Following on the heels of their recent 10th annual Columbia Heights Day, the Columbia Heights Initiative will host another neighborhood-wide event on Saturday, October 3. The Columbia Heights Oktoberfest Community Party will feature a bilingual Children’s Story Time sponsored by the Mount Pleasant Library, children’s carnival games, a free moon bounce, outdoor yoga, and the launch of a community food pantry as well as Oktoberfest standards offered by the Edelweiss Band and Meridian Pint Biergarten.

In the past, this event was put on exclusively by Meridian Pint as a block party. This year the semi-annual event has been absorbed into the growing Columbia Heights Initiative, as a way to create neighborhood events that better serve all the residents of the community. According to spokesperson Erin Helland, “We’re excited that the Columbia Heights Initiative is able to create these unique opportunities for residents and businesses to get to know one another, celebrate diversity, have fun, and enrich the quality of life in our community.”

One new and important feature of this year’s event will be the launch of a food pantry by The Table Church to address food insecurity in the neighborhood. This goal is already at the heart of efforts driven by the Columbia Heights Farmers’ Market, which launched a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) and expanded their market days to both Wednesdays and Saturdays. Columbia Heights Initiative resident board member Brianne Dornbush commented, “We hope the collaboration between these grassroots neighborhood organizations and the Columbia Heights Initiative will bring attention to challenges such as food insecurity and provide more avenues to connect community members with their work.”

The event will kick off at 11am on Saturday, October 3 with free, outdoor yoga. Storytime will take place at Trolley Park on 11th and Monroe Streets NW at 12pm and 3pm. A raffle for gift cards at community establishments will be drawn at 4:30pm. The Meridian Pint Biergarten will operate from 11am-6pm. Several local restaurants such as Airedale, The Coupe, Kangaroo Boxing Club, Maple, and Meridian Pint have offered specials throughout the day.

Commenting on the unique mix of fun and purpose at this event, Helland remarked, “The Columbia Heights Initiative’s Community Party will be a one-of-a-kind event, combining the revelry of a traditional Oktoberfest with meaningful family and neighborhood-friendly programs. We invite residents of the greater DC metro area to come and explore what Columbia Heights is all about.”

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Details and Schedule of Events:

11:00am-12:00pm: Free, outdoor yoga with Kali Yoga (no mat required, standing stretches only)

11:00am-6:00pm: Meridian Pint Biergarten featuring 20+ seasonal selections (only open to 21+)

11:00am-6:00pm: Free Moon Bounce on 11th Street NW and children’s carnival games at Trolley Park

12:00pm-1:00pm; 3:00-4:00pm: Storytime in Spanish and English sponsored by Mount Pleasant Library in Trolley Park

1:00pm-6:00pm: Edelweiss Band, featuring classic Bavarian sounds

4:30pm-Raffle drawing (all proceeds will go to Columbia Heights Initiative)

List of Sponsors:

Airedale

Community Wellness Alliance,

Columbia Heights Farmers Market DC,

The Coupe

DC Home Buzz

DCRE

El Chucho

Kangaroo Boxing Club

Giant Food Store

Maple Restaurant

Meridian Pint

Room 11

Solimar International

The Table Church

Title and Escrow LLC

University of the District of Columbia

Wonderland Ballroom