It’s that time of year! As we approach fall here at Congressional Cemetery, like many other DC sites we are heading straight for the busy event season. We absolutely must take advantage of the good weather, and that means you’ll be hearing from us a lot: whether it be about the upcoming Day of the Dog, conservation workshop  Operation Conservation, the first concert in our Notes from the Crypt Chamber Music Series, our 4th Annual Dead Man’s Run, or Ghosts and Goblets, the best Halloween party in town.

Like the not-so-subtle paragraph that attempted to mention all of our events at once?

So brace yourselves. You’ll be hearing from us a lot, but it’s only because these events are so very fun, and we want you to know about them (and the program director, the humble author of this blog post, can’t help but be overly enthusiastic about each and every event). Next up to bat is Congressional Cemetery’s second annual Day of the Dog on August 30th from 11 to 5. It’s a day-long festival that celebrates everything we love about dogs – with vendors, rescue organizations, good music, food, and beer. As with a past event, the best way to get you all to come out is to give you five reasons why it will be incredible. So here goes:

1. It’s FREE.

Although we’ll sell tickets for the raffle, activities, and beer, it’s absolutely FREE to get in. So pack up the pup and come in and wander around. But we guarantee that you’ll be tempted to buy a few tickets (only $5 for 10 tickets) to participate in some of our fun activities (see #3).

2. The cutest, most lovable dogs available for adoption.

Yes, this dog was seriously up for adoption at last year’s event.

Probably the most successful part of last year’s event: over 8 dogs were adopted at Day of the Dog. Are you looking for a friendly pup to join your family? Look no further, as many adoption organizations will be at Day of the Dog: WARL, Washington Humane Society, Lucky Dog Rescue, Rural Dog Rescue, Greyt Expectations, Sleepy’s Dream, and DC Shiba Inu Rescue.

3. Bobbing for hot dogs. Say what?

     

Yes, your dog can bob for hot dogs at Day of the Dog. And compete in musical hoops. And get his picture taken as John Philip Sousa, who just so happens to be interred here. That’s not enough for you? We’ll have activities for kids too: chalk drawings, lawn twister, lawn scrabble…really, the list goes on and on. You’ll just have to check it out.

4. We’re going to fit it all in this one: dog vendors, tasty food and local brews.

 

We couldn’t do Day of the Dog without our amazing sponsors: the Hill Rag, Howl to the Chief, Atlas Vet, Metro Mutts, Anytime K9, District Veterinary Hospital, Perfect Pet Resort and Peter Grimm of the Smith Team Realtors. In addition to these sponsors, we’ll have other pet vendors here with goodies. And pet portraits courtesy of Erin E Murray Fine Art. And non-profit organizations putting on demonstrations. And did we mention food trucks? Or the tasty brews from two local brewing companies, Port City and Atlas Brew Works?

erinemurray

Credit: Erin E Murray Fine Art: https://www.facebook.com/erinemurrayart

Really, that was too much to fit into number 4, but such is the drawback of promising only five reasons.

5. The last and best reason: why our events matter.

 

All proceeds from our events benefit the preservation of a National Historic Landmark. So whether you come out for a bit just to enjoy the scenery, or spend all day doing all the activities: we hope that you can make it this Saturday, August 30th. And if you happen to be out of town this Labor Day weekend, be sure to check out the full schedule of upcoming events at Congressional Cemetery. There are so many ways to support your favorite (we hope!) historic cemetery.

End of plug. Until next time…