Hope your sparklers are water-proof!
/Happy July 4th!
I need this outfit. Thanks for posing for the pic!
This awesome guy knows how to enjoy Independence Day!
Hope everyone has a safe (and dry) evening.
4th of July events
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Pic courtesy of Flickr user Danny Huizinga
Tomorrow is Shoot Off Fireworks At All Hours Like a Maniac Day -- I mean, Independence Day.
If you're looking for things to do, here's two!
Starting at 12 noon, there's a Ward 4 Block Party at 800 Ingraham St NW at the Truesdell Education Campus. The Mayor's Office is holding a series of block parties around the city(#FRESH Fourth of July Block Party). There will be music, activities, food and "good times with leaders from the Executive Office of the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police Department."
Later in the day, you can head over to the Armed Forces Retirement Home and enjoy a day of events sponsored by the Friends' of the Soldiers Home. Staring at 4pm and ending at 9:30pm when the fireworks end, you can enjoy a community softball game at 4:30, kids events like face painting, carnival games and trout fishing, food trucks (hella yes to DC Ballers, Captain Cookie and Lemongrass, my local favs - I'm already hungry), an Anheuser Busch Beer truck (say what?) and lots of music. Parking is $5. At the end of the evening you can watch the national fireworks from downtown with a clear view from the field.
Or you can stay home cause it might rain. But what kind of patriot would you be then?
A Petworth shindig with great neighbors
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I find myself thinking a lot (and writing a lot) about what it means to live in a neighborhood. I’ve talked about the Petworth Dance Project, the Jazz Project, Socials, trash clean-ups… residents coming together to meet and hang out. People enjoying their neighbors. And now I think I can add the Petworth News Shindig as another great example. That’s pretty awesome.
I think last night’s Shindig was pretty successful. I estimate about 70 people came by over the... Read more to see a huge photo gallery...
Read MorePetworth News Shindig is on!
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Shindig is from 6-8pm at Petworth Citizen!
See you then!
Party with Petworth on Monday, June 29
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The Petworth News Shindig is this Monday, June 29th at Petworth Citizen from 6-8pm.
Come out to socialize with your neighbors, a couple of DC Councilmembers, MPD leadership and a few ANC commissioners for pizzaz. It's a great opportunity to hang out with people who are passionate about the neighborhood.
There will be some tasty appetizers and a wicked good punch awaiting you. And me, I'll be there too. Hope you are too!
RSVP on Facebook or just show up between 6-8pm at Petworth Citizen (829 Upshur St NW).
"Flying Home:" DC author at Upshur Street Books
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David Nicholson, a former Takoma DC neighbor, will be reading from and signing copies of his newest book of short stories, Flying Home: Stories of the Secret City, at Upshur Street Books (827 Upshur St NW) on Sunday, June 28th at 4pm.
A former editor and book reviewer for The Washington Post Book World, David Nicholson was the founding editor of the magazine Black Film Review. He has worked as a journalist for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News and the San Francisco and Milwaukee bureaus of the Associated Press. He lives in Vienna, Virginia, where he is at work on a biography of A.M.E. Bishop William David Chappelle and a family history/memoir.
Read Washington City Paper's review of "Flying Home."
Flying Home is available at your local DC library and on Amazon.
A partnership to help cats find their forever home
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Did you need a kitty to brighten your home? The Washington Humane Society and Annie’s Hardware has you covered. The next event is scheduled for Sunday, June 28th, from 12pm - 3pm.
Near the end of the summer in 2012, Yolanda Thomas was at Annie's Hardware when she met Anne Strom, owner of the store, and her dog. Yolanda had just left the Washington Humane Society (WHS) shelter and was wearing her WHS t-shirt. After talking for a bit, Anne offered to host an adoption event and the rest is, as they say, a successful history.
Enlarge to see details
Thanks to the support from Anne and her staff, the adoption event has been held almost every month since that first summer 3 years ago. Approximately twenty cats and kittens have found permanent loving homes, and they’ve been able to increase donations (both monetary and supplies) for WHS.
In fact, the first kitten adopted at the very first event was taken home by the roommate of one of Anne's employees.
And if you're interested, there are many ways to donate to support the Washington Humane Society.
Overview of the Kennedy Street Festival
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The 2nd annual Kennedy Street Festival kicked off at 11am on Saturday, and between all the artists, booths, vendors, the guy dancing to the Michael Jackson music, and tasty food trucks, it was a great event. I tried to talk to a few different vendors and get an idea of what was being sold, drawn, crafted or showcased.
Read more to see pictures and video and learn about some of the vendors.
Read MoreKennedy Street Festival this Saturday!
/This is a great summer for the Petworth area, and it continues with the upcoming Kennedy Street Festival on June 20th, now in its second season!
The Festival is from 11am - 3pm and runs along Kennedy Street NW from 3rd Street to Georgia Ave. A community-driven, crowd-funded event, the Festival includes live music, food trucks, creative vendors, community resources, activities, art, face painting and more!
Kennedy Street isn't closing -- the Festival takes place on the sidewalks and in private space with music and art. (608 and 716 Kennedy Street will be filled with vendors.) Brick and mortar businesses will be open and serving up specials. Come out to enjoy street performances by jazz, soul, classical, folk and roots musicians. Compete in a neighborhood scavenger hunt or buy raffle tickets for a chance to win Washington Nationals seats, (donated by At-Large DC Council member Elissa Silverman).
Look for specials and guests at local favorites Culture Coffee, Andrene's Cafe, Tony's Place and Taqueria D.F. Local arts vendors include local master wood carver Boluwaji Omisore, funky thrift purveyor Vintage Glam, new local screen-printers Aniton Ink, and many more. Food trucks including Street Cream, Timber Pizza, and Karat Cakery will be filling neighborhood niches.
(Timber Pizza Co. is opening a restaurant at 809 Upshur St NW, and Karat Cakery is a carrot cake food truck. I love carrot cake. I love food trucks. I'm so there.)
This year marks 100 years of Kennedy Street (more or less!). The street was laid out across the farmland of what is now Manor Park, Brightwood Park, North Petworth and 16th Street Heights between 1911 and 1918. Today, Kennedy is the commercial heart of these neighborhoods, with huge untapped potential to be a walkable, locally-serving main street. We'll have several DC government agencies and neighborhood volunteers on hand to talk about what's coming to Kennedy Street NW, including two streetscape improvement projects, a restaurant and apartment development, and more.
The Festival is a project of the Kennedy Street Development Association (KSDA), an all-volunteer, not-for-profit group of businesses and residents committed to enhancing community and commercial life on Kennedy Street. For more festival info, follow KSDA on Facebook and Twitter (@KennedyStreetNW).
Pictures from Grant Circle Social
/Neighbors braved the potential threat of rain and came out to the Grant Circle Social tonight, and were rewarded with no rain, cool(er) air and a bunch of people waiting to meet. There were new faces joining us tonight, as well as some "regulars." It was great to see everyone (and to meet Brandon Todd's mom!).
If you're interested in joining a Circle Social planning committee, comment below or sent Rob Mandle a message on the Grant Circle Social event page.
Neighbors braved the potential threat of rain and came out to the Grant Circle Social tonight, and were rewarded with no...
Posted by Petworth News on Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Grant Circle Social tomorrow at 6pm
/The 6th Grant Circle Social is tomorrow, June 17th from 6 PM to 7 PM in the middle of Grant Circle. It's a great way to meet local residents, so be sure to tell your neighbors who may not be online to learn about it.
Whether you're stopping by for a few minutes or staying the full hour, it's a great opportunity to talk with neighbors. If you are interested in co-hosting a future Grant Circle Social, please contact Rob Mandle.
About Grant Circle Socials
The Grant Circle Social series is a casual, no-agenda gathering of neighbors in Petworth's signature green space with an underlying goal of building social capital and fostering a sense of community. Grant Circle Socials are held from 6pm to 7pm the Third Wednesday of the month.
It's your neighbors who make it a neighborhood
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It might sound obvious, but sometimes the obvious is so much in front of you that you don't see it. Last night at the Petworth Dance Project, I realized that a neighborhood changes from just a place to live to a place where you want to live when the people around you work to make it a real community. It's where you feel engaged and connected with a sense of belonging.
It's when people volunteer their time to clean up streets and plant new flowers, when local businesses open their doors to local events, and when neighbors bring their passion and make their work available to all. We see this right here in Petworth with the Celebrate Petworth Festival, with the Petworth Jazz Project, the Community Market, the three Social hours happening around the area -- and now the Petworth Dance Project.
Sara Herrera-Kopetchny has put together a new summertime event for people of all ages to enjoy modern dance, for free, here in Petworth. The second Saturday of each month, a dance company will come to Petworth Park (8th & Taylor St NW) and present a free dance for everyone to enjoy. Read the full article, see pictures and a video of the event after the break:
Read MoreStrawberry Festival Gallery
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A great crowd at the 149th Strawberry Festival at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The strawberry festival started in 1866 and has been a tradition at the 300 year old church for a century and a half (the history of the church is fascinating).
This time around there was a lot food, bounce houses, a pony rides on a beautiful (and hot) summer day -- perfect for enjoying strawberries. A gallery from the day is after the break:
Read MoreStrawberry Festival tomorrow (6/13)
/There are 200 seeds on an average strawberry and they're a member of the rose family.
Don't believe me? You can check for yourself tomorrow at the 149th Annual Strawberry Festival at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (i.e. the church in Rock Creek Cemetery). 149 years equals a lot of strawberries.
It promises to be a great time for families and kids of all ages and sizes. There will be food, music, pony rides, arts and crafts, a moon bounce, field games and even a climbing wall.
Plus, the ever-popular tours of historic Rock Creek Cemetery.
Oh, and there will be strawberries.
Saturday, June 13, from 4-8 p.m.
201 Allison St NW
(Rock Creek Church Road and Webster St NW)
stpaulrockcreek.org
