36th Annual Capital Pride Celebration Begins June 1

 Team Evans at the 2010 Capital Pride Parade in Dupont.

The 36th annual Capital Pride celebration will take place in the District from June 1-June 12 and will again feature a host of events and activities, including the popular Pride Parade.  The 2011 Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, June 11 at 5:30pm and will travel through Dupont Circle, 17th Street, and Logan Circle in the heart of Ward 2.

For a complete listing of events, please click here.

"Pride is one of my favorite times of the year, as there are so many activities and so much to celebrate," said Evans.  "I look forward to seeing everyone in Ward 2 during this year's festivities."

Capital Pride is the annual celebration of the LGBT community in the Nation's capital and works to produce a diverse programming line-up each year to celebrate the heritage and lives of the LGBT community and its allies.   It is produced by the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc., a non-profit organization.

For additional information on the 36th annual Capital Pride celebration, please click here.

Kevin Stogner is Evans' LGBT liaison. 

District Youth to March for Wild Tigers at National Zoo  

Evans with event organizers Stephanie Leontiev & Conor Bagley. 

The Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF), a youth movement for wildlife conservation dedicated to raising awareness on the plight of the tiger, has announced a march at the National Zoo to raise awareness about the increasingly endangered tiger population and the devastating impact their demise would have on the planet.

The march will take place on Saturday, May 28 from 11:00am-2:00pm at the Smithsonian National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Avenue, NW).  All are invited to attend and participate.

"The District's young people are without doubt some of the most active and engaged in the nation," said Evans.  "I am proud of the YFCF for their efforts and hope that everyone will show them their support on Saturday."

YFCF was founded by local high school students at the National Cathedral School in collaboration with the Global Tiger Initiative, an international alliance of the tiger range countries and international organizations dedicated to saving wild tigers from extinction.

Hear YFCF leaders speak about the tiger crisis and tiger conservation efforts and learn more about how you can help save the tigers.

For additional information, please email yfcforum@yahoo.com.

The Dupont Circle Citizens Association (DCCA) has announced their June members meeting, which will be held on June 6 at 7:30pm at the Studio Theatre (1501 14th Street, NW).  At the conclusion of the meeting, DCCA members will be treated to a backstage tour of the theatre and its production facilities, as well as refreshments.

Founded in 1922 in a townhouse at 1767 P Street to promote and protect the interests of area residents, the DCCA strives to bring neighbors, businesses, and non-profit organizations together to improve the quality of life in an active and diverse urban neighborhood.  It holds membership meetings 9 times per year, which are open to the public, coordinates the Dupont Circle House Tour, resolves neighborhood issues through committees, donates to local causes, and incubates innovative projects.

For additional information on the DCCA and their June meeting, please click here.

Andrew Huff is Evans' Dupont Circle liaison. 

Federation Presents Gift of Life to District Libraries

 

The Federation of Friends of DC Public Libraries recently announced the donation of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to all of the District's public libraries. 

These life saving devices, their installation, and staff training are the result of a unique partnership between the Federation,  Mended Hearts, Inc. and the George Washington University (GWU) Cheney Cardiovascular Institute, who have worked together to ensure that District residents in every Ward have access to emergency heart stabilization equipment when they visit any of the city's twenty-five libraries.  In all, the donation is valued at $60,000 and includes the AEDs as well as CPR training for 100 library staff members.

"The Federation deserves major credit for bringing together the right people to make this happen," said Evans.  "I especially want to express my gratitude to Susan Haight, the President of the West End Friends and Federation of DC Public Libraries, to whom major thanks is due for her work in making sure all libraries were a part of this program."

The Federation is currently composed of local Friends of the Library organizations and is dedicated to supporting Friends groups in their efforts to improve their communities, unite around the shared goal of promoting public awareness of libraries, and generating support for these vital community cornerstones.

For addition information on the Federation, please click here.

Sherri Kimbel is Evans' Director of Constituent Services.

Councilmember Evans invites all Ward 2 residents to join him and District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson for a community meeting on the State of Ward 2 Schools on Tuesday, June 7 from 5:30pm-8:30pm at Garrison Elementary School (12th and S Streets, NW).

The event will begin with an expo, open during the entire meeting, featuring information on each Ward 2 school.  Principals and teachers, as well as PTA members from each school will be on hand to answer questions and provide information to attendees. 

Councilmember Evans will open the roundtable discussion portion of the meeting, focused on high-priority issues in Ward 2 schools.  Topics to be covered include academic standards, extracurricular activities and programming, school culture, and classroom management.  Chancellor Henderson and other members of the DCPS leadership team will be on hand to answer questions and listen to comments from parents and community members.

"Our schools have come a long way in the past several years," said Evans.  "We know that there is still work to be done and hope that parents and community members will join us at this meeting to share their thoughts and concerns.  This is an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with school principals and DCPS leadership.  I applaud Chancellor Henderson for holding this event in Ward 2."

Refreshments will be served and free child care will be provided during the event.  For additional information, please contact Bryant Sewell.

For additional information on the DCPS Ward 2 State of the Schools meeting, please click here.

Sherri Kimbel is Evans' Director of Constituent Services.

Memorial Day Activities 

in Logan Circle 

Photo by theardvaark on Flickr  

Please join the Logan Circle Community Association (LCCA), the National Park Service, and the Illinois State Society of Washington, DC for the annual observance of Memorial Day in Logan Circle Park on Monday, May 30, from 11:00am to 12:00pm.  Logan Circle is at the junction of 13th Street, P Street, Rhode Island Avenue, and Vermont Avenue, NW.

If you've not heard the history, plan to attend and learn the moving story behind General John Logan's creation of the legislation that resulted in the national Memorial Day holiday.  The program lineup includes a Joint Armed Services Color Guard posting of colors, musical selections from noted Washington National Opera and National City Christian Church soprano Alia Waheed, a re-enactment of the reading of the General No. 11 legislation establishing Decoration Day (which eventually became Memorial Day), readings from General Logan biographer Gary Ecelbarger, and greetings from local community and government officials.

The ceremony will be followed by a guided tour of the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, located one-half block south of Logan Circle at 1318 Vermont Avenue, NW.

After the Observance in Logan Circle and Council House tour, head up to Café Saint-Ex, (1847 14th Street, NW), for the annual Mid-City Memorial Day Chili Cook-Off.  The festivities begin at 11:00am and extend to 5:00pm, closing off the 1300 block of T Street for a Chili Smack Down competition and community festival.  The afternoon will offer chili tastings from the best local chefs, flowing brews, live music, and a family-friendly interactive Kids' Zone, all to raise money for the local Garrison Elementary School.

Sherri Kimbel is Evans' Logan Circle liaison. 

DPW Announces 

Memorial Day Changes 

The DC Department of Public Works (DPW) recently announced how the agency's services will be affected in observance of Memorial Day (Monday, May 30).

Trash Collection:  

There will be no trash and recycling collections on Memorial Day.  Trash and recycling collections will "slide" to the next day for the remainder of the week.  For example, Monday's trash and recycling collections will be made on Tuesday and Tuesday's collections will be made on Wednesday.  In Ward 2, collections normally made on Tuesday and Friday, will be made Wednesday and Saturday.  Trash and recycling containers should be placed out for collection no earlier than 6:30pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8:00pm on the day(s) of collection.

Parking Enforcement:  

Parking enforcement, including ticket writing for residential parking, expired meters, street sweeping and rush-hour violations will be suspended on Monday.  DPW also will suspend towing abandoned vehicles.  Enforcement will resume Tuesday, May 31.  Since the Nationals will play at Nationals Park during Memorial Day weekend and Memorial Day, DPW will enforce parking restrictions in the Nationals Park neighborhood.

The next monthly household hazardous waste/e-cycling/personal document shredding drop-off day is Saturday, June 4, between 8:00am and 3:00pm at Fort Totten.  This service is provided the first Saturday of the month, except holidays.  Residents may bring unwanted toxic items, such as pesticides, batteries and motor oil, and electronics (including televisions, computers, and cell phones).  Residents may bring up to five boxes of personal paper documents and credit cards to be shredded for free.  Composting is also available on Saturdays only.

Other services suspended for Memorial Day include scheduled street and alley cleaning and nuisance abatement.  All services will resume Tuesday, May 31.

Sherri Kimbel is Evans' Director of Constituent Services.

The 2011 Museum Walk Weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, and will again celebrate the art, history, and culture of one of the District's historic neighborhoods, Dupont-Kalorama.

Ten museums of the Dupont-Kalorama Museum Consortium will participate in this year's event, each featuring free admission and special activities for all ages and interests.  Museums are within walking distance from each other and a free shuttle will also be available between sites.

Sponsored by the Dupont-Kalorama Museums Consortium (DKMC), this annual event has drawn thousands to "off the Mall" museums in Dupont Circle and Kalorama for a variety of free activities, including special museum exhibitions, live music, food, demonstrations such as quilt making and sheep shearing (weather permitting), and walking and biking tours.

"The Museum Walk offers a great opportunity to visit some of the District's greatest neighborhood museums," Evans said.  "I hope everyone will hit the streets next weekend for this great annual event."

For additional information on this year's event, please click here.

Those interested in volunteering for the event should contact Missy Groppel.

Sarina Loy is Evans' Sheridan-Kalorama liaison. 

Legislative Update 

The Subcommittee on Redistricting, co-chaired by Councilmembers Evans and Brown, met on May 26 to markup and vote on the proposed Ward boundaries.  The Subcommittee proposed boundary changes to Wards 2, 6, 7, and 8 and left Wards 1, 3, 4, and 5 as they currently exist. 

The draft plan as proposed can be viewed on the Council website here.

The Subcommittee will be holding an additional public hearing on the proposal on June 1 at 6:00pm in Room 500 of the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).  Contact Carol Sadler by 5:00pm on May 31 to sign up to testify and provide your name, organizational affiliation, and title of organization (if any).

Witnesses should bring 20 copies of their written testimony to the hearing.  Additional written statements are encouraged and will be made part of the official record.  The official record will close ten days following the conclusion of the hearing.

Changes proposed at the markup include moving the area (in the form of a rectangle) bordered by P Street, 9th Street, 11th Street, and S Street, NW from Ward 2 to Ward 6 (including Shaw Junior High School); and moving the area bordered by 4th Street, E Street, 2nd Street, and H Street to Massachusetts Avenue, NW in the Penn Quarter neighborhood from Ward 6 to Ward 2.

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and Single Member District (SMD) boundary review process is expected to begin later this year, with the entire redistricting process to be completed by the end of the year.   

Ruth Werner is Evans' Committee Director.