Latest News

Georgetowner • September 29, 2014

Distilled Truth series – Through The Looking Glass

September 18th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | $50

Next Thursday RiRa will host part 3 of its Distilled Truth series – Through The Looking Glass. Two unique bottles of Scotch from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society will be used to educate on the effects different glassware has on the flavor of Whiskey. This is a very unique event because when those two whiskies are gone, they are gone.
Address

Whiskey Room at RiRa; 3125 M Street NW

Adopt Force One

September 19th, 2014 at 11:00 AM | Free | JRoberts@ITCDC.com | Tel: (202) 312-1552 | Event Website

Downtown visitors are invited to spend part of their afternoon visiting the Washington Humane Society’s mobile adoption van. Cats and dogs greet passersby in search of a play date. And for those who want to give an animal a permanent home, the van is equipped with Wi-Fi and a printer for a speedy adoption application process.

Address

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Woodrow Wilson Plaza; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

“Ink & Grain” Opening Reception

September 19th, 2014 at 05:00 PM | free | info@oldprintgallery.com | Tel: (202) 965-1818 | Event Website

The Old Print Gallery’s fall print show, Ink & Grain, will open on Friday, September 19, 2014 with a free nighttime opening reception from 5-8pm. One of the most ancient forms of printmaking, the woodcut saw an energized revival during the 20th century. American printmakers experimented heavily with technique, by manipulating the grain of the matrix and crafting new methods of ink application. Ink & Grain celebrates this renaissance and the skilled printmakers who worked in the medium.

Address

The Old Print Gallery; 1220 31st Street NW

UNCENSORED Preview Party

September 19th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | msalazar@scottcircle.com | Tel: 202 695-8226 | Event Website

A preview party for UNCENSORED on September 19 will give guests a sneak peek at the art installations and will feature signature cocktails representing local mixologists’ favorite banned books.

The preview party for Banned Books Week will include signature cocktails representing favorite banned books by:

Chantal Tseng, Mockingbird Hill

Duane Sylvestre, Bourbon Steak

Phil Greene, Museum of the American Cocktail

Address

Great Hall; Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library; 901 G Street, NW

The Seventh Annual Joan Hisaoka “Make A Difference” Gala

September 20th, 2014 at 05:30 PM | Event Website

The Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference” Gala was created in an effort to continue to fulfill Joan’s desire to help others living with cancer and to raise money to support organizations that bring hope and healing to those faced with serious illness. The black tie event includes a reception, program, dinner, silent and live auctions and an after party. Omni Shoreham Hotel. Call 202-302-0053.

Address

The Omni Shoreham, 2500 Calvert Street NW

Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash

September 20th, 2014 at 01:00 PM | Free to attend, $20 per dog to race (all fees go to charity) | JRoberts@ITCDC.com | Tel: (202) 312-1552 | Event Website

Kick off Oktoberfest at the third annual Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash. Enjoy an afternoon of music, food, beer and beverages while watching the races. Dogs will race in heats of up to 8 dogs each, with a championship race for the winners of each of the heats.

First prize is $150, second place is $100 and third place is $50.

Address

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Woodrow Wilson Plaza; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Colonial Market & Fair

September 20th, 2014 at 09:00 AM | info@mountvernon.org | Tel: 7037802000 | Event Website](http://www.mountvernon.org/)

The annual Colonial Market & Fair at Mount Vernon features dozens of America’s finest craftspeople and plenty of family fun! Fifty colonial-attired artisans demonstrate 18th-century crafts and sell traditional wares such as baskets, woodcarvings, tin and ironwork, leatherworkings, weavings, furniture, and much more. New this year: Try your hand at 18th century cricket! Cricket games will be played throughout the weekend.

Address

George Washington’s Mount Vernon; 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway; Mount Vernon, VA 22121

Ralph Nader To Speak

September 21st, 2014 at 12:45 PM | Free | office@rruuc.org | Tel: 301-229-0400 | Event Website](http://www.rruuc.org/)

Ralph Nader will speak on his new book “Unstoppable: The Emerging Left Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State” – a path for liberals and conservatives to work together to stop the growing power of “corporatism”.

When: Sunday, September 21, 2014, 12:45 PM

For more information contact: 301-229-0400

Address

River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Road, Bethesda, Maryland

From Farm to Fork Dinner

September 21st, 2014 at 05:30 PM | $200-$250 | debra@centralfarmmarkets.com | Tel: 703-922-0933 | Event Website](http://gypsysoul-va.com/2014/09/from-farm-to-fork/)

Join us on September 21 at a Farm to Fork Dinner hosted by Chef RJ Cooper at his newest restaurant, Gypsy Soul, located at Mosaic in Fairfax, VA. The evening will include a seven-course dinner featuring local bounty from CFM’s farmers and food artisans, farm-inspired cocktails, music from Jake and the Burtones and a live auction you won’t want to miss! This event supports Future Harvest CASA. Get tickets online with the link below, or call Stuart Carter at 703-922-0933.

Address

Gypsy Soul Restaurant; Mosaic District; 8296 Glass Alley; Fairfax, VA 22031

Playback The Tape: St. Elmo’s at The Tombs

September 22nd, 2014 at 08:00 PM | Free | info@playbackthetape.com | Tel: 4129510341 | Event Website](http://www.playbackthetape.com/)

free! all ages! 100% home-recorded vhs fun!

playbackthetape presents THE movie in THE bar on THE campus that inspired it… it’s a back-to-school, pre-30th anniversary, edited-for-television presentation of ST. ELMO’S for one night only at georgetown’s historic bar, the tombs. in addition to your favorite cast of brat packers on screen (and delicious 1980s commercial breaks in between), tonight’s event also features a personal videotaped intro by screenwriter Carl Kurlander!

Address

1226 36th street nw

Ethics in a Rapidly Changing World

September 23rd, 2014 at 05:30 PM | $10-$40 | khutt@council.bbb.org | Tel: 703-247-9345 | [Event Website](https://www.prsa-ncc.org/ethics-rapidly-changing-world)

Public Relations Society of America – National Capital Chapter and the Georgetown University Global Social Enterprise Initiative for an interactive discussion on how technology, news cycles and other changes are influencing our ethical judgments and behaviors. Notable panelists will focus on the ethical challenges during times of transition, particularly as elected and government officials, lobbyists, and public relations practitioners move through the “revolving door” of Washington.

Address

McDonough School of Business; Room 415, Hariri Building; Georgetown University; 390 37th and O Streets NW

Robert Devaney •

The District Department of Transportation has begun off-peak single-lane closures on eastbound Canal Road, NW, between Foxhall Road and the Whitehurst Freeway, weather permitting.

These single-lane closures on eastbound Canal Road, NW, will occur on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

These closures will allow DDOT crews to repair a wall area along Canal Road, NW, and install a guardrail along the corridor. DDOT expects the project and associated lane closures to be completed in July 2015.

DDOT advises all motorists to be alert, while traveling through this location and be observant of the work personnel. Traffic controls will be in place to warn motorists as they approach the area.

For more information, please contact Project Manager James Sellars at 202-391-8207.

Dana Farrior •

Fret not because you forgot to feed the meter, you have a spot at the annual Park(ing) Day, Friday, Sept. 19.

In the last couple of years with the help of the Georgetown Business Improvement Development, Georgetown have taken on the parklet project, allowing residents, designers and businesses alike to construct their very own public space. Also, involved are the Downtown and Golden Triangle BIDs for their neighborhoods.

Park(ing) Day’s inception in San Francisco 2005, originated with Rebar Art Studios desire to inspire people to reimagine the environment and their place in it. Its vision is to temporarily convert meter spaces into public parks generating new forms of communal space. What started as a single locale has launched into a global movement with more than 100 cities on over four continents involved.

“The Georgetown BID is excited to see the neighborhood enthusiasm for parklets – a concept that is outlined as an important tool for improving public space in the BID’s Georgetown 2028 Plan,” said the BID’s William Handsfield.

The Georgetown businesses participating are Luke’s Lobsters at 1211 Potomac St., NW, and Baked and Wired at 1052 Thomas Jefferson St., NW, and Flor at 1037 33rd St., NW, near Cady’s Alley.

Patrons of Luke’s will be able to take advantage of food and drink specials that will debut its beer, wine and cocktails offerings. Baked & Wired chose to take a slightly different approach, making their space more interactive by including buckets filled with chalk. Visitors will be able to draw and write messages in the park, allowing the green space to be a forum to bring the community together.

For more information, visit the Park(ing) Day project at www.parkingday.org.

Gary Tischler • September 19, 2014

Finally, there was a debate, and just in the nick of time, what with only a little more than a month left before voters decide who is going to be the next Mayor of the District of Columbia.

You might cherish the memories you have of this debate, held at a Katzen Hall auditorium at American University, given that front-runner in the polls Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, who won the Democratic  Primary and has a hefty lead in the polls over challengers has said flatly that she will participate in only four debates, including Thursday’s affair at AU.

She is being challenged by Independents David Catania, a prominent at-large District councilmember, and former councilmember and frequent mayoral candidate Carol Schwartz, bidding to be back all the way after a six-year absence from the political and electoral scene.

It’s been months since Bowser won the primary over incumbent Mayor Vincent Gray—still under the shadow of suspicion for his 2010 campaign—and other challengers including Ward 2 councilmember Jack Evans and Ward 6 councilmember Tommy Wells. During that in-between time, there have been no candidate forums, a lot of posturing and position statements, the arrival of Schwartz bidding for a political comeback, Bowser going hither and yon throughout the community—and sometimes the country—and Catania delivering position statements and being a very active councilmember and producing a 126-pages position booklet, detailing his proposals for how he would govern the city.

There’s been a great deal of anticipation about the first debate, and the possibility that it might be a volatile affair. 

Bowser was buoyed by the news of a hefty lead over her rivals in a Washington Post-NBC News-Marist poll which came out the day before and had 43 percent of likely D.C. voters favoring Bowser, with 26 percent for Catania and 16 percent for Schwartz. Catania has questioned the poll, saying an in-house poll of his campaign showed the race to be much closer.

The so-called debate—billed as a conversation with the candidates—was moderated by NBC newsman Tom Sherwood, a veteran of such affairs and included a panel of Washington Post political writer Clinton Yates and WAMU reporters Patrick Madden and Kavitha Cardozo.

Sherwood, at times, took on the aspects of a no-nonsense and sometimes frustrated cowboy, herding and snapping a whip, as he tried to make both the candidates and the audience behave. He had little patience for excessive clapping, candidates interrupting each other or breaking the time limit, although the candidates, as they are wont to do, did just that and often.

It’s fair to say that nobody won this affair, and that nobody was mortally wounded either.  Verbal shots were fired to be sure, and some of them even nicked their targets. Much of what happened was predictable, and the fresher aspects and revelations, while unexpected, were not of the “Stop the presses or put it on Twitter” kind.

Bowser, in basic black and pearls, came on strong and confident, offering to lead securely a changing city that was financially well off, promising that everyone would benefit and that in a boom town, nobody should and would be left behind.  Catania in quite the blue suit, stood up every time he talked, while Schwartz and Bowser sat. He presented himself as the man with the experience, the man who had done more for education and made more education legislation than anyone else, while painting Bowser as a legislative light weight, which she vehemently denied.  Schwartz in her own inimitable style—down to earth, warm, but also tough when need be—recalled that she was an education champion long before anyone else, that she was for the worker and took positions which in the end cost her her job. “I knew it wasn’t politic to do that, but I did it anyway,” Schwartz said.

Yet who knew Catania, for instance, has never gone to a Nationals baseball game, even though he was once a left-handed second baseman?  Catania fought the battle against the baseball team and stadium because “I didn’t think it was a good deal to have the owners pay nothing and the city everything.”  Bowser suggested that the reason Catania did not go to a game was that he was still angry about losing the fight.  “It kind of speaks to his temperament,”  she said.

Bowser complained that Catania was trying to take credit for everything. “Next thing you know he’ll take credit for the blue skies and rolling seas,” she said.

Other odd things came up. Yates asked in the interests of finding out something new: “If you had to give up your car, how would you travel in the city—Metro rail, bus or bicycle?”  Bowser said she loved and preferred to travel by bus, Catania and Schwartz would take the Metro.  “Let me get this straight,” Yates asked. “No bicycles?” 

It was a strange reaction, given that there’s been quite a bit of controversy about a veritable boom in bicycle use and rentals. “I think it’s a great thing, and I believe in a growing transportation system in which everyone obeys all the laws, stops for stop signs and red lights,” Schwartz said.

They were asked—by Yates again—what one book they would have students read.  Bowser suggested Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope.” Catania said, “I wouldn’t want to tell  a student what to read. I’d want them to make their own choice.”   Schwartz chose Charles Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities,” which she felt resonated in this city, which has yet to become one city.  This is the book that begins with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” which in this town is always true.

Round one of four rounds had its entertainment values and its informational rewards, but as a brawl, nobody walked out limping. [gallery ids="101859,138026" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • September 18, 2014

Yes, the flag is most definitely still here — and for 200 years.

The 200th anniversary of the writing of the song by Georgetowner Francis Scott Key that became the nation anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was given the highest salute Sept. 13 and Sept. 14 at the place where it all came together, Fort McHenry and Baltimore, Md., during the War of 1812.

Penned after the British Navy stopped the bombardment of Fort McHenry, which guarded Baltimore and its harbor, and departed the Chesapeake region, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was an instant hit and aptly described the scene and feelings of onlookers on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14, 1814.

Over the weeklong celebrations, the Star-Spangled Spectacular in Baltimore told the history of Baltimore’s role in the war and how the city’s defenders stymied the British, as it hosted tall ships and navy vessels from the U.S. and other nations. The Inner Harbor was festooned with banners, full of vendors, events and visitors. Proud Baltimore rolled out the red-white-and-blue carpet for all and looked its very best.

Highlights of the bicentennial parties were the Sept. 13 evening show in front of Fort McHenry with fireworks as the finale and Sunday morning’s “By the Dawn’s Early Light Flag-Raising Ceremony,” performed to the moment when the Star-Spangled Banner was seen 200 years ago to the relief of defenders and Francis Scott Key.

The Sept. 13 events included a stamp release ceremony by the U.S. Postal Service — a “Forever” stamp which depicts the shelling of Fort McHenry in 1814 — and an air show by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

The evening’s program included a major performance by the U.S. Marine Band, the “President’s Own,” as well as singing by the Morgan State University Chorus. Local politicians welcomed the crowd, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Gov. Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who was hospitalized overnight due to a respiratory infection. “I pushed myself a bit too hard, given all the excitement around Star Spangled Spectacular and the tremendous opportunity the festivities presented to showcase the very best of Baltimore,” Rawlings-Blake said.

After spirited and witty remarks by the ambassadors of former enemies, Canada’s Gary Doer and Britain’s Peter Westmacott, the evening’s last speaker was Vice President Joe Biden, who gave a final, rousing address for the flag: “Does the Star-Spangled Banner still wave? Did it wave … at Normandy … at Ground Zero? … It will wave and not just wave … it is in our hearts.”

And, then, there were fireworks above the fort, the best ever in Baltimore, which one news photographer proclaimed as “the best I’ve ever seen.”

The next morning, with the Third U.S. Infantry, U.S. Army “Old Guard” howitzers, Fort McHenry Guard Field Music and the U.S. Navy Band on hand with former Secretary of State Colin Powell, also a retired general, a 30-foot-by-42-foot replica of the original Star-Spangled Banner garrison flag, was raised at the exact moment of its hoisting 200 years ago.

Yes, the flag was most definitely still there, thanks to the defenders of Fort McHenry — and their brave story, remembered to this day, recorded by and thanks to Washingtonian and Georgetowner Francis Scott Key and his “Star-Spangled Banner.”
[gallery ids="101853,138232,138228,138223,138219,138213,138241,138245,138249,138236" nav="thumbs"]

The Georgetowner •

Georgetown University broke ground Sept. 12 on a new state-of-the-art athletic facility, named after legendary Hoyas men’s basketball coach John R. Thompson Jr. Although the tennis courts next to McDonough Arena are gone, they will return in the four-story, 144,000-square-foot John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center, slated for completion in August 2016.

The following are more details from Georgetown University about the groundbreaking.

Standing on the site where a building will be built bearing his name, former Georgetown University Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Thompson Jr. was joined by family, friends and many former players as ground was officially broken for the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center Sept. 12.

The $62-million project will be completely supported through philanthropy. The four-story, 144,000-square-foot Thompson Center will be constructed adjacent to McDonough Arena and include practice courts, team meeting rooms, men’s and women’s basketball coaches’ offices, and weight-training and sports medicine rooms for all varsity athletes. The new facility also includes a Student-Athlete Academic and Leadership Center, an auditorium, team meeting facilities for varsity programs and a new venue for the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame.

More than 500 people – including former players such as Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson, all of whom played for Thompson, Jr., and more recent players ranging from Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Otto Porter Jr. and Henry Sims, who played for current Head Coach John Thompson III – came to the site for the official groundbreaking of the facility.

The morning started with a welcome from the Hoyas’ current head coach, who introduced Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed.

The invocation was conducted by Edward Glynn, S.J., the president emeritus at Gonzaga University, St. Peter’s College and John Carroll University. He was followed on the dais by William J. Doyle, the chair of the “For Generations to Come” campaign, Irene Shaw, member of the Board of Regents, Paul Tagliabue, Chair of the Board of Directors, Emily Hall (president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and Frank Rienzo, Intercollegiate Athletics Director Emeritus.

Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia introduced Thompson. “We are different and better than we were 42 years ago when John Thompson joined this community,” he said. “John provided us with a new way to imagine, to interpret our values and enabled all of us to see possibilities for what we could be that had not been realized before he joined this community.”

When Thompson stood to take the podium, the entire crowd came up for a standing ovation, finally sitting down after Thompson reminded them, “We can’t be here all day.”

He spoke about his relationship with President DeGioia, about many of his former players – “He shot everything he got in his hands,” Thompson said of Iverson – and some of his close co-workers, from men’s basketball trainer Lorry Michel to former academic advisor Mary Fenlon.

John Thompson Jr.’s name is synonymous with success. From 1972 to 1999, he compiled 596 wins, the most of any coach in the history of Georgetown University and the magnitude of his achievements is undeniable. On the court, he amassed league-leading records against all Big East Conference opponents (233-122) and captured 13 Big East Championships, seven regular season titles and six tournament championships. Thompson’s Hoya teams earned 24-consecutive invitations to postseason play, appeared in three NCAA Final Fours (1982, 1984 and 1985) and won the NCAA Championship in 1984.

“Without the help of a lot of people that are in here now, it would’ve been impossible to succeed,” he said.

Thompson talked about successes – from the 1984 NCAA title and Big East Championships – and losses – from the 1985 NCAA Championship game to the 1988 Olympics. However, he said he gains the most satisfaction in seeing the success that many of his players have had off of the court as well.

“It’s not the graduation rate, it’s what you do with the education that’s important,” Thompson said. “This school is defined by more than just victories. This is an educational institution.”

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Piano Bar opens Sept. 12 at 3287 M St., NW, where the nightclub Modern was. Piano player Hunter Lang, former Mr. Smith’s manager Gene McGrath, former Mr. Smith’s employee Morgan Williams and Bill Thoet, vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, are the team behind the sing-along place.

Meanwhile, departing its longtime M Street, Mr. Smith’s has been reborn at 3205 K St., NW, where Chadwick’s once stood for many years. Another manager from Mr. Smith’s, Juan Andino, reopened the place at its new location under the Whitehurst Freeway with new fixtures and decor after auctioning off old Mr. Smith’s classic items.

Look for Orange Anchor, a nautically themed restaurant of seafood rolls and rum drinks by Reese Gardner, is set to open at Washington Harbour “within a couple of months,” according to one of its managers.

Chef Daniel Boulud returns to D.C. to open DBGB Kitchen and Bar, a companion to his bistro of the same name in New York’s East Village (in honor of the Bowery’s now-departed CBGB), is opening next week in D.C.’s newly developed CityCenter at the corner of 9th and H Streets, NW. It is around the block from David Chang’s Momofuku, which will arrive in a few months.

Also opening at CityCenter is Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. The 18,000-square-foot restaurant at the corner of Ninth and Eye streets, NW.

The elite retail and residential center, spanning blocks around 8th Street and New York Avenue, NW, took the land from the old D.C. convention center and more is redefining and enhancing the streets of downtown D.C.

Even Georgetown’s Baked & Wired will be making the scene at CityCenter — along with such retail top-drawers as Hermès, Longchamp, Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry, Hugo Boss and Kate Spade.

Georgetowner • September 15, 2014

Gipsy Kings with special guest Ole’ Noys

September 4th, 2014 at 08:00 PM | $35.00 – $100.00 | philipc@wolftrap.org | Tel: 703.255.1900 ext. 1729 | Event Website

Get ready to rumba to the explosive guitar rhythms of flamenco’s reigning royal family!

Address

1551 Trap Road Vienna Virginia, 22182

Adopt Force One

September 5th, 2014 at 11:00 AM | Free | JRoberts@ITCDC.com | Tel: (202) 312-1552 | Event Website

Downtown visitors are invited to spend part of their afternoon visiting the Washington Humane Society’s mobile adoption van. Cats and dogs greet passersby in search of a play date. And for those who want to give an animal a permanent home, the van is equipped with wi-fi and a printer for a speedy adoption application process.

Address

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Woodrow Wilson Plaza; 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

YPFP’s Affairs of State Gala

September 6th, 2014 at 08:00 PM | $45-$75 | development@ypfp.org | Event Website

YPFP’s annual Affairs of State Gala is DC’s premier event for young professionals working in international relations and foreign affairs. We’ll be celebrating ten years of YPFP’s history with a two-hour open bar, whiskey tastings, music, and more!

Note: ticket prices will go up August 31, so get your tickets early!

Address

National Press Club, 529 14th St NW

Eating Local: Feeding the Urban Estate — Monthly Garden & House Tours

September 6th, 2014 at 10:30 AM | 8.00-15.00 | press@tudorplace.org | Tel: 202-965-0400 | Event Website

For almost 200 years, onsite food production was a central part of life at Tudor Place. From the Smokehouse to the gardens, the estate helped sustain its owners and servants. This garden tour highlights the essential functions of the garden. The food and agriculture theme extends into the mansion, where garden tools, cookbooks, and domestic utensils complement an afternoon tour.
Choose a tour of Garden,House, or both with a leisurely cafe lunch between
Garden Tour: 10:30| House Tour: 12:30

Address

1644 31st Street NW

Kelley Proxmire Sample Sale

September 6th, 2014 at 10:00 AM | Varies on item | Event Website

3,000-Square-Foot Warehouse Filled with Designer Furnishings & Accessories from Hickory Chair, Lee Jofa, Schumacher and many more

OPEN HOUSE SALE

Saturday, September 6, 2014

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Address

DNS Warehouse; 4229b Howard Avenue; Kensington, MD 20895; (behind Hollis & Knight)

Plank & Rose

September 6th, 2014 at 08:30 AM | Free | shelby@brandlinkdc.com | Event Website

Pike & Rose invites the community to a morning of rest and relaxation at Plank & Rose, an outdoor yoga event on Grand Park Avenue. The free class will overlook the Pike & Rose development and will be taught by an instructor Sport & Health, the future health club facility of the new community. The first 100 attendees will receive a complimentary Pike & Rose yoga mat. All attendees can enter to win a one month and three month gym memberships courtesy of Sport & Health.

Address

Pike & Rose – 11580 Old Georgetown Rd, North Bethesda, Maryland

Donna Clark – Mindscapes

September 7th, 2014 at 05:00 PM | Free | art@liveanartfullife.com | Tel: 540-253-9797 | Event Website

A unique solo exhibit by acclaimed regional artist Donna Clark. “I paint in series – images that are not place specific. I consider them personal dreamlike mindscapes of imagined locations in my natural world.” The public is invited to an opening reception on Sunday, September 7, 5:00 – 7:00PM. In addition, Clark will demonstrate her distinctive painting technique on September 14 at 2:00PM. This is a great opportunity to watch her paint and ask questions of this very talented artist.

Address

Live An Artful Life Gallery; 6474 Main Street; The Plains, VA 20198

Yoga at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library

September 7th, 2014 at 01:30 PM | Free | Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website](http://dclibrary.org/georgetown)

Take an Om Break at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. Join the Georgetown Neighborhood Library for a variety of yoga classes taught by teachers from Yoga Activist. The Georgetown Neighborhood Library is registering RSVPs for all September classes.
To RSVP for any or all classes send Erika Rydberg an email with the class(es) you’re interested in registering for. The first 30 RSVPs will be registered and the remaining RSVPs will be placed on a waiting list. Please RSVP to Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov

Address

3260 R Street NW

Wedding Salon

September 8th, 2014 at 04:00 PM | $75.00 | jesse@weddingsalon.com | Tel: 212.631.7777 | [Event Website](http://www.weddingsalon.com/)

Don’t miss out on the bridal event of the season! Join the Wedding Salon on September 8th at the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington DC to discover the best resources for your wedding. Indulge in cake tastings by Charm City Cakes, cocktails, beauty makeovers, honeymoon giveaways and fabulous goody bags featuring Essie.

Address

Loews Madison Hotel; 1177 15th Street, NW

FedScoop Hosts Top Government and Academia Leaders in Tech Town Hall

September 9th, 2014 at 07:30 AM | Event Website](http://fedscoop.com/)

from 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Join FedScoop for its Tech Town Hall, held at the Newseum. Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr. Russell Shilling, Tom Kalil and Teresa Carlson.

Tickets for the high profile conference are complimentary before September 5th by using registration code: FSTECHTOWN

After September 5th, Tickets for industry members will be $195 and free for government attendees with valid government email addresses.

Address

The Newseum; 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Gary Tischler •

It’s hard to believe that Joan Rivers will never say another word, funny, obscene, outrageous, funny and funnier or otherwise.

It’s true. Her daughter Melissa, with whom she had a show on television, called “Fashion Police,” made the announcement Sept. 4 that the comedienne had “died peacefully surrounded by family at Mt. Sinai hospital.” Rivers had gone into cardiac arrest during what was described as a routine medical procedure a week ago and had been on life support before being moved to a private room yesterday.

You suspect that, if given the opportunity, she might not have gone so gently or quietly into that good night, given her reputation for irreverence and given the fact that she had always something to say about something and everything, not all of it music to the ear.

There really wasn’t anybody like Joan Rivers, who looked, well, fabulous into 81 years, some of that bouffant blonde glamorous look due to plastic surgery, a fact which gave her plenty of material to make fun of. That was one of the things about Rivers—she wanted to do nothing but make people laugh, an ambition which she succeeded at most of the time, leaving behind the echo of loud laughter, louder outrage and wounded egos. She could laugh at herself. She didn’t care, and she didn’t mind.

At some point in her life and lives, she was a stand-up comedian—one of the first of her sex—an actress, a director (of a very funny movie called “Rabbit Test,” starring Billy Crystal in 1978), a fashion judge, a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show” (until she wasn’t), a television star, a reality show star (with her daughter) with whom she often fought, a tough-love mother and daughter act. She was a writer, repeatedly telling the story of her life and laughs, in periodic between-the-covers-of-a-book updates. The titles tell the story: “Enter Talking,” “Still Talking,” “I Hate Everybody, Especially Me” and “Diary of a Mad Diva” among many. She was just about always unapologetic, if she happened to offend someone, which was fairly often.

She was also very, very funny, one-of-a-kind funny. Way back when she was in a play called “Driftwood,” in which she played a lesbian with a crush on Barbra Streisand—a pre-“Funny Girl” and “People” Streisand. She and her daughter practically invented the red carpet fashion critique act, in which she skewered bad dresses and the people who wore them, as in “I am wearing Ralph Lauren.”

She was once the subject of one of those infamous roasts, conducted by celebrities, other comics, film actors and the like—Dean Martin has a collection of them. The occasion, as was the case with others, was obscene, merciless and funny. When Rivers showed up to roast others, it very likely caused panic attacks in the hearts of the subjects.

Rivers lives on YouTube, of course, as do so many—there is a very funny sequence with a Johnny Carson appearance, a task she had being doing 21 years at the time, and she brought a dress and hair and a necklace which she’s worn on the first such appearance. “What happened to my hair?” Carson asked. The two had a falling out over the fact that Rivers had neglected to warn Carson about the fact that she was going to be doing a late-night talk show opposite Carson.

There is a fairly recent video of Rivers essentially staring and yelling down a heckler at an appearance in Wisconsin in which she used her credo as a kind of bold comedy statement. She’d made an off-color joke about Helen Keller. A guy in the crowd yelled, “That’s not funny.” “Yes, it is,” Rivers shot back. “I had a deaf mother, you stupid ass. … I learned that you have to laugh at everything so you can get over it . You stupid SOB.”

Rivers was inspired by Lenny Bruce. No shrinking violet either, Bruce, too, was like nobody else, and he suffered for it along with his addictions. Rivers got over things and thrived well into an age when you’re not supposed to be thriving, not supposed to be sharp-witted, stomp up and down and just raise hell. What Betty White has done remains a mystery.

You can just imagine what’s happening upstairs, where they have the first gated community. “Maybe we should lock the gate,” someone says. “I’m coming in,” the brash one might say.

“Get over it.” Still, down here, it’s a lot quieter.