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Friends of the Soldiers Home

~ Serving Those Who Served at Washington D.C.'s Armed Forces Retirement Home

Friends of the Soldiers Home

Monthly Archives: May 2014

Friends Help Organize Successful Concert at Soldiers Home

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Kent in Holidays

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Memorial Day

MemDay1The weather was perfect and the Murrieta Valley, Calif., High School Band and Color Guard was outstanding at a free outdoor concert for veterans and the community at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in D.C. on Saturday, May 24. Band Director Neil Anderson provided interesting commentary for “America the Beautiful,” songs by Irving Berlin and other patriotic tunes performed by the 76-piece band. This was the group’s first stop on a three-day D.C. tour that included performances at the Air Force Memorial and in the downtown Memorial Day parade. Friends of the Soldiers Home was proud to help organize this event and show the depth of appreciation we feel toward our veteran friends on a special weekend.

Photos by Isabelle Hughes

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Friends, Soldiers Home Gardening Project Off To Strong Start

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Kent in AFRH Garden

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AFRH Garden

gardenpic1Story and photos by Ken Rubotzky

The Soldiers Home Garden Project, a partnership of Friends of the Soldiers Home and the Armed Forces Retirement Home, is off to a strong start. This spring the program has grown, with 45 community volunteers joining 15 veteran residents in tending plots on the lower grounds of the beautiful Soldiers Home campus. This is the third year of the program, which has spawned friendships and helped bring veterans back to gardening because they have helpers for some of the heavy lifting.

The 2014 growing season is off to a wet and muddy start. Deer fences are sprouting up, and discussions about tomato varieties are ensuing. Two rows of garden space are visible from Rock Creek Church Road and Park Place Northwest. They will be the source of many vegetables and fruits that make it to the homes of volunteers and residents, and possibly visitors, during the numerous upcoming events in 2014.

This year amaranth and echinacea have made it into the May planting. If you go all the way to the end of the B section, and talk to the perspiring owner of one of the last garden plots, you might fear for your life. He has excavated several deep pits and is excited about planting three sisters. The sisters are companion plants, of course — beans, melons and corn.

Several social events, some more fun than work and others more work than fun, transpired between bouts of April showers. The first event involved working out the kinks of equipment repair and fencing. Another was a meeting of minds of old gardeners. The third involved cleanup, and the most recent session was an informal social where new pairings of volunteers and residents put down some roots. Events are planned for each month while the weeds and deer attempt to secure their share of the gardens.

It should be a good season.

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Public Invited to Free Outdoor Patriotic Concert a the Soldiers Home on Memorial Weekend

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Kent in Holidays, Music and entertainment

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Concerts, Memorial Day

(Click for larger version)

(Click for larger version)

Before we formed Friends of the Soldiers Home, we were aware of newspaper clippings from 100 years ago about veterans and citizens gathering together for weekend concerts at the Home. Later this month, the past is new again.

The Murrieta Valley, California High School Band and Color Guard, with about 80 members, will perform patriotic music at the Armed Forces Retirement Home on the Saturday of Memorial Weekend, May 24, at 1:30 p.m. The free outdoor concert is open to the public. It will occur on the plaza in front of the Scott Building on the campus inside the main gate at Upshur Street and Rock Creek Church Road N.W. in Washington D.C.

The band will celebrate the heroes of World War II, D-Day and the Greatest Generation with songs such as John Philip Sousa’s Power and Glory, Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan, and America The Beautiful.

We are thrilled that the band could work in a a stop for the veterans and the community, as also during the weekend it will march in the Memorial Day parade downtown and perform at the Air Force Memorial.  We thank Music Celebrations International and the Armed Forces Retirement Home for working with us to make this happen.

And that’s not all! Later in the weekend, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, Lincoln’s Cottage plans a 10 a.m. wreath laying followed by cemetery tours. Information on that event is here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e97ji1ky144a9650&llr=6nwbdqcab

Friends Turn 81 With Jingo, Saloon Night Volunteer Events

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by Kent in Happy Hour, Volunteering

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Jingo, Saloon NIght with Friends

Friends volunteer Terra Zvara is happy to greet a new resident of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, Mr. Dibella, at Jingo Night on May 8. (Photo by Lori Lincoln)

Friends volunteer Terra Zvara is happy to greet a new resident of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, Mr. Dibella, at Jingo Night on May 8. (Photo by Lori Lincoln)

Friends of the Soldiers Home marked its 80th and 81st volunteer events since its 2011 founding, with Saloon Night on May 6 and Jingo Night on May 8. Saloon Night is always popular with our Armed Forces Retirement Home friends because we not only bring smiling volunteers and supply cold drinks, but we bring top-notch entertainment as well. On this particular night, the extremely talented vocalist Geneva Renee blew away the residents with her excellent performance. They were still talking about it the next day around the corridors of the Home — it was that good. Was Saloon Night a tough act to follow? Not when it comes to Jingo! This was the inaugural volunteer event for the Friends back in 2011 and it remains close to our hearts. Thursday night was a great session as we saw some new and old friends. Jingo is special because it is the only of our three regular monthly volunteer events where children are welcome to help. Thank you volunteers! We are proud of the volunteerism we have sustained over time, and we couldn’t do it without you! 

The Defenders' Inn at the Armed Forces Retirement Home was full on May 6 for the monthly Saloon Night With Friends. (Photo by Zach Hartman.)

The Defenders’ Inn at the Armed Forces Retirement Home was full on May 6 for the monthly Saloon Night With Friends. (Photo by Zach Hartman.)

Geneva Renee belted out some beautiful tunes at Saloon Night on May 6 that captured residents' attention and had them talking afterward.

Geneva Renee belted out some beautiful tunes at Saloon Night on May 6 that captured residents’ attention and had them talking afterward.

Spring Fling Attendance Tops 800 as Soldiers Home Opens Beautiful Campus

07 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Kent in Community Events

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Spring Fling

More than 800 people came to Spring Fling on Saturday, May 3, a 60% increase in attendance from last year. Adults sampled excellent food and drink and listened to great jazz from Herb Spice and the Cinnamonstix and the vocalist Cecily. Children ran around in the open space and played lawn games, board games or invent-their-own games. We would like to thank the Armed Forces Retirement Home for opening the beautiful campus to the community. We would also like to thank the Home’s residents for sponsoring this event, along with GreenLine Real Estate, Annie’s Hardware and the DCMTB bike-racing team. We want to thank organizations including DC Heights Yoga, the Kirov ballet school, Lincoln’s Cottage and the Washington Public Library for participating. We thank Mary Pat Rowan and Philip Blair for the excellent nature walk. Above all, we thank so many people from the community for participating in this wonderful event on a beautiful day!

Photos by Linda Lawson:

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In the News

Wax, Emily. "Post Magazine: Can Soldiers’ Home residents and urban gentrifiers overcome barbed wire?," The Washington Post Friday, March 1, 2013.

Twitter Updates

  • SELECT CFC #56535 AND GIVE TO FOSH! The Combined Federal Campaign kicks off Wednesday and Friends of the Soldiers H… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 7 months ago
  • With Giving Tuesday, please remember FOSH, which counts on year-end fundraising to support our three annual festiva… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 year ago
  • RT @petworthdcnews: The Old Soldiers’ Home has a long history in Petworth. Former @RooseveltHSDC & current UDC student John Argueta intervi… 1 year ago
  • RT @CollHawk: This is going to be an interesting process. Massive Development Project At Old Soldiers' Home In D.C. Moves Forward | WAMU ht… 1 year ago
  • Friends of the Soldiers Home seeks volunteers to serve pizza and drinks at our monthly SALOON NIGHT Tuesday, Novemb… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 year ago
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