Main Street updates: Spring plantings and summer movies in Van Ness; new leadership in Tenleytown; puppets professional leads Chevy Chase org

Kathy Sykes (far left) has been leading volunteers in planting spring blooms and bulbs along Connecticut Avenue.

Van Ness Main Street is gearing up for another season of spring pollinator plantings along Connecticut Avenue. Starting on Saturday, March 25th, certified Master Gardener Kathy Sykes will once again lead volunteer teams planting bird, bee and butterfly-friendly plants and flowers in the tree boxes lining the street. We’ll tell you more soon about where and when, but you can already sign up to volunteer for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon planting session by contacting Kathy at [email protected]. And, Van Ness Main Street is welcoming donations to cover the cost of the plantings.

The Main Street for Connecticut Avenue between Van Ness Street and Nebraska Avenue is also planning ahead for the year, and is welcoming all who’d like to help out in some way. Van Ness Main Street and UDC’s Movie Night in the Park is returning in June and July. Other big events include Art All Night, the Halloween Spooktacular and the Holiday Pop-up. Students and groups are encouraged to sign up too. You can discover several ways to get involved and fill out the volunteer form here.

Tenleytown Main Street is under new management. TMS’s longtime executive director, Leigh Catherine Miles, stepped down last year to become Ward 3 Council member Matt Frumin’s chief of staff. The organization named Kyle Todd, the former ED of Friends of Rhode Island Avenue, as interim executive director. And now he can remove “interim” from his title. “After spending many years eating and shopping in Tenleytown, and most recently, watching all of the amazing work that the Tenleytown Main Street team has done on behalf of small, locally owned businesses, I’m thrilled to be officially joining the TMS team,” said Todd.

Chevy Chase Main Street has a program manager, not an executive director. And she is Anna Claire Walker. According to a recent interview with Chevy Chase News and Notes, Walker started working with CCMS umbrella organization District Bridges as a volunteer. Another fun fact about Walker: She’s a professional puppeteer. Walker is planning spring tree box plantings, and organizing First Fridays events from March through September. The March 3rd First Friday event, from 3 to 7 p.m., will feature live music, activities for kids, and business specials.

Cleveland Park Main Street publishes periodic profiles of small business owners, but recently, it used its platform to spotlight a formerly homeless community member who calls himself Christian Warrior. His chosen name is his reminder to himself to love “all people on this planet.” He also lives to serve the community. Each day, he “sweeps up cigarette butts and litter on Connecticut Avenue in the Commercial Strip between Porter and Macomb.”

Forest Hills Connection is an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street. Send your tips about area Main Street happenings to [email protected].