Dance club channels Elizabethan era
When Linda Macdonald was an undergraduate more than 40 years ago, she became enamored with Scottish dancing. Fast-forward to 1980: Macdonald had moved to Scotland, married a Scotsman, returned to Virginia and had a child. Hoping to dance again but looking for a less vigorous form, she joined the Colonial Dance Club of Richmond. The club, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of... READ MORE
No memories are better than HS football
Open a can of memories and old guys will rush in to say they were there. Business. War. Politics. Travel. But perhaps more poignantly than most, football. As the calendar flips to the fall months, a young man’s fancy often turns to his gridiron glories of yesteryear. As the saying goes, they get more glorious with each passing decade. It can be very hard for younger people to... READ MORE
Building bridges between generations
Want to live forever? Marc Freedman can help. No, he’s not one of the Silicon Valley “immortalists” seeking to prolong human life spans. He’s the chief executive officer of Encore.org, an organization that aims to help older Americans make meaningful social contributions and find purpose in later life. In his new book, How to Live Forever: The Enduring Power of... READ MORE
Women finally get their own monument
Clementina Rind, mother of five, probably never heard of “breaking the glass ceiling,” “women’s liberation” or feminism, but in 1774 she became the Virginia colony’s public printer, elected by the Virginia General Assembly on a two-to-one vote. Rind, who had taken over the Virginia Gazette newspaper after her husband died, never missed putting out an issue. And she didn’t... READ MORE
Books to enhance your D.C. sightseeing
The Bibliophile Fall is the time of year to enjoy the comparative solitude from the hordes of summer tourists. Take a respite from the crowds to do some sightseeing on your own home turf. 111 Places in Washington That You Must Not Miss, by Andrea Seiger, photographs by John Dean, 240 pages, Emons Publishers paperback, 2018 For those of us who have visited all the familiar tourist... READ MORE
These flawed, funny cabbies have character
August Wilson’s play Jitney takes Arena Stage audiences on a hilarious, heartfelt, soul-searing, tragic and deeply human ride through life, as lived by the drivers, and other frequenters, of an unlicensed cab station in the African-American Pittsburgh Hill District in 1977. Jitney is the eighth play in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wilson’s cycle of 10 plays about the lives of African... READ MORE
Entrepreneurship gets better with age
You may not realize it, but if you are 50 years or older and thinking about starting a new business, you are in good company — and just might have a bright, wealthy future. “Studies have found that the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs are people older than 50 years — and especially women,” said Kerry Hannon, author and personal finance expert. Hannon will be the keynote... READ MORE
Family dynamics plus mystery in “Proof”
One of the most wonderful things about theater is that it isn’t math. That said, there is a sort dramatic arithmetic to theater, an equation where the figures are living, breathing human beings and the final answer (hopefully) results in a standing ovation, as was the case at the opening performance of Proof, at Everyman Theatre through October 6. Proof earned the Pulitzer Prize for... READ MORE
A winning artist paints the town at night
“Set up your easel and paint the town!” the Howard County Arts Council told artists during the Paint It Ellicott City event this summer. Local landscape painter Bruno Baran sometimes works from photographs. But on a sweltering Saturday in June he situated his easel on a sidewalk in historic Ellicott City and painted the old town directly from life. The painting he produced, named... READ MORE
Nia fitness method adapts to all levels
When 72-year-old Carla Magarity moved to Richmond from Los Angeles, where she had lived for 35 years, she was thrilled to spend more time with her daughter and grandchildren here. A health insurance broker, she had been flying back and forth for years until deciding to retire. And Magarity wasn’t worried about finding a group of friends to connect with when she settled here. During her ... READ MORE
