Festivals Fill the DMV This Weekend
It is the official last weekend of summer with autumn set to begin on Monday. Take advantage of the nice weather with temperatures in the upper-80s to low-90 and only 10% chance of rain to take in one of the many festivals in the DMV this weekend. The Reach opening festival wraps up while others include ZooFiesta at the National Zoo, Clarendon Day, the Hyattsville Arts Festival, the H Street Festival. the King Street Art Festival and Taste of Georgetown. And Saturday is Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day with many area museums that normally charge admission throwing their doors open for free.
Red Line trains single track between Takoma and Silver Spring with trains running every 15 minutes. Additional trains will run every 7-8 minutes between Shady Grove and Fort Totten from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Orange Line trains single track between Stadium-Armory and Cheverly with trains every 20 minutes. Silver, Blue, Yellow and Green Line trains operate on regular weekend schedules, every 12-15 minutes.
Washington Monument Reopening
The Washington Monument, which reopened Thursday after a three-year renovation, has raised expectations with a new state-of-the-art elevator that will move hundreds of visitors up to the observation deck daily. Part of what makes traveling up the elevator so historic is that it offers a glimpse of the interior walls, which are lined with stones that commemorate George Washington, placed by states, civic groups and others. The modern system gives the National Park Service operators better control of the elevator with remote access from the ground. Before heading to the top in the new elevator, visitors will encounter an upgraded security screening facility at the base of the structure. The new security structure can accommodate up to 20 visitors and has more modern screening equipment. Free same-day tickets for all tours through Oct. 18 are available on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Washington Monument Lodge, located on 15th Street between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW. Arrive early as lines form before the first ticket is handed out. Starting on Oct. 10 at 10 a.m., free tickets may be ordered online for tour dates beginning on Oct. 19.
Daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Washington Monument, 2 15th St. NW. Admission is FREE, but timed tickets are required.
The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is the first to display The End: A Mediation on Death and Extinction, a new series of work from Judy Chicago, one of the art world’s greatest revolutionaries. Through almost 40 pieces of painted porcelain and glass, and two bronze sculptures, you can see Chicago’s ruminations on human mortality and species extinction, all framed in her signature style that challenges the status quo. Her stark images are a visceral antidote to a culture that prizes youth and beauty, and often ignores the suffering of other creatures. Divided into three sections, the series depicts the five stages of grief, personified.
Sept. 19 through Jan. 20 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
The Reach Opening Festival
It is the final weekend of the Kennedy Center’s new $250 million expansion’s opening festival. The Reach includes modern rehearsal studios, classrooms and a large public plaza. It wraps up this weekend with Second City’s Sketch Comedy Hour with guest Jon Glazer and Rachel Dratch at 7:15 p.m. Friday, actress and dancer Debbie Allen and the National Dance Day routine from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, and a Teen Takeover on Sunday beginning at 3 p.m. Other events include dance workshops, comedy shows, film screenings and performances by the Howard University Marching Band and the Washington National Orchestra. Every event is FREE. 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.
Through Sept. 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.
Live Dangerously
Photographs that depict women and their powerful connection to the natural world will make up the Live Dangerously exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Featuring work from preeminent photographers such as Janaina Tschäpe, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Justine Kurland, the exhibit depicts women both at peace with nature and at war with it in their battle against patriarchy. All 100 large-scale photos of Tschäpe’s 100 Little Deaths series in which she stages her own boy within sites from her travels around the world will be displayed in its entirety at the museum for the first time.
Sept. 19 through Jan. 20 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and students older than 18, and FREE for children 18 and younger.
Theatre Week
Theatre Week celebrates D.C.’s professional theater community and the launch of the fall season. Dozens of local theaters will participate, with $10, $12, $15 and $35 tickets offered for the most exciting shows of the season. Thirty-seven shows are participating including Doubt: A Parable at Studio Theatre, 1 Henry IV at the Folger Theatre, Assassins at the Signature Theatre, Fabulation or the Re-Edumatcation of Undine by Mosaic Theater Co. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Life Is a Dream at the Gala Hispanic Theatre, Fairview at the Woolly Mammoth Theater, Love Sick at Theater J, Jitney at Arena Stage and Everybody at the Shakespeare Theatre Co.
Through Sept. 29 at various times and at various theaters in the DMV. Tickets are $10-$35.
WalkingTown D.C.
Cultural Tourism D.C. showcases the incredible walkability of the nation’s capital during the free, week-long public tour program, WalkingTown D.C.. In total, 75 guided walking tours will be held throughout the District, including 18 new or updated tours for this year, an addition that features jaunts through Adams Morgan and Capitol Riverfront as well as themed excursions that highlight LGBTQ, women’s and civil rights history in the District. Tours can unlock secrets and hidden histories of the city and come in many variations, from after-work “happy hour” soirees to long weekend tours. Go inside the U.S. Botanic Garden’s collection, or learn about gentrification while exploring H Street NE. Historians, licensed tour guides, community leaders and business owners, among others, host these adventures that will take you to both well-known and hidden gems across D.C. Descriptions of the tours are online.
Sept. 14-22 at various times and at various locations in the District. Admission is FREE, but registration is required and walks fill up quickly.
Cats
Cats, one of the most successful musicals of all-time, lights up the stage at the Kennedy Center for a three-week run that began Tuesday. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece, which won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, follows a tribe of cats for their annual ball to celebrate and determine which cat will be reborn. Along the way, you will hear songs that have touched multiple generations, take in breathtaking choreography and see at beautiful set design.
Sept. 17 through Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (except Oct. 6) and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Oct. 2 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St. NW. Tickets are $49-$149.
Museum Day
Museums and cultural institutions all over the country will join Smithsonian Magazine in celebrating Museum Day this Saturday. Each participating museum will offer free admission to anyone that presents a Museum Day ticket, which provides entry for two people. Expect special events and activities at all the Smithsonian museums, as well as access to new and exciting exhibits. Area participants include the Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park, the Ben Lomond Historic Site in Manassas, Gatsby’s Tavern Museum and the Lee-Frendell House Museum & Garden in Alexandria, and the National Building Museum, the National Law Enforcement Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Dumbarton House in the District.
Sept. 21 at various times and various locations across the country, including the DMV. Tickets are FREE!
ZooFiesta
The National Zoo hosts the free ZooFiesta in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Take the whole family to enjoy live music from Ocho de Bastos, Zon Zandunga and the Anaya Trio, authentic cuisine and educational activities regarding conservation in Central and South America. Animal keepers will also be on-site for talks, feedings and demonstrations that highlight a range of animals from the region.
Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!
King Street Art Festival
Old Town Alexandria is transformed into an outdoor art gallery this weekend with the 17th annual King Street Art Festival. More than $15 million in artwork from more than 200 artists will be on display including paintings, life-size sculptures, jewelry, photography, ceramics and more, offering art for every taste. The artists will be on hand selling their one-of-a-kind wares and to talk with visitors about what inspires them.
Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sept. 22 from 10 a.m-5 p.m. along King Street in Old Town Alexandria from between Washington and Union Streets. Admission is FREE!
Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece
The Freer|Sackler worked with the National Museum of Korea to bring the oldest surviving gilded wood figure in an informal pose to the District. The sculpture of Gwaneum, recognized as the most popular deity in Korean Buddhism, was carved sometime between 918 and 1392. When the piece was first placed into worship, important texts and symbolic objects were sealed inside, a practice founded on the belief that adding dedication material to a Buddhist sculpture gave it life. Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece, which opens Saturday, showcases recent research and new info about the sculpture itself and what was placed inside, as well as the rituals that went into image consecration in 13th century Korea.
Sept. 21 through Mar. 22 from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Admission is FREE!
Clarendon Day
Clarendon Day shuts down Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards — and a few side streets — for multiple music stages with music from the Lloyd Dobbler Effect, Dream Street, Ball & Chain and 1Identity. There are also beer and wine gardens, family-friendly activities, including the Arlington Art Truck, a kid’s area and rooftop parties at the neighborhood’s numerous bars.
Sept. 21 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards between Garfield and Washington Streets. Admission is FREE!
Hyattsville Arts Festival
The Hyattsville Arts Festival features more than 100 jury-selected artist and artisans as well as craft breweries, food vendors, children’s activities and live music from Trio Caliente, the Janine Wilson Band, The Complexors, Lena Seikaly, the Wild Anacostias and Blue Plains. There is something for everyone from shopping, locally brewed beer, great food and fun activities.
Sept. 21 from noon-6 p.m. along Farragut and Gallatin Streets and Church Alley in downtown Hyattsville. Admission is FREE!
H Street Festival
Another one of D.C.’s most popular neighborhoods pulls out all the stops for the annual H Street Festival, which draws 150,000 people every year. It features live music, dance performances, family-friendly activities, contests and plenty of food vendors along its 11 blocks and 14 staging areas, which include different genres of music, dance, youth-based performances, interactive children’s programs, fashion, heritage arts, poetry and more.
Sept. 21 from noon-7 p.m. along H Street NE between Third and 14th Streets. Admission is FREE!
Fairfax Invitational
The Top 35 bull riders in the world and rankest bucking bulls in the nation come to Fairfax this weekend for the Fairfax Invitational, the 22nd stop on the PBR Unleash The Beast. All 35 bull riders will get on one bull each in Saturday’s Round 1 and Sunday’s Round 2. Following Round 2, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 15 advancing to the championship round for one more bout and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
Sept. 21 at 6:45 p.m. and Sept. 22 at 2:45 p.m. at Eagle Bank Arena, 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, Va. Tickets are $21-$400.
Taste of Georgetown
Eat and drink your way through a Sunday afternoon in one of D.C.’s most historic neighborhoods during Taste of Georgetown. Now in its 26th year, the event welcomes you to try dozens of dishes from two dozen of Georgetown’s most popular eateries. Beer and wine will be available as you stroll from appetizing booth to appetizing booth. There will be live music, eating contests and a kids corner with coloring and face painting.
Sept. 22 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. along K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street. Admission is FREE. Taste tickets, good for one food item, beer or wine, or two sodas or water, are five for $24, eight for $35 or 11 for $45 in advance or two for $12, seven for $35 or 10 for $45 at the event.
Fiesta D.C.
Fiesta D.C., the annual celebration of Latino culture, includes a parade and a festival on back-to-back days, both held in the heart of the District. Saturday’s Parade of Nations features Native Latino dance troupes and other local groups. Sunday’s festival will gather thousands with a beauty pageant, live musical and dance performances, plenty of food and more.
Parade: Sept. 21 from 1-5:30 p.m. along Constitution Avenue NW from Seventh Street to 12th Street then north to Pennsylvania Avenue to 14th Street. Admission is FREE!
Festival: Sept. 22 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. along Pennsylvania Avenue NW from Third to Seventh Streets. Admission is FREE!
Ongoing events
1 Henry IV at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday through Oct. 18 at Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $20-$85.
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!
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!
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!
Doubt: A Parable at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 6 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20-$104.
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!
The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 1 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is FREE!
LAST CHANCE! Fabulations, or the Re-Education of Undine at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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!
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!
Jitney at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and noon on Oct. 1, 2 and 9 through Oct. 20 at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW. ickets are $56-$115.
Love Sick at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (except Sept. 21), 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday (except Sept. 29) and noon Sept. 18 and 24 through Sept. 29 at Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $39-$69.
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 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!
LAST CHANCE! 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 Ave. 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!
Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 12 at the National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Admission is 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.