DC's 3 Stars Brewing Co. will host a launch party Sunday afternoon for its latest brew, a collaboration with Solace Brewing Co. of Dulles, Virginia. Sunday's event will include beers from other local breweries as well as food trucks and music at the 6400 Chillum Place NW facility. (Photo courtesy of 3 Stars Brewing Co.)

The DC Lineup for this weekend: cats, crafts and climate change

By Jennifer Anne Mitchell On Mar 6, 2020 Last updated Mar 8, 2020

The next few days in the District include community-building opportunities such as a gathering to feed DC residents who are experiencing homelessness, a workshop about business development in the city, and an auction that benefits a local elementary school. Women’s History Month celebrations, pet adoption events, a brewery showcase, and talks about furniture making and climate change are other options for this weekend, March 6 to 8.

The weekend weather will start off with afternoon showers on Friday, followed by clouds on Saturday and sun on Sunday. Temperatures should range from 31 to 62 degrees, according to the forecast.

1. Community Service: Brandon Frye — who goes by “Food Dude USA” on social media — is frequently found tasting food at local restaurants. This Saturday, he is leading a gathering that is part of a series of events to feed people who are experiencing homelessness in the greater Washington area. Attendees are encouraged to bring food to give out at Franklin Square, 13th and K streets NW, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Frye regularly hosts public events, like an “All You Can Eat” Italian Feast next Saturday in Haymarket, Virginia.

Ross Elementary School will hold its 12th annual auction on Saturday at the Human Rights Campaign. (Photo courtesy of Ross Elementary School PTA)

2. Education: Dupont Circle’s Ross Elementary School is hosting its 12th annual auction on Saturday. Featured items available for bid include events appropriate for youth as well as adults like tickets to a National Symphony Orchestra family concert, a PLAY Day at Keegan Theatre and a wide range of summer camps. Prices range from a fixed ticket cost of $35 for a Cinco De Derby party (a joint Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo celebration) to a starting bid of $800 for a one-week stay at a Colorado mountain condo. The auction takes place on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW. It is free to attend, with online registration requested. Proceeds benefit the elementary school.

3. Local Business: Business Development: DC Main Streets 101 Training is a free daylong program with workshops and conversations about building a thriving commercial district. Featured speakers include representatives of the National Main Street Center, District Bridges and local areas like Shaw, H Street NE, Dupont Circle, Congress Heights and Rhode Island Avenue NE. The training runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Room 1117 at the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development, One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St. NW.

4. Food & Drink: 3 Stars Brewing Co. is debuting its latest brew, Flashy Ways, which is made in collaboration with Solace Brewing Co. The launch party Solace Collab Can Drop and Local Brewery Speakeasy happens this Sunday. Along with Flashy Ways’ debut, the event will feature beers from local breweries Solace, Silver Branch, Ocelot and Astro Lab — plus neighboring establishments Commonwealth in Virginia Beach, Union in Baltimore and Manor Hill in Ellicott City, Maryland. Food trucks and music will also be part of the festivities. The celebration is from 1 to 6 p.m. at 3 Stars Brewing Co., 6400 Chillum Place NW. General admission tickets cost $25 and include one beer and a four-pack of Flashy Ways. VIP tickets cost $50 and include benefits of general admission plus early entry at noon with first access to speciality taps.

5. Arts: In honor of International Women’s Day, more than 50 artworks created by a dozen local female and female-identifying artists will be displayed at the Each for Equal Garage Art Show & Bazaar. DJs Heather and Myra from the DC-based cross-cultural arts collective Meso Creso are also part of the program, as is street food from a project called Recipes for Resilience, which features recipes from refugees and migrants who identify as female and live in the District. Cocktails will be served by guest bartenders and Wine Key Experience, a local, woman-owned bartending and catering business. The event is Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. at The Cheshire, 2412 18th St. NW. Tickets cost $15.

6. Animals: Arlington-based Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is hosting three adoption events in DC this weekend. On Saturday, cats will be available for adoption from noon to 2 p.m. at Friendship Hospital for Animals, 4105 Brandywine St. NW. A vet from the hospital will be on site to provide free exams and answer questions. Dogs will be available for adoption on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the apartment complex âme at Meridian Hill, 2601 16th St. NW, as well as on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at Petco, 1503 New York Ave. NE. Those interested in adopting can get started on the process with an online adoption questionnaire. The organizers are also looking for volunteers to handle the pets during Saturday’s gathering. For those who aren’t ready or able to adopt a pet, Lucky Dog kittens can be found at Crumbs and Whiskers, a “kitten lounge” at 3109 M St. NW that allows visitors to play with rescue kittens and consider adoption.

7. Culture: To celebrate Women’s History Month, the forum Rewriting Herstory: Why Latinas Must Get Counted in DC will highlight the impact that Latinas make in the District. The focus of the talk will be challenges with ensuring complete census counts. The discussion takes place Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Frank D. Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW. It is free to attend, and will be conducted in Spanish with English interpretation available. The Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs and the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives are co-hosts.

8. Film: Local filmmakers are featured on the opening night of this weekend’s Women Filmmakers Festival at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). Friday’s program includes screenings of short films created by female and non-binary artists in DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia, as well as conversations with the filmmakers. Be Steadwell, Stephanie Williams, Britt Sankofa and Sobia Ahmad (currently a Halcyon Arts Lab fellow) are the selected filmmakers from the District. Friday’s event takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Eaton DC, 1201 K St. NW. The festival continues on Saturday at SAAM’s McEvoy Auditorium, 8th and F streets NW. All events are free to attend. Registration is required.

The James Renwick Alliance will present a talk on Sunday by furniture maker Annie Evelyn as part of the Distinguished Artist Series. (Photo courtesy of James Renwick Alliance)

9. Arts: The James Renwick Alliance is a DC-based organization that celebrates contemporary American craft. They support the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, which is focused on American craft and decorative arts, and host public programs like their current Distinguished Artist Series at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center. This weekend, furniture maker Annie Evelyn will speak about her work from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday at the museum, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The lecture is free to attend and no reservations are required. The James Renwick Alliance is also hosting a workshop on Saturday in which Evelyn will demonstrate her craft from 9:30 a.m. to noon at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville, Maryland. Workshop tickets cost $50 for alliance members and $60 for non-members.

10. Environment: Leaders of several DC cultural institutions are speaking at Heritage at Risk: A Dialogue on the Effects of Climate Change. Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and Nora Lockshin, senior conservator at the Smithsonian Institution Archives, join panelists from around the world to discuss how cultural heritage relates to climate change. The talk takes place Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F streets NW. It is free to attend. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. This is part of a two-day conference hosted by SAAM and the Smithsonian’s National Collections Program.