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
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