this week in River East

Ward 8 Farmers Market Returns: this and every Saturday through November 21, come out to purchase fresh produce, herbs and plants provided by local farmers.

Where:

Old Congress Heights School parking lot, at MLK and Alabama Avenues, SE

When:

Saturdays from 9AM - 2PM

For more information, call 202-561-8204 or email ward8fm@gmail.com. Photo clip courtesy of Flickr user Fedoramentok

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16th Annual Hillcrest Garden Tour: take a tour around the yards of cape cods and colonials in Hillcrest, one of River East's best-kept secrets.

Where:

Departing from 2516 34th Street SE (corner of 34th & Camden)

When:

Saturday, June 6th at 11AM

Cost:

$10 (before June 6) or $15 (day of)

for more info and to reserve a spot, email gardentour@HillcrestDC.com or call Maurice Perry at 202-581-4022. For last years Post article on Hillcrest, Click Here

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Flaunt Fashion Runway Show: this special photography exhibition from Heather Goss of Ten Miles Square and Rachel Cothran of Project Beltway showcases emerging local talent in photography and fashion design.

Where:

Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd SE

When:

Saturday, June 6th at 8:30PM

Cost:

$10

call the Honfleur to pre-purchase tickets at 202-580-5972

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Historic Anacostia Block Association: learn the latest, including a word from Casey Trees on tree care and future plantings.

Where:

Anacostia UPO, 1800 Good Hope Road SE

When:

Thursday, June 11 at 7PM

All these events and meetings should be pretty great, so hope to see you around town!

Market No More

Sad, sad news.

The Anacostia Farmers' Market is closed. For good. Apparently it was not turning a profit, despite its nine-year effort.

I don't see this as a permanent closing, however. As more people move to the neighborhood, market organizers will surely discover that it is Ripe for a farmers' market.

News sources:
WJLA
Clagett Farm

Anacostia's Own Vegan Soul Chef

Featured in the Washington Post Food section!

I hope many of you had the chance to sample Levita Mondie-Sapp's amazing chili at the Chili Bowl Bonanza last month at the farmers' market- if you look at my pictures from the event you can see her smiling as she dishes it out. Yesterday the Post ran an article about her mission to promote a new spin on soul food:

Mondie-Sapp's dishes are meatless and healthful, yet no one seems to mind. That's how eating habits can change, she says, referring to her one-woman campaign. "This is not an area known for liking vegetarian," she says with a thoughtful, intent gaze and quiet confidence. "But I've been able to show people that this food can be good."

And this (which I have been wondering for a while now...):

There's proof that the teacher's revolution is gaining a foothold in Southeast. Mondie-Sapp recently won the grand prize and her third consecutive "People's Choice" award in the annual chili cook-off held at the Anacostia Farmers Market.

What can we do to make this happen?

Someday, Mondie-Sapp would love to make Vita's Eatery a bricks-and-mortar enterprise right near her home -- maybe a cafe on the bottom and cooking classes upstairs, where she could teach people the benefits of a diet based on whole foods and whole grains.

Click Here for the full article

Click Here for her award-winning chili recipe!

The Bad News:

If you haven't already seen the flyers or read the news, a kitten that was found last week at the Anacostia Farmers' Market tested positive for rabies. If you came in contact with a blackish brown kitten, call 202-576-6664.

The Good News:

"The [Health] department also has initiated a trapping plan to capture any remaining stray cats in the area."
-from the Washington Post's article.

Skyland Meeting Recap 9-12-07

For those of you who were unable to make it to the latest meeting on Skyland Town Center, the meeting held this past Wednesday focused on the architectural and urban design of the project. Further refinements had been made by Torti Gallas, giving Skyland more of an organically grown look and feel. Included is more façade articulation, less straight lines, and a a bigger emphasis on greening the roofs of the interior parking garages.

Check out the latest plans: Click to enlarge





At the meeting, Gary Rappaport and members of the Torti Gallas design team asked the audience what we wanted Skyland to look like architecturally: modern? Traditional?

Interestingly, most people agreed (what? at a public meeting?!) that we wanted something that was built solidly-- with brick, stone, and cast cement-- rather than with materials like vinyl and stucco which aren't as lasting. We want a design that is unique to Skyland, but that respects the past and is influenced by the architecture and streetscape of places such as Barracks Row, Shirlington, Annapolis, and Bethesda Row. Eclectic, yet elegant!

This development incredibly exciting, and all involved seem totally dedicated to getting it done as quickly as humanly possible.

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Also, just before the meeting I was able to make it over to the Farmers' Market for the Chili Bowl Bonanza. I had to leave before the winner was announced- does anyone know who won 1st prize?

Chili Bowl B-o-n-a-n-z-a

When:

September 12, 2007
4:00-7:00pm

Schedule of Events:

4:00-4:45 Competitors drop off chili to be warmed (no crock pots--no electricity!)

5:00- 6:15 Chili Tasting (community judges People's Choice, "celebrity" judges for other 4 categories)

6:30 Awards announced

Where: Anacostia Farmers' Market
(Peace Park on 14th St SE between U and V Streets)

What:

4th Annual Chili Bowl Bonanza chili contest and tasting

The five categories are:

- All-around Chili Champ
- Four Alarm Fire House Hot Award
- Best Vegetarian Chili Award
- People's Choice
- Best New Classic with a Twist

Why:

It's events like these that make Anacostia special. Let's all make it out there for some good eats! Also, Mayor Fenty is scheduled to attend.

If you are interested in submitting your chili to the contest, the deadline to enter is September 7.

Dowload the Entry form here

Any questions should be directed to market director Nadja Strucker, at 202-526-5344.



Thanks to Clagett Farm's blog for the tip!