The To Do List

Originally Uploaded to flickr by Elvert Barnes

There are lots of options for fun and enlightenment this weekend.  Most of the events that caught my attention somehow involved music or lectures.  Below you’ll find my eclectic mix of weekend options.

If you’d like to go into the weekend feeling super smart, attend the free public lecture in room 902 of the Hart Senate Office building on Thursday night.  Dr. Andrea Bartoli will speak on “Overcoming Violence:  Fresh Approaches to Conflict Resolution in the Middle East.”  The lecture starts with a networking reception (free cake!) at 6:30pm and ends with a panel of Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox Christian respondents.  This event is a joint activity of the Institute for Public Service & Policy Development and the Institute for Global Engagement.  But there’s more…

Or, maybe you’d like to attend a cabaret for a cause.  The Corner Store at 900 South Carolina Avenue, SE presents Barry Abel, Michael Miyazaki, Kathy Reilly, Mary Reilly and Eileen Warner in their Cabaret Celebration.  Shows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm.  Your $25 donation includes your refreshments and supports The Corner Store’s mission to lift your mind, body and spirit by providing arts in the heart of Capitol Hill.  For Reservations call 202.544.5807 or email kris@cornerstorearts.org.

Need to have your car washed after all this rain?  Head to the Boy Scouts car wash fundraiser at 522 7th St. SE to have your car hand washed, dried and vacuumed in the parking lot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Suggested donation is $15.

Or, if you’re more into hard rock for a cause, you can spend Saturday at DC101’s Annual Chili Cook-off at RFK Stadium.  Bands including Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Cage The Elephant, Switchfoot and Anberlin will begin performing at noon.  Proceeds support the National Kidney Foundation.  Tickets are $55 at the door.

The Washington Post suggests you journey over to the Rock & Roll Hotel on Saturday night for “Devin the Dude,” a Houston-based Hip-Hop Rapper who shares his nickname with the character from “The Big Lebowski.”  The Post explains, “They are both endlessly entertaining, kind of slackers and enjoy a certain illicit substance.”  Tickets cost $18 and the show starts at 9:30pm.

Or, maybe you’d like a more contemplative Saturday night.  The Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. will speak at the Smithsonian at 7pm as part of the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program.  Gossett Jr. will reflect on his life and career and sign copies of his newmemoir, “An Actor and a Gentleman” (written with Phyllis Karas).  Tickets are $25.

Finally, if you’re up for an adventure off the Hill, spend your Sunday afternoon at the DC Record Fair.  Record dealers from up and down the East Coast will have their collections of vinyl on sale at the Black Cat between noon and 6pm.  DJs scheduled to attend include Fort Knox Five, DJ Dredd, Alec MacKaye, Cobruhhh and John Foster.  The cover for the event is $2.

Other ideas for this weekend?  Suggest them in the comments.