Festival

Celebrate Fort Stevens Day 2010 This Sat.

By Prince Of Petworth


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This sounds interesting. From a press release:

“Join the National Park Service and our partners for a fun day at Fort Stevens. Learn how the brave soldiers of Washington, D.C. valiantly defended the Union capital from occupation and how medical practices evolved throughout the war.

The Battle of Fort Stevens was the only battle to occur in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War and the only time a sitting president came under enemy fire. The actual fighting took place on July 11th and 12th, 1864. Not only did the defenses serve their purpose well by deterring Confederate attack on the capital, but they impacted the city culturally, socially, and politically. Further, the battle was not limited to the current Fort Stevens site. Confederate General Jubal Early’s invading troops were staged on the grounds of what is today Walter Reed Army Medical Center. With the proposed closing of Walter Reed, participants will explore this previously overlooked aspect of the Fort Stevens story.”

Details after the jump. (more…)

Dear PoP: Were Neighborhood Fireworks Better This Year?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Bogotron

“Dear PoP,

So, I’m wondering if you or anyone else noticed that there seemed to be a lot more fireworks yesterday than in previous years, and certainly more than last year. I don’t mean the kind you set off on the street or whatever, but the big kind. My husband and I watched from our roof deck, and we have mostly a northern view and I swear, I saw a lot more displays this year. It also seemed that the casual person setting off pretty impressive almost-professional-grade (like, it couldn’t have been legal for them to have them) fireworks was a lot more than in previous years. I was wondering if anyone else noticed it and has any theories as to why? Did a local state relax some laws? Did some fireworks fall off a truck? Were the prices of fancy ones significantly lower this year?”

How would folks compare this year’s neighborhoods displays from previous years?


Photo by PoPville flickr user Suse_dc

More Super Cool Patriotic Shots

By Prince Of Petworth

I couldn’t resist sharing the above photo sent in by a reader:

“From 1918, a gathering of 18,000 men in a human Statue of Liberty at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Iowa.”

And the photo below from PoPville flickr user HeatherMG titled, “Patriotic Petworthians” also blew me away.

2010 Folklife Festival in Full Effect

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

Anyone check out the Folk Festival this year on the Mall? This year features Asian Pacific American culture, the country of Mexico and the occupational traditions of workers at the Smithsonian. For those that have – how does it compare to other years? You can still catch it July 1–5, 2010.

Get Ready for the Fireworks!

By Prince Of Petworth

There are a few constants every Summer: it’ll be hot and there’ll be lots of fireworks. You can see a map of licensed stands here. Licensed or unlicensed there are always tons of fireworks starting around this week and lasting a week or so after the 4th. Some people love ’em, some people hate ’em. All I’m saying is get ready for ’em…

Dear PoP – DC Caribbean Carnival Parade This Saturday!

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

The DC Caribbean Carnival takes place this coming wk/end – Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27. The Parade is on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. from Missouri and Georgia Aves. and ends at 5:00 p.m. at Banneker Field. As in years past there will be significant traffic delays due to closed roads and crowds. MPD will probably start closing the roads from 10:00 am. Folks may want to plan accordingly. Hopefully there will not be too much complaining about the tremendous inconvenience to their Saturday routine, just come out and enjoy the Parade and the sweet Caribbean vibe. The vibe continues on Sunday with a Caribbean bazaar/concert in Banneker Park. Admission to the park on both days is $10.00.”

This is one of my all time favorite parades. It gets hot, it gets dirty, it gets loud and it is just a ton of fun. We talked about last year’s parade here. You can see reader photos from last year’s parade here and photos from two years ago here.

The official Carnival Web site (careful very loud music plays) says:

“The annual Extravaganza Parade will be staged along the Georgia Avenue corridor on Saturday, June 26, 2010 , and will commence at Missouri Avenue at 11:00 a.m. and terminate at the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH” – Banneker Recreation Park. DC Caribbean Carnival will host the international marketplace at “DE SAVANNAH ” from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m featuring food, craft and entertainment.”

Any advice for folks who’ve never seen this parade before?

Win 2 VIP Tickets to 2nd Annual Ebbit Grill Block Party June 19

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of 1st annual ebbit grill block party by flickr user A river runs through

The 2nd annual Ebbit Grill Block Party is June 19th this year. The organizers have been kind enough to give away 2 VIP Tickets to a PoP reader. So to win this contest I ask that you share the best festival you’ve ever attended and if you haven’t attended any good ones then share the best meal you’ve ever had. I’ll select the winner Monday night.

For those who don’t win you can get $10 off regular tickets if you use the following code:

“The promo code will be POPBLOCK2010 and will be good for $10 off each ticket purchase through the website through 6/16/10.”

Here’s a bit more info about the event from an email:

“It’s summer in the city and the sun’s out so it’s time to shut down G street and turn up the music. Join us as we push DC summertime into full swing! The 2nd Annual Ebbitt Block Party has quickly established itself as DC’s premiere street festival and tastiest cookout. We will be parking ourselves on the 1400 block of G street, paving the way for hours of non stop musical performances and sparking up the grills for signature Old Ebbitt Grill food and drink! Write the date down and sunscreen up, we can’t wait to see you there!

We are joined again this summer by our charitable partner, the DC Central Kitchen who will again be collecting canned or commercially packaged nuts and raisins, as well as can openers. Bring something to contribute and receive a free raffle ticket for each item!

The winner will receive 2 VIP tickets which include:

GA Block Party Ticket Includes …

* Entrance to the Premiere Cookout and Street Festival brought to you by the Old Ebbitt Grill
* 7 hours of live music
* 10 Performances by 6 bands on 3 stages
* Food and Drink tickets available for purchase at the Block Party please see Food + Drink sections on the website for more information

VIP Block Party Experience Includes All of the Above Plus…

* Unlimited food and drinks within the VIP Experience Lounge
* Designated VIP Will-Call line entrance
* Exclusive main stage viewing and reserved standing room
* Access to limited seating provided in the VIP Experience Lounge

With 3 stages, 6 bands, and 7 hours of music, the block is gonna rock! We’ll have 2 Street Stages as well as a Main stage. You’ll get a taste of Rock, Blues, Funk, Folk and more.”

Columbia Heights Farmers Market

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user kc.corcoran

While I only caught the last half hour of the new Columbia Heights’ Farmers Market and Community Market Place it looked great.

For those that stopped by – how was the vibe? The fruit/vegetables? Was it a nice mix of vendors?


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

A few of my photos plus one more super delicious looking one from Mr T in DC after the jump. (more…)

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