The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free rides to Halloween partygoers who need a safe way to get home.

The SoberRide program will be offered from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Oct. 30-31. Residents ages 21 and older can call (800) 200-TAXI for a free (up to $50 fare) ride. AT&T Wireless users can call #-TAXI for the service.

SoberRide is available in the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland; and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia.

Since 1993 alone, WRAP has provided more than 26,000 free cab rides home to would-be impaired drivers.

For more information about WRAP’s SoberRide program, go online to www.soberride.com.

Catalyst Theater Presents ‘Letters to the President’

As Election Day nears, individual voices will have the opportunity to be heard through the performance piece, “Dear George: Letters to the President,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 543 Seventh St. SE.

Put on by the Catalyst Theater Co. in association with West 50th Street Productions, the performance includes a compilation of open letters written to the president by Americans from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and those who are overseas. Topics of the 1,500 letters received for this project range from the war in Iraq to gay marriage to the economy.

Local actors will be a part of the performance, including D.C. actors Tricia McCauley, Ralph and Beverly Cosham and CTC member Jesse Terrill. The piece will be directed by CTC member Christopher Janson.

While the show is a “pay what you can” event, those who wish to attend are encouraged to reserve seats via e-mail at catalysttheater@aol.com or by calling (202) 249-8202.

Additional information is available online at www.west50.com or www.catalysttheater.com. The letters can be viewed at www.deargeorgeletters.com.

DC Vote Honors Its ‘Champions of Democracy’

The D.C. advocacy organization DC Vote honored its 2004 Champions of Democracy last night in a ceremony at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The awards are given each year to individuals and groups who have worked to help secure full voting representation for the District of Columbia and have educated the public about the District’s lack of voting rights.

This year, DC Vote honored D.C. City Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2); Catherine Hughes, founder and chairwoman of Radio One Inc., the largest black-owned and operated broadcast company in the nation; and the Grammy Award-winning female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, who have been longtime advocates for ending taxation without representation.

The Champions of Democracy Awards have been given out annually since 2001, and former recipients include Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

— Amy Carlile, Jennifer Lash and John McArdle