Mary McLeod Bethune statue with impromptu children’s concert, Lincoln Park, July 9, 2009 (photo by Robert S. Pohl) Capitol Hill’s Lincoln Park was the first public space named in honor of President Lincoln, in 1867. A few years later, a statue commemorating the emancipation of American slaves was placed in the park, with none other than Frederick Douglass speaking at the unveiling. Thirty-five years ago the orientation of the statue — originally toward the…

FRIDAY: >> We told you all about the Buzzlife White Party at Five yesterday, so follow the link for more details. >> ArtOutlet presents its first ever Flash animation film festival, called Flick, at Warehouse. Tim Bracken opens the event with an alt-country set at 7 p.m., with screenings from selected artists beginning at 8. $5 suggested donation, also Saturday. SATURDAY: >> Like we mentioned in this week’s music agenda, the artwork of Mingering Mike,…

It was on April 16, 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, effectively freeing 3,100 slaves in the District some nine months before a similar step was taken nationwide. While the District officially recognized the day from 1866 to 1901, it wasn’t until 2002 that it was once again elevated to a historic celebration and until last year that it became a citywide holiday. This year’s celebration of Emancipation Day features a…

Late last September, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton requested that the District be allowed to place two statues in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall, alongside those chosen by the nation’s 50 states. That idea may soon be moving forward. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is asking the public for its input as to who the District should immortalize in Statuary Hall, allowing residents to either pick from a list of 30…

If any DCist readers happen to see someone like the character at right running around the Lincoln Park area of Capitol Hill, they’d be advised to get on the horn and inform police as quickly as possible. DCist sources are reporting that an unknown number of inmates housed at the Oak Hill youth detention facility escaped today while on route to court appearances, most in the vicinity of Lincoln Park. WJLA is reporting that while…

FRIDAY: >> Capital Jazz Fest 2005 goes throughout the weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion. The line up includes George Benson, Joe Sample, Chaka Khan (at right) Lalah Hathaway and more. Ticket information can be found here. >> The Capital Pride Festival, which runs through June 12, focuses on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities in D.C. The festival includes panels, film screenings, and a street parade. >> Washington Improv Theater presents its Neutrino Video…

There’s really no reason for a non-resident to come to the blocks around the 400 block of 13th Street NE, unless it’s to visit friends. The area is quiet, home to a mix of families that have lived in the neighborhood for a hundred years, families that have just moved to the area, and a handful of younger renters. The closest scenic spot is probably the Mary McLeod Bethune statue in Lincoln Park, though development…

At the eastern end of Lincoln Park along East Capitol Street, there are bronze statues of a large woman and two large children (well, the statues are large). They are frozen in mid-dance, facing toward the city’s first statue of Abraham Lincoln and the Capitol in the distance. The figures are rough-hewn, like tree bark, and elevated on a massive stone platform itself about five feet high. The woman is Mary McLeod Bethune, and the…