Vinyl Appreciation

Now in its 10th year, the [The Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards](https://www.strathmore.org/nurturing-artists/bernardebb-songwriting-awards/ "Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards") showcases some of the most compelling emerging songwriters from Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Finalists take the stage at Strathmore to perform their original work before judges select this year’s winners. The competition awards a $10,000 grand prize plus studio recording support, along with a $2,500 award to one talented songwriter under 17. All finalists in both the adult and youth categories receive additional cash prizes. Tickets are as low as $20 and include a dessert reception after which is very nice to socialize. **[Click here](https://www.strathmore.org/nurturing-artists/bernardebb-songwriting-awards/bernardebb-songwriting-awards-concert/)** to purchase tickets. Price goes up $5 the week of the event. The evening offers a rare chance to hear fresh, original music from artists on the rise and to celebrate the region’s vibrant songwriting community.

This is our monthly guy’s happy hour, a relaxed spot to grab a drink, meet new guys, and see what Choros is all about. Choros is a men’s social app that connects small groups of guys around DC for real-world hangs like trivia, hikes, TopGolf, board games, and brewery nights. RSVP here, then [fill out our quick questionnaire](https://form.typeform.com/to/DTAHl4GL) to join the app. The address and details for the happy hour will be shared inside the app once you’re in. We keep events small and intentional so it’s easy to actually meet people. No networking, no awkward mixers, just good dudes, good conversations, and a better way to make friends in DC.

ALMOST QUEEN Buy tickets here: https://freshtix.queue-it.net/?c=freshtix&e=43c3139ac2e85dacb2b&ver=v3-javascript-3.6.3&cver=334&man=Whole%20Site%20Safety%20Net&l=Custom%20Theme&t=https%3A%2F%2Fthestatetheatre.freshtix.com%2Fevents%2Falmostqueen424&kupver=cloudflare-1.2.0

Gently flow to release the week's stresses, then deeply stretch with the yin and restorative yoga in an accepting, calm environment enhanced with candlelight and the aromatherapy of essential oils. Leave feeling relaxed, refreshed, restored and ready for what the weekend has in store for you! Class is 75 minutes. The session is offered InStudio only. **Sign up at www.piesfitnessyoga.com required at least two hours before class begins.** The address is 1322 Prince St. Alexandria, VA 22314. Our entrance is located on the side of the building, parallel to West St. **Street parking is available and additional parking is located at Shiloh Baptist church, spaces 36,37,38,39.** The church is located across the street from the studio, on the corner of Duke St. and West St.

[Book Your Classes by Clicking This Link! ](https://crowndancestudio.com/group-classes/) Finish your week strong with a dance instruction that blends technical skill with pure social joy. This Friday session is a favorite for single moms and retirees to practice their new moves, and enjoy a vibrant community atmosphere before the weekend begins. We make it easy for every student to stroll across the dance floor with some American Smooth from **11 AM to 12 PM.** Price: $25 Drop-in / Membership **DOES NOT** include this class!

Join the Craft Cocktails Club as we usher in Spring at Metrobar. Seating is outdoors unless you wish to enjoy your seasonal cocktail in a converted Metrorail car (no seriously there's a Metrorail car they converted into a bar). Rush (Happy) Hour is until 7pm metrobardc.com

Visit Artistic Artifacts on Saturday, April 25 from 1:00–4:00 pm for live demonstrations on our BERNINA sergers/overlock machines! Our BERNINA staff will be demonstrating on several of the machines, sharing lots of ideas of how useful these machines can be in your sewing room. April is **[BERNINA National Serger Month](https://artisticartifacts.com/collections/promo)**, so **stop by and see how these machines have advanced from the sergers of yesteryear that we all loved to avoid!** This is a great opportunity to get your questions answered and see what a serger can do for you. Not only do BERNINA Sergers trim, sew, and finish seams simultaneously, but they also come with built-in tutorials, so every change is effortless. Quilters can use the serger straight stitch with endless bobbin for piecing patchwork, perfect binding and more. Built-in features give you unexpected precision and creativity with innovative techniques and texture! (*Note*, if you are thinking about upgrading, Artistic Artifacts does accept trade-ins of your older model serger.)

We have a double header this week with two games, in two different competitions, going head to head and, it's bringing Arsenal and Manchester City together again! First up, kicking off at 12:15 pm is the first of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals as Premier League Manchester City face EFL Championship team Southampton at Wembley. On their way to this fixture, City have bested Exeter City, Salford City, Newcastle United, and Liverpool. Southampton strung together victories over Doncaster Rovers, Leicester City, Fulham, and Arsenal. The stage is set, again, for either an epic upset, much like the Saints pulled off in the quarterfinals, an epic whooping, or potentially anything in between. In the second featured game, kicking off at 12:30 pm, Arsenal, in the midst of either a worrying wobble or an epic collapse, host Newcastle United, who have been on a miserable run of late also at the Emirates Stadium in London. The Gunners still technically have the title in their own hands as much as City does. The race is likely down to goal difference at this point as each of the two contenders are basically seeing who can outdo the other each weekend by beating their opponents by more goals in the remaining five games. City may have the momentum, but its the Gunners that arguably have the 'easier' fixture run between now and May 24th. We'll be meeting from noon at The Hawk & Griffin to keep an eye on each game and watch the drama unfold live - Join Us!

Love Riot is a Baltimore-based indie rock band started in 1993. In 1994 Love Riot won MusicQuest, a worldwide contest sponsored by Yamaha, traveling to Japan and taking grand prize. They released four critically acclaimed albums before going on a hiatus in 2000. Now Love Riot is back, with a new album, Better Now, set for early 2026 release. Bring a chair. We will sit near the front to the right facing the stage.

Hello piano players: Our next meeting will be held on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at my house, 5612 Cromwell Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816. We will start at 2:00 pm. Also, reach out to a friend and work up a duet – they are fun and always welcome. In the past we have had duets with two pianos, with singers, and with the clarinet, and they bring a nice variety of music to our meetings. We will have snacks, finger food, light drinks, beer and wine, but your donations of food and drink are always welcome. Parking is on the street near my house. I hope to see you on April 26th. All the best, Paul Connor

Let's celebrate Brandon's birthday

"The SOB is a ballet dancer. He’s the best ballet dancer that ever lived, and if I get a good chance I’ll kill him with my bare hands." - W.C. Fields In *City Lights*, Chaplin's Little Tramp meets a blind girl selling flowers who mistakes him for a wealthy man. When he learns that an operation may restore her sight, he sets off to earn the money she needs to have the surgery. He also befriends an alcoholic millionaire who only recognizes him when he is drunk. When the blind girl and her grandmother fall behind in the rent and face eviction, he tries working and even enters a boxing competition to raise the money they need. Regarded as Chaplin's masterpiece, *City Lights* has been ranked on more than seventeen "100 greatest movies of all time" lists. Orson Welles cited it as his favorite picture. *City Lights* is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBOMax, Tubi and PlutoTV. The Columbus Library lists three copies on blu-ray and eight copies on DVD. Watch the movie on your own, then join us upstairs at East Market to discuss the film. If you want more, *Unknown Chaplin* is a three-episode lost-footage documentary available on Youtube. It covers his time on *City Lights* beginning at the twenty-six minute mark of episode two: https://youtu.be/f8960Uc15hI?t=1558

Let’s meet, wander the exhibits and open galleries, and enjoy an evening out in the Franklinton Arts District. (Nearby pay parking is available in the garage on McDowell, right around the corner from One Line Coffee, and, past it along the curb as McDowell dead ends.)

Let’s meet and share our thoughts about Carson McCullers’ novella, The Ballad of The Sad Café.