uploaded to Flickr by KevinDooley
Santa’s sleigh shows up again this weekend on the Hill, pulling into Frager’s Hardware at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The reindeer don’t take flight until 4 p.m. and both days you can take advantage of music, cocoa, free gifts for kids, photos with the jolly elf and a pick up a complimentary print from MotoPhoto.
There was a bit of a mad scramble to find Santa this year, and Frager’s put out a call throughout the community. Popular opinion says the Frager’s Santa is the Real Santa of Capitol Hill. You may remember the original Frager’s Santa — their much loved employee, Howie. The gentleman with the white beard, jolly tummy and rosy cheeks could point you to just the right screws and bolts and grind keys like few others. Sadly, Howie passed away and a new Santa debuted last year, but apparently his dance card was full this weekend. So Frager’s found two men of mirth. One is a long-time customer with a physique and cheer that foots the bill. The other is a paint store employee who might just see volunteering as a career stepping stone. We expect both will stay away from naughty (actually, rather innocent, in my mind) jokes that got Santa San Francisco canned. Stop by to see just who these ho-ho-hoers are.
So, Santa, here’s what I want for Christmas:
DCRA to stop holding up the folks behind Crepes on the Corner (rather than discouraging small businesses) and finally let this much-awaited coffee/carb spot open in clamoring HillEast.
The Rumsey Pool to have a more reasonable, swimmer-friendly schedule — and DCPR to have the same expectations of this pool and it’s care as they do for the AMAZING Wilson Pool in Tenleytown. Now that’s a baby pool I’d let my sweetpea enjoy.
Some creative — no, just make that financially viable — institution to buy the Internationl Gradutate University property and oust nutty Dr. Walter Boek from what could be an amazing educational, residential or community-geared campus.
A business-civic group collaboration (perhaps you, Capitol Hill Community Foundation?) to breath new life into the sad, decrepit fence on the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, ridding the neighborhood of a symbol for urban decay and greedy developers (yes, the fence is huge pet peeve of mine), with awesome murals like the one created by members of the Albus Cavus at Wisdom.
Small businesses, non-profits, real estate developers (ok, anybody but phone stores and fast food purveyors — not counting you Mangialardo’s) to stick their neck out and rent/buy space in the expanse between 12th and 15th along Pennsylvania Avenue — just like successful metrosexual heaven Michael Craig. I’ve counted more than 10 for lease/buy signs for properties that have been available for more than 5 years. If small businesses are being priced out of 8th Street, here’s your chance people!
I want to know when Annie & Teddy’s will be serving their locally sourced gourmet sandwiches, though word on the street is that they won’t, but someone else will be in that space soon. (Cough it up Nichole!)
Hmmmm….one last thing. I want a Hill is Home onesie for itty bitty Ava! We’re dipping our toe into e-commerce; feel free to use Cafe Press’ coupon code NEWSK1212 for $5 off.
What’s on your wish list for the Hill?
And just in case you still need a tree for your gifts, Frager’s has a fresh load from a farm near Gaithersburg, They’re selling trees from 12 majestic feet to 4 apartment-appropriate feet for $58.99. That’s right, your Charlie Brown tree or your McMansion tree for $58.99.
Kate…great post. Let me add a few:
I’d like DCRA to act on the sort-of-vacant property next to me, whose back porch is disintegrating and the backyard has become a cat mating sanctuary.
I’d like drivers to SLOW DOWN on Independence Avenue SE between 15th and 18th streets. Maybe DDOT can put in some pedestrian crossing signs too.
I would like to stop reading (and reporting on) DCRA holding up new businesses opening.
Finally, I would like a pony. Actually, two small pygmy goats to keep my small yard trim would be fine.
Agree on the crepes place. By the time a request went to the ANC to help with this, the owner had given up with DCRA and has a commitment from the landlord to change the bathroom layout so there will be both a men’s room and a women’s room. This will cost the landlord some more but more importantly it means the disabled accessible bathroom will be gone.
Not a great situation but the endless wait may soon be over and crepes be flying off the hot disk some time early in the new year.
I’d love it if THIH would do a story on Rumsey Pool’s bizarre schedule. No one seems to know why they close at the most opportune times of day–not even the people working at Rumsey. I’d love to take my daughter there when I get home from work, but that’s exactly when it is closed.