Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Get Out! The Events Column - May 3 - 9, 2019

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 18,100+ 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 May 3 at 7 PM, Sandbox Percussion in Concert. Lauded by The Washington Post as "revitalizing the world of contemporary music" with "jawdropping virtuosity," Sandbox Percussion has established themselves as a leading proponent in this generation of contemporary percussion chamber music. Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Through compelling collaborations with composers and performers, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney seek to engage a wider audience for classical music. Free and open to the public. At Levine Music,  Lang Recital Hall, 2801 Upton Street, NW, http://www.levinemusic.org/upcoming-events/event/1833   

Friday, May 3 from 10 AM - 6 PM and Saturday, May 4 from 10 AM - 5 PM, Flower Mart at Washington National Cathedral. An irresistible array of festival foods, children’s rides, artisanal and boutique gifts and, of course, herbs and flowers, once again fill the nave and grounds of the Cathedral at this year’s Flower Mart. The highlight will be on efforts to promote natural pollination in the Cathedral’s gardens – including the creation of a new pollinator garden on the Cathedral Close. Free admission. Tickets needed for all rides, the tower climb, games, etc. Washington Revels will be performing at 3 PM on Friday and 4 PM on Saturday. Schedules and reservations available at https://allhallowsguild.org/programs/flower-mart/. The Cathedral is at Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues NW. 

Saturday, May 4 from 9 AM - 4 PM, Around the World Embassy Open House. More than 40 embassies will open their doors to DC visitors and residents, who can travel around the world as they experience the food, art, dance, fashion, and music of different countries - and meet lots of interesting people. This event is open to the public and no tickets are required. You are also welcome to visit the embassies with members of Washington, DC History & Culture, a non-profit community organization. The advantage of coming with us is that we’ve participated in this event for the past several years and can guide you through the crowds to visit the best locations. We’ll also hand out our Meetup name stickers so you can meet people, tell who is in our group, and remember the names of your fellow embassy travelers. Guests are free to come along with us in a “buffet-style” event, visiting the embassies we select or venture off on their own, since there will be over 40 embassies open. Participants are also free to arrive and depart whenever they like. More info: http://bit.ly/2GW6tc8. For list of participating embassies and a link to the smartphone app, go to: https://www.culturaltourismdc.org/portal/signature-events

Saturday, May 4 from 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Star Wars Day / Free Comic Book Day. The Chevy Chase DC Library hosts not one, but two events! Free Comic Book Day and May the Fourth (be with you) -- also known as Star Wars Day -- are happening together this year! Come pick up your free comic (while they last) and either watch a film, or draw your own comic. Maybe even do both! Star Wars movies shown at 11 AM: The Force Awakens, and 2 PM: The Last Jedi. Refreshments will be served during the movie. Free. Chevy Chase Library is at 5625 Connecticut Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63610 

Saturday, May 4, 9:30 AM Opening Ceremony; 10 AM start of The 21st Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race, presented by the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. This quirky Charm City tradition is less of a race and more of a parade featuring cobbled-together, intricately engineered, and absurdly decorated “human-powered works of art.” Spectators can follow the Frankenstein’s-monster-like creations as they travel the 15-mile course around town on any number of wheels, including obstacle routes through mud, sand, and the Inner Harbor. Race course and spectator viewing details at: http://avam.org/kinetic-sculpture-race/. The race begins and ends at AVAM, 800 Key Hwy, Baltimore, MD. Free!

Saturday, May 4 from 11:30 AM - 2 PM, Star Wars Day at Tenley-Friendship Library. May the 4th be with you! Calling all young Jedis, Wookies, Ewoks, Stormtroopers and other friends: Come celebrate all things Star Wars! Costumes are welcome. This is a drop-in activity for children of all ages. Free. At the Tenley Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63458

Saturday May 4 from 1 - 5 PM, The Running of the Chihuahuas. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo a day early with a Chihuahua race! The 8th annual Running of the Chihuahuas is great fun to watch on the SW Waterfront Wharf – where you’ll also find food, drinks, and everything is family-friendly. Kid-friendly activities include oversized games to mini golf and boat rentals. The highlight of the afternoon: 128 Chihuahuas racing for fame and fun! It’s DC’s funniest Cinco de Mayo celebration! Free admission. On District Pier at the DC Wharf, 101 District Square SW. Rain Date: Sunday, May 5th. More info: www.cincodc.com and https://www.wharfdc.com/upcoming-events/2019-05-04-running-of-the-chihuahuas/

Saturday, May 4 from 12 - 7 PM, Derby Day Watch Party at Laurel Park. Come out for a day of fun at the races! Enjoy live music and live racing with Kentucky-themed food and drinks including Mint Juleps, Bourbon and Whiskey flights and more! The Kentucky Derby will be showing on our giant TVs throughout the track so you don't miss a minute of the action. Family fun activities include: Yard games including corn hole, giant Jenga and connect four, horseshoes; Pony Rides; Face Painting; Petting Zoo; Live music; Cigar Roller. Admission is FREE. This event will take place rain or shine. Hats and derby attire are encouraged but not required. Children’s activities will take place between 12-5 PM. No dogs except service animals allowed. (We love your furry friends, but they are sadly not allowed near the track for safety reasons.) Food and drink are not included in free ticket; cash and cards will be accepted at all concessions. The Kentucky Derby Party at Laurel Park will take place under the Apron Tent and in the Laurel Park conference center, 198 Laurel Race Track Road. Register: http://bit.ly/2J6Hxjv

Saturday, May 4 at 5 PM, Derby Fourth de Mayo. You don’t need to attend multiple events to celebrate Kentucky Derby Day, Star Wars Day, AND Cinco de Mayo! With this one-stop mash-up event you can enjoy all three celebrations at the same time. First, we’ll have a great race with our costumed riders, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo, each mounted on a life-size pinata horse, modeled after the Derby favorites, Roadster, Omaha Beach, and Game Winner. After the race we’ll smash the pinatas with light-sabers. For refreshments, come to our Star Wars Kentucky-Mexican Cantina, where you can enjoy traditional margaritas and mint juleps, topped off with kooky Spaceball garnishes. Come in costume (Derby duds, Fiesta finery, Jedi robes, or any combination of these) and you may win a prize for your creative attire. The prize is a classic comic book, because it’s also Free Comic Book Day! To register and get the location of our Pop-up Star Wars Kentucky Mexican Cantina, go to: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent. To get your free comic book for Comic Book Day, go to http://bit.ly/2WoYLwx - and no, this is not part of the Weekly Fake Event - this part is for real!

Sunday, May 5 from 10 AM - 2 PM, International Family Equality Day at the Zoo. Celebrate the beauty and importance of family diversity at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Family-focused activities include field games with prizes, special animal enrichment demonstrations and live entertainment. For the schedule of animal demonstrations and activities, go to: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/events/international-family-equality-day-zoo. The National Zoo is at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW. Free.

Sunday, May 5 from 12 - 5 PM, Chevy Chase Art Walk. Twenty artists working in all media will take part in the inaugural Chevy Chase Art Walk in Chevy Chase DC and Chevy Chase MD, welcoming visitors to their homes and studios in this 10-site self-guided event. Participating artists will display contemporary and traditional work in painting, pottery, ceramics, photography, jewelry, prints, sculpture and fiber arts. Refreshments will be served. Art Walk maps are available from business sponsors in the Chevy Chase community—and can be viewed or printed from the Chevy Chase Art Walk Facebook page at http://bit.ly/2ZQQROC or on the Art Walk website at https://www.chevychaseart.org/all-exhibitions/first-annual-art-walk.

Sunday, May 5 from 2 - 4 PM, Cinco de Mayo with the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs. The Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA) along with the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture will host a Cinco de Mayo Mixer for all ages. The Mixer will bring together the Latino community from across the District to celebrate Mexican Heritage, appreciate Latin American culture and artists in the District of Columbia and network. At El Tamarindo, 1785 Florida Ave NW, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cinco-de-mayo-tickets-59720338139?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Sunday, May 5 at 2 PM, Cinco de Mayo at Palisades Library. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Come join us. for an afternoon of books, music and crafts. This program is for ages 5 to 12.
¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! El 5 de Mayo a las 2, ven con nosotros para celebrar una tarde de libros, música y artesania. Este programa es para niños de entre 5 y 12 años. Free. Palisades Library is at 4901 V Street NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63593

Sunday, May 5 at 3:30 PM, Meet a Ballet Dancer at Tenley-Friendship Library. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a ballet dancer? Come and meet two Washington Ballet dancers at this fun demonstration. For ages 2-12 with their caregivers. Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library,
4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63460

Monday, May 6 at 12 PM, Lecture: Harry Wardman’s Washington presented by Sally Berk, former director, DC Preservation League. Sally Berk will share her expertise on early twentieth-century residential developer Harry Wardman. In addition to institutionalizing the front-porch row house, Wardman developed and constructed every residential building type in Washington, DC, significantly influencing the look and feel of our city's residential neighborhoods. Free, no reservations required. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/wardman

Tuesday, May 7 from 7:30 - 8:30 PM, Mihran Mesrobian, Architect - A Free Talk by Caroline Mesrobian. Armenian-American architect Mihran Mesrobian (1889-1975) was chief architect both to the Ottoman Sultan and Washington developer Harry Wardman. His works in DC include the Hay-Adams Hotel, Wardman Tower, the Dupont Circle Building,  and Cleveland Park's Sedgwick Gardens, among many others. Come learn about his remarkable life and career in this free talk. About the speaker: Caroline Mesrobian Hickman, PhD, teaches the History of American Architecture in the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research interests focus on the architecture of Washington, DC, during the first half of the 20th century. Her current book project, The Architecture of Mihran Mesrobian, traces the career of that prominent architect in Ottoman Turkey and Washington, DC. She has successfully landmarked a number of Mesrobian’s buildings and curated exhibitions on historic Washington architecture. Free. If you are coming, please let us know by registering so we can be sure we have enough seating - go to: http://bit.ly/2WjS7a. Everybody is welcome! At Cleveland Park Congregational Church, 3400 Lowell Street, NW

Wednesday, May 8 at 7 PM, Author Talk: Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson. Washington Post senior editor Steve Luxenberg will discuss his book Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation, which covers the events leading up to the infamous “separate but equal” Plessy v. Ferguson decision, ushering in decades of the system of racial inequality known as Jim Crow. The 1896 decision is widely considered to be one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in American history. It legitimized the many state laws re-establishing racial segregation that had been passed in the American South after the end of the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877). The reverberations of Plessy v. Ferguson are still felt today. Luxenberg tells the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case. They include members of the Citizens’ Committee of New Orleans, descendants of the city’s prewar mixed-race free black community, who organized a legal challenge to Louisiana’s Separate Car Act of 1890, which mandated separate accommodations for black and white railroad passengers. Steve Luxenberg is a senior editor at the Washington Post. During his forty years as a newspaper editor and reporter, he has overseen reporting that has earned many national honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes.Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library,  4450 Wisconsin Ave NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63455

Thursday, May 9 from 6:30 - 8:30 Tudor Nights: Here Come the Royals. Tudor Place presents an exclusive opportunity to see rarely displayed objects and ephemera from the Tudor Place archives and collection relating to British royalty. Come wearing your hat or fascinator in honor of British traditions and Royal Ascot! This special event is followed by cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres at the Victorian-style, Dower House. For ages 21+. Free for Members; Non-Members $15 tickets at https://www.tudorplace.org/programs/190/tudor-nights-here-come-the-royals/. Tudor Place is at 1644 31st Street NW.     

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