Warm holiday greetings from the Glen Echo Park Partnership!

While many of the Park’s programs and facilities remain open only in a limited capacity due to Covid restrictions, we are so happy to report that 2021 also brought thousands of people back to the Park in-person and virtually!

COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on our lives; it has also shed new light on how important it is for people from all walks of life to participate in visual and performing arts experiences.

Now more than ever, the Park needs your support as we reinforce the power of the arts to educate, entertain, and inspire. We have been committed to forging new paths that engage audiences, develop collaborations, expand programming on digital platforms, and make use of our outdoor and indoor spaces in a safe way.

The Park needs your support! We hope you will make a special year-end gift to help ensure Glen Echo Park continues its recovery efforts to reopen all programs and facilities, and to plan for renewal and growth.

Select Highlights from 2021- Nothing Else Like It!

Carousel Celebration:

This year we paid tribute to the 100th anniversary of our historic Dentzel carousel, with a months-long Carousel 100th Anniversary Celebration, including videos, lectures, family days, virtual story time, season opening and closing celebrations, publication of a carousel history booklet, and a carousel-themed art exhibition! We also honored the historic legacy of the carousel as an icon of the Washington DC area civil rights movement with a newly-commissioned mural, created by Future History Now, and which is still on view. Many of the events were virtual and can still be viewed on our website at glenechopark.org/carousel. We were honored with the State of Maryland Heritage Award to recognize this milestone Carousel Anniversary. The Carousel is a treasure that delights riders of all ages! Gifts from supporters like you made this year-long celebration possible!

Diverse Artists and Performers:

We were proud to present music, social dances, and exhibits in a broad range of genres and from places across the globe featuring a wide variety of artists this past year. Concerts and dances including reggae, blues, swing, African, Russian, and Latin jazz, and exhibits as varied as contemporary furniture, stonework, glass, and sculpture were enjoyed by thousands. “Live from the Spanish Ballroom” and other virtual concerts reached over 2,500 viewers through spring of 2021. Summer 2021 saw in-person concerts return to the Park – with audiences eager to hear live music again. We were also excited that the Park’s social dance program re-launched in-person over Labor Day Weekend with a “sampler” of various dance styles such as swing, waltz, and tango!

Serving Children & Families:

2021 has seen a return of classes for all ages at the Park - both in-person, virtual, and we’ve supported hybrid classes in visual arts such as music, painting, drawing, and photography. As pandemic restrictions were lifted, we were once again able to host a plethora of children’s summer camps in-person at the Park - from theater to fine arts, and nature to animation! Many Family Day celebrations brought fun to the Park last spring and summer.

Supporting & Engaging our Partners:

Collaboration is critical to presenting an exceptional variety of programming at the Park. Highlights this past year included working with Adventure Theatre to erect an outdoor theater site in order to relaunch their live performances, and partnering with the Washington Folk Festival to present virtual content. We’ve supported District Zouk, one of our social dance partners, to continue Brazilian dances throughout the pandemic. And new this past year, we are now home to the Washington Revels who presents culturally rich music, dance, and stories!

Stewarding the Park Now and for the Future:

Our Board of Directors is leading a planning process to enhance the Park site using pro bono resources. This past year we tackled site improvements such as rehabilitating the exterior of the Arcade Building and landscaping the “Magic Garden” located at the south end of the Park.

Coming in 2022:

There is nothing else like Glen Echo Park! The Partnership will celebrate its 20th Anniversary in June 2022! We are looking forward to marking this special milestone with programs that reflect the diversity of our broader community, including supporting the 40th anniversary of the Washington Folk Festival, live concerts, exhibitions, and family events featuring a variety of international performers and artists in the Spanish Ballroom and throughout the Park.

Your support is more critical than ever. As a nonprofit organization, the Partnership relies on contributions from friends like you. Although we are located within a National Park, the Partnership is not federally funded.

Help us build our resources to provide programs for decades to come!

With thanks,

Katey & Martha

Katey Boerner, Executive Director & Martha Morris, Board President

P.S. Thank you for your support! Make a year-end, tax-deductible gift today to help ensure Glen Echo Park is able to continue serving children, families, artists, and people of all ages!