The DC Lineup for this weekend: Slow food, sack races and free school supplies
The last weekend of July is packed with ways to get outdoors. Opportunities to gather with neighbors at various community celebrations include film screenings, potlucks, classic summer games and back-to-school giveaways. Your kids can eat for free at Nationals games this weekend (and through Labor Day), and elsewhere in the city adults can sip tropical cocktails at a local market or learn about ethical seafood. Cultural institutions throughout the District are offering lots of fun programming over the next couple of days, such as a National Dance Day tribute to Gregory Hines, a Peruvian cultural festival and a Japanese anime showcase.
Following last weekend’s heat wave, conditions will be much more manageable this weekend, July 26 to 28. The forecast predicts sunny weather with temperatures ranging from 69 to 93 degrees.
1. Sports: This is the first weekend of the Washington Nationals’ new Kids Eat Free program. Children 12 and younger can join the Jr. Nationals Kids Club at no cost to become eligible to receive a free Jr. Nats Kids Meal at every game home game from July 22 to Sept. 2. Meals include a hot dog, choice of chips or applesauce, and soda or bottled water (a value of $17). … The Nationals are also reaching out to local youth to encourage reading. On Saturday at 10 a.m., Nats closer Sean Doolittle will read at a story time at Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. NW. The event is part of the DC Public Library’s Summer Challenge to read 20 minutes a day every day from June 1 to Aug. 31. Doolittle kicked off the program in June with a reading and Q&A at nearby Murch Elementary School.
2. Ward 6 Neighborhoods: The Ward 6 Block Party takes place on Sunday in Hill East. This old-fashioned neighborhood block party aims to unite residents and celebrate summer with games and a potluck. The section of 13th Street SE between K and L streets will be closed to traffic for the festivities, which run from 1 to 3 p.m. Ward 6 DC Council member Charles Allen is hosting the event, with the street closing designed to call attention to his proposal to simplify the process for neighborhoods to do likewise for community gatherings.
3. Recreation: A free, family-friendly option for outdoor fun is a Community Day hosted by The Federal City Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in partnership with KIPP DC. On Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., DC residents are invited to gather at the KIPP DC Douglass Campus, 2600 Douglass Road SE, for kid-friendly entertainment, health and wellness screenings, nutritious foods, physical activity demonstrations, and information about socio-economic and health-related issues. Free school supplies and personal care items will be available. Last year, 350 backpacks full of school supplies were distributed.
4. Local Business: The Coconut Market returns this Sunday, bringing small businesses and artisans from the Washington area out to showcase African, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American cultures. This pop-up event takes place from 3 to 7 p.m. at Engine Company 12, 1626 North Capitol St. NW. The day includes food trucks, tropical cocktails, DJs, performances, giveaways and henna tattoos. Tickets cost $5.
5. Dance: Saturday is National Dance Day, and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum is celebrating with a tribute to the late entertainer Gregory Hines. This free event will highlight the U.S. Postal Service’s new Forever stamp showcasing Gregory Hines — the latest addition to its Black Heritage Stamp Series — and will feature tap dancing, with tap shoes available on site for visitors to use. Knock on Wood Tap Dance Studio, Capital Tap and District Tap companies featuring Baakari Wilder will all perform, and they’ll offer workshops for audience members. The program runs from 11 a.m. to noon in the museum’s historic lobby, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE.
6. Recreation: DC Field Day is a chance for adults to harken back to school days with outdoor games like sack races and a giant obstacle course, plus a spin on classics like tug-of-world-peace (in place of tug-of-war). There will be food, a bar, and live DJs throughout the day. The field day takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday at the RFK Festival Grounds, Lot 6, 279 Oklahoma Ave. NW. Registration for participants is closed, but spectator tickets to watch the action are available for $15. It is hosted by DC Fray.
7. Food & Drink: Slow Food DC is a nonprofit that educates the public about food choices while emphasizing community and joy at the table. This Friday, their resident sustainable seafood enthusiast Lauren Parnell will participate in “What’s Eating Your Fish? Sustainable Seafood Talk + Tasting,” a discussion about how to be a more ethical seafood consumer. The event is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Hellbender Brewing Co., 5788 2nd St. NE. Tickets cost $15 and include one Hellbender beer as well as sustainable seafood samples from Sapidus Farms Oysters and Cold Country Salmon. Part of the proceeds go toward Slow Food DC’s educational programming.
8. Film: This Sunday is the first installment of Porchfest DC’s Sunday Dinner & Outdoor Movies. The night includes a free potluck dinner at 6 p.m. followed by a film screening at 8 p.m. The Wiz will play this weekend on the field at Anne Beers Elementary School, 3600 Alabama Ave. SE, and Selma will be shown on Aug. 18 on the front grounds at East Washington Heights Baptist Church, 2220 Branch Ave. SE. Snacks will also be available for purchase, and proceeds from this weekend’s sales will go to Anne Beers Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization. … Also on Sunday, the Parks at Walter Reed will host a rescheduled Outdoor Movie Night featuring 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The movie still start around 8 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets for the event on the Great Lawn. Walter Reed is located at Georgia Avenue and Butternut Street NW.
9. Culture: The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Embassy of Peru present the Kaypi Perú Festival this weekend. The free fest showcases Peru’s culture and arts with demonstrations of arts and crafts, music, dance, hands-on activities for kids, a film screening, traditional plants and Peruvian cuisine. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Potomac Atrium and Rasmuson Theater at the National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street and Independence Avenue SW.
10. Pop culture: This weekend, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is hosting the three-day Otakon convention, an annual event that celebrates Asian pop culture, such as anime, manga, music, movies and video games. A panel discussion on Saturday will feature experts from the Library of Congress on its many resources related to the topic, including Japanese woodblock prints, rare books dating back to the 8th century, and over 140,000 comic books. Convention tickets cost $100 for the weekend, with one-day admission available for $50 for Friday, $60 for Saturday and $40 for Sunday. Entry is free for children 8 and younger, and three-day tickets for kids 9 to 12 cost $50. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The convention center is located at 801 Mount Vernon Place NW.
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