Reader Alert! Be forewarned that much of the following is pure plagiarism, taken from the ArlingtonArtsletterOnline. Sorry about that, but the list of things to do in Arlington during the next month underline one of the main themes of this column: that Arlington is a remarkably cohesive yet diverse community. So here is a list of places to go and things to do in Arlington this month. Except for Slapsticon, all events are free.

Slapsticon 2008 runs from July 17 to 20 at the Roslyn Spectrum Theater. This is an early comedy film festival. This is an international event consisting of dozens of rare, classic silent and sound comedy films. The silent films will be accompanied by live music.

Violin and Cello Madness with Leo Sushanski (violin) and Lukasz Szyrner of the National Chamber Ensemble, featuring works by Hayden, Handel, Joplin, Bach, and Paganini, will play on Friday, July 25 at the Lubber Run Amphitheater.

You Bring It, We Hang It ! All Arlington Salon Non-Juried Exhibition will hang at the Ellipse Art Center from July 31 to September 13. This is open to all Arlington artists who must drop their work off at the center by July 17.
Funny Songs About Ignorance and Greed With Roy Zimmerman at Lubber Run Amphitheatre will play on July 26. It will feature satirical songs on “war, poverty, ignorance, bigotry, homophobia, greed, lust, and fear.” Sounds like ghreat fun.

The Mongolian Nadaam Festival on July 13 will held at Barcroft Park . Mongolians gather each summer to celebrate their cultural traditions, music, dance and sport, with wrestling, acrobatics, throat singing and more.

Mozart, Donizetti, Humperdinck and Rogers & Hammerstein! Presented by the Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia on July 5 and 6 at the Lubber Run Amphitheatre.

Hexagon: Stars and Gripes Forever will play on July 20 at the Lubber Run Amphitheatre. Hexagon, – “Washington’s original, political, satirical, musical comedy revue, skewers those in high places and low, in politics, the arts and the popular press.”

You can check the details on these events on www.arlingtonarts.org. There is much more. You owe it to yourself to check it all out.

I also urge you to see the current exhibit at the Arlington Arts Center, She’s So Articulate. The show “sets out to expand how gallery-goers think about the relation of narrative to contemporary art by African-American women.” It features the provocative work of eleven artists.

Finally if you feel you must get out of Arlington from time to time, I recommend the Folk Life Festival on the Mall. It is great, particularly the colorful and beautiful Bhutan segment, vibrant with Bhutanese music, art, and even a great archery demonstration led by the Crown Prince of Bhutan in full Bhutanese military regalia.
Jean and I are now off to see The Lion King at the Kennedy center with a gaggle of grandchildren. It should have been in Arlington.

Note: This will be the last Our Man in Arlington column until the second week in August. Jean and I are off on a fairy-tale trip to Europe, the centerpiece of which will be two-week river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, with extended stays at either end. I’ll tell you all about it when we return.