Just two hours before the midnight deadline for filing federal income tax returns, Page Blakeman was enjoying the music and food at the Clarendon Alliance's annual Tax Blues Night celebration last Tuesday. But she knew that at that moment, not everyone was having so much fun. ?There are people right now sitting down at their dining room tables having panic attacks,? she said.
Billed as ?Out of the darkness of taxes ? a fun spring tradition,? the April 15 Tax Blues Night helped even last-minute procrastinators blow off steam. Sponsored by the Clarendon Alliance, Buck & Associates Realty, CommuterPage.com, Arlington Transit, Hard Times Café and Arlington Autocare, the event featured blues bands and food from local restaurants.
Now in its sixth year, the annual event has become a signature event in Clarendon. ?Where else do people come out and party on tax night?? said Bob Lunger, lead singer and harmonica player for CPB, one of the bands performing at the event.
?This is enjoyable,? said Anne Johannessen, who rushed with her husband to find a post office open late. ?It beats Merrifield by 10 times.?
Merrifield?s post office in Fairfax County was open up to the midnight deadline, but the scene in Arlington at 3118 Washington Blvd. was different. Police blocked off North Hudson Street to leave room for the stage and booths set up by several local restaurants.
Expecting long lines inside Arlington?s main post office, postal employees set up three drop-off areas outside, for procrastinating filers who wanted to drop their returns and run. ?Oh, we wouldn?t send our worst enemy in there, because it?s really busy inside,? said Sharon Bowie, a postal employee working a sidewalk drop-off point on tax night.
But the division of labor kept lines moving surprisingly quickly, and just before 11 p.m., usually the peak time on tax day, residents reported standing in line less than 20 minutes.
APPROACHING MIDNIGHT on tax night, it?s not uncommon to see a ?mad rush,? said Arlington County Police Lt. Grady Jolley, who worked tax night for the sixth consecutive year. ?The post office does a really good job,? he said.
Police were on hand to control traffic flow, which was heavy throughout much of the night, as many residents drove up to drop off their returns. Police officers and postal employees joined together to help keep cars moving along, allowing residents to hand in their returns through the car window without having to find a parking space.
?Yeah, it?s a drive-through,? said Bowie. ?We try to make it convenient so [paying taxes] doesn?t hurt as bad.?
Some discomfort is inevitable, prompting anti-tax demonstrations around the country each year. Protesters from the Libertarian Party were scheduled to picket in front of the post office during rush hour.
BLAKEMAN MANNED her post considerably longer, from 10 a.m.-midnight. She donned a Lady Liberty costume to drum up business for Liberty Tax Service, and it wasn?t an easy task. Emergency medical technicians on the scene treated Blakeman for a severe headache in the early evening, but she got back on her feet and stayed to the end.
For her efforts and pains, Liberty Tax Service filed her returns for free. But the real reward was the feeling of camaraderie, and the chance to brighten the day for people suffering from tax blues.
?I see people frowning, and as soon as they see me, they smile, and that makes me happy,? she said.
Taking returns from drivers, Police Lt. John Sheridan said he too enjoyed interacting with the people. ?Oh it?s a great assignment,? said Sheridan, who has worked tax night the last three years. ?It?s one of the best details we run.?
Bowie agreed that tax night didn?t feel like a long night of work. ?It?s nice because of the weather, and the people are pretty friendly,? she said.
Even residents facing large tax bills stayed upbeat. Rebecca Mead said this was one of the few times procrastination paid off. ?If I owe them money, I like to wait until the very end to pay,? she said.