Anacostia River Festival

On April 12^th, a few WAIP fellows and I went to the Anacostia neighborhood for its First Annual Anacostia River Festival at the 11^th Street Bridge Park.  The festival was hosted on behalf of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the National Park Service.  It focused on sustainability, water conservation, and the future of the 11^th Street Park.

After taking the shuttle from the metro stop to the park we found ourselves in a small sea of white tents on the east side of the river.  After realizing that many of the river activities were full for the day, we decided to check out the organizations and institutions that were at the event.   We stopped at a table where there was a large portrait of the river with a question written above asking, “How do you picture your river?”  This booth brought to light an underlying theme at the festival: responsibility for the environment and your neighborhood.  Although the Park Service may perform the traditional upkeep for the park, the booths at the festival emphasized the responsibilities that individuals have to protect their local environment.

After receiving free water bottles, exploring the booths, and planting a bell pepper, we were able to watch performances on the main stage.  The first two performances included a talented violinist and a young man playing the role of Fredrick Douglas.  After settling down with our funnel cakes, we were able to see the Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir.  It wasn’t an ordinary choir; they had performed at President Obama’s second inauguration and Nelson Mandela’s Funeral. They sang beautifully with passion, enthusiasm, and purpose.  They spread the messages of America the Beautiful and It Gets Better.

The First Annual Anacostia River festival gave a sense of ownerships of the park to the residents of Anacostia.  Although Anacostia is not known for being a beautiful area, the festival was a reminder that they have the ability to restore a beautiful biking, fishing, and canoeing area.  The festival provided a great opportunity to learn more about Anacostia and the efforts to restore a sustainable, beautiful riverside park.

-Taylor Slivka