Bulletin Board by Kathleen Donner

BULLETIN BOARD

Visit the National (White House) Christmas Tree

The National Christmas Tree site is open through Jan. 1. Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lights on the National Christmas Tree and the 58 smaller trees that surround the tree turn on around sunset each evening. This year, the ceremony and official lighting took place on Nov. 30. CBS will broadcast the 2022 ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 11, 8 to 9 p.m. The National Christmas Tree Lighting will be available for the public to view at CBS.com beginning Dec. 12. First celebrated in 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge, the National Christmas Tree Lighting continues to inspire people everywhere to pause to enjoy cherished traditions and memories made with family and friends in national parks during the holiday season. thenationaltree.org/visit-the-tree.

Photo: Jason Yen Story Behind Our Schools Preservation Cafe

With more than 200 years of history, DC Public Schools are the anchors and reflections of the communities they serve. Join the Capitol Hill Restoration Society for a conversation that dives into the history of public education in the District and the story behind our schools--how they began, how they affected our community, and how we are preserving their history. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 6:30 p.m., Kimberly Springle, Executive Director, Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, and Jen Harris, Executive Director, The Story of Our Schools will present a virtual Preservation Cafe, The Story Behind Our Schools. The presenters will focus on our Capitol Hill schools with a close examination of the history of Payne Elementary School. They will use the student research the Story of Our Schools project recently unveiled, The Story of Daniel A. Payne and Our School. CHRS Preservation Cafés are free to CHRS members and non-members. chrs.org.

East City Bookshop In-person Events

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m. East City Bookshop welcomes award-winning science writer Bethany Brookshire for a discussion of her book, Pests, a study of why we deem certain animals to be “pests” and others not. Joining her in conversation is Editor in Chief of Scientific American, Laura Helmuth. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m., local business owner Gina Schaefer discusses her book, Recovery Hardware. In it she shares the powerful story of building A Few Cool Hardware Stores, an innovative business that revitalized her urban community. On Thursday, Dec. 8, 7 p.m., Kosoko Jackson discusses his new swoony kitchen romance, A Dash of Salt and Pepper, in conversation with fellow romance author Timothy Janovsky. These three author talks are in-person and via Zoom. Masks and proof of vaccination are required for all attendees. East City Bookshop is at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. eastcitybookshop.com.

Ward 6 Brickie Awards Return Live Dec. 7.

At Hill Center, 6 to 8 p.m., 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Awards are presented in the following categories: Neighbor Award, Community Organization Award, Business Award, Civic Pride Award, and Public Service Award. Free food and drink from local restaurants and businesses. RSVP at charlesallenward6.com.

Southeast Library Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Southeast Library is turning 100. Whether you’re joining them for all of their family festivities on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., or just swinging by for part of the day, leave a birthday wish on their glowing “Wish Tree” installation. Southeast Library is at 403 Seventh St. SE. dclibrary.org/southeast.

Parents’ Tax Clinic with Mother’s Outreach Network

Have you already received your Child Tax Credit? Your Earned Income Tax Credit? Your entire Stimulus payment? If not, or if you have questions, stop by Southwest Library on Tuesdays, Dec. 6, 13 or 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mother’s Outreach Network holds free Parent’s Tax Workshops and Clinics on tax credits, including the EITC and CTC. They will consult with you about how to make these things happen. The expanded Child Tax Credit can provide up to $3,600 per eligible child. Southwest Library is at 900 Wesley Pl. SW. dclibrary.org/southwest.

Arena Stage’s BIPOC Fellowship Program

DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District. DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District. DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District. DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District.

DC Open DoorsDC Open Doors

DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership inthe city. is programo ers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on rst trust homebuyer or a D.C. resident , be purchasing a home in the District of Columbia. DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership inthe city. is programo ers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on rst trust homebuyer or a D.C. resident , be purchasing a home in the DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership inthe city. is programo ers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on rst trust homebuyer or a D.C. resident , be purchasing a home in the District of Columbia. DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership inthe city. is programo ers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on rst trust DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership in the city. This program offers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on first trust mortgages. You are not required to be a firsttime homebuyer or a D.C. resident to qualify for DCOD. You must, however, be purchasing HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down District of Columbia. a home in the District of Columbia. serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) rst-time home buyer program.HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) rst-time home buyer HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) rst-time home buyer program. HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down homebuyer or a D.C. resident , be purchasing a home in the District of Columbia. Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down payment and closing cost assistance years or older who have fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. Quali ed District homeowners can receive up to program. years or older who have fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) rst-time home buyer program. up to $202,000 combined. DCHFA serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer program. years or older who have fallen behind on insurance Quali ed District homeowners can receive up to DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. down payment assistance to D.C. government Quali ed District homeowners can receive up to DC4ME employees. DC4ME is o ered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is o ered to current full-time DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is o ered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, years or older who have fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. Quali ed District homeowners can receive up to DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District District government employees, including employees and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's government-based instrumentalities, COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides nancial assistance to those a ected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quali ed borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months. of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides nancial assistance to those a ected by the impacts of the COVID-19 employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides nancial assistance to those a ected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quali ed borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months. DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is o ered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower’s employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. Homebuyers Info Sessions are Back at DCHFA Visit www.DCHFA.org how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. pandemic. Quali ed borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months.COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides nancial assistance to Register at bit.ly/dcopendoors 815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC20001•202.777.1Visit www.DCHFA.org those a ected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quali ed borrowers can receive a loan of 600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months. 815 Visit www.DCHFA.org FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC20001•202.777.1600 • December 2022 WWW.DCHFA.O ★ 67 RG how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs.

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Capitol Hill Office 605 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE 202.547.3525 “Season’s Greenings” at the Botanic Garden Offers Holiday Cheer Indoors and Out

The Botanic Garden offers a gardenwide “Season’s Greenings” holiday display this year, running through Monday, Jan. 2 (closed on Dec. 25). As part of the festivities, model trains run between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day in the gated outdoor gardens and the Conservatory features poinsettias, holiday decor, and DC landmarks made from plants. A gift store run by the Friends of the US Botanic Garden and local DC small business Rewild offers a variety of botanically themed gifts for purchase in the Conservatory’s West Gallery. Zeke’s Coffee offers coffee and hot chocolate for sale just inside the gated outdoor garden near the trains. The Garden has extended evening hours each Tuesday in December when the Conservatory and train display will be open until 8 p.m. USBG.gov/SeasonsGreenings.

In the Conservatory, visitors will be able to view holiday decorations including nearly 2,000 poinsettias and the Garden’s collection of DC monuments and landmarks, all made from plant parts.

for individuals who self-identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). The program offers personalized training and in-depth, hands-on experience with top-tier professionals in artistic development, production, arts administration, arts education and community outreach. Fellows receive a weekly stipend of $600. The 2023/2024 Allen Lee Hughes BIPOC Fellowship Program applications will be accepted through Feb. 20, 2023. Interviews with select applicants will take place in April 2023. Applicants selected for the fellowship will be notified by phone and email by mid-May 2023. Read more at arenastage.org/opportunities.

2023 Atlas Intersections Festival (save the dates)

The Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival is a performing arts festival that presents work that impacts our society, culture, and world by informing, inspiring, educating, and entertaining. INTERSECTIONS is about presenting excellent art that inspires a connected community, engages artists and audiences alike, and creates a vibrant neighborhood, city, and world. They are interested in unique perspectives and art that connect us to the many facets of our humanity. Festival dates in 2023 are Feb. 25 to March 12. Atlas Performing Arts Center is at 1333 H St. NE. atlasarts.org.

Wreaths Across American

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, their mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 2,500 additional locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad. This year Wreaths Across America is on Dec. 17. Those interested in placing wreaths at Arlington Cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day must pre-register at wreathsacrossamerica. org. Proof of pre-registration is required for entry into the cemetery.

Big Objects, Big Stories at the NMAAHC

On Dec. 10, 11, 15, 27 and 29, “The Paradox of Liberty” talk takes place at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. On Dec. 14, 15, 21 and 29, “The Paradox of Liberty” talk takes place at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. On Dec. 10 and 15, “Angola Prison Guard Tower” talk takes place at 11:30

NMAAHC Debuts Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) announces the launch of the Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal. The new comprehensive search platform is designed to help family historians and genealogists search for their ancestors and for scholars and students to research various topics found in over 1.7 million pages of Freedmen’s Bureau records. The portal allows users to search records from the United States Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau after the Civil War to assist in the political and social reconstruction of post-war Southern states and to help formerly enslaved African Americans transition from slavery to freedom and citizenship. From 1865 to 1872, the Freedmen’s Bureau created and collected over 1.7 million handwritten records containing the names and information of hundreds of thousands of formerly enslaved individuals and Southern white refugees. nmaahc.si.edu/explore/freedmens-bureau. a.m. and 12:30 p.m. On Dec. 13 and 20, “Angola Prison Guard Tower” talk takes place at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. On Dec. 12, 15 and 27, “I Go To Prepare A Place For You (Harriet Tubman Quilt) by Bisa Butler” talk takes place at 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15 p.m. On Dec. 22 and 29, “I Go To Prepare A Place For You (Harriet Tubman Quilt) by Bisa Butler” talk takes place at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. On Dec. 15, “Southern Railway Car No. 1200” talk takes place at 11 a.m. and noon. On Dec. 18, “A charred penny from the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921” talk takes places at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tours are free and walk-in. All visitors, regardless of age, must have a timed-entry pass to enter the building. Same-day timedentry passes are released online only at 8:15 a.m. nmaahc.si.edu/visit/plan-your-visit.

Arboretum Community Center Opens

On Nov. 5, Mayor Bowser, Department of Parks and Recreation, the Department of General Services and community members cut the ribbon on the new Arboretum Community Center. The $10.8 million, LEED-certified facility, at 2412 Rand Pl. NE, incorporates and expands on the historic field house while adding new amenities.

The center includes a gym, community room, tech lounge, fitness center, patio, and green roof. dpr.dc.gov/page/arboretumcommunity-center-00

Christmas Illuminations (and Fireworks) at Mount Vernon

On Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., join Mount Vernon for a family-friendly celebration of the holiday season with an evening of Christmas Illuminations. See the lantern-lit Historic Area, the Mansion aglow in beautiful amber light, and the Upper Garden and Greenhouse dazzling in blue and lavender with moving wintry light patterns. Enjoy the atmospheric setting of an 18th-century winter encampment, the working Blacksmith Shop, Christmas carolers, and Aladdin the Camel. Watch holiday fireworks over the Potomac River. The fireworks begin at approximately 8 to 8:30 p.m. Adult admission with mansion tour, $60, youth with mansion tour, $38. mountvernon.org.

Mayor Bowser’s Fresh Start 5k

Our newly reelected mayor wants us all to be in as good a shape as she is and, therefore, invites us to join her in the ninth annual Fresh Start 5k (run and/or walk) on New Year’s Day at running tracks throughout the city. DPR will open athletic tracks and provide other suggested routes. Residents are encouraged to run or walk a 5k at a location of their choice at any time on New Year’s Day. The FITDC Fresh Start 5k is a free event and residents who register at tinyurl. com/2023VirtualFreshStart5K will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Participants are encouraged to run or walk at one of 11 DC Public Schools sites or in their own neighborhood. Participants are also encouraged to share themselves completing the 5k on social media using the hashtag #FreshStart5K. Runner/ walker packets and T-shirts may be picked up on Thursday, Dec. 29 and Friday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Columbia Heights Community Center, 1480 Girard St. NW; Edgewood Recreation Center, 301 Franklin St. NE; Deanwood Community Center, 1350 49th St. NE; and Wilson Aquatic Center, 4551 Fort Dr. NW.

DC Snow Preparations National Shrine Christmas Dinner

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception provides meals for hundreds of poor, homeless, elderly, and needy individuals living in DC and surrounding areas on Christmas Day. Meals are available for pick-up or delivery only. To request a Christmas Day dinner, call 202-5268300. All meal requests must be received by Friday, Dec. 16. Volunteers are needed to fill many different positions. To register as a volunteer, visit nationalshrine.org/event/2022-christmas-dinner-registration. For more information, contact rsvp@bnsic.org or 202-526-8300.

In preparation for winter, residents are reminded that they should call the shelter hotline at 202-399-7093 when they see a person who is experiencing homelessness and outside during extreme temperatures. Residents are also encouraged to join Serve DC’s Volunteer Snow Team, which helps clear sidewalks for registered seniors who are 65 and older and residents with access functionality needs. Volunteers can sign-up at servedc.galaxydigital.com. For more information about DC’s snow program, preparing for winter weather, or to see where District Snow Team plows are during a storm, visit snow.dc.gov.

DDOT Granted Federal Funds for Electric Vehicle Charging

The District Department of Transportation has announced it will receive $16.6 million in federal funding though President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build out DC’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure and advance the District’s sustainability and equity goals. The

federal funding will be used for projects directly related to charging electric vehicles, to include upgrading existing and constructing new DC fast charging infrastructure, installation of onsite electrical service equipment, community and stakeholder engagement, EV charging station signage, data sharing, and related mapping analyses. For more information, visit nevi.ddot.dc.gov.

DOEE Launches Reuse DC Website

The Department of Energy and Environment has announced the launch of Reuse DC, a rstof-its-kind website to help District residents get centralized information on how to repair, donate, and shop second-hand items ranging from furniture, clothing and other household items. Through the website, the public can search an online mapbased directory, explore how to exchange items with neighbors, learn about the importance of food recovery, nd an upcoming Fix-It event, discover grant programs, and more. reuse.dc.gov.

2023 Fringe Festival Applications Open

Founded in 2005, the Fringe Festival celebrates cultural democracy and art for everyone. It serves as a launching pad for unseasoned and established artists. Capital Fringe has become known for providing space, resources, and opportunities for both individual artists and companies, as well as a place for community building and expression. The 2023 Capital Fringe is from July 13 to 16 and 20 to 23. Applications are open through Dec. 28. Read more and apply at capitalfringe.org/artist. ◆

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