by Katherine Saltzman and Forest Hills Connection
Van Ness/Forest Hills
Van Ness Main Street
The UDC and Van Ness farmers market returns to its spot in front of the UDC law school (4340 Connecticut) on Saturday, May 5th with an opening day celebration.
“We’ll have lots of local fruits & veggies, kids activities, live music and local art & crafts,” Van Ness Main Street says.
In honor of the Passport DC Around the World Embassy Tour taking place on the same day (see the Van Ness embassies taking part), Van Ness Main Street will be handing out “VN Passports” at its information table. Take your passport to participating Van Ness businesses, collect five or more stamps per book, and return to the farmers market any Saturday in May to receive your prize. Let VNMS know you’re going.
Farmers market hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through November. Van Ness Main Street encourages you to “make a day of it” and enjoy coffee or brunch at one of the local restaurants.
Tesoro
Van Ness Main Street’s monthly jazz event lands at Tesoro (4400 Connecticut) on Thursday, April 26th, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free with RSVP.
Alison Crockett is the featured performer, “her voice dripping with soul and generous helpings of jazz, bossa nova, gospel and blues.”
Participating restaurants offer food and drink specials. The May Jazz @ VN will be at Soapstone Market on the 24th. You can RSVP to that event as well.
Soapstone Market
Frozen + rosé = Frosé. At Soapstone Market (4465 Connecticut Avenue).
Italian Pizza Kitchen
In case you missed it, Italian Pizza Kitchen (4483 Connecticut) is now serving brunch every weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Politics and Prose
Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut) and other DC Bookstores are preparing for James Comey’s book (released Tuesday, April 17th) like it’s another Fire and Fury – or Harry Potter novel – says the Washingtonian.
Politics and Prose tells me a lot of ppl are coming in & asking about James Comey's new book. They say when it's released Tuesday, they'll have a display set up in front of the store to make it easy to grab a book & get in line. pic.twitter.com/feNVf3yV5J
— Amy Aubert (@ABC7AmyAubert) April 13, 2018
Chevy Chase
Avalon Theatre
Round up the usual suspects. Avalon Theatre’s (5612 Connecticut) annual spring fundraiser will celebrate Casablanca.
The event on Sunday, May 6th, “We’ll Always Have Casablanca” includes a reception, screening, and conversation with film historian and author Noah Isenberg and NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg. They will examine why, nearly eight decades after its initial release, Casablanca’s legend only continues to grow.
The Avalon Theatre is DC’s only non-profit film center. Proceeds support Avalon film education and other essential operating needs.
The event will be held at the historic Avalon Theatre and includes an hors d’oeuvres reception at 5 p.m., followed by the event program at 7 p.m. Tickets to the event are $250 for the reception and program and $50 for the program only. For additional details and to purchase tickets, visit theavalon.org/2018benefit.
Ch/Art
Searching for new and local art to fill your home? A new resident-organized artists group in Chevy Chase can help.
Ch/Art, an organization for artists who live in Chevy Chase DC and Maryland, is hosting an inaugural exhibition at the Chevy Chase Community Center (5601 Connecticut) from April 28th through May 26th. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 28th from 3 to 5 p.m. at the community center.
Ch/Art was originally organized by artists in the Chevy Chase area looking to start an open studio tour. However, the group expanded quickly when one of the members, Pam Gregory, shared a list of Chevy Chase residents also interested in gathering to discuss, share and do art. Since the first meeting in December 2017, Ch/Art has grown to approximately 60 members, said Beth Cartland, a founding contributor and one of the organizers for the Community Center exhibition.
Cartland says the participants’ backgrounds and affiliations with art vary widely.
“There are lot of different levels from students through professionals that are coming together, to share and do art,” Cartland said. “That is our philosophy.”
In addition to the inaugural exhibition, Ch/Art has also organized open studio space on the second floor at the Chevy Chase Community Center on Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The collective meets on the second Monday of the month at the Chevy Chase community center.
Those interested in learning more about the group and Chevy Chase residents interested in exhibiting at the show can contact Beth Cartland at [email protected].
Tenleytown
Dancing Crab redevelopment site
Plans for a 41-unit apartment building on the former Dancing Crab property were filed with the city in late March. In addition to the apartment units, the building is projected to have 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and rooftop, according to Urban Turf.
The project is one of two recent large-scale housing developments in Tenleytown. Tenley View, at 4600 Wisconsin Avenue, has 60 units. The just-completed Frequency is a 100-unit apartment building at the former WAMU headquarters at 4000 Brandywine Street.
ANC 3E Commissioner, Greg Ehrhardt (ANC 3E01) said residents were split on the issue of the new developments in the area.
“Generally there are two camps, one is concerned about added density along the Wisconsin corridor, zoning variances, and building heights. A common refrain is we don’t want this to be Bethesda,” Ehrhardt said. “Other neighbors who welcome the added density because added density means more people, and more people means more businesses would be attracted to the neighborhood because there are customers in the immediate area.”
A benefit of more development and “smart growth,” Ehrhardt said, was the potential expansion of local businesses in the area. “I agree with people who say they want to see more local ownership of restaurants and businesses, but until you have the numbers to support them, most places can’t afford to be here. Hopefully more residents that can change that.”
Cleveland Park
Washington Business Journal reports the Club Soda building (3429 Connecticut) has been sold for $5.8 million to two Inova pediatricians. They’re seeking tenants such as a yoga studio, but there’s no indication they plan to open a practice in the building, which currently houses 7-Eleven, St. Arnold’s Mussel Bar and The Original Tax Center.