The Rev. Wilbur Dameron conducts a baptism in Lerty. It's one image displayed at the jubilee. Steven M. Cummings/Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Visit the Photo Place

A FITTING START FOR THE NEW YEAR: HIT THE HEALTH EXPO A MARQUEE JUBILEE: THE 'AFRICAN-AMERICAN CELEBRATION'

Top picks for out-of-town activities

Date published: 1/8/2009

By Peggy Carlson The new year always marks a good opportunity for a fresh start and a commitment to fitness and healthier living. A great place to start is the NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo this Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., at the Washington Expo Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W.

The event offers a multitude of attractions, including:

Free health tests and screenings

Gold driving range and simulator

Exercise equipment

Bally Total Fitness dance demonstrations

D.C. United and Washington Freedom Expo Soccer Field

Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2

Rock climbing wall

Get Healthy 4 Life -mile walking track

Winter sports pavilion sponsored by Ski Liberty, Roundtop and Whitetail

Alpine ski and snowboard simulators

Bike safety rodeo and bicycling pavilion

Dance demonstrations of hip-hop, soul-line dancing, clogging, waltz, square dance, jump rope jam and more

CPR classes

Blood donations

National Marrow Donor Program registration.

The Washington Convention Center is at 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W. For details call 202/249-3000 or visit nbcwashington.com.

For a complete change of pace you might want to visit the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum for a look at "Jubilee: African- American Celebration." Using colorful displays with costumes and tableaus, the exhibit features nearly 50 historical and contemporary African-American holidays, traditions and celebrations, including:

Observances created in response to important events

Regional activities

Recent holidays

Black Greek organizations' events

Family reunions

Black traditions related to mainstream holidays.

Stories of these events are told though photographs, artifacts, costumes, documents, music, video, interviews and more. "Jubilee" is organized as a journey through a calendar year. Highlights include Emancipation Day and Juneteenth; the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; springtime wedding traditions; Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the all-black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, honored on Decoration Day; summer activities, such as road trips, beach time and Negro baseball; black night life; blacks in war and Veterans Day; Christmas, Kwanzaa and Watch Night, and much more.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 20. The museum is located at 1901 Fort Place, S.W. For details, call 202/633-4820 or visit anacostia.si .edu.

--Peggy Carlson

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Date published: 1/8/2009