Happy July! Hope you had a great holiday weekend and found time to meditate on how great this country is while still being aware of its faults, inherent inequities and shortcomings. If you missed the Barracks Row Fourth of July Parade, here are some photos to put a little pep in your step.
Right after the parade, there was a ribbon-cutting for Eastern Market Metro Park. Mayor Bowser stayed briefly before having to dash off to the Palisades parade, but Ward 6 councilmember Charles Allen, Nicky Cymrot, Martin Smith of Barracks Row Main Street and ANC commissioner Jerry Sroufe, ANC 6B02, all spoke about the project and about the many years of work and compromise it took to pull it off. The real MVP was the shaded canopy, apparently a not-so-popular item that was definitely appreciated in the Sunday heat. Below, a few photos from the ceremony. All photos by me, Maria Helena Carey:
The Potomac Gardens Drum Corps pumped up the crowd for the event 
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen welcomes the crowd 
Mayor Muriel Bowser declares “DC IS OPEN”! 
Nicky Cymrot talks about the process of working toward this common goal 
Martin from Barracks Row Main Street addresses the crowd 
ANC 6B02 commissioner Jerry Sroufe charms the crowd 
The ribbon is cut! 
The Capitol Hillbillies bring joy and music into the new space
Hey, did you know tomorrow is World Chocolate Day? We found out from our friends at Läderach Union Station, who are giving away a free chocolate gift to every 20th customer.
The Capitol fence will be coming down by July 9 at the latest, according to a report by The Hill. We want to celebrate this momentous occasion, considering today marks six months since the insurrection and we need joy in our lives. (Click here to look at some pictures by Robert, before things got crazy.) But considering that the Supreme Court still has “bike racks” around it, maybe we just need to wait until all the fence is truly down before we cheer.
Last week’s showers and storm had a little surprise embedded within it: A tornado! We can confirm this was no ordinary summer shower, judging by the path of destruction along Northeast DC. DCist
Locally, most of you were okay– mostly just broken branches and a few rattled nerves:
Thank you all who tagged us in the damage photos!
I chatted with Nichole of one of the newest stores along Barracks Row, Sole Wash! The Hill is Home
Unhomed neighbors challenge the rest of us: Some of us wish we could help more, better, in a more long-lasting way. Many of us know that these neighbors are often lonely, mentally ill or battling addiction. They are often victims– and sometimes they are victims of other, more fortunate neighbors:
Parting thought: How about helping keeping our parks clean? Another reader wrote in about how filthy Lincoln Park was after the Fourth of July, and here, Heather Bien talks about Eastern Market Metro Park.