The 2021 ACC Boat Ride

Philip Pannell, ACC Executive Director; Diane Groomes, Boat Ride Chair; Lamont Mitchell, ACC Board Chair

Monica Ray, ACC Board Vice Chair

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson across from Catherine Buell, ACC board member and Amazon staffer

by Phil Pannell; photos by Lamont Mitchell

On Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Anacostia Coordinating Council (ACC) hosted its 28th boat ride, a tradition interrupted only briefly by the pandemic in 2020.

At this “community reunion cruise,” 400 fully vaccinated and temperature-checked guests enjoyed three hours of good food and great weather on the four-deck ship. Live entertainment included a violinist, spoken word performer, an R&B and jazz duo. Of course, there was a Go-Go band.

This year’s ACC host sponsor was The District’s new corporate neighbor Amazon. The company was joined by another 11 co-sponsors. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) served as table hosts. The chair of this year's boat ride was former Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes, an ACC board member and director of security for The Wharf.

What made ACC's 28th boat ride its most successful was not just the record financial sponsorships, but the delight of reconnecting guests. Many of the participants had not seen one another in person since the beginning of the pandemic. The community needed and ACC delivered a true reunion!

Mark your calendars for ACC's 29th luncheon cruise on Oct. 1, 2022, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Visit www.anacostiacc.org for more information. u

Kipp and the band Pure Elegance

Paulette and Ashaki Holland-Jackson Stuart Anderson, ACC Community Engagement Director and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets and ACC board member, across from his wife Marjan

Sheila Bunn, Vice Chair, Bellevue Neighborhood Civic Association Kim Ford, President and CEO of Martha’s Table and staffers Kenny Allen and Company