Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-05-09
SOUTHWEST WAITS
SPRING FESTIVAL
Neighborkood House Event
will Be Held This
Week.


most social activity, all the good !
neighbo-s are getting ready for the
thirty-flfth annual Spring festival |
Thursday, Friday and Saturday are |
the days.
Then all Southwest Washington in
tends to turn out with a real old
fashioned celebration, such as they
held. in merry England long, long
years ago
Now that it has become an annual
event, and, rounding out its thirty
fifth year. the Neighborhood House
Spring Festival, to give 1t the for
NAL name, is planned this season to
be bigger and better than all pre-
vious attempts.
May Queen to BE Chosen.
There will be, first OF all, a Queen
be chosen from the loveliest lessies
Of Southwest Washington.
After that formal pageant Of the
May Queen and her attendants, with
outdoor dancing on N street In the 400
block, where Neighborhood House
IS located.
Games, dances and folk tales-a
reflection Of the olden, golden days
when peoples Of all races rejoiced in
the birth Of Spring, the reawakening
Of the beauty of earth-all these are
planned to make Southwest WASH
ington the center Of the citys in
terest
Cherry blossoms may attract their
thousands from out OF town, but the
Neighborhood House party is aimed
directly at Westinghouse and all
hands are invited to come on down
near the wharf and have the time OF
their lives.
Today and tomorrow and every day
and night from now until Thursday
the boys and the girls of Southwest
Washington, assisted by their elders,
will be busy putting the Neighbor-
hood House in order.
House Built In 1898.
That old house at 47O N, inciden-
tally, is the pride and Joy Of South
west Washington--for 1t was erected
as far back as 1875, is one Of the oldest
houses In all Washington, and saw the
bellies and beaux Of many generations
dance around Maypoles
They danced the fantastic fairly
well In the old days, but the boys and
girls OF today hope to 60 their for
bears one better when the real article
Is staged on the three nights set aside
Tor a recrudescence Of the old meas
ures-the waltz, the polka and the
minuet.
Miss Margaret Bell Merrill, head
resident Of the Neighborhood House,
beams when she tells what the old
neighborhood hopes to produce in the
way OF May celebration this year
the annual Spring festival
Il firmly believe" Miss Merrill said
yesterday, that this year Neighbor-
hood House. It's staff and various clubs,
will surpass all previous efforts, That
this Spring festival will really be 4
work OF art.
And no wonder! II you go to Neigh
borhood House at any time OF the day
or night, from early morning to around
midnight. you'll ind the nine men,
bers Of the staff, assisted by % VOL
unteer workers, dolling the place up.
painting, papering. scrubbing, polish
ing, doing everything to put life and
nest In what they call the finest So
cial center in all Washington"
Ne1ghborhood House has grown i'm
measurably.
IL began In a small way back In
November, 1901, when the late Mrs
Alice Pike Barney, well-known local
artist, philanthropist and social work.
er, presented this edifice to the COM
munEy-for the purpose It serves to-
day
At last reckoning, $500 persons in
Southwest Washington used Neiehbor-
mood House as meeting place. That
was IN the month Of March Just past.
1t represented huge increase over
The attendance OF March last year,
Nowadays, some 800 men, women
ana children are members of Neigh-
borhood House and its af1iEated ac-
WITHSTAND these are away up In
numbers, well over the 80 mark,
Clubs Meeting at House.
To give an idea what they do dovn
there in Neighborhood House. located
IN the oldest part of WASHINGTON. the
iAe VII eiInt WdS KNOWN Tor years
a. The Island and now IS THE
Lower End" there are mothers clubs
and neighbors' clubs and 4 woman,a
CLUB that Is exactly 81 years old. That
woman's club, organized in 1906. /.
the pride Of Southwest Washinqton.
Tor while most Of the women who
belong to 1t were residents long ago Of
Southwest Washington, many of them
1ater moved to other parts of the CITY.
No matter where they live, each Tues
Gay night sees them come troopinr
back TO Southwest to attend the meet
ings OF the Woman's Club in Neigh.
borhood House.
OF course, the Woman's Club ia only
one activity so far as Neighborhood
House Is concerned but 1t is 4 yerv
important one, since its members al
ways turn out to give helping hands
whenever needed. This year, for in
stance, they are prepared to serve the
suppers and dinners to the guests who
come to the Spring festival.
And when the guests arrive they are
going to see more than a Spring fes-
dval. They will see just what can be
done to help boys and girls make the