Weekend Round Up May 19,2011
• July 26, 2011

“Innocent Spouse- A Memoir”
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May 22nd, 5-7PM

You’re invited to an evening with Carol Ross Joynt on the publication of her new book, “Innocent Spouse- A Memoir” Enjoy a reading, discussion/Q&A and a meeting with the author and have your booked signed! Music and Refreshments will provided. All proceeds from the sale and signing will benefit the new Georgetown Public Library under the direction of the D.C. Public Library Foundation. There is no charge for this event but seating is limited. To R.S.V.P call Anna 202 727 4943
Black Hall
At Potomac and O Streets in Georgetown
(Adjacent to St. John’s Church)

Venus in Fur
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May 25th, 2011 at 08:00 PM

A comedy-drama that explores the complex relationship between sex and power. Reality and fantasy, strength and weakness, pleasure and pain all blend together in one of the smartest and funniest plays in recent years.

The Milton Theatre
1501 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

National Sporting Library & Museum Book Fair
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May 28th, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 10 am – 5 pm, the Library will host the NSLM Book Fair. Six authors are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes then sign books, beginning at 11:00. The authors are: Rita Mae Brown, Kate Chenery Tweedy and Leeanne Ladin, Tim Rice, Bill Woods, and Norman Fine. Booksellers will be on hand and the authors’ books will be available for purchase. Check www.nsl.org for details in early May.

The National Sporting Library and Museum
102 The Plains Road
P.O. Box 1335
Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m

Free Memorial Day Weekend Events at the Navy Memorial
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May 30th, 2011 at 10:00 AM | Free and open to the public

Memorial Day Weekend Events featuring Rolling Thunder, a performance by the Rock Band Fourmanchu, commemorative wreathlayings and a traditional Navajo dance
Address

United States Navy Memorial
Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004

Serendipity 3 to open before Memorial Day
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After seemingly perpetual delays and endless speculation, it can officially (hopefully) be said: Serendipity 3 will finally be opening its doors next week, according to a press release from the New York City eatery. Its location, on the corner of M St. and Wisconsin Ave., has had its windows boarded up since Nathan’s closed in July 2009.

In addition to Serendipity 3’s patently whimsical décor, the restaurant will feature an 8-foot+ Abe Lincoln statue and a clock from the historic Galt & Bros Jewelers.

The menu, which includes the famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and Foot-Long Hot Dog, will also offer dishes exclusive to the District, such as the President’s Lobster Pasta, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, Pan Seared Virginia Striped Bass and the Red Velvet Sundae.

Temperatures are predicted to go back into the 80s next week. We can hardly wait to see one of these sundaes in action.

Game Over for National Pinball Museum
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In a far corner of the Shops at Georgetown Park, past Victoria’s Secret and Clyde’s, visitors will find a large display of mannequins and antique pinball machines, unmistakably the National Pinball Museum. The museum, however, will soon be closing.

Last Thursday, museum founder David Silverman received a letter from Vornado Realty, Georgetown Park’s new owners, according to WTOP.

“In that letter it basically says we’re taking your lease … and we’re throwing you out in 60 days,” Silverman says.

Silverman signed a lease that allows mall owners to void it at any time, “I’m like in a state of panic, because it took me six months to build this place, $300,000 to do it. I don’t have a penny.”

The space, which features nine-foot pinball flippers and a custom dinosaur mural, is over 17,000 square feet and contains hundreds of pinball machines, according to a Washington Post article about the museum.

A source to the Northwest Current predicted this style of business from Vornado.

“The source also predicted that the ‘very aggressive company culture’ at Vornado Realty Trust would alienate retailers and Georgetowners and that the company would terminate leases soon in anticipation of pushing a redevelopment plan quickly through Georgetown’s multi-layered design-review process.”

‘What’s Goin’ On’ at the Folklife Festival
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Every year for 45 years now, visitors to Washington and the rest of us who live here have had a chance to come down to the National Mall and let the contours of the world—its music, its food, its songs and poetry and smells and clothes and sounds—come in, along with our own memories of what’s what in our souls.

They call it the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a summer treat and tent and dog and pony and sheep and llama and guitar and memory show that occurs every summer wrapped around the Fourth of July.

This year, it’s more about us than them—the three-section festivals features the arts, music and food of Colombia, a memory train of the history and celebration of the Peace Corps and a lively, deeply rich festival of Rhythm and Blues. It’s “Colombia: The Nature of Culture;” it’s “The Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Promoting World Peace and Friendship;” it’s “Rhythm and Blues: Tell It Like It Is.”

But look what was on the menu in 1967, a veritable smorgasbord with no visible category except crafts and performance: American basket makers, doll makers, needle workers, potters, blacksmiths, spinners and weavers, fife and drum groups, string bands, gospel singers, shouts and spirituals, Puerto Rican music, New Orleans jazz, Cajun music, cowboy songs, the King Island Eskimo dancers, the dancers of Galicia, polkas and ballads, Irish dancers and Chinese New Year’s pantomimes.

Since then, over the years, the smorgasbord has become specific, focusing on states and regions, American style from Texas to Pennsylvania, to countries and continents, to Native Americans from everywhere, to the African Diaspora, to Kentucky, to the cultures of Britain and Yugoslavia to topics like Family Farming in the Heartland, the Music of Struggle, France and North America, Russian Roots, Metro Music, the Bahamas.

On summer days, you could see a Welshman shear a sheep or cook one, hear bluegrass music from the nearby mountains, dance to Reggae or Rap, see artists from Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, here, there and everywhere, watch the work of the cultural institutions and pioneers of the world.

This time, you can watch what’s often a reunion of Peace Corps Workers, catch all things musically and foodie positive about Colombia, and listen to, watch and dance to the soul music of our souls.

Friday, I stayed for a snippet, walking by the big tent of Motor City to see the Funk Brothers rip through my past in a special way.

I saw a man who danced with his wife.

That’s a supposition. They looked alike, smiled alike, and moved alike. They were thin and looked to be together for quite a while, almost like a twinned couple. She had curly hair, a smile to kill a rainy day, she was thin and sporty looking and moved like silk, and he led her, followed her, gray hair, big just-glad-to-be-here-with-her grin on his face and they twirled and stalked the way couples do.

They were singing to the Funk Brothers and their leader, wearing a white-suit from when guys in white suits could dazzle you, named Bob Babbitt. He was saying something like “Back then, like now, people were worried, what with the economy and wars, and senseless stuff, and Marvin Gay, he was singing what he could be singing now, he was askin’….

Mother, Mother, What’s goin’ on, what’s goin’ on…”

And the couple twirled into dizzy, and a mother was dancing with her little girl, and other couples swayed and some people did the same by themselves to “What’s Goin’ On.”

And earlier they were “Dancing in the Streets” and Kim Weston, who sang with Gaye back in the day on “It Takes Two,” was singing that afternoon and it was like that, the people were singing it, dancing it, and telling it like it was and is.

And you can catch a whole lot of groups still now till Monday at the 45th Annual Folklife Festival, and there’ll be people like the Jewels, the Monitors and Fred Wesley and the New JBs and you can get funky, soulful or happy as you please. Just check the Folklife Festival website and see:

What’s goin’ on.

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Obama’s Goals To Stop Our Dependency
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President Obama set ambitious goals for the future of America’s dependency on foreign supplies and moving the country in a more energy efficient direction. The President stated that the problem will not be solved with quick fixes, calling for a one-third reduction in U.S. oil imports by 2025.

Obama’s speech Wednesday at Georgetown University lasted nearly an hour as the President restated many energy solutions previously proposed.

President Obama looks to boost domestic oil production, noting his administration’s recent approval of both shallow and deep water drilling permits. Obama mentioned the ongoing effort of energy independency, which the country has struggled with for decades.

“Presidents and politicians of every stripe have promised energy independence but that promise has so far gone unmet,” Obama said. “That has to change. We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again.”

In his speech Obama set another dated goal, this time calling for government agencies to ensure that by 2015 all new vehicles purchased are alternative-fuel vehicles, including hybrid and electric. This accompanies Obama’s previously set a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads in the same year.

Obama’s expansion of oil alternatives include natural gas and advanced biofuels, fuels made from non-food sources such as wood chips, switch grass or plant waste.

According to administration officials, Obama’s plans would require significant spending on research and development, though no cost estimates have been made.

Gray Delivers State of the District Address
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On Monday evening, March 28, Mayor Vincent Gray delivered his first State of the District speech after three months in office and weeks of stormy resignations, allegations and negative approval ratings.

His 8,000 word speech did not address the recent firing of former health administration employee Sulaimon Brown who accused Gray of a pay-to-play and nepotism and D.C. City Council’s probes into those allegations, nor did it address repercussions for City Council chairman Kwame Brown’s two fully-loaded SUVs that ended up being illegally procured.

However, after a reporter asked about the admittance in a press conference after the speech, Gray said, “I wanted to talk about the issues affecting the city. The reason I ran in the first place was to advance the educational outcome for children and provide opportunities for self improvement.”

He also mentioned that he had not wanted the main topic of headlines to be his troubles, but the “real” issues affecting the city, and that there would be accountability to those who violate the public trust: “If people violate the public trust they will be fired. There are missteps that have been made and at the end of the day I’ll take responsibility for them. And if I’m going to take the weight for them, I intend to bring the weights back to where it belongs.”

The speech, titled “One City…Rising to the Challenge,” did focus heavily on unifying the city, and Gray addressed the challenges that he’s faced since taking office. Last week, for instance, the Census released statistics that showed the District’s African American population down to 50 percent.

“The facts are troubling, but they bear acknowledging: there are parts of this city where over half of our high school students do not graduate. In some neighborhoods, one out of every three adults is unemployed.”

Tammy McKinney, 41, attended the speech and said she felt he’d addressed the issues facing her home in Ward 6.

“We’ve seen the development on H Street Northeast and a few good things come through, but we don’t hear as much about Wards 6, 7 or 8 than we do the others,” said McKinney, who was born in DC. “Why would people come out here? There are not restaurants and no shopping. I’m hopeful, but unsure.”

Gray spoke of the dividing line between the Anacostia River and the hope that it would one day resemble other notable rivers in the world: the Thames in London, the Charles River in Boston or the San Antonio River Walk in Texas.

“At its widest, the Anacostia River spans barely half a mile —but when you pass over it, it can feel like you’ve left one continent for another…it should be a unifying force between the east and west.”

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton praised the Mayor for not glossing over the $322 million budget gap that will lead to budget cuts, to be released on Friday.

“I appreciate that he didn’t gloss over the tough issues. People will be very disappointed when they see these cuts, though we’ve seen it come worse to other parts of the country.”

Gray delivered his speech at Eastern High School in Ward 5, where the poverty rate stood at 20 percent in 2009.

“If I have been repetitive on this topic, it’s because it is vitally important for us to be honest about how things will change,” Gray said. “Some of the agencies that we depend upon will be asked to make do with less. We cannot and will not use budget gimmicks to close the gap.”

He compared the city government after the cuts to, “a lean athlete after a period of intense training: with a government that is leaner, but also one that is stronger.”

A Facelift for Martha Washington’s Dolls
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In a box, in a corner of an office, in the Tudor Place in Georgetown, an antique collection of wax figurines lays largely untouched and unseen by visitors to the historic home.

The 228-year-old dolls, once the treasured belongings of first First Lady Martha Washington, were brought to their home at Tudor Place by Martha’s granddaughter and looked after for two centuries by her descendants and then museum curators.

Years of heat, mishandling and bugs have obviously gotten to figures; many are missing legs or arms, and the silk clothes are torn and faded of their color. But Leslie Buehler, the executive director of Tudor Place, believes that there is life yet to breathe back into these charming wax characters, and she is currently working to restore them.

The figurines make up a tableau set that was a gift to Martha Washington from Samuel Fraunces in 1783. The scene depicts the story of the military hero, Hector, and his wife Andromanche, whose romance was endearing to George and Martha, mirroring their own story of love and separation during wartime.

The scene was removed from public display in an effort to conserve the figurines and spare them any further damage.

The steps taken by Tudor Place to make the figurines more aesthetically pleasing have been more challenging than expected. The pins and dowel rods that hold the dolls together are from unidentifiable years, making it difficult to determine which ones are the originals, and details such as what the faces and clothes originally looked like are unknown. Buehler stated that it will be at least another year before the figures are ready to go back on display.

The restoration is being funded by private donors, including a remarkably generous donation which covered the initial analysis of the figurines.

“All of these objects tell extraordinary stories that relate the times these people lived in a visceral way,” Buehler said to the Post. “The more one understands about the beginnings of this country – how people lived, how they spent their time – it just informs our sense of history.”
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Georgetown Will Have its Pizza and Bake it, Too
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A round face of thin, puffy dough is Eric Fosse’s canvas, and fresh, all natural pizza is his craft.

Fosse, founder of HomeMade Pizza Co. started the business with his brother-in-law and wife in Chicago over a decade ago. Almost 13 years later he has opened his sixth store in the District, bringing fresh and inspiring pizzas to the ovens of Georgetown homes.

The pizza shop offers take-and-bake pies, giving customers a dinner to enjoy around the kitchen table. Walking into the store, the smell of fresh basil and other spices immediately induces salivating.

Each customer is greeted with shouts from the kitchen. Three large black banners hang from the wall showcasing the five steps of ‘how-to homemade.’ Lists of Homemade Favorites and Simple Classics showcase the range of predesigned pies. For those more interested in creating their own pizza, HomeMade Pizza has a list of some 41 ingredients, for the pickiest to the most adventurous of pizza toppers.

Pizzas come in “Cutie Pie” 9 inch pies, 12 inch, or 14 inch sizes. And each has the option of regular or wholegrain wheat crust. All pizzas are thin crust from hand-tossed dough and, along with everything else in the shop, made from scratch. “We offer a unique dinner opportunity,” Fosse said.

And the Georgetown neighborhood already seems to agree. HomeMade Pizza served up 2,000 slices to pedestrians who passed by the new shop at 1826 Wisconsin Ave during their opening celebration, February 22 – 24. Over 500 pizzas were taken home in the first three days of business alone.

HomeMade Pizza has kept close ties to its Chicago home, while branching out to Minnesota, New York and Washington. According to Fossee, the DC locations are doing phenomenally well, and he is excited to see the Georgetown store take off.

With over 30 stores, Fosse is proud that all his original pizzas still appear on the menu, and his cheese pizza, voted number one thin crust in Chicago, still tops the charts as his best seller.

“If you can’t make a great cheese pizza, you can’t make anything else great,” he says.

Sausage and caramelized onions are Fosse’s choice toppings, but he also boasts a number of vegetarian options, he explains while referencing the fresh produce section of the topping list.

Produce is in-season and locally sourced, giving HomeMade Pizza a number of specialty salads to feature on the menu. And Fosse doesn’t forget his vegan customers, either. Although the ingredient list includes seven different cheeses, the shop also creates cheese free pizzas.

HomeMade family sized cookies are available to take-and-bake, and pint sized all natural ice cream is also a part of the dessert menu.

HomeMade Pizza Co. is open daily from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Georgetown. Pizzas can be ordered online, by calling ahead, or simply stopping in and seeing the friendly staff.

Visit HomemadePizza.com for more information on the menu, locations, or tonight’s dinner.

TBD RIP
•

“TBD – sums up its chances of success,” one whit said, when TBD was first announced as the name for the new sister site for Politico’s online local news. This week, we got the answer. Just about six months after going live, TBD was “MySpaced.” Staff halved. It went from new media local news juggernaut to a limited effort focused on “entertainment and life styles.”

The reason given is that the revenue was not there. It was never allowed to function as designed, is the reply. You didn’t live up to what you promised. We were getting there in a hurry, no thanks to you… The truth… does it matter?

What is clear is that from the start there was an irreconcilable clash of culture between the WJLA news team and the newcomers that never happened when Politico was born. But that is because Politico was, and remains, such a different animal that the only conflict was over office space.

But TBD was meant to be the younger, faster, hipper local news team. If not intended as a threat, the old media team certainly wasn’t happy to share the toys. After all, TBD took over WJLA’s website. And it took over News Channel 8. And then it took even more of that already limited office space, squeezing in between Politico and WJLA. From before the formal launch, truly decent professionals on both sides expressed complete frustration with the other, both complaining of a lack of communication, lack of mutual support, and worse. Unfortunately it was no surprise. I have yet to see a newsroom where true harmony between legacy and new media is anything but a thin layer of wallpaper.

In the movie State of Play, the grizzled Washington veteran journalist and the vibrant onliner overcome initial animosity and mutual disrespect to break the big story together and forge an unbreakable professional bond. I do love fiction.

TBD RIP.

Cherry Blossoms Season Is In the Air
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Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates spring in Washington, DC, the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan (something exceedingly important in Japan’s current crisis). The Festival produces and coordinates 16 days and three spectacular weekends of festivities, primarily free and open to the public.

One the best features during the Cherry Blossom season are the “Cherry Picks,” area restaurants offering savory menus items inspired by the cherry blossoms. Now in its ninth year, Cherry Picks has over 70 participating restaurants serve creative cherry-flavored, cherry-infused, or blossom-inspired entrées, appetizers, desserts, cocktails, or multi-course menus throughout the Festival. Check out this list of participating restaurants!

Mar 26, 2011 – Mar 26, 2011
Family festival featuring hands-on activities, interactive art exhibits, and exciting indoor and outdoor youth performances. Presented by Safeway and Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Region.

April 9
National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade

Apr 09, 2011 – Apr 09, 2011
Enjoy this long-standing Washington tradition featuring lavish floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, and other family entertainment.

Mar 23 2011
2011 Pink Tie Party

Mar 23, 2011
Kick off the “Season of the Blossoms” in style at the Festival’s Pink Tie Party fundraiser and auction, presented by Macy’s and Open Skies – The Unique All Business Airline. Tickets now on sale!

Mar 22 2011
Community Cherry Blossom Art Show at Union Station

Mar 22, 2011 – Apr 10, 2011
Blossom inspiration comes to life through the imagination of DC public and charter school students. Public exhibition presented by Sodexo.

Mar 26 2011
Music of Spring

Mar 26, 2011 – Mar 27, 2011
Alongside Eastern Market’s foods, arts and crafts, enjoy music throughout the grounds.

Mar 26 2011
Glorious Gardens Self-Guided Tour

Mar 26, 2011 – Apr 10, 2011
Experience nature’s beauty through a series of visits to several splendid gardens in Fairfax County.

Mar 26 2011
Cherry Blossom River Teas

Mar 26, 2011 – Mar 27, 2011
Enjoy a charming, full-service English ‘High Tea’ aboard a classic yacht while cruising along the blossoms.

Mar 26 2011
Lantern Walks

Mar 26, 2011 – Mar 27, 2011
Guided by the light of festive lanterns, rangers will guide you on an evening walk around the Tidal Basin.

Mar 26 2011
National Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony

Mar 26, 2011 – Mar 26, 2011
Official kick-off to the Festival features a dazzling line-up of classic and contemporary performances, with welcoming remarks by Washington dignitaries. Presented by Open Skies – The Unique All Business Airline.

Mar 26 2011
Performance Stage at Sylvan Theater

Mar 26, 2011 – Apr 10, 2011
The Festival’s primary stage features daily performances by recognized and diverse talent from around the region, country, and world.

Mar 26 2011
The Blossom Secrets Stroll

Mar 26, 2011
A walking tour recounting the story and sites of how the Japanese cherry trees came to Washington, D.C.

Mar 26 2011
Photo Safaris Around the Tidal Basin at Cherry Blossom Time

Mar 26, 2011 – Apr 10, 2011
Instructional workshops in cherry blossom and travel photography conducted around the Tidal Basin at sunrise and in late afternoon.

Mar 26 2011
Beyond the Tidal Basin: Introducing Other Great Flowering Cherries

Mar 26, 2011 – Apr 10, 2011
Enjoy a self-guided tour of different species and cultivars of flowering cherries. [gallery ids="99621,105126,105119,105123" nav="thumbs"]