Join FONA for a salsa party in the Washington Youth Garden on Friday, August 28th from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. Explore the garden and enjoy delicious salsa made from freshly harvested tomatoes. Salsa instructors will offer a free beginner salsa dance lesson accompanied by salsa music. We’ll also have local food trucks Dos Carnales and Frosty Softy serving up authentic Mexican food and ice cream. Gather your family and friends for a joyful evening of community connection! 

This event is free to attend and marks the last day of extended summer evening hours at the Arboretum. Come eat, dance, and celebrate the end of summer with us!

Register for the Salsa Party >

Find your flow at FONA’s evening yoga class next Wednesday, August 5th from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the National Arboretum. Certified instructors from Bikram Yoga Works will guide you to stretch dynamically in order to improve mobility and flexibility. Connect with your breath and the beautiful nature surrounding you during this unique outdoor yoga experience!

This event is part of FONA’s Wellness Wednesday series, hosted all summer long during summer evening hours at the National Arboretum.



Register for Yoga >

The National Arboretum is a jewel of Washington, D.C. and the 5C ANC (Woodridge, Langdon, Arboretum, Fort Lincoln, Gateway) is thrilled to support summer evening hours at the U.S. National Arboretum so all residents throughout the region can enjoy evening visits with their neighbors, families, pets, and friends.

Thank you to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5C for sponsoring summer evening hours at the Arboretum.

Earlier this month, FONA held our Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching, a four-day training that inspires D.C. educators to more fully integrate their school garden into their daily educational activities. 43 teachers from 17 different D.C. schools came together in the Washington Youth Garden to learn practical gardening skills and build strong networks of support for their school garden programs.

This year’s training featured a new workshop on school garden budgeting. Attendees learned how to apply for grants for their garden, how to access free garden resources, and where to bring students in the D.C. area for hands-on garden experiences. Educators also formed blossoming connections with one another as well as with the plants, soil, and insects in the garden itself. The smiles, laughter, and energy were truly infectious! One educator shared this beautiful reflection on their experience: 

“The passion and energy from the leadership was so amazing. Our school team kept saying this is truly the best professional development we’ve been to. We were excited each day to come and left feeling energized, grounded, and knowledgeable. You have designed an incredible four-day training that really did everything to make us feel like professionals, ready to take on a garden, and truly joyous and loved!”

Have you ever heard of fish peppers? We love growing these unique striped peppers in the Washington Youth Garden. They add a spicy kick to savory dishes, but also have a fascinating history — one that can be traced back to Black gardeners and seed savers. 

Fish peppers (Capsicum annuum) were the original seafood seasoning of choice in Baltimore, MD long before Old Bay. This colorful, spicy pepper likely came to the Chesapeake Bay from Haiti in the late 1800s. They're a mutation of serrano or cayenne peppers.

Fish peppers quickly became widely established in African American gardens, kitchens, and cuisine throughout the Chesapeake region. However, this pepper almost went extinct in the early 1900s as more Black people moved away from agricultural lifestyles and the knowledge and use of this pepper decreased. In the 1940s, Horace Pippin, a Black painter in Pennsylvania, traded fish pepper seeds with his neighbor in exchange for bees. Fifty five years later, that neighbor's grandson found the seeds in his freezer and shared them with the Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit organization that preserves heirloom plant varieties. Every fish pepper grown today can be traced back to Pippin's seeds.

See our calendar for a list of all of our upcoming events and programs. FONA members get member perks like discounts and early access to registration. Donate any amount to become a FONA member!