The Georgetowner

In last month’s Auction Block: a pastel of a British horse race by artist Paul Lucien Maze, an Andy Warhol “Marilyn” print, an Art Deco Movado watch, a Louis Vuitton trunk owned by Ambassador Chuck Bohlen and a print of a John Lennon poem.

Wow, that was amazing. Was it good for you, too? America’s 250th celebrations on July 4th had something for everyone. For those in Georgetown and downtown Washington, D.C., it hit close to home, no doubt, and was a hot mess, however you slice it. So to review, the fencing was a supreme annoyance and disappointment, but the illuminated Washington Monument was … awesome.

The 44th annual RAMMYS Awards and Gala, presented by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, took place at Arena Stage’s Mead Center for American Theater on Monday, June 29. The Anthem, at the Wharf on the Southwest D.C. waterfront, hosted a watch party and after-party. Named “Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year” was Michael Rafidi’s Michelin-starred, James Beard Award-winning restaurant Albi — “my heart” in Arabic — in Navy Yard.

Last Wednesday, July 1, was Eduardo Peñalver’s official first day as the 49th president of Georgetown University.

The landmark Scheele’s Market — the 130-year-old grocery store at 1331 29th St. NW — set to close at the end of July, has received an extension to Nov. 30, the end date of its original lease. Store owner Daniel Hong will now vacate the space just days after Thanksgiving. “Mr. Peabody [the property owner] told me I could stay until Nov 30,” Hong told The Georgetowner, which named him a 2024 Georgetowner of the Year for his optimism and work ethic.

By Callie Solomon As cheers from the FIFA Fan Zone carried across the National Mall in near-100-degree heat, Great American State Fair visitors moved among different state booths, danced to lively music and rode a 110-foot Ferris wheel overlooking Washington. The Great American State Fair is hosted by Freedom 250, a public-private organization created by the White House to organize events celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Washington, D.C., as in detention center, is feeling anxious this 4th of July on America’s 250th birthday. It didn’t have to be this way, but we do feel sort of locked down, fenced in and left out — we, being the people who actually live here. Have you tried to drive around Constitution Avenue or Independence Avenue? Last week, when we tried to get our press credentials for the Freedom 250 activities down at the National Mall, we were given different addresses along Madison Drive.

By Meredith Ogilvie-Thompson In the early decades of the 19th century, a traveler heading west from Washington on the stage road through Fauquier County would have arrived in Salem, a small Virginia village, tired, hungry and likely mud-spattered. By 1824, county records show Salem’s “house of entertainment” was valued at $2,000 — a sum that tells you how seriously the village took the business of hospitality.

By Mia Dinunzio One of the nation’s most recognizable landmarks now offers visitors a perspective few have ever experienced. The National Park Service has opened the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum, transforming a century-old maintenance space into an immersive exhibition. The new installation explores the monument’s construction as well as Abraham Lincoln’s legacy and its place in American civic life.

When’s the last time the Fourth of July fell on a Saturday? 2020, but what with Covid, we barely noticed. This weekend, you can celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday at a comedy jam, a sing-along, a cemetery tour or a Pilates class (with puppies). There will even be a few fireworks shows, we hear — though our hearing may be gone on Sunday. For more July events, visit The Georgetowner’s online calendar.