Get Out! - The Events Column, November 22 - 29, 2018

DC Public Library Image

We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com     

The Events Column for this week is out a day early - Wednesday instead of Thursday. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thursday, November 22, Thanksgiving Day Trot to End Hunger - Race Times at 8:30, 9 or 9:15 AM, depending on the event. Now in its 17th year, the Thanksgiving Day Trot (https://www.trotforhunger.org/) is a 5K run or walk to raise funds for So Others Might Eat (SOME), which every year helps over 10,000 people experiencing homelessness or hunger. In addition to the 5K, youngsters can participate in the Little Turkey One Mile Fun Run. Race starts and ends at Freedom Plaza. corner of 13th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Registration fee: $15 - 40 depending on age and event; $50 for same-day registration. Sign up at: https://www.trotforhunger.org/register  

Friday November 23, Opening Day of the Week-Long Tenley Winterfest - http://www.tenleywinterfest.org. Celebrate the season in Tenleytown, November 23 - December 1 with Winter Feast, the Yeti Scavenger Hunt, a Winter Market, and other special events. The Janney Winter Market, which now includes nearly 100 vendors of all ages selling handmade gifts, accessories and jewelry, artwork, toys, and sweet and savory treats, remains a cornerstone of Tenley WinterFest. Now in its 7th year, the festival has expanded with a week of events along Wisconsin Avenue, from Van Ness to Fessenden St, including: live music at Middle C Music and Tenley Bar & Grill, dining specials at more than a dozen eateries, crafts, stories, and movies at the library, neighborhood walking tours with the Tenleytown Historical Society, or holiday tree sales at local schools. Get all the details at http://www.tenleywinterfest.org/events/ 

Friday, November 23 at 4 PM, Math Refresher Session Before Tonight’s  Fibonacci Day Party! How often has this happened to you: You’re invited to a party to celebrate Fibonacci Day (http://bit.ly/2KslVwM) but you’ve grown a bit rusty on the Fibonacci sequence. Still, you’d like to participate fully, and toss out some holiday-appropriate numerical puns for the occasion, and be the life of the Fibonacci Party! Now, with this quick math review lesson tailored just for those who need a little boost, you will be fully prepared to go 1-1-2-3 with the best of ‘em!. And we’ll teach you that hot Fibonacci Hopscotch Dance to boot!. To locate the nearest Fibonacci Day Party Practice Session and reserve your spot, go to: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent    

Saturday, November 24 at 3 PM, Carols and Cocoa at Fessenden Park. Friends of Fessenden Park and Tenleytown Main Street invite our neighbors to sing a happy holiday song and drink hot cocoa with us to enjoy the winter season! This free event begins with carols in Fessenden Park from 3 - 3:30 PM, followed by delicious cocoa to warm up from 3:30 - 4 PM at St. Mary Apostolic Armenian Church, directly across the street (4125 Fessenden St). An inclusive event, the songs are non-denominational - all are welcome to spread holiday season cheer! This event is part of Tenley WinterFest. More info: http://www.tenleywinterfest.org/events/   

Saturday November 24 at 6 PM, 5th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at CityCenterDC. Washingtonians will be treated to a joyful music performance by The Washington Chorus and an official lighting ceremony and countdown emceed by NBC4’s Eun Yang. Festivities include balloon artists, face painters, holiday activities and more. Enjoy the dazzling 75 foot holiday tree, our two resident 25-foot reindeer, and the return of our Palmer Alley overhead holiday display! Free. At The Park at CityCenter, 10th St NW & New York Ave NW. RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/261835194473113/ 

Sunday, November 25 at 1 PM, Historical Walking Tour of Tenleytown. Learn about the women pioneers of education, architecture, and business who influenced the development of Tenleytown. Tour led by Farleigh Earhart of the Tenleytown Historical Society. Register online to reserve your spot: http://bit.ly/2znU2S3. Depart from Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW.

Monday, November 26 at 12 noon, Lecture and Gallery Talk: Treasures from the Albert H. Small Collection, presented by Julia Brown and Isabella Bucci, GW Phi Alpha Theta students; Jackie Streker, assistant curator, Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection. A special guided tour of the exhibition Treasures from the Albert H. Small Collection of the George Washington University Museum. Free; no reservations required. At the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/treasures-talk-tour 

Tuesday, November 27, All Day, Giving Tuesday. While we have not found any local organizations putting on special events for this day, we would like to suggest volunteering and/or donating to three nonprofits that provide critical services to the homeless and to struggling families in our area: Friendship Place - https://friendshipplace.org/; So Others Might Eat - https://www.some.org/ and DC Diaper Bank - https://greaterdcdiaperbank.org/  

Wednesday November 28 at 4 PM, Art Attack: M.C. Escher. Come and learn about M.C. Escher's exciting mind-bending art. Then, make your own geometric designs in his style. This program is for ages 6 and up. Free. At Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61918 

Thursday, November 29 at 6:30 PM, Takoma Park Library Book to Film Club: “The Giver.” Ask for a copy of The Giver at the desk and read it. Then attend a viewing of the film and discuss both! Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. Free. The Takoma Park Library is at 416 Cedar St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61847      

Still Life with Robin: Name That Neighborhood!

Photo by Dave Wilson (licensed by Creative Commons)

by Peggy Robin

Of course, you’ve heard by now that Amazon’s Headquarters 2 will be split between New York and DC, and the part we’re getting is not actually in DC but in nearby Northern Virginia, in a neighborhood split between Crystal City and Pentagon City. Which Amazon is renaming National Landing. 

I wish I were first off the block to make fun of the made-up corporate/neighborhood naming process. But Greater Greater Washington kicked off the scoff-fest last week with this suitably snarky article --

https://ggwash.org/view/69847/forget-crystal-city-amazon-is-coming-national-landing-we-have-some-thoughts -- and the reader comments that flowed underneath were even snarkier. In admiration, I must pass along the best of the mocking bunch:

David Edmonson says,

Because National Landing is less of a cheesy name than Crystal City?

Also the place used to be called Waterloo, so go back to that if anything. Jeez.

Agnès Artemel says,

I hope it will be Soft Landing, and not Landing with a Bang

Some had ideas for new names.

Aaron Landry

@s4xton

“National Landing”?! If they're going to rename Crystal City, why not:

Bezos Beach?

Arlington Prime?

Alexatown?#HQ2Names

My favorite of the above is Arlington Prime!

Other comment-posters wondered, after National Landing is established, what related developments will follow:

Martin Austermuhle

@maustermuhle

How quickly do we get North National Landing and National Landing Heights?

Dan Reed suggested:

The Landing at National Landing: for those with discerning taste

Gray Kimbrough says,

The nearby waterfront will be called National Landing Harbor. It's not to be confused with the boat docking at National Harbor, National Harbor Landing.

Now for my own contributions to the “Name That Neighborhood!” game:

How about combining Crystal City and Pentagon City, to create “Crystal Pentagon”? Then perhaps in the same way that people have shortened North-of-Massachusetts to NoMa, people would shorten “Crystal Pentagon” to “CrysPen.” Or even shorter: “CryPen.” But the shortest would be: “CryPe.” 

Now here’s an even better idea! You know how we got Shirlington from a mash-up of Shirley Highway (the actual name of that portion of I-395) and Arlington? Let’s mash-up Amazon and Arlington to create: AMAZINGTON!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.   

Get Out! - The Events Column, November 16 - 22, 2018

Photo by Peggy Robin

We wanted to share some events and activities that we thought would be of interest to list members. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, please email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com   

Friday, November 16, 7 - 9 PM,  Opening night party for Home/Brewed: How the Chr. Heurich Brewing Co. Witnessed DC History. The exhibit, which will be housed in the museum’s Carriage House Gallery, highlights a collection of over 1,000 items including bottles, cans, signs, and branded objects of every kind from the brewery’s existence between 1872 and 1956. Free. Registration is recommended - http://bit.ly/2OHTMSS. At the Heurich House Museum, 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Friday, November 16 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, November 17 at 2:30 and 7:30 PM, RENT (School Edition), presented by Wilson HS Theatre. Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop culture phenomenon with a rock music score, and a mature story that resonates with all generations. (Some material may not be appropriate for younger children; please use your discretion.) Tickets at the door: $5 student/child/Wilson staff (all performances); $15 adult ($10 for the matinee). In Wilson High School Auditorium, 3950 Chesapeake Street NW. 

Saturday, November 17, 9 AM 5K and 10 AM Fun Run. Calling all local runners and walkers - looking for some fun and healthy activity before the Thanksgiving week? Register to participate in the 8th Annual Janney 5K & Fun Run, sponsored by the Janney Elementary PTA. The 5K will kick off at 9 AM and the Fun Run will take place at 10 AM. All members of the community are welcome to participate. Strollers and dogs are welcome, too, but we ask that you line up at the back. Janney Elementary is at 4130 Albemarle St NW. To register ($40 for the 5K; $20 for the Fun Run - includes T-shirt), go to http://bit.ly/2PuahqX. For all details, go to: http://www.janney5k.com/.

Sunday, November 18 at 4 PM, Concert: A Salute to our Veterans. Jennifer Heemstra, pianist, Carrie Pierce, cellist, and Jacqueline Nutting, violinist, perform patriotic favorites with works by Amy Beach, Florence Price, Irving Berlin, and more. This is the third performance of the fall American Music Series. Free. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW, https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public     

Sunday, November 18 at 4 PM, "The History of Washington's Grand Department Stores: A Nostalgic Look Back." In the Chevy Chase Historical Society’s Fall Lecture of 2018, department store expert Michael Lisicky will lead local residents on a trip down memory lane when he takes his audience back to Woodward & Lothrop in its heyday -- past the elaborate holiday window displays, through the up-to-the minute fashions for men, women and children, past the Wedding Services department, and on to the seventh-floor Tea Room, known for its Chicken Pot Pie and other specialties. He will also discuss other beloved local department stores, including Garfinckels, Hecht’s, and more. A reception will follow the lecture, and light refreshments will be served. Copies of Lisicky’s book about Woodward & Lothrop will be available for sale and signing by the author. Questions concerning the program may be directed to CCHS at 301-656-6141 or info @ chevychasehistory dot org. Free. At the Lawton Community Center, 4301 Willow Lane. More info: http://www.chevychasehistory.org/ 

Monday November 19 at 12 noon, Lecture and Gallery Talk: Treasures from the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection. Learn about recent collaborations between the museum's Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection and students of GW's Phi Alpha Theta history honors society, through talks and a special guided tour of the exhibition Treasures from the Albert H. Small Collection. Presented by Julia Brown and Isabella Bucci, GW Phi Alpha Theta students; Jackie Streker, assistant curator, Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection. Free; no reservations required. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/treasures-talk-tour

Monday November 19  at 6 PM, Michelle Obama on her memoir, “Becoming.” In a surprise addition to her multi-city book tour, Michelle Obama will come to the Cleveland Park Library for a reading and book signing. “I’ve always loved Cleveland Park, and the new library is phenomenal - I just knew we could not leave it off the tour,” said the former First Lady through a spokesperson. Attendance is free but you must register in advance at http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent, with priority seating given to those who use the promo code: “CLEVELANDPARKLISTSERVFANTASYFAKEEVENT.”

Tuesday, November 16 at 12:30 PM, Lunch Bites: A portrait of an American loyalist. Portraits of American loyalists depicted in the uniforms they wore when they fought against the patriot cause are rare. This recently acquired oil painting is of Colonel James DeLancey of Westchester County, New York, who led several loyalist cavalry and infantry units during the war. Attributed to itinerant artist John Durand, the portrait was painted ca. 1778-1782. Join Deputy Director and Curator Emily Parsons for a discussion of this painting, DeLancey's activities during the Revolution, and eighteenth-century depictions of American loyalists. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the painting. Free. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW, https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public     

Wednesday, November 21 from 12 - 5 PM, Fab Lab Pop-Up at NoMa: DIY Decorative Gift Box. Drop in to the Fab Lab Pop-Up at NoMa anytime between 12 and 5 PM to assemble and decorate a special laser-cut box before you head home for the holidays. Give the box as a gift, or use it to hold an even more exciting present! Please register at http://bit.ly/2QGjwAJ to let us know you're coming. The Fab Lab is a weather-dependent space, and may close at short notice due to adverse conditions. We will do our best to notify class members who have signed up in advance. Free. At 1150 First St. NE. Questions? Email fab.lab @ dc.gov or call 202-604-7820,
https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61991

Thursday, November 22 at Whatever Time Your Family Can Agree on - It’s Thanksgiving! Have a fabulous Thanksgiving, everyone! More info: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving   

Still Life with Robin: Eleven Eleven

by Peggy Robin

November 11, 2018  is the one hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I. If you remember what you were taught in history class, you will pause for a moment at precisely 11:00 AM – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – the exact time chosen as the armistice that we have now observed for a century. All across Europe and America there are solemn observances, wreath laying ceremonies, and memorial services.

Once we’ve had our moment of sober reflection, we can get on with the ordinary activities of our three-day holiday weekend – shopping, sales, and getting ready for the run-up to the big-ticket spending for the winter holidays. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are just a few short weeks away. And yet, on the other side of the globe, it’s already the biggest online shopping day of the year. That’s right – in China, every year on 11/11, online sales are massive, as this day is a holiday celebrated by millions – no, billions! – who buy gifts for Singles Day. 

That’s right, 11/11 is a holiday for the unmarried and romantically unattached. It’s a day for single people to stand up proudly and say, I don’t need a partner to get me stuff…. I can buy myself a n expensive present if I like….and that’s just what people do. The date 11/11 was chosen because the four ones in a row can be seen as four single individuals. Well, it might have made more sense, symbolically speaking, to pick January first (1/1), but that date was already taken for New Year’s Day in the international calendar. 

 [Creative Commons]

This November 11th marks the tenth anniversary of Singles Day – it was invented by China’s most profitable online shopping company Alibaba in 2008, and it already eclipses both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in combined sales – see https://qz.com/1450338/10-years-of-singles-day-in-china-the-shopping-festival-alibaba-invented/. The popularity of a day for singles to celebrate themselves and buy themselves stuff is already spreading far beyond China, to Koreaand get stuff for themselves – spreading throughout Asia. How much longer will it t be before Singles Day takes root in the Europe and the Americas? After all, we have lots of single people and why would they not want a holiday that tells them to spend money on themselves, like their peers in the eastern half of the world?

There are no more living veterans of World War I to remember Armistice Day. But there will never be a shortage of young singles to celebrate November 11 as Singles Day.

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! - The Events Column, Nov 9 - 15, 2018

Armistice Day 11/11/1918 (photo - public domain)

We wanted to share some events and activities that we thought would be of interest to list members. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, please email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com      

Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 PM, RENT (School Edition), presented by Wilson HS Theatre. Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it has become a pop culture phenomenon with a rock music score, and a mature story that resonates with all generations. (Some material may not be appropriate for younger children; please use your discretion.) Performances repeated next Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, plus a Saturday afternoon matinee on 11/17 at 2:30 PM. Tickets at the door: $5 student/child/Wilson staff (all performances); $15 adult ($10 for the matinee). In Wilson High School Auditorium, 3950 Chesapeake Street NW.   

Saturday, November 10, 10 AM - 3:00 PM, Family Day: I Can See My House From Here! Featuring Peter Waddell, "Eye of the Bird" artist and historian. Washington looks quite grand, even from above. Enjoy a day of family-friendly activities designed to help you see DC from a bird’s eye perspective. Contribute to our three-dimensional map by building the city’s hospitals, schools, national monuments, and more from recycled materials. Practice your drawing skills in special workshops with local artist and historian Peter Waddell—and don’t leave without seeing Waddell’s finished bird’s eye view paintings of Washington DC in Eye of the Bird: Visions and Views of DC’s Past. Free; no reservations required. At the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/birdseye-family-day     

Saturday, November 10 from 11 AM - 2 PM, Cleveland Park Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. Learn to edit Wikipedia pages and help improve the entries for historic sites, people, institutions, and more in and around Cleveland Park. No experience necessary! Experienced Wikipedians from the Wikimedia Foundation will teach us how to edit pages, and CPHS and Wikimedia will have reference materials ready for us to use. If you would like to suggest a Wikipedia article that we should work on editing at the Edit-a-thon, please email Carin Ruff at staff @ clevelandparkhistoricalsociety dot org. To register, visit http://bit.ly/2DtnauG. N.B.: Participants must bring their own laptops. The Wikimedia Foundation will provide lunch. When you register, let us know in the registration form if you'd like a vegetarian lunch. Everyone is welcome to participate. Free. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW. 

Saturday, November 10 at 1 PM, Lost Farms and Estates in Washington, DC. Join author Kim Prothro Williams for a discussion of her book "Lost Farms and Estates in Washington, DC," presented by the Peabody Room. Free. At the Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61924   

Saturday, November 10, 7:30 – 9 PM, Rejoice! English Choral Music. The first half of the 20th century saw the flourishing resurgence of English choral music. Join Casey Cook and the American University Chorus for an exploration of some of England’s most beloved composers, including works by Gerald Finzi, Herbert Howells, Benjamin Britten, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Free and open to the public. At National United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave NW, https://american.edu/cas/auarts/calendar/?id=7912738    

Sunday November 11 from 12 - 3 PM, Veterans Day at Tudor Place: Generations of Service Tours. In honor of Veterans Day, guided house tours of Tudor Place focus on stories and artifacts recalling six generations of an American family in wartime, abroad and at home. Military families and veterans tour free. Tickets: Adults $10 (age 18-61); senior 62+ $8; college student with ID $8; students age 5-17 $3; under 5 free. Guided tours offered hourly; ticket includes garden access. Book online up to 24 hours before tour time, or call 202.965.0400. Walk-ins are welcome as space permits. Tours last approximately 45 minutes. At Tudor Place Historic House and Gardens, 1644 31st Street NW, http://bit.ly/2SSiVgN   

Sunday, November 11 at 5 PM, National Veterans Day Concert for the 100th Anniversary of World War I. Join Washington National Cathedral - online or in person - on November 11, 2018 as we celebrate the resilience of America's military families and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The National Veterans Day Concert celebrates the indomitable spirit of our veterans, their triumph over adversity, their resilience and their love of country. Through words, music and images, “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra, Chaise Lounge Band, singer Emy Cee, rapper Soldier Hard and other entertainers will perform a varied and compelling veterans-themed program. The concert is presented in collaboration with the WWI Centennial Commission and Veterans in Media and Entertainment. This is a free concert but reservations are required through the box office. Register and learn more at https://cathedral.org/initiative/veterans/.  The Washington National Cathedral is at Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues, NW.

Monday, November 12 at 12 noon, Book Talk: "Creating Capitol Hill: Place, Proprietors, and People" presented by Don Alexander Hawkins, author and historical cartographer; Pamela Scott, author and architectural historian. Learn the story of how the founding fathers reached a compromise to situate the permanent seat of government along the Potomac River, how George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant chose the site for the city, how President Washington negotiated an agreement with the proprietors who owned the land on which the city was to sit, and how a neighborhood and capital city arose from these tenuous arrangements. Free; no reservations required. At the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/capitol-hill    

Monday, November 12, at 12 noon, “T-Minus Ten” Day - Planning Meeting. The “T” stands for Thanksgiving, and there’s just 10 days to go! If you need help organizing and coordinating all the arrangements essential to pulling off a large family dinner, then the T-Minus Ten Day Planning Meeting is for you! At this grand strategy session, we will come up with meal plan solutions for this sample guest list: a vegan couple, 2 gluten-frees, 1 paleo diet, and 1-3 last minute additions with some surprise dietary requirements. In another scenario, we’ll talk about the great-aunt who insists on bringing her bacon & green bean casserole that violates every single dietary rule observed by the rest of the family. We’ll cover seating, too, including tricky calculations such as: “How many “Never Trumpers” can you accommodate before your brother-in-law MAGA Joe stomps off in a huff?” And: Should an 19 year old who’s still in high school be at the kids’ table? What about the 18 year old genius/dropout who’s running a tech start-up valued at $2.5 million? Bring your thorniest problems and we’ll brainstorm together! To help us allot time to deal with each planning problem, you can email problems in advance to http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent      

Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 PM, Author Talk: Paul Butler. Join us for a discussion of Paul Butler's latest book in which he explores the ways black men are feared, watched and policed and how the judicial system is complicit. His book examines, among other thought-provoking topics, social programs that fall short, black on black violence and alternatives to incarceration. “Chokehold:  Policing Black Men” was named one of the 50 best non-fiction books of 2017 by The Washington Post. The New York Times described Chokehold as the best book on criminal justice reform since The New Jim Crow.  It was a finalist for the 2018 NAACP Image Award for best non-fiction. Paul Butler is the Albert Brick Professor in Law at Georgetown University Law Center and a legal analyst on MSNBC. Free. At the Shepherd Park/ Juanita E. Thorton library, 7420 Georgia Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61930    

Tuesday, November 13 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks: Joan of Arc: The Woman, The Saint, The Political Icon. Valerie Croquez, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer of World Languages and Cultures at American University, will lead a wide ranging conversation about the life and influence of Joan of Arc. Free. At Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/62012    

Wednesday, November 14 at 7 PM, Board Games / Trivia Night for Grown Ups. Join your neighbors and friends at the Chevy Chase Library the second Wednesday of each month at 7 PM for an adult board game and trivia night. Themed games, strategy games, cooperative games and every-player-for-themselves games—we’ll have a board game that makes you want to play. We will alternate between trivia night and playing the board games. For ages 18 and older. Free. Chevy Chase Library, 5625 Connecticut Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/59574    

Wednesday, November 14 at 7:30 PM, Two Faces of Comedy at Lincoln’s Cottage. Back by popular demand, President Lincoln's Cottage is teaming up with the DC Improv for the third year of our Two Faces Comedy series. Back by popular demand, and drawing inspiration from Abraham Lincoln's legendary humor and self-deprecation, President Lincoln's Cottage and The DC Improv are again partnering to present Two Faces Comedy, the first comedy series to transform Lincoln's living room into a comedy den. Tonight’s comedians are: Katherine Jessup; Chelsea Shorte; Naomi Karavani; Denise Taylor. For short bios of the comedians - and advance tickets $5 per person - go to: http://bit.ly/2RHCSpp. Cash bar: Beer and wine will be available for $5 a drink at each show. This comedy series is recommended for adult audiences. President Lincoln's Cottage is at 140 Rock Creek Church Road NW. 

Thursday, November 15 at 7 PM, “American Autobiography: From Colonial to Contemporary Times,” led by resident scholar, Philip Burnham, associate professor in the English Department at George Mason University. This program is part of the Nathalie V. Black Book Discussion Series: American Autobiography, which looks at how the style and themes of American narratives have evolved over the span of several centuries. Readings include personal accounts by a Founding Father, an African American activist, a Native American medicine man and the first Hispanic member of the Supreme Court. To register, please email  cplbookseries @ gmail dot com. This month’s program considers “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou. Published in 1969, Angelou’s first of many autobiographies charts her childhood and adolescence through the Great Depression and World War II. This moving account is an intimate memoir about survival in the segregated South and the changes wrought by the Great Migration for many African American families. For other titles in December and January, see https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61394. Free. You need not have attended the previous session to enjoy this one. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW.   

Still Life with Robin: A November To-Do List

Photo by Bill Adler

by Peggy Robin

Time flies when you’re in mid-fall.

November has barely begun and I’m sure you already have a long to-do list. Just want to make sure these five essential things are on it:

1. Take your pumpkins to a nearby DC Food Waste Drop-off to be composted. Find a convenient location here: https://dpw.dc.gov/foodwastedropoff

If you’re in Cleveland Park, your best bet is probably the Food Waste Drop-off at the UDC Farmers’ Market, 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW, from 9am – 1pm. If you’re too late for today’s market, just wait until another Saturday.

2. Drop off any leftover Halloween candy to list members who collect it to bring some sweet cheer to people who could use it! There are two convenient choices:

     Judy and Gary Kopff’s front porch: “Please consider donating leftover Halloween candy for Wounded Warriors -- wounded, ill, and injured troops, veterans, and their families and staff in D.C. area military hospitals.  Candy may be dropped off at my home through Saturday, November 10. Drop-off location is the covered porch of my English-Tudor style house at 2939 Newark Street NW, behind the Uptown Theater and about 500 feet west of Connecticut Ave.  A very long stone wall is in front of our property, and there are about 25 steps to our front porch.”

     Marie Shirey’s front porch: “I am collecting: old and new calendars; all kinds of toiletries, yes, those you get from hotels are perfect, and other small items like wash cloths, pens, small pads, pencils,etc. to be used in  making up goodie bags for both homeless men and women for the holidays. Also will be collecting leftover Halloween candies!” Location: 3119 Rittenhouse St NW (between 32nd and Utah) Leave by front porch with your name, and thanks!

3. Reset your clocks before you go to bed tonight or when you wake up on Sunday morning. The mantra is FALL BACK (we get back the hour that we lost last spring in that "Spring Forward" move). If you resent having to run around your house looking for all the time-keeping devices and then figure out how to make them show the right time, here’s a little light reading on the subject to justify your annoyance– http://bit.ly/2F2FQ6c -- and then maybe you will join the movement to rid the country of this useless, twice-a-year non-energy-saving time-tinkering that just possibly made sense around World War I, when it was first adopted. (Oops, did not mean to slide into a rant when all I set out to do was offer a gentle reminder of a task that requires your attention tonight.)

4. Mark your calendars for your leaf collection days. Did you get your DPW brochure in the mail on Friday? If not, read it online at: https://dpw.dc.gov/service/leaf-and-holiday-tree-collection. When you first arrive at the site, there’s a big pop-up that says, “READY TO RAKE, DC?” That’s your cue – get your RAKES ready….and forswear your 105 decibel gas-powered leaf blower. You will also find a link to the .PDF version of the brochure that you can print out, to have a paper copy to pin to your corkboard - https://dpw.dc.gov/service/2018-leaf-season-brochure (if you promise to recycle it once leaf collection season is done!) NEW THIS YEAR! You can register for text alerts or email notifications to find out when leaf collection crews will be on your block. This will be great if it works. Sign up at https://dcdpw.accioalert.com/register - and as a back-up, keep a bookmark on DC’s online service complaints page at https://311.dc.gov/ or keep your council member’s constituent services staff member’s number handy. If you complain enough, they do come eventually….

5. VOTE! If you haven’t joined the trendy early voter crowd, do it the old-fashioned way, by showing up on Tuesday and standing in line. Well, maybe there won’t be much of a line, now that so many DC voters (and I’m one) have taken the opportunity to vote ahead of Election Day. Not registered? DC has same-day voter registration for US citizens with proof of residence. More here: https://www.dcboe.org/FAQS/Voter-Registration. Not sure where to go to vote in person? Find your polling place here: https://dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Find-Polling-Place

Oh, and one other thing for the coming week….Happy Guy Fawkes Day (November 5)!

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.  

Get Out! - The Events Column November 1 - 8, 2018

It's DINOvember
Photo by Jakub Halun via Creative Commons

We wanted to share some events and activities that we thought would be of interest to list members. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, please email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com     

Thursday, November 1 - Sunday, November 4, The 45th Annual DC History Conference by Historical Society of Washington, DC. Since 1973, the mission of the conference has been to provide a friendly and rigorous forum for discussing and promoting original research about the history of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The 2018 conference explores themes related to “Mobility, Migration, and Movement,” including the creation of Metro, the impact of migration to the region, and the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Douglass, a man for whom mobility meant an escape to freedom.Full 4-day conference program available at http://bit.ly/2COJH4c (30-page PDF). Registration and event tickets at http://bit.ly/2zhTYlW - free for DC high school students, $30 for adults, prices for other events vary, and some events are free. Prices rise by $5 if purchased at the door. Main location: University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Friday, November 2 from 4:30 - 9 PM, Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Celebration in Petworth, DC. We will have calavera face painting from 4:30-5:45pm at Qualia Coffee (3917 Georgia Ave NW) along with flower crown craft making and a Bruce Monroe Elementary student art show honoring loved ones. Beginning at 6 PM, join us for a grand Street Procession celebrating loved ones, starting at Walls of Books walking north along Georgia Avenue towards the 800 block of Upshur Street NW, where the procession will pass by Qualia Coffee and calavera participants will join in the procession. There will be live mariachi music while folks view altars made by the community along the Georgia Avenue and Upshur St NW processional route from 6 - 9 PM. Free, presented by the by Petworth Arts Collaborative. More info: http://bit.ly/2ETqrFk 

Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 (showtimes below), Romeo and Juliet, presented by Deal Middle School Theater. Join us as our 6th-8th grade actors take the stage for Shakespeare’s tragic tale of love and revenge. Showtimes are Friday at 6:30 PM and a Saturday Matinee at 12:30 PM. Purchase tickets: https://squareup.com/store/alice-deal-theater - students $5 and adults $12. Your tickets will be available for pick up at WILL CALL one hour prior to each performance. At Alice Deal Auditorium, 3815 Fort Drive NW.

Saturday, November 3 from 10:30 AM - 12 noon, Take part in Friendship Walks, a 1.5 mile fun walk around the National Mall focused on ending homelessness in the Washington DC region. All proceeds from the Walk go to Friendship Place, a nonprofit organization that offers an effective model for addressing homelessness. You are invited to join Marjorie Dick Stuart’s team: http://bit.ly/2qjzGV3. Friendship Walks 2018 will take place at the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial stairs at the National Mall. If you have not re-registered with a team, come at 9:30 AM for Registration and Fun; Walk begins at 10:30 AM.

Saturday, November 3 from 10:30 AM – 1 PM, Adams Morgan Apple Festival, featuring the 5th Annual Apple Pie Contest and 10th Annual Licking Creek Bend Farm’s Heirloom Apple Tasting. Free admission, open to the public, hosted by Adams Morgan Apple Festival and Adams Morgan BID, https://www.facebook.com/events/686182335072759/   

Saturday, November 3, 8 AM - 3 PM, The United Methodist Women's Bazaar at National UMC, featuring lots of items gently-used and priced to move, including: China and Collectibles; Attic Treasures; Kitchen Boutique; Christmas Shop; Better Accessories; Jewelry; Handmade Crafts; Specialty Gifts; Children's Toys, Games, Stuffed Animals and Books. Harvest Cafe and Bake Sale. Cash and checks gladly accepted; Credit Cards accepted with minimum $10 purchase. Free admission, free parking. At United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Avenue NW (at New Mexico). More info: www.nationalchurch.org

Sunday, November 4 from 12 - 5 PM, Free Community Day at National Museum of Women in the Arts. FREE admission to the museum—take this opportunity to explore current exhibitions, permanent collection, and events. What’s on View: Bound to Amaze: Inside a Book-Collecting Career celebrates the vision of Krystyna Wasserman, curator emerita, who assembled NMWA’s collection of more than 1,000 artists’ books. Betsabeé Romero: Signals of a Long Road Together is the latest installation in NMWA’s public art series, the New York Avenue Sculpture Project. Related Program: “Fierce Women” is a free tour highlighting women who refused to let men define their place; thumbed their noses at the limited roles society accorded them; and blazed a trail as artists, activists, and innovators. National Museum of Women in the Arts is at 1250 New York Ave NW, https://www.facebook.com/events/1892848824341698/ 

Sunday, November 4 from 1 - 3 PM, Winterize Your Garden, A Tudor Place Workshop. Join Josh Meyer, the new Director of Buildings, Gardens and Grounds at Tudor Place, for a presentation and Q&A on prepping your garden for the winter season. Free. Please RSVP to education @ tudorplace dot org. At Tudor Place Historic House & Garden, 1644 31st Street NW. More info: https://www.tudorplace.org/who-we-are/for-neighbors/ 

Sunday, November 4 at 1:30 PM, DINOvember at Tenley-Friendship Library. It's Dinovember - make a dino-mite dinosaur skeleton to celebrate with us! We’ll even let you name your amazing dinosaur discovery. This is a drop-in event. Crafts will be open from 1:30 to 3 PM, while supplies last. For toddlers to age 12, with their caregivers. Tenley-Friendship Library is at 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61736   

Sunday, November 4 at 3 PM, Adas Israel’s Featured Musical Performance: Jewish Music, Jewish Soul, Starring Cantor Simon Spiro. Come join world renowned performer Simon Spiro for Jewish Music, Jewish Soul, a dazzling concert of powerful Jewish music encompassing various genres and styles. This concert will also feature Cantor Arianne Brown, DC’s Thomas Circle Singers, and Adas’s own Flash Choir. Enjoy a wonderful dessert reception in Kay Hall immediately following the program. Tickets are free of charge and you can register to attend via this link - https://www.adasisrael.org/event/jewish-music-jewish-soul.html. For more information please visit our website at https://www.adasisrael.org/musicalmoments. Adas Israel Congregation, 2850 Quebec Street, NW

Sunday, November 4 at 4:40 PM, Film: "Heading Home," the story of Team Israel’s journey through the 2017 World Baseball Classic. It is a classic underdog story about Jewish identity, Israel, and of course, baseball! Following the screening, a family-friendly, ballpark-style dinner will be served. Team Israel members Jeremy Bleich (currently with the Oakland A’s organization) and Cody Decker (currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization) are scheduled to appear and will reflect on their time with Team Israel and sign autographs. Tickets: 10 individual; $20 individual ticket with dinner; $60 for family 4-pack of tickets with dinner - available at http://bit.ly/2OfceBW . The first 200 people to register for this event will receive a free custom WHC baseball (suitable for playing or autographs). Location: Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW.

Monday, November 5 at 12 noon, Lecture: Untold Stories of Anacostia Park, presented by Vince Vaise, chief of visitor services, National Capital Parks-East. Anacostia Park is a unique place where history, nature, and civil rights come together. In celebration of its centennial anniversary, learn about events that took place along the Anacostia River that shaped the course of American history. Free; no reservations required. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/anacostia-park 

Tuesday, November 6 from 6 - 10 PM, Advocacy's Election Night Watch Party by Grassroots Professional Network. Having a drink and watching the election returns can be bipartisan! The Grassroots Professional Network is hosting a special election night watch party for the advocacy community. If you love politics and don't plan to go to a candidate’s party, this is the spot for you. Network with your peers, talk politics, have a drink (or two) and hear from expert analysts throughout the night. Free admission. Event Partner: La Vie, 88 District Square Southwest, http://bit.ly/2zfUp0b

Tuesday November 6 from 8 PM to whenever, Election Night “I Can’t Bear to Watch” Party, for those who are too nervous about the fate of our democracy to follow along as the results come in. All TVs will be off, smart phones and tablets are not allowed in, and we’ll play loud, happy, sappy tunes to drown out talk of the fate of the candidates. There will be one outside monitor who will come in to make an announcement when it’s been determined whether the House has gone blue or red, and another to let us know if the Senate has been flipped. If at the end of the evening we conclude that democracy has died, all the lights will go out, in fulfillment of the motto, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” Free admission but please register at http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent  

Wednesday, November 7 at 7 PM, Ann Hornaday, chief movie critic for The Washington Post, will discuss her book, “Talking Pictures: How To Watch Movies.” Whether we are discussing Oscar nominations with friends or trying to impress a date after a film screening, we all need ways to look at and talk about movies. But with so much variety between a Quentin Tarantino thriller and a Nora Ephron romantic comedy, how can viewers determine what makes a good film? Hornaday walks us through the production of a typical movie and explains how to evaluate each piece of the process. Talking Pictures will help us see movies in a whole new light - not just as fans, but as film critics in our own right. Space is limited; come early to get a good seat. Book sale and signing to follow event. Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61702

Thursday, November 8 from 6 - 8 PM, Landmark Society Lecture: Ker Place to Tudor Place: Custis Connections on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. ESVA's Collections Manager, Stephanie Templin, takes us on a tour of the history of Ker Place, the Federal-period Georgian-style house in Onancock, Virginia that houses the Historical Society of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA). Merchant farmer John Shepherd Ker and his family built the house from 1799-1803, which is just before Tudor Place began its construction in 1805. Today, the mansion is home to the Historical Society that captures the stories of notable characters of the Eastern Shore’s past. These include the beginnings of the Custis family in Virginia and other figures we recognize from Tudor Place’s own history, such as one of the men who died with Commodore Beverly Kennon on the USS Princeton in 1844. Admission is free/pay what you can, with donations welcome, and includes a pre-lecture wine and cheese reception. Tudor Place is at 1644 31st Street NW, http://bit.ly/2yGbb9g     ·

Thursday, November 8 at 7 PM, Author Talk: John Reeves, "The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee." Join author John Reeves as discusses the literal and symbolic meaning of the title of his book, the legal case facing Lee in 1865 and 1866, the moral case against Lee, and how an indicted traitor eventually became viewed as an American hero. Audience Q&A to follow the discussion. John Reeves has been a teacher, editor and writer for over twenty-five years. The Civil War, in particular, has been his passion since he first read Bruce Catton’s The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War as an elementary school student in the 1960s. Recently, his articles on Robert E. Lee have been featured in The Washington Post and on the History News Network. Free. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61599    

Still Life with Robin: No Words

Shabbat Lamp (licensed by Creative Commons)

by Peggy Robin

For today’s “Still Life with Robin” column, I was preparing a light little piece on the petition to move Halloween to the last Saturday in October. The petition, already signed by 19,317, is at Change.org: http://bit.ly/2EQrAgR  

After hearing news of the mass shooting at the synagogue in Pittsburgh today, I can’t bring myself to do any more work on it. Just too many numbingly bad things….package bombs, mass shootings, and last Wednesday, the senseless, horrifying murder of a 22-year-old who went to school in our neighborhood. Maybe next week I can return to writing quirky little observations about random, usually trivial, things. But not today. No thoughts and prayers, either. Just mourning - nothing more to add.

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Still Life with Robin is posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! The Events Column, October 26 - November 1, 2018

Pumpkin Cat by Cindy (Flickr - Creative Commons)

We wanted to share some events and activities that we thought would be of interest to list members. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, please email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com     

Friday, October 26 through Wednesday, October 31, Halloween events at the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. Too many to list! To see all the DPR-sponsored Halloween events for all ages and at many locations, visit: http://bit.ly/2JdKOvg   

Friday, October 26 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Hilloween at Eastern Market. This big, free annual Halloween event has lots of fun activities for kids and adults. The block of 7th Street SE next to Eastern Market is closed to traffic. Moon bounces, goody giveaways, face painting add to the excitement. The best part is seeing the masses of jubilant kids in all kinds of costumes indulging in the extravaganza. Free admission. https://www.facebook.com/HilloweenatEasternMarket/

Saturday, October 27, 10 - 11:30 AM Civil War Tour of Meridian Hill Park. Join the National Park Service to discover Civil War Washington in Meridian Hill Park. The program will detail the Federal army camps that occupied the grounds and transformation of the post-war landscape, including history of President Buchanan and the creation of the park that opened in 1936.  The US government purchased the grounds in 1910 and hired landscape architects George Burnap and Horace Peaslee who planned an 11-acre garden with fountains (currently under repair). Meridian Hill Park is located at 16th Street and W Streets, NW. Meet Park Rangers at the President James Buchanan monument on the lower level, near 15th and W Streets NW. The tour is free and takes place, rain or shine. For more information please visit the Civil War Defenses of Washington website: http://bit.ly/2Pi9Bnr

Saturday, October 27 from 11 AM - 2 PM, Community Fun Festival at the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home. Cleveland Park’s own “Clown Judy” and “Clown Gary” will be there making balloon creations and performing silly magic tricks with one or two clown friends. Intergenerational art activities include painting a miniature canvas and making a dazzling sand art piece to take home. Help paint a life-sized animal statue in the garden. Visit the Resident Art Gallery to view contemporary artwork created by the talented artists of the Home. A petting zoo will have baby farm animals with cuddly ducks and chicks, squeaky pigs, fuzzy sheep, and funny goats. There will also be pony rides, a moon bounce, a hay maze, a juggler, and face painting, food trucks, snacks, hot dogs, pizza, and drinks. Wear your Halloween costume and enjoy a day filled with food, fun, laughter, and games. If it rains (and the weather forecast is now 90% chance of rain for Saturday), most of the festival will be indoors. Free admission. The Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home is at 5425 Western Avenue, NW.

Saturday, October 27 at 1 PM, The Incredible Election of 1948. Joseph A. Esposito, author of Dinner in Camelot, discusses how President Harry Truman embarked 70 years ago on a seemingly impossible quest for re-election as four candidates vied in the most contentious campaign in two generations; on November 3, 1948 he was able to gloat that the early “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline was wishful thinking. Free. At the Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61718 

Saturday, October 26 from 5:30 - 8 PM, Turtle Park Halloween Parade, Pizza and Movie. The beloved tradition returns to Turtle Park! Parade/Costume Contest at 5:30 PM, followed by pizza at 6 PM (Come early! It goes fast!), and from 6:30 - 8 PM, screening of Monsters Inc, outdoors. Free. Brought to you by Friends of Friendship “Turtle” Park (at Van Ness Street at 45th NW)

Sunday, October 28 at 1 PM, Creepy Crafts. Kids, stop on by for some Halloween fun: making creepy crafts. This is a drop-in event. Craft stations will be open until 4:00 PM or while supplies last. Free. At the Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
https://www.dclibrary.org/node/58364 

Sunday, October 28 from 1 -3 PM, Rosedale Pumpkin Carving. All you need to bring is a medium to large-sized pumpkin. Rosedale provides the stencils and carving tools. And, back by popular demand, is the Halloween piñata. Free. On the Rosedale grounds, corner of 36th and Newark St, http://bit.ly/2yuowl8  

Monday, October 29 at 12 noon, Lecture: Unofficial "Hamilton: An American Musical" Location Guide, presented by Bryan Barreras, independent scholar. This talk presents the life of Alexander Hamilton through the locations where it all happened. Scholar and author Bryan Barreras explains how locations from Hamilton’s life are connected to songs in the musical and provides historical information about each location. Free; no reservations required. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/hamilton-location-guide 

Monday, October 29 at 6 PM, Halloween Puns: A Panel Discussion. In preparation for Halloween (or Howl-o-ween, if you want to get a head start on this topic) we will be discussing the use and abuse of Halloween puns and double-entendre. You can learn more about this topic here: https://www.countryliving.com/life/a23012541/halloween-puns-funny-cute/. Which ones - if any - are actually funny? Which ones are too risque for use at children’s parties? Which ones are simply too corny (too candy-corny…?) to be used with the over-7 set? A diverse panel of experts, including professional comedians, holiday party planners, and linguists, will discuss the pros and cons of the punning jokes and phrases on the “50 most common Halloween puns” list, available here: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent. This panel will be moderated by Samantha and Darren Stevens, authors of the bestselling book, “Witch Way to Success.”

Tuesday, October 30 at 4 PM, Halloween Party at the Georgetown Library. Wear your costume and come to celebrate Halloween with crafts, games, snacks and a movie. This program is for all ages. The Georgetown Library is at 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61635

Tuesday, October 30 at 6 PM, Lecture and Book Signing: Skulls, Severed Heads and Skeletons: Battlefield Clean-up during the American War of Independence. Battlefield clean-up is a topic rarely covered by modern historians. However, following almost any military engagement, corpses need to be buried. Who disposes of these corpses and how can we tell who buried whom? Were officers and other ranks buried together or separate? Dr. Bob Selig, historian, will try to answer these and related questions about burying the dead during the American War of Independence. The lecture will last 45 minutes with time afterwards for questions. Free. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public   

Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 PM, Halloween party at the Chevy Chase Library. Come celebrate Halloween with scares, crafts and surprises. Costumes are not required for the party, but encouraged. Free. The Chevy Chase Library is at 5625 Connecticut Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61753

Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 PM, Author Talk: Lost Farms and Estates of Washington, DC, by Kimberly P. Williams. During the nineteenth century, farming was an important part of life in Washington, DC. Many prominent citizens owned homes in neighborhoods outside of the downtown area. As the District's population grew, many farms and estates were lost during the twentieth century. Local author Kimberly P. Williams will speak on this little-known past. Free. At the Shepherd Park (Juanita E. Thornton) Library, 7420 Georgia Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61657

Tuesday, October 30 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks: Deconstructing Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Tristan Cabello, Assistant Director and Senior Lecturer, Master of Liberal Arts Program, Johns Hopkins University will lead a discussion of the cultural impact of Michael Jackson's iconic short film/music video. Free. At Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61803

Tuesday, October 30 from about 7 PM to midnight, Dupont High Heel Race. The High Heel Race, now in its 32nd year, has a rich history of “Crossing The Line Since 1986”. Thousands of spectators pack the Dupont Circle Neighborhood to watch hundreds of costumed drag queens show off their extravagant outfits and race down Historic 17th Street, NW. The race starts at R Street and ends at P Street, but the entire neighborhood will be lively all night! Parade starts at 7:00 PM; Race starts at 9:00 PM (the entire race will last less than 10 minutes). Register to race: http://bit.ly/2CCZL9h. Free. At Dupont Circle and 17th Street NW.

Tuesday, October 30 at 7:30 PM, The Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir. Enjoy an unforgettable evening of exceptional young talent! The Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir, one of the most prestigious choirs in the Czech Republic, performs a special selection of Czech and international classics in celebration of 100 years of Czech independence. The touring choir, ranging in age from 12-18, has performed throughout the world, including at La Scala (Milan), Carnegie Hall (New York), Tchaikovsky Hall (Moscow). The concert is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic. More info and ticket sales ($20) at: https://cathedral.org/event/czech-centennial-concert/ . This concert takes place at Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW.

Wednesday, October 31 from 1 - 6 PM, Fab Lab Halloween Crafts and Treats - Pop-Up at NoMa. Join us for drop-in DIY crafts and treats for kiddos and pups alike! Costumes on humans and most especially dogs are highly encouraged. Treats are first come, first served. Some crafts may accommodate limited participants. Free. Fab Lab Pop Up at NoMa is at 1150 First St. NE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61571

Wednesday, October 31 from 3 - 5 PM, “Trick or Treat on the Avenue” and Halloween Fun House. The Chevy Chase Citizens Association, neighborhood businesses, and Chevy Chase Community Center will participate in the annual “Trick or Treat on the Avenue.” For ages 12 and under. For more information, contact Chevy Chase Community Center at 202-282-2204. Chevy Chase Community Center is at 5601 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Wednesday, October 31 starting at 3:30 PM, Macomb Park Halloween Parade. We will gather at Macomb Playground on Macomb Street between 34th and 35th Streets at 3:30 PM. The parade around the neighborhood will start at 4:00  PM. The parade goes up Macomb Street, left on 35th Street, right on Lowell, right on 36th Street, right on Newark, right on 35th Street to Macomb St. and back to the park. Please come cheer on the kids along the parade route! After the parade, there will be a costume contest with prizes, plus pizza and candy. There’s also a haunted house. All free. At Macomb Recreation Center, 3409 Macomb Street NW.

Thursday, November 1 at 4 PM, Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts | Dia de los Muertos Artesanias. Join us in celebrating Day of the Dead by preparing an altar. We will be making Papel Picado (a colorful paper banner - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papel_picado) to decorate an altar at the Mt. Pleasant Library in the Children's Room. This activity, the last of a series, is open to all ages: children, teens, and adults, and it doesn’t matter whether you have attended any of the previous craft days. Free. At Mt. Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW - entrance on Lamont St., https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61537   

Still Life with Robin: They're Doing a Number on Us

Photo by AlMare
via Wikimedia Creative Commons

by Peggy Robin

Back in the dawn of the cell phone era, your cell phone number was hardly available to anyone except those you truly trusted to use it responsibly. Your land line was another story: unless you paid extra to the phone company to be “unlisted,” you were “in the book,” meaning your number was out there for anyone who wanted to sell you something, whenever they wanted to call. And that was invariably as you and your family were sitting down at the dinner table.  

Then came the National Do Not Call Registry -- and that helped for a while. Best of all, your cell phone number was automatically on that list. It had to be…. When people called you on your cell phone, back in those days, it cost YOU money to pick up.

How times have changed! Many of us don’t even have land lines anymore. And our cell phone numbers have ended up all over the place, and they ring all the time. Even if you have a system that blocks most unwanted calls, your phone may still sound a weak little half-ring before it cuts off. It’s so annoying. But robocalls and boiler room operations are now only part of the problem. These days the junk text seems to have overtaken the junk phone call as the constant little irritant of our age. And the not-so-amusing irony of so many of  the junk/scam texts I get is that they’re promising me, if I click on the link, that I can protect my financial accounts from scammers and identity thieves. Yeah, right….

Now, it’s easy enough to delete these texts. And I do, I do. But I really want to do more than that. I want to put in a “block this number” command on each and every one of them, so they can’t text me again. Well, they can, but they’ll need to spoof a different number to do it. Still, I like to feel I’m doing something to protect myself. The trouble is, on my iPhone, it’s a multi-step process. Let’s say I hear that subtle bzz-bzz telling me I have received a text message on my phone. And let’s say it’s from some shady business that says they can sign me up for an account to protect me from scammers. Here are all the steps I have to take to make sure I never get another text from that same number:

1. Tap “text messages” to see all my messages.
2. Tap that particular text message. It now shows a blank icon for the sender and below that, there’s a phone number in teeny, tiny type.
3. I try to get my nice big fingertip centered over that tiny phone number to tap on it and take me to the screen with that sender’s information. About half the time I miss and get something else and have to go back.
4. OK, now I’m on the screen with details about the sender. Next I have to click on a little circle with an “i” in the middle to bring up even more information.
5. And that reveals the > symbol, which I need to tap so that….
6. ….I can scroll down the page and see the magic words: “Block this caller.”
7. Tap on that and I’m done!

Bingo, no more texts or calls from that number…..except that by the time I’m finished with all of this, my phone is going “bzz-bzz” again and a new junk text has come in. “Pay off your bills with an instant infusion of cash. Apply today [link]. And here we go again….

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Still Life with Robin is published on the Cleveland Park Listserv and on All Life Is Local on Saturdays.

Get Out! The Events Column, Oct 19 - 25, 2018

Dia de los Muertos Artesanias
at Mount Pleasant Library

We wanted to share some events and activities that we thought would be of interest to list members. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 17,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, please email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com     

Friday, October 19 at 12:30 PM, Lunch Bites: Recruitment Broadsides. Michele Lee Silverman, research services librarian, discusses recruitment broadsides for the Revolutionary War. As America’s war for independence from Great Britain continued into 1776, the Continental Army faced depleting resources, including hundreds of soldiers whose enlistment terms were set to expire. The army needed to encourage soldiers to reenlist and entice even more to join. Broadsides, a single sheet of paper with print on one side, offered a quick and inexpensive method for the army to advertise their initiatives and the provisions they would offer—money, land, disability allowances, and reimbursements for clothes, shoes, hats, weapons, and blankets. The library’s collection demonstrates the evolution of advertising language and the financial initiatives that were used to inspire men to join in the fight for independence. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the documents. Free. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public

Friday, October 19 from 6:30 - 8 PM, History Happy Hour: John Philip Sousa. Stars and Stripes Forever and Semper Fidelis are well-known compositions by John Philip Sousa. But did you know that he attempted to run away from home and join the circus? Or that that attempt led his father to enlist him in the United States Marine Corps at just age 13? These are just some of the quirks of Sousa's unique life, which culminated in a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bring out the whole family this Friday night to hear more about this American composer! Preceded by a special performance by the Olney Concert Band, http://bit.ly/2CQYPPo! Sign up at http://bit.ly/2QYiXSO. Includes happy hour drinks and snacks. At the Sandy Spring Museum, 17901 Bentley Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860

Saturday, October 20  from 11 AM - 2 PM,Glover Park Neighborhood Fix It Fest. Join us for Pumpkins, Popcorn, and Pilates (and massage!) This community event will showcase some of our favorite locally owned businesses in Glover Park! Sample delicious food and beverages from Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company and Breadsoda DC; Fix Your Back with complimentary Pilates classes, GYROTONIC exercise demos, massages and stretching tips from Elements Fitness and Wellness Center; Pumpkin painting, hands-on DIY demos, and energy saving tips from Glover Park Hardware, plus a BIG sale throughout the store; Complimentary popcorn, sno-cones, and kids activities courtesy of Glover Park Hardware! Free admission. At the Georgetown Plaza, 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW. More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/277644212841158/   

Saturday, October 20 at 2 PM, Fab Lab Pop-Up at NoMa: Preservation, Care, Librarianship: Keeping Local Memory Alive. What is the value of care in librarianship? How are libraries defining and supporting their communities? This event aims to explore the ways libraries are integral to the community and cultural ecosystems, and the current challenges with maintaining accessibility for these local communities. This event will feature workshops lead by local artists and cultural practitioners doing the work of “radical librarianship." Workshops are interactive, family friendly and facilitated by the ARTLAB, DIRT, and the Labs at DC Public Library.  Handgames Project presented by ARTLAB at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, is an interactive workshop that focuses on "citation and memory" through music.  Sample previous workshops here. Shared Living Archive presented by DIRT, highlights the importance and power of beginning--not just ending--of archiving. DIRT asks participants to add their notes, ephemera, doodles, oral accounts, images, pocket contents & antidotes — that will be transformed, documented, digitized and added to a shared Google Drive for participants to access during and after the event. This program is part of the Brown Art Ink 2018-2019 “Citation and Memory” programming cycle, a project of Brown Girls Museum Blog. This event is FREE and open to the general public. Fab Lab Pop Up NoMa, 1150 First St NE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61838

Saturday October 20 from 3 - 4:30 PM, DC Statehood: The Struggle for Political Rights in the Nation's Capital. In conjunction with the Anacostia Community Museums’s exhibition, A Right to the City, we will provide an informative program which traces the history of DC's establishment as the nation's capital, changes over the years in DC governance, and the process for achieving statehood as set forth by the DC Statehood Commission. Free. Anacostia Community Museum is at 1901 Fort Place SE. More info: http://bit.ly/2P7UuwI; register: http://anacostia.si.edu/Events#/?i=1 

Sunday, October 21 from 12 - 4 PM, Key School Harvest Festival. Come to the festival with the best Haunted House in town! Fun filled event with games, moon bounce, slide, haunted house, face painting, used book sale, food, prizes, music, t-shirts, and more! Mary Cheh will also be there for a "Chat with Cheh" booth. Please contact Kate Breslin at katebreslin2 @ gmail dot com with general questions. Free admission. Key School is located at 5001 Dana Place NW.

Sunday, October 21 from 12 noon - 5 PM, The Corniest Corn Maze Ever! Enjoy a corn maze like no other. And no chance of getting lost! This corn maize is done on an actual ear of corn. It has certain rows of kernels removed, vertically and horizontally, forming a maze within the ear of corn. We will hand you a red marker. You start at the circled X and use your marker to trace a continuous path around your ear of corn until you make it to the mid-point, a circled Y, and then you can navigate your way through the various maze paths until you make it to the circled Z at the end of your ear of corn. If you successfully complete the entire path of your ear of corn, you can exchange it for a normal ear, which we will roast for you and return for you to eat. You can watch us feed your marked-up corn-maize ear to our hogs….but don’t worry, we use nontoxic waterbased marker. Price of each ear of a-maze-ing corn is $10, with the proceeds going to fund a rescue mission to those who are lost and can’t find their way out of a real cornstalk maze out in the country. You can reserve your ears of corn here: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent   

Sunday, October 21 at 3:30 PM, Happy Tails Story Time. We kick off this story time with a book, some songs and then it is your turn. Bring your own book, make up a story, or grab a book here in the library to read to a lovable doggie. Many thanks to the volunteers with People Animals Love (PAL) for bringing in their pets. Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/49458

Monday, October 22 at 12 noon, Lecture: Lafayette in Washington, 1824-25, presented by Mark Hudson, executive director, Tudor Place. During his triumphal tour of the young republic in 1824 and 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette came to Washington on multiple occasions, including a visit to Tudor Place in 1824. Through contemporary accounts of his visit, we learn how the Federal City greeted their hero and get a glimpse of life in the city during this period. Visit the exhibition Eye of the Bird: Visions and Views of D.C.'s Past to see 1825 Washington captured in a large-scale painting by Tudor Place artist-in-residence Peter Waddell. Mark Hudson is executive director of Tudor Place Historic House and Garden and has served as director of museums and historical societies throughout the U.S. for almost twenty-five years. Free; no reservations required. The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/lafayette   

Tuesday, October 23 at 4:30 PM, Passport to Latin America: Cuentos de la Noche. We have been enjoying Tuesdays in October doing spooky Latin American themed activities, celebrating folklore and religious traditions from Guatemala, Puerto Rico, El Salvador and Mexico. The final program will culminate with a celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Free. At the Shepherd Park (Juanita E. Thornton) Library, 7420 Georgia Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61482/repeats

Wednesday, October 24 at 6:30 PM, American University’s Moonlight Arboretum Tour. This fall, enjoy the cool weather and changing season by taking a special moonlight arboretum tour of the AU campus. We will meet in front of the School of International Service. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes. Designed originally by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., America’s most noted landscape architect and the designer of the US Capitol grounds and New York’s Central Park, AU’s entire campus grounds were designated officially as an arboretum in 2004. The campus currently is home to more than 2,500 trees, pocket parks, sculpture gardens, ponds and streams, rain gardens, green roofs, and even beehives. To participate in the arboretum and garden tour, please RSVP to AU Landscape Architect Michael Mastrota at mastrot @ american dot edu. Free. You also may schedule an arboretum tour throughout the year. AU’s landscape architects and staff arborists offer free tours to neighbors, garden clubs, and schools. If you are interested in planning a tour, contact Michael Mastrota or Grounds Operations Coordinator Stephanie DeStefano at destefan @ american dot edu.

Wednesday, October 24 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks: UDC Community Listening Project, Featured Speaker: Faith Mullen - University of the District of Columbia. Faith Mullen, associate professor of law and co-director, General Practice Clinic, UDC, will discuss the University's Community Listening Project that examines the high cost of being poor in the District. Free. At the Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/58721   

Thursday, October 25 at 3 PM, Estonian Folk Dance Class. Celebrate Kids Euro Festival at Deanwood Library! Estonia has a long history of song and dance. During the workshop children will learn some of the Estonian traditions, how they have evolved and will learn a dance themselves. Märt Agu is a well- known folk dance teacher and choreographer. He was the artistic director of the XI Youth Song and Dance Festival in 2011 and was also a dancer himself. In June 2019 Estonia will celebrate 150 years of song and dance festival tradition, so it’s time to start preparing! Free. At Deanwood Library, 1350 49th St. NE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61839 

Thursday, October 25 at 4 PM, Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts: Skull Painting. Join us in celebrating Day of the Dead by preparing an altar. We will be doing arts and crafts to decorate an altar at the Mt. Pleasant Library in the Children's Room. This activity is open to all ages: children, teens, and adults. Altar decorating activities have been taking place on Thursdays through October and will finish up the series with Papel Picado on November 1 at 4 PM. Free. At the Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW, entrance on Lamont St., https://www.dclibrary.org/node/61537