The U Street Movie Series will conclude this year’s summer film schedule with screenings of two musicals.
Attendees can sing along loudly with “Frozen” this Saturday at 7:15 p.m., or hum quietly to “The Wiz” next Wednesday at dusk.
The film series, which takes place at the Harrison Recreation Center (1330 V Street NW), is free and residents can bring along food and drinks.
Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
Photo courtesy of U Street Movie Series
The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation wants locals to stay cool this week.
The department yesterday declared it was delaying the closure of its spray parks through the end of the week due to forecasted high heat and humidity.
The parks, which were originally scheduled to close for the season on Labor Day, will stay open until Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
Here’s a list of spray parks in the Wards 1 and 2:
Ward 1:
- 14th and Girard Street Spray Park (14th and Girard St. NW)
- 4th and Park Road Spray Park (14th St. and Park Rd. NW)
- Columbia Heights Spray Park (1480 Girard St. NW)
- Harrison Spray Park (1330 V St. NW)
- Westminster Spray Park (911 Westminster St. NW)
Ward 2:
- Stead Recreaction Center. Spray Park (1625 P St. NW)
Photo via Facebook / DCPR
The U Street Movies Series will pay homage to D.C.’s pot law by screening two beloved stoner films tonight.
Attendees can view the original “Reefer Madness” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” tonight at 8:20 p.m. at the Harrison Recreation Center (1330 V Street NW) in honor of Initiative 71, which legalized in February the possession and cultivation of marijuana in D.C.
Reefer Madness, which lasts just over an hour, starts at sundown. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure begins shortly after.
The film series is free and residents can bring food and drinks. Bringing along pets, alcohol or pot is prohibited.
The next film in the series will be Monsoon Wedding, which plays on Aug. 19. Check out the full schedule on the U Street Movie Series Facebook page.
Photo via Facebook.com/ustreetmovieseries
The U Street Movie Series at Harrison Recreation Center (Luis Gomez Photos).
Star Wars Uncut will be playing at the Harrison Recreation Center (between 13th and 14th Streets on V Street NW) to kick off the U Street Movie Series. Harrison field is under renovations right now but the field is open for the movie series. The gates open at 7 pm, and a DJ will play until sundown when the movie starts.
Three years ago, a group of Star Wars fans decided to remake Star Wars: A New Hope out of fan-generated scenes. Now, the Star Wars Uncut project has come to fruition. The Director’s Cut, a two-hour+ YouTube video created entirely by crowdsourcing. It will play at the U Street Movie Series Kick off Wednesday evening, June 19.
When fans were encouraged by organizer and fan Casey Pugh to recreate the Star Wars movie in 15-second segments, they were given free reign to do whatever they wanted. Out of the thousands of wildly creative scenes, video editor Aaron Valdez and sound designer and mixer Bryan Pugh picked the best of the bunch, putting together this whimsical Director’s Cut, a rip-roaring re-creation of the George Lucas film.
Upcoming Movies
- July 17 – The Nine Lives of Marion Barry
- August 21 – Summer Wars (anime)
- September 18 – The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan
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Harrison Playground and Recreation Center Renovation plans. (Courtesy Bennet Group)
From Allison Acosta. Email her at allison[AT]borderstan.com.
The Harrison Playground and Recreation Center, located in the 1300 block of V Street NW, is closed for renovations starting immediately. Construction is expected to continue throughout the summer, with the playground reopening in August. The baseball field will remain open during construction, but the rest of the site will be closed to the public. The project is part of Mayor Gray’s “Play DC” initiative which will improve 32 playgrounds across the city this year.
LSG Landscape Architecture designed the playground with input from the Department of Parks and Recreation and the community, especially the Friends of Harrison Recreation Center. The play space will be expanded slightly to encompass the trees that are currently in the baseball field.
Features of Renovated Playground
The entire playground will have a musical theme throughout, a nod to the U Street corridor’s cultural history. Features of the newly designed play space include:
- A splash playground area, swings and separate play areas for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12
- Picnic benches, cooking grills and water fountains
- Improved LED lighting on the basketball court and power outlets on the baseball field
- Green features, including a permeable foam playground surface, a rain garden and community planters
- Seating, including small bleachers for the baseball field
- New rodent-resistant garbage and recycling cans
The Bennett Group is heading up construction of the project. They expect to begin surveying the site this week and will begin demolition shortly thereafter. They plan to use a curb cut already existing on V Street to access the site, and do not expect to need additional street parking in front of the site to accommodate construction equipment.
They will be constructing a temporary fence in the foul area of the baseball field to accommodate construction vehicles, and will coordinate with the field’s permitted users when construction of the fences is underway. The expected hours of construction are Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pm. Most of the construction noise should be limited to the demolition period.
DPR will be updating their website with the plans for the project within the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can get a sneak peak at what the playground will look like in the photos below. DPR’s Stacie West says that DPR is committed to buying high quality equipment that will be durable for years to come. DPR is also working on a contract to have all playground surfaces inspected and repaired annually.
The improved space should make Harrison a real neighborhood destination, whether you are a parent with young children looking to cool off in the sprayground, have an older child at one of the three nearby charter schools that frequent the playground or are looking for a good place to have a picnic or read a book under a tree.
Features of the renovated Harrison Playground and Recreation Center.
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Harrison Recreation Center and Field are on the 1300 block of V Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Beginning this Saturday, April 20, food trucks will be at the Harrison Recreation Center on the 1300 block of V Street NW. As the Little League season starts, the food trucks will be outside the playing field from 11 am to 1 pm in a rotation schedule, according to a message on the U Street News listserv.
This week’s trucks are The Big Cheese and Captain Cookie. Next week is Rolling Ficelle and Goodies Frozen Custard. Come out enjoy the game and grab a bite.
Last year The Friends of Harrison Recreation Center held a meeting to get input from the community about renovations for the center and playing field.
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From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
The U Street Movie Series at Harrison Recreation Center field. (Courtesy U Street Movie Series).
The U Street Movie Series will show its final film of the summer-long season on Wednesday, September 26, at Harrison Recreation Center field (1330 V Street NW). The movie for the evening will be The Pelican Brief, staring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington and featuring scenes from DC’s very own, Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Neighborhood favorites such as Marvin, The Gibson, Patty Boom Boom and Blackbyrd will provide DJ music starting at 7 pm, and the film will start at sundown. Be sure to pack a picnic for snacks, a blanket to sit on and a sweater to keep warm — the new fall weather could make for a chilly evening!
All movies in the U Street Movie Series are shown outdoors in a family-friendly environment and are free and open to the public. (However, four-legged family members must stay at home.)
Donations and sponsorships are accepted, and proceeds benefit Friends of Harrison Recreation Center (part of the U Street Neighborhood Association). For more information on the event, visit the website or the Facebook page.
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Harrison Field on movie night at 1330 V Street NW. (Courtesy U Street Movie Series)
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.
On Wednesday, August 22, witness a DC fairytale that rivals Josh and Donna’s love affair on The West Wing.
Back for its third night of the summer, the U Street Movie Series will feature The American President at Harrison Recreation Center (on V Street between 13th and 14th Streets, NW). The Rob Reiner film profiles a widowed president (played by Michael Douglas) who falls in love with a lobbyist (Annette Bening).
Prior to The American President, folks from the U Street Movie Series will also show a short documentary about a local DC boxing champion, called Into the Lime Lite. The documentary is produced, filmed and edited by the George Washington University Documentary Institute and focuses on Midtown Youth Academy — a 14th Street boxing youth center. The film also features local music from Brendan Canty of Fugazi.
Neighborhood favorites Marvin, The Gibson, Patty Boom Boom and Blackbyrd will be on-hand for the evening and will provide DJ music starting at 7 pm. Food trucks will also be at the field for hungry movie-goers who did not have time to pack a picnic. All movies in the U Street Movie Series are shown outdoors in a family-friendly environment and are free and open to the public. (However, four-legged family members must stay at home.)
Donations and sponsorships are accepted, and proceeds benefit Friends of Harrison Recreation Center (part of the U Street Neighborhood Association). For more information on the event, visit the website or the Facebook page.
From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com
The U Street Movie Series at Harrison Recreation Center field. (Luis Gomez Photos).
The U Street Movie Series shows its second film of the summer on July 25 at Harrison Recreation Center field (1330 V Street NW).
This month’s movie is is the 1984 hit, Protocol, starring Goldie Hawn. Screening begins at sundown (around 8:15 pm), but don’t wait until then to arrive!
Neighborhood favorites such as Marvin, The Gibson, Patty Boom Boom and Blackbyrd will provide DJ music starting at 7 pm and food trucks will be on hand for hungry movie-goers who did not have time to pack a picnic.
All movies in the U Street Movie Series are shown outdoors in a family-friendly environment and are free and open to the public. (However, four-legged family members must stay at home.)
Donations and sponsorships are accepted, and proceeds benefit Friends of Harrison Recreation Center (part of the U Street Neighborhood Association). For more information on the event, visit the website or the Facebook page.
Can’t make it this week? Mark the next two movie nights on your calendar!
- August 22, 2012 – “The American President”
- September 26, 2012 – “The Pelican Brief”
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The U Street Movie Series is called “Harrison Field Under the Stars.” (UST Movie Series website)
Michael Jackson’s This is It is the first outdoor summer movie of the season at the Harrison Recreation Center on Tuesday night. The center’s address is 1330 V Street NW with the gates opening at 7 pm and the movie expected to start around 8:30 pm.
“U Street Movie Series – Harrison Field Under the Stars” is sponsored by Friends of Harrison Recreation Center. The series is a project of the Friends of Harrison Recreation Center, the U Street Neighborhood Association, Meridian Hill Neighborhood Association, ANC 1B and the MidCity Business Association. Check out the website or the group’s Facebook Page.
All donations and sponsorships will benefit the Friends of Harrison Recreation Center, a committee of the U Street Neighborhood Association, and an official Park Partner with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, which works to involve the community to improve the recreation center through capital improvements and design changes, and to enhance management and programming of the park, with the goal of making Harrison Recreation Center a better designed, cleaner, safer, and better managed park in the neighborhood for all to use and enjoy.
