From Mathew Harkins. Email him at mharkins[AT]borderstan.com.

Celebrate the third annual DC Flag Day. (Luis Gomez Photos)

As many of you living in DC already know, District of Columbia residents have neither representation in Congress nor representation on the American flag. You are probably well aware of this because you live or work here and the issue seems to come up frequently. But outside of Washington, or the DMV if we’re being generous, this issue is less than a blip on most people’s radar, at best.

And so today, we find ourselves on the third annual DC Flag Day. The first thing that DC Flag Day organizers are asking you to do is to change your Facebook photo to a picture of the DC flag or a picture of you with the DC flag. If you head over to their Facebook page or the Facebook pages for LetUsVoteDC or Neighbors United for DC Statehood, you can show support by “liking” their pages, but you might also fins some photos that you’ll be able to use for your profile picture. Their goal with this particular initiative is to raise awareness across the country and the world of an issue that many people are unaware of.

DC Flag Day Rally

Later today, DC Flag Day will be holding a rally in Dupont Circle. The information for that is as follows:

• When: Friday, June 14, 2013, 6:00 pm
• Where: Dupont Circle
• Program: Shadow Senator Paul Strauss
  Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
• Sponsors: LUV DC, DC Vote, LuxuryDC, We Deserve Statehood
• LUV DC will be distributing DC flag stickers and temporary DC flag tattoos at the event, which is expected to draw a large number of DC residents. Show off you DC pride by wearing DC flag apparel, DC flag tattoos (both real and temporary) and waving DC flags. There will also be an unveiling of a DC Voting Rights banner that residents are crowdfundin. The 16-foot banner will be hung across a street in DC on a later date if the fundraising goals are met by midnight on Friday June 14th. If you’d like to support this effort, you can do so here.

About DC Flag Day

DC Flag Day was born back in 2011 by Allyson Behnke and Brooke Lynn Locke. As Allyson says, “DC has a rapidly growing population of highly educated people, small business owners and urbanites. We also have a lot of longtime locals who love this beautiful city… but no one who lives in Washington, D.C. has representation in Congress or on the American Flag. Back in 2011 I had friends who got arrested in the name of DC Statehood, including my good friend Brooke Lynn Locke. We decided to found DC Flag Day to bring awareness to DC’s lack of representation.” As Allyson also pointed out in an email, “The iconic DC flag symbol consists of the bold ‘two bars and three stars’ modeled after none other than George Washington’s family crest. Washington fought against taxation without representation. Ironically, two centuries later, citizens in Washington, DC have yet to win that battle.”

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DC BikeParty Undercover. (Courtesy DC BikeParty)

Ready for your monthly DC Bike party? This time the theme is “Undercover“, a celebration of all things clandestine. What can be more appropriate for a city like DC and its endless tales of spies.

The playlist that will accompany the ride includes Booker T. & The MG’s, Reverend Horton Heat, Johnny Cash and tunes of the like. Participants are encouraged to embrace the spirit of The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” video and Spy vs. Spy when dressing for the event — think black and white, sunglasses at night and fedoras.

The ride will depart from Dupont Circle for a 10-mile route visiting major landmarks and will end up with a celebration at Hawk n’ Dove on Capitol Hill. With plenty of happy hour specials for the DC Bike Party participants.

The Details

• What: DC Bike Party: “Undercover.”
• Where: Departs from the middle of Dupont Circle.
• When: Wednesday, June 12.
• Time: Meet at 7:30 pm and depart promptly at 8 pm.

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2013 Capital Pride Parade Photos. Click above for more images. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Luis Gomez. Catch his photos at One Photograph A Day. Follow him on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos.

Check out the photos of the 2013 Capital Pride Parade on Borderstan’s Flickr page.

The 2013 Capital Pride Parade took place this past Saturday, June 8. It started at 4:30 pm and lasted until 7 pm when the Capital Pride organizers float reached the corner of 14th and R Streets NW. This was the first time that the parade traveled north on 14th Street, a testament to how popular this corridor has become.

Religious groups, politicians, bars, banks, cleaning services, neighborhood associations, school associations and more were all part of the colorful party.

Dykes on Bikes kicked off the parade. There were plenty of elected officials and political candidates in the parade as well, and lots of local businesses (large and small) as well as a plethora of organizations, local and national, not to mention sports teams — and live music to boot.

Lynda Carter, best known for her role as “Wonder Woman,” was Super Grand Marshal of the parade this year.

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From Mathew Harkins. Email him at mharkins[AT]borderstan.com.

Show your Pride. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Looking for the Pride Parade map?

Capital Pride Week may be coming to a close but that means there are still two big events coming up this weekend: the Pride Parade and Festival.

Regularly voted DC’s Best Parade by Washington City Paper, the Pride Parade is a spectacle you shouldn’t miss. As for the Pride Festival, this is the 17th year that the festival is being held on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets NW, complete with entertainers, beverage gardens, food vendors, a dance tent and much more.

Pride Parade

The Pride Parade is tomorrow, Saturday, June 8. It kicks off at 4:30 pm at 22nd and P Streets NW, just west of Dupont Circle. The route will stretch for about a mile and a half, weaving it’s way through the Dupont Circle area before ending at 14th and R Streets NW in the Logan Circle area. This is the first time that the parade will travel north on 14th Street, a testament to how popular this corridor has become.

Organizers expect more than 100,000 spectators to be on hand for the parade this year, so if you’re planning to stake out a good spot to watch, you should do so early. And you’ll want to have a good viewing location as there are more than 170 contingents in the parade from local businesses, Capital Pride Heroes, politicians, drag queens and more. The contingents are made up of floats, vehicles, entertainers and whatever else people can think of.

Lynda Carter, best known for her role as “Wonder Woman,” will be serving as Super Grand Marshal of the parade this year. For a list of all the award categories this year, check out Capital Pride Parade Awards page, and for a list of the winners from last year, check out Borderstan’s write-up on the parade.

Pride Festival 

After all the excitement of the Pride Parade on Saturday, keep the weekend fun going by heading over to the Pride Festival on Sunday, June 9, on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 7th Streets NW. Exhibit hours are from 12 to 7 pm and the main stage activities will continue until sunset. With the Capitol Building as the backdrop, expect to join more than 150,000 spectators taking in the entertainers and politicians; enjoying the food and drink at the two beverage gardens, at Taste @ Pride, or at any of the many food vendors on hand.

There will be three stages at the festival with a range of local and national entertainers. At the Capitol Stage, located at the east end of the festival, the featured headliners include: Emeli Sandé, Icona Pop and Cher Lloyd. The Dupont Stage, located more toward the center of the festival, will have various styles of entertainers (featured headliner: Eric Himan and the Soultre Singers) and promises to be a bit more relaxing. The Monument Dance Tent is a new addition to the festival this year and will primarily feature DJs and will be equipped with a shaded dance floor.

This entire weekend is going to make for quite the Pride party – we hope to see you out there!

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Last week we asked Borderstan readers, “Where’s the Gay Neighborhood in DC,” and for the fourth consecutive year Logan Circle was the winner. Once again, it was not even close, with 42% saying Logan Circle, followed by Dupont Circle with 9% and 7% for Shaw. U Street fell from 9% last year to 4% this year.

Logan Circle wins again.

While Dupont Circle was once considered DC’s official gay neighborhood, the percentage of readers declined from 13% last year.

The choice of “Everywhere and Nowhere” actually finished second again this year with 22% of survey respondents. ”This is such a 1970s question” got 8% of the votes — you have to figure there is a tie-in to the “Everywhere and Nowhere” attitude of an increasing number of both DC’s gay and non-gay community.

The number of readers selecting Other jumped to 6% this year. A variety of neighborhoods were listed, with Capitol Hill being the most popular write-in choice.

The number of readers who chose those two options this year, 30%, was up from 26% in 2012.
Dupont Circle, once the center of DC’s LGBT community, has gotten almost exactly the same results in the last three years — 13% in 2012, 12% in 2011 and 14% in 2010.

Here’s how Borderstan voters responded, with results for earlier years shown for comparison.

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Survive DC is by tedeytan from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, Survive DC is by tedeytan. The photo was taken May 25 at Dupont Circle.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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Evening Light is by ekelly80 from the Borderstan Flickr pool.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, Evening Light is by ekelly80. The photo was taken May 23 at Dupont Circle.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from DC’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

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For the past three years, in anticipation of Capital Pride, we’ve asked readers, “Where’s DC’s Gay Neighborhood?” The Dupont-Logan area is the center of LGBT pride events each year, including the parade, which runs from Dupont Circle, down 17th Street and then over to 14th Street NW in the Logan Circle neighborhood. (See this year’s slightly different parade route.)

Click here to take survey: Where is DC’s Gay Neighborhood in 2013? We will share the results with you next week.

We ask the question each year because DC’s gay population has been shifting eastward and northward from the one-time center around Dupont Circle.In the 1980s it began shifting to 17th Street, on the eastern end of Dupont — after being centered along Connecticut Avenue and P Street NW west of Dupont Circle.

In the 1980s DC’s gay neighborhood began shifting eastward to 17th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

As we have asked in previous years, “Does DC still have a single gay neighborhood?” Is the LGBT population spreading out across the city at a slow but steady pace?

In the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Borderstan reader polls, the top choice of readers was Logan Circle. Last year 38% in 2012 said Logan Circle was the city’s primary gay neighborhood, with “Everywhere and Nowhere” in second place, and Dupont Circle in third place — with Shaw making big gains each year. (Results of previous reader polls are below.)

Today 17th Street is still generally recognized as DC’s “gay Main Street” — and only a few blocks from the Logan Circle neighborhood. But, overall, is the Logan Circle area the new Dupont Circle when it comes to all things gay?

Here’s how Borderstan voters responded the past three years.

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Crime news from Dupont-Logan-U Street.

DC Police reported a gun robbery just after 10:30 pm, Sunday, May 26, on the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, between Q and R Streets. The lookout is for one man; details are below.

From the Police Alert: “Robbery (Gun), 2240 hrs, 1600 blk Conn Ave NW, LOF: B/M, mid 20′s,6’2″, 180 lbs, short hair, blk coat, dk jns, L/S towards R St NW, DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #I20130254188, Sent on: 05/26 23:34.“

From the DC Police Twitter feed: “2D Robbery Gun-1600 blk Conn Ave NW/ LOF:B/M, mid 20′s, 6’2″, 180, short hair, blk coat, dk jns/ L/S towards R St//2495.”

Police Alerts, More Information

• You can sign up for alerts through Alert DC and get alerts  by e-mail, cell phone, pager or wireless PDA. When signing up, you can select alerts on crime, transportation, utility outages/issues, government closings, breaking news, DC-sponsored events and Amber Alerts.
• You can follow the DC Police on Twitter @DCPoliceDept.
• You can get more information about crime in the Borderstan area through the MPD listservs for the Second and Third Districts on Yahoo! Groups.

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Strawberries are coming and Alejandra has recipes galore. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Alejandra Owens. You can find her at her food blog, One Bite At A Time. Alejandra also writes for City Eats DC, a Food Network site, where you can book dinner reservations. Follow her on Twitter at @frijolita and email her at alejandra[AT]borderstan.com. 

Last year, the most awful thing happened to me. I was at the grocery store, just weeks after the local strawberry season had ended and I was lamenting the lack of those little red jewels in my life. I was sad. I missed them!

So I bought a pint of the little buggers from The Teet.

Wow, was that a mistake. They were watery, tasteless and mealy. I mean, I didn’t really even understand what mealy felt like in my mouth until that moment. What the heck!? I had been eating grocery store strawberries my whole life (with the rare exception of cartons bought on the side of the road from Mexicans, who crossed the boarder to set up mini market stands — I grew up about 40 minutes from the U.S.–Mexico border) and in that moment, I felt screwed. Had they always tasted like that? Had I elevated myself to the next level of strawberry consciousness with my farmers market shopping ways?

I’m hoping I just landed a bad batch, ’cause as much as I try to shop local and seasonal, there are just moments, there are desserts, that call for strawberries when they’re not in season in like, you know,Pennsylvania!!!

This week’s FreshFarm Markets‘ newsletter mentioned that they would have strawberries from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania this Saturday and I got tres excited. We can throw a strawberry party now, just so we’re ready.

Here are some strawberry recipes to get you started:

• Todd Thrasher’s Strawberry Smash sounds tart and refreshing for you boozehounds.
• Not Derby Pie has an off-beat but delicious sounding Strawberry Avocado Salad (bonus: essential tip about using salad dressing included).
• Breakfast is calling and Adventures in Shaw has Strawberry Scones for you to start the day.
• Yours truly brings you Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Bars for a luscious, cool  dessert.
• Pete Bakes likes to wrap his strawberries in…bacon. I think I’m speechless.
• PopTarts, hand pies, whatever you wanna call them, Modern Domestic (aka Jenna of Whisked!) has ‘emfilled with strawberries for ya!

What’s on your market list for this weekend? Don’t forget, if you have questions about the market, just tweet me!

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