Get Out! - The Events Column

We wanted to share some events and activities that look exciting. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that should be in next week's column, email us at events @ fastmail.us.

Bill Adler and Peggy Robin
All Life Is Local
The Cleveland Park Listserv


Friday, September 14 at 7 PM at the Alliance Francaise, French duo ARLT in concert, performing children's songs and poetry. $20. 2142 Wyoming Avenue NW. More info at http://www.francedc.org/Events/?id=47

Saturday, September 15 from 10 AM - 6 PM, Gay Day at the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens. Activities include a morning garden party with Rainbow Families DC and afternoon refreshments and entertainment. 4155 Linnean Avenue NW. Tickets, $15; seniors $12, students $10; free for children 17 and under. More info at www.hillwoodmuseum.org.

Grand opening of the newly renovated Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library, Saturday, September 15 starting at 10:00 AM. Ribbon cutting ceremony starts at 11 AM. Face-painting, music for young kids, master storyteller Diane Macklin, art workshop, building tours, refreshments, and more. The new library is at 3160 16th Street, NW.

Sunday September 16 at 10:30 AM, "L'Enfant's Vision for the District." Talk led by a National Park Service Ranger on the work of Pierre L'Enfant, who designed the layout of Washington's streets, squares and circles. At the Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Free.

On Sunday September 16, 11 AM - 5 PM, Fiesta at the National Zoo. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with sloths, golden lion tamarins, Andean bears, anteaters and other friends at the National Zoo. With animal demonstrations, Hispanic and Latino music, costumed dancers, and Latin American foods. Free. More information at: http://bit.ly/R1aYO1

Lego Duplo Read! Build! Play! at the Tenley Library. Preschoolers (ages 2 and up) are invited to join "play masters" from the LEGO DUPLO company, who will run games, activities and even a story time at the Tenley Library on Monday, September 17 at 3:00 PM. More info at http://www.dclibrary.org/node/32148.

Tuesday, September 18 at 6 PM, showing of the movie, Defiance. The forests of Poland and Belarus are occupied by Germans during World War II. The Bielski brothers flee to the forests but find an impossible task of survival for themselves and a large group of Jews fleeing the Nazis, assuming the responsibility of guardians and motivating hundreds of people to join their fight against the Nazi regime while hiding in makeshift homes in the cold, dark forest. Based on a true story. Georgetown Library, lower level, 3260 R St.

Tuesday, September 18 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, DC Department of Transportation hosts a public forum on the DC Circulator bus line in the Columbus Club at Union Station. Route performance, enhancements and plans will be discussed. Comments can be emailed to brooke.fossey @ dc.gov. More information at www.ddot.dc.gov.

Tuesday, September 18 at 8 PM. "9/11: A Time for Change." Ari Schonbrun, and Edie Lutnick, two survivors of the World Trade Center attack, talk about their experiences of 9/11. At the DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW, $10 adult tickets; $8 for students and seniors. More information at http://bit.ly/QnqKUG.

Wednesday, September 19 at 6 PM - Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day with "Pirate History and the US" talk at the Jefferson Memorial, 900 Ohio Drive SW. Free.

A discussion on the future of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library building will be held Wednesday, September 19, 6 PM at the MLK Library, 901 G Street, NW.  Nationally known architects and library experts will present concepts and ideas about what's possible for this Mies van der Rohe-designed historic building. Your input is important. Can't attend? You can watch the event, which will be streaming live on the library's website at www.dclibrary.org.

Grapes with Apes at the National Zoo on Thursday, September 20, 6-9 PM. Swirl a glass of wine to aerate - and toast it to your favorite primate! Once a year supporters of the National Zoo gather to raise a glass to animal conservation at Grapes with the Apes. With local and national wineries pouring, live music, and exclusive after-hours access to the Great Ape House. For tickets go to: http://nationalzoostore.tamretail.net/Events.aspx

Thursday, September 20 at 8:30 AM - Cathedral bird walk with birder Sheila Cochran, leading a walk and bird talk through the woods. Bring binoculars and wear good walking shoes. Meet at the George Washington statue on Pilgrim Road. Then at 10 AM tree expert Deanne Eversmeyer leads a tree identification walk through the woods. Meet at the Cathedral at Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues. Both guided walks are free.

The Tenley Friends annual fall used book sale is Saturday September 22 on the second floor of the Tenley-Friendship Library.  The official hours are 10:30 am to 4:00 p.m., with a Friends Only hour between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Children's books, cookbooks, history, politics, science, art and architecture and all sorts of fiction, mysteries and much more. Cash or check only. The Tenley-Friendship Library is on Wisconsin Avenue and Albemarle Street, NW.

Saturday, September 22, 11 AM -  5 PM, The Third Annual DC State Fair, a culinary, artistic, and agricultural showcase of the District at the Barracks Row Fall Festival (8th Street SE just south of Eastern Market metro station), featuring crafts, cooking, baking and vegetable growing contests, and demonstrations of beekeeping, home canning, home brewing, and more. http://dcstatefair.org/

Car-Free-Day is on Saturday, September 22. The DC Department of Transportation invites you to take part in the worldwide movement to celebrate sustainable transportation on Car Free Day, Make a difference today by biicycling, walking, carpooling or taking public transportation. More info at www.carfreemetrodc.com.

On Monday, September 24 Sarah Norman of GCS-SIGAL LLC leads a tour of the construction at the rehabilitation and modernization of Cardozo High School, which was originally designed  by William B. Ittner, built in 1916.  Tour meets at 6pm at Cardozo High School, 1200 Clifton Street, NW. Register at http://www.dcpreservation.org/cardozo-high-construction-tour-registration-form/

Rock'n'Roar outdoor rock concert at the National Zoo, Thursday, September 27, 6-9:30 PM, featuring the band Gonzo's Nose. Enjoy primo wines and a mondo list of wicked awesome specialties. Wear your most bangin' 80s threads for the Chameleon Costume Contest. Winner gets a fabulous breakfast with the birds at the Zoo's Bird House. Tickets at http://bit.ly/O2iRrz.