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Joseph Park • July 7, 2014

“This is a great opportunity to showcase the Kenyan culture in Washington, D.C.,” said Phyllis Kandie, Kenya’s Secretary from the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism. “The U.S. and Kenya have enjoyed a strong diplomatic relations, and festival like will help our people to tie a stronger knot by understanding the Kenyan culture.”

This year, the 48th Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which celebrates diverse cultural traditions each summer, features two nations: “China: Tradition and the Art of Living” and “Kenya: Mambo Poa.” Visitors enjoye a wide variety upbeat music concerts, dance shows, traditional art displays and food stations to buy authentic food.

Representatives from the Kenyan government also attended the festival on July 2 to look around the different sections and interact with tourists.

“It is great to see how successful this event turned out to be,” said Hassan Wario, Ministry of Culture, Sports and the Arts. Tourists visiting the site are enjoying some authentic Kenyan cuisine, and we have had food run out at our station. Ever since the festival began, we have had so many visitors enjoy Kenyan music from our Ngoma stage.

Kandie also expressed her positivity in attracting more American tourists to visit their homeland.

“This year, we have had 125,000 American tourists in Kenya,” Kandie said. “Some of them come for vacation, but an increasing number of development tourists are coming as well. We are hopeful that a festival like this will attract more tourists to Kenya.”

The Smithsonian Festival will continue on July 4 through July 6 at the National Mall.

Natalie Koltun •

Due to an increase of crowds anticipated for upcoming Independence Day events, the District Department of Transportation is advising residents and visitors to travel with extreme caution and encourage the use of public transportation.

Metrorail will operate its Saturday schedule until 2 p.m. on Friday, with increased service just before and after the fireworks display on the National Mall. Metrobus will also operate its Saturday schedule, but some routes will be detoured around the National Mall due to lane closures and increased traffic. The DC Circulator will operate its regular weekday schedule on Friday, July 4.

For those traveling around the city in a car, DDOT plans to manage the flow of traffic leaving the city after the fireworks display by extending particular green lights, beginning a half hour after the fireworks conclude for a total of one hour. DDOT will open the temporarily-closed travel lanes from noon Thursday, July 3, to Saturday, July 5. Public parking near the National Mall will be extremely limited during the fireworks display and throughout the day on Friday, July 4.

Please use extreme caution when walking or driving near the National Mall during the Independence Day festivities. DDOT will have Traffic Control Officers stationed in the area to assist with traffic and ensure the safety of pedestrians at busy intersections.

For more information on getting around Washington, D.C., this weekend, visit godcgo.com/.

Gary Tischler •

WAYNE CURRY

Wayne Curry, the transformative Prince George’s County executive for two terms in the 1990s, believed in the power of economic development and prosperity, and he fought for it with steel-strong toughness, charm, and authentic authority.

Curry, who died of lung cancer July 2 at the age of 63, gained wealth and prospered as a real estate and corporate lawyer, and held the firm belief that opportunities existed for others to do what he did. The result was that when he came to power as one of the first African American county executives in the nation, Prince George’s County, which is now more than 60-percent black, became one of the first county or city jurisdictions in the nation to go from a white majority to an African American majority with its economy prospering and improving, along with the level of education among its residents.

He also did something else that was unique. He stood up to the imposing and bullish Jack Kent Cooke, the owner of the Washington Redskins who was used to getting his way. In the 1990s, Cooke had already decided to bring the Redskins from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., to Landover, Md., in Prince George’s County and demanded that the county pay for the resulting $175-million stadium. Curry bluntly said no, causing consternation among Maryland state politicians who were afraid that Cooke might back out. But Curry stood fast—and it was the state that ended up picking up the tab, not Curry or Prince George’s County.

He could be confrontational. He clashed with Wall Street over the county’s bond rating, but eventually prevailed. He laid the groundwork for the rise of National Harbor and made sure that the county was first and foremost prosperous. In addition, crime went down under Curry, and businesses came to the county. Washington’s loss of African American residents was the county’s gain. It is the country’s wealthiest black-majority county. What Curry sought was respect for the county, which includes College Park and Laurel among its cities. He got it with economic growth, the completion of the integration of schools, an integrated police force, and the raising of the county’s image and profile among its neighbors.

High praise for Curry came from Maryland leaders like Governor Martin O’Malley, Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, who just won the Democratic primary for governor, GOP candidate for Governor Larry Hogan, the current Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Banker III, Rep. Donna Edwards, D-Md., and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer.

PAUL MAZURSKY

Paul Mazursky, the noted American film director of the 1970s and 1980s, had a way with words. He also had a way with actors, and he was a keen observer of American social, sexual and cultural mores of those decades.

Which is not to say he was Woody Allen, although, oddly enough, he directed Woody Allen in a movie with Bette Midler. Mazursky’s best work was in some fleshy, colorful way, much warmer, less idiosyncratic, and without the cool and too-hip intellectual baggage that characterized Allen’s lesser work.

Mazursky took a long time getting started—it wasn’t until he and his writing partner Larry Tucker came up with the screenplay for “I Love You Alice B. Toklas,” a film in which the endlessly inventive comic actor Peter Sellers plays a middle-aged man getting lost in a cloud of acid, fringed jackets and a hippie goddess, played by Leigh Taylor Young, that his directing gear took off.

When he stayed away from self-indulgent, navel-gazing and semi-autobiographical films like “Blume in Love,” “Alex in Wonderland” and “Willie and Phil,” he ran off a series of films that were notable for their full-of-life, sharply observed, empathic, funny, often romantic as well as satiric films. They were small classics. First in line was the still famous but also slightly dated “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” (1969) about two cool couples wandering awkwardly into a sexual-swinging scene. The performance were top-notch—Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, young Elliott Gould and a surprisingly sweet Dyan Cannon. In its day, it was considered “too dirty” by some studio heads. Today, it would probably grace the Lifetime network.

“Harry and Tonto,” about an elderly man who embarks on a cross-country road trip with his pet cat after being evicted from his New York apartment, was a gem, and a triumph for Art Carney, previously known for his work on “The Honeymooners.” It was funny, warm, full of terrific performances—including Chief Dan George, and Larry Hagman and Ellen Burstyn as his children. It won Carney an Oscar for best actor.

In “An Unmarried Woman,” the luminous, sometime brittle star of the 1970s Jill Clayburgh plays a woman at sea in a changing sexual world after being dumped by her husband. She’s surrounded by wonderful actors, including Michael Murphy as the husband and Alan Bates, providing magnetic love interest as a bearded painter.

You go down that list, and you keep finding memorable work—“Moscow on the Hudson” with Robin Williams as Russian who defects in Bloomingdale’s and courts Maria Conchita Alonzo; “Down and Out in Beverly Hills” with Richard Dreyfus and Bette Midler as Hollywood types, whose lives are upended by the presence of a grungy, scruff Nick Nolte as a homeless person they’ve taken in.

His last really great movie was “Enemies: A Love Story,” based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s novel about a Holocaust survivor who ends up marrying three amazing women. At the same time.

Mazurzky died of cardiac arrest at the age of 84 June 30.

Joseph Park • July 3, 2014

The Crime Museum’s latest interactive gallery asks the question: “Counterfeit Crimes: Are You Part of the Black Market?” It will teach visitors of all ages about counterfeit products – sold on prices far lower than the original — that hurt businesses, lead to loss of jobs and can injure consumers using unsafe products.

The museum, in partnership with the International Anti-Counterfeiting Association and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, opened up its newest gallery that offers in-depth examination on counterfeit crimes June 23. It is the first of its kind in the United States.
“What many don’t realize is that the counterfeit trade is organized crime on a global scale, and the counterfeiters don’t care who gets hurt,” said Robert Barchiesi, president of the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition. “We want the public to understand the real price of counterfeit goods.”
Some of the counterfeit artifacts on display include, purses, video game consoles, sports jerseys and other electronics.

“The crimes outlined in our other galleries have primarily been those that are obvious crimes, for which the public generally comprehends the crime and the resulting punishment,” said Janine Vaccarello, chief operating officer of the Crime Museum. “As always, our mission at the Crime Museum is to educate utilizing interactive and informative exhibits and this gallery has allowed us to do that while touching upon an area we are all familiar with—consumerism.”

The new gallery will replace the former America’s Most Wanted Studio located on the museum’s lower level. The museum is located at 575 7th St., NW, less than a block from the Chinatown-Gallery Place Metro Station (Arena Exit). Regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday. More information on daily hours and ticket prices are available at www.crimemuseum.org.
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Robert Devaney •

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E will hold its July meeting, 6:30 p.m., tonight, June 30, at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 35th Street and Volta Place, NW, Heritage Room, main building, second floor. The following is tonight’s meeting agenda, as provided by ANC 2E.

Approval of the Agenda

• Approval of June 30, 2014, ANC 2E Public Meeting Agenda

Administrative

– Approval of June 2, 2014, Meeting Minutes

– Public Safety and Police Report

– Financial Report

– Transportation Report

– DPW Report

– Introduction of ANC 2E Commissioner Dennis Quinn for SMD 08

– Designation of ANC 2E Secretary

Community Comment

– George Washington University will provide updates on the partnership with the Corcoran College of Art and Design, focusing on the 35th Street building.

New Business

– Taste of Georgetown – Georgetown BID

– Rose Park Movie Night, Permit Application No. 15056 – August 28, 2014

– Use of public space during construction projects

– Georgetown BID reauthorization

ABC

– 3050 K Street, NW, Orange Anchor, ABRA-095194, new license, petition date July 14 (max hours, with summer garden)

Zoning

– GU/MedStar application for approval of a proton therapy center, Z.C. Case No. 10-32B (the hearing is June 26 but GU/MedStar have asked to hold the record open for 10 days after the 26th so ANC 2E can consider the application and file comments)

Old Georgetown Board
MAJOR AND PUBLIC PROJECTS

SMD 06, Government of the District of Columbia, Department of General Services, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, OG 14-251 (HPA 14-492) 2609 Dumbarton Street, NW – 2590 P Street, NW – Rose Park, Alterations to playground, ADA ramp, and site work, Permit

SMD 05, M Street and Wisconsin Avenue Bus Stops, OG 14-248 (HPA 14-489) Digital Transit Screen Pilot Program, Concept

SMD 06, 2715 N Street NW, OG 14-143 (HPA 14-283) Alexander Memorial Baptist Church – Rectory, additions and alterations, Revised Concept

SMD 06, 2717 N Street NW, OG 14-225 (HPA 14-430) Alexander Memorial Baptist Church – Vacant lot, new construction, revised concept

SMD 06, 2709 N Street NW, OG 14-227 (HPA 14-432) Alexander Memorial Baptist Church, alterations, revised concept

PRIVATE PROJECTS

1. SMD 05, 3000 M Street, NW, OG 14-130 (HPA 14-270) Mixed-use, Partial demolition, addition, alterations, Revised Concept

2. SMD 05, 3614 Prospect Street, NW, OG 14-264 (HPA 14-505) Residence, Partial demolition, 3-story rear and rooftop addition, alterations to front, replacement windows, Concept

3. SMD 06, 1521 29th Street, NW, OG 14-252 (HPA 14-493) Residence, Alterations to front yard and to driveway, Concept/Permit

4. SMD 06, 1521 29th Street, NW, OG 14-199 (HPA 14-402) Residence, Replacement wood fences, terraces, Permit – revised design

5. SMD 06, 3014 O Street, NW, OG 14-256 (HPA 14-497) Residence,
Addition at 2nd floor, alterations to rear, Concept

6. SMD 06, 3018 P Street, NW, OG 14-261 (HPA 14-502) Residence, One-story rear addition to replace open porch, alterations, Concept

7. SMD 06, 3023 P Street, NW, OG 14-266 (HPA 14-507) Residence, Demolition, 3-story rear addition plus basement, Concept

8. SMD 07, 2920 R Street, NW, OG 14-246 (HPA 14-487) Residence, Partial demolition, additions, alterations, pool and pool house, Concept

9. SMD 01, 1813 35th Street, NW, OG 14-253 (HPA 14-494) Residences, Addition, alterations, site work, replacement windows and doors, Concept

10. SMD 02, 3329 Q Street, NW, OG 14-238 (HPA 14-473) Residence, Fence and wall – existing, Permit

11. SMD 02, 3320 Reservoir Road, NW, OG 14-257 (HPA 14-498) Residence, Partial demolition, rear and side yard additions, site work, Concept

12. SMD 02, 1623 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-249 (HPA 14-490) Commercial, Alterations to storefront, Concept

13. SMD 03, 1525 34th Street, NW, OG 14-205 (HPA 14-410) Residence, Site work at front yard: fences, storage bins, walkway, gates – existing, Permit – revised design

14. SMD 03, 3238 P Street, NW, OG 14-103 (HPA 14-206) Residence, Two- story rear addition, Revised Concept

15. SMD 03, 1314 Potomac Street, NW, OG 14-231 (HPA 14-481) Private alley, Chain link fences and gates, Permit

16. SMD 03, 1351 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-250 (HPA 14-491) Commercial, Pedestrian gate at alley, Permit

No Review At This Time by ANC 2E: The following additional projects, which are on the upcoming July 3, 2014, agenda of the Old Georgetown Board, have not been added to the ANC meeting agenda for OGB-related design review and we do not propose to adopt a resolution on them at this time. If there are concerns about any of these projects, please contact the ANC office by Friday, June 27, 2014.

1. SMD 01, 3800 Reservoir Road, NW, OG 14-241 (HPA 14-478) MedStar Georgetown University Hospital – Pasquerilla Center, Alterations to entrance, Permit

2. SMD 02, 1552 33rd Street, NW, OG 14-150 (HPA 14-319) Residence, Replacement metal fence on areaway, Permit – additional information

3. SMD 02, 1665 34th Street, NW, OG 14-242 (HPA 14-479) Residence, Rear deck, Permit

4. SMD 02, 1667 34th Street, NW, OG 14-243 (HPA 14-480) Residence, Rear deck, Permit

5. SMD 02, 1545 35th Street, NW, OG 14-255 (HPA 14-496) Residence, Replacement driveway and alterations to front yard, Permit

6. SMD 02, 3336 Dent Place, NW, OG 14-175 (HPA 14-346) Residence, 3-story rear addition, alterations to front, Revised Concept

7. SMD 02, 3424 Reservoir Road, NW, OG 14-234 (HPA 14-484) Residence, Replacement windows – existing, Permit – revised design

8. SMD 02, 1641 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-232 (HPA 14-482) Commercial, Awning and signs – Washington Printmakers Gallery, Permit

9. SMD 02, 1641 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-233 (HPA 14-483) Commercial, Pole-mounted sign – Washington Printmakers Gallery, Permit

10. SMD 02, 1673 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 14-254 (HPA 14-495) Commercial, Alterations for new window well on side yard, Permit

11. SMD 03, 1525 34th Street, NW, OG 14-205 (HPA 14-410) Residence, Site work at front yard: fences, storage bins, walkway, gates – existing, Permit – revised design

12. SMD 03, 3265 N Street, NW, OG 14-209 (HPA 14-414) Residence, Alterations to garage, Revised Concept

13. SMD 03, 3238 P Street, NW, OG 14-103 (HPA 14-206) Residence, Two- story rear addition, Revised Concept

14. SMD 03, 3422 P Street, NW, OG 14-259 (HPA 14-500) Residence, Alterations to carriage house, Permit

15. SMD 03, 1511 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, OG 13-229 (HPA 13-401) Commercial, Rear addition at second story, Permit – revised design (per DCRA
comments)

16. SMD 05, 3050 K Street, NW, OG 14-228 (HPA 14-433) Commercial, Alterations to storefront, signs – The Orange Anchor, Concept

17. SMD 05, 3061 M Street, NW, OG 14-240 (HPA 14-477) Commercial, Alterations to storefront, Permit

18. SMD 05, 3104 M Street, NW, OG 14-263 (HPA 14-504) Commercial, Rear addition, Permit

19. SMD 05, 3303 M Street, NW, OG 14-244 (HPA 14-485) Commercial, Alterations to storefront, sign – Alice and Olivia by Stacey Bendet, Concept

20. SMD 05, 3330 M Street, rear, NW, OG 14-235 (HPA 14-469) Commercial, Alterations for new storefront at Cady’s Alley, Permit

21. SMD 05, 2810 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, OG 14-190 (HPA 14-389) Commercial, Sidewalk café on public space, awning and signs – Eno – existing, Permit

22. SMD 05, 3410 Prospect Street, NW, OG 14-206 (HPA 14-411) Residence, Alterations to rear, terraces, Revised Concept

23. SMD 05, 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, OG 14-247 (HPA 14-488) Office building, Back-lit address numbers, Permit

24. SMD 05, 1071 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, OG 14-265 (HPA 14-506) Mixed-use Internally-illuminated blade box sign – Curio, Permit

25. SMD 05, 3601-3607 M Street, NW, OG 14-113 (HPA 14-220) Residential, New building, Revised Concept

26. SMD 06, 2929 M Street, NW, OG 14-182 (HPA 14-354) Commercial, Alterations to ATM, Revised Concept, (Reviewed: 5 June 2014)

27. SMD 06, 3009 M Street, NW, OG 14-268 (HPA 14-509) Commercial, Sign – Free People, Concept

28. SMD 06, 3030 P Street, NW, OG 14-267 (HPA 14-508) Residence, Revised windows and doors at rear addition, fence, Permit – revised design

29. SMD 07, 1623 28th Street, NW, OG 14-207 (HPA 14-412) Residence – Evermay, Greenhouse and driveway repaving, Revised Concept

30. SMD 07, 1699 31st Street, NW, OG 14-258 (HPA 14-499) Residence, Alterations to front stairs, Permit

31. SMD 07, 2500 Q Street, NW, OG 14-188 (HPA 14-385) Gateway Georgetown Condominiums, Rooftop antennas with enclosures, equipment platform, Permit – revised design

32. SMD 07, 2528-2530-2532 Q Street, NW, OG 14-237 (HPA 14-472) Residence, Replacement windows – existing, Permit

33. SMD 07, 3059 Q Street, NW, OG 14-262 (HPA 14-503) Residence, Replace metal roof, Permit

34. SMD 07, 2816 R Street, NW, OG 14-239 (HPA 14-474) Residence, Dormer, alterations, site work: areaways on public space, Concept

35. SMD 07, 3016 1?2 R Street, NW, OG 14-260 (HPA 14-501) Residence, New window opening, Permit

36. SMD 08, 3700 O Street, NW, OG 14-245 (HPA 14-486) Georgetown University – NET hall, Foundation-to-grade , utility work, Permit

37. SMD 08, 3700 O Street, NW, OG 14-214 (HPA 14-419) Georgetown University – Ryan and Mulledy Halls, Alterations and renovation, Permit

Agenda submitted June 23 — GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2, 3265 S Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 — 202-724-7098 — anc2e@dc.gov — www.anc2e.com

Robert Devaney •

A woman discovered floating face down in the Potomac River near Georgetown Waterfront Park and Washington Harbour June 23 has died. One source familiar with the case called her death a suicide.

According to a D.C. Fire Department spokesman, “Witnesses reported talking to the woman not long before she was seen unconscious in the river. Land units from the water rescue assignment were able to get a line on the victim and brought her to shore … Fire boats 2 and 3 also initiated a grid search to assure there were no other victims.”

Found feet from shore, the woman — identified as 53-year-old Robyn McShay of Maryland — was given CPR at the scene and then transported to the hospital where she died.

Joseph Park •

Residents of Hillandale are complaining about the armed, security vehicles that are crowding in front the residence of the nation’s top banker, Janet Yellen.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the residence of Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen is crowded with oversized security vans armed with guns, surveillance cameras and “security trucks sit idling on the street for approximately 22 minutes every morning” to pick up Yellen to work, causing frustration among neighbors.

Some residents have argued that despite the fact that they comply with the security measures put forth by the government, the price of security is just too high, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal said that after Yellen became the Fed Chairwomen, a house was rented for her near her residence. Also, a surveillance camera was installed.
Hillandale residents told the Wall Street Journal that they now want the FBI or the Fed’s inspector general to evaluate “what appears to be an excessive level of [Federal Reserve] security” on Yellen’s street at “enormous government cost to taxpayers.”

In response, the Federal Reserve told the Wall Street Journal that Yellen receives the same level of security as her predecessors and chose not to respond to questions about the detail’s cost.

Georgetowner • June 30, 2014

2014 Georgetown Business Association Leadership Luncheon

June 18th, 2014 at 12:00 PM | $50-75 | info@gtownbusiness.com

2014 Georgetown Business Association Leadership Luncheon, Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place, Washington Harbour, honoring Ron Swarthout of Georgetown Floorcoverings, which is celebrating its 60th year of business in Georgetown

Address

Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place; 3000 K St NW

Louisiana Swamp Romp with Big Sam’s Funky Nation BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet Stooges Brass Band

June 13th, 2014 at 08:00 PM | $30.00 – $150.00 | philipc@wolftrap.org | Tel: 703.255.1900 ext. 1729 | Event Website

The Big Easy party is back! Dance to Louisiana’s hottest Cajun, zydeco, and brass bands and jump in the second line parade

Address

1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia, 22182

Glam at the Graham A Summer Styling Fashion Show and White Party Benefiting Capitol Movement

June 14th, 2014 at 02:00 PM | $25 | Event Website

Mix up sensational beach stylings from Mars Vida paired with Wired and Inspired Jewels, sported by the ladies of Capitol Movement Dance Company and Redskins Cheerleaders, at one of the most spectacular rooftops in town.

Add some sizzle to your summer and get

Glam at the Graham, all in the name of a great cause!

Guests please wear white.

Address

The Graham Georgetown; 1075 Thomas Jefferson St, NW

Miss D.C. Pageant

June 15th, 2014 at 06:30 PM | $35 | Event Website

The Miss DC Pageant is a preliminary competition whose purpose is to select the young women (Miss DC & Miss DC’s Outstanding Teen) who will represent the District of Columbia in the upcoming Miss America and Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competitions.

Address

Arena Stage – The Kreeger Theater; 1101 Sixth Street, SW

Father’s Day Barbecue

June 15th, 2014 at 11:00 AM | info@mountvernon.org | Tel: 7037800011 | Event Website

Treat Dad to a special Father’s Day barbecue at the Mount Vernon Inn on June 15! Your choice of an entrée, side, dessert, and beverage is $30 for adults, $15 for children (ages 6 – 11), and free for children 5 and under. Call 703.780.0011 to reserve your table. View the menu: MountVernon.org/Inn

Address

Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant; 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway; Mount Vernon, VA 22121

Volta Park: Zack Smith and The Dixie Power Trio

June 15th, 2014 at 05:00 PM

Calling all dad’s for a special Father’s Day celebration. Dads and their families will enjoy chilling out with the southern funk sounds of Dixie Power Trio. This concert will feature special chair messages for dads plus a father and child dance contest. In addition to cupcakes and ice cream, the Surf Side food truck will be serving up tacos and other mexi-cali morsels, and there will be many other fun activities for all ages. This event, hosted by the Citizen’s Association of Georgetown, will be held Sunday, June 15 at 5 p.m. at Volta Park at 34th and Q Streets.

Address

1555 34th St NW

Gary Tischler •

It’s likely that Diana McLellan, when she wrote the dishy, witty gossip column, “The Ear,” may have had occasion to mention Howard E. Baker, who was at various time United States Senator from Tennessee, House Minority and Majority Leader  and White House Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan. She surely shared a one-of-a kind quality with the esteemed Republican stalwart, once deemed “The Great Conciliator.”

In the overheated, combative atmosphere of “Our Town,” where tiny celebrities are often writ large and without shame and where to reach across to across the aisle would be to have your hand singed, there are few  people with McLellan’s breezy wit and intelligence and Baker’s calming ability to bring opposed political types together to make things work and get things done.

The other “Our Town,”  the one we remember, but perhaps not the one that is, lost both Baker and McLellan this week; Baker at 88 from complications from a stroke and McLellan to cancer.

HOWARD E. BAKER, 88

If achievement were all to a life story, you might not have to write an obituary. You could just put down the facts:

= Republican Senator from Tennessee (1967 to 1985).

= Senate Minority Leader (1977 to 1981).

= Senate Majority Leader (1985 to 1985).

= White House Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan (1987 to 1988).

= Founder (with Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole, Tom Daschle and George Mitchell) of the Bipartisan Policy Center (2007).

= Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1984).

= Vice Chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee (1973 to 1974).

= Husband, father and family man.

And, not to forget, photographer of note.

Baker was—not to forget, either—a member of what writer Ira Shapiro called “The Last Great Senate” in his book of the same title, whose members included Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, Joseph Muskie, Gaylord Nelson and Robert Dole, to name a few.

In the Watergate hearing, it was Baker who framed the issue for the members, with the famous comment,  “What did the president know, and when did he know it?”

Baker, while a stalwart and dependable conservative in the GOP ranks, was never a die-hard ideologue in any of the sense and examples we see today. He worked with Democrats, and often cast votes (on the Panama Canal issue, for instance) that did not serve him well politically within his own party, and in the service of his political ambitions, which included a brief run for the presidency.

He came from a state that had its own political giants in history from Andrew Jackson to Estes Kevauver.  He was not a table-pounder, but he had a persistent, and insistent authority and authenticity—the good, honest politician,  a giant rich in the respect of colleagues and presidents. When Baker spoke, his peers tended to listen in a time when the Senate was still a collegial place where its members, Democrats and Republicans, gathered together over lunch, at receptions and social gatherings. It was not a place full of dropped gauntlets and paralysis, a perception much in vogue today.

It was James Baker, Secretary of State under President Reagan, who dubbed him the “quintessential mediator.”  We don’t have any of those today.

DIANA MCLELLAN, 76

When it comes to McLellan, author, gossip columnist, blogger, poet, biographer, and just about the most enduringly fresh glass of water—spiked, possibly with something stronger—that you might ever run across, we don’t have many of those today, either.

British-born McLellan had also been, among other things, a dress designer and telephone operator. She worked at the long defunct but still nostalgically remembered Washington Star, where she began writing a gossip column, called “The Ear,” which was the best (and at first only ) real gossip column in town.

She wrote with great, zingy, bubbly zeal, often referred to the Washington Post as the O.P.—as in the “other paper.” She had a lot to write about with people like Henry Kissinger, Ted Kennedy, the Kennedys in general, the Bradlees and others around. She was not always entirely accurate, but she did not as far as we can recall have a malicious bone in her body.  Which is not to say that she did not skewer and sometimes embarrass people, but she did her duty and damage with good cheer and humor so that, sometimes, her victims did not lie bleeding.

She took “The Ear” to the Post, when the Star was extinguished—and, then, to the Washington Times.  We would often run into her, and she was always gracious, funny, full of news, a little out of breath and telling tales not entirely out of school.

Later, she wrote for the Washingtonian—sometimes profiles of just plain folks or city oddities. We recall a touching and compelling tribute to the life and passing of a Capitol Hill waitress and single mother, which was done with such empathy, eye for detail and big heart that was far removed from “The Ear.”

She also wrote a book called “The Girls,” a gossipy, but also insightful multi-bio of movie personalities, often rumored to be ladies who loved ladies, like Greta Garbo.  A book that could have been merely sensational proved to be something a little better, written, as was everything by McLellan, with style and wit.

Finally, there was “Making Hay,” a thin, but rich poetry collection, whose contents flew like a fluttery, slightly wobbly, but sharp arrows straight to the heart of matters.

We can add this: no matter what might be going on with her, papers dying,  this and that of daily life, Diana McLellan was always a welcome sight, a beautiful noise, the lady with the coat of many colors. “This Ear” could talk, but she could also listen. 

All of us, I think, whoever had occasion to be around her, in our profession, miss her already and forever and a day.

Natalie Koltun •

In the spirit of summer, Washington, D.C., celebrates the 48th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. Thousands of visitors attend the festival each year to explore diverse cultural traditions from around the world. The festival is open to the public June 25 to June 29 and July 2 to July 6.

This year, the festival will feature two programs: “China: Tradition and the Art of Living” and “Kenya: Mambo Poa.” Visitors are invited to enjoy a variety of family-friendly activities — from traditional dance shows and musical performance to food demonstrations and art displays.

Michael Atwood Mason, director of Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Culture Heritage, welcomed visitors and performers to the festival at the opening ceremony June 25. After opening remarks, the Dimen Dong Folk Chorus performed a traditional Chinese song and introduced Thomas Wesonga and his Kenyan program singers to the stage for a Kenyan song and dance routine.

Activities offered in the China section of the festival include martial arts and dance performances, pottery and textile art displays, calligraphy, a teahouse and cooking demonstrations of traditional Chinese cuisine. Here, you can taste the flavors of China by sampling lo mein or pork dumpling dishes at the Chi Fan Le tent.

If you’re craving traditional Kenyan food, Spice Routes Café offers chicken curry, goat stew, samosas and mahamri, a sweet donut-like pastry. While you’re eating, enjoy the vibrant sounds of Kenyan music, such as benga, taarab, ohangla and chakacha, which combine traditional instruments with contemporary rhythms and styles.

The festival is open for ten days on the National Mall, rain or shine, and will feature a variety of activities and performances that change daily for guests of all ages. Admission is free. For more information, visit festival.si.edu.
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