The Parks Main Street (TPMS), in collaboration with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) and EYA (developer of Riggs Park Place), is excited to announce the launch of the Traffic Control Box Community Art Project.
This art installation project will create decorative vinyl wraps featuring local artwork on six traffic control boxes in public spaces along the Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue NE corridor. All art designs will reflect community input. The art will be suitable for family-friendly viewing. Artists of community-selected designs will receive $500 for each design.
Your input is needed to select the “Themes” for this community art project. Choose up to 3 of the suggested themes or include others you would like to see.
Hellbender Brewery Record Fair December 2, 2023 1:00 pm-7:00 pm 5788 2nd Street NE
Hellbender Brewery is hosting a record fair on Saturday, December 2 from 1pm to 7pm. In addition to numerous vinyl vendors, there will be two food trucks and a live DJ. This is a free, all ages event and fun for the whole family. More information about the event can be found here.
My neighbor Keith and I have been working with some of the large private property owners along the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE corridor to tidy up their properties and to help keep surrounding public properties clean as well. Neighbors know that the public spaces owned by the District government, Metro, and National Park Service (NPS) in the neighborhood need a little attention.
The reception has been generally positive. Keith reached out to Alan Thompson, the owner of the Chick-fil-A located at 220 Riggs Road NE, to ask if his team could help with cleaning up the area along the north side of Riggs Road between the bridge & 1st Place NE. That area, the responsibility of partly NPS & Metro, tends to get debris that ends up accumulating, making it a bit unpleasant to walk down the street.
Alan answered the call. Oh the transformation. I have not seen that area look so clean in many, many years.
Huge thanks to the property owners who recognize they are part of a neighborhood & want to help us keep it clean!
Riggs Road NE North Side After Chick-fil-A Cleanup
Riggs Road NE North Side Before Chick-fil-A Cleanup
Art All Night hosted by The Parks Main Street (TPMS) returns to the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods on September 30, 2023.
Visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5. Should be a fun time.
Register to automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park. Registrants must check-in at a TPMS Welcome Center to confirm eligibility.
Presented by The Parks Main Streets with financial support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Small and Local Business Development. Additional support by Chick-fil-A Riggs Park, Riggs Park Place (EYA), Riggs Crossings Senior Residences (APAH).
Art All Night hosted by The Parks Main Street (TPMS) returns to the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods on September 30, 2023.
Visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5. Should be a fun time.
Register to automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park. Registrants must check-in at a TPMS Welcome Center to confirm eligibility.
Presented by The Parks Main Streets with financial support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Department of Small and Local Business Development. Additional support by Chick-fil-A Riggs Park, Riggs Park Place (EYA), Riggs Crossings Senior Residences (APAH).
Congratulations to Food & Friends! The neighobrhood organization was voted “Best nonprofit” and “Best place to volunteer” in Washington City Paper’s Best of DC 2023 people’s poll. The organization is located at 219 Riggs Road NE. Check out the website and volunteer opportunities at https://foodandfriends.org.
Backpack Giveaway August 4, 2023 4:00 pm-7:00 pm Riggs Liquor (5581 South Dakota Avenue NE, across from Walmart on Riggs Road)
Sponsored by Symone Brooks, John Yoo/Riggs Liquor, Chick-fil-A, and The Parks Main Street.
Backpacks will be filled with school supplies and hygiene items. Over 300 backpacks available. Food and backpacks available on a first come, first serve basis. Children must be present to receive a backpack.
Sixth Annual Riggs Park Art Crawl July 14 & 15, 2023 10:00 am-3:00 pm Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Vendors ● Music ● Books ● Live Painting ● Yoga Demo ● Face Painting ● Balloons ● Caricatures
Presented by The Parks Main Street, Culture Coffee Too, Center for Nonprofit Advancement, and the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD)
Whether you’re a historian or simply interested in preserving the legacy of our community, this workshop is for you. Attend and share your unique perspective to help create something special for Ward 5!
We are being blessed with a plethora of live music options in the neighborhood. Fridays at Fort Totten kicks off today at the Modern. And Hellbender is also featuring live music at the brewery.
First Fridays at Hellbender
Check out Bad Luck Gold at Hellbender (5788 2nd Street NE) tonight and every first Friday of the month 8 pm-10pm. El Jefe Pizza will be in the house tonight.
Hellbender is also bringing us Sunday Sounds. Summer is right around the corner. The weather is heating up and it’s the perfect time for That Sunday Sound. That Sunday Sound is a live music series sponsored by Hellbender Brewing Company and The Parks Main Street. Join Hellbender and The Parks Main Street for this FREE event, Sundays in June from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm to enjoy local musicians.
June Music Calendar
June 4: DJ Laura Lopez (soul/funk/city pop vinyl set)
June 11: The Potecasi Slade ‘Xperience (blues/funk)
The Parks Main Street is holding a series of community meetings to seek input on potential subjects for a Ward 5 commemorative work.
The DC Office of Planning is underwriting an effort to determine and select a “commemorative work” to honor and celebrate a person, place, or event in Ward 5. This project is called “Faces and Places: Commemorate People, Places and Events that Define our Communities.”
The Office of Planning and The Parks Main Street would like residents in Ward 5 to offer ideas and to be involved in this community effort.
The goals of this first meeting are to:
Inform Ward 5 residents about the project and invite their input.
Share details about Commemorative Works projects and offer examples.
Provide information about the community engagement and selection process.
Hellbender Record Fair May 6, 2023 1:00 pm-7:00 pm 5788 2nd Street NE
Hellbender Brewery is hosting a record fair on Saturday, May 6 from 1pm to 7pm. In addition to numerous vinyl vendors, there will be two food trucks, a DJ, and a live band! This is a free, all ages event and fun for the whole family.
Hellbender Brewery is also accepting non-perishable donations for the University of Maryland’s food pantry which works to help eliminate food hardships for University of Maryland students and ensure that all students have a steady source of healthy food.
More information about the event can be found here.
Culture Coffee Too will be closing its doors at 300 Riggs Road NE at the end of March after five years of providing a space for culture, coffee, and conversation in Riggs Park. Owner Veronica (Ms. V) Cooper opened the Riggs Park location after moving from a location on Kennedy Street NW. She stated in her closing note that she has enjoyed building community in Riggs Park over the last five years and now it is time to move on. Build community she did.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a letter in support of the coffee shop for an award. The words are fitting now as I think about how much I will miss Ms. V. I wrote then:
As the owner of Culture Coffee Too, a coffee shop and arts space in the Riggs Park neighborhood in Northeast Washington, DC, since 2017, Veronica Cooper has made it her business to make her business the cultural and community hub of the neighborhood.
Culture Coffee Too is the quintessential neighborhood small business sitting in the heart of the Riggs Park neighborhood’s commercial corridor. In the three years that Culture Coffee Too has been open, I have seen and been part of the overwhelmingly positive impact it has had on the community. When I served as president of the neighborhood civic association, I had the pleasure of speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate Culture Coffee Too’s opening in 2017. In 2018, Ms. V spearheaded the Riggs Park Art Crawl, bringing art and patrons to neighborhood businesses in Riggs Park. Another successful art crawl followed in 2019, making the neighborhood a little brighter with placemaking murals at neighborhood businesses.
At the end of 2018, I helped start the neighborhood Main Street. The Parks Main Street supports the commercial corridors of the Riggs Park and Manor Park neighborhoods in Washington, DC. It was only fitting that we launched the Main Street at Culture Coffee Too, inviting neighborhood residents, business owners, and all those interested in seeing the commercial corridor of these neighborhoods thrive to join together to make it happen. With Culture Coffee Too, Ms. V. serves as a connector—connecting small business owners, connecting artists, connecting residents. Any time someone steps inside the shop for a cup of tea, a breakfast sandwich, or maybe a smoothie, taking in the artwork on the walls of that month’s featured artist, it is likely that person will leave having met someone new.
I have been told that the coffee shop may be replaced by a Wingstop, a fast food chicken restaurant. (More about this on-brand decision by JBG later.)
Culture Coffee Too will hold a closing party on March 18 at 7:00 pm. Until then, feel free to stop in to give Ms. V her flowers.
Whether you’re a local resident or just visiting for a few days—stop by The Parks Main Street Holiday Lights to explore, shop, and dine this holiday season.
The businesses of The Parks Main Street will be decked out with holiday lights from November 18 through January 8. Wander the corridor with neighbors and visitors to enjoy amazing holiday events, activities, and promotions throughout the month. Then cast your vote for your favorite light displays between November 18 and December 11.
Where to see lights:
Culture Coffee Too (300 Riggs Road NE)
Joo & Soo Cleaners (5585 South Dakota Avenue NE)
Hellbender Brewing Company (5788 2nd Street NE)
Peaches Kitchen Restaurant and Catering (6214 3rd Street NW)
The Learning Curve Child Development Center (6234 3rd Street NW)
The VIP Room (6201 3rd Street NW)
The Davis Center (6218 3rd Street NW)
The Parks Main Street Holiday Lights is part of a broader, citywide DC Holiday Lights effort encouraging residents and visitors to shop small and explore the District this holiday season. Starting November 25 you can participate in our citywide Holiday Lights Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win great prizes from local DC businesses! Check back for more details.
Joining The Parks Main Street and Mayor Bowser in recognizing the life of Ms. Vanilla Beane. A life well lived. May she rest in peace.
–@TheParksMainSt honors the life and contributions of DC Maker, iconic small business owner of Bene' Millinery & Bridal Supplies in Historic #ManorPark Business District and "D.C. Hat Lady" Mrs Vanilla Powell Beane. Rest in Power! September 13, 1919 – October 23, 2022. #ward4pic.twitter.com/qC3ZIYvklO
Next Stop...Riggs Park 
