Cheverly: It's Where YOU Want to Be

We're less than two weeks from the big celebration, so this seems like a good time to really think about this year's theme, Cheverly: It's Where You Want to Be. Some of us have lived in Cheverly our whole lives, some 50 years, some 20, some only a year or two. However long it's been, we all have our own stories about why we are here. Over the next week, we'll be sharing some of those stories here. 

First up: Lisa Schultz, founder of ichoosecheverly. We're big fans of this blog, especially the Doors of Cheverly feature, as well as all the great community information that Lisa shares. She was kind enough to answer a few questions recently:

Tell us about yourself and ichoosecheverly: 
My name is Lisa Schultz and I’ve lived in Cheverly for 11 years. I bought my first house here on the east side of Cheverly as a single gal and now I have a home on the west side of Cheverly Ave with my husband and two children. I am originally from Oklahoma City but spent seven years of my twenties living in Europe. I currently work for the US Senate as a Chief of Staff.  ICHOOSECHEVERLY was ‘born’ two years ago in June 2014. 

How did you first get into blogging? What inspired you to start your blog? 

A couple years ago I remember thinking to myself, Tim and I could live pretty much anywhere in the DC area but we honestly choose to live in Cheverly. “I Choose Cheverly” became the mantra that I told my friends on Capitol Hill. None of my friends had heard of my amazing town so I figured I could start a blog to share my pictures and stories. It was as simple as that! I’m also obsessed with the diversity of our homes. 

What’s the biggest challenge for you as a blogger? 

The biggest challenge for me as a blogger is time. Not content, but time. I work outside the home and have two young boys that need my time and attention. Combine that with possibly starting a photography business and the blog gets pushed to the back burner.

How do you come up with your story ideas? 

I come up with blog ideas by checking the town newsletter for events. I also love real estate. Even if I were not blogging, I’d be checking the market on an almost daily basis. My husband says I should be in real estate! I also have friends who email me ideas and I check the search engines for PG County news.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about Cheverly? Most surprising? 

The most interesting thing I’ve learned about Cheverly since blogging has been the number of people who have lived here for 30 plus years. People are as obsessed with this little place as I am. The thing I’ve been most surprised about is just how many clubs/groups/activities happen in Chevelry. Who knew that there was a potluck group, a home brewers group, a running group, volleyball group?!

What would you like people to know about Cheverly? 

One of the many reasons I choose to live in Cheverly is the community. It truly feels like a small Midwestern type town in many ways. People in DC think they must live an hour outside of the city to feel safe and to let their children ride bikes alone, but Cheverly is only one mile outside of DC and it is one of the safest places to live! It truly amazes me.

Sum up in one sentence why Cheverly is where you want to be. 

Cheverly is where I want to be because my neighbors are like family. 

Thanks, Lisa! It's always interesting to hear a different perspective on this great neighborhood. If you're interested in sharing your perspective, please email us. We'd love to include many voices in this series. And don't forget: you can show everyone that Cheverly is where YOU want to be by wearing one of our great Cheverly Day 2016 t-shirts! They'll be available on Cheverly Day at the Midway (and possibly earlier...news coming soon!)

Eight days to go and the countdown continues!

Can you believe it? Just eight days until the biggest celebration of the year in this town...Cheverly Day! 

Today, we're very happy to bring you the Cicada Crunch T-Shirt for 2013. Thanks to Glen Barton for putting these together. Racing next Saturday morning? Make sure to wear your shirt for the rest of Cheverly Day -- we all want to congratulate the runners!

There's still time to register...visit our website for registration links, maps, and all the details.

Countdown to Cheverly Day 2013: The T-Shirt!

Every day from now -- exactly one month out from Cheverly Day -- through May 18, we'll be highlighting something that celebrates an aspect of Cheverly Day. Visit every day and learn about all the things that go into this spectacular annual celebration. We love them all!

We are thrilled to unveil the Cheverly Day 2013 tee -- an homage to a favorite vintage New Yorker cover depicting Cheverly! Designed by Cheverly artist Pat Nelson, the shirts are white cotton and include "Cheverly -- the best place on Earth". They'll be available at the Midway on Cheverly Day...just $12!

We asked Pat a few questions about her t-shirt designs over the years...

What inspired your design this year? My inspiration this year came from a conversation at our table at the Sweetheart Dance on what a wonderful town we have. Tina Powell brought up the subject of Saul Steinberg's 1976 cover of the New Yorker magazine showing the insignificance of the rest of the world in reference to New York City and an idea was born. I decided to do my own version of it, looking west from Cheverly.

How many Cheverly Day tees have you designed?  I got involved in Cheverly Day the year I moved here from NJ in 2003 and have been creating the tee shirt designs starting in 2004 honoring our visitor that year, the cicada. Starting that year we decided to give each Cheverly Day a theme and I have tried to design the tees to represent the theme of the day. In 2005 it was "Wildlife in Cheverly" and the tee pictured a variation of our town seal with a beaver gnawing on a felled tree at One Cheverly Circle. 2006 was fireworks on our 75th Anniversary, 2007depicted our beautiful trees, 2008 highlighted our 36 organizations and social groups, 2009 a map of a historic walk thru Cheverly, 2010 the environment with Kermit the frog telling us "it IS easy being green", 2011 another anniversary shirt, 2012 honoring our many talented artists and crafters and this year, a way to show that Cheverly is indeed the best place on earth.

What's your favorite Cheverly Day tee so far?  I think from a design veiwpoint, my favorite shirt is 2007 picturing our trees and trail thru Woodworth Park. Our best seller was Kermit the Frog with a close second on the 75th anniversary shirt depicting our great fireworks. Both years totally sold out.

What goes into making a good design for a Cheverly Day tee? Anything you try to avoid or make sure you include? A good design graphically highlights the year's theme without having to state it in words. Choosing a shirt color to enhance the design is a consideration too, although most people seem to prefer black. This year's artwork will look best on white, I am hoping that will not discourage sales. I always include the year and somewhere on the shirt, a cicada, reminding us that brood X will return.

The 2012 Cicada Crunch 5K Run/2KFun Walk T-Shirt!

How cool is that?

Get all the Cicada Crunch news on our website!