News & Politics

Georgetowner • May 3, 2012

While U.S. Secret Service agents were throwing back whiskey and paying up to $200 for services from the women at Pley Club, a brothel in Cartagena, Colombia, they revealed their identity by bragging about being the ones who “protect Obama,” ABC News reported.

Each of the agents took a woman back to his room, according to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who is chairman of House Homeland Security Committee and member of the House Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence. “A number [of the agents] are saying they did not consider them prostitutes,” King said.

The Americans were in Colombia to prepare for President Barack Obama’s April 13 visit to the Summit of the Americas, when they ventured down for some late-night entertainment. Up to 21 persons have been implicated since the investigation began last Thursday, after one of the women at the brothel complained about not getting paid. Eleven Secret Service members and as many as 10 U.S. military personnel are being questioned about potential involvement, according to military officials. The Secret Service revoked the top security clearances of its 11 agents and placed each of them on administrative leave due to the incident. Two government officials announced Monday that those involved range in experience from relatively new to nearly 20-year veterans.

“The president has confidence in [Secret Service] Director [Mark] Sullivan,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “The director acted swiftly in response to this incident and is overseeing an investigation.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said she was told by the Secret Service that just as many women were involved. She questioned whether the incident could have endangered the president. While the department argues over the number of individuals involved, Senator Collins’s press secretary, Kevin Kelley, said the number is not the issue.

“It’s outrageous that the department is arguing about the number when, clearly, this incident never should have happened in the first place,” Kelley said. Collins said the most prominent issue was, and always is, the safety of our country. “Who were these women? Could they have been members of groups hostile to the United States? Could they have planted bugs, disabled weapons or in any other [ways] jeopardized security of the president or our country?” she asked.

After speaking to Sullivan, Collins questioned if there were any evidence of previous misconduct. She further asked, “Given the number of agents involved, does this indicate a problem with the culture of the Secret Service?” Sullivan has promised to provide updated reports to Collins, as he continues to investigate and “pursue appropriate action against the agents should the allegations prove true.”

Dave Nyczepir •

Given the tumult of activity up and down M Street, it’s always nice to take a detour down one of Georgetown’s side streets and duck into a quaint shop for a brief respite. For many Georgetowners, Bartleby’s Books, with its picturesque rows of antiquarian literature, has been the spot. Home to collectible prints, maps, and the occasional first edition copy of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” (valued at $850), Bartleby’s is a rich, substantive haven for the literary community and history buffs alike. Regrettably, when the store’s lease runs out at the end of July 2011, it will cease to be a part of the community.

Bartleby’s has been in business for 27 years and weathered the last 17 in Georgetown. Four years ago, it made room for Juicy Couture at M St. and Thomas Jefferson St., relocating to its current address on 29th by the Four Seasons. Now the landmark must move again, this time to accommodate a restaurant owned by Eric Eden and Marlene Hu Aldaba, co-owners of Hu’s Wear. Worse news still — the transition is to the Internet.

Bartleby’s owners John Thomson and Karen Griffin watched their business change dramatically with the dawn of the Internet. According to Thomson, those looking for particular books now scour sites like Amazon and eBay while “used book stores are more for browsing.” For this reason, the two are not looking to relocate, instead opting to run the store online from home. It’s no secret that the Internet has been detrimental to the used books profession.

The conditions of antique books are meticulously evaluated at Bartleby’s, but online there is no way to gauge the accuracy of an appraisal. “Many people on eBay can’t tell an original document from a photocopy,” chided Thomson.

Additionally, the owners of online used book sites often lack expertise in the subject areas of the very books they sell. Thomson and Griffin specialize in the history of U.S. presidents and the D.C. area, particularly Georgetown. Now their wealth of knowledge on the materials they possess will be reduced to paragraph descriptions on a website.

No longer will Georgetown students be able to sift through the collections of used paperbacks left outside Bartleby’s on a sunny day. The pleasant surprise of coming across an unexpected novel will be forfeit. Then again, the demise of the independent bookstore has been a long time coming in Georgetown.

Thomson believes a combination of factors are responsible for the decline of stores such as Bartleby’s, including an excess of restaurants catering to tourists and the rise of department stores that take up entire buildings. He and Griffin can list off all the antique bookstores in Georgetown that went before them. They recognize themselves as the last of a type. The Lantern will be the sole rare bookstore of note in Georgetown, when they close shop.

Some members of the community have petitioned to preserve the local treasure. “They’ve been very supportive,” said Griffin. Nevertheless, she and Thomson seem at peace with the fact that their landlord has opted for an arrangement that will bring in more money; the Hu’s Wear restaurant obtained one of seven new liquor licenses in Georgetown.

“The greatest loss is for younger people, who might never see what the depth of this material can be,” reflected Thomas. However, the loss extends far past the students and youths around town.

Up and down M St., where restaurants are a dime a dozen, losing Bartleby’s will leave a gaping hole in our tradition and culture. Such a void can’t be filled by another cookie-cutter restaurant with ethnic flair. In the 17 years they have served the Georgetown community, Thomson and Griffin have acted as archivists of Georgetown’s rich history. Nowhere else in the District will you find a similar volume of works chronicling Georgetown’s past. Yet, in the name of higher revenue, Bartleby’s is being exiled to the realm of book fairs and the Internet — its contents pressed further towards obscurity.

Small businesses like Bartleby’s don’t merely add character to Georgetown; they are responsible for creating the charming, personal atmosphere it became known for. Now, one-by-one they are vanishing. In their place appear businesses less concerned with maintaining Georgetown’s intimate essence as they are with drawing in the rabble of visitors to the area.

When we force out two of our own, Georgetown will only be the worse for it.

Donna Evers •

Depending on how old you are, 1960 may not seem so long ago, but the world was quite a different place then. As far a the global scene went, France was busy shedding colonies in Africa, the U.S. was making treaties with Japan, and Nikita Kruschev was acting up at the UN, although the “banging his shoe” incident was probably trumped up and passed along because it made such a good story. The U.S.S.R. already had already initiated the space race, and in 1960 launched a satellite with two dogs on board. This distressed the U.S. almost as much as the Russians shooting down Francis Gary Powers, as he flew over Soviet air space in his U-2 spy plane.

College kids were complacent, although an interesting group called the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was organized by student activists at Shaw University, a black Baptist college in Georgia. American Express issued its first plastic credit card. Marshall McLuhan explained in brilliant theories just how invasive and influential mass media was. There were no cell phones and no PCs; the computers used in offices were huge, unwieldy, and very slow. Oh yes, and everybody smoked cigarettes in restaurants, offices, hotel rooms, and everywhere else. The connection between smoking and lung cancer, while suspected, had not yet been established and publicized.

A new British rock group, who called themselves The Beatles, made their first appearance on stage in Hamburg, Germany. Elvis Presley, who went into the Army to serve his country, was made a Sergeant, and his stint in the military didn’t seem to cut into his singing career. The images on TV were only clear in the major metropolitan areas and grainy to snowy elsewhere, but everybody was hooked on it by 1960. They watched Jack Paar on the Tonight Show, and when Lucille Ball divorced Desi Arnez, it seemed unthinkable to all the fans who loved the zany couple and their antics on “I Love Lucy”. Alfred Hitchcock’s groundbreaking film “Psycho” opened in New York, of which the show scene, fifty years later, is still one of the scariest scenes in movie history.

Washington politics were in for a change. A dashing young senator from Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, decided to run for president, outmatched his opponent Richard Nixon in the first televised presidential debates, and won the presidency in November. He and his pregnant wife Jackie moved from their Georgetown house to the White House and brought the fresh air of youth, idealism, and hope to Washington.
Back then, investigative reporters pretty much considered the President’s private life “off limits”. It took years after John Kennedy was assassinated for his affairs with Marilyn Monroe and a mobster’s girlfriend, among others, to make the news. Even if the public had read it in the newspapers in the 1960’s, they wouldn’t have believed it, which is quite a statement on how the media and our perception of public figures have changed.
In December of 1960, the musical Camelot opened on Broadway and its brilliant cast went on to give 873 performances. If there’s one thing that even jaded Americans who were around in the 1960’s remember wistfully about the Kennedy presidency, it’s probably the reference to Camelot and its “one brief shining moment” in the pages of history.

Gary Tischler •

Outside, it was a typical American-style Friday night in Dupont Circle, restaurants and watering holes busy, couples and groups of people wandering up and down the streets; a mild fall-like weekend
night, outdoor dining, indoor imbibing.

In that scene, the outside of 1630 Connecticut Avenue looked like any other night-time office building, but inside and out of view, at the site of the still new Iraqi Cultural Center upstairs, something different
was going on. Culture—in the form of ancient music inspired by and evocative of something as prosaic as coppersmithing—seemed to have had an accumulatively powerful effect on an audience gathered for the first concert offering of the 2010-2011 Embassy Series.

That particular Friday night, Embassy Series founder and director Jerome Barry had something that vividly illustrated what he’s always said the series are meant to be: staged musical events in embassies, ambassador residences, and cultural centers that double as cultural diplomacy.

Nothing demonstrated the possibilities and opportunities of cultural diplomacy more effectively then the merging of audience, performers, and Iraqi officialdom from the ranks of the embassy more than this Friday concert of music by the Safaafir Iraqi Maqam Ensemble, a young group of musicians of Iraqi and American heritage, who played music from, in effect, the Cradle of Civilization, but with new compositions.

An evening of Iraqi music played by musicians, some of them from the American Midwest searching for the roots of the music of their Iraqi heritage in front of an audience of Americans and Iraqis in Washington, D.C. has an undeniably powerful resonance – historically, politically, and culturally.

In Washington, Iraq lies vividly in the contemporary mind, full with memories of 9/11, the invasion, the fall of Saddam Hussein, thelong, violent American military presence, and the ongoing efforts of the country to recreate a viable nation and government. These things are impossible to put aside for any great length of time, but they can be softened by a keen appreciation of cultural opportunities that builds bridges.

“Iraq is not just a country of explosions,” said Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida’ie, the Ambassador of Iraq, speaking with a moving eloquence. “We are not just a country of violence and problems.

“This concert is about a different side of Iraq. We are an ancient people, part of a great civilization
from the Cradle of Civilization. What you will hear is music that goes back thousands of years. You will hear music made on instruments that presaged all string instruments, like the violin and the lute, as well as percussion instruments. You will hear music which came from the market place in old Baghdad, melodies which men and women, poets and vendors swayed to in that ancient city.”

“It’s a historic night for us,” Barry said. “Iraq is the 57th embassy to have participated in the Embassy Series.”

The group—made up of brother and sister Amir El Saffar and Dena El Saffar, Tim Moore, Zafer Tawil, and Carlo DeRosa—takes its name from a well known market in Baghdad, evoking the sound of the ancient art of coppersmithin. The rhythmic noises, din-like, constant, syncopated almost, result in singular works of beauty. The sound of what’s called Maqam—a kind of classical vocal tradition dating back centuries in Iraq—includes the metallic timbre of the instruments used in making the music, which includes percussion instruments and ancient string instruments, like the Santur and the Oud.

The result is something is so evocative that it’s almost otherworldly, but it persists in the market places and the society of Iraq where the music links up with poetry. In Iraq, poetry is serious business—not in the sense of being published, say, in magazines or academic circles, but as being written on a daily basis and recited at dinner among family members. Consider for a moment Ambassador Sumaidaie’s background. He is almost a quintessential techie, with degrees in electrical engineering and a diploma in computer study. He’s also an entrepreneur, a veteran diplomat, and he writes Arabic poetry in the classical form.

The brother and sister team of Amir and Dena El Saffar were pursuing traditional contemporary
musical studies and careers—Amir as a jazz trumpeter in New York, Dina with a degree in classical music. From the Midwest with an American mother and Iraqi father, they began to explore traditional Iraqi music and the result is the Safaafir Iraqi Maqam Ensemble.

With roots in secular poetry and Sufi mysticism, the Maqam as performed by the ensemble evokes more than anything a quality that is particular to Middle Eastern music. There is a stirring yearning, a building ecstasy achieved by repetition. In his vocals, Amir El Saffar builds a kind of musical mountain from sand. The repetition builds the emotion and it can careen from plaintive sadness to ecstatic joy. Some of the textual material—the words—are old stories about unrequited love. “The last one involved a man who meets a girl he instantly falls in love with,” Amir explained. “She’s part of a caravan. He goes to the caravan, but it’s already gone. So he follows, and they come to a monastery, where he’s just missed her. The monks listen to his story and begin to cry themselves, so sad is his plight.”

Lamentation is likely one of the first forms of music—a keening repetition that rends the heart. In its current musical form, it’s a more embracing kind of music. It pleads for participation.

The concert was the first performance event for the Iraqi Cultural Center, which opened in May. The concert proved to be a bridge to an older place, a better time, and the music made it vivid, where before, amid two wars, it had to be imagined.

Samantha Hungerford •

Ins

AllSaints Spitalfields
You may or may not have already seen the construction along M St. for this one, but it is well on its way. At 3235 M St. NW., AllSaints Spitalfields will open soon this summer. The British clothing retailer will be adding their international touch to Georgetown’s fashion with their signature bold and edgy pieces.

Babette
Babette, located in 3307 Cadys Aly NW, is a nationwide fashion boutique with a collection of original, handmade microfiber pieces, which were inspired by modernist architecture and industrial graphic design. For many Georgetowners, especially those who are always at work and on the move, Babette might be a retailer to take a look at. The clothing pieces are tailored to flatter all body shapes and sizes and to provide comfort and functionality.

Michael Kors
In addition to the many big name-brand stores and boutiques that run along M St. and Wisconsin Ave., Michael Kors will open a new location at 3103 M St. NW, replacing White House Black Market. Known to have spectacular fashion-forward pieces and the hottest looks, the new retail location will be sure to capture the attention of any shop-aholic.

Metro area’s Tallest Building
As one exits the city off of Key Bridge and drive toward the Rosslyn metro stop, you’ll notice some construction at 1812 N. Moore Street that’s been on-going since October 2010. At a whopping 35 stories, Monday Properties will have erected the tallest building in the metropolitan area by the end of 2013.

IMAX at Lowes
The Albert Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian isn’t the only place with IMAX. Loews Georgetown 14 (3111 K Street N.W) will soon add IMAX capabilities for those who are willing to pay the extra couple bucks to enjoy the more dramatic experience of movie-watching. No longer will Georgetowners, along with other DC residents too, need to waste gas and travel the distance to Virginia or Maryland for the same viewing. Watch it in Georgetown!

Outs

Aditi Restaurant
After 23 years of business, Aditi Restaurant at 3299 M St NW. will be replaced by Grill Kabob. Aditi was the go-to place for anyone with a savory or spicy pallet. Do not fret though, Aditi-lovers. There are multiple locations, so in the meantime, satisfy your curry craving, at Aditi Spice Depot in Vienna or Herndon, Va., or in the food court at Union Station.

Courtney Overcash •

The American Red Cross issued a request for blood donors last week. With schools, which normally hold blood drives, out for the summer and many families traveling, the Red Cross has seen a dramatic dip in the number of donors. A lack of donations, combined with the summer’s typical spike in car accidents, has caused blood banks to reach critical shortages across the country.

While May and June’s demand for blood remained constant, the number of donations was the lowest reported in over 12 years. The Red Cross is calling for any and all blood types. However, blood banks especially need the universal O negative, which can be used by all receivers.

Only through donations can the American Red Cross give blood to its 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the United States. Red Cross blood donations help accident victims, cancer and sickle-cell disease patients, and those who need transfusions every day due to rare blood disorders.

Luckily for D.C. residents, several radio stations around the D.C. area are hosting summer blood drives where giving back gets you fun gifts. All are welcome to donate.

• 97.9 Baltimore is hosting 98 Rock MEGA Drive July 20-22 from noon to 8 p.m. at 2 locations: Town Mall of Westminster and Tall Cedars of Lebanon. All donators will receive a free t-shirt and 98 Rock goodie bag. Donors will also be entered to win 2 VIP tickets to Outlaw Jam 2, with Poison and Motley Crew.
• Six Flags America and Hot 99.5 are also hosting a blood drive on June 29 from 9a.m. to 4p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bethesda, MD. All participants will receive a free ticket to Six Flags America.
• Big 100.3 rounds out the summer with their own blood drive in Fairfax, Va. on Aug. 5 from 9a.m. to 4 p.m. All participants will receive a free NASCAR ticket to the One Last Race to See the Chase at Richmond International Raceway on Sept.10.

D.C. is also home to several nearby donation centers like the VA Medical Center on 50 Irving St., and the E Street Donor Center at 2025 E St. NW. Call 1800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment time.
Donators only need be 17 years old, meet basic height and weight requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on height) and in generally good health. Eat and drink plenty of fluids and bring a Red Cross Donor card or a government issued ID and come by to give.

Nico Dodd •

In Georgetown, business always tends to be a balancing act. When your neighborhood is a college town, a high-end retail district, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Washington, and home to a vibrant nightlife scene, it can be difficult to move around without stepping on anyone’s figurative foot.

On July 13, the Georgetown Business Association and the Georgetown Business Improvement District hosted Georgetown Business Forum on D.C. Nightlife and Hospitality. The Forum included community and business leaders from all sides of the Georgetown Nightlife industry from business owners and District government, to neighbors and Georgetown University. In addition to being very informative about how all these parties interact in this area, the forum highlighted the many different parties and voices that have a stake in the nighttime hospitality industry in Georgetown.

After the panelists introduced themselves, Georgetown business leader Janine Schoonover led a discussion that highlighted the current state of business and relations between community leaders. Concerns about regulation, competition with new developing neighborhoods, fake IDs, and the future of Georgetown were leading topics of discussion.

To set the tone, Anthony Lanier, president of EastBanc said “All I know is that my grandmother told me never get involved with a business that takes place in the dark.”

Skip Coburn, Executive Director of the D.C. Nightlife Association believes that collaboration is essential to retain the balance between those who live in Georgetown and those who come to Georgetown. “We all have to pitch in to make this successful,” he said.

In a statement made on July 23, Coburn wrote, “There are certain neighborhoods in the city in which the pendulum has perhaps swung way too far toward having too many ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control Board] establishments at too much expense to the residents, with resulting traffic, parking, noise, and other problems. There is an economic development aspect as well. Do more ABC establishments attract customers and business to a neighborhood? Or, do newer, more-creative, imaginative, higher-quality ABC establishments attract business patrons to a neighborhood?”

In the past decade, other neighborhoods in Washington have developed their own nightlife scenes; U Street, H Street, Gallery Place, and Logan Circle attract a quickly growing group of young professionals living in the city. Reliable standbys can retain a clientele, but it can be hard to compete when new neighborhoods with exciting new restaurants to be explored.

Paul Cohn, President of Capital Restaurant Concepts which includes Neyla, Paolo’s in Georgetown and Georgia Brown’s, thinks that Georgetown needs to loosen up or risk losing business to other neighborhoods. Cohn discussed how the voluntary agreements restrict restaurants, and that it can be easy to break the law without trying. He also said that it is too difficult to physically get people in to Georgetown, and its lack of Metro is a handicap. He also does not want Georgetown to be a tourist trap.

The regulation of licensed bars and restaurants was a large point of discussion. Leading off, Fred Moosally, director of the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Association, stated that his main concern is controlling underage drinking and fake and fraudulent ID usage. ABRA also stays on top of businesses so that establishments licensed as restaurants meet the requirements of one. Captain Gresham of the Metropolitan Police Department in Ward 2 echoed Moosally’s concerns, stating that proper education about spotting fakes is essential as fake IDs become more sophisticated. This February, approximately 20 fake IDs were seized at Third Edition.

Business leaders like Britt Swann, owner of Rhino, Modern, Serendipity 3 and Sign of the Whale, brought up concerns that the regulation of fake and fraudulent IDs is too harsh on businesses, and not hard enough on those using them. Swann stated that the costs of dealing with a fake ID charge can reach up to $6,000. “We have to be responsible for other people’s behavior,” he said.

“Restaurants are made to pay a heavy price for something happening on their turf that is not condoned, approved, endorsed or in any way desired by the business,” wrote Greg Casten, operations director for the family-owned Tony & Joe’s, Nick’s Riverside Grille and Cabana’s, in a statement on July 22. It is most important that a spirit of accountability should be taken with the individual. “This would be wonderful to begin seeing – the perception now is the restaurateur gets punished and treated like it was his intention to serve the minor, like he has criminal intent in mind when serving such.”

Cohn believed that Georgetown is doing well as it is now. “We’ve matured,” he said. “We used to be edgy.”

According to Jennifer Altemus, president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, there were approximately 102 restaurant liquor licenses in Georgetown when ABC put its liquor license moratorium in place in June 1988. For example, Wendy Furin, co-owner of Furin’s Bakery on M St., says that there was concern of so many bars and restaurants being close to the Washington International School, which then occupied the Philips School at 2735 Olive St. The moratorium was “a much needed step to halt the rapid deterioration,” wrote Altemus.

Last June, ABC ruled to continue the liquor license moratorium for five more years, but added seven liquor licenses to raise the total number to 68. According to ABRA’s ruling, ANC2E stressed the importance to preserve the moratorium in order to “preserve peace, order, and quiet in the neighborhood.”

A variety of different businesses applied and received these new licenses. Existing businesses, like Tackle Box and Puro Café, are now able to serve alcohol in their current establishments. The owners of Café Bonaparte will be opening Lapis. Other new licensees include Spin DC and Paul’s Bakery, a café on Wisconsin Avenue that is currently under renovation.

Perhaps the most interesting on the list was Hu’s Wear, a designer clothing store on M and 29th Streets. Eric Eden, co-owner of the shop, says that when they heard about the additional liquor licenses, they sprung at the opportunity to apply for one, which, at the current rate, was nearly once in a blue moon. Eden says that they will be opening a restaurant and bar next door within a year in the location where Bartleby’s Books stood until a few weeks ago.

Other voices from the community understand that doing business in Georgetown is tough, but that such care is needed to protect the neighborhood. “We can be successful while being mature,” said Linda Greenan, associate vice president of external affairs at Georgetown University.

ANC2E SMD 05 Commissioner Bill Starrels says that Georgetown has evolved greatly over the years, and that the community is strong.

Samantha Hungerford •

The latest buzz circling around the Mall isn’t this week’s congressional goings-on, a new display at the National Gallery of Art, or a festival taking place on the green. It’s PETA’s newest, shockingly graphic promotional display titled “Glass Walls,” an initiative backed by Sir Paul McCartney to convince people to go vegetarian or vegan.

Situated across from the Museum of Natural History, the display will be in place through Sept. 3 and features 12 large panels that draw similarities between slavery, child labor and female oppression, and animal cruelty in its various forms. It also boasts a large-screen TV playing McCartney’s “Glass Walls” DVD, which gets its name from its tagline, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” The video shows some incredibly horrific and heart-wrenching scenes, enough to put a damper on any passerby’s day – I had to watch the whole thing through my fingers.

Needless to say, PETA is making a huge statement with this. While there are definitely some major flaws and inhumane practices going on in the meatpacking industry, is it necessary to slam the thousands of tourists and residents that cross the Mall daily with such grotesque images?

We asked our followers on Twitter if they though PETA’s display was a bit too much and so far have heard an almost unanimous answer: yes. Nikki Burdine said the display is “a bit disturbing,” and Margarita Noriega responded with a definitive “Yes. A bit too much.” Kayleigh Irby, an intern at the Georgetowner and a vegetarian, responded to the tweet with “Ugh PETA is THE WORST.”

However, I dare say that this is exactly what PETA is going for and from their standpoint, the venture could be labeled a huge success. The longer the display stays up, the more it affects, disturbs and inflames people’s opinions. Positive or negative, any response is, in the end, better than none, right? According to the PETA website, 10,000 copies of the “Glass Walls” DVD were distributed in the first month of the venture alone. The site also tells stories of people who saw the display and vowed never to eat meat again. Couldn’t that be called effective?

One commenter named Carla posted on the PETA saying “Awesome Peta!! Way to go!! If you can change a few minds, it’s all worth it!!”

Please keep in mind that the video below is graphic.

But what do you think? Post your comment below and become part of the buzz.

Jeff Malet •

In conjunction with The 24th Annual Nation’s Capital Feis & “All-American Championships” and The O’Neill-James School of Irish Dancing.

Courtney Overcash •

A D.C. summer favorite, Screen on the Green, returns to the National Mall tonight with “In the Heat of the Night.” Screen on the Green gives families the chance to curl up on the grass and enjoy an outdoor evening together. And it’s totally free.

Sponsor HBO had considered cutting the event a few years ago, but the D.C. Film Alliance rallied with such community support and Facebook feedback that Screen on the Green is back with gusto.

This season’s movie lineup consists of four Hollywood Classics. Films begin every Monday night at dusk. Crowds begin to arrive around 5:30 p.m., so claim a spot early. No rain dates have been scheduled; Screen on the Green is taking a cue from Hollywood and “the show must go on” even if extreme weather occurs.

The location has changed this year, but only slightly. Still on the National Mall, the movies will be seen between 8th and 14th streets, not 4th and 7th as in previous years. However, the docket and atmosphere of the evenings should remain the same.

So grab a blanket and fill up your cooler for an evening of family fun. If you bring chairs be sure they are the low-sitting or camping style. You may be asked to collapse regular lawn chairs, so others can see behind you.

2011 Screen on the Green Line-up:

July 25 – In the Heat of the Night
August 1 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
August 8 – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
August 15 – Cool Hand Luke