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Rain on Earth Day’s Parade

District Concert Ended by Storms

The tents were pitched, the sound was cued and the stage was set. Everything humanly possible was taken care of to ensure the flagship event of the Earth Day Network (EDN) would run without a hitch.

As Major Edward A. Murphy Jr. would have it though, it was the one uncontrollable aspect outside of the humanly realm that resulted in the most lethal of hitches: the weather.

The forecast for Sunday, April 20 predicted rain, but the hundreds of supporters and spectators of the event were undeterred; they arrived in full force, armed with raincoats and galoshes.

There were those patrons who either missed the forecast or chose to ignore it, as they donned their flip-flops and shorts.

With Edward Norton as the emcee, “Earth Day 2008 on the National Mall” guaranteed to be six and a half hours of green-geared knowledge and entertainment.

The free event, hosted by the Earth Day Network in conjunction with Green Apple Festival , was to include performances by a number of “diverse artists,” according to a press release from Green Apple.

The concert in the District was one of eight of its kind, with seven other free events taking place simultaneously in New York City, Miami, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Coined “America’s largest Earth Day Celebration,” the concerts included musical renditions by Mickey Hart in San Francisco and Jon Fishman in Los Angeles.

Household names like Jordin Sparks, the Roots, Talib Kweli and Doug E. Fresh, and even local acts Mambo Sauce and the D.C. Boys Choir were scheduled to perform at the National Mall.

Due to electrical storms which began at about 3:45 p.m., the District’s concert ended prematurely, just before the Roots’ performance. Patrons were encouraged to take shelter inside the Smithsonian Museum across the street.

A disappointed audience made its way off the Mall, amidst rain, lightning and thunder.

With Earth Day being celebrated across the globe on April 22, EDN has not announced any secondary events to replace this past Sunday’s foiled concert.