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Robert Devaney • July 26, 2011

“First, to become president and then a Supreme Court justice,” said Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, of her high goals at a Capitol Hill Club reception, March 29. And you believe her.

Miss America brought her campaign to the nation’s capital this week, joined by her cabinet of 16 other state title-holders from the Miss America Pageant, where Scanlan was crowned Jan. 15 in Las Vegas at the age of 17. During the Cherry Blossom Festival, her tour expanded to include fellow contestants who have formed a powerful sisterhood and made the scene from the halls of the U.S. Congress, to a Potomac River cruise and restaurants around town.

At the Miss D.C. Scholarship Organization fundraiser, hosted by Lisa and Charlie Spies in the GOP gathering place, two blocks from the Capitol building, a former Miss D.C. Sonya Gavankar of the Newseum and Miss D.C. 2011 Stephanie Williams introduced the “astounding, accomplished women,” who are easy on the eyes as well as easy to speak with. Former Misses D.C. Jen Corey and Kate Michael were also there.

Miss Oklahoma Emoly West said it was “great getting to meet more people around D.C.” Miss Arizona Kathryn Bulkley found it was “awe-inspiring” to be on the floor of the House and Senate. Miss Florida Jaclyn Raulerson loved the tour of the U.S. Capitol and walking through the Rotunda, after the women had lunched there.
But it was the now 18-year-old Miss America from Gering, Nebraska, who was the star of the show.

Homeschooled until her junior year at Scottsbluff High School, Scanlan has enrolled at Patrick Henry College, a conservative Christian school in Purcellville, Va., less than 40 miles from D.C. “I will be staying around and do internships,” she said, as she posed with and easily charmed everyone — future voters, no doubt — who wanted to say hello.

While the other 16 women were down at the Tidal Basin that afternoon, admiring the cherry blossoms and posing for pictures, the mature-for-her-age Scanlan was three blocks north at the White House Council on Women and Girls, a federal watchdog in matters of public policy, especially equal pay, family leave and child care. The presidential board relates to her Miss America Platform on eating disorders, which was prompted by one of her best friend’s bulimia. “It is also important to be encouraging women in science,” Scanlan said of the education campaign. (In October, she will be meeting the man himself, President Obama.)

Other places and events felt the Miss America magic: a gala at the Kennedy Center, the Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner and the Embassy of Croatia (her maternal grandparents are from there). At a lunch at Cafe Milano, Franco Nuschese presented her with Ann Hand’s Liberty Eagle pin, made famous by such wearers as Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright, both Secretaries of State. All well and good, but, as you know, Scanlan is aiming for the White House. And those who know her well, especially in Nebraska, fully expect her to get there. [gallery ids="99637,105239,105246,105243" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

With the sun shining, there’s no reason not to hit the town. Here is what’s going on this weekend, straight from the Georgetowner’s online events calendar. And as always, we encourage you to get involved with your community by uploading your own events or any we may have missed.

Family Fair in Georgetown!
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Members: $8 (per child), Nonmembers: $10 (per child),
Adult Chaperones: $5
Youth@DumbartonHouse.org
Tel: 202-337-2288
Kids on spring break? Celebrate spring at two of Georgetown’s historic house museums, Dumbarton House and Tudor Place! Children of all ages make their own delicious treats at both houses, including ice cream sundaes and chocolate houses! The family fun continues with children’s games and crafts. This program serves as a great introduction to our great Summer Camp Program, Georgetown Summer History Weeks.
2715 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

SMJO – A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald featuring Kim Nazarian & Phil Woods
April 23rd, 2011 at 08:00 PM
Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra featuring vocalist Kim Nazarian and saxophonist Phil Woods.
Tickets: $55 Gen. Admission.
Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club
1073 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.

VINIFERA WINE BAR & BISTRO EASTER SUNDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
April 24th, 2011 at 11:00 AM
$45 per person for adults
$20 per person for children 12 and under
mquinn@sheratonreston.com
Tel: 703.234.3550
This Easter, Vinifera continues its tradition of inviting families to enjoy a petting zoo provided by the Leesburg Animal Park and Sunday brunch. Guests can visit the baby lambs, ducks, bunnies, goats and beloved long haired llama on Vinifera’s front lawn. Executive Chef Bo Palker will serve a delicious three-course meal of classic dishes and gourmet twists. There will be three Easter egg hunts for children ages 12 and under at noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and a visit from the Easter Bunny himself.
11750 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, Virginia 20191

Georgetowner •

Here is what’s going on this weekend, straight from the Georgetowner’s online events calendar. And as always, we encourage you to get involved with your community by uploading your own events or any we may have missed.

Georgetown House Tour Hospitality Suite
April 30th, 2011 at 10:00 AM
FREE For All To Attend

Join The Georgetowner Newspaper for our Hospitality Suite to Benefit the The Georgetown House Tour on April 30th. From 4-6PM, enjoy cocktails, Hors d’ oeuvres, and a day full of special events.

Hosted By
Canal Group Builders
The Georgetown Social Editor, Mary Bird
Address

Boffi Studios
3320 M Street NW
Washington DC 20007

Dataklysmos: Multidimensional Sculptures
April 30th, 2011 at 06:00 PM

Irvine Contemporary announces Dataklysmos, an exhibition of new multimedia sculptures by [dNASAb]. [dNASAb] (who goes by “Disney”) is a Brooklyn-based artist who constructs complex, multidimensional works that visualize the world of data and the materiality of digital technology in new ways.Opening reception 6-8 p.m.

Address

Irvine Contemporary
1412 14th Street, NW

Family Stories: Daughters, Mothers, and Bubbes
May 1st, 2011 at 01:00 PM
mwestley@jwv.org
202 265 6280

We invite to you portray your beloved daughters, mothers, and bubbes in skits, scrapbooks, videos, song and dance routines, or whatever your imagination can conjure. Exhibits will be open from 1-5pm. Treasure hunts for the kids.
Address

National Museum of American
Jewish Military History
1811 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Georgetowner •

Maddy’s Day
—

May 13th, 2011 at 12:00 PM

Maddy’s Bar & Grille will donate 100% of the day’s profits to benefit breast cancer research at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Bring your friends and grab lunch or join us for happy hour as we raise money for breast cancer research at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center on May 13. 100% of the day’s profits will be direct to breast cancer research at Lombardi. It will be a fun filled day with great food, drinks, and music.

Maddy’s Bar & Grille
1726 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
(2.5 Blocks North of the Dupont Circle Metro)

5th Annual Potomac Wildlife Art & Decoy Show
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May 14th, 2011 at 10:00 AM

The Community Foundation of Charles County’s 5th Annual Potomac Wildlife Art & Decoy Show is a free art and decoy exhibit celebrating the Potomac’s natural beauty. The show directly benefits the community. Donations to the Community Foundation are appreciated. Wildlife art and decoys on display, Potomac Decoy Collectors Association exhibiting antique duck decoys for show and sale, free decoy identification and appraisals, and decoy competition will be held. 10am-5pm

College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Rd–Business & Industry Bldg, Conf Center
La Plata, MD 20646

The Land That I Love
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May 14th, 2011 at 05:00 PM

May 14 – June 3 “The Land I Love” by the Piedmont’s premier landscape artist Tom Neel,opening May 14, 5 – 8 PM. Acclaimed for his strong sense of color and composition, Neel’s rich oil paintings are known to capture the best of the Piedmont region. Opening will feature live jazz by the Brian Litz Trio and wine by Barrel Oak Winery. See our website for calendar of upcoming events.

Live An Artful Life
6474 Main Street
The Plains, VA 20198

“Innocent Spouse- A Memoir”
—
May 22nd, 5-7PM

You’re invited to an evening with Carol Ross Joynt on the publication of her new book, “Innocent Spouse- A Memoir” Enjoy a reading, discussion/Q&A and a meeting with the author and have your booked signed! Music and Refreshments will provided. All proceeds from the sale and signing will benefit the new Georgetown Public Library under the direction of the D.C. Public Library Foundation. There is no charge for this event but seating is limited. To R.S.V.P call Anna 202 727 4943
Black Hall
At Potomac and O Streets in Georgetown
(Adjacent to St. John’s Church)

Venus in Fur
—
May 25th, 2011 at 08:00 PM

A comedy-drama that explores the complex relationship between sex and power. Reality and fantasy, strength and weakness, pleasure and pain all blend together in one of the smartest and funniest plays in recent years.

The Milton Theatre
1501 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

National Sporting Library & Museum Book Fair
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May 28th, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 10 am – 5 pm, the Library will host the NSLM Book Fair. Six authors are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes then sign books, beginning at 11:00. The authors are: Rita Mae Brown, Kate Chenery Tweedy and Leeanne Ladin, Tim Rice, Bill Woods, and Norman Fine. Booksellers will be on hand and the authors’ books will be available for purchase. Check www.nsl.org for details in early May.

The National Sporting Library and Museum
102 The Plains Road
P.O. Box 1335
Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m

Gary Tischler •

It’s official: Henderson, who was named interim chancellor by newly elected Mayor Vincent Gray last year in the wake of the apparently mutually arrived at departure of controversial and high profile chancellor Michelle Rhee, was recently confirmed unanimously by the DC City Council, making her neither defacto or in waiting, or interim or acting anything, but THE DC Schools Chancellor.

No surprise there. Gray had already made her position permanent earlier this year. Henderson, who came with Rhee when she was named Chancellor by then mayor Adrian Fenty, is very much in the Rhee vein philosophically—accountability being the trump card when it come to teaching and teachers—but has a very different operating style.

Rhee became a national and highly visible figure when she engaged in a school reform program that included large numbers of teachers being fired, trying to get private funding for merit pay, reaching a hard-fought contract with the teachers in spite of a combative, tense relationship with the teachers union, and generally making her a national figure in school reform advocates.

Henderson’s style—while following some of the same tenets espoused by Rhee, to whom she was very close—was much more people friendly and pro-active and was more adept at building relationships with and listening to parents and teachers. Some Rhee foes from previous hearings which tended to get combative said they would vote for Henderson, including At Large member Michael Brown and Wards 8 Councilman Marion Barry. Even the head of the Washington Teachers Union Nathan Saunders, a vocal critic of both Rhee and Henderson’s reform efforts at times made nice.

Georgetowner •

District Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan reported that his office is investigating allegations against Capitol Petroleum Group, the Springfield-based gasoline supplier, accused of engaging in practices that could be inflating pump prices, reports the Washington Post. Accordingly, this enormous regional enterprise “owns, operates or supplies” 164 stations in the DC area, as well as 71 stations in New York City.

Concurrently, Maryland’s Attorney General Douglas Gansler is also investigating a “sudden and dramatic” increase in prices at a handful of Maryland gas stations, supplied by Empire Petroleum Holdings, based in Gaithersburg, MD. Gansler said his office has received phone calls from customers and gas station owners worrying about the price increases of about 25 cents per gallon. Gansler demanded Empire turn over proper documents concerning the purchase and sale of gasoline from last month as proof of the legitimacy of the recent price hike.

“Such a significant price increase in such a short amount of time is deeply concerning to this office,” wrote Gansler, whose office is charged with ensuring fair market competition and protecting consumers.

However, an attorney for Empire Petroleum claims they are being unfairly targeted, and that these distribution companies do not make any price decisions—the oil companies do that.

Suzanna Nelson •

The Van Metre Polo Cup benefiting Capital Caring and the Alder Center was a success! A sunny day lit up the green polo field as guests enjoyed food and beverages under the tent, and the entertainment of the polo match. The auction raised not only money for the cause, spectators out of their seats in excitement. This video recaps the day’s events which were featured as our cover story June 15. click here to see video

Georgetowner •

“Innocent Spouse- A Memoir”
—
May 22nd, 5-7PM

You’re invited to an evening with Carol Ross Joynt on the publication of her new book, “Innocent Spouse- A Memoir” Enjoy a reading, discussion/Q&A and a meeting with the author and have your booked signed! Music and Refreshments will provided. All proceeds from the sale and signing will benefit the new Georgetown Public Library under the direction of the D.C. Public Library Foundation. There is no charge for this event but seating is limited. To R.S.V.P call Anna 202 727 4943
Black Hall
At Potomac and O Streets in Georgetown
(Adjacent to St. John’s Church)

Venus in Fur
—
May 25th, 2011 at 08:00 PM

A comedy-drama that explores the complex relationship between sex and power. Reality and fantasy, strength and weakness, pleasure and pain all blend together in one of the smartest and funniest plays in recent years.

The Milton Theatre
1501 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

National Sporting Library & Museum Book Fair
—
May 28th, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 10 am – 5 pm, the Library will host the NSLM Book Fair. Six authors are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes then sign books, beginning at 11:00. The authors are: Rita Mae Brown, Kate Chenery Tweedy and Leeanne Ladin, Tim Rice, Bill Woods, and Norman Fine. Booksellers will be on hand and the authors’ books will be available for purchase. Check www.nsl.org for details in early May.

The National Sporting Library and Museum
102 The Plains Road
P.O. Box 1335
Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m

Free Memorial Day Weekend Events at the Navy Memorial
—
May 30th, 2011 at 10:00 AM | Free and open to the public

Memorial Day Weekend Events featuring Rolling Thunder, a performance by the Rock Band Fourmanchu, commemorative wreathlayings and a traditional Navajo dance
Address

United States Navy Memorial
Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004

Samantha Hungerford •

In a box, in a corner of an office, in the Tudor Place in Georgetown, an antique collection of wax figurines lays largely untouched and unseen by visitors to the historic home.

The 228-year-old dolls, once the treasured belongings of first First Lady Martha Washington, were brought to their home at Tudor Place by Martha’s granddaughter and looked after for two centuries by her descendants and then museum curators.

Years of heat, mishandling and bugs have obviously gotten to figures; many are missing legs or arms, and the silk clothes are torn and faded of their color. But Leslie Buehler, the executive director of Tudor Place, believes that there is life yet to breathe back into these charming wax characters, and she is currently working to restore them.

The figurines make up a tableau set that was a gift to Martha Washington from Samuel Fraunces in 1783. The scene depicts the story of the military hero, Hector, and his wife Andromanche, whose romance was endearing to George and Martha, mirroring their own story of love and separation during wartime.

The scene was removed from public display in an effort to conserve the figurines and spare them any further damage.

The steps taken by Tudor Place to make the figurines more aesthetically pleasing have been more challenging than expected. The pins and dowel rods that hold the dolls together are from unidentifiable years, making it difficult to determine which ones are the originals, and details such as what the faces and clothes originally looked like are unknown. Buehler stated that it will be at least another year before the figures are ready to go back on display.

The restoration is being funded by private donors, including a remarkably generous donation which covered the initial analysis of the figurines.

“All of these objects tell extraordinary stories that relate the times these people lived in a visceral way,” Buehler said to the Post. “The more one understands about the beginnings of this country – how people lived, how they spent their time – it just informs our sense of history.”
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