Neighbors Gather at Playground

They did it again.

It all started in the spring of 2007 with five friends who wanted to do a little something for their neighborhood. It took them four months to pull the first Columbia Heights Day together, and a year later, they've succeeded at round two.

On Saturday, the large field outside Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 11th and Kenyon was the scene of the second Columbia Heights Day. Parents, kids, neighbors and pets all gathered to socialize, play, eat and grow together.

"Columbia Heights is not a new neighborhood, but it's about bringing the new and old residents together," said Rose Donna, one of the original five organizers. She also owns the Wonderland Ballroom at 11th and Kenyon Streets, where inklings of a Columbia Heights Day began over some drinks at her bar more than a year ago.

Most people know the area for its large shopping center, DC USA, which brings Target, Marshalls and Best Buy just a few Metro stops away, eliminating the once-upon-a-time journey to Virginia or Maryland for the stores.

But while everyone else was traveling out of the District to shop, Columbia Heights was much like many other D.C. neighborhoods. It touts the highest concentration of Latin Americans out of any of the D.C. neighborhoods and has always been noted for its diversity. Lately, the area has seen a growing number of transients move as large-scale condominiums have risen and the commercial sector has picked up.

"I've been here a year and I was told it was a very different neighborhood a few years ago," said Vaughn Edelson, a Euclid St. resident, at the festival. "I hope it keeps its flavor. It's not a surprise to see any kind of person walking around here."

Part of the reason for Columbia Heights Day is to do just what Edelson said: retain the flavor of Columbia Heights - or CoHi for short for some residents.

"It's been more than just a festival," Donna said.

Columbia Heights Day is one small part of a much larger plan, Donna said. The group of five friends has expanded to an official grassroots organization for the community, Columbia Heights Day Initiative. Plans are in the works for a weekly movie night where members of the community and their families can meet their neighbors.

"This is not just a little block party," Donna said. Both D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham attended to pay their respects to the community.

The celebration wasn't contained on the school playground field. Area restaurants were busy all day and offered specials, like the special menu at The Heights on the corner of 14th and Kenyon Streets and the daylong happy hour at Red Rocks Pizzeria on Park Road.

"One of the reasons we don't do a lot of food on the field is because we want people to come out and then go explore our neighborhood," said Allison Basker, another one of the original five planners.

Local businesses were involved on every front of the operation and held a special 'Eat Out In CoHi' day. Sticky Fingers, a local bakery, donated proceeds from a cupcake-eating contest to the initiative.

On the field, there were plenty of activities for kids and their parents, including a petting zoo that boasted a Patagonian Cavy - the third largest rodent in the world - and a camel that drooled on anyone who dared to touch it.

A high-ranking favorite for many kids, like 9-year-old Enrique Ramos, was the moon bounce, where they were able to show off their acrobatic skills and let off some extra energy.

Enrique's father, Jose Ramos, is a life-long Columbia Heights resident of El Salvadorian ancestry. He brought his son and two nieces, Ashley, 8, and Loza, 4, to play for the day, but he appreciated the vendor presence at the festival.

"It's introducing a lot of programs I wasn't aware of before, like SCORE!" he said, referring to the educational center on 14th Street that offers tutoring.

Vendors focused on community outreach in areas from fire prevention by the D.C. Fire Department to stimulus-check dispersal information by the Alliance of Retired Americans.

A special effort was made to draw the neighborhood's Latino community.

"That [the Latin American community] is an essential part of what this neighborhood is," Donna said. "Everything we've done has been in both English and Spanish."

Spanish flyers that advertised the event read "Yo Vivo Aqui," which means "I Live Here," in an effort to acknowledge and reach out to the significant Latino population in the neighborhood.

Basker said that the committee even made sure to bring different types of entertainers to appeal to the diverse audience.

Chilean musician Patricio Zamorano was one of the entertainers. He practices a centuries-old Spanish type of song-writing expression called La Trova.

"It has a very political message," Zamorano said. "I was singing about human rights. I was singing about justice. I was singing about political struggles."

Zamorano, who has lived in the states for eight years and just received his master's degree from Georgetown in Latin American studies, said that music is a universal language. The emotions and messages in music transcend language barriers.

"My message is in Spanish," he said. "But my main goal is to be able to share with everyone."