Tag: events

Saturday Afternoon U Street

I picked this photo because I spotted myself in it. A good time was had and much water was purchased at the CVS nearby.
The dancers are locals and visitors who were in town for the DC Lindy Exchange, an annual event where swing dancers get together and dance for about 3-4 days straight. This was one of the free dances that takes place in a public park. The other free dance like crazy people on stone/concrete/ granite (and ruin your knees) was at Freedom Plaza on Sunday.
For more information about swing dancing as a social art form see:
Swingout DC

Tom and Debra’s Gotta Swing

Inauguration Musings- Inaugural Stuff in Shaw

A- I’m not going anywhere. I’ve told the Aunt and the 1/2 sister that I will be home to receive them and their people should they need a warm safe house between the Mall and Hyattsville. Besides that, I hate cold and crowds.

As I mentioned before with the Aunt, there are several things Shiloh Baptist is doing for Inauguration weekend, and there is a website up regarding that.

For the artistically minded there is the Art of Change at the Warehouse, here’s the press release:

From the press release:

Artomatic, Inc. and Playa del Fuego, Inc. – institutions of the mid-Atlantic arts community – have joined together to create this year’s most distinctive inaugural celebration, The Art of Change (www.artists-ball.org), on Jan. 20, 2009 at 8 pm. With the generous support of Corporate Sponsor Scion (www.scion.com) and location sponsors The Warehouse Arts Complex (www.warehousetheater.com) and Douglas Development (www.douglasdevelopment.com), this event brings Washington, D.C., a unique opportunity to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as President. Tickets are available immediately for $50 at www.artists-ball.org

Occupying three separate venues on the 1000 block of 7th Street, NW in downtown Washington D.C., The Art of Change will feature visual and performing arts, multiple dance floors, fire dancing and live music. DJs from across the mid-Atlantic region will be spinning an eclectic mix of musical styles on two dance floors, and in The Art of Change Galleries, displaying artworks created for this celebration. The Variety Stage will showcase performances all night long, including live music, comedy, belly dancing and spoken word poetry. And outside, attendees will enjoy fire-dance performances while dancing to up-and-coming DJs in the heated White Tent.
…
In the spirit of community organizing and collaboration that President-elect Obama has come to represent, The Art of Change is being planned in collaboration with a number of supporting organizations. These include DC Burners, Dance Afire, Bethesda Theatre, Cultural Attaché, Washington Project for the Arts, 4&9 Productions LLC, Brightest Young Things, The Pink Line Project, Pecha Kucha , Creative DC, Hungry for Music, Capitol Riverfront BID, and NoMa BID.

This collaborative ethic also facilitates social engagement by making us all responsible for the creation and maintenance of our shared culture. We encourage all attendees to contribute by performing, displaying art, volunteering, or donating to make this event a success. For more information visit www.artists-ball.org.

And there are some dining specials in Shaw celebrating the inauguration. Acadiana Restaurant on 9th and New York Ave is having a 4-course menu for $44. A bottle wine for $44 to honor the 44th President. Two Inaugural Cocktails: The Dream and The Spirit ($9), and the regular menu also available. Corduroy plans to be open, and I don’t think they are doing anything special. Same for Vegetate, open with the regular menu. Since these are close to the Secret Service Lockdown, I’m going to suggest if you reserve through OpenTable, bring a printout confirming your reservation, should you get stopped by some out of town constable, to prove (you shouldn’t have to but be on the safe side) you indeed have business in the area.

Help a tree out

I was meaning to post this link earlier.
The 7th Street Garden is moving to Le Droit Park to the Gage-Eckington School. This Saturday they are looking for volunteers to help out. One of the huge tasks will be moving some of their trees.

The garden staff currently don’t have the resources to uproot and relocate a set of trees from the space, including two each of peach, apple, and cherry trees. We want to make sure these trees can find a home in a new spot, and to make that happen – according to Susan Ellsworth of the Garden – we need “a tree spade, a flat-bed truck that lowers to the ground, and a small miracle.” Maybe one of the members of our community can help provide at least the first two? Please let us know!

So help a tree out.

Another BACA meeting missed

I’m so bad.
I was planing to just pop by the function at Vegetate for Roadside Developments‘ O Street Market. I figured I’d pop a few munchies and show up to the BACA meeting fashionably late. I wound up running into some neighbors from the street and well, time flew. I’m so sorry. Sorry that I can be so easily distracted by free wine and polenta bites.
Anyway they need community support Thursday before the Zoning people.
I swear I will make the next, BACA meeting…. well, unless a certain idiot finally asks me out that night.

Trick or Treat

Next Wednesday is Halloween and I do expect kids and adults to trick o’ treat my block. Talking with neighbors, we expect the bands of costumed and uncostumed to come by between dusk and 8ish-9ish. Despite the groups of kids who don’t make an effort, giving away candy is fun, doing it keeps the tradition alive, and kids 5 and younger in costume are sooooo cute.
Frozen Tropics has a pretty good tips to doing Halloween in the ‘hood. The only thing I would have to add is I ration the candy. I buy cheap candy that I give to people who don’t try or who are not the target audience. That’s my punishment for them. Kids in costume get the good stuff. It may seem to some unfair, but hey, everybody gets candy.

Buncha Bloomingdale Stuff

Ya know there are like 2 or 3 Bloomingdale blogs.
Farmers market still the neatest thing since sliced multi-grain bread. Every time I go there I think, damn, this/my neighborhood is so cool. Yes, technically in Bloomingdale, but right on the TC/Shaw border. It’s the vibe. You run into neighbors and people with kids, people with dogs, people with people. Some of the vendors at the market take WIC so there is an income mix and fresh food goes to the people. The market goes on until sometime in November, so if you haven’t experienced it, go.
Friday, North Capitol Main Streets had a beer and wine tasting at Bloomingdale Liquors. That was an interesting social experiment. ‘Cause you get a mix of people going in and out. There was a beer table and a wine table, and a big crowd. I only got one little cup of wine, and the merlot wasn’t that great, but I was told the other higher end but lower priced red was much better, Unfortunately, they were out of the better red by the time I made my way back to the table. The store seemed to be doing some fairly brisk business. Of course it was Friday night. Before I bought my tequila (for a great shrimp tequila cerviche dish) I was asked if I was going to bother reporting about the ‘secret meeting’ that occurred two days before. Not a secret meeting, because I posted it in the announcements.
DC GOP hold meeting in back of the St. George’s Episcopal church basement to meet with 3-4 Ward 5 Republicans and an Independent. The goal, as I’m remembering this off the top of my head, is to hear what the people want. Lower crime, lower taxes, and better support for small businesses, which this city seems so hostile to, seems to be desired.
And lastly, circling back to the market area, check out the Big Bear if you haven’t been there lately. There is a thing in the corner, which was supposed to be there till Oct 14th, was still there when I passed by Friday, so hopefully the Bear got the extention for this installation piece.

Wine tasting in Bloomingdale

I should have posted this earlier on the announcements part of the blog. Anyway this Friday night there will be a wine tasting from 6-8 at the corner of 1st and RI NW. Gotta go there anyway, I’m running low on tequila.

Tonight: First-Ever Fall Wine Tasting at Bloomingdale Liquors from 6 pm to 8 pm

Wine tastings are popular because they override the limitations of sampling wine alone, at home. How many wines can you taste on your own (unless you don’t mind throwing away nine-tenths of every bottle)? How many wines are you willing to buy on your own? And how much can you learn by tasting wine in isolation or with a friend whose expertise is no greater than yours?

At wine tastings, you can learn from your fellow tasters, as well as make new friends who share your interest in wine. Most importantly, you can taste wine in the company of some individuals who are more experienced than you, which is a real boon in training your palate.

NCMS invites you to come out to taste great wines and beers, mingle with neighbors and friends and get to know your neighborhood purveyor of Fine Wines and Spirits, Mr. Singh of Bloomingdale Liquors.

North Capitol Main Streets
First-Ever Fall Wine Tasting
Bloomingdale Liquors
1st and Rhode Island Avenue NW
Friday, October 19, 2007
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Les Petit Chanteurs


100_0638.JPG
Originally uploaded by In Shaw

Know know I get emails about events, and since I don’t really post well on command I just copy & paste them to the main InShaw.com site (provided I actually read them on time and they don’t get caught by the filter). So I’m back reading the post about the event I’ve attended today and wondering if the wonderfulness of it all appeared in the announcement at all.
I attended St. George’s on the 100 block of U, because I didn’t get up in time to bike to my usual church, and to my surprise Les Petits Chanteurs, musicians from Haiti, where going to be there. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, because it was posted, and in theory I did read it.
A person of note appeared there, and I’m being vague because when notable person left, said person said something to me on the way out and I have no clue what was said because I was busy reciting. My mouth was open and the ears were closed. So I’m going to cover myself on the oft chance the person said, don’t post this.
The choir of Les Petits Chanteurs was great and really made my worship experience awesome and after church when they arrived at the market, they made my neighborhood experience even more so awesome. Also making the market experience awesome, Carolina BBQ. Free Carolina BBQ. You guys said BBQ, but I wasn’t clear on what kind. Chopped vinegared pork is some of the best kind.
I guess credit for this wonderful Sunday morning and afternoon should go to Councilman Harry Thomas Jr., the organizers of the Bloomingdale Farmer’s market, and the gaggle of Davenports (Lana, ANC Stu, Stu’s dad, and Stu’s Grandma) who made this cultural event possible.
See my flickr page for more pix of the event.