Arts & Entertainment
Calendar for July 16
Friday, July 16, to Thursday, July 22

Friday, July 16
Gay District, a weekly, non-church affiliated discussion and social group for GBTQ men between 18 and 35, meets tonight from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Queer Pulp For the Girls and Bois at Black Squirrel, 2427 18th St., N.W., is tonight at 9. No cover charge, 21 and over to enter.
Kylie Minogue CD Release Party tonight at Ultrabar, 911 F St., N.W. at 9 p.m. Minogue returns with her highly anticipated new album. There will be giveaways including CDs, posters, vouchers and more. 18 and over to enter. Visit popnightlife.com for more information.
DC Cowboys present “Brodeo” tonight at Remington’s, 639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E., from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be country/western and disco/club music, live performances, giveaways, Jell-O shots, an auction and lots of sexy Cowboys.
Experience Silver Starr Art Studios LLC’s Ninth Annual Exhibition featuring Fred Budin’s Flag Series and Jay Hayden’s live R&B melodies at L’Eclat de Verre, 3336 M St., N.W. at 7 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $5, benefiting WVSA Arts Connection.
Saturday, July 17
Charity Cornhole Tournament at Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U St., N.W., at 1 p.m. 75 percent of the proceeds will benefit the “Remembering Nikki Yoder” scholarship at Montrose High School in Montrose, Pa. You can pre-register by e-mailing [email protected] and include team name, participant names, and contact phone. Registration is $25 for a team or $15 for individuals. There will be cash prizes, door prizes and drink specials.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers as they prune the sucker branches of the National Cherry Trees around the Tidal Basin from 9 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will meet at the Tidal Basin parking lot. For the fifth year in a row, BCV has been asked by the National Park Service to return to the Jefferson Memorial Tidal Basin for the annual Cherry Tree Pruning activity. Fifteen volunteers are needed for each shift.
Star Wars: In Concert, the unique multimedia event featuring music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores, plays at the Verizon Center at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $35, $55 and $75 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com. With live narration by Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), the production features a full symphony orchestra and choir, accompanied by specially edited footage from the films displayed on a three-story-tall, high-definition LED super-screen.
Wolf Trap presents An Evening with Idina Menzel and Marvin Hamlisch at the Filene Center at 8:15 p.m. Menzel—the Tony Award-winning “Elphaba” from Wicked—joins award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch for a one-night-only special engagement with the National Symphony Orchestra. Repertoire will include songs from Rent, Wicked, and Idina Menzel’s new album I Stand. Tickets range from $20 to $52 and can be purchased at wolftrap.org.
REMIX & A2Z Events present Al Sura’s 2010 White Attire Affair, “The Garden of Envy” at Longview Gallery, 1234 9th St., N.W., from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. VIP tickets are $125 and include a VIP reception with an open bar, live entertainment by Tamika Jones, and entrance to the official after-party. General admission is $75 and includes an open bar, live entertainment by Bry’NT, and discounted entrance to the official after party.
DJ Hector Fonseca spins at Town, 2009 8th St., N.W. Fonseca holds residencies at some of the most popular venues worldwide, and recently released two new music compilations. Doors open at 10 p.m. A drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. There will be music and videos downstairs by Wess. $8 cover before 11 p.m. and $12 after. 21 and over to enter.
Sunday, July 18
Ladies Kickball on the Mall at 3 p.m. between the National Museum of History and Smithsonian Castle. Join Zoom as they play kickball on the mall. Even if you don’t play you’re welcome to come and watch the fun from the sidelines; look for the purple balloons to locate the group. In case of inclement weather the event will be rescheduled for the following Sunday at the same time.
Monday, July 19
The GLB Youth Support Group will meet at the GW Center Clinic, 1922 F St., N.W., Suite 103, at 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20
Vans Warped Tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion starting at 11 a.m. featuring Reel Big Fish, Face to Face, Pennywise, Alkaline Trio, Andrew W.K, We the Kings, and many more. Vans Warped Tour is a “punk rock summer camp” on wheels where music, athletes and lifestyles co-mingle and thrive in an atmosphere dedicated to music fans of punk, alternative, hip-hop, ska, pop punk, electronica, alternative rock, emo, hardcore and more. Tickets are $32.75 until the day of the show when they go up to $40. Visit merriweathermusic.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits tonight from 7-9 p.m. at EFN Lounge, on 9th Street between O and N streets.
Wednesday, July 21
Yappy Hour: Happy Hour for Dogs at Larry’s Lounge, 1836 18th St., N.W., is today from 4 to 8 p.m. featuring drink specials and giveaways.
DC Gurly Show at Phase 1, 525 8th St., S.E., at 10 p.m. Drink specials will include $3 PBR and $4 Jager shots. There is a $5 cover.
Thursday, July 22
Atlas Performing Arts Center presents Summer Film Series: Gay 101 showing 1967’s “Valley of the Dolls” starring Barbara Parkins and Patty Duke at the Paul Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St., N.E., at 8 p.m. Buy tickets at atlasarts.org or at the box office one hour prior to the movie.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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