May Day in Columbia Heights
Because the high for the day was 90, we took Ellis to the fountain in our little neighborhood center. While playing in the water, a bunch of strangely dressed people walked into the public square from the Metro and started playing music and dancing. It was a troupe of Morris dancers demonstrating a traditional May Day celebration.
Several things need to be mentioned here. 1) This is a neighborhood that was devastated by the riots in 1968 and did not start to come back until DC put a Metro stop in the area, 30 years later. I can safely say that Morris dancers on May Day is a sight this neighborhood has never seen before. 2) Mike rightly pointed out that the dance troupe chose this area because we had the space -- a public amenity that is also a project of the City of DC. 3) This public space has allowed me to meet my neighbors in a way nothing else would have. I am loving public works, man. Lovin' it! 4) Ellis adored it. I am posting some video of Ellis dancing with our neighbor, 3-year old Lorenzo.
Several things need to be mentioned here. 1) This is a neighborhood that was devastated by the riots in 1968 and did not start to come back until DC put a Metro stop in the area, 30 years later. I can safely say that Morris dancers on May Day is a sight this neighborhood has never seen before. 2) Mike rightly pointed out that the dance troupe chose this area because we had the space -- a public amenity that is also a project of the City of DC. 3) This public space has allowed me to meet my neighbors in a way nothing else would have. I am loving public works, man. Lovin' it! 4) Ellis adored it. I am posting some video of Ellis dancing with our neighbor, 3-year old Lorenzo.
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