This weekend, June 28 and 29, 2008, the DC Caribbean Carnival returns to the neighborhood, so you should expect that there will be a few more people in the neighborhood!

 

The DC Caribbean Carnival is one of the fastest growing Carnivals in North America.  Established in 1993, this carnival has developed from nine bands and draws hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.

 

The annual Extravaganza Parade will be staged along the Georgia Avenue corridor on Saturday, June 28, and will commence at Missouri Avenue at 11:00 a.m. and terminate at the international marketplace at "DE SAVANNAH" near the Banneker Community Center, 2500 Georgia Ave., NW.

 

To date, all of the participating groups have been local to the DC area, comprising representatives from every Caribbean country.

The carnival has enjoyed support from several local, national and family-owned businesses.

 

For more information, visit the DC Caribbean Carnival website.

Mayor Fenty on Thursday announced the District will develop two city-owned properties behind U Street’s historic Lincoln Theatre and use a portion of the funds generated by the project to support the theater’s ongoing operations.

 

“The Lincoln Theatre has an incredible history and great potential,” said Mayor Fenty. “This is a perfect example of what we can do when we leverage our assets to get better amenities for our neighborhoods.”

The District has issued a solicitation seeking development partners to build on two city-owned properties and above an alley located behind the 88-year-old theater. The site could accommodate about 90,000 square feet of development and the potential uses include office, hotel or housing – any housing built on the site must reserve at least 30 percent of the units for affordable housing. A preliminary analysis of the site suggests office uses, particularly to house non profit organizations, are the strongest use for the site and would provide shared parking for the Lincoln Theatre. But the District also found that housing and boutique hotel uses may also be feasible.

Universal Studios will be filming on location Wednesday, March 19, 2008, for the movie "State of Play" on the east side of the 2000 block of 13th, and including Ben Ali Way and part of the north side of the 1200 block of U Street.

 

Specific times and locations will be posted when finalized by the DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, but this is currently scheduled for an all day shoot.

 

Based on the BBC mini-series of the same title, a team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress.  Cast members include Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Robin Wright Penn, and Helen Mirren.

The Washington Business Journal is reporting that the District Government is planning on selling or leasing the parking lot behind the Lincoln Theatre on U Street, according to Neil Albert, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, who made the comments during a D.C. Council hearing on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.

 

Funds from the sale or lease of the parking lot would go directly back to the Lincoln Theatre and would be used to improve the long-term financial outlook for the theater.