Glendora, who made the trip from La Plata, Maryland, to Ashburn, Virginia, with her friend Ray Taylor, found herself in the right place at the right time.

“The person in front of me asked Jayden Daniels to sign their jersey, and he looked at it. He said, ‘That’s not even my jersey,'” Glendora said. “I said, ‘I got one right here.’ He said, ‘OK.'”

The friends, who traveled nearly 70 miles for their second training camp, headed home smiling.

Joining the veteran fans were children who may become the franchise’s next generation of supporters.

D.C. resident James Jones brought a group of children from the S.O.L.Y.D. Foundations Inc., a youth football program, to experience training camp firsthand.

“Just want to bring the kids out, get them acclimated to the training camp environment,” Jones said. “Starts right here in the grime and the grit with the Commanders, too.”

The kids, including his 8-year-old son Jream, were wearing Burgundy and Gold football uniforms. A fan since the team’s Super Bowl years, Jones said he hopes he lives long enough to see the Commanders play at the new RFK Stadium.

“Our franchise was down for so long that it lost a lot of fans. It’s up to the older ones to bring up the new fans,” Jones said. “It starts with them coming, having these experiences, getting autographs, getting gloves from these players,”

Elijah Bowens, 8, proudly showed off a hat covered in more than 10 autographs.

Bowens went in a Cowboys fan. But thanks to the kindness the players showed him,聽“I’m a Commanders fan,” he declared.

“One fan at a time,” Jones said with a laugh. “We’ll convert them and get them back to us.”

Source

The event runs Sept. 25 through 27 and is designed to give D.C. audiences a taste of the flagship festival, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, said Raeshon Morris, the senior manager of event production operations for Nice Crowd, which produces the festival.

“Come ready to learn and have a good time,” Morris said. “Stay. Don’t go anywhere. We have something for you.”

The tour’s D.C. launch carries special meaning not only for him and the festival’s founders and presidents, Jeff and Nicole Friday. All three are Howard University graduates.

“It’s the nation’s capital. It’s the prime representation of who we are as American people,” he said. “I grew up in D.C., I feel like I became an adult in D.C.”

Morris said the pop-up tour takes the best elements of the American Black Film Festival and brings them to cities across the country, including New York, Atlanta and Houston.

The pop-up event opens with “Three Colors,” a narrative feature that won ABFF’s Grand Jury Prize at this year’s festival, which was held in Miami in May. Morris said the film is unique because “three directors 鈥� came together to make one feature film,” creating an anthology that forms a single story.

The D.C. pop-up weekend also includes panels, conversations and a master class presented by the New York Film Academy.

One of the festival’s longest-running traditions also comes to Washington: the HBO Short Film Competition, which ABFF has hosted for 29 years.

Morris said director Ryan Coogler came out of that program and won the HBO competition in 2011.

The festival will also host networking sessions after each event.

“When you’re an artist, it can be isolating,” he said. “You want to know that there’s people out there who understand what you’re trying to do.”

Source

One of the best views in the D.C. region is once again open to visitors.

The Waldorf Astoria Washington DC has reopened the historic clock tower inside the building many longtime Washingtonians still know as the Old Post Office.

The 270鈥慺oot observation deck offers visitors panoramic views of the National Mall, along with sights stretching into Maryland and Virginia, including National Harbor and Reagan Washington National Airport.

91欧美激情/Jimmy Alexander

91欧美激情/Jimmy Alexander

(1/2)

Share This Gallery:

• Share This:
• share on email
• print

Nisha Patel, marketing director for the , told 91欧美激情 the hotel has taken over operation of the clock tower from the National Park Service.

鈥淚t really gives us an opportunity to curate experiences not for the public but also our guests that stay at the hotel as well,” Patel said. 鈥淲hat’s also really fun about the observation clock tower deck is that on all four sides you can see the other four out of five tallest structures in Washington, D.C.鈥�

Patel pointed to the U.S. Capitol in Southeast, Washington National Cathedral in Northwest and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast.

But Kristopher King, a clock tower security officer, said his favorite view is the Washington Monument, the tallest structure in the District.

鈥淵ou just can鈥檛 miss it,鈥� King said.聽鈥淵ou see everything,鈥� he added. 鈥淗onestly, it’s a really great view.鈥�

King, who gives tours of the clock tower, said one of his favorite lesser-known sights is . From 12 stories above Pennsylvania Avenue, visitors can see the plaza’s inlaid map depicting portions of Pierre L鈥橢nfant鈥檚 original plan for the District.

The clock tower is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. in Northwest D.C. The entrance is located at the rear of the building and is accessible from 12th Street NW. Admission is free.

Source

Davidson explained to 91欧美激情 contributor Joe Yasharoff that 鈥渉is trips to comedy clubs are about dispensing happy to people.鈥�

鈥淚 go into these little enclaves in this country and sit there with people from all backgrounds, with different minds, different likes, different dislikes, and make them laugh at the same time,鈥� Davidson said.

Before he became a household name on “In Living Color,” his story shows dreams do come true.

鈥淗ow can you get left in a trash heap in Mississippi, end up in Washington, D.C.?鈥� Davidson said.

Yes, Davidson was abandoned as a baby and was rescued and adopted by a woman who raised him in Washington and Maryland.

He moved through neighborhoods in Wheaton, Rosemary Hills, Silver Spring and Takoma Park, and attended Rosemary Hills Elementary School, Sligo Middle School and Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.

His mother cried when he didn鈥檛 continue college at UDC. Davidson said she told him she wanted that for him because she vowed to get him through school after finding him in the trash.

鈥淎s long as you do something that makes people happy, you鈥檙e not hurting anyone and you鈥檙e able to help people, I鈥檒l be happy with just that,鈥� she told him.

He worked jobs at Walter Reed, Roy Rogers, IHOP and Hechinger before a friend convinced him to try stand-up at a club in downtown D.C. Davidson said the manager gave him five minutes.

Less than a year after Davidson grabbed the mic and made everyone laugh, he was in Hollywood.

Davidson credits his upbringing for shaping who he is, calling his old neighborhood a place where love was practiced as a way of life. He says every time he takes the stage, familiar faces including his former teachers are still sitting in the crowd.

Source

Drivers and walkers on Arlington Memorial Bridge had a much brighter view Thursday as one of the bridge’s massive statues emerged from behind scaffolding.

The newly regilded sculptures at the east end of the bridge were covered in 23.75-karat gold leaf as part of a $5.1 million restoration project under President Donald Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake D.C. Safe and Beautiful Again鈥� initiative.

The statues, known as the Arts of War and the Arts of Peace, were created by sculptor Leo Friedlander.

Italy gave them to the U.S. in 1951 as a thank you for help in rebuilding the country after World War II.

Each statue group is 16 feet long, 19 feet high, 8 feet wide and weighs about 80,000 pounds.

They are made of bronze and were originally surfaced in gold. They have been regilded during major maintenance projects, including work in the 1970s.

To those who saw them Thursday, the fresh gold finish was a dramatic change.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember them being this shiny, this gaudy,鈥� said Stephen Francis, who has lived in the D.C. area off and on for over 50 years. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a better use for the funds than polishing up these horses.”

鈥淭acky. It looks like Home Depot gold spray paint,鈥� Karen, a Fort Washington, Maryland, resident said.

Steven Davis, a D.C. resident, said it “looks a little over the top for my taste,” but he believed the work was well meant.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e done some great stuff for the city. I think some stuff has been a swing and miss. This one, I thought they looked great before. There was a lot of history behind it,鈥� he said.

Some, seeing the statues for the first time in their newly restored state, were more impressed.

鈥淚 was walking on the backside of the (Lincoln) Memorial, and I was just like, 鈥榃hoa, what is that?鈥欌�� Amy, a visitor from Topeka, Kansas, said.

She and her daughter Gio took a pedicab to get a better view.

鈥淭hey look really nice. They鈥檙e super shiny, and those statues are beautiful,鈥� Gio said.

Source

A temporary monument honoring more than 41 million Americans who have served in the U.S. military opened Tuesday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Presented by USAA as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration, the National Military Monument features two 108-foot American flags constructed of Indiana limestone designed to complement the Lincoln Memorial. Embedded digital screens display the names of Americans who have served, from George Washington and the Revolutionary War generation to those serving today.

“It is compiled of 41 million-plus names of those who have honorably served our country,” said Rebekah Nelson, communications director for USAA.

The digital display surprised some visitors. Air Force veteran Clay Thomas, of Victoria, Virginia, initially thought the disappearing names were a vision problem.

“At first, it kind of freaked me out because I thought I was having a heat stroke because it kind of disappeared on me,” Thomas said. “Once I figured out what was happening, it was quite amazing.”

91欧美激情/Jimmy Alexander

91欧美激情/Jimmy Alexander

91欧美激情/Jimmy Alexander

(1/3)

Share This Gallery:

• Share This:
• share on email
• print

The installation, on display through Aug. 23, allows visitors to search for names using interactive kiosks and QR codes. It includes members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

Among the visitors Tuesday was Vietnam veteran Roy Riedle, of Marshall, Illinois, who stopped by with his daughter after learning the monument would open during their visit to D.C.

Standing before the monument, Riedle reflected on the tribute.

“I’m humbled,” he said. “It’s beautiful. We just all did a duty over there.”

“He’s not one of those guys who really talks much about the war, and he also doesn’t advertise that he was actually in it,” his daughter, Sara Riedle Dhom, said.

The family visited Normandy, France, last year, where military history stirred similar emotions.

“I imagine this will bring some tears to his eyes and then he’ll tell stories,” Dhom said.

The monument also honors military families, Nelson said.

That message resonated with Shannon Robinson, of Stafford, Virginia, whose husband is a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel stationed at Quantico.

“It fills my heart with joy because they give a lot, sacrifice,” Robinson said. “He’s been deployed several times and away from the kids whenever he’s called to duty and so to see his name up there and be able to show the kids his name up there is really special.”

Nelson said the monument is meant to honor generations of Americans whose service helped shape the nation.

“It’s really important to understand that this is really about celebrating America,” she said. “You could not have 250 years of America’s history without 250 years of military service.”

Source

In the week that followed, Jacqueline Kennedy invited journalist Theodore White to Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for a “Life” magazine interview that helped define her husband鈥檚 legacy.

The PBS American Experience documentary 鈥淛FK,鈥� , pulls back the curtain on the man behind that image, exploring how pain, resilience and ambition shaped the nation鈥檚 35th president.

Originally released in 2013, the four-hour, two-part film traces Kennedy鈥檚 life from childhood through his rise in politics, examining the illnesses that threatened his future and the campaign that made him the youngest elected president in American history. It also explores his relationships with Jackie Kennedy, his brother Robert and his father, along with the strengths and weaknesses that defined his presidency.

Producer and director Susan Bellows said newly released health records helped provide a fresh perspective.

鈥淗is health records had suddenly become public,鈥� Bellows said. 鈥淚 think that was one of the breakthrough things that really began to change our understanding of him.鈥�

Kennedy battled serious health problems throughout his life, beginning with colitis-related stomach issues at Choate, a Connecticut boarding school. Later, chronic back pain became so severe that he underwent surgery and received last rites during a medical crisis, according to the documentary.

The film also details how Kennedy, unable to pass a military physical, entered the Navy during World War II with the help of altered medical records and his father鈥檚 influence. He was later wounded during the war, adding to the physical challenges he carried for the rest of his life.

Bellows said those struggles helped shape Kennedy鈥檚 resilience, determination and awareness of his own mortality, creating what she called 鈥渁 kind of urgency to speed.鈥�

鈥淚 think it gave him a certain determination and strength,鈥� Bellows said. 鈥淗e was in pain, but he never showed it, and he didn鈥檛 let it slow him down.鈥�

When asked about the Emmy she won for the series, Bellows laughed, saying her son kept the award in his room for a long time.

She said the most rewarding part of making films like “JFK” is showing how people evolve and how challenges shape who they become.

Source

The observance, organized by Indivisible Route 1 Corridor, brought together immigrant rights groups, faith leaders and residents calling for accountability and support for affected families.

“We get a lot of public support when we do an event like this,” said Laura Usher, co-leader of Indivisible Route 1 Corridor.

“We’re really grateful to have the support of the faith community in speaking out against the reprehensible treatment of immigrants.”

One of the signs held along the sidewalk read, “ICE agents repent, love, and save your souls.” Its owner, 20-year-old Jenifer Pineda, said fear has shaped her life and the lives of other children of immigrants.

“Before, it was, we couldn’t go outside because of COVID, and I was like, we can’t go outside because of the fear of our parents being taken away,” she said.

Pineda, president of the youth group at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, said her uncle was detained last August on his way to work, forcing her aunt and young cousin to leave the country.

Karen Murphy, who began protesting with her parents during the Vietnam War era, was joined Saturday by her son and daughter.

“I need to see more people at events like this,” she said. “Put down your phones and join these events.” She added,

“This isn’t right. This isn’t America. We stand up for human rights. This is a country of immigrants.”

Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey told 91欧美激情 that ICE agents are being asked to do work they are not trained for.

“These ICE agents aren’t trained to be doing the work that the administration has them doing,” he said.

“They really should be using these agents to focus on finding the worst of the worst instead of these roving patrols and racial profiling stops.”

The vigil included prayers, songs led by the Rapid Response Choir, and a reading of the names of people killed in ICE encounters. Organizers also collected food for Route 1 Mutual Aid, which supports families affected by ICE detentions.

Source

Now, another water feature on the National Mall is being repaired after it was damaged.

A contractor’s vehicle drove over the center of a fountain feature at the German-American Friendship Garden after bike rack barriers meant to protect the area were moved, cracking the fountain and prompting repairs, according to the National Park Service.

You may be thinking to yourself that you’ve never heard of this place. Chances are you’ve walked through it without realizing it.

Located between the White House and the Washington Monument, the garden welcomes an estimated seven million visitors each year.

Unlike traditional fountains with basins, the features use ground-level water jets built directly into the pavement, offering visitors a place to cool off during Washington D.C.’s hot summer months.

The damage comes only a few years after the German-American Friendship Garden underwent a major restoration project.

Dedicated in 1988, the garden commemorates 300 years of German immigration to America.

The National Park Service said they are working on repairing the fountain.

Source

When you cross the Route 50 Bridge, a sign reads, “Ocean City, Maryland Welcomes You.” Inside St. Paul’s-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, the rector says that welcome does not extend to the people who sleep in her parish hall each night.

The church and the town are now in a federal lawsuit over an overnight shelter operating inside the parish hall across from City Hall. The church filed a lawsuit against Ocean City, arguing the town’s actions against the shelter violate the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Ocean City responded with a counterclaim seeking an injunction to close the shelter, arguing the operation does not comply with local zoning requirements.

Town officials say the dispute is not about providing services to people experiencing homelessness, but about how the shelter is operating. The church said it is carrying out its religious mission to help people in need.

During a tour of the church’s outreach center, the Rev. Jill Williams told 91欧美激情 the church serves about 120 lunches each day during the summer season and averages “between 30 and 35 people in the evening as guests for the shelter.”

Williams said the shelter began operating after the town told the church to remove tents used by unhoused people from its property and move people indoors.

“They told us from the beginning that this place needs to look like Disneyland. That’s a quote. They would like all the homeless people off the island. That is the goal of the mayor and city council,” Williams said.

In a phone interview, Ocean City Town Manager Terry McGean told 91欧美激情 that Williams’ characterization of that conversation was not accurate.

“What I said was that some people thought Ocean City was Disneyland, but I knew that was not the case. That we were a city with all the intended issues and responsibilities, and that we were not some amusement park,” he said.

“I guess the way she puts it is a better sound bite, but it certainly takes what I said well out of context,” he said.

Williams also said McGean told her to rely on wealthy parishioners to influence city leaders.

“He instructed me to figure out who my wealthy parishioners were, who were the wealthy business owners in Ocean City, and have them call the mayor and city council if I wanted anything done, because that’s how things are done here in Ocean City. That was a direct quote,” she said.

McGean disputes that account, saying he never mentioned wealthy parishioners or suggested that was how approvals are obtained.

“I said it’s always good to have any member of her congregation, if they knew council members, to educate them on what the church wants to do,” McGean said, adding that he would give the same advice to any nonprofit seeking town funding.

Williams said the church has also faced difficulties installing a washer and dryer, saying plumbers have repeatedly withdrawn after beginning the permit process. She said the machines are needed for altar cloths, kitchen towels and cleaning supplies.

McGean said the electrical permit was approved, but the plumbing permit application did not meet code because the proposed drain line was too small. He said the town would approve a code-compliant application if one is submitted.

McGean said Ocean City supports homeless services through Diakonia in West Ocean City and the Worcester County Homeless Outreach Team.

“We are simply enforcing the law that we have had on the books for many, many, many years, and we enforce it equally,” he said.

When asked what she would tell the mayor and council, Williams said she wants them to understand the people who sleep in her parish hall and hear their stories, including “some who work for the town of Ocean City.”

“Understand the miracles that are happening here,” Williams said. “This is the mission of the followers of Jesus Christ for all time and that we’re not going to stop.”

Source

Soccer camps may be packed this summer thanks to the FIFA World Cup, but there is another camp taking place at Oak Hill Elementary School in Herndon, Virginia, that could pay off for Fairfax County students.

Money Camp gives students a hands-on lesson in personal finance through a classroom town called Cent City. Over the five days, students take on jobs, manage bank accounts and even start their own businesses before selling their products at the end of the week.

Jeanette O’Malley, who co-founded Money Camp about 15 years ago and teaches sixth grade at Oak Hill Elementary School, said: 鈥淭he kids get a chance to see what we do with money as grown-ups.鈥�

鈥淜ids’ experience with money is to go to the store and buy whatever trinket or candy they want,鈥� O鈥橫alley said. 鈥淭hey don’t realize that there’s a whole economy out there with money circulating and serving different purposes.鈥�

Students begin the week by applying for jobs and deciding what products they want to sell. They then create prototypes and conduct market research to determine pricing and production before selling their goods at a Friday marketplace.

Of all the lessons on adulting, the one that surprised every single camper was the only thing other than death that Benjamin Franklin said was certain.

鈥淗ow much taxes take out of your pay,鈥� 10-year-old Surya Kosaraju said.

Kosaraju did not seem pleased when he found out that it may get worse when he gets older.

鈥淪hoot, I’m cooked,鈥� Kosaraju said.

Cathy Lahr, a Money Camp teacher at Oak Hill Elementary School, said students learn another lesson about navigating the real world.

鈥淭he kids have the option of buying insurance every day,鈥� Lahr said. 鈥淭hey never know when an accident is going to happen and when they need to show proof of insurance or they owe a lot of money.鈥�

Source

More than two centuries later, leaders of the law firm’s D.C. office said a people-first culture continues to drive employee retention and growth.

91欧美激情 spoke with Matt Kirtland and Marissa Alcala, copartners in charge of the firm’s D.C. office, about what they believe keeps employees at the firm for decades.

The law firm’s history began in London as Norton Rose. It has since expanded to more than 50 cities across Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. Its presence in the nation’s capital dates to the 1920s, when the Fulbright partners established a D.C. office focused on federal regulatory matters.

Rising through the ranks

Both Kirtland and Alcala understand what it鈥檚 like to start at the bottom and work their way up the corporate ladder.

鈥淚t’s the only law firm that I’ve worked for,鈥� Kirtland said. 鈥淚 started as a summer associate, which is like an intern in the summer after my second year of law school, and then I came back as a full-time associate after that.鈥�

That was in 1996, and three years later, Alcala also started as a summer associate.

鈥淚’ve passed my quarter-century mark with the firm,鈥� Alcala said. 鈥淲e have colleagues who have been here for 30 and 40 years in all job categories.鈥�

Asked why he has spent his entire professional career at Norton Rose Fulbright, Kirtland had a simple answer: 鈥淔or me, it has been the colleagues and the clients. Simple as that.鈥�

鈥淲e do pride ourselves on being a very sort of fun, challenging place to work,鈥� Kirtland said. 鈥淣ot all law firms can say that, and that reflects in the longevity of people staying, myself and Marissa included.鈥�

‘We’re not an office; we’re a community’

Alcala said the firm’s people-focused culture is a major reason employees remain for decades.

鈥淲e’re not an office; we’re a community,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he importance of every colleague who works in and contributes to this office, how important each of those individuals is to the success of our business and to the opportunities we have for our community here to thrive.鈥�

Both Alcala and Kirtland said that philosophy has long been part of the firm’s culture. Kirtland said he first heard it from the managing partner during orientation on his first day.

鈥淭he most important thing at our law firm is our people,鈥� Kirtland said, recalling the managing partner鈥檚 remarks. 鈥淲e have always put our people first, both our lawyers, our nonlawyers, our vendors. We are a very people-forward, people-friendly, people-centric law firm.鈥�

Source

The latest dangerous heat wave is pushing temperatures to record levels across the D.C. area, which is a fitting backdrop for 鈥淢easurement Day.鈥�

In Northern Virginia, the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions and George Mason University鈥檚 Virginia Climate Center sent out more than 30 teams of citizen scientists for the Urban Heat Island Mapping Project on Thursday.

Data of extreme heat gathered will be analyzed and used for maps and visualizations designed to help with urban planning decisions, support public health interventions and advance environmental equity.

91欧美激情 joined Meredith and John Haines, who are both oceanographers from Vienna, on one of their routes around Herndon.

An EZ Pass-sized sensor with magnets was on the roof of their EV SUV. Meredith said it turns the vehicle into a mobile weather station.

鈥淚t鈥檚 drawing air in through that vent on the front continuously,鈥� Meredith said.

Thursday afternoon was the second of three times the pair drove the same route through Herndon.

The first drive was at 6 a.m., the second was at 2 p.m., and the third happened later in the evening. Their route took them by single-family homes, apartment complexes, cul-de-sacs and downtown Herndon.

At the end of one mapping session, Meredith recorded a high of 36 degrees Celsius, which she graciously explained was 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

All of the data is sent back to George Mason through an app and Meredith said they expect to have a report in October.

Source

On Wednesday, with D.C.-area temperatures in the triple digits and a heat index between 103 and 105 degrees, 91欧美激情 headed to Banneker Pool in Northwest D.C.

A lot of people had the same idea.

The 50鈥憁eter outdoor aquatic center across Georgia Avenue NW from Howard University was packed with residents of all ages who didn鈥檛 mind sharing how, other than taking a dip, they stay cool in such brutal weather.

Someone who looked properly prepared was Lexx Hollywood, who had a small portable fan plugged into her iPhone. At home, she said she keeps her thermostat 鈥渄own to 60鈥� and has large fans all around the house.

Eating ice is Brittani Mason鈥檚 hot-weather hack. She said her home would be much cooler if it wasn鈥檛 for her three sons.

鈥淚n and out, changing clothes like fashion models,鈥� Mason said. 鈥淚n and out, just to get the air.鈥�

Shena Boyd, who was at the pool with her children, said she now 鈥渒nows why her grandmother used to say to close them blinds.鈥�

And Kaite Lower’s hot鈥憌eather must鈥慼aves: 鈥淎 Diet Coke and a lot of water, maybe even an electrolyte.鈥�

But the Florida native said this weather made her feel like she was 鈥渁t home.鈥�

Source

The documentary now part of WETA’s District Docs collection and streaming on WETA+, looks back at a time when the D.C. area’s music culture was shaped by a small free-form station in Bethesda, Maryland.

In an era when music radio playlists are corporate-controlled and tightly formatted, the film returns viewers to a very different moment in time, when DJs could build sets around whatever moved them, whether it was the news of the day or 10 songs about cheese.

Director Jay Schlossberg said WHFS reached listeners in ways that were not obvious at the time.

“We were getting our messages about what was happening culturally, socially, and politically through the music,” he told 91欧美激情. “It was the musicians of the day giving us these messages.”

Where many radio programmers go by the motto, “We do not break hits, we play them,” HFS lived by a different rule. Long before Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, the Police, U2 and Jimmy Buffett were filling stadiums, their music was introduced to D.C.-area audiences on HFS.

The documentary traces how WHFS grew from a struggling radio station into a progressive force.

One turning point came in 1969, when three young WHFS DJs 鈥� Josh Brooks, Mark Gorbulew and Sara Vass 鈥� returned from a show in upstate New York.

“Three weeks after they went on the air, this little concert happened,” Schlossberg said. “It was called Woodstock.”

The DJs brought a tape deck, interviewed artists including Jerry Garcia and Neil Young backstage, and aired those tapes on WHFS.

“Boom. Everybody was hearing about it,” Schlossberg said.

That access boosted HFS’ audience from 800 to 30,000, attracting a surge of advertising dollars that put the station in the black for the first time.

“Ironically, it was the hippies that caused the station to make money,” Schlossberg said. “As a hippie, you weren’t interested in making money.”

The film also highlights the personalities who defined the station. Tom Grooms, Weasel and Cerphe became familiar voices across the region. The station’s famous “high atop Triangle Towers” IDs became part of local culture, just as 91欧美激情’s “Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center” did decades later.

Schlossberg’s connection to WHFS goes back more than 50 years, “probably ’70 or ’71,” he said, when he first started listening.

By the summer of 1972, between his junior and senior years of high school, he was inside the building.

“I got a job at HFS,” Schlossberg said. “Yes, I was the janitor. I am so proud.”

He ran errands, picked things up and spent a few weeks working behind the scenes. It was his first look at the station that would later become the subject of his film.

In 1983, WHFS moved from 102.3 to the stronger 99.1 FM signal. In 2005, the station signed off for good.

Schlossberg decided to make the documentary in 2013 after seeing a photo of former WHFS DJs at an event.

“Oh my God, they are all not dead yet. Somebody needs to tell this story,” he said.

That moment led to interviews, archival digging and a project that eventually won a regional Emmy.

“Shocked me, really,” Schlossberg said. “It’s just been the most amazing thing I have ever done in my life.”

Source