Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Get Out! The Events Column, June 21 - 27, 2019

Smithsonian Summer Solstice Events on the Mall
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 18,000+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail dot net.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler
Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv
www.cleveland-park.com     

Friday, June 21 at 12:30 PM, History Presentation: Tarleton’s Second Battle of Cowpens. The presentation by History and Education Associate Evan Phifer will focus on the published first edition of Banastre Tarleton’s 1787 memoirs and his very public debate with critics over responsibility for the dramatic British defeat at the 1781 Battle of Cowpens. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the memoirs. Free. At Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, , 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. More info:  https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public   

Friday, June 21 from 1 - 4 PM, Bloomsday at OLLI. Please join us for this year's OLLI Bloomsday Celebration. The readings from Ulysses will consist of Chapters 5 (Lotus Eaters), 6 (Hades) and 7 (Aeolus) of Ulysses, accompanying James Joyce's anti-hero, Leopold Bloom, as he sets out on his odyssey across Dublin. It will be followed by an off-site cast party to which all attendees are invited. If you would like to attend on June 21, please click here: http://bit.ly/2Iy6ORP. This is a free event, but reservations are required. For more information and to reach the coordinator of this event, please contact Bob Kolodney at bobkolive @ gmail dot com. (Editor’s note: Bloomsday is traditionally on June 16 worldwide - and somebody should have told OLLI that!) In the lecture hall (Room A) at American University’s Spring Valley Building, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Friday, June 21 at 7:15 PM, Piano Salon at Guy Mason Recreation Center, featuring members and friends of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. The artists will play a wide variety of styles and periods of music including classical, ragtime, jazz, show tunes, popular songs, gospel, new age, improvisation, and modern or contemporary compositions. Reception to follow. Free. At  Guy Mason Center, 3600 Calvert St NW.

Saturday, June 22 from 11 AM - 12 midnight, America Now: Celebration of Music / Summer Solstice Festival at Smithsonian museums. Go from day to night with this year’s America Now, when three of your favorite Smithsonian museums (National Museum of American History, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and National Portrait Gallery) unite for a free, one-day festival celebrating the best of art and history in DC. This year is a Celebration of Music, with hip-hop performances, DJs, and dance parties. From 11 AM - 5:30 PM the National Museum of American History will showcase hip-hop culture through activities, live music and dance, DJ performances and an outdoor dance party. Admission is free, festive food and drinks are available for purchase. Open to families and general audiences. From 6 PM to midnight at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, enjoy an evening full of live music in the beautiful Kogod Courtyard with some of your favorite DC performers, art happenings, and more. DC native Christylez Bacon will MC the opening performances from Rare Essence, DJ Beauty and the Beatz, and the Out of Town Blues Band. A special headline performance from Eric Hilton (of Thievery Corporation) with The Archives closes out the night. Admission is free, festive food and drinks available for purchase. Evening event recommended audience 18+. Cash bars close at 11:30 PM, galleries open to midnight. Location: 8th and F Streets NW. Full details of the day at: https://americanow.si.edu/. For the full schedule of events until midnight at other Smithsonian museums and galleries on Solstice Saturday, go to https://www.si.edu/SolsticeSaturday.

Saturday, June 22 from 1 - 4 PM, Christian Heurich House '90s Themed 125th Birthday Backyard Bash. The Heurich mansion was completed 125 years ago in 1894 and we’re celebrating by partying like it’s 1994! We’ll have '90s party favors, a birthday cake, and beer, and without a doubt we’ll be listening to the 1994 Top 40 on our boombox. We highly encourage you to dig out your '90s threads – bring a lawn chair and a few friends. All proceeds from this event benefit the preservation of the Heurich House. You must be 21+ with a valid ID to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages at this event. Tickets – including a piece of birthday cake - for a requested donation of $12.50 + Eventbrite fees, in honor of the Heurich House Museum’s 125th birthday, available at http://bit.ly/2KViWzb. More info: http://www.heurichhouse.org/heurich-house-90s-themed-125th-birthday-backyard-bash

Saturday, June 22 from 2 - 6 PM, Taste of the Philippines. Come out to the scenic District Pier at The Wharf to feast on delectable Filipino cuisine from celebrated chefs! Free admission for this fun, family-friendly foodie fest. Enjoy Filipino cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, music, giveaways, prizes, and activities for kids. Adult refreshments from Ketel One will be available - please bring your ID. Taste Tickets: Each tasting portion is a couple of bites. We invite you to purchase a pack of tickets and enjoy a leisurely afternoon on District Pier sampling all of the dishes the chefs have to offer. Advance tickets available here: http://bit.ly/2ZDgUI9 - 5 tickets for $22; 8 tickets for $33; 11 tickets for $44 - day of sale prices are slightly higher. At District Pier at The Wharf, 101 District Square SW. Event website: http://bit.ly/FilipinoFoodFest

Saturday, June 22 from 6 - 10 PM, Solstice Saturday at the Zoo. On June 22 the Smithsonian marks the first Saturday of summer, Solstice Saturday, by staying open late and hosting a free dance party featuring music by DJ COV, kid-friendly activities and sweet treats. Visitors can also see a special screening of "PANDAS" at 6 PM ($1 tickets) or "Jurassic Park" at 7:30 PM  ($5 tickets). Buy tickets at the Zoo’s Visitor Center Box Office or online at http://bit.ly/2WOOrNu. The Zoo is at 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW. More info at https://nationalzoo.si.edu/events/solstice-saturday-zoo

Saturday, June 22 at 8:37 PM, The Solstice with the Mostest! Did you know that nothing really rhymes with solstice? It’s one of those rare English words, like orange or silver, that has a number of creative near-rhymes but no true rhyme. While others may take this day to celebrate the official start of summer and the day with the most hours of daylight, at this summer solstice event we will glory in the malleability of English to come up with creative near-rhymes for the un-rhyme-able Solstice. To get you into the creative rhyming spirit, look at these: http://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme.cgi?Word=solstice&org2=l&org3=y&typeofrhyme=nry&org1=syl ….and “mostest” isn’t even on the list! Come equipped with your own suggestions for near-rhymes/rhyming phrases, or a whole poem - try a limerick! - about the summer solstice. We will vote on the winners in a few different categories and award prizes! Starts at dusk, 8:37 PM in the front of the Cleveland Park Library. To register your entries in advance of the contest, go to: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent

Sunday, June 23 at 10:30 AM, Drag Queen Story Hour. Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is just what it sounds like—drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, bookstores, and community centers. DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real. We are excited to announce that the DC chapter of DQSH has partnered with DCPL, The Line Hotel, and the Adams Morgan Community Center to bring this program to the District of Columbia. Our queens are professionally trained by the exceptional staff at DCPL, who will also be on hand for limited mobile check out. If you have any questions / comments / concerns, please feel free to reach out to our DC chapter dc @ dragqueenstoryhour dot org. Registration is encouraged, but not required: pre-register at http://bit.ly/2IQb9zS (one per child). Free. At the LINE Hotel DC / Adams Morgan Community Center, 1770 Euclid Street NW. More info: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/64309 

Monday, June 24, 4:30 PM, Butterflies at the Library: Butterfly (Release?) Party. Children of all ages and families are invited to a butterfly party to celebrate the metamorphosis of our insect friends over this past month from caterpillar to butterfly. Enjoy a butterfly story, snacks and activities, and, if nature works on our schedule, we will release our butterflies into the wild to continue their life cycle. Free. At the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/64110

Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 PM, “The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret”: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon. Mary Thompson discusses and signs copies of her new book on the enslaved people of Mount Vernon. Based on decades of original work on the people who lived and worked at George Washington’s plantation, this is destined to be one of the most important works on George Washington and slavery ever published, combining deeply original and precise scholarship about the enslaved people of Mount Vernon with a rich understanding of George Washington’s life and views on what he recognized as one of the most critical social and political challenges facing the United States. The talk will last approximately 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and refreshments. Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event. Free. At Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, , 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. More info: https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public 

Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 PM, History of Tenant Organizing in Washington, DC. Provoked by mass evictions and the onset of gentrification in the 1970s, tenants in Washington, DC, began forming cooperative organizations to collectively purchase and manage their apartment buildings. This seminar and discussion on the history of tenant organizing and housing co-operative formation will be led by Amanda Huron, professor at the University of the District of Columbia and author of Carving out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, DC. Free. Register at http://bit.ly/2N5U7TA. At Mt. Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/63931

Tuesday, June 25 from 6:30 - 7:45 PM, The Dark Side of the Universe. Of what is the universe made? Recent observations suggest surprising results. Not only is most of the matter in the universe dark and unconventional but, more surprisingly, the major component of the universe may be what's called "dark energy"—a form of energy that opposes the pull of gravity and causes the universe's expansion to accelerate. By combining recent observations of clusters and large-scale structures, distant supernovae, and the cosmic microwave background radiation, we find evidence for a universe comprised of 5 percent normal atomic matter, 20 percent non-atomic dark matter, and 75 percent "dark energy." The observations suggest a universe that is lightweight. With only 25 percent of its critical mass-density needed to halt the universal expansion, the universe will likely expand forever. Dr. Neta A. Bahcall (Eugene Higgins Professor of Astrophysics, Princeton University) will discuss the observations of the dark side of the universe and their implications. This talk celebrates the legacy of Vera Rubin and is associated with a symposium in her honor. Free. Register at http://bit.ly/31EWa4r. At the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P Street NW. More info: https://carnegiescience.edu/event-category/1671   

Wednesday, June 26 at 3:30 PM, Art Attack: Aboriginal Dot Painting. Learn fascinating facts about a famous artistic style and create art inspired by its masterpieces. This week we'll be looking at Aboriginal Dot painting. This program is for ages 7 and up. Free. At Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/64272 

Wednesday, June 26 from 7 - 8:30 PM, Jane Austen Trivia Night! Get ready for Dumbarton House’s annual Jane Austen Film Festival with a night of trivia. Spend an evening in the North Garden with your team proving your knowledge of Austen’s books, life, and the regency world. Winners will receive a wonderful Jane Austen themed prize! Refreshments will be available for purchase. Please bring your own chairs or blankets for seating. In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled and tickets refunded. Tickets: General Admission $6.00 + $1.30 fee; Dumbarton House Member Admission $5.00 + $1.25 fee - purchase tickets at: http://dumbartonhouse.org/event/jane-austen-trivia-night. Dumbarton House is at 2715 Q Street NW in Georgetown.

Thursday, June 27 from 6:30 - 7:45, Universe or Multiverse? Cosmological observations show that on the largest scales accessible to our telescopes, the universe is very uniform, and the same laws of physics operate in all the parts of it that we can see. Rather paradoxically, the theory that explains this uniformity also predicts that on extremely large scales, the situation may look totally different. Instead of being a single spherically symmetric balloon, our universe may look like a multiverse—a collection of many different exponentially large balloons with different laws of physics operating in each. In the beginning, this picture looked more like a piece of science fiction than a scientific theory. However, recent developments in inflationary cosmology, particle physics, and string theory provide strong evidence supporting this new cosmological paradigm. Presented by Dr. Andrei Linde: Professor of Physics, Stanford University; Kavli Prize Laureate. The conversation will be moderated by George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs Director and Emmy winning journalist Frank Sesno. Free admission - $10 donation requested - register at http://bit.ly/2MTEn6c. At the Carnegie Institution for Science, 1530 P St. NW.

Thursday, June 27 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks - The Turn of the Tide: World War II in 1943. Military historian David Silbey will lead a discussion on 1943, the year in which the Allied Powers took the upper hand during the Second World War. Free. At the Georgetown Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/64016    

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