Newsletter: Parks Update – Community Meetings, L Street Underpass 

More than 60 people attended a NoMa Parks Community Conversation on June 18th for an update on the NoMa Parks initiative. NoMa Parks Foundation President Robin-Eve Jasper gave a presentation on the history of the Foundation and the NoMa Public Realm Design Plan, which is the framework for the proposed parks projects. Read more.

Last weekend, 55 artists transformed NoMa Junction @ Storey Park, formerly merely an asphalt lot, into the largest piece of outdoor art in Washington, D.C. The NoMa BID partnered with hip-hop nonprofit Words, Beats & Life to produce the art. The artists didn’t just cover the walls with art, they overlaid more than an acre of murals on the ground. Artist Pose 2 painted a large signature piece on the back wall of the site, and artist Cita “CheLove” Sadeli is in the process of completing a monumental mural on the ground. These are the two largest individual pieces on the site, and both were inspired by the NoMa neighborhood. 53 additional artists from DC, MD, VA, PA, NJ and NY added to the canvas with a series of smaller murals, some of which are still underway and will be completed in the next few weeks.

Words, Beats & Life used 200 gallons of paint to create the murals, including 500 cans of spray paint. You can view DC’s most colorful lot at NoMa Summer Screen every Wednesday evening through August 19.

Storey Park is a future mixed-use development site at 1005 First Street, NW. The 712,000 SF mixed-use development will feature 350,000 SF of office space, 65,000 SF of shops and restaurants and 300 residential units. For more information, visit www.storeypark.com.

The 8th season of NoMa Summer Screen will return on May 27 with movies fitting the theme “Dance, Dance, Dance”! Enjoy a smorgasbord of dance films, from oldies to Bollywood to cult favorites. In addition, this year’s film series under the stars will be hosted in a new location at the Storey Park lot, a future development site at First and L Streets, NE, that will be transformed for 2015 into NoMa’s best temporary park yet.

NoMa Summer Screen is the city’s most popular free, outdoor film series, attracting hundreds of neighbors each Wednesday from May 27 to August 19. The event starts at 7 p.m., and films start at dark. Join your friends for DJ music and dance classes, as well as the usual food trucks, picnicking, art and more. All movies are screened with subtitles.

The film lineup:

• May 27: Dirty Dancing (PG-13, 1987)
• June 3: Center Stage (PG-13, 2000)
• June 10: Bride & Prejudice (PG-13, 2004)
• June 17: Flashdance (R, 1983)
• June 24: Strictly Ballroom (PG, 1992)
• July 1: Grease (PG-13, 1978)
• July 8: Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (PG, 1984)
• July 15: Singing in the Rain (Not rated, 1952)
• July 22: Save the Last Dance (PG-13, 2001)
• July 29: Moulin Rouge (PG-13, 2001)
• August 5: Stomp the Yard (PG-13, 2007)
• August 12: Footloose (R, 1984)

NoMa Summer Screen has been ranked one of the Top 10 Best Outdoor Movie Theatres in America by Travel and Leisure Magazine, and listed as one of the top five outdoor movie series in the country by Travel Pulse. Visit nomasummerscreen.com for a list of the participating food trucks for each Wednesday evening. Follow them on Twitter @NoMaBID orFacebook for weather updates, surprise giveaways, and food vendor specials. Coolers, children and friendly (leashed) dogs are welcome. 

 The NoMa Business Improvement District organizes and sponsors more than 50 free events a year, including the July 4 Bash, Family Film Nights at Sursum Corda, Nerds in NoMa speaker series, art exhibitions, and more. Learn more at nomabid.org/events.