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Summer's Last Yards Park Concert Tomorrow!
Tomorrow is the last night of the season to relax on the river while listening to music from the boardwalk stage! Divide by Zero concludes the 2011 Friday Evening Concert Series. Thanks to our sponsors CSX and Velocity Condominium. This week 100 tickets to next Friday's Nationals game will be given out, courtesy of CSX. Visit the Yards Park information booth to get your ticket!
Foodtrucks this week are DC Slices, PORC and Sweetz Cheesecake. Mie N Yu will sell beer, wine, frozen cocktails and other beverages at several bars in the park. Be sure to stop by CSX's booth for kids activities and giveaways!
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Anacostia River Business Summit Tuesday, September 20th
Click here to reserve a spot for the 2nd Annual Anacostia River Business Summit and Expo on Tuesday, September 20th from 8:30am and 12:30pm. Come join the Capitol Riverfront BID and the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership to discuss the clean up of the Anacostia, its destination qualities, and its impact on the economic development of the city.
The speakers for this event will represent the DC development community, federal and local government leaders, local environmental groups, and experts in the field of stormwater management. Speakers include: George Hawkins & Carlton Ray of DC Water, Christophe Tulou of DDOE, Walter Smith of DC Appleseed, Lisa Shroeder from Riverlife, former Mayor Anthony Williams, and Jim Foster from the Anacostia Watershed Society. Breakfast and lunch will be served in the expo area. Sponsorship opportunities and expo tables are available; contact David Savarese with any questions.
Keep an eye on the summit's homepage, where we will be announcing the final agenda and a full list of speakers. Come learn what we can do to help revive the Anacostia River.
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Community Meeting to discuss Virginia Avenue Tunnel Project
 The first public meeting addressing CSX's plans for the reconstruction of the Virginia Avenue Tunnel will occur on Wednesday, September 14th. The meeting will be at Van Ness Elementary School at 5th and M, SE, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. DDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are facilitating the meeting. The meeting will have an open format where officials will address questions and concerns. Maps and illustrations will be available. The multi-million dollar investment will expand and improve the century-old Virginia Avenue Tunnel and enable double-stack train clearances for Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
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Development Update: Progress on Riverfront Bridge
 The bridge that will connect Diamond Teague Park and the Yards Park is beginning to take shape and one can see visible progress in the construction. The bridge is currently scheduled to be completed in November. Upon completion there will be an approximately one mile long continuous and publically accessible riverwalk trail in the Capitol Riverfront. Users of the trail will be able to walk from Diamond Teague to the 11th Street Bridges - an unparalleled view of the river.
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Upcoming Yards Parks Events
 On September 10th the Great Heartland Cookout, hosted by the Indiana State Society will take place with great food, music and games. The Yards Park lawn steps and overlook will be closed from 4-10 pm for the event. Learn more and purchase ticket at their website.
The Wanamaker Wet Party brings a new style of event to the Yards Park on September 18th with a Canal Fashion Show, foam party, djs and more. The event kicks off a new bottle service reservation website. Learn more and purchase tickets at their website. The overlook, canal, fountains, lumbershed, and part of boardwalk will be closed to the public for their event.
Visit the Yards Park website to see all upcoming events. The Yards Park will always have public space available, and income from events like these help us maintain the park over time.
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Construction on Yards Park Fountain and 3rd Street
 On September 19th the Yards Park fountain, waterwall and wading pool will be turned of for repairs that could take multiple weeks.
WASA will also be doing construction on the 3rd Street sidewalk during the next 6-8 weeks. This could result in closure of the 3rd Street entrance to the Yards Park. 4th Street will remain open.
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Capital Bikeshare Birthday Bash on September 22nd
 Celebrate the first birthday of the Capital Bikeshare! The Capital Bikeshare Birthday Bash will have numerous activities and games on September 22nd in The Yards Park. The Reflex, an 80s cover band, will perform at 6:00 pm. There will be a moonbounce, a bungee run and gladiator joust. The NatMobile will be on hand for signups for free giveaways, playing music and highlights and passing out ticket information. HooperNATURAL will be running a Hooping Garden. Whole Foods will hand out water bottles to attendees. Food trucks like the Red Hook Lobster Pound, Doug the Food Dude, Eat Wonky and Rolling Ficelle will also be there! The event is free and open to the public. Check out their website to learn more about the event.
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Blocktober Fest will be Better than Ever at the Yards Park
Enjoy a Bavarian tradition this year on September 24th in celebration of Blocktoberfest at The Yards Park. With multiple party bands and dj's, a lively traditional German oompah band, and food and beer, there will be activities for all ages. For more information please visit www.blocktoberfest.com.
Before heading to Blocktoberfest be sure to visit the Barracks Row Fall Festival. The Fall Festival will feature a variety of activities like: a mussel throwdown, a variety of vendors, outdoor bars, a petting zoo, swing dancing and performers, and the Running Presidents.
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Boys & Girls Club Capital Community Family Festival
 On September 17th the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington will be holding its Capital Community Family Festival at the Yards Park. The Family Festival is part of the celebration of 125 years of service for the Boys & Girls Clubs and the National Day for Kids. The Festival includes live performances by the Black Byrds, Afro-Bop, Marcus Johnson, Issa, Chelsey Green and Theater Arts Performers. The day also includes games, fun activities, food, vendors, and celebrity guests! Click on this link for FREE tickets to the event!
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Boot Camp Returns to the Capitol Riverfront
 Elite Fitness is bringing boot camp back to the Yards Park! If you are ready for a workout that uses creative, challenging, and effective exercises, this 60-minute boot camp is all about pushing you to get the results you desire. Elite has mixed nearly every exercise and technique to put together the most diverse, results-driven boot camp in the area. Their certified personal trainers use expertise and great personalities to make this workout fun and informative.
Classes occur Monday - Thursdays at 6:15 am and 6:30 pm. Visit the Elite Fitness website for more information and prices.
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Faces of the Front: Pastor Mark Batterson of the National Community Church
 Mark Batterson is the Lead Pastor at the National Community Church and the author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, the soon-to-be released The Circle Maker and numerous other books. The National Community Church has acquired the old Miles Glass property at 8th Street and Virginia Avenue, SE on Barracks Row in the Capitol Riverfront. They will develop that site over the next few years with the vision of an Ebenezer's Coffeehouse anchoring the corner of 8th and Virginia, and possibly a theater anchoring the corner of 7th and Virginia.
The Batterson family moved to Capitol Hill in 1996. They love walking to the restaurants on Barracks Row. Pastor Batterson said, "When I first moved to DC, I worked a few blocks from the baseball stadium. It was a very different neighborhood back then. It's been fun watching the development of so many new and amazing amenities and communities. We'd like to add to the effort." These days, Mark's family loves going to Nats game but also really enjoy our parks.
After starting with a core group of 19 people, the National Community Church has grown into one church with seven locations and ten services on a weekend. The Church meets in five movie theaters around the DC area and also built, owns, and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse at 2nd and F Street, NE. The National Community Church's most recent project is the People's Church on Barracks Row, which used to be a movie theater from 1910-1960.
On the Miles Glass site, they are currently assessing community and church needs with master planning for that site. They chose the Capitol Riverfront because of its proximity to both Capitol Hill and the Capitol Riverfront. Mark said, "We love the new life, new vitality that is happening in the Riverfront and we think we'll add some dimensions to it. "
Mark added, "At the end of the day, we're all about serving the community. Hopefully that contributes to the evolving character of the Capitol Riverfront. A project like this is a major undertaking and I feel like the BID has been in our corner helping us, encouraging us, educating us. We're all ears when it comes to listening to the community. We'd love to hear thoughts and ideas from those who live in the community. Projects like this take tremendous time and resources, so a little patience would be appreciated too."
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Green Feature: Rain Barrel Programs in the District of Columbia
 Did you know that in the Summer, people tend to use four times the amount of water than other seasons? If you had a rain barrel today, you could also be capturing water for your winter garden. Rain barrels also help prevent rainwater run-off from flowing over oily streets and fertilizer-fed yards and gardens to better protect rivers - like the Anacostia River.
Rain barrels are part pollution preventer, and part money saver wrapped into one easy-to-install device. D.C. government programs are currently offering discounts as an incentive to get even more of these rain barrels in backyards across the District. The ultimate goal of these programs are to help reduce pollution, but installing a rain barrel can also help reduce your water bill. Rain Barrels are a consistent supply of clean and free water for outdoor use. Rain barrels can be purchased at your local hardware or garden supply store.
For more information about the programs that offer reduced prices on rain barrels visit: District Department of the Environment RiverSmart Homes' website. Or you can also check out DC Greenworks.
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