Petworth Celebrates the 4th … in 1921

I love it when I’m able to find the story behind the pictures. Here, I’ve been able to match up the photographs of the Petworth 1921 July 4th festivities with the Washington Post’s account of the event.

The Post article, published the following day, reads:

Petworth Citizens Take Part in All-Day Program

An all-day program of patriotic exercises and athletic events featured the thirteenth annual celebration of Independence day in Petworth under the auspices of the citizen’s association. A gorgeous display of fireworks at Grant circle last night brought the celebration to a close.

Images From the 2009 Caribbean Festival

Another Caribbean Festival has come and gone, but if you missed it, I wanted to share a few images. I also like that colorful garb wasn’t just seen in the parade, but also in the crowd.

In talking with our local police, I also learned that there were no police incidents any greater that a few fights along Georgia Avenue.

Looking for Something to Do This Weekend?

If you get fidgety this weekend and want to get out, there’s certainly not going to be any shortage of things to do. From the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which opened this past Wednesday, to the DC Caribbean Carnival along Georgia Avenue which will be tomorrow and Sunday, there are plenty of things to do in town. A few other events you may want to check out are the National Capitol Barbeque Battle, the Gospel Rescue Ministries Summerfest, Festa Italiana, and the Eastern Market Grand Reopening.

If getting out of town, the heat, and the craziness is more to your liking, you may want to think about going to Leesburg, Va., where the Antiques Heyday is being held at the 4H Fairgrounds.

Come Monday, no one should be able to complain that they were bored this weekend.

Road Closures for Weekend Events

It looks like a busy weekend for events. Whether you are out and about on Saturday or Sunday, from Georgetown, to Dupont Circle, to Pennsylvania Avenue, all signs point to people, people, people … and associated road closures.

I am happy that the Pride parade is going through the neighborhood this year. Now, we just need to get the event itself off of Pennsylvania Avenue and back to its roots. To find out more about the weekend’s events, go to the Capital Pride Web site.

For those interested in the scheduled road closures, the DDOT announcement is as follows:

Three Events Scheduled That Could Impact Traffic

(Washington, D.C.) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has provided the following information about road closures for three events scheduled this weekend in the District: the Lawyers Have a Heart Race, Capital Pride Parade and the Capital Pride Festival.

17th Street Ready for Celebrations this Weekend

As I was walking down 17th Street yesterday, I noticed that a lot of it is decorated for Pride this weekend. It also brought back fond memories of when Pride was more of a neighborhood/community celebration held at P Street beach. I have to say, I liked it a lot better then.

DC celebrations have gotten into this cookie cutter pattern where we herd everyone onto a fenced off section of Pennsylvania Ave. and let them cook on the hot asphalt. Seriously, guys, cooking on the pavement isn’t my thing.

One thing I like about celebrations in New York is how parades end in various neighborhoods and become local/city events.

I know we haven’t completely lost that here in Washington, and I hope the trend reverses. The Caribbean and Latino festivals are two examples of great festivals that don’t happen on Pennsylvania Ave.