Georgetown Unveils Unique Program to Protect Visitors From the Summer Sun

Georgetown is introducing one of the most unique sharing programs yet: starting this week, visitors can share parasols -- umbrellas that protect from the sun.

The Georgetown Business Improvement District is introducing Georgetown ParasolShare, which is a courtesy program that begins Friday, June 17 and allows visitors to the area to "share" a nylon parasol as they shop.

Once the visitor is done shopping, they simply return the parasol to a participating location. Nearly 50 stores, restaurants and hotels will be participating along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, as well as side streets, so expect to see them popping up everywhere this summer.

"By coupling the ParasolShare program with other shopper amenities such as the M Street weekend sidewalk widenings and free weekend Circulator rides, we hope the visitor experience will be as comfortable as possible," Joe Sternlieb, Georgetown BID CEO, said in a statement. "This has been a really fun and creative idea for our organization to develop and to bring our community of both local, homegrown merchants and national retailers together. If it’s embraced by the public, we’d love to bring it back next season."

The parasols will hopefully provide a more comfortable experience for Georgetown shoppers during the hot summer moths. The program will run through August.

To see a full list of ParasolShare locations, visit: www.georgetowndc.com/parasolsh...

Image via Wikimedia