George Mason University

The NBA All-Star weekend is over, but that doesn’t mean the basketball festivities have ended for Northern Virginians. Instead of watching LeBron James make highlight reel, wide-open slam dunks against non-existent defenders from your TV set, now you can take your kids to the Patriot Center and watch retired NBA players do more of the same!

The Harlem Globetrotters are taking their act to Northern Virginia for a night of entertainment and laughter. The Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team known for their showmanship and theatrical nature, offer the perfect backdrop to the conclusion of the NBA All-Star game, as the two events share many parallels. While the NBA boasts superstars such as Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, nothing beats the enthralling and jaw-dropping performances by the likes of “Airport,” “Scooter” and “Special K.”

The game will be played on March 24 at 7:00 p.m. at George Mason University’s Patriot Center. Tickets can be purchased here.

Jazz Illuminates Mason on Saturday Night

Posted by Matt Basheda / Friday, February 24th, 2012

Hey, Buddy Rich is the greatest drummer of all time. Check it out:

And you can see a slice of that this Saturday, Feb. 25, at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra will be paying tribute to Mr. Rich’s version of the “West Side Story” soundtrack. Legendary tunes from Woody Herman and Stan Kenton are also on the bill.

The MJO is headed by Jim Carroll, professor and saxophonist at GMU, and he’s gathered some of the best musicians in the country to play with him on stage.

“The importance of this concert is that it’s Black History Month,” says Carroll. “Even though ironically I picked three white bandleaders … I know Woody because I played in Woody’s band for three and a half years. Who was his hero? Duke Ellington. So [the show's] gonna be in celebration of Black History Month, as well.”

Music is not just about performance, though. Music is an opportunity to learn. Carroll is passionate about musical education, and so all ticket holders are welcome to arrive 45 minutes early for a pre-performance discussion about the songs, the bandleaders and jazz culture.

The show will even include dancing. So get fired up for a hoppin’ show.

Tickets range from $20 to $40 depending on the seats. Mason students can also get in on the action–there’s a limited number of student tickets available. The show starts at 8 p.m., though the preceding discussion should be lively and useful.

–Matt Basheda

Thousands expected at Alexandria paramedic’s funeral; George Mason student tracks illegal dump sites for Master’s thesis; Body found at Manassas recycling plant for second time in two years; Mary Washington grad develops new campus bike plan; and Dulles Toll Road rates could triple by 2018 to fund expanded Metro

Posted by Lindsey Leake / Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thousands expected at Alexandria paramedic’s funeral

WTOP

George Mason student tracks illegal dump sites for Master’s thesis

WJLA

Body found at Manassas recycling plant for second time in two years

InsideNova

Mary Washington grad develops new campus bike plan

Stafford County Sun

Dulles Toll Road rates could triple by 2018 to fund expanded Metro

FOX DC

(Compiled by Lindsey Leake)

Cultured Events This Weekend in Northern Virginia

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2011.

You’ve had your fill of bars, festivals, and other assorted revelries. You’re tired of shopping, and sick of watching TV.

So what to do?

Try dipping into Northern Virginia’s cultural scene. We all know the area can party with the best of them, but we’ve got our more reserved side, too. If you’re bloated from festival foods, feed your brain instead.

Here are a couple events this weekend to get you started.

First up is archaeology day at Shuter’s Hill in Alexandria on Saturday, Oct. 22. Archaeologists are still excavating this former plantation, now on the grounds of the George Washington Masonic Memorial. Digging up historical artifacts is an adventurous way to spend the glorious fall weather. Not only that, but it’s completely free. However, reservations are required. Call 703-746-4399.

Then at night, try tuning in to something other than TV.

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Northern Virginia’s bountiful source for classical music, performs at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, and is preceded by a discussion about the compositions that will be played. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 is on tap, as well as a special guitar-centered performance.

–Matt Basheda

George Mason University Updates One of Its Biggest Events

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Good news for the Northern Virginia literary scene.

Fall for the Book, NoVA’s biggest annual lit festival, is no longer a once-a-year event.

The primary celebration is still every September, but now George Mason University will keep the scene energized all year with monthly events.

StoryCorps founder Dave Isay headlines the first of these new readings this Saturday, Oct. 15. StoryCorps is a nonprofit project committed to recording and preserving as many individual life stories as possible. Wjat started as a booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2003 accelerated into a collection of over 30,000 interviews.

Isay will talk primarily about his book, “Listening is an Act of Love,” in which he collects some of the most compelling StoryCorps stories.

Although this weekend is Family Weekend at GMU, the reading is completely free and open to the public. It takes place this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Johnson Center Cinema on GMU’s Fairfax campus.

–Matt Basheda

Free Books! The Digital Bookmobile Brings Libraries Back Into the Limelight

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, September 19th, 2011

Monday, Sept. 19, 2011

If you’re still insatiable for some good reads, even with the Fall for the Book festival this week and the National Book Festival this weekend, fear not, my fellow literature lovers. Here’s yet another event for you to dig into:

Sample your local library’s selection of e-books, courtesy of the Digital Bookmobile, at two Northern Virginia locations this week.

The Digital Bookmobile is a promotional 18-wheel truck that tours libraries around the country. Many libraries now have e-book rentals available, and the Digital Bookmobile’s purpose is to shed light on these new programs. Its trailer is a high-tech lounge with interactive computer stations.

Anyone who owns an e-book reader can bring it to the Bookmobile and instantly browse their own local library’s e-book selection. Downloads are free, but the downloads will “return” to the library after a certain time, just like a regular library.

The Digital Bookmobile will be parked at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus on Tuesday, Sept. 20, and at Arlington Public Library’s central location on Wednesday, Sept. 21. Both events run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. More details are here.

–Matt Basheda