The DC Lineup for this weekend: education, enrichment and citywide engagement
Local talent takes the stage in this weekend’s edition of The DC Lineup, with artists, small businesses and homemade sewing experts showcasing their creativity.
The weather will be relatively mild compared to the heavy rain at the start of the week. Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast on Friday and Saturday, with partly cloudy conditions prevailing otherwise. Temperatures will range from 70 to 89 degrees.
1. Community Service: Gather for the virtual event “Mask-making + Community of Hope” presented by Edlavitch DCJCC and Community of Hope, which aids families experiencing homelessness by providing services like housing and health care. Community of Hope will share more about its work, and then attendees are invited to participate in an interactive online tutorial about making face coverings to donate to Community of Hope and other organizations that serve those in need throughout the District. No experience — or sewing machine — is necessary. The program is on Sunday from 5 to 6:15 p.m. It is free to attend but tickets are required.
2. Ward 6 Neighborhoods: The Southwest Business Improvement District is unable to host its regular Sunday Supper events due to the pandemic, so the organizers have reimagined the series as “Ode to Sunday Suppers.” An interactive public art installation by DC-based artist Beth Ferraro is on display at the Southwest Duck Pond, on the corner of 6th and I streets SW. It includes two chairs on either end of a long table emblazoned with the word “commUNITY,” meant to signify that physical distance need not keep us from staying connected. Viewers are invited to add to the installation by writing on it with chalk, and to look through packets of poems attached to some of the red rocking chairs nearby. A complementary website features more poetry as well as music from local DJs, a book list, information about ways to engage with the community in Southwest DC and an invitation to submit original poems about the neighborhood to the “commUNITY” poetry contest. Winners will receive gift cards to area restaurants. Sunday Suppers usually happen throughout August in the Southwest Duck Pond Park, providing opportunities for community members to break bread together and take part in a communal activity to cap the weekend.
3. Community: District Bridges and DC Shop Small are taking the long-running MidCity Dog Days sidewalk sale online — and citywide — this year on Saturday and Sunday. All DC businesses with e-commerce operations are welcome to participate; a free online course is available for those who aren’t already using e-commerce. Event sponsors include neighborhood Main Street associations across the city and the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development. Some limited in-person sidewalk sales are also taking place outdoors in Dupont Circle, with adherence to physical distancing guidelines, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
4. Comedy: Keegan Theatre’s Boiler Room Series Live is donating half of this Saturday’s ticket sales to For The Gworls, an initiative that raises money to cover rent or gender-affirming surgery for a Black trans person. The charitable beneficiary was selected by the evening’s performer, Chani Wereley, a professional actor, singer and dancer who is based in the District and has been nominated for a Helen Hayes Award. Her show Hard Times Part 2 starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5; donations are accepted before and during the livestream.
5. Family: This weekend, the DC nonprofit Rainbow Families is hosting its annual family conference, which first took place in 2004. This year’s theme is “Our Families Our Future.” The schedule includes a raffle; information about organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community; and workshops on topics like parenting, diversity and race, finance, law and education. The event is from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Registration costs $35 for adults; the children’s program is free. Rainbow Families also has a Families Assistance Fund to help those for whom the entrance fees would be a burden.
6. Music (and Pie): The local musician Justin Jones presents a livestream concert this Sunday hosted by Pie Shop DC. Jones’ music has been called “good strong radio-friendly rock ’n’ roll” by NPR. The DC native’s live performance is sweetened with pie. Pie Shop is offering delivery in the Washington area, and its vast pie menu includes sweet favorites like apple and lemon meringue as well as savory treats like tofu curry and a crab and cheddar quiche. The restaurant, which is now generally open until 9 or 10 p.m. for curbside pickup and delivery, frequently hosted live music at its 1339 H St. NE location until the public health emergency.
7. Music: The local musical ensemble Liberated Muse Arts Group is paying tribute to American novelist Toni Morrison with a performance that premiered early this year with live shows at the DC Public Library and the Kennedy Center. The next stop is the 2020 virtual Artomatic arts festival, which continues through Aug. 20. The Liberated Muse Arts Group performance — taking place just two days after the first anniversary of the Nobel laureate’s death — is also “giving voice” to the Black Lives Matter movement, according to the description. The event is from 7 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and can be viewed on Liberated Muse’s Facebook page. Artomatic is featuring DC artists again on Saturday with “The Future Fablists,” a mix of storytelling, activism and heritage that incorporates various artistic disciplines. Sylvana Christopher, a DC choreographer and artistic director of Sylvidances, and John Lee, a local guitarist, bandleader and music teacher, are among the performers. This hourlong event takes place on Zoom, starting at 4 p.m., with the livestream also accessible via Facebook and YouTube.
8. Education: Washington National Cathedral’s Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage has created a Spiritual Summer Camp for adults. This Sunday’s lesson, “Lectio Divina: A Doorway Into Creative Prayer,” highlights practices like poetry, art and intentional reading of sacred texts as a means to nurture the spirit. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. The hourlong program starts at 4 p.m. … National United Methodist Church is also offering virtual adult education classes. “The Ants on the Page: Music Reading for Adults” breaks down how to read notes and sing (particularly from a hymnal). The weeklong course starts on Sunday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and continues with classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Another session of the course takes place the next week adhering to the same schedule. Both are for ages 15 and older. Materials cost $8 and online registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
9. Film: The sixth edition of the DC-based Global Impact Film Festival is taking place virtually this weekend. The fest began on Thursday at 6 p.m. and continues through Sunday at 10 p.m. Over 56 short films from 15 countries will be shown. Topics include identity, health and healing, displacement, the environment, social relations and global outreach. Ticket prices start at $19. A Q&A with directors, virtual networking parties and all film screenings — plus access for seven days afterward — are included in the $19 pass.
10. Music: Songbyrd is highlighting local artists this weekend during its livestream event #HECOULDNEVER, which features DC trap musician Litty Official’s debut mixtape as well as tracks by DJ YungUptown, also based in the District. Tickets cost $20 for online access. The show is from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and will also be projected outside on a screen for patrons who are at Songbyrd’s physically distanced outdoor eatery, 2477 18th St. NW. The seating stretches onto a blocked-off portion of 18th Street in Adams Morgan, where business leaders are seeking to reinstate the “streatery” established for a weekend in June.
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