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Friday January 11, 2008

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Week of January 7, 2008

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Last Jam at the Archie Edwards Barbershop

The Archie Edwards barbershop is closing. Not that the regulars will be missing any haircuts. This DC institution has been home to weekly BLUES jams for half a century. And it has become a place to learn the 'Piedmont' style of guitar picking from local musicians. This acoustic style incorporates elements of Ragtime and developed along the east coast in the early 20th century - from Virginia down to Georgia. The barbershop was owned by Piedmont blues master Archie Edwards and the weekly jams he established continued after his passing in 1998. But those musical get-togethers will soon be forced to move to a new venue. Stephanie Kaye spent time in this legendary home of the blues and lets us listen-in during one of the last Saturday afternoon jams.

Fred Fiske - "Primary" Focus is the Economy

Senior Commentator Fred Fiske says everyone finally figured out that voters care about the economy during primary season.

Working DC - The Dog Walker

The rap on DC - or, one of the raps on DC - is that here, more than almost anywhere, people are defined by what they do. Their jobs. Well, over the next several months we'll be focusing on those jobs as part of a series called "Working DC." It's a collection of snapshots of DC residents with a wide range of jobs from every ward in the city. We start by grabbing a leash and walking the dogs along with Stephanie Girard in Ward 3. She's a professional dog walker and the owner of a business called Pet-Cetera.

The "Working DC" series is produced by Frank Hamilton and funded by the Humanities Council of Washington, DC.

The Chain of Xerxes

The new metal 'quilt' hanging on the wall at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre might not help you warm up on a winter evening, but it is an inspired new work of art by DC artist and structural engineer, Michael Enn Sirvet. The installation will have its official unveiling this coming week - on Thursday, January 17th. We're joined by the artist, Michael Enn Sirvet.

Mondo DC - The House of the Temple

Every few weeks here on Metro Connection we visit one of the more unusual tourist attractions in the city. Today we tour one of DC's most prominent buildings, but one that relatively few residents and tourists venture inside. It's the House of the Temple, headquarters building of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for one of two jurisdictions in the U.S. We're joined by Jeff Bagato, author of "Mondo DC - An Insider's Guide to Washington DC's Most Unusual Tourist Attractions."

Reuben Jackson - Riding the 96

It may take a village to raise a child, but Reuben Jackson says it takes a BUS to see both sides of town.

Reuben Jackson is a writer living, and sometimes riding the bus, in the District.

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