Weekend Round Up August 29, 2019
By • August 29, 2019 0 1072
Justice Ginsburg, David McCullough and José Andrés will be at the National Book Festival on Saturday. And the portcullis will be hoisted this weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Annapolis. The Labor Day party at the W Hotel starts on Sunday night. Monday’s Labor Day festivities include a wine tasting in Herndon and a parade in Olde Towne Gaithersburg. For more events leading into September, visit The Georgetowner’s online calendar.
Final Performances: ‘Legally Blonde’
Elle Woods appears to have it all, but her life is turned upside down when her boyfriend dumps her to go to Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, she charms her way into the prestigious school, only to struggle with … well, you know what happens, don’t you? Final performances at the Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW, are: Thursday, Aug 29, Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $63, $58 for seniors (62 and up) and $53 for under age 25. For details, visit keegantheatre.com or call 202-265-3767.
Final Performances: ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’
Recommended for ages 3 ½ to 9, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” is a 40-minute marionette romp in which a trio of brothers get the goat of a hen-pecked troll. Three variety numbers precede the performance, demonstrating how to make a simple hand puppet and how to manipulate rod puppets and marionettes. Final performances at the Puppet Co. Playhouse, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard in Glen Echo, Maryland, are: Friday, Aug. 30, at 11 a.m.; and Saturday, Aug. 31, and Sunday, Sept. 1, at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $12. For details, visit thepuppetco.org or call 301-634-5380.
Textile Museum Exhibition Preview
Bringing together rarely displayed artworks from the fourth century to the 12th century, the exhibition “Woven Interiors: Furnishing Early Medieval Egypt” — on view through Jan. 5 at the GWU Museum and the Textile Museum, 701 21st Street NW — will reveal how textiles infused warmth and beauty into Egypt’s interior spaces. Museum members are invited to preview “Woven Interiors” on Friday, Aug. 30, the day before it opens to the public, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. To join online, visit museum.gwu.edu or call 202-994-5242.
Maryland Renaissance Festival
On Saturday, Aug. 31, Sunday, Sept. 1, and Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the 27-acre English village of “Revel Grove” — on the Anne Arundel Fairgrounds, 1821 Crownsville Road in Annapolis, Maryland — will come to life for the Maryland Renaissance Festival. There will be combat-armored jousting on horseback, streets filled with village characters and performances on 10 stages. The festival continues on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 20. Daily tickets through Sept. 8 are $20 for ages 6 to 61, $18 for age 62 and up and $9 for ages 7 to 15 (free for under 7). For details, visit rennfest.com.
National Book Festival
The 2019 Library of Congress National Book Festival — on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. — will bring more than 140 nationally recognized authors, poets and illustrators to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW. The lineup includes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, eminent historians David McCullough and Michael Beschloss, celebrity chef and humanitarian José Andrés, graphic novel superstar Raina Telgemeier and Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction recipient Richard Ford. Admission is free. For details, visit loc.gov.
DC Murals Walking Tour
Participants in this walking tour, on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will experience the breathtaking murals in the Shaw, U Street and Columbia Heights neighborhoods, exploring the origins and meanings behind some of the city’s most striking public art. The tour begins at the Columbia Heights Metro station, 3030 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
Opening Reception: Veronica Melendez Photography
Also on Saturday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be a free opening reception for an exhibition of photography by Veronica Melendez at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. For three months last spring, Melendez — who has a BFA from the Corcoran and an MFA from the University of Hartford — worked in CHAW’s darkroom and digital photographic facilities on a project about her grandmother’s eight daughters, nearly all of whom migrated to D.C from Guatemala in the 1980s. For details, visit chaw.org or call 202-547-6839.
Magician Richard Bloch at Mansion on O
The originator of more than a hundred magic effects used by professionals worldwide, magician Richard Bloch will appear on Sunday, Sept. 1, from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Mansion on O Street, 2020 O St. NW. This family-friendly event includes a deck of cards and a secret so attendees can do their own magic. Doors open at 3 p.m. with a cash bar available. Proceeds go to support the artist-in-residence, Heroes and other programs at O Museum in the Mansion. Tickets are $30. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
UB40 at Wolf Trap
On Sunday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road in Vienna, Virginia, reggae favorites including “Red Red Wine,” “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You” and “Kingston Town” will be performed by UB40, featuring original vocalist Ali Campbell and founding member Astro. Grammy winner Shaggy will sing hits like “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel.” Tickets are $40 to $60. For details, visit wolftrap.org or call 703-255-1900.
Labor Day Party at the W Hotel
Starting the night before Labor Day, from 9 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, to 2 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, the W Washington D.C., 515 15th St. NW, will throw a party on the hotel rooftop overlooking the monuments. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their favorite summer outfits for this ode to the end of a long, hot summer. Advance tickets (required) are $20. Table reservations are also available. For details, visit eventbrite.com.
Herndon Labor Day Festival
The town of Herndon, Virginia, will hold a Labor Day festival featuring wine and craft beer tastings on the green, 777 Lynn St., on Monday, Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (tastings end at 4 p.m.). The event also includes live music on two stages, a craft show, a sponsorship gallery and a variety of food vendors. Tasting bracelets are $25. Admission is $5 for music only/designated drivers and free for age 12 and under. For details, visit herndon-va.gov.
Olde Towne Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade
Now in its 81st year, the Gaithersburg Labor Day Parade will return to the streets of Olde Towne, Summit and Diamond Avenues in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Monday, Sept. 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. This free, rain-or-shine event includes dance groups, antique cars and fire trucks, clowns, high school marching bands and an assortment of community groups and equestrian units. For details, visit gaithersburgmd.gov.
