“Dear PoPville,
Saw this yesterday in Meridian Hill Park. This guy is literally going all around the park with hedge shears cutting all the trees/bushes that are overgrown. This guy is not waiting on the park service to do it’s job.”
Awesome. Now how are his plumbing skills?
Should you spot a quiet act of heroism please send an email with a brief description and the neighborhood where it was witnessed to [email protected].
From the fine folks at Wonderland:
“For the Wonderland Ballroom ‘s Sundress Fest, we’re blocking off 1 block of Kenyon St NW, between 11th and 13th Sts., and it features a music stage, 250’ beer tent, Dc Brau pouring draft beers, and 5 food trucks.
ANYone in a dress is eligible to win the Sundress competition and be a WInner! (Man-sized dresses will be available for a modest donation.)
This year’s Sundress Fest is once again a fundraiser for DC Central Kitchen, and we ask for a $5 entry donation, all of which goes to DCCK.
The Sundress Fest kicks off at 10:30am with Bob Perilla’s Blue Grass Band. At 12 noon local band Casual Encounters provides ” classic music chops”, and warms up for the super dance music of Party Like It’s …, who take the stage at 1:30pm.
Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Chamberlin
The Sundress parade happens around 3pm and then it devolves into mayhem as the Sundress winners (king? queen? sunflowers?) will be chosen in our usual hectic fashion of a dance-off. (more…)
From the National Parks Service:
“The Meridian Hill Park fountains are currently non-functional and in disrepair due to a broken supply waterline under the containment pool at the bottom of the cascades. The break is under the historic concrete of the pool floor. The park has identified funds and is in the process of contracting the work which includes cutting and removing a portion of the pool floor, excavate to the waterline and repair as needed. We are working to have the supply waterline work completed by early summer. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I was wondering if you knew what was going on with the grass/fence situation on the main square of Meridian Hill Park? They fenced off the area in the Fall to, I assume, give the grass protection and time to grow more fully. Then a couple weeks ago some bulldozers drove around and tore up a ton of the grass that had grown back, and now it’s mostly mud and dirt. I assume this is some crazy grass growing technique? When will they take the fence down so people can sit again?”
Side note: I’ve also asked the National Park Service when the expect the fountains will be turned on this year and unfortunately they either don’t know, or don’t wish to respond.
3513 14th Street, NW
Naturally the greatest pho, Pho Viet, is accompanied by the greatest mural. OK fine, maybe it’s not the greatest mural but I am literally salivating by just looking at it. OK I gotta go.
1400 block of Belmont Street, NW
“Dear PoPville,
The two end houses. Slated for demo. Any way to block stuff like that??”
via google maps
From MPD:
“The Third District is currently investigating a shooting. An adult male has been transported to an area hospital from the 3200 block of Hiatt Place NW with a gunshot wound to the torso.
Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099.”
Pete’s posts their farewell on Facebook:
“Dear Loyal Customers,
Thank you for allowing us to serve the Columbia Heights and surrounding neighborhoods for the last ten years! Please reach out to any of our other locations for your catering needs.”
Ed. Note: Wawa will be taking over the space, as well as the adjacent Five Guys and Potbelly’s space.
A reader reports at 4:23pm:
“Massive police response at 13th and Park Road. No idea what’s going on, but I count at least 13 police cars.”
Updates when/if more is known.
“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been watching the condominium conversion of the old Italian Embassy at 16th and Fuller in my neighborhood and an interesting detail appeared a couple months ago. On the side of the building facing Fuller there’s a window frame detail that wasn’t actually a window, and at the top there has always been a plastered over rectangle that looked like a hole that had been cut for an air conditioning unit. That rectangle had always been messily plastered over. A couple of months ago they cleaned up that little rectangle and it appeared to have writing in it so I took a couple photos (attached). It appears to be a dedication plaque in Latin, with the year 1925 written as MCMXXV.
Each side of the plaque is decorated with an object that looks like it was damaged, but it is pretty clearly the pre-WWII symbol of the Italian Fascist Party, the Fasces (bundle of rods) with an axhead attached. I’ve copied an image of the symbol from Wikipedia below.
Mussolini came to power in Italy in 1922 so this appears to be a symbolic detail to represent Mussolini’s fascist government.
I’m curious what the builder of this high-end condo is going to do with this plaque. It’s not as obviously offensive as a swastika, so I think they might consider an interpretive sign or plaque that explains it. It’s historically significant, and I think this building is in a historic district. I’m also curious what the translation of the Latin wording is.”
