A few local restaurants and bars are joining together to help you enjoy a fun and delicious Cinco de Mayo celebration this year! Come indulge in the rich flavors and cultural heritage of Mexico as businesses along the 14th Street corridor, from Spring Road to Shepherd Street NW, come together to offer exclusive specials and promotions on May 4th-5th.

Voted the Best Neighborhood Festival and the Best Neighborhood Music Series, Petworth PorchFest is Saturday, April 27th from 2pm to 6pm all across the neighborhood. There are 240 bands and 90 hosts so far, making this the biggest PorchFest yet! 

Chef Danielle Harris will open her newest venture, a smoothie shop, in the tiny purple storefront on Upshur Street that used to house the Little Food Studio. The Blend Bar Company opens Saturday, April 27th.

This weekend, Chef Danielle Harris will open her newest venture, a smoothie shop, in the tiny purple storefront on Upshur Street that used to house the Little Food Studio. You’ll find fresh fruit juices, boba tea, acai bowls, smoothie bowls and a creation called a “pound cake bowl.”

Long reported and long awaited, the property on the northeast corner of 1st and Kennedy Streets NW in the Manor Park neighborhood – the now-called “71 Kennedy” – will soon be developed. This is despite community concerns about the proposed development changes, such as the developer’s decision to remove the promised first-floor retail component. The lack of transparency, along with apparent obfuscation of prior business relationships and no longer keeping to stated commitments, has residents angered.

In the wake of a fatal shooting in the 16th Street Heights neighborhood, some residents have started exploring the idea of hiring a private security firm to patrol their streets. They want to restore a sense of safety and security to their neighborhood, with the proposal reflecting the anxiety and fear their neighborhood — and the city in general — feel as residents look to ensure safety. Where does MPD fit in?

Brittany Selah Lee-Bey has lived and worked in Petworth teaching preschoolers from the Petworth Coop playgroup to participating as a member in a writing group at Petworth Library on how words work. She decided to write a book on etymology and how words are created to help out children with their lack of exposure to phonics programs both in and outside of school.

ANC 4C is teaming up with Petworth Blooms to lead a community clean-up on Sunday, April 14th, from 10am to 12pm.

I am delighted to announce that I have joined the Petworth News team as a student intern for the remainder of my academic year. I hope to serve as a bridge between Petworth News and the community, representing a younger voice on the site.

In celebration of National Poetry Month, DCPL is hosting its annual Haiku Contest. Poets of all ages are welcome; residents aged 6 and up are invited to submit two haiku either online or with a paper entry at participating libraries.

Of all the days… a resident in 16th Street Heights reported that her two foster squirrel monkeys have escaped their enclosure at her house and now are loose in the neighborhood.