Hello all,
I have a lot to catch you up on over the past few weeks on a few activities I have gone too and experienced here in DC. Over the weekend of June 29th, the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival was held. It is an annual event, each year focusing on different cultures and countries. The theme for this year was The Social Power of Music to entertain, educate, inspire, preserve history, strengthen identity, and build community. There were 16 musicians who performed this year spaced out over the weekend. Closing out the event was Grandmaster Flash, (had never heard of him) an American hip hop recording artist and DJ who is 62 years old but up on stage it seemed like he was still in his 20’s. He loved what he was doing and it was amazing to see him really enjoying himself. Grandmaster Flash is considered to be one of the pioneers of hip-hop and had a lot to say for past hip hop artists. He made a tribute during his performance to other hip hop artists who are no longer alive. On the screen behind him, there were pictures and videos playing as he was talking and performing. He showed these past artists as he played some of their music and got the crowd to cheer for their remembrance. I enjoyed the music even though I do not know much about hip hop. I caught the last act of the entire event and I really enjoyed it, so I think I might come back next year to see some more of it. Everyone should check out this festival next year when it does comes back.
Next, the 4th of July festivities came about. On the 4th I went to a concert that is called the Capital 4th. This is a concert that is held on the west lawn of the Capitol building. Independence Day celebrations have happened here the past three decades. There were 24 performers who all participated this year to make 2019 entertaining. My personal favorite was Keala Settle. She is an actress and singer of 20th Century Fox’s, The Greatest Showman. If you have seen this, she sings This is Me and is the bearded lady. (She doesn’t actually have a beard, lol) Her performance was amazing and if you have not seen the movie, The Greatest Showman, then I encourage you to watch it. It is inspired by imagination as it is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
The best part of it all was that my best friend from college came all the way from Pittsburgh to enjoy the 4th in DC and hang out with me. I showed her around the monuments, went to the American Art Museum, enjoyed a parade, and of course, the concert I told you about. She was here for only a short 3 days and said she had a good time, so I guess I did a really good job of showing her around DC. She had been here before, but it had been a few years since she had been here and this time it was through my eyes and just us!!! Here are a few images from our weekend!
So you have now been caught up on Dunagan Does DC – let’s see what
happens next!
Jess