If you were on the Mall September 19-21, you could not help but notice the National Mall of Pickleball event.
A dozen temporary pickleball courts attracted thousands of people from across the country and around the world.
Center Court featured pickleball pros showing off their skills, as well as opportunities for the amateurs to compete.
Throughout the weekend, Lyon Park’s very own Helen White, official U.S. Pickleball Ambassador, coached pickleball enthusiasts, many of them first-time players.
Pickleball is a fabulous sport for young and old, as well as the fastest growing sport in America! Helen will be happy to share her addiction with you!.
On Saturday July 26, Lyon Park friends celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the Lyon Park Community House. Despite the monsoon rains, a good time was had by all. The sun came out just in time for Arlington County Board member Susan Cunningham to read an official proclamation and Peter Vaselopulos from the Arlington Historical Society to say a few words. The evening continued as the Mandoleers and Jelly Jammers performed from the finally-dry patio, a perfect ending to a memorable community event.
The 99th Spring Fair was a sunny experience of joy, sugar, and fun.
Setup for the Fair began on Friday with several people (David Grahn and Peter Zirnite) bringing all the games, tables and supplies out of the basement before the torrential rainstorm hit. Darcy Rosenbaum (the Spring Fair chair) and son Benton and husband John worked late into the night prepping the center for a day’s worth of fun.
Saturday morning started early for a bunch of us, to make sure the day went off without a hitch. And it was a spectacular day. The sun was shining; the park was full of kids playing games and bouncing in the moon bounce; cookies and other baked goods were selling quickly at the Woman’s Club bake sale; the kitchen was pushing out Danville Street hot dogs, Troy’s pizza, fresh pasta, and lots lemonade; lions and tigers were painted on faces; popcorn, popsicles, and cotton candy were sold; and prizes were exchanged for prize tickets. We played numerous games of “Cake-A-Bout” in the sun, with kids winning baked goods (I served as the event’s emcee).
The Rosenbaum’s homemade games were a big hit again this year. The “Bull Ringer” – “Hole in One” – “Frog Flinger” and the reimagined “Duck Pond” fascinated the kids once again.
This event, like every event at Lyon Park, could not happen without a large group of volunteers. The Danville Street Crew (Mark Trachtman, Charlie Wall, and Sharon Showalter) staffed the kitchen and fed lots of hungry kids. Many other neighbors stepped in to help and it was appreciated.
We had more than twelve high school and college volunteers with us on Friday and Saturday. We even had a crew of Long Branch Elementary school students (Alex and Helen Peters, Benton Rosenbaum, Alexys & Alejandro Linder, and Niam and Dhilan Bahl) running games and painting faces (Their parents even pitched in to help). All volunteers worked tirelessly throughout the day to make sure everyone had fun—and we appreciate their efforts.
Special thanks to Tyler Hawkins, Theo Roiniotis, and Tabitha Ricketts for sticking around and helping with the cleanup. They packed away every game, tent, and table. They even carried everything into the basement. An extra special thanks goes to my wife Sharon, for not only helping with setup on Friday night, but working all day in the kitchen, and cleaning until the last box was packed away in the “little blue pickup truck.”
Next year, we celebrate our 100th Spring Fair. For our signature event to be a success, we need more people to be involved in producing the Fair. Please step up and offer to help. We need you. Reach out to LyonParkEvents@gmail.com if you are interested.
If you have a rising sophomore, junior or senior who wants to volunteer in our community, have them reach out to LyonParkEvents@gmail.com. We have many volunteer opportunities during the summer and fall.
April 19, 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In 1775, British troops aimed to seize military supplies stored by colonial militiamen in Concord, in the hopes of suppressing further rebellion. The colonists were warned of the impending arrival of the redcoats by Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride through the Massachusetts countryside, memorialized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem.
The skirmish that resulted in a Patriot victory is known as the “shot heard round the world,” and is regarded as the official start of the successful American War of Independence. In Massachusetts (and six other states) April 19th is a legal holiday known as Patriots Day, and traditionally is the day of the Boston Marathon, as well as a morning Red Sox game at Fenway Park. This year, Patriot Day celebrations also marked the start of America250, the nationwide commemoration of our nation’s founding with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Localities across the country will participate by highlighting historical events, cultural diversity, freedom, and community. Information about the celebrations, which will span more than a year, culminating in a nationwide birthday party of July 4, 2026, can be found at:
In 1976, during the nation’s Bicentennial (200th birthday), Lyon Park created several special community projects. That year marks the start of the Lyon Park Citizen newsletter, published for the first time in September 1976. If anyone has editions from the first two years, the history committee would love copies! Another wonderful project was the planting of red, white, and blue flowers in the gardens throughout Lyon Park. For those who lived in Lyon park at the time, what else was done to commemorate the Bicentennial?
Lyon Park is a very special community and an official Historic District. We need to start planning for next year’s celebration. Come to the LPCA meeting on May 8 to share your ideas, or drop a note to lyonparkpresident@gmail.com. This is the chance not only to look back, but to look forward and create wonderful NEW memories and future opportunities.
And mark your calendars for Lyon Park’s own launch of the Semiquincentennial (quarter millennial or 250 years) Celebration at the Lyon Park Picnic in two months on Saturday, July 26 starting at 4 p.m. There will be games, music, ice cream and more! Sign up today to help or donate at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A48ACA92FA4FB6-55905801-lyon#/
On Wednesday, February 12, the Lyon Park neighborhood unveiled three interpretive historical markers adjacent to its community house. The signs profile the history of the Lyon Park neighborhood, stories behind the building itself, and interactive information about the surrounding parkland, trees, and native plants. Despite the significant snowfall which caused school closures in Arlington, the ribbon cutting proceeded as planned. Michael Kunkler, the LPCA President, and David Newman, Chairman of the Lyon Park Board of Governors, officially christened the signs, with remarks from community members including Elizabeth Sheehy and Toby McIntosh of the Lyon Park History Committee and Richard Samp, Treasurer of the Arlington Historical Society. Lorin Farris of the Arlington Historic Preservation Fund, though unable to attend, sent along her congratulations.
Funding for the historic markers came from a grant to the Lyon Park Citizens Association from Arlington County’s Historic Preservation Fund. The fund seeks to preserve Arlington’s history, connecting people to their community through education and the sharing of stories from the past. The community center display case, where photos and history will be shared, should be installed by early March, and will be inaugurated at the O’Chili Cook-off, March 16. This year, Lyon Park is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Lyon Park Community Center, so save the date of Saturday, July 26 for a community-wide Picnic in the Park.
Santa, his sleigh, and his trusty elves (Paul Showalter, Benton Rosenbaum, Elizabeth Schwab, Ellen Malloy), visited nine parks in North Arlington on Tuesday December 24. Santa had the opportunity to visit with many children during his tour (he especially enjoyed visiting with children at Lyon Park). Santa’s elves handed out hundreds of candy canes and took lots of photos of kids (and family’s) visiting with Santa.
After finishing his world tour on Christmas Day, Santa made time to swing back through Arlington to hand deliver a few “Santa” gifts to children.
Santa will be visiting Lyon Park again very soon, so make sure you stay on the “Nice List.”
For the LPCC Board of Governors (BOG), this is the end of one era and the start of something new. For well over a decade, we’ve been fortunate to have Jeannette Wick’s leadership of the BOG, Cindy Stroup’s services as rental agent, and Bill Short’s work as janitorial engineer, preserving the beauty of our Community Center and ensuring its availability to our community. After all three had decided it was time for them to pursue other passions, the BOG elected David Newman as the new Chair and Ann Reimers Pitts as Vice Chair of the BOG. Their highest priority from the start has been finding the best available talent to fill the rental agent and cleaning services positions. Their goals for the search included finding people who would bring experience, expertise, and outstanding customer service skills. The BOG believes that finding a cleaning service provider that offers affordable prices and outstanding cleaning services is key to reducing the stress of event planning and execution for LPCC renters. This is central to the BOG’s mission of finding the best new cleaning service provider for the LPCC.
To form a committee dedicated to this effort, the BOG leadership solicited community participation for a committee reviewing applicants for these positions. Community members Bess Zelle, Laureen Daly, and Sara Alepin stepped up, joining four members of the BOG on the committee – Shelya White, Elizabeth Wray, Ann Reimers Pitts, and David Newman.
At the end of a rigorous journey, the committee drafted its recommendations for the next rental agent and cleaning services provider. The ultimate decision must be made by the BOG, which is still deliberating. The current rental agent will help train the new agent during a transition period in December, and the new rental agent will take full responsibility for the role starting January 1, 2025, when the new cleaning service also will begin its work.
The new LPCC team also is committed to placing the highest priority on building relationships with the community, while keeping the LPCC well maintained, beautiful, and available for future generations. We encourage your questions and comments. You may email David and Ann directly at their new email address: LPCCGovernors@gmail.com.
Watch this space for future reports from the BOG on the final selections for rental agent and cleaner and on the many projects they are planning for the future.
The highlight of the November LPCA meeting was a presentation by David Povlitz, Fire Chief of the Arlington County Fire Department. Chief David Povlitz oversees a department of 375 uniformed and 25 support staff covering nine fire stations. He reviewed the excellent coverage enjoyed by county residents, ensuring quick response to fire and safety emergencies. He also discussed the strong relationships Arlington shares with neighboring jurisdiction, mutually helping each other as needs arise. He is extremely proud that construction of Arlington’s newest station, Station 8 located on Langston Blvd., came in on-time and under its budget of $32 million. Arlington has state-of-the-art equipment and strives to use it efficiently by focusing on preventative measures. Thank you, Chief Povlitz.
The latter portion of the meeting was devoted to a discussion on Tyndale School, currently housed at 715 N Barton Street. The school has been operating since September with 40 students, and the LPCA membership voted to support the school’s use permit for the same student population through 2025. However, this issue will be revisited at the December meeting, when we will discuss approving the expansion of the school to 80 students (see recap from Anne Bodine on page 2).
The meeting closed out with a cake celebrating 100 years since the first Lyon Park Community Center meeting in 1924. As the Fire Chief had already departed, the candles were kept to a minimum. While consuming cake, good conversation was shared by all.
Reprinted from the Lyon Park Groups.io site, with the author’s permission
This past week, Michael Kunkler sent an invitation to all of us in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights to join together from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center to mark the 100 years since those early citizens got together and decided to turn farmland into a developed community. Although there would remain isolated and fragmented farms for years in our neighborhoods, the inevitable conversion was from an agrarian to a residential landscape as the Washington Metro Area grew.
It is a welcome opportunity to see how far we have come in 100 years since the founding of our community. The progress through the century has been both wobbly and triumphant—much like real life. A lot of the deeds in our community still bear the scars of racial inequity and inequality. The first inhabitants of our house, an Army Captain and his Native American wife, Gertrude Bonnin, also known by her Sioux name, Zitkala-Ša, probably had to have friends buy the house originally to sidestep the clause that restricted ownership to “members of the Caucasian race only.” They waited for a little over a year and then assumed ownership of the house where they lived for the rest of their lives.
When we look around at our neighbors now, we see a crazy quilt pattern; a multidimensional tapestry of colors and religions, beliefs, and politics that simply weren’t possible here 100 years ago.
My roots are in Western North Carolina, the segregated South. I can remember when we first got electricity, then running water, then a telephone and then, finally, a television that had programming from mid-afternoon til way past bedtime…maybe 10 p.m. or so.
My neighbors in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights come from all over the world. They refresh me and cleanse me by shaking up my thinking and my day-to-day existence causing a near constant reevaluation of how I see the world.
On the occasion of our 100th year of existence, I salute you, my dear neighbors who have become such a large part of my world. I salute my favorite Lyon Parker, Catherine “Kit” Putnam, an Arlington native, who was born when Lyon Park was just 16 years old. I thank you for becoming my ”Found Family!”
I had always assumed that I would “go back home” to retire and be buried in North Carolina. The rewards of living in this neighborhood amongst the people who are here have made me rethink that.
Kit and I are in our “golden” years now and we both relish the memories of delivering 117 Lyon Park newsletters starting in 1984. It was a wonderful way to meet neighbors.
Both Kit and I say Thank You to all the neighbors with whom we have worked and played and celebrated. I look forward to the betterment and advancement of our community spirit as long as I am able.
At its first meeting of the 2024–2025 year, the Board of Governors (BoG), which manages the operation of the Lyon Park Community House and the park, elected new leadership. The ten BoG members (five representing the LPCA and five from the Woman’s Club) meet monthly to approve repairs and maintenance, review budgets, and manage the calendar of community events, such as the Halloween Bonfire and Chili Cook-off.
After 15 years, Jeannette Wick is stepping down as chairman of the BoG. (See write-up in the September 2024 newsletter.) Jeannette served during a particularly intense period, as the community embarked on a million-dollar renovation. She helped negotiate a creative loan, followed by relentless fundraising that allowed the mortgage to be retired early—just months before the Community Center closed down during Covid.
The new chairman is David Newman, who first moved to Lyon Park in 1995. He and his wife Sara raised three daughters (Sharon, 24, Emily, 22, and Carolyn, 19), all attending APS. David recently retired after 34 years “lawyering” for the federal government, giving him more time to care for Jethro, the family’s Bagel (Basset Hound/Beagle). He keeps busy as a substitute teacher in APS, as well as volunteering with the Red Cross for deployment across the US in mass disaster care situations.
Ann Reimers is also new to BoG leadership, elected vice-chairman. She moved to Lyon Park in 2017, living right on the park for five years. She moved a block from the park with her husband, Bruce Pitts, two years ago. Both are engineers, she a mechanical engineer, he a civil engineer. No doubt Ann’s background teaching mechanical/aerospace classes at UVa will come in handy in a century-old building.
David and Ann are already hard at work, strategizing how to approach Lyon Park concerns for the next 100 years. Their initial goals are:
– Instill a greater sense of ownership of the community center among our Lyon Park neighbors, supported by more transparency and responsiveness on the part of the BoG, and publishing more volunteer opportunities related to community activities at the Community Center
– Improve customer satisfaction with renting the community center
– Continue to act as fiscally responsible stewards of our valuable community-owned property
– Continue to host more neighborhood activities that build community and a sense of inclusion
Rounding out the Board of Governors roster:
LPCA Reps
John Ausink – BoG Treasurer
Kim Franklin – BoG Secretary
Natalie Roy
Paul Showalter
Woman’s Club Reps
Bill Anhut
Shelya White
Jeannette Wick
Elizabeth Wray
Be sure to thank them all for their service to our very special community!
lyonpark.org 