Some of Stein’s famous friends during her lifetime included: Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, and Ernest Hemingway. She was a literary celebrity and arts networker, as well as life-long partners with Alice B. Toklas. She wrote novels, poems, essays, literary and art theory, ballets, memoirs, and children’s books.

The exhibition tells five stories about Stein: “Picturing Gertrude”, “Domestic Stein”, “Art of Friendship”, “Celebrity Stein”, and “Legacies”. The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and F Streets, NW in Washington, DC. It is open daily from 11:30am-7:00pm and admission is free.

Another awesome perk? If you visit the museum on Monday the 16th, you will receive a two-for-one voucher for admission that you can use anytime before the “30 Americans” exhibit closes on February 12th.

The Corcoran Shop will also be offering 30% off all “30 Americans”  merchandise from Saturday – Monday (in-store purchases only).

The Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 Seventeenth Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
(The main entrance is located on Seventeenth Street between New York Avenue and E Street NW.)

Shadows is comprised of 102 silk-screened and hand-painted canvases featuring a distorted photograph of a shadow. This is the first time the complete installation has been on display together. Shadows occupies almost an entire floor of the museum and stretches out in 450 linear feet along one wall.

The Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens  collects, preserves, and presents international modern and contemporary art in all media. Admission is free and the museum is open seven days a week from 10am – 5:30pm. It is located on the National Mall at the corner of  Independence Avenue and Seventh Street SW. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza (Green, Yellow, Orange, and Blue lines).

Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden – Smithsonian Institution
Independence Avenue at Seventh Street SW
Washington, DC 20013

Just because the Christmas holiday has come and gone, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to enjoy festive winter events! Going on now through January 2nd, 2012, is Season’s Greenings at the United States Botanic Garden in SW Washington, DC.

This annual holiday exhibition is completely free and includes poinsettias and model trains choo-choo-ing their ways around plant-based replicas of well-known DC landmarks. Adults and children alike will be awed by the amazing buildings made entirely of real plant materials. The garden railway was created by Paul Busse of Applied Imagination in Alexandria, Kentucky.

You will learn about the different critters that inhabit different plants as well as a “living history” of the poinsettia plant. Pick up a Plant Hunt to complete during your visit, which will challenge you to find plants that live in different environments throughout the display. Musical guests will stop by to  perform on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

U.S. Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Ave. SW
Washington, DC

November 24th – January 2nd: 10 am – 5 pm daily

Live music from 6-8 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays

They will feature 50 beers on draft including local Oktoberfest brews, pumpkin ales, autumnal ales, international beers and much, much more. The event is free, though tickets must be purchased for food and drink. Beer prices will range from $4 to $7 and seasonal foods will include schnitzel, sausages and wild boar stroganoff.

This event is child-friendly and offers an area for children’s activities, face-painting and a bounce house. To discourage people from drinking and driving, Rustico offers this deal: Take a photo of yourself arriving at the nearby Braddock Road Metro station and show it at the festival’s welcome stand to receive a commemorative Oktoberfest beer mug or $5 in food tickets.

Rustico
827 Slaters Ln.
Alexandria, VA
Free; Tickets must be purchased for food and drink.

• Oktoberfest at the Old Stein Inn – “has become a Maryland tradition. People come – from near and far – to gather in the Biergarten and enjoy the beautiful fall weather while drinking the best German beers and tasting the finest German cuisine. Visit the Old Stein during Oktoberfest and you’re sure to have a blast singing along to German drinking songs while sampling traditional German fare. Check the event schedule to see when you might catch Silvia strolling with her accordian or Heidi and the Helmut Echo with their alpenhorn.”
• Oktoberfest at Biergarten Haus – “With its charming atmosphere, authentic food, live music, and, of course, genuine German beer on tap, Biergarten Haus is a slice of old-world Germany right on H Street NE.”
• Oktoberfest at Blob’s Park – “Blob’s Park has been a Maryland Family Tradition since 1933 and continues to be THE PLACE to bring your entire family to enjoy great food, music and gemutlichkeit! [Their] spacious hall can seat 800+ people and [thier] hardwood dance floor is perfect to enjoy a  polka, waltz, lots of ballroom steps, and even some rock ‘n roll!”
• Oktoberfest at Old Europe – Check out their awesome German-themed menu with items like “Leberknödel im Wacholdersud” , “Fleischpflanzerl”, and the world renowned Spaten Oktoberfest Bier here.
• Autumnfest at Pizzeria Paradiso – “All the draft lines at all three locations (M Street in Georgetown, P Street in Dupont Circle, and Old Town) will be pouring nothing but pumpkin ales, harvest ales, and Oktoberfests/marzens. Additionally, there will be a $30 prix-fixe autumn menu all week long.”
• Mad Fox Oktoberfest - “[They’ll] be tapping [their] own Oktoberfest Lager and featuring Oktoberfest themed food specials. The band Shag will play from 1PM to 5PM [on Saturday, September 24th]. Food specials [they] have planned so far include: Fried Sausage and Sauerkraut Balls Appetizer, Bamberg Onions Appetizer, Roasted Beet Salad, Sauerbraten with Gingersnap Sauce Entrée, Schnitzel and Spaetzle Entrée Horseradish, Apple and Sour Cream Crusted Flounder.”
• Lovettsville Oktoberfest – September 23rd – 25th – “Annual three-day Oktoberfest celebration. The main tent downtown features music Friday night; German performers, dancing and a beer garden Saturday afternoon; dancing to big bands Saturday night; and a pancake breakfast Sunday morning. But there’s much more going on throughout town, including a four-hour volksmarch through the Loudoun County countryside Saturday morning, tours of historic buildings, a used-book sale and a 5K fun run. Kids will especially enjoy performances by cloggers and student bands, as well as other activities, including a moon bounce, an arts and crafts area and more.”
• Das Best Oktoberfest – “There will be lots of the best International Beers and Wines and lots of Oompah bands to enjoy your favorite German drinking songs. You can also enjoy the sausages, potato cakes, sour beef, schnitzel and other great German classics!”
• Germantown Oktoberfest – “The Oktoberfest Biergarten returns for its 29th year, conveniently located near the main stage. Have a seat in the tent and ‘oompah, polka, and waltz’ the day away.”
• Frederick’s Oktoberfest – “Frederick’s Oktoberfest is an event rich in tradition and history! Bratwurst, Oktoberfest bier, German wines, dancing, music, children’s events and much more! And it all benefits Frederick County charities. Spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek and the Rotary Club of Fredericktowne, this annual event not only promotes cultural exchange, but it also supports both clubs’ efforts in the community to raise thousands of dollars for area non-profits.”
• Capitol City Brewing Company’s Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest – “Throughout the event [they] will have local food vendors, an authentic German band and authentic Oktoberfest food. The event costs $25 if you want to sample the beer, but is free to everyone else who wants to attend. Oktoberfest 2011 will be held rain or shine, so please save the date.”

You can enjoy learning about bees and other pollinators, making your own beeswax candles, and taste delicious honey at this annual celebration. This event is put on by the Maryland State Beekeepers Association and will run from 9am – 3pm  at the Patuxent Research Refuge’s National Wildlife Visitor Center.

There will also be a special lecture on the importance of native bees for gardeners at 11am. If you are interested in getting started in beekeeping, there will be another lecture with tips on how you can do so at 1:30pm. Refreshments will be available to purchase at this event courtesy of Friends of Patuxent.

According to the American Beekeeping Federation, “The beekeeping industry touches the lives of every individual in our country. In fact, honeybees are responsible for nearly one-third
of our entire diet, due to the pollination services that they provide for a large majority of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. This amounts to nearly $15 billion per year of direct value from honeybee pollination to United States agriculture.”

The National Wildlife Visitor Center is located off of Powder Mill Road between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and MD Rt. 197. Visit http://patuxent.fws.gov or call 301-497-5763 for more information about the Patuxent Research Refuge.

Maryland Honey Harvest Festival
National Wildlife Visitor Center
10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop
Laurel, MD
Information:
301-497-5763
Price: Free
Details: 9am – 3pm Saturday, September 17th

Regular admission to the museum is ten bucks, but you won’t need that today to enjoy Gallery tours, demonstrations, workshops, and performances. There are also special programs scheduled to celebrate the Corcoran’s collections of historic American and European Paintings, Modern and Contemporary art, Photography and Media Arts, and the contemporary exhibitions Washington Color and Light and Chris Martin: Painting Big.

Every Saturday there will be chalk drawings from 11am – 4pm, weather permitting, and Highlights Tours from noon – 3pm. This Saturday, learn how to sketch from a live model. All materials will be provided and the sketching will be from noon – 3pm.

This Saturday, kids can enjoy making a reusable cloth lunch bag – just in time for back to school – decorated with stamps and drawings of sea creatures. They will also be able to embark on a deep-sea adventure, learning about ocean animals at the Sant Ocean Hall.

The workshop will run from 1-3pm and is completely free.

National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institution
10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC
Information:
202-633-1000
Price:
Free