And now....the envelopes, please! Presenting the winners of the 2024 Cleveland Park Listies!

 by Peggy Robin

The long wait is over, the votes are in, and the people have spoken!

The winner of the Listy for BEST GIVEAWAY goes to...

The Piano! by Stephen S, Message #217005 on August 28 -- a clear favorite over the 4 other worthy contenders. The giveaway eclipse glasses were a distant second, and the remaining three nominees (the dollhouse with furniture & people, the Barbie Dream House, and the four free tomato cages) each got a sprinkling of votes.

In the category of BEST ANIMAL STORY, we had another runaway winner (both in terms of the vote and according to the story line of the fugitive parakeet), with the Listy going to Pam H. for her 3 posts telling the saga of Nico the parakeet -- reported lost on January 28 in Message #210056, then found in Message #210109 on Jan 30., and then there was a sweet follow-up message (#210239) on Feb 3 to reassure usabout how well little Nico was doing back at home. That message included a link to a video clip of Nico, plus a list of lost pet resources. Voters also showed some love (in descending order of number of vote) to: the acrobat racoon, the nesting doves, the coyote encounter, and coyotes with mange. 

Our 5 nominees for a Listy for the BEST QUERY revealed a readership most intrigued by the Mystery Object described and pictured by Sharon C. in Message #217014 on August 28, A close runner-up was the request for help in assembling a donated bike for a little girl from a refugee family, followed by "Sheets for orangutans," then "Reptile needs a ride," and finally, "ISO info about stained glass".

When it comes to BEST RESPONSE TO A QUERY, what could be better than success in reuniting the query-writer, Anthony, with his stolen bike? After Anthony asked Listserv members for any news of his Yuba Boda Boda Electric Cargo Bike (Message #217808 on Sept 17), he was gratified by the offers to help -- and absolutely thrilled when Bill P. found it and arranged for Anthony to pick it up from the fire station (Message  #217860, Sept 19). It's a double listy winner, as both Bill and Anthony reported on the way the Listserv helped to bring about a happy ending for man and bike.

 

The first runner-up was the message about all the multiple experienced Paris train travelers who answered Sharon C.'s "long-shot" question on finding the elevator in a particular Paris RER station. Travel advice took third place with Lisette's tips about getting around Amsterday by bus, rail, bike, and on foot; while  Samantha K.'s ttips to help protect nesting birds came in fourth, closedly followed by Kate M.'s message providing links to get free, expert planting advice.

The Art Critics of Cleveland Park (initiated by Ana E. in Message#215723) on July 14) takes our Listy for BEST LONG DISCUSSION THREAD. While it was neither the longest discussion thread -- only three days, compared to 20 days for Ranked Choice Voting) nor did it generate the most messages (43 messages vs. 63 for RCV), there's no doubt that it was the most impactful discussion this year, and arguably the most impactful in the Listserv's 25-year history. Before the discussion started, ANC 3C semed sure to support a proposal for a two-sided mural on the 7-11 building at Connecticut & Ordway. By the time the ANC meeting, a mere two days later --after so many residents wrote eloquently about value of preserving the sandstone building facade, with its oval windows and its limestone Art Deco details -- sentiment has shifted and the vote was 6-2 not to support a mural at that location.

The mural discussion just nosed out "Going Carless in DC." Third place went to "We Should Put Up a Statue to...." Only a couple of votes separated fourth place, "Ranked Choice Voting" from the fifth place finisher, "Deadly Driving Continues." 

PHOTO OF THE YEAR goes to "Our Own Stumpy." Congratulations to the little tree and to Susan B., who took the winning picture. "Aurora at the National Cathedral" and "Juvenile Cardinal" tied for second place, with Bald Eagle" taking third (almost making a three-way tie for second, but just a few votes shy,) and "Pink View of the Castle" coming in fourth.

And now for the most eagerly anticipated Listy, the final one, POST OF THE YEAR. It's CANDY vs. POTATOES by Henry D. Who'd have expected that any kid would go for two potatoes over a piece of candy? And who'd have expected that voters would vote for a quirky little Halloween experiment over these other four worthy contenders:  1) A charming holiday reminiscence; 2) a heartwarming story of a bike accident victim & the witness made sure he was OK; 3) an essay contest that segued into a tale of how the audio book of Moby Dick can still thrill listeners today; and 4) a lyrical report on a hillside in bloom, backed by a soundtrack of songbirds. All five taken together display the breadth of Listserv subject matter, the expressiveness of the posters, the creativity of their ideas, and how a simple Listserv message can entertain and enlighten ....but someone's gotta win, and in this case, the voters have spoken and the word of the year is POTATOES!!

Interestingly, in every category each nominee got at least a couple of votes; no one was totally shut out - a testament to the high quality of all the nominated posts this year.

If you are the winner of a 2024 Listy, I will be in touch to make arrangements to get your Listy to you. Or if, like Henry D., you decline to receive a little golden statuette made of plastic, you can choose either a paper certificate suitable for framing or a vitual certificate, suitable for use as your screen saver.

Before we close, a couple of  reminders: Our Poster of the Year, who consistently posted lively, helpful, and eminently Listworthy messages all year round, went to Meghan K.; that award was given last week, December 21, in Message #220839.

We've already started collecting messages that seem worthy of a nomination for the 2025 Listies. We encourage every interested listserv member to make a note of any message, on any topic, you'd like to see considered for an award. Just note the message number, poster's name/email address, posting date, subject line -- whatever is sufficient to allow us to look up the post, and send it in before before December 27, 2025. Of course, you don't need to wait for the end of the year to send a nomination. I keep a running file - just email me directly at clevelandparklistservmoderator@gmail.com.

Farida W., your message about the hijacked Amazon gift cards is already in the running for the Listies in 2025!

Thanks to all the posters, nominated or not, and all the readers who made 2024 a banner year for good Listserv posts -- even as the year may have left many of us sorely disappointed in other respects. 

We wish you all good things and good messaging in the New Year 2025!

- Peggy Robin 

and the MAP (Moderator's Advisory Panel, made up of a few family members, some friends & neighbors, plus a couple of randos that got roped into this gig)

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The Cleveland Park Listies are posted annually on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local over the last 4 Saturdays in December.