Kalorama Park Annual Benefit Luncheon at Perry’s

Sat., Apr. 12 (11am-1pm): The people who volunteer with the Fund for Kalorama Park will be holding their 6th annual BENEFIT LUNCHEON at Perry’s Restaurant (1811 Col. Rd.). Join neighbors and friends of the park for what they promise will be a scrumptious buffet with cash bar, door prizes, and a special silent auction for Stanley Cup playoff box seats donated by Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham. The $25 tickets ($10, children between 8 and 12) may be purchased on-line by visiting www.kaloramapark.org or at the door. For more info, send email to leslie.douglas@att.net or call 673-7606.

No Trash or Recycling Service on Emancipation Day

Wed., Apr. 16: There will be NO TRASH AND RECYCLING collection by the Department of Public Works (DPW). As with most all city departments and agencies, the DC government will be closed in observance of Emancipation Day, the city’s own special holiday which commemorates the day in 1862 when President Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act by which approximately 3,100 slaves in the District were freed nine months before the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

In neighborhoods receiving twice-weekly collections, Monday and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday, while Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday. Trash and recycling collections in once-a-week collection neighborhoods will “slide” to the next day for the remainder of the week. For more info, call 727-1000. And to view DPW’s trash and recycling holiday schedule for the remainder of the year, visit www.dpw.dc.gov and click on the “Holiday Schedule” link under the “Information” header.

Oliphant Cartoons on View in Woodley Park

Wed., Apr. 16 (9am-7pm): This will be the opening day of an new EXHIBIT to be on view through July 15 at the Stanford in Washington Art Gallery (2661 Conn. Ave.) in Woodley Park. Titled “LEADERSHIP: Oliphant Cartoons & Sculpture from the Bush Years,” the show will be a timely display of works by the world-renowned political cartoonist Pat Oliphant whose work makes observations on hot topics such as the war in Iraq, the Bush administration, the race for the presidency, and the genocide in Sudan. Located in the stunning Stamford University Center across from the Woodley Park Metro, weekday gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 12 noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. Admission free. For more info, call 332-6235.

(The building that houses the Center was the subject of a news story in this newspaper three-and-a-half years ago. See, “Non-Traditional Design OK’d in Woodley Pk. for Stanford Univ. Center,” The InTowner, September 2004, page 1; available at www.intowner.com and clicking the link on the home page for the Current & Back Issues Archive.)

Shaw Main Streets Organizing Neighborhood Clean-up

Sat., Apr. 19 (9am): Shaw Main Streets will be holding its 4th annual neighborhood-wide CLEANUP AND GREENUP event in central Shaw. “Keep Shaw Beautiful Day” will include planting of cherry trees and perennial and annual flowering plants in tree boxes, picking up trash on sidewalks and in alleys, and removing and painting over graffiti. Neighborhood civic associations will focus on their blocks, with supplies provided by event sponsors. Participants should gather at Shaw Middle School (925 Rhode Is. land Ave.) at 9 a.m. and when work is concluded at 1 p.m. enjoy a lunch provided by neighborhood restaurants at the school. For more info., call 265-SHAW or visit www.shawmainstreets.com.

Shaw Main Streets Honors Councilmembers Evans and Brown

At its March 18, 2008 annual meeting Shaw Main Streets, the commercial revitalization and historic preservation organization serving the 7th and 9th Streets commercial corridors, presented its Shaw Champion awards to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans and At-large Councilmember Kwame Brown.

The annual awards, which are voted on by the organization’s board of directors, recognize individuals and institutions that have demonstrated by longtime service or special recent efforts, their commitment to the revitalization of the Shaw neighborhood. Previous recipients have included DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, developer Douglas Jemal, MPD Lt. Michael A. Smith, and Shaw Junior High School.

In presenting the award to Councilmember Evans, Shaw Main Streets noted that Evans “has represented the neighborhood since 1991, has been a longtime advocate for the community, and in 2006, helped change District law to allow restaurants like Shaw’s Vegetate and Queen of Sheba apply for and be granted ABC licenses, despite being the first restaurants within 400 feet of a DCPS school. Evans also successfully championed removing Shaw Middle School from the list of schools to be closed by Chancellor Rhee and Mayor Fenty.”

And, in presenting the award to Councilmember Brown, he “was recognized for his strong support for neighborhood business development and the DC Main Streets program in particular. As the chair of the Council’s Committee on Economic Development, Brown has repeatedly led the effort to provide funding for DC Main Streets, despite successive mayors’ failure to include such funding in their budget submissions. Brown spent several hours in August 2007 touring Shaw Main Streets’ service area and visiting business owners, learning about their challenges and successes and discussing ways that the District government could help support their future growth.”

Georgia Avenue/Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail

Sat., Apr. 19 (12noon-2pm): The Georgia Avenue and Pleasant Plains Heritage Trail working group will be meeting at the Emergence Community Arts Collective (733 Euclid St., NW; tel., 462-2285). Now in its final stage of the initial process, neighbors and other interested persons are invited to have a say in the trail name, theme, icon, route and points that are highlighted between the Shaw and the Petworth Metro Stations. All community stakeholders are welcome to attend. For more info, call Sylvia Robinson at 462-2285. For those unable to attend and who wish to submit comments, send by email to sylvia@ecacollective.org.

14th Street Streetscape Design / Final Public Meeting

Thu., Apr. 24 (6:30-8:30pm): The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) will be holding the FINAL PUBLIC MEETING in the Reeves Center’s 2nd floor community room (2000 U St.) for the purpose of presenting the summary and recommendations for its 14th Street Transportation & Streetscape Design Study. So far, according to DDOT, comments and feedback from the public have been especially valuable to this study and to the future of the 14th Street corridor. The draft final report is available on the project’s website www.14thStreetStudy.com. For more info, call the project’s manager, Christopher Ziemann, at 671.2555 or send email to christopher.ziemann@dc.gov.

City-Wide FreeFree Guided Walking Tours

Sat. & Sun., Apr. 26 & 27 (11am-5pm): With 80 free, GUIDED WALKING TOURS, Cultural Tourism DC once again will be offering its “WalkingTown, DC Spring Edition” featuring tours throughout the city. The complete tour schedule, including meeting places, times, and tour lengths, is available at www.WalkingTownDC.org). Participants can browse the online schedule, pick their favorites, and join the group at the specified time and place. Bike tours, and some walking tours, require advance reservations, and every tour is free. Professional guides, community leaders, and neighborhood residents lead the tours, and all are donating their time and expertise.

Of special interest to residents of, and visitors to, the neighborhoods specifically covered by this newspaper are the following:

The emerging neighborhood north of Union Station dubbed “NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) is home to landmarks such as the Washington Coliseum (site of the Beatles first US concert in 1967) and the Art Deco warehouse for former department store giant Woodward & Lothrop (“Woodie’s”). With anchors like XM Radio, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and NPR moving in, this neighborhood is taking a new shape (Saturday 2-3:30 pm).

The Temperance Tour starts at the Cogswell Temperance Fountain to recount the Prohibition era in DC. Stops include the Calvary Baptist Church, where the Anti-Saloon League had its national kickoff meeting in 1895 and President Woodrow Wilson’s house in Kalorama. End the tour with a toast to Prohibition at Dupont West’s Brickskeller Saloon (Saturday, 1 pm).

History Before History: The Geologic Saga of Washington, DC visits rock outcrops in Adams Morgan and Rock Creek Park to trace the landscape back 700 million years when it was the bottom of an ancient ocean, the center of a mountain range, and a magma chamber (Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm).

Sponsors who have made possible Cultural Tourism DC’s event include Abdo Development, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, BB&T, BELLArchitects, DC Chamber of Commerce, Forest City, Jones Lang LaSalle, and Pepco.

Cultural Tourism DC is a nonprofit coalition of 185 arts, heritage, cultural, and community organizations throughout the city. With partners in tourism, hospitality, government and business, Cultural Tourism DC promotes local culture and heritage as a tool for economic development. For more info or to request a tour event brochure, call 661-7581 or visit www.CulturalTourismDC.org.

AdamsMorgan MainStreet Doggie Day

Sun., Apr. 27 (11am-5pm): Enjoy a day of fun and festivities for you and your dog. Meet new friends and neighbors, stroll Adams Morgan and show off your pooch and network with other pet owners during the “BowWowPowWow” event being organized by AdamsMorgan MainStreet and to feature program topics for pet owners and vendors with all sorts of products and education. Along with artwork by Marie Reed School children, on the Marie Reed plaza (18th St. at Wyoming Ave.) there will be a wide variety of activities and events being planned will be contests & prizes (best kisser, owner/dog look-alike & many more); dog training and general education; vendor booths (insurance, leashes, clever gifts, portraits & more); K-9 demonstration; special portrait photo of you and your pet; pet adoption opportunities for dogs and cats; learn about dog parks and therapy dogs and whether pet ownership for you. For more info, call the MainStreet office at 232-1960 or send email to ExecDirector@AMMainStreet.org. Also, be sure to visit www.BowWowPowWow.com.

Hinckley Pottery Studio Annual Student Show & Sale

Sun., May 4 (11-5pm): This year it’s the 17th annual Student SHOW AND SALE at Hinckley Pottery Studio (1707 Kalorama Rd.) that will be a “must-see,” featuring over 30 potters who will be, as is true every year, displaying a wide variety of artistic, creatively designed ceramic works that are primarily functional, such as dinnerware and vases, at great prices. Find one-of-a-kind items for Mother’s Day, weddings and house gifts. No charge — just drop by and enjoy the pottery for its own beauty. For more info, call Carol Herwig at (202) 722-4385 or email to geogan69@verizon.net or visit the studio’s website, www.hinckleypottery.com.

F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald to be Subject of Book Talk & Signing

Thu., May 8 (6:30pm): The Cleveland Park Library (Conn. Ave. & Macomb St.) will be hosting Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy W. Barks, co-editors of Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald who will give a BOOK TALK on “F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby” in the first floor auditorium. A book sale and signing, courtesy of the Trover Shop, will follow the program. For more info, call 282-3080.

National Portrait Gallery Calls for Contest Entries

Mon., Jun. 2: The National Portrait Gallery (F St., bet. 7th & 9th Sts.) has announced its CALL FOR ENTRIES for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009. This national competition was made possible by a generous endowment from a 20-year gallery volunteer docent, Virginia Outwin Boochever.

This will be the first day that submissions will be accepted (and will continue to be received through July 31st). This will be the second installation of the triennial competition and is open to portraits in any visual art medium that has been created after January 1, 2007. Digital submissions may be submitted online at www.portraitcompetition.si.edu.

We reported on the first competition exhibition shortly after the historic, mid-19th century Patent Office building reopened after a six-year restoration (see, “At the Museums,” September 2006, page 17; available in the Current & Back Issues Archive at www.intowner.com). Among other praise, our reviewer referred to the show as a “celebratory exhibition” which presented “competition results [that were] astounding — masterful realist portraits of both the famous and the little known.”

All finalist works will be shown in a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, opening in October 2009. The grand prize is a $25,000 cash award. Additionally, entrants may be featured on “Portrait of an Artist,” an on-line diary that will allow visitors to follow the updates of several artists as the competition unfolds.

For more information, visit www.portraitcompetition.si.edu or www.npg.si.edu.

SELECTED STREET CRIMES

Reported for March 4 – April 1, 2008

Argonne & Harvard: person robbed at gunpoint by 2 others [12:30am, Mon., 3/31]

Belmont, 1800 blk. (alley): person accosted by another & struck in the face whereupon a struggle ensued followed by a stun gun being displayed & then robbed [10am, Mon., 3/31]

Columbia & Kalorama: person’s property snatched by another who came from behind but foiled as a result of a “physical altercation” [9:45pm, Fri., 3/7]

Columbia, 500 blk.: man accosted by 3 others, one of whom pulled a gun & demanded money following which a “physical altercation” led to being robbed [5:15pm, Fri., 3/14]

Columbia, 1700 blk.: property snatched by person from woman’s shirt pocket [5pm, Fri., 3/7]

Columbia, 1800 blk.: person waiting for bus approached by another who snatched several items of property [11:30pm, Fri., 3/14]

Fairmont, 1300 blk.: man accosted by 3 others who first punched & then robbed him [5:15pm, Thu., 3/20]

Flagler, 2000 blk.: person accosted by another from behind, pushed to the ground, punched in the face & robbed [9:30pm, Mon., 3/31]

Georgia, 2200 blk.: person robbed at gunpoint by 2 others [4:30pm, Fri., 3/21]

Harvard, 1400 blk. (alley): person accosted by 2 others who struck person on the head who then fell to the ground & was robbed [2:45pm, Fri., 3/28]

Irving, 1300 blk.: person robbed of cash at gunpoint by another who demanded, “Where’s the money at?” [9pm, Mon., 3/3] (incident bears distinct similarity to another that occurred around the corner in the 3000 block of 13th St. 45 minutes earlier, as noted below)

Irving, 1300 blk.: man accosted by 3 others who punched him in his face & robbed him [5:15pm, Sat., 3/15]

Kalorama & Ontario: person robbed at gunpoint by another [1:15am, Tue., 3/18]

Kalorama, 1700 blk.: person robbed by 3 others who acted as if they had guns [12:15am, Fri., 3/28]

N, 1700 blk. (alley): woman walking with 2 others to her car yelled at by man who then threw parts of a broken fire alarm mechanism at her [4:15pm, Tue., 3/18]

New Jersey & Q: person accosted by another & robbed following being grabbed, knocked down to the ground & punched in the face [6:30am, Sat., 3/22]

Ogden, 1400 blk.: person robbed at knifepoint by 2 others [1pm, Sat., 3/29]

Ontario, 2100 blk.: person accosted by another, punched in the face & then robbed at gunpoint [10:15pm, Mon., 3/31]

Q, 1600 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by another [12mid., Tue., 3/25]

Summit, 1800 blk.: woman about to enter her apartment building accosted by man from behind who placed his arm around her neck & robbed her [5:30pm, Sun., 3/23]

T, unit blk.: person’s property snatched by 2 others [4:15pm, Wed., 3/5]

T, 100 blk.: man robbed of his by another who demanded, “Gimme your bike” & when asked if he was serious, man walked closer & stated, “Gimme your bike or I’ll take it” [9:45pm, Sun., 3/23]

T, 500 blk.: woman’s purse suddenly grabbed & pulled off from her shoulder my man who was walking past her [7:45am, Mon., 3/24]

T, 1400 blk.: woman on way to work accosted by man who came from behind attempting to snatch her purse, then punched her in the face several times, causing her to fall to the ground, whereupon he stole the purse [6:30am, Sat., 3/15]

Twining (Ct.), 2100 blk.: man who had just left club accosted from behind by man who tackled him to the ground & then robbed him [10:15pm, Mon., 3/24]

V, 1000 blk.: 2 persons robbed at gunpoint by 3 others who jumped out of a car that pulled up alongside them [2:30am, Sun., 3/23]

5th & W: woman’s purse snatched by passerby [6:45am, Mon., 3/17]

6th & P: man accosted by 3 others demanding his property & when he refused was punched & robbed [11:30pm, Sat., 3/29]

7th & S: woman waiting at bus stop approached by person who snatched property from her [8:15pm, Fri., 3/7]

7th, 1800 blk.: person’s property snatched by another who came from behind [6:15am, Sat., 3/22]

10th, 1300 blk.: man accosted by 2 others, one of who pointed a long-barrel revolver at his chest, ordered him to the ground & robbed him [10pm, Wed., 3/12]

11th, 3200 blk.: man accosted by 2 others from behind, pushed to the ground, straddled over the chest by one of them & robbed [9:30pm, Fri., 3/21]

11th, 3400 blk.: person accosted by 3 others, struck in the face & robbed [9:30pm, Mon., 3/10]

13th, 2200 blk.: person accosted by 2 others, grabbed, punched in the face & robbed [9:15pm, Sat., 3/15]

13th, 3000 blk.: person robbed of cash at gunpoint by another who demanded, “Where’s the cash at?” [2:15pm, Mon., 3/3]

13th, 3000 blk.: person robbed by 2 others who came from behind, one of whom pointed gun to the neck & demanded, “Give me everything you got” [8:15pm, Mon., 3/3]

13th, 3000 blk. (alley): man robbed of wallet by another who pointed gun to his head & demanded, “Give me your wallet” [8:15pm, Mon., 3/3] (incident bears distinct similarity to another that occurred around the corner in the 1300 block of Irving St. 45 minutes later, as noted above)

16th & Columbia: person accosted by 2 others, grabbed around the neck, struck with an unknown object & robbed [10:30pm, Fri., 3/28]

17th, 1300 blk.: woman walking jostled by person who was walking very closely behind her & then immediately realized that property had been lifted from her [8:45pm, Wed., 3/19]

18th, 1800 blk.: man approached from behind by another who had hand in coat pocket as if he had a gun & who demanded his cell phone whereupon the man fled & was not followed [11:30pm, on., 3/24]

18th, 3200 blk.: woman’s property snatched by person who came from behind [Tue., 4/1]

19th, 2400 blk.: person’s property snatched by 2 persons who came from behind [Mon., 3/31]