Group picture of residents. The Parks Main Street, Clean Team, and ANC commissioners.
A solid crew of 25 neighbors came out on a humid but not too too hot Saturday on June 28 to pick up trash around the neighborhood and help beautify the green space on the corner of South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE. A member of One Life Fitness who lives in Langdon saw the flyer in the gym and came out to join us. A high schooler from McKinley Tech who lives in Capitol Heights heard about the clean up and helped out to get community service hours. Altogether, neighbors collected about 30 bags of trash. Thanks to everyone, including our youngest clean up leaders in training, who came out to lend a hand.
ANC commissioners (left to right): Shelagh Bocoum (5A09), Keith Sellars (5A01), Danielle Geong (4B09), and Garrett Moore (4B08).
Shoutout to ANC 4B & 5A commissioners Keith Sellars (5A01), Shelagh Bocoum (5A09), Garrett Moore (4B08), and Danielle Geong (4B09) for organizing the event; getting donations of food, snacks, and water; and generally being cheerleaders for the community.
And thanks to The Parks Main Street Executive Director Edwin Washington for supplying grabbers and bags and arranging to have the Clean Team mulch the trees around the green space with a little help from Liam with Casey Trees. The Clean Team was excited to learn something new.
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Check out the Oren Levine & Friends jazz session tonight at 6:30 at the library.
June 27, 2025
Kids’ Art Space Pop Up at The Modern
Time: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm
Location: 395 Ingraham Street NE (former interim library space at The Modern)
Friday afternoon, join the Cafritz Foundation at their next kids’ pop-up event in their community maker space at The Modern — a creative hub for local kids and families to build, explore, and imagine together.
Explore the railroad that built Fort Totten: the Washington Branch of the B&O Railroad, still running today as the Metro’s Red Line. Kids will work together to build the iconic Thomas Viaduct and an iron truss bridge.
All materials provided. Free and open to all ages.
Families will also be invited to fill out a short survey to help shape future programming.
Location: Lamond-Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
Celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the new library. Children’s activities take place throughout the day.
At 12:30 pm, join neighbors Michelle Lisa Herman and Deborah Grimstead, two of the three co-authors of “Fort Totten and Lamond-Riggs: A Historical Tapestry,” for an author talk to discuss the companion book for the Heritage Wall designed and installed by Herman at the Lamond-Riggs Library.
Kick off this summer’s children’s festival series of free, community-centered fun for the kids. Join DC Fray + The Cafritz Foundation to play games like kickball, cornhole, jenga, bouncy balls, sack race; or get cool temporary tattoos. This festival series is always a good time.
PlayStation 4 Video Game Tournament & Virtual Reality Play
and more…
Adult Events
12:30 pm – The Making of the Companion Book for the Heritage Wall.
Our own Deborah Grimstead and Michelle Lisa Herman will lead this author talk. They will discuss “Fort Totten and Lamond-Riggs: A Historical Tapestry,” a written compilation that illuminates the stories behind the 42 Heritage Wall images.
After the event, each panelist is available to discuss the book with interested patrons, and light refreshments are available. This event is hosted in Conference Room 1.
The Main Street Jazz Series continues on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM with a special performance by Oren Levine, a celebrated jazz pianist and award-winning songwriter.
Hosted by The Parks Main Street and presented by the Greater Washington Urban League.
Date: Thursday, June 26, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library, 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE
The Main Street Jazz Series is a collection of live jazz performances hosted by The Parks Main Street and presented by the Greater Washington Urban League. Held in the neighborhood corridors of Riggs Park and Manor Park, this series showcases the creative energy of local jazz talent. It provides a dynamic cultural platform where art, commerce, and community innovation converge, offering each performance as a unique experience that brings the neighborhood’s heartbeat to life. The Main Street Jazz Series serves as a gathering point for celebrating local talent and reinforcing the cultural and economic vitality of Riggs Park and Manor Park.
Date: May 8, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library
Address: 5401 South Dakota Avenue, NE | Washington, DC 20011
D.C. Native and saxophonist Herb Scott is a star on the Washington, D.C. Jazz scene. While studying at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts under the award-winning educator Davey Yarborough, he performed with renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. Herb studied Jazz Studies at Michigan State University under Jazz legend Rodney Whitaker and Professor Diego Rivera, and toured with the MSU Jazz Band. His career includes performances at the White House, Dizzy’s Coca Cola-Club in New York, the Lincoln Center, the world famous Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Universal Studios Orlando, Constitution Hall, the Library of Congress, the Detroit Jazz Fest, the East Lansing Jazz Fest, the DC Jazz Fest.
In 2017 Herb formed a non-profit, The Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation which provides critical resources, including advocacy, to DC-based Jazz musicians, venues, and music education programs.
Hellbender will be closing on December 22, 2024, and I am sad to see them go. Hellbender offered food trucks and pizza on the weekends for a neighborhood starving for decent food options. I appreciate that Hellbender provided a place for neighbors to gather, hear and perform live music, support local artists at the annual holiday market, and just enjoy a chill spot in the neighborhood for so many years. Thanks to Ben, LT, and the rest of the gang for their hard work all these years.
Good afternoon. Hellbender Brewing Company will be closing at the end of this week after over 10 years of business. This has been an extremely difficult decision, but it is final. We love our local community and LT Goodluck and I are passionate about beer. Our last day of operation will be this Sunday, 12/22. I want to thank everyone who helped us get this far. Nothing about this journey has been easy, but 2024 has been our most difficult year to date. I hope that people find other spaces that are trying to bring the community together, and I hope that they support them any way they can. We look forward to raising one last pint with you all over the next several days.
New artwork brightens the South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road NE corridor. The Parks Main Street, in conjunction with the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, oversaw the installation of art designs selected by local residents on six traffic boxes along the corridor. The ones in front of Art Place at Fort Totten are an especially nice touch. Combined with the sculptures, it feels like walking past an outdoor gallery on South Dakota.
Check them out.
A Piece of the City by Britnee Scott @art.is.britat South Dakota Avenue & Galloway Street NE
Bloom by Beezy Young @by.beezyat South Dakota Avenue & Hamilton Street NE
Peace and Pirate by Tarika Campbell @tarika.artat South Dakota Avenue & Ingraham Street NE
Riggs Park Squirrel by Austin Morris @austindmorrisat South Dakota Avenue & Kennedy Street NE
Untitled by Trap Bob @trapxbobat South Dakota Avenue & Riggs Road NE
Riggs Park by Sydney Buffalow @cr8tionrebelat Riggs Road & Chillum Place NE
Hellbender Brewery is hosting a record fair on Saturday, November 2 from 1pm to 7pm.
In addition to numerous vinyl vendors, there will be multiple food trucks, a DJ, and a live band! This is a free, all ages event and fun for the whole family.
Huge thanks to Alan Thompson, owner of the Chick-fil-A located at 220 Riggs Road NE, for once again cleaning up the north side of Riggs Road NE by the National Park Service parkland and CSX bridge. In October of last year, neighbor Keith reached out to Mr. Thompson to ask if his team could help clean up that stretch of the sidewalk along Riggs. His team did such a great job. This year, they did it again.
The Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association, with the assistance of The Parks Main Street, is conducting a placemaking survey for the Riggs Park neighborhood. Complete the short survey by Friday, October 11, 2024.
Riggs Park boundaries are New Hampshire Avenue NE to the north, Metro red line tracks to the west, Galloway Street NE to the south, and Eastern Avenue, DC/Maryland line to the east.
For the fourth year in a row, Edwin Washington and the team at The Parks Main Street put together another great Art All Night in Riggs Park. On September 28, 2024, residents and visitors were able to get their steps in, traversing the entire South Dakota Avenue/Riggs Road corridor to get a taste of food, art, and commerce.
The Modern at Art Place joined the fun this year. Soka Tribe kicked things off at South Dakota and Galloway with a high energy Soca performance. District Kings ended the evening with go-go. In between, residents could enjoy art from artists like Tarika Campbell or shop with vendors like Black Squirrel Company.
The Lamond-Riggs Library provided a ton of family-friendly activities, including face painting, chess, video games, and group painting. The good folks at DC Retro Jumpers will convince anyone that they can Double Dutch. Vendors, artists, and a DJ rounded out the mix.
Food trucks set up at Troka Insurance along with DJ Super Sid. Fire dancer and local resident Jordan Seitz brought the fire as usual.
Hellbender was hopping all night long. Hellbender mainstay Beef Space BBQ provided the eats. I caught the tail end of Shirleta Settles and Friends, which is always a treat.
Vendors, a live painting artist, and a DJ set up shop on the plaza area outside the Wingstop. There, I met local resident Renee Blair, owner of Happy Violet DC, a waterless nail shop that will be opening at Riggs Crossing in 2025.
Finally, I made my way to Riggs Wine & Liquor, where kids were painting a community mural using banners recycled from previous Art All Night events.
The rain held off, creating the perfect night to walk and enjoy the Riggs Park Main Street corridor.
Visit small businesses, shop, dine, see local art, and experience live performances by artists from Riggs Park, Manor Park, and surrounding communities in Wards 4 and 5. Spaces throughout our business corridors transform into galleries, vending booths, food stations, and performances for an evening of art in all its forms.
Reserve your free ticket for an evening of festive fun while supporting small businesses. All registrants will automatically be entered in drawing for gift certificates from local small businesses in Riggs Park and Manor Park! Registrants must check-in at one of two Welcome Centers to confirm eligibility.
Volunteers Needed
Meet new friends, feel good about making a difference, and have fun! Become a volunteer and help The Parks Main Street bring the communities of Riggs Park and Manor Park together to celebrate Art All Night.
The countdown is on to Art All Night 2024! Join The Parks Main Street for a pre-event.
Jazz on the Main: An Evening with Oren Levine (Manor Park) and Christopher Prince (Riggs Park) September 25, 2024 6:00 pm Lamond-Riggs Library 5401 South Dakota Avenue NE
The Parks Main Street (TPMS) is excited to hostArt All Night 2024 presented by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Saturday, September 28, 5pm-10pm!
Once again, TPMS brings to the communities of Riggs Park and Manor Park this festival to end the summer with a bang!
This year the main performance stage is at The Modern at Art Place Plaza at the corner of South Dakota Ave NE & Galloway Street NE near the red rooster. Many of you attended the “Fridays at Fort Totten” music series there. Same Location!
For your free tickets, and to see current event locations, lineup, and activities,register on Eventbrite. Performances and times subject to change.
Interested in volunteering on the planning committee or for the day of the festival? Send an email to info@theparksmainstreet.org.
Interested in volunteering tomorrow morning?
Help to put up yard signs to spread the word about Art All Night hosted by TPMS.
Come out between 10:00 am-12 noon tomorrow, September 7, to:
The Parks Main Street Office 210B Riggs Road NE, 2nd Floor right Washington, DC 20011 Call 202.423.1014
Every Wednesday, Qualia popup selling fresh, locally roasted beans along with hot and cold brew and a selection of pastries from their partners, RavenHook Bakehouse.
