The DC Lineup for this weekend: fall holidays, Native American heritage and home plate voting

This edition of The DC Lineup highlights events that align with the DC government’s guidelines for safer ways to celebrate the season, with many virtual or socially distanced outdoor options.

Election Day is just a few days away, so we’re giving you another friendly nudge to locate a convenient vote center or mail-in-ballot drop box on the DC Board of Elections website. With early voting now underway, we’ve also included a voting location of particular DC interest in our list for this weekend, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

The weather is predicted to be partly cloudy on Friday afternoon as well as Saturday, with afternoon showers on Sunday. Temperatures should range from 36 to 61 degrees (so don’t forget to wear a jacket).

1. Culture: Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead is an annual Mexican tradition. The Maryland-based nonprofit MPower NOW – MPrende YA is hosting a celebration at Lamont Park in Mount Pleasant on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. The ceremony honors ancestors and deceased loved ones by adding mementos like pictures, offerings, flowers, candles and decorations to an altar. This year, the event will include commemoration of those who have died from the novel coronavirus. Local artists will perform music and poetry throughout the day. Wearing face masks and social distancing will be enforced.

2. Politics: DC voters who haven’t yet cast their ballot can do so in a memorable setting: Nationals Park — site of World Series games little more than a year ago — is an early voting site open this weekend and on Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will also be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters enter the stadium, 1500 South Capitol St. SE, at the Home Plate Gate for check-in, and voting takes place in the Diamond Club. Face masks are required at all times. The Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, 3675 Ely Place SE, is also open on Election Day during the same time frame.

3. Community: Busboys and Poets is featuring Alicia Garza — activist, writer and co-founder of Black Lives Matter — at “Busboys and Friends: A Virtual Dinner Party” on Friday. Garza will discuss her new book, The Purpose of Power: How to Build Movements for the 21st Century. The publication is “an essential guide to building transformative movements to address the challenges of our time,” according to the description. The free talk takes place on Zoom from 6 to 7 p.m. Guests are encouraged to order food and drinks from Busboys and Poets.

4. Culture: Virtually tour the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian on the first day of Native American Heritage Month. Washington DC History & Culture is hosting the gathering (independent of the museum) on Zoom from 7:30 to 9:10 p.m. on Sunday. The free event will highlight the many unique elements of the museum, like its exhibitions, programs, Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe, architecture and landscaping. The tour description cites a quote from Donna E. House, a Navajo and Oneida botanist who oversaw the landscape design: “The landscape flows into the building, and the environment is who we are. We are the trees, we are the rocks, we are the water. And that had to be part of the museum.” 

5. Animals: The Barks and Boos Adoption Event showcases dogs that are available for adoption — decked out in Halloween costumes. The day starts with meet-and-greets with puppies from 1 to 1:30 p.m. and with adult dogs from 1 to 2 p.m. Interview sign-ups and interviews will take place immediately afterward on a first-come-first-served basis. Blackfinn Ameripub DC and Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation are hosting the program, and recommend reviewing the adoption process description and application beforehand. Waitlists are expected. The event takes place on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the pub, 1620 I St. NW.

6. Comedy: Washington Improv Theater is presenting “Hold Up: Halloween Special,” a virtual show that will feature Black comics examining literature from their own point of views. In lieu of a traditional academic review, the dialogue will focus on “modern context and individual perspectives.” The book to be discussed will be revealed during the show, and the performers will be wearing costumes. The free show will stream on Facebook Live on Saturday from 8 to 9 p.m. The cast is composed entirely of the improv/sketch team I Don’t Know Her (Nichole Hill, Precious Jenkins, Lauren Jordan and Simone Webster).

7. Environment: The DC Department of Public Works’ Zero Waste DC initiative reminds us that “pumpkins have a life after Halloween” with Pumpkin Rescue 2020, an event to prevent food waste by gathering Halloween pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns for composting or donation. The program will take place on Saturdays from Oct. 31 to Nov. 14 at participating farmers markets; on Sundays from Nov. 1 to 15 at Dupont Circle Farmers Market; and on Wednesdays from Nov. 4 to 18 at Kelly Miller Farmers Market. Food waste drop-off spots will be set up at each location.

8. Literature: The Capitol Hill Community Foundation is celebrating this year’s socially distanced Halloween with A Literary Pumpkin Walk. Local residents have set out jack-o-lanterns and other decorations that depict a favorite book or literary character. Through Saturday, the public is invited to take a self-guided tour around the area in lieu of trick-or-treating or Capitol Hill’s usual Literary Feast, an annual fall event. Attendees are invited to vote on their favorite display. The winner will be able to direct $1,000 to a neighborhood school of their choice, a nod to the tradition of the Literary Feast, which raises funds for nearby schools.

9. Family Fun: The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum has launched an “Air & Scare at Home” series. It includes air-and-space-themed art projects (Boo Blasters, Hallo-copter, Jack-o-chutes, Witch’s Broom and Halloween Windsock) and downloadable pumpkin stencils on its website, featuring designs like a spaceship, an airplane and U.S. Air Force and Navy insignia. Additionally, the museum’s Instagram account will feature “ScareSpace: Stories with an Air of Mystery” on Friday, with an Instagram Live broadcast at 3 p.m. about Jackie Cochran, Clairvoyance and Amelia Earhart. An Instagram story about Area 51 will be posted during the day as well. On Saturday, the Air and Space Museum will announce the winners of its costume and pumpkin decorating contests during a video presentation online at 1 p.m.

10. Music: Baltimore-based musician Jenny Moon Tucker, whose musical career started in the District, plays the C-melody tenor and alto saxophone. Tucker will perform at Rhizome DC on Friday with the DC-based trio of Mark Cisneros on the saxophone and guitar, Nik Francis on drums and electronics, and Luke Stewart on bass. The outdoor in-person show will take place at 7 p.m. in the backyard at Rhizome, 6950 Maple St. NW. It will also be livestreamed on Twitch.tv. Tickets for the backyard show are priced on a sliding scale of $5 to $20. Attendance is limited to 50 people to adhere to city regulations, and face masks and social distancing are required. Southeastern Roastery will sell cider and coffee on site.