Weekend Roundup

Gary Tischler • October 3, 2013

Now we know how Cinderella felt—that is, before she put her foot in the right shoe.

When the clock struck midnight, we the people pretty much turned into pumpkins. The much dreaded, much-warned-about, much afeared, much debated U.S. government shutdown had occurred. After three attempts by the House of Representatives to get the Senate to accept three different attempts to do something , almost anything bad to Obamacare while also keeping the government open meant to create a budget agreement and avert a shutdown, the government did indeed shut down, although not totally, and hopefully, not for long and certainly not permanently. The Senate rejected—as promised—any budget agreement involving Obamacare.

Some early bicycle riders were off to work who knows where, the furloughed federals perhaps asleep in their beds, as well as the baby panda, although we could not be sure, the Panda cam having no one to monitor it, being part of the furloughed workers at the Smithsonian National Zoo, including many of its (and the country’s) national parks and museum. There was no tumult and shouting on the block.

There was in the Washington Post—”SHUTDOWN,” the front page screamed—”Congress stuck in funding stalemate.”

By dawn’s early light, a city full of disappointed tourists and workers. The other side, plus a rundown on the fate of federal agencies, federal workers—some 700,000 furloughed nationally, local impact (you know the drill) and key dates, all inside. None of which quite matched the pungency and awful impact of the New York Daily News front page with a photo illustration of House Speaker John Boehner—who did not have his finest hour(s) during the political wars leading up to the shutdown—sitting at the Lincoln Memorial with the headline: “HOUSE OF TURDS.”

Be all that as it may, the shutdown—which will be even more partial with the planned legislation to restore help for veterans and keeping bigger national parks (but not the Panda cam and zoo and museums) open—will haves its impact locally. The longer it goes on, the bigger the impact on the local tourist industry in the city, not to mention the absence of furloughed workers, costs that some predict to be in the hundreds of millions on a daily basis. It should be remembered that the last major government shutdown over which President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich sparred and presided last three weeks.

The city will continue to function and operate, as promised by Mayor Vincent Gray, who has declared city workers as essential, defying federal rules. Gray promised to go to jail rather than relent. That means trash will be picked up and other city services will continue to be provided. On the bright side, it will feel like a weekend without tourists, or park rangers, which is to say only modestly crowded. You might even find a legal parking space. But illegal spaces will still be ticketed.

Another thing that did happen: Ford Theater’s planned opening night for “The Laramie Project”, the high-profile play about the murder of a gay man in Wyoming and its aftermath, had to be moved to the rehearsal space of the downtown Woolly Mammoth Theatre, a mostly-for-press opening because theater officials were informed today that all-stage productions in the building would not be allowed to continue until the shutdown ends, because the theater is funded partially by the federal agency.

While the big news of the federal government shutdown Oct. 1 is that non-essential government workers stay home, the shutdown also affects the minor things of everyday living: like going to the theater, jogging along the towpath in Georgetown or visiting the Jefferson Memorial.

While most essential federal services continue, such as the military, police, fire, U.S. mail, schools, Social Security and disability benefits, food stamps, planes and trains, Metrobus and Metrorail, tickets from speed cameras.

What is closed? The U.S. Capitol except for members, Smithsonian buildings (hope you did not have a party planned there today or tomorrow) and all national parks across America. No National Gallery of Art, no National Zoo. No applications for Social Security and several other programs.

You see, Ford’s Theatre is closed because it is part of the National Park Service as is the C&O Canal National Park which runs through Georgetown near the Potomac. And so is Georgetown Waterfront Park, where the fountain is turned off at Wisconsin Avenue and K, that intersection named Charles Percy Plaza. (Sen. Percy from Illinois would be most disappointed at his Republican Party.)

Even the nearby Kennedy Center, part private and public, has cancelled tours but continues its performances along with the box office, restaurants, parking being open. It opens at 5 p.m. but stated: “Due to the government shutdown, the Kennedy Center’s public hours will be curtailed. However, all performances will go on as scheduled and the Box Office, the Gift Shops, the Roof Terrace Restaurant, KC Café, parking, and the Metro shuttle will be operating. Building tours will not be available.”

There is not much space to launch a canoe. Along with others, the Key Bridge Boathouse is closed, as access to the Potomac River along Georgetown is National Park Service land.

An email from Mike Nardolilli, president of the C&O Canal Trust, had this news alert:

“As you may be aware, our Federal Government has shut down for an indeterminate amount of time. What you may not have realized, however, is that the closure of the Federal Government means the closure of the C&O Canal National Historical Park and all other National Parks. For the C&O Canal, this means:

THE TOWPATH IS CLOSED

• Visitor traffic, whether on foot, bike, or horse, is strictly prohibited.

• Bicyclists planning rides from Pittsburgh to DC on the GAP and C&O Canal should plan to turn back at Cumberland.

• All Visitors Centers are CLOSED.

• Hiker/Bikers and campgrounds are CLOSED.

• The Canal Quarters lockhouses are CLOSED.

• All restroom facilities, both permanent and portable, are CLOSED.

• Handles have been removed from all well pumps.

• The only Park staff that will be on duty will be law enforcement rangers.

• The portion of the Capital Crescent Trail that runs parallel to the towpath in DC is managed by the C&O Canal NHP and is CLOSED.

• All access roads to the Park are CLOSED. This means you will not be able to trailer boats to boat ramps along the towpath.

• Interpretive and educational programming in the Park will be temporarily suspended. School field trips to the Park will need to be rescheduled once Park staff has returned.

• Volunteer events and events requiring special use permits will not be able to take place.

• All volunteers working in an official capacity should cease volunteer activities immediately and not enter the Park’s premises.

After working side-by-side with the wonderful staff of the C&O Canal NHP for many years, it’s heartbreaking for the Trust to see them closing the doors, given no choice but to turn away thousands upon thousands of visitors seeking to recreate and rejuvenate along the canal’s towpath.

While the Park staff has no choice but to stand idly by, we as civilians can take action:

• Educate yourself and others on how the shutdown affects National Parks.

• Be vocal on social media and use #KeepParksOpen.

• Use any means of communication you can – letter, email, phone call, social media, or even a carrier pigeon – to appeal to Congress. Find your US Representatives and Senators on the National Park’s Conservation Association’s Legislative Lookup.

• Send notes of encouragement to the Park staff through our Facebook, Twitter, and email. To say this is a rough time for them is an understatement. We’ll forward your notes on and post them on social media, letting our Park Rangers know how much we appreciate them and are anxiously awaiting their return.

• Last but certainly not least, respect the closure. While we don’t like it one bit, we have to respect it. Disregarding the closure can create potentially unsafe and hazardous situations, damage Park resources, and create undue work and stress on the few staff left standing.”

Georgetowner • October 1, 2013

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Annual Fall Festival of Indian Dance and Arts

September 27th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | $27.50-$125.00 | esaluke@dakshina.org | Event Website

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company celebrates 10 years of excellence with its annual fall festival of Indian Dance and Arts. The festival features award-winning artists who have been pioneers in the arts of classical to modern Indian dance, music, theater, and spoken word.

Address

Shakespeare Theatre; 610 F Street NW

Art All Night DC 2013

September 28th, 2013 at 07:00 PM | Free | Tel: 202-265-SHAW | Event Website

Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC will be presented on September 28 from 7:00 PM to 3:00 AM in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. This will be the second presentation of the DC version of this Parisian overnight arts festival (a “Taste of Art All Night” was presented in 2012). Over one dozen venues ranging from the 32,000 square foot Wonder Bread Factory to the 500 square foot storefront at 1033 7th Street, NW will be included in the festival.

Address

1033 7th Street, NW

The Land Beneath My Feet, Tom Neel Celebrating 25 Years

September 28th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Free | art@liveanartfullife.com | Tel: 540-253-9797 | Event Website

The Piedmont’s premiere landscape painter, Tom Neel, celebrates 25 years of fine art sales with a land loving event! “The Land Beneath My Feet” will focus on the beauty of our area and a painter’s passion to capture it. Along with new paintings, the event will feature a full color book and short film also titled “The Land Beneath My Feet”. Hosted by The Hill School in Middleburg, VA. For more information 540-253-9797 www.LiveAnArtfulLife.com/events. RVSP appreciated art@LiveAnArtfulLife.com.

Address

The Hill School; Sheila C. Johnson Performing Arts Center; 130 S Madison Street

Park After Dark

September 28th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Tickets are $175, of which $125 is tax-deductible | siler@canaltrust.org | Tel: 301-714-2233 | Event Website

Park After Dark is an annual benefit for the C&O Canal National Historical Park put on by the C&O Canal Trust, the nonprofit partner of the Park. Guests enjoy a special evening in the Park under the stars with live music, great food, libations, live and silent auctions, a campfire, a photo booth, and more. This year marks the third year the Trust has held this event for the Park.

Address

C&O Canal National Historical Park; Historic Great Falls Tavern; 11710 MacArthur Boulevard

Meet the Artist Behind Anna Bags

September 28th, 2013 at 03:00 PM | Free | jayne@annabags.com | Tel: 3013539416 | Event Website

Georgetown boutique Sterling & Burke Ltd hosts an opening reception introducing artist behind Anna Bags, a D.C.-based luxury leather handbag company.
Anna Bags is known for combining creative design with the highest quality materials and impeccable craftsmanship. Anna Bags creates works of sophisticated, wearable art. Bags are made in our workshop located just outside Washington, D.C..
During GW Alumni Weekend (Thursday-Sunday), 10 percent of ANNA bags sales will go towards the GW scholarship fund.

Address

Sterling & Burke Ltd; 2824 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

DC Walk for the Animals and Pet-A-Palooza

September 28th, 2013 at 10:00 AM | $20 for adults $15 for children under 13 | whs@washhumane.org | Tel: 2027237.5730 | Event Website

Join the Washington Humane Society for the 2013 DC Walk for the Animals and Pet-A-Palooza at our new venue, the Kingsbury Center! It’s a celebration of our community’s animals and a walk to end pet homelessness in DC. There’s something for every animal lover. Show how much you love DC’s animals – Sign up to walk with us today.

Address

Kingsbury Center; 5000 14th St. NW

Opera Nova Presents – Season Opening Brunch and Concert

September 29th, 2013 at 01:30 PM | $22-$25 | mcdm1@verizon.net | Tel: 703-536-7557 | Event Website

Come join Opera NOVA supporters for lunch and a creative program by Artistic Director Jose Sacin and his chorus of outstanding voices.

Meet Alexandria Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg, a passionate advocate for the common good, and cheer for special honoree Tony Torchia, beloved tenor with Washington National Opera.

Address

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Building; 4301 Wilson Blvd; Arlington, VA 22203.

3rd Annual Chefs Go Fresh and Seafood, Sept. 30

September 30th, 2013 at 09:00 AM | Individual tickets are $75.00 | chefsgofresh@georgetowner.com | Tel: 202 338 4833 | Event Website

For the 3rd year, Georgetown Media Group continues the popular event, Chefs Go Fresh, while highlighting seafood this year. Local chefs rev up for a motorcycle tour of farms near Annapolis, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries, in an effort to introduce D.C. area chefs to purveyors of produce, meats, seafood and other local products.

Address

Brasserie Beck; 1101 K Street NW.

Georgetowner • September 27, 2013

SAVE THE DATE

3rd Annual Chefs Go Fresh and Seafood, Sept. 30

September 30th, 2013 at 09:00 AM | Individual tickets are $75.00 | chefsgofresh@georgetowner.com | Tel: 202 338 4833 | Event Website

For the 3rd year, Georgetown Media Group continues the popular event, Chefs Go Fresh, while highlighting seafood this year. Local chefs rev up for a motorcycle tour of farms near Annapolis, sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries, in an effort to introduce D.C. area chefs to purveyors of produce, meats, seafood and other local products.

DC Shorts Film Festival Office

September 19th, 2013 at 06:30 PM | Free-$100 | info@dcshorts.com | Event Website

For 10 years, the DC Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition has screened the world’s top short films to audiences throughout the region. This year, we will showcase over 153 films from 23 nations at 6 venues — including the country’s largest collection of short films by emerging Russian filmmakers. Hundreds of filmmakers and thousands of audience members will gather to mix, mingle and explore the art of short cinema.

Address

E Street Cinema: 555 11th Street NW

11th Annual Michael Wilbon & James Brown Celebrity Roast & Golf Classic

September 20th, 2013 at 07:30 AM | $250-$650 | dccapgolf@sorellegroup.com | Tel: 202-248-1930 | Event Website

Join us on Lansdowne’s Greg Norman championship course to benefit DC College Access Program and the thousands of students DC-CAP serves. Registration/breakfast is at 7:30 a.m., then tee off at 9:30 with dozens of sports, broadcasting and political celebrities and compete for prizes. The day of golf is part of a 2-day event featuring a Celebrity Roast/Auction on Thursday, Sept. 19. Play golf, attend the roast/auction or both. See website for details and sponsorship packages. RSVP by Sept. 6.

Address

Lansdowne Golf Resort; 44050 Woodridge Parkway

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Annual Fall Festival of Indian Dance and Arts

September 20th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | $27.50-$125.00 | esaluke@dakshina.org | Event Website

Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company celebrate 10 years of excellence with its annual fall festival of Indian Arts and Dance. The festival features award winning artists who have been pioneers in the arts of classical to modern Indian dance, music, theater, and spoken word.

Address

Shakespeare Theatre; 610 F Street NW

Rachel Farbiarz: Take Me With You

September 20th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Free | info@heinercontemporary.com | Tel: 202.338.0072 | Event Website

Heiner Contemporary is thrilled to present Rachel Farbiarz: Take Me With You, an exhibition featuring new drawing, collage and installation by the DC-based artist.

Address

Heiner Contemporary; 1675 Wisconsin Ave NW

Library of Congress National Book Festival

September 21st, 2013 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

Come to the 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are honorary chairs for the event. 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Address

The National Mall, between 7th & 14th Streets

D.C. Green Festival

September 21st, 2013 at 10:00 AM | $10.00 Day Pass, Discounted tickets available online | jackelin@greenfestivals.org | Tel: 828-333-9432 | Event Website

Come to Green Festival D.C. on September 21st and 22nd and participate in an annual celebration of sustainability and ecological balance at the nation’s largest green living event. Enjoy cooking demos, environmental films, keynote speakers, kids activities, fashion, beer & wine, and a marketplace with hundreds of local and national green businesses at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall A. Discounted tickets are available online- Visit Greenfestivals.org for more information!

Address

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall A

Fashion 360 Conference

September 22nd, 2013 at 10:00 AM | $75-$125 | Event Website

District Fete brings the fashion industry to our nation’s capitol with The Fashion 360 Conference (“Fashion 360”). Fashion 360 was created to provide industry insights and participate in engaging skill-building workshops that aid in the proficiency of core areas. It’s where industry leaders and influencers collide with interactive experiences and challenge themselves to increase their performance.

Address

District Architecture Conference Center; 421 7th Street NW

Ari Post •

Dry stacked stones run in walls along twisting roads that separate the chewed up asphalt from the rolling hillsides. Whitewashed fences cut through pastures of grazing horses, and their strong and slender bodies trot languorously, unconcerned with the raw power bubbling beneath their surfaces.

While this may sound like a scene from a 19th century English countryside, it is in fact present-day Middleburg, Virginia and its surrounding Loudoun County, the heart of America’s Horse Country.

Just an hour’s drive beyond Washington’s city limits, it can be hard to believe how quickly the neon cluster of the city falls away to sprawling farmland in the Middleburg area. And equestrian culture is the heartbeat of the community, replete with specialty horse shops along the main street, like the Middleburg Tack Exchange, which has an extensive inventory of saddles, riding boots, apparel and riding gear. The Journeyman Saddler is another tack store and workshop that makes custom-made leather goods such as chaps and saddles, where local riders frequently get repairs and adjustments for their gear.
Equestrian culture is not just a gimmick in Middleburg, but a way of life. And fall is the premier season in which to experience all the life it has to offer.

The colorful history and legendary stories of Loudoun’s long, rich equestrian history are housed in the National Sporting Library and Museum, where over 17,000 books dating back to the 16th century, as well as cycles of exhibitions and their permanent art collection, chart the county’s sporting traditions back to their roots.

The International Gold Cup
There are a great many seasonal equestrian events in the coming months, including a few highlights. The 76th annual Gold Cup on Saturday, Oct. 19 is the season highlight, and its world famous steeplechase races are not to be missed.
The first International Gold Cup was held in 1930 at Grasslands Downs, Tennessee, where the King of Spain placed a spectacularly beautiful gold trophy—the same one still awarded annually to the winner in competition that year. The location of the Cup moved around a bit, until 1984 when the International Gold Cup race and trophy were moved to Virginia, where they enjoy large crowds and international attendants to this day.

The 2013 International Gold Cup marks the 76th running of this prestigious race and maintains international interest both in the spectator venues as well as on course. Riders from across Europe and members of the International Federation of Amateur Riders compete with U.S. jockeys for the World Cup of Nations. The event is well attended by Washington’s diplomatic community as well as ambassadors and representatives from many nations, providing a unique venue for social entertaining and a great place to network in the midst of spectacular scenery.

The Greater Equestrian World
From Friday to Sunday, Oct. 4 through 6, Morven Park will host its annual Fall Horse Trials, a great place to kick off your experience of Virginia’s equestrian tradition. This free event provides the optimal spectator experience, offering opportunities to observe top riders from around the country perform in three major disciplines: dressage, show jumping, and cross country riding. This show traditionally attracts the top riders in the country, often including members of the U.S. Olympic Team.
The Morven Park Equestrian Center at Historic Morven Park in Leesburg, Va., holds a special place in the hearts of the equestrian community. Home to local, regional, national, and world-class equestrian events, Morven Park is built on 1,000 acres of open space and continues to operate as a multifaceted events facility that includes indoor and outdoor arenas, a beautiful series of cross-country courses, and sports fields that are utilized by more than 100,000 enthusiasts each year. For more information visit www.MorvenPark.org

That same weekend, Oct. 5 and 6, the Virginia Fall Races will host the Field Hunter Championships of America. Founded in 1989, this event brings together fox hunting enthusiasts from all across the U.S. and Canada to participate in the week-long trial. Mounted judges ride alongside the numbered contestants as they hunt with four area fox Hunts over a five-day period. At the end of each day’s hunting, the judges announce the horse and rider combinations selected to compete in the finals held Sunday at Glenwood Park. The finals are held prior to the start of the first race.

The Sunday finals of the Field Hunter Championship (Oct. 6) give racing spectators a unique opportunity to watch a mock fox hunt. The finalists then follow the Field Master and are judged on how their horse performs.

After this “mock” hunt, the finalists are narrowed down once again and asked to negotiate a handy hunter course in the center of the racecourse, one at a time, for the championship title. The judges ask the riders to show each horse’s different hunting skills, and after these individual tasks are completed, a champion is chosen. Trophies are awarded to the Champion, Reserve Champion as well as Best Turned Out and Most Suitable Pair. For more information visit www.VaFallRaces.com.
Further events include the 7th annual Blue Ridge Fall Races at Woodley Farm in Berryville, Va. on Saturday October 12 (www.BlueRidgeFallRaces.com), The Jumper Show at Fox Chase Farms in Middleburg on October 26 (www.FoxChaseFarms.net), as well as the Montpelier Hunt Races hosted by the Blue Ridge Valley Foundation on November 2 in Montpelier Station, Va. (www.MontpelierRaces.org).

As you can see, there is a lot riding on this year’s equestrian season around Middleburg. Don’t miss this year in horse country.

Georgetowner • September 23, 2013

Mark your calendars for The Third Annual

St. Jude Heart of Fashion Benefit

September 28, 2013 at 11:30 AM | Individual: $150, Friend of St. Jude: $300 | Tel: 703-351-5171 | Event Website

St Jude Heart of Fashion: “Join Neiman Marcus and Armani Collezioni at Mazza Gallerie in Washington, D.C., for a fabulous morning of fashion benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Featuring the Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection by Armani Collezioni, the event will include brunch bites and cocktails, followed by a seated fashion presentation.”

Address

Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie, Washington, DC

ACTIVATED! Art4All DC Social Media Launch Party

September 13th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Event Website

The Cultural Tourism DC and Pepco Edison Place Gallery are holding a social media launch party to get everyone ready for the unveiling of new art activities, performances, workshops, open houses, and more.

Address

702 Eighth Street, NW, Washington, DC

DC Wine Week Wine Tours: Plainly Perfect

September 14th, 2013 at 10:00 AM | $95 | emily@pivotpointcom.com | Event Website

For the next few months leading up to DC Wine Week, we have partnered with DiVine Wine Tours of Virginia to offer a series of wine tours to various Virginia wineries.

Stops included: Grey Ghost Winery, Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn, Vintage Ridge Winery

The Plainly Perfect tour takes you to Delaplane, Va., where the scenery is simple and beautiful. With gorgeous backdrops, a friendly community and rich wine history, these wineries capture the essence of what Virginia wine is all about.

Address

Please see website for details

Hovercraft by American River Taxi

September 14th, 2013 at 02:00 PM | Event Website

From Georgetowndc: “Hosted by American River Taxi and Universal Hovercraft of America, catch the waves during a two day event… on the scenic Potomac River at Washington Harbour… Experience the transitional capability of a hovercraft from water to land and witness the new quiet fan in action as well as its versatility. The event will feature both on water and floor displays of the Renegade hovercraft.”

Address

Georgetown Washington Harbour; 3000 K Street, NW

NUMARI Fall Fashion Preview at The Graham Georgetown

September 14th, 2013 at 02:00 PM | Event Website

From Georgetowndc: “Catch a glimpse of NUMARI’s newest silhouette debuting at NUMARI’s Fall Fashion Preview… at one of Forbes’ “must visit rooftops”… Experience an afternoon out with the who’s who of DC, a fall fashion show featuring models from T.H.E. Artist Agency, and complimentary early tastings of French 75… Send your RSVP for NUMARI’s Fall Fashion Preview to events@numari.com. Dress to impress!”

Address

Observatory Rooftop of the Graham Georgetown; 1075 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW

Friends of McMillan Park Town Hall Meeting

September 14th, 2013 at 03:00 PM | free | estoremcmillan@gmail.com | Tel: 202-234-0427 | Event Website

The City’s plan to privatize and demolish historic McMillan Park as well as creative alternatives will be discussed. To familiarize yourself with the issues or to sign the petition to save the park, please visit www.friendsofmcmillan.org. We are also seeking volunteers. Please contact Kirby Vining at restoremcmillan@gmail.com or 202-234-0427 to learn more.

Address

St. Martin’s Pioneer Room, 1908 North Capitol Street NW (@ T)

Frederic Yonnet Performs

September 14th, 2013 at 08:00 PM | $25.00 | Event Website

From Blues Alley: “Called ‘the Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica,’ Frédéric Yonnet brings the humble harmonica front and center, defying expectations and coaxing contemporary jazz, R&B, and a rainbow of genres from this versatile instrument. He’s performed with Stevie Wonder, John Legend, and Erykah Badu; recorded with the Jonas Brothers, toured with Prince — and won the respect of audiences everywhere.”

Address

Blues Alley; 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW

An Afternoon of the Arts

September 15th, 2013 at 04:00 PM | $40 | aginsberg@sjcs.org | Tel: 202-274-3460 | Event Website

Please join us in an afternoon of musical talent by violin/piano duo Holly Hamilton, the National Symphony Orchestra, and Carol Barth, DC Board of Directors and Founders Board member, with solo piano Sara Daneshpour, Master’s of Music graduate from the Juilliard School. An art auction will feature the artistic talents of artists in the ART Options program.

Donations fund the advancement of community support and opportunities for people living with disabilities in Washington, DC.

Address

Hearst Auditorium; National Cathedral School; 3612 Woodley Road NW

Gary Tischler • September 12, 2013

If you go to Arena Stage to see the compelling production of Jon Robin Baltz’s Tony Award-nominated play “Other Desert Cities”—and you really should, despite its occasional frustrations—check out some of your fellow audience members to see how and what they’re doing.

I went to a matinee performance recently and the house was filled with student groups—from high schools from around the area—as well as long-time patrons and season ticket holders and members in good standing of that generation which the stridently wounded and angry Brooke Wyeth rails against in a battle with her Southern California affluent parents, especially her mother Polly, close friend of Nancy Reagan’s back in the day.

“Other Desert Cities”—the reference is a dry, melancholy riff on California road signs directing you southward once you get past Palm Springs—is something of a familiar staple of a play. It’s a generational war pay in which the liberal novelist daughter Brooke, visiting her parents during Christmas in 2004 when the Iraq war was at its height, squares off against her parents with news that she’s written a memoir which focuses on the suicide of her beloved (by her) older brother, who was part of a group of left-wing radicals who ended up bombing a recruiting center which resulted in the death of a homeless janitor in the 1970s.

This kind of situation is a classic one in the theater—the revealing of family secrets long hidden or forgotten or still festering like an odious cancer with all the attendant grudges, resentments and unspoken feelings that come along for a catastrophic ride. Almost all family dramas from Ibsen to Miller, and especially O’Neill burn with secrets—just try to walk away from “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” or “The Iceman Cometh,” for that matter (a family play and a bar play), unscathed.

This comparison is not to suggest that Baltz is in that league yet. “Other Desert Cities” is more like a long weekend in the Palm Springs desert hideaway home of Polly and Lyman Wyeth who are hosting Brooke, a one-book novelist who spiraled into depression and now brings her memoir as a kind of brick of coal for Santa’s stocking, her surviving young brother Trip and aunt Silda Grauman, Polly’s sister and former screen-writing partner in house for another bout of staying off the sauce.

These are not by any means your typical American family. Polly—something of a socialite—and Lyman were shining figures in the Reagan GOP circles of Southern California, and Lyman was once a well known movie actor who played cops and cowboys, before being named an ambassador to somewhere by Reagan. Brother Trip is a television producer, his latest being one of those daytime judge shows in which amateurs decided the fate of cases. Brooke talks like a GOP-dreaded East Coast lefty and literati and lives in a cottage on the New England coast, her older British husband having left her.

The early rounds of this battle—and it is a battle set in a house featuring one of those white plastic Christmas trees, with a trip to the country club for dinner on the agenda—are frequently funny, smart and very cool and on the money, with most of the jabbing going on between mom and daughter along political and cultural lines while brother and dad act as referees. Lyman, famous for his death scenes as an actor, plays ones out for the family, and Larry Bryggman, a veteran theater and big and little screen character, turns the effort into a barrel of laughs.

These early goings are abetted triumphantly by a strong cast, ably and unobtrusively directed by Kyle Donnelly who has worked with most of the actors before. There are—blessedly—no heroes and heroines here, just deeply troubled souls having the usual amount of agonizing difficulty showing their love for each other, which nevertheless is very evident as are the resentments, those never-healed wounds.

Bryggman and Helen Carey—who starred in “Long Day’s Journey” at Arena—are the crown jewels in a pretty heady cast.

Bryggman is one of those actors we know by face instantly—we’ve seen him on this show or in this move and on daytime soap opera, but here he is a lion, a giant of a character, he’s so full of the burden of the pains he’s carried around for decades that he finally burst with pieces of heart and soul, like the blood spatter in one of those CSI shows.

Carey, who looks small and thinly elegant but is steely and regal, is one of the area’s acting treasures, not credited as much as she should have been. Until the free-for-all explosion of “the truth,” she dominates every scene she’s in just like her character. There’s love for Polly there, but, boy, it’s true tough love. In this atmosphere of two really great performances, Martha Hackett as sister Silda survives with perfectly placed irony and sarcasm, Scott Drummond as Trip with a long-suffering warmth, while Emily Donahoe has the thankless task of humanizing Brooke, who threatens to become a merciless true believer and whiner. She is the apparent victim here, but she’s also the accuser.

In this two-hour play, there’s one more cat to come out of the bag. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve been hearing soft meows all along. It’s a manipulative kind of plotting—smart by way too much, and it could have derailed the play. But by that time, Bryggman, Carey, Donahoe, Drummond and Hackett have given you too many reasons to give a damn about the people on stage.

Baltz saves things with a kind of epilogue, a nine-years-later summation that remains resolutely ambiguous.

“I wanted more,” a woman told me as we left. In this, Baltz took the side of reality. Life just isn’t that tidy, or, as Sister Mary Ignatius once said in another play, “Of course, God answers all your prayers. It’s just that most of the time the answer is no.”

“Other Desert Cities” runs through May 26 in the Fichandler at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., SW — ArenaStage.org. [gallery ids="101287,149571" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • September 9, 2013

Smithsonian After-Hours

July 25th, 2013 at 08:00 PM | $15-25 | Event Website

Introducing the Smithsonian’s premier 21+ after-hours event series: a unique mix of culture, art, history and science that also includes music, a cash bar, and special access to Smithsonian exhibits, collections, and experts.

Address

Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center; 1100 Jefferson Drive SW

Union Market Drive-In: The American President

July 26th, 2013 at 09:00 PM | Event Website

Union Market will host Washington D.C.’s first drive-in movie experience, which will screen on Fridays. Watch classic Washington D.C.- centric films on Union Market’s 3-story wall. Pre-show festivities will include music, contests and special giveaways. A variety of Union Market vendors will also participate, serving food, drinks and fun snacks.
The DC Drive-In is free to attend, however reservations are suggested for cars. Don’t have a car? There will be a picnic area in the parking lot for bikers and walkers – no reservations are required for the picnic area.

Address

Union Market; 1309 5th Street NE

Drink the District: Beer Edition

July 27th, 2013 at 11:00 AM | $30 | media@drinkthedistrict.com | Tel: 304 280 6530 | Event Website

Drink the District is back and better than ever with our second annual Beer Edition. Come celebrate our one-year anniversary on July 27th and 28th at Mount Vernon Triangle, with unlimited tastings of 50+ craft beers and full pours available to all attendees. Ten of the District’s most popular food trucks will also be joining us, as well as live music and brew-tastic backyard games. So grab your friends and put on your party hat, and revel in the best birthday beer bash DC has to offer.

Address

500 New York Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20532

Elizabeth Huey: Hydrotherapy at Heiner Contemporary

July 27th, 2013 at 11:00 AM | 0 | info@heinercontemporary.com | Tel: 202-338-0072 | Event Website](http://heinercontemporary.com/exhibitions/elizabeth-huey-hydrotherapy)

Heiner Contemporary is delighted to present Hydrotherapy, an arrangement of new, small paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Elizabeth Huey. The history of psychology and human attempts at manufacturing happiness have long informed Elizabeth Huey’s practice. This new work exchanges sanitariums and institutions for resort spas, treatment centers and secluded getaways.

We are here most days in August, but please call in advance to be certain: 202-338-0072

Address

1675 Wisconsin Ave NW

Arts, Culture & All Things Pink!

July 27th, 2013 at 05:00 PM | $125 | Event Website](http://vippinkparty.eventbrite.com/)

CharityChicks US and We Will Survive Cancer are co-hosting a garden party for The Children’s Inn at NIH in the urban garden of the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown. We will be creating a whimsical garden party honoring several little girls who are currently battling rare cancer. Our theme this year is “Art, Culture & All Things Pink”!

Address

Ritz Carlton Georgetown; 3100 South Street NW

15th Annual Opera Gala Concert

July 28th, 2013 at 05:00 PM | The admission is $25 | Tel: 202-723-1659 | Event Website](http://theariaclub.homestead.com/)

The Aria Club of Greater Washington, a 501 C 3 nonprofit organization for classical and opera singers, presents its 15th Annual Opera Gala Concert . This celebration will feature national and local professional and aspiring opera singers: Jennifer Hosmer, Adrienne Neal, Samantha McElhaney, Jing Chang, John White, Malaika Alvaro, Hillery Tsumba, Yubin Hung, Rose Sims, Paul McIlvaine, Reafealito Ross among others. Hear selections from Carmen, Die Fledermaus, Don Pasquale, La Boheme, Manon, Otello, Porgy & Bess, Rigoletto, Romeo & Juliette and many others. English Surtitles. Ample seating and free Sunday parking on 16th Street NW and side streets.

Please come as you are and bring family and friends for an enjoyable evening ! For more information call 202-723-1659 and visit www.theariaclub.homestead.com

Address

Tifereth-Israel Congregation; 7701 16th Street NW

South Capitol Street Corridor Project Informational Update Meeting

July 30th, 2013 at 06:30 PM

The DDOT will hold an informational meeting to update the public about the design, phasing and schedule of the largest project in its history- the South Capitol Street Corridor Project- which includes replacing the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and transforming the city’s southernmost entrance into a grand urban boulevard.

Address

Capitol Skyline Hotel; 10 I (Eye) Street SW

Gary Tischler •

“It’s a girl!”

Living in Washington, it’s always difficult and tantalizing to juggle personal history with the kind that goes on right outside: a bus ride from the National Mall, a Metro ride to the Pentagon, a bracing walk to the White House, a jaunt along Embassy Row.

The world is with us always here in Washington in its various monumental manifestations, in the buzz that buzzes from the White House lawns, or those just walking by holding up signs. In Washington, we always live in several places at once—we live in our domicile, our hearth, heart and home, our block and neighborhood, where we work and how we work, in that great place just around the corner where the news always happen—world news, political news, foreign news, and news that seems foreign.

We recognize this more than ever during the course of a long, not-so-hot-around-here summer and its end” how the international, the national, the local and colloquial mash up.

So—“it’s a boy” was the long awaited news from London that Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, had a baby, heir to the British throne, which we all duly watched on the telly, read about—and continue to do avidly—in People and their ilk.

“It’s a girl” was a cry that echoed from a few blocks away the same time as it did over the air waves and the internet. It revealed the sex of the new panda cub, whose birth only a few days ago was met with universal jubilation that seemed every bit as precious as the news of the new prince. It was also related that Tian Tian was the father, and so the new cub is the daughter of Tian Tian (by way of artificial insemination) and Mei Xiang, and not Gao Gao, the wild boy from the San Diego Zoo who had been rescued from the wild by the Chinese.

The birth and identification of the new cub—may she live long and prosper—was an example of how big news here can be international. The Chinese, for sure, care about it, as do the thousands of visitors to the National Zoo who will have to content themselves with eyeing the “Panda Cam,” like the rest of us. But we who live in the city, and we who live just around the corner from the Panda domain, care a little more. It is, after all, a new kid in the neighborhood.

We, as does the rest of the world, receive this wee bit of news fully aware that people lately have been talking mostly about war, Syria, war crimes and air strikes—along with their efficacy, moral and practical. A lot of that talk is coming from right down the street on Pennsylvania Avenue, such that you think you can hear it echo sometimes. But a lot of that talk about Syria is also on the lips of Main Streeters all across the country, who are distressed about the pictures of dead children and who are less hungry to get into another mess in the region where we fought two long, costly and not all that fruitful wars.

We know where we live all the time—the city of monuments, memorials and momentous times and events where ripples from elsewhere—the not-guilty verdict in the Zimmerman-Martin case this summer—soon find their way into the halls of government, or are expressed in the remembrance and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr., and his “I have a Dream” speech. Thousands of us went to the National Mall and others watched on television or saw or talked with the celebrants in our neighborhoods. Often, softly, and carefully, except perhaps at home, we talked about race, but rarely with people of different races than our own. In this city, which still has no voting representation in Congress, we are keenly aware of the echoes that we hear.

People—members of our elected government in the city council, our cultural and economic boosters and leaders—tell us we are living in a world-class city full of world class opportunities and life styles. We could be Parisians or New Yorkers, for all we know. I suspect, though, that we’re Washingtonians and the people that surround us in our neighborhoods, wondering if we could ever eat at all the new restaurants in our lifetimes, see all the new plays, hear all the new songs at both the 9:30 Club, Blues Alley and the Hamilton and drive out to Wolf Trap, too. We love the new bike racks, and curse the bikers, sometimes all at once. In our neighborhood in Lanier Heights, we are saddened about the disappearance of Romeo, the gray and white house cat at Joseph’s House.

Then, there are days or weekends, when we would rather be here than any place else in the world, real or imagined. To me, it was the weekend of the beginning of the celebration of the March, which was history up close and personal, once (or twice) as was the case for some, in a lifetime. The history-remembered songs and memories from that march weekend mixed in with the regular Sunday visit to the Dupont Circle market, for the pies, the crab cake man, the bouquet of flowers, the blueberry scone, and the couple from Virginia who make soup that flavor country with Asian tang and taste. I remember finding a CD at Second Story Books across the circle on P Street: “Eric Clapton: Me and Mr. Johnson,” the great blues player’s salute to the great blues man Robert Johnson. We came home and saw the grandfather across the street holding his son’s baby in his lap and waved.

The panda cub had just been born a day or so before.

And today: “It’s a girl!”

According to the National Zoo, the female cub “has a fat little belly.” Oh, happy day.

Georgetowner •

Fourth Annual Monty Alexander Jazz Festival to Deliver Lineup of Acclaimed Artists

August 29th, 2013 at 03:00 PM | Please Visit ChesapeakeJazz.org for pricing | info@chesapeakechambermusic.org | Tel: (410) 819-0380 | Event Website

The Monty Alexander Jazz Festival will take place in Easton on Labor Day weekend from August 29 -September 1st. This year, legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli will open with an intimate night club-style concert at Easton’s Academy Art Museum. The Festival will continue through the weekend with performances at Easton’s historic Avalon Theatre with returning jazz and gospel vocalist, Dee Daniels.

For further information on the Monty Alexander Jazz Festival,visit ChesapeakeJazz.org.

Address

Easton’s Academy Art Museum; 106 South St, Easton, MD 21601

Cyber In Securities

August 30th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | free entry, cash bar | bmurphy@wpadc.org | Tel: 202-234-7103 | Event Website

Washington Project for the Arts presents CYBER IN SECURITIES, an exhibition exploring contemporary data collection and imaging surveillance practices, highlighting artists whose work makes visible experiences of tracking and being tracked in a digital age. The exhibition is part of WPA’s Experimental Media 2013, the eighth installment of WPA’s Experimental Media program.

Address

Pepco Edison Place Gallery; 702 8th St, NW

Paddle for Humanity at the Washington Harbour

August 31st, 2013 at 07:00 AM | Prices start at $50.00 | Tel: (202)333-9749 | Event Website](http://www.paddleforhumanity.org/html/Events-WashingtonDC.html)

3rd Annual Paddle for Humanity and you are invited to join in the paddle sports community and festivities. Founded in 2009, the Paddle for Humanity (PFH) is a grass root paddling event series with the stated purpose to bring the paddling community together to support a common cause. It’s easy, fun and accessible to all ages and skill levels and you can compete against friends or simply paddle for the pleasure of it. You may register online or in person by Friday night on August 30th at Sequoia. While this is a mainly a SUP (Stand Up Paddle) event, all paddle sports are welcome. No rowing, sailing or non-human motors, but the rest is fair game.

Pre-registration is $50/one event or $80/two events. Add $15 for event day sign-up. Online registration is closed.

Register in-person at our Pre-Party at Sequoia on Fri, 8/30 from 6pm to 8pm OR on event day near Sequoia (on the boardwalk in front of Washington Harbour) from 7am to 8:45am. Credit card, cash or check payable to SUP ATX.

Pre-party Check-in and Bag Pickup at Sequoia

6:00- 8:00 PM Friday, August 30th, 2013: Come enjoy a cold beverage, check-in for the event or just hang out and talk story with others from the paddling world.

Address

Washington Canoe Club (WCC); 3700 Water Street NW

Pray. Eat. Love.

September 1st, 2013 at 10:30 AM | FREE | communications@nationalpres.org | Tel: 202-537-7494 | Event Website](http://www.nationalpres.org/PrayEatLove)

All are welcome to a morning of worship, fun, and service! A casual, music-filled worship service kicks off the morning at 10:30 a.m. Stay after the service for a complimentary buffet lunch with games and activities for all ages. There will also be family-friendly service projects to help those in need in our community. Ample free parking is available, or take a short walk from the red line metro.
Address

The National Presbyterian Church;4101 Nebraska Ave. NW

Mystique Pop-Up Store on Capitol Hill

September 5th, 2013 at 05:00 PM | free | emandros@mystiquejewelers.com | Tel: 703 | [Event Website](http://www.mystiquejewelers.com/)

Mystique Jewelers is bringing its sophisticated and chic fine jewelry to Capitol Hill. The Old Town Alexandria based jewelry store will host a three day pop-up store on Capitol Hill Thursday, September 5th through Saturday, September 7th.

Guests will enjoy champagne and a private showing of bridal designs from Andrew Meyer, as well as, every day wearable jewelry designs. Free pearl earrings with any purchase.

Thursday Cocktail Party from 5-7pm

Friday & Saturday open 10am to 5pm

Address

Tabula Rasa | event and meeting space; 731 8th Street SE

Vintage Poster Sale

September 6th, 2013 at 10:00 AM | FREE | GALLERY@CALLOWAYART.COM | Tel: 202-965-4601 | [Event Website](http://www.callowayart.com/)

Vintage Poster Trunk Sale with Mark J. Weinbaum Fine Posters and Prints, who works out of New York City, will exhibit up to 100 works over the September weekend. The collection focuses on decorative and rare historical posters, with a wide variety of categories and time periods available. All of his posters and prints represent the best quality available on the market place.

Address

Susan Calloway Fine Arts; 1643 Wisconsin Ave NW