Get Out! And See the Twinkling Lights!

​by Peggy Robin

Have you been logging in online at 7am every morning to try to snag some ZooLights tickets? Keep trying! Persistence may pay off....but in the meantime, there are plenty of other places that are all lit up for the holidays. There are walk-through lights, drive-through lights, light-filled holiday markets, and more.

Rather than list them all here, I'll point you to a good, regional guide:

 

​​https://familytripguides.com/holiday-light-displays-in-dc/​

​But let me also put in a plug for an old favorite, the walk-through lights display at Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD). It's $10 a person, and it's best to reserve as soon as you can, as many days are already sold out. Go here: ​

https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/garden-of-lights/

​

If you'd rather stay in a nice, warm car, there's a good drive-through light show out in Centreville, VA - The Bull Run Festival of Lights:​

https://www.novaparks.com/events/bull-run-festival-of-lights

Want to stay in DC? There's a "light maze" called ​Enchant at Nats Park, where you will also find ice skating, photos with Santa, and lots of food vendors. But it's pricey! The family package is $93, or $35 for an adult ticket. Ice skating is extra.​

​Is there anything great missing from the guide at ​​https://familytripguides.com/holiday-light-displays-in-dc/. Light-seeking CP readers want to know. Just send in your recommendations to clevelandpark@groups.io - and have a holiday of splendor and light!

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The "Get Out" event of the week is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: The National Cathedral As You've Never Seen It Before

At Bingham High School, three seniors made a Cathedral Gingerbread House
for extra credit which is now on display. Photo Credit: Karen Bowden

by Peggy Robin

Today's "Still Life with Robin" column comes to you from Bingham, Utah, where three seniors at Bingham High School constructed the Washington National Cathedral entirely out of gingerbread and icing and other confectionary supplies. Wow!.

This is a feat requiring both architectural and engineering skill, on top of awe-inspiring baking prowess.

Apparently, the trio of multi-talented teens accomplished this at the end of November. I'm not sure why it took until now for the news to reach the city where the real-life, full-size National Cathedral is located -- but I just happened to see it in my Facebook news feed today - https://kslnewsradio.com/1979639/  

I am sending out a plea to the religious and administrative leaders of the National Cathedral to send these young baker/architects plane tickets to come to Washington -- along with arrangements to pack and ship their magnificent creation -- so that they can present it for exhibit inside the real building itself.

As of now, it's on display in the Bingham, UT high school library. 

The seniors, Ethan Williams, Namoa Tuikolongahau and James Southworth, were given the choice of an end-of-semester project: either writing a 3-page essay or building a gingerbread house. They chose to build -- and did far more than a simple house. 

For a larger and more impressive photo, go to:

https://www.binnews.com/alternate/amp/2022-11-30-gingerbread-cathedral/  

For more about the high school builders and their project, go to:

https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/47817390/teens-build-intricate-gingerbread-cathedral-get-out-of-writing-essay 

I am assuming the Cleveland Park Historical Society will soon hold their annual Gingerbread House Decorating Day -- and may the children of Cleveland Park be spurred on to new heights of gingerbread design by this example!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! And See the Lighted Boat Parade at the Washington Wharf on Saturday, December 3 starting at 7pm

by Peggy Robin

 

So many choices of fun things to do this weekend! Tree lightings at City Ridge and Cathedral Commons. Tenley Winterfest, Many Winter Holiday Markets and Pop-up Markets and Tree Sales -- you can use the listserv's search box at  https://groups.io/g/clevelandpark/messages to look up the announcements of many of these events that were posted on the Listserv in the last few days. But I'm not going to repeat them here. 

 

I'm going to use the Get Out! column to announce an event not in the neighborhood, but definitely worth a trip! It's the Santa-Xtravaganza of activities at the Wharf, including ornament decorating, face painting, ice skating at the Wharf's rink, roasting s'mores over a firepit and of course, photo snaps with Santa, and to top it all off, a fireworks display at 8 pm.

 

Here's the full schedule of events:

6pm – 9pm

District Pier  

Join us on December 3, 2022 for the 30th Anniversary of the District's Holiday Boat Parade 

presented by Washington Gas, a WGL Company. 

Celebrate the holidays with this iconic DC event that features over sixty beautifully decorated boats 

parading along the Washington Channel.

Get into the spirit with ornament decorating and face painting by Recreation Pier. 

Roast s'mores at the Camp Wharf fire pit and visit our lighted 45ft Christmas Tree. 

Skate at The Wharf Ice Rink on Transit Pier and sample winter drinks at our Pacifico Beer Garden. 

And bring your camera for pictures with Santa!

 

VIEW THE EVENT MAP

Event Schedule:

6:00–9:00pm — Activities throughout The Wharf (Waterfront Beer, Wine, and Whiskey Garden, 

s’mores, ornament decorating, live music by the Royals, and visits with Santa)

7:00pm — Boats arrive in the Washington Channel, Tommy McFLY emcees the parade

8:00pm — Fireworks Salute

8:15pm–9:00pm — Live music by the Royals continues on the District Pier Stage. The bar 

will still be open!  

Transportation:

The parking garage at The Wharf will fill up before the event begins. 

There are many ways to get to The Wharf that are better than driving and parking, including rideshare 

and taxis, the free Southwest Shuttle, Water Taxi, and Metro service updates. 

If you must drive, plan to park at one of the nearby parking garages: bit.ly/3pEABhp

Other Information: 

*This event is free and open to the public; no registration is required to view the parade 

or enjoy the live music and activities. Must be 21+ to consume alcohol.

*This event will take place rain or shine. Actual start times may vary pending parade progress.

*City Cruises is offering a special viewing experience of the District's Holiday Boat Parade 

on the Water Taxi. Enjoy exclusive access to the Water Taxi docked on Transit Pier with 

2 complimentary drink tickets for their concession stand, unlimited apple cider and hot totties, 

sweet treats, a great view of the parade & fireworks, and more. 

Learn more and purchase a ticket online.

For more information visit: 

https://www.wharfdc.com/upcoming-events/2022-12-03-the-districts-holiday-boat-parade/

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The Get Out! event of the week is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on 

All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin….and Tomtit and Baobab!

by Peggy Robin 

We already know that there are plenty of Spelling Bee players among the membership of the Cleveland Park Listserv -- or at least a good number who responded positively to my previous column about the popular daily online New York Times word game, Spelling Bee. (See "I Have a Spelling Bee in My Bonnet": http://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/2021/09/still-life-with-robin-i-have-spelling.html.)

I am totally addicted to this game and have been tweeting about it daily since my unbroken Queen Bee streak began way back on June 6, 2021. In my daily tweet (under the Twitter handle, @StillLifewRobin) I like to write a few sentences about how easy/hard/long/fun/frustrating I found that day's Bee, using a handful of synonyms for some of the words found in the bee, which serve as clues to those answers. That daily activity has won me a bit of a Twitter following -- although in one of my more recent columns I agonized over the difficult choice to remain on Twitter now that it's under the control of the Evil, Scary Musk-Rat. (See: "The Twitter Conundrum": http://alllifeislocal.blogspot.com/2022/11/still-life-with-robin-twitter-conundrum.html ) 

I have my followers -- and I also follow a number of fun and helpful Spelling Bee whizzes. Two of the best are Jenn and Cee, who work together under the gaming names, TOMTIT and BAOBAB, found on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/TomtitBaobab, and on their weekly podcast about the Bee at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tomtit-baobab-a-bee-inspired-podcast/id1614136488 

If you're interested in word games and in Spelling Bee in particular, I would urge you to subscribe to this lively, funny, and  logorrheic word-stravaganza. You can subscribe whenever you get your podcasts.

If you would just like to listen to an episode, there's one I particularly recommend -- for one admittedly self-serving reason: I'm the guest! Here's the link:  https://anchor.fm/tomtitbaobab/episodes/The-HOURLONG-e1r44n2 

If you don't have time for the full hour-long episode and just want to hear the part where I come in, start at the 28 minute 30 second mark....but when you have more time, be sure to go back and listen to the episode from the beginning. There's so much random word trivia packed into the first half hour, it's amazeballs! Take the discussion of the word "piñata," which was accepted in the Bee without the tilde over the N -- that is, as "pinata." Is this legit? Not only do you get all the ramifications of the  Ñ vs. N spelling of this Spanish word in English, but you get a little side history of the tilde, too. A word-nerd's dream (or sueño) come true! 

I'm now as hooked on the podcast as I am on the daily word game. Feel free to retweet and recommend Tomtit & Baobab to all your Spelling-Bee-addicted friends!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Still Life with Robin: Art, Animals, Alphabets, And Another Thing....

 by Peggy Robin

I'm delighted by the news that there will soon be animal banners showing endangered species hanging on lamp posts on Connecticut Avenue north and south of the Zoo's entrance. (See Message   #194889  "New street art project will bring endangered animals to northwest DC.") What an artistic, informative, and colorful project! Thanks to Cleveland Park Main Street, Woodley Park Main Street and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop for bringing the animals to us.

That message referred to another animal art project that I like even better. It's the Animal Alphabet, already on display on appropriately lettered street signposts around the Capitol Hill Neighborhood. More about that project and the featured animals at https://www.adventuresindc.com/chaaap/

For some reason I've always loved picture books that pick one thing for each letter of the alphabet. When my children (now full grown) were toddlers, one of their favorite books was an animal alphabet book -- one of my favorites as well! -- and one of their favorite videos was The Animal Alphabet song. Give it a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9oddDh1quI  

The animal alphabet project in Capitol Hill brings back those fond memories -- along with this one little nagging irritant that I would like to take this opportunity to address. Two of the letters in the animal alphabet song are mistakes: the U and the X. In the song, U is for Unicorn. That's not even a real animal! It just doesn't belong! And for the X, it's X is for oX. That's even worse. At least the fake animal actually starts with the letter in question. Ox, as even a 3-year-old child will tell you, starts with an O. The X-animal needs to start with X. There's no need to confuse young children, when there are, in fact, perfectly serviceable animals that start with U and with X.

Here's what I would pick instead: 

U is for Umbrellabird, a large, tropical bird found in the rainforests of Central and South America. It has a distinctive, curved crest on the top of its head, shaped a bit like an umbrella, hence the name. More info and video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKRtODqdwEU  More facts and figures: https://a-z-animals.com/animals/umbrellabird/

 Xerus in South Africa
Image from ActiveWild

X is for Xerus, also called the African striped ground squirrel.  It's a cute little rodent commonly found in woodlands, deserts, or grasslands throughout Africa. See  https://kidadl.com/facts/animals/xerus-facts for photos, facts and figures. To hear how it's pronounced in English, go to:  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/xerus.

[Note to readers: If you think it's odd that I've been nursing this trivial complaint against The Animal Alphabet Song for all these many years, yes, you're right. I have no defense. Just glad to get it off my chest!]

I haven't gone (yet) to check out the animals chosen for the Animal Alphabet on the street signs of Capitol Hill, but if anyone ever wishes to consult me about the best animals to use in an Animal Alphabet anywhere else, here's my complete list of best choices per letter:

A  Alligator, Aardvark, Ant

B  Bear, Beaver, Bat

C  Cat, Cheetah

D  Deer, Dog, Donkey

E  Elephant, Eagle

F  Fish, Fox

G  Giraffe, Goat, Gazelle

H  Horse, Hippopotamus

I  Iguana, Impala

J  Jaguar

K Kangaroo, Koala

L  Lion, Llama

M  Monkey, Moose, Mouse

N  Newt, Narwhal

O  Ostrich

P  Pig, Parrot, Penguin

Q  Quail, Quetzal

R  Rhinoceros, Rabbit, Rat

S  Seal, Sheep, Salamander

T  Tiger, Turkey

U  Umbrellabird (see note, above, about this animal)

V  Vulture

W  Whale

X  Xerus (see note, above, about this animal)

Y  Yak

Z  Zebra

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! And Get a Head Start on Your Holiday Shopping - The Downtown Holiday Mart is OPEN

The 18th Annual Downtown Holiday Market returns:

Nov. 18 thru Dec. 23 : 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. DAILY

Downtown Washington, DC : Centered at 8th and F Streets, NW

(*Closed  Thanksgiving Day, Nov 24 and Monday, Dec 5 )

YOUR ONE-STOP WINTER WONDERLAND IS BACK! 

The 18th Annual Downtown Holiday Market, Washington D.C.’s outdoor shopping village, kicks off the holiday season Friday, November 18. The beloved outdoor market continues to support small businesses and entrepreneurs across the region, welcoming shoppers for a safe, secure and enhanced shopping experience in the heart of the District this year.

Operated by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) and Diverse Markets Management, this year’s market will again take over two entire blocks of F Street NW, from 7th to 9th Streets NW. With its main grand entrance located on the sidewalk in front of the National Portrait Gallery, the outdoor shopping village’s expansive footprint allows for wide aisles for shopping, browsing and enjoying the foods and live entertainment. 

This year’s retail lineup will feature more than 70 exhibitors including Black-owned and minority-owned businesses from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development’s (DSLBD) Made in DC program. Six food vendors will provide tasty treats and hot beverages, spread across the market.  
Additional exciting and entertaining new features include a live stage of exceptional regional performers.  Other programming and enhanced items of the market will be announced soon.

SITE MAP >

More info: http://downtownholidaymarket.com/index.html

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The "Get Out!" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and All Life Is Local on Thursdays.

Still Life with Robin: The Twitter Conundrum

by Peggy Robin

Should we all leave Twitter?

All my Twitter friends are talking about this, practically non-stop. Not a one would remain on the platform if it becomes impossible to tell what's a fake account and what's real.

I certainly plan to bail if asked to pay a monthly fee to Elon Musk.

I think it's a good bet that all the major advertisers will flee if they see their ads routinely running alongside racist rants, death threats, porn, or disinformation spread by foreign dictators.

But right now those things are mostly what could happen to Twitter; whether it does happen remains to be seen.

Looking at the Musk takeover so far, I'm not so sure it will. This impulsive, undisciplined "Chief Twit" as he's already dubbed himself, has brought nothing but chaos so far. He might not be able to exercise control and carry out any sort of plan. Does he even know what he wants? He's borrowed so much to take it over -- and he's already muttering about bankruptcy. Maybe he could be forced to sell. Maybe he'd secretly like to sell. Doesn't seem to be something that is making him happy. Like a kid who wanted a dog for Christmas and then got his wish....and then the dog turns around and bites him, he might want to send it back to the pound. One can always hope!

In the meantime, I'm staying put. I'm tweeting daily @StillLifewRobin about my twin addictions, both New York Times word games -- Spelling Bee #hivemind, #nytspellingbee, #nytsb -- and Wordle #Wordle. And I'm following a number of local Twitter users, including Dan Silverman, who writes the always-with-it  PoPville blog and tweets @PoPville, and four fantastic local photographers, DC City Girl @dccitygirl_, Diane Krauthamer @DianeKrauthamer, Tom Hentoff @TomHentoff, and Jen Packard @jpackardphoto.

If you're on Twitter and you haven't yet flown the coop, I highly recommend these Twitter accounts to you.

So as long as they're all sticking around -- and the #hivemind of Spelling Bee is, too -- I'll stick with them. If there is such a thing as karma, that Musk guy will be gone long before we are!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life is Local on Saturdays -- you and can follow @StillLifewRobin on Twitter, that is, if you'd like a few Spelling Bee hints each day.

Get Out! And Honor the Service of Native Americans in the Military on Veterans Day at NNAVM, Friday, 2pm

National Native American
Veterans Memorial

by Peggy Robin

Native Veterans Procession and Dedication Ceremony

Veterans Day, November 11, 2022

Join the museum in honoring the exceptional military service of Native Americans in a formal dedication of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The dedication and processional will honor American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian veterans and their families.

The veterans procession and dedication ceremony will take place rain or shine. In the event of severe weather, attendees will be directed to indoor shelter locations. The procession and dedication will be livestreamed.

Procession | 2 PM

Native veterans are invited to participate in a procession along the National Mall from the museum to the ceremony stage in front of the US Capitol. Online registration is now closed. If you have not registered and plan to process, please arrive by 10 AM on November 11 to register onsite to participate in the procession. Registration is open to individual veterans and veterans groups. Family members, friends, and communities are encouraged to honor participating veterans from viewing areas along the procession route. The procession will be livestreamed.

Livestream

Dedication | 4 PM–5:30 PM

The Dedication Ceremony on the National Mall will include a veterans seating area and standing room for the public. The dedication ceremony will be livestreamed.

Livestream

Full details at: https://americanindian.si.edu/visit/washington/nnavm

National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall

Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20560

Daily 10 AM–5:30 PM except December 25

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The "Get Out!" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays. 

Still Life with Robin: Reading the Leaves

by Peggy Robin

On October 24 DPW sent out a press release to say that the Leaf Collection season had begun, and all residents with yards would be getting the Leaf Collection brochure in the mail.

I didn’t get mine that week, and since I need to keep up my reputation as a curmudgeon, I complained about it on the Listserv (Message  #193676  )

Well, a few days ago I finally got my leaf collection brochure in the mail. Now I have a new complaint. This thing is just unreadable. Such tiny, tiny type! I wear bifocals but they’re not strong enough for me to make out the itty-bitty letters. I need a magnifying glass. It’s not just the size of the type, anyway; it’s the lack of contrast in some key parts. There are some sub-heading in yellow bars with white type. And then the reverse: sub-headings in yellow type on a white background. I don’t care what age you are or how sharp your eyes are – yellow on white is NOT all right!

Don’t get me started on the maps, either. OK, too late, I’m already fuming about the maps. The boundary lines for the leaf pick-up areas are labeled in blue ink, which is dark enough to stand out against the while background, but not crisply printed – it’s all fuzzy. If I didn’t already know the city streets quite well, I wouldn’t be sure where the boundary lines are.

The crux of the problem is trying to cram far too much information onto too small a piece of paper. Instead of trying to cover the whole city in a single sheet of 11” x 17” doubled over and then tri-folded into a brochure, they really needed to create a booklet of at least eight pages, with a decent sized map for each of the eight wards, one per page.

I’m not a graphic designer, but I know bad design when I see it. I just hope that DC wasn’t paying big bucks to some fancy design firm for this very botched brochure.

Now for my final and most curmudgeonly complaint. Take a look at the cartoon rendering of a leaf blower in the address panel (middle panel) of the brochure: See the little blue leaf-blower character with the googly eye?. You see what’s wrong with him? He doesn’t have an electric cord! Nor can you see his rechargeable battery pack. He’s an illegal gas blower! True, he’s accompanied by his friend, Mr. Rake-- but then why is the rake so much shorter than the gas blower. A long skinny rake should make the gas blower seem chunky but short. Even their cartoon characters are bad designs!

OK, I’m done complaining for the time being. I need to save up my complaint-stock for the inevitable day when the leaf pick-up on my block is more than a week overdue and the leaves are still piled up at the curb and are starting to rot, and my 311 complaint is marked “fulfilled” when the leaf truck has never even passed by.

I’ll either be doing a follow-up complaint in a few weeks, or maybe just maybe, I’ll apologize for being so negative when the leaves get picked up right on time! We shall see……

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! You Can Stroll Down the Middle of Wisconsin Ave on Sat from 9am-1pm - It's Open Streets Day on the Avenue!

 by Peggy Robin

Open Streets comes to Wisconsin Avenue this Saturday, November 5, from 9 am to 1 pm. Organized locally by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Open Streets is a global initiative that enables communities to experience their city streets in a new way. Roadways close temporarily to reimagine public space. Wisconsin Avenue, from Tenley Circle to Western Avenue, will close to cars and become a pedestrian-only experience during the event.

Enjoy live music performances by Top 5 Band, the Kevin Jefferson Quartet, and more. Take part in free outdoor activities such as interactive art installations from Chalk Riot, Project Create, and Harpist Art, a crochet and knitting station from Kyra’s Kreations, and a Pony Petting Zoo! For those who bike or scooter to the event, there will be a bike tune-up clinic from ForestPlanet Inc, and bike displays from ElectriCityBikes and Capital Bikeshare. Free helmets, helmet decorating, and scooter demos provided by LIME. Get active on pickle ball courts hosted by Tennis Zone Plus or dive into one of the many free wellness, yoga, dance, and fitness classes in the Open Streets Fitness Zones:  featuring City Dance, Club Pilates, Crunch Fitness, Flamenco Kids, JTR Jujutsu International, Sahara Dance, Sport & Health, Taal Academy of Dance, and Washington Yoga Center.

PLUS, check out special outdoor activations from participating Tenleytown businesses:

• Angelico Pizzeria, 4529 Wisconsin Ave.: Pizza and soft drinks to go.
  
• ArtFolio Art Studio & Framing, 4936 Wisconsin Ave.: Artwork and frames in an outdoor pop-up style art gallery. Business specials, framing tips, and the release of their annual holiday discount coupon. 
  
• CommuniKids, 4719 Wisconsin Ave.: Enjoy Spanish storytime, fun art activities for kids, and a chance to spin the wheel for prizes!
  
• District Irish Dance Academy, 4435 Wisconsin Ave.: Exclusive promotional items, new student specials, and information on upcoming events and classes at their new Tenleytown studio.
  
• ElectriCityBikes, 4800-4810 Wisconsin Ave.: Bicycle demos, music, bounce house, and an obstacle course. Food and beverages from Valor Brewing, Bullfrog Bagel, and Fat Pete’s BBQ. Special guests include Ward 3 Bicycle Advocacy Group and Happy Go Cycles from Connecticut.
  
• Framers’ Workroom, 4431 Wisconsin Ave.: Creating an “Arte Original”, Framers’ Workroom will sell small fine art paintings in their outdoor pop-up art gallery. 
  
• Guapo’s Restaurant, 4515 Wisconsin Ave.: Grab-and-go menu favorites and signature margaritas.
  
• JTR Jujutsu International, 4429 Wisconsin Ave.: Martial arts demonstrations, membership discounts, and free enrollment.
  
• Le Chat Noir, 4907 Wisconsin Ave.: Grab-and-go signature menu items: Onion Confit Tartelette, Savory Quiche, Merguez Lamb Sausage Sandwich with Feta, Croque Monsieur, French wine by the glass, & artisanal ice cream.
  
• Masala Art, 4441 Wisconsin Ave.: Small plates, samosas, Kingfisher beer, sangria, and Cosmopolitans to go.
  
• Massage Envy, 4926 Wisconsin Ave.: Seated chair massage and special offers.
  
• Mia’s Nails, 4936 Wisconsin Ave.: Offering quick manicures, hand massages, and seated massages.
  
• Middle C Music, 4530 Wisconsin Ave.: Sidewalk sale and instrument demo.
  
• PetMAC, 4914 Wisconsin Ave.: Sidewalk sale and cat adoption event.
  
• Preservation & Framing Services, 4901 Wisconsin Ave.: Frame giveaways, sidewalk sale, special offers, and artwork.
  
• Rome Pizza & Sub, 5000 Wisconsin Ave.: Grab-and-go pizza by the slice, mozzarella sticks and soft drinks.
  
• Sahara Dance, 4433 Wisconsin Ave.: Live demonstrations and new member information.
  
• Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant, 4916 Wisconsin Ave.: Outdoor seating with grab-and-go small plates, appetizers, and drinks.
  
• Tenleytown Barbershop, 4627 41st St.: Specials and marketing swag.
  
• Tennis Zone Plus, 4839 Wisconsin Ave.: Pickleball and tennis demos. 
  
• Tenleytown Main Street, 4748 Wisconsin Ave.: Tenleytown t-shirts, business giveaways, lawn games, and more.
  
• Verified Wines & Fine Spirits, 4906 Wisconsin Ave.: Small sips & samples, drinks to go, and sidewalk sale featuring wine, beer, and spirits.
  
• Washington Yoga Center, 4433 Wisconsin Ave.: Raffle, class-pack specials, and new member sign-up. 
  
• Well & Wonder Studio, 4926 Wisconsin Ave.: Live yoga pose demos, specials, new member sign-up, and calendar of November events.
  

PLEASE NOTE: Wisconsin Avenue, from Western Avenue to Tenley Circle, will close to vehicles at 7 am and reopen at 2 pm. No vehicles may cross the avenue during this time. Click here for DDOT’s Get Around Guide for alternative transportation options and bus reroutes.

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The "Get Out!" event of the week is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Thursdays.  

Still Life with Robin: Yes, kids WILL be out trick-or-treating on Monday night (the REAL Halloween)

Image by Nheyob
via Wikemedia Creative Commons

by Peggy Robin

You've been seeing the notices for weeks now. So many opportunities for kids to get dressed up and go trick-or-treating!

On Saturday, October 29, kids can get candy and show off their costumed dogs at the Guy Mason Rec Center's Howl-o-Ween event put on by the DC Department of Parks & Rec.  Enter your doggie in the furry friends costume contest. Register here: https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/dcwashingtonwt.wsc/search.html?module=PST&Keyword=doggie  

And there's Air & Scare at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum out near Dulles Airport.

On Sunday, October 30, it's the SPOOKTACULAR at the Forest Hills Playground from 10 AM - 12 PM followed by Trick or Treating along Connecticut Avenue from 12 - 3 PM

Boo at the Zoo is a 3-day affair -- the 28th, 29th, and 30th -- but it was sold out long ago. 

Then there are the Halloween events put on by MPD - click HERE and DPW - click here HERE to see them all.

So....after your kids have dressed up in their costumes four or five times, and they already have a couple of bags full of candy., and it's not even the 31st yet, are they still going to go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood? On a school night?

YOU BET THEY ARE!!!

So expect to hear your doorbell ring, ring, ring, from as early as 5:30 for the youngest in their baby/toddler costumes, usually carried or pushed in strollers by their parents, to as late as 9:00, for the oldest kids, who can go by themselves, spend more time, and cover more territory. 

And after 9:00?? I don't know the schedule for Halloween at your house, but at my house, Halloween is over. Anyone who's still out trick-or-treating after that hour is out too late, and is probably too old! At 9:00 PM sharp, I blow out the candle in the jack-o-lantern, turn out the porch light, and say goodnight to all.

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.