Whether you are making Valentine’s Day plans, or looking for the perfect gift, we have you covered. Goldstar has put together a Valentine’s Day list of events with a little bit of something for everyone. And each of these events is available at a discount!

Ferenc Molnar’s Husbands and Lovers From Washington Stage Guild
The Undercroft Theatre
Washington, DC
Sat, Feb 25 @ 2:30pm
Sat, Feb 25 @ 8:00pm
and 16 more dates.

Almost, Maine, a Magical Romantic Comedy
1st Stage Theater
McLean, VA
Sat, Feb 4 @ 2:00pm
Sun, Feb 5 @ 2:00pm
and 10 more dates.

Come Fly Away: The Hit Frank Sinatra/Twyla Tharp Broadway Musical
The Lyric
Baltimore, MD
Fri, Feb 24 @ 8:00pm (Opening Night)

National Philharmonic Goes All-Bach With Brandenburg Concertos
Music Center at Strathmore
North Bethesda, MD
Sat, Feb 25 @ 8:00pm

Monty Python’s Spamalot Comes to D.C.’s Warner Theatre
Warner Theatre
Washington, DC
Tue, Mar 13 @ 7:30pm
Wed, Mar 14 @ 2:00pm (Goldstar Members-Only Performance)
and 4 more dates.

Crimes of the Heart: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Southern Comedy by Beth Henley
Bowie Playhouse
Bowie, MD
Fri, Feb 3 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Feb 4 @ 8:00pm
and 6 more dates.

Amelia, an Epic Civil War Romance
The Undercroft Theatre
Washington, DC
Fri, Feb 3 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Feb 4 @ 2:30pm
and 6 more dates.

Odyssey Cruises’ Luxury Brunch and Dinner Cruises: Dining, Dancing, Live Music and More
Odyssey Cruises – DC
Washington, DC
Sat, Mar 3 @ 8:00pm (Dinner Cruise)
Sat, Mar 17 @ 7:00pm (Dinner Cruise)

Valentine’s Day Improv Workshop for Singles and Couples
Writer’s Center
Bethesda, MD
Sat, Feb 11 @ 8:00pm

Ah, Wilderness! — Arena Stage Presents O’Neill’s Only Comedy
Arena Stage – Fichandler
Washington, DC
Fri, Mar 9 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Mar 10 @ 8:00pm
and 4 more dates.

The Wine Tasting Association Presents its Spring Wine Tasting
Embassy Suites DC – Convention Center
Washington, DC
Sat, Apr 28 @ 2:00pm
Sat, Apr 28 @ 8:00pm

Tom Stoppard’s Classic Comedy Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Hart Auditorium
Washington, DC
Wed, Feb 15 @ 8:00pm
Thu, Feb 16 @ 8:00pm
and 2 more dates.

Dinner Cruise Past the National Monuments: Candlelight Dinner & Dancing
Dandy Dinner Boat at The Strand
Alexandria, VA
Sat, Feb 11 @ 7:00pm (Boarding at 6:30pm)
Sat, Feb 18 @ 7:00pm (Boarding at 6:30pm)
and 1 more dates.

Love Bites: Washington Improv Theater Takes on Valentine’s Day
Source Theatre
Washington, DC
Tue, Feb 14 @ 8:00pm

Nina’s Dandy Brunch & Lunch Cruises with Views of the Monuments
Dandy Dinner Boat at The Strand
Alexandria, VA
Sun, Feb 12 @ Noon (Champagne Brunch Buffet)
Sun, Feb 19 @ Noon (Champagne Brunch Buffet)

Valentine’s Dance at the Candy Factory: Learn While Mingling
Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory
Manassas, VA
Sun, Feb 12 @ 6:00pm

Art of Dessert: Valentine’s Dinner and Endless Dessert Reception
Busboys & Poets – Hyattsville
Hyattsville, MD
Tue, Feb 14 @ 6:00pm
Tue, Feb 14 @ 8:00pm

Spirit Cruises’ Buffet Cruises: Dining, Dancing, Live Entertainment and More
Spirit Cruises – DC
Washington, DC
Sat, Feb 18 @ 7:00pm (Dinner Cruise)
Sun, Feb 26 @ 6:00pm (Dinner Cruise)

Art: The Tony Award-Winning Comedy by Yasmina Reza
Bowie Playhouse
Bowie, MD
Fri, Mar 16 @ 8:00pm
Sat, Mar 17 @ 8:00pm
and 6 more dates.

Champagne & Strings 2: An Evening of Bach from IBIS
Lyon Park Community Center
Arlington, VA
Fri, Feb 10 @ 7:30pm

For tickets to any of these events, visit Goldstar today!

]]> http://thedistrict.com/washington-dc-area-valentines-day-gift-ideas/feed/ 0 http://thedistrict.com/run-rock-n-roll-washington-dc-with-a-biggest-loser-on-march-17th/ http://thedistrict.com/run-rock-n-roll-washington-dc-with-a-biggest-loser-on-march-17th/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:28:56 +0000 Brian http://thedistrict.com/?p=3443

The inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Health & Fitness Expo (with half and full marathon) is coming to Washington DC on March 15-17, 2012.

Are you running Rock ‘n’ Roll Washington DC? Here’s your chance to run with a Biggest Loser and make every mile count!

Team Future is the Kids Fit Foundation’s fundraising and training program. Whether you are ready for the challenge of a half marathon or want to take on your first 5k, you can make every mile count by joining Team Future. The Kids Fit Foundation is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for quality youth programs that incorporate health, fitness and wellness. Join the fight for healthy children today!

For more information on this event, visit www.teamfuture.com

Dancing in Light

Margaret Jenkins has been creating dances out of San Francisco for almost forty years now, and her company has toured the country extensively since the late 1970s. Her latest composition, Light Moves, which draws heavily on lighting effects and projected figures, premiered in November, and the company will perform it for only the second time this Friday and Saturday at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. Both nights’ shows are at 8 p.m., and tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for seniors and UMD alumni, and $9 for anyone with a valid student ID (not just UMD students) and those under 18.

Funny Movies and Funny People

Many studies have shown that laughter truly is a social phenomenon, so even though it’s possible these days to watch funny videos at home on YouTube, there’s still something infinitely more satisfying about getting together to do it in a group. This Friday and Saturday, the Riot Act Comedy Theater provides the chance to do just that with DC Shorts Laughs: The Films. Friday’s shows are at 7 and 9:30 p.m., and Saturday’s are at 5, 7:30, and 10 p.m. Each show features totally different short comedy films punctuated by standup comics.

High Fashion, Cheap!

Every year the boutique stores in Alexandria stock up with all the latest fashions, and every year good stuff remains unsold, even after post-Christmas discounts. That’s when the real deep discounts kick in: at the Alexandria Boutique Warehouse Sale, this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Get there early before all the best frocks are gone.

And the Most Versatile Artist Is…

Trying to undo centuries of specialization, the DC Arts Center asked area artists to produce work in a competition across ten different media: textiles/fiber; painting; drawing; printmaking; photography; collage; sound; video; conceptual art; and sculpture. The four semifinalists have been hard at it for six months and have had their creations on display since mid-January; this Sunday at 5 p.m. a winner will finally be crowned in a medal ceremony. Attendance is free.

The National Cherry Blosssom Festival orginizers have released the following information:

“The National Cherry Blossom Festival unveiled key initiatives and programming that will comprise the unprecedented five week 2012 Centennial Celebration, March 20 – April 27, in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC. The gift of trees is now the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, and the Festival will expand from 16 days to a five week event paying tribute to 100 years of blossoms with prestigious arts and culture, key environmental initiatives, and more community spirit than ever before.

Signature events will be elevated and new activities and programs put forth in honor of the once-in-a-lifetime occasion. The Festival unveiled the “City in Bloom,” a campaign to visually unite the region for over one million expected attendees. Through the Festival’s City in Bloom “toolkit,” area businesses, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to utilize special pink and blossom lighting, blossom decals, oversize banners, and more, showing their spirit for the Centennial and gift of trees.

World-renowned artist Peter Max has created the official artwork of the 2012 Centennial Celebration. His original iconic piece captures the spirit of the Festival, and will be sold as a commemorative poster and on other limited merchandise. Many additional commemorative initiatives are underway. Cherry Blossoms: The Official Book of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, will be published in partnership with National Geographic in February 2012. The United States Postal Service has created a Cherry Blossom Centennial Forever stamp that will be issued in March 2012.

The Festival will plant over 1,000 cherry trees with Casey Trees and the University of the District of Columbia, continuing the circle of giving. With Arbor Day Foundation, the Festival will hold a contest to determine “America’s Favorite Cherry Tree.” Youth Education initiatives will continue and be expanded, educating and inspiring the next generation of Festival-goers. In 2012, the girl scouts also celebrate their 100-year anniversary, and will participate in a special patch program to learn about the trees and their cultural significance.

Rare and renowned art and culture will be at the forefront of offerings. The National Gallery of Art will exhibit Colorful Realm of Living Beings, a 30-scroll set of paintings, never before seen in its entirety outside Japan. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will have two exhibits featuring the masterworks of Hokusai and rare Buddhist paintings. National Geographic Museum will have a special exhibit on the Samurai’s influence on Japanese history and culture. S&R Foundation will have a Cherry Blossom Concert Series, with award-winning, world-class Japanese artists featured at the Kennedy Center.

Signature events that help make up the 2012 calendar include

• the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, a ticketed but free starstudded show seating 6,000 people;
• Family Days on Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, 2012;
• the Blossom Kite Festival on Saturday, March 31, 2012;
• the Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival on Saturday, April 7, 2012;
• and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade followed by the Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival on Saturday, April 14, 2012.

Free cultural performances will take place throughout the five weeks at both the Jefferson Memorial stage and Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds. Visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more information.

To make the grand commemoration possible, the Festival thanks the Centennial Host Committee, a group that has provided significant financial contributions and will provide high level guidance. The committee is led by co-chair Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., who joined the Festival two years ago with the shared vision of making the Centennial Celebration a reality.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is Washington, DC’s and the nation’s greatest springtime celebration. The 2012 Festival, March 20 – April 27, includes 5 spectacular weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The 2012 Festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.”

So, have you booked your hotel yet?

February 1 – 29

In observance of Black History Month, February 1 through 29, Mount Vernon interpreters highlight at the slave quarters the lives and contributions of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. The refurbished slave quarters building is now open. Reproduction clothing, tools, furniture, cookware, ceramics, toys, and personal accessories outfit the space to emphasize the living conditions and experiences of enslaved people as skilled craftsmen, house slaves, and laborers on the Mansion House Farm.

Throughout the month, a 12 p.m. daily Slave Life at Mount Vernon tour explores the lives and contributions of the slaves who lived at Mount Vernon. A wreathlaying and presentation occurs daily at the slave memorial site throughout the month of February at 1 p.m. Black History Month activities are included in regular Estate admission: adults, $15.00; children ages 6-11, $7.00; and children under 5 are admitted free.

The Original that Spawned All the Samples

Other than James Brown and George Clinton, perhaps no musician has been sampled more often in modern hip-hop than jazz/soul vibraphonist Roy Ayers, best known for his highly regarded 1973 soundtrack to Coffy and his 1980 collaboration with Fela Kuti Music of Many Colors. This weekend is your chance to see the original as he does eight shows at the jazz supper club Blues Alley, Thursday through Sunday at 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $40.

Brrrr! Seriously, BRRRRRR!

Some of us apparently think it’s a good idea to jump into frigid water in the middle of the winter. If you’re in that crowd, the big event is this weekend: the 16th Annual MSP Polar Bear Plunge, where you get to freeze your tootsies off jumping into the Chesapeake at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, MD. Even kids can dunk themselves (in a kiddie pool sprinkled with a few ice cubes). To participate you must raise $50 in pledges for the Maryland Special Olympics. Visit the Plunge website to download pledge forms and for important information about satellite parking and shuttle buses, because far from being a fringe activity, jumping into bone-chilling water turns out to be incredibly popular.

The Master Draws

From his beginnings as a realist painter in the mid-1890s, through his Blue Period and Rose Period and finally into the invention of Cubism and Surrealism, Pablo Picasso continually reinvented himself and profoundly changed the history of art. Now you can trace that development over the course of thirty years of Picasso’s drawings in a new show opening this Sunday in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, Picasso’s Drawings, 1890–1921: Reinventing Tradition. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Also This Weekend

The Washington Auto Show
Washington Convention Center
January 27th, 2012 – February 5th, 2012

Chinese New Year Parade
Washington, DC – Chinatown
January 29, 2012
2:00 pm start time
6th & I St. NW to 6th & H St. NW

The US Capitol Police Public Information Office has issued the following press release:

“On Tuesday, January 24, 2012, President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address will take place in the U.S. Capitol at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Restricted Access – Capitol Square

The Capitol Square will be restricted to event credentialed and authorized pedestrians only beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Street Closures

The U.S. Capitol Police will put the following street closures affecting vehicular traffic into effect on January 24, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. and will lift these street closures when this event has concluded:

North Side of Capitol Square

• D Street, NE between 2nd Street, NE & Louisiana Avenue, NW
• C Street, NE between 2nd Street, NE & Louisiana Avenue, NW
• Constitution Avenue between 2nd Street, NE & Louisiana Avenue, NW
• Delaware Avenue between Columbus Circle & Constitution Avenue, NE
• New Jersey Avenue, NE between Louisiana Avenue, & D Street, NE
• Pennsylvania Avenue between 1st Street, & 3rd Street, NW
• East Capitol Street between 2nd Street, & 1st Street, NE/SE
• 1st Street between Columbus Circle, NE & C Street, SE
• 1st Street between Louisiana Avenue, NW and Washington Avenue, SW

South Side of Capitol Square

• Maryland Avenue, SW between 1st Street, & 3rd Street, SW
• Independence Avenue between 2nd Street, SE & Washington Avenue, SW
• C Street between 1st Street, SE & Washington Avenue, SW
• Delaware Avenue between Washington Avenue, SW & C Street, SW
• New Jersey Avenue between Independence Avenue, & D Street, SE
• South Capitol Street between Independence Avenue & D Street, SE/SW

Capitol Tours

Public and staff-led tours will be suspended at noon on January 24, 2012. The Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) will also close at noon. Tours will resume on a normal operational schedule on Wednesday, January 25.

Tour Bus Rerouting

Tour buses will be rerouted from First Street between Constitution Avenue, NW and Independence Avenue, SW to Third Street, between Constitution Avenue, NW and Independence Avenue, SW for passenger drop off and pick up for this event.

If there are any questions about these events or security procedures, please contact the United States Capitol Police Public Information Office at 202-224-1677.”

United States Capitol Police
Chief Phillip D. Morse, Sr
Public Information Office
119 D Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20510

Prepared by:
Sergeant Kimberly Schneider
United States Capitol Police
Public Information Officer

Joanne Griffith, editor of the new book Redefining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America, discusses “The Meaning of Black Power in the Age of Obama” with SNCC activists Courtland Cox, who served as Director of the Minority Business Development Agency under President Clinton, and Freddie Greene Biddle. Co-sponsored by City Lights, The Pacifica Foundation, SNCC, WPFW, Busboys and Poets and Teaching for Change.

When:
Thursday, February 16th
6:30-8pm

Where:
Busboys and Poets
2021 14th St (at V.)
NW DC 20009
(202) 387 – POET

For more information, visit their web site, or email events@busboysandpoets.com.

Listening to the National Symphony Orchestra play at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC is an amazing experience! This weekend they are performing Widmann, Mozart & Schubert. Goldstar is offering discount tickets for the performances on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Description:
“Maestro Christoph Eschenbach conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in a program of classical and contemporary genius, highlighted by Schubert’s Symphony No. 9. Known as the “Great,” the ninth is the last symphony Schubert completed, and it has come to be regarded as one of the most impressive works of the romantic era. The orchestra will perform Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, with special guest soloist Jörg Widmann. Widmann’s own Armonica, a contemporary piece featuring the affecting tones of Christa Schönfeldinger’s glass harmonica, will round out the program.”

Where:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Concert Hall
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566

When:
Thursday January 26th, 2012 at 7 pm
Saturday January 28th, 2012 at 8 pm
Sunday January 29th, 2012 at 3 pm

Tickets:
Discount tickets available through Goldstar for $29.50
Regular price tickets available on our Kennedy Center Tickets page (Scroll down to “Concert Hall Events”)

Sunday January 22, 2012

The National Weather Service Has Issued A Freezing Rain Advisory Which Is In Effect Until 6 am EST Monday.

• Precipitation Type: Freezing Rain And Freezing Drizzle.
• Accumulations: A Trace To Less Than A Tenth Of An Inch.
• Timing: Late This Afternoon Through Early Monday Morning.
• Temperatures: Upper 20s To Lower 30s.
• Winds: Northeast Up To 5 Mph.
• Impacts: Light Icing On Roadways And Elevated Surfaces Will Make Traveling Hazardous.

PRECAUTIONARY ACTIONS: A Freezing Rain Advisory Means That Periods Of Freezing Rain Or Freezing Drizzle Will Cause Travel Difficulties. Be Prepared For Slippery Roads. Slow Down And Use Caution While Driving.