Fort Dupont Summer Concert Series 2009

It just doesn't seem like summer without spending at least one summer evening at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast Washington, DC. It's a beauitful amphitheater and park set in historical Fort Dupont Park. The crowd is always nice and the shows are always a treat. The best thing about it besides the huge friendly crowds is that it is FREE! I've been going since I was a boy and the memories just keep builiding. Check out the 2009 line up listed below:

July 18th -- Original "P" featuring Fuzzy Haskins and Grady Thomas (Ken Staton and the James Brown Review)

July 25th -- Ray, Goodman & Brown (Formerly The Moments) ["Pookie Hudson's" Spaniels]

August 1st -- Radio "WPFW" Night W/Blue Magic and Force MD's & The Legends

August 8th -- Rose Royce (Julia Nixon)

August 15th -- Mother's Finest (Derek McKeith Featuring Alyson Williams)

August 22nd -- TBA Special Surprise Guest

Concerts are on Saturdays and they are free and open to the public.

Note: I hope that the Special Guest on Aug 22nd is the all time Ft Dupont Park favorite, Roy Ayers. He was always the highlight every year. What happen to you Mr. Ayers? Come back! :)

Source: nps.gov

Dancing Memories

I want to share with you today my memories of dance. It must have happened when I was an infant watching my parents dance. No, I don’t remember seeing my parents dance, but I can just imagine how beautiful the moment must appear to a child. For the first time, the child is witnessing the movement of limbs and hips in harmony with the beat of the music.


As older children, my brothers and I would play for most of the day in front of our apartment building, but sometimes my mother would gather us in the house with our friends and turn on her record player. The song that comes to mind in memory is “Car Wash” by the R&B group, Rose Royce. I remember we would all take turns dancing in the middle of the circle. When my turn came up, I would close my eyes and just allow my body to flow with the rhythm of the music. I remember the exhilarating feeling and laughing as my mother cheered me on, "Go head Stevie!" The moment left an indelible impression on my mind. It influenced how I interpret movement and music. It helped me to understand the marriage between the two and the beauty that it can impress upon a child's mind. "Happy music! Music on my mind..." ~The Blackbyrds

Painting: William H. Johnson Jitterbugs Series ca. 1941