Coming Events: Spring Fairs, Bike Rides, Rock, Car Wash and More!

We wanted to share some events and activities coming up this weekend and beyond. 


Bill Adler and Peggy Robin
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv and All Life Is Local
www.cleveland-park.com

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Friday, May 18, noon - 10pm, Saturday, May 19, noon – 10pm, Sunday, May 20, noon - 7pm, St. Sophia's Spring Festival, 36th & Massachusetts Ave, NW. Enjoy live Greek music and dancing, traditional Greek meals prepared fresh and onsite, exotic Greek pastries and sweets, beverages including Greek beer and wine, children's games, merchants with a variety of household goods and tours of the Cathedral. Free admission; rain or shine.

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Friday, May 18 (11 AM - 7 PM), and Saturday, May 19 (8 AM to 2 PM), huge "New To You" Yard Sale at St. Columba's Church, 4201 Albermarle St, NW. High End Boutique, Housewares, Clothing, Toys, Baby Gear, Books, DVDs, Sports Equipment, Furniture, Plants and More. See www.Columba.org for more.

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Saturday, May 19, Rivers to Rockets Bike Rally, departing from Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4811 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg) at 8:30 AM.  $25 for a single rider, $40 for a combo, and $60 for a family of four - includes the cost of food and the t-shirt. More at www.marylandmilestones.org/bike-rally.

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Saturday, May 19, at 9 PM. Explore the Rich Blend of Rock, Folk and Reggae Sounds from Moshav at Adas Israel with Yehuda and David. For tickets and more information visit http://www.goldstar.com/events/washington-dc/moshav

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Saturday, May 19, 11 AM - 3:00 PM, Maret School's spring fair, the Fete Champetre, with a French café, other foods of the world, bake sale, arts & crafts vendors, music, games, moon bounce, rummage sale and more. Free admission. For more information go to www.maret.org/parents/fete_champetre/index.aspx

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Saturday, May 19, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, BCC Boys' Lacrosse Team Car Wash. Support the team by bringing your mud-splattered, pollen-coated car to the Chevy Chase Fire Station, 8001 Connecticut Avenue.  Players will hand wash and dry your vehicle with a smile.

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Saturday, May 19, Ward 3 Animal Health Fair, 9 AM - 11:30 AM, Newark Street Dog Park, 39th and Newark Street, vaccines and licenses for your dogs and cats. Visit http://bit.ly/KGr2ri for more information.

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Saturday and Sunday May 19 and 20, Andrews Air Force Base Airshow, 8 AM - 5 PM. Need we say more? For information visit http://jsoh.org .

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Sunday, May 20, 5pm, BloomScreen Food Justice movie nights presents: Food Stamped, a documentary about a couple attempting to live on a food stamp budget. Discussion afterwards. Free/donation. At Bloombars, 3222 11st St, NW. More info at http://bit.ly/KXlsvj.
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Monday, May 21, 6:30 PM - 8 PM, High School Service Fair at Georgetown Day School, 4200 Davenport St., NW. Learn about various opportunities for high school students to get involved in various local non-profit service organizations. More at  www.gds.org/campsandclasses.

Huge Annual Book Sale at Chevy Chase Library, Feb. 8 - 11

It's finally here! The Huge Annual Book Sale put on by the Friends of the Library (FOL) at the Chevy Chase DC Branch starts on Wednesday from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. for FOL members. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up at the door beginning at 5 p.m. (Minimum membership: $10)

When you reach the sale (2nd floor) you will find 30,000+ books, CDS, DVDs, audio books of every genre for adults as well as kids in scores of categories -- all clearly marked. Hundreds of pocket-sized sci-fi, mystery/thriller, and romance titles are just fifty cents.The vast majority of other titles are $2, but some of the newest fiction, vintage and rarer books, classics, art, cooking, and coffee table books in FOLio (DC's best quality used bookstore) are priced slightly higher.

You can shop the sale during regular library hours, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (9:30 - 5:30). Watch this space for news about a special "yard sale" Saturday afternoon, and Bag Day on Monday, Feb. 13, when you can fill a bag that you bring -- or we can supply -- for $5.

Chevy Chase DC Friends of the Library

5625 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Members' Sale Starts Wednesday, February 8th, from 6 - 8pm

Public Sale: Thursday, Friday, Saturday (Feb. 9-11th) from 9:30am - 5:30pm

Bag Day (fill a bag for $5): Monday, Feb. 13th

Chevy Chase Citizens Association Garden Club Welcomes You to Its Next Meeting, Feb. 9th

The Chevy Chase Citizens Association Garden Club is holding its next meeting on Wednesday, February 9 at 7:15pm in the Chevy Chase Community Center at Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street, NW.

The featured speakers are:

• Ian Leahy, State Forestry Coordinator, of the District Department of Transportation
• Dan Edwards, owner of "Dan the Gardener," a local gardening service

Ian's brief talk is about increasing our tree canopy. Dan Edwards brings 25 years of professional gardening experience to discuss how you and your neighbors can green your lawns while reducing the use of toxic chemicals harmful to everyone. Dan will cover good maintenance practices, the basics of fertilization and mowing along with tips for selecting a good lawn company.

The meeting is open to everyone. For questions please email BBaldwing @ yahoo.com.  

Airbag Thefts in Chevy Chase, DC

A member of the Chevy Chase Listserv reported two airbag thefts, one from her own car and one from a neighbor down the street.  Here's her account of what happened:

Unfortunately last week (December 23rd during the day), my air bag was stolen while
my car was parked in my driveway. The police were called and a report was filed.  I do know this was not an isolated incident as I've seen one other car down the street with a stolen air bag as well. For those who may question:  Yes, the car was locked. They broke a window. And, from what I  have heard and read, it only takes a few minutes to steal one.

Please make sure you call the police if you see anyone walking the streets or in a car that looks suspicious.

Police Chief Lanier Responds to Increased Crime in Ward 3

Chief of Police Cathy Lanier has taken note of the increased crime in Ward 3, including several armed robberies and home break-ins. Here is what Chief Lanier said that the Metropolitan Police will be doing in response.



I have received numerous inquiries regarding crimes in the northern areas of the Second District, particularly in Ward 3. I have asked Commander Klein to expound on recent crime trends, as well as his efforts to combat robberies and burglaries in particular.

Over the past 30 days, there were 14 robberies in Ward 3, which include portions of PSAs 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205. At least 4 of those robberies occurred the weekend of December 4, and a press release regarding the string of robberies was issued last week seeking the public's assistance in identifying the suspects. Those particular robberies, which we believe are possibly linked, remain unsolved. In an unrelated event, last week detectives in Montgomery County arrested 2 female suspects after a robbery in Bethesda. Second District detectives were able to tie the two females to several robberies that occurred in the Second District in the past several weeks. This case is still ongoing, but I am confident that some of the robberies will be solved.

In the past 30 days, there were 25 burglaries in Ward 3. Eight of the burglaries involved homes that were occupied at the time of the break-in. Detectives that have been working these cases have developed leads in several burglaries.

Commander Klein has prepared a plan, in which he has shifted resources from other parts of the Second District up to the PSAs that were most adversely affected by the robberies and burglaries. In short, he has created a rapid-response unit tasked with patrolling residential areas, conducting stops of suspicious persons, and responding in a code-1 status (with lights and sirens) to all calls for burglar alarms and suspicious persons. Second District vice officers have also been deployed in the area in plain-clothes and will be conducting surveillance operations. Second District detectives are continuing to investigate the cases and are coordinating with Montgomery County detectives and sharing valuable information.

Over the past 7 days, there were 4 robberies in Ward 3. Specifically, none in PSA 201, 1 in PSA 202, 3 in PSA 203, none in PSA 204 and none in PSA 205

There were 10 burglaries over the past 7 days in Ward 3. Specifically, 4 in PSA 201, 3 in PSA 202, 2 in PSA 203, 2 in PSA 204, and 1 in PSA 205.

Although it appears that the increased police presence is slowing things down, there is still work to be done and I have asked Commander Klein for daily updates on his efforts. I understand that several of the PSAs have had community meetings to discuss these trends, as well as posted information on the various Listserv groups.

Christmas Tree Fight in Chevy Chase

Christmas. A time of joy and happiness. A time to consider what's really important in our lives.

Except.  Except if you live in the Chevy Chase neighborhood where there's an annual fight over whether or not certain holiday tree vendors are complying with the Montgomery County law that bars selling trees in lots in residentially zoned neighborhoods prior to December 5th. The fight is heating up the Chevy Chase listserv, where neighbors are arguing over whether those business that have already --illegally-- started selling trees have an unfair advantage over tree companies that follow the law and have not yet opened for business.

One Chevy Chase resident wrote on the local listserv, "The NorthStar lot, at Norwood and Wisconsin  is the first lot you would see heading south on Wisconsin from Bradley. In recent years, NorthStar has consistently opened early, well before the legal Dec. 5 date...Please consider which dealer is a responsible member of the community, carrying on holiday traditions in a respectful manner."

Other neighbors chimed in and pointed out that many community groups, firehouses and schools sell trees, and buying from one of these groups helps raise money for them: You get your tree and you help your local school all at the same time. Buy your tree from your local school only, is their chorus.

The debate over who should be allowed to sell holiday trees and when has become an ideological dispute. Said one Chevy Chase resident, "I am afraid I cannot get incensed over this issue. We buy our tree from NorthStar each year on Thanksgiving weekend.  And, while I am not an advocate of breaking the law, I would like to suggest that perhaps it is the law that needs to be changed rather then boycotting an independent local business that employs many of our neighborhood high school and college age children. In an era when many feel there is too much government regulation, I can only respond to a law that determines when I may decorate for Christmas with a good grief!"