All the details about Saturday’s Garden Party

This weekend, we’re having a big shindig at Community Forklift, the nonprofit thrift store for home improvement.  You (and your pet) are invited to show off your best garden party style.  Below are all the details about the food, the live music, the FREE seeds, and the Garden Attire Awards! 
 
Rain or shine, we’re celebrating spring – and the fact that the City Paper just named us DC’s Best Home Goods Store!  Click here for directions and a map to our store, or for more info contact Ruthie at 301-904-7579.

Photo by Malek Naz Freidouni, from the 2010 DC Seersucker Social

 

The Goodies!

Garden Items & Tools

9 am – 6pm
Gate opens at 9 am. We expect a lot of shoppers, so come early for the best selection.

The Food!

Lemonade & Lunchtime Potluck

12 pm – 3 pm
Bring a dish, chow down, and get to know other Forklift Fans

“Grilling for the Building”

12 pm – 3 pm
We’re still trying to buy our warehouse, so we’ll be cooking hot dogs, burgers, & veggie burgers to raise money for our building fund.

The Animals!

Friendly, easy-going pets are encouraged to attend, as long as they’re on leashes. They are, however, discouraged from jumping on the potluck table or each other.

Dress to Impress!

We know that some of you love vintage clothes as much as you love vintage homes. This is the perfect occasion to show off your garden party attire. Take your inspiration from the trend-setters at DC’s 2010 Seersucker Social, below.

Photo by Josh Yospyn

Attire Awards for People & Pets

12 pm – 1:30 pm
Please arrive to register by noon if you (or a four-legged friend) would like to compete for the Garden Attire Awards. Categories will include jauntiest hat, frilliest flourishes, best vintage ensemble, most elegant, most debonair, poshest preppy, charming big animals, and adorable little animals.

Don’t worry if your hands are too calloused, or if your animal friend has too much dirt on his paws. We’ll also be looking for the most authentic gardener, best garden digger, most creative use of repurposed materials, and demonstration of Community Forklift spirit.

Prizes donated by:

Treasury: Located on 14th Street in NW DC, Treasury is a concept boutique melding an appreciation for the historical with the quest for modern beauty. Says owner Cathy Chung, “We consider our products to be artifacts of superior quality, to be reinterpreted and repurposed by the stylish and socially-conscious individual.”

Goodwill of Greater Washington: Transforming lives and communities through the power of education and employment. Thrift stores located throughout the DC area.

The Big Bad Woof: They provide essentials for the socially conscious pet. They have a store in the Takoma Park area, and will soon open a location at The Shoppes at Arts District Hyattsville.

 

The Music!

Put Some Pep In Your Springtime Step

Community Forklift’s resident DJ will be here! DJ One HeART Muzik, willl give away door prizes and take requests throughout the day.

Live Folk Music

11 am
Mary Gordon Hall began her songwriting career about 20 years ago writing songs for her first grade students. Her first recording of original and traditional songs (1991), I Just Can’t Eat My Peas, is enjoyed by families around the world. Her most recent recording (2006) of “grownup” original songs, Wine Glasses & Wooden Spoons, is her richest expression of both voice and songwriting to date

Live Mandolin Music

1:30 pm
Neil Gladd received his B.A. in Music from Virginia Tech, and has appeared as a mandolin soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, at mandolin festivals in Germany, Sweden, Belgium and Japan, as well as in recital in Canada, England and France. He has been recycling, restoring and repurposing music and musical techniques for decades. After buying his first home in Hyattsville in 2009, he became a Forklift Fan and started doing to same to his house.

The Free Stuff!

“Make It – Take It” Crafting Area

10 am – 2 pm
Volunteers from SCRAP DC will provide materials and inspiration to help folks make any number of things. The School and Community Reuse Action Project is a new organization that works to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable art materials to the community (Simply put, they aim to be a Community Forklift for artists and artistic endeavors).

FREE Seeds& Planting Advice

2 pm – 5 pm
Provided by the Neighborhood Farm Initiative. NFI is a non-profit project of America the Beautiful Fund. They aim to improve underutilized public green spaces in the DC area by creating demonstration gardens for hands-on community-wide education, thereby increasing access to fresh vegetables for all members of our community, regardless of income.

FREE Window Sashes

9 am – ?
During the party, we’re giving away select window sashes while supplies last (limit 4 per customer). You can use several for a space divider. Crafters like to repurpose them for picture frames, wall art, and jewelry organizers. Gardeners know they are great for building cold frames to start your seeds. Ella, one of our Forklift Fans, makes mini-greenhouses – she donated a beautiful one to our last silent auction!

Learn About Local Currency

Anacostia Hours provides the local currency in the Gateway Arts District that encourages buying locally and increases community economic self-reliance. Forklift Fans and others can join the local currency system, and receive Anacostia Hours (notes) that can be used to purchase goods and services from anyone in the Hours directory. For more information, stop by their information table during the party, or contact Nick Williams at 443-722-0528, or visit the Anacostia Hours website.