An Unforgettable Summer in the Parks

In the late '60s, Washington Mayor Walter Washington instituted the Summer in the Parks program, part of which featured a truck pulling a trailer that opened up into a stage at various locations for free concerts. Ian MacKaye, of Minor Threat and Fugazi fame, remembers the summer of 1975 when it "pulled into my local playground, Stoddert in Glover Park," he says. "I have no idea who the band was -- probably just some locals that reminded me of Earth, Wind & Fire or maybe Parliament -- but just the sense that music could be dropped out of nowhere into somewhere where I'd only played football and baseball lit my imagination to the idea that music could be anywhere. That the government of this city used money for the promotion of art and music, something that was so free and incidental, spoke volumes as well. What a great way for a government to behave!"

According to MacKaye, who is currently in the Evens and still running Dischord Records, the Fort Reno summer concert series in Tenleytown, now in its 38th year and featuring mostly local indie bands, is a direct descendant of Summer in the Parks. "The music is still being presented twice a week [Mondays and Thursdays] for free in a park, all volunteer-run. The only real difference is the city doesn't contribute anymore, but the damn music couldn't be stopped," MacKaye says.