Thursday night Bluegrass upstairs at the Argonaut tonight & every Thursday, 8 pm

SOVA may be closed, but the Thursday night Bluegrass tradition continues upstairs at the Argonaut every Thursday night starting at 8 pm. 

The Bluegrass schedule for the next few weeks follows:

Feb 28 King Street Bluegrass;

Mar 7 Stick Mob;

Mar 14 ByNBy;
 

Next Streetcar meeting Tuesday, Feb 26, 6:30 pm at Miner Elementary (601 15th St NE)

DC Streetcar Public Meeting
Tuesday, February 26, 6:30-8 pm, at Miner Elem. (601 15th St NE)

All Aboard! Construction Update Meeting for H/Benning Line

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will provide an update on the final roadway construction currently underway along the H/Benning corridor. An overview presentation will go over the construction schedule through Fall 2013, when streetcar vehicles will be delivered to the corridor for testing. Following the overview, neighbors can participate in localized discussions and ask specific block-by-block questions of the project team.

Your involvement and feedback is essential to helping DDOT and other partnering entities plan, build and operate the best streetcar system possible. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join Councilmember Tommy Wells for H Street Office Hours, Thurs, Feb 21, 8 am @ Batter Bowl Bakery (403 H St)

Each month, Ward Six Councilmember Tommy Wells hosts community office hours on H Street.  Most months these useful gatherings with Tommy and his capable staff have been held at SOVA.  This month, they will be held at Batter Bowl Bakery (403 H St).  Stop by for a coffee and pastry and to chat with Councilmember Wells and his staff to discuss any community issues they might be able to help you resolve. 

The Great Unknowns & the Highballers at Dangerously Delicious Pies for Fat Tuesday

Dangerously Delicious Pies Mardi Gras show

 

 

First is Fat Tuesday at Dangerously Delicious Pies in DC:

What: Dangerously Delicious Mardi Gras Party

Who: The Great Unknowns and The Highballers

When: Tue, Feb. 12, 7:30 pm

Where: Dangerously Delicious Pies, 1339 H Street

Cost: Free

 

 

Dangerously Delicious Fat Tuesday Party with an unplugged show from The Great Unknowns and The Highballers. New Orleans native Kendall Jackson of The Highballers brings a little Mardi Gras to H Street along with the Wammie-Nominated Great Unknowns.

Thanks, Frank Hankins of SOVA for a great five years on H Street

Frank Hankins has been the owner-operator of SOVA -- a great coffee shop and winebar at 1359 H Street -- for the past five years.  If you've ever been to SOVA, you've probably met Frank.  Indeed, if you've ever spent any time on H Street, you've probably seen Frank whether at SOVA or somewhere else.  Frank has been a key player in H Street's rebirth -- his coffee shop acts as a makeshift office for meetings about planned new businesses along H Street's western end, serves as a neighborhood gathering place, and hosts Councilmember Tommy Wells' month H Street Community Office Hours and a weekly bluegrass night.  Frank loves H Street.  He gets excited about new businesses and attends their opening receptions.  He also contributes coffee to various community functions, including Sherwood Neighborhood Volunteers events, among others.  Frank is a good guy and he provides something unique and special at SOVA.  So it is with sadness that I share Frank's news that he will no longer be part of SOVA.  While the business appears slated to continue under new ownership, Frank is an important part of SOVA and H Street and he will be missed.  Frank Hankins' SOVA closes Sunday, February 17.  Expect the downstairs coffee shop to continue largely unchanged, but a brief hiatus in service at the upstairs wine bar while changes occur.  We'll share more as we have it, Frank's farewell message follows.

Dear customers, friends & neighbors,

After 5 plus years in business, SOVA will cease operations after close of business next Sunday, the 17th. There will be an ownership change, and I'm certain other changes with be forthcoming. Between me and the new ownership, we'll try to make the transition as seamless as possible. Customers will still see the same faces behind the coffee bar, and the bar upstairs will be closed for a short time while licensing issues get resolved.

We had some great times, but there were also some very difficult times over the last 6 plus years since I moved into the space. In a nutshell, we opened when H St wasn't hip at all. Running a business 7 days a week, morning, noon, and night took its toll financially and otherwise until we could grow a sustainable customer base, and it's still developing. I wish the new ownership well, and I hope the neighborhood gets what they want. I was very proud to be one of the first newer businesses to open on H St, but I paid the price for getting here early. Especially having to deal with the 3 plus years of construction on the street.

Most importantly, I'm going to miss all the great people that became good friends. Thank you for your support over the years.

You stay classy, H St. I'm out!

Happy trails,
Frank Hankins

Weekend East City Art Roundup

Weekend East CityEvent Round Up: The Virtual and the Concrete Edition

Saturday February 9

 

RandallScottProjects(5pm to 8pm)

Randall Scott presents his first exhibition Golden Cacti at his new permanent spaceon H Street NE.  To read Gail Vollrath'sinterview with Randall Scott click here.  In GoldenCacti Mason Saltarelli uses religious, tribal and even personal symbols inhis work conversing with nature in an interactive manner.  For more information about this exhibition,click here.

 

RandallScottProjects is located at 1326 H Street NE, Second Floor.

 

CONNERSMITH (6pm to8pm)

CONNERSMITH presents three concurrent exhibitions by LincolnSchatz The Network, New Sculpture by Benjamin Kelley andCoble/Riley Projects Watermarks.  Schatz’s portraits of power caused a bit of astir at the National Portrait Gallery in the fall of 2012 due to itscontroversial interpretation of power and politics.  For more information about all threeexhibitions, click here.

 

CONNERSMITH is located at 1358 Florida Avenue, NE.

Industry Gallery (6pmto 9pm)

UK designer Tobias Klein presents The Invisible Human, a series of data imprints of the human body or“digitally sections” created by MRI scans and Virtual Sunset, a globally connected  "live" installation capturing theephemerality of a paradoxically quotidian yet perpetual global event- thesunset.  For an in-depth interview withKlein, read Eric Hope's interview here.  For more information about the exhibition,click here.

INDUSTRY Gallery is located at 1358 Florida Avenue NE

 

Phil Hutinet is theEditor-in-Chief of East City Art.  You can get more information about East CityArt on Facebook  by follow them on Twitter or click here to sign up for their newsletter.

Help celebrate an awesome first year at Boundary Road on Wednesday, February 13

Congratulations to Karlos, Brad, Erin, Dan and all the other great folks at Boundary Road on their 1st Anniversary.  Boundary Road has been a wonderful addition to H Street and we're looking forward to celebrating with them and to many more years of their success as one of DC's best neighborhood restaurants. 

 

Boundary Road Anniversary Celebration

Wednesday, February 13th

5:30-Close, stop by anytime

Drink specials all night

Featuring a visit from Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey