Weekend Roundup

Georgetowner • October 22, 2012

2nd Annual “Get Hitched in Georgetown” Competition

October 18th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | FREE | Event Website

Georgetown BID is organizing Get Hitched in Georgetown, where on October 18, 75 engaged couples will compete for the ultimate wedding prize package valued at over $10,000…A few highlights include a wedding gown from Hitched, stationery from The Dandelion Patch and Haute Papier, a day at the spa at the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown and much more!

Address

Grace Church (lawn); 1041 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Victor Horta and Brussels Exhibit

October 19th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | Free | Tel: 571.312.1237 | Event Website

The SIGAL Gallery will hold a free opening ceremony for their new exhibit The Cradle of Art Nouveau: Victor Horta and Brussels. The exhibit will be staged in French, Dutch, English and German.

Register for the event at aiadc.com.

Address

The SIGAL Gallery at the District Architecture Center; 2012 AIA|DC 421 7th Street NW

Making Strides DC

October 20th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Donations Requested | Event Website

Join the American Cancer Society for the 9th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer DC 5K walk at 10am Saturday, October 20, starting at the Sylvan Theatre on the National Mall. Since 1993 Strides events nationwide have raised $460 million to fight breast cancer. And the American Cancer Society spends more money on breast cancer research than any other cancer type. Half of American women diagnosed with breast cancer turn to the American Cancer Society for help. Be the change. Make Strides.

Address

15th Street and Independence Avenue SW

Oatlands Participates in the Loudoun County Fall Color Tour

October 20th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Tel: 703-777-3174 | Event Website

Explore the historic grounds of Oatlands during the Loudoun County Fall Color Tour. Visitors can walk the grounds, visit the historic Carriage House and learn about vintage carriages and farm equipment on display. Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Va., will also exhibit their heritage breed farm animals under the trees at Oatlands. Additional paid activities, such as tours of the house and garden, are available for guests.

Address

Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Ln., Leesburg, VA

Yoga for Homeless

October 20th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | $30 adult (26 and over); $20 youth | Tel: 202.338.8301 | Event Website

in conjunction with Fannie Mae’s Help the Homeless program, Georgetown Ministry Center will host a yogathon to benefit homelessness. Multiple sessions with local instructors will be featured, and yoga mats will be provided.

Address

Grace Church; 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW

Where to Start: Site Analysis and Design Thinking for Public Art

October 21st, 2012 at 02:00 PM | Free | info@wpadc.org | Event Website interested in sharpening their skills preparing for public art commissions.

RSVP by Thursday, October 19 to Christopher Cunetto at ccunetto@wpadc.org. Seating is limited.

Address

National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

Georgetowner • October 15, 2012

Reel Independent Film Extravaganza

Oct. 12 at 02 p.m. | $11 | $35 | $75 | PR@YourPlatinumImage.com | Tel: 301-772-7434 | Event Website

The 3rd Annual Reel Independent Film Extravaganza (RIFE) is an event created BY filmmakers FOR filmmakers and takes place Oct. 12 through 18, 2012 at West End Cinemas on M Street in D.C.’s West End. The event, presented by Skyrocket Productions, will highlight the talents of local, national and international filmmakers, offering a diverse program and fosters public awareness of independent cinema as a cultural and educational asset.

Address

West End Cinema, 2301 M St NW

Palimpsest

Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. | Free | info@wpadc.org | Tel: 202-234-7103 | Event Website

Palimpsest is a Coup d’Espace project curated by Steven H. Silberg and Neil C. Jones. It explores the constant layering of information in contemporary society and the impact technological advancements have on the ways we represent and receive information. The exhibition runs Oct. 12 through Nov. 9.

Address

Washington Project for the Arts, 2023 Massachusetts Ave, NW

Yoana Baraschi Trunk Show

Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. | Free | Tel: 202-298-7464 | Event Website

The trunk show samples arrived, and they
look fabulous. Lots of color — cobalt, gold, orange and gunmetal. And Yoana’s signature knit dresses with the best fit ever. Come shop the newest designs from NYC-based designer Yoana Baraschi.

Address

Everard’s Clothing, 1802 Wisconsin Ave., NW

Recycle Love-Adopt A Rescue Pet Adoption Event

Oct. 13 at 11 a.m. | N/A | mnute@cbmove.com | Tel: 202-333-6100 | Event Website

Pet adoption event at the Washington Harbour in Georgetown. Coldwell Banker partners with Operation Paws for Homes. Visit OPH’s website www.ophrescue.org. Great variety of breeds, sizes and ages, including puppies at the event. Our last two events were extremely successful with more than 27 dogs finding their forever homes. With your help we can make this event even more successful. For more information, visit www.cbmove.com/georgetown, or call 202-333-6100.

Address

3000 K St, NW, Suite 101, Plaza Level

Days of Design 2012 at Cady’s Alley

Oct. 13 at noon | free | events@cadysalley.com | Event Website

Georgetown’s Design District is celebrating National Design Week by hosting Days of Design (Oct. 13 through 21). Stores and showrooms of Cady’s Alley are will host a series of workshops, lectures, exhibitions, promotions and design-focused pop-ups. Open to the public. Some highlights include: AIA pop-up design book store, In-store workshops at West Elm & CB2, live music.

Address

3314 M Street, N.W.

Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival

Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. | Tel: (202)-777-3251 | Event Website

The DCJCC will present the annual Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival from Oct. 14 through 24. The program will include 15 events with celebrated authors and scholars including Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon speaking on his latest book, “Telegraph: A Novel.” Other events include an evening of film and theater appreciating Franz Kafka along with a local authors festival and a day of storytelling.

Address

Washington DCJCC, 1529 16th Street, NW

Georgetowner • October 9, 2012

Bar Dupont James Bond Party

October 5 | Free admission

“Bond, James Bond.” This week marks 50 years since Sean Connery first said this famous phrase in “Dr. No,” the first Bond film. Bar Dupont — 1500 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., is celebrating this anniversary with an all night movie party. Cocktails and songs from the films will be featured, and there will be a photo wall covered with Bond-related images. The event starts at 5 p.m. Admission is free; cocktails are $11 to $12.

D.C. Fine Art Photography Fair

October 6-7 | Free

The fair will feature more than 15 fine art photography galleries from all around the United States. On display will be a range of photos from the 19th century to modern images, all available for purchase. Saturday morning from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. hosts a panel discussion, “On Collecting Photography.” The fair will be held at 2801 16th St., N.W., accessible by the Columbia Heights metro and bus routes. Saturday, Oct. 6, noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All events free to the public.
For more information: 202-986-0105

Redskins’ Lorenzo Alexander at Sprinkles Cupcakes

October 6 | Free

Washington Redskins linebacker Lorenzo Alexander will be making an appearance at Sprinkles Cupcakes in Georgetown from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Address:
Sprinkles Cupcakes, 3015 M St., N.W

Oktoberfest 2012

October 6, Noon to 7 p.m. | $25

The Capitol City Brewery in Arlington hosts its 13th Annual Mid-Atlanic Oktoberfest, featuring more than 50 breweries, giving four-ounce samples. The event will also host local food vendors, an authentic German band and Oktoberfest food. The event is $25 to sample beer, which includes a wristband, tasting glass and ten tickets; it is free for those who do not wish to drink. This is a 21+ with valid ID event, taps close at 6:00 p.m.
Address:
Shirlington Village, 4001 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Va.

Columbia Heights Day Festival

October 6 | Free

The Sixth Annual Columbia Heights Day festival is this Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will boast live music, a petting zoo and a cupcake-eating contest. There will also be a yoga workshop starting at 10 a.m. and a food truck row. More than 60 local nonprofits and businesses will be there. The festival is at the Harriet Tubman Elementary Field, Kenyon St NW, between 11th and 13th Streets. A complete schedule of events can be found on www.columbiaheightsday.org.

Taste of D.C.

October 6-8, Noon to 7 p.m.| $10

More than 50 Capital Region restaurants and food trucks will be serving food at the festival, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W, between 9th and 14th Streets. Restaurants will have four items for sale, with some items under $3. The festival will host a beer pavilion, serving more than 30 brews, wine and non-alcoholic beverages. There will be music, a chili-eating contest and family-friendly activities.

Georgetowner • October 1, 2012

Kenneth Cole Pentagon City – Rock the Vote Event

September 27th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | Free

6-8pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012 Kenneth Cole Pentagon City will be hosting an in-store charity event in support of Rock the Vote. 20% of the total sales from the evening will be donated to AWEARNESS, the Kenneth Cole Foundation in support of Rock the Vote. Rock the Vote’s street team will be present registering customers to vote. Customers can enjoy bubbly and bites while they shop and will be offered a free gift with purchase.

Address

Kenneth Cole

Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, 1100 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202

2012 Nyumbani Benefit and Auction

September 28th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | $165-$325 | kerrymckenney@me.com | Tel: (202) 257-2335

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Nyumbani Children’s Home, Kenya. Theme: Nyumbani: From Vision to Reality — Twenty Years and Growing. Attire: Business.
Address

Ritz Carlton Hotel – 1150 22nd Street, NW

2012 Green Festival

September 29th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Event Website

We’re kicking off our fall festival season September 29-30, returning to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Along with classic program favorites – Green Business, Fair Trade, Community Action and more – Green Festival introduces brand new, hands-on stages, including: DIY, Good Food, Live Art Demonstration and Eco-Fashion Showcase.

Address

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place Northwest

DC Walk for the Animals

September 29th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | $20/adults $15/12 years and younger $0/3 years old | events@washhumane.org | Tel: 202-683-1822 | Event Website

The DC Walk for the Animals will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 10am – 2pm at Marie Reed Elementary School in Washington, DC. It is a fundraising walk that will also feature booths, activities, music, contests and adoptable animals.

Address

2200 Champlain St. NW

Auction of Vintage Fashion, Couture and Jewelry

September 29th, 2012 at 11:00 AM | no admission | questions@sloansandkenyon.com | Tel: 301-634-2330 | Event Website

Over 600 lots of vintage and contemporary fashion, couture and accessories by
designers including Chanel, Hermès, Pucci, Louis Vuitton, Vivienne
Westwood, Dolce & Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent and many others; signed vintage costume jewelry and moderately priced gold and gemstone jewelry

Exhibition

Wednesday, September 26th: 12 – 5 pm

Thursday, September 27th: 10 am- 7 pm

Friday, September 28th: 10 am – 5 pm

Address

Sloans & Kenyon Auctioneers and Appraisers, 7034 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase MD 20815

Washington National Cathedral Presents Haydn’s Creation

September 29th, 2012 at 05:00 PM | $25.00 | webcomments@cathedral.org | Tel: (202) 537-2228 | Event Website

Marking the 105 years since the laying of its Foundation Stone, the Cathedral begins its new music season with Franz Joseph Haydn’s stunning Creation, featuring Gillian Keith, soprano; Rufus Müller, tenor; Christòpher Nomura, bass; the Cathedral Choir and classical-period orchestra under the direction of Canon Michael McCarthy.

Address

3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW

Pack the Pantries

September 29th, 2012 at 09:00 AM | Free | jeffgasser@gmail.com | Tel: 989-293-9836 | Event Website

Help us feed feed a family in need in Washington D.C.

Partnering churches and congregations from downtown Washington D.C. will collect food items to fill 1,000 boxes (13x12x9) to feed the hungry in the greater Washington D.C. area. On September 29, volunteers will pack the food into the boxes to deliver to the National Capital Area Food Bank. Let us know if you would like to come help or donate food.

Remember… September is Hunger Action Month! All are welcome!

Address

Latter-day Saint 16th Street Chapel, 4901 16th Street NW

Second Annual “Fore” the Kids Golf Tournament

October 1st, 2012 at 07:30 AM | Call for details | jim@pennslyvaniaavenuegroup.com | Tel: 703-973-3830

You are invited to join us at Hidden Creek Country Club for our second annual Golf Tournament. This great event to come out and meet fellow Golf enthusiasts all while supporting a good cause!

Address

Hidden Creek Country Club, 1711 Clubhouse Rd., Reston, VA 20190

Gary Tischler • September 27, 2012

Fall, brisk, as normal as average but a little bit better, came to town, getting weather folks to shut up about storm fronts and severe weather warnings. The weather was acting like autumn weather does, full of change, a frisky optimism. That’s what it felt like in Washington: it was a fall signal without the dying leaves doing their much-heralded twirls to the ground. It was more like a beginning or, at least, a respite.

Because in Washington in the Year of Our Great Divide, 2012, it remains an election year marching irresolutely toward a resolution in November, a spell of good weather like this seemed over a weekend like a return to normalcy where we bless the average, everyday offerings of urban living. After all, there was baseball, the Nationals, and a star quarterback on the Washington Redskins who seemed to be fulfilling his promise right before our eyes.

And, as one local writer somewhat irreligiously put it to us, a panda cub had been born onto us. This event which had occurred the previous weekend put a certain buoyancy in the air, because we vividly remembered the female panda’s last cub, the remarkable Tai Shan who had left us for a preserve in China not that long ago, and who was still tremendously missed. With the announcement of the unexpected birth, instant memories of Tai Shan and his star power, and the thousands of stuffed panda toys that were sold upon his arrival came to mind. The newcomer, who appeared to be healthy, had no name yet, per Chinese tradition. Everyone referred to him as butter stick, which was about the size and description that fit the tiny cub, often referred to, rarely seen.

All this non-political news made the fall weekend special, the kind where you could start your Friday sitting at a Starbucks, or your local café, drink latte or regular, and watch the family of man drive by, run by and bike by, more often than not. You took a taste of normal into your life—the yard sale signs, the sales at Safeway—not so much at Whole Foods. On the other hand, it was between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. So, Jewish food with its potato latkes, dumplings and soups appeared in the delis to our delight.

In the neighborhoods of our cities, there was no lacking for things to do: in Dupont Circle, they held a street fair on 17th Street which meant traffic troubles but brought out man and beast and fried chicken smells and local artisans and artists, a pause in the day of running from dry cleaner, to hardware store to grocery store. The new performance arts season with concerts, and plays and operas and dancing in abundance. Our park, by Adams Mill Road, along with the dog park, the soccer field and the basketball courts were busy.

Elsewhere, you could go to the National Mall and get your fill of books and writers, authors and bloggers and poets in the willing flesh for the annual National Book Festival. You could come to city’s annual Latino festival, with a festive parade of nations which opened your eyes wide to the diversity of the Hispanic world. This city, in weather like this, revealed itself in the way a body does to singer John Mayer — as a wonderland.

On Sunday, we bought sweet nothings at Heller’s Bakery and exercised our walking feet all over Mount Pleasant. I spent some time on the phone later with my son, who lives in Las Vegas, and we talked about things and memories we hadn’t talked of in some time, for no reason except that it seemed right. I think the weather made you feel safe to do things like that. And yet, sunlight, and a breezy wind which might incline you to dance or sing can be deceiving.

If you turned on your television, computer or whatever screen which feeds you like a succubus with information, those uninvited guests in your living room, your house or your phone were never far away. I mean, of course, those fine ladies and gentlemen running for elected office, who approved those ads not done by SuperPACs or other interests groups. I especially mean Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, who drop by with the regularly of an uncle looking for a free meal. On NBC News’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, something of a food fight threatened to break out among the round table participants as Republican strategist Bay Buchanan got into an argument with Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough, a conservative himself.

Later in the evening, CBS News’s “60 Minutes” had lengthy interviews with Romney and Obama (separately), which were revealing for not really revealing anything. Have to wait for the debates.

By then, the balloon of optimism in the air had burst. The Redskins, on a track to give up, oh, I don’t know, one thousand points this year, gave up another 30-plus and lost again to Cincinnati 38-31, and the Nationals, although still with a magic number of six, and owning a clinched playoff sport, managed to lose two of three to Milwaukee.

And the panda cub died. I was following scores on the net when I saw it, short and terse: “Panda Cub at the National Zoo Dies.”

“Oh, no,” I yelled aloud, and I’m sure it was part of a collective sigh. No one knows exactly what happened. Today, it was learned that the cub had a liver problem. The mother behaved perfectly as she is wont to do as a mother. The cub with no name was gone. “It was devastating,” the director of the National Zoo said.

It was the week of anticipation, free and clear, that made this news so hard to bear. It’s not that we knew the little cub intimately or had even had a glimpse of him. We knew it already. He would have been the second coming of Tai Shan, the panda rock star spreading magnetism and stardust around like he had done with such ease.

It’s hard because pandas are endangered, because the mother had a number of failed pregnancies and because Pandas have difficulty breeding and reproducing. It’s hard because they are also, no other word for it, enchanting. We all remember the triumphant Tai Shan making his debut in front of a hardened press corps at the National Zoo, a group of journalists who were turned into instant blubber. He was a performer whether trying to navigate a tree branch in front of a crowd or diving into his birthday cake. He was a boost, a gift, a boon for the National Zoo in monetary ways, but also a boost for all of us in this city, and everyone who visited the city. The last time I saw him, he was clambering up a hill, his bottom fur sporting pink frosting after he sat in his birthday cake.

That’s what was dancing before our eyes when the announcement of the new cub came. And that’s what disappeared like a stone when the news of his passing came.

Fall, though remained, the air still bright as the next Sunday, the next good news. In my front yard, a black squirrel who lived among the three houses around us, suddenly turned around, looked at me and stood up. Not once, but three times. I mention this because it was a rare thing. Squirrels in this neighborhood run from people unlike the squirrels on Capitol Hill, who have picked up the habit of begging for nuts and treats the way the politicians they live among troll for votes.

At a time like this, you take comfort in what presents itself, however modest.

Georgetowner • September 24, 2012

Music and Dance Around the World Benefit Concert

September 22nd, 2012 at 06:00 PM | $30 | Event Website

The Rainbow of Hope for the Street Children of Bolivia is hoisting a benefit concert entitled Music and Dance from Around the World on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at the Ellington Theatre (3500 R Street, NW) in Washington, DC – Tickets are only $30 and $45 and parking is FREE! All ticket holders will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win an IPad3 and a Mamani Mamani painting.

Address

Ellington Theatre 3500 R Street, NW

Letelier Theater CAN Film Screenings

September 21st, 2012 at 06:30 PM | $10 | info@nuclearhotseat.com | Tel: 818-353-8399 | Event Website

Coalition Against Nukes Film Screenings

Fri, September 21, 2012, 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM

As part of the three day rally in Washington, DC, Coalition Against Nukes is sponsoring film screenings of ‘Atomic States of America’ and ‘Radioactivists’ followed by a discussion.

Address

Letelier Theater, 3251 Prospect Street NW

Project Santaranta: Building Dreams

September 22nd, 2012 at 11:00 AM | Free entrance | Event Website

Photo Exhibition of Eric Lloyd Wright’s only work in Europe at the Embassy of Finland.

The exhibit will be on display at the Embassy of Finland, Saturdays and Sundays, September 22-30 throughout Architecture Week 2012.
Address

3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington Nationals 4th Annual Pups in the Park

September 22nd, 2012 at 01:05 AM | $22 – Owner Ticket $8 – Dog Ticket | katherine.mitchell@nationals.com | Tel: 202.640.7649 | Event Website

$22 – Owner Ticket (Outfield Reserved section 140-143, access to the Picnic Area Pup Zone)
$8 – Dog Ticket (proceeds benefit the Washington Humane Society)
All those with tickets purchased for Pups in the Park must enter through the RIGHT FIELD GATE. Upon entering the gate you must drop off a signed waiver form for your dog’s up-to-date shots and vaccinations.
Tickets must be purchased in advance; subject to availability

Address

Nationals Park located at 1500 South Capitol Street SE, directly off the Navy Yard-Green Line Metro stop. For Parking information, please visit www.nationals.com/waytogo

Symposium, NSLM Polo Cup, and Exhibition

September 22nd, 2012 at 03:00 PM | jsheeehan@nsl.org | Tel: 540-687-6542 | Event Website

The National Sporting Library and Museum will host two major events on the weekend of September 22 and 23, 2012. The first will be a Symposium held on Saturday in the Founders’ Room of the Library from 3:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The second will be a Polo Cup Match and Luncheon fundraiser on Sunday that will take place at the Virginia International Polo Club in Upperville, Virginia.

Address

The National Sporting Library and Museum, Virginia International Polo Club in Upperville, Virginia.

Reflections: Photo Sale and Fundraiser for Clean Water

September 23rd, 2012 at 05:00 PM | erica@benevolentmedia.org | Tel: 2026817681 | Event Website

Join us for “Reflections,” a photo sale and fundraiser to celebrate clean water and river conservation.

Proceeds from the evening will benefit Potomac Riverkeeper.

The event will include light snacks, fresh tonics, music and raffle giveaways, plus a special photo sale, featuring the work of photographers dedicated to using their craft to inspire people to care about our natural water resources.

Address

Patagonia, 1048 Wisconsin Ave. NW

FREE lecture: The Maestro Myth?: The Conductor and the Orchestra

September 24th, 2012 at 03:00 PM | 16:30 | jtanner@arlingtonphilharmonic.org | Tel: 703-910-5161 | Event Website

Have you ever wondered about the role of the conductor? A. Scott Wood will give you an inside look, explaining the history, psychology and purpose of the conductor. The program is jointly sponsored by the Arlington Learning in Retirement Institute and the Arlington County Public Library. ALRI is also affiliated with George Mason University and the Arlington Public Schools Adult Education Program.

Address

Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy Ave, Arlington VA 22201

Gary Tischler • September 21, 2012

In Washington, D.C., people talk about HIV-AIDS frequently, given the city’s notoriously high rate of infections — one higher than many African nations.

For the rest of this month, they’ll be talking about it a lot more. There’s a keen focus in Washington this month on HIV/AIDS, the devastating disease which has claimed millions worldwide since surfacing in the early 1980s. It struck America’s gay comminity first, lethally and dramatically — although it quickly became known as a disease exclusive to no group, gender, race or age.

Most prominently, the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) will be held at the Washington Convention Center, July 22 to 27, under the theme of “Turning the Tide Together,” featuring keynote speaker and former President Bill Clinton, pop star and humanitarian Elton John and philanthropist Bill Gates among expected 25,000 attendees. It is the first time in 22 years the conference will be held in the U.S.

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the AIDS Quilt has made a vivid re-appearance in Washington, including on the National Mall where it was a part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in “Creativity in Crisis: Unfolding the AIDS Memorial Quilt,” under the auspices of the Names Project Foundation. Under scorching sunlight, accompanied by quilting bees, discussions and exhibitions, a large portion of the AIDS Quilt once again decorated the lawns of the National Mall with a colorful field of remembrance while visitors recited the names of those lost to the disease, as in days gone by.

Portions of the AIDS Quilt are also on display at the Kennedy Center where seven arts-related panels from the quilt will be on view in the center’s south gallery — including panels paying tribute to Alvin Ailey, Rudolf Nureyev, Howard Ashman, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and others, symbolic of the many AIDS-related losses suffered by the nation’s and the world’s arts communities.

At the Torpedo Factory Art Center, the 25th anniversary of the AIDS Quilt (and the 30th anniversary of AIDS itself) is also being marked with a display of the quilt with panels on exhibit in the main hall of the Art Center and outside on the Alexandria dock, July 21 to 25. The Alexandria Commission on HIV/AIDS will host a closing reception July 25 with Mayor William Euille serving as the honorary chair.

But to find and experience the emotional, the burning and hugely affecting human core of the universal history of the AIDS epidemic, you have to go to Arena Stage at the Mead Center in Southwest Washington, where Larry Kramer, the unrelenting AIDS prophet, town crier and activist, is seeing the first Washington production of his 1985 play “The Normal Heart” after a successful and Tony Award-winning revival on Broadway last year.

Around the production buzzes a beehive of AIDS activities at Arena through the course of the play’s run at the Kreeger Theater through July 29. Not only are more panels from the AIDS quilt hanging on the walls outside the Kreeger, adding poignancy to the drama on stage, but there are images from the HIV and AIDS related collections of the Archives Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. D.C. clinics and HIV testing providers have HIV-testing vans parked outside on select weekends, and there are panel discussions after selected matinee performances. On July 23, there’s a performance to benefit the Washington AIDS Partnership.

Before and after performances, there will be further opportunities to hear the alarm-sounding, passionate voice of Kramer, in the form of a one-sheet letter which begins by saying that “Please know that everything in ‘The Normal Heart’ is real. These were and are real people who lived and spoke and died and are presented here as best as I could.”

When people come to see the play something rare in theater performance happens, and in various ways, it’s been documented by many people who have seen the production. A kind of risible, visible emotional power builds during the course of the play, and the affects become obvious in the audience with periods of sustained silence where people seem to have stopped breathing, with the sound of long, audible sighs, and sometimes sharp intakes of breath and, in the end, often sobs. This is not because the proceedings, although dramatic, are melodramatic, it is not because what is going on is maudlin or even sentimental. The reactions appear to stem from honest emotions, a response to shocking moments, a normal heart open to undeniable feelings.

It’s that way for members of the outstanding cast, too — for the audience it’s like a tuning fork in the dark.

“Oh yeah, you can tell how people are reacting,” said Nick Mennell, who plays the buttoned-down, but affably charismatic gay investment banker Bruce Niles, a key character. “It gets really quiet, it gets completely silent during that scene where Bruce is talking about taking the body of his lover home to Arizona.”

“It’s always a little different,” said John Procaccino, who plays Ben Weeks, the straight attorney brother of the manic, and sometimes maniacal, gay leader and activist Ned Weeks, who’s basically a stand-in for Kramer himself.

“It depends on the audience,” he added. “At matinees people, they’re older and a little uncomfortable at first, they’re slower to respond, they don’t know what to do. But soon enough — especially in the second act — they start to respond — you can hear them.”

People come out of the play as if they’ve just finished an impossibly long, and dangerous, theme park ride. They look and feel exhausted, there’s a mixture of both buzz and stunned silence.

“The Normal Heart” first appeared in 1985 when the AIDS crisis was taking shape vividly in American cities, in New York, in San Francisco and in Washington. Most see it as history: It’s been embodied by the death of movie star Rock Hudson, others in the cultural community, President Ronald Reagan’s stubborn unwillingness to acknowledge AIDS at its outset, the renaissance of plays about the disease (“Angels in America,” the Falsetto plays, “The Baltimore Waltz”, works by Harry Kondeleon and Robert Chesley and the pioneering book “And the Band Played On”) and the first appearance of the AIDS Quilt in Washington.

“The Normal Heart” takes you back to the beginning of the AIDS crisis when it didn’t have a name, and deaths were few. But Ned Weeks has noticed some of his friends get sick and die in rapid order, and we see him with a friend at the offices of Doctor Emma Brookner, one of the play’s heroes, whose attempts to mobilize and get the aid of medical institutions and government officials proves agonizingly futile.

Ned, one of those people who have no verbal filters, starts a group to sound the alarm, to help victims, identify the disease, and spread the word in the gay community, which was experiencing what some are calling a golden age of sexual freedom and license and which Ned warns can be suicidal and dangerous. Difficult to deal with as a friend, or in conversation, Ned is a prickly, almost emotionally self-destructive radical when it comes to the subject of the disease, of love and relationships and of being gay. He enlists his skeptical, reluctant brother, he battles over leadership with the less flamboyant Bruce, a banker and former Green Beret who wears his three-piece suit like armor against coming out.

No one listens. The government (the Koch Administration in New York City, the Reagan Administration here) turned a deaf ear early on. Gay men began to die in ever larger numbers. A strange, almost awesome thing begins to happen. “The Normal Heart” can easily, and it has often been, be called a “gay” play, in terms of its concerns, in terms of the struggle, the characters and AIDS as a subject. But so vividly are the characters drawn, so close to them is the audience, that the frustrations, the guilt, the fear, the immense sense of loss, becomes ours. The play is one of those game changers — chances are that coming out you won’t be exactly the same as going in because what you’ve seen, felt and heard will stay with you.

It’s that way for the actors, too, only more so.

“It’s been an education and, I feel, an honor for me. I think it’s affected all of us,” Procaccino said. He and Mennell are sitting for our interview at the Mead Center, dressed casually, loose shirts, jeans, backpack and so on. Procaccino, 58, has performed all over the country, most recently for the Seattle Repertory Company, as well as a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago and in films and television. Mennell, 35, has divided his time between stage, including most recently on Broadway in “A Free Man of Color,” for director George C. Wolfe, who also directed this production of “The Normal Heart” and films, including a “Friday the 13th” remake.

Upclose around a table, the two are a study in contrasts — Mennell is 20 years-plus younger than Procaccino, of Italian-Hispanic heritage, dark-haired and casually handsome but almost intensely articulate, with a young daughter. Procaccino sports the speckled, spotty salt and pepper beard he grew for the part —“I kinda like it, I think I’m going to keep it,” he said. On stage, the two look oddly pillar-of-the-community alike in clothes and attitude. Procaccino, as Ned’s attorney brother, often sports New York attorney suits and Mennell, his hair Wall Street-slick, and his suit often fitted perfectly and escape-proof, looks defiantly not gay as suits worn by his character Bruce, who doesn’t want to come out to the world at large.

Ironies abound in this kind of setting. “You know what’s strange?” Procaccino says. “Back in the 1980s, and this made me think of it, I was offered a part in ‘The Normal Heart’, a gay character, and I turned it down because I had just played a gay man in another play. I was afraid of being typecast or seen that way. So, yeah, I can admit that as a young man that I was homophobic then. And being in this play, let me tell you, it makes you look at yourself.”

“I was just a kid in the ’80s,” Mennell says. “So, I didn’t really know anything, you know. But I remember I was playing one-on-one basketball outside once with some guy, and he told me he was HIV-positive, as a kind of warning, like some basketball players did back then, and I didn’t know what that was, or what it meant exactly.”

Both men, though, are theater people, they’re playing parts — and they know that. Procaccino’s girlfriend is the director Pam MacKinnon. At some point in this play — they both note how draining and exhausting it is — something sticks, the people become larger than the issue. “It becomes very real, and the audiences play a big part in that,” Procaccino says. “I like to think that what we’re doing here, and how we do it is important to something larger,” he says. “The suffering in this play, the loss is a human loss, not just gay suffering and loss.”

With Mennell’s ethnic background, there’s not universal approval for being in this play from some of his relatives. “Some of them think what I’m doing is a sin,” he said. “I don’t understand that attitude,” he said. “But you know, because you don’t live in a void, I have to think about being an actor, what value it is for society in terms of society.”

“In so many ways, what we’re doing, I like to think, elevates humanity, makes us see outside ourselves,” Mennell said. “With this play, I see it every night or matinee. It makes you question the existing paradigm. Every night I listen to the play and hear things as if for the first time, and they resonate so deeply for me on a human level.”

AIDS is now — and has been for some time — a global epidemic affecting not just gays, but everyone, including women and children. The numbers of cases and deaths continue to climb, in Africa, and in our cities. But the talk in the nation is not so much about AIDS, but about the political battleground issue of gay marriage, which is referenced prophetically, if briefly, in “The Normal Heart.”

You come out of the play, and there’s Kramer’s letter.

It is, like the man and his play, passionate: “Please know that AIDS is a worldwide plague”.

It’s full of some hard facts, too.

“Please know that, as I write this, the world has suffered at the very least some 75 million infections and 35 million deaths. When the action of this play that you have attended begins, there were 41.”?
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Georgetowner • September 17, 2012

An Evening in Brazil

September 13th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | Free | ko@stopcancerfund.org | Tel: (202) 223-4000 | Event Website

Support the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund by bringing out your inner samba dancer this Thursday, September 13th from 7-9pm at BoConcept in Georgetown! There will be a free samba lesson, a silent auction, great prizes, and music provided by DJ Kevin White!

Address

3342 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20007

Girls’ Night Out: Staying Fit from Top to Bottom (and a Little Bit in Between!)

September 13th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | Attendance is free, but advance registration is required. | alexandr.h.mcleod@medstar.net | Tel: 202-877-7947 | Event Website

Sponsored by MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Girls’ Night Out is an educational and fun night out to learn about heart disease, osteoporosis, the genetics of cancer, incontinence and dryness “down there,” hosted by Cheryl B. Iglesia, MD. The event features honest discussion about women’s health issues, in a fun, lighthearted atmosphere. Join Us!

Please visit our website for full program details!

Address

Bethesda Country Club, 7601 Bradley Boulevard, Bethesda, MD, 20817

The First Baptist Church, Georgetown

September 15th, 2012 at 01:00 PM | Tel: 202.965.1899

Celebrating 150 years of history in Georgetown, The First Baptist Church, Georgetown invites you to join them for their family fun Street Fair on Saturday September 15, from 1 to 6 p.m. Enjoy a fun-filled day of activities for the whole family including music, children’s activities, vendors and more.

Address

2624 Dumbarton Street, NW

Under the Stars with Chaise Lounge

September 15th, 2012 at 08:00 PM | $27.50 | Tel: 540-463-7088 | Event Website

Come check out the jazz stylings of Chaise Lounge at the outdoor theater where entertainment comes naturally, the Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington,VA at 8pm.

The soothing and endearing Chaise Lounge embodies the musical spirits of the 1960’s jazz sounds with their interesting style and professional elegance. Sure to make one feel the illusions brought forth in the music, Chaise Lounge guarantees a smooth yet funky ride to its listeners.

Address

607 Borden Rd, Lexington, VA 24450

Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare

September 16th, 2012 at 02:00 PM | $10- $25 | TheatreVA@aol.com | Tel: 540-675-1253 | Event Website

Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Antony and Cleopatra concerns the complex relationship between the Roman general and the Egyptian Queen. It is said to be one of Shakespeare’s
most poetic plays. This production is by students from Cambridge University in England. Each
year, the Cambridge American Stage Tour (CAST) brings a near-professional quality performance of a
Shakespeare play. The students’ performances here have been outstanding.
$25 for adults, $10 under 18.

Address

Theatre at Little Washington, Gay Street, Washington, VA

United States Navy Memorial’s Lone Sailor Awards Dinner

September 18th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | lisa@lindarothpr.com | Tel: (703) 417-2705 | Event Website 750-9539 | Event Website

What’s happening in today’s bond market? Get up-to-date insights and perspectives from one of Schwab’s experienced Fixed Income Market Directors. You’ll leave this workshop with ideas and strategies designed to help you become a more knowledgeable bond investor.

Address

7401 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814-3400

Georgetowner • September 13, 2012

“Rock Your Red Heels” Author Book Signing Reception

September 7th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Free | srunke@pixelentertainment.com | Tel: 502.541.5740 | Event Website

Barnes & Noble Union Station invites you to join Anne Browning Walker, debut DC author of the new contemporary romance novel The Booby Trap, and “Rock Your Red Heels”at this Book Signing Reception. Have your copy of this new work signed by the author, as you mix, mingle, and enjoy the afternoon.

Address

Barnes & Noble Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC 20002

Making Strides for MS Soirée 2012

September 8th, 2012 at 08:00 AM | $65-$175 | MakingStrides@MSandYOU.org | Tel: 202-296-5363 | Event Website](http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/dcw/volunteer/making-strides/index.aspx)

Join Making Strides for MS, the young professionals’ volunteer committee of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s National Capital Chapter, in your cocktail attire for an upscale night of dancing, enjoying food and drinks, and bidding on spectacular gift packages in a D.C. neighborhood-themed silent auction. All proceeds from the Making Strides Soirée will benefit people living with MS in our community and help fund research to find a cure for MS.

Address

Historic Eastern Market North Hall, 225 7th Street Southeast, Washington, D.C. 20003

Food for FED

September 10th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | $20 advance/$25 door | jkarlsruher@epiphanyproductions.com | Tel: 703-683-7500 | [Event Website](http://www.duchennemd.org/)

The Foundation to Eradicate Duchenne (FED) is hosting the inaugural Food for FED at Eastern Market to benefit Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a fatal genetic disease. Food for FED Food is a culinary foodie festival featuring: restaurants, breweries, and caterers offering free samples and selling products; cooking demonstrations; music; a silent auction; and other interesting booths.

Address

Eastern Market, 225 7th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Public Talk with artist Nina Katchadourian

September 10th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | free and open to the public | info@wpadc.org | Tel: 202-234-7103 | Event Website](http://wpadc.org/)

Washington Project for the Arts presents a public lecture with artist Nina Katchadourian, coinciding with “Monument to the Unelected,” her politically timely art piece installed in the street level windows of the Washington Post from September 10 – November 16.

Address

Street level windows of The Washington Post 1150 15th St NW, Washington, DC

9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

September 11th, 2012 at 11:30 AM | carly.skidmore@dc.gov | Tel: 2027242229 | Event Website](http://serve.dc.gov/)

Join Serve DC & HandsOn Greater DC Cares and hundreds of volunteers on Tuesday September 11, 2011 in downtown Washington, DC for the National Day of Service. The event includes food truck vendors, a community outreach fair, mini service projects, and remarks by local and national leaders.

Address

Freedom Plaza, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20001

Author of Whistleblower’s Handbook to Speak in DC at West End Library

September 11th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | 0 | contact@whistleblowers.org | Tel: 202-342-1903 | Event Website](http://www.whistleblowers.org/)

On September 12, 2012, one of the nation’s leading experts in whistleblower protection law, Stephen M. Kohn, will share a wealth of knowledge from his recently released book, The Whistleblower’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What’s Right and Protecting Yourself (Lyons Press, 2011). The West End Library in Washington, DC, will host the author talk and book signing from 7:00pm to 9:00. This event is free and open to the public.

Address

1101 24th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037

The 34th Annual Ambassadors Ball to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

September 12th, 2012 at 06:30 PM | $500 | AmbassadorsBall@MSandYou.org | Tel: (202) 296-5363, option 2 | Event Website](http://www.msandyou.org/Ball/)

The Ambassadors Ball raises vital funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The black tie gala hosts members of the Washington Diplomatic Corps, Congressional leaders, and a variety of distinguished guests who enjoy a unique silent auction, a delicious dinner, and a night of dancing. The Ambassadors Ball has raised over $16 million for the Society’s movement toward a world free of MS.

To purchase a table or tickets please call (202) 296-5363,or email katie.makris@nmss.org.

Address

The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., 1150 22nd Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037

Helping Children Soar Benefit

September 13th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | Tickets $250; sponsorship $1,000 | jgelin@childrenslawcenter.org | Tel: 202-467-4900 ext. 571 | [Event Website](http://www.childrenslawcenter.org/benefit)

As children head back to school, Children’s Law Center heads back to the Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant for their annual Helping Children Soar Benefit. This year’s Benefit highlights CLC’s work to ensure educational access and honors key partners who join in the effort. Visit www.childrenslawcenter.org/benefit for more.

Address

Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant, 2700 F Street NW, Washington DC

Georgetowner • September 6, 2012

Celebrate Pattern with FLOR and Annie Elliott

August 30th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | Free | events@­flor.­com | Tel: (202) 944.5057 | Event Website

FLOR, creator of inspired modular floorcovering, has been busy opening stores in hip, design-oriented neighborhoods across the U.S. Now they’re hitting the streets, discovering the innovative work of independent designers and their unique interpretation of patterns. They uncovered a variety of perspectives and material and before long, started seeing pattern everywhere. Join FLOR in Georgetown to meet local interior designer, Annie Elliott and other members of her team at “bossy color”. Learn about their work and share some sips and sweets with other pattern design enthusiasts.

Address

1037 33rd St NW, Washington, DC

Bank of America’s Museums on Us

September 1st, 2012 at 11:00 AM | Event Website

Celebrate Labor Day weekend with Bank of America’s Museums on Us and enjoy free access to two Washington D.C. museums: National Museum of Women in the Arts and The Phillips Collection.

Museums on Us is a national program and includes more than 150 leading U.S. cultural institutions across 91 cities, benefiting Bank of America and Merrill Lynch customers from coast to coast. Photo ID and a valid Bank of America/Merrill Lynch credit or debit card must be presented. One free general admission limited to cardholder at participating institution, excluding fundraising events, special exhibitions and ticketed shows the first full weekend (Saturday and Sunday) of each month. Not to be combined with other offers.

Address

1600 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20009

DMV Dance Fitness Festival 2012

September 2nd, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Tel: 3013189379 | Event Website

Welcome to the first annual “DMV Dance Fitness Festival 2012” in the nation’s capital on Sunday, September 2, 2012 from noon to 5:00pm.

The Festival will feature a main stage with special presentation, music, artist performance (TBD) & more.
The event will be cover by different Medias, as UNIVISION, TELEFUTURA & local radio stations.

“DMV Dance Fitness Festival 2012” presents a unique opportunity for all small businesses and large corporations, as well as government agencies and non-profit groups to reach out to the community in the Washington metropolitan.

The Festival is FREE to the public and Family oriented.

Address

140 L St SE, Washington, DC 20003 (10 Water Street Southeast Washington, DC 20003)

Team In Training Sports Meeting

September 5th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | FREE | Tel: (703) 399-2942 | Event Website

Are you ready to make a difference in the fight against cancer? Then train with the best sports team in town; we’d love to have you! Our free information session is open to the public and is happening in Washington, DC! We will be at the Woolly Mammoth Theater Company on September 5th at 7:00pm to discuss our upcoming races, registration, and training tips. It’s guaranteed to be a great time. Interested yet? Go to our website or find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TNTNCA. See you there!

Address

641 D St NW, Washington, DC 20004 (Woolly Mammoth Theater Company)

Fashion’s Night Out- Georgetown

September 6th, 2012 at 06:00 PM | events@georgetowndc.com | Tel: 202.298.9222 | Event Website

FNO Georgetown will be DC’s most monumental fashion bash of the year, featuring exciting events at over 100 stores, restaurants and salons. FNO Georgetown is presented by the Georgetown Business Improvement District and made BizBasH’s 2011 list of Washington’s Top 100 Events. We’re proud to bring this exciting global event to DC!

Address

Georgetown, Washington DC 20007

Heels & Wheels

September 5th, 2012 at 05:30 PM | $20 for Members $35 for Non-members Event Website

A FUN event to educate and connect women and men, while learning about car safety, maintenance and purchasing. Please join Duke Street Speedy Lube for an automotive educational event. Enjoy BBQ from Mango Mike while visiting with our event sponsors for additional automotive information, games and fun activities, including a NASCAR simulator and racecar.

Address

4510-4580 Duke St, Alexandria, VA 22304