Photo courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service
A stamp depicting the natural beauty of Ward 7 will soon be available in a post office near you. Residents of Eastland Gardens in Northeast are celebrating the selection of a photo taken in their neighborhood garden for one of 16 National Parks Forever stamps. The National Park Service is hosting a dedication ceremony tomorrow for the Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Stamp that features the photo of a sacred lotus.
The park is the last-standing tidal marsh in the city, according to NPS. And it’s the only national park that’s fully committed to preserving aquatic plants from across the globe. “So many people don’t know about this hidden gem in our neighborhood,” said Javier Barker in a release. He’s part of the Eastland Gardens Civic Association and the neighborhood’s flower club, and says neighbors consider the park an “8th wonder.”
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, the U.S. Postal Service announced in April that a photo taken in the Northeast community was selected from about 40,000 entries. (The park service is also commemorating its centennial with an adult coloring book, a public granting contest, and more.)
Cindy Dyer, the 55-year-old resident of Alexandria who captured the shot, has had nine previous images turned into stamps. “Once you get your foot in the door, keep shooting, and have [your photos] at the ready,” Dyer told Washingtonian.
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
The ceremony will take place at the park at 11 a.m. It’ll feature an Indian dance performance and photo ops of the new stamp. The Postal Service is also hosting a first-day-of-issue ceremony in New York tomorrow. It’s taking place at the world’s largest stamp show, which is hosted in the U.S. once every 10 years. More than 250,000 people are expected to show.