Thursday, February 20, 2020

Get Out! The Events Column, February 21 - 27, 2020

Mardi Gras Photo by Capitol Cider House
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 14,600+ 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, February 21 at 12 noon, Lunch and Conversation: Kids in Birmingham 1963 - Shape Your Legacy. Birmingham, Alabama earned its place in history when the events of 1963 brought civil rights to the forefront. Fifty years after those events changed the course of US history, people began actively telling their stories to spark actions for social justice. “Kids in Birmingham 1963” offers you the chance to consider how their storytelling experience could help you shape your own personal narrative. Join this session and let them lead you through a few simple steps. Practice telling one of your stories in a way that brings it alive. The founder of this group lives in Tenleytown and looks forward to hearing your stories. Register here: http://bit.ly/2v22Eia. Free. At the Tenley-Friendship Library, 4450 Wisconsin Avenue NW. More info: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66062 

Friday February 21 at 12:30 PM, Lunch Bites Lecture: A Map of the Province of New York, with Part of Pensilvania, and New England. Join Society of the Cincinnati’s Library Assistant Kieran O’Keefe for a discussion of a hand-colored map of New York published in 1775 and of mapmaking in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. The map was based on a survey conducted by John Montresor, a British military engineer and cartographer. The map primarily details New York but also shows parts of the surrounding colonies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and what would later become Vermont. Designed for military use, Montresor placed specific emphasis on lakes, rivers, streams, and roads, all of which were vital during wartime. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes with time afterwards for up-close viewing of the map. Free. At the Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. For more info about this and other Anderson House events go to: https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public     

Saturday, February 22 from 9:30 AM - 12 PM Staying in the Neighborhood: From House to Apartment. Have you been thinking about downsizing from your house to an apartment but want to remain in the Cleveland Park/Woodley Park neighborhood? If so, we have a program that may help you make that decision and figure out what you need to do to make the change. Session I on Saturday: Done It! The Why, Where and How from people who’ve done it Do It! Declutter and Downsize with Cull & Tend. (Snow date: Feb. 23 from 1-3 PM).  Session II will be held on Saturday, March 21 from 9:30 AM - 12 PM: Do It! Finding an Apartment. Hear from realtors from RLAH and Keller Williams and get tips for preparing your home for sale. Do It! Financial Nuts and Bolts with Heritage Investors Management Corporation. At the Cleveland Park Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW.  This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please visit the below links to register: Session I: https://stayintheneighborhood1.eventbrite.com; Session II: https://stayintheneighborhood2.eventbrite.com 

Saturday, February 22 at 1 PM, "Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home." Dr. Richard Bell, Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, discusses the gripping and true story about five boys who in 1825 were kidnapped in the North and smuggled into slavery in the Deep South—and their daring attempt to escape and bring their captors to justice. More info: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66337. Free. At the Georgetown Library, 3260 R Street NW 

Saturday February 22 from 4 - 7 PM, Mardi Gras at DC Wharf. We're bringing New Orleans to DC! Come celebrate Mardi Gras with a free, community-wide extravaganza featuring a lively parade down Wharf Street, a dance party with live music on District Pier, and a special fireworks finale. Mardi Gras parade starts at 4 PM, led by the all-women's drum corps Batalá, and featuring stilt walkers, Eastern High School's Blue and White Marching Machine, and the Mardi Gras king and queen. The parade begins at Blair Alley (near Shake Shack), proceeds down Wharf Street towards Recreation Pier, curves around 7th Street Park, and continues along Maine Avenue before ending at District Square. Following the parade, head to District Pier where you can dance and sing along to live Cajun-Zydeco music from the Crawdaddies. When the sun sets, look to the sky for our big Mardi Gras fireworks finale! Throughout the day, we'll have fun activities for all ages, including DC Lottery's amazing prize wheel, balloon animals, and crafts for kids. This event is FREE and open to all ages. Arrive early to get a good viewing spot for the parade. At District Pier. Directions and more on scheduled events at: https://www.wharfdc.com/upcoming-events/2020-02-22-mardi-gras/     

Sunday, February 23 from 12:30 - 2:30 PM, Family Gras. Join us for our 2nd annual Family Gras - a family-friendly Mardi Gras celebration at Capitol Cider House. Kids will enjoy complimentary face painting, balloon animals, festive crafts, beads (gently) thrown from a cider house float. Adults will enjoy our stellar weekday happy hour: $4 pours of house cider, $5 craft beer, $6 local wine, $7 cocktails. As an added bonus, we're flying in king cake from Gambino's - a legendary New Orleans bakery. Tickets ($10) required for ALL AGES. It's highly recommended to purchase tickets ahead of time - go to: http://bit.ly/3c4dCoi. Tickets sell fast and the event is expected to sell out before doors open. Full food and drink menus will be available. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Capitol Cider House is at 3930 Georgia Avenue NW.

Sunday, February 23 at 6 PM, Profs and Pints Presents: “Monumental Controversies,” with Fred Bohrer, professor of art and archaeology at Hood College, art historian, and author of the website Monumental Anxiety: An Anti-Guide to the Monuments of Washington, DC. Even more than most cities, Washington, DC is filled with monuments and commemorative spaces, which generally serve mainly as a sort of backdrop of urban life. In the past few years, though, many public monuments in Washington and elsewhere have faced new scrutiny, criticism and even direct attack. Chief among such controversies is the current battle over Confederate monuments, which can be found in every corner of the nation. In fact, Washington itself has a public, outdoor monument to a confederate general and KKK sympathizer—Albert Pike—disguising him as a poet and philosopher. But many other controversies also play out around monuments. Washington has several that bring up—sometimes mainly through their attempts at avoiding—questions of sexual orientation, disability, ideology, social class, and much more. What is at stake in the new battle over monuments? How and why do monuments today have the power to inspire such vehement passions among both defenders and detractors? This talk is for anyone who has wondered about the prominent place of monuments in cities and towns, the nature of historical memory, and how things such as race, gender, sexuality, and cultural identity are inscribed in America’s public landscape. Advance tickets: $12. Door admission: $15, discount of $2 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. At the Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St NW. Buy tickets online: https://profspintsmonuments.brownpapertickets.com/ 

Monday, February 24 at 12 noon, Gallery Talk: “George Washington and His World.” Assistant Curator Amber “Jackie” Streker leads a unique tour through the exhibition George Washington and His World. Discover hidden details about the objects and get an insider’s perspective about curating the exhibition—all from the curator herself. Featuring a variety of artifacts, including letters from George Washington and rare prints and maps, George Washington and His World delves into Washington's life through three locations dear to his heart—Mount Vernon, Alexandria, and early Washington, DC. Free. At The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, 701 21 Street, NW, https://museum.gwu.edu/george-washington-talk 

Monday, February. 24 at 6:30 PM, Mosaic on the Move - Reconstruction. The West End Library is excited to host Mosaic Theater for a free staged reading of the play "Reconstruction" by Tom Mintor. Join Mosaic actors and staff for a free reading and discussion of this important play. In the wake of her mother's death, an African American television exec, Ioni Mitchell navigates feelings of isolation.. and loss of family - until memories of her mother take to directing Ioni's focus to a portrait, that has always hung above her bed. In identifying the artist of the portrait, Ioni discovers choices made in an America of the 1870s, whose consequences and deeper secrets haunt an unexpected ancestor, in contemporary France. The play, moving in time between the present and 1875 - America and France - bears witness to a startling family history of caste and color ... which reveals crucial hard truths attached to the reality of freedom ... and freedom of choice. Free. At the West End Library, 2301 L St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/65502

Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30 PM, Politics, Poetry and the Harlem Renaissance. In honor of Black History Month, visit West End Library for a discussion of the interplay of political struggle and artistic expression during the Harlem Renaissance. In spite of the tendency of Harlem Renaissance poets to eschew propaganda and elevate art over politics, the racial situation was so difficult in the interwar period that art and politics frequently became entangled. Among the events that stimulated an artistic response were the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 and the Scottsboro Incident of July 1931. The first was perhaps the worst outbreak of racial violence that spread through the United States during the so-called Red Summer of 1919. The Chicago Riot, as well as most other race riots of this period, was characterized by armed white mobs invading black neighborhoods and inflicting violence on blacks and their property. The Scottsboro Incident began in 1931 in Alabama when nine black teenagers were arrested and accused of sexually assaulting two white women. The trials, appeals and retrials lasted through the 1930s and illustrated the difficulty of African Americans receiving justice in the courts of the segregated South. Links to resources and readings that may aid in your understanding of these events are available here: https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66525. This program is free and open to all. At the West End Library, 2301 L St. NW.

Tuesday, February 25 starting at 7 AM, National Pancake Day at all IHOPs, including DC’s IHOP at 3100 14th St NW. For National Pancake Day, enjoy a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes at IHOP. One free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per guest! Dine-in only. And a chance to win pancakes for life and other fabulous prizes! Your donations benefit: Children’s Miracle Network; Shriners Hospitals for Children; Leukemia Lymphoma Society. More information on IHOP/National Pancake Day here: https://www.ihop.com/en/national-pancake-day 

Tuesday February 25 at 12 noon: Fat Tuesday Goes Low-Fat - and So Much More! On Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday” in English), it’s traditional to bake a “King Cake,” a high-fat, high-sugar treat named for the male heir to the throne. How retro - and how unhealthy! Time for a do-over, to update tradition in a way that does not exclude anyone and will serve everyone’s dietary needs. At this free workshop, we will teach you how to prepare a non-monarchial, non-binary-gender “Infant-of-the-People Cake,” using only gluten- and allergen-free ingredients, totally plant-based and healthfully low in sugar and fat. Of course, this will be a child-safe cake, minus the swallowing hazard of the plastic baby insert. Nor will we substitute a potentially tooth-breaking bean. Our gender-neutral baby will sit proudly atop the cake for all to see (not hiding inside as if in a confectionery closet!). Sign up for the workshop here: http://bit.ly/cpfakeevent. Can’t attend? You can still learn to bake the cake - see recipe at this link: https://strengthandsunshine.com/gluten-free-king-cake-vegan-allergy-free/. (This is definitely the Weekly Fake Event -- but the recipe is quite real! And it’s probably pretty good, too! If you bake it, please take a pic and email it to events @ fastmail dot net)

Wednesday, February 26 at 7 PM, Book Hill Talks: A Conversation with Carolyn Forché. Carolyn Forché, Director of the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice, University Professor of English and Advisory Board Member of the Gender + Justice Initiative at Georgetown University, is the author of 2019 National Book award finalist, What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance. She will be on hand to discuss her careers in writing and activism. Free. At Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R St. NW, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66568

Wednesday, February 26 at 7 PM, Urban Renewal, Gentrification and the Origins of 'East of the River' - A Discussion with Derek Musgrove. Join us for a discussion with local historian G. Derek Musgrove, author of Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital. The talk will explore the role that forms of displacement, namely urban renewal and gentrification, west of the river played in creating the late 20th century idea of a poor black community 'East of the River.' The talk is part of our partnership with the Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum's exhibit "A Right to the City" exploring the history of neighborhood change in Washington, DC. Free. At Anacostia Library, 1800 Good Hope Road SE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66268 

Thursday February 27 from 2 - 4 PM, International Polar Bear Day Party. Come celebrate International Polar Bear Day at the Capitol View Neighborhood Library to learn about polar bears, their environment, and engage in fun activities for the whole family. We'll have stories about polar bears, do a polar bear craft and watch a film. There will also be a chance to design a polar bear's sweater and do a polar bear word search. Free. Capitol View Neighborhood Library is at 5001 Central Ave SE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66333

Thursday, February 27 at 6 PM, Black History Month Family Feud. Enjoy a lively Black History Month Family Feud style game - complete with game buzzers, sound effects and all! Teams with patrons of all ages battle it out as they collectively use their knowledge of people, places, and events in Black History to see who will emerge as the winning team. Free, no registration necessary - come on out and join the fun! At the Woodridge Library, 1801 Hamlin Street NE, https://www.dclibrary.org/node/66286

Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 PM, Lecture: Captives of Liberty: Prisoners of War and the Politics of Vengeance in the American Revolution. T. Cole Jones, assistant professor of history at Purdue University, discusses and signs copies of his book examining the ways the revolutionary generation dealt with the more than 17,000 enemy soldiers captured during the war. The number of enemy prisoners in American custody often exceeded that of American soldiers in the Continental Army. These prisoners proved increasingly burdensome for the new nation as the war progressed, and a series of thorny political issues compounded these logistical difficulties. From the meeting rooms of the Continental Congress to the prison camps of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Dr. Jones will explore the factors that transformed the fight for independence into a war for vengeance. The talk will last approximately 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and refreshments. Registration is required for this free event: http://bit.ly/37IYlFV.  At Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue NW. For more info about this and other Anderson House events go to: https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public       

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