FRIDAY: >> Let it be known – any country with a holiday that translates as “party of music” (or “music party”) is OK in our book. In celebration of the French holiday Fete de la Musique, as well as the summer solstice, French and American musicians will be performing at La Maison Francaise tonight. Local guitar and cello duo Janel and Anthony*** will play from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the auditorium stage, but…

> > Deadline worth noting! Anyone interested in participating in this year’s DC Idiotarod has until tomorrow, Thursday March 1, at 11:59 p.m. to register your team for the big race on March 3. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to bring wanton chaos to the streets of D.C. [DC Idiotarod] > > Fans of soccer, wine, photography, and philanthropy will descend upon the JW Marriott tonight for the Goals for Girls Auction & Wine…

As we ring in the new year POTD-style, thanks to all those who put up great photos in the DCist Flickr pool of their holiday time in the city. MatthewBradley had some great shots up, especially some shots of the motorcade passing by with President Ford’s remains. One that caught my eye was this black and white shot of Penn Ave. up towards the Capitol dome. Alas, the dome is covered by fog, which…

On our way home from work, DCist took a quick stroll across the newly reopened Pennsylvania Avenue pedestrian precinct in front of the White House. While How Now, Brown Pau was underwhelmed with the results, we’re still digesting the revamped streetscaping. From How Now, Brown Pau: I had expected that the whole stretch of Penn Ave from 15th to 17th NW would be paved over with colored granite slabs, turning the street fronting the White…

Let the fun begin. Election returns have begun to filter in, and the networks have begun to predict winners for the presidential contest in non-swing states and in some Senate competitions. DCist on election TV, Senate and House races to watch, and when the polls close across the nation in Eastern Time Here’s some handy links for results: W. Post, Yahoo Election, CNN, NY Times, BBC News “Vote USA 2004”, DemocraticUnderground.com. To keep your…