Avalon

Since its crash landing on the planet Akiton, the Wreck of the Returned has leaked volatile magic into the surrounding Sloughscar Hills. These effects have run the gamut from unseasonal storms, unnatural plant growth, and sudden bursts of magical energy to swaths of magically warped terrain, reality tears that transplant strange creatures, and regions of unstable reality that degrade matter entirely. In the ensuring months, these magical anomalies have become more frequent, more powerful, and more dangerous. When a sudden onslaught of magical catastrophes strikes all at once, First Seeker Sarmak dispatches teams of Starfinders to defend their allies, combat these threats, and counter this magical show of force with a concerted emergency response effort. When the dust settles, will the Starfinders stand strong and united? Or will they break under the magical assault? A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 3rd- through 4th-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. This is an adventure in the ongoing Invasion's Edge metaplot.

We'll check out Cortado Café Alexandria. If weather allows and everyone is interested, we may go and walk around Holmes Run Trail around 11:30 AM. Please have a picture profile so we can recognize you in the meetup. Please only sign up if you're sure about attending this meetup, and please update your RSVP as soon as possible if you need to cancel, thank you!

Please note; during the warmer months, especially on the weekends, this park charges a fee to enter. It's $3 for in-state, & $5 for out of state license plates. Also, the drive down River Road to the Orange Grove parking lot can take up to 10 minutes if the park is crowded. Please leave yourself enough time to get there. **Another important factor to consider is that May 24 is the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. If the parking lot is full, we might have to switch to a different trail for those who are still interested in hiking with us that day, even if the plans have to change due to overcrowding.** We will meet between 2:15 pm & 2:30 pm. We will start as close to 2:30 pm as possible. **If the weather turns out to be unpleasant in the morning**, we will push this hike off by a few hours, weather permitting, but we want to try to keep it on the same day. **If the parking lot is full**, we will change parking / hiking locations (the Note at the end has my alternative trail idea) or we can try for a later time that day. Adam & I will do our best to get there around 2 pm so that we can assess the parking situation & reach out to people that are on their way, if we need to adjust our plans for the day. If people would like to leave a comment about their preference, it might save us time on the day of the hike, in case we need to change plans on the fly. This hike will be a 3 mile loop. Our journey will begin by crossing the swinging bridge from River Road to the Grist Mill trail (where we ended last time.) When we reach the end of the Grist Mill Trail, there is another bridge; the Grist Mill Walking Bridge, very appropriately named. That bridge is not as long or wobbly (in my opinion) as the swinging bridge & has more wood slats down & more "side paneling". From there we will walk along a narrow trail next to the road (inside of the guard rail) & make our way over to the Bloede Dam Trail. ***The Bloede Dam & River Road Trails start pretty high up & have a few rocks that we needed to walk around or climb over. If you are afraid of heights, please reconsider hiking with us on this trail. We are always glad to have anyone join us, but we do not wish for anyone to have a panic attack while out on a trail.*** This will lead us back down the other side of the Patapsco River to the River Road Trail where we will eventually reach the parking lot where we started. Below is the AllTrails link for the scouted path we did this past Sunday. https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/evening-hike-2139875?u=i&sh=c68rvg As always, come prepared for the weather, bring some form of hydration, any hiking supplies you need, and some good topics for conversation! See you all there! NOTE: I found this trail on AllTrails, which is only a 13 minute drive from the Patapsco Avalon area. I believe that I have hiked it before with Abdullah, but I might not have time to scout it again before the day of the hike. The good thing about having this as an alternative hiking option is that there are 3 different parking lots which all lead right onto the same loop in different locations! https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/maryland/rockburn-pain-cave-iskills-and-nu-trail-loop?u=i&sh=c68rvg

This meeting will be dedicated to talking about the entirety of "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin Due to recent high popularity of our meetings, we will be having a temporary moratorium new members until a level of member cultivation has occurred. We estimate this will be around July 1st. We will be meeting in the National Portrait Gallery Atrium. To stay up to date with events and discuss meetings or books, you can join our Discord group. Please message me to get added.

Come out and run with us along the shady Anacostia Tributary Trails! These runs tend to be longer than our other club runs. Average mileage is 4-6 miles, but some members might go farther (and others shorter). We meet in front of Mission BBQ at 8:00AM for introductions, then walk over together to the Indian Creek Trailhead. We are always happy to welcome new faces (and feet)!

Come join us for in-depth discussions on topics relating to moral and political philosophy. This is a group for members who are comfortable discussing topics that are often anxiety producing and controversial. *"Aristotle was a realist who believed that reality and knowledge are found in the physical world, accessible through sensory experience and logic. This led to contrasting views on ethics, politics, and the nature of reality itself. Plato emphasized abstract, ideal concepts, while Aristotle prioritized empirical observation and the study of the natural world."* \- Google Gemini Following Aristotle's lead, this group will lean heavily on empirical data to make arguments. The Socratic method is still the preferred way to engage in conversation, and Platonic Idealism is still relevant to the conversation as points of reference.

Let's the latest chapter in the Star Wars series

***Spirit Island*** is a complex and thematic cooperative game about defending your island home from colonizing Invaders. Players are different spirits of the land, each with its own unique elemental powers. Every turn, players simultaneously choose which of their power cards to play, paying energy to do so. Using combinations of power cards that match a spirit's elemental affinities can grant free bonus effects. Faster powers take effect immediately, before the Invaders spread and ravage, but other magics are slower, requiring forethought and planning to use effectively. In the Spirit phase, spirits gain energy, and choose how / whether to Grow: to reclaim used power cards, to seek for new power, or to spread presence into new areas of the island.--

This is the sign you've been waiting for. Come write with us Sunday at 7:30 am at Kaldi's Social House in Arlington. Kaldi's opens at 7. Grab a coffee and join the group! We generally have 10 to 14 writers attend each week, and new folks are welcome to drop in anytime. Intros start at 7:30 am. We will write for one hour. After writing, feel free to debrief, share thoughts or get advice. Our meetups are a safe space for writers to work on their craft. No one will read or critique your writing. Kaldi's Social House website: https://www.kaldissocialhouse.net/ \* Resource \* Many thanks to Justin for putting together a shared file of resource discussed at the meetings. Feel free to add to it! [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13LONNjZvsO5hEXM7NsBnWCgy3GgPgjAbQxE0lPxp7hc/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13LONNjZvsO5hEXM7NsBnWCgy3GgPgjAbQxE0lPxp7hc/edit?usp=sharing)

Join us for the world premiere of the musical ***Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders,*** commissioned by GALA and conceived by Helen Hayes multi-award winner Luis Salgado from Puerto Rico and Colombian artist Daniel Alejandro Gutiérrez. Blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms such as bomba, currulao, and cumbia, and Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realism, Aguardiente is a bold new musical about the messy, urgent act of making art in a world on fire. As a group of artists race to finish a new show, their rehearsal room becomes a battleground of ideas, ambition, and lived experience—especially for a composer whose undocumented status makes the dream of success anything but simple. As the team wrestles with what story they should tell, the line between reality and imagination begins to blur, until—like two currents meeting in the same river—the artists’ own struggles spill into the story they are creating: a vibrant tale set in a river town on the brink of environmental collapse, where two young lovers must decide whether to stay and fight for their homeland or leave in pursuit of a dream, making Aguardiente a theatrical journey about migration, memory, and the complicated act of transforming real lives into art. **PERFORMANCES:** ***Aguardiente*** is a bilingual production with surtitles in English and Spanish, and runs April 30 through May 24, 2026. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. The show is approximately 160 minutes long and includes one intermission. Community Night is Thursday, April 30. Noche de GALA, which includes a post-performance reception with the cast and creative team, is Saturday, May 2, under the honorary patronage of His Excellency Daniel García-Peña Jaramillo, Ambassador of Colombia to the U.S. **TICKETS:** Regular tickets for ***Aguardiente*** are $60 Premium, $55 Orchestra Standard, $45 Orchestra Value, and $35 Balcony Value; $35 Seniors (65+), Military, Teachers, and Groups (10+); $25 25 and Under; Community Night tickets are $25 each and Noche de GALA: Chosen ticket price + $5 (per person). **[GET TICKETS HERE](https://ci.ovationtix.com/35923/production/1245626)** **CAST:** ***Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders*** features an 18-people multicultural cast that includes Samuel Garnica (Venezuela) as Alberto, Sebastián Treviño (Colombia and Mexico) as Alejandro, Vin Ramos (Puerto Rico) as Azuquita, Ana Luisa Martínez (Mexico) as Anís, Shayla Hernández (Puerto Rico) as Kiara, Emy Ramos (Dominican Republic and United States) as Beta, Eric González (Spain) as Eve, Machirán (Cuba) as Pepe/MC, and Leanna “Leah” Finol (Venezuela and Hungary) as Mamá/Mom. The ensemble includes Ralphie Rivera (Puerto Rico, Dance Captain), Álvaro Medina Molina (Puerto Rico and Colombia, Alberto U/S), Santiago Ayala (Colombia, Alejandro U/S), Brianna Ríos (El Salvador and Puerto Rico, Anís U/S), Ana Daniela Pérez (Panama, Beta U/S), Bibi Sánchez (Mexico, Mamá U/S), Julia Neveu (United States, Eve U/S), Zaramaría Fas (Puerto Rico, Swing), and Rodrigo Calderón (Peru, Swing, Azuquita U/S). **CREATIVE TEAM:** This enthralling new musical is written, directed, and choreographed by Luis Salgado, with music and music direction by Daniel A. Gutiérrez, and lyrics by both Salgado and Gutiérrez. Scenic Design is by Clifton Chadick, Lighting Design is by Colin Bills, Projections Design is by Milton Cordero, and Madeline “Mo” Oslejsek is Sound Designer. Costume Design is by Jeannette Christensen, Properties Design is by Chelsea Dean, and Hair and Makeup Design is by Andre Hopfer. Sorany Gutiérrez is the Dramaturg, Valeria Cossu is Associate Director, and Ralphie Rivera is Associate Choreographer. Cody Von Ruden is Assistant Costume Designer and Elias Hall is Assistant Properties Designer. The band includes Daniel Gutiérrez (Music Director, Conductor, Keys), Sebastián Natal (Assistant Music Director, Multi-instrumentalist), Juan “Juancho” Gómez (Guitar), Iván Navas (Multi-instrumentalist), Jaime Rodríguez (Percussion), Roger Torres (Trumpet), and Michael “Mike” Ventura (Saxophone). Ester Teixeira Vianna is Stage Manager, Rbekah Nogueira is NYC Assistant Stage Manager, Brian Martínez is DC Assistant Stage Manager, Ilyana Rose-Dávila is Production Manager, Amanda Leyva is Assistant Production Manager, Anson Stevie is Technical Director, Delbis Cardona is General Manager for Rehearsal Space, and Lorena Suárez is Company Administrator. Gustavo Ott is the Producer and Rebecca Medrano is the Executive Producer. The production is made possible in part with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Paul Angell Foundation, the National Latinx Theater Initiative, and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Additionally, GALA Hispanic Theatre is a recipient of the 2026 THRIVE! Grant, funded by the Mark Edelman Theater Fund and administered by Theatre Communications Group, the National organization for theatre leading for a just and thriving theatre ecology.

Main Library, Meeting Room 2B Join us for a welcoming evening of reflection, gentle music, and meaningful conversation. We’ll begin with a short grounding moment, followed by a brief reading from spiritual or philosophical traditions, and an open reflection circle where participants can share (or simply listen). Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection. All backgrounds are welcome.

This is an in-person meeting. Did you know that unwanted emotions like loneliness, sadness, hopelessness, anger, fear, anxiety, or feelings of irritation don’t just fall on you for no reason. They are not random occurrences that simply happen to people's minds. They are definitely not chemical imbalance in your brain due to some nebulous chemical reactions by chance. Your negative emotions are the symptoms of the painful experiences that you have which are not healed, and which are still affecting you. The effects of these painful experiences are exacerbated by the pressures or difficulties of the other problems in your life. For instance, let's say you are already carrying a huge load on your back, then you cannot take on much more, but, let's say something else happens to you, such as the difficulties from the Pandemic, then the resultant combined weight on you can take you over the edge, kind of like the straw that break the camel's back. When this happens, people's attention usually goes to the straw that was added, but actually the majority of the weight had come from the huge load that were already there, holding a person down and causing a person issues. So how do you remove the huge load that was already there? How do you lighten them up? Is it possible to get rid of them? That is what this meeting will be all about. Come to our Meetup, where we can introduce you to some of the knowledge, tools and techniques of the breakthroughs in the field of the mind that we can apply to this ever important area of life. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. This group is created by the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/a/9/6/600_348310902.jpeg Instructor - Crow, HPS Class fee is $30 at the door or approved exchange RSVP with Advance pay of $25 (discounted) by PayPal on the web or by contacting Enchanted Elements (614) 437-2642. Reservations made directly to Enchanted Elements will be added to the class list manually not online. Private Instruction ~ Closed to the Public ~ Initiated Members Only Please come prepared for ritual. Blessings ~ Crow

Attend a free seminar on how to have successful and lasting relationships. At this seminar you will learn: How to spot and handle negative and toxic relationships. How to get through the "rough patches" in a relationship. How to choose the right people to work with. The three things that make or break any relationship. How to make a good relationship great. All are welcome. Be sure to click on the red "Attend" button below to come to this local event. We look forward to seeing you there. Hosted by the Dianetics and Scientology Life Improvement Center of Central Ohio.

ASH is Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists of First Unitarian Universalists of Columbus Ohio TBD Snacks are usually available, and you are welcome to bringing something to share!