Get Out! - The Events Column

Photo by Payton Chung (via Creative Commons)

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 17,000+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler

Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv

www.cleveland-park.com  

Friday, June 23 at 11 AM, Games, Lunch, and a Movie at Guy Mason Recreation Center. Board games will be brought out at 11 AM, lunch starts at 12 noon, and the movie, "Pavarotti Forever" (a documentary featuring performances by Luciano Pavarotti) will start at 1 PM. Please RSVP to If you plan to attend, please reply to guymasonevents @ gmail dot com or call the staff at Guy Mason Recreation Center, (202) 727-7527. The Guy Mason Center is at 3600 Calvert St NW.

Friday, June 23 at 5:30 PM, Free Family Concert and Picnic in the Park at the Forest Hills Playground. Friends of Forest Hills Playground is excited to announce the third annual Picnic in the Park concert series, starting this Friday with our returning performer: Marsha and the Positrons. Bring a blanket and kick off the weekend. Please stop by the Friends of Forest Hills information table to say hello and purchase an annual membership ($15/family). T-shirts will be available for $15-20. All proceeds support the playground and the performers. Check for weather-related cancellation and for more info about the concert series here: https://www.facebook.com/ForestHillsPlayground/  

Friday, June 23 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Art reception at Hera Hub. Come for food, drinks, and art as Hera Hub welcomes a new show featuring a number of different local artists: Kathy J. Karlson; Rachel Ann Cross; Rachel Ann Cross; Nora Simon;  Imani Pierre; Katie Jett Walls; Rachel Westfall. Free. Hera Hub is at 5028 Wisconsin Avenue NW, suite 100. Free but please register at: http://bit.ly/2s0Udw5

Saturday, June 24 from 10 AM - 3 PM, The 9th Annual DC Housing Expo and Home Show. An amazing resource for anyone who is thinking about buying, renovating, or financing a home. Learn about home purchase assistance programs, get design and decorating tips, free credit reports and credit counseling, and much more. This is your one-stop resource for homeowners, home buyers, tenants, landlords and small business people. Free. At the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW. Register at dchousingexpo2017.eventbrite.com or visit dhcd.dc.gov/2017expo  

Saturday, June 24 from 11 AM - 1 PM, Guided Tour of the DC Fire and EMS Museum. Join the DC Historical Society for a lively discussion and tour of the DC Fire & EMS Museum. Housed on the third floor of historic Engine Co. 3, the DC Fire and EMS Museum and the Friendship Fire Association was officially chartered by the District of Columbia government in the late 1940s. On display in the museum are artifacts and memorabilia of firefighting dating back to more than 125 years ago. Tickets $5 at http://bit.ly/2sZp01l. All profits generated from this program will be split between the museum and the Historical Society. The DC Fire and EMS Museum is at 439 New Jersey Avenue NW.

Saturday, June 24 from 2 - 3 PM, Painting with Frederic Kellogg. Artist Frederic Kellogg will give a demonstration of watercolor painting en plein air. Using sketchbook and easel, Kellogg will focus the class on finding composition through sketches to develop larger watercolor paintings. The artist encourages participants of all levels to bring a sketchbook or easel and take part. Kellogg’s exhibition Works in Oil and Watercolor will be on view at the Katzen Arts Center at American University (4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW) through August 13. Free and open to the public. Rain date: Sunday, June 25, 2-3 pm.

Saturday, June 24 from 5 - 7 PM, Adams Morgan Concert: Batida Diferente — "A Different Beat” — is a Washington, DC based quartet that plays Brazilian classics and American Jazz with colorful modern energy and rhythm. Songs feature Latin originals and American standards with new lyrics, cool covers, and fresh arrangements that make audiences want to dance. More info about the band at: https://www.facebook.com/batidadiferenteband. Free - seating is limited, and is first come, first serve, so show up early! Feel free to bring your own beach chair. Canceled in the event of rain - no rain date. Attendees will be encouraged to stick around after the show to get wristbands distributed by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID, giving the wearer discounts on food, drink, and merchandise at a variety of participating Adams Morgan merchants. At 1801 Adams Mill Rd NW.

Sunday, June 25 from 3 - 5 PM, Poetry in the Park: The Joaquin Miller Poetry Series features readings by poets RG Evans and Amber West. Feel free to bring a short poem for the open reading (sign-up begins at 2:45). Free parking. The Nature Center is located at the far north side of the Horse Stables, 5200 Glover Road NW. Wheelchair accessible. For visitor info call 202-895-6070 or visit http://bit.ly/2t0BuFL. Free. For more information on the Joaquin Miller Poetry Series, including history and detailed directions, visit: http://www.wordworksbooks.org

Sunday, June 25 at 11 PM to …..whenever, Poetry in the Dark. At this first-of-its-kind event, participating poets and attendees will enter a completely dark auditorium. A guide will lead you to your seat. You will have no idea how many people are in the room -- so you will not know how many poets will be reading, or how long each poet will take. You may find someone handing you a microphone, and if you like, you can stand and read a poem you have composed and committed to memory. Then hand the microphone to someone else. No smartphone flashlight apps or actual flashlights allowed. No matches! If no one speaks for five minutes after the last poet has performed, the event will be declared finished. Free. At the Nature Center Auditorium in Rock Creek Park -- but if you show up there at 11 at night, you will discover that you have come to The Weekly Fake Event.

Monday, June 26 at 7:30 PM, Talk: Origins of the Humane Movement in Washington, DC. Local historian Hayden Wetzel will speak about the early years of the Washington Humane Society and Washington Animal Rescue League. This talk draws on his book-length study, Mangy Curs and Stoned Horses: Animal Control in the District of Columbia from the Beginnings to About 1940. The talk is a presentation of the Cleveland Park Historical Society. Free, but please register to ensure sufficient seating - go to http://bit.ly/2tzkh3u. At the Cleveland Park Congregational Church, 3400 Lowell St NW. More info: http://bit.ly/2svVKOs

Tuesday, June 27 at 7 PM, Grief 101. Learn about grief, its stages, and moving on in this helpful workshop. Steve Asher, MSW, LICSW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, will facilitate this free event: Open to the public, it is a class about the grieving process, not an actual therapy session. The workshop will seat audience members on a first-come, first-served basis. At Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/56644

Wednesday, June 28 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks - David Silbey, Cornell University: "The Battle That (Pretty Much) Ended World War II in the Pacific: Leyte Gulf, 1944”. The Battle of Leyte Gulf had everything:  aircraft carriers attacking each other; an old fashioned battleship duel; an amphibious landing; MacArthur returning to the Philippines; and the first kamikazes.  It was the last battle at which the Imperial Japanese Navy could manage substantial resistance, and it was a much closer run thing than it should have been.  This talk will look at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and discuss what happened, why, and how the phrase “the world wonders” caused the American Admiral "Bull" Halsey to break into tears. Free. At Georgetown Library, 3260 R Street NW. More info:

https://www.dclibrary.org/node/56702

Thursday, June 29 at 2 PM, Health Care Apps for your Smartphone. Not all health websites on the Internet offer good health advice. Learn to identify and use websites and apps that offer reliable first-aid advice, check for symptoms, or remind you when to take medications. Bring your smartphones/tablets and questions. Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/57040

Still Life with Robin: Singin' of the Red Line

Photo by Bill Adler

by Peggy Robin

On Tuesday of this week there was a big front-page-of-the-Style-section feature http://wapo.st/2sq91pW on local singer/composer Jason Mendelson, whose six-and-a-half year project has been to create a great 91-song oeuvre about the entire 118-mile Metro system, writing one song for each station.

While it was fun to read about the AOL senior manager/tax law specialist by day and musician by night, there wasn’t a lot said in the piece about the actual songs for each of the stations. So I thought I’d provide some quick liner notes about how well the songs captured the essence of each station’s neighborhood – or at least for a handful of the stops around here. (I’m not about to put in the hours needed to listen to and critique the songs for all of the stations in the system. Four out of 91 is plenty. I listened to the songs about the stations along the Red Line starting at the District line, going south as far as Cleveland Park. I would have done Woodley Park, too, but couldn’t find the link to the song for that station. If you can find it, please send it to me!)

1. Friendship Heights:

http://www.metrosongs.org/vol4/ (Track #1)

According to Mendelson, it’s all about the shopping....”Mazza Gallerie calls” offering ”retail therapy.” But people aren’t taking the Metro here, they’re all coming in their cars, looking for parking, and midway through the song, he moans, “They’re towing my Lexus.”

2. Tenleytown:

http://www.metrosongs.org/vol3/ (Track #2)

Here’s a jaunty little number subtitled “Don’t Tear That Old House Down.” He’s talking about the house he grew up in, on Albemarle, and he’s reminiscing about buying record albums at Sears and tools  at Hechinger’s – and how things have changed (not for the better).

3. Van Ness

http://www.metrosongs.org/vol3/ (Track #3)

“Modern Times at Van Ness” Is a boy-meets-girl story that takes place at UDC, where you find “forward-thinking women and some slightly pretentious boys.”

4. Cleveland Park

http://www.metrosongs.org/vol3/ (Track #7)

This one’s a slow elegiac ballad that tells the early history of the neighborhood, from the building of Grover Cleveland’s mansion far from the swampy scent of the Potomac to “the modern world” that “moves way too fast.” He tells us “Don’t fix what isn’t broken. The Uptown still has one big screen. We still remember Grover.” The song trails off with that thought. It’s not catchy, but somehow, it’s sticking with me…..

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

Get Out! - The Events Column

Photo by Silar (via Wikimedia Creative Commons)

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 17,000+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler

Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv

www.cleveland-park.com  

Thursday June 15 at 7:30 PM, “Imagine a World” - Music for Humanity, featuring the Credo Community Choir and Dallas Street Choir, with special guest Frederica von Stade, Mezzo-Soprano, Jonathan Palant, Music Director. At Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues NW. Free and open to the public - no reserved tickets. Doors open at 7 PM. More info: https://cathedral.org/event/imagine-world-music-humanity/

Thursday June 15 from 7 - 10 PM, DC Jazz Prix. Now in its second year, DC Jazz Prix is a national competition created to recognize the finest rising jazz band talent from across the US. The winning band is to be honored with a $15,000 award and receive pivotal professional development and visibility through a year-long association with DCJF. Free entry, but registration is  required - http://bit.ly/2saC2FV . At the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue  NW.

Friday, June 16 from 12 noon - 2:30 PM, Lunch Bites Lecture: A Cannon Named “George.” Join Executive Director Jack Warren for a discussion of the history of "George," a very rare American-made bronze cannon that spent more than 200 years in Charleston, South Carolina, before becoming the centerpiece of the Great Stair Hall of Anderson House in 2016. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the cannon. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. More info: http://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public

Friday, June 16 at 6:30 PM, Sing-Along and Pizza Party at Guy Mason Recreation Center. Come sing the songs from the most popular Broadway musicals, Carousel, South Pacific, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, Brigadoon, West Side Story, and many more! The very popular Ann Glendinning will lead us down memory lane. Pizza party starts at 6:30 PM and the Sing-Along starts at 7:30. Free. The Guy Mason Recreation Center is at 3600 Calvert Street NW. Please RSVP to guymasonevents @ gmail dot com or call the staff at Guy Mason Recreation Center, 202-727-7527.

Saturday, June 17 from 11 AM - 6 PM Columbia Heights Day Street Festival. The best local DC street party is back and you’re invited! Join us in celebration of diversity and community with the neighborhood’s finest food, drink, and entertainment. Discover artisans, entrepreneurs, and area businesses in the heart of Columbia Heights. With three stages of live music, dance, and free fitness classes. Kids can play at the carnival on the Harriet Tubman field while adults make their own fun at the Meridian Pint beer garden. Free admission. Along 11th Street between Park Road and Irving Street, https://www.facebook.com/events/662133463982112/

Saturday, June 17 at 2 PM, DC 1968 History Project and Archiving Workshop. The 50th anniversary of 1968 is right around the corner. Marya Annette McQuirter, a native Washingtonian and historian, is producing a history of DC in 1968. Want to contribute to DC 1968? Bring your 1968 photographs, yearbooks, report cards, church bulletins, letters, diaries, holiday cards and more. Get your items scanned and return them safely home armed with the knowledge of how to correctly preserve them for future generations. During this workshop, you will also learn basic concepts and practices for preserving photos, papers, memorabilia, email, and other media. Create a plan for your personal archive - both the stuff on paper and on your computer. There are simple things you can do now to keep your memories alive. Free. At the Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/57095

Saturday, June 17 from 4 - 8 PM, Strawberry Festival at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. For 151 years St. Paul’s Church has celebrated the beginning of summer with a Strawberry Festival. There are tents to cover the food (including, of course, fresh strawberries and strawberry shortcake) and the items offered for sale—baked goods, hand-crafted items, jewelry, plants, and more, plus activities -- games, laughter, music and more -- that will bring together the whole community as we kick off to summer. Free admission. St. Paul’s Episcopal Parish is at Rock Creek Church Rd. and Webster St. NW. More info: http://www.stpaulsrockcreek.org/festival

Saturday, June 17 at 9 PM, “Exploring the Night Sky.” If the sky is clear you are welcome to join the gathering in the meadow at the corner of Glover & Military Rds in Rock Creek Park. National Astronomers club members bring telescopes to observe the night sky. Free. Near Picnic Grove 13 Parking Lot. Map and directions: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/event-view.cfm?Event_ID=84010

Sunday, June 18 from 12:30 - 2 PM, Father’s Day Kite Flight. Celebrate Father’s Day by building and flying your own mini-kites on the grand South Lawn of Tudor Place. Tour the 5 ½-acre garden, craft your own mini kite using recycled materials, make family buttons, take part in a kite race, and bring home a prize. For families with children ages 6-12. This outdoor event will take place rain or shine. Tickets from $5 - $10 at http://bit.ly/2sturog. Tudor Place is at 1644 31st Street NW.  

Sunday, June 18 from 5:30 - 7 PM, Father’s Day Concert in the Park. Celebrate Father’s Day in Volta Park (1555 34th St NW) with the rock’n’roll band, The Walkaways. Food trucks, free ice cream. Sponsored by the Citizens Association of Georgetown. More info: http://www.cagtown.org/node/522

Monday, June 19 from 10 AM - 1 PM, Post-Father’s Day Great Tie Giveaway. Did you get ANOTHER tie for Father’s Day? Got a zillion ties hanging in your closet and never wear half of them? Here’s just the event you need: Re-gift your excess ties to The Ties That Bind America Together Art Project. On the Monday after Father’s Day, all across America, people will be donating ties, which, after sufficient numbers are collected, will be tied together, end to end, to create one, unbroken chain of ties, 3,061 miles long. The project organizers expect the collection of ties to take up to a decade, but at the culmination of the years of tie collections and tie-chain-making, there will be a week-long, ceremonial unrolling of the “Ties That Bind America Together,” stretching from Ocean City, MD on the Atlantic to the Golden Gate Bridge on the Pacific. Bring your ties to the Great Tie Giveaway collection point at the District Building and receive a certificate that you have contributed a tie to TiesThatBindAmerica.org. For complete details about this monumental project, go to: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent  

Monday, June 19 at 6:30 PM, Sports Nutrition Seminar. Are you an athlete or gearing up to train for your next race? Come join Roxana Ehsani, Giant Food's in-store Nutritionist and Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, to learn how food impacts your performance on and off the field. Learn when to eat and what to eat to help you maintain your peak performance. This free event will take place in the Lower Level Meeting Room of the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library, 1630 T St NW. RSVP required: http://bit.ly/2stJoqv. More info: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/56922

Tuesday, June 20 at 6 PM, Author Roxane Gay will be in conversation with Alicia Montgomery, editorial director, WAMU at a DC Public Library event. Roxane Gay, author of “Bad Feminist” and “An Untamed State,” is one of the outstanding female voices of our times. Gay will speak about her latest book, “Hunger.” Event is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/2s0JtkX At All Souls Unitarian Church, 1500 Harvard St. NW. Book signing to follow.

Wednesday June 21, All Day, Tenleytown Make Music Day. Celebrate the start of summer with Tenleytown Main Street, with free, live music performances all day, all along Wisconsin Avenue. Originally celebrated as La Fête de la Musique in Paris, Make Music Day has expanded to more than 700 cities worldwide – including right here at home! Music lovers of all ages can enjoy live performances spanning all musical genres at public parks and local businesses. Plus budding musicians can learn to play the ukulele, take part in a drum circle, or join the Global Jam 4 Peace. Find all the details and a schedule of events on the Tenleytown Main Street website at http://tenleytownmainstreet.org/event/make-music-day/   

Wednesday, June 21 from 3 - 8:30 PM, La Fete de la Musique presented by the Alliance Francaise and the Embassy of France. La Fête de la Musique is an international event that started in France in 1982. On the first day of summer, people throughout France come together to celebrate music, life and freedom. Every kind of musician—young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical specialty—takes to the street, as well as parks, plazas and porches to share his or her music with friends, neighbors and even strangers. For the 35th anniversary of the event, the Alliance Française invites Washington, DC to be part of this now worldwide musical phenomenon. During the afternoon, there will be French outdoor games, and from 5pm to 6:30pm, a special area for kids with workshops (creation of music instrument, calligraphy and face painting). For the adults, various bands will be playing French and American songs! The world has changed a lot in the past year. But we believe that now more than ever life needs to be enjoyed: we must sing, play music, dance, laugh and stand up for culture and liberty. Please join us in Dupont Circle on June 21!  

Thursday, June 22 from 6 - 8 PM, Food Photography Workshop. Learn how to photograph food with your camera or cell phone. Disposable cameras can also be provided. This workshop will last two hours and will be taught by photography teacher Amanda Archibald. Free. Space is limited, so register now - http://bit.ly/2swPZBb - to be guaranteed a spot, or e-mail Lisa.Warwick @ dc dot gov. At the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Avenue NW. More info: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/56788

Thursday, June 22 at 7:30 PM, Midsummer’s Eve Concert at St. Columba’s Church, featuring pianists Sonya Subbayya Sutton and Sophia Subbayya Vastek, with vocalist Joan Phalen. They offer their musical talents to support the work of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington and its “Empower the Homeless” campaign. Featuring works by Gershwin, Glass, Bernstein and Sondheim, the concert will include some two-piano pieces.The concert is free; donations to Samaritan Ministry will be invited. Doors open at 7 PM and light refreshments will be served. The concert starts at 7:30. For more info email Joe Kolar (samaritan @ columba dot org). St. Columba’s Episcopal Church is at 4201 Albemarle Street NW. More info: http://bit.ly/2rAgtge

Still Life with Robin: How Did We Do Today? (Do You REALLY Want to Know?)

www.joetourist.net via Wikimedia Commons

by Peggy Robin

I have just spent 45 to 50 minutes spaced out in 15 to 20 minute increments over a three-day period on the phone with “customer service.” After my final, wholly unsatisfactory phone session, I was asked if I wanted to stay on the line for a one-minute customer satisfaction survey.

“Yes, yes!” I said to the automated voice on the phone. “I have lot to say about how much of my time you have wasted while still not solving my problem.” (I realize it’s pointless to talk to automated voices, but that doesn’t stop me from doing it. I also pressed “one” to go on to the survey.)

First question: “On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest and one being the lowest” [OK, I think that scale is understood by everyone who knows how numbers work… but do go on], “please rate your customer service representative for professionalism.” (OK, she was perfectly well-spoken and businesslike – so I guess she deserves a 5. She did not however, solve my problem.]

Second question: “On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest and one being the lowest” [yes, yes, I got how the scale works the first time – you don’t need to repeat it], “please rate your customer service representative for politeness.” (Hmm, not much different to my way of thinking from a rating for professionalism. But sure, she was polite. I’ll give her a 5.]

Third question: "On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest and one being the lowest," [enough already with the scale reminders!], "please rate your customer service representative for her ability to resolve your issue." Now it gets tricky! She was not able to help me solve my problem in the lslightest. I was locked out of my online account. The trouble started three days earlier when I first tried to log in, after some months or possibly years away. It had been so long since I had last tried to sign in, the sign-in requirements had changed. At some unknown, earlier point I was supposed to have updated my online account by adding two security questions. Now the site was no longer accepting my user name and or password, although I’m sure I was entering the correct information. After just two failed attempts to log on, I was told that my account would be locked for 15 minutes. After waiting the required time, I tried again, and ended up with my account locked for 24 hours. That led to my first call to customer service.

At the end of that first call, the rep told me I should just wait the 24 hours, as she had no ability to unlock my account over the phone – no matter how much information I gave her to verify my identity. So the following day, I tried again, and this time got locked out, not just for 15 minutes but for 24 hours immediately. I called customer service again, and after various holds and wait times, this time got connected to a customer service rep who told me, after waiting the required 24 hours, I should NOT try to log in but should immediately click on “forgot password” and try again after retrieving a new password. So another day passed, I got my new password, and successfully logged in. I was happy….for about two minutes. As soon as I tried to do anything substantive within my account, I was brought right back to the sign-in page and required to re-enter the user name and password. But when I entered the new password that had worked fine a few minutes before….guess what? LOCKED OUT AGAIN for another 24 hours!

For the third day in a row, I navigated the voicemail and the various holds and listened to horrible instrumental hold-music, until I got to a customer service rep. And was told, just as I’d been told twice before, that a customer service rep cannot simply unlock a locked account. I still needed to wait the 24 hours and then call back to be helped. This time I asked to speak to a supervisor. The rep dutifully explained – in a calm, polite, professional manner -- that her supervisor could not undo the 24-hour lockout period, either. That was how the system was set up. Neither she nor her supervisor could change it.

I understood; it wasn’t her fault. She was perfectly nice about it, apologetic even. So the answer to question three – did she do her best to resolve my issue? – is yes, she did what she could. I can’t lay the blame on her for her inability to help a customer, if she’s not given the tools to help. I can’t give a young employee a low rating for a service she has no way to provide. So I ended up pressing “3.” What I really wanted to do was give the SURVEY a zero!

I’m tempted to write a letter to the company CEO complaining about the way the website works….or doesn’t!....and add, “What’s the good of having polite, professional customer service reps if they can’t provide any actual service to the customer?” But sending a snail-mail letter to such a poorly-run company, using the even more poorly run, unreliable US postal service, how would I know the CEO would ever receive my letter? Besides, I think I’ve spent more than enough of my time trying to make my point.

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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

Joaquin Miller Cabin in Rock Creek Park

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 16,900+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler

Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv

www.cleveland-park.com  

Thursday, June 8 at  6 PM, Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era. Glenn F. Williams, a historian at the US Army Center of Military History, will discuss and sign copies of his book, which tells the story of  the 1774 campaign against a Shawnee-led Indian confederacy in the Ohio Country, marking the final time an American colonial militia took to the field in His Majesty’s service and under royal command. The talk will last about 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and light refreshments. Free. At Anderson House, Society of the Cincinnati, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. More info: http://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public  

Thursday, June 8 at 6:30 PM, Guided Tree Walk in Soapstone Valley. An arborist from Casey Trees will conduct  an hour-long guided tree walk in the Soapstone Valley, the finger of Rock Creek Park that extends into Forest Hills. The Soapstone Valley Trail is one of the finest trails in Rock Creek Park, just a few steps into the woods from Van Ness. The trailhead on Albemarle Street NW -- about a block east of the Connecticut Avenue intersection -- is marked by a Potomac Appalachian Trail Club sign.  Increase your enjoyment of one of Washington's best features -- our trees -- and learn the basics of tree identification by observing a variety of native DC trees. Skills learned will help you identify trees in your neighborhood or participate in an upcoming park tree inventory this summer. Rain or shine! Wear appropriate foot gear for walking on wooded paths. Gather at the Cleveland Park Interim Library, 4340 Connecticut Avenue NW, to start the walk promptly at 6:30 pm. Questions? Call the Cleveland Park Interim Library at 202 282-3080. Free.   

Thursday June 8 - Sunday June 11, Capital Pride Celebration 2017. Four days of events, including a parade, concerts, a pool party, a brunch, and a festival. For the dates, times, ticket info and and other event details, go to: http://www.capitalpride.org/celebration-2017/. The parade is on Saturday, June 10 starting at 4:30 PM at 22nd & P Streets NW, traveling 1.5 miles through Dupont Circle and 17th Street, passing by the Logan Circle neighborhood and ending along the revitalized 14th Street corridor at S Street. Free. (If you are seeking reviewing stand seats, sorry, they’re sold out.)  

Friday, June 9 at 11 AM, Games, Lunch and a Movie: “First Person Singular: I.M. Pei” - a documentary about the life of the architect. Assortment of games at 11:00 AM, lunch at 12:00 noon, movie starts at 1 PM. Free. At Guy Mason Recreation Center 3600 Calvert Street, NW. If you plan to attend, please rsvp to guymasonevents @ gmail dotcom, or call the staff at Guy Mason Recreation Center, 202-727-7527.

Saturday, June 10 from 9 AM - 2 PM, Truck Touch. The Department of Public Works (DPW) invites the public to attend the 10th annual summer kick-off and citywide “Truck Touch,” featuring a variety of free activities for kids and adults. A host of DC government agencies will present and demonstrate nearly 30 vehicles used to clean and repair streets, change traffic lights, collect refuse, clear snow, provide emergency services, administer mobile health care, and more. Kids are encouraged to climb into the equipment, which include a police helicopter and horse, and can also take a ride on DPW Segways. Free boxed lunches will be provided to kids age 18 and under by the DC Free Summer Meals Program. The DC Department of Parks and Recreation will also provide a bevy of activities for kids and adults alike, including, tennis, basketball and fitness activities. On the perimeter of the event, the District Department of Energy and the Environment will hold their annual Electric Grand Prix, where local high schoolers compete against one another in the battery-powered electric cars they’ve constructed. At  RFK Stadium, Lot 7, 2400 East Capitol Street, SE – vehicles can enter off of Benning Road NE.

Saturday, June 10 from 9 AM - 3 PM, JoyFest at Fort Reno Park. The Joy of Motion Dance Festival (JoyFest) celebrates dance education and performance. In this unique outdoor festival, more than 800 dedicated young dancers will perform in over 100 dance pieces in a joyous celebration of all they’ve achieved in the studio this year. In addition to the performances, family-friendly activities are scheduled throughout the day. Fort Reno is at 3815 Chesapeake St NW. Free. More info at: http://www.joyofmotion.org/joyfest/

Saturday, June 10 from 10 AM - 3 PM, Frank Lloyd Wright Day at the National Building Museum. Celebrate the great architect’s 150th birthday with special exhibits, talks about his works, and hands-on kids’ activities, including creating a (faux) stained glass sun-catcher, discovering how a cantilever works, and story time. For schedule of activities and talks, go to: http://bit.ly/2r0rqrX. The National Building Museum is at 401 F Street NW.

Saturday, June 10 from 5 - 7 PM, The Adams Morgan Summer Concert Series Presents Michele McTierney, singer/songwriter. Michele blends powerful, emotionally-charged vocals, and edgy, infectious pop rock music with strong, confessional lyrics. Visit http://michelemctierney.com/ for tour dates, social media and more. Free - seating is limited, and is first come, first serve, so show up early! Feel free to bring your own beach chair. Attendees who stick around after the show can pick up wristbands distributed by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID that entitle the wearer to discounts on food, drink, and merchandise at a variety of participating Adams Morgan merchants. At 1801 Adams Mill Rd NW. No rain date.

Sunday, June 11 from 3 - 5 PM, Joaquin Miller Poetry Series presents Poetry Readings/Open Mic in Rock Creek Park. Come to the Rock Creek Nature Center auditorium (5200 Glover Park Road NW) to hear poetry by David Eye and William Notter. Bring a short poem for the open mic reading (sign up begins at 2:45). Plenty of free parking. The Nature Center is located at the far north side of the Horse Stables. The 2nd program is hosted by Jason Gebhardt. For visitor info call 202-895-6070. For map and other info, go to http://bit.ly/2rFEYvN.

Sunday, June 11, doors open at 1:30 PM, French Embassy Concert: Music of Friends. Please join us for a chamber music concert, hosted by the French Embassy, in support of Friendship Place. Featuring: Carole Tafoya Evans, violin, National Symphony Orchestra; Eric DeWaardt, viola, National Symphony Orchestra; Mark Evans, cello, National Symphony Orchestra; Charles Nilles, bass, National Symphony Orchestra; Cecilia Cho, piano, professor at Levine Music. Performing works by: Vivaldi, Edgar Meyer, Shostakovich, Mozart, Schoenfeld, and Schubert. Tickets $10 (students); $35 (seniors); $50 general adult admission, available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-music-of-friends-2017-tickets-34439624845. Children 12 and under are free. Concert starts at 2 PM and will be followed by a reception at 3 PM. At the Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road NW

Sunday, June 11 from 5 - 8 PM, Rosedale Summer BBQ. There will be live music from a most talented jazz quartet, face-painting and some outdoor fun and games (kickball, hula hoops, etc).  

The Rosedale Conservancy provides the burgers, dogs, drinks and watermelon...but please bring a picnic-style side dish to share with your fellow neighbors (e.g., pasta salad, brownies, etc.). You might want to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs. Please leave furry friends at home. Rosedale is at 3501 Newark St.

Monday, June 12, Tuesday June 13, and Wednesday, June 14 at 8 PM. “Uncle Julie.” Washington Women in Theatre presents “Uncle Julie” by Sidra Rausch about a newspaper man and his late-in-life romance with a Central European Holocaust survivor. At Katzen Art Center, American University, 4400 Nebraska Ave NW. Tickets $12 available at the door or online at

http://american.tix.com/Event.aspx?EventCode=978607

Tuesday, June 13 from 2 - 4 PM, - “What Is Age-Friendly DC and Why Should You Care?” - part of the Iona Spring Advocacy Series, Take Charge and Live Well in DC. Learn more about the implications of Age-Friendly DC and how new technologies might improve the lives of DC seniors.

Guest Speaker: Stuart Rosenthal, Editor of The Beacon Newspaper. Free. At St. Columba’s Church. Room 212, 4201 Albemarle St. NW. Registration is appreciated - please call 202-895-9442. More info on the advocacy series at: https://www.iona.org/event/age-friendly-dc-care/

Wednesday, June 14, 12 noon, Flag Day Rally for the 51st State. Today is Flag Day, celebrating the Stars and Stripes - but DC is not represented among the stars on the canton of blue! Come to a Flag Day rally at Freedom Plaza to demand a 51st star on the US Flag. Why wait for statehood? We may be waiting a looong time! Use this national observance day to ask for something simpler and more immediate: the addition of a 51st star to the US flag! Print out and bring a paper flag showing a 51-star field - available here: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us51star.html. In preparation you can watch John Oliver make the case for both the 51st state and a 51 star flag: http://bit.ly/2sIaHLc. For more details about the rally, go here: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent

Wednesday, June 14 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Author Howard Blum will talk about his latest book, “The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal.” The book tells the story of Betty Pack, hailed by General “Wild Bill” Donovan, head of wartime intelligence, as “the greatest unsung heroine of the war,” Betty Pack engaged in death-defying missions vital to the Allied victory, first as a secret agent for Britain’s MI-6 and then for Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services. Code-named “Cynthia,” the intelligent and charming spy seduced diplomats and military attachés across the globe in exchange for critically important ciphers and secrets involving Nazi Germany, Vichy France, and Fascist Italy. Howard Blum is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a former investigative reporter for the New York Times. The lecture will be preceded by a wine-and-cheese reception at 6:30 PM. Free. Click on http://bit.ly/2ras4ST to register for this event - part of the Amram Scholar Series (rescheduled from May 24). At Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb Street NW, http://www.whctemple.org/calendar/all/display/3923/index.php

Thursday, June 15 from 12:30 - 1:30 PM, DowntownDC Live presents JoGo Project – jazz band that blends jazz, R&B, funk, rock and go-go. Bring your lunch or grab food from a nearby restaurant or food truck and enjoy music in Franklin Park (13th and I Sts NW) at this free lunchtime live entertainment series brought to you by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID). More on the series at: http://bit.ly/2s0NTZ3

Thursday June 15 at 7:30 PM, “Imagine a World” - Music for Humanity, featuring the Credo Community Choir and Dallas Street Choir, with special guest Frederica von Stade, Mezzo-Soprano, Jonathan Palant, Music Director. At Washington National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues NW. Free and open to the public - no reserved tickets. Doors open at 7 pm, https://cathedral.org/event/imagine-world-music-humanity/