WHAT: SMITHSONIAN at 8 presents “PostSecret Revealed: A Party at the Postal Museum”
WHEN: Friday, July 29, 8 to 11 p.m. (7 to 11 p.m. for VIP ticket-holders)
WHERE: National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Nothing spices up a party better than spilling a few secrets—and Frank Warren knows more than a million of them. That’s how many postcards from around the world have filled his mailbox since he started the wildly popular PostSecret project in 2004. The anonymous confessions—silly, moving, surprising, provocative, and sometimes disturbing—have already provided the material for six books. The Postal Museum’s exhibition PostSecret: The Power of a Postcard is the perfect reason for a party.
Guests can join Warren for an inside look at the PostSecret phenomenon, as he speaks exclusively with VIP ticket-holders from 7 to 8 p.m. The celebration continues with opportunities for guests to try their hand at crafting their own mail art, and post or tweet a secret they’ve been wanting to tell. They’ll also enjoy music by DJ Alkimist, cocktails, and more as they wander through some of the museum’s fascinating exhibits after hours.
PostSecret: The Power of a Postcard includes hundreds of thousands of postcards sent to Frank Warren. The exhibition tells a contemporary story of mail and the postal service, highlighting the aesthetics of the artfully decorated cards and the contrast between their anonymity and the shared experiences Warren creates with them. It also demonstrates the timeless yet modern quality of postcards and reflects the overlap amongst personal communication, digital technology, and social media at the heart of the PostSecret phenomenon.
Who knows what secrets might be revealed—or created—during the evening?
Copies of Warren’s six PostSecret books are available for sale and signing.
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR VIP TICKET-HOLDERS: Enjoy an exclusive conversation with Frank Warren from 7 to 8 p.m.
General admission $25
VIP admission $30
All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.
Must be 21 years old with valid photo ID to attend.
For tickets and further information the public may call 202-633-3030 or visit www.SMITHSONIANat8.com
7 a.m., 8 a.m. Lattes with Lincoln
Get caffeinated with the 16th commander-in-chief and learn how legislation signed by Abraham
Lincoln during the Civil War is considered by many to be the birth of the National Park System!
Meet the park ranger at the kiosk at 10 Henry Bacon Drive (north of the memorial).
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Living National Park Service Emblem
Be a part of the world’s largest National Park Service emblem created on the grounds of the
Washington Monument on our 100th birthday! More than 1,000 participants will be assembled
into a living Arrowhead using brown, green and white umbrellas; once the Arrowhead is formed,
an aerial photograph will be taken and shared with participants on the National Mall and
Memorial Parks website and social media pages. The first 1,000 participants to check-in will
receive a t-shirt commemorating their participation in this historic event, as well as get to keep
their umbrella. Assemble at 9 a.m. on the west side of the Washington Monument grounds.
10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Rangerpalooza
The green and gray uniform and ranger’s “flat hat” are among the most recognized features of
the National Park Service. Celebrate 100 years of the National Park Service by learning about
the men and women who care for the national parks. Children of all ages can try on National
Park Service uniforms, see how the uniform has evolved through the years, earn a junior ranger
badge, and learn about the many jobs in National Park Service that protect America’s scenic
wonders and historic sites. Lincoln Memorial
5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Celebrate 100 Years with Music, Comedy and Beers
Join the National Park Service for a hip, high-energy evening program and beer garden featuring
live entertainment celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service. Comedian Ryan
Singer emcees a line-up that includes D.C. power pop band Jukebox the Ghost, Baltimore
alternative rock band The Last Year, and comedian Yoram Bauman. Enjoy refreshments in the
beer garden (21+ only). Gates open at 5 p.m., entertainment starts at 6 p.m.
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. America’s Front Yard Family Festival
Featuring live music, storytelling and other activities, this festival looks forward to the next
century of the National Park Service, highlighting today’s youth as the future stewards of our
national parks. Grammy-nominated rock band for kids Milkshake headlines an entertainment
lineup that also includes acoustic guitar and vocals by Ellis Woodward; Uncle Devon; lively
children’s sing-alongs with Yosi & the Superdads, the Great American Indian Dancers;
magic, music and juggling with the Wes Holly Balloon Magic Show; vocalist Erica Wheeler,
and YAP, who delivers national park themes through hip-hop music and culture. Constitution
Gardens
The festival also includes face painting, juggling, a corn maze and lots of other fun activities for
kids of all ages. Exhibits by more than 20 National Park Service partners will include Lego
models of national parks, virtual reality park tours, 3-D printing of National Mall monuments
and memorials, natural flora and fauna found in urban parks, and much more!
Just in time for this fall’s political cycle, piano-playing political satirist Mark Russell returns to Ford’s Theatre (511 Tenth Street NW) for one night only, Monday, September 19, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. With impeccable timing, twinkling eyes and shock-of-recognition insights into American politics, Russell draws from material ripped from daily headlines. Russell’s unique brand of comedy earned him the Mark Twain Award for political comedy and made him a popular favorite on PBS.
Tickets for An Evening with Mark Russell: I’m So Mad I Could Sing! range $18 to $67, and are available atwww.fords.org. This performance is recommended for ages 16 and older.
MARK RUSSELL
Long before Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Mark Russell dared to joke and sing about the often-absurd political process. Though he actually knew little about politics when he began performing, his ability to find humor in anything made him an immediate hit. After serving in the Marines, Russell began playing at a piano bar on Capitol Hill before he earned a 20-year stint at the Shoreham Hotel. Russell’s television credits include nearly 30 years on public television on the eponymous Mark Russell Comedy Specials. His composing credits include two children’s musicals for the Kennedy Center: Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe (premiered December 2009) and Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major (2006).
Reading three or four newspapers a day allows him to constantly update his material. The result is that no two shows are ever identical. “I thrive on newspapers,” he frequently states. “And it looks like I’ll be thriving longer than them.” Russell performs annually at colleges, conventions and theatres, including frequent visits to Ford’s Theatre. He and his wife live in Washington. Russell is the father of three and the grandfather of seven.
Ford’s Theatre Society
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.
The Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed “Big River” to the world premieres of “Meet John Doe,” “The Heavens Are Hung In Black,” “Liberty Smith,” “Necessary Sacrifices,” “The Widow Lincoln” and “The Guard,” Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the last decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Currently, under the leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Eric A. Spiegel, the Society is building Ford’s Theatre into a national destination for exploring Lincoln’s ideas and leadership principles and finding new ways to bring Lincoln’s legacy to life for the 21st-century learner.
Josh Phillips and his team at Espita Mezcaleria, the Southern Mexican-inspired restaurant located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, invite guests to take part in one of Mexico’s great traditions, The Day of the Dead. On Tuesday, November 1st, Espita Mezcaleria will offer an honorary cocktail, Los Siete Misterios mezcal tasting and specialty dishes, available exclusively during dinner service. Face painting and custom temporary tattoos featuring designs from Espita artists will also be available for guests. Standout dishes available for this exclusive night of celebration include Morcilla Tlayuda, house-made Morcilla blood sausage, served on a crisp oversized tortilla with queso Oaxaca; Cochinita Cookies, pig-shaped cookies with piloncillo and cinnamon, as well as Mole Negro, lamb belly with hoja santa, piloncillo, Mexican oregano, chili ash with heirloom corn tortillas. The Day of the Dead menu items will range in price from $5 to $25 each.
For the perfect pairing, guests will have the opportunity to sample several varieties of Los Siete Misterios mezcal, along with an innovative cocktail called Flor de Muerto, or Death’s Flower. Priced at $13, the libation is made from a combination of mezcal, Cruzan Black Strap Rum, pineapple ash, lime juice and coconut syrup, garnished with an edible flower. “I wanted to find a way to combine life and death into one drink,” says Beverage Director/Partner Megan Barnes. “The edible flower represents life and the pineapple ash makes the drink completely black, representing death. This concoction is fairly balanced, leaning on the sweeter side as Day of the Dead is meant to be a day of celebration paying tribute to loved ones who have passed on.”
WHEN: Tuesday, November 1st, exclusively during dinner service, from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
WHERE: Espita Mezcaleria is located at 1250 9th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001. The restaurant is located two blocks from the Mt Vernon Square, 7th St-Convention Center Metro Station accessible on the Green and Yellow Lines. For reservations or additional information, please visit http://espitadc.com.
WHY: Of pre-Hispanic and pre-Christian origin, the Day of The Dead is one of the most important holidays in Mexican culture. In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, bringing marigold flowers and candles to decorate gravesites. Toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults are also incorporated. Families sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones. Some families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead. Altars are set up October 31st through November 2nd and are covered with offerings to the dead including flowers, fruits, vegetables, candles, incense, statues of saints, and photos of the deceased.
