Vinyl Appreciation

T&D January Social Event: Get crafty with DIY Cupcake Art Decor while sipping drinks at JR's Bar – a fun and interactive way to kick-off America 250 celebrations! ## Crafting Happy-Hour: Sip N' Make Cupcake Art for America 250 Join us for a fun and crafty happy hour! You'll sip on a perfectly poured cocktail and snack on hot popcorn while creating your very own 250-themed faux cupcake to celebrate our nation's biggest birthday. It’s a perfect way to get creative, make new friends, and honor this historic milestone with some sweet vibes. Don’t miss out on this unique hands-on event! This is a ticketed event and you MUST purchase a ticket in advance to attend which can be found here: https://bday250.eventbrite.com/

Learn essential techniques and concepts of Bluegrass Fiddling with teacher Bebe Blumenthal. The goal of this class is to go beyond the basic melody of the song and explore concepts like fills, embellishments, improvisation and accompaniment! Learn about concepts like the Nashville Numbers system and movable chord shape, and learn how they relate to fiddle. read more: [https://square.link/u/1I5oA27v](https://square.link/u/1I5oA27v?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExRXNXVFFUM0c0OXRnRVhuMQEe-xJCVddM8jG3GUOGHfxZ0LshLDS-GT8Sa_I0VTetsDzXSF98x4-R3xs_lB4_aem_egwuwZ4jmJaIFtV2MLE8rQ)

No reason to try to drive in this mess. Let’s meet at Outta the Way Cafe for some of their specials. Only rsvp if you will attend.

Mondays just got delicious! Join us at **Divino** for **Wine Mondays: 50% off our entire wine list**—all day, every Monday. From crisp Italian whites to bold Barolos, it’s the perfect excuse to explore something new or revisit a favorite. **Less Monday stress...More Wine!** FREE PARKING

**WELCOME!** Join us for a low-key, friendly, and fun evening of board games. Bring a game (if so be ready to teach it) or join in on one! Be nice with people and games (no greasy/liquid, bent cards...). Feel free to use the discussion board to coordinate/request games. * **WHERE**: The Square Food Court - 1850 K St NW [behind the central bar] * **WHEN**: every other Mondays, from 18:00 to 21:00ish. Arrive early or on-time to get into a game right off. If you're late, no stress, you can watch and join the next one. * **WHO**: LGBT and allies, gamers and newbies. * **HOW MUCH**: $1 attendance fee (waived for first timers). Food/drinks orders are appreciated. See you there! :)

MDC DSA’s New Magazine Essays Discussion Club meets in person to discuss new essays from some of the Left’s most thought-provoking magazines. All are welcome to join the group’s meeting at the **MLK Library, Room 401-F on Monday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m.** The club will be discussing three essays from the latest issue of *[The Drift](https://www.thedriftmag.com)*. For more details and links to the readings, check out the group’s [info doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hgx8ZJgQSPUvtbnKRDt5OXZWPij3jVEuLAY-5usdv5o/edit?usp=sharing). Please RSVP on [Action Network](https://actionnetwork.org/events/new-magazine-essays-discussion-club-12) to receive further updates on this event. *** This event is open to both DSA Members and supporters. Not a Member? Please consider [becoming a Member](https://dsausa.org/join?source=Metro%20DC). Fees are on a sliding scale according to what you feel you can afford.

Winter just got a lot more delicious. ❄️🍝 Celebrate DC Winter Restaurant Week at Divino, extended January 19–February 1, with a three-course dinner for $40. Cozy flavors, Italian favorites, and the perfect excuse to order that extra glass of wine. See you at the table. DINNER MENU $40 =ANTIPASTI= POLPETTE meatballs, San Marzano tomatoes DOP, Parmigiano Reggiano CAESAR SALAD Earth - Eats romaine, Grana Padano, anchovies, pangrattato BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP crispy prosciutto, sage foam, pine nuts =ENTREES= LINGUINE pomodoro or broccolini pesto TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE San Marzano tomatoes DOP, beef, peperoncino GRILLED SALMON zucchini, red pepper sauce, cherry tomatoes BAROLO BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS creamy polenta, oyster mushroom, demi-glaze DOLCI MOUSSE AL CIOCCOLATO chocolate, cream, strawberries CLASSCI TIRAMISÚ

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/75103562819?pwd=UcUTwKoHPqhYDcNAUhFZSsmmaXxQCS.1 Password: DMVmusic

Visit Artistic Artifacts on for our in-store 5th Saturday Special — if you **finish a bolt, you save 40% on that fabric!** We will also be offering **25% off our shop selection of 1/2 and 1-yard fabric cuts\*** and our own **curated precut bundles!** We *start this in-store sale early* for our customers, — beginning Thursday, January 29th and extending through Sunday, February 1st! **[Our Alexandria, VA store](https://www.artisticartifacts.com/annex.html)** hours are Tues-Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sundays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. \*Note: Precut products packaged by fabric companies and fabrics cut to order that day are not included in this special event.

Artistic Artifacts hosts **Open Stitch sessions on the first and third Thursday evenings** from 5:30 - 7:30 pm — January has a fifth Thursday (and the first Thursday was a holiday) so join us again! This is a drop-in, bring your own hand stitching project and the necessary supplies (or you can knit, crochet... whatever needle arts you like). There’s no fee to attend, no instruction nor agenda — just a time to spend with other creatives! Visit our website for all other class & event information: **[https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/wk)**

This is the third hike of a preparation/progression series that builds up to the AMC 150 Relay segment scheduled for 3/29/26. That relay segment will be 8.3 miles. This third hike in our preparation series is six miles in length (out and back). It’s a flat rail trail on a section of the WB&A Trail, so it is rated as easy. Feel free to join with no commitment to doing the relay segment or any other hike in this series. All participants must register individually for the hike at [https://activities.outdoors.org](https://activities.outdoors.org/) so that the waiver is signed and an emergency contact is provided. No dogs. We will meet at the parking lot [location available upon registration]. The WB&A Trail is a converted rail-trail, converted from an electric commuter railway that served Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis. The trail winds its way between Prince Georges County and Anne Arundel County, offering a mix of woods, water, and residential communities along the asphalt path. A bridge across the Patuxent River was completed in Spring 2025, now linking Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel County. (We will not see the bridge on this 6-mile hike.) The trail offers a peek behind the curtain of suburbia, with marshy wetlands, woods, bridges and tunnels, along with some trail sections that pass through residential neighborhoods and some road crossings. A bit about the AMC 150 Relay: we’re celebrating AMC’s 150th Birthday! From March to October, volunteers from AMC are offering events galore—a succession of hikes and other outdoor activities from Virginia to Maine, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the organization’s founding in 1876. Though historically rooted in New England, over time AMC has expanded and established regional chapters through the Mid-Atlantic, including today’s host, the Potomac Chapter.

\*\* Price is $149 plus tax and gratuity. You will be billed at the restaurant at conclusion of the dinner. Reserve your spot [here](https://resy.com/cities/washington-dc/venues/del-mar-dc/events/masterclass-presents-violets-paradise-x-verasion-project-2026-01-30?date=2025-12-08&seats=1). \*\* Violet’s Paradise Wines tell a powerful yet delicate story, born of the historic Monte Rosso vineyards of Sonoma County, California. Over the past decade, Brenae farmed the century-old vines at Monte Rosso while working as vineyard manager, leading the conversion of the site to organic farming. These grower-led wines reflect the bold, dynamic flavors of Northern California, brought forward by Brenae’s ethos that excellent wine begins in the soil. We invite you to experience the dedicated craftsmanship, vineyard expertise, and sophisticated taste that is Violet’s Paradise. Chef crafted four savory dishes to accompany these award winning wines: * Violet's Paradise Monte Rosso Vineyard, Moon Mountain District Semillon '23 * Violet's Paradise Monte Rosso Vineyard, Moon Mountain District Grenache '23 * Violet's Paradise Monte Rosso Vineyard, Moon Mountain District Zinfandel'23 * Violet's Paradise Monte Rosso Vineyard, Moon Mountain District Cabernet '23 Not your average stuffy wine dinner! Come sip, savor, & snack

Oasis recording artist LESSON ZERO plays The Evening Star Cafe's Number 9 Lounge, 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va. Saturday, January 31 from 8:00 to 10:00 PM. Admission is free and street parking is available. For more information, see [www.youtube.com/lessonzero](http://www.youtube.com/lessonzero "http://www.youtube.com/lessonzero") and [www.reverbnation.com/lessonzero.](http://www.reverbnation.com/lessonzero. "http://www.reverbnation.com/lessonzero.")

**History** The Columbus Museum of Art traces its roots to 1878, when it was founded as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, becoming the first art museum chartered in Ohio. A group of civic leaders established it to bring touring exhibitions and build a public collection. In 1887, it merged with the Columbus Art School (now CCAD) fostering a long partnership in arts education. Initially without a permanent home, the museum operated from temporary spaces until 1919, when art patron Francis C. Sessions deeded his Victorian mansion on East Broad Street to house the growing institution. As collections expanded in the early 20th century, the need for a dedicated building became clear. The Sessions mansion was demolished, and a new Italian Renaissance Revival structure was erected on the same site, opening to the public in 1931. This elegant building, with its grand steps and arches, remains the museum's core today and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Key early acquisitions, like the Ferdinand Howald Collection of modernist works, helped establish its focus on American and European art. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the museum evolved significantly. It added the Ross Wing in 1974 for exhibitions and renamed itself the Columbus Museum of Art in 1978 during its centennial. A major renovation and expansion completed in 2015 introduced the Margaret M. Walter Wing and Center for Creativity, emphasizing interactive experiences. In 2018, the donation of the Pizzuti Collection and its Short North building expanded the museum's reach into contemporary art, solidifying its role as a dynamic cultural hub. The Columbus Museum of Art boasts a strong collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century European modern art, featuring well-known masters like Claude Monet, whose Impressionist landscapes capture light and atmosphere in ways familiar to many. Visitors can also encounter works by Henri Matisse, renowned for his bold use of color, and Edgar Degas, famous for his graceful depictions of ballerinas and everyday scenes. The museum's early Cubist holdings include pieces by Pablo Picasso, offering glimpses into his revolutionary fragmented style that reshaped modern art. On the American side, the collection highlights iconic figures such as Edward Hopper, whose evocative paintings of urban solitude and quiet American life are widely recognized, and Norman Rockwell, celebrated for his heartfelt illustrations of everyday Americana that have appeared on countless magazine covers. These accessible works by household-name artists provide an inviting entry point for those new to art museums, blending European innovation with distinctly American storytelling. **Summary** For this event, we will tour the [Columbus Museum of Art](https://www.columbusmuseum.org/), which is always free on Sundays. Afterward, we will head over to the nearby, highly-rated, and popular Gemüt Biergarten for drinks and food. Columbus's art museum is not large, and we won't need to rush through in order to see everything. However, it's a little windy (with a long "i") and maze-like in spots, and if you've never gone through it before, it can be a little confusing at first. **Tickets and Pricing** The Museum is free on Sundays. **Parking** The short answer here is that you can park for free (in the Safe Auto lot) when you visit the Museum on weekends. The longer answer is that the Museum has a dedicated parking lot, whose entrance and exit are on E Gay St, just north of Broad St. You can see this parking lot [here on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Columbus+Museum+Of+Art+Parking/@39.9648853,-82.9882364,18.67z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x883888d20177f111:0xbf595a71d9d8c8c5!2sColumbus+Museum+of+Art!8m2!3d39.9642074!4d-82.9878972!16zL20vMDM0Z3F6!3m5!1s0x883888d21f05e00f:0xb72a56e4ac2d4fba!8m2!3d39.9651763!4d-82.9881746!16s%2Fg%2F11f3pdx3tx?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). This parking has normally been $7, unless you buy something either in the Museum's gift shop or café, in which case it's $5 (you have to bring your receipt to the Museum's front desk to get this discount). However, the Museum is currently in the process of upgrading their parking lot's intercom (or some such), and until such time as this is completed, parking in this lot is free. Once this upgrade is complete, though, the charge is likely to increase from $7 to $10. This upgrade is supposed to be done by the time we run this event, but given how these things work, I wouldn't be totally surprised if it's not complete by then. You'll know the lot is free if the gate arms to both the entrance and exit are fixed in a raised position when you arrive. However, there's a large parking lot for Safe Auto on the other side of N Washington Ave, between Boone St and Hutton Pl. You can see this parking lot [here on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B057'54.4%22N+82%C2%B059'13.9%22W/@39.9651069,-82.9884087,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d39.965105!4d-82.987191?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). Visitors to the Museum may always park for free in this lot on weekends. **The End of History** After completing our dissertation in [Art Appreciation](https://www.facebook.com/groups/879880336006462/posts/1734229683904852/), we'll head over to the highly-rated [Gemüt Biergarten](https://www.gemutbiergarten.com/) for [drinks and food](https://www.gemutbiergarten.com/#full-menu). The brewery is located in [Olde Towne East](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Olde+Towne+East,+Columbus,+OH/@39.9600896,-82.9935095,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x883888c29b9d98cb:0x55fc96810facc832!8m2!3d39.9579938!4d-82.9761254!16s%2Fm%2F026vlz4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D), and its actual address is [734 Oak St, Columbus, OH 43205](https://www.google.com/maps/place/734+Oak+St,+Columbus,+OH+43205/@39.9633755,-82.9808618,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x883888c53426d289:0x4aec638d8a5195d4!8m2!3d39.9633755!4d-82.9808618!16s%2Fg%2F11c4wy250w?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). Gemüt Biergarten has a free parking lot that isn't small but also isn't huge. Street parking, however, is always free across Columbus on [Sundays and holidays](https://www.columbus.gov/files/sharedassets/city/v/1/public-service/right-of-way-permit/on-street-parking-out-of-service-policy-and-procedure-final-8.15.2022-signed.pdf), so I think we'll be okay with parking. The bigger issue may be the weather. The brewery has a good-sized outdoor patio that is covered and heated in the winter. However, that doesn't mean this patio will be warm. The inside of the brewery is "okay-sized," but again, the brewery is popular and by the time we get there, we may have no choice but to sit outside. If it's cold, I can and will ask them to fire up some of their additional outdoor heaters, which I think should be enough, but please bring something to keep you warm just in case we end up outside. Finally, while food at the Biergarten can be a little overpriced, in my experience it is excellent, and you are likely to enjoy whatever you get. We should be there by 1:00 if you can't make the Museum and just want to meet us for drinks.

**Caller: Dan Kappus** **Band: Trillium** **Big Scioty Contra Dance** **temporarily returning to our long ago location for Jan-March - First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. For more information contact me or check out our website: [www.bigscioty.com](http://www.bigscioty.com/) Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Snacks to share are always welcome!

A Must See movie by Christopher Nolan! How can you reconstruct the past if you can't remember it? Leonard Shelby, an amnesiac, must do precisely that but so do we as viewers because much of the movie is told backwards. Nolan uses every cinematic trick in the book to help us see things as Shelby sees it. Widely acclaimed, we hope you will too!

Let’s meet and discuss whatever comes to mind about one of Tennesse Williams’ most famous plays.