There are only 16 days until Halloween, and while CDC guidelines really kill most of the fun (with reason), I have heard from a few neighbors that they are planning to leave candy cups out or trying to design candy chutes. Are you planning something special for Halloween? Email me your plans and (approximate) address to info@thehillishome.com! I will add it to my SPOOKY HILL map, which you can see here and right below. DO NOT FORGET THE HAND SANITIZER! If you’ve sent me info and don’t see it yet, bear with me: Looks like my computer decided to celebrate early and play a trick on me.
So apart from visiting all these awesome places, what else is there to do?
Everywhere on the Hill: Carve out some time (yuk, yuk!) to plan out your Literary Pumpkin. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s yearly dinner party fundraiser is not happening this year, meaning that many an ambitious hostess won’t be having a heart attack and running to IKEA for cheap plates last-minute. Instead, intrepid book lovers can try their hand at recreating literary heroes, heroines, villains and maybe even entire passages from favorite books in a cucurbitaceous medium. I’m going to get five pumpkins and put bonnets on them and call them the Bennett sisters, maybe. Sign up with your idea here. Don’t forget: It’s a fundraiser!
Décor: Firehook and All Fired Up paired up and now you can get a cookie and paint something cute for Halloween! They have adorable pumpkins and other spooky ookies. Check out their hours here and reserve studio time here.
Citywide: Sign up for the DC Virtual Ride here. Do you want to do something social while still adhering to the safety protocols? Then joining a thriving biking community and using technology to your advantage is for you! Click here for more details and to register, and get ready to ride in November!
Shaw, online, in your heart: HBCU Homecoming weekend is a big tradition that will not be happening this year. Our friends over at HalfSmoke in Shaw are throwing a big party in homage to this awesome, time-honored ritual. Click here to reserve your spot in the tailgate at the Howard Theatre, complete with half-smokes and champagne! For more info on HBCU Homecoming, click here.
Have you missed museums? Several of our beloved Smithsonians are now open with reduced hours. You can check out the new schedules here.
Feel Good, Do Good: Want to donate to a good cause? You may have missed local non-profit DC Family and Youth Initiative‘s live fundraiser, but if you go to avcast.me/dcfyi, you can watch the recording and donate, thereby helping create community for young kids and families.
Off-Hill but still Ward 6: If you want to go to an interactive and touchless museum that sits at the cutting edge of innovation and poetry, ARTECHOUSE‘s new exhibit, Crystalline, is a must-see. An homage to the power of Classic Blue, Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2020, the exhibit is soothing and playful. Make sure you explore the main space, but do not sleep on the area that used to be the bar in the before-times: It’s still a bar, but the patrons look sad and forlorn (blue?). As they dissolve into a pixelated oblivion, it’s easy to recall how much we took for granted before the pandemic. Click here for tickets.
Way off-Hill: If what you crave is to scream your head off in the middle of a field as a team of talented actors scare you, Field of Screams may be your destination. Click here for more details.
Civic-minded: Are you a Kingman Park resident? Join their monthly meeting today, via Zoom. Click here to connect.
How about a virtual concert for a good cause? City Winery is hosting Voice Your Vote on Sunday, October 18. A showcase of Black talent, the evening is friendly to all budgets. For more information and tickets, click here.
Spooky walkies: Scary DC organizes scary walks around the neighborhood this time of year and you’re invited. Book a spot by clicking here and wear a costume if you’re so inclined (um… yes, you’re SO INCLINED! Sexy hazmat suit, here we come!)
Make sure you take a walk around Barracks Row and admire the secluded winter eateries and parklets popping around places like Belga Café and Valor Brewpub. Don’t forget to keep supporting your favorites. If you like local businesses, support local businesses.
On your radar: Friend of the blog Armand Lione tells me that there is a small group of neighbors who’ve gotten together at Yards Park (taking care with social distancing precautions) to watch launches from Wallops Island. You can check the schedule for the launches on NASA TV here. Looks like the next launch may happen on Sunday, October 18. Bear in mind that the events can be delayed on account of weather. (P.S. Check out Armand’s passion project on the Anacostan Indians by clicking here. Perfect for celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day.)
On the calendar: Want to immortalize your adorable pooch with a portrait that captures their whimsy and spirit– and costume? Reserve a spot for Halloween weekend at Congressional Cemetery’s Halloween Pet Portraits! Act now, because these events fill up fast! While you’re at it, make sure you also book a Soul Stroll at the cemetery as well. The closer they are to Halloween, the more sold out they are.