By Lani Gering

I know that there are those of you die hard sun bunnies out there are lamenting the waning of summer but I am looking forward to my favorite season…sweaters, jeans, boots, sitting by a fire feature with glass of red wine and pretty leaves. While most of my favorite things to do are geared more to a trip out to the country of up to the mountains, there are still a plethora of things to do here in the Harbor.

The free Movies on the Potomac series continues every Thursday and Sunday through September. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets for seating. The event takes place on the Plaza Screen at 150 National Plaza. Since it’s an outdoor event, the movie schedule is subject to change or cancellation due to weather. Updates are usually posted on National Harbor’s social media pages.

Thursdays (Date Night) at 7 p.m.

4^th – Lion

11^th – Police Academy 2

18^th – Selena

Sundays (Family Night) at 6 p.m.

7^th – A Minecraft Movie

14^th – The Garfield Movie

28^th – Dora and the Lost City of Gold

The Harbor’s Summer Sound Concert Series at Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar ends on the 5^th and the Salute the Sunset Concert Series winds down with their free concerts by our military bands on Saturday evenings. The September lineup below:

6^th – Navy Band Country Current.

13^th – Navy Band Latin Ensemble.

19^th – Air Force Band – Air Force Birthday Concert.

The Capital Wheel has some great promotions going on this month. They are offering a teacher “Back to School” special by letting teaches who provide valid ID at the ticket booth to ride free on Saturdays throughout September. Sharpen your pencils, pack up your teacher friends, family – or make it a date night, and take a well-deserved recess in the sky. No homework, no pop quizzes — just pure, top-of-the-class fun. To honor the memory of 9/11, all first responders and active/retired military personnel ride for free on the 11^th. A valid ID is required and the offer is available at the ticket booth only.

Football on the Plaza is back! You can catch NCAA and NFL games broadcast on the Plaza screen. Check the Harbor website for the weekly schedule and grab your lawn chairs and head toward the water.

National Harbor’s popular Burger Week is back on September 14th through September 20th with a wide array of special deals and special burgers offered by a dozen dining establishments throughout the property. National Harbor will donate one dollar of every designated burger purchase to the Alzheimer’s Association up to $1,000. The week culminates with The Walk to End Alzheimer’s on the 20^th.

More about the Alzheimer’s Association: The Association holds more than 600 walks nationwide. Anyone interested is encouraged to start a team and/or donate for the Prince George’s County Walk. There are two routes—one is one mile long, the other is 2.7 miles long. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 20 with a 9:30 a.m. ceremony and then the walks kick off at 10 a.m. All participants are asked to register either in advance (online) or on site. Proceeds raised are used to further the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. The Alzheimer’s Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Guests are encouraged to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day which falls on September 18th. Some stand out cheeseburgers can be found at SUCCOTASH with their Pimento Cheese Burger; Irish Whisper’s Pub Burger, or sNash Burger from fast casual Crimson Coward.

“Prince George’s County has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s, so this is an important local cause that we are trying to assist,” said Deborah Topcik, Sr. Director of Marketing for National Harbor. Grabbing a burger from one of the participating restaurants is an easy way to give back,” added Topcik.

“We’ve had one of our Walk to End Alzheimer’s at National Harbor for over 10 years. It’s a beautiful location where people can gather for support and raise funds” said Kate Rooper, regional vice president- DC, MD, & VA and National Capital Area Chapter president & CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Burger Week is part of National Harbor’s FestiFall that includes a wide array of events and activities to celebrate fall. For more information, go to nationalharbor.com/festifall.

For a list of Burger Week participants, go to www.nationalharbor.com/events/annual-events/burger-week/.

Obviously, there are other happenings taking place that didn’t get mentioned here so, you know the drill…let Google search the websites or check out each entities social media pages.