Fall Happenings Kick into High Gear
Summer has unofficially ended, and the fall gets into full swing this weekend with events around the DMV. Many area theaters are kicking off their 2019-20 seasons this week, the D.C. State Fair returns, the Rosslyn Jazz Fest is back and the Adams Morgan Day Festival kicks off the beginning of a slew of neighborhood festivals in the District. The Kennedy Center’s new addition, The Reach, also opens.
Major Metro disruptions are supposed to conclude this weekend with all six Blue and Yellow Line stations south of Reagan National Airport including Braddock Road, King Street, Van Dorn Street, Franconia-Springfield, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington closed through Sunday. On the Blue Line, shuttle buses operate between Franconia-Springfield, Van Dorn Street, King Street and National Airport, but not Braddock Road. There will be also be an express shuttle between Franconia-Springfield and the Pentagon Station. On the Yellow Line, buses operate between Huntington, Eisenhower Avenue, King Street, Braddock Road and Crystal City, but not National Airport. There will also be an express bus between Huntington and Pentagon. Blue and Yellow Line trains on the remainder of the route will run on regular weekend schedules. Red Line trains single track between Van Ness and Friendship Heights with trains running every 18 minutes. Additional trains will run every 9 minutes between Farragut North and Glenmont between 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Orange, Silver and Green Line trains will operate on regular weekend schedules.
Adams Morgan Day Festival
The longest-running neighborhood festival in the District hosts its 41st edition. The lively 18th Street will be buzzing with music, food vendors, artwork for sale and family-friendly activities. Celebrate one of D.C.’s liveliest, most diverse neighborhoods at the day-long Adams Morgan Day Festival that is led by volunteers and showcases the businesses, artists and organizations that make up Adams Morgan. There are four stages with live entertainment, featuring Batala, Thenderpaw, The Experience, Diamond Force Time Machine, Babies with Rabies, the Malcom X Drummers and Dancer, and more. There is also a family fun zone at the Marie Reed Elementary School soccer field with obstacle course games, corn hole, Connect Four, Jenga and more.
Sept. 8 from noon-6 p.m. on 18th Street NW between Columbia Road NW and Florida Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Art Park @ RIA
The Phillips Collection, MidCity, Nonstop Art and the D.C. Public Library have joined together to create Art Park @ RIA, a year-long community project that will offer free interactive art and technology events to the Rhode Island Avenue Corridor on the first Friday of each month. The endeavor will be launched with this free-to-attend party that will feature live painting, live music from Social Flow Band, a mobile library and food for purchase from Bourbon Boar Barbecue, Muddy Tea, Veggie City Pop-Up Farmers Market, Rita’s Italian Ice and more.
Sept. 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the parking lot at 1325 Rhode Island Ave. NE. Admission is FREE!
1 Henry IV
The Folger Theatre takes on 1 Henry IV, a staging that features D.C. theater legend Edward Gero as Falstaff. The story focuses on Prince Hal and his drinking and carousing with the common folk, which only angers his father, King Henry IV. Eventually, Hal will have to wear the crown, but not before his reputation and honor are put on the line on the battlefield.
Sept. 3-Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Sept. 7), 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday (except Sept. 10) at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $20-$85.
Love Sick
Love Sick, the critically acclaimed new musical, combines a thrilling original score, Middle-Eastern harmonics, incredible choreography and a story of passion and awakening. In a tale based on The Song of Songs, a young wife trapped in a loveless marriage finds out she has a secret admirer. What unfolds is a riveting journey that leads to both personal and sexual empowerment. With an award-winning international creative team behind it, this promises to be a theater highlight of the fall.
Sept. 4-29 at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except Sept. 13), 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Sept. 7, 8 and 21), 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday (except Sept. 29) and noon Sept. 18 and 24 at Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $39-$69.
Doubt: A Parable
Doubt: A Parable, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner, takes place at St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx in the fall of 1964. Suspicions surface at the parochial school about Father Flynn, a charismatic young priest, and his interest in Donald Muller, the school’s first and only black student. Absent hard proof, Sister Aloysius, the school’s starched and self-assured principal, tries to protect the innocent — but is she doing God’s work or is her certitude actually pride? This play examines faith, ambiguity and the price of moral conviction.
Sept. 4-Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Sept. 6) and 7 p.m. Sunday at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$104.
Reach Opening Festival
The new $250 million expansion at the Kennedy Center, The Reach, include modern rehearsal studios, classrooms and a large public plaza. It will officially open on Saturday with the free 16-day Reach Opening Festival, including concerts, workshops, film screenings, dance performances and a hip-hop block party headlined by De La Soul, an interactive celebration of National Dance Day capped by a performance of Fela! and a Family Day with hands-on activities and a singalong screening of The Muppet Movie. Every event is FREE. This weekend’s events include performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, music and storytelling workshops, tai chi and barre classes, a virtual reality lounge, an underground comedy stand-up showcase and more. Check the schedule for details. Registration for timed-entry passes is available online. Most passes for the major events are “sold out,” but there will be standby lines to allow as many people as possible to experience the new space.
Sept. 7-22 from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed-passes are required.
Gelato Festival America
The nation’s capital becomes a gelato capital for the Gelato Festival America, which offers the beloved treat. Thereasa Black from Amore Congelato in Fairfax is the only local competitor with her blueberry pie sweetened with agave nectar instead of sugar. Eleven chefs will compete to see whose gelato tastes the best, with the winner moving on to the Gelato Festival World Masters in 2021. A wristband gets you limitless gelato of the flavors in competition. There will also be eating contests, a gelato university, kids jury and other activities for the whole family.
Sept. 7 and 8 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at City Market at O, 800 P St. NW. Advance tickets are $25 for people 13 and older, $20 for seniors and veterans and $10 for children 12 and younger, $20 for seniors and veterans. DC on Heels readers get a 20 percent discount with the promo code DConHEELS20 online. Tickets at the door are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and veterans and $15 for children.
Calle Latina
La Cosecha, Eden’s new Latin American food hall and marketplace near its Union Market, celebrates its opening with this Saturday extravaganza. Its Calle Latino opening concert and block party features music from Grammy-winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli, Salt Cathedra, Jason Cerda, Duende Camaron, Jonathan Acosta, Batala and several DJs. Attendees can also enjoy stand-up comedy from Gaby Pacheco and Zilla Vodnas, dance classes, pop-up shops, cooking demos, face painting and, of course, lots of food.
Sept. 11 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at La Cosecha, 1280 Fourth St. NE. Admission is FREE!
Chinese Street Market Pop-Up
Sample food from local vendors at the new Chinese Street Market Pop-Up on F Street NW in Chinatown. Offerings include handmade braised pork buns from Bao Bei, handmade northern-style buns and dumplings, organic herbal tea from Mama Jo Café, ShareTea milk tea from ShareTea Chinatown, small bites of dim sum, chongqing street noodles, street BBQ, bang bang hand-pulled noodles, mapo tofu and rice dishes. Dessert items like bubble tea and ice cream will also be available. In addition, the market showcases art from local studios and features a section dedicated to Chinese calligraphy.
Sept. 8 from noon-4 p.m. along the 700 Block of F Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Rosslyn Jazz Festival
A Houston-based big band with appearances on Late Show with David Letterman and NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series on its résumé headlines the 29th annual Rosslyn Jazz Fest. Hear the Suffers play what it calls “Gulf Coast Soul” at this free outdoor festival, which also brings in food trucks and a pop-up beer and wine garden. The day’s lineup also includes D.C. go-go musicians JoGo Project, New Orleans acts brass band Cha Wa and cellist Leyla McCalla.
Sept. 7 from 1-7 p.m. at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway, Arlington. Admission is FREE!
George Washington Patriot Run
Run down the George Washington Memorial Parkway right up to George Washington’s mansion on Mount Vernon with this special Sunday George Washington Patriot Run. Both a 5K and 10K are offered at 7:50 a.m. and 8:05 a.m., respectively, and there is a free Kids Fun Run (registration required) at the finish line at Mount Vernon. After the race, enjoy concessions, live music and beer! There will also be an awards ceremony for top performers in the races.
Sept. 8 at 7:50 a.m. at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va. Registration is $60 in advance and $65 at the race. Admission to Mount Vernon for spectators is $10 for adults ages 12 and older and children are FREE!
The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs
To honor 180 years of photography, the National Gallery of Art hosts The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, which will feature roughly 140 images, many of which have never been on view before, including several photographs recently acquired from Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro. Visitors will be able to experience the development of an artistic medium across its first 50 years, from early photos by William Henry Fox Talbot to daguerreotypes to portraiture to landscape imagery and more.
Sept. 8-Dec. 1 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
D.C. State Fair
The ever-moving D.C. State Fair, a free showcase featuring local food, music art and entertainment, lands at Gateway D.C. this year. Peruse arts and crafts; grab lunch or dinner from D.C.-area vendors including deep-fried watermelon balls from Maryland ChickAn, half smokes from Ben’s Chili Bowl and ice cream from Ruby Scoops; enjoy live music from School of Rock, Songrise, Emma G., The Joy of Rex, Granny and the Boys, The Frontier, Coexist and Suspicious Package; and participate in contests, including limbo and hula hoop, ice cream eating, apple peeling and watermelon seed spitting, sloppy joe eating, best tattoo, dancing and more. There will also be a kid zone and pet parade.
Sept. 8 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at Gateway DC, 2700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Admission is FREE! Free Circulator buses will provide transportation from Congress Heights Metro to the fair.
Ongoing events
6.13.89: The Cancelling of the Mapplethorpe Exhibition from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 9 at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design, 500 17th St. NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Aladdin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 7 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $39-$179.
All Work, No Pay from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through February 2020 at the National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
American Myths & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Oct. 14 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Animals, Collected from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.6 p.m. Sunday through Spring 2020 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $7-$10.
Americans from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2022 at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Assassins at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday through Sept. 29 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40-$110.
By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs from the 1850s to Apollo 11 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Capital Harvest on the Plaza from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays through Nov. 22 at the Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Capitol Riverfront Friday Night Concert Series from 7-9 p.m. through Sept. 6 at Yards Park, 355 Water Street SE. Admission is FREE!
Celebrating New American Gardens from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 15 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice across Asia from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Nov. 29, 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Fabulations, or the Re-Education of Undine at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (except Sept. 11), 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday (except Sept. 22) through Sept. 22 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20-$65.
Feel the Sun in Your Mouth: Recent Acquisitions from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through February 2020 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Flickering Treasures from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 14 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors ages 60 and older, youth ages 3-17 and students. Children 2 and younger are FREE!
Farragut Fridays from 9 a.m.-5p.m. through Sept. 20 at Farragut Square, 17th and K Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Game Change: Elephants from Prey to Preservation from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Feb. 1, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Gardens Across America from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 1 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Sept. 29 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Hoops from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 5 at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-17, students with ID and seniors ages 60 and older.
I Am . . . Contemporary Women Artists of Africa from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through July 5 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Infinite Space from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5:30-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Sept. 15 at Artechouse, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. Tickets are $8-$16 online and $10-$20 at the door.
In Mid-Sentence from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Mar. 8 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
It’s Hip to Be Square: The Mint Family from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Nov. 31 at the U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Manifesto: Art x Agency from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 5 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. Admission is FREE!
Maryland Renaissance Festival from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends and Labor Day through Oct. 20 at 1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 62 and older and $9 for children ages 7-15 through Sept. 8 and $27, $23 and $12, respectively, beginning Sept. 15. Children 6 and younger are FREE!
Michael Sherrill Retrospective from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Jan. 5 at the Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Admission is FREE!
Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisentaedt from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Jan. 12 at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for college students, $5 for children ages 6-18 and children younger than 6 are FREE!
More is More: Multiples from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 22 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for people 65 and older and students, and children 18 and younger are FREE!
One Life: Marian Anderson from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through May 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Outbreak from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2021 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Sept. 30, 2020, at the Museum of the Bible, 400 Fourth St. SW. Advance tickets are $19.99 for adults, $9.99 for children 7-17 and children and younger are FREE. Tickets at the door at $24.99 for adults, $19.99 for seniors, military, first responders and students, $14.99 for children 7-17 and children 6 and younger are FREE!
Portraits of the World: Korea from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 17 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Recent Acquisitions from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Nov. 3 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Jan. 3, 2021, at the National Archives, 701 Constitution Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $12.71-$21.21 online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Sculpture Down to Scale: Models for Public Art at Federal Buildings, 1974-1985 from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. through June 6, 2020, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Sea Monsters Unearthed, Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through 2020 at the National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
Section 14: The Other Palm Springs, California from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through January at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avnue SW. Admission is FREE!
Seriously Funny: From the Desk of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 31 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Admission is $12.71-$21.21 in online or $14.95-$24.95 at the door.
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday through September 2020 at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Admission is FREE!
Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through Oct. 20 at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Shaping Clay in Ancient Iran from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through September at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Subodh Gupta: Terminal from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through 2020 at the Freer|Sackler Galleries, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
The Warmth of Other Suns from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 5-8:30 p.m. Thursday and noon-6:30 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 14 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and children 18 and younger are FREE!
The Way of the Kami from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Nov. 1 at the Freer Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
What Absence Is Made Of from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily through March 2020 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Admission is FREE!
Whistler in Watercolor from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Oct. 6 at Freer Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits from 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through May 31 at the National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F Streets NW. Admission is FREE!
Editor-in-Chief Mark Heckathorn is a journalist, movie buff and foodie. He oversees DC on Heels editorial operations as well as strategic planning and staff development. Reach him with story ideas or suggestions at dcoheditor (at) gmail (dot) com.