Events/Things To Do

National Museum of Women in the Arts’ 2023 Spring Gala
On Friday, April 14, 2023, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) hosts its annual black-tie gala. Join co-chairs Anita McBride and Patti White and NMWA patrons for a special night at the museum’s largest annual fundraising event, which supports NMWA’s special exhibitions, and diverse education and public programming initiatives. The Ambassador of Italy, Her Excellency Mariangela Zappia, will be our Honorary Diplomatic Chair. RBC Wealth Management is Presenting Sponsor for the evening.

The event will feature a seated dinner and entertainment. Luminaries from Washington’s diplomatic, governmental and social communities are expected to attend. This year’s gala will honor Cecilia Alemani, curator and artistic director of the 59th Venice Biennale, with the 2023 NMWA Achievement Award for Excellence in the Arts. Since 2011, she has been the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art program presented by the High Line in New York. In 2022, she curated The Milk of Dreams, the 59th International Art Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. In 2018, Alemani served as Artistic Director of the inaugural edition of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires. In 2017, she curated the Italian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

When
Friday, April 14, 2023
Cocktails: 6:30 p.m.
Dinner and Entertainment: 7:30 p.m.

Where
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
Valet parking available

Alexandria’s hometown destination race returns this Spring when the 39th PNC Parkway Classic hits the pavement on Sunday, April 23, 2023. As one of the most popular spring events in the DC metro area, the race, organized by local running retailer Pacers Running attracts thousands of runners and spectators who want to experience the George Washington Memorial Parkway from a unique perspective. The race features both a 5K, and a 10-mile race offering starting at 8:00 am as well as a 600-meter Kids Dash race for the little runners kicking off at 10:30am. Post-race, participants over 21+ can receive a complimentary beverage and join local brewery and sponsor, Port City Brewery at an after party at Oronoco Bay Park to celebrate the finish line.

The race takes place during the presidentially proclaimed National Park Week every April which celebrates America’s treasures. National Park Week is a time to explore amazing places, discover stories of history and culture, help out, and find your park.

Since 1984, the George Washington Parkway Classic has been one of the most scenic and spacious distance races on the East Coast. The Classic 5k Course will start and finish at Oronoco Bay Park. The 10-mile race will start at Mt. Vernon Estate with the course taking runners up the beautiful George Washington Memorial Parkway and ending at Oronoco Bay Park. It is the only race that starts at the historic Mt. Vernon Estate and takes 10 miler runners up a road that is ranked as one of the top scenic roads in the country that resides on National Park Service property. Every runner for the 5K and 10 Miler will receive a medal and a Commemorative technical fabric running shirt.

Registration for each race is required ($45 for 5K and $85 for the 10-Mi). For $50, a virtual option is provided. In addition to the race event, kids can join the fun in a kid-friendly race for $20 kicking off at Waterfront Park in Old Town (at King & Union Street) that is designed for children under 12 years old. Special family friendly activities and entertainment will be included in the kids’ package, along with each Dash participant receiving a special race bib and medal. Post-race, participants over 21+ can receive a complimentary beverage and join local brewery and sponsor, Port City Brewery at an after party in the Brewing Beer Garden to celebrate the finish line.

As the PNC Parkway Classic continues to celebrate the joy of road racing, the race also gives back to the local community. Since the race’s inception, the money raised from the event has helped local and regional charities and organizations, such as the Boys + Girls Clubs of Alexandria, the National Park Service, Rebuilding Together DC-Alexandria, and Together We Bake in continuing each charities mission.

For more information, visit the following website details about registration, race route, and event day activities: www.parkwayclassic.com.

EVENT DETAILS

What:  39th Annual PNC Parkway Classic
Presented by:  PNC Bank N.A.
Produced by: Pacers Running (runpacers.com)
When: Sunday, April 23, 2023
Where: Mount Vernon Estate through Old Town Alexandria
Time:  8AM Race Start, 10:30 AM – Kid Dash
Cost: $20-Kid’s Dash, $45-5K, & $85-10Miler

Website/Event Registration: www.parkwayclassic.com

A long-running event in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia, underground bicycle racing that began as a series and evolved into the Garage Racing National Championships. Join the National Landing Business Improvement District (BID), the biking community and more than 100 participating cyclists at the sixth annual Garage Racing National Championships, the region’s ONLY underground bike race series that challenges amateur and elite cyclists alike to compete to be the National Champion.

• On Friday, April 28, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, invite friends and family to watch a series of 30-minute relay, fixed gear, and anything goes races from a lounge area with great views, a spirited happy hour, and a celebration of bicycling to kick off National Bike Month.

• On Saturday, April 29, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, continue the fun all day long by watching a series of bike races ranging from 25 to 40 minutes for junior cyclists, men, women, and non-binary individuals.

The Garage Racing National Championships is part of a series of events and programming hosted by the National Landing BID to recognize National Bike Month. Check out exciting and diverse community events hosted throughout the year in National Landing and stay tuned for more details by visiting nationallanding.org/events.

WHEN: Friday, April 28, from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, and Saturday, April 29, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

WHERE: 2011 Crystal Drive Parking Lot – Floors 2 and 3 lower levels of the parking garage

HOW: Registration for this event is available here.

Almost like watching from Churchill Downs, Jack Rose Dining Saloon will once again be Washington, DC’s premiere destination for Kentucky Derby festivities on Saturday, May 6 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

On the sunny rooftop terrace and whiskey-surrounded indoor Saloon, guests and race fanatics are invited to don their finest derby attire at the bar’s 11^th Annual Kentucky Derby Celebration + Viewing Party, complete with mint juleps, complimentary Southern bites, plenty of Kentucky bourbon, and a live viewing of the 2023 Run for the Roses.

Commemorating “the greatest two minutes in sports,” Jack Rose will host its 11^th Annual Derby Day Viewing Partyon two levels: its first-come, first-served open-air Rooftop Terrace and ticketed reserved seating in its spacious indoor Saloon, surrounded by thousands of bottles of whiskey.

The bar will be open early at 3pm, with both floors offering an a la carte menu of classic Mint Juleps made with Bardstown Fusion Series, other Southern-inspired cocktails like a spiked sweet tea punch & brown derby. Complimentary Derby hors d’oeuvres will be passed throughout the afternoon.

Saloon Reservations are available for $50/person (excluding tax & gratuity) which guarantees each party two-hour indoor reserved seating with direct views of the race on an extra-large projector screen with sound, plus a welcome pour of Bardstown Bourbon Fusion Series, one round of classic Bardstown Bourbon Company Classic Mint Juleps, and a Derby Platter for the table (cucumber sandwiches, KY hot browns & biscuits). Pre-paid Saloon reservations are available via Resy, for seatings between 5-6pm (just in time for the race’s 6:57pm post time).

And the bar’s Rooftop Terrace will also play host to a walk-ins-only viewing party, airing the Derby on six flat-screen TVs with sound. The Terrace party is free to attend, first-come first-served, with table and bar seating and standing room available. Guests are encouraged to don their Derby best – bow ties, seersucker, and big hats!

Co-hosted by NBC4 News Anchors, Jim Handly and Jummy Olabanji, WTEF’s 2023 Annual Share the Love Gala, will be held on Saturday, May 6th from 6:00pm – 11:00pm at the Waldorf Astoria in DC. WTEF’s largest annual fundraising event, the gala helps enable the continuance of their important work of Building Life Champions through tennis and education.

The gala features a cocktail reception and open bar, three-course gala wine dinner, a live musical performance by DC’s own The “Original” Moonlighters, and their signature “Bid It to Win It” silent auction fundraiser.

Presented in advance of the FREE Old Town Festival of Speed & Style on Saturday, the High-Octane Ball presented by Alexandria-based Yates Automotive, will celebrate with a formal social gathering, highlighting the “Style” element of Speed & Style from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 20^th.

Tickets are now on sale for this all-inclusive ticketed dress-up event in which partygoers can enjoy food, wine, libation, live music, and a live auction. Ticket Link

U.S. Dream Academy’s POWER OF A DREAM GALA – Celebrating 25 Years of Cultivating Dreams

Monday, October 2

5:30-10:30P p.m.

Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC

Link
The U.S. Dream Academy, a Maryland based, 501(c)3 nonprofit that inspires and invests in the lives of children of incarcerated parents, will host its Annual “Power of A Dream” Gala in honor of the charity’s 25th Anniversary on Monday, October 2nd at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, presented by Amway. In celebrating its 25th year, the U.S. Dream Academy gala is held to benefit our nationally recognized after-school programs for children. The event attracts some of Hollywood’s top celebrities, corporate executives, and VIPs, as well as political and community leaders, who support and invest in the future of those children most at risk. The annual event also honors those who are making a difference in young people’s lives with their philanthropic efforts.

Alumni Keynote Speaker: Withney Simons Entertainment: Jennifer Holliday, GRAMMY and TONY Award winning Broadway Actress, Recording Artist and Gospel Singer

Special Performance: Wintley Phipps, GRAMMY nominated Gospel Singer, and Founder and CEO of U.S. Dream Academy, with the Takoma Academy Chorale

The U.S. Dream Academy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that inspires and invests in the lives of children of incarcerated parents, will host its Annual “Power of A Dream” celebration in honor of the charity’s 25th Anniversary on Monday, October 2nd at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, presented by Amway. The Black Tie Optional Event will commence with a Sponsor Reception at 5:30pm, followed by the Program at 7:00pm, hosted by NBC4 News Anchor Shawn Yancy. Celebration tickets are available for purchase.

Event Details:

In celebrating its 25th year, the U.S. Dream Academy has set a fundraising goal of $1 million for the 450 attending guests and honorees. The event will take place in the Gathering Room on the top floor of the Museum of The Bible, with sweeping views of Washington, DC. Attendees will be treated to a red carpet experience, VIP reception, an impactful Power of A Dream 25th Anniversary program, an After-Glow dessert reception, and entertainment by Grammy and Tony Award winning artist Jennifer Holliday.

“For a quarter of a century, our nonprofit has been the driving force behind positive change, impacting countless lives,” says Dr. Wintley Phipps, U.S. Dream Academy Founder and CEO. “As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we renew our commitment to our mission and look forward to the next 25 years of making a difference in the world.”

EVENING HIGHLIGHTS

Alumni Keynote Speaker: Withney Simons, U.S. Dream Academy Alum, Entrepreneur and Head Image Consultant at Conassauier Paris

Entertainment: Jennifer Holliday, GRAMMY and TONY Award winning Broadway Actress, Recording Artist and Gospel Singer

Special Performances & Appearances: Wintley Phipps, GRAMMY nominated Gospel Singer, and Founder and CEO of U.S. Dream Academy, Award Winning Takoma Academy Chorale

Mentor of The Year Award (sponsored by QTS): DANIEL GUERRERO

After a round of nominations from each of the U.S. Dream Academy Learning Centers across the United States, and a rigorous review by a specially selected group of QTS employees, we are thrilled to announce our mentor of the year from Salt Lake City: Daniel Guerrero.

Daniel has been in the mentorship program since March of 2022. Not only is he a mentor at U.S. Dream Academy, but he is a mentor coach and agent manager at PlusOne Company, a sales center that specializes in direct response. Although he has worked for the company for eight years, Daniel decided to go back to school to finish his associates degree. One of his courses required him to mentor in the community. He researched several other programs, and ultimately, he believed the U.S. Dream Academy mission and vision aligned most strongly with his own.

Growing up, Daniel lived in a single parent household with three other siblings. Looking back at his time in Mexico, Daniel says he “wasn’t on the right path” even at a young age. He believes without a doubt, had he been there longer, the trajectory of his life would have been much different. Looking at the parallels of his life in comparison, Daniel understands the importance of having a program to impact kids in a positive way.

Amway serves as the Presenting Sponsor of the Power of a Dream Gala. Additional sponsors this year include: QTS, Centera Transport, Inc.,Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, David McDonald, Giant Food, Markerman Productions, IBOAI, NFL Foundation, and the Antoine Bethea Family Family Foundation.

Since 2001, the annual Power of a Dream Gala has raised more than $20 million to assist with the provision of high-quality after-school programs specifically tailored for children living in high-risk communities.

Today, there are more than 850 young people (DreamKids) in seven communities (Dream Cities) nationwide who benefit each day from evidence-based comprehensive youth development programming delivered through Dream Academy Learning Centers in: Baltimore, Houston, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, and Washington, DC. During the pandemic, the U.S. Dream Academy developed a safe, secure “Virtual Village” online platform for our young people and mentors to maintain connection; it has now become one of our more popular ways for our mentors to connect with their mentee from anywhere in the world.

DC DreamKids are active in the annual Power of a Dream Gala, and love to engage in community outreach supporting the local shelters for people experiencing homelessness through a partnership with Giant Food.

Congressional Host Committee:

The Honorable John A. Boehner, Former Speaker, United States House of Representatives

Senator Ben Cardin, D-MD

Senator Diane Feinstein, D-CA

Congressman Pete Aguilar, D-CA

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, D-TX

Congressman Kwesi Mfume, D-MD

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC

Congressman Bobby Scott, D-VA

Congressman David Trone, D-MD