A carnival complete with magicians, fire breathers and contortionists is coming to the Navy Yard.
The second annual Side Yards event is scheduled for this Saturday at Yards Park (355 Water St. SE) from 6 to 10 p.m.
A collection of East Coast sideshow performers,many from the traveling Circus of Wonders, will put their quirky talents on display for guests. A burlesque show is also planned for one of three performances stages, a new feature to this year’s event.
There will be live music, food available for purchase and a beer garden by Due South, which opened near Yards Park in August.
Tents will cover the carnival attractions, so the show will go on as planned regardless of weather.
The event is hosted by the developers of The Yards. According to Clare Zenczak, a spokesperson for The Yards, the carnival with be a party with “something for everyone.”
Zenczak added there will be some activities for younger audiences, including balloon artists and a bubble fairy.
The Yards regularly throws themed celebrations in the park. Most recently, Ice Yards was a winter version of last summer’s Splash Yards, which drew more than 2,000 people.
“These events are a way to get people into the area,” Zenczak said. “It’s so they can see how exciting the development is down here.”
Side Yards is free and open to the public, but organizers are recommending interested guests reserve tickets in advance online.
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Tuesday – Sunday
Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, The Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St. SW)
Time: 12 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday
This one-woman show is part of this fall’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival and tells the story of a female newspaper columnist who wrote about suburban home life from the mid-1960s to the late 1990s. The show was written by twin sisters and is in its last week of production on the Southwest Waterfront. Full-price tickets cost $55 to $90, depending on the show date and time. They are available for purchase online.
Tuesday
Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Get Unblocked!
Northeast Library (330 7th St. NE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The DC Public Library has teamed up with author Hannah Sternberg and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop for a series of free workshops to help locals finish their still-in-progress novels. The Northeast branch will host four workshops every Tuesday in November. Each has a different theme, starting with character development. Interested writers should register online.
Wednesday
Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Finish Your Novel Already!
Southeast Library in Eastern Market (403 7th St. SE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The Southeast branch is also contributing to the community celebration, holding two workshops on novel writing that start this week. The free workshops–both held on Wednesday evenings this month–are meant to help aspiring authors tackle the “very specific set of challenges and disciplines” that come with writing a novel while keeping up with daily obligations and busy schedules. Interested writers should register online.
Thursday
Hill Center Jazz Ensemble, led by Marshall Keys
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Marshall Keys will take the lead in this installment of the Hill Center Concert Series. Song selections are original works from jazz ensemble members and are written to show the current state of jazz in the District. General admission tickets can be purchased online in advance for $15 or at the door for $20.
Saturday
Nationals Park (1500 S Capitol St. SE)
Time: 12 – 3 p.m. or 5 – 8 p.m.
Craft breweries, DJs, food trucks and lawn games will come together at Nationals Park this weekend for the DC Beer Festival. Guests can choose to attend one of two sessions. Tickets include unlimited beer tasting and access to other event activities which will set up shop throughout the ballpark. Admission is $40 per person and available online.
St. Marks Episcopal Church (301 A St. SE)
Time: 6 – 10 p.m.
The tradition of honoring Capitol Hill area business returns this weekend. The formal event will have food and live music to bring together local businesses and their loyal customers. Gala tickets for the general public are $75, but prices vary for Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce members. They can be purchased online.
Monday
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW)
Time: 6:30 – 10 p.m.
The museum will open a nighttime display featuring images of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq projected onto the building’s exterior. The series will begin Monday evening with a discussion about the background of the people in the images and to provide context. Admission is free, and the display will run through Nov. 12.
Photo via Facebook/Hill Center
One Capitol Hill resident has a serious bug problem, but that’s how she likes to live–at least during Halloween.
Lara Walker, 48, is the self-proclaimed “Mama Spider” behind the Capitol Hill spider house at the intersection of 13th Street and South Carolina Avenue SE. Almost every Halloween, the elaborate decorations seem to weave their way out of the brick home.
Walker has lived in Hill East for nearly 25 years and has set up her elaborate display of arachnids for more than 20 of them.
“The spider thing happened completely by accident,” Walker explained. “I like spiders, and they happen to be a simple thing in Halloween stores. I didn’t really like any of the gaudy, bright colored stuff.”
Halloween is the only holiday Walker commits to decorating for, and commit she does. She estimates it takes her at least 40 hours, spread out across the course of a week or so, to put up all the decorations.
Even then, she said she is constantly adjusting them, always finding something that could look a bit better.
The exterior decorations are made up of several packages of 400-foot long, synthetic webbing draped from all levels of the home, including the roof. It’s also wrapped around the fencing, trees and shrubs along the front and side of the house.
That’s not all. Nearly 30 spiders of all sizes are scattered around the webbing, hanging from the roof and windows. There are skeletons, bones, bats, ghosts, rats and likely hundreds of smaller spiders–what Walker calls the “babies”–used around the yard.
Every year, things are arranged a bit differently.
“I want it to look real, not kitschy,” Walker said. “I try to add a little bit every time.”
This year, she crafted some spider “cocoons” using extra webbing and some of the smaller spiders. They’re hanging from trees and settled in bushes. They are, indeed, freakishly realistic.
“People of all ages get a kick out of the house,” she said. “I think a lot of people appreciate how much work goes into it, but to be honest, I don’t do it for them. I just love it. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Until about 8 years ago, Walker worked in marketing communications. She now owns her own dog-walking business.
She doesn’t have any children, but she knows many families in the area and enjoys seeing the kids take notice of the decorations, whether they enjoy them or are a little scared by them.
“That’s what I love about this neighborhood, and I think it’s one of the reasons why I’ve stayed here as long as I have,” Walker said. “I think it’s also why this works here. It’s like a village, and everybody knows everybody.”
“In a community like that,” she added, “it’s kind of fun to be known as the spider lady.”
But being the spider lady is hard work, and Walker isn’t sure how many more Halloweens her spiders will come out for.
“I make no promises anymore about the house,” she explained. “That’s why I wanted to outdo myself this year because this really may be the last year.”
For now, trick-or-treaters can still visit the spider house between 6 and 8 p.m. on Saturday. Walker will be there too, dressed as a “spooky, witchy spider lady,” an extension of the entire display.
Visitors can also document and track their time with the spiders on Twitter and Instagram with #CapitolHillSpiderHouse.
As far as the future of the spider house, Walker said anything could happen.
“It’s a labor of love at this point,” she said. “A really weird one, but I do love it.”
There are only three more days until Halloween, so it’s time to start planning how you want to celebrate. Since the holiday falls on a spooky Saturday this year, you have plenty of time to join the festivities and plenty of options for where to go.
Whether you’re looking for some costumed clubbing or family-friendly fun, here’s a list of events to make the most of this Halloweekend:
Friday
Dinner and a Movie
The Argonaut (1433 H St. NE)
5 p.m.
The Argonaut is hosting a event for parents and their children. Upstairs, the newly-formed Argonaut Kids Club will be showing movies, doing activities and eating while parents can dine downstairs. Event prices start at $30 and vary based on the number of children who attend.
Hilloween at Eastern Market
7th Street SE (between Pennsylvania and North Carolina avenues SE)
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The community tradition returns with free family-friendly activities and ways to celebrate Halloween. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best costumes and visit professional face painters, a haunted house, and a photo booth. Food, drinks and other treats will also be available for purchase. Councilman Charles Allen and Mayor Bowser will also be in attendance to give opening remarks.
Sweets to the Sweet!
Folger Shakespeare Library (201 E Capitol St. SE)
5:30 – 8 p.m.
The Folger is hosting a family-friendly Halloween celebration, Shakespeare style. Guests can expect holiday treats, candy, lines from Shakespeare and activities. The event is free and open to the public.
Boo to You Halloween Party
King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW)
6 – 8 p.m.
The recreation center is throwing a traditional Halloween party, with a costume contest and dance. The event is free and open to the public.
Derek Brown & Thriller on H Street
Joy of Motion Dance Center Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St. NE)
7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
This dance workshop will teach the entire routine from the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. The workshop is open to dancers of all abilities levels ages 19 and up. Costumes–especially those inspired by the King of Pop–are encouraged. After the workshop, winners of the dance-off and costume contest will receive dance class packages. Participants can register online in advance for $25.
Saturday
Halloween at Rosedale
Rosedale Community Center (1701 Gales St. NE)
12 – 4 p.m.
Center staff are throwing a Halloween Safe Haven celebration for community members with games, food, music, candy and a community parade. The event is free and open to the public.
Happy Howl-O-Ween!
13th Street Community Park & Garden (13th and C streets SE)
1 – 3 p.m.
Nonprofit pet adoption organization Homeward Trails and the 13th Street Community Park & Garden invite families-and their pets-to the park for a Halloween celebration. All guests are encouraged to wear costumes, and gift card prizes will be awarded to the best dressed child and pup. Some adoptable dogs are also expected to attend. This outdoor event is free and open to the public.
Halloween SPOOKtacular Concert & Reception
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St. SE)
2 – 4:30 p.m.
This free event will preview the CHAW community through festive songs played by private music students and artwork samples from various classes. The art gallery will open at 2 p.m., and tours of the building will also begin at that time. The concert starts at 2:30, followed by a reception with donuts and cider. Costumes are recommended, as CHAW staff and the performers will be wearing them.
Photo via Flickr/Teo
A Northeast elementary school is planning a cleanup this weekend to prepare two outdoor spaces for spring activities.
Miner Elementary School (601 15th St. NE) has invited students, their families and neighbors to its a fall cleanup this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The project will address two outdoor spaces as part of an effort to prepare for the return of warmer weather and to get an early start on garden care, according to PTO Communications Chair Holly Harper.
“We are calling on our neighbors to help build something beautiful and green for our children,” Harper said in a statement.
The first space is an undeveloped piece of land along the early childhood playground. On Sunday, organizers hope to plant two or three trees there to provide shade for the playground, as well as act as a barrier between it and the edge of the school’s property.
Second, the school has garden beds for vegetables and flowers that need some repairs, cleaning and weeding before preparing the soil for winter and planting some spring flower bulbs.
In addition to volunteers, the project has relied on the help of donors. For example, Frager’s Hardware offered the school free and discounted plants, and the Department of Public Works provided tools and mulch.
However, Harper emphasized the outdoor work at Miner won’t end Monday. She hopes after the area is cleaned up, a garden club can organize in the spring to maintain the spaces more regularly.
“We are currently looking for a garden club coordinator and exploring our options to establish the program on an ongoing basis,” she said. “This is truly a community effort.”
Photo via DCPS
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Tuesday
Fresh Angles: Austria Through the Eyes of Amateur Filmmakers
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW)
Time: 7 – 9 p.m.
A collection of short films by amateur filmmakers will show parts of the Nazi era. The images in the films are not from Nazi propaganda, unlike what dominates modern memory of its history. The event’s featured speakers include the museum’s video archivist Lindsay Zarwell and director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for History and Society Ingo Zechner. Admission is free.
Friday
7th Street SE (between Pennsylvania and North Carolina avenues SE)
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The community tradition returns with free family-friendly activities and ways to celebrate Halloween. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best costumes and visit professional face painters, a haunted house, and a photo booth. Food, drinks and other treats will also be available for purchase. Eastern Market will operate normally on Saturday.
Friday – Sunday
Fichandler Stage, The Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St. SW)
Time: 8 p.m.
Based on the story of orphan boy Oliver Twist, this Tony Award-winning musical is opening at the Southwest Waterfront this weekend for a two-month run. The titular character is played by a fourth grader, and a cast of children and adults will tell Charles Dickens’ holiday story. Tickets are about $120 and can be purchased online.
Saturday – Halloween!
13th Street Community Park & Garden (13th and C streets SE)
Time: 1 – 3 p.m.
Nonprofit pet adoption organization Homeward Trails and the 13th Street Community Park & Garden invite families–and their pets–to the park for a Halloween celebration. All guests are encouraged to wear costumes, and gift card prizes will be awarded to the best dressed child and pup. Some adoptable dogs are also expected to attend. This outdoor event is free and open to the public.
Saturday & Sunday
Pottery on the Hill Show and Sale
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday & 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Sixteen ceramic artists from around the country will gather in Hill East this weekend to display and sell their work. The event is catered for both serious collectors and curious observers, providing the opportunity to meet the artists, hear about inspirations for their work and learn how to use pottery pieces at home. Admission to the show and sale is free.
Photo via Facebook/Hill Center
The White House has had them for more than six years. With the proper equipment and training, you can, too.
A four-part class series on urban beekeeping is scheduled to begin this Monday at Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). The DC Beekeepers Alliance will help teach the classes and provide insight on how to properly keep bees in the District.
Classes are scheduled for the next four consecutiveMondays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Center. Each class will cover different topics, including how to rebuild the declining bee population and the health benefits of honey.
Participants can register online for all four classes for $40 or for classes. The scheduled classes are:
- All Beekeeping Is Local on Oct. 26.
- The Fascinating World of Bees on Nov. 2.
- Creating an Urban Environment for Bees on Nov. 9.
- Products of the Hive on Nov. 16.
Photo via Facebook/DC Honeybees
A Southwest water treatment facility is opening its doors to the public this Halloween to show off what they’ve been working on.
Fair warning: things could get stinky.
DC Water is hosting Halloween tours of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (5000 Overlook Ave. SW) next week. Guests will have the opportunity to see how the facility is cutting its carbon footprint and reducing energy bills by treating sewage and turning it into electricity.
In other words, it’s turning poop into power, and DC Water wants to show it off with what they’re calling the “no. 2 tour.”
Spots are filling up fast for our #no2 tour. Hope you can join us! http://t.co/iUSjbx4vMa pic.twitter.com/A5nAE1un25
— DC Water (@dcwater) October 16, 2015
The Blue Plains plant is the largest of its kind in the world and has earned an international reputation for its innovations for treatment procedures, according to the company.
Tours will depart at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Groups of up to four people can reserve their spots online for tours that last approximately 90 minutes.
The tours will take guests through the treatment process. To get in the spirit of the holiday, guides will also discuss the “monsters” in the plant that are too small to see, like the so-called “water bears” and “muffin monsters,” nicknames for different types of bacteria that are common in the sewage-treatment plant.
Visitors should also prepare their nostrils to take a sniff of their treatment mixture and complete the experience.
For safety, guests are asked to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.
Photo via Facebook/ DC Water
A specialty running store and retailer opened its second D.C. location today in Navy Yard’s Boilermaker Shops.
Pacers Running newest location is at 300 Tingey St. SE is celebrating its grand opening through this Sunday. The company has five other locations throughout the District and Virginia.
“For several years, we have looked at options to service this great part of the city and are happy to now call Navy Yard home,” CEO Kathy Dalby said in a statement.
The store was designed with elements that honor the historical 1919 Navy Yard building, according to the statement. This includes fixtures salvaged from old Naval ships.
The space itself is more than 2,000 square feet to house apparel, shoes and accessories. It will have training services, a “Run Lab” for gait analysis and will serve as a meeting spot for fun runs on certain weeknights.
The first of these runs is scheduled for tomorrow night as part of the grand opening celebration. A group will run 3 to 5 miles, followed by drinks at neighboring Bluejacket.
Pacers Navy Yard hours are:
- 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
- 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Pacers Running
Fall is in full-swing, and Halloween is now 10 days away. For those who love the season of changing leaves, pumpkin spice and costumes, the Capitol Hill area has plenty of ways to celebrate.
Events across the area this weekend will give residents a chance to start their Halloween celebrations a week early. Here are some pre-holiday events to help you get in the Halloween spirit:
Thursday
Seniors Costume Brunch
King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW)
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Area seniors are invited to the recreation center for a costume brunch with food and music. There will also be prize giveaways for guests wearing the best costume of the event. More information is available via e-mail.
NoMa Pumpkin Carving Happy Hour
NoMa Junction @ Storey Park (1005 First St. NE)
4 – 7 p.m.
NoMa BID will provide free pumpkins and carving tools for the first 200 visitors to the “pumpkin patch.” Pumpkins can be reserved in advance online. Participants can bring their own pumpkins and tools, if they choose. The event is free and open to the public. It will have live music from ’90s cover band the Lloyd Dobbler Effect, face painting, and a candy scavenger hunt. Food and drinks will also be available for purchase.
Thursday – Sunday
Scream City D.C.
RFK Stadium (2400 East Capitol St. SE)
7 – 10 p.m. (open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday)
“Exorcism Estate” and “Slaughter Factory” are two fully-enclosed haunted houses that will take over Parking Lot 8 through the end of the month. The haunts are from the same minds as Field of Screams Maryland and are almost guaranteed to be very, very scary. The production company recommends no one under the age of 13 attend, and parents should use their discretion when choosing to bring their children. Tickets are available online for $30-$40. One ticket grants admission to both haunts, and each takes approximately 40 minutes to walk through.
Friday
Haunted History and Ghost Hunt
Northeast Neighborhood Library (330 7th St. NE)
4 – 9 p.m.
This evening will pair history and haunts so guests can decide for themselves whether the library is haunted or not. The first hour of the event will provide a haunted history of the building and the surrounding area. Following that will be a paranormal investigation where attendees will get into teams, use “ghost hunting” equipment and search for evidence of paranormal activity. The event is free, but pre-registration is required by e-mail, in person or by telephone at 202-698-0058.
Friday and Saturday
In Their Own Words: Soul Strolls at Congressional Cemetery
Historic Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St. SE)
6 – 9 p.m.
The Congressional Cemetery will have a second weekend of night tours. The tours will tell the stories of some of the 65,000 “residents” there, as interpreted by cemetery staff. The event will also have a cash bar and music each night. Tours are held during the twilight hours. Tickets are available online and cost $20 for adults and $10 for children who are 12 years old or younger.
Saturday
Hot Cider Hustle 5K/15K
RFK Stadium (2400 East Capitol St. SE)
9 a.m.
Capitol Hill-area runners can participated in one of two fall-themed races around RFK Stadium along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Both races start at 9 a.m. in Lot 7. Hot apple cider and caramel apples will wait for participants as they cross the finish line. Registration is still open for both races, but the price will increase tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Pumpkins in the Park
Washington Canal Park (202 M St. SE)
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The Capitol Riverfront BID is hosting a late morning/early afternoon of family-friendly activities and entertainment to get ready for the holiday. Small pumpkins and decorating tools will be provided. There will also be face painting and live entertainment. The event is free and open to the public.
Barktoberfest
Yards Park (355 Water St. SE)
1 – 5 p.m.
The Washington Animal Rescue League is hosting the Second Annual Barktoberfest, an event scheduled to have local craft beer, live music, food trucks, shopping, a canine costume contest and a puppy kissing booth. General admission tickets are available online for $35 and include unlimited beer tastings. Dogs must be leashed at all times. Rain date is Oct. 25.
Haunted Harvest
Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan (215 G St. NE)
6 – 9 p.m.
This fall festival is for families to celebrate Halloween a little early. The event will have several activities, including a haunted house, spooky pumpkin painting, mad science experiments and a zombie dance party. Costumes are encouraged for all attendees. A chili cook-off contest will take place from 6 – 7:30 p.m. for $1 per taste. Dinners of chili or hotdogs will be served from 6 – 8 p.m. and cost $5 each. A $20 donation per family is recommended.
Photo via Facebook/Capitol Riverfront BID
Metro riders can now go online to follow progress on the Stadium-Armory substation repairs that have caused service disruptions on the Orange and Silver lines.
The new Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) webpage also outlines stages of the project, estimating full service will be restored to the station by the end of this year.
Metro announced it was suspending Orange and Silver Line service during morning and evening rush hours after one of three power substations in the area was destroyed by a fire.
The project is focused on restoring the other two substations that were not directly damaged by the fire. Work on phase two is now underway. It involves testing each piece of electrical equipment in the stations to ensure the components meet factory standards before they are approved for service.
An update to the site yesterday said the first week of testing was successful and the project schedule remains on track.
Community leaders have criticized WMATA for the decision to suspend service and the lack of communication about the project with residents. At the beginning of the month, ANC 6B commissioners sent a letter to officials addressing these concerns.
The Commission has since approved and sent a ratified version of the letter. It expresses disappointment in the lack of direct response from WMATA and outlines questions community members still have.
“The website goes a long way toward satisfying our concerns,” ANC 6B Chair Kirsten Oldenburg said. “Besides progress and communication, our first letter had other questions, and those have not yet been answered.”
Some of these questions cover why suspending service was chosen over other alternatives and how confident officials are about having that service restored in less than three months.
Still, Oldenburg was mostly encouraged by Metro’s efforts.
“I’m very pleased with the fact that the website exists, and we expect a response to our letters by our November meeting,” she said. “[Progress on the project] is looking good now, but anything can happen.”
Photo via Flickr/NCinDC
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Wednesday
FDR and the Holocaust: A New Appraisal
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW)
Time: 7 – 9 p.m.
Best-selling author Jay Winik will discuss the challenges World War II era leaders faced, including rescuing Europe’s remaining Jews. Other prominent historians to join the discussion include the New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker, American University professor Dr. Richard Breitman and museum historian Dr. Edna Friedberg. Admission is free.
Friday and Saturday
In Their Own Words: Soul Strolls at Congressional Cemetery
Historic Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St. SE)
Time: 6 – 9 p.m.
The Congressional Cemetery will have a second weekend of night tours. The tours will tell the stories of some of the 65,000 “residents” there, as interpreted by cemetery staff. The event will also have a cash bar and music each night. Tours are held during the twilight hours. Tickets are available online and cost $20 for adults and $10 for children who are 12 years old or younger.
Saturday
Trick or Treat! Halloween Cookery with the Kids
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Families are invited to take a kid-friendly food cooking class with a twist in preparation for Halloween. Radio and television producer Peter Ogburn will lead the class, which might include making monkey brains (cauliflower). The class costs $49 for an adult and a child, and $15 for each additional child. Wearing costumes to the class is highly encouraged.
Gangplank Marina Park at The Wharf (600 Water St. SW)
Time: 12 – 4 p.m.
This free, family-friendly community event will give locals a chance to spend an October afternoon along the water of the Potomac. Guests can craft their very own “pumpkin” with the help of on-site Wharf artists. There will also be live music from the Wil Gravatt Band throughout the afternoon, with food available at nearby Cantina Marina and King Ribs.
Yards Park (355 Water St. SE)
Time: 1 – 5 p.m.
The Washington Animal Rescue League is hosting the Second Annual Barktoberfest, an event scheduled to have local craft beer, live music, food trucks, shopping, a canine costume contest and a puppy kissing booth. General admission tickets are available online for $35 and include unlimited beer tastings. Dogs must be leashed at all times. Rain date is Oct. 25.
In 1955, a 424-foot military destroyer launched from Maine to enter the Navy.
Almost 30 years later, the Navy decommissioned the same vessel to the Washington Navy Yard as a display ship.
And on Saturday morning, a formal departure ceremony is scheduled to give former sailors, Navy employees and locals an opportunity to say goodbye to the USS Barry.
“I’m glad we’re able to bring the crew pier-side before the ship leaves,” Navy spokesman Brian Sutton said. “There are also a lot of neighborhood folks who have interest in the area, so we would love for them to drop in as well.”
The ceremony is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Washington Navy Yard’s Cold War Gallery. It’s free and open to the public, and attendees can access the gallery through the Washington Navy Yard Riverwalk, with a government-issued identification card.
The event will honor the destroyer a final time with speeches and a small celebration, commemorating its military career and role as a permanent, public display ship at the Navy Yard.
In the late 1950’s, the Barry was assigned to the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, patrolling waters around the world and responding whenever needed.
When on active duty, the Barry was part of the blockade of Cuba during the 1962 missile crisis. The destroyer also successfully stopped a Russian ship that tried to depart the Caribbean without having its cargo inspected, according to Stars and Stripes. During the Vietnam War, the Barry is credited with destroying more than 1,000 enemy vessels, earning two battle stars in the process.
The Barry then served visitors of the Washington Navy Yard from 1984 to 2014, showing what it is like to live and work on a military ship. But over the years it has spent in the Anacostia River, the battleship has seen fewer and fewer visitors and mounting maintenance requirements to keep it safe for tours.
Now, the destroyer is more of an “industrial area” than a museum as historical organizations take away its artifacts for preservation and other displays, Sutton said. The Barry’s future is only certain up until Saturday’s departure ceremony.
But where is it going? No one knows yet, not even Sutton.
“The Navy hasn’t put out a contract on it, but that should be happening within the next few weeks,” he said. “One of the contracts will be awarded between December and January. The Barry will probably be moved not long after that happens.”
Tug boats then will tow the Barry downriver and on to its new home. While there are several Navy yards along the East Coast, it could end up anywhere.
For now, the destroyer will maintain its post on the banks of the Anacostia, waiting for its next assignment.
Traffic patterns along Maryland Avenue NE are scheduled to change next week after the street’s newest traffic light officially begins to operate.
The District Department of Transportation is set to fully activate a new signal at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and 10th Street NE on Tuesday, ANC 6A chairman Phil Toomajian told locals on a neighborhood listersev and Facebook. The stoplight currently is flashing to prepare drivers for its full activation.
The signal is the result of “many years” of community members asking the DDOT to improve safety along the road, Toomajian said.
“While the new signal at 10th should allow for much safer crossing there, this change overall should provide for a smoother commute along Maryland Avenue,” he said. “I’ll be monitoring the changes to help ensure that they are successful and don’t have unintended consequences.”
When the signal at 10th Street officially goes into service, the stoplight near the intersection of Maryland Avenue NE and 9th and E streets NE will turn off.
Toomajian called the light near 9th and E streets the “only mistimed light between the Starburst intersection and Stanton Park,” noting that its removal will alleviate frequent stopping on that section of Maryland Avenue.
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday) A boutique and consignment shop on the H Street corridor has moved to a new location, about a block away from its former home.
The Chic Shack opened its doors at 1230 H St. NE with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, according to storeowner Domencia Tyler.
A photo posted by THE CHIC SHACK (@the_chic_shack) on
The shop, which has called 1307 H St. NE home for the last two years, specializes in designer items for resale. It also has an online store with clothes and accessories available for purchase.
Tyler said the new location is not only bigger, but it also is more suitable for retail because it’s on the ground level with a large window out front.
“We’re offering the same things as before, just on a grander scale,” she said. “We still have contemporary, vintage and designer resale items, and we try to have a little bit of everything so anyone can come in and find a piece that works for them.”
The Chic Shack is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 12 to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m.
