Latest News

Georgetowner • December 17, 2015

Holiday Living Room Live – Jazz & Holiday Tunes by the Fireplace (FREE)

December 17th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Free | info@artsoiree.com | Tel: 202-470-2642 | Event Website

Take a break from the holiday season’s hustle and bustle, as you cozy up by the wood burning fireplace and enjoy the best of merry tunes in the company of friends and music lover.

Thursday, December 17th will feature Holiday & Jazz Tunes by Sally Linderma, who is a classically trained vocalist and is equally at home singing cabaret, show tunes, pop and jazz.

Seating is on the first come basis. Doors open 7pm. Live Performance start 8pm. Meet & Mingle w/ the artist 10:30pm

Address

The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown; 3100 South Street NW

IMPROV ACTUALLY

December 18th, 2015 at 10:00 PM

Drawing inspiration from the movie “Love Actually,” the Christmas-themed show takes place in Washington, D.C. Improv Actually introduces us to an eclectic mix of Washingtonians who are falling in love, falling out of love, and (quite possibly) falling back in love again.

Address

Source – 1835 14th St., NW

Star Wars Dance Party!

December 19th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | FREE WITH RSVP | carol@artwhino.com | Tel: 301-567-8210 | Event Website

Storm troopers and Jedis from galaxies far and near rejoice for Art Whino’s: Star Wars Dance Party! Show us your best moves as you traverse through our intergalactic 9000sqft terrain as we celebrate the release of the much anticipated movie. Grab a frosty beverage at Chalmun’s Cantina while you watch Star Wars themed live painting. Get ready to capture your fun with a photo booth ready for you to take your memories as you continue your adventures to other galaxies.

Address

WHINO on H St; 700 H St NE

Washington, DC 20002

Washington Bach Consort presents “Christmas with the Consort”

December 20th, 2015 at 03:00 PM | Tel: 202-429-2121 | Event Website

Washington Bach Consort presents “Christmas with the Consort”

Consort Chorus

Todd Fickley, organ

Join the Consort Chorus for a dynamic program of choral and organ music, featuring the stupendous virtuosity of Todd Fickley on the world-renowned Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ at National Presbyterian Church. Experience the Consort in a diverse program of magnificent repertoire, both old and new, written for this special time of year.

All programs are subject to change without notice.

Address

National Presbyterian Church; 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW

A Choral Arts Christmas

December 20th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | $15 and up | choralarts@choralarts.org | Tel: 2022443669 | Event Website

Capture the joy of the season with a beloved Washington tradition! A Choral Arts Christmas celebrates the holidays with a magical mix of seasonal classics, favorite sing-alongs, and popular Christmas standards. Featuring Terry Bingham, trumpet, as a guest soloist.

Repertoire includes I Wonder as I Wander, Sleigh Ride, O Holy Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Jingle Bells, Silent Night, and more from Choral Arts and our special guests!

Address

2700 F St NW

Carols & Cocktails

December 20th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | $79 and up | youngpatrons@choralarts.org | Tel: 2022443669 | Event Website

Join us for a festive evening of music and holiday celebration!

Attend Choral Arts’ “A Choral Arts Christmas” holiday concert featuring Terry Bingham on trumpet, and a carol sing-along in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Followed by our exclusive after-party featuring light hors d’oeuvres, desserts, beer, and wine at the Hamilton!

Tickets include two free drinks. Additional drinks will be available via cash bar.

Ticket packages are limited and will sell out!

Address

Concert:

Kennedy Center Concert Hall; 2700 F St NW

Party:

The Loft at The Hamilton; 600 14th St NW, Second Floor

Holiday Cocktails and Christmas Flowers

December 21st, 2015 at 06:00 PM | $69 | iricchi@aol.com | Tel: 202-835-0459 | Event Website

Sip sparkling holiday cocktails while you craft a floral arrangement for your Christmas table. Floral designers from Palace Florists will provide expert tips for creating a beautiful arrangement. Keep it for yourself or give away as a gift!

Address

Ristorante i Ricchi; 1220 19th Street, NW

Robert Devaney • December 14, 2015

Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company celebrated 25 years on Dec. 1 at its Glover Park location. The hometown favorite opened its doors at 2418 Wisconsin Ave. NW in 1990 during a time when few restaurants were seriously centered around barbecue.

It become an instant hit, especially after the Washington Post gave the new joint a great review: “some of the best barbecued meat and accompaniments north of the Carolinas and east of Texas.”

Arriving from Washington and Lee University, where he perfected his special Washington barbecue sauce, Rocklands founder John Snedden catered his first party in 1983, when he won first place for ribs in the International Barbecue Competition.

“The restaurant’s original barbecue sauce—still its house sauce today—marries a tomato base with plenty of onions and vinegar, still Snedden’s favorite not-sweet complement to chopped pork,” according to the company. Also, Rocklands still cooks the same way, “including smoking only over wood (no gas), offering a limited and barbecue-true menu, and serving the original vinegary barbecue sauce to accompany its smoked meats.”

Neverthless, the company adds, “the menu at Rocklands has changed slightly over the years, including the addition of grilled salmon, more vegetarian options and creation of two ‘sister’ sauces to the original barbecue sauce. The company has been ahead of the clean-food curve as well: In part as a response to the Snedden family’s own dietary changes, everything Rocklands serves is free of artificial dyes. By making the salads and sides in-house, the restaurant can also ensure that only wholesome ingredients go into the dishes.”

While remaining true to his own grill rules, Snedden — involved in business association and other philanthropic efforts — is happy about the food progress he has seen in the last quarter center.

“The whole restaurant scene in D.C. has changed in the last 25 years,” he said. “We have more specialized cuisines, and many more options at the high and low end. This means that for the past few years, we’ve be able to buy reliably from local growers and meat purveyors, so that I can offer truly regional foods, which is how barbecue should be. Everybody wins from the fact that Washington has become a true food town.”

Besides its original Washington, D.C., Rocklands has three other locations, Alexandria, Arlington and Rockville — and continues to runs its popular catering operation. And, yes, it has four food trucks.

For its birthday on Dec. 1, Rocklands rolled back the price of its chopped pork sandwich went–from $5.99 to $3.99 — and hosted a pig pull during the evening, open to all customers.
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Robert Devaney • December 9, 2015

One day after Halloween when D.C. endured six shootings – including the shooting along the 2800 block of M Street, N.W., of a 17-year-old boy, who remains in George Washington University Hospital near death – law enforcement officials attended the Nov. 1 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

An officer from the Metropolitan Police Department is a regular visitor. However, attorneys from the Office of United States Attorney for the District of Columbia were special speakers, scheduled before Georgetown’s violent and near-wilding Halloween – it only added to underline the frustration of random muggings, urban crimes and other violence.

MPD’s Capt. Jeffrey Herold said officers were positioned along the town’s commercial corridor and its street corners. There were three robbery arrests along with three persons whose firearms were taken away, he said. The homicide unit is still investigating the shooting on M Street. As others muttered about the amped up groups of black teenagers, Herold – a veteran of many Georgetown Halloweens – said that this year’s Halloween had been “more dramatic.”

Ronald C. Machen Jr. , the U.S. Attorney for the District, already scheduled to speak at the meeting, asked for the community’s willingness to come forward and cooperate, especially as witnesses to a crime. He acknowledged everyone’s frustration with young persons who grow up in a fatherless or broken home and then display “a brazen lack of respect” toward those in their life and in public. He also shared with the audience the huge socioeconomic – if not moral – problems of youths who do not respect the law: “Somehow you have to get through to these kids.”

While he said his office would ask for long sentences for violent crimes, Machen added that law enforcement officials “can’t arrest our way out of the problem.” He also said his office would prosecute 16-year-olds as adults if the crime warrants it: “If you commit an adult crime, you’re going to do adult time.”

Machen, who lives in the same police district as Georgetown and sends his children to D.C. public schools, said gang activity is not suspected in the Georgetown shooting. As the Second District Community Prosecutor, Trena Carrington, assistant attorney in the office, acts as the prosecutor for Georgetown; her phone number is 202-715-7374.

Georgetowner •

Georgetown Heritage, the new nonprofit “with the mission of promoting and presenting the history of Washington D.C.’s oldest neighborhood,” named Terrie S. Rouse as its executive director.

“Rouse is a seasoned museum and nonprofit professional with experience in start-ups, museums, interpretive centers and visitor centers,” according to Georgetown Heritage. “Previously, she served as chief operating officer for the launch of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and was CEO for Visitor Services at the United States Capitol Visitor Center.

Georgetown Heritage says its first priority is “to restore and revitalize the Georgetown section of the C&O Canal National Historical Park,” and adds, “In recent years budget cuts have forced the National Park Service to eliminate educational programming and defer important maintenance work in Georgetown, leaving canal infrastructure in disrepair. Georgetown Heritage was created by local business leaders and residents to address these issues.”

The nonprofit has administrative, staff and office support thanks to the Georgetown Business Improvement District. The group says that BID CEO Joe Sternlieb and two BID board members serve on the Georgetown Heritage board along with neighborhood leaders.

Rouse has 35 years of experience in nonprofit and museum management. She worked for Kansas City’s Union Station, a historic landmark, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the New York Transit Museum.

Robert Devaney •

One of this town’s, Washington, D.C.s and America’s great houses and gardens, Tudor Place, will celebrate 200 years of life and history in Georgetown next year.

“This is a remarkable and dynamic place,” said Mark Hudson, the new executive director of Tudor Place. “We’re making new discoveries every day, learning about life and culture in the capital city over two centuries.”
“America’s story lives at Tudor Place,” as the landmark museum officials say, “animated by the lives of six generations of the Peter family, their community and the enslaved and free people who worked for them.”

Built by Martha Parke Custis Peter — Martha Washington’s granddaughter — and husband Thomas Peter in 1816, the estate at 1644 31st St. NW is a treasure trove of America’s first first family.

Taking up five-and-a-half acres in the city, Tudor Place opened to the public in 1988. It has an array of programs for 2016 — from a Presidents’ Day open house, a Peters family reunion, its annual garden party (Tudor Place is the honoree) and a birthday party for the estate on July 2. There will be an 1816 Dinner in October.

Peter Murray • December 7, 2015

To celebrate Small Business Saturday, President Obama, along with his daughters Sasha and Malia, patronized Upshur Street Books, an independently owned bookstore in Washington’s quickly gentrifying Petworth neighborhood. The 800-square-foot Upshur Street Books opened last year thanks to Paul Ruppert, owner of Petworth Citizen and Crane & Turtle, restaurants that abut the bookstore on either side. Aside from the Obama family stop, the store celebrated Small Business Saturday with baked treats, free drinks and discounts.

After buying a number of books, including Jonathan Franzen’s “Purity: A Novel” and the latest chronicles from the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, Barack, Sasha and Malia were off to Adams Morgan, where they stopped at Pleasant Pops for some frozen confections. (Read The Downtowner’s profile on Pleasant Pops here.) According to the Washington Post, President Obama declared the shop’s pops “the highlight of Small Business Saturday, before departing the store with a wave and a “happy holidays.”

Peter Murray •

Tonight, President Obama and his family will turn on the lights for the 93rd annual National Christmas Tree Lighting held at the Ellipse in President’s Park. While hundreds will attend, and thousands more will watch at home, D.C. workers and residents will have to deal with the traffic nightmare presented every time the White House holds a major event. Below is a list of road closures so that you can avoid traffic and get home quickly tonight, maybe even to turn on the tree lighting ceremony when you get home.

– 17th Street, NW closed from Independence Avenue to New York Avenue, NW
– 15th Street, NW closed from Independence Avenue to New York Avenue, NW
– Constitution Avenue from 14th Street to 18th Street, NW
– Pennsylvania Avenue from 14th Street to 15th Street, NW
– Madison Drive from 14th Street to 15th Street
– Jefferson Drive from 14th Street to 15th Street

Anyone with a ticket to the ceremony should beware of heightened security, which restricts a large number of items allowed into the event. The list of restricted items includes large bags and backpacks, aerosols, coolers and balloons in addition to obvious leave-at-home items like laser pointers, weapons, ammunition, toy guns, mace, explosives and pets.

Guests can enter the ceremony through a secured entrance on 17th St. NW.

Georgetowner •

Tudor Nights: Make Merry in the Mansion!
December 3rd, 2015 at 06:30 PM | 0-20 | fherman@tudorplace.org | Tel: 202-580-7321 | Event Website](http://www.tudorplace.org/event/tudor-nights-make-merry-in-the-mansion/)

See Tudor Place sparkle in a holiday installation that blends contemporary design with the traditions of 200 years. Enjoy seasonal libations and delicious snacks and appetizers, and tour a mansion decorated to dazzle yet highlighting rare artifacts — like the 19th-century goosefeather tree dripping with ornaments from the earliest days of Christmas trees in America. What better way to kick off your holidays than with this evening of old and new under the glitter of chandeliers?
Address

1644 31St Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007

Over The Rhine
December 4th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | $25-$28 | wolftrap@wolftrap.org | Tel: 703-255-1900 | Event Website](http://www.wolftrap.org/tickets/calendar/performance/1516barns/1204show15.aspx)

Uplifting Americana duo whose “soul-nourishing music” (LA Times) will transport you to “The Edge of the World”
Address

The Barns at Wolf Trap
1635 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182

Gas Station Horror
December 4th, 2015 at 09:00 PM

From NYC, Gas Station Horror is a high-energy improv show that turns terrible horror movies into excellent comedy. For this special edition they are bringing horror to the Holiday with films like Silent Night, Zombie Night.
Address

Source – 1835 14th St. NW

Great Falls Holiday Fest, Dec 5 & 6
December 5th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | free | GreatFallsStudios@gmail.com | Tel: 7037599386 | [Event Website](http://www.greatfallsstudios.com/)

10 AM – 5 PM. 23 artists@ Grange – Original art, prints, photography, pottery, holiday gifts and more
Noon – 4PM. Santa @Old Schoolhouse,authors storytelling! Music,dance, food at Grange, ornaments atArts of Great Falls, demonstrations at art studios. Sunday, 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM.Celebration of Lights -cider,cocoa,Yule log,song. Petting zoo, ponies,live nativity. Santa and Mrs.too! By Great Falls Studios,Fairfax County Park Authority, Celebrate Great Falls,Arts of Great Falls.

Address

Great Falls Grange and Olde Schoolhouse
9818 Georgetown Pike
Great Falls, VA 22066

Smithsonian Holiday Festival
December 5th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | [Event Website](http://www.si.edu/Events/Calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Dseries%26seriesid%3D1106471)

The Smithsonian will host its 2015 holiday festival December 5 & 6. This year’s festival is the Smithsonian’s largest holiday festival to date with 10 participating museums!

The holiday festival will feature family-friendly concerts, Mars Chocolate demonstrations, a Star Wars C-3PO costume exhibit, the world’s largest LEGO American Flag exhibit, free film screenings, trunk shows, book signings, festive food, free gift-wrapping and hours of additional family-friendly entertainment.
Address

National Mall and Smithsonian Museums

Holidays Through History Open House
December 5th, 2015 at 04:00 PM | $20 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | [Event Website](http://dumbartonhouse.org/)

Make your merry way among three historic houses featuring period installations from the Federal period to the 1960s. Dumbarton House, Anderson House, and Woodrow Wilson House all offer a festive evening of elegance, refreshments, and ornaments to make at each site.
Address

Dumbarton House, 2715 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Breakfast with Santa at Volta Park
December 6th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | free | [Event Website](http://voltapark.org/)

Come sit and take photos with the DC areas best looking Santa while enjoying crafts, coffee, food, Christmas carolers and fun. Arrive early to see Santa’s magical sleigh. Festivities will be held on the playground. This event is free.
Address

Georgetown Volta Park Playground. 1555 34th St NW, Washington, DC 20007

Holiday Wreath Workshop
December 6th, 2015 at 12:00 PM | $60 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | [Event Website](http://dumbartonhouse.org/)

Create a festive holiday wreath with a new twist: dried herbs! We provide the greens, forms, and fragrant herbs including silver king, sage, rosemary and lavender for you to create a beautiful and aromatic wreath to adorn your front door. Materials are provided to complete a ten inch wreath. For parties of 15+, please contact education@dumbartonhouse.org.

Address

Dumbarton House, 2715 Q Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

A Celtic Christmas
December 6th, 2015 at 04:00 PM | $30-$35 | office@dumbartonconcerts.org | Tel: 2029652000, ext. 100 | [Event Website](http://www.dumbartonconcerts.org/)

A Celtic Christmas. The Barnes and Hampton Consort, flutist Joseph Cunliffe, percussionist Steve Bloom, and radio celebrity Robert Aubry Davis return to Dumbarton Concerts with this annual Christmas tradition, featuring well-known pieces like “In the Bleak Midwinter”, traditional Irish music, and readings of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas, as well as other poems by Langston Hughes.
Address

3133 Dumbarton St. NW

Fairfax Choral Society Youth Choirs Present “There is Peace”
December 8th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | $8-$25 | office@fairfaxchoralsociety.org | Tel: 703-642-3277 | [Event Website](http://www.fairfaxchoralsociety.org/)

Today our world is pervaded by conflict, violence and fear, but there is hope – there is peace! Our Central Campus Youth Da Capo Choir, Lyric Choir, Treble Choir, Concert Choir and Master Singers will lift your spirits with the sounds of the season. Our holiday concert will include a wide array of styles, genres, and instrumentation. Throughout this concert our audience will be reminded that, “there is peace when we look in the eyes of our children and feel the touch of their hands.”
Address

Annandale United Methodist Church
6935 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003

Winternational
December 9th, 2015 at 11:00 AM | Free | [Event Website](http://www.itcdc.com/Upcoming-Events/Winternationalhttp://www.itcdc.com/Upcoming-Events/Winternational)

Join us for Winternational – 4th Annual Embassy Showcase. This year there will be many opportunities for 1:1 interviews with diplomats, embassy exhibitors, sponsors and attendees. This festival has the atmosphere of an international bazaar with displays of visual arts, handcrafts, travel and tourism information as well as samples of national specialties, coffees and teas. Guests have the opportunity to travel the world and do some holiday shopping — all during the lunch hour!

Address

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
Atrium
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004