Contact: Linda Grant (202) 671-2375
(WASHINGTON, DC) - Thousands of people crowded RFK Stadium Lot 7 on Saturday, June 4, for Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Annual Summer Kickoff and Truck Touch event where there was something to intrigue children and adults. The event, which is coordinated by the Department of Public Works, featured more than 30 vehicles DC government agencies use daily to clean and repair streets, change traffic lights, collect trash and recycling, clear snow, provide emergency services, administer mobile health care, and more.
“You can sign your child up for summer reading programs with the DC Public Library, get information about DC Public Schools by visiting the Deputy Mayor for Education’s booth, and free lead testing from Georgetown Hospital in concert with the Department of Energy and Environment,” DPW Director Christopher J. Shorter told the crowd. “The real show is when MPD’s helicopter lands and, of course, their Mounted Unit’s horse also is here today.”
He added that the Department of Employment Services’ Workforce on Wheels team was present, and DPW brought dump trucks, street sweepers and snow plows for kids to jump on, Segways for kids and adults to ride, and a recycling truck wrapped in art designed by DC students.
The Department of Parks and Recreation supplied DPR Town, where children, teens and adults found multiple sources of entertainment, including face painting, a tricycle relay, giant checkers and chess, Nintendo, skate mobile, moon bounce, three-on-three basketball, soccer, tennis, Zumba and performances by Capital Kidds from the Deanwood Recreation Center, boxing by Headbangers from the Bald Eagle Recreation Center, and Taekwondo demonstrations by the Banneker Community Center.
The District has hundreds of activities lined up for the summer, including outdoor festivals, educational programs, free summer meals and youth employment initiatives. Residents can find more information at summer.dc.gov, an interactive website to discover what’s happening across the city. The site also allows the public to post information about their own events and will be updated throughout the summer.
Truck Touch featured vehicles from the District departments of Public Works, Transportation, Health, Employment Services, Parks and Recreation, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the DC Water and Sewer Authority. The Department of Energy and Environment sponsored an electric vehicle grand prix race, DC’s only student-based battery-powered electric vehicle competition.
The Office of the State Superintendent for Education provided free, boxed lunches to children and teens to heighten awareness of the DC Free Summer Meals Program, funded by the US Department of Agriculture. Other participants included DC National Guard, US Park Police, Pepco, DC Housing Authority, Serve DC, DC Health Link, and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer.