Examples of Obama art.

This week it seems like there have been a lot of people walking around DC talking about teabagging and taxes. Want to hear something different? President Barack Obama will be speaking at a health care reform rally in College Park, MD on Thursday. Organizers are expecting him to take the stage around 12 noon but get there early to line up to get in. The stadium can hold up to 17,000 people. If CNN is counting, that number might get up to 30,000!

Washington’s Anacostia Historic District, stretching west to east from Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. to Fendall Street, is full of old stories. Captain John Smith is said to have sailed by in 1608 when the area was settled by Native Americans. While the area is now predominantly African-American, in 1854 it was prohibited to sell, rent or lease to blacks or anyone from African or Irish descent.

Washington’s very first suburb now has some of the city’s most striking historic architecture, but also reflects the area’s poverty and social problems. It seems appropriate that the Honfleur Gallery would choose the theme of “Beauty and the Beast” for their third annual East of the River Group Exhibit, showing works of artists from Wards 7 and 8. The exhibit opens this Saturday, August 1 (running through September 26) with a free reception at 7 p.m.

If you feel like heading over in the afternoon, before the reception, you can explore the wonders of Anacostia and its Community Museum on the free weekend shuttle offered by the Smithsonian, with pickups every hour from 10 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. at the Smithsonian Castle (1000 Jefferson Drive, SW).

Or, just jump on the Green Line to the Anacostia stop.