On Mon, 4 Feb 2002, Donald B. White wrote:

> Actually, on Stupor Stunday I went waltzing at Glen Echo Park in the
> afternoon,

When I was in DC for the National Association of Counties (NaCo)
legislative conference a year ago, I went to Glen Echo Park one evening
for a contradance.  (New Englanders will be familiar with this folkdance
tradition.)

Following the directions on a DC-area dance society web site, I took the
Metro to a certain station, went upstairs to the street, and waited in the
rain and dark for the bus to Glen Echo.  I was at the wrong bus stop
(i.e., I should have exited from the other end of the Metro station), but
fortunately I figured this out before the bus actually showed up, most of
an hour later.

Glen Echo Park is apparently a (very) old-time amusement park, with exotic
early 20th century (and maybe late 19th century) structures all in shabby
disrepair.  It turned out to be owned by the National Park Service, and
when I was there, apparently there was some controversy over the Park
Service's plans to dispose of or redevelop the property.  They had
petitions at the dance to oppose this.

(I am glad to hear that, at least as of Super Sunday, dances were still
being held there.)

My feet were very sore from tramping all over the convention venue and the
Capitol and walking back and forth between these and my hotel.  On the way
there, I wondered who I was kidding, going to a dance in this condition.
I felt like I could barely walk.  But dancing cures all ills, or something
-- I forgot about my poor feet and danced almost every dance.

The dance-society web site (consulted before I left Michigan) explained
that the buses stop running before the dance is over.  Visitors arriving
by public transit were urged to ask for a ride back to D.C.  "We have
never left anyone behind at the Park," they declared.  Following this
advice, I brought up my transportation needs during the announcements just
after the break.  Not only did I get a ride -- I got to participate in a
pleasant hour of post-dance socializing with a bunch of other dancers at a
local cafe.

I cam away with a very positive impression of the DC-area folkdance
community.

While I was in DC, I also got to do some lobbying of Michigan congressfolk
on county issues, and learned a lot about how other counties around the
country are dealing with GASB 34.  (A massive change in accounting
standards which provokes a lot of panic among people involved in local
government finance.)

I'm not going to the NaCo meeting this year, mostly because I think it's
bad form for a lame duck.  Due to redistricting which put me in with
another incumbent, I'm not running for re-election as county commissioner
this fall.  My term will expire at the end of December.

However, next time I'm in D.C., I hope to get out to Glen Echo again.

                                     Larry

---
Lawrence Kestenbaum, [log in to unmask]
The Political Graveyard, http://politicalgraveyard.com
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106

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