Community Events: Add your Events Below
Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
04/20/2024 to 04/20/2024
10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, VA 20110Saturday, April 20 at 5 and 8 p.m. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen is a torrent of mind-blowing Bluegrass. Known for their meaty pile-driving rhythms and Solivan’s dynamic and bold vocals, the band’s last two albums received GRAMMY nominations for Best Bluegrass Album. They have twice been named IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year and earned numerous other IBMA nominations including Male Vocalist of the Year, Mandolin Player of the Year, and in 2013, received Banjo Player of the Year. Their massive sound and show-stealing performances command the most prestigious stages in the country and abroad from The Grand Ole Opry to the biggest international festivals across Europe, South America, and Australia. Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen’s respect and deep understanding of the Bluegrass tradition collides, live on stage, with rock-tinged fiery virtuosity that pushes the boundaries of the genre.
Small Island Big Song
04/20/2024 to 04/20/2024
4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030Right before Earth Day, join Small Island Big Song for a moving concert experience combining music, spoken word, and stunning projections to showcase unique oceanic grooves and soulful island ballads, while shining a light on the devastating effects of global warming on these islands. Framed against panoramic visuals, more than 100 indigenous artists are represented to highlight a shared seafaring ancestry with interconnected musical traditions. These unique lineages mixed with their diverse contemporary styles—roots-reggae, beats, grunge, R&B, folk and spoken-word—establish a contemporary musical dialogue between cultures as far afield as Madagascar, Aotearoa, Taiwan, Mauritius, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and Rapa Nui. Billboard ASIA describes Small Island Big Song as “one coherent jaw-dropping piece that is likely the first time these traditional instruments have been mixed together... The result is breathtaking.”
SEEING OURSELVES IN THE RIVER, IN THE MIRROR, IN THE WORLD: DC’S AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY ON TOUR
04/20/2024 to 04/20/2024
3310 Conn. Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008Esther Productions Inc. in partnership with The Black Student Fund and The Institute for African American Writing presents two authors, Joy Jones and E. Ethelbert Miller. Joy Jones has taught creative writing and public speaking to middle school students and coached poetry slam teams. Her children’s book Tambourine Moon (Simon & Schuster) was chosen in 2000 as a Kid’s Pick of the Lists by the American Booksellers Association, selected as one of the best books for children by the black caucus of the ALA, and seen on Fox TV’s hit show The Bernie Mac Show. She is also the author of Private Lessons:A Book of Meditations for Teachers (Andrews McMeel), Fearless Public Speaking (SparkNotes), Jayla Jumps In (Albert Whitman & Company, 2020 and Black Caucus of the American Library Association BCALA, 2020 Best of the Best Booklist), Between Black Women: Listening with the Third Ear (African American Images), and a contributor to the anthology Days I Moved Through Ordinary Sounds: The Teachers of WritersCorps in Poetry and Prose. Ethelbert Miller is a memoirist, award-winning poet and 2022 Grammy nominee for the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album--Black Men Are Precious. Mr. Miller is the author of two memoirs and several collections of poetry. He also is the editor of three anthologies of poetry. He is the editor of Poet Lore magazine and the host of the radio show "On the Margin," which airs Thursday mornings on WPFW-FM. He is the former director of Howard University's African American Resource Center, and has taught at several universities and colleges including American University, Emory & Henry College, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Please register at https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/seeing-ourselves-in-the-river-in-the-mirror-in-the-world-dcs-african-american-literary-history-on-tour.
Create Your Own Spa Day
04/20/2024 to 04/20/2024
10360 North Street, Fairfax, VA 22030The City of Fairfax Regional Library invites you to a FREE, fun, hands-on crafting workshop where you'll make your own custom bath and body products. Registration is required. For adults. https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/11982574
The Okee Dokee Brothers
04/21/2024 to 04/21/2024
4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030Calling all bluegrass and American roots music fans to join around the “campfire” with the GRAMMY Award-winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers. Long before the pair won five Parents’ Choice Awards, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing grew up as childhood friends in Denver, Colorado, where they enjoyed adventures like rafting down their neighborhood creek and hiking through the Rocky Mountains. Now, they infuse bluegrass music and playful lyrics with childhood wonder for the great outdoors, hoping to spark a desire in children to explore their surroundings and imaginations. “The lyrics are playful, engaging and subtly filled with life lessons. These are songs that encourage kids to find happiness with fewer material possessions and embrace adventure even in trying situations” (Chicago Tribune). (Recommended for ages 3 to 8). This performance will be sensory friendly. These performances are designed to create a welcoming and comfortable arts experience for people with autism, sensory sensitivities, or other social, learning, or cognitive disabilities.
The Okee Dokee Brothers
04/21/2024 to 04/21/2024
4373 Mason Pond Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030Calling all bluegrass and American roots music fans to join around the “campfire” with the GRAMMY Award-winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers. Long before the pair won five Parents’ Choice Awards, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing grew up as childhood friends in Denver, Colorado, where they enjoyed adventures like rafting down their neighborhood creek and hiking through the Rocky Mountains. Now, they infuse bluegrass music and playful lyrics with childhood wonder for the great outdoors, hoping to spark a desire in children to explore their surroundings and imaginations. “The lyrics are playful, engaging and subtly filled with life lessons. These are songs that encourage kids to find happiness with fewer material possessions and embrace adventure even in trying situations” (Chicago Tribune). (Recommended for ages 3 to 8)
