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A Look at the Next Few Weeks

The Week of July 17

Record? What record? If you are a Washington Nationals fan, it isn't about winning or losing -- it's about enjoying the nation's sport in the nation's capital. And if you are a true fan, you will want to be at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on July 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the Nationals Baseball Family Day. Players will sign autographs, and young fans can participate in baseball-themed games and a scavenger hunt. KidsPost's Fred Bowen will be on hand to sign one of his books about baseball. The event even costs less than a box of Cracker Jack -- it's free! Eighth and F streets NW (Metro: Gallery Place). 202-633-1000 or http://americanart.si.edu.

The Week of July 24

We know that as a devoted Redskins fan you have been thinking about the 2009-10 season since the team's 27-24 loss to San Francisco. Well, now we have your first glimpse of the burgundy and gold: Redskins Training Camp opens July 30 at 8:30 a.m. Eight practices will be open to the public, culminating in Fan Appreciation Day on Aug. 8. Redskins Park, 21300 Redskins Park Dr., Ashburn. 703-726-7000 or http://www.redskins.com. Free.

The Week of July 31

In November Van Morrison made headlines for performing his legendary 1968 album, "Astral Weeks," in its entirety for the first time. Morrison will be in Washington for two "Astral Weeks" shows at DAR Constitution Hall on Aug. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. 18th and C streets NW (Metro: Farragut West). 202-397-7328 or http://www.dar.org/conthall. $95-$350.

On Exhibit

Opening July 18 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, "Moving Perspectives: Shahzia Sikander/Sun Xun" features video animations by the Pakistan-born Sikander and the Chinese Xun. 202-633-1000 (TDD: 202-633-5285).

On Stage

On sale now, on stage soon: The rollicking Broadway musical "42nd Street" comes to Wolf Trap July 17-19. $40-$70 in-house, $20 on the lawn. 877-965-3872. http://www.wolftrap.org.

Hot Tickets

Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for Eric Benet Aug. 9 at DAR Constitution Hall ($65); the Flaming Lips, Explosions in the Sky and Stardeath & White Dwarfs Aug. 28 at Merriweather Post Pavilion ($26-$36); Snow Patrol and Plain White T's Sept. 25 at DAR Constitution Hall ($33.50); Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Zac Brown, Keith Anderson, Jason Michael Carroll, Trent Tomlinson and Love and Theft Sept. 27 at Merriweather ($40-$75); Jeremy Camp Oct. 24 at Baltimore's Lyric Opera House ($17.50-$50). . . . Tickets go on sale today at noon through Ticketmaster for these shows at the Birchmere: Teena Marie Aug. 31 ($75); Rhonda Vincent and the Rage Sept. 3 ($25); the Proclaimers Sept. 13 ($25); Patty Loveless Nov. 1 ($45); Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys Dec. 12 ($35); Judy Collins Dec. 16 ($49.50). . . . Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for How Sweet the Sound, the Search for the Best Church Choir in America Sept. 24 at Verizon Center ($5-$7). 202-397-7328 or http://www.ticketmaster.com. . . . Tickets are on sale at http://www.tickets.com for these 9:30 club shows: the Art of Junk and Da Mixx Band July 25 ($20); M. Ward and Chain & the Gang July 31 ($25); Our Lady Peace and Meese Aug. 17 ($25); Janeane Garofalo and Al Madrigal Aug. 21 ($35).

On Screen

Opening Wednesday: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment of the franchise, poses the burning question: What's more dangerous -- the fully restored Lord Voldemort or fully raging teen hormones? . . . Opening July 17: "(500) Days of Summer" is a tale of a whirlwind 500-day romance starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. . . . "Afghan Star" follows four contestants as they compete in an "American Idol"-style singing competition in Afghanistan. . . . The newly hot Mandy is invited to a summer party where the guests begin to drop in "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane." . . . Students at a Philadelphia high school find an unlikely champion in Wilma Stephenson, whose method of teaching culinary arts is validated by years of success in "Pressure Cooker." . . . Wilhelm Uhde, a famous German art collector, rents an apartment to take a rest from his hectic life. There, he discovers that his cleaning lady is in fact a great painter, in "Séraphine." . . . "Tokyo Sonata" is a portrait of a Japanese family and its disintegration when the father abruptly loses his job. . . . "You-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg" is a documentary on the life of radio pioneer Gertrude Berg. Opening dates may change.

Last Chance

Closing Sunday: The Washington Stage Guild's "Break of Noon" at Flashpoint (202-315-1305); "The Glass Menagerie" at Olney Theatre Center (301-924-3400); "Shakespeare's R&J" at 1st Stage (800-838-3006); Source Festival at the Source (202-315-1305); "The Year of Magical Thinking" at Studio Theatre (202-332-3300). . . . Closing Thursday: The Ambassador Theater's "Out at Sea" at Flashpoint (202-315-1305). . . . Exhibits closing Saturday: "Creative Crafts Council 27th Biennial Juried Exhibition" at the Mansion at Strathmore (301-581-5109). . . . Exhibits closing Sunday: "An Invitation to the Ball: Marjorie Post's Fancy Dress Costumes of the 1920s" at Hillwood (202-686-5807); "Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes" at the Corcoran (202-639-1700).

Next Friday in Weekend

Some of the hottest nightspots in Washington these days feature many of the amenities you might expect: drinks, dancing and DJs. And a few you might not: priceless paintings, statues and antiquities. At venues as diverse as the International Spy Museum, the Sackler and the Hirshhorn, the District is redefining a night at the museum.