Weekend Roundup

Georgetowner • September 21, 2015

Shop Local for Eileen Fisher at The Phoenix

September 17th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Tel: (202) 338-4404

From September 17th – 19th, Join us in celebrating Eileen Fisher’s Fall 2015 Shop Local Event. Receive 10 percent off your full priced Fall Eileen Fisher purchase and enter to win one of 12 Gift Bags filled with goodies from your neighborhood businesses! 10 percent of all Eileen Fisher sales benefit Women for Women International.

Address

1514 Wisconsin Ave NW

“20th Century People”

September 18th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | info@oldprintgallery.com | Tel: 2029651818 | Event Website

The gallery’s fall show, 20th Century People, will open on Friday, September 18th and remain on view through November 14. The exhibit is a compendium of “people in prints” by some of the most celebrated 20th century American printmakers. Creating in a time when the art world was pushing towards abstract expressionism and modernism, these artists stayed rooted in a sort of inherent figural humanism.

Address

The Old Print Gallery; 1220 31st Street, N.W.

The Andrew & Mary P. O’Neal Cares Project Benefit Concert

September 19th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | $65 | Event Website

WCJS Radio and the Andrew and Mary P. O’Neal Cares Project will sponsor a benefit concert featuring D.C.’s own, Lori Williams and Steve Washington, and a special appearance by, Scott “Bugs” Allen and 3rd Scenario. The event will be held at The American University Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall, 4400 Mass. Ave., N. W., Washington, DC. All proceeds from this event will go to two well deserving non-profits: Ghanaian Mothers’ Hope and Innocents At Risk. Tickets for the show are now on sale.

Address

The Katzen Arts Center; 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Das Bier Bash presented by Drink The District

September 19th, 2015 at 01:00 PM | $35-$50 | ilovebeer@drinkthedistrict.com | Tel: 2026183663 | Event Website

Tighten your lederhosen, raise your stein and prepare for the wurst at this ode to Deutschland. Das Bier Bash offers a heady mix of traditional German food, games, and music that will have you dancing to the oompah in no time.

The following items are included in your ticket:

Unlimited tastings of over 75 beers

Lawn games like corn hole, flip cup, and beer pong

Access to awesome local food trucks

Live entertainment all day

Address

The Block; 500 New York Avenue NW

Fifth Annual Park After Dark

September 19th, 2015 at 06:00 PM

Mark your calendars for a special evening under the stars to benefit the C&O Canal National Historical Park.

Address

Historic Great Falls Tavern, Potomac, MD

Wolf Trap Hosts Annual Charity Ball In Partnership with the Embassy of Italy

September 19th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | $750 for individuals, with access to a VIP Reception starting at $1,500 | Tel: (703) 255-1900 | Event Website

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts will host the 2015 Wolf Trap Ball, this Saturday, September 19, 2015 on the Filene Center stage at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Hosted in partnership with the Embassy of Italy and in cooperation with the National Park Service, this year’s Ball honors the thriving arts and culture of Italy. As Wolf Trap Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser, the Ball and its proceeds benefit the Foundation’s nationally recognized arts and education programs.

Address

Filene Center Stage; 1635 Trap Rd, Vienna, VA 22182

Sunday Serenity: Fall Yoga in the Park

September 20th, 2015 at 09:30 AM | $5 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | Event Website

Sunday Serenity continues through the fall! Join local yoga instructor Lauren Jacobs in the East Park at Dumbarton House, which provides a serene, tree covered outdoor space, for this 60 minute all-levels vinyasa flow class that should be fun and challenging for both experienced yogis and yoga skeptics alike! Bring your own mat.

Address

2715 Q Street, NW

Jane Austen Tea

September 20th, 2015 at 01:00 PM | $30 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | Event Website

Enjoy one of the Regency Era’s favorite past times – afternoon tea! You are cordially invited to join Mrs. Bennett for a spirited discussion of Austen’s works and enjoy a lively period appropriate tea while learning the history of taking tea in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This afternoon tea is complete with tea sandwiches, scones, and assorted desserts. Arrive early to tour the historical Federal period house museum.

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Address

2715 Q Street, NW

Lifestyle Seminar presented by Quarry Springs

September 20th, 2015 at 11:00 AM | Free | christine.basso@sothebysrealty.com | Tel: 2023022508 | Event Website

Real estate experts from TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, moving professionals from Town & Country Movers, and home consultants from TAD Relocation will discuss transitioning from an estate home to a luxury estate condominium.

Address

8101 River Road, Bethesda, MD.

Washington Bach Consort presents “Mass Appeal”

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

Washington Bach Consort presents “Mass Appeal”

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):

Mass in A Major, BWV 234

Sanctus in D Major, BWV 238

Kyrie in F Major, BWV 233a

Mass in G Major, BWV 236

Katelyn Aungst, soprano

Sarah Davis Issaelkhoury, mezzo-soprano

Robert Petillo, tenor

Steven Combs, bass

All programs are subject to change without notice.

Address

National Presbyterian Church; 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW

Landmark Society Author Coffee: Novelist Mary Louise Kelly and ‘The Bullet’

September 21st, 2015 at 09:30 AM | $0-20 | fherman@tudorplace.org | Tel: 202-580-7321 | Event Website

Join a personal conversation with renowned writer and Georgetowner Mary Louise Kelly about “The Bullet,” a heart-pounding story of fear, family secrets, and one woman’s hunt for answers about her parents’ murder. The author will share the inspiration for her latest novel, about beautiful professor Caroline Cashion, who discovers a bullet lodged at the base of her skull. Kelly weaves a captivating tale of mystery and suspense as her heroine uncovers the truth behind “The Bullet.”

Address

1644 31st Street, NW

Michael Wilbon & James Brown Celebrity Roast Celebrating Gary Williams

September 22nd, 2015 at 05:30 PM | $500 | kaylan.somerville@dcccap.org | Tel: 202-503-2662 | Event Website

Join Michael Wilbon and James Brown for an evening of laughter and inspiration benefiting the DC College Access Program (DC-CAP) as we celebrate basketball coaching legend Gary Williams of the University of Maryland. Comcast SportsNet’s Chick Hernandez will emcee as celebrity roasters share humorous stories about Coach William’s career on and off the court. Before the dinner/roast, a silent auction will feature priceless celebrity memorabilia, sporting event tickets, travel, and more.

Address

JW Marriott; 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

LGBT Shorts

September 17th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | $12-$15 | intern@kendrarubinfeldpr.com | Tel: 202-681-1151 | Event Website

The LGBT community is so important to the fabric of DC culture, so join us in celebrating our pride with a special collection of films highlighting the LGBT experience or made by emerging LGBT filmmakers. Presented in partnership with Reel Affirmations.

Address

Landmark Theatres E Street Cinema; 555 11th Street NW

Georgetowner • September 18, 2015

1984

August 27th, 2015 at 07:30 PM | $20-108 | stcbox@shakespearetheatre.org | Tel: 202.547.1122 | Event Website

A new adaptation of the classic by George Orwell created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. 1984 was originally produced by Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse, and Almeida Theatre

April, 1984. 13:00. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought, starts a diary, and falls in love. But Big Brother is watching—and the door to Room 101 can swing open at any time. Orwell’s vision of a dystopian future is brought to life in a radical multimedia production by the U.K.’s acclaimed Headlong theatre company.

Address

The Lansburgh Theatre
450 7th Street, NW
Washington, D.C.

Kristin Chenoweth
August 28th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

With a voice that “slices through the stratosphere like a supersonic jet,” (The New York Times) this Tony- and Emmy-winning star takes center stage, performing theatre and pop standards, as well as songs off her 2014 album, Coming Home.
Address

Filene Center
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, Virginia

“Brews for Books” Fundraiser at Mr. Smith’s
August 31st, 2015 at 04:00 PM | Free; $10 donation suggested | marketing@bankofgeorgetown.com | Tel: 2023551200 | Event Website

Join Bank of Georgetown for “Brews for Books” at Mr. Smiths! This happy hour benefits First Book, a nonprofit that puts new books in the hands of low-income kids. Enjoy drink specials & half price appetizers; a $10 donation provides 4 new books to a needy child. Donate online.

The event is part of “Give Back: Tenfold,” Bank of Georgetown’s anniversary service initiative that supports 10 local nonprofits through unique projects and donation drives.Member FDIC

Address

Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown
3205 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C.

4:00-9:00 PM

Fairfax Choral Society Youth & Adult Auditions
September 1st, 2015 at 06:00 AM | No cost to audition. Contact Office for Tuition & Dues Information | office@fairfaxchoralsociety.org | Tel: 703-642-3277 | Event Website

With ten ensembles and more than fifteen musicianship classes, FCS provides opportunities to nearly 400 choral singers from preschool through adult.

FCS will hold auditions and voice checks for our Youth and Adult Programs during the month of September. Please email office@fairfaxchoralsociety.org or call 703-642-3277 to schedule an audition time. Locations: Fairfax (Adult), Annandale, Herndon, Centreville (Youth).
Address

Fairfax (Adult), Annandale, Herndon, Centreville (Youth)

Georgetowner • September 17, 2015

Tonight Through Aug. 23 at Blues Alley: Tuck & Patti

The duo that is Tuck Andress and Patti Catchart will perform live at Blues Alley –1023 Wisconsin Ave. NW — tonight through Aug. 23 with shows at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Now Through Aug. 23: D.C. Restaurant Week

Summer’s D.C. Restaurant Week — hosted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington — is an annual promotion of oldies but goodies and some newbies and continues through Sunday, Aug. 23. In Georgetown, the participating restaurants include Bistrot Lepic, Cafe Bonaparte, Cafe Milano, Clyde’s, Daily Grill, El Centro, Filomena, La Chaumiere, Malmaison, Morton’s Steakhouse, Sea Catch, Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place and Unum. There are special three-course, prix-fixe menus. Lunches are priced at $22; dinners, $35. Visit www.ramw.org/restaurantweek for more details.

Aug. 21: Disney in Concert at Wolf Trap

At 8 p.m., watch Disney magic light up the stage as your favorite songs from “Frozen,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast” and more are sung live, with accompaniment by the Wolf Trap Orchestra and synchronized video from the movies displayed on huge screens. Wolf Trap, Filene Center,1551 Trap Road,Vienna, Virginia 22812. Wolftrap.org

Aug 21: ‘An Evening of Opera Arias: Love Songs and Duets’ at Heurich House

The Heurich House Museum is pleased to welcome Amici Vocal Ensemble for a salon-style performance of “An Evening of Opera Arias: Love Songs and Duets,” 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm., Friday, August 21

Aug. 22 Through Aug. 27: A Celebration of Chinese Opera at Katzen

The first-ever Chinese Opera mask exhibition in D.C. This event combines child workshops – the results of which will be showcased during the exhibit – and a collection of 3-D masks and other related artwork inspired by the theme of Chinese opera, such as photography, costume, paintings and more. Guests of the opening reception will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of their very own Chinese opera mask. Opening reception, 5 p.m. Exhibit runs through Aug. 27. American University’s Katzen Arts Center: 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW; free — ChineseOperaMask@Gmail.com — 912-344-0671 | EVENT WEBSITE

Aug. 22: Gladys Knight and the O’Jays at Wolf Trap

At 8 p.m., “For the Love of Money,” boogie over to see the seven-time Grammy-winning “Empress of Soul” on a “Midnight Train to Georgia” and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame R&B trio, who brought you “Love Train.” Wolf Trap, Filene Center,1551 Trap Road,Vienna, Virginia 22812. EVENT WEBSITE

Aug. 22: Dolley Day at Dumbarton House

Running noon to 3 p.m., this annual event is one of Georgetown’s most charming and historical. During her legendary flight from the White House in 1814, Dolley Madison stopped at Dumbarton House (2715 Q St. NW) on her way to Virginia. This Saturday, August 22, celebrate with an afternoon of fun and festivities. The museum will be open for self-guided touring and English Country Dancers will perform at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m with a brief course following each performance. The event is free and open to all.
[gallery ids="102295,127642" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Jackson Brown

September 11th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

Indulge in heartfelt classic rock from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer whose music includes everything from romantic songs to social commentaries—“Somebody’s Baby,” “Doctor My Eyes,” and “Running on Empty,” are well-known favorites, and his new compositions are what Rolling Stone calls “superb, inspiring.”

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

Pride and Prejudice

September 11th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | $10-59 | boxoffice@centerstage.org | Tel: 410.332.0033 | Event Website

To open its 2015/16 Season, Center Stage will present a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s 19th Century love story of Lizzy Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice.

Adapted by Christopher Baker

Directed by Center Stage Associate Artistic Director Hana Sharif

Address

Center Stage; 700 North Calvert Street; Baltimore, MD 21202

Das Biergarten

September 11th, 2015 at 09:00 PM | $20 | Event Website

Celebrate 9 German short films at this special event. Enjoy German snacks, beers, and specialty cocktails while dancing to G-Pop or watching selected shorts in the theater.

Party is 21+ only.

Light refreshments, special selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages included.

Tickets are $20 online or box office, no door sales.

Address

Goethe-Institut; 812 7th Street NW

Light the Way 5K

September 12th, 2015 at 08:00 AM | $5-$10 | jhunter@clb.org | Tel: (202) 454-6422 | Event Website

Light the Way 5K is a unique and non-competitive walk/run race that begins at Nationals Park and ends on the Nationals baseball field. The event is supported by various local and national businesses and supports programs and services to people who are blind or visually impaired in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Everyone is invited to participate. Opportunities are available to act as a guide to a runner or walker. For more information about the race, please visit www.lighttheway5k.org

Address

National’s Baseball Park; 1500 S Capitol St SE

Friends of Rose Park Summer Movie Nights

September 12th, 2015 at 08:00 PM

Bring your picnics, chairs, and blankets for a screening of “Finding Nemo” 8 p.m. September 12. Drinks and snacks available.

Address

Rose Park; 26th and O Streets

Sunday Serenity: Fall Yoga in the Park

September 13th, 2015 at 09:30 AM | $5 | education@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | Event Website

Sunday Serenity continues through the fall! Join local yoga instructor Lauren Jacobs in the East Park at Dumbarton House, which provides a serene, tree covered outdoor space, for this 60 minute all-levels vinyasa flow class that should be fun and challenging for both experienced yogis and yoga skeptics alike! Bring your own mat.

Address

2715 Q Street, NW,

Eric Lotke, author of “Making Manna,” Book Talk, Q&A, and Signing

September 15th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Free | anna@upshurstreetbooks.com | Tel: (202) 726-0380 | Event Website

Join Northern Virginia based author, activist, and scholar Eric Lotke for a book talk about his newest release, “Making Manna,” with a signing and Q&A to follow. The event will take place at Upshur Street Books on Tuesday, September 15, at 7p.m. The event is free of charge and copies of his novel will be available for purchase and signing.

Address

827 Upshur St. NW

Georgetowner • September 8, 2015

Opening Reception for Susan Grace’s “Lay of the Land” Art Exhibit

Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. — free — Gracefamily999@verizon.net
Tel: 202-338-0325
Event Website

The paintings in Susan Grace’s solo show “Lay of the Land” respond to deep space of the mountains using patterns and layers to capture the elation of being in the Appalachians of West Virginia. Exhibition continues through Sept. 26.

Address

Hillyer Art Space, 9 Hillyer Court, NW

Twilight Polo – “Antique Car Night”

September 5th, 2015 at 06:30 PM | $30.00 per car | Tel: 540-253-5000 | Event Website

Bring your family, friends, and coworkers out for an evening in Virginia Horse Country. Experience an authentic sunset watching two polo matches, picnicking, drinking wine, watching the kids play giant tug o’war, and dancing the night away. One pass admits an entire car load of family and friends.

Address

5089 Old Tavern Road; The Plains, Va. 20198

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley/Stephen “Ragga” Marley/Morgan Heritage/Tarrus Riley

September 5th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Event Website

Prepare for infectious rhythms and reggae grooves when the multi-Grammy-winning sons of music icon Bob Marley, a sensational roots-reggae quintet, and an R&B tenor, whose “vocals are never in doubt” (BBC Music) hit the stage.

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

Sunday Sketch with Barbara Sharp

September 6th, 2015 at 02:00 PM | Tel: (540) 687-6542 | Event Website

Each month a local art teacher or artist leads a sketching session in the art galleries, guiding participants on style, composition, or another aspect of drawing. This month, Barbara Sharp will lead the session. The program is free and open to the public of all ages. Participants will receive free admission to the Museum. Pre-registration is encouraged. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Supplies provided.

Address

National Sporting Library & Museum; 102 The Plains Road; Middleburg, VA 20117

Grogan Social Scene and Guests

September 6th, 2015 at 04:00 PM | $5 | thepinchdc@gmail.com | Tel: 202-722-4440 | Event Website

Grogan Social Scene, lead by D.C.-based, Thomas Grogan, will play Americana-infused, indie-rock tunes from their forthcoming, second full-length album, Conceptual Arrangements.

Address

The Pinch; 3548 14th St NW

Georgetown Sunset Cinema: “Burn After Reading”

September 8th, 2015 at 07:30 PM | Free | Event Website

Join the Georgetown Business Improvement District on Tuesday nights at sunset for Georgetown’s first ever FREE outdoor movie series! Grab a blanket, bring a picnic and head to the beautiful Georgetown Waterfront Park to view films with the panoramic backdrop of the sunset, Potomac River and Key Bridge.

Burn After Reading screens on Tuesday, Sept. 8. We hope you can join us.

Address

Georgetown Waterfront Park at the intersection of K/Water Street and Cecil Place. NW

Georgetowner • August 19, 2015

Blues Alley: Poncho Sanchez

August 14th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | 40 | Tel: (202) 337-4141 | Event Website

Legendary percussionist Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band are performing live from Friday, August 14th through Sunday, August 16th. Inspired by the conga playing of Cuban great Mongo Santamaria, Sanchez honed his skills as a percussionist and broke into the limelight at the age of 23 when he joined vibraphonist Cal Tjader’s famed Latin jazz ensemble in 1975.

Address

Blues Alley; 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Mr. Knick Knack at Market Common Clarendon

August 14th, 2015 at 10:30 AM | 0 | isobel@taapr.com | Tel: 2026258370 | Event Website

Mr. Knick Knack, the DC areas most popular children’s entertainer, will perform weekly songs for the Market Common Clarendon community Friday morning’s beginning August 14 from 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM. Please join us on the following dates for child friendly entertainment and sing a longs!

August 14; August 21; August 28; September 4; September 11; September 18; and September 25

Address

Market Common Clarendon; 2700 Clarendon Blvd; Arlington VA 22201

Nakimuli Trunk Show

August 15th, 2015 at 02:00 PM | 0 | info@nubianhueman.com | Tel: 2023943386 | Event Website

Nakimuli end-of-summer trunk show at Nubian Hueman Boutique. The show displays the stunning Black Star / Jump Hi Collection at a 20%-50% discount for RSVP’d patrons. Designer McMillan has adorned celebrities such as Eva Marcille of America’s Next Top Model, Grammy Awards winners Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, Danielle Brooks of Orange Is The New Black, and music artists Jazmine Sullivan and Merrill Garbus of TuneYards. All pieces range in size from small to 3x-large.

Address

Nubian Hueman Boutique Lounge; 1231 Good Hope Rd SE

Dumbarton House: “The Search for Yarrow Mamout”

August 19th, 2015 at 06:30 PM | $15 for members (DCPL and DH/NSCDA); $25 for nom-members | Tel: (202) 783-5144 | Event Website

A Muslim former slave from West Africa, Yarrow Mamout purchased property located at what is now 3324 Dent Place, NW in 1796, where he lived until his death in 1823. Mamout became famous after Charles Wilson Peale painted his portrait in 1819 and for a later portrait painted by James Alexander Simpson in 1822. The search for Yarrow Mamout’s remains stems from an obituary circulated by Peale following Yarrow’s death that suggests he was buried in his backyard.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Yarrow Mamout Archaeology Project Field Director, Mia L. Carey will talk speak at Dumbarton House about the project’s research methods, findings, and more.

Address

Dumbarton House; 2715 Q St. NW

Georgetowner • August 17, 2015

Using DC by the Book — The App

July 30th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Free | julia.strusienski@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Join the Georgetown Neighborhood Library for a class on using the app element of DC by the Book, a DC Public Library resource designed to connect you with literature set in Washington, D.C.

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St. NW

Middleburg Summer Sidewalk Sale

July 31st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Tel: 540-687-5152

Middleburg, the quaint historic town in Virginia’s horse country, is cleaning out its closets and storage areas and moving onto the sidewalks, July 31 – Aug. 2, for the 9th annual Summer Sidewalk Sale. The sale, sponsored by the Middleburg branch of Union Bank & Trust, the Town of Middleburg, and the Middleburg Business and Professional Association, will be held on Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sun. as posted by shops. Look for balloons outside participating shops and restaurants!

Address

The Town of Middleburg; 12 North Madison Street; Middleburg, VA 20117

Pretty Chic Boutique: Garden Party

July 31st, 2015 | Free | Tel: 202-333-5477| Event Website

From French boutique labels to vintage high-end brands and elegantly modern Turkish jewelry, don’t miss Pretty Chic’s Summer Sale & Garden Party on Friday, July 31st. Wine and cheese will be served while you peruse racks of très chic vintage clothing for only $20. Everything inside is 50% off unless it’s consignment.

Address

1671 Wisconsin Ave. NW

“Above and Beyond: The Ultimate Interactive Flight Exhibition” Opening

August 1st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | Tel: 202-633-2214 | Event Website

“Above and Beyond: The Ultimate Interactive Flight Exhibition” opens at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Aug. 1. Made up of 20 dynamic displays and immersive experiences, the exhibition focuses five key themes that define flight and space travel represented in five immersive “galleries” – Up, Faster, Higher, Farther, and Smarter. Designed primarily for kids ages 7 – 12, but open to visitors of all ages, the show features a multi-touch timeline, an immersive video experience and interactive simulations and design activities. Sponsored by Boeing, the exhibition will travel to several U.S. cities and international locations.

Address

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum; Independence Ave at 6th Street, SW

Tony & Joe’s Seafood: Tacos and Tequila Tuesdays

August 4st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | Tel: 202-944-4545 | Event Website

Tuesdays are the new Friday with ‘Taco and Tequila’ Tuesdays at Tony & Joe’s (3000 K St. NW). Back by popular demand, the lunch deal includes two tacos, with your choice of chicken, steak or fish, and a house margarita for $15. Offer is good at the bar only.

Address

Tony & Joe’s Seafood; 3000 K ST NW

Georgetowner •

Grace Church 22nd Annual Bach Festival

July 5th, 2015 at 03:00 PM | $20 | Event Website

Visit Georgetown’s historic Grace Church to experience Bach’s most iconic works as they come alive. Starting Sunday, July 5, at 3:00 p.m., the festival will include a series of concerts for $20 admission, concluding on Friday, July 10, with a final concert at 7:30 p.m.

Address

Grace Church; 1041 Wisconsin Ave NW

Pink Martini

July 10th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

The self-described “little orchestra” has become an international phenomenon, “mixing glamour and sophisticated easy listening with multilingual songs and the unexpected” (The Guardian)—see them on tour for hits like “Sympathique,” “Amado mío,” “¿Dónde estás, Yolanda?” and more.

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

House + Walking Tours: Tudor Place and the Civil War Home Front

July 11th, 2015 at 10:00 AM | $8-$15 | press@tudorplace.org | Tel: 2029650400 | Event Website

Civil War brought uncertain times for Tudor Place and surrounding Georgetown. Learn in a unique house tour how owner Britannia Peter Kennon saved her family home by boarding Union officers. See where they dined, learn what they ate, and hear about the landlady’s special precautions to avoid charges of espionage. After breaking for lunch on your own, join the expert guided walking tour of historic Georgetown.

Address

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden; 1644 31st Street NW

National Ballet of China

July 14th, 2015 at 08:30 PM | Event Website

Fusing classical western ballet with traditional Chinese dance, this spellbinding performance tells the story of star-crossed lovers through luscious costumes and poetic staging.

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

Author Debriefing: The Billion-Dollar Spy

July 15th, 2015 at 12:00 PM | FREE | lhicken@spymuseum.org | Tel: (202) 654-0932 | Event Website

While getting into his car on a February evening in 1978, the chief of the CIA’s Moscow station was handed an envelope by an unknown Russian. Its contents stunned the Americans: details of top secret Soviet research and development in military technology that was totally unknown to the United States. From David Hoffman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Dead Hand, comes the riveting story of the CIA’s most valuable spy in the Soviet Union.

Address

800 F Street, NW

Jane Austen Film Festival Presents: Emma

July 15th, 2015 at 07:30 PM | Free | marketingintern@dumbartonhouse.org | Tel: 2023372288 | Event Website

There is no shortage of outdoor movies to choose from in Washington, D.C., this summer, but what sets the Jane Austen Film Festival apart is the picturesque backdrop of Dumbarton House, which The Georgetowner calls “a perfectly historical fit” for the romantic stories of the author. Dumbarton House will host the 4th Annual outdoor film series screening popular adaptations of some of the most beloved Jane Austen novels. Bring a blanket, bring a date, bring friends and family and come watch under the stars!

Address

2715 Q St NW

Cheers or Jeers

July 15th, 2015 at 07:30 PM | $10 | media@dcshorts.com | Tel: 202.393.4266 | Event Website

For 12 years, the D.C. Shorts Film Festival has presented the best short films from around the globe. Now, watch the ones that did not make the cut in an interactive evening of jeering in misery — and cheering for victory.

Address

Penn Social; 801 E St NW

Gary Tischler •

Before we travel to a new place, we stuff our luggage full. We pack the things we know and remember. We pack expectations, a kind of act of the imagination about how things might be, what we’ll see and feel. We pack our own memories.

We went to Cooperstown in upstate New York. We came initially because of opera—the Glimmerglass Festival and its artistic director Francesca Zambello, who also runs the Washington National Opera. We came also because of the church of baseball, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where baseball’s inventor or grand developer Abner Doubleday lived. It is not the house that Babe Ruth built, but it is where he and hundreds of baseball’s finest are honored pretty much forever.

We discovered, too, that Cooperstown was founded by the father of James Fenimore Cooper, the town’s most famous author and America’s first novelist of any note, best known for “The Last of the Mohicans.”
Armed with this, we noted the presence of the Fenimore Art Museum, alongside the expansive and beautiful Leatherstocking Golf Course, which is part of the more than 100-year-old Otesaga Resort Hotel, and also runs across Lake Street, next to the modestly titled Farmers’ Museum. If you stay on that road and drive all the way around the lake, you will end up where you started: on Main Street in Cooperstown.

So, I came to Cooperstown already armed with some notions and memories. I—as well as my boon companion and partner—grew up in small towns, with similar populations and tropes, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. I came to Cooperstown as an erstwhile German immigrant who spent the 1950s following the Cleveland Indians in their annual baseball wars with the New York Yankees, part of a youthful love affair with baseball that has never much abated. I thought it cannot get much better than this: baseball, opera, small town and James Fenimore Cooper, whose works I had only experienced in their Classic Illustrated comic book versions or as movies.

We stayed on the outside of the town at a Best Western Plus, where in the morning you could see mist and fog on the hills outside. We made our way into town—you hit Main Street at the town’s only stoplight—and I soon found out that everything I thought I knew was incomplete.

Cooperstown is a real place, not just the Hall of Fame.

If you’re an outdoor person, there are plenty of parks and recreational offerings—boating, biking, hiking, fishing. There are plenty of restaurants, farmers’ markets, distilleries and regional breweries. The influence of Whole Foods is not much in evidence.

Drive into town for the first time, and you’ll see the sign Redneck Barbecue brashly displayed on a roof in big colors.

This co-mingling of informality works its way through the town and the places you’ll see, oh my—even to some degree at elegant, impressive Otesaga Resort Hotel, the flagship of accommodations for the area. Buffet and lunch breakfast are a welcome offerings for travelers as well as guests, where eating by the window seats or outside retains an elegant, peaceful feeling. It makes you want to read a book by Henry James.

This probably comes as no surprise, nor is the excellent quality of the art works in the Fenimore Museum, including special exhibition currently of the works of Maxwell Parrish, as well as an impressive array of Native American art, among others.

You will be surprised by the Farmers’ Museum across the way from Fenimore. It contains a facsimile working village and farm, covering bygone days in American life—from a church, to a barn, a newspaper office, sheds and a blacksmith, barnyard animals shyly watching tourists, women sewing, the kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms and libraries of both gentry and small town folks. There’s a Brigadoon quality to this. Imagine what would happen if you dropped a mobile electronic device into this serene scene. It might have the effect of a cultural, social nuclear device.

Around the lake a ways, you’ll encounter Hyde Hall, where executive director Jonathan Maney holds forth on one of the oldest residences around —it was built by an Englishman named George Clarke on a 60,000-acre estate with the help of renowned architect Philip Hooker. Ever since 1964, Hyde Hall has been under some sort of renovation to return it to its original grandeur, which in full glory was considerable. As Clarke was British, and after having the original cottage built, he strove for a touch of English landed aristocracy in the grand manner for a grand manor. Today, Maney, who is a historian, a former professor and a great storyteller, tells us that it is used for weddings, concerts, galas, picnics, lectures and exhibitions. Inside the vast home, which started out as a cottage, there are its paintings, prints, copies (of the inventor-artist Samuel Morse’s painting, “Gallery of the Louvre”), sculptures and rooms upon rooms, dark stairways, expansive window views of a courtyard, children’s rooms as well as a wine cellar fully stocked.

On Main Street, Cooperstown, however, it is baseball everywhere, memorabilia shops (like Mickey’s Place) everywhere. A statue of a youthful Shoeless Joe Jackson stands near Doubleday Field. After all that, at the end of Main Street sits the Baseball Hall of Fame itself, which this weekend (July 24 to 27) will induct four new members—Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz—during four days of nothing but baseball, including the presence and a parade of hundreds of the game’s living legends and hall members.

From the outside, the hall doesn’t look like much. It seems small, until you walk inside and enter what is not so much a hall of fame but a hall of dreams. The three floors are filled with exhibits on teams, on the history of the games, on individuals like Hank Aaron, the Babe and Joe DiMaggio, on ball parks, the Negro Leagues, and most holy of holies, the true hall that contains plaques of every player inducted into the hall. Prominently located are sculptures of Ted Williams and Babe Ruth, where a small player is trying to imitate Ruth’s batting stance.

It’s an impressive place, a kind of church that’s full of reverence, references and irreverence. It’s a place where the playing of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” can suddenly bring you close to tears. It’s what happens here that matters, the buzz in every hall, young boys and some girls in baseball uniforms all over the place, the chit chat of the game whizzing through the wandering crowds like a giant murmur. On another floor, a dozen people are gathered around a screening of the Abbott and Costello comedy routine “Who’s on First,” laughing hard. Among the plaques, I find Ernie “Play Two,” the Chicago Cub and greatest player never to play in a World Series. His face shows a smile, and so does a woman looking at him. She’s an unrequited Cubs fan. We look at a plaque for Cubs manager Leo “The Lip” Durocher. She grimaces. “That S.O.B. cost us the pennant,” she says with some rancor.

After a trip to a new place, you return with more than you brought—more stuff, more maps, more books and souvenirs. More memories.

I unpacked memories of printer’s ink, an embarrassed turkey avoiding children at the farm, the two warm women who ran the carousel, the taste of cherry in a draught beer, the smoke on the hills, Papageno meeting Papagana in “The Magic Flute,” Solomon Howard’s eloquent basso voice in the two operas and bass baritone Eric Owens who saw ghosts, jumped on a table and owned Macbeth, a drive along Lake Street at midnight with a mother deer in the headlights, the sight and names of all the baseball players bringing back summer nights in Ohio, Maney describing in detail the process for lighting a Hyde chandelier and talking about his grandmother who had survived the fatal voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic, the rustle of white curtains at the resort moved by a breeze from Lake Otsego.
[gallery ids="102150,133041,133033,133048,133053" nav="thumbs"]

Gary Tischler •

In this town, people are talking about Francesca Zambello.

This town being not Washington, D.C., where Zambello is artistic director of Washington National Opera, but Cooperstown, New York. As you may have heard, this bucolic upstate village is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where four new members will
inducted July 24-27.

Soon thousands of visitors, many times the resident population, will be streaming in for the baseball festivities. But the weekend before, quite a few people will be heading out to State Highway 80, also known as Lake Street. Just outside of town on scenic Otsego Lake is the Glimmerglass Festival, which will be in its second week. Glimmerglass, where Zambello has been artistic and general director since 2011, is celebrating its 40th summer season of presenting top-drawer operas.

This year’s festival, which runs through Aug. 23, kicked off with back-to-back Friday and Saturday openings of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” and Guiseppi Verdi’s “Macbeth.” It continues during Hall of Fame weekend with “Macbeth” on Friday, the rarely seen Vivaldi opera “Cato in Utica” on Saturday and the Zambello-directed production of Leonard Bernstein’s musically wondrous take on Voltaire’s “Candide” on Sunday.

“Up here,” one local said, “it’s baseball and Butterfly” (as in “Madama Butterfly”) or, more currently, Mantle and Mozart. The baseball you would expect. But opera, Zambello-style, that’s another matter.

And it’s had an impact. Taking in the highly original and stirring “Magic Flute” opener, a patron — who had travelled from New York City for the occasion — told us that Zambello had made “a huge difference. She’s turned it around.”

The next day, while waiting at a Main Street ATM, we talked with a local man who had moved to what he called “baseball heaven” from the New York City borough of Queens. The self-described baseball fanatic noted Zambello’s effect on the town. “Glimmerglass has a great reputation,” he said. “We’re glad to have her here.”

“She works closely and partners with other local cultural institutions like Hyde Hall,” a Cooperstown tourism professional said. Jonathan Maney, executive director of haunting and historic Hyde Hall, on the other side of the lake, praised Zambello’s spirit of cooperation and partnership.

At both openings last week, Zambello seemed to be everywhere — thanking patrons and contributors, board members, audience members and the town itself, being the evangelist for opera. This is not dissimilar from what she does on Washington Opera opening nights, turning greeter and up-close opera champion.

We spoke with Zambello at the Glimmerglass administrative offices last week, as the company prepared for its big anniversary opening. She was in her full opera-pied-piper persona.

“We want to create work and productions that resonate with audiences,” she said. “I see my job here as expanding the audience, growing it, but also making this a true festival. This is a very specific place, a beautiful place, with a lot to offer, and we want to connect to this community. As a for-instance, Madeline Sayet, our director for “The Magic Flute,” staged it in a way that the forest setting resonates to the history of the area, and the Native American inhabitants. And she herself is a descendant of the Mohicans.

“I want the festival to be an integral part of the town and the surrounding area. We draw mostly from the surrounding New York state area, and 50 percent come from within a two-hour radius of Cooperstown. We also get a lot of people coming up from Washington,” Zambello said.

The company has a 40-year history. It presented its first, abbreviated season in 1975, with four performances of “La bohème” in the Cooperstown High School auditorium. Twelve years later, the company opened the 850-seat Alice Busch Opera Theater at the Lake Otswego site. Ever since then, especially in the last few years, the company has grown in size, repertoire, variety of offerings and reputation.

There’s something heady about finding a company like this in a small town, the historic shrine to America’s Pastime. The Glimmerglass site is at once accessible and elegant with its scenic lake backdrop, stylish theater and sense of youthful energy. Here, it’s not your urban opera night out. You can ritz it up if you want, but informality is encouraged. “Blue jeans, khakis, informal — not that you can’t dress up if you want,” says Zambello.

This year’s season is characteristic of her touch. Since she took the reins as artistic director, she’s planned seasons with very specific goals. “Each year, we present a season that includes an American musical, a baroque opera, a contemporary work and an opera that’s somewhat obscure and rarely done.” In her first year, she brought in celebrated soprano Deborah Voigt to star in “Annie Get Your Gun.”

But wait … there’s more. The gifted rising-star bass-baritone Eric Owens (“The Flying Dutchman” at WNO this year), who gave a powerful, layered performance as “Macbeth,” will sing with tenor Lawrence Brownlee in a concert on Aug. 23. Voigt and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade will give master classes Aug. 7 and 21, respectively. There’s also “Odyssey,” a world-premiere youth opera featuring the Glimmerglass Youth Chorus and members of its Young Artist Program, presented at the Cooperstown Arts Festival Aug. 11, 13, 18 and 20.

“We are thinking of Glimmerglass in terms of a destination experience,” Zambello said. “It speaks to being part of this place, in connecting and resonating with audiences and offering a number of different experiences. We are telling stories here, that’s the key to opera.”