After years of lobbying to get
Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, followed by years of promotion and preparation, the
festivities are finally about to arrive.
And, to boot, there's Saturday's debut of Audi Field (outside of the JDLand coverage zone). This means that residents in both Near Southeast and Southwest are going to have tens of thousands of newcomers traipsing around to the various events.
In other words, even if you have no interest in baseball, or soccer, or futbol, if you live in these areas, you are going to feel some impacts.
The DC government has launched the spiffy
sportscapital.dc.gov web site with scads of information on all of the events, and included among the pages is this equally spiffy
Community Information flyer, with the schedule of events starting tomorrow, July 12, through the big shindig on Tuesday, July 17. The flyer also has information on
road closures, bus stop impacts, taxi/rideshare pickup zones, and more.
As for official MLB-related activities within the JDLand coverage zone:
* The free "
PLAY BALL Park" launches at Spooky Park (
Yards Parcel A) at 1st and M Streets SE on
Friday, July 13, running every day from mid-morning through late evening (times vary) until Tuesday, July 17. To
quote MLB, "PLAY BALL Park is a 56,000 square feet interactive area that MLB and its programming partners will provide fun, engaging, and educational activities for youth baseball and softball players and their families - all in the backdrop of the Midsummer Classic."
* On
Saturday, July 14, bright and early at 8 am, the
Color Run MLB All-Star 5K will start off by Nats Park and then run the Riverwalk circuit through the Yards Park, alongside THE Navy Yard, across the 11th Street local bridge, down into Anacostia Park, over to Poplar Point, and then back across the Douglass Bridge, finishing at 1st and M SE. Entries are
still being accepted.
*
Monday, July 16 brings not only the
Home Run Derby at 8 pm, but the All-Star Workout Day. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, it's on ESPN at 8 pm. Or you can stand on N Street and see if a ball comes your way.
*
Tuesday, July 17 is the
day of all days, starting with the "All-Star Red Carpet Show" at the ballpark, and then the game itself at 7:30 pm.
But these aren't the only events. Here's some non-MLB-sanctioned events:
* Friday has two concerts, both starting at 7 pm: White Ford Bronco at the Bullpen at and the 19th Street Band at the Yards Park.
* The Yards is hosting the
All-Star Summer Riverfest on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. Sayeth the web site: "The Yards Park will be transformed into a sandlot with games, activities, and entertainment."
* The inaugural DC United game at Audi Field is Saturday at 8 pm.
* Sunday brings another outdoor movie, this time "The Sandlot," at the Yards Park at 9 pm.
* And, throughout the entire time, there will be a dozen "larger-than-life baseball inflatables"
installed at both Yards Park and Canal Park.
I will defer listing all of the food and drink specials, other than to mention that
Mission and
Walters Bar will both be operating on N Street. I would imagine most every restaurant and bar will be doing something special. And will be packed.
If you want to know about events at the Wharf, or the Fan Fest at the Convention Center, or other details outside the coverage zone, here's the
Post's big roundup.
I am sure I will be tidbitting and retweeting throughout the next few days to try to keep up with items that are of particular interest to nearby residents, but will not be flooding the zone with full coverage. I'm guessing it won't be hard to find the latest!