The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has opened a new exhibit marking the nation’s past 250 years.

Called it features 250 artifacts and adds live performances to create a more immersive visitor experience.

鈥淲hen most people think of the Smithsonian, they think of the research we’ve done and the cool stuff we’ve collected,鈥� said Julie Garner, creative director of theater programs at the National Museum of American History. 鈥淏ut theater specialists like myself and my team, we interpret the people and their histories and we bring their voices to life.鈥�

Garner told 小萝莉影视 the three programs they offer this summer support different learning styles, especially for visitors who learn by observing and listening.

鈥淭hey leave you with a feeling which creates a memory, which really makes that history and research and scholarship stick, because it’s a really engaging and participatory experience,鈥� Garner said.

Three rotating theater programs will run throughout the summer for America鈥檚 250th birthday, with three to six performances daily lasting about 30 minutes.

One program, “Shout,” highlights the religious tradition of ring shouts, developed in enslaved communities in the 18th and 19th centuries. Performers Kecia Deroly and Sia Li Wright show how its rhythms connect to modern music, including Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” and songs by Lauryn Hill.

‘The ring shout, like many African American religious expressions, included Christian and Muslim traditions, as well as West African forms of worship, like the Akan and Yoruba religions,鈥� said Deroly.

Ring shouts are still practiced today by the Gullah Geechee culture, descendants of Africans who were enslaved on plantations in the barrier islands along the lower Atlantic coast, including parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

鈥淓ven though we are telling stories of oppression, we are also telling the stories of enslaved people who find joy through oppression,鈥� Deroly told 小萝莉影视.

Another program, 鈥淢eet the Wheelwoman,鈥� features Susie Alden highlighting the popularity of bicycles in the 1890s.

鈥淚 ride this antique 1898 bicycle around the floor of the museum 鈥� still functional, still rideable,鈥� Alden said.

She said the program emphasizes how bicycles changed women’s lives, improving, independence and opportunity.

鈥淚鈥檒l talk about, specifically, connections between the bicycle boom of the 1890s and women’s liberation, and how that led to things and contributed to things like suffrage, changing clothing patterns, changing social norms, changing dating habits,鈥� Alden told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淭his bicycle is allowing ladies to go be independent, which a lot of people were worried about at first.鈥�

The third program, 鈥淏road Stripes and Bright Stars,鈥� introduces Mary Young Pickersgill, the seamstress who hand-sewed the Star Spangled Banner, which inspired the lyrics to the national anthem. The original flag is also housed at the museum.

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Where better to celebrate America鈥檚 250th birthday and the country鈥檚 rich history than the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in D.C. A new exhibit, which opened Thursday, tells the United States’ 250-year history with 250 objects.

Visitors will see the museum mainstays like the original American flag that inspired the 鈥淪tar Spangled Banner鈥� and the desk where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, but the new exhibit will also show some artifacts never before displayed.

鈥淎 surfboard that was used by Duke Kahanamoku, who is a Native Hawaiian surfer who really popularized surfing to the world. He was an Olympian and we have his massive, 9-foot surfboard that he shaped in Southern California in 1928,鈥� said Theo Gonzalves, a curator at the National Museum of American History.

The exhibit covers the history of the nation through political action, including a sweater worn by a young woman during a school walkout during the Civil Rights Movement and a Tea Party sign from the 2010s.

It also delves into military history with the Revolutionary War鈥檚 gunboat “Philadelphia,” and a uniform worn by Gen. George Washington.

Pop culture, lifestyle and entertainment are also front and center.

鈥淲e have a Nintendo game set and so there are folks that are looking at their at that Nintendo game set, and they’re thinking, ‘I can’t believe that that’s now part of history,’鈥� Gonzalves said. “I’m old enough to realize what Nintendo was for our generation, but it is part of American history.鈥�

Megan Smith, the head of experience development at the museum, said a seemingly mundane object is one of her favorite artifacts in the museum.

鈥淗idden in a kind of boring looking exterior, which is a file cabinet that contains over 52,000 jokes written by Phyllis Diller,鈥� she said. 鈥淧hyllis Diller was one of the first female stand-up comedians in America. It’s just an ordinary filing cabinet, but it’s filled with her career basically, and her creative process and all of her knowledge.鈥�

Scientific and technological achievement throughout American history is also celebrated, including the first radiocarbon dating machine from the 1950s.

Anthea Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan director of the museum, said staff at the museum had to whittle down nearly 2 million artifacts to 250 artifacts that define American history.

鈥淭o take 2 million to get down to 250, and the curators did a beautiful job. The whole team did a lot of thinking about what are those objects that help show us in action as a people? Help understand the dreams that we’ve put into the declaration, how it’s expanded, who it includes,鈥� she told 小萝莉影视.

She said the exhibit is the brainchild of over three years of curation work.

The National Museum of American History is open every day but Christmas.

鈥淚 hope people see themselves reflected in our work and in these objects,鈥� Hartig said.

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It鈥檚 a mixing of the generations. A group of retirees in Gaithersburg, Maryland, every week head to a nearby elementary school to volunteer their time and go back to work to help the newest generation learn to read, improve their math skills and even pick up a second language.

The volunteers from The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center travel a mile, once or twice a week, to Fields Road Elementary School to be paired with their class.

Principal Joshua Williams said this effort began last year when two residents at the nearby retirement community reached out to volunteer.

鈥淥riginally, we were thinking a handful. It ended up being eight or nine, and now it’s grown from there where we’ve had between 12 and 15 residents,鈥� Williams told 小萝莉影视.

Jim Pattison, one of the volunteers, heads to Ms. Huang鈥檚 class every Friday afternoon.

鈥淚鈥檝e been involved with schools for over 40 years, and there’s kids (that) are enervating, but they’re also energizing, and it’s fun to be back in a classroom and just see the delight of the kids learning things and being with a terrific teacher,鈥� Pattison said.

Second grade teacher Mandy Huang said it is always a treat when Pattison, who the kids lovingly call Mr. JP, comes to her classroom.

鈥淚t’s like an extra grandfather to a lot of them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to see. It’s like Christmas every Friday for them, they’re always like, ‘When is Mr. JP coming?’鈥�

Huang said Pattison鈥檚 forte is helping with reading, grammar and phonics.

鈥淭hey’ll kind of want to come work with him for the independent work, and do things like learning about subjects, verbs, nouns and then sometimes there’s a little short story 鈥� and he’s able to kind of encourage them to grow even more with their comprehension,鈥� she said.

Miriam Moskowitz is a student in the class and frequently reads with Pattison.

鈥淲hen we’re having trouble, we can work with Mr. JP and he helps us,鈥� the eight-year-old told 小萝莉影视.

She said everybody is very excited when they come back from music class every Friday and see him sitting in their classroom.

‘We get something from this as well’

While Pattison said that he is happy to help and is pleased that the students are learning more and feel comfortable practicing their skills with him, it is not a one-sided relationship.

鈥淲e get something from this as well,鈥� he told 小萝莉影视. 鈥淧eople who are wrapped up with themselves 鈥� they get kind of crabby, and that’s an old-fashioned term. But when you’re doing something for someone else, you just feel better.鈥�

Joan McCarthy, another volunteer at the school, agreed with that sentiment. She has been a teacher, substitute and volunteer at her kids’ and grandkids’ schools, so the environment is just natural for her.

鈥淚t makes me feel great,” she said. “I walk in the classroom, and right away they raise their hand. They want to come out with me to hear stories.”

McCarthy works with a fourth grade class often helping children who are learning English as a second language.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful for the different generations, because we’re older and they’re younger and they see us, and it inspires us. It’s enjoyable to be with them,鈥� she said.

Beyond just volunteering in the classroom, the folks from The Carnegie have really become part of the school community. They raised money to purchase T-shirts for every child that they wear on field trips and during special events. They also raised money to buy 75 backpacks for students in need at the school.

鈥淭hey’re doing a beautification project in the front of the school,鈥� Williams said.

Speaking about the overall experience, Williams said: 鈥淚t sends the message to our kids, and they really believe this that they matter. The fact that people that live within the community, but really don’t have specific ties to the school, have taken the time out to just come meet with our kids, support our teachers, and they are invested.鈥�

鈥淭here are probably other retirement communities that would probably jump at a chance to do something like this and I think there’s plenty of schools that would welcome that kind of a thing,鈥� Pattison added.

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Reminiscent of the Freedom Train, which traveled the U.S. in 1975 and 1976 as part of America鈥檚 Bicentennial, a fleet of double-wide 18-wheeler mobile museums are now crisscrossing the nation to teach Revolutionary War history, including a scheduled to stop on the National Mall this weekend.

Ahead of its D.C. visit, one of the Freedom Trucks is stopping at Harford American Legion Post 39 at 500 N. Hickory Avenue in Bel Air, Maryland, as part of preparations for the nation鈥檚 250th anniversary.

It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to organizers.

“The Freedom Truck exists for a very simple purpose, to bring the miraculous story of American independence to Americans across the country,” said Brittany Baldwin, executive director of the , speaking recently about the project.

The six trucks are making stops nationwide, from Pinecrest, Florida, to Urbandale, Iowa. Organizers said groups in all 48 contiguous states .

Inside the truck, visitors encounter an AI-powered portrait of George Washington that introduces the early moments of the Revolution, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. The exhibit also explores rising tensions with Britain, disputes over taxation and the path to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Baldwin said visitors are invited to take the “Are You a Loyalist or Patriot?” quiz.

Additional interactive displays highlight key victories and setbacks during the Revolution, along with the chance to sign a digital copy of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibit ends with a 鈥淲all of American Heroes鈥� featuring figures such as the Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Aretha Franklin.

鈥淭his is about telling America’s story on the road and making it easily accessible to students, to families, to American citizens and other visitors all across the nation,” said Monica Crowley, the chief of protocol of the United States, at a recent dedication ceremony.

Organizers of the White House-led initiative said the Freedom Truck will be on the National Mall on Sunday, May 17, during an tied to the nation anniversary. The truck is also scheduled to return during the Great American State Fair from June 25 through July 10.

Editor’s note: “Freedom 250” is separate from the congressionally chartered commission “.”

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A new exhibit, 鈥淏ison: Standing Strong,鈥� explores the origins of the American bison, their near extinction and their comeback.

A large taxidermized bison greets visitors as they enter the exhibit, standing on ground that may have once been part of the animals鈥� historic range.

鈥淭here were bison all the way to the Potomac,鈥� said Siobhan Starrs, a senior exhibition developer at the museum. 鈥淭here were bison in New England, bison in Georgia, South Carolina, all the way down to Florida on the Panhandle. Bison really shaped this country in a profound way.鈥�

Kirk Johnson, Sant Director at the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Museum of Natural History, said even George Washington is believed to have shot a buffalo in the 1770s in what is now West Virginia.

Bison are the national mammal of the United States, and Starrs said their presence still shows up across American culture.

鈥淏uffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, even here in D.C., there are two universities with bison as their logo, both Howard University and Gallaudet. They’re on our postage stamps. They’re on our currency. Even the ‘America 250’ stamp this year will be a bison stamp,鈥� Starrs said.

Hundreds of years ago, bison populations reached as many as an estimated 35 to 45 million animals roaming across much of North America. Starrs said their migratory patterns helped shape the land.

“They literally shaped the land that we now walk on today,鈥� she said.

The exhibit also looks further back, spotlighting Bison latifrons, an ancient ancestor that lived alongside woolly mammoths and saber鈥憈oothed cats. A fossil on display shows horns stretching nearly six feet across. Starrs said the animal stood about eight feet tall, roughly two feet taller than modern bison.

A central section of the exhibit details the bison鈥檚 rapid decline in the 19th century, including a towering image of piled buffalo skulls in Michigan from the late 1800s.

鈥淭hat image shows the scale of devastation,鈥� Starrs said, adding that the population “in the many millions (fell) all the way down to less than 1,000.鈥�

She said westward expansion, railroad development, commercial hunting and government policies aimed at displacing Native Americans pushed the animals to the brink.

“And then, this amazing moment happened between 1885 and 1905: people realized, 鈥榳ait a minute, we got to do something here. We can’t let the bison go extinct.’ And thus begins the story of the bison conservation and bison recovery.鈥�

Today, bison are found in every U.S. state, including Hawaii, with a population of about 500,000. Most live in managed herds, though wild herds live in Yellowstone National Park, and parts of South Dakota and Wyoming.

The Smithsonian’s own history with bison is also featured in the exhibit. In the 1880s, Smithsonian taxidermist William Hornaday collected 22 bison for a groundbreaking diorama that later inspired the bison image on currency, stamps and the Interior Department seal.

In 1888, Hornaday opened up a diorama of a half dozen bison with Montana dirt and sagebrush on the National Mall, which Johnson called “his big magnum opus, if you will.”

That diorama remained in D.C. until 1957.

Johnson said the specimens led to the museum to some new discoveries about bison, and specifically about the bison that were collected in the 1880s.

鈥淚t gives us, actually a great genetic sample of what the bison were like when there were millions of them. Because now, all the bison that are alive today are the descendants of probably less than 100 or so animals that went through the bottleneck,” Johnson said.

Johnson said modern bison are from a “very small fraction of the genetic diversity that would have been present when there” when an estimated 40 million bison were on the plains.

鈥溾�� is open now and runs through May 2029.

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A substitute bus attendant in Maryland is accused of sexually assaulting three young students considered special needs.

The Washington County Department of Social Services contacted Hagerstown police last week alleging a fill-in school bus attendant had been inappropriately touching several students on the school bus.

A child crimes investigation began immediately with Washington County Public School officials. After reviewing video from May 5, police arrested 71-year-old Michael Sowers of Hagerstown.

In a statement, police said footage showed him sexually assaulting three students, two boys and a girl. All were considered special needs students and ranged in age from five to nine years old.

Sowers was arrested Friday and faces numerous sex offenses, including a rape charge.

Hagerstown police are now searching for additional victims.

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D.C. saw a modest increase in visitors to the city in 2025. While that is welcome news to the city鈥檚 tourism arm, the entirety of that increase was from domestic travelers as the city saw a decline in international tourists who tend to stay in the city longer and spend more money during their visit.

According to Destination DC, the city鈥檚 official tourism marketing organization, of the 27.2 million visitors they tallied last year, 20,000 more than 2024, over 25 million of them were domestic travelers. International travel declined by 4%, still better than the overall U.S. decline in international travelers of 5.5% last year.

Elliott Ferguson, the president and CEO of Destination DC, said rhetoric in foreign countries is often depicting D.C. as an unsafe space to travel.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really focusing on the narrative that’s out there, the concerns that people have, and really the 700,000 people that live in Washington, D.C., that have a different narrative,鈥� Ferguson told reporters after a Travel Rally at the Lincoln Theater.

鈥淎s we hosted World Pride last year, the numbers were down, but the overwhelming message from those that live in Washington is that Washington was a safe place.鈥�

Ferguson said they hope to highlight the city beyond the monuments and memorials and the museums on the National Mall.

鈥淭he more we are able to position Washington beyond just a day trip and to go into our neighborhoods experience parts of the city that perhaps don’t get the same recognition as monuments, memorials and museums. It really helps us in terms of promoting D.C. as a whole,鈥� Ferguson said.

鈥淚 think what we have seen over the course of many years is that international travel has been made more difficult, not just for D.C., but for America,鈥� Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

鈥淲e want all of the things that make that easier, peace for one, getting visas, making it easier to get into the United States. All of those things are important. The international dollars continue to be important, because those travelers, they stay longer and they spend more.鈥�

Mayor Muriel Bowser in the latest city budget has proposed extending D.C鈥檚 Tourism Recovery District, which puts more marketing dollars toward Destination DC and the city鈥檚 business attraction efforts.

According to Destination DC, economic spending for the city rose 4%, to $11.9 billion and $2.4 billion was generated in tax revenue 鈥� also a 4% gain. Tourism in the city also supported around 114,000 jobs up two percent year over year.

Both Ferguson and Bowser hope events tied to America鈥檚 250th Birthday this summer will boost tourism into the city.

鈥淚 think the sporting events are what’s really unique about this Fourth of July season in the District. We’ll have the Indy car race. I understand there’s already a lot of hotel activity around that we’ll have the UFC match,鈥� she said.

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Both the police department’s Internal Affairs Division and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General probed alleged manipulation of crime statistics within the city.

鈥淲e have been trying to get all of the information for months, and I think we have one piece of the puzzle, the IAD,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters after a Destination D.C. event Wednesday. “The next piece of the puzzle will be the inspector general’s report.”

The inspector general began looking into the crime statistics earlier this year, after a report from the House Oversight Committee accused then-police Chief Pamela Smith of massaging crime data to make the city look safer.

Bowser said the inspector general informed her in a briefing last week the “final report was concluding,” and a draft copy would be sent to D.C. police before being made public.

When asked if these 13 officers were working alone or being told to change numbers, Bowser said, 鈥淚’m going to leave that commentary to MPD in talking about individuals, we will look for systematic problems that, in my estimation, should have caught any individual problems.鈥�

Bowser said she had 鈥渟canned鈥� the internal report but said she would not comment on the findings.

Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll also said exact details of the officials’ misconduct could not be shared when he announced the 13 suspensions during a news conference Tuesday.

鈥淚 guess MPD will talk about the categories of crime that experience changes,” Bowser said. “What is going to be really key, and I suspect it’s in all of these recommendations for termination, is if this is deliberate, if it is meant to make the official look good and not show what’s actually happening. There are repercussions for that.鈥�

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It is among the oldest homes in the District 鈥� built before even the White House was completed. And now the Southwest D.C. home is for sale for a cool $1.2 million.

The four townhomes built on the section of 4th Street SW were completed in 1794, shortly after D.C. was established but before the federal government moved there.

They were built by John Wheat and they subsequently become known as Wheat Row.

鈥淭here was a lot of speculation going on, a lot of land speculation. And people were buying properties, building them and then renting them out, much the way that we’d see modern speculation today,鈥� Eric Stewart, a realtor tasked with selling the piece of history, told 小萝莉影视.

The home, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is four stories tall with high ceilings on each floor and has seven fireplaces, a remnant of when that was the only heating source available.

鈥淭here’s one in the basement level and then two on each floor after that, including inside the kitchen. So that would have been not only a place to heat, but also a place to eat,鈥� Stewart said, before an open house Tuesday dressed in 18th century period dress.

The realtor described the home as a 鈥渂attleship鈥� with top notch build quality that has stood the test of time.

The brick laying is a variety of a Flemish bond. Every other brick is placed with the butt of the brick facing outward, and the head of the brick inserted into the cinder block.

鈥淔ort McNair has been here for a long, long time,” Stewart said of the D.C. military base. “You look at the wall in front of Fort McNair, also built in the Flemish bond.”

The four-bedroom four-bathroom home is also four stories, meaning a lot of stairs, but luckily a functioning elevator was installed a few decades ago.

Stewart, who has been working as a realtor in the D.C. area for 39 years, said he has rarely seen a home this old go on the market in the heart of the District.

鈥淚n the countryside, if you head out toward Waterford, Virginia, or up toward Frederick, Maryland, you’ll find very pretty, stunning historical properties, still on large pieces of land,” Stewart said. “But down here, not very often.鈥�

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Google has teamed up with world-renowned preservation organizations to bring a museum about the founding of America directly to your smartphone or computer.

The 鈥� exhibit uses thousands of documents scanned from the National Archives and dozens more collections that can tell the founding of America in a more linear story. The museum can be viewed on the Google Arts and Culture app.

鈥淚t takes that history and culture and brings it to life using everything from 3D imaging, video,鈥� said Karan Bhatia, global head of government affairs and public policy at Google. 鈥淵ou really can feel like you’re doing a tour of American history brought to life for people who may be very distant.鈥�

You can scroll through the app-based exhibit and immediately learn the 鈥�10 Things You Never Knew About the American Revolution.鈥� A little further down, detailed histories of Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers.

鈥淚 loved the parts of the exhibit that focused on the first ladies,” Bhatia said. “I thought those were an extremely interesting element.”

Beyond reading facts and looking at scans of historical documents, artificial intelligence is also a component of the exhibit. Google is powering the exhibit with a research tool called NotebookLM.

According to Bhatia, NotebookLM enables these historic preservationists to upload documents, videos and sound recordings. Then it draws the information in those sources to allow users to do everything from create synopses and lesson plans, to create an AI podcast where two virtual people will have a discussion around the content selected.

鈥淚t’s going to take all that information, compile it and actually tell it in a story,” said Grace McCaffrey, acting executive of external affairs and communications at the National Archives. “Everyone learns differently. Everyone wants to learn facts differently. Not everyone is able to come here and actually see things in person.”

鈥淎nd one thing that we’ve been missing here at National Archives is a way to put everything together and tell it in a story,” she said.

McCaffrey said this new virtual exhibit, which launched Monday, is perfect for both novices first learning about the Revolution and seasoned history buffs looking at the more detailed accounts and obscure moments from the time period.

The launch of the online exhibit comes alongside the National Archives’ new exhibit 鈥淔ree and Independent,鈥� which details the writing of the Declaration of Independence and its impact over the course of American history.

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The Washington Regional Alcohol Program hopes its educational programming will prevent drunk driving.

鈥淏ut as good as those efforts might be, we realized that you need to have a safety valve for these high risk, high alcohol consumption periods. Of which absolutely, Cinco de Mayo is one of them,鈥� said Kurt Erickson, president of the nonprofit.

The group is giving away $15 rides through Lyft that will be available starting at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The offer lasts until 4 a.m. the following morning.

鈥淎nybody celebrating Cinco de Mayo with alcohol in the greater Washington area can afford themselves a free and safe ride home via WRAPS sober ride program,鈥� Erickson said.

Erickson said the holiday, which celebrates the Mexican victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, is in 鈥渢he annals of those drunk driving holidays.鈥�

鈥淚n fact it’s 36%, way more than a third, of all traffic deaths in this country, specifically on May 5, involve drunk drivers, meaning that they’re 100% preventable,鈥� he said

The code for that ride, which can be entered in the Lyft app, will be available starting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday on .

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In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, 鈥淲hat do you do?鈥� 小萝莉影视鈥檚 鈥�Working Capital鈥� series profiles the people whose jobs make the D.C. region run.

While not directly involved with billion-dollar business deals and government contracts, this company may have had a hand in bringing the parties together for a cold pint.

Both Alex Spencer, the head brewer, and Brandon Skall, the CEO and co-founder of , make sure you have a refreshing pilsner, IPA and even a spiked seltzer in your hand whenever you need it.

The Northeast D.C. brewery is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and over the years it has brewed a lot of beer, consistently pouring an alcoholic amber nectar.

鈥淒espite popular belief, we don’t just have a beer faucet here that we turn on and whatever we want comes out,鈥� Skall told 小萝莉影视.

That D.C. Brau “Joint Resolution” you enjoy after a long day at work may only take 20 minutes to drink, but it takes three to four weeks to produce.

鈥淚t’s a full day’s worth of work on the brewhouse side, and then everything else is the yeast doing its job,鈥� said Spencer.

While most beer starts with malted barley, hops, water and yeast, they can yield wildly different beers, from the high gravity 鈥淥n the Wings of Armageddon鈥� to the crisp 鈥淏rau Pils.鈥�

鈥淵ou’ve got your four basic ingredients, but within those ingredients, there’s a lot of different variations,鈥� Spencer said. 鈥淚 couldn’t count how many different kinds of malt there are out there.鈥�

The many types of hops and yeast can also transform the taste and look of a beer.

鈥淟ike with any form of art, subtle changes can have really big impacts,” Skall said. “And a lot of that is intuitive. You can go to school to learn brewing, but once you’re out there, really working in the industry, building up years of experience, those changes and that knowledge comes naturally.鈥�

鈥淚 think it’s similar to being a chef in a lot of ways, in that there’s a lot of different techniques and ingredients you can apply to really make something that is distinctly yours,鈥� Spencer added.

Creating a new tasting experience is one of the best parts of the job, they said. The brewery, in its early days, would produce anything they wanted to brew.

Over the years, there have also been happy mistakes in their beer lab.

鈥淲e had a batch of Corruption IPA years ago that somebody accidentally put the Belgian yeast in there instead and created a Belgian IPA that was enough of a fan favorite, we ended up bringing it back once a couple of years ago for just a one-time batch,鈥� Spencer said.

But Skall said the pandemic made them more strategic and intentional. They study market trends to see what might work here.

鈥淎nd, of course, passion, which one of those are we passionate about? Where is there a hole missing in the market that we can fill?鈥� Skall said.

They have produced lower ABV beverages and developed hard seltzers that became a huge portion of their portfolio.

For their anniversary, they created 鈥淏aby Wings,鈥� a redux of their popular 鈥淥n the Wings of Armageddon鈥� but with a lower alcohol content. Another new brew is called 鈥淒eclaration,鈥� in honor of D.C. Brau’s anniversary and the United States’ 250th birthday.

The names and labels of their core beers are very D.C. politics-centric, including 鈥淭he Public,鈥� 鈥淛oint Resolution,鈥� and 鈥淭he Corruption.鈥�

鈥淭hen we had brands like on the 鈥榃ings of Armageddon鈥� or 鈥楽pace Reaper,鈥� that were more speaking to that culture here in D.C. that exists outside of politics. The people that live here, work here, run businesses here, and that creativity, we hope, really translated to people seeing that there’s two sides to the city,鈥� Skall said.

You can buy D.C. Brau by the can or the pint at your local grocery store, bar or liquor store, and at , open Thursday through Sunday.

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It has been one week since President Donald Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool bottom will be colored to become 鈥淎merican flag blue” and crews have been working on changing the hue.

While announcing the project last week, Trump said the pool 鈥渓eaked like a sieve鈥� for years and that he’d decided to lay down “industrial grade pool” surface rather than spend hundreds of millions and several years to replace the granite floor.

On Wednesday afternoon, a small portion of the pool floor was colored with the dark blue pigment.

鈥淚 hope that they can revert it maybe later,鈥� said one visitor from Delaware. 鈥淚f they’re doing it just for the festivities, sure, but I really hope that they can keep it traditional.鈥�

According to the Department of the Interior, 鈥淭he light-blue base coat visible over the weekend is a standard step in the multilayer process and serves as the foundation for the final finish.鈥�

鈥淚 do ride my bike past here almost every day, so I see the progress incrementally day by day,鈥� said David Gorlitz, a D.C. resident. 鈥淚鈥檝e noticed the color has changed a couple times from a lighter blue to a darker blue. That was a little puzzling.鈥�

He continued, 鈥淚t’s a historical architectural feature on this mall and they’re covering it with, what I’ve heard through the news, is a commercial-grade swimming pool covering. So I’m not sure if that’s actually the right stuff that you should be using for this particular purpose.鈥�

Gorlitz was not impressed with the progress and said it looked terrible.

Another visitor from California told 小萝莉影视, 鈥淚 think it’s going to be difficult to see any color underneath the water. I think it’s probably just going to look like it did before. Maybe if you see it directly from above, you’ll see the color. Maybe it’ll look a little bluer than normal, but it just kind of feels like a waste of time to do that.鈥�

The Department of the Interior said in a statement, 鈥淲ork remains on track for completion by the end of May. The last major renovation of the Reflecting Pool was completed in 2012.鈥�

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Three years after a fire damaged a historic church in Arlington, Virginia, Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church is set to officially reopen Saturday following massive renovations to its offices.

Senior Pastor Sara Porter Keeling had been at for just three months before Oct. 14, 2022, when a devastating electrical fire broke out in the church鈥檚 attic.

鈥淚 got a knock on the door by the fire chief,” she told 小萝莉影视. “Some of the first words I heard at like 3 in the morning were church and fire.鈥�

Keeling said the cause was old and faulty wiring in the attic and while that was damaging, the water needed to put out the fires was more so.

鈥淚t was like being on the Titanic or something like that,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat level of water everywhere coming through the light fixtures. Just incredible.鈥�

Luckily the fire did not spread to the main sanctuary and preschool next door, but they were required to hold services outside for a few weeks until everything was deemed safe.

For over three years, staff had to come up with workarounds to continue the church’s day-to-day operations.

鈥淎 good byproduct of COVID 鈥� We already had things in place. We already use Microsoft Teams and text messaging and zoom and those kinds of things,鈥� Keeling said.

They had an added priority to their plate of rebuilding and renovating this particular building all while keeping its history intact.

鈥淢ount Olivet is the oldest continually in use church in Arlington. We were founded in 1854 so that’s obviously right before the Civil War. Our property was used as a hospital during the Civil War by the union,鈥� said Keeling, adding the original building was torn down and used for firewood as Union soldiers went through winter.

To make sure recent renovations were done correctly, they developed the 鈥淧hoenix Team鈥� of staff members and volunteers to help design and improve the building after its destruction.

Named after the mythical bird that rises from the ashes of its own destruction, the team handled insurance claims, architectural work and liaising with contractors.

The HVAC, electrical and plumbing has all been replaced but they also redesigned offices and multipurpose rooms that will house choir practices, church meetings, Sunday school and adult bible study.

For the past three years, adult bible study has been held in the preschool 鈥渕eaning they’ve been sitting in teeny, tiny chairs,鈥� according to Keeling.

鈥淣ow they can joke on Sunday mornings of like ‘It’s not going to be the same when we’re not in our little chairs.’鈥�

Versatility was in mind during the reconstruction.

鈥淢aking use of the space in ways that are more efficient. We have a multipurpose room upstairs now that can be used for small events or lectures or community association meetings,鈥� she said.

Keeling described that for the past three and a half years she has heard many questions of concern about whether they had fully recovered from the fire, but the church is holding their grand reopening, , on Saturday.

鈥淲e really wanted to have this be a larger community celebration,鈥� Keeling said. 鈥淲hen the fire happened, there was so much beautiful concern and care from the Arlington community around us, around making sure that we were OK.鈥�

鈥淲e want to really be able to say thank you to the community, to our nonprofit partners, to the first responders, to everybody that’s worked with us on the rebuilding process,鈥� she concluded. 鈥淐ome and see all that Mt. Olivet is, all that we’re doing in the community.鈥�

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A new exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fairfax County, Virginia, hopes to immerse visitors into the American Revolution through augmented reality.

鈥淎merican Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition鈥� is now open to all visitors and takes them to the vital moments in the war from The Battle of Bunker Hill to the Siege of Yorktown.

French technology company, Histovery, produced the exhibit that allows visitors to walk around with a tablet scanning various portals that are labeled throughout.

Once scanned, the tablet takes viewers to that pivotal moment in Revolutionary history, with a 360-degree view, allowing them to hear from key figures that were present and learn details behind the soldiers鈥� lives. It also has a built-in 鈥淭ime Portal鈥� that shows that area in modern times.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just not about Washington and Hamilton and the notable figures we all know about,” Museum Director Paul Morando told 小萝莉影视. “It gets into the everyday soldiers who served, and that’s important because it captures the mission of this museum, which focuses on the American soldier and their experience.”

One depicted in detail is the Noble Train of Artillery, where Gen. Henry Knox and teams of soldiers faced a logistical challenge of moving heavy cannon from Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York all the way to Boston in the winter of 1775-76.

鈥淚 think it’s a story that a lot of people don’t know about,” Morando said. “Coming to experience that, they’ll come away with learning more about the Revolutionary War and about the soldiers involved.鈥�

While the exhibit looks at the triumphs of the Continental Army at Boston and Trenton, it also allows visitors to plunge into the defeats and blunders made during the war.

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鈥淵ou start with the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was a defeat, although significant for the soldiers at that time, because it proved to the British that we were ready to fight and we were going to be a tough opponent,鈥� Morando said. 鈥淎nd then you go to the Battle of Long Island, where the entire army could have been lost and, in fact, the Revolution could have been lost.鈥�

Morando shared more about Gen. George Washington at the Battle of New York, 鈥淗e was outmanned, outmaneuvered, and just basically, out 鈥榞eneraled鈥�. So, instead of staying and fighting, knowing that he would lose, he figured out a way to escape.”

Morando said these immersive technology exhibits pair well with the artifact-driven exhibits at the museum.

鈥淚t gives visitors another way to learn about the Revolutionary War in an interactive and fun way, but it’s also extremely educational. Lot of research content development was put into this experience,鈥� Morando said.

The exhibit, which opened last weekend, now pairs with the museum’s other temporary exhibit, 鈥淐all to Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War,鈥� which features stunning artifacts including a leopard-skinned saddle from a New Hampshire officer, a French cannon from the Siege of Yorktown as well as the sword surrendered by British Gen. Charles Cornwallis 鈥� something that has never before been displayed in the U.S.

鈥淚t’s a once in a lifetime, you know, artifact that probably won’t be on display in the United States ever again,鈥� Morando said.

Wednesday is the last day to see Cornwallis’ sword.聽

鈥溾�� is free with admission to the museum and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.

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