Have you ever wondered when you attend a big event, what goes on behind the scenes to make it happen? If it is the Green Valley Community Day scheduled this year for Saturday, Sept. 21, planning started in March with a request for volunteers; meetings started soon after.

Portia Clark, president of Green Valley Civic Association and coordinator of this year’s event has nine members on the planning committee with several new volunteers this year but most members go back for years. “It takes 30-40 volunteers to set up the tents and tables and chairs and we have a special area for the volunteers because we like to feed them,” Clark said.

The Sept. 5 meeting has just finalized the list of vendors and made a map of where to put them. Clark says, ”We have 25-30 vendors confirmed right now but some always come in last minute so I always order 60 tables from D.C. Rental, and we get chairs from Drew Elementary.” She remembers one year no one had the phone number for the janitor who was supposed to open the building to get the chairs. “So many details that all kinds of things can happen.” 

Kimberly Roberts, a member of the planning committee, says when the planning is working well they have several subgroups — one for vendors, one for entertainment, one for food, etc. and then she coordinates the efforts. “But sometimes it’s just me and Portia trying to pull it together.” And things happen. She remembers one year they arrived at 8 a.m. the day of the event, and the vendor tables hadn’t arrived. They made a number of frantic phone calls all over the County for the next couple of hours and finally got some tables but not until after some of the vendors had already arrived. 

LaVerne Langhorn, who is on this year’s Planning Committee but has been working on the event for years says, “I’ve mostly been working with vendors, helping with whatever is needed. Sometimes they don’t show up but sometimes others show up that didn’t sign up. It’s a scramble sometimes.” She says the committee sends out a letter with all of the details on what is available “but sometimes I guess they just don’t read it too carefully and don’t bring what they need.”

Clark says another issue can be with the food vendors who have to apply to the Arlington Health Department 10 days ahead of time to get a permit “and sometimes they don’t. Or sometimes they sign up but don’t show up.” Usually the event features BBQ, the popular fried fish stand and the concession stand with snow cones, popcorn and cotton candy. “I try to get teenagers to run it.”

Clark says a lot has changed since she started helping over 25 years ago. She remembers the stage for the entertainment used to be in the street close to Drew Elementary but then the apartments closed it off so they moved the stage to the parking lot. But that took too many parking spots which are always at a premium with attendance sometimes over 1,000. Robert adds, “One year, I don’t remember why, but I had the portable stage parked in my driveway.”

And Clark says the Arlington police have now started charging for everything like blocking off the street, picking up trash, bringing barricades and providing the safety patrol officers or cadet trainees. “We have never had any trouble at our event so we choose the cheapest option.”

The entertainment always includes a number of different groups with wide appeal including rap, gospel, go-go and drummers. Clark says they like to get different bands each year and to feature local talent. “We book to appeal to all generations. Some people follow their favorite bands around.” This year includes Mama Sauce and Suttle as the headliners. “We always try to get a Hispanic band but this year the date for our event coincides with Hispanic Month, and we couldn’t find one.” 

But she adds the basketball tournament will be back this year and the moon bounce out on the lawn for the kids. “Unfortunately no ponies this year because our date coincides with the weekend of the Black Rodeo, and we lost the ponies.” Roberts remembers, “We weren’t sure it would work out when we got the ponies but the ponies were a big success. Usually you don’t see the kids because they are off in the game truck but we looked out at the ponies and said ‘where did all of these kids come from.’”

Clark says the Green Valley event is always the third Saturday in September so people can plan for it in advance. “Our neighborhoods have changed, and some people come back who used to live here.” She says attendance has grown over the years but when the Blues Festival or Clarendon Day is scheduled for the same date, people have to choose. Langhorn says many of the same people have been coming for years.

By next week’s last planning meeting before the event, they will send the vendors letters with information on where to set up and where to park. They will finalize the details such as making sure they have enough volunteers to set up and man the stands, notifying the awardees who will be honored, double checking the food vendor application status … and everything else. 

The event is moved inside if it’s raining, which is quite a process at the last minute. Clark remembers, “We did it two times inside and cancelled it one year during Covid when the city couldn’t provide services. But unless there’s a hurricane we hold the event rain or shine.”

Roberts says, “the neighborhood is changing drastically—I mean who can afford to live in Arlington anymore?” But she says, “It is important to continue this event for newcomers who don’t know much about the history, that there was a whole neighborhood here before they arrived. It’s a great day for remembering. We have to learn to embrace these changes. We’re here to make sure the story continues.”

Green Valley Community Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 from 12 noon-5 pm at John Robinson Town Square at 2406 S. Shirlington Rd. And on the grounds of Dr. Charles R. Drew Community Center. Sponsors include Vulcan Materials Company, National Council of Black women, NOVA Chapter CARE Inc. and Josephine and Russell Douglas 

Coming Up

Green Valley Community Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 from 12 noon-5 pm at John Robinson Town Square at 2406 S. Shirlington Rd. And on the grounds of Dr. Charles R. Drew Community Center. Sponsors include Vulcan Materials Company, National Council of Black women, NOVA Chapter CARE Inc. and Josephine and Russell Douglas