Jack Evans Report

In case any of us lost track of the calendar, the recent upper 90s temperatures removed any doubt that it’s summer in the District. Especially at this time of year, please remember to check in with your elderly or ill neighbors who might need a little assistance. Weather like this can affect even the healthiest of us.

In true summer fashion, I recently celebrated Independence Day at the 48th annual Palisades 4th of July Parade. For those of you unfamiliar with the parade, this is a great reminder of the beauty of our neighborhoods – a real small town parade. It usually begins at 11 a.m. at the corner of Whitehaven Parkway and MacArthur Boulevard, NW. It continues along MacArthur Boulevard for about a mile before turning left to end at the Palisades Recreation Center. As an elected official, I always enjoy the opportunity to participate in local parades with family and friends. After the parade, we joined hundreds of others at the Rec Center for hot dogs, drinks and ice cream – kudos to the organizers for a great event.

After we cooled off and caught our breath, we headed to another park, this time Nationals Park. It was a gorgeous day for a baseball game. In light of the 11:05 am start time, I missed about half of the game, but still made it in time to see Anthony Rendon hit a home run to extend the Nats lead. I’m sorry to see that Rendon didn’t make the MLB All-Star game. He’s having an outstanding season and will certainly continue to be an all-star contributor to the team for years to game. Thankfully, the game that day didn’t disappoint as the Nats beat Philadelphia eight to four behind a strong start from Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals always seem to shine on our National Holiday.

The next step in this great day was a trip home for a break and then off to watch the fireworks. What a terrific display! The new ‘shaped’ fireworks – stars, smiling faces, hearts – were a fun new addition.

Neighborhood parades, Major League Baseball, world class fireworks – we really do live in a wonderful city.

I would also like to take a brief moment to remember my staffer Desi Deschaine on the five-year anniversary of his tragic death. We have truly missed Desi as part of our office and part of our lives, and I know those of you who were touched by him do as well. Here’s remembering you, Desi — you remain in our hearts and minds.