The DC Lineup for this weekend: public projects, preservation and puns

Our list of things to do over the next few days focuses on creativity and community.

The weather is forecast to be partly cloudy throughout the weekend, Jan. 22‐24, with temperatures ranging from 25–50 degrees.

1. Community: Learn about the Alley Beautification Project, an effort to create a “vibrant, multicultural, multi-ability, and safe space” in the alleyway that surrounds the DC Doors’ youth center, which serves young people who are experiencing homelessness. The details of the plan are being developed during monthly community meetings that take place one Saturday each month. January’s is happening this Saturday from 1:30–3:30 p.m. and focuses on the topic: If anything were possible? It is free and open to all. The initiative is led by Mint Project, a local group that produces service projects.

2. Community: The DC Oral History Collaborative and HumanitiesDC are hosting a free information session about their grants for public projects and events. Applications for these funding opportunities are due Feb. 3, and should request support for programs like panel discussions, listening stations, podcasts or exhibits that would bring existing oral history collections to life so they can be enjoyed by the public. Saturday’s gathering is from 10‐11 a.m.; additional meetings take place on Jan. 26 from 6:30‐7:30 p.m. and on Jan. 29 from 1‐2 p.m.

3. Comedy: DC Improv Comedy is hosting an online version of Pun DMV — its popular pun competition — this weekend. The organizers note that the show has been selling out the past two years since “the lowest form of humor can produce some of the biggest laughs.” Comedians perform monologues that are filled with puns, then the audience votes for a winner. The show is on Friday from 8‐9 p.m.; doors open at 7:45 p.m. and ticket sales end at 7:20 p.m. Tickets cost $5 and are only available to ages 18 and older.

4. History: Diana Veiga — a local performer who has graced the stages of DC Improv, the Lincoln Theatre and the National Museum of African American History and Culture — is featured in the online event “Remembering Lula and the Selma Teachers’ March.” The program honors the 100 educators who participated in the Teachers’ March on Jan. 22, 1965, in Selma, Alabama. Sisters Joyce Parrish O’Neal and Phyllis Parrish Alston — whose mother Lula “Too Sweet” Parrish was a part of the march — will share their personal memories. The free program is on Sunday from 3‐4 p.m., and is part of the National Women’s History Museum’s Sundays@Home series as well as its January celebration of the civil rights movement.

5. Theater: The Actors’ Center is offering a novel way to develop performance techniques: Zoom Acting Lab: Peer Practice. Students are invited to present a short monologue (no longer than 2 minutes) and receive feedback from other actors. The event will be moderated by local actors Zoe Walpole, a Helen Hayes Award winner for best supporting performer in Agnes of God, and Emily Morrison, who won a best leading actress WATCH Award for her role in Wit. The class is on Saturday from 11 a.m.‐1 p.m. Tickets are free for Actors’ Center members and $10 for others.

6.  Environment: The DC-based Global Electric Vehicle Challenge is an international university competition that strives to improve the technology, innovation and engineering of electric vehicles. The group’s virtual conference this Saturday presents an overview of the next competition with a chance for teams to ask questions. Registration is required, and participants are encouraged to read the official rules and regulations beforehand. Registration for this summer’s challenge closes on Jan. 31.

7. Arts: The online Art and Me Preservation Family Workshop: Put in Print welcomes children ages 3‐8 and their caretakers to explore how Smithsonian conservators preserve artworks on paper. Afterward, participants will create their own colorful prints and learn to keep them safe in a protective folder. Registration is required to receive a Zoom link. The class is on Saturday from 10‐10:45 a.m. It is hosted by the Lunder Conservation Center, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

8. Recreation: The 2021 Run at the Boathouse is a socially distanced 5K/10K race happening on Saturday from 8‐11 a.m. To limit the spread of COVID-19, “waves” of about 10 participants will go out in intervals. The description says that masks are required at check-in but are optional during the race, since runners are asked to stay at least 6 feet apart; however, President Biden’s executive order mandating masks on federal property may change these requirements. Advance registration for the 5K is $30; the 10K costs $45. Same-day registration is not available. Proceeds benefit the Semper Fi & America’s Fund. The group will meet at Fletcher’s Boathouse, 4940 Canal Road NW. Course maps are available to review online.

9. Health: Holistic health care workers, bodyworkers and other wellness providers are invited to learn more about serving transgender and non-binary clients during an online workshop happening on Saturday from 3‐5 p.m. Topics include the basics of gender identity and trans-affirming language like correct pronoun usage. The course meets the DC requirement for two continuing education units in LGBTQ competency. This is part one of a two-part series, and is required to advance to the next class. Tickets cost $60. It is presented by the local holistic wellness center Freed Bodyworks.

10. Professional Development: Two State Department diplomats in residence — Yolonda Kerney, who serves DC and surrounding states, and Danielle Harms, who serves the New York metro area — talk about what it’s like to work in their field during an online Foreign Service career info session. The talk is on Saturday from 1‐2:30 p.m. Registration is required. The U.S. Department of State’s website provides background information, including tips on choosing a career track and on preparing for the Foreign Service Officer Test, coming up on Jan. 28.