 a.m. Aug. 24.
Robbery (snatch)
■ 14th and N streets; sidewalk; 3:45 p.m. Aug. 23.
Assault
■ 1100 block, Massachusetts
Ave.; sidewalk; 5 a.m. Aug.
24.
Stolen auto
■ 1400 block, Q St.; street;
7:15 p.m. Aug. 22.
9:30 p.m. Aug. 23.
Theft (below $250)
■ 1400 block, P St.; drugstore; 5 p.m. Aug. 18.
Theft (bicycle)
Ave.; residence; 2:20 p.m.
Aug. 19.
■ 1000 block, M St.; street;
10:30 p.m. Aug. 19.
■ 1700 block, Johnson Ave.;
Ave.; street; 7 p.m. Aug. 22.
■ 900 block, L St.; street;
6:30 p.m. Aug. 23.
■ 1300 block, Q St.; parking
lot; noon Aug. 24.
PSA 402
■ BRIGHTWOOD / MANOR PARK
PSA
402
LAMOND RIGGS
Robbery (gun)
■ 5500 block, South Dakota
Ave. NE; parking lot; 8:20 p.m.
Aug. 20.
Robbery (knife)
■ 1300 block, Somerset Place;
sidewalk; 5:10 p.m. Aug. 20.
14th Street and Somerset
Place; sidewalk; 5:25 p.m.
Aug. 20.
■ 2nd and Kennedy streets;
sidewalk; 10:30 p.m. Aug. 19.
■ 1300 block, Sheridan St.;
■ 6400 block, Georgia Ave.;
bank; 9 p.m. Aug. 22.
Robbery (attempt)
■ 200 block, Nicholson St. NE;
Assault (gun)
■ 1300 block, Somerset Place;
residence; 2:20 a.m. Aug. 24.
Assault (other)
■ 6200 block, Eastern Ave.
NE; sidewalk; 1:10 a.m. Aug.
20.
■ 1600 block, Rock Creek
Ford Road; street; 11:28 p.m.
Aug. 22.
Stolen auto
■ 6600 block, Eastern Ave.;
■ 6500 block, Luzon Ave.;
Theft ($250 plus)
■ 500 block, Nicholson St.;
Theft (below $250)
■ 6200 block, New Hampshire
Ave. NE; gas station; 3:20
p.m. Aug. 24.
Theft (bicycle)
sidewalk; 3 p.m. Aug. 22.
■ 100 block, Walnut St.;
■ 1300 block, Missouri Ave.;
■
PSA 403
■ BRIGHTWOOD PARK
PSA
403
16TH STREET HEIGHTS
■ 4900 block, 14th St.; sidewalk; 2:35 p.m. Aug. 20.
Robbery (snatch)
■ 1200 block, Jefferson St.;
Assault
■ 5500 block, 13th St.; sidewalk; 5 p.m. Aug. 18.
Burglary
■ 1400 block, Kennedy St.;
residence; 11 p.m. Aug. 21.
Stolen auto
■ 800 block, Longfellow St.;
■ 5100 block, Illinois Ave.;
Stolen auto (attempt)
parking lot; 6:20 a.m. Aug. 18.
Theft (below $250)
■ 600 block, Jefferson St.;
Theft (bicycle)
parking lot; 12:15 a.m. Aug.
24.
THE CURRENT
new upscale salon near
chevy chase circle
Petworth ANC backs plan for new market
By IAN THOMS
T
he Petworth advisory neighborhood commission has endorsed Ward 4 D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser’s effort to ensure that Yes!
Organic Market follows through on its plan to move to
the neighborhood in the fall.
Last month, Bowser introduced legislation that
would allow the grocer to seek permission to sell beer
and wine at its planned Petworth location, at 4100
Georgia Ave. The D.C. chain’s owner, Gary Cha, has
threatened to abandon his plans to open the store if he
cannot get a beer-and-wine license.
Cha said he would be operating at a competitive
disadvantage if he could not sell beer and wine.
“When we make an investment, it’s a big gamble,” he
said.
In a previous interview, Cha said in most cases his
Yes! stores sell little alcohol, somewhere from 6 percent to 12 percent of total sales. However, when the
stores offer alcohol, overall business increases around
20 percent to 25 percent, he said.
Under current law, Cha cannot apply for a new
Class B liquor license because of a citywide moratorium. He could legally purchase an existing license from
another establishment within the ward, but so far he
has been unable to do so. In all wards except Ward 4,
an exemption to the moratorium exists for full-service
grocery stores; Bowser’s legislation would extend that
exemption to one single-member district within the
bounds of the Petworth advisory neighborhood commission.
On Aug. 12, the neighborhood commission voted 71, with commissioner Louis Wassel dissenting, to support Bowser’s bill.
Bowser said she chose to limit her legislation to
commissioner Shanel Anthony’s single-member district because she did not believe there was enough time
to hold wardwide discussions on the issue, and she did
not want to act prematurely on a hot-button issue like
alcohol sales. She plans to discuss with other neighborhood commissions and community groups the prospect
of extending the exemption for grocery stores throughout the entire ward.
See Market/Page 38
Farm-to-table restaurant to open in Northwest
I
f you took a farmers market
and turned it into an upscale
restaurant, you might get
Founding Farmers. Offering only
sustainably farmed products and inseason produce, Founding Farmers
is Washington’s newest “farm-totable” green-dining restaurant. It
will open at 1924 Pennsylvania
Ave. in Foggy Bottom in midSeptember.
Sourcing locally whenever possible, the restaurant will purchase
its goods from farmers’ co-ops.
Chef Graham Duncan said the
challenge of designing a menu
based entirely on seasonal and sustainable produce was enough to
draw him away from his post at
Wildfire Restaurant in Atlanta.
“This concept really spoke to me,”
he said. “I think we are really on
the cutting edge here.”
So what does green fare mean
menuwise? Flexibility, said
Duncan, who will be putting his 18
years of culinary experience to the
test, crafting a menu that will
change four times a year depending
on what produce is available. “It
makes us work as chefs in the
kitchen,” he said. “We have to be
very agile.”
The menu will feature what
Duncan described as “updated
American classics,” such as chicken noodle soup, Yankee pot roast
and Kansas City T-bone, as well as
some internationally influenced
entrees like lemon meuniere scallops and handmade pastas. An onsite pastry chef will whip up some
reinterpretations of classic
American desserts, like apple
galette and Vermont chevre cheesecake with brown turkey figs,
Duncan said. Ingredients are all
family-farmed even down to the
honey, which initially will come
ON THE STREET
NATASHA ABBAS
from a husband-and-wife beekeeping team in southern Wisconsin,
according to Duncan. “But we are
looking for a local bee farmer.”
And then there’s the bar.
It’s all about “building a drink,”
said general manager Ralph
DeRose. All ice cubes must be a
minimum of an inch and a quarter
in size, he said, to ensure drinks
will stay chilled longer.
“So your first sip will taste like
your last sip,” he said. Founding
Farmers will also make its own
sodas and bitters, all to be featured
in specialty cocktails such as the
Hemingway daquiri, a blend of
white rum, maraschino liqueur and
fresh-squeezed grapefruit — sustainably farmed, of course. The
wine list includes organic wines as
well as international favorites, and
beers include America’s and
Belgium’s finest brews.
“No one is doing what we are
doing in D.C. in terms of the bar,”
said DeRose, adding that he has an
extensive background in restaurateuring but green dining will be a
new and exciting experience for
him.
Menus will be printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks, and
a filtered water system will reduce
waste and fuel costs. Other ecofriendly measures include a full
recyclable and compostable program and the use of green cleaners.
“We’ve even thought about
selling our grease to a biodiesel
manufacturer,” Duncan said.
Located inside the International
Monetary Fund building, the
restaurant was designed by local
firm CORE architecture + design.
It combined green-sourced power
and innovative design elements
such as silo-shaped booths made of
recycled steel with reclaimed barn
wood tables.
The restaurant was designed to
meet a Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design gold certification. If approved by the U.S.
Green Building Council, it would
be the first restaurant to be goldcertified in the District.
Founding Farmers’ 8,500square-foot space will seat nearly
250 diners on two different levels.
“We have big, family-style tables
emphasizing communal dining,”
Duncan said. He called the wooden
tables “the sexiest piece[s] of furniture on the planet.”
The Vucurevich Simons
Advisory Group, a group of restaurant consultants, will run the restaurant, which is owned by a collective of 40,000 American family
farmers who are affiliated with the
North Dakota Farmers Union.
The North Dakota Farmers
Union also owns Agraria, at 3000
K St. in Georgetown.
Like Agraria, Founding Farmers
is an educational platform for the
“farm-to-table” movement. The
goal is to create an innovative ecofriendly dining experience that also
puts “the focus on what family
farms are going through,” said
DeRose.
“We’ve embraced the fact that
it’s going to be incredibly difficult,” acknowledged Duncan, noting that it is much more expensive
to run a restaurant when using
organic, sustainably farmed ingredients. But it’s a challenge to which
both Duncan and DeRose said they
are looking forward.
“True foods, true drinks,” said
DeRose. “It’s uncompromising.”
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Washington DC 20015
202-362-4280
www.de-la-ines.com
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D
THE DUPONT
CURRENT
Davis Kennedy/Publisher & Editor
Chris Kain/Managing Editor
Let the sunshine in
Do a Google search for “DC restaurant inspections” and you’ll
turn up a comprehensive summary of results for establishments
throughout the District. The information, however, is of little use, as
the results cover 2002 and 2003. The D.C. Department of Health no
longer posts any list at all on its Web site — the outdated one
remains in cyberspace, but it is no longer accessible from the department’s homepage.
This helps explain the middling grade earned by the District in the
recent “Dirty Dining” report prepared by researchers for the Center
for Science in the Pubic Interest.
In particular, the group found information about inspections much
harder to come by in the District than in 19 other jurisdictions. A
majority of cities in the study require restaurants to display an
inspection score or grade — in many cases, such as in San Diego, a
highly visible window placard. Others at least post results online.
A Health Department spokesperson’s primary objection to the
report — which said residents could obtain inspection details only
from the department — focused on a purported ability for restaurantgoers to demand a copy from the eateries themselves. Leaving aside
the fact that a manager at a Georgetown restaurant had never heard
of such a requirement, it seems unlikely that many people would
press a restaurant’s staff for inspection results on the way to their
seats or while asking for menu suggestions.
Instead, we in the District are left with the opportunity to file a
Freedom of Information Act request, with the promise of receiving a
response within 15 working days. Of course, the report’s authors
received only 25 of the 30 reports they requested.
We hope that the D.C. Council will examine the issue this fall and
adopt the diner-friendly practices long in place in other jurisdictions.
Our residents and visitors deserve to know that restaurants of all
types are adhering to sanitation standards. Bringing the inspection
results into the sunshine is also likely to provide added incentive for
less-than-stringent establishments to clean up their act.
Saving Jelleff
Within the next three weeks, officials with the city and the Boys
& Girls Clubs of Greater Washington will hopefully resolve the
uncertainty surrounding the fate of the organization’s Jelleff Branch.
It was unfortunate that the Boys & Girls Clubs initiated its effort
to solicit redevelopment proposals for the Jelleff site at 3265 S St.
without having consulted with city officials and community leaders.
Thankfully, the Boys & Girls Clubs has held off soliciting bids for
redevelopment of the site. Even more important, District officials
have not dropped the issue.
The D.C. Council set a Sept. 15 deadline for submission of a plan
for the site and three other D.C. branches that maintains them as
“viable facilities to provide recreational, social, educational and
developmental services” to D.C. residents. It was a condition of a
budget earmark that provided $1.25 million in city funds.
Council member Phil Mendelson, whose amendment established
the Sept. 15 date, says it is too soon to say what will come of the
ongoing discussions.
The city, however, has reportedly made a multimillion-dollar offer
for the Jelleff site. A government purchase may well be the best solution to preserving youth facilities at the site, but the city should not
overpay. The purchase price must not be based on an inflated valuation based on some high-density development scheme that would
never clear the Commission of Fine Arts or Zoning Commission.
Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans early on broached the idea of
the government using eminent-domain powers to acquire the property. If the Boys & Girls Clubs and District officials cannot settle on a
reasonable settlement, perhaps the city ought to begin court proceedings to take over the site at fair market value.
THE CURRENT
Teacher turmoil … just ahead?
W
ell, the city schools opened pretty much
without incident Monday. That was
despite some breathless newspaper worries that extensive renovations would not be finished
at some schools.
It’s the second year in a row that the school bell
has rung on time. You can put that down as an
achievement after years in which opening-day problems were legendary.
But a rough patch
could follow that smooth
start.
Schools Chancellor
Michelle Rhee confirmed to NBC4
Monday that she is preparing some new reforms for
teachers even though there’s no new teachers union
contract agreement yet.
Sources say Rhee told the union recently, “I can
do this with you, or without you.”
Rhee would not confirm that specific quote, but
she did say she’s ready to act in a matter of weeks.
“The bottom line is I think [the teachers] have a
decision to make,” Rhee said Monday. “And from
our standpoint, we’re ready to move on.”
Washington Teachers’ Union president George
Parker would not rule out any reaction from teachers, even an illegal strike beyond the union’s control.
“There’s nothing she is going to accomplish ...
unless there is teacher support behind it,” Parker told
us. It’s unclear how many of the city’s 4,000 teachers are ready to go to the mat over contract protections.
The contract dispute is simple. Rhee has offered
to pay teachers far more in salaries if they give up
job security. That goes even for veteran teachers.
The two sides have been talking since last December
and had hoped to reach agreement last March.
Parker told NBC4 his union supports reform, too,
and that he’ll soon put the contract proposals out for
teachers to see them. And he says the union doesn’t
want bad teachers either.
“What we’re not willing to do,” he said, “is be in
a position where we are negotiating away simple
due-process rights of fairness that all of our teachers
deserve.”
Rhee told NBC4 that she can begin implementing
changes in how teachers are evaluated and certified
— issues not covered by the union contract — and
those could lead to staff changes.
“There are lots of tools that can be used to ensure
that as we are evaluating teachers, as we are certifying or credentialing them, that they are actually
moving student achievement levels forward,” Rhee
said. Translated, that means she will find ways to
reward and move teachers without the union’s some-
times-complex work rules.
Rhee is gaining national attention with her school
changes that have shaken up the central office and
principal assignments. The teachers union contract is
a big shoe in her centipede of ideas.
Unlike previous school superintendents who
came and went, Rhee says she is in it for the long
haul, despite the national attention. “I’m not going
anywhere,” she said.
“There’s a lot of work
here to do.”
■ Union history. The
Washington Teachers’
Union has been around
since the 1950s, but
union efforts and organizations go way back before
that. D.C. teachers once had to defeat an effort by
the schools to fire all teachers who either smoked or
drank. Teachers also had to sign a statement every
two-week payday that they had not “mentioned or
talked about communism.” Now, that was really disrespecting teachers.
■ Paying students? Rhee drew a lot of flak when
she announced the city would spend nearly $3 million to pay about 3,000 sixth-, seventh- and eighthgraders to attend school and behave. It’s part of an
incentive program developed by a Harvard professor.
Is it a desperation tactic? Some think so. Rhee
says it’s an approach that recognizes the reality that
many middle school students don’t yet appreciate
the long view of what education can do for you.
Dorothy Brizill of DCWatch suggested Rhee was
teaching students the wrong message.
“I totally disagree with you. I think that this is
exactly what life is about,” Rhee said stepping to the
microphone. “When you have a job, you are paid.
Your attendance is tracked. Whether or not you’re
doing what you’re supposed to be doing is tracked.
And based on that, you keep your job and you get a
paycheck every two weeks.”
Rhee didn’t leave it at that. “I disagree that we
are teaching kids something that will not be present
later in life. I think what we’re doing is preparing
children for life and for their jobs and letting them
know now, early on, these sorts of things are expected in order for you to be a productive member of
society.”
Rhee said the schools would evaluate the program and either expand it or dump it. “We don’t
know what works well, and what doesn’t. But what
we would like to see is [whether] these sorts of
incentives work well for this group that we’re talking about.”
Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.
TOM SHERWOOD’S
NOTEBOOK
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
Legislator didn’t aid
Foggy Bottom cause
At the candidate debate
Wednesday night in Foggy
Bottom, Jack Evans repeatedly
claimed to have worked closely
with neighborhood groups on
critical issues. That was not my
experience as president of the
Foggy Bottom Association or as a
member of Advisory
Neighborhood Commission 2A.
In response to a question
about whether George
Washington University had been
a good neighbor in Foggy
Bottom, Evans said, “No, they
have been a difficult neighbor.”
Yet when we needed support for
the neighborhood’s insistence on
university growth limits, we had
to turn to at-large Council member Phil Mendelson for that testimony. In the most recent round of
campus-plan fights, Evans would
not weigh in to support the positions taken by the advisory neighborhood commission and Foggy
Bottom Association on behalf of
the neighborhood.
When the fight is between
neighborhoods and major institutions or developers, Jack is either
silent or working for the monied
interests. The clinching example,
of course, is the Square 37 plot,
where he engineered a stealthy
no-bid deal for a major development that would have impacted
the Tiverton, the library and the
firehouse, and greatly changed
our neighborhood. If Evans
believed in coordination, he
would have coordinated closely
with the Foggy Bottom
Association, both of the impacted
advisory neighborhood commissions, the Friends of the West
End Library, the Library
Renaissance group and the
Tiverton Tenants’ Association
before moving emergency legislation at the council. But of course
he did not.
George Washington
University, and Anthony Lanier,
and stadium developers, have
money, staff and political heft.
Neighborhoods have to depend
on their council member to
achieve some balance. Except
that we usually cannot. That’s
why Cary Silverman, an experienced advocate for neighborhoods who promises to work as a
full-time council member, has
generated the interest he has.
Michael Thomas
Former President,
Foggy Bottom Association
THE CURRENT
Engineering must control paving decisions Affordable Health Insurance
VIEWPOINT
MARY CHEH
O
ne of the most frequent constituent-service
requests made of my office is for the city to
repair or repave a particular street. After a year
and a half in office and working on such requests, I’ve
learned a few things about the regular-paving schedule
that I would like to share with you.
First, a bit of history. Ward 3 boasts the most miles
of road, by length, of any of the wards in the city.
Moreover, these roads were designed and paved at an
earlier time to accommodate the relatively suburban
nature of the ward, rather than the urban traffic loads
that many of these roads now must bear. Indeed, many
were created without curbs, unlike the streets of
Georgetown or the city’s urban core. As a result, these
roads deteriorated at an accelerated rate. Compounding
the situation, the city’s investment in these roads has
not matched the increase in traffic levels. The result is
manifest to all who live in and travel through our ward
— many of our streets are in poor condition.
When I first came into office, my staff did a study
that revealed that Ward 3 was historically at the bottom
of the list for road-paving expenditures. We pressed the
issue of parity with the executive branch, and now all
wards receive the same allocation. For example, in fiscal year 2009, the D.C. Department of Transportation
has allocated $540,000 for paving in each ward. And
while parity among the wards is certainly more desirable than inequity, our ward suffers from having to
play significant catch-up.
Against this backdrop, it is important to consider
the process by which decisions are made with respect
to paving. In the past, the process was mostly a mystery. Sometimes, transportation officials have made
promises that they could not keep, or sometimes they
took action swayed by personal contacts or a particularly energetic complainant. Other times, officials routed paving requests to the council member’s office
when in fact the determination of what streets, sidewalks and alleys were to be repaired rested with the
agency. These practices were unpredictable and misleading, and they frequently resulted in unmet expecta-
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
Evans hasn’t worked
with Library Project
During a recent Foggy Bottom
Association candidates debate, I
was surprised to hear incumbent
Ward 2 Council member Jack
Evans claim to be tending to
libraries by “working with,”
among others, the “Library
Project.”
The DC Library Renaissance
Project wants to work with Mr.
Evans, but he and I have never met
— unless you count bumping into
each other in the Wilson Building
or after a candidates forum.
A few months ago, we met with
two of Evans’ aides, who clearly
seemed to “get” our points. They
agreed we needed to return to the
Shaw community’s preferable
design for the Watha T.
Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood
Library — one of four Ward 2
libraries in active planning for
tions or perceptions of inequity.
Transportation Department director Emeka
Moneme, who recently stepped down, committed to
creating a process that is both transparent and straightforward, and which I hope will continue under his
replacement. The road-paving schedule is now produced based on what is known as the Pavement
Condition Index. This is a numerical rating of the
pavement derived from the analysis of 36 types of road
distress. Road engineers travel throughout the city, surveying the streets and numerically grading their condition. The department’s staff then reviews the audit to
determine the greatest need and greatest amount that
can be paved given the annual allocation for each
ward.
The current two-year schedule is available for viewing on the agency’s Web site under Major Construction
Initiatives (tiny.cc/ddotmci). By the end of the summer,
the department expects to release a six-year plan for
paving and repairs.
What is my role in all this? As needs come to my
attention, through constituent contacts or my own traveling through the ward, I bring those problems to the
Transportation Department’s attention and encourage
the agency to consider the particular projects. My
office keeps a record of all paving and repair requests
and works to ensure that department officials consider
those locations when making their decisions.
Moreover, I try to stay on top of their actions to ensure
that they perform as promised.
At the end of the day, though, we need to recognize
the expertise of the department with respect to prioritizing work according to what best promotes safety
and efficiency. An open and transparent process, based
on engineering expertise and fiscal responsibility, is to
be preferred. These are not issues that should be decided by who yells the loudest or claims the most clout,
and unfulfilled promises are counterproductive.
I hope this provides some context so that, even if
the Transportation Department hasn’t yet gotten to
your street, the decisions about paving are no longer as
mysterious or frustrating as they might have been. Of
course, I will continue to pursue adequate paving
resources for our ward.
Mary Cheh represents Ward 3 on the D.C. Council.
“transformation.” We got the
impression that Evans would be
informed of our discussion and a
request made for him to bring
everyone to the table.
That was the last I heard about
the matters we discussed. I had to
read in a Current article on the
Shaw Library Study Group —
founded by my project — that
advisory neighborhood commissioner Alex Padro had been
assured by Mr. Evans that he
would have the design restored.
This incident took me back to
2003, when Mr. Evans and his
council colleagues finally began to
step up funding for libraries. The
funding increases began only after
my boss, Ralph Nader, called
attention to our dire library conditions — a result of this same council presiding for years over the stupendous decline of the D.C. Public
Library system.
Despite the idea of library
transformation gaining traction, the
council allowed four libraries to be
closed for rebuilding without interim services available. Watha T.
Daniel got an interim facility in
January 2008, three years after
being shuttered.
Equally troubling, D.C. is flagrantly violating legislation that
the council passed in 2006. The
modus operandi of the act — a
questionable tactic of leveraging
public library property for development — was something we
expected to have to oppose on a
case-by-case basis pending implementation of a strategic plan.
However, D.C. has yet to constitute the task force called for in the
act to create the strategic plan
called for in the act.
Instead, the council has again
forfeited its oversight responsibilities. Development debacles have
occurred in library after library —
including the West End, where the
council used emergency legislation
to sell off public property without
community input, which caused
citywide outrage and forced officials back to the drawing board.
Robin Diener
Director,
DC Library Renaissance Project
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Current publishes letters representing all points of view. Because of space limitations, submissions should be no more
than 400 words and are subject to editing. Letters intended for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, The
Current, Post Office Box 40400, Washington, D.C. 20016-0400. You may send e-mail to [email protected].
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9
August 27, 2008 ■ Page 13
The People and Places of Northwest Washington
Local author puzzles
through long-distance love
By STEPHANIE M. KANOWITZ
Current Correspondent
W
hile searching for a
missing piece from her
grandson’s jigsaw puzzle, Dupont Circle resident Carol
Popper Galaty “found” her first
children’s book.
The story is about David’s concern for a puzzle piece that went
astray. “David, Mormor, Horno and
the Yak: An Alphabet
Mystery” also tells the
story of Galaty’s search
for a way to connect
with her grandson an
ocean away in
Stockholm.
Galaty bought the
puzzle in Ireland. It had
colorful wooden pieces
shaped like animals with the letters
of the alphabet on them. She decided to share it — exclusively —
with her first grandchild, David
Alpen.
“I had heard of people doing
this. You have something that only
you and your grandchild do,”
Galaty said. “He loved it so much.
But I always took it back with me.
And it was something just the two
of us could do. Even his parents
couldn’t play with it with him —
only the two of us.”
When the yak piece disappeared, David got worried.
Galaty searched everywhere,
but ultimately she had to combine
her zoology and art backgrounds to
make a new yak. In the process, a
story was born. It was published in
March by Publish America, under
her maiden name, Carol Popper.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘Gee,
that’s such a neat story. I think
other people would enjoy it, and
maybe it will give them ideas for
things that they can do with their
children who are far away,’”
Galaty said. “It’s more than just a
book. It’s a way of relating to children.”
It took her only a
couple of days to
write “David,
Mormor, Horno and
the Yak,” she said,
and she illustrated it
with photographs of
her family.
“Mormor” is Swedish for
mother’s mother, and “horno”
means puzzle.
David was almost 2 when
Galaty gave him the puzzle, and he
is now 7. “He’s still concerned
about the puzzle,” she said.
“Whenever he comes [to visit], he
wants to know where it is, and he
wants to play with it, but then he’s
on to other things.”
As for being the star of her
book, David “got a real kick out of
that,” she said.
Having grown up with a father
in the Foreign Service and lived
abroad as an adult, Galaty knows
something about going the distance
FAVORITE PLACES
Bourbon lifts
sports fan’s spirits
By KYLE SEMMEL
W
hen I first moved to the D.C.
area, I met up with a group of
friends at Bourbon on Wisconsin
Avenue. They said for bourbon lovers, this
place was like a candy store, and I stared in
awe at the bottles lined up behind the bar.
When a waitress set the bourbon list in
front of me, I glanced through the strange
names — Evan Williams, Elijah Craig,
Elmer T. Lee — and realized how much I
had to learn.
I could tell you all about pilsners, stouts
and ales, but what did I know about bourbon? Nada. Terms like “on the rocks” and
“neat” — things I’ve only heard in the
movies — were thrown around as casually as
a “hello.”
Dupont Circle resident Carol Popper Galaty assembles the puzzle she plays with her Swedish grandson
David. The puzzle inspired her recent book “David, Mormor, Horno and the Yak.”
for her loved ones. She was 2 when
her family moved to D.C., where
she attended Lafayette Elementary
School and Deal Junior High
School.
But the family moved overseas
when her father, David H. Popper,
joined the Foreign Service in 1955.
He went on to serve as ambassador
to Chile and Cyprus and assistant
secretary of state for international
affairs.
“The rest of my life has been
living somewhere else, coming
back to D.C., living somewhere
else, coming back to D.C.,” she
said.
After graduating from Pomona
College in California with a zoology degree, Galaty joined the Peace
Corps and spent two years in
Ghana teaching biology, French,
health science, math and zoology.
Between 1966 and 1975, she
hopscotched from Washington to
Germany to Green Bay, Wis., and
back to Washington, where she
spent 30 years doing federal government work on programs and
policies related to health care, especially for children.
A 1908 row house near Dupont
Circle has been her home with her
second husband, Gil Hill, since
1993.
“I sort of fell into my whole
career. My passion was really art
and illustration, and I ended up in
health because that’s what my
degree was in,” she said. “I must
say health care did become a passion for me, making sure that children had good health care, that they
had good mental-health care, and
that parents and adults did, too.”
She retired in 2002. “Among
other things, I really wanted to get
See Author/Page 29
Cancer survivor shows his strength
By STEPHANIE M. KANOWITZ
For Galvanek, now 37 and living in
Mount Pleasant, it was a feat that marked
how far he had come in
his battle against cancer. It
en years ago, Jim
was also the culmination
Galvanek was taking
of a journey that won him
laps around the
a 2008 “Ford Everyday
oncology ward at a Seattle
Hero” award from the
hospital. “I had to walk
Ford Motor Co. and the
around the ward 13 times
Ironman Community
every day to make a mile,
Fund. As part of the disand I’d be pushing two IV
tinction, Ford and the fund
stands,” he said.
gave Galvanek $1,000 to
On July 20, Galvanek
donate to the nonprofit
crossed the finish line of a
group of his choice.
grueling 140.6-mile
The choice was easy.
Ironman competition in
From April 9 to June 14,
Bill Petros/The Current Lake Placid, N.Y. The
Galvanek had been comIronman consisted of a 2.4Kyle Semmel at Glover Park’s Bourbon
mile swim, a 112-mile bike
Photo Courtesy of Jim Galvanek peting with eight other
This was my first day at bourbon kindermen and women in a
ride through the Adirondack Jim Galvanek at the Ironman
garten.
campaign to raise money
Mountains and a 26.2-mile
Now, five years later, I’m a frequent
for the National Capital Area Chapter of the
run.
patron. But I don’t go to the neighborhood
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The cam“That day [at the Ironman], I was doing
See Survivor/Page 29
See Bourbon/Page 29 the 13 loops 140 times,” he said.
T
14 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008
&
THE CURRENT
Events Entertainment
Compiled by Julio Argüello Jr.
Wednesday,
Aug.AUGUST
27
Wednesday
27
Children’s activity
■ “Young Planetarium,” for ages 4 and
older, will offer an introduction to the night
sky. 4 p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature
Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. 202-8956070.
Class
■ Kim Weeks will lead a “Gentle Yoga”
class that will teach various techniques to
help reduce stress and balance the mind,
body and spirit. 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. $10.
Smith Farm Center for Healing and the
Arts, 1632 U St. NW. 202-483-8600.
Concerts
■ Arch “AT” Thompson will perform
classical, contemporary and Latin jazz.
Noon to 1 p.m. Free. Old Post Office
Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
202-289-4224.
■ “Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza” will
feature J.A.B. performing soul selections.
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Free. Wilson Plaza,
Reagan Building and International Trade
Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202312-1300.
■ Americantiga will present “18082008: 200 Years of the Music in the
Brazilian Court of D. João VI,” featuring
instrumental and sacred works by composers such as José Maurício Nunes
Garcia, Lobo de Mesquita, Marco
Portugal, Leal Moreira and Sousa
Carvalho. 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage,
Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
■ The U.S. Navy Band will perform.
6:30 p.m. Free. Lincoln Memorial, 900
Ohio Drive SW. 202-433-2525.
■ The U.S. Marine Band will perform a
variety of patriotic and contemporary musical selections. 8 p.m. Free. West Terrace,
U.S. Capitol. 202-433-4011.
■ “Hump
Day Groovez”
will feature the
band Chester
River Runoff
performing
original country-bluegrass. 9 to 11 p.m. $10. Langston
DC's ONLY Full Service Music Store!
Room, Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St.
NW. 202-387-7638.
Discussions and lectures
■ U.S. Botanic
Garden conservation
horticulturist Ray
Mims will lead a tour
of the “Cool Globes”
sculptures, which
depict positive actions
that reduce the
impact of humans on Earth’s fragile environment. Noon to 1 p.m. Free; reservations required. Conservatory entrance,
U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave.
SW. 202-225-1116.
■ National Gallery of Art lecturer Eric
Denker will present a gallery talk on
“Medieval to Modern: Recent
Acquisitions of Drawings, Prints, and
Illustrated Books — French.” Noon. Free.
West Building Rotunda, National Gallery
of Art, 6th Street and Constitution
Avenue NW. 202-737-4215. The talk will
repeat Thursday at noon.
■ Eleanor Herman
will discuss her book
“Mistress of the
Vatican: The True
Story of Olimpia
Maidalchini: The
Secret Female Pope.”
7 p.m. Free. Politics
and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW.
202-364-1919.
■ Nancy WhitneyReiter will discuss her
book “Unplugged:
How To Disconnect
From the Rat Race,
Have an Existential
Crisis, and Find
Meaning and
Fulfillment.” 7 p.m. Free. Olsson’s Books
& Records, 1307 19th St. NW. 202-7851133.
Island Ave. NW. 202-671-0267.
■ “Best of Film|Neu: Summer
Sizzlers” will feature Anno Saul’s 2004
film “Kebab Connection,” about a young
man’s dream of making the first German
kung-fu movie (in German with English
subtitles). 6:30 p.m. $6; $4 for students
and seniors. Goethe-Institut, 812 7th St.
NW. 202-289-1200.
■ The “Sisters in Cinema” series will
feature short films by Cheryl Dunye,
including “Greetings From Africa,” “The
Potluck and the Passion,” “She Don’t
Fade” and “Vanilla Sex.” A discussion
with the filmmaker will follow. 7 p.m. $5;
reservations required. National Museum
of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York
Ave. NW. 202-783-7370.
Sporting event
■ The Washington Nationals will play
the Los Angeles Dodgers. 7:10 p.m. $5 to
$58. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol
St. SE. 888-632-6287. The series will
continue Thursday at 7:10 p.m.
Walk
■ Ford’s Theatre will present “History
on Foot,” a scripted walking monologue
tour that tells the story of the events surrounding the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln. Participants will go on
an “investigation” of the crime in and
around historic Ford’s Theatre. 7 p.m.
$12. Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St. NW.
202-638-2367. The walk will repeat
Sept. 13, 20 and 27 at 10 a.m.
Workshop
■ The Alzheimer’s Association,
National Capital Area Chapter, will present a caregiver workshop on
“Understanding Hospice and Palliative
Care.” 6 to 8 p.m. Free; reservations
required. Washington Home, 3720 Upton
St. NW. 301-434-1123.
Thursday,
Aug. 28
Thursday
AUGUST 28
Films
■ The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Library will screen the National
Geographic Society documentary
“Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures,” narrated by Khaled Hosseini. 1 p.m. Free.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library,
901 G St. NW. 202-727-1291.
■ A classic film
series will feature the
1948 film version of
“Hamlet,” starring
John Laurie, Peter
Cushing and Sir
Laurence Olivier. 6
p.m. Free. Watha T.
Daniel/Shaw Interim Library, 945 Rhode
■ A park ranger will present a puppet
show about what the animals of Rock
Creek Park do in the summer. 4 p.m.
Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200
Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.
Class
■ First Class Inc. will offer a class on
“How To Find Grant Money.” 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. $39; reservations required.
First Class Inc., 1726 20th St. NW. 202797-5102.
Concerts
■ C. Huff will perform R&B favorites.
Thursday, AUGUST 28
■ Concert: “Live! on Woodrow
Wilson Plaza” will feature Ruthie
and the Wranglers. Noon to 1:30
p.m. Free. Wilson Plaza, Reagan
Building and International Trade
Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. 202-312-1300.
202-289-4224.
■ Bilja Krstic and Bistrik Orchestra
will perform a
blend of traditional folk
songs from
Serbia,
Hungary,
Romania,
Bulgaria and Macedonia. 6 p.m. Free.
Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center. 202467-4600.
■ The “Jazz in the Garden” concert
series will feature vocalist and keyboardist Daria Matacia, bassist James
Cooke and drummer Bruce Baldwin. 6:30
to 8:30 p.m. St. Luke’s United Methodist
Church, 3655 Calvert St. NW. 202-3334949.
■ Melvin A. Goodman, a senior fellow
at the Center for International Policy, will
discuss his book “Failure of Intelligence:
The Decline and Fall of the CIA.” Noon to
1 p.m. Free. International Spy Museum,
800 F St. NW. spymuseum.org.
■ The “Artful Evenings” series will
feature a talk about “A Family Affair —
Tracing the Weston Legacy.” 6 and 7
p.m. $12; $10 for seniors and students;
free for ages 18 and younger. Phillips
Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. 202-3872151.
Films
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■ The Smithsonian American Art
Museum will present “Brakhage & Viola
— Visionary Works,” featuring seminal
works by both filmmakers. 6 p.m. Free.
McEvoy Auditorium, Reynolds Center for
American Art and Portraiture, 8th and F
streets NW. 202-633-1000.
■ The Library of Congress will screen
Ken Loach’s
2002 film
“Sweet
Sixteen,”
about a
Scottish
teenager who
sets out to raise the money for a home
in hopes of a normal family life once his
mother gets out of prison. 7 p.m. Free.
Mary Pickford Theater, Madison Building,
Library of Congress, 101 Independence
Ave. SE. 202-707-5677.
■ Korean actor Ahn Sung Ki, known
for his natural acting style and convincing
portrayal of complex characters, will
present two of his films — “Nowhere To
Hide” and “Radio Star” — and discuss
his place in Korean cinema since his
days as a child actor in the 1950s. 7
p.m. Free; tickets required. Meyer
Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art,
Jefferson Drive at 12th Street SW. 202633-1000. The event will repeat Friday at
7 p.m.
■ The NoMa Business Improvement
District’s James Bond
film festival will conclude with an outdoor
screening of the 2002
film “Die Another
Day.” 8 p.m. Free.
Site of the future
Washington Gateway
project, Florida and New York avenues
NE. 202-289-0111.
■ Stead Recreation Center will host
an outdoor film screening of Richard
Donner’s 1985 film “The Goonies,”
about a group of kids who embark on a
wild adventure after finding a pirate ship.
8:30 p.m. Free. Stead Recreation Center,
1625 P St. NW. dpr.dc.gov.
Friday,
Aug. AUGUST
29
Friday
29
■ A park ranger will acquaint participants with the Nature Center’s live animals and get help feeding them. 4 p.m.
Free. Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200
Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.
Concerts
■ “Live! on
Woodrow
Wilson Plaza”
will feature
New Yorkbased band
Double Down
Swing. Noon to 1:30 p.m. Free. Wilson
Plaza, Reagan Building and International
Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. 202-312-1300.
■ The “Jazz in the
Garden” series will
spotlight Daysahead,
featuring vocalist Kim
Leachman and guitarist
Steve Wright. 5 to 8:30
p.m. Free. National
Gallery of Art Sculpture
Garden, 7th Street and Constitution
Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.
■ The five-octave handbell ensemble
of Towson Presbyterian Church will perform sacred and secular music. 6 p.m.
Free. Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600.
■ The National Gallery of Art will present a gallery talk on “Martin Puryear.” 1
p.m. Free. West Building Rotunda,
National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and
Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.
■ Historian and filmmaker Eric
Kulberg will discuss “March on
Washington: 45th Anniversary,” an exhibit of photographs commemorating the
landmark moment of the civil rights
movement. 6:30 p.m. Free; reservations
required. Historical Society of
Washington, D.C., 801 K St. NW. 202383-1828.
Films
■
“Before The Beatles: The Early Days
&
THE CURRENT
15
of British Rock and Roll” will feature Fred
F. Sears’ 1956 film “Rock Around the
Clock” and Claude Whatham’s 1973 film
“That’ll Be the Day.” 6:30 p.m. Free. Mary
Pickford Theater, Madison Building, Library
of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE.
202-707-5677.
■ The “Anime Summer Series” will
feature a screening of the live-action film
“DeathNote.” 6:30 p.m. Free; reservations suggested. Japan Information and
Culture Center, 1155 21st St. NW. [email protected].
Sporting events
■ The American University women’s
soccer team will play Ohio as part of the
DC Invitational. Noon. Free. North Kehoe
Field, Georgetown University, 37th and O
streets NW. 202-687-2492.
■ The George Washington University
men’s soccer team will play George
Mason as part of the DC College Cup. 2
p.m. $5; $3 for ages 3 through 17.
Reeves Field, American University, 4400
Massachusetts Ave. NW. 202-885-3030.
■ The Georgetown University women’s
soccer team will play University of
Maryland, Baltimore County, as part of the
DC Invitational. 2:30 p.m. Free. North
Kehoe Field, Georgetown University, 37th
and O streets NW. 202-687-2492.
women’s soccer team will play Old
Dominion. 4 p.m. Free. George
Washington University Mount Vernon
Campus, 2100 Foxhall Road NW. 202994-6050.
■ The American University men’s soccer team will play Howard as part of the
DC College Cup. 5 p.m. $5; $3 for ages
3 through 17. Reeves Field, American
University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
NW. 202-885-3030.
■ The Washington Mystics will play
the Chicago Sky. 7 p.m. $10 to $200.
Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 202-3977328.
■ The Washington
Nationals will play the
Atlanta Braves. 7:35
p.m. $5 to $58.
Nationals Park, 1500
South Capitol St. SE.
888-632-6287. The
series will continue
Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday at
1:35 p.m.
Saturday,
Aug. AUGUST
30
Saturday
30
Classes
■ An open class will focus on meridian stretching, meditative breathing, brainwave vibration and dynamic energy meditation. Noon. Free; reservations recommended. Vanness Dahn Yoga Center,
5010 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-2379642. The class will repeat Sunday at
noon.
■ A brain-wave vibration class will
offer tips on managing stress, releasing
tension and stimulating the natural healing ability of the brain stem. 3 p.m. Free;
reservations recommended. Vanness
Dahn Yoga Center, 5010 Connecticut
Ave. NW. 202-237-9642. The class will
repeat Sunday at 3 p.m.
Concert
■ Patchwork will perform R&B
favorites. 1 to 3 p.m. Free. Old Post
Office Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. 202-289-4224.
Discussion
■ A park ranger will discuss “Francis
Scott Key: Poet Patriot and Religious
Leader.” 10:30 a.m. Free. Old Stone
House, 3051 M St. NW. 202-426-6851.
Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-289-4224.
■ Drummer Percy Smith Jr. will lead
local musicians in “Sunday Afternoon
Jazz.” 2 p.m. Free. Chevy Chase
Neighborhood Library, 5625 Connecticut
Ave. NW. 202-282-0021.
Films
■ The Weekend Family Matinees
series will feature Andrew Stanton’s
2008 film
“WALL-E,” a
computer-animated cosmic
comedy about
a determined
robot who discovers a new purpose in life when he
meets a sleek search robot named EVE.
10 a.m. $5. Avalon Theatre, 5612
Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-966-6000. The
film will be shown again Sunday and
Monday at 10 a.m.
■ The National Gallery of Art will present “Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame,”
about a 6-yearold Afghan girl
who wants to
learn to read
and write but
to do so must
overcome
obstacles such as her family’s poverty
and indifference to education (in Farsi
with English subtitles). 2 p.m. Free. East
Building Auditorium, National Gallery of
Art, 4th Street and Constitution Avenue
NW. 202-737-4215. The film will be
shown again Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
■ The “Manoel de Oliveira,
Portuguese Marvel” series will feature
the 1991 film “A Divini Comédia (Divine
Comedy),” an adaptation of Dante’s classic in which Oliveira gives each patient in
an mental asylum the role of a figure
from literature or history. 4:30 p.m. Free.
East Building Auditorium, National Gallery
of Art, 4th Street and Constitution
Avenue NW. 202-737-4215.
Performances
■ As part of the seventh annual Pageto-Stage Festival, the Actors Theatre of
Louisville will perform “Match Games,”
directed by Michael Bigelow Dixon and
curated by Amy Wegener. 6 p.m. Free.
■ The Kankouran West African Dance
Company will
celebrate its
25th anniversary with a
revival of
works from the
company’s
vast repertoire. 8 p.m. $25; $20 for seniors; $16 for ages 11 and younger.
Lisner Auditorium, George Washington
University, 730 21st St. NW. 301-8086900.
Sporting events
women’s volleyball team will play George
Mason as part of the DC Challenge. 11
a.m. $4. Smith Center, George
Washington University, 22nd and G
streets NW. 202-994-6050.
volleyball team will play Georgetown as
part of the DC Challenge. 1 p.m. $4.
Smith Center, George Washington
University, 22nd and G streets NW. 202994-6050.
volleyball team will play George Mason
as part of the DC Challenge. 5 p.m. $4.
Smith Center, George Washington
University, 22nd and G streets NW. 202-
Film
Saturday, AUGUST 30
■ Concert: The 20th annual DC
Blues Festival will feature Zac
Harmon & The Mid-South Blues
Revue (shown), Delta Blues guitarist and vocalist Lil’ Dave
Thompson, Charles “Big Daddy”
Stallings Band, Acme Blues
Company, the Country Bunker
Funky Blues Band and others.
Noon to 7:30 p.m. Free. Carter
Barron Amphitheatre, 16th Street
and Colorado Avenue NW. 202-9620112.
994-6050.
women’s volleyball team will play
Georgetown as part of the DC Challenge.
7 p.m. $4. Smith Center, George
Washington University, 22nd and G
streets NW. 202-994-6050.
Walks and tours
■ A park ranger will lead a horseback
tour of Rock Creek Park for ages 12 and
older. 9:30 a.m. $35; reservations
required. Rock Creek Horse Center, 5100
Glover Road NW. 202-362-0017. The tour
will repeat Sunday at 11 a.m.
■ A walking tour will focus on
Georgetown’s back alleys and how the
distinctive communities of the old industrial quarter related to one another.
12:15 p.m. Free. Georgetown Visitor
Center, 1057 Thomas Jefferson St. NW.
301-767-3714.
■ A park ranger will lead ages 8 and
older on a short hike along the Melvin
Hazen Trail and discuss the geologic history of Rock Creek Park and the
Washington area. 1:30 p.m. Free. Peirce
Barn, Tilden Street and Beach Drive NW.
202-895-6070.
■ A park ranger will lead a 1.5-mile
hike of the former Peirce Estate and
explain how the land was used prior to
becoming part of a national park. 2 p.m.
Free. Peirce Barn, Tilden Street and
Beach Drive NW. 202-895-6070.
Sunday,
Aug.AUGUST
31
Sunday
31
Children’s activities
■ A park ranger will describe the lives
of deer in Rock Creek Park. 2 p.m. Free.
Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover
Road NW. 202-895-6070.
■ A park ranger will present
“Cornucopia,” about the many things
made from corn. 2:30 p.m. Free. Peirce
Barn, Tilden Street and Beach Drive NW.
202-895-6070.
Concerts
■ Arch “AT” Thompson & Friends will
perform jazz selections. 1 to 3 p.m.
Free. Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100
■ The “Manoel de Oliveira,
Portuguese Marvel” series will feature
the 1978 film “Amor de Perdição
(Doomed Love),” an adaptation of Camilo
Castelo Branco’s epic 19th-century novel
about a Romeo-and-Juliet-like affair set in
Portugal. 2 p.m. Free. East Building
Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, 4th
Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202737-4215.
Performance
■ As part of the seventh annual Pageto-Stage Festival, Adventure Theatre will
present “Harold and the Purple Crayon,”
a kid-friendly musical about a boy who
sets out to conquer the world armed only
with an oversized purple crayon, ready to
draw himself out of any dilemma. 6 p.m.
202-467-4600.
Sporting events
men’s soccer team will play Howard as
part of the DC College Cup. Noon. $5;
$3 for ages 3 through 17. Reeves Field,
American University, 4400
soccer team will play University of
Maryland, Baltimore County, as part of
the DC Invitational. Noon. Free. North
women’s soccer team will play Bryant
University. 1 p.m. Free. George
Washington University Mount Vernon
Campus, 2100 Foxhall Road NW. 202994-6050.
■ The Georgetown University women’s
soccer team will play Ohio as part of the
DC Invitational. 2:30 p.m. Free. North
■ The American University men’s soccer team will play George Mason as part
of the DC College Cup. 3 p.m. $5; $3 for
ages 3 through 17. Reeves Field,
American University, 4400
Walks and tours
■ A park ranger
will lead an exploration of the trails in
Dumbarton Oaks Park
and discuss Beatrix
Ferrand, the pioneering 20th-century landscape architect who
designed the naturalistic garden turned
public park. 10 a.m. Free. 31st and R
streets NW. 202-426-6851.
■ A walking tour will focus on
Georgetown’s retail district. 12:15 p.m.
Free. Georgetown Visitor Center, 1057
Thomas Jefferson St. NW. 301-7673714.
Monday,
Sept.SEPTEMBER
1
Monday
1
■ “Young Planetarium,” for ages 4
and older, will offer an introduction to the
night sky. 4 p.m. Free. Rock Creek
Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW.
202-895-6070.
Concerts
■ The Tye Sherman Duo will perform
neo soul and jazz. Noon to 1 p.m. Free.
Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100
■ The U.S. Navy Band will perform in
a Labor Day concert. 1 p.m. Free. U.S.
Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. 202-433-2525.
Film
■ The National Gallery of Art’s
“Afghanistan on Film” series will feature
Richard Stanley’s 1990 film “Voice of the
Moon” and Atiq Rahimi’s 2004 film
See Events/Page 16
JPDS-More than
a School. We are
a Community.
Join us and
experience the
excitement.
Open House Dates:
Thur., Sept. 25 at 9:30 am
Thur., Oct. 30 at 9:30 am
Wed., Nov. 19 at 7:00 pm
Tue., Dec. 16 at 9:30 am
Contact Sindy Udell to reserve
a space or for a personal tour.
Jewish Primary
Day School
of the Nation’s Capital at the
Kay and Robert Schattner Center
6045 16th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20011
202-291-JPDS (5737), ext. 103
www.jpds.org email: [email protected]
A partner agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. We are one people.
&
THE CURRENT
Continued From Page 15
“Earth and Ashes” (in Farsi with English
subtitles). 2 p.m. Free. East Building
Performance
■ As part of the Page-to-Stage
Festival, Signature Theatre will showcase
three of Matt Conner’s new musicals,
“Crossing,” “Senior Moments” and
“Sleepy Hollow.” 6 p.m. Free. Millennium
Stage, Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
Sporting event
■ The Washington Nationals will play
the Philadelphia Phillies. 3:05 p.m. $5 to
$58. Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol
St. SE. 888-632-6287. The series will
continue Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:10
p.m.
Tuesday,
Sept.SEPTEMBER
2
Tuesday
2
■ Casey and Friends will present a
sing-along for ages 3 through 5, featuring
favorite children’s music, classic folk
songs and new music. 10 a.m. Free.
Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Interim Library, 945
Rhode Island Ave. NW. 202-671-0267.
■ A park ranger will lead ages 5 and
older on a half-mile hike along the
Woodland Trail in search of signs of animals in the park. 4 p.m. Free. Rock
Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road
NW. 202-895-6070.
Concerts
■ Pianist John Guernsey will perform.
202-289-4224.
■ “Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza”
will feature the band Leaving, TX performing bluegrass selections. Noon to
1:30 p.m.
Free. Wilson
Plaza, Reagan
Building and
International Trade Center, 1300
■ Soprano Cornelia Frazier and
pianist Ruth Locker will perform selections by Edvard Grieg. 12:10 p.m. Free.
Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW.
202-347-2635, ext.18.
■ The “Masters of Tradition” series
will feature Iowa’s Foot-Notes performing
Scandinavian and Scandinavian-American
old-time dance music. 6 p.m. Free.
■ Bobby Austin, vice president of university relations and communications at
the University of the District of Columbia,
will discuss his book “Circus Clowns and
Carnival Animals: Growing Up in the Ebb
and Flow of Rural Black Life.” 6 to 7:30
p.m. Free. Langston Room, Busboys and
Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.
■ Author Daniel
Mendelsohn will discuss his book “How
Beautiful It Is and
How Easily It Can Be
Broken,” a collection
of 30 essays on film
and literature. 7 p.m.
Free. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.
Films
■
The “From the Archives” series will
Chase Community Center, 5601
group meets every Tuesday.
& Noble, 3040 M St. NW. 202-9659880.
Films
Wednesday,
Sept.SEPTEMBER
3
Wednesday
3
■ “Young Planetarium,” for ages 4
and older, will offer an introduction to the
night sky. 4 p.m. Free. Rock Creek
Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW.
202-895-6070.
Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 2
■ Discussion: “How in the World
Did They Build It?” will use historic
images and construction photos of
the Washington National Cathedral
to help tell the story of the creation of the only gothic cathedral
built in the 20th century. 1 p.m.
Free. Perry Auditorium, Washington
National Cathedral, Massachusetts
and Wisconsin avenues NW. 202537-5628. The talk will repeat
Sept 9, 16, 23 and 30 at 1 p.m.
feature Robert Snyder’s 1968 film “A
Glimpse of de Kooning,” featuring
William de Kooning discussing action
painting with Franz Kline and Harold
Rosenberg. Noon. Free. East Building
Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202737-4215. The film will be shown again
Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30 at noon.
■ The Palisades Neighborhood Library
will present the 1963 film “The V.I.P.s,”
starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard
Burton as two travelers headed for New
York but stuck in the lounge of the
London airport due to fog. 4:30 p.m.
Free. Second floor, Palisades
Neighborhood Library, 4901 V St. NW.
202-282-3139.
■ “Popular Movie Tuesdays” will feature David Mamet’s 2008 film “Redbelt,”
about a top
martial arts
instructor who
lands a job in
the film industry and ends
up forced to
reconsider his refusal to participate in
prize bouts. 6 p.m. Free. Auditorium A-5,
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library,
901 G St. NW. 202-727-1295.
Joseph Losey’s 1970 film “The GoBetween,” a tale of torrid and forbidden
love in the English countryside adapted
by Harold Pinter from the novel by L.P.
Hartley. 7 p.m. Free. Mary Pickford
Theater, Madison Building, Library of
Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE.
202-707-5677.
Sporting event
■ The Washington Mystics will play
the Indiana Fever. 7 p.m. $10 to $200.
Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. 202-3977328.
Support
■ Recovery Inc. will host a group discussion for people suffering from stress,
anxiety, panic, depression, sleep problems, anger, fear and other mental or
emotional problems. 7 p.m. Free. Chevy
Classes
■ American Buddhist nun Gen
Kelsang Varahi will lead a “General
Buddhism” class. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $12.
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1803
class will continue Sept. 10, 17 and 24.
■ A weekly workshop will offer
instruction in “Sahaja Yoga Meditation.”
7 p.m. Free. West End Neighborhood
Library, 1101 24th St. NW. 202-7248707.
Concerts
■ Arch “AT” Thompson will perform
classical, contemporary and Latin jazz.
202-289-4224.
■ Guitarist Phil McCusker will perform
jazz selections. 12:30 p.m. Free.
Hammer Auditorium, Corcoran Gallery of
Art, 500 17th St. NW. 202-639-1770.
■ Vocalist and pianist Joyce Bouvier
will present “The Best Things in Life Are
Free,” featuring selections from the
Great American Songbook. 7 p.m. Free;
donation suggested. St. Augustine’s
Episcopal Church and St. Matthew’s
Evangelical Lutheran Church, 600 M St.
SW. 202-554-3222.
■ “Hump Day Groovez” will feature
performances by Alex Culbreth and
Brady. 9 to 11 p.m. $10. Langston
Room, Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th
St. NW. 202-387-7638.
■ U.S. Botanic Garden conservation
horticulturist Ray Mims will lead a tour of
the exhibition “Our Planet — Ours!
Sustainability for the 22nd Century.”
Noon to 1 p.m. Free; reservations
required. Conservatory entrance, U.S.
Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW.
202-225-1116.
■ Susan Burch and Hannah Joyner
will discuss their book “Unspeakable:
The Story of Janius Wilson,” about a
deaf, African-American man who spent
more than seven decades in the North
Carolina State Hospital for the Colored
Insane after being convicted of rape and
found insane in 1925. 6:30 p.m. Free.
Auditorium A-5, Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202727-1285.
■ Jennifer Baumgardner will discuss
her book “Abortion & Life.” 6:30 to 8
p.m. Free. Langston Room, Busboys and
Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-3877638.
■ Pollster John
Zogby will discuss his
book “The Way We’ll
Be: The Zogby Report
on the Transformation
of the American
Dream.” 7 p.m. Free.
Politics and Prose,
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-3641919.
■ Tom Piazza will discuss his novel
“City of Refuge.” 7:30 p.m. Free. Barnes
Museum will present Elia Kazan’s 1951
film “A Streetcar Named Desire,” starring
Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. 6 p.m.
Free. McEvoy Auditorium, Reynolds
Center for American Art and Portraiture,
8th and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.
■ The “Big Kid Movie Night” will feature Disney’s
1992 animated film
“Aladdin.” 6
p.m. Free.
Watha T.
Daniel/Shaw
Interim Library, 945 Rhode Island Ave.
NW. 202-671-0267.
■ The Screening Room will present
Edward Norton’s 2000 film “Keeping the
Faith,” starring Norton and Ben Stiller as
best friends who are thrown for a romantic loop when a third childhood friend
moves back to New York. 7:30 p.m. $10;
$9 for seniors and students. Goldman
Theater, Washington DC Jewish
Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW.
800-494-8497.
Performances
■ “Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza”
will feature a comedy show with Queen
Aishah. Noon to 1:30 p.m. Free. Wilson
Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. 202-312-1300.
■ The “Masters of Tradition” series
will feature Maryland’s Apsara Dance
Ensemble with Chum Ngek performing
dance traditions of Cambodia. 6 p.m.
202-467-4600.
Rehearsal
■ The Smithsonian Encore Chorale for
Older Adults, for ages 55 and older, will
begin weekly rehearsals in preparation
for its Dec. 16 holiday concert at the
Kennedy Center. 10:30 a.m. to noon.
$201. S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100
Jefferson Drive SW. 202-633-3030.
Sporting event
■ D.C. United will play the Charleston
Battery in the U.S. Open Cup final. 7:30
p.m. $20 to $50. RFK Memorial
Stadium, 2400 East Capitol St. SE. 202397-7328.
Thursday,
Sept.SEPTEMBER
4
Thursday
4
■ “Mother Goose on the Loose” will
use rhymes and songs to help ages 3
through 5 get ready for reading. 9:45
a.m. Free. Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Interim
Library, 945 Rhode Island Ave. NW. 202671-0267.
■ A park ranger will present a puppet
show about what the animals of Rock
Creek Park are doing in September. 4
p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center,
5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.
Classes
■ Andrea Richards Scott will lead a
class on “The 7 Secrets To Becoming
Highly Self-Confident.” 6:30 to 9 p.m.
$39; reservations required. First Class
Inc., 1726 20th St. NW. 202-797-5102.
■ The Divine Science Church will offer
a class on “Christian Metaphysics.” 7 to
9 p.m. Free; reservations required.
See Events/Page 17
&
THE CURRENT
17
Continued From Page 16
Divine Science Church, 2025 35th St.
NW. 202-333-7630.
Concerts
■ C. Huff will perform R&B favorites.
Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202289-4224.
feature vocalist Teri S. Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Free. Wilson Plaza, Reagan Building and
International Trade Center, 1300
■ Cellist Vasily Popov and pianist
Ralitza Patheva will perform works by
Britten, Dutilleux and Rachmaninoff. Noon.
Free. Auditorium A-5, Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-7271285.
■ Richard Pilliner, director of music and
organist at Shirley Parish Church in Surrey,
United Kingdom, will perform works by
Anataffy-Zsiross, Langlais and Lizst, KargeElert. 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Free. National
City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW.
202-797-0103.
■ The U.S. Navy Band’s contemporary
entertainment ensemble, the Cruisers, will
perform. Noon. Free. U.S. Navy Memorial,
701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-433-2525.
■ “Jazz on Jackson Place” will feature
Burnett Thompson and the New Columbia
Orchestra Septet. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $25;
reservations recommended. Decatur
House, 1610 H St. NW. 202-842-0920,
ext. 41239.
■ Arizona State University professor
Marjory Bong-Ray Liu will discuss “Kunqu:
China’s First Great Multi-art Theatrical
Tradition.” Noon. Free. Mary Pickford
202-707-5677.
■ The “Let’s Talk About Books” discussion group will delve into the poetry of
Charles Bukowski. 2:30 p.m. Free. Room
221, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Library, 901 G St. NW. 202-727-0321.
■ The Phillips Collection will offer a
gallery talk on how works by Cézanne and
Matisse and the comic strip “Krazy Kat”
influenced Richard Diebenkorn’s work while
living and painting in New Mexico. 6 and 7
p.m. $12; $10 for seniors and students;
free for ages 18 and younger. Phillips
Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. 202-3872151.
■ Maya Foo will discuss the portrait of
Edwin Booth by Matthew Brady’s studio. 6
to 6:30 p.m. Free. Reynolds Center for
streets NW. 202-633-1000.
■ Alexandra Kerry,
daughter of U.S. Sen.
John Kerry, D-Mass.,
“Notes From the Trail,”
about her father’s
2004 campaign for the
presidency. 6:30 p.m.
Free. Borders, 18th and L streets NW. 202466-4999.
■ Qanta A. Ahmed
“In the Land of
Invisible Women: A
Female Doctor’s
Journey in the Saudi
Kingdom.” 6:30 p.m.
Free. Barnes & Noble,
555 12th St. NW. 202-347-0176.
■ Archaeological artist Clara Semple
will discuss her book “A Silver Legend: The
Story of the Maria Theresa Thaler,” about
the coin’s history, its adoption as an international currency and its use in silver jewelry making. 6:30 p.m. Free; registration
required. Jerusalem Fund Gallery, 2425
Virginia Ave. NW. 202-338-1958, ext. 11.
■ Brad Meltzer will discuss his latest
thriller, “The Book of Lies.” 7 p.m. Free.
Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.
NW. 202-364-1919.
■ Jan Yager will discuss her book “Work
Less, Do More: The
14-Day Productivity
Makeover.” 7:30 p.m.
Free. Barnes & Noble,
3040 M St. NW. 202965-9880.
■ Tel Aviv University professor Asher
Maoz will discuss “The Imprint of Jewish
Law on American and Other Legal
Systems.” 7:30 p.m. Free. Sixth & I
Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. 301770-4784.
Films
The “Black Docs Film Series” will
present “Twilight Becomes Night,” about
the pivotal role of neighborhood stores in
urban communities, and “The New Los
Angeles,” about
the complexities of inclusion
in Los Angeles,
the nation’s
largest “majority-minority” city
and the city with the nation’s largest divide
between rich and poor. 7 to 9 p.m. $10.
Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St.
NW. UrbanFilmSeries.com.
Howard Hawks’ 1953
film “Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes,” starring Jane
Russell and Marilyn
Monroe, and the 1953
cartoon “Duck Amuck,”
featuring a short-tempered Daffy Duck who
must deal with the whims of the animator.
7 p.m. Free. Mary Pickford Theater,
Madison Building, Library of Congress, 101
Independence Ave. SE. 202-707-5677.
■
Performance
■ Arlington-based Karen Reedy Dance
will present “Sleepwalking” and “Path of
Attraction.” 6 p.m. Free. Millennium Stage,
Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. The performance will repeat Friday at 6 p.m.
Special event
Museum’s “Carnaval del Corazón —
Flamenco Festivities” will feature
5200 Glover Road NW. 202-895-6070.
Thursday, SEPTEMBER 4
■ Film: ITVS will present a screening
of the film “Chicago 10,” which
mixes original animation with archival
footage to explore the buildup to and
unraveling of the Chicago conspiracy
trial. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free; reservations required. Langston Room,
Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St.
NW. 202-939-0794.
Grabielismo Productions demonstrating and
teaching flamenco with live music by Ramin
Rad and Jose Oretea. 5 to 8 p.m. Free.
Kogod Courtyard, Reynolds Center for
streets NW. 202-633-1000.
Friday,
Sept.SEPTEMBER
5
Friday
5
■ A park ranger will acquaint participants with the Nature Center’s animals. 4
p.m. Free. Rock Creek Nature Center,
Concerts
■ Saxophonist Sharon Thomas will perform smooth jazz. Noon to 1 p.m. Free.
Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100
feature Let It Flow performing R&B
favorites. Noon to 1:30 p.m. Free. Wilson
Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.
202-312-1300.
■ The “Jazz in the Garden” concert
series will feature violinist
Bruno Nasta
and the U.S.
Army Blues. 5
to 8:30 p.m.
Free. National
Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, 7th
■ Luigi Dei, professor of chemistry at
the University of Florence, Italy, will discuss
“Primo Levi’s Lesson: A Bridge Between
Chemistry & Literature.” 3:15 p.m. Free;
reservations suggested. McNeir Auditorium,
Georgetown University, 37th and O streets
NW. [email protected].
■ Victor Navasky,
publisher emeritus of
The Nation and chair
of the Columbia
Journalism Review, will
discuss his book
“Mission
Accomplished! Or How
We Won the War in Iraq.” 6 to 8 p.m.
Free. Langston Room, Busboys and Poets,
2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.
■ Political humorist
Christopher Buckley
will discuss his book
“Supreme Courtship,”
about a president’s
nomination of a “Judge
Judy”-like celebrity to
the Supreme Court. 7
p.m. Free. Politics and Prose, 5015
Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-364-1919.
Film
■ “Before The Beatles: The Early Days
of British Rock and Roll” will feature the
1962 films “Play It Cool” and “It’s Trad,
Dad.” 6:30 p.m. Free. Mary Pickford
202-707-5677.
Special event
■ AARP and WETA-TV will present a live
taping of “Washington Week With Gwen
Ifill & National
Journal,” public
television’s
longest-running
news and public affairs program. 5:45
p.m. Free; reservations required. Lisner
Auditorium, George Washington University,
730 21st St. NW. 703-998-2065.
Sporting event
■ The Georgetown University men’s
soccer team will play Davidson. 3 p.m.
Free. North Kehoe Field, Georgetown
University, 37th and O streets NW. 202687-2449.
The Religion Directory
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EP I S C O P A L
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202.966.2093
SUNDAY WORSHIP
at 8:00, 9:15 & 11:15 am
Sunday School for all ages at 10:00 am
5150 Macomb Street, NW
between MacArthur Blvd. and Loughboro Rd.
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Located on the first level of
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Bring a friend and receive a
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The Shops at Georgetown Park
at 202.244.7223
THE CURRENT
&
Kennedy Center highlights new plays, musicals
T
he Kennedy Center will
host its seventh annual
Page-to-Stage Festival, a
showcase for new plays and musicals, Saturday through Monday.
A flurry of free readings and
open rehearsals will offer a glimpse
On STAGE
into the area’s upcoming theater
season. More than 40 local and
national theater companies are participating.
The lineup includes the premiere of Georgetown University
graduate Seamus Sullivan’s
Arena Stage will present Carrie Fisher’s solo show “Wishful Drinking”
“Harlan at the Rockpile,” which
at the historic Lincoln Theatre, starting next week.
extends over three centuries and
two tumultuous lives and features a
cast of university students and
Staged by director Tony
Sunday. Tickets cost $55 to $74.
graduates. Other offerings include
Taccone, “Wishful Drinking” offers The Lincoln Theatre is located at
Theodore Bikel performing his
an uproarious and sobering look at
1215 U St. NW. 202-488-3300;
play “Sholom
her Hollywood hangarenastage.org.
Aleichem: Laughter
over and her struggles
■ Solas Nua will celebrate the
Through Tears,” preto balance a demandupcoming New York premiere of
sented by Theater J,
ing career and single
Enda Walsh’s “Disco Pigs” with a
and an open rehearsal
motherhood, accordone-night champagne preview perof “The Cabinet of Dr.
ing to a release. It’s
formance Sept. 6 at Mead Theatre
Caligari,” presented
filled with self-depreLab at Flashpoint.
by Synetic Theater.
cating humor about
“Disco Pigs” launched the Irish
Shows will take
having Elizabeth
playwright’s career in 1996 and did
place at various
Taylor as a stepmoththe same for Solas Nua in 2005. In
Kennedy Center vener, marrying (and
September, the D.C.-based troupe
ues from 2 to 11 p.m.
divorcing) Paul
will stage the play as part of the
each day. 202-467Simon, and losing her
first Irish Theatre Festival in New
Solas Nua’s “Disco
4600; kennedy-cendaughter’s father to
York.
Pigs” is on its way to another man.
ter.org.
Madeleine Carr and Rex
New York City.
■ Arena Stage will
Performance times
Daugherty star. Directors Dan
present Carrie Fisher
are generally 7:30
Brick and Linda Murray originated
in her solo show “Wishful
p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 8
the roles of Runt and Pig in the
Drinking” at the historic Lincoln
p.m. Thursday, Friday and
D.C. premiere.
Theatre from Sept. 5 through 28.
Saturday; and 2 p.m. Saturday and
See Theater/Page 27
THE CURRENT
&
Exhibit reveals clothing’s coded messages
By MARK LONGAKER
A
merican women tell the
world they are married by
wearing a wedding ring.
Zulu women, on the other hand,
don a special hat, called an isicholo, to announce the same thing.
How African cultures broadcast
coded messages through attire is
the subject of
“TxtStyles/Fashioning Identity,”
which opened
recently at the
National Museum
of African Art. The
show features some
70 articles of clothing and jewelry,
from hats to ceremonial costumes,
from wigs to
anklets and even a
chain-mail tunic,
along with videos
and photographs
demonstrating their
use.
More hats than
any other kind of
apparel are displayed, nearly a
dozen. Besides the
married Zulu
woman’s isicholo, these include
two distinctive headdresses worn
19
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Above, a hat (isicholo) made of red lead pigment, bast
fiber and cloth by the Zulu peoples, South Africa, dating from the mid-20th century; left, fiber mask with
costume (minganji), made of raffia, reed, paper and
dye by the Pende peoples, Gungu, Democratic Republic
of the Congo, from the mid-20th century
by chieftains.
One of the
chief’s hats offers
an especially striking design. Woven
of raffia and covered with colorful
glass beads, it fits
tightly to the head,
though with long,
hornlike projections
from the sides.
Glass beads were
known for many years in Africa as
“lucrative trade goods,” according
to the show’s brochure, which
makes them signifiers of high rank
or wealth.
A picture of the hat being worn
is also presented. Taken by TimeLife photographer Eliot Elisofon in
1970, it shows a young Pende chief
proudly demonstrating his fancy
headdress in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
The Pende people make many
things out of raffia, a fiber obtained
from a tropical palm whose leaves
can grow 9 feet long. Another
See Identity/Page 27
Show eyes recent art from Dominican Republic
T
he Inter-American Development Bank
Cultural Center recently opened “Inside and
Out: Recent Trends in the Arts of the
Dominican Republic,” featuring works by four artists
On EXHIBIT
living in the island nation and four living abroad. The
exhibit, which will continue through Nov. 7, addresses
issues of originality, innovation, displacement and
identity.
Located at 1300 New York Ave. NW, the gallery is
open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
202-623-3774.
■ “Obstrucciones,” an
exhibit of digital-photography prints by Pepe
Coronado, will open
today at Georgetown
University’s Gallery 101
and continue through
Oct. 10.
Coronado, a
Dominican Republic
native, uses sparse, blackand-white compositions
and dramatic lighting to
Rembrandt’s etching “A suggest ambiguous
Peasant Family
spaces divided by archiWalking,” circa 1634, is tectural barriers, accordpart of a show at the
ing to a release. Before
National Gallery of Art.
moving recently to New
York, he lived in the
Washington area and worked as a resident master
printer at Pyramid Atlantic in Riverdale, Md., and later
the Hand Print Workshop International in Alexandria.
An artist’s reception will be held Sept. 3 from 5:30
Julio Valdez’s “Achilles: The Heart Fell Into the
Sea,” an archival pigment print, is on display at
the Inter-American Development Bank.
to 7 p.m. Located at 1221 36th St. NW, the gallery is
open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.
and Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. 202-6877010.
■ The National Archives will celebrate the 225th
anniversary of the ending of the American Revolution
by putting the Treaty of Paris, which formalized the
conclusion of the conflict, on view beginning Friday
and continuing through Sept. 3.
Located at 9th Street and Constitution Avenue NW,
the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
202-501-5400.
■ “Medieval to Modern: Recent Acquisitions of
Drawings, Prints, and Illustrated Books” opened
recently in the West Building of the National Gallery
of Art.
See Exhibits/Page 35

No.31 August 27, 2008 - The Current Newspapers

Transcription

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