The sweet sounds of vibrating strings floated through the hall and over a full house, as the Mandoleers enchanted our community with a free evening concert at the Lyon Park Community Center on Tuesday December 2. The Mandoleers, a mandolin and guitar orchestra based in Arlington, was founded in 1923 in Takoma, Maryland, and is the longest continuously operating mandolin orchestra in the United States. Their holiday concert included classical and semi-classical works, folk, contemporary pieces, and festive sing-alongs that had the audience joyfully joining in. And if the music weren’t sweet enough, the dessert table, dressed with a wide selection of delectables brought by audience members, put the evening far over the top! Nothing could better convey how much people enjoyed the concert than the thunderous applause after the encore. We are grateful for the Mandoleiers donating their time and talent to perform for us! For more information about the Mandoleers visit their website at http://www.mandoleers.org.
If you are part of a music group that might be interested in performing gratis for our community at the Community Center, please send an email to David Newman at LPCCGovernors@gmail.com.
Lyon Park Community Center Board of Governors Chair David Newman and his wife, Sara, hosted the Community Center’s first community Thanksgiving potluck dinner, inviting our neighbors in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights. Two dozen celebrants came together, decorating the space, bringing their favorite dishes, and filling the room with warmth, laughter, and generosity. The group included all ages, creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. The hosts provided turkey, stuffing, gravy, and drinks, while guests brought a delicious array of family favorites, including some Ukrainian dishes! With seating arranged around a large rectangle of joined tables, everyone was together.
A highlight of the evening was a lively “Would You Rather” icebreaker, with guests drawing cards featuring questions ranging from lighthearted to reflective. Bursts of laughter filled the room as people shared their questions and answers, while deeper prompts—like choosing whether they’d rather meet their great-great-grandparents/grandchildren—sparked meaningful conversations. The evening concluded with a plentiful dessert bar and live music performed by two guitarists and a mandolin player, adding the perfect finishing touch to a night of connection and community spirit.
I’m very excited to let neighbors know about an opportunity I’ve been given by Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (MOCA)—our museum neighbor—to present an artform not commonly found in an art museum: original songs! I, along with three other local Northern Virginia songwriters, will be presenting our songs in a uniquely vulnerable and intimate format called “in-the-round.”
If you are a folk-music fan, or a Nashville music scene aficionado, you may already be familiar with this type of songwriter concert. (It’s a common format at the famous Bluebird Cafe, for instance!) A songwriters “in-the-round” concert usually consists of 2-4 songwriters. The performers share the stage, and take turns singing their songs. As one musician sings, the others on the stage listen. Often, one performer’s song inspires the next performer to choose a song that complements or contrasts to the previous song.
Most audiences are familiar with the more typical concert “line-up,” for which professional musicians and songwriters craft their song list ahead of time. The “line-up” style concert is such that when one musician plays through their list of songs, they then leave the stage and the next performer follows. The “In-the-round” format is more dynamic and collaborative. All performers are on stage together, the whole time, and their song choices are not set. This allows more exciting, unscripted human interactions on the stage!
Beyond the pleasure of beautiful voices and poignant songs and stories presented in a music “performance,” the ‘in-the-round” experience is a peek behind the curtain. It’s a glimpse into the world of musicians and songwriters. As a participant in these types of shows, I can tell you my “guard” goes down. There’s a sense of collective creation with my fellow songwriters.
Before I started performing in this way, myself, I had the pleasure of attending “in-the-round” concerts at events such as Rocky Mountain Folk Fest and the renowned Newport Folk Festival. These “in-the-round” shows at these big music festivals were always on a ‘side-stage,’ maybe in a tent far from the center of it all, with lesser known artists featured. They were always my favorite concerts to attend!
Rather than craning my neck in a crowd trying to get a glimpse of more famous musicians on a far-off festival stage, these “close-up” performances offered instant connection to inspiring artistry, soul-melting voices, and humorous or tear-jerking songs. Even though I had rarely heard of the artists beforehand, I was often an instant fan. And, it felt like I was making a new friend.
If, in the cold and quiet of January, you are looking for hope, inspiration, and some in-person human connection (set to music), close to home, then please come find a seat in the beautiful Tiffany Gallery and have a listen.
Nashville-Style Songwriters in the Round will be on Friday, January 23rd from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at MOCA, (3550 Wilson Boulevard), across from the VA Square Metro.
The event is FREE and open to the public. However, if you have the means, and want to support the museum or express interest in seeing more of this type of programming in the future. Donations to MOCA are welcomed!
Friends took us to Screwtop Wine Bar when my husband and I were considering moving into the neighborhood and I’m not joking when I say that it was one of the selling points that convinced us that Clarendon was going to be a good fit for us. It wasn’t necessarily the food—which was great—or the wine selection—even greater! It was just the feel of the place. We really felt like this was the kind of upscale neighborhood place – with cozy indoor tables and a welcoming outside patio, that we wanted to have nearby.
One year later, now fully settled in the neighborhood, a friend and I dropped in for lunch at this neighborhood staple, whose website describes it as, “a cozy wine bar and full-service restaurant, serving lunch, dinner, and plenty of good vibes seven days a week.” And other patrons agree—Screwtop is going to be recognized as a 2026 Top Vote Getter for Best Restaurant in Arlington AND Best Neighborhood Bar by Arlington Magazine’s readers’ survey.
Screwtop has been part of the community for sixteen years, since 2009, and has staff members who have been working there for upwards of ten years. Some wine club members have been part of the scene for the same amount of time. Linda, the owner I spoke to on my most recent visit, told me that people appreciate that this is more than a restaurant or wine store, but a place to have fun and meet people. Screwtop hosts weekly and monthly events, including tastings and classes, and is available for a variety of private parties. Linda mentioned that some patrons came to Screwtop on a first date and return to celebrate their engagement and/or anniversary.
The menu features six pages of beverages, including hundreds of wines, cocktails, and terrific mocktails (in a menu section called, “Shaken Not Slurred”). Curious No. 3 – the Juniper Cucumber Collins is a favorite of mine. Wine selections rotate regularly, and seasonal wine flights are added to the menu, like the Fizz the Season, Jingle Blends, and Rosé Bells are Ringing.
The food is fantastic. For full transparency, I have loved the more stable menu items more than I love some of the recent additions. The grilled cheese sliders, a signature dish, paired with tomato bisque is a hit any time of year, and the Butternut Squash Salad (with added shrimp) is a standout. The new acorn squash stuffed with turkey and quinoa tasted “healthy,” according to my friend who ordered it, and the newly added Zucchini Lasagna, which I ordered, was good, but spicier than I’d anticipated. On the brunch menu (served Saturday and Sundays), the Nutella & Banana French Toast, and Avocado Toast are crowd pleasers. And the cheesemonger plate rivals those at the fanciest of restaurants. Little embellishments—like a serving of truffle popcorn when you sit down, soft napkins (my friend asked me to add that!) and Hershey’s kisses with your check—enhance the overall experience.
While reservations generally aren’t needed for lunch, it’s recommended that you book ahead for dinner and on weekends. Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 3:00-6:00 p.m., and other specials are on offer during the week, like half off all wine bottles on the menu under $100 Sundays from 4:00-9:00 p.m.
There is so much going on at Screwtop, it’s hard to capture it all! But, more than anything, it’s a warm, welcoming spot where your meal is going to be delicious and your drinks are going to be special. If you haven’t been in awhile —or at all—it’s definitely worth a return visit to this sweet Clarendon spot.
Screwtop (1025 N Fillmore Street): Hours of operation are 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday & Saturday. Phone number is 703-888-0845. Visit the website: screwtopwinebar.com for more information..
The snow and ice were no match for Team Showalter. The sidewalks were clear and dry by the time the guests arrived.
The Lyon Park Community Center’s Winter Wonderland was designed by Darcy Rosenbaum. Darcy and her team of elves (John and Benton) worked tirelessly to create a magical experience for everyone.
The craft tables were a big hit with both children and adults. Options included making a keychain and a set of earrings, pinecone decorating, writing notes to Santa, and much more. So many fun activities to choose from. Gallons of hot chocolate were mixed, mini marshmallows were dunked, and hundreds of candy canes consumed. Cookies and more cookies were eaten by the handfuls – thanks to those who donated cookies.
The gingerbread cookie decorating station was packed with kids of all ages. Marjorie Phillips went above and beyond baking hundreds of gingerbread cookies. She then staffed the decorating table the entire time. Thank you for your incredible contribution.
A new addition this year was a face painting station. Layla Moustafa and Sophie Enkhbat, neighborhood entrepreneurs, had a continuous line of kids waiting for their turn and their painted faces were adorable. Layla and Sophie will make a great addition to any birthday party you are planning.
And what would a holiday party be without Santa. Our loveable neighborhood Santa brought his sleigh to life and put a smile on all the kids’ faces. Many happy memories were made.
Thank you to the army of volunteers who stepped up to help staff the party. Without volunteers and donations, events like this cannot happen.
On the afternoon of December 11, Lyon Park lost a beloved member of its arboreal family, the Japanese zelkova tree (zelkova serrata) that for many years stood guard near the southeast corner of Lyon Park. In the summer it offered shade, and its fall leaves were brilliant. The tree’s demise highlights two community concerns that Arlington County leadership must address: bureaucratic inflexibility and poor communication.
There is little doubt that Lyon Park is facing a tree crisis. The prevalence of aging trees (many 100+ years old), disease and development has reduced the tree canopy throughout our area. As a community, we value trees for their cooling shade, and role in cleaning the air and absorbing water runoff. After decades of neglect, the County is finally engaged, implementing the Circuit Tree Maintenance program in 2024, “proactively inspecting and scheduling maintenance to all street trees under [the County’s] care on a five-year cycle” to protect Arlington’s tree canopy.
Lyon Park certainly appreciates the County’s intentions, yet there is a right way and a wrong way to go about tree maintenance, and the treatment of this tree sure looks like the wrong way.
During this past summer, the County started working on Lyon Park’s trees. Communication was underwhelming, with a single notification about scheduled tree maintenance sent via email to the LPCA (which then distributed it to the list serve) in mid-August. This information was not sent to individual homes, so it came as a shock to many in mid-October when signs were nailed to a dozen trees, stating their removal was imminent. Residents were angry and confused, and it was two days later that the LPCA President received a County email stating the number of trees slated for pruning and/or removal.
Questioning why this important and seemingly healthy tree was being cut down, the community gathered at the site on October 25, inviting County leaders to join them for a “treeside chat.” No County employees attended, but residents who were present agreed that the tree appeared healthy and requested a second opinion on its viability. Communication went back-and-forth between the LPCA and County officials, with Lyon Park asking for time to review options to rehabilitate the tree, which serves as a focal point on N Fillmore Street. Responses were slow, but the LPCA believed it was still in conversation with its government representatives when, on December 11, the chainsaws arrived.
Knowing this tree was a priority for the Lyon Park community, the County could have held off its irreversible actions until the community was convinced of its necessity. After decades of tree neglect, postponing this tree’s removal so alternate options could be considered was a reasonable request. Instead, Lyon Park’s concerns were ignored. Once the tree was removed, it was clear that there was no internal rot, and, having survived the recent derecho and various hurricanes, there was no reason to believe its limbs would fail any time soon. Residents’ sense of betrayal will not fade quickly, and the County’s actions highlight distrust in Arlington between elected officials and residents.
Lyon Park deserves an explanation.
UPDATE: LPCA President Natalie Roy addressed this issue at the December 13 County Board meeting. The Board promised to look into the issue and get back to her. Stay tuned.
Lyon Park was extremely proud to be a part of the Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington Project (MEA), aka Stumbling Stones. This groundbreaking initiative is co-led by the Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington. It is the first program of its type being conducted in the South, to commemorate the names and lives of those long erased by history. Lyon Park’s Stumbling Stones dedication honored two enslaved men, Orville and Jackson, born almost 200 years ago, who lived and worked in an area that is now Lyon Park. The beautiful stones were placed on the southwest corner of Lyon Park, on 4th Street North and N Garfield Street.
The idea of bronze plaques, and the Memorializing the Enslaved effort, is modeled after the project conceived by German artist Gunter Demnig to honor Holocaust victims by placing 10-centimeter brass plaques known as Stolpersteine or “stumbling stones,” at the sites where Holocaust victims once lived. Today, more than 100,000 Stolpersteine can be found throughout Europe constituting the largest decentralized monument in the world. Michele Norris’s June 3, 2021 op-ed article in the Washington Post, “Germany Faced Its Terrible Past. Can We Do the Same?” prompted interest to recognize and honor those in Arlington who suffered grave wrongs. As the Talmud states, “A person is only forgotten when his or her name is forgotten.”
We always need to learn from our history, the good, the bad and the ugly. That famous quote, that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” rings true, especially in these current turbulent times. The MEA program is a core part of a much larger effort to ensure real and lasting change. We have come a long way but there is so much more to do.
Jackson and Orville were enslaved by Bushrod W. Hunter, a Lieutenant in the US Navy and the owner of the “Brookdale” estate, 400 acres of land that makes up today’s Ashton Heights, Lyon Park, and Arlington Heights neighborhoods. Bushrod oversaw a second estate, Abingdon (now National Airport). The plantation was owned by Bushrod’s brother Alexander Hunter, but upon his death in 1849, Bushrod’s son, also Alexander, inherited the property. Alexander was a minor so Bushrod legally operated Abingdon until Alexander turned 18 years old. From 1851–1859, tax records indicate that at various times, Bushrod Hunter enslaved between 18 and 36 people at his two estates. On the 1860 census, Bushrod enslaved 20 people.
Jackson, or Jack, was born around 1830 and grew up at Abingdon. On Alexander Hunter’s probate inventory, taken to tally his possessions at the time of his death, Jackson was listed as a 20-year-old enslaved man worth $450. Jackson labored at both the Brookdale and Abingdon estates. Bushrod Hunter’s diary entry of March 12, 1861, indicates that Jackson was farming at Brookdale that day. The entry read, “Started 3 two horse plows in the far field for oats. Jack finished sowing clover seed at Brookdale, 3 carts hauling manure.”
Orville was born around 1827. While little is known about his life, his appearance in an 1857 newspaper advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette provided invaluable information including his name, physical appearance, and relationships. The advertisement was placed by Bushrod who offered a $50 reward for the “apprehension of his servant man, Orville.” Orville had gone to visit his wife, “who lived with the widow of the late Mr. Towers but had not returned.” Research did not reveal where in the District of Columbia-Northern Virginia region Widow Towers lived. It was common for enslaved people to leave or temporarily “run away” from their place of enslavement to visit loved ones from whom they had been separated. In the body of the advertisement, Bushrod describes Orville’s appearance. [He] is a mulatto (not very bright) and about 30 years of age, short and stout, with a broad face and (I think) a scar on the forehead.” It’s unclear whether Orville was captured and forced to return to Bushrod Hunter’s estates.
Thank you for helping honor the lives and contributions of Jackson and Orville. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington hopes you have gained a greater understanding of Arlington’s complicated past.
During August, a new-to-Clarendon exercise studio opened up (in the former Urban Kempo space) called Club Pilates. It is a full-body, reformer-based workout studio that holds classes seven days a week. It requires for you wear grippy socks, but every other piece of equipment you need is provided for you.
What is pilates (pronounced puh·laa·teez)? It is a low-impact, full-body workout system developed by Joseph Pilates that focuses on controlled movements to build core strength, flexibility, and posture. It involves precise exercises, mindful breathing, and a strong mind-body connection to create balanced and stable muscles—increasing your mobility, balance, and strength.
What makes the classes different at Club Pilates than other Pilates-type classes you may have taken (like mat classes) is that a portion of each class uses a specialized piece of exercise equipment called a reformer. The reformer has a bed-like frame with a sliding carriage, and is connected to springs that provide resistance. It is used to perform a wide variety of exercises that build strength, flexibility, and balance by pushing and pulling against the resistance provided by the springs. The machine is known for being low-impact, making it suitable for beginners, athletes, and those recovering from injuries.
Club Pilates incorporates the use of other equipment as well, including spring boards, Bosu balls, hand weights, squishy balls, TRX, Exo-Chairs, and other items, allowing for the instructors to provide a unique (and non-boring!) exercise experience during each class.
Interested in giving it a try? The studio offers a free 30-minute introductory class multiple times a week, which introduces their state-of-the-art equipment, studio, workout, and amazing staff. Classes are held seven days a week, starting as early as 5:30 a.m. and running until as late as 8:30 p.m. Please see the full schedule on their website for more details.
Club Pilates Clarendon (3000 Washington Blvd., entrance is at 10th Street N and N Highland Street). Phone number is (571) 517-8219. Visit their website https://www.clubpilates.com/location/clarendon for class descriptions and more information.
I was playing pickleball with the indefatigable Natalie Roy a few months ago, when she suddenly exclaimed, “I have an idea!” As it turns out, her idea was a winner.
As many of you know, I am the principal harpist of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, now in my 31st season. And some of you may have noticed that my workplace is often in the news these days!
Natalie’s idea was a neighborhood “Night at the Opera.” The WNO Audience Development team loved the idea and ran with it. Residents enjoyed a generous ticket discount and an intermission champagne toast. In October, we brought about twenty friends and neighbors to a WNO performance of Verdi’s Aida, mingled at intermission, and then enjoyed an early dinner back in the neighborhood at Texas Jack’s. A few days ago, a group of thirty was wowed by the WNO’s The Marriage of Figaro, and we gathered for cake and (more) champagne after the show here at my home. It was great fun to walk through the Grand Foyer and the Opera House and see friends and neighbors everywhere, and to get to know new neighbors as well. At our recent outing I was able to introduce two residents of the 600 block of N. Kenmore St. to one another!
Figaro was particularly meaningful to me—since I don’t play the opera I was able to enjoy it as an audience member. The house was packed, full of buzz, and familiar faces. The performance was engaging and rapturously received—it was so moving to witness my place of work functioning just as it is intended to, bringing resonant musical experiences (Figaro is, after all, a tale that celebrates the fundamental humanity of people of all walks of life) to a large and appreciative audience.
I would love for anyone reading this to understand that the Kennedy Center is just a building, but its beating heart is its two primary constituents: The Washington National Opera and The National Symphony Orchestra. These incredible pillars of the DC arts community are presenting their current seasons as originally planned, their own boards of directors and fundraising machinery intact. If these institutions are lost, they are likely gone for good. The musicians of the Kennedy Center, along with the hardworking crews, and support staff (five labor unions are represented in the building) all appreciate the continued support of the community.
I hope to have more such opportunities in the spring! I am more than happy to answer your questions, or share our musicians’ talking points. Email me at susan@ibischambermusic.org.
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