Meeting with DSLBD and WACIF November 15th at 4 pm to announce no-interest loan program

Oyster-Adams School looking for a host  for their cocktail party to support the scholarship fund

Dishcrawl - December 14th in Adams Morgan - need restaurants to participate

No construction on 18th Street November 11-13

New business opening in the former Adams Mill Bar and Grill space - 1813 Adams Mill Road

Reminder about noise and calling 911 for the police and/or FEMS

Meeting with DSLBD and WACIF - November 15th at 4 PM to announce no-interest loan program for businesses in streetscape construction zones

The DC Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) and the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF) will be announcing the Streetscape Loan Fund details on Tuesday November 15th at 4 PM at the District Lounge, 2473 18th Street, NW on the second floor.

WACIF, the group chosen to administer the loan program, will have applications available for these no-interest, 5 year repayment loans for small businesses in affected streetscape construction zones.

Harold Pettigrew, Acting Director of DSLBD, also promised at last night's board meeting, to have additional information available on Tuesday about Enterprise Zones and other DC Government programs designed to help small and local businesses.

Please share this news with your neighboring businesses and encourage them to attend. Hope you can join us!

More information about the Streetscape loan fund is available here: http://dcregs.dc.gov/gateway/noticehome.aspx?noticeid=1767648

Oyster-Adams School looking for a restaurant to host their scholarship fund fundraiser

Oyster Creative Activities (OCA) an after-school program based at the Oyster Bilingual School is looking for a location to host their Fall cocktail party fundraiser to be held ideally on Friday, December 2 or Friday, December 9th.

171 of the 430 students at the Oyster-Adams Bilingual School participate on a daily or drop-in basis in the after school program. The after-school program extends the bilingual atmosphere that the school tries to instill beyond the regular school day, helping students with homework and offering a range of cultural, athletic and artistic programs on the premises of the Oyster Adams School.

Approximately 20% of the program's participants receive scholarships ranging from 15-78% of the program cost, currently $280 per month. The total amount of the program’s scholarship fund for this academic year is $35,800. The program is not-for-profit and is managed by a board of parent volunteers.

To retain the policy of accepting program participants without taking into account the family’s ability to pay, OCA parents must raise $12,000 this academic year. The balance of $15,000 that comprises the scholarship fund, comes from the Oyster Community Council, Oyster’s parent-teacher association (PTA).

In the spring of 2005, OCA began a tradition of hosting cocktail parties to support the scholarship fund. While the cocktail party takes place, OCA provides childcare at the Oyster school. Last Spring’s cocktail party was held at Havana Village on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan.

Businesses interested in hosting this fundraiser should plan on the group using a section of their restaurant for 2½ hours (5:30-8pm) and provide limited drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks) and appetizers for around 100-120 people paying $15 to $100 per ticket.

They will assure you publicity and are certain, due to the proximity and strong relationship between the school and the neighborhood, they could guarantee that over 100 Oyster parents/supporters would participate.

Thanks so much for your consideration. Please contact Stephanie Vann if you are interested in hosting this event at: stephanie_vann@yahoo.com or by calling 202-341-4440.

Dishcrawl - December 14th - Adams Morgan - need restaurants to participate

Dishcrawl is an organization which focuses on building community and neighborhood sustainability through local area restaurants. We take 50-100 area locals on a walking tour of 4 restaurants in one amazing evening!

Dishcrawlers get to sample the best of what these unique restaurants have to offer while getting to hear the restaurant chefs and owners as they share their own personal food philosophy.

Once a month, we pick a neighborhood and explore everything from fine dining restaurants, brasseries, cafes, teahouses and even food trucks! Anywhere great local eats can be found...no restaurant is safe! :D

We are very excited that Dishcrawl has finally come to our Nation's Capital where a melting pot of diversity and culture culminates into a very unique dining adventure. Dishcrawl had their inaugural event in the Penn Quarter section of DC on November 8th and was completely sold out.

DishCrawl is looking forward to having Adams Morgan featured in their DishcrawlDC event next month - on Wednesday, December 14th.

If your restaurant would like to participate, only 4 each evening, please contact JoAnn Pham. Her information is below.

Once the event has been posted, tickets and additional info can be found at www.dishcrawl.com .

No construction - Veterans Day weekend - November 11-13

We have been notified by both Washington Gas and DDOT that there will be no 18th Street Streetscape Construction activities starting Friday November 11 through Sunday November 13th.

New business opening in the former Adams Mill Bar and Grill

We learned last week that SoHo - Southern Hospitality - will be coming to the former Adams Mill Bar and Grill location at 1813 Adams Mill Road, NW. They will specialize in American fare with $10 small plates and $20 entrees to include salmon and filet mignon among many others.

They hope to be open in mid-December, depending on construction and permits, and look forward to being a part of the Adams Morgan community!

Reminder about noise and calling 911

We have been alerted to the noise violations coming from some businesses who leave their front doors open. We encourage all businesses to be respectful of their neighbors and either keep your front door closed or keep the music volume lower. We also have heard that noise violations will soon be more strictly enforced. Please don't be fined for something preventable.

Also should you or your business need MPD's or FEMS assistance at any hour, please call 911 first before looking for an officer on patrol in the neighborhood. This is the fastest way to get assistance and will ensure the best response by our police and emergency medical staff.