>> Get even more fun with the Where & When: Weekend Guide to Nightlife
1. Want to trade in your briefcase for a backpack and volunteer in another country? Join Idealist.org at its Global Volunteering Fair Thursday from 6 to 9 at the Google offices (1101 New York Ave., NW). The free event features three workshops that cover everything from tips for lining up jobs to potential fees involved in moving abroad. There’ll also be a variety of international organizations looking to recruit personnel. To register, click here.
2. During World War II, the Nazis attempted to destabilize the British economy by flooding the UK with fake pound notes. Learn about the largest forgery scheme in history—known as Operation Bernhard—Thursday at the International Spy Museum with a screening of the Oscar-winning film The Counterfeiters. Museum historian Thomas Boghardt will talk briefly about the complexities and historical significance of the Nazis’ master (money) plan, and audience members can view an authentic forged Operation Bernhard note. Tickets cost $6.25 or $5 for museum members. 6:30 to 8:30.
3. Drink for a cause at Gordon Biersch’s free Brewer’s Select Tapping Party Thursday from 6 to 8. The DC microbrewery will tap a wooden keg of its winter Helles Bock pale lager (pints cost $5.50) and pass around free appetizers. Proceeds go to the Save the Children Haitian relief fund.
4. Straighten those extensions, stuff that bra, and wax that beard, because it’s game time: Town Danceboutique, a gay club in DC, is hosting the second installment of its monthly So You Think You’re a Drag Queen? contest Friday at 10:30. Watch the city’s hottest lady-men strut down the runway, make clothes out of scraps, and lip-sync before a panel of judges for a $250 prize and a chance to win a $2,500 grand prize. Doors open at 10. For ages 21 and over, there’s a $5 cover until 11 and a $10 cover after; for ages 18 to 20, entrance is $10 all night.
5. Saturday at midnight, the AFI Silver Theatre shows The Secret to a Happy Ending, a documentary by Barr Weissman about country-punk rockers the Drive-By Truckers. The film chronicles the band from the height of its touring prowess to a near break-up over a three-year span. Weissman and the Truckers’ Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, and Brad Morgan will be on hand. Tickets cost $10 for general admission, $9 for seniors, and $8.50 for AFI members.
6. Toast the Year of the Tiger Saturday as the National Geographic Society (1145 17th St., NW) puts on its free Chinese New Year Festival from 11 to 3:30. The celebration features film screenings, a Ping-Pong tournament, raffles, martial-arts demonstrations, and free nibbles from P.F. Chang’s. For more information, call 202-857-7000.
7. Honor Black History Month at Busboys and Poets Saturday at 6 as the restaurant hosts a free discussion about the legacy of segregation. Author Rawn James Jr. will discuss and sign his new book, Root and Branch: Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and the Struggle to End Segregation.
8. Do you adore the chaise longue where Callie drunk-dialed her ex? Love the faux Oval Office desk where Ty confessed his love for Emily? Well now’s your chance to own a piece (or rather 30 pieces) of reality-television history as Gallery Plan B showcases the original artwork and decor of The Real World: DC house for viewing and purchase. The two-day exhibit runs Saturday and Sunday, and die-hard fans can meet the artists behind the artwork at a free opening reception Saturday from 6 to 9. Now, if only the gallery could get its hands on that Jersey Shore duck phone . . . .
9. Check out the city’s only Frida Kahlo painting on display and peruse more than 3,000 works at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which is waiving its $10 admission Sunday for free entrance from noon to 5.
10. Unless Washington is still blanketed in winter wonderland, history buffs can take part in a two-hour, 15-block free guided tour of Old Town Alexandria Sunday starting at 1:30. The program, called Walking With Washington, explores the first President’s 50-year relationship with the city. Meet at the fountain at Market Square in front of City Hall. For more information and to make sure the tour is still on, call 703-991-4474.
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