Get ready for the Kick-Off Event for the Ball on the Mall, the enchanting night amid moonlight and monuments that attracts hundreds of young professionals to “America’s Front Yard” to feast, dance and raise money for the National Mall’s restoration. Mark your calendar. The pre-event get-together takes place on Wednesday, February 16, from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
The Trust for the National Mall’s L’Enfant Society will host the affair at Cities, located at 919 19th Street. The Society is a young professionals group that supports the Trust in its mission to raise money and awareness to support the underfunded and overused Mall, which receives more than 25 million visitors a year.
Fortunately, the Mall continues to benefit from the largess of Downtown property owner Chip Akridge, chairman of Akridge (601 13th Street), the full-service real estate firm. He launched the Trust for the National Mall formally in 2007 and is its chairman and major benefactor. As the National Park Service’s (NPS) official non-profit partner, the Trust has raised several million dollars in private funds to assist with Mall improvements.
L’Enfant Society members receive complimentary admission to the Kick-Off Event. Non-members must pay $25 each. For more information, visit www.nationalmall.org.