3-HourWeekend SHOULD YOU GO?
Our quick guide to Post critics’ takes on new music, movies and restaurants in the area.
Music GO!
The Nighthawks’ new acoustic setting really suits the group. At Jammin’ Java on Saturday. — Catherine P. Lewis Review, Page 7
Dinner GO! TWILIGHT POLO
Horse country, at full gallop
D.C. soul-food fans know that Southern comfort food at Oohs and Aahs is among the city’s best.
— Justin Rude Review, Page 16
Night Life GO!
Women are in sundresses and hats, hold- ing glasses of wine, Kenny Chesney’s “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” is playing on the loudspeakers, and the air is crisp and fresh. You can tell as soon as you get out of your car: This is horse country. There is hardly a better way to spend a lovely summer evening than to join 1,500 to 2,000 people at Great Meadow in The Plains for Twilight Polo. There are two matches each Saturday night. Long before the first match starts at 7 p.m., regulars begin arriv- ing to spread their blankets and picnics on the grassy hill overlooking the arena. The bucolic scene becomes rollicking as soon as the first match begins. After all, po- lo, which is sometimes called “hockey on horseback,” is a fast-paced and physically demanding sport. But don’t be intimidated if you have never seen a match; Twilight Polo is an easy in- troduction to the sport. Unlike polo that is played on grass, where the field stretches the equivalent of nine football fields, this version is played in a dirt arena, making it much easier to see the ball and keep up with the action. The announcer also calls the plays and explains penalties. Twilight Polo can last more than four hours, but you can come and go as you please. Families show up early, and regulars such as Dayn Smith from Huntly, Va., are here, at least in part, to socialize. Tailgating is popular, and on a recent night, Smith, a chef, has a spread that includes red wine, white wine, champagne, poached salmon, tuna tartar, chips and dip. “The kids love it. . . . They love the free-
District and Bar 7 have open-bar happy hours, both recommended strongly by customers.
— Fritz Hahn Review, Page 8 Movie GO!
dom,” Smith said, adding that this is one of the few places he feels safe letting his sons, ages 5 and 7, run around. There are kid- friendly activities, such as tug of war or stick-pony races between matches. In arena polo, teams are lined up three to a side, and matches begin with an umpire bowling a grapefruit-size ball between the two teams. From there the players deftly maneuver their horses for a chance to hit the ball into the goal. Each goal is worth a point with the exception of one hit from be- yond the halfway mark — those goals are worth two points. Balls are sometimes lobbed out of the arena, and kids who re- trieve them are rewarded with candy. The match is divided into four 6 minute 30 second quarters called chukkers. After
Clockwise from top: Teams battle it out in the arena; Eric Treworgy, left, Theresa Miller, Mike Miller, Ricky McDaniel, Cathy McDaniel and Serena Treworgy make a toast; kids race stick ponies.
each chukker, players trade their horses for a fresh mount. The winner is the team with — surprise — the most goals at the end of the match. In Twilight Polo the teams in the second match are better than those in the first, but both matches attract “local players with a national reputation,” according to Great Meadow Foundation President Rob- ert Banner Jr. A second crowd arrives for the later
5
PHOTOS BY DAYNA SMITH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
match. And then a third crowd shows up for the after party when a large, nearby pavilion takes on a nightclub atmosphere complete with a DJ. For Josh Bethany, 34, of Arlington and his girlfriend, the combination of a nice picnic, a polo match and music was enough to make them “get out of the city and get into the country.”
— Amy Orndorff
WHERE IS IT? Great Meadow, 5089 Old Tavern Rd., The Plains.
WHEN IS IT? Saturdays at 7 p.m. through Sept. 18, except Sept. 11.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? $30 per car.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION? Call 540-253-9845 or visit www.
greatmeadowpolo.org.
WEEKEND STAFF Editors Debra Leithauser, Amy Joyce, Anne Kenderdine, Amy Hitt
“The Last Exorcism” is a mes- meric tiptoe through controversial debates on fundamentalist reli- gions and psychology. — Sean O’Connell Review, Page 30
Writers Alex Baldinger, Kristen Boghosian, Fritz Hahn, David Malitz, Stephanie Merry, Amy Orndorff, Michael O’Sullivan, Lavanya Ramanathan, Justin Rude Art Director Lisa Schreiber • Layout Editor Twila Waddy • Advertising Shawn McKenna-Deane
Get Listed Weekend lists events as space permits. Send notices, with date, time, addresses, cost and phone number to
weekendlistings@washpost.com. Please include appropriate heading, Concerts, Stage, etc., in the subject field. Notices can also be mailed to Weekend, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071-5650. Deadline is 10 days before publication.
Editorial Content/Free Listings 202-334-5292 or 202-334-5477 • Paid Advertising/Display Ads: 202-334-5750
THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010
PHOTOS, FROM TOP: FROM THE NIGHTHAWKS; MARK GAIL/THE WASHINGTON POST; ROBERT A. REEDER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; PATTI PERRET
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