The Georgetown Metropolitan

As discussed in the ANC round-up, Capital Fringe is returning to Georgetown this summer. And you can get your hands on the extensive schedule they’ve got planned. The festival will bring over 150 shows and individual performances to the neighborhood between July 12 – 23.

The performances in Georgetown will take place at four different venues, each given a lemon themed name:

Each space will host six to eight shows over the course of the run, as well as dozens of non-play performances, such as stand up or magic shows, etc. (Not to mention the additional shows being put on at the JCC and Caffritz Hall). In other words, you’ve got no excuse to be bored in mid-July!

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• When will the old Riggs Bank dome be repainted?
• Georgetown entrepreneur behind Scout bags at the next Q&A Cafe.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, I’m honoring an historic restaurant spot that recently became vacant after the &Pizza left: Au Pied de Cochon.

The photo above is from my pile of 1993 shots and show the restaurant squarely in its middle age. It lingered on until 2005 when it closed. It was replaced first by a Five Guys burger shop, which was itself replaced by the &Pizza. Unfortunately the old French bistro interior was removed by the last tenant. It was hardly spectacular, but it had some character. Hopefully a new restaurant can come in and bring it back to its former, if not glory then at least status.

Here’s an excerpt from a piece I wrote in 2012 on the building itself:

According to the Historical American Building Survey, this structure was constructed around 1890. Interestingly, the survey came to this conclusion based upon a 1960 interview with George Scheele from the Georgetowner. Scheele stated that he believed that the first business to occupy the new building was Robert Weaver who ran a meat market.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• There was a bit if confusion on Friday and Saturday about when trash would be picked up. An alert sent by DPW on Thursday said it would slide a day due to the smoke, but then some residents who had put it out for Friday morning nonetheless had it picked up. While the crews appear to have returned on Saturday, did anyone end up missing the pick up due to this?

Due to the terrible air quality, DPW trash pick up crews had to cut off their rounds this morning. As a result, trash that would be picked up today will be picked up tomorrow. This will cause our pick-up to slide to Saturday.

Stay safe and out of the smoke!

It’s time for the monthly update for neighbors of Hyde Addison Elementary School! 

The last day of school is near—Thursday June 22—and the final month of school has already gotten off to a busy start.  This past Friday was Hyde’s Field Day—each class had its own color tee shirt and there were relay races and other fun competitions.  This week, my daughter’s class has a field trip to the National Childrens Museum and on Friday, her after school drama class (which is free through a partnership with Keegan Theatre and taught by Hyde’s vice-principal) will perform The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  I cant wait to see it.

Fundraising for Hyde’s PTA

Hyde’s PTA is selling popcorn this week—through Friday the 9^th at noon.  I’ve created my own “popup store” here:

https://popup.doublegood.com/s/db08y0s7

There are ten flavors to choose from, including my favorite, Easy Peasy Caramel Cheesy.  Hyde’s PTA ran this same popcorn fundraiser in December and it was a huge hit, raising $5000 for Hyde’s PTA.  Prices start at $9/bag (ie a $4.50 donation to Hyde!) and shipping is convenient- ships directly to the buyer! Makes a great gift! I just bought 5 bags!

Hyde’s final fundraiser of the school year will be an online auction—it opens on June 9^th at at www.32auctions.com/hydeaddison

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• Nice write-up from the Children’s Pride Parade.
• Great time had by all at the Volta Park fundraiser.

Over the weekend, the New York Times published an article on the Transformers saga. I am quoted in it responding to the author’s question about how much average Georgetowners were concerned about the matter. I told her that it wouldn’t make my list of “top five dramas” for the neighborhood over the last ten years.

This got me thinking after the fact about what I would put on a list like that. So here is my list of topics that have animated a lot of discussions around the neighborhood over the last ten years (or so):

Georgetown Campus Plan

I really would have to put the Georgetown Campus plan on the top of this list. When it came up for renewal in 2010, it was very clear that a fight was at hand. The previous campus plan from ten years before had ended up in the courts, and there was no reason not to think this next one would too.

The state of relations between the school and the surrounding neighborhoods really were pretty bad. Part of the reason for that is that tensions would build up over the years between plan renewals and then explode.

But through a virtual miracle, a new model emerged. The Georgetown Community Partnership was formed with representatives from the school, students, and surrounding neighborhoods. The group would meet regularly with active sub-committees addressing long standing issues, like transportation or trash. And it worked. Town-gown relations in Georgetown have likely not been this good in at least a lifetime. It has worked so well that late last decade, the school submitted a campus plan for 20 years, instead of for 10, and it was approved. For that reason the “dramas” have happily receded, but getting there took one big, last drama.

Good morning Georgetown, here’s the latest:

• A report on our ANC meeting last week.
• Georgetown Cupcake’s national footprint continues to shrink.

This week for Georgetown Time Machine, GM is dipping back into his 1993 photos. This time he’s stopping by Wisconsin and O St. Now it’s the site of a recently departed bank. But thirty years ago it was a riot of colors and served as the home of Nobody Beats the Wiz.

Nobody Beats the Wiz was an electronics store that was primarily based in the New York/New Jersey area. To those not from the area, they may have remembered it from a Seinfeld episode: