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| | | It's fun and festival time around the Hill | | September 18, 2009 | | | | September means not only back to school, but also festival time on Capitol Hill. The H Street Festival promises “four blocks of urban fun,” which includes a British tattoo competition (the winner is whoever can stitch the meanest Winston Churchill, HillChatter is guessing), battle of the junk bands, and of course, food! food! food! from the corridor’s great restaurants.
The festival will run from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday on the 1000 to 1300 blocks of H Street. For you cyclists, organizers are offering valet parking, and there will be shuttle buses running from Chinatown, Union Station, Eastern Market and Barracks Row. Go to hstreetfestival2009.org for details.
If warm German beer is more your scene, the 6th Annual Barracks Row Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 26. This year’s fete will be sassed up with an appearance by the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, while the Military Culinary Chefs competition — which pits the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard’s finest against each other to vie for Top Chow — will also offer eye candy for foodies. There’ll also be a petting zoo, tours of the Commandant’s House and vintage car-viewing.
Movie series
Think outdoor movie night is only for summer? Think again.
The Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District is hosting a fall series that’s out of this world — literally. Fun, spacey favorites, such as “Toy Story” and “Spaceballs” are on the slate. Here’s the schedule:
• Sept. 17: “Toy Story” (canceled and rescheduled for a date to be announced)
• Sept. 24: “Spaceballs”
• Oct. 1: “Apollo 13”
The movies will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Canal Park at 2nd and M streets SE. For more information, e-mail info@capitolriverfront.org or call 202-465-7093.
Historical event
Ever wonder what Capitol Hill looked like before it was smattered with row houses? Local historian Cindy Janke will present an illustrated lecture on William Prout, the 18th-century owner of most of the land that includes the Capitol Hill Historic District.
You might remember Janke from the popular lecture she gave a few years back on the Hill’s 19th-century breweries and John Phillip Sousa’s life in the neighborhood. This year’s talk is a part of the Overbeck Lecture series, sponsored by the Capitol Hill Restoration Society.
The event will begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Naval Lodge Hall, 330 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The lecture is free, but attendees must make reservations. Visit overbecklecture@aol.com or call 202-544-1825. Include your name, phone number, e-mail address and number of seats requested.
Alternative transit
We’re told Sept. 22 is Car Free Day around the world, an effort to get folks out of cars and into alternative modes of transport — bikes, bus, hover board, etc. The mayor and D.C. Council have backed the carless call, even though our council member already bikes to the John A. Wilson Building every day.
Count HillChatter in. What are the odds the D6 will be on time that day?
Stay tuned.
Pooch park
Our good friend Jacqueline at JDLand.com reports that folks in Southeast are trying to make a portion of Virginia Avenue Park — between 9th and 11th streets — an off-leash dog park.
Capitol Canines got the support of the Southeast Capitol Hill (ANC 6B) advisory neighborhood commission and will soon start raising money and petition the city. If successful, this would be the second dog park on the Hill. The good folks in Northeast have been in fundraising mode to turn a section of Kingman Field into a posh pooch park.
Best of luck to both groups. Beagle HillChatter can’t wait to chase squirrels in a new park. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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