Thursday, September 4, 2014

Get Out! - The Events Column

Photo by the National Zoo

We wanted to share some events and activities that list members might be interested in. Have a great weekend -- and week beyond, too. If you know of an event that the 14,000+ members of the Cleveland Park Listserv should know about, email us at events @ fastmail.us.

Peggy Robin and Bill Adler

Publishers, Cleveland Park Listserv


Friday, September 5, from 5:30 - 8:30 PM, Alliance Francaise of Washington hosts an open house (Portes Ouvertes) to introduce its fall programs and give Francophiles a chance to meet and mingle. Free (adults only). At 2142 Wyoming Avenue NW, http://francedc.org/Events/?id=266


Friday, September 5 from 11 AM - 3 PM, Capital Harvest on the Plaza: Live cooking demonstrations and vendors of locally grown food. Free. At Woodrow Wilson Plaza in front of the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. http://www.itcdc.com/Upcoming-Events/Capital-Harvest-on-the-Plaza.aspx

Saturday, September 6 from 10 AM - 3 PM, It’s International Vulture Awareness Day at the National Zoo. Learn all about these misunderstood scavengers including the vital role they play in a healthy ecosystem and the threats to survival vultures around the world face. This fun, educational event will feature keeper talks, educational activities for adults and kids, and special animal demonstration featuring our vultures. At the Cheetah Conservation Station at the National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW. More info: http://bit.ly/1uBbkjZ

Saturday, September 6 at 3:30 PM,  Author Talk: The History of Rock Creek Park. The author & Interpretive Park Ranger Scott Einberger will discuss his new book, "The History of Rock Creek Park: Wilderness and Washington, DC."  Free. At the Georgetown Neighborhood Library, 3260 R Street NW, http://dclibrary.org/node/43971

Saturday, September 6from 12 PM to 4 PM, It’s the 6th Annual Doggie Day Swim, put on by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, at 3 public pools: Upshur Main & Kiddie Pool (4300 Arkansas Avenue, NW); Francis Pool (25th & N Street, NW); and Randall Pool (South Capitol and I Streets, SW). Admission is free, however all dogs must have a valid, DOH-issued DC dog license, to enter the pool. For more information on how to obtain a dog license, visit the DOH Dog License website. Licenses will be issued on site, however dog owners must have all the required documentation (proof of rabies and distemper vaccinations; and proof of spaying/neutering) and fee payment (money orders or personal check accepted – no credit cards or cash). Limited capacity: 75 dogs at Upshur Pool, 75 dogs at Randall Pool and 150 dogs at Francis Pool. For more information on locations and rules, go to http://dpr.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dpr/publication/attachments/DogSwim2014.pdf

Monday, September 8 at 7 PM, Klingon vs. Elvish vs. Esperanto: A Debate Among Speakers of Invented Languages. At this three-sided debate we will hear first from a speaker of Klingon (who will be wearing ridged forehead prosthetics and a black wig obtained from the wardrobe department of Star Trek: The Next Generation, next from a speaker of an Elvish dialect who is under the delusion that he looks just like Orlando Bloom in LOTR, and finally from a.speaker brought up in one of the rare families that uses Esperanto as its native language. Each speaker will debate entirely in his own preferred language. Simultaneous translation will not be provided, nor will anything be provided, because this is the weekly fake event. At the LInguistic Society of America, 1325 18th St NW. For more information see http://ed.ted.com/lessons/are-elvish-klingon-dothraki-and-na-vi-real-languages-john-mcwhorter and http://bit.ly/Z7Gx4f.   

Tuesday, September 9 from 2 - 4 PM, Iona Senior Services “Live Well in DC” series presents "Rights and Resources in DC." Representatives from the Office of People’s Council will discuss current community projects in DC and their importance. Attendees can expect to learn more about energy efficiency, updates on DC utilities providers, and the legal issues with new alternative energy suppliers. Free, but please RSVP at registration@iona.org or by calling (202) 895-9448 . At Iona Senior Services, 4125 Albemarle Street NW.

Wednesday, September 10 at 6 PM, A Taste of Spices. Learn about the history of spices from the important  trade in pepper from the Middle East to the Far East along the Silk Road to  today's modern international palate. A variety of popular and some obscure spices will be discussed to raise your awareness of their history and uses, so the next time you stroll down the spice aisle in your local grocery store, you will know the secrets in those little canisters and jars. Tasting to follow program. At Dumbarton House, the Belle Vue Room, 2715 Q Street NW. Tickets $15 - $20 at http://bit.ly/WdZpgr - reserve by September 8th.

Wednesday, September 10 at 6:45 PM, “Star Trek’s Never-Ending Voyage: How TV Future Became Real Life Present,” lecture by Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum. Tickets, $20 - $25 at  http://bit.ly/Z7HlWT. At the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW.

Wednesday, September 10 at 7 PM, District of Change: Making Schools Better for DC. Over the past few years, public education in D.C. has been transformed - from IMPACT rating for teachers, to school closings, to boundary and feeder changes, to major facilities improvements, to an explosion of Public Charter Schools. Have these attempts to close the achievement gap worked? Are D.C. schools better? Join moderator Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way, in discussion with panelists: Scott Cartland, former principal, Janney Elementary School (Ward 3), current principal, Wheatley Education Campus (Ward 5); Alexandra Pardo, executive director, Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School (Ward 8);  Andria Caruthers, principal, West Education Campus (Ward 4). Free, but please rsvp for this event athttp://bit.ly/1vPuJBq. At the MLK, Jr. Library, 901 G St. NW. More info: http://dclibrary.org/node/43605

Thursday, September 11 from 12 noon to 7 PM, Green Living Expo DC. Meet the nearly 50 exhibitors who will be on hand to help you discover why D.C. is steadily becoming the model of a sustainable city. Green businesses, energy-saving devices, green roofs, locally grown food, urban forests, urban biking, and green infrastructure are just a few of the featured topics and services that will be available. You can consult with environmental experts while enjoying demonstrations, live music, and local food. The event also includes panel discussions, speaker presentations, activities for kids ages K-12, and an eco-bike tour around the Van Ness campus and the surrounding communities to highlight leading examples of urban sustainability. This free community event is held at the University of the District of Columbia (Van Ness & Connecticut).

Thursday, September 11  at 7 PM, Book discussion: On Beauty, by Zadie Smith (UK). The Belseys, a mixed race family from the UK, move to the Boston suburbs for an academic exchange and become entangled by family tussles, scholarly sabotage, and political rivalry, all told in Smith’s ribald style of hip satire. This book won the Orange Prize, a global award for women’s fiction, in 2006. This is the first event of the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library’s Fall 2014-Winter 2015 book discussion series, led by Phil Burnham, George Mason University  professor of literature. The Cleveland Park Library is at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Macomb St NW. More info: http://dclibrary.org/node/43977. The series will continue on the second Thursday of each month.

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