Location: Intersection of N Randolph St/27th Road N
Time: 4-7 PM
FOR MORE INFO: Scroll down to sign up to volunteer/share a side or dessert and/or pay membership dues!
Building Community in Dover-Crystal
Our mission is to promote civic engagement and enhance the quality of life in Dover-Crystal. Scroll below to access:
- Upcoming Community Events Calendar
- Letter from Your New Leadership Team
- Membership Registration & Dues Payment
- Community Poll & Volunteer Sign Up
- Leadership Archives – Association By-Laws
- Neighborhood History
NEW! Community Events Calendar
2025-2026
| Event | Date | Time | Location |
| DCCA Working Group Meeting | Monday, March 10 | 8:00 PM | Private Home |
| Joint Dover-Crystal/Riverwood Memorial Day Block Party | Sunday, June 1 | 4:00 – 7:00 PM | Intersection of N Randolph St & 27th St N |
| 4th of July Parade | Friday, July 1 | 12:30 – 1:00 PM | TBD |
| Labor Day Block Party | Sunday, Sept 7 | 3:30 – 6:30 PM | Intersection of N Randolph St & 27th St N |
| Halloween Parade | Friday, Oct 31 | 3:30 – 6:30 PM | TBD |
| WinterFest 2025 (*NEW!) | Sunday, Nov 15 (tentative) | 3:30 – 6:30 PM | TBD |
| Holiday Lighting Competition | Sunday, December 21 | Winners Announced 7:00 PM | (Judges Drive-By Only) |
| Annual DCCA Board Meeting | Sunday, January 25 | 3:30-4:30 PM | Cherrydale Methodist Church, Nelly Custis Rd |
| INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING? | TAKE THE POLL BELOW! | FIND THE SIGNUP GENIUS LINK | CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES! |
About DCCA: Building Community Connections
The Dover-Crystal Civic Association is a volunteer-led nonprofit working to reconnect neighbors and bring back the sense of community that makes our neighborhood special. After several years of pause during the pandemic, we’re renewing long-standing traditions like block parties, the Fourth of July parade, Halloween walks, and other family-friendly events. We’re also here to give residents a voice—serving as a neighborhood advocate on local issues like housing, infrastructure, and public safety. Whether you’re new to Dover-Crystal or a longtime resident, we invite you to get involved and help shape the future of our community together.
Letter from DCCA Leadership
Welcome to a new chapter in building our neighborhood’s sense of community!
Dear Dover-Crystal Neighbors:
We are excited to share that our Dover-Crystal Civic Association (DCCA) has recruited new leadership with a commitment to bringing back our neighborhood traditions and strengthening our community connections. We are eager to re-boot beloved events such as block parties, Fourth of July and Halloween parades, and other gatherings that make our neighborhood a great place to call home.
As your new president, I will serve as a liaison to Arlington County’s Community Relations Manager, ensuring that we stay engaged on key issues like housing policy, infrastructure investments, and public safety. Our leadership team—including a vice president, secretary, and treasurer—is dedicated to representing your interests, but we need your input! Please participate in an agenda-setting neighborhood poll available below via the SLIDO QR Code or Link.
We begin this new chapter with $1,610 in association funds deposited at Chase Bank. These monies will help support our first ever JOINT Memorial Day Block Party with our Riverwood neighbors scheduled for Sunday, June 1 from 4-7 PM to be held at the intersection of North Randolph Street and 27th Road N. We need volunteers to help set up tables, deliver ice/beverages, side dishes/desserts; and more!
Sign up to volunteer or to share a favorite side dish/dessert by clicking on the Sign-Up Genius link here – OR – Scan the QR Code Below!
www.bit.ly/DoverCrystalBlockParty
Over the next year, we want to hear from you about where our association should focus its efforts and resources. Whether it’s community events, advocacy on local issues, or new initiatives, your voice matters. We also encourage you to get involved—whether by volunteering, attending meetings, or considering a leadership role. As required by association by-laws, DCCA will hold bi-annual elections going forward (next election: 2027).
Let’s work together to build community in Dover-Crystal by getting to know each other better. Please join or renew your DCCA membership by paying your annual dues ($20/household). We look forward to welcoming you to the Dover-Crystal Civic Association and hearing your ideas for our community!
DCCA Leadership 2025:
Molly McKay, President@dovercrystal.org
C: 202.510.05122
Cris RIchardson, VicePresident@dovercrystal.org
Joe Webster, Treasurer@dovercrystal.org
Michelle Boardman, Secretary@dovercrystal.org
DCCA Re-Boot Working Group Support:
- Becky Carlson, Community Events – Volunteer Sign Up Genius Coordinator
- Bruce Tiernay, Public Safety Liaison
- Mary Randolph Gannon, Community Events
- Arthur Winer, Riverwood Neighborhood Liaison
- Elizabeth Wolf, Community Events
We Want to Hear from You!
Take the Community Poll
Navigate to www.Slido.com to let your voice be heard! We want to hear from you about your priorities for our neighborhood in 2025. There are THREEE (3) DIFFERENT WAYS to access the survey:
- SCAN THE QR CODE
+ Enter your name and email address
2. OR, CLICK ON THE LINK:
https://app.sli.do/event/nLboR5BKQGfnzU2UsGphrx
+ Enter your name and email address
3. OR, GO TO SLIDO.COM:
Look for “Joining as a participant? Enter Code Here” –> and enter the following code:
#DoverCrystal2025
SURVEY RESULTS WILL BE POSTED HERE ON JUNE 1, 2025!
Become a Member/Renew Your Membership
Membership in DCCA is open to households located within the boundaries of the Donaldson Run Neighborhood. Our meetings are open to all neighbors.
Why Pay DCCA Dues?
The Dover-Crystal Civic Association (DRCA) is a volunteer-run organization that relies upon membership dues to produce and mail our newsletter to every home in the Dover-Crystal neighborhood, host the website, and fund Dover-Crystal neighborhood events. Paying dues also ensures that you will be able to vote in DCCA elections and shows your support of DCCA’s advocacy on behalf of the neighborhood.
Membership Dues Form
- Please fill out ALL the information in the form below
- Make payment directly to DCCA outside the form via;
- Zelle;
- PayPal;
- Check
- Click on ” Submit” and look for a confirmation email in your inbox
Neighborhood History
The Donaldson Farm and Dover-Crystal area in Arlington County, Virginia, share a rich history intertwined with the early settlement and development of the area.
The Donaldson Farm, named after the Donaldson family who owned and worked the land from pre-1755 through the Civil War, played a significant role in the region’s agricultural history. The family constructed the “Old Farm Road” connecting the neighborhood to Lorcom Lane and markets in Rosslyn and Georgetown.
The “Donaldson Run” area was a concentrated location for the construction of forts during the Civil War, impacting the landscape and transportation. Dover-Crystal, part of the larger Donaldson Run neighborhood, was developed in the late 1960’s after Arlington County stormwater management projects in the late 1950’s resulted several roadway projects that opened access to previously undevelopable terrain. That, along with construction equipment innovations made the economics of digging out our diverse topography into single family home lots feasible.
The development of the Dover Crystal neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, was primarily undertaken by the Dittmar Building Company and builder Henry Thomas during the early 1950s. The neighborhood’s development followed the subdivision of the land, with individual lots sold to future homeowners or builders who constructed similar houses to increase building quality, volume, and profits.
By 1959, Dover Crystal had been fully platted, subdivided, and improved with single-family dwellings, particularly in the southern and western sections of the community. The remaining lots were developed in the late 1950s and 1960s. Today, Dover-Crystal is home to 147 homes and approximately 500 residents of of all ages.
Many thanks to Colleen Vance for sharing the historic New Dover Homes Buyer Brochure!
© 2025 Dover-Crystal Civic Association. All Rights Reserved.