Wake to Washington

Social sports since 1791

Fun fact: the National Mall was laid out to include adult sports as part of the plan from 1791! Our founding fathers loved social sports and DC Fray has you covered. Pick your fave and register today.

More fuel for your roommates’ DC-NYC rivalry

The well-known and highly hyped Navy Yard Smorgasburg is shutting down until early September. Between the congressional recess, a series of heat waves and traveling locals, the outdoor market chain (which attracted crowds of up to 30,000 in Brooklyn) thought it best for vendors to take an August hiatus.

Praise Jesus, Town is back

The people behind Town Danceboutique, which sadly closed last year (cause of death: luxury apartments), have announced that a Town 2.0 is planned for NoMA. The most delicious part? The new location is an old Baptist church.

• There's something...emblematic about the fact that Town 2.0 would take the place of a closed church. Gentrification has not always been kind to black churches here, posing big questions for pastors struggling to keep their flocks afloat.  

“There’s nothing in the world that isn’t political.”

WMATA reversed their decision to ban ads for an exhibit on immigration at The Phillips Collection, following an outcry from the museum’s director. But this isn’t the first time the Metro’s guidelines have been called into question. Just last year, the board faced backlash from groups like the ACLU and Amnesty International for denying ads deemed to be political messaging. 

• You can view the Phillips Collection exhibit until September 22nd. 

Hog wild in the District

Are you worried about 30-50 feral hogs running into your yard within 3-5 minutes while your small kids play? If you live in DC or Maryland, fear not - there are no reported breeding populations in either area. Keep your guard up in Virginia, though. Someone spotted a 545-pound (yes, POUND) possibly feral hog in 2017, and the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has suspicions that more are being moved into new areas of the state. In the meantime, enjoy the twitter jokes.

Even more hog wild in the District

If you’re interested in some non-feral hogs, DCist has a roundup of local county fairs in the DC region. Depending on the fair, you can try goat yoga, judge a cute baby contest, judge a cute pet contest, pick the future Queen Nicotina, or even see the Temptations live.

Giant panda may be pregnant

Hold onto your boots it’s baby panda watch time.

Also || new Capitol Hill wine bar, why this cute furniture is all the rage, almost a third of DCPS staff don’t have current background checks, child sexual abuse accusations at Columbia Heights church, checking out the ghost ships of Maryland, where to find gluten free alcohol, NMAACH expands early childhood education

The perfect place to brag about your typing speed

The Library of Congress needs your help in transcribing over 16,000 pages of suffragist diaries, letters, speeches, and other documents. Anyone is able to participate, and they’re hoping volunteers will help in the effort to bring more suffragist stories to light.

Go-Go 4 Justice rally

Dont Mute DC brings you the latest go-go driven social justice rally, this time in support of a halfway house for returned citizens, who make up 10% of DC’s population, or about 70,000 people. (5:30pm)

Music in the museum

Grab a spot along the balcony rail and watch Colombian Carribbean group La Marvela perform at Luce Unplugged. (5:30pm)

A crash course in unionizing

Catch NYT journalist Steven Greenhouse talking about how labor unions shaped the modern day workforce, the current decline of workers’ rights and what laborers can do to reclaim their collective power. (7pm)

So much art to behold

• Support local DC artists by attending the opening of a new exhibit at the W St. YMCA. Rose Jaffe will be the artist-in-residence, featuring art exploring the themes of political activism, female empowerment, natural healing, and spiritual grounding. (6:30 pm, through Oct. 11)

• Start with a beginning and end with an arrival, or just join Area Woman, a multidisciplinary performance collective, for Ephemeral Fatale - a night of “trust-building meta-moments” (?), “sonic worldbuilding” (?), and murder mystery (??). (7:30 pm through Aug. 18)

• Or check this one-night-only show at Holy Bones by artists Kelly Towles. (6pm)

Reminders from the Weekly Scheduler

• Busboys Takoma hosts the launch of a progressive challenger for Brandon Todd’s Ward 4 council spot. (7 pm)

Also || film: Edward Scissorhands | film: The Bros | tunes: Sitcom | women uncorked downtown | panel on extreme heat | Friends in the City art show | local standup comedy | Secret garden music series | panel on women DJ collectives (get added to the waiting list)