June 9
EXHIBIT: If you think the US Postal Service is slow in the age of email, try getting mail by mule train. That’s how letters and packages still reach the bottom of the Grand Canyon, where park rangers and backpackers rely on this lifeline. Using stamps, artifacts, and letters that traveled through what are now national historic sites—including Los Alamos (where, during the Manhattan Project, mail went to a secret PO box)— the National Postal Museum’s latest exhibit, “Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks” tells the story of how mail flows through national parks. The exhibit runs through March 2018. Free, 10 AM
READING: Mary Roach‘s books Stiff, Gulp, and Bonk—about cadavers, the human digestive system, and the physiology of sex, respectively—have earned the epically curious author a cult following. At this event at Politics & Prose she discusses her latest, Grunt, in which she leaves behind her funnier, more outlandish questions (“How much food does it take to burst the human stomach?”) for heavier fare, researching the science of warfare and its obscure challenges (“How do you prevent massive hearing loss for soldiers firing weapons on a daily basis?”). Free, 7 PM
ART: Bettina Pousttchi’s sculpture “Double Monuments” is on view at the Phillips Collection until Oct. 2. In honor of today’s opening the German-Iranian artist will discuss her Intersections project with Vesela Sretenović, the museum’s senior curator of modern and contemporary art. You’ll get to learn more about Pousttchi’s process for the project, which features five eight-to-12-foot metal sculptures with neon tubes lighting up the space. Pousttchi cleverly calls these beautiful, illuminating structures “double monuments” because they reference both 1920s Russian sculptor Vladimir Tatlin and Dan Flavin, an American artist who paid homage to Tatlin with his work 40 years later. Free, 6:30 PM
MUSIC: The Heavy bring their energetic, in-your-face, and, well, heavy, soul-infused rock to the 9:30 Club. The English quartet are on tour to promote Hurt & the Merciless, their first studio album in five years, . $25, 7 PM
June 10
SHOP: Modcloth superfans, rejoice! The Georgetown IRL pop-up store for the online, vintage-inspired retailer opens today. You’ll have the rare opportunity to try on all of those stunning dresses, bathing suits and accessories before buying them, and even peruse their new bridal collection. 10 AM
BASEBALL AND MUSIC: Before the Nationals play the Phillies, the Legwarmers will turn Nationals Park into an 80s dance party. Enjoy old school hits you know and love, from Blondie to Biz Markie to Huey Lewis and the News, along with a free Nationals fanny pack (a quintessential accessory from the era) if you’re one of the first 20,000 fans to enter the park. $16-$50, 4:30 PM
JAZZ FESTIVAL: Much like South by Southwest or other citywide music gatherings, the DC Jazz Festival spreads its sound across 80 venues, with more than 250 musicians, starting today until June 19. The lineup is a mix of new and old, with the Chuck Brown Band and guitarist Ernest Ranglin sharing a bill with artists such as Kendrick Lamar collaborator/sax virtuoso Kamasi Washington. Free to $150, 5 PM
June 11
BEERFEST: It may be called a beer festival, but what really stands out about the Americana Beer Festival is the roster of “life-size” games happening in between the craft-brew stands. “Life-size beer pong?” Sure. “Human foosball?” Why not? Giant versions of Jenga and Connect Four matches? Of course. Performances from Trampled by Turtles and Wild Child round out this benefit for the Boulder Crest Retreat, a nearby wellness center for combat veterans. $45, 2 PM
ART: Flappers, jazz, and the roaring ’20s—quintessential elements of Art Deco. But how about kimonos and origami? Art the Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens exhibit, “Deco Japan,” you’ll learn that deco didn’t end with Gatsby; it extended all the way to Japan, where the geometric designs and colorful ornamentation blended with its ancient artistic traditions. As the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post—a consummate flapper herself—Hillwood also has a Japanese garden thematically suited for exhibit-goers. The exhibit begins today and runs until Dec. 31 $18.
PRIDE: DC’s annual Pride Parade makes its way from Dupont Circle to 14th St., NW, in all its glory, featuring nearly 200 floats, vehicles, marchers, and entertainers including politicians, community groups, drag queens, dogs, and more. This year’s Grand Marshal is actor Leslie Jordan, who has been on several television series including Will & Grace, American Horror Story and Boston Public. You can also catch Jordan—and fuel up for the parade—at the “Crack of Noon” Pride Brunch at Urbana. 4:30 PM
PARTY AT THE SMITHSONIAN: The Smithsonian’s stunning Arts and Industries Building re-opens after 12 years of renovations with a World’s Fair-themed party with drinks, food, carnival games, a photo booth, and music. Attendees are encouraged to dress the part: the person with the best World’s Fair-era outfit will receive a prize. $37.50-$100, 8 PM
June 12
GO-GO BRUNCH: Get your scrambled eggs with a side of go-go. This week, Howard Theatre’s much-loved Go-Go Brunch features the musical stylings of Be’la Bela Dona, an all-female band who have made a name for themselves since winning the WKYS Go-Go Award for best up-and-coming group in 2009. The usual menu with all the brunch staples will be available for purchase. $20, 12:30 PM
EAT: Taste of Jamaica in Silver Spring’s Veterans plaza is the chance to chow down on the island nation’s best dishes, ranging from the ones you know—jerk chicken—to the ones you may not have tried before, like escovitch fish and oxtail. Proceeds from the event benefit the Jamaica Education for the Poor Foundation. $15, 12:30 PM
MUSIC: Seattle supergroup Childbirth, made up of members of Chastity Belt, Tacocat, and Pony Time play Comet Ping Pong with Colleen Green, whose weed-infused confessional indie-pop is the perfect juxtaposition to the totally-goofy-but-also-serious feminist punk that will follow her set. $12, 9 PM
