Volunteers honored in spirit of brothers killed in crash
This story was corrected on March 18, 2010. An explanation of the correction follows the story.
A foundation launched to honor two North Bethesda brothers killed in a car crash in July is honoring those who carry on the brothers' work.
Stone Weeks was 24 and Holt Weeks was 20 when they died. The two, who both lived in Houston, had been driving home for a visit when the accident happened on Interstate 81 in Virginia. Their parents, artist Jan Taylor Weeks and journalist Linton Weeks, live in North Bethesda. Stone was a graduate of St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, and Holt was a graduate of Walter Johnson High School.
The Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation recently honored a group from St. Columba's Episcopal Church in Northwest Washington with the first "Green Hammer" award. The award goes to those who volunteer with Rebuilding Together of Washington, D.C a group that recruits volunteers to offer free home repairs for low-income homeowners and furthers their efforts to make homes more green. The brothers were environmentalists and dedicated volunteers with Rebuilding Together, according to the group's executive director, Janice Stango. Holt often volunteered as a "house captain," Stango said.
"He was just mature beyond his years," Stango said. "He'd always be the last one on the job site, making sure everything got done correctly."
The group who was honored with the award conducted the first solar panel installation in Rebuilding Together of Washington, D.C.'s history, according to a news release. The volunteer group from St. Columba's installed the panels for an elderly homeowner in Washington raising her granddaughter on a fixed income. The panels will help cut back on utility bills, Stango said.
To learn more about the Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation, visit www.stoneandholtweeksfoundation.org. To learn more about Rebuilding Together, visit www.rebuildingtogetherdc.org.
Crystal clear
Kunzang Palyul Choling Buddhist temple will host a free open house and crystal gallery this month.
There will be tours, light refreshments and a display of minerals and crystals from around the world such as clear quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, calcite and onyx in a variety of shapes and sizes. Temple staff will be on hand to discuss and answer questions about crystals, which are used in meditation and to enhance home and business environments.
The event is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 20, 21, 27 and 28 at the Poolesville temple, 18400 River Road. For more information, call 301-972-7190 or visit www.tara.org.
Speed theater in Bethesda
Six professional Washington-area theater groups are gearing up for "Play in a Day," an annual event produced by the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District.
The companies will have just a small amount of time to tackle a very big challenge: writing, directing, rehearsing and performing original plays, all within the space of 24 hours. The event kicks off Friday evening, when playwrights and directors will receive assigned themes and props.
Playwrights will work through the night to develop scripts for a ten-minute piece, and directors and actors will rush to rehearse and prepare for their 8 p.m. performance Saturday, when their work will be judged for prizes.
Tickets for the performances, set for Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave. in Bethesda, are $15 and can be purchased at www.bethesda.org. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, call 301-215-6660 or visit www.bethesda.org.
Help make the Potomac trash-free
Help the Alice Ferguson Foundation make the Potomac River trash free by 2013.
The Accokeek-based nonprofit is hosting its 22nd annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup 9 a.m. to noon April 10 at hundreds of sites in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Upcounty sites in need of volunteers include Mirant's Dickerson Generating Plant, Riley's Lock in Seneca, Rock Creek Stream Valley Park in Laytonsville and White's Ford in Poolesville. Volunteers will be provided with gloves and trash bags and volunteers who sign up before April 10 will receive a one-day, one-theme park ticket to the Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort.
Last year, volunteers collected more than 290 tons of trash. For more information or to sign up for a cleanup site, visit www.PotomacCleanup.org or contact Becky Horner at 202-518-7415 or bhorner@fergusonfoundation.org.
Annual art show on the horizon
The Woman's Club of Chevy Chase is gearing up for its 35th annual juried art show, set for March 26-28 at 7931 Connecticut Ave. The show will take place from 2-5p.m. Friday, March 26, from 11-5p.m. Saturday, March 27, and from 1-5p.m. Sunday, March 28.
Admission is free, and visitors can purchase work from artists across the metropolitan region, as well as the work of artists who take classes at the Woman's Club. For more information, call 301-652-8480 or visit
www.wcccmd.org.
Glen Echo educator honored
Karen Keating, director of Glen Echo Park's Photoworks, the park's digital and darkroom photography studio, has won an honorable mention in a national teaching competition. The 2009 Excellence in Teaching Award, announced in December, honored four outstanding photography instructors from across the country one winner and three "honorable mentions."
The award recognizes educators for their passion for teaching, ability to excite students to learn, concern for students as individuals, and enduring artistic curiosity. Congratulations!
This column is for you! Send items to Erin Donaghue via e-mail at edonaghue@gazette.net, fax at 301-670-7183 or snail mail to 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
Correction: A previous version of this story contained an incorrect Web site URL for www.stoneandholtweeksfoundation.org