‘Daffodils For Dad’ A Great Community Day

by Mary Beth Ray
ANC 3F03 Commissioner

Early rain, overcast skies and chilly temperatures couldn’t subdue an enthusiastic group of over 50 volunteers who planted 3,000 daffodil bulbs at Van Ness on Saturday, November 16th.

“Daffodils for Dad,” initiated by UDC Master Gardener Coordinator Sandy Farber Bandier, honors her late father, Ted Farber, a gardening enthusiast. The Farber Bandier family donates 3,000 bulbs every year to a different ward in DC. The Vision Committee of ANC 3F and the Forest Hills Citizens Association were delighted to shepherd the Ward 3 contribution.

The hale and hearty volunteers included mostly neighbors, ranging in age from 2 to 82. Volunteers from George Washington University added an international flair, with students from China, South Korea and Mongolia. Local merchants came through with a host of generous contributions. John Shorb Landscaping, under the able leadership of Alex McCarty, drew up a logistics plan to rival the Army! Shorb provided not only brains but also muscle, mulch, bone meal, tools, and water.

Leo and his Cut ‘n Edge Barbershop donated two free haircuts to the most outstanding volunteers. And the winners are Stephen Sipos, a master gardener, and Miles Tanner, a Murch third grader and son of Adriana Delgado. As axes swung, shovels pushed past concrete and asphalt, and bulbs were carefully laid in the ground, Miles said, “What a great way to spend my last day of being nine years old.”

Grateful thanks to Calvert Woodley (sandwiches), Starbucks (coffee), Walgreens (drinks and pretzels), the UPS Store (printing), and Giant (fruit, veggies and cider).

And kudos to the incredibly hard-working diggers, including Councilmember Mary Cheh, and ANC Commissioners Sally Gresham, Bob Summersgill, and Manolis Priniotakis and his family.

To all the members of ANC 3F and the Van Ness Vision Committee, thanks for your team work. To protect the bulbs, and to let the community know what’s going on, beautiful signs made by Vision Committee member Ken Terzian mark the planting sites. And come late March/early April, a beautiful burst of color will be the most gratifying thanks of all.

More good things are coming to Forest Hills/Van Ness, so stay tuned for more ways to get involved in making our neighborhood more beautiful and more vibrant.