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The Nation’s Capital and its Fourth of July plans

WASHINGTON — Fourth of July is right around the corner, when people from all over the country gather to celebrate this festivity full of patriotism and pride.

American University employee John Suarez celebrates this holiday by “going to Virginia Beach and being with family.”

John Suarez talkes about his plans for Independence Day.
John Suarez talkes about his plans for Independence Day. Photo by Jacquie Lee

If one is in DC for this holiday the fireworks at the Reflecting Pool are a must see. LaFollette, Tenn., based Pyro Shows provided fireworks for DC’s Fourth of July parade for three years before the recession. Now, they work exclusively in the South on events ranging form New Year’s Day parades to concerts.

Dain Alexander is interviewed about his Fourth of July plans.
Dain Alexander is interviewed about his Fourth of July plans. Photo by Jacquie Lee

“We put a lot of investment into these events, and it’s year-round,” a spokesman from the company said. “You can’t just walk into your local fireworks shop and ask for enough firecrackers to light up a whole city. We get our firecrackers from China, and sometimes they take six months to ship.”

Others decide to have fun, but avoid the crowd, like Dain Alexander: “I’m probably not going downtown, probably staying around Tenleytown.”

Other people choose to stay home and enjoy quality time with their loved ones. Ned MacFadden, a scriptwriting and video production teacher at Discover the World of Communication, says that he will “definitely grill out.” MacFadden remembers many of his Fourth of July experiences. “I used to love the fireworks as a kid,” he says.

Sarah Bieniek, a biology student at American University, has to work, so she decided she’ll keep things simple. “I’ll probably work at the lab here on campus and then probably hang out with friends,” she says.

Sarah Bieniek tells reporters what she will do on the Fourth of July.
Sarah Bieniek tells reporters what she will do on the Fourth of July. Photo by Jacquie Lee

Some people choose to fly to other parts of the country to enjoy and embrace new traditions. Marc Alain Boucicault, a Fulbright Scholar studying for his master’s degree in economics, plans to go to New York City to watch the fireworks there.

“I’m not form the States,” Boucicault says, “but you can enjoy the fireworks no matter where you’re from.”

 

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At Newark Street Community Garden, new gardeners bring new methods

WASHINGTON—On the surface, Jill Causa’s plot at the Newark Street Community Garden doesn’t look like many others. Besides being smaller than most plots in the area, she grows chili pepper, kale and watermelon –– plants that are not commonly found at this garden. In addition, lining her plot are unconventional items, such as a few Solo cups, a tennis ball and even a pair of firefighter’s boots that once belonged to her son.

“When you have a young kid at home,” Causa says, “you can’t afford all these high-tech gardening tools, so you have to get by with whatever you can.”

Causa has gardened at the Newark Street Community Garden for the last two years, and has already realized the effort that it takes to maintain even a small plot of land like hers.

She continues, “Last year I moved into someone else’s plot who didn’t take good care of it, so it’s been a lot of work to reorganize everything.”

The Newark Street Community Garden is the largest community garden in the District. Founded in 1974, it affiliated with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation the next year. It contains 200 plots run by 190 individuals, who all grow various vegetables, fruits and flowers. Some of the gardeners have been gardening on the same plot since the park’s founding, while others are new to taking care of a piece of land.

Guy Mendelson can be found at the garden almost every day, moving from plot to plot and digging or watering. “I’m actually very new to gardening,” he says. “Didn’t do any as a kid, but I was always interested. I read a bunch of books on gardening and watched everyone else [at the garden] do it so I could learn quicker.”

As being environmentally friendly becomes more popular, so too do these community gardens. Since Newark Street Community Garden is the largest of its kind in Washington, there is significantly more demand to obtain a plot here than at any of the 31 other public gardens in the city. According to former Garden Association President Susan Akman, there are 100 people on the waiting list, and they can wait as long as two years before getting their plot.

Plot owners can only be removed if they move out of the District or if they do not donate adequate time or money to the well-being of their plot. Mendelson chose not to wait that long, taking matters into his own hands.

“I was on the waiting list for almost two years before I got tired of waiting and asked a few people if we could share plots,” he says. “Many of them were too busy to manage the whole 10-hours-a-week thing, so they accepted my proposal.”

The plot-sharing deal benefits both parties, Mendelson continues.

“I have found that sharing a plot helps me gain a lot more knowledge than I would have had I had my own [plot].”