By Elizabeth Sheehy

For those of us living in Lyon Park, it is easy to take for granted the lush park at the center of our neighborhood. The park and the Lyon Park Community House are unique within the county. With sixty neighborhood civic and citizens associations, ours is the only one that owns both its community center and surrounding greenspace. That is quite an honor, and with it comes responsibility.

One way to fulfill the responsibility to support Lyon Park is to volunteer at a community event—Mulch Day (April), Pancake Breakfast (January), and the Spring Fair (May) are just a few examples. Please consider a donation to the Lyon Park Foundation to support long-term upkeep of the historic Community House. Or you can represent Lyon Park at the Arlington County Civic Federation (ACCF).

Neighborhood associations have a long history in Arlington County, many of them pre-dating the establishment of the county itself. The Glencarlyn Civic Association, for example, traces its roots to 1887 and the LPCA was established in 1924. The neighborhood associations amplify their voices by joining with other Arlington interest groups, such as the Arlington Arts Alliance and Encore Stage & Studio, under the umbrella of the ACCF (also known as CivFed). Together, members of the ACCF discuss critical issues affecting all Arlingtonians, including schools, zoning, government oversight, and sewers. The LPCA elects four members to represent the community at the monthly meetings (usually 7 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of the month) and it’s a great opportunity to have your voice heard, and share the ACCF’s priority with the LPCA membership. Please consider joining the team.

You can also share your opinion by participating in the Arlington 2050 project. Launched in January 2024 by County Board Chairwoman Libby Garvey, Arlington 2050 solicits citizen input online at 

https://publicinput.com/arlington2050

It is unclear when the results of this initiative will be tallied, so offer your input now!

Finally, a fun way to get involved in community life is to join the Centennial Committee, as Lyon Park celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Lyon Park Community Center. We need volunteers to serve as party organizers, researchers, publicity people and worker bees. Contact elizabeth.r.sheehy@gmail.com, with “Centennial” in the subject line, if you are interested. The committee continues to seek documents, photographs, and sundry items related to Lyon Park’s past.