By Lani Gering

All of our regular readers know how fond I am of The Wheel in the Harbor. I am very excited to see what the new lighting makeover is going to entail. Construction began in mid-September and they are installing new state of the art technology that will include brighter lights, animation, logos, text and more! I am really looking forward to seeing what the “animation” option is going to include.

Our friends at the wheel provided the following detailed info about the makeover:

The Capital Wheel has been spinning for 10 years, marking countless celebrations with spectacular light shows and providing breathtaking views year-round. As part of the celebration the wheel will be receiving a full makeover with a new state of the art technical lighting package that will run 40 plus frames per second compared to the current 10 frames per second allowing the lights to produce animation, text messages, company logos, more detailed lighting shows, and so much more.

“For the last ten years The Capital Wheel has been an icon at National Harbor,” said Derek Lovato, vice president and general manager at The Capital Wheel and Flight Deck. “Millions of people visit every year to experience National Harbor, eat at fantastic restaurants and take a spin on the wheel. This new lighting technology is going to be out of this world. Our guests will be able to propose with personalized messages, reveal their baby’s gender with colors, graphics and text, organizations can promote their cause with logos, and we will be able to cheer on our local sports teams with their iconic graphics. The sky really is the limit with this new lighting system, and we can’t wait to unveil it later in the year.”

“We’re delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Capital Wheel with this spectacular new lighting technology,” said Kent Digby, EVP, Asset Management, Operations & Marketing for National Harbor. “Over the past 10 years, The Capital Wheel has traveled more than 33,000 miles and has delighted millions of guests. This Washington, D.C. icon will continue to light the way to National Harbor for years to come.”

Construction on The Wheel began on September 16th with the old lights being removed, followed by a fresh coat of paint and then installation of the new lighting system. The wheel is closed Mondays through Thursdays in order to complete construction as quickly as possible. The Wheel and Flight Deck waterfront lounge will only be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday until construction is completed.

Plans are to reopen before the launch of the holiday season, when they will have multiple new holiday shows and exciting viewing opportunities for guests. Guests who follow The Capital Wheel on Facebook and Instagram can follow construction updates and maybe see a sneak peek of the light being tested before the reopening.

About the Wheel: The Capital Wheel is a large-scale observation wheel. The iconic attraction, celebrating 10 years of #wheelfun in 2024, is 180-feet high with 42 climate-controlled gondolas each seating up to eight passengers.  For more information, www.thecapitalwheel.com.

He Is As Good As New!

The Awakening, National Harbor’s iconic sculpture of a distressed giant rising up from the sand has recovered from some major surgery on his shin in August. It was the first time the sculpture had undergone any repairs since being purchased for $740,000 and being moved from its original location on Hains Point to National Harbor.

Seward Johnson II was the artist who created the 70 foot across and 15 feet high sculpture that is now 43 years old. The Awakening is in a prominent location where it has a lot of engagement including being climbed on, which is what wore away a portion of the shin the statue. National Harbor commissioned the Seward Johnson Atelier Inc’s restoration team to create a component for the shin replacement.

When I went to take a photo of his new shin, the statue was laying in about a foot of water due to the rain and high tide that day so the photo featured here is an archived pic but rest assured, his leg looks pretty good and I am sure there will be thousands of people climbing on him again as the holidays approach us.