National Harbor Hosts World Peeps Eating Championship on Peeps Day

April 18, 2016

The World Peeps Eating Championship is the headliner event for National Harbor’s Peeps Day on April 2, celebrating the opening of the first Peeps and Company retail store in 2009 at the harbor.

The contest, which begins at 1 p.m., features professional competitive eaters, including #1 ranked Matt Stonie, who recently posted a video on Youtube in which he ate 200 Peeps in just over 14 minutes. Juliet Lee, who lives in Germantown, Md., is ranked eighth in the world and will also compete.

The winner of the five-minute contest will receive a trophy and a $1,750 prize with smaller amounts being awarded to the runners-up.

At noon, there will be an amateur eating contest with the winner of the 2-minute challenge getting the chance to contend with the competitive eaters in the championship.

The event will also include a DJ, activities for kids and a movie showing.

Georgetown Liquor Licenses: Apply Today


As of today, April 11, D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has opened the liquor license application process for restaurants in Georgetown. Businesses can start the application process online by visiting abra.dc.gov/node/676542.

Since Georgetown’s 27-year-old liquor license moratorium expired April 9, there is no longer a limit on the number of restaurant licenses that can be issued in the neighborhood.
The board tweeted out the link to the application this morning.

Interested candidates must first complete the application with the necessary documentation, then submit it for approval. The process could take several months from start to finish.

While Georgetown’s moratorium has ended, tavern and nightclub licenses in the neighborhood are still limited by a separate law.

There remain four moratorium zones in the District. Adams Morgan has restrictions that severely limit the number of licenses for taverns and restrict them entirely for nightclubs within the moratorium zone (restaurants and hotels are exempt). The East Dupont moratorium zone specifies two licenses for taverns and no licenses for nightclubs. In the West Dupont zone, no nightclubs can be issued licenses. Set to expire May 3, the Glover Park moratorium zone has several limits on new retailer’s licenses.

Closed: Capriotti’s of Georgetown


Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop on the corner of 34th and M Streets NW has closed. The location had only been open for less than a year and a half, since December of 2015. It now sits vacant with its tables still arranged and the Capriotti’s logo on the wall.

Other Capriotti’s shops can still be found in D.C., at 18th and M Streets NW, and in Rosslyn. The chain originated in Delaware in 1976 and first came to the District in 2013. It is said to be a favorite of Vice President Joe Biden, formerly a senator from Delaware.

Capriotti’s has become well known for its signature sandwiches, including the Bobbie (said to be named for an aunt of the original owner), a Thanksgiving-inspired sub made with roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise.

Nationals Home Opener: It’s Not Just the Game. It’s the Community

April 9, 2016

The Washington Nationals lost their home opener to the Miami Marlins 4-6 on Thursday, April 7 — after both an exciting opening day program and a rain delay.

The loss will be dwelled on for a day or two, and analysts will debate what went wrong and why the Nationals couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position.

But the game itself is unimportant — there will be 159 others this season to discuss and break down, many more exciting than this one. This opening day was about celebrating the community that makes baseball so special.

Prince William County, Virginia, police officers Jesse Hempen and David McKeown threw out the honorary first pitch in front of a crowd of more than 40,000, the memory immortalized for them in the baseballs signed by pitchers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

On Feb. 27, Hempen and McKeown were injured while responding to a domestic altercation. Their colleague, Officer Ashley Guindon, was also shot and fatally wounded in the incident. She and first responders Officer Jacai Colson, Officer Noah Leotta, Lieutenant Kevin McRae and Officer Brennan Rabain were remembered in a moment of silence before the game.

In collectively remembering the slain first responders, in hearing the crowd chant “MVP” as Bryce Harper emerged from the dugout, in watching young kids with their gloves on eagerly awaiting a foul ball, we are reminded of how this sport brings people together.

Governors Larry Hogan of Maryland and Terry McAuliffe of Virginia joined Mayor Muriel Bowser and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lynn Lanier down on the field. After he received his MVP award and a Silver Slugger award, Bowser presented Harper with a key to the city, a symbol of how much this team and its success means to Washington, D.C.

Fans left work early, braved narrow and congested streets and rode Metro’s crowded Green Line to see their team begin the 2016 quest for glory. Anyone who read the weather report knew it would rain and the game would most likely be delayed. They came anyway, and they celebrated together.

The emcee announced that this day was the beginning of “our annual right to hot dogs and high fives” (a right you can enjoy for the bargain price of $6.25 per hot dog!). He called this season’s mission “our one pursuit.” Our.

Baseball is a business. It’s about making money, selling tickets and hoping for the ultimate payoff in a World Series title. But it’s also about uniting fans behind something that inspires them. It’s about making sure that the community that supports the Nationals can count on the team to have their back on and off the field. It’s about the feelings of hope and possibility that come with every new season.

That feeling could be captured during a special moment yesterday.

The sun was shining brilliantly as it does after rain.

The United States Army Chorus Quartet sung “America, the Beautiful,” whose words rang throughout the stadium: “O beautiful for spacious skies …” The cast from “Jersey Boys” at the National Theatre then sang, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem, joined to baseball more than a century ago in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

The songs ended. The crowd roared yet again. The umpires arrived.

Play ball.
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Nuclear Summit to Cause Traffic Headaches

March 31, 2016

The Nuclear Security Summit taking place in Washington, D.C. on March 31 and April 1 will lead to some road closures and rerouting of public transportation.

Summit meetings are taking place at the White House, the State Department and the Washington Convention Center.

As a result, the yellow and green lines of the Metro will not stop at the Mt. Vernon Square stop starting around 8 p.m. on Wednesday and will reopen April 1 in the evening.

The security will also affect multiple bus stops in the area, starting 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 30, through noon, April 2.

Roads around the White House, State Department and Convention Center will be closed intermittently throughout the duration of the event.

The Secret Service and Metro have released statements with information regarding specific routes affected and recommended alternatives.

Open This Week: The Sovereign and Beard Papa’s

March 30, 2016

Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown just got a few options for finding food and drink, especially if customers are looking for something a little bit out of the ordinary.

**THE SOVEREIGN**

The Sovereign, which bills itself as a Belgian bistro and bar, has a soft opening tonight. Beard Papa’s, a Japanese cream puff chain, opened over the weekend.

The Sovereign has more of a local beginning, though its cuisine has an international flair, as in Belgian beer and Belgian food. It is run by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which runs restaurants in D.C. and Virginia—such as ChurchKey, Rustico, Birch & Barley and Pike & Rose —among other culinary businesses.

Located down the alleyway at 1206 Wisconsin Avenue, the two-story bar and bistro used to house Blue Gin and before that, Champions Sports Bar.

A partner in the business is Greg Talcott, who is well known in Georgetown. He bought the nearby Third Edition from Greg Smith in 1983 (he started as a bartender in 1977). Talcott closed Third Edition three years ago and reopened it as El Centro under a partnership with Richard Sandoval.

As for businesses previously at the Sovereign space, Talcott bought the famed Champions Sports Bar from the equally famous Michael O’Harro in 2002—it was redone as Blue Gin two years later and closed in 2008. Now, Talcott has partnered with Michael Babin and the Neighborhood Restaurant Group.

Sovereign head chef Peter Smith, NRG beer director Greg Engert and NRG Director of Operations Erik Bergman took a trip to Belgium to experience the traditional food and drink and draw inspiration for their Belgian menu—which includes, they say, 350 kinds of beers.

The Sovereign’s Twitter account has already teased some menu items, posting a picture of moules frites, or mussels and fries, and writing, “Particularly proud to be sourcing Dutch-style mussels.” It will have “a wide breadth of beers from a focused group of brewers,” Engert told DCBeer.com.

The Sovereign has a special preview Feb. 1 and plans to open formally later in the week, though it has yet to announce the exact date.

**BEARD PAPA’S**

Touting its “fresh’n natural cream puffs,” Beard Papa’s has a mix and match system where customers can first pick the type of shell and then pick the cream—vanilla, chocolate or the flavor of the week. The shells are then filled in front of the customer and finished off with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

According to manager Jah McLean, most of the desserts are equally popular, but a newcomer cannot go wrong with the tried and true vanilla cream puff.

The first Beard Papa’s opened in Japan in 1999, and since then the company has expanded to have locations in 15 countries. Already popular on the West Coast, the Georgetown location is only one of three on the East Coast.
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It’s Official: The Georgetown Liquor License Moratorium Is Over


The liquor license moratorium and cap in Georgetown — in place since 1989 — will expire on April 9, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board announced March 30.

Restaurants and other “multipurpose facilities,” such as galleries and theaters, may apply for a liquor license on April 9, according to the control board statement, which added that there will be no limit on the number of licenses issued.

The change does not apply to any nightclubs or taverns in the Georgetown area, as a separate law limits the number of tavern licenses to six, all of which are filled at this time.

The board noted that its decision was based in part on feedback from the community and local businesses about the decrease of problems like noise and trash that originally warranted the restrictions.

The moratorium has been in place for 27 years and extends 1,800 feet in all directions from the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, according to the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. It limited the number of liquor licenses issued to restaurants to 68. (The cap did not apply to hotels or to businesses at Washington Harbour on K Street.)

Reminder: National Cherry Blossom Festival Is in No-Drone Zone

March 24, 2016

With the National Cherry Blossom Festival underway and anticipated peak bloom only a couple days away, the Federal Aviation Administration released a video last Thursday reminding festival-goers that the Tidal Basin is a part of the “no-drone zone.”

Eager photographers will not be able to use any unmanned aircraft systems to capture pictures of the blossoms from above.

The Special Flights Rules Area that extends in a 30-mile radius from Reagan National Airport includes an inner 15-mile radius in which drones are prohibited at all times.

“Flying a drone within these areas at any time, including the National Cherry Blossom Festival, is against the law, and violators could face stiff fines and criminal penalties,” according to the video. “Enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival, but leave your drone at home.”

The festival began on Sunday and will continue until April 17. The National Park Service estimates that peak bloom will begin March 23 or 24.

View the video [here](http://www.faa.gov/tv/?mediaId=1280). For more information on the festival, visit http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

Mary Gallagher: Pen and Steno Pad for History and Everyday Life

March 17, 2016

Everything in Mary Barelli Gallagher’s Alexandria home has a special story, and almost all of it involves the Kennedys.

Gallagher, 88, was personal secretary to Jacqueline Kennedy from 1957 to 1964, which includes the Kennedy presidency. Before that, she was Sen. John F. Kennedy’s secretary and worked briefly for Jackie’s mother.

Gallagher took care of many of the first lady’s affairs even before the White House, including reporting her expenses to her husband, a task she was issued thanks to a St. Patrick’s Day toothache.

The senator had been scheduled to march in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, but when Gallagher arrived at the Georgetown home to organize Mrs. Kennedy’s affairs, she found him at home with a puffy cheek and a toothache. He became interested in the expenses and requested that Gallagher keep him informed of his wife’s excessive spending, a job that would take up much of her extra time in the next years.

“Any time our paths would cross in the White House, I’d end up with homework because he’d ask me about her bills,” she said. “I like to say, ‘His toothache became my headache.’ ”

Gallagher recalled the time just before the 1961 inauguration when she was with Jackie, who said to JFK’s press secretary Pierre Salinger: “Oh, Pierre, Mary has to come to the White House.” Gallagher responded, “Are you talking about this Mary?” Jackie reassured her, “Mary, it’ll be just like Georgetown.” (She sometimes stayed in the White House living quarters.)

During all her time and work with the Kennedys, more than 50 years ago, Gallagher saved notes, photos and gifts, many of which will be part of a presidential exhibition by Bonhams at Decatur House on Lafayette Square March 25. The night before, she, and others who worked at the White House, will discuss their time there, as well as display their Kennedy-related items, their reminders of years spent with the president, first lady and family.

Through Gallagher, our relationship with Jackie also involved details like clothes, as she and Jackie were the same size, standing at five foot seven. Sometimes, Gallagher received hand-me-downs — and even pets.

Tom Kitten was young Caroline Kennedy’s cat, but Mrs. Kennedy entrusted him to Gallagher due to her husband’s allergies. Caroline often visited Tom Kitten and played with Gallagher’s sons, Chris and Greg, with their adventures documented in photos of the three sitting on the kitchen counter or standing around the piano while a Secret Service agent played. Jackie’s and the children’s visit to Gallagher’s Belle Haven home — where she has lived since 1954 — got a mention in the newspapers.

When Tom Kitten died, Gallagher’s husband Ray dug a grave for the cat in their backyard next to a memorial for Tippy, a golden retriever also given to them by Mrs. Kennedy. As her husband filled in the grave, Gallagher said to him, “I don’t think you’ve quite finished!” Tom Kitten’s tail was still sticking out.

Gallagher also has memories and items more indicative of the lifestyle she observed while working for Jacqueline Kennedy, including a leopard-fur pillbox hat and purse.

The fur came from a well-recognized Somali leopard coat that the first lady wore on her trip to India. Gallagher had arranged for Ted Kahn of Ben Kahn Furs to bring the piece to Mrs. Kennedy, and her wearing it led to high demand. In appreciation, Kahn later had the gifts made for Gallagher.

While the first lady’s leopard coat was popular, her most recognized outfit is the pink Chanel suit she wore in Dallas, famously blood spattered when her husband was shot. (The pillbox hat was lost.) Gallagher has another outfit worn that day — her own, a pink jumper with a white and pink striped blouse and a long tan coat.

She vividly recalls that fateful 1963 day, riding a few cars behind the president and seeing policemen running with guns drawn but not knowing what had happened. When her bus arrived at the Dallas Trade Mart, rumors were flying that the president had been shot. At the hospital, as the doctor emerged from the operating room, he quietly instructed Gallagher to support the first lady. “Dr. Burkley told me to go stand next to Jackie but not to change the expression on my face,” she said.

That Christmas, she received a chilling gift. It was an etching of the White House, inscribed, “For Mary, with greatest appreciation and affection,” signed by both the president and the first lady and dated Christmas 1963. The president had been assassinated in November.

Gallagher said she considers the first lady’s finest singular achievement to be “the brilliant renovation” of the White House, shown to the world during a national television interview and tour in February 1962.

Jacqueline Kennedy left Washington in 1964 and married Aristotle Onassis in 1968. As the American public questioned Kennedy’s motives, Gallagher felt an obligation to add her own story of everyday life with Jackie to the record and published the memoir, which she had originally written just for her sons.

Just as her mementos serve as relics of her time with the Kennedys, her 1969 book, “My Life with Jacqueline Kennedy,” offers a uniquely personal perspective on the first lady. At the time, the book was criticized for being too revealing and personal.
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U.N. Rep, Journalist Honored for Exposing Violence Against Women

March 10, 2016

Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security presented the Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security during a Feb. 22 ceremony in Gaston Hall, titled “Human Security in the Face of Violent Extremism.”

U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura and New York Times journalist Alissa Rubin were honored for their work in exposing sexual violence that women face in war and their push for justice and accountability.

The ceremony was held by Georgetown’s Global Futures Initiative with GIWPS, the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs and the university’s President’s Office.

After an introduction from John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, Bangura spoke to the audience about her work in preventing sexual violence in conflict zones and addressing systemic ignorance of the issue in areas like Syria and South Sudan.

“No political or military leader is above the law, and no woman or child is below it,” she said.

Upon presenting her with the award, GIWPS executive director Melanne Verveer commended Bangura’s commitment to justice, human rights and her campaign to address crimes of sexual violence used in war.

Verveer also presented the Global Trailblazer Award to Rubin, who currently serves as the Paris bureau chief of the New York Times. She headed the Afghanistan Bureau for five years beginning in 2009, where she reported on the Middle East.

“In reading her stories, one is transmitted and transported to the front lines,” Verveer said. “Witnessing war through her accounts, the battles, the bravery, the humanity of combatants and civilians, today we honor her not just for her courageous reporting but for her commitment to illuminating women’s experiences during violent conflict.”

Following the presentation of the awards, Bangura and Rubin participated in a question-and-answer session with the audience with closing remarks from Ashley Judd, actress and activist.

Judd thanked Rubin and Bangura for their work and then asked the audience to stand and do what she called “funeral talk.” She requested that for 30 seconds, everyone say to the two honorees what they would say if they were standing in front of them.

“And I want it to be kind of loud,” Judd said. “Because the cacophony of sexual violence and conflict is really loud.”

Judd then encouraged the audience to draw inspiration from Bangura and Rubin and go forth with a passion for seeking justice.

“This talk doesn’t end when you all leave the room. That is when the work begins,” she said.

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