Get Out! - The Events Column

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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 16,500+ 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  

For a list of all Halloween events put on by the Department of Parks and Recreation from now until October 31, go to http://dpr.dc.gov/events 

Thursday, October 27 from 7 - 9 PM,  Presidential Predictions: No Polls, No Pundits. It’s not just the candidates who are facing off this election season—political pundits are as well. Two of them will be onstage at American University just days before the presidential election to talk about who they think will win, and why, and how they made their predictions without looking at a single poll! Allan J. Lichtman, distinguished professor at American University, and Kenton White, adjunct professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa and chief scientist at Advanced Symbolics, will discuss the election race and their very different methodologies. Free, but registration required: http://bit.ly/2fjNSdd. Please be aware that this registration and ticket do not guarantee your seat; it’s a “First come, first seated” event. Arrive early as this event may be sold out. At AU’s Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW.

Friday, October 28 from 6 - 9 PM, Dinner with the Artists Piano Recital at Guy Mason Recreation Center. A piano salon featuring community pianists, including members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. They will play a wide variety of styles and periods of music, such as classical, ragtime, jazz, show tunes, popular songs, gospel, new age, improvisation, and modern or contemporary compositions. Concert starts at 7:30 PM. Dinner with the artists starts at 6 PM -- admission to the dinner requires you to bring a dish for sharing. Please call to register: 202-727-7703. Guy Mason Recreation Center is at 3600 Calvert St NW DC.

Friday, October 28 at 7:30 PM, Tales of Mystery and Imagination: Readings from the works of Edgar Allan Poe - a Halloween Tradition by the actors of the Guillotine Theatre (formerly known as the Georgetown Theatre Company). Every year, these actors present a reading from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Every year something supernatural happens. At Grace Church Georgetown, 1041 Wisconsin Avenue. $10 requested donation, no reservations required. More info:

http://www.georgetowntheatre.org/current.html 

Saturday October 29 from 10:30 AM - 1 PM, Adams Morgan Apple Festival, presented by the Adams Morgan Partnership BID and Licking Creek Bend Farms. There will be heirloom apples to sample and buy, and an apple pie contest judged by local celebrities including Tom Sherwood of NBC4 and Laura Hayes from the Washington City Paper. Slices of the competing pies will be available for purchase for $5/slice, with all of the proceeds benefiting the DC Arts Center (http://www.dcartscenter.org). Free admission. At SunTrust Plaza, corner of 18th and Columbia NW, https://www.facebook.com/AdamsMorganAppleFestival/  

Saturday, October 29 from 11 AM - 1 PM, Friends of the Forest Hills Playground’s 2016 Halloween Spooktacular, featuring a costume parade, story time, magic show, and Armand’s Pizza and a bake sale to benefit the Forest Hills Playground. Free admission. At 32nd Chesapeake Streets NW, https://www.facebook.com/ForestHillsPlayground/ 

Saturday, October 29 from 11 AM - 2 PM, Community Fun Fest. “Clown Gary,” “Clown Judy” and “Clown Laura” will be volunteering at the annual Community Fun Fest at the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home 5425 Western Avenue. There is no admission charge, although there is a small fee for rides and food. There will be baby farm animals and pony rides, a moon bounce, balloon typhoon, clowns, jugglers, face painting, and an opportunity to climb aboard a local fire truck. Children may experience art activities by painting miniature canvases, life-size animal statues, and dazzling spin art to take home. Guests may also visit the Resident Art Gallery to view and purchase contemporary art pieces created by the talented artists of the Home. This community event is fun for all ages!

Saturday, October 29 from 12 noon - 3 PM, Halloween at Hardy Recreation Center, featuring games, arts crafts, music, food, and a costume parade. Free. Hardy Recreation Center is at 45th Q Streets NW.

Saturday, October  29, 4 from 4 - 8 PM, Haunted Garage and Day of the Dead Festival at Oyster Adams Bilingual School. Walk through the haunted garage and for traditional Day of the Dead activities such as decorating sugar skulls. Wear your costumes for a costume parade with prizes awarded for the best in many categories. Bring a cake for the spookiest cake contest which will be followed by a cake walk. Plus, there will be an inflatable obstacle course, a movie at 6 PM, pumpkin painting, a fortune teller and face painting. Ticket price: $10/child over 2 years of age; concessions purchased separately. At Oyster Bilingual School Garage at 2801 Calvert Street NW.

Saturday, October 29 at 4 PM, “Baroque and Blues” Concert at Cleveland Park Congregational UCC for Friendship Place - an afternoon of music to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Friendship Place, which works to end homelessness and rebuild lives in Washington, DC. Performers will include the jazz ensemble of Michael McFadden, a formerly homeless person who now works at Friendship Place. Enjoy classic jazz standards, Claude Bolling's Jazz Suite for Flute and Piano, George Gershwin, and J.S. Bach's Fugue in D minor for organ. The concert is free, and donations to Friendship Place encouraged. At Cleveland Park Congregational UCC, 3400 Lowell St. NW, 202-363-8211.

Sunday, October 30 at 10:15 - 11:15 AM, "America and the World on the Eve of the 2016 Election" - a talk by David Ignatius, columnist and associate editor, The Washington Post, offering a personal view of the political and global scene at a time when, to many, the world's problems seem to be accumulating and the ability of political institutions to cope with them seems to be diminishing. Free. At St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle Street NW,

Sunday, October 30 from 12:30 - 2:30 PM, Halloween Hunt for Creepy Crawly Creek Bugs. Creepy crawly bugs don't just live on land, the creek is full of them! Join the Little Falls Watershed Alliance for a fun afternoon hunting for and identifying the critters that live in the creek! We will have all the tools you need to capture and ID the bugs that live under water. Bring your smart phone (if you have one) as we will be using a new app created by the Audubon Naturalist Society for this activity. We have smart phone covers so don’t worry about it getting wet. Wear water shoes or we also have boots to lend. At Little Falls Stream Valley Park, below Mass Ave near Little Falls Parkway, Bethesda. You can park at the gravel parking lot at Little Falls and Mass Ave and walk to the site. Free but you must pre-register at http://bit.ly/2dMpOzn.

Sunday, October 30 from 3 - 5 PM, Rosedale Pumpkin Carving Party. Bring your pumpkins to the beautiful Rosedale Lawn. Rosedale will provide all of the patterns and safe carving tools. We'll meet just inside the gate at 3501 Newark Street. (Please leave your kitchen knives and dogs at home). More info: http://www.rosedaleconservancy.org/ 

Sunday, October 30 from 3 - 6 PM, Volta Park Day, featuring rides, food, live music, and a Halloween costume contest. Preceded at 1:30 PM by the East vs. West softball game. Free. Volta Park is at Volta 34th Street, NW, http://voltapark.org/ 

Monday, October 31 from 1:30 - 4:00 PM, Macomb Recreation Center’s annual Community Halloween Party. Kids can dress up in costumes of their choice and participate in the contest. The community will engage and participate in different arts and crafts and games throughout the event. Light refreshments will be served. Free. At Macomb Recreation Center, 3409 Macomb Street NW. More info: call (202) 282-2199

Monday, October 31 from 3:30 - 6:00 PM, Hearst Recreation Center’s Halloween Party. Enjoy festive carnival games, music, food, and a costume parade with prizes. Experience the Mini Haunted House if you dare! Free. At 3950 37th Street, NW. More info: call (202) 282-2207

Monday, October 31 from 5 - 7 PM, The Chevy Chase Community Center and MPD 2-D invite you to a Halloween party, featuring: games, temporary tattoos, photo booth, goody bags, snacks. Contact Officer Rhonda Hardy, 202 270 2286 for more information. Free. At the Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Avenue NW.

Monday, October 31 at 6 PM, Guaranteed Not-Scary Halloween Party for Fraidy Cats. This is the Halloween Party of choice for everyone who gets the willies just thinking about graveyards, skulls, spiders, ghosts, bats, or anything like that. Come to this Happy-Thoughts Halloween Party where you will see princesses and knights, unicorns, fairies, kittens, giant sunflowers, and other lovely things. And all the jack-o-lanterns will be smiling! Free and fun for all ages! This is such a fantastic idea, it’s only too bad that it’s this week’s fake event!

Tuesday, November 1 from 5 - 7:30 PM, Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertes festival to celebrate the Latin American holiday with music, dancing, crafts and more. Free. At the National Portrait Gallery’s Kogod Courtyard, 8th F Streets NW, http://npg.si.edu/whats-on/events#/?i=2 

Wednesday, November 2 at 7 PM, “Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World” book talk by David Vine. American military bases encircle the globe. The US maintains nearly 1,000 outposts around the world. Author and journalist David Vine asks if these bases are worth the costs – upward of $100 billion a year – or if it’s time to dismantle these Cold War relics. Vine argues that these bases in foreign lands don’t enhance American security but often reinforce images of America as an occupying force, harm local economies, and inflame regional tensions, actually making America less safe in the long run. Book sale and signing to follow event. Free. At Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave NW, http://www.dclibrary.org/node/54810