These guys, who go by the unfortunate name "Madison Lively Stones", are one of the best things about summertime in DC. Two or three times a week they come to the north side of Dupont Circle and play for a couple hours starting just before sundown.

The size of the band changes from day to day - sometimes as many as 20. As long as they can muster a critical mass of 10 or so, they get the sidewalk swaying, with crowds that sometimes number in the hundreds. Tourists are astonished, children are delighted, and those of us who commute through the circle on foot or bicycle are grateful for a great end to the day.