Monthly Archives: April 2024

Recycling Parade for a Greener, More Sustainable Lyon Park Community

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By Tatiana Baquero Cakici

We are excited to announce that the Recycling Parade, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 20, 2024, has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 18, 2024, which will take place concurrently with the Lyon Park’s Spring Fair for your convenience. We hope that you can join us on the new date!

The Recycling Parade is an environmental conservation project from seven-year-old Sara Cakici, a resident of Lyon Park and a first-grade student of the Arlington Traditional School (ATS). The event will involve encouraging both children and adults to participate in fun activities using recyclable or recycled materials from home, followed by a parade through Lyon Park, where participants will march enthusiastically, displaying their signs promoting recycling and demonstrating their dedication to sustainable living.

The Recycling Parade will feature a variety of activities for the whole family to enjoy. Sara is especially excited to announce three main activities for kids and their families:

Poster Station: Kids can get creative and design their own posters with eco-friendly messages to promote recycling and sustainability during the parade.

Cute Bunny Crafts Station: A fun crafting station where kids can make adorable bunny-themed crafts using recyclable materials.

The 3 “Rs” Rule Station: Learn about the 3 “Rs” of sustainability—reduce, reuse, recycle—and participate in interactive games and activities to reinforce these concepts.

Sara’s family and friends are supporting her to make this important event a reality; especially her 5-year-old sister, Sofia Cakici, who will be the leader of the Cute Bunny Crafts Station. 

Kids who participate in any of the activities will receive “tickets” that can be exchanged for prizes at the Spring Fair! We encourage everyone to mark their calendars for Saturday, May 18, 2024, and join us for a day of fun, learning, and community spirit at Lyon Park. More details about the event schedule and additional activities will be shared closer to the date.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for making Lyon Park a greener, more sustainable community. We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Fair and the Recycling Parade!  In Sara’s own words: “please come to my event to make the world and Lyon Park a greener place!” 

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Let’s Make our Streets Safer for Walking and Biking!

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By Michael Doyle, founding member of NoVa Families for Safe Streets

Have you almost been hit by a car when walking or cycling?  

Now, you can report those “near misses” and help make your streets safer!  Visit the Near Miss Dashboard and report what, where, and when it happened.

Developed with support from Virginia Tech Graduate School of Urban & Regional Planning program plus a grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, NoVA Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) is collecting, analyzing, and sharing the data with police and the relevant transportation jurisdictional staff to advocate for/help inform decisions to:

Improve road infrastructure,

Increase police vigilance at
specific locations,

Develop better traffic safety regulations, 

Strive to accomplish the Vision Zero goal of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. 

“People experience too many close calls on our streets—times when they were nearly in a crash or saw dangerous conditions on our streets that could lead to crashes in the future. Collecting and sharing these experiences gives us an opportunity to identify dangerous street safety patterns before crashes occur and helps us to alert the relevant authorities so such dangerous conditions can be addressed,” according to Mike Doyle, founder of NoVa FSS.

Based on incident reports logged in the Upgraded Near Miss survey since it was launched on June 17, 2021, 54 percent of the incidents involve pedestrians  and 17 percent involve cyclists. Overwhelmingly, 57 percent of the reported incidents occur when drivers fail to yield to people in a crosswalk.  In addition, speeding and stop sign running contribute to nearly 50 percent of the reported NM incidents. Time of day is a significant factor as well, with over 50% of the incidents occurring during the afternoon rush hour and spiking between 5-6pm.  

NoVA FSS /Arl FSS Mission Statement  

Northern Virginia’s Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) is the umbrella organization for an all-volunteer, nonprofit entity with three chapters in Alexandria (AFSS), Arlington (Arl FSS), and Fairfax (Ffx FSS). We have 1,500 members and we serve as a community voice to bring the municipalities of Alexandria City, Arlington County, and Fairfax County together to advocate for pedestrian and other vulnerable road users’ street safety for all.

To accomplish this, NoVA FSS:

Tells the impact stories of crash survivors and families who had a member killed by traffic violence,

Advocates for Traffic Regulation policy changes related to infrastructure, traffic laws, and penalties, 

Raises public awareness of street safety risks via public outreach forums like Farmers’ Markets and Civic Association meetings,

Educates middle school students through in-person presentations about street safety programs in the
region’s schools,

Work cooperatively with the respective City and/or County police departments and transportation
staff to promote safe streets for all vulnerable road users, and

Displays, on a real time basis, NoVA FSS’s Near Miss Survey map of near misses & dangerous intersections reported by pedestrians and other road users to identify high risk crash locations (including where pedestrians have been killed or seriously injured per Virginia TREDS’s crash data).

To receive our communications about Arl FSS activities and advocacy efforts, simply sign up: FSS Home – Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (novasafestreets.org).  We are also looking for volunteers to help the Arlington FSS Board advance its pedestrian/cyclist street safety programs—interested candidates are most welcome!

View the NoVA FSS presentation given at the March monthly meeting.

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Recap of the 2024 Chili Cookoff!

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By Gary Putnam

Well, it’s over for another year! After a very noisy finale, the debacle known as the 2024 Lyon Park Chili Cookoff went off about as feared on Sunday, March 3. The usual raucous and rowdy occasion was probably worse this year. The noise level was so high, it flushed birds from the nearby trees.  Some of that fright came because of the chili pots that neighbors from Ashton Heights and Lyon Park brought to this year’s Cookoff. It was a mixed bag as usual. Some were noteworthy because of unexpected excellence. Some were distinct because they weren’t really that bad and some were…well, as one of the three judges said, “smelled like a damp thrift store!”

Ranking was done by popular vote, notes added are from a veteran team of three chili heads who sampled every single chili—some, more than once when disagreements arose. Tums and Gas-X were generously provided by Paul Showalter who, of course, had to resort to bribes and furnish Tums for anyone to even try his chili. 

Hauling off top honors this year was Sebastian John (Pot # 4) with a very traditional red called “Southern Red”. One of the more serious chilis of the event, it was a standout with multi-layered flavors.

Second place (Pot #17)  was Laureen Daly’s “Silly Chili” which was a dark, “visually interesting” Venison-Chorizo deep red with a pronounced punch of heat.

Third place (Pot # 16) was Mark & Tricia Montgomery’s “Highland Street Classic” traditional style meat and beans with a ketchup-and-taco flavor…in a good way!

(Pot # 18) “Baby Got Chili” by David Morgan was the highest placing veggie chili. Corn, veggies, deep interesting red and sweet. Very notable, according to the judges.

(Pot # 1) “Pork Shoulder” by Dave Schutz, smooth finish, good meat taste. 

(Pot # 2) “Hel Has Fury” by Helen White, very creative, complex, sweet & tangy butternut squash with black beans.

(Pot # 3) “Good ole Fashion Chili” by Ann Reimers, a classic meat,” gluten free, no beans, low fodmap” can’t ask for much more than that!

(Pot # 5) “Reapers Roast” by Murray Jacobson, beef and veggie with a finishing kick.

(Pot # 6) “Eliza’s Famous Cincinnati Chili” by Matt and Eliza Hall. A sweet and smoky version of a famous chili with floral overtones.

(Pot # 7) “Nanna’s Best” by Ethan and Bess Zelle, judges: a mildly seasoned all-day-eating chili.

(Pot # 8) “Better Than Canned” by Paul Showalter. Barely.

(Pot # 9) “The Day After Tomorrow” by Ethan and Bess Zelle. A spicy red with a lingering tingle of heat that danced on the tongue.

(Pot # 10) “Deathbed Chili” by Amanda Hawkins, a spicy red aromatic . Said by the maker to be the one chili you would ask for as your last meal. This recipe is a legend in the mind of it’s maker.

(Pot # 11) “A Mother’s Love” by Gary Putnam. This bowl of red was so subtle that only a mother could love it. It was so underwhelming that it got only one vote (tieing for dead last). That single vote did not come from the maker. He wisely chose someone else’s! How would you feel to know that the world loves EVERYBODY elses more than yours?

(Pot # 12) “Uncontrolled Wildfire” by Elliott and Marlene Mandel. Sweet notes of caramel and lots of beans with an attitude.

(Pot # 13) “Papa’s Campfire Chili” by Dorothy Atewologun. Bison, jalapeños, onions and beans. What more do you need? A very good pot.

(Pot # 14) “Mama And Papa’s Chili” by Tom and Elizabeth Sheehy. Straightforward traditional bowl of well-balanced red. Safe for families.

(Pot # 15) “Drunken Chicken Chili” by John and Kim Franklin. Really sophisticated hints of smoke and cinnamon spiced chicken. The judges noted that most bowls of chili benefit from the proximity of beer and bourbon.

(Pot # 18) “Baby Got Chili” by David Morgan. A veggie chili which placed really high in the popular vote. The judges reluctantly praised it in spite of it being a spin-off from last year’s vegetarian winner. Judges admitted that it looked good and tasted good. Unexpectedly corny, red and sweet.

(Pot # 19) “One Hot Grandma” by Elizabeth Wray. Perfectly done meat, very spicy and aromatic served in an early electric warmer that must be over a half century old. It was so old that Alva Edison had carved his initials in it.

The chili credentials have been awarded for 2024 and so its time to fade back into our double-wides for another year and work on those or hopefully better recipes for next year’s cookoff. 

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Neighbors Making a Difference: Elizabeth Wray

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By Kathleen McSweeney

When thinking of the neighbors who have helped build community in Lyon Park, Elizabeth Wray is at the top of the list. Even if you don’t know her, you have seen her in one of her many incarnations over the past several decades. She has been Mrs. Claus for years at the Lyon Park holiday parties, a friendly witch who has distributed donuts and cider at the annual Halloween bonfire, ticket seller at the pancake breakfast and the annual chili dinner, cupcake baker at nearly every bake sale, representative to the Lyon Park Board of Governors, and the leader of the Woman’s Club.

Elizabeth’s first career was as an elementary school teacher in Hagerstown, MD. She met her husband in Hagerstown, and his work drew them to Arlington. They moved to her Highland Street home in November 1962, with toddlers in tow, and one more on the way. The Henry Clay Elementary School, which stood on the site of what is now Zitkala-Sa Park, was a huge draw being just steps away from their new home.

In 1977, Elizabeth became a single mother with four children. She worked to support her family and still managed to volunteer in her community. She worked
for C&P Telephone company, which was called Bell Atlantic by the time she retired in 1998. (Today we know it as Verizon.) She enjoyed her work at the phone company, and she put her teaching skills to good use training new customer service representatives. She was active in the PTA and supported the activities of the Clarendon Cub Scout troops and Boy Scout troop based at Mount Olivet Church, her sons drawn by the many activities and canoe trips. Neighbors can still see the canoes Elizabeth stores in her driveway when they aren’t being used by the troop. She has been a member of the LPCA ever since she moved to the neighborhood, and chuckled when she noted that she should have thought to become a lifetime member, seeing as she has been paying her annual LPCA dues for about 62 years. 

She knocked on Lyon Park doors for years to raise money for the American Heart Association and the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, the latter a personal mission since she was one of eight children and has lost six of her siblings to cancer. For years she has made memory bears for a hospice center in Fairfax. Families provide volunteers with garments from their loved ones who spent their final days at the hospice, and volunteers like Elizabeth transform the clothes into a stuffed animal. Elizabeth finds it very rewarding to help families deal with loss and she cherishes the notes she has received from grieving yet grateful family members. 

When asked what she likes about Lyon Park, she says her roots run very deep. She has lived here for over six decades, raised her children here, and has good friends and neighbors. Elizabeth knows that if she needed anything, she is confident her neighbors would help. It should be noted that this sense of community doesn’t happen by accident. Elizabeth has been the torchbearer for many of our neighborhood traditions, and through
her kind and consistent example, has been instrumental in making Lyon Park the close-knit neighborhood that
she cherishes. 

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Centennial Reflections: Let’s Raise a Glass to Lyon Park!

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By Elizabeth Sheehy

When a corner of Lyon Park was given over to the community in 1925, a gift from the developer Lyon
& Fitch for the sole purpose of building a community center, there were a number of restrictions applied to the deed. Some of these “specifications” would positively impact the community and remain part of our best practices today. The restriction against activities on the site causing a nuisance to the neighborhood, and the commitment to maintaining a quality building (which, in 1925, demanded a building costing at least $4,000) ensure the neighborhood and the community house can co-exist peacefully. Of course, today we are appalled by the racial restrictions that were included on the deed, common to many deeds throughout Virginia in the 1920s. The covenants were ruled unenforceable by the Supreme Court in 1948 (Shelley v Kramer) and are prohibited by Virginia’s Fair Housing Law. 

One final specification for transferring the land to the Lyon Park Community Center trustees in 1925 was a strict alcohol prohibition. This restriction was superfluous, as the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1919, and alcohol was prohibited everywhere. It seems that Frank Lyon, a temperance activist, was taking no chances and layered on the restriction regardless. Sure enough, by the 1930s, the nation had had enough and Prohibition ended with the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933.

There was definitely an adjustment period in Lyon Park once alcohol was publicly permitted again. At the May 27, 1935 Board of Governors meeting, the viability of holding dances was brought up. “It was reported that two persons had apparently imbibed too much “joy water” at the last dance and were rather hard to deal with.” It was decided that a chaperone would be required at all dances in the future. Still, on paper the restriction of alcohol in the Lyon Park Community House remained. It would take another four decades until action was taken. On May 14, 1974, the Board of Governors informed the three LPCC trustees that they had voted to officially rescind the “prohibition of intoxicants” in the Lyon Park Community House.

As we celebrate the annual Lyon Park Spring Fair on May 18, we will also gather together as a community to enjoy the Food Truck Festival. And while we are celebrating, we can soberly and joyfully raise a glass to this wonderful and inclusive neighborhood of Lyon Park, celebrating fifty years since the end of the LPCC’s prohibition. Please drink your joy-water responsibly!

Thank you to Laureen Daly for finding this wonderful joy-water note in the Lyon Park archives during a recent document sorting party!  

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