Events

     

On June 5, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy celebrated National Trails Day by hosting an event with Kaiser Permanente on the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The event, called Meet the Met: Party on the Met Branch Trail, introduced surrounding communities to a new pathway that had opened only one month before. While some area residents had been involved with the long history of getting the trail built, many in the surrounding neighborhoods didn't know that the trail existed. By working with our partners to host a celebration that included something for and from all parts of the community - free bike repairs and rentals, garden plantings and performances by the cheerleaders from nearby Beacon House - we hoped to christen the trail and introduce it to all of Northeast D.C.

Nearly 1,000 people turned out on a hot June day for the celebration, and of the over 200 surveyed, nearly half had never been on the Metropolitan Branch Trail before.  The day's events included salutes to longtime trail advocates, a bike rodeo to teach kids safe riding skills, live music along the trail, and a raffle of four bicycles donated by local shop Arrow Bicycle.

Meet the Met is just the beginning. A new listserv connecting neighbors who care about the Met Branch Trail attracted more than 100 members in its first week and a meeting is being held on July 8 to move the conversation from the online world to the real world. Even with community support, this trail faces challenges, such as littering and public safety. But the Met Branch is not alone.  As part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Urban Pathways Initiative, this trail is connected to dozens of others across the nation addressing similar issues, providing a support network to learn about best practices from other cities.

On November 18, 2009, in support of the Armed Forces Foundation, Vanguard provided Thanksgiving Dinner for more than 250 soldiers and their families at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.  We were prepared for the emotions that would potentially be stirred up while trying, humbly, to say thank you to our country's heroes.  What we weren't prepared for was the outpouring of generosity from so many people and businesses in our community.  We couldn't have produced such a successful event without their help and support.

“Basically, as the title of the wall means, we would like people to step beyond their own personal boundaries.”
— Peter Krsko, 30, director of Albus Cavus

Over a three week period in August, five artists and 40 apprentices from the city's Summer Youth Employment Program spray-painted a two story crumbling retaining wall behind Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center in Northeast Washington.  Spanning the length of a city block, what was once ignored by Red Line commuters will be seen as a vibrant streak across a familiar landscape leading to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro stop. Those on foot, who live in or pass through the Edgewood neighborhood ...