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Zoo Fest at the National Zoo
Zoo Fest Saturday, June 22, 9AM - 5PM at the National Zoo
Zoo Fest will celebrate 40+1 years of the Peace Corps through world music, dance and film, as well raise public awareness of environmental conservation issues by highlighting what Peace Corps Alumni are doing to help the environment.
Zoo Fest will begin at 9am with a Film Fest at the Zoo Auditorium featuring films made by former Peace Corps volunteers. The films, which focus on various Peace Corps countries, will run from opening till close offering some respite from DC's summer heat and humidity. Also presented at this venue is a special workshop on global warming entitled "Peace Corps and Global Warming: The 21st Century Challenge." Click on Film Fest for full details.
The Zoo Fest Stage 11AM - 3PM located at the bottom of the hill After you've passed the lions and tigers and bears, head to the bottom of the hill for world music and dance. Performing arts from our countries of service will be presented from 11am until 3pm. RPCVs and their families and friends will gather on a large grassy knoll to enjoy a visual and auditory journey around the globe. Information exhibits will present materials and displays on environmental issues. Pre-purchased lunches will be served at noon beside the stage.
Senior producer of "The World" on PRI, MARCO WERMAN (Togo) will host the Zoo Stage. He has worked as a correspondent in Burkina Faso, Italy and the UK. With his expertise in world music, Marco is bound to engage our international cast in some lively chats. An exciting line-up is scheduled featuring Cheres Ukrainian Folk Ensemble, Patrick De Santos and Richard Miller, singer-songwriter Tony Doggett, the Silk Road Dance Company, Bharata Natyam dancer Asha Bala, and Persian percussion masters of the Chakavak Ensemble.
From the Carpathian Mountains comes CHERES, a rousing ensemble of masters on clarinet, violin, tsymbaly (hammered dulcimer), bass, and other wind instruments including the ancient trembita (a 12-foot-long shepherd's pipe). While their repertoire includes folk music from throughout the Balkan region, Musical director Andriy Milavsky and his ensemble are considered the best purveyors of authentic Ukrainian folk music in the U.S. today.
Cape Verde vocalist PATRICK DE SANTOS and Brazilian guitarist RICHARD MILLER blend cultural influences and styles from the sources of Bossa Nova, Samba, Choro, Jazz, R&B, Salsa and African music with an eclectic repertoire that exploits an endless variety of timbre and nuance. Fans of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music will not want to miss this intoxicating performance!
Foreign Service Officer by day, singer-songwriter by night, TONY DOGGETT's witty renditions are inspired by life in the Third World. He will perform songs from his album "Please Don't Send Me To Zaire" which includes ballads written during his career in Africa.
THE SILK ROAD DANCE COMPANY features vibrant performers presenting sumptuous dance forms from countries along the Silk Road, including Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The company is led by Artistic Director Laurel Victoria Gray who is an internationally acclaimed dancer, scholar and choreographer.
Among India's most accomplished dancers of Bharata Natyam, ASHA BALA will captivate the audience with this ancient art form once used as offerings to the deities of Hindu temples. This is a stunning visual display of intricate gesture and facial expression.
Dating back to the 5th Century B.C, Persian classical music has been used in prayer, royal festivities, ceremonies and war. With Ali Analouei as conductor, the masters of percussion from THE CHAKAVAK ENSEMBLE will present the rich structure and colorful rhythms of Iranian classical music.
A special guest will roll into Zoo Fest around lunchtime after completing a cross-country bike ride all the way across the United States. STEPHANI PALAU (St. Lucia '97-'99 & Ecuador '99 - '01) will tell us about her 114-day journey. Stephanie began her Third Goal Bicycle Tour of over 5,000 miles on March 1 (Peace Corps Day) in San Diego's Balboa Park and will finally cross the finish line at Zoo Fest.
In the event of rain, we will gather in the Zoo Auditorium located near the entrance for films and world music.
Co-sponsoring organizations of Zoo Fest include the World Resources Institute (WRI), Returned Peace Corps Volunteers for the Environment and Development (RPCVED), Green Star, Washington Parks & People, Girl Scouts of America, and the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). Information booths and displays will highlight efforts being made to save the environment.
To Volunteer for Zoo Fest, contact Lisa Martin, Events Chair, by email or at 202.944.8459.
How to get to the Zoo
The National Zoo is in northwest Washington, D.C., in the midst of quiet residential neighborhoods. There are several way to get to the National Zoo. The Zoo's mailing address is 3001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., and there are pedestrian and vehicle entrances here, at the west side of the Zoo.
There are two entrances for pedestrians and vehicles at the east side of the Zoo, near Rock Creek. One is off of Rock Creek Parkway, the other is at Harvard Street and Adams Mill Road.
The Zoo is just a few minutes by public transportation or car from the Capitol, the White House, and the Smithsonian museums on the Mall.
To get to the Zoo by public transportation:
* By Metrorail (Click for more information.): Take the Red Line to the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams-Morgan stop or the Cleveland Park stop; the Zoo entrance lies half-way between these stops, and both are a short walk from the Zoo. Tip: It's an uphill walk from Woodley Park to the Zoo, and level one from Cleveland Park. We suggest you arrive at Cleveland Park and leave at either stop.
* Metrobus: Lines L1 and L2 stop at the Zoo's Connecticut Avenue entrance. H2, H3 and H4 stop at the Zoo's Harvard Street entrance. (See the bus routes and schedules.)
New!
Mount Pleasant - Adams Morgan Line, Routes H5, H7 These routes were extended in order to improve access between Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan and the Cleveland Park Metro Station and a portion of Connecticut Avenue.
Route H5 operates in a clockwise loop starting at the Columbia Heights Metro Station on Irving Street N.W. and operate via 14th Street, Columbia Road, Calvert Street, 24th Street, Connecticut Avenue, Porter Street, Klingle Road, Park Road, Mount Pleasant Street, and Irving Street back to the Columbia Heights Station.
Route H7 operates in a counterclockwise direction starting at the Columbia Heights Station on Irving Street and operate via 14th Street, Columbia Road, Harvard Street (around the park at 16th Street and Columbia Road), Mount Pleasant Street, Park Road, Klingle Road, Porter Street, Connecticut Avenue, Calvert Street, Columbia Road, Harvard Street (around the same park), Mount Pleasant Street, and Irving Street back to the Columbia Heights Station.
To get to the Zoo by car: Enter the Zoo from Connecticut Avenue, Harvard Street, or Rock Creek Parkway. Remember, parking in the Zoo and nearby is limited, so we encourage you to use public transportation if possible.
Zoo parking costs $5 for the first 3 hours, plus $2 each additional hour up to a total of $11 per day, but is free for FONZ members. Lots fill early in the day during the summer, so plan to arrive by 9:30 (animals are more active early in the day anyway), or take the Metro.
Tour bus parking is extremely limited, and can be guaranteed only to groups that book one of our Group Safari Packages. Tour buses may not drop off passengers on Connecticut Avenue. This is both unsafe and illegal.
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