Van Ness Main Street’s theme for 2023 is “Celebrating Community.” On April 29th, the small business support nonprofit hosted a kickoff party of sorts with the same theme.
UDC provided the event space at its Theater of the Arts. Local businesses provided food and drinks: Sfoglina, Bread Furst, Rosemary Bistro Cafe, I’m Eddie Cano, Comet Ping Pong, Buck’s Fishing and Camping, Muchas Gracias, Honey Bee Goods and Calvert Woodley.
The event recognized and celebrated many communities: The community of residents, institutions and partners that sprang up to aid and support local businesses that have been through an incredibly tough three years. The local small business community, resilient throughout. And the UDC community, which under President Ronald Mason Jr.’s leadership has been a key supporter of Van Ness Main Street and its mission.
Upper right photo: Ronald Mason Jr. accepts the Reginald M. Felton Spirit of Van Ness Award as Marlene Berlin and Gloria Garcia look on.
The performers that night: The Burke School band, Carly Harvey (lower left, Levine Music), Crush Funk (UDC alumni) and the Allyn Johnson Trio (UDC).
Mason was honored that night as the first recipient of the Reginald M. Felton Spirit of Van Ness Award. The award also honors Felton, a former UDC trustee who was the vice president of Van Ness Main Street’s board of directors when he died in 2022.
“VNMS voted to bestow the Spirit Award to Dr. Mason because he has been very supportive of our Main Street effort and programs,” Van Ness Main Street Executive Director Gloria Garcia wrote in an email. “Under his leadership, VNMS has had office space free of charge [at UDC-owned 4340 Connecticut] for more than four years; the retail vacancies have been a keen focus for him; all of our event space has been complimentary, which allows us to maximize our resources; and he has made VNMS a priority on campus like any other program!”
Thank you @vannessmainstreet for presenting me with the Reginald M. Felton Spirit of Van Ness Award. I am extremely honored and grateful. pic.twitter.com/bFMGeIWQjp
— udc_pres (@udc_pres) April 30, 2023
Check out Van Ness Main Street’s many photos and videos of the night on Facebook.
VNMS 2022 by the numbers
- Van Ness Main Street served 65 small businesses, up from 63 in 2021. The nonprofit organization raised nearly $69,000 dollars and awarded nearly $50,000 in grants to businesses.
- Time is money, too. The Main Street provided more than 1,000 hours of technical assistance, which included assisting business owners in applying for additional grants. Volunteers donated nearly 1,500 hours, valued at around $44,000.
- Van Ness Main Street events, including Movie Night in the Park, Art All Night and pop-up markets, attracted around 6,000 attendees.
“I am always most proud of our direct assistance to the businesses,” Garcia told Forest Hills Connection. “I am also proud of how our events have now reached outside of our neighborhood…. People come from all over the DMV to our events as do volunteers!”
Upcoming events
The next events on the VNMS calendar include Movie Night in the Park in June and July, Art All Night on September 29th, and the 8th Annual Holiday Pop-up market on December 2nd.
Here’s the movie night schedule, and links to reserve a spot at the UDC amphitheater. Reservations for the June showings are available now.
June 21 – Back the the Future
June 28 – Sister Act
July 19 – The 101 Dalmations (1996)
July 26 – Minions: The Rise of Gru
Meet the board
In March, previous VNMS President Barbara Lardy handed the reins to Marlene Berlin, who rejoined the Van Ness Main Street board as interim president. Berlin will serve until the board’s vice president, Carolyn Godavitarne, takes over as president in 2024. She was a co-founder of Van Ness Main Street and was on the board from 2016 to 2018. Berlin is also a Forest Hills Connection co-founder and the editor in chief. (FHC remains an editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street, in a partnership that began in 2021.)
Previously, Berlin led Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action, a grassroots pedestrian safety campaign that collected traffic and pedestrian data, then presented a safety plan to DDOT in 2010. She also took on the leadership of LSAT teams at Deal and Wilson when her daughters attended, represented her single member district as an ANC 3F commissioner for one term, and organized the community in renovating Forest Hills Playground soon after she moved to Forest Hills in 1989.
All of the Van Ness Main Street board members bring a variety of skills, professional experience and interests to the nonprofit.
- Erin Bryan is an exhibitions coordinator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery.
- Zachary Friedlis is vice president of leasing at Saul Centers.
- Carolyn Godavitarne, the vice president, is the chief operating officer at Politics and Prose.
- Jonquilyn Hill is a Howard University-educated journalist who currently hosts a Vox podcast, and previously worked at WAMU.
- Barbara Lardy, immediate past president, has trade association, fundraising and grant-making experience.
- Doug Loescher, an urban planner by training, has served in the past as executive director for the National Main Street Center and as the District’s director for Business Development and Strategy.
- Joff Masukawa, the chair of the VNMS Design Committee, is a branding and engagement expert with a personal and professional interest in equity and diversity.
- Beverly Ross, the board’s secretary, was a director at Freddie Mac when she retired from a long federal government career.
- Michael Sands, the board’s treasurer, is the owner of Calvert Woodley. He does everything from marketing to ordering the wine.
- Chuck Schilke, the chair of the VNMS Economic Development Committee, is a real estate lawyer, developer and financier.
- Steve Schulman has a wide-ranging resume that includes performing arts theater manager, shopping mall manager, and executive director of Cultural Tourism DC, the organization behind the “Around the World” embassy tours.
- Fred Underwood has worked in real estate investment, development and leasing for companies including Bernstein Management and currently, The Pinkard Group.
- Samuel Wilson has 20 years of classical ballet experience, part of that as a dancer with The Washington Ballet. His local interests lie in community building and engagement.
Upcoming events at neighboring Main Streets
First Fridays in Chevy Chase: The first Friday of each month from May through September is a Chevy Chase Main Street celebration. The theme for the next one, on June 2nd from 3 to 7 p.m., is Pet-Palooza. Register your pet or just come to enjoy the pet costume contest and red carpet walk at 5 p.m. While you’re there, check out the small business specials, children’s activities, and a pet adoption event.
Uptown Shuffle in Cleveland Park: On Sunday, June 4th from noon to 4 p.m., the Cleveland Park Main Street and Cleveland Park Community Association will host a dance party in the parking lot of Sam’s Park and Shop. If dancing isn’t your thing, there will be games, food and shopping.
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