WNA November 2015 Newsletter

PUBLISHED ON / Lynn Johnson

PLANNING OUR HOLIDAY PARTY

It’s time to start putting together our 14th annual Holiday Tree Decorating Event and 17th annual neighborhood Holiday Party. We are planning to hold it Friday, Dec. 11, at 6:30 pm, so mark your calendars.

We need to choose a house for the party. If you want to showcase anything you’ve done in your house, or even if you just don’t mind having 50 neighbors in your house, you might consider offering your place. We always hold our party within the WNA area, and we like to do a different house every year as most folks like to showcase their work. Don’t worry about the food and the clean-up. WNA members are good at that and will make sure that all pre-planning matters are covered. We have so much to celebrate as a community this year. Let us know if your house is available. Lynn@Johnsonandpavuk.com (202.210.2276).

We, of course, need many volunteers to make this successful. Most important among them are the chefs and bakers who know how to make home-cooked items. Marjorie Perko is coordinating this (reach her at (largemargery@aol.com) or tele. 202 332-7595. However, make whatever you’re best at. If you want to find out what we might be short on (salads, main events, desserts, wines) contact her for this information.

Other volunteers that need to come forward and let Pres. Lynn know if you can do such tasks are:

  • Purchase of Holiday Tree (WNA pays for it);
  • Erecting the tree in the Playground and/or assisting in hanging the lights;
  • Purchase of some foods/drinks at Costco;
  • Managing children while they hang the ornaments;
  • Transferring chairs/condiments to our yet-to-be designated holiday house;
  • Playing maître-de &/or help preparing/serving food during the event;
  • Assisting in clean-up after event.

We need most of our WNA members to assist with this and need to hear from you now for planning purposes.

 

Playground Halloween Party

We had a great Halloween Party in our Playground again this year, thanks to WNA member Megan Olsen. There was a live band, costumed chaperones who danced and encouraged with the little ones (who took the bait so readily) and, yes, pizza ($285 of pizza!). Thanks to all the parents, their donations more than covered the cost.

If this is what our neighborhood is about, then there’s little reason to think of leaving. It is only by our group participation that these events are such a success. Thanks to all who made this possible.

TRASH ISSUES

        There have been a number of complaints that some of you are not taking your trash cans in within 24 hours of putting them in the alley. Specifically, there have been a number of residents on the south and west side of T Street that seem to leave their cans in the alley (some of them permanently!). You should all know that you are subject to (doubling) fines for leaving your cans out. As importantly, they can become a hazard to cars traversing the alley as well as preventing the alley sweepers from doing their job.

There have also been complaints that residents are putting some of their overflow trash in their neighbors’ trash cans. Now, you know that is a no-no.

Please be considerate. Properly fill your cans and promptly take them in when you come home in the evening. For detailed trash disposal instructions, see our website (WNADC.org) where we have put together two pages of detail. WNA is doing all it can to keep this community clean. Please do your part.

 Membership – As you know, your dues are $15/calendar year per household ($5 if senior status) plus 1 hour/month doing volunteer work. A WNA lifetime membership is $100 (that’s right, you only pay once—good for as long as you own or live in the area.) [It does not waive your 1 hour/month requirement to do volunteer work.]

Regardless of which option you choose, you can either mail or just drop your check off to 914 Westminster (payable to “WNA”). Your dues are tax deductible as a charitable contribution so it’s a win-win for all of us.

Remember, your dues become due at the beginning of the calendar year and should be paid at that time (no problem paying them early, so do it now, while you’re thinking of it).

Next Monthly Meeting – There is no monthly WNA meeting in December (we do the party!), so next meeting will be Jan. 26, 2016 at 7:00 pm sharp. It will be held at 922 Westminster Street, NW (basement).