New Non-Profit Seeks to Support Young Women in Need of Mentorship and Support — HER Resiliency Center, a new non-profit started by a Congressional staffer who was once an addict and sex worker, will hold a fundraiser on Feb. 24 to raise funds for the new center, which seeks to help women age 18-25. [Hill Rag]
Plan to Close D.C. General, Build Shelter in Southwest Puts Two Ward 6 Neighborhoods at Odds — When Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her plan to replace D.C. General with smaller shelters in each Ward, many expected Ward 6, which includes D.C. General, to be fully on board. However, concerns of some Southwest residents show that support is not even across the Ward. [Washington City Paper]
Arena Stage’s ‘City of Conversation’ Shows That Little Changes in Politics — “City of Conversation,” a play currently showing at Arena Stage, is a political drama set in the 1980s with a plot that is nonetheless very relevant to today’s political climate. [Washington City Paper]
Developers of The Bard in Southwest File Plans for Seven Story Building in Southwest, Neighbors Protest — Developers behind The Bard, a mixed-use high-rise planned for 501 I Street SW, have submitted plans, but some neighbors say they haven’t taken their complaints seriously. [Hill Rag]
Actress Margaret Colin Talks About ‘The City of Conversation,’ Now Playing at Arena Stage — Margaret Colin, the star of “The City of Conversation,” a play currently showing at Arena Stage, sat down with WTOP’s Jason Fraley to chat about the play. [WTOP]
RFK Parking Lot Still Full of Very Dirty Snow From Blizzard — DC Water posted photos on Tuesday of snow that was moved to an RFK Stadium parking lot after the recent blizzard, showing how pollutants are collected along with the snow. [Washington Post]
A Look Inside the Senate Subway System — Untapped Cities got a special tour of the private subway system that connects the U.S. Capitol to Senate office buildings. [Untapped Cities]
With leaves piling up and the Canal Park Ice Rink opening, it’s starting to actually look like November in the District. And on Saturday, it may feel like it too, with temperatures expected to dip into the low 50s. However, we’re not done with the warmth yet: temperatures are expected to rebound Sunday and increase to up to 70 degrees next week.
Whether you’re planning to cherish the brief moment of normal cold temperatures or hide inside until it warms up again, here’s everything you need to know to make the most of this weekend in the Capitol Hill area:
Events
Culinary Education Crawl
Capitol Hill (multiple restaurants)
Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Whether your palate is whetted for sushi or homemade cheese, Culinary Education Crawl on Capitol Hill is a weekend of twenty-five cooking classes that will have you impressing family and friends at Thanksgiving, holiday potlucks and even game-day snacking tables. Check out the full course offerings and sign up online.
Used Book Sale
Southeast Library (403 7th St. SE)
Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The Friends of the Southeast library will hold a book sale on Saturday with new and used books of all types. All proceeds benefit the SOutheast Library and other D.C. libraries.
Cinderella Skate
Canal Park Ice Rink (200 M St. SE)
Saturday 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Skaters are encouraged to dress as their favorite prince or princessbetween 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Those in costume will have a chance to win four tickets to Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the musical currently showing at The National Theatre downtown.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington: The S* Show
Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St. NE)
Saturday 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will celebrate Sondheim, Sinatra and Streisand at an S-themed concert at Atlas. Tickets can be purchased online.
Akeelah and the Bee
Arena Stage – Kreeger Theater (1101 6th St. SW)
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday
This play based on the film of the same name tells the story of an 11-year-old girl from the Chicago projects who tries to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The play will run until Dec. 27 and tickets are available online.
Looking for a new home in the Capitol Hill area or just want to see what your neighbors’ houses look like inside? We’ve highlighted a few open houses this weekend to get you started. But be sure to check out our real estate section for a full listing.
Metrorail
All six Metro lines will undergo maintenance this weekend:
- Red Line trains will run every 22 minutes
- Orange, Silver and Blue line trains will operate every 20 minutes
- Yellow Line trains will operate every 20 minutes between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Square only
- Green Line trains will run on normal weekend schedules but will single-track between Naylor Road and Branch Avenue
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Wednesday
Bridgepoint Hospital (700 Constitution Ave. NE)
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Bridgepoint Hospital on Capitol Hill will offer a free, 20-minute class taught by D.C. Fire and EMS officials on hands-only CPR.
Thursday
Victory and Vision: DC’s Artistic Black Broadway
Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I St. SE)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Association of Black Storytellers have teamed up for a free night of storytelling through dance, voice and sound.
Friday
Friday ARTnights: The Art & History of Burlesque
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St. SE)
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will lead a two-hour burlesque dance class where attendees can learn basic burlesque moves and the history of the dance form. You can register for the class by calling CHAW at 202-547-6839.
Saturday
Living, Laughing & Loving: Celebrating the Circle of Life Through Song, Poetry and Dance
Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St. NW)
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The 85-voice Congressional Chorus (CC) opens its 29th season in Washington, DC by joining forces with Joy of Motion Dance Center, Afromoda Dance Theater, Capitol Movement, spoken word artists from American Youth Chorus (AYC) and the NorthEast Senior Singers alongside a LIVE 10-piece instrumental ensemble in a unique, multi-sensory performance that celebrates the emotions and the seasons of our lives. Tickets are available online for $33.
Friday-Sunday
Arena Stage – Kreeger Theater (1101 6th St. SW)
Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday
This play based on the film of the same name tells the story of an 11-year-old girl from the Chicago projects who tries to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The play will run until Dec. 27 and tickets are available online.
Photo via Arena Stage;/
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Tuesday – Sunday
Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, The Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St. SW)
Time: 12 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday
This one-woman show is part of this fall’s Women’s Voices Theater Festival and tells the story of a female newspaper columnist who wrote about suburban home life from the mid-1960s to the late 1990s. The show was written by twin sisters and is in its last week of production on the Southwest Waterfront. Full-price tickets cost $55 to $90, depending on the show date and time. They are available for purchase online.
Tuesday
Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Get Unblocked!
Northeast Library (330 7th St. NE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The DC Public Library has teamed up with author Hannah Sternberg and Capitol Hill Arts Workshop for a series of free workshops to help locals finish their still-in-progress novels. The Northeast branch will host four workshops every Tuesday in November. Each has a different theme, starting with character development. Interested writers should register online.
Wednesday
Celebrate National Novel Writing Month: Finish Your Novel Already!
Southeast Library in Eastern Market (403 7th St. SE)
Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The Southeast branch is also contributing to the community celebration, holding two workshops on novel writing that start this week. The free workshops–both held on Wednesday evenings this month–are meant to help aspiring authors tackle the “very specific set of challenges and disciplines” that come with writing a novel while keeping up with daily obligations and busy schedules. Interested writers should register online.
Thursday
Hill Center Jazz Ensemble, led by Marshall Keys
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE)
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Marshall Keys will take the lead in this installment of the Hill Center Concert Series. Song selections are original works from jazz ensemble members and are written to show the current state of jazz in the District. General admission tickets can be purchased online in advance for $15 or at the door for $20.
Saturday
Nationals Park (1500 S Capitol St. SE)
Time: 12 – 3 p.m. or 5 – 8 p.m.
Craft breweries, DJs, food trucks and lawn games will come together at Nationals Park this weekend for the DC Beer Festival. Guests can choose to attend one of two sessions. Tickets include unlimited beer tasting and access to other event activities which will set up shop throughout the ballpark. Admission is $40 per person and available online.
St. Marks Episcopal Church (301 A St. SE)
Time: 6 – 10 p.m.
The tradition of honoring Capitol Hill area business returns this weekend. The formal event will have food and live music to bring together local businesses and their loyal customers. Gala tickets for the general public are $75, but prices vary for Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce members. They can be purchased online.
Monday
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (100 Raoul Wallenberg Place SW)
Time: 6:30 – 10 p.m.
The museum will open a nighttime display featuring images of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq projected onto the building’s exterior. The series will begin Monday evening with a discussion about the background of the people in the images and to provide context. Admission is free, and the display will run through Nov. 12.
Photo via Facebook/Hill Center
Employers will flock to Southwest next Friday.
The D.C. Job Fair will be held at Arena Stage on Friday, Feb. 20, the theater announced. The free event hosted by Ward 6 Councilman Charles Allen and At-Large Councilwoman Elissa Silverman will be open to all and offer resources to ex-criminal offenders.
Companies expected to attend the job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. include Giant Food, Big Bus Tours, Clark Construction at The Wharf and D.C. Water, the theater’s website says. Dress for Success, So Others May Eat and the Department of Employment Services are also expected to be there.
The biannual event was last held in October, when about 1,500 job seekers attended. An official at the city’s Office of Returning Citizen Affairs said then that job fair aims to meet ex-offenders’ needs.
“We have to bring opportunity to their level,” Victor Battle said. “A lot of time they think it’s out of reach.”
Photo courtesy of Arena Stage
New Account of Metro Smoke Incident — A federal employee says he saw three Metro Transit Police officers investigate smoke in the L’Enfant Plaza station tunnel on Jan. 12 before the arrival of the train that trapped passengers, killing one woman. “When the smoke was known to exist, was it communicated to someone?” the witness asked. [Washington Times]
Whole Food Construction Update — Construction is advancing at the site of the future Whole Foods Market at 800 New Jersey Ave. SE, between the Capitol South and Navy Yard Metro stations. [JDLand]
Cafe Cafe Update — There is now a members’ club for the cafe with cats that will open in the District. The entrepreneur opening the spot where pet-lovers can drink coffee and pet cats previously said its location may be on H Street NE. [Eater]
More Performances of August Wilson Play — Arena Stage has added additional performances of the play “King Hedley II,” the ninth installment of August Wilson’s 10-part series on 20th century African-American life. [Southwest … The Little Quadrant That Could]
