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It Takes a Village to Create a Community

The first wave of baby boomers will turn 65 during the next few years. These new "senior citizens" are re-defining what retirement means. Some are creating "villages," places and organizations where members help each other with needs ranging from changing light bulbs and weeding a garden to installing bathroom handrails and providing a ride to a doctor's appointment. These "service hamlets" are enabling many older residents to remain in their own houses, creating lifestyle options other than nursing homes and assisted living centers. Kavitha Cardoza takes a look at this developing trend.

Young@Heart

A bunch of seniors will be making an appearance to benefit one of those villages this weekend. "Young@Heart" is a group of gyrating geriatrics, formed in an elderly housing project in1982. They've been dancing and singing their way around the world ever since, touring London, Dublin, Strassbourg, Berlin, Rotterdam and Zurich. The troupe's repertoire includes hard-core rock classics from Jimi Hendrix as well as the hip hop you might hear on a high schooler's iPod. Offering their finest renditions of Radiohead and Outkast, these Massachusetts-based performers arrive this weekend for a fundraiser and concert at the Ellington School of the Arts. I met up with their director, Bob Cilman, at the D.C. Convention Center, amid the teeming booths of AARP's 50th anniversary expo, to see these seniors rock and roll.

You can see them perform live at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Commentary by Fred Fiske: Capital Gains

A new and controversial plan to pay D.C. students for going to school has Senior Commentator Fred Fiske wondering how this educational experiment will turn out...

Colleen Fay's Best Bets

As the summer ends, the fall ushers in a brand-new season of arts and culture. It's a great time to check in with our Arts Editor Colleen Fay, to get a glimpse of the offerings around town, learn what's worth leaving the house for, and what's on tap at local theaters and galleries.

The F Street Artists

After many turbulent decades, downtown D.C. is finally undergoing an urban revival. Office buildings are being refurbished and re-inhabited; shopping is drawing a daytime crowd and new restaurants have become magnets for the night-life set. But nestled amongst the staffers and shoppers, a group of die-hard resident-artists have weathered the good and the bad, in the 900 block of F Street Northwest. They were nearly displaced due to construction of Carroll Square, a major development situated on land owned by the Catholic Church. But through good diplomacy and even better neighbor relations, these artists managed to reserve a special spot for themselves. Stephanie Kaye met with long-time resident Mike Berman, who says keeping artists in the neighborhood nourishes the soul of the city.

There will be a block party and gallery opening - on Friday, September 5th, 2008, at the F Street Arts studio, and Saturday, September 13th, next weekend during the Arts on Foot gallery tours.

The Pirates of the Inner Harbor

Whether it's Peter Pan or "Pirates of the Caribbean," swashbucklers, privateers and buccaneers have captivated many imaginations through the centuries. If you've ever dreamed of donning an eye patch, strapping on a sword and setting sail, a exciting voyage casts off from Fells Point, Fort McHenry, and the Inner Harbor in Maryland designed those who wish to release their "inner pirate." The Urban Pirates, as they're known, bring simulated nautical adventures aboard, filled with music, dance and plenty of knot-tying. Andrew Hiller joined the crew.

Music Review: Rambling Shadows

In recent years, lots of 80s rock bands have reunited, if only briefly. But that's not quite what happened with Crippled Pilgrims, a D.C. quartet that took its own direction from 1983 to 1985, while hardcore punk dominated the local music scene. The Pilgrims are now defunct, but a new band called Rambling Shadows has emerged. And according to Mark Jenkins, they sound kind of familiar.

Rambling Shadows' new album is called The Tools and the Stuff. Mark Jenkins also reviews music for Blender and the Washington Post.