Let's checkout Wunder Garten's 9th Annual Oktoberfest Festival. From the website:

Get ready for the biggest and most exciting event of the year at the German themed beer garden! This incredible festival will span five weekends and will be jam-packed with delicious, authentic German food, live Oompah bands, fun Bavarian games, DJ parties, and of course, plenty of German beer!

We will be there starting at 6pm but feel free to stop by anytime after 6pm. Please look for the Peace Corps Flag. The organizer will contact you prior to the event with more details.

Get your free tickets for October 6th HERE. 

Let's check out the Fall leaves (The peak in Virginia is the week of 10/16/2023.) by staying at a PATC Cabin near the Appalachian Trail. The 12 bunk rustic Cabin is a 90 minute drive west of Central DC. There is a wood stove inside the cabin and a stone fire pit outside the cabin. This will be a chill weekend to enjoy hiking (i.e. the AT is next to the Cabin!), hammocking, grilling, firepit, board games, taking in all the Fall colors, or choose your own adventure. The cost is $40 and includes group food for Friday/Saturday Dinner and Friday/Saturday Breakfast, and cabin rental. Once you RSVP we will coordinate transportation, gear, and food. There will be opportunities to loan and borrow gear.

Please note:

• The 12-bunk cabin is a 1.9 mile hike from the Parking Area.
• There is not an official bathroom on site (Attendees will be pack in a trowel and tp)
• We will carry in water and or pump water nearby using a filter.
• This truly is a mini-backpacking adventure minus the tent (GREAT INTRO TO BACKPACKING!)
• Expectation is attendees will help carry group food to cabin. Great teambuilding!
• Please be prepared and serious RSVPs only. 
• Please contact me if you have questions or concerns prior to reserving your space. 

Let's go check out Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Taisha Estrada at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. From the website:

Let’s get into the swing of Fall with a ROOFTOP WINE TASTING. Bring a bottle of wine from South America and participate in a blind wine tasting. Please limit your wine purchase to $20. Check out the scoring sheet we will be using here and this website to learn more about wine tasting. I’ll provide a brief tutorial at the ROOFTOP WINE TASTING. The wine tasting will be held in NOMA on RPCV/W Jacob's rooftop only 0.3 mile from the NoMa-Gallaudet U New York Ave. The cost is $5 to cover the charcuterie board. More details on the wine tasting and how to access the rooftop will be sent out prior to the event. 

Please bring:

• A bottle of wine from South America
• Your own wine glass (Optional)
• A curious and enthusiastic palette 
• If you served in South America (or anyone) bring South American snacks although no guarantees it will help your bottle win!

I’ll provide:

• Bags to conceal the wines
• A Charcuterie Board
• Wine glasses
• Scoring sheets + pens 
• Games
• Rooftop

Payment Instructions:

1. Please choose how many RSVPS will attend the Rooftop Wine Tasting

2. "Click on" the PURCHASE TICKETS button which will direct you to the RPCV/W Donation Page.

3. Fill in your information and "click on" CONTINUE TO PAYPAL button.

4. Once on the PayPal website you can pay for your ticket

Let's volunteer at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Annual Boo at the Zoo event. You can register to volunteer here. We will be volunteering on Saturday, October 21st from 4:30-8pm. We will walk to Macintyre's nearby for drinks and dinner afterwards. Please sign up for the event and RSVP here and we will send out more details closer to the date. Volunteers receive a sandwich during their shift. 

From the Volunteer email:

Boo at the Zoo will take place Friday, October 20th, Saturday, October 21st, and Sunday, October 22nd from 5pm-8:00pm each night.

As in past years, guests will be treated to 20 treat stations around the zoo while enjoying fun vignettes featuring frolicking skeletons and fantastic creatures liven up the Zoo's main pathway, Olmsted Walk. The Elephant Community Center, Small Mammal House, and Reptile Discovery center will be open, and the animals offered spooky enrichment and tasty treats.

As always, the success of this family-friendly children's trick-or-treating event relies on the generous support of our volunteers. Please sign up to help with one, two, or three nights at treat stations around the park!

 

TIME COMMITMENT:
Volunteer shifts are from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on October 20, October 21, and October 22. Volunteer check-in begins at 4:00pm each night. You are welcome to volunteer for one, two, or three nights! Please specify which night(s) you want to volunteer for when you sign up in VSys (instructions included below).

And we know you're wondering the answer is YES! Volunteering at Boo does count toward your annual hours!

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.

Staff will provide on-the-job training on the night of the event.

Volunteers should be comfortable with hilly terrain and moving a possibly lengthy distance to their assigned station.

Volunteers must be comfortable being outside for the duration of the event. The event is rain or shine.

Dinner will be provided. A vegetarian option will be available, but we are unable to accommodate other dietary restrictions. Please plan accordingly.

We encourage all volunteers to utilize metro to maximize available parking for paying event guests, however limited parking will be available for staff and volunteers at Holt House by the vet hospital.

This year, volunteers will also be provided with an event t-shirt! Volunteers are encouraged to wear fun hat/headband or accessory. Masks that are not scary and do not fully cover your face also work. The event shirt can also be worn over a costume.

RPCV/W & LGBTQI+ RPCV would like to cordially invite you to a Traffic Light Mixer at as you are in Eastern Market, SE DC starting @ 5pm. Hosts will ask everyone to identify what they are looking for with an activity called a Traffic Light. Come on out and enjoy the fun! Please join us @ 7pm for weekly karaoke with as you are. THIS EVENT IS FREE AND INTENTDEND FOR THE LGBTQI+ COMMUNITY. 

This is a Traffic Light Party so upon arrival we will have name tags with different colored borders for you:

RPCV/W in collaboration with NOVA/RPCV is hosting a Meet & Greet with Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn, other members of Peace Corps leadership, & get an update on what’s up at Peace Corps. We will be at the Continental Pool Lounge located a half block from the Rosslyn Metro Station. Please come to the Beer Garden and look for the PC Flag. Look forward to seeing you all there.