Originally opening its doors in 1910 The Howard Theater predates The Apollo in Harlem and The Regal in Chicago. It is synonymous with rich African American and DC culture as well as jazz and the preforming arts. Located at 7th and T St NW it is at the end of the The U St corridor which in it’s heyday in the early 1900’s was referred to as ‘Black Broadway’. Celebrated musicians such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack and many others launched their careers at the Howard Theater and countless more preformed there. Over time the Howard Theater hosted countless shows and talent and eventually closed its doors in 1980.

Thursday, September 2nd 2010 marked the day of the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation of the Howard Theater. This public/private partnership required a lot of facets to come together in order for this project to occur. It took dedication and commitment form the city, organizations, but predominately the many passionate people involved who were determined to restore and create something that we can all cherish, enjoy, and be proud of. Ellis Development Group is restoring the Howard Theater and building the headquarters of the United Negro College Fund located along the same block. This kind of development will ideally add to restoring our city’s neighborhood and creating economic engines that will train and employ individuals who work in in feilds from construction to the preforming arts and everything in between.

The grand reopening of of the Howard Theater is still about two years down the road. Till then one can possibly foresee exciting temporary uses of the space with in the Howard Theater incorporating artists of all sorts and allowing the spirit of the Howard Theater to live on.

“The Dive & Lie Wrecked Dubstep Clash will take place on Sunday night, September 5th at Patty Boom Boom on 14th and U!!! And yes, they pledged to have more bartenders this time so you don’t wait for a drink. We have the mighty Tiernan & Robert Manos at the helm with special guest Inflictz joining the fray to spread the devastation on the dance-floor. Get there early!”

“On Saturday, September 18th of 2010, HSMS will kick off its 7th consecutive H Street Festival, utilizing the opportunity to draw attention to the H Street Corridor and its businesses. The H Street Playhouse, Rock and Roll Hotel, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center and the Joy of Motion are among the most entertaining venues along the corridor.”

Check out the lineup

Rock & Roll Hotel proudly presents H St Festival Stages

14th ST STAGE

12PM: DJs KEENAN & METAPHYSICAL

1PM – 130PM: POWER PIRATE

2PM – 230PM: BILLY WOODWARD & THE SENDERS

3PM – 330PM: ALMA TROPICALIA

4PM – 430PM: FUNK ARK

5PM-6PM: H.R. (of Bad Brains)

WEST STAGE

1230PM – 1PM: CURTIS D

130PM – 2PM: NU-ERA

230PM – 3PM: THE TRIBE

330PM – 430PM: LUCKY DU

5PM – 6PM: ELIKEH

More info. can be found at  www.rockandrollhoteldc.com and http://www.hstfestival.org/

NEW IN 2010, the Health Pavilion sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Pets are Welcome!- Stop by the NEW Pet Zone for services & products.

• Features famous Columbia and Florida live music stages which bookend 18th Street NW.
• Dynamic Dance Plaza with a range of folkloric, drummers, salsa, national dances, interactive-lessons!
• Expanded Green Pavilion offers eco-friendly products, services, samples, & info under one big tent.
• Arts on Belmont-10am artists/artisans originals: glassware and metalwork, paintings, ceramics, jewelry, sculptures, photography and more
• Kids Area on Marie Reed school grounds with fun and educational kid & family activities.
• Cultural hosts smaller scale diverse, international music, drummers, and actors.
• Jazz in the Park offers a welcome respit e from the crowds. Take a seat under the shade of Kalorama Park.
• Vendors Galore! Food vendors offering cuisines for all palettes, and international specialty items, arts and crafts, jewelry, clothes, and uni

All photos by Victor Zapanta.

With the end of this brutal summer drawing near, the light at the end of the tunnel just may be DC’s many street festivals. The Columbia Heights Day kicked off street fair season this past weekend with it’s yearly gathering at Harriet Tubman Elementary. Local eateries from throughout the neighborhood shared their offerings outside the event while many vied for primo seating+discounted booze around the corner at Wonderland. This DC blogger couldn’t resist spending the majority of his time enjoying the performance by DC’s own Batala [http://www.batalawashington.com/ ], the amazingly talented women’s drum band.

No need to despair if you couldn’t make it out this weekend, as there are a number of community fairs coming up in the District. Here are some highlights:

Adam’s Morgan Day 9/12 18th St NW
http://www.adamsmorgandayfestival.com/

Festival Latino 9/26 12pm-7pm Mt Pleasant St NW
http://www.fiestadc.org/

Craft Bastards 10/2 10am-5pm Marie Reed Learning Center at 18th NW & Wyoming
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards/

If you know of any big community events coming up, please drop us a line in the comments.

Whether you accept it or not, the end of summer is here. Tonight The Pink Line Project invites you to the End of Summer White Party at the Phillips Collection, a Caribbean style white party featuring interactive art by Kenny George and Alberto Gaitan and music by BLUEBRAIN. BLUEBRAIN has spent the past few weeks compiling your stories from the snowpocalypse to create a one-of-a-kind multimedia presentation. Check out the Phillips Collection’s website for more information.

AND they will be on sale tonight at FIFTY-ONE: Be The Tourist for only $15. There will be only 51 limited edition first run shirts, so get there early to grab one!

You can get your ticket to FIFTY-ONE for half-price in advance. Tickets are HERE.

All photos by Chris Svetlik.

Last night, The Pink Line Project presented PM@ The TM: Mod Madness at the Textile Museum.  The event fit nicely with the Textile Museum’s current exhibit of textile designs from the 1950s and 1960s, “Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain”. The Mad Men craze is everywhere you turn and Mod Madness further spotlighted the phenom. Event goers dressed in their best interpretation of the period’s pieces, all competing for the title, “best mid-century dressed.”  The whole glamorous-yet-conservative Betty Draper-look was prevalent, as was the fedora. And, of course, there were cocktails–Gin Rickey’s to be exact. The rain held off as guests poured in, gallivanting around the museum’s interiors and the courtyard, enjoying tours led by WE ARE SCIENCE and music by DJ Jahsonic.

All photos by Victor Zapanta.

On Friday, Kristen Swenson and Erin Derge of Revamp Design and Tailoring had something to celebrate; the soft opening of their boutique Ginger Roots. The boutique focuses on the duos’ eco-friendly, restyled vintage approach.

The shop will feature the unique designs by Kristen and Erin as well as in-house tailoring and items for sale from other local artisans and designers. Look out for the grand opening announcement early September, but in the mean time, enjoy some photos. Ginger Roots is located at 1530 U Street NW.

All photos by Brandon Bloch.

A few weeks ago, to celebrate the beginning of tourist season in our Nation’s Capital, ReadysetDC launched a curated competition called (re)DC: The Tourist T-Shirt with an aim to (re)visit, (re)imagine, and (re)design DC’s “tourist t-shirt”.

Our hope was that the growing creative talent of our city could create an iconic image that would rival the “I ‘heart’ DC” design that we long ago borrowed from New York City. We need a fresh icon designed by DC, for DC.

12 designs were submitted by DC-based designers and the public voted for their favorite design among the entries.  Two weeks, and nearly 3,000 votes later, we have our winner. Alex Slater of NATAKO!

The “DC Love” t-shirt will be available for the first time this Friday, the 20th at FIFTY-ONE: Be The Tourist at DISTRICT SAKI’s basement lounge in Adams Morgan. HIP HOP DAN and DJ Phil Real will be at the DJ Booth. Only $5 pre-sale, and tickets are HERE. Prepare your fanny packs. Need outfit inspiration? HERE are te six simple rules for how to be a REAL tourist.

Brandon Bloch: Congratulations, Alex Slater of NATAKO! Your design got the most votes out of the 12 submitted for ReadysetDC’s (re)DC: The Tourist T-Shirt Competition. How do you feel about the people choosing your design for The New Official DC Tourist T-Shirt?

Alex Slater: I’m humbled. I’m glad that my idea is the one that the people wanted because that’s what I designed it for. It encompasses my feelings about our city so I’m glad the voters felt the same way.

It goes back to the idea of fostering local assets and talent, creatives and production. I believe in that. You don’t have to go across the world to support the city you know, the people you know, and the economy you know. 

BB: How do you feel about “I Heart DC” design and how it’s based on the “I Heart NY” design?

AS: In submitting this design to the competition, one of the submission questions was ‘why do we need a new icon for our city?’ And most of the designers answered that the “I Heart DC” design was just a bastardization of the New York design. It makes a lot of sense. I agree that the current design is sort of a hack and DC always plays second fiddle to New York. So I thought this was an opportunity to say ‘hey, we’re here… we’re for real.’

BB: So how did the design process go?

AS: So my first reaction was just to destroy the old design and sort of start from scratch. And I had a kind of mental block because I didn’t really know where I wanted to go with it… And I spent about a week where I didn’t have anything.

And then I though, you know… the I Heart NY design is so prolific for a reason. It’s iconic. It’s been around for years because it makes sense and it’s approachable. So, I thought why do I need to destroy every piece of that idea? It’s obviously a good idea.

So I started with the heart, because that’s just iconic. There’s nothing wrong with that. And my process is usually just to start with the font, and in this case I just decided to go with “DC” and not “Washington”. I just started to play with that and I was like ‘oh yeah, that’s right… the DC flag’. And I honestly only spent about an hour on the design once I figured out where I wanted to go with it.

BB: Why do you think it’s important for DC to offer its own iconic design and for it to be designed in our city?

AS: I was looking at it not from a tourist’s perspective but from my perspective as a DC native.  I wanted to create something that I would want to wear and DC natives would want to wear. Instead of doing something that random people would like, I thought I’d do something that DC people would like. And then for tourists, that’s kind of a cool thing when you go to another city and you feel like you’re a part of it.

People think the internet will be used to make everything global. But I’m seeing examples where it’s being used to make everything local.  It’s similar to restaurants and how they’re getting their ingredients locally. For them, they’re creating an experience that’s local that you can’t do anywhere else… And so that’s what this design competition was about. Using local “ingredients” to express DC from an internal perspective. And that’s what I’m all about – collaborating with local people to really showcase the creativity we do have that normally tends to float under the radar.

BB: The fannypacks, cameras around your neck, the three t-shirts for $10… the overwhelming patriotism with the flags and the eagles and the stars… Tell me, what is DC tourist style?

AS: I don’t know how I feel about this. I’m speechless. It’s part of pop culture in DC. We have our own little aesthetic of being a tourist in DC. But there’s two sides to it – the side where we welcome tourists into our city, and the other side where locals have to deal with them not standing to the right and breaking the Metro doors when you’re just trying to get to work.

BB: Have you ever been a tourist in DC?

AS: Well, I grew up in Maryland. So a lot of my childhood experiences in DC were tourist experiences.

BB: How do you think tourists will respond to this design?

AS: It goes back to what I was saying before. I was designing this for locals. But for tourists it would be similar to when you go to a new city and you happen upon a food truck and it’s amazing and locals don’t even know where it is.

It’s kind of an inside joke for DC, but it’s like when you travel and you find something under the radar and feel like you’re part of the local scene. That’s always a cool thing… that you’re into something that even a lot of locals aren’t into.

BB: So this would be like the tourist t-shirt not for the mainstream tourist, but maybe more for the European student backpacker who wants to explore U Street?

AS: Exactly.

BB: In the spirit of the original “I Heart NY” design, where do you hope this design ends up?

AS: I’d love for it to garner attention from other artists and designers and hopefully it creates more opportunities to keep promoting design and DC.

BB: So would you consider your ultimate success to one day see your design emblazoned on a mug, or golf ball, or teddy bear, or keychain, or any of the other tourist knick-knacks you find around our city?

AS: (laughs) Well at the core – what artist wants their work to become super commercialized like that? Ultimately I want it to stay as art and design and that’s enough for me right now. Obviously I’m not interested in making money off mugs, or whatever.

BB: Some people have issues with design competitions and crowdsourcing… what are you thoughts?

AS: There’s obviously compelling arguments, mostly from the designers perspective, where you’re cheapening the design process and the relationship between the client and designer. A lot of people say it lessens the quality of what you’re trying to do. I have done crowdsourcing projects before to see what the process was like and to experiment with it. My perspective is I don’t lean one way or the other yet. The idea of crowdsourcing is going to evolve. It’s not going to go away. So to some degree, designers need to be involved with what’s going on on that front and make it into something we can be satisfied with. But it’s the wrong strategy to discount mediums that may be viable just because people don’t understand what it is.

But I don’t consider this (re)DC competition to be crowdsourcing, and that’s why it was called a “curated competition”. It’s really just a show… a showcase. It’s the same as if all of these designs were in a gallery somewhere and the theme was DC and designing a tourist t-shirt. The fact that one design gets picked doesn’t lessen the quality of the other designs that were submitted.

BB: How do you feel about this tourist t-shirt design being “gifted” to the city?

AS: I’m all about that. And I think that’s another reason why this isn’t really a crowdsourcing concept. Nobody’s making money off of this. It was just an experiment. So, yeah… I’m not interested in controlling the design. I was just interested in creating it and seeing where it goes.

BB: What is NATAKO? What do you want people to know about you?

AS: I’m an artist, illustrator, designer, and art director… in that order. I’m always looking for artistic opportunities first, which is usually the least of what I’m able to do. So I’m just out there trying to create my own opportunities.

A lot of artists might consider me a sell-out because I’m in advertising. But I just want to turn everything on its ear. If we feel like advertising is commercialized and selling out then we should just take it over and make it what we want it to be. I just want to put my mark on anything I’m involved in. It’s always evolving.

I’m not going to be rigid. I’m going to be adaptive and just try to use the talents that I have and express them on whatever canvas and medium I have.

===

Okay… so maybe we got carried away burning an “I Heart DC” t-shirt, but symbolically we’re hoping this competition marks the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, where our icons are defined by the talented residents of our own city, and where we as a city are recognized for what we create.

Do you think this new tourist t-shirt design can be successful in redefining our city… or will the reign of the “I Heart DC” knockoff continue?

You can buy the “DC LOVE” shirt for the FIRST TIME this Friday the 20th. We will have a limited run available at FIFTY-ONE: Be The Tourist at DISTRICT SAKI’s basement lounge in Adams Morgan. Music will be provided by HIP HOP DAN and DJ Phil Real. Only $5 Pre-sale! Get your tickets HERE.

FIFTY-ONE: Be The Tourist is this Friday (the 20th) at DISTRICT, a spacious two-level lounge SAKI’s intimate basement lounge in Adams Morgan. The (re)DC winning design, “DC LOVE” by Alex Slater (NATAKO) will be available for the first time. HIP HOP DAN and DJ Phil Real will be at the DJ Booth, keeping the party going until 3am. Tickets? Only $5 if you buy them in advance here.

But you say, ‘What will will I wear?’ Well here are five simple rules (guided by photos) for how to be a REAL tourist.

1. Coming in a group? Make sure you have the exact same shirts so that you can easily find each other.

2. Fanny packs are perfect for those extra items you will need. Like your iPhone… or a beer!

3. Cameras are a MUST, so you can document all things monumental… like HIP HOP DAN!

4. Tourism vendors downtown are the PERFECT place get quality gear that will scream “I’m local”!

5. You may be in DC, but DC is in AMERICA. Be a patriot and rock the stars and stripes… preferably on a visor.

6. Bring your own DC mug and get free vodka tonics all night! Ok NOT REALLY, but it makes for a quick transition to a Saturday morning cup of coffee.

———-

What do you DC DJs think about this?

Photos by Angela Aveta

“Reinventing the Black Comedian”. That was the title of Seaton Smith’s stand-up style presentation at TEDxPotomac. Seaton is definitely doing something right. His DVD taping “Seaton Smith: A Moment In Black Hipstery” is tonight at the Warehouse Theater. The 9PM show is SOLD OUT, however a second show has been added at 11PM. We had a quick Q&A with him.

SNL. A Judd Apatow Movie. A Will Ferrell Movie. A Todd Phillips movie. Some Comedy Central show. You know, small goals.

Ally Behnke: What inspiration do you draw form?

Seaton Smith: I get inspired by everything that I feel something about. Things that make me angry, things that make me sad, or helpless. Like when I talk about rats in DC. I really am scared. I’ve lived here ten years and I’m still fucking scared. You would think I would have a coping mechanism at this point. I mean I don’t scream anymore, but that’s if I see them coming. But if I’m walking and they bust out of a bush or something I’m through.

AB: What is it like being a comic in DC?

SS: DC comedy scene is great to develop yourself. In NY or LA you’re constantly under the pressure to be famous and make money. Not here. Nobody is going to make you famous so all you got is how funny you are right now. So that’s all you worry about. I love it.

AB: Is stand up comedy a form of performance art?

SS: Isn’t performance art mostly like naked people? Like artsy strippers? Or is that burlesque. I’d rather watch burlesque than a comedy show.

AB: Where would you like to be a year from now career wise?

SS: SNL. A Judd Apatow Movie. A Will Ferrell Movie. A Todd Phillips movie. Some Comedy Central show. You know, small goals.

AB: D.C. in one word?

SS: HOT (As fuck)

AB: What is a half smoke made of?
SS: Sweat shop workers who fall behind in production.

AB: Is there a performance venue in DC traditional or non traditional you’d love to rock?

SS: 9:30 Club. I’ve seen some great comics there and the crowds are always the shit!

AB:  And final question, what is going through your head as you are preparing for a show?

SS: I try to imagine if anyone will have sex with me afterward. And then deciding probably no.

———

Seaton Smith: A Moment in Black Hipstery
Warehouse Theater
1021 7th Street NW
9PM (SOLD OUT) and 11PM // $5
TICKETS

UPDATE: To allow sufficient time for t-shirt printing, voting will end on Thursday, August 12th at 11:59PM.

(re)DC is a new creative project series by ReadysetDC. We are looking at things that we see all the time in DC, and making a call to improve them. A simple concept to raise the bar.

We are starting simple, with DC’s “tourist t-shirt”. We’ve pulled together some talented artists and designers to rethink what this shirt could be. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DESIGNS. Check out the designs they’ve put their time and sweat into. YOU vote. Look through all of the entries and make your decision at the bottom. The winning design will be “gifted” to the public, under Creative Commons (Attribution, No Derivatives). Until their is a winner, artists maintain all rights to their works.

A special thanks to Jeff Tien, Erik Dreyer, Kiril Tchangov, Elizabeth Graeber, E.B. Davis III, Adrian Constantyn, Jenny Griffith and Alex Slater for participating.

The winning design will be printed and sold for the first time at a ReadysetDC party to be announced this week. Just keep your August 20th evening available.

Photo by excalipoor

It appears that the DC staple, Busboys & Poets, has its sights set on the Big Apple. According to a New York based blog  Harlem Condo Life (via UrbanTurf DC), Busboys and Poets plan to open up shop in Harlem, its first venture outside the DC area.

If the news is true, this will be a big first step for DC restaurants. Rarely, if ever, do DC based restaurants make the leap to New York, but all too often DC receives New York transplants. The NY Magazine food blog Grub Street recently posted an article titled, “Is DC the Next Big Food City?” Inside, the blog cited the upcoming (and recent) moves of famed New York establishments like Carmines and Serendipity 3 as indicators of DC’s potential new label as a foodie capitol. With Busboys & Poets move to Harlem, it seems the tables have turned.

So, what do you think? Will Busboys & Poets succeed outside of DC? Does it even make sense for the quintessential DC coffeeshop and restaurant  to set up shop in New York?

Our Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC, has an underlying current of government and politics. But ‘Washington’ is becoming something much more than politicians, lawyers, museums, monuments, lobbyist, non-profits, and tourists. My focus here is on the much more subtle side. A side I will affectionately refer to as ‘DC.’ In particular my focus is on ‘DC’s transformation via a blooming economic ecosystem and renaissance that appear to be on the rise and powered by the creative class.

‘Washington’ vs. ‘DC’ as shown through the eyes of Thievery Corporation when they were featured on Current TV< is an excellent insight into the of creatives in our city. ReadysetDC’s manifesto video captures the excitement of the creative movement with an emphasis on capturing and catalyzing it.

Last November 2009 there was an economic summit held entitled ‘Actionomics’ led by the DC Office of Planning (OP) and Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP). The name sounds like it could be an afterschool television superhero show, however, action + economics = the economics of getting things done.

Charles Planck CEO of Affinity Lab, an entrepreneurial dream and action space (incubator space) which started in ‘DC’ over 9 years ago gives us food for thought:

“Affinity Lab, among many others, has been trying to change the conversation of economic development within city government from pushing big real estate development – handing out wads of tax payer cash we don’t have out of a $650 million budget hole – to instead focusing scarce resources on entrepreneurship, small business and innovation.  It has really only been these things that have ever pulled us, or anyone, out of recessions and created jobs that are hard to outsource overseas. The main point is that there are those in District government who understand this and are boldly taking the actions necessary to support and develop our city, our own job creators, our own reality creators.  It’s not that charity starts at home, it’s that investment does.  We need to support those in District government who know this, holistically.  We need to create with them and do the things we can do that they cannot, just as they are trying to do things within government that we cannot.”

There have been other summits and forms designed around empowering the creative class such as the 2003 ‘Memphis Manifesto’. Also, there is something to be said for the support and encouragement of public/private collaborations. We are living in a transformitive time in history, a renaissance, and being in ‘DC’ we are experiencing it full on. Had we lived in any other time in history, such as the 1960’s, we would be telling a different story. However, it is 2010, we are short on oil and recovering from a recession.  We are looking for sustainable solutions that improve quality of life. We have new technologies such as internet and new-media. If we want to transform our city into a vibrant livable place we can do it. We can empower ‘DC’s most over looked natural resource: our creative economy.

Entrepreneurialism, better quality of life and creativity are platforms America was built on to begin with. Forget the white picket fence, could tomorrow’s American Dream include alternative transit and civic engagement? Seriously, what if more of what was good for us and the city was glamorized then marketed back to us? (Some terrific somewhat relevant examples found on Washingtonian and GreaterGreaterWashington) The statistics point to the current of the creative economies as a way to empower ‘DC’ and in return bring value to ‘Washington’. Imagine how vibrant the future for our city would be if we and our friends choose to ride this wave.

Did you go to Digital Capital Week? Have you been to the H St Temporium? Are you planning to attend Arts on N Street? All these ‘DC’ happenings are public/private collaborations that can be traced back to Actionomics. They also empower our creative class and economies.

Intrigued? We are starting a series that will explore the impact of ‘DC’s Actionomics initiative as well as the platforms that provide space and resources for creatives to realize their dreams. We are here to explore solutions. What is important to you as a creative? What do you need to succeed?

AMAZING photography by Brian Nevins

This past Saturday, the Red Bull team and their squadron of wakeboarders, jet skis, and groupies took over the Potomac River for a few hours to dazzle the cheerful crowd at the National Harbor. This was a great opportunity for folks not familiar with the sport to see world-class riders exhibit their craft in the water – and the air. The heat wave graciously took a backseat to the sun, breeze, and music for what seems like the first time in weeks.

The crowd was jazzed as the commentary crew was successful in hyping the riders and the sport while attempting to explain to the casual fan exactly what these crazy kids were doing on the river. Not many people know the difference between a Switch Half-Cab Double Back Roll Mobe and a Backside 540 Rodeo Indy Nosebone. One sounds like an item on a sushi platter while the other some type of unsanctioned motor sport. Maybe the MC helped clear up some of that confusion. Or maybe the crowd was simply focused on witnessing the spectacle and was content with letting out ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’ as opposed to learning the jargon.

Wakeboarding, unlike its other adrenaline-sport counterparts (skateboarding, snowboarding), has not quite found its way into the commercial mainstream. My guess is because the sports isn’t as accessible as many of us do not own boats, jet skis, or live on lakes that allow us to engage on a regular basis. The sport also hasn’t found its own Shaun White or a Ryan Sheckler to piggy back straight into our pop-culture consciousness. The solution could be something as simple as strapping Justin Bieber onto a wakeboard and towing him around the water with MTV cameras rolling. But that might mess up his hair – and the Bieb’s management would never allow that.

This event was critical for a couple of reasons. The first is providing the kind of exposure that this sport certainly needs. It was a relatively short 1.5 hour showcase with some of the sport’s top riders strutting their skills on fun boxes and kickers. The crowd was also treated with the presence of Red Bull team rider, Parks Bonifay, who is a pioneer and legend of the sport. Bonifay is the Tony Hawk of wakeboarding and it was great to watch him and some of the riders he inspired put on a show for the DMV crowd.

The other reason I was excited to swing by was because this event presented me with an opportunity to check out the National Harbor itself. To be honest, I had never had a strong desire to visit that part of the Potomac until Saturday. Nevertheless, I found the entire experience to be pleasant. The pier, walkways, and storefronts were open and welcoming. The shopping options are a bit eclectic and the food options were serviceable – many of which were of the upscale restaurant chain variety. If I had kids – and a huge boat – then I’d probably really enjoy the scene. Otherwise, I think I’ll settle for the special events like this one to draw me out.

Saturday’s event could very well have been a ‘test run’ for both the National Harbor and Red Bull team to see if this particular venue would jive with this type of exhibition. That would explain the relatively short event time and the lack of boats (riders were pulled by jet skis so none of them were actually launching off of ‘wakes’, but rather a kicker ramp they had set up on the water). If Saturday was indeed a trial run, then I would declare the union of wakeboards and DC an overwhelming success. Here’s hoping that this is the start of an annual event that will continue to grow in size and popularity.

Special thanks to Oscar Chow and the Red Bull team.

Festival Pre-party
Wonderland @ 7 PM
August 26, 2010

Festival
Tubman Elementary School @ 10 AM – 6 PM
(entrance on Kenyon St. NW between 11th and 13th streets)
Saturday, August 28, 2010

“Columbia Heights Day Initiative is dedicated to a harmonious community, inclusive to seasoned and new residents alike, prosperous for businesses large and small and creating a spirit of community involvement.”

• 10:00 am morning yoga workshop by Quiet Mind Yoga
• 10:00 am Dog Show and neighborhood bike parade
• Two stages of live music and dance performances, featuring Czars of Leisure, The Chariots, La Unica Irish Band, Armchairs, Batala percussion group, Belladonna belly dancers and more
• “Taste of Columbia Heights” food booths and popular DC food trucks
• First-ever “DC State Fair” with prizes for best foodstuffs
• Cupcake eating contest, sponsored by Sticky Fingers Bakery
• Petting Zoo & Kids Zone, featuring a moon bounce, face painting, fun games and family entertainment
• Appearances by city officials and political candidates
• More than 50 local businesses and community groups
• After Hours Party post-festival at neighborhood restaurants and bars

Source: Columbia Heights Initiative