Weekend Round Up August 24, 2017
By • August 24, 2017 0 630
In addition to events in the District — German games, a Georgetown walking tour, a concert by Kyrgyz musicians — there are good reasons to visit surrounding towns this weekend: Dixieland in Glen Echo, restaurant deals in Alexandria, outdoor films in North Bethesda and a bachata fest in Silver Spring.
Dixieland at Glen Echo Park
Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m., the U.S. Marine Band’s Dixieland Ensemble will give a free concert in the Bumper Car Pavilion at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard in Glen Echo, Maryland. The Dentzel Carousel will be open from 7 to 9 p.m. for $1.25 per ride. Visitors can bring a picnic dinner or dine at Praline at Glen Echo. For details, visit glenechopark.org or call 301-634-2222.
Alexandria Restaurant Week
More than 60 restaurants are offering a $35 three-course dinner for one or a $35 dinner for two during Alexandria Summer Restaurant Week, which continues through Sunday, Aug. 27 in the historic city across the Potomac. More than two dozen will also offer lunch deals at $10, $15 or $20 per person. For details, visit visitalexandriava.com.
Outdoor Films at Strathmore
The Comcast Xfinity Outdoor Film Festival will take place at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Maryland, from Aug. 24 to 26, with screenings at dusk (around 7:30 p.m.). On Thursday, the film is “Moana”; on Friday, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”; and on Saturday, “The Lego Batman Movie.” Dinner is available from Ridgewells. For details, visit strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
I Love Bachata Festival
This is the second year of the festival, which is dedicated to bachata, a style of music that originated in the Dominican Republic. It will be held in Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, Sunday, Aug. 27, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with an after-party that goes until 2 a.m. Monday. Featured artists will include Yoscar Sarante, Joe Veras, Dominic Marte and Steve Style. General admission is free, but VIP tickets, including admission to the after-party (otherwise $10) are $50. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
Meanwhile, back in the District …
German Games and a Movie
Goethe-Institut, 1990 K St. NW, is holding a game night and a film screening on Friday, Aug. 25. The evening of board and card games — featuring classics such as Bohnanza alongside newer favorites such as Alhambra, Tigris & Euphrates and Settlers of Catan — begins at 5 p.m. Admission is $5 and drinks and snacks will be offered. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a free screening of “Finsterworld,” a 2013 film directed by Frauke Finsterwalder set in a Germany that has seeming been plucked out of time. However, an abyss lurks beneath the beautiful façade. For details, visit goethe.de or call 202-847-4700.
Military Family Appreciation Day
The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW, will recognize and honor veterans of the U.S. armed forces with a free program for the whole family on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 11:30 a.m. Participants will create art, learn about American heroes, design their own exhibitions, have their photos taken and tap their toes to live music in the courtyard. For details, visit npg.si.edu or call 202-633-8300.
Georgetown Heights Walking Tour
Dwane Starlin, a member of the Guild of Professional Tour Guides, will take participants on a two-hour walking tour of Georgetown mansions, servants’ quarters and cemeteries in the neighborhood around Dumbarton House on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 1 p.m. The tour will visit the Mt. Zion Methodist & Female Union Band Cemeteries, Herring Hill, Rose and Montrose Parks and Oak Hill Cemetery. Meet at the corner of Q and 27th Streets NW by the Dumbarton House garden gates. Admission is $18. For details, visit dumbartonhouse.org or call 202-337-2288.
Kyrgyz American Foundation Concert
On Saturday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m., the free Millennium Stage series at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW, will feature a concert organized by the Kyrgyz American Foundation. The performers will include concert pianists Aza Sydykov and Jonathan Levin, soprano Nikoleta Rallis, cellist Nurmira Greenberg, komuz instrumentalist Perizat Kopobaeva and jazz pianist Joel Martin. The komuz is a traditional Kyrgyz instrument. For details, visit kennedy-center.org or call 800-444-1324.
H Street Comedy Night
Also on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m., Driftwood Kitchen, 400 H St. NE, will host its weekly comedy showcase, emceed by Elena Tores. No cover and no minimum, so (in their words) you can laugh the night away without worrying about your annoying friend Dave’s venmo “working.” RSVP on eventbrite.com or call 202-803-2651.
And here’s a show for the kids at Glen Echo Park …
‘Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook’
Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Bouleard, Glen Echo, Maryland, presents “Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook” on Saturday, Aug. 26, and Sunday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. When Junie B. Jones, with her two bestest friends in the world, loses her new furry mittens to some “stealers,” she has to investigate. But Junie B. might have something she forgot to return, too. The show is recommended for all ages. Admission is $19.50. For details, visit adventuretheatre-mtc.org or call 301-634-2270.
