The DC Lineup for this weekend: helping health care workers and stay-at-home options

Community service tops our Lineup for the third straight weekend, this time to help health care workers who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual entertainment continues as the public is encouraged to stay home: dance parties, gardening classes, thought-provoking discussions and an online rendition of the Cherry Blossom Festival are all digital options this weekend, March 27 to 29. For a treat, try a local chef’s homemade bagels at a no-touch pop-up shop in Logan Circle.

The weather will be cloudy on Friday and Sunday, with rain on Saturday (another reason to stay inside). Temperatures should range from 52 to 75 degrees, according to the forecast.

1. Community Service: The DC Department of Health’s Medical Reserve Corps is recruiting volunteers 18 and older to help with coronavirus response efforts like medical screenings, mass care settings, patient tracking, and distribution of preventive resources like protective gear and medicine. Applications are open online. The Health Department is especially seeking people who have medical experience; those without will receive free training.

2. Community Service: Since hospitals are running low on personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, the DC-area organizers of the national grassroots effort Get Us PPE are working to bring this gear to health care workers. The campaign #GetMePPEDC encourages the community to donate any unused PPE they may have at home, especially N95 respirator masks. Some health care facilities will accept open packages.

3. Community Service: The staff at Carine’s Bridal Atelier is sewing and delivering face masks for medical workers and is in need of materials like dishcloths, shirts (cotton-blend and 100% cotton), vacuum cleaner bags and 3/8-inch elastic. Donations can be dropped off at Carine’s, 1623 Wisconsin Ave. NW. The bridal shop is also seeking donations to support the project via a GoFundMe campaign that had raised $7,500 of its $8,000 goal as of Friday morning.

4. Dance: The DC-based DJ service Scorpio Entertainment is hosting a virtual dance party on Saturday. The event description notes that “the COVID-19 health crisis crashed the party like a bad request clears the dance floor,” and that amid these challenging conditions the goal of this digital meet-up is just to have fun. The 90-minute livestreamed set will feature a range of music dating back to the ’70s, including genres like Motown, disco, R&B, hip-hop, country, electronic dance music and showtunes. Reservations are required to obtain the link and password to the livestream; donations are suggested. The gathering starts at 8 p.m.

5. Nature: The DC Department of Parks and Recreation is hosting a free Urban Grower Webinar Course every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom from March 24 to April 30. The two-hour classes are being recorded, so this weekend you can catch up on the first two classes — “Building a Garden” and “Vegetable Planting and Maintenance” — if you missed them and prepare for the weeks ahead. This is an adaptation of the agency’s Urban Gardener Certification Course, which usually meets at various sites around the District.

6. Recreation: On March 25, the National Cherry Blossom Festival officially moved online. In a video of the blossoming trees, a National Park Service ranger explains the history of the festival and how it celebrates a long-standing friendship with Japan. The digital fest also includes some of the typical programs — there’s an auction and even a reimagined opening ceremony, co-presented annually with the Japan Foundation, in which those who were scheduled to perform shared videos of Japanese culture through music and song. A Blossom Kids page engages youth with arts and crafts. The virtual celebration will run through April 12.

7. Dance: The annual DC Tap Fest, now in its 12th year, is celebrating tap dance with a mini virtual festival this year on Saturday and Sunday featuring Emmy-nominated choreographers, Broadway tap performers, and a MacArthur genius. Online master classes, industry talks and a student showcase are on the schedule from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday. An interactive concert takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Additionally, DC Tap Fest is making a festival video featuring homemade videos submitted by the public. Ticket prices range from $10 to $75, with varying levels of access and participation. 

8. Food & Drink: While normal restaurant operations are suspended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the chef behind Estadio — Rob Rubba — is putting his efforts into a weekend bagel pop-up called Scrappy’s. It will be open this weekend from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with a contact-free pickup window at Estadio, 1520 14th St. NW. Bagels are made fresh and cost $2.25 each. Half pints of schmears are priced at $10 for lox, $5 for whipped cream cheese, $6 for French toast butter and $6 for baba ganouj. Eater reports that Scrappy’s sold out of 150 bagels in three hours during last Sunday’s test run.

9. Global Outreach/Community Service: Citizens for Global Solutions is a DC-based nonprofit that works to solve international challenges. This Saturday, the group is hosting its UN2020 Monthly Update Conference Call from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. The conversation centers around updating a draft of a civil society declaration that will be presented to the United Nations in April or May. All are invited to attend.

10. Education: DC-based Profs and Pints has moved its lecture series online. The first live event — “Summoning Fairies” — takes place Friday at 7 p.m. It features Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, two former Ohio State University instructors who co-founded the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic. The initiative is a digital classroom that says its aim is to “re-enchant daily life, one story at a time.” Cleto and Warman will discuss the history of fairies and their place in modern media. A Q&A session will follow. The event costs $12 to attend, and both the lecture and audience discussion will be recorded and available to registrants afterward for one week.