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Mayor Gray Brings Surprise to Georgetown

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The Georgetown Dish
The Georgetown Dish

One of the most important Georgetown social events is the annual Friends of Volta Park fundraiser. Not just a Friday evening cocktail party and silent auction, it’s a whole weekend of events, including a tennis tournament, a community picnic, children’s games, a dunk tank and flea market – all this past weekend.

Started 17 years ago by John Richardson, everybody is pretty much tuned into the cadence of the evening, to the extent that Jack Evans, the long-time councilmember and Georgetown resident, had to say “come on folks, you know the drill,” as he tried to get the attention of the crowd.

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The Georgetown Dish
The Georgetown Dish

But Mayor Vincent Gray knew how to got everybody’s attention – with an announcement of $200,000 to upgrade the park’s tot-lot, the first commitment from a new city public-private partnership to assist neighborhoods that have shown the support Georgetown has for Volta Park. In response, John Lever, a principal park supporter, handed the Mayor a flower bouquet in a demonstrtion of surprised gratitude,

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The Georgetown Dish
The Georgetown Dish

The money will be well-spent, according to Lever. The lot has not been touched since 1986 and it needs new drainage system and replacement of the outmoded wood chip playing surface.

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The Georgetown Dish
The Georgetown Dish