The U.S. Botanic Garden will present an online talk Saturday on how to mount an orchid on a piece of cork bark. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Botanic Garden)

The DC Lineup for this weekend: history, health and high school prom

By Jennifer Anne Mitchell On Apr 17, 2020 Last updated Apr 16, 2020

DC-based events over the next few days offer options to celebrate Earth Day a few days early. Seminars on health, education, Palestine, road trips, architecture and design — plus a traditional Indian dance and a high school prom — are also on the docket for this weekend, April 17 to 19.

The weather will be cloudy on Friday, followed by morning showers on Saturday and then mostly sunny conditions on Sunday. Temperatures should range from 39 to 66 degrees, according to the forecast.

1. Nature and Spirituality: The Washington National Cathedral and Interfaith Power & Light celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with an online multi-faith Earth Day service on Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The gathering highlights how different religious traditions express their call to protecting the Earth through climate action. Participating groups include Creation Justice Ministries, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, EcoSikh, Evangelical Environmental Network, Global Catholic Climate Movement, GreenFaith, One Earth Sangha, the Bhumi Project and Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth.

2. Dance: Local DJ Chris Styles is organizing a virtual prom for all the high school seniors that are missing out the typical prom experience due to the COVID-19 crisis. Styles will play what he calls a “Prom Like Live Stream DJ set” from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Teachers and administrators are welcome to join the class of 2020 for this event, and youth are encouraged to dress up and take pictures. It is free to attend.

Manal Deeb’s “Young Palestine,” mixed media and acrylic paint on stretched canvas, is featured in the “Art of Palestinian Women” exhibit at the Museum of the Palestinian People in Northwest DC. (Photo courtesy of the artist and the Museum of the Palestinian People)

3. Culture: The Museum of the Palestinian People — which opened last summer at 18th and T streets NW — is presenting a live virtual tour this Saturday led by docents and the museum’s founder and executive director, Bshara Nassar. The gathering will be on Zoom from 1 to 2 p.m., and it will highlight the 1948 Palestinian exodus Nakba, the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the contemporary art exhibition Art of Palestinian Women. The cost is a suggested $5 donation, which will go toward the museum’s emergency fund to maintain operations during this challenging time.

4. Education: DC-based Profs and Pints is hitting the road virtually this Friday night with “The Great American Road Trip.” During this talk, Trinity Washington University assistant professor of global affairs Allen Pietrobon will discuss historical travel stories like the Underground Railroad, the settlement of the western U.S., and the national tradition of cross-country road trips. Pietrobon will also explore books like Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charlie and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. A live Q&A will follow the lecture. Tickets cost $12. Ticket holders can access a recording of the event for 10 days afterward, plus they’ll receive a coupon for $12 off Roadtrippers Plus trip planning app to execute a voyage post-quarantine.

5. Education: Friendship Public Charter School Armstrong Academy invites parents of its students to a virtual town hall meeting on Friday from 6 to 7 p.m. The Zoom call will address distance learning and open the floor for questions. The Armstrong Academy serves DC youth from pre-K to eighth grade with an elementary and middle school.

6. Music: Sunrise DC is a youth climate change movement that fights for climate and environmental justice in the District. This Friday, leaders are joining with the national Sunrise movement for Songrise, a virtual open mic night on Zoom from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The goal is “to find community in these dark times,” according to the event description. Attendees are invited to perform a five-minute set of music, art, poetry or comedy, or just listen. Registration is required to receive login details.

7. Dance: Learn traditional Indian dance during “Mindful Movement: Bharatanatyam,” a class open to beginners led by DC-based dancer Pallavi Rudraraju that takes place on Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. on Instagram Live and Zoom. This is part of a Mindful Movement series geared toward LGBTQIA+ Asian Pacific Islanders, hosted by the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. “Attendees will discover the gender liberating nature of traditional dance, and in turn explore their own queerness through performance,” organizers say. Registration is required for Zoom, and the Instagram Live option will be broadcast at @NQAPIA. The class is free, but donations may be made directly to Rudraraju on Venmo at Pallavi-R.

8. Health: Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics & Agriculture (WANDA), founded by DC resident Tambra Raye Stevenson, is hosting weekly webinars about self-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Friday’s talk Cook for the Culture will focus on how to shop, cook, eat and grow food. It is from 6 to 7 p.m., and it is free to attend. The series consists of recorded lectures featuring guests with various health specializations such as diet, weight loss and behavior. Questions may be submitted beforehand to hello@iamwanda.org. WANDA has a presence in Africa and the Americas, including DC.

Barbara Schmidt leads an online demonstration presented by the U.S. Botanic Garden on Saturday about how to mount an orchid on a piece of cork bark. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Botanic Garden)

9. Nature: The U.S. Botanic Garden offers another way to celebrate nature this weekend. It is hosting a free online demonstration on how to mount an orchid on a piece of cork bark. Hosted by award-winning orchid specialist and author Barbara Schmidt, the program takes place this Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is limited to 100 participants. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday.

10. Film: The National Building Museum is moving the 2020 Architecture & Design Film Festival: DC online to meet audiences at home. The fest is geared toward architecture and design professionals as well as the general public. Though Sunday, films will be shown nightly at 8, with a live introduction, special guests and a Q&A afterward with the film’s director. The upcoming films highlight female architects and designers, architecture that is informed by nature, and energy-efficient Australian architecture. The cost for each screening is 99 cents. The Architecture & Design Film Festival is a national event; the National Building Museum hosted the first DC edition in 2018.

The DC Lineup Things to Do