THURSDAY, JULY 12
MUSEUMS Pop over to the National Portrait Gallery for their Thursday Happy Hour series; this month’s theme, “REMIX: Game On,” focuses on sports. Play classic arcade sports in the Kogod Courtyard and tour the museum’s ongoing “Champions” exhibit of American sports icons. Free, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
FILMS Get in the baseball spirit with a free screening of the 1989 film Field of Dreams on the North Lawn of the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building. Starring Kevin Costner, it follows an Iowa corn farmer who builds a baseball diamond in his fields. Note that the Library of Congress will screen films every Thursday evening through August 16, such as E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (7/26) and The Wizard of Oz (8/16). Free (registration recommended), 8:30 PM.
FRIDAY, JULY 13
BASEBALL MLB All-Star Week officially kicks off on Friday, and the city is packed with events. Look out for our guide to everything All-Star (which will published later today, 7/12).
FILM The Freer | Sackler Galleries present their 23rd annual “Made in Hong Kong Film Festival.” The series puts a strong emphasis on films from 2017, including the action hit Shock Wave (screening on 7/13) and the zombie flick Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (screening on 7/27), but there are a few classics in the mix as well. On August 3, the 1982 martial arts film Legendary Weapons of Kung Fu will be screened with a new live score from DC’s Shaolin Jazz. In addition to the films, Freer | Sackler will kick off a Friday night series “Fridays @ Freer | Sackler,” with various Asian foods from local chefs, live music outside, and the Freer Gallery will be open until 8 PM. Films: through August 12. Fridays: July 13, 20, 27, and August 3.
BOOKS In her memoir, Every Day I’m Hustling, Vivica A. Fox focuses on how opportunities come from hard work, not sheer luck. Using stories from her own career —such as conversations with Will Smith on the set of Independence Day—she shares advice on personal and professional success. Fox will share stories and sign copies of her book at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. $28-37, 7 PM.
FOOD Craving ice cream on a hot summer day? Union Market is hosting the 8th annual DC Scoop on Friday afternoon. Outside the market at Neal Place, help yourself to free ice cream from Dolcezza, Trickling Springs Creamery, Love ’n Faith, and Ice Cream Jubilee. Make your ice cream into a sundae with sweets from the toppings bar created by Windows Catering. Free, 5-9 PM.
BEER Bluejacket (and friends) are getting in the All-Star spirit with a five-day All-Stars of Craft Beer event at five different bars. Bluejacket will release a new DC-themed can of beer on Friday night. On Saturday, ChurchKey celebrates the NL East with 25 different craft beers on draft from breweries in Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta, Miami, and DC. Drink Belgian all-stars at the Sovereign on Sunday (think: Cantillon), then keep it local on Monday with DMV breweries (such as Burley Oak and the Veil) at EatBar. Wrap up this five-day stint on Tuesday at The Partisan with sours from breweries like Crooked Stave and Oxbow. To make the five-day run more fun, pick up a MVPassport at Bluejacket on Friday and get an all-star jersey if you drink a full pour at each location. Through July 17. Beer prices vary.
SATURDAY, JULY 14
POLO The First Annual Argentina Heritage Polo Tournament will take place at the Summerhill Polo Fields in Poolesville, MD. Sponsored in part by the Embassy of Argentina, the event will raise funds to benefit the Garrahan Hospital, a Latin American pediatric hospital which has treated over 18 million children, free of charge, since 1987. Enjoy live Argentine music plus Argentine “asado” (grilled meats) at this polo match. $25, 3 PM.
CRAFTS The DC Public Library Foundation is hosting a Hunger Wall Poster Making Workshop at the Petworth Library Branch. In 1968, visitors to Resurrection City painted messages of solidarity on a plywood mural, which bore the message, “Hunger’s Wall: Tell it Like it Is.” In this hands-on workshop, visitors can create their own posters with messages for 2018 that incorporate imagery from the Poor People’s Campaign Collection, DCPL’s special collection that includes materials and memorabilia documenting the 1968 campaign. The Hunger Wall poster workshops feature commissions by local artists with social justice themes; this particular workshop will feature artist Justin Poppe. Free, 1 PM.
MUSIC Girls Rock! DC is a weeklong camp that provides rock music lessons for girls, non-binary, and trans youth; by the end of the week, the students will have collaborated to form bands and to write an original song or DJ set. The summer showcase of those original compositions is Saturday morning at the 9:30 Club. Make it a 9:30 Club double-header with the evening’s show, the 5th Anniversary recording of the Circus Life Podcast, hosted by musician Justin Trawick. This show will feature music from tons of local bands and musicians: JWX: The Jarreau Williams Experience, classical guitarist Alex Barnett, Louisa Hall, Geoff Browning from Of Tomorrow, Bumper Jacksons Duo, Eli Lev, Benjamin Carter, Nardo Lilly, and of course, Justin Trawick and The Common Good. Girls Rock! Showcase: $12, 11 AM. Circus Life Podcast: $15, 8 PM.
BASEBALL In conjunction with its “Baseball Americana” exhibition, the Library of Congress is hosting a Baseball Americana Family Day at its Thomas Jefferson Building. Baseball-themed events include a clinic on vintage baseball rules (from the 19th century), the play Black Diamond about the pioneering African-American baseball players, and a discussion by MLB historian John Thorn about the origins of the modern rules of baseball. Free (registration recommended), 10 AM – 2 PM.
SUNDAY, JULY 15
MUSEUMS Art can often be serious, but some media—especially prints and drawings—sometimes lend themselves to a more lighthearted approach. The National Gallery of Art has pulled together pieces with comic content from its collection in a new exhibit, “Sense of Humor,” dating back to caricatures from the Renaissance era all the way to 20th-century comics. Through January 6, 2019.
OPERA The big-ticket pop shows are still going strong at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center (Sunday night features electropop singer Halsey), but the venue’s smaller, indoor Barns location presents a weeklong production of Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. The production gives a French Romantic twist to Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers. In French with projected translation. Through July 21. $36-$92.
