Tchaikovsky’s 1812 on the 4th … I Just Don’t Get It!

Well, tomorrow is July 4th, and with it one of my annual pet peeves. Starting at 8 pm (admission starting at 3 pm) on the west Capitol grounds will be the annual A Capitol Fourth program. All in all, its a nice way to spend the fourth of July if you are intending to go to the mall.

However, it grinds my gears to no end that the finale is always Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Why must this piece of music be used? I grant that its flashy, and the use of cannon’s is a nice transition to an evening of fireworks … BUT … the music itself is wrong!!!

A true occasional piece, it was written to commemorate Russia’s defense of Moscow against Napoleon’s advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino in 1812. It has no connection to United States history in any way. More insulting to me, is that we should celebrate this countries birth while hearing the Imperial Russian national anthem. Honestly, is that appropriate.

I think its long overdue to retire this piece, and if we Americans need a flashy piece of music with cannons to emphasis our birth, let’s commission something appropriate.

Get Your Fireworks!!! While They Last

The firework stand on the corner of Rock Creek Church Rd & New Hampshire Avenue is finally open for business … so get them while they last!

Flag Rules and Regulations

With Memorial Day here, I thought it was a good idea to review the Flag Code. Actually, its a good thing I did, because when reading it, I discovered that technically, the flag, when flown on Memorial Day, is supposed to be flown half-staff until noon. I would have never known that. I know that no one is going to be out there worrying about this, and if you don’t have the ability to lower the flag until noon you won’t. Just the same, I thought it was an interesting factoid.

DDOT Announces Memorial Day Weekend Road Closures

I’ve just received the following announcement from DDOT. If you intend to travel around the Mall or to Virginia this weekend, you’ll want to pay attention to the holiday’s associated road closures.

Memorial Day Weekend Road Closures

(Washington, D.C.) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Park Police have provided the following information about temporary road closures for events scheduled over the Memorial Day weekend.

Friday, May 22

Rolling Thunder Candlelight Vigil:

• Henry Bacon Drive will be closed from Constitution Avenue to the Lincoln Memorial Circle from 7:00 p.m. to 11 pm.