Thursday, March 30, 2017

Get Out! - The Events Column

Connecticut Avenue Bridge (now Taft Bridge)
-old postcard-
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 16,700+ 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, March 30 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Jazz in Van Ness at Tesoro Restaurant, 4400 Connecticut Avenue NW, sponsored by Van Ness Main Street. Free. More info at http://vannessmainstreet.org/event/jazzvn-4/ or email tcameron @ vannessmainstreet dot org.

Thursday, March 30 at 7 PM, Jewish Lit Live: Sam Lipsyte. George Washington University’s Department of English and Jewish Literature Live proudly present a reading by Sam Lipsyte, novelist and short story writer. He is the author of Venus Drive, The Subject Steve, Home Land, The Ask (the latter two New York Times Notable Books) and The Fun Parts. He won the first annual Believer Book Award and was a 2008 Guggenheim Fellow. He teaches writing at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Free and open to the public; first come, first serve seating. In the Marvin Center Amphitheater, 800 21st Street NW. More info: http://davidbrucesmith.com/jewish-literature-live-presents-sam-lipsyte/

Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1 at 8 PM (both days), Hexagon 2017: Let Freedom ZING! DC’s own musical comedy revue pokes fun at politics. Everyone is fair game for roasting in their lineup of satirical songs, skits and dances, from tap to a Rockette-like kick line. Expect them to dump on Trump, burn Bernie and crack on every candidate in between when the all-volunteer ensemble takes the stage at Woodrow Wilson High School Auditorium. Proceeds benefit Artstream!, which brings individuals with disabilities creative and performance opportunities to help them gain confidence. Tickets: $15 at http://bit.ly/2nDPVvF. In the Wilson High School Theater, 3950 Chesapeake St. NW.

Saturday, April 1 from 6 - 9 PM Spring Opening Reception for "Time Stands Still: Elzbieta Sikorska." Free and open to the public. At American University Museum Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. The art exhibition "Time Stands Still: Elzbieta Sikorska" runs from April 1 – May 28. More information at: http://www.american.edu/cas/museum/.

Sunday, April 2 from 12 noon - 1:30, Transgender in These Times. Join LJ Ingram, an LGBTQ advocate and transgender woman, for a discussion about transgender issues. She'll share some stories from her personal journey and will also suggest a variety of ways that we, as allies, can support and advocate for transgender individuals in our faith communities, schools, workplace and world. Free and open to all. Coffee and snacks provided. At the Cleveland Park UCC, 3400 Lowell Street NW. More info: http://cpcchurch.org/uncategorized/a-warm-welcome-to-all-2/

Sunday, April 2 from 1 - 3 PM, “Home Front to Battlefront: An Ohio Teenager in World War II” with author Frank Lavin. Carl Lavin was a high school senior in Canton, Ohio, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. In his freshman year of college, he joined the reserves, a decision that would take him with the US Army from training across the United States and Britain to combat with the 84th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge. Home Front to Battlefront is the tale of a foot soldier who finds himself thrust into a world where he and his unit grapple with the horrors of combat, the idiocies of bureaucracy, and the oddities of life back home—all in the same day. The book is based on Carl’s personal letters, his recollections, and those of the people he served beside, official military history, private papers, and more. Free. At the National Museum of American Jewish Military History,1811 R St NW, https://nmajmh.org/my-calendar/?mc_id=33.

Monday, April 3 at 12 noon, The Beginnings of the Humane Movement in Washington, DC - a lecture by Hayden M. Wetzel, independent researcher. The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was chartered by Congress in 1870; the Washington Animal Rescue League was founded in 1914. This talk will describe the establishment and work of these and other early humane organizations, the forces that shaped them, and the early issues they pursued. Hayden M. Wetzel is a longtime member of the D.C. Preservation League and recently completed a study of animal control in the District between 1791 and 1940. Free, no reservation required. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21st Street, NW. More info: http://bit.ly/2olMckL

Monday, April 3 from 7:30 - 9 PM, A Linear City in the 'Burbs: Connecticut Avenue and the Growth of DC. The Cleveland Park Historical Society presents an illustrated talk by Matthew J. Bell, FAIA, on the development of Connecticut Avenue. Bell, an architect and professor of architecture and urban design at the University of Maryland, will discuss the history of Connecticut Avenue's development as Washington grew and streets were extended beyond the L'Enfant Plan. Join us to learn about how Cleveland Park's own portion of Connecticut fits into the history of this uniquely urban-suburban avenue. The talk is free for current CPHS members and $15 for nonmembers. Refreshments will be served. At Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ, 3400 Lowell Street NW. (This event is rescheduled from Feb. 27.) More info: http://bit.ly/2lXK8SI

Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 PM, Rosedale Conservancy Meeting & Slide Talk. Rosedale Members, Rosedale Enthusiasts, and the Cleveland Park Community are invited to the Rosedale Conservancy Meeting at the Cleveland Park Congregational Church, 3400 Lowell Street NW. Following a brief membership meeting, Kim Williams, DC Office of Planning/Historic Preservation Office, will give a slide talk: “Remnants of Rural Washington: Farms and Estates of 18th and Early 19th Century Washington, DC.” Her talk will feature Rosedale as well as remnants of other early farms and estates. Free. More info: http://www.rosedaleconservancy.org/

Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30 PM, Tenleytown Design Charette: Fessenden Park. This small, triangular park bounded by Wisconsin Avenue, Fessenden Street, and 42nd Street is a lovely little green space that has the potential to become a community gathering spot. With the support of the Department of Parks and Recreation and at the urging of community members, Tenleytown Main Street is exploring potential programming, landscaping, seating, and other improvements for the park. TMS invites Tenleytown residents and business owners to share their feedback and ideas for improving the park at a Community Design Charrette with the goal of developing a consensus on what the community would like to see happen at the park. The workshop will begin with a walk-through at the park at 6:30 PM, followed by a facilitated discussion at 7 at Hera Hub DC, 5028 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 100. Free - please register online at http://bit.ly/2oCDbmS. If you can’t attend but would like to give feedback on Fessenden Park, you can participate through an online survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XY3S83B

Wednesday, April 5 from 6 - 8 PM, My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I - opening for exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. The exhibition commemorates the centennial of America’s involvement in World War I through compelling personal letters written by military service members and their loved ones on the home front. The opening event will feature dramatic letter readings of original letters and remarks by the curator of the exhibition. Come enjoy light refreshments and a live band as it plays selections of popular and patriotic music from the period. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required: http://bit.ly/2nAjUER. Please contact Motoko Hioki, Public Programs Manager (202.633.4739) for any questions about this event. At Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE. The exhibit runs April 6, 2017 – November 29, 2018. More info: https://postalmuseum.si.edu/MyFellowSoldiers

Wednesday April 5 at 7 PM, Swedish hip-hop artist Jason Timbuktu Diakité. Enjoy an evening of music, talk and reading by Jason Timbuktu Diakité - about his life and his new book "A drop of midnight" (En droppe midnatt). In search of his roots, renowned Swedish hip hop artist Jason "Timbuktu" Diakité tracks his family's history from the slave plantations in South Carolina to the welfare state Sweden. "A Drop of Midnight" is a gripping tale of ancestry, identity, resistance, racism and a longing to belong. Musical performance by Timbuktu together with the Harlem based jazz band Rakiem Walker Project. Doors open at 6:30 and the event begins at 7 PM.  Bar and refreshments available for purchase. Free but limited seating available, so please register early at http://bit.ly/2nnMmai. At House of Sweden, 2900 K Street NW.

Wednesday April 5 from 12:30 - 1:30 PM, Talk: Planning for Trees. Using Washington, DC as a case study, Maisie Hughes, design and advocacy director at Casey Trees, explains how good design, combined with plans and policies, protect existing trees and create spaces to sustain a healthy urban forest. Designers and engineers are transforming city streets to allow the growth of large trees. These green machines clean polluted runoff, shade streets and sidewalks, absorb carbon dioxide, and beautify neighborhoods. At the National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW. Free for members, $10 for non-members. Pre-registration required at http://bit.ly/2nzzOxJ. Walk-in registration based on availability.

Thursday, April 6 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Humanitini Happy Hour: Statehood and New Columbia. What does the 115th Congress have in store for the District of Columbia? Up until recently, Congress has used the District as a laboratory of democracy, conducting social experiments. Will the District accept these changes, or revive its historic effort to achieve the status of a sovereign state? Discussion with these panelists: Janette Hoston Harris, PhD, DC historian and Second Vice President of the Statehood Constitutional Convention; Michael D. Brown, the junior United States “Shadow Senator” for the District of Columbia; and Eugene Kinlow, Director of Federal and Regional Affairs for Mayor Muriel Bowser. Free admission. At Uniontown Bar & Grill, 2200 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave SE. Register at: http://bit.ly/2nJljt3

Thursday, April 6 from 8:30 PM to However Long It Takes, A Contest to Come Up with a Better Name for the 51st State Than “New Columbia.” You know why DC Statehood will never fly? OK, the Republican majority in the House and Senate are the main obstacles. But even if those could magically be surmounted, we’d be still left with a stumbling block: Nobody -- not even a majority of DC citizens -- wants to tell people they’re from “New Columbia.” What kind of a state name is that?! It’s not new -- it’s mostly the same old Columbia that we’ve always called the “District of..." but now you’ve got the initials NC instead of DC, and that won’t even work for us as a postal code, much less a state name! Join us at this much-needed brainstorming session to come up with a creative way to rebrand the statehood movement and at the same time preserve the essential initials DC. But the location of this gathering must remain lodged in our imaginations, as this is the Weekly Fake Event.    

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