Petworth Jazz Project on Saturday, July 25th

The next Petworth Jazz Project is this Saturday, July 25th at the Petworth Park (8th & Taylor St NW). This ongoing series is a gem in our local cultural crown. Each month it gets more crowded with people enjoying some of the best musicians in DC, starting with kids' music at 6pm and award-winning jazz performers at 7pm.

This upcoming Saturday is no different. The evening starts with "Planet Swagg" (a teen hip hop duo!). This artist duo is comprised of brothers Rasaan (aka Rasaan Tha Don) who's 15 years old and Master (aka Master Roc) who's 13 years old. 

Courtesy of Mark Meadows

Grown-up music starts at 7pm, featuring the Mark Meadows Quartet. Recently named both “Artist of the Year” and “Composer of the Year” of 2014 by the Washington City Paper, Mark Meadows is a jazz pianist, vocalist, composer and jazz educator. He performs throughout the Washington-Baltimore region and across the US. He's an exciting modern jazz pianist and composer whose versatile musical background allows him to interconnect every walk of life. 

It's sure to be a really fun evening. Plus, the Orange Cow Ice Cream Truck will be on site. (Summer = the right time for ice cream trucks.) They serve great ice cream by the scoop, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, floats, and frozen banana on a stick coated with Belgian chocolate, heath bar crunch and coarse sea salt. Yowza.

Lemonade Social celebrates neighbors and new stop signs

The Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social was tonight at the triangular park between Quincy, Kansas and 13th Street. A nice turnout, lots of new faces.

Everyone enjoyed the new stop signs at Quincy Street. smile emoticon

It was nice to see ANC 4C commissioners Joe Martin and Zach Teutsch out with the neighbors, along with Khalil Thompson from the Mayor's office.

Feel free to tag yourself in the photos on Facebook:

The Southwest Petworth Lemonade Social was tonight at the triangular park between Quincy, Kansas and 13th Street. A nice...

Posted by Petworth News on Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Largest Grant Circle Social yet (because, ice cream)

I think this was the largest crowd yet for the Grant Circle Social. Many thanks to Karima and Melinda for the really tasty ice cream.

If you're wondering why so many people are looking down in these photos, it's because there were so many kids. Kids on bikes. Kids drawing with chalk. Kids playing ball. Petworth is going to get the nickname "Stroller City" soon. If you move to Petworth and don't want kids, drink bottled water to be safe, lol.

If you'd like to host or co-host a Social like Karima and Melinda just did, please email Rob Mandle.

Please feel free to tag yourself and others in the photos on Facebook.

I think this was the largest crowd yet for the Grant Circle Social. Many thanks to Karima and Melinda for the really...

Posted by Petworth News on Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Petworth Dance Project is Saturday in the Petworth Spray Park

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Yeah, in the spray park. How cool is that?

According to Dance Project organizer Sara Herrera-Kopetchny, the timeline for Saturday's (July 11th) activities featuring Light Switch Dance Theatre will be 7-7:30pm performance in the spray park, followed by Rainbow Joe doing a drum and dance party for kids from 7:30-8pm. Then the Light Switch Dance Theatre begins the second half of the show at 8:05pm.

I highly recommend coming to the Petworth Dance Project. It's a wonderful addition to our cultural activities in Petworth. (Here's my previous article about the Dance Project.)

"This is the first site specific performance of the season, with the first half of the show performed in the Petworth Spray Park. You do not want to miss this beautiful and thought-provoking performance," said Sara. 

Light Switch Dance Theatre (established in 2012) is a sites-specific project based contemporary dance company dedicated to multi-disciplinary performances in non-traditional spaces. Sandra Atkinson, MA (Artistic Director) creates work in a collaborative manner inspired by the human condition, social justice, matters for science & technology and art of all mediums. LSDT strives to provide performances to the general public making any place a performance space.

The Girl Child Project: Private/Water & Traffic
Sextet: 25 minutes
Private/Water focuses on the lack of water, indoor plumbing, and privacy for women and children in certain parts of India. These elements have been sited a reason for the rise in sexual assault of women and children.

Water/Shed
Produced from research on the sustainability of the Patuxent River and the community this body of water serves in Maryland

"I hope you will join us for this performance! It's outdoors! It's FREE! It's dance! What's not to love!"

Hope your sparklers are water-proof!

Happy July 4th! 

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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

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."   

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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.

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Or you can stay home cause it might rain. But what kind of patriot would you be then?

Petworth News Shindig is on!

Shindig is from 6-8pm at Petworth Citizen!

See you then!

Party with Petworth on Monday, June 29

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

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

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.  

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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.