Around The World Cultural Food Festival
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Get Out! Eat Your Way Around the World at the 10th Annual World Cultural Festival in Alexandria, VA - Sat, Aug 29
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Still Life with Robin: Picture the Wildlife
by Peggy Robin
- Go to the WILDLIFE IN AND AROUND CLEVELAND PARK in the PHOTOS section of the Listserv and click on Wild"Spring Flowers" (the 9th album in the section).
- Click on the green "+ADD PHOTOS" button.
- Drag and drop each photo you want to add, one by one, or hit "click to choose photos".
- (Optional) Write a brief description of each photo. Useful info: When and where the photo was taken.
- Hit "Upload"
- Very Important: Do NOT check "notify members". The correct way to let readers know that you've added your photos(s) to the album is to write a message to clevelandpark@groups.io about the photos you have added to a Listserv album. Copy and paste into your message the link to view each photo. That way, readers get to choose whether or not they want to view your photos. (If you click the "notify members" button, everyone gets a notification, whether they want to view your photos or not -- and the moderator will be very annoyed at you. If I knew how to disable this feature in Groups.io photo albums, I would.)
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Get Out! The National Book Festival Is On Saturday, August 22 at the Convention Center
by Peggy Robin
Saturday, August 8, 2026
Still Life with Robin: Find My....
by Peggy Robin
You know about Apple's "Find My...." tracking program? It's the greatest thing... up to a point. You can track your iPhone, your wallet, your keys, your luggage, anything you can tag with a tracking fob or a credit-sized card that works on the Apple "Find My..." system. There's also a comparable app for Android users.
I've been using it for a while, most often to get the "Find My" app to locate my misplaced iPhone. Every time I've done this, it shows me that the phone is somewhere in the house. Trouble is, it doesn't tell me which room. I live in a house with a basement, first and second floor, plus a finished attic, as well as front, back, and side yards where I've occasionally dropped my phone. (Tip: Do NOT put your phone in a shallow pocket while gardening. Or setting up a sprinkler!)
Recently, I was complaining* to my adult daughter about the limitations of the "Find My" system when it came to pinpointing where I left my phone, and she came up with an absolutely brilliant solution. I offer it to you, free of charge: She programmed my phone to initiate a series of steps whenever it receives this one-word text message: "findmyphone." My phone responds automatically to this text message by turning its volume all the way up and opening its music app, playing "Runaway" by Del Shannon. And it will keep playing it on a repeating loop, until I follow the sound to the location of the phone, open the app, and turn off the music....or until the battery runs out (if, for some unknown reason, I can't find it after hours of searching).
So now I use FindMy to be assured that the phone is in the house and so that I won't have to go turning things over in every room on every floor to track the thing down. Now I know, if I hear "Runaway" coming from the basement, the phone is probably at the bottom of the laundry basket, under all the dirty clothes. If the song is coming from my home office, I may find it on the floor under my desk, where it probably skidded out of sight, underneath the large, ergonomic footrest. If it's in the kitchen, it may have been closed between the pages of a looseleaf binder of recipes and then put back in the bookshelf of cookbooks. These are all real places where I've found my phone in the past, before the FindMy system was in use and my daughter created the program to make it sing to me.
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Get Out! It's ELEFEST on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the National Zoo
by Peggy Robin
National Zoo Elephant Day
Location: Outside Elephant Community Center
Learn more about Smithsonian's long-standing commitment to the care and conservation of Asian elephants.
- Meet the veterinarians who care for the health of our herd
- Chat with Keepers and Curators to learn about a 'Day in the Life' of an Elephant Keeper
- Discover just how much an elephant eats with insights from our nutritionists
- Write a personalized 'thank you note postcard' to share with the Elephant Keeper Care Team
Somapa Thai Dance Group
Location: Lion/Tiger Hill
Experience traditional Thai dance performances celebrating Asian heritage.
Free and open to the public.
DC Public Library (DCPL) Book Truck & Elephant-Themed Story Times
Location: Visitor Center Auditorium & Lion/Tiger Hill
The DC Public Library joins us with their book truck for special elephant-themed story times and activities for young readers at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the Visitor Center. It's part of their Discover Summer initiative, an all-ages city-wide celebration of reading and learning. The DCPL book truck will be at Lion/Tiger Hill from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free and open to all.
Chalk Riot
Location: Great Meadow
Rhythmaya Dance Group
Location: Lion/Tiger Hill
Enjoy a vibrant South Indian dance performance before joining in for a short interactive workshop. Free and open to the public.
Sorry, these events are sold out:
Flavorful Favorites
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Get Out! And Wish Bao Li a Happy Birthday on August 4 at the National Zoo
by Peggy Robin
- Panda keepers will present Bao Li with a "beary" special birthday treat — a custom fruit-based ice cake made by the Zoo’s commissary team.
- Can’t make it to the Zoo? Tune into the Giant Panda Cam to catch the celebration live.
- Admission is free for all visitors. (Donations are welcome.)
Friday, July 24, 2026
Get Out! Saturday Is Smithsonian Family Day, 10am-4pm - FREE!
The Arts & Industries Building is located on the National Mall at 900 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560. We strongly encourage visitors to take public transportation, as parking on the National Mall is extremely limited. If driving, limited street parking and paid garage options are available in the surrounding area. The nearest metro stations are the Smithsonian and L’Enfant Plaza.
Entry is free and open to all. Please be prepared for potential wait times. Doors open at 10:00am at the North entrance to the Arts & Industries Building on Jefferson Avenue.
Families are welcome to bring outside food to picnic in our designated indoor area or in the Smithsonian Gardens. Nearby Smithsonian museums have cafes with food for purchase, including the Castle Cafe Summer Shack, Moongate Cafe in the National Museum of Asian Art, and Dolcezza Coffee & Gelato at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
The Arts & Industries Building and Haupt Garden are fully accessible. Accessible entrances, restrooms, and pathways are available throughout the venue. The Folklife performance stage will have live ASL interpretation for our programs throughout the day.
Smithsonian Family Day is a rain-or-shine event! Outdoor activities in the Haupt Garden may be adjusted in the event of severe weather. Entrance lines may be quite long and are located outdoors.
Our volunteers and staff will be on-site throughout the day to assist you. For advance questions, please call us at 202-633-1000.
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Still Life with Robin: Are your eyes burning? Does the air smell smoky? This website may be helpful
- Reduce the time you spend outdoors when the AQI value is high. Also, reduce the intensity of outdoor activity. According to the EPA, the chances of being affected by unhealthy levels of air pollution increase the longer a person is active outdoors and the more strenuous the activity.
- If you must go outdoors, consider wearing a mask. “Unfortunately, not all masks provide adequate protection against particle pollution. Cloth or dust masks, for instance, may not effectively filter out fine particles. However, well-fitted N95 or KN95 masks have better filtration capabilities and may be beneficial on days when the AQI level of concern is high.
- Keep your air indoors healthy by keeping the windows and doors closed. Run air conditioning on the recirculate setting, use a portable HEPA air cleaner or, if it is difficult to maintain clean air in your entire house, create a clean room.
![]() |
| Image by Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster, posting on SiForkasTwit (the site formerly known as Twitter) |
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Get Out! It's National 7-Eleven Day on Saturday, July 11 (7/11...Duh!)
by Peggy Robin
![]() |
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Still Life with Robin: Happy 250th Birthday, America! And to all who celebrate -- stay safe & stay cool!
Dear Listserv Friends,













