Red Hot Washington Mystics Speed into WNBA Playoffs
The Washington Mystics’ conclude best regular season in franchise history last weekend at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
Can anyone stop the Washington Mystics this year? That is the question basketball fans across the country are wondering as the league-leading Mystics head to the WNBA playoffs beginning on September 17. After earning a double-bye for their dominant regular season performance, the Mystics earned their third-consecutive WNBA semifinals appearance after a historic and record-setting regular season.
Just how dominant have the Mystics been in 2019? Aside from winning the Eastern Conference with a league-leading record of 26-8, the Mystics currently lead the league in points per game, assists per game, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, free throw percentage, least turnovers per game and plus-minus.
Led by forward Elena Delle Donne, the Mystics offense is a force that other leading teams were unable to stop or even slow down. Consider that Washington has 11 wins by 20 points or more out of 34 games this season. Additionally, Washington is not only on pace to take and make more three-point shots than any other team in WNBA history (nine on 25 tries), but they’re also historically careful in protecting the ball. They’re on pace to set a league record with just 14.6 percent of their possessions resulting in turnovers.
The individual achievements are racking up also. This August, Delle Donne was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the third consecutive month. On Sunday, Delle Donne became the first WNBA player to finish a regular season shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the foul line. Her free throw percentage of 97.4 is a record for a player with at least 100 attempts, according to ESPN.
Head Coach Mike Thibault was named WNBA Coach of the Month for August as well.
All of this has added up to an exciting and dynamic team that is especially fun to watch in their new home at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights, DC. With multiple sold-out games during the regular season, tickets will be hot when they go on sale later this month. Stay tuned for updates on Events DC social channels for ticket pre-sales before the first playoff game on September 17 and other festivities the Mystics have in store for fans.
Spirit of Praise Celebration
12th Annual Spirit of Praise Event Returns to Ward 8
On October 5, the Entertainment and Sports Arena will host the 12th annual Spirit of Praise Celebration. Sponsored by Radio One, Inc. and Praise 104.1 - DC’s Inspiration station - the concert combines some of today’s most exciting performers of both traditional gospel and inspirational music. Headlining the star-studded lineup is Travis Greene, who will perform a sneak peak of his upcoming album, featuring his new hit single “Won’t Let Go”. Other performers include Kurt Carr, William McDowell, Koryn Hawthorne, Jonathan Nelson, Steffany Gretzinger, and the three finalists from BET’s “Sunday Best,” Tiffany Andrews, Joshua Copeland, and Melvin Crispell, III. The 12th annual event also marks the celebration’s return to Ward 8 in Washington, DC after previous iterations at DC’s Armory in SE and in Maryland. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
Halcyon Awards
A night where entrepreneurs and visionaries get honored for creativity in all forms.
The Halcyon Awards recognize and honor talented arts icons, successful social entrepreneurs, and public policy visionaries — changemakers and trailblazers who have dedicated their lives to pushing past traditional boundaries to create a movement, lead an organization, or impact the world. This year the three Halcyon Awards being celebrated are the Arts Icon Award spotlighting an icon of artistic and social impact, the Business Luminary Award honoring a global pioneer in social enterprise, and the Policy Visionary Award celebrating innovators in public policy.
Halcyon is a DC-based non-profit organization that seeks and celebrates creativity in all forms and galvanizes creative individuals aspiring to promote social good. Halcyon’s signature programs are residential fellowships: the Halcyon Incubator and Halcyon Arts Lab. Other programs include By The People, an arts and dialogue festival, and the Halcyon Awards, which celebrate extraordinary accomplishments in areas like art, social enterprise, and policy.
Event Details
Location: Entertainment and Sports Arena (1100 Oak Street SE, Washington, DC 20032)
Time: 6:00 PM
The Entertainment and Sports Arena was Bumpin at Hammer’s House Party Last Month
Embarking on his first major tour since 1991, MC Hammer brought together some of the most recognizable musical acts to one stage.
On Friday, August 23, the Entertainment and Sports Arena hosted the Hammer’s House Party tour, an energetic and nostalgia-filled evening featuring the best of 80s and 90s Hip-Hop and R&B. Attendees from across the region made their way to Congress Heights and kicked off the night with Young MC warming up the crowd to classic throwback, “Bust A Move.” Following, Tone Loc invited concert attendees to the stage to break it down to “Wild Thing” and Kid ‘N Play had the entire crowd up on their feet reenacting dance moves from the popular film, House Party. Hailing from the District, DJ Kool performed a choreographed set with a special performance from local backup dancers, and MC Hammer closed the night leaving “U Can’t Touch This” ringing in everyone’s head.
WalkingTown DC
Discover the hidden gems that make up the rich fabric of our city and join an upcoming WalkingTown tour this month.
Experience some of the best that Washington, DC has to offer by participating in Cultural Toursim DC’s WalkingTown DC, a public tour program that features more than 50 guided walking tours in neighborhoods across the District.
Sponsored by Events DC, WalkingTown DC is underway from Saturday, September 14 through Sunday, September 22, 2019. This annual event, which has been running for nearly two decades, offers residents and visitors alike an ever-growing art culture and history of Washington, DC through a variety of lunchtime, happy hour and weekend tours.
WalkingTown DC participants may enjoy well-known places such as the U.S. Capitol Grounds and U.S. Botanic Garden; as well as hidden gems that make up the rich fabric of our city – including Art At the Center, a curator-led tour of the permanent art collection at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
“WalkingTown DC is our longest-running program,” Steve Shulman, executive director of Cultural Tourism DC, said. “For nearly 20 years, through the kindness of professional tour guides and people who are passionate about their neighborhoods, we have been able to offer tours that help people learn about the District of Columbia, home to more than 700,000 people, and about Washington, the capital of the nation. Whatever direction you take, whichever quadrant you choose, the tour guides provide inspiring, engaging stories,” he continued. WalkingTown DC affirms that this is a great city.”
Join us at the Art at the Center tour on Monday, September 16 at 6:15 PM (registration) for the 6:30 PM tour. No additional art tour guests after 6:45 PM. To register for Art At the Center and learn about all of the other WalkingTown DC tours available, visit www.culturaltourismdc.org.
Art All Night DC
Don’t miss Washington’s annual free overnight arts festival this weekend!
If you’re ready for a colorful whirlwind of visual and performing arts, look no further than the 8th annual Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC, a free, eight-hour arts festival that takes place in eight communities throughout the nation’s capital on Saturday, September 14th from 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM. Kicked off in DC’s historic Shaw neighborhood in 2011, Art All Night DC was based on Nuit Blanche, a similar citywide event in Paris. Each community has its own theme and may offer painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, dance, theater, film, poetry, and live entertainment in indoor and outdoor public and private spaces, including businesses. Shaw is home to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and Events DC is excited to participate in Shaw Art All Night this year by having an “ArtTastic Voyage” interactive mural painting and a live DJ spinning popular music incorporating the #ShawtasticVoyage theme on the Apple Carnegie Library grounds from 7:00 p.m. until midnight.
“Art All Night in Shaw will bring over 25,000 people from DC and beyond to the neighborhood for an eight-hour celebration of the city’s arts scene,” says Alexander M. Padro, executive director of Shaw Main Streets and a founder of the festival. “With so many free experiences available, you could spend all eight hours in Shaw and not see, hear and do everything offered.”
Across the District, participating neighborhoods have city-sponsored Main Street programs and are listed below:
Congress Heights
Dupont Circle
Minnesota Avenue
Shaw
Deanwood Heights
H Street NE
North Capitol Street
Tenleytown
Event Details
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time: 7:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Location: Locations will vary across the District (See above)
