2020

• February 15, 16, 21, 22, 23  Sherlock Holmes  It's not only elementary, it's child's play as the Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre presents a pint-sized production of (we think) Tim Kelly's re-dramatization of the Gillette play. It all happens at the Heritage Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, and tickets are here.
• March 13 - April 25 Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery  We should probably paraphrase Mycroft and say, "We hear of Ken Ludwig everywhere!" Ludwig's affectionately comic take on the doings at Dartmoor will hold forth at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre in Frederick during March and April. Ticket information is here.
• March 18  Reservations deadline for The Red Circle's March  21 luncheon.
• March 21  Red Circle luncheon with Dr. Bradley Harper. Details here.
• April 1  Celebrating Robert Frost  Our Red Circle friend Dan Stashower continues his exploration of American literature at the Smithsonian with an evening devoted to Robert Frost. Actor Scott Sedar will once again join Dan to read some of Frost's poems. Information and tickets are here.
• April 15 - 19  Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery at the Longwood University Theatre in Farmville, VA (west of Richmond). Ticket info here.
• April 17 - 18  DC National Rare Book and Ephemera Fair   This is the new name for the Washington Antiquarian Book Fair, which used to be held in the early fall. Its home will be at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, and information is here.
• May 1 - 3  Malice Domestic 32  It's no mystery why this local gathering of mystery writers and fans has been around for 32 years. It's always a fun way for readers of traditional mysteries to meet the authors. Come one, come all to the Bethesda North Marriott and enjoy the doings. Information is here.
• June 12 -14   A Scintillation of Scions  Watson's Tin Box hosts the festivities at the next Scintillation of Scions at the Sheraton Baltimore-Washington Airport. It’s an entertaining gathering of local and far-flung Sherlockians and includes the annual running of The Silver Blaze (Southern Division) at Laurel Park Racetrack. Registration is open here. 
• July 17 - 19  Sherlock Holmes and the British Empire  In honor of our favorite landlady, the BSI will hold its next conference in the beautiful Hudson River Valley north of New York City. Sessions will be held at the Bear Mountain Inn, near West Point. Registration is not yet open, but a "save the date" reminder can be found here. The conference will be open to all.

For a much more comprehensive list of Sherlockian meetings and events around the United States and beyond, see Ron Fish's

Sherlockian Calendar.

The Pawky Humorists. . .was a society for Sherlockian punsters, created once upon a time by Red Circle member Peter Ashman and reactivated by Red Circle member Norm Davis. Both of its leaders now are beyond the Reichenbach, and the society no longer is active, but its members would have enjoyed a letter to the editor of the  Daily Mail published on January 17 and kindly forwarded by Karen Murdock.  Written by Dave Cullen of Leeds, the letter is titled "Wordy Wise" and reads:

     

     Sherlock Homes -- ideal accommodation for private detectives.

     Doctor Whatson -- mess around with TV schedule.

     Mrs. Hadson -- Holmes's housekeeper is mother to a boy.

     221B Biker Street -- the address of Holmes' motorcycle assistants.

     Telementary -- transmitting pictures and sound is simple, my dear Watson. 

     The Sign of Pour -- dark, threatening sky.

     A Stud in Scarlet -- a charmer wearing bright red.

     The Round of the Baskervilles -- wealthy Dartmoor family buys the drinks.

                                                        

While it may seem less than prudent to invite additions, your webmaster is an adventurous sort and will be happy to post same if they are sufficiently groanworthy and meet our high standards of taste and decorum. Send them along to alan@redcircledc.org. For starters, your webmaster proposes:

 

     Scuttlebutt from the Spermicidal Press -- a monthly broadside advocating birth control.

     The Bialy of Schmear -- unboiled onion bagel slathered heavily with cream cheese.

     Silver’s Blasé -- The Lone Ranger's horse is indifferent.

 

Two Red Circle members tapped for BSI  Congratulations to the two members of the Red Circle who received Irregular Shillings and Investitures at the annual dinner of the Baker Street Irregulars in New York on January 17: Ken Ludwig ("Jack Stapleton") and Dave Richards ("Colonel Warburton's Madness"). They now are among those who "can go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone" (as noted by Holmes in The Sign of the Four). 

 

 Notes from the Red Circle's December 13 dinner meeting can be found here.

"X"mas Marks the Spot  At the Red Circle's December dinner, quiz maven and part-time Santa Dana Richards left his latest Sherlockian stumper under the tree. It's a quiz with 25 quotations from the canon, each of which has a missing word containing the letter "X." All you have to do is supply the missing words. Easy, right? Give it a try. The first two pages contain the questions, and the second two pages add the answers. No fair peeking at pages 3 and 4 until you've finished or thrown in the towel. Take the quiz here.

Each year we compile the items of more than passing interest from this column and store them in the Archive. As the new year begins we highlight the Inner Circle doings from 2014. The items range from information on "The Giant Rat of Sinatra" to a talking Holmes statue to some noteworthy rulings by Federal courts. There's also news of a large-scale wordle map of literary London that's still available in 2020. It's worth a look back for some memories and some smiles. You can find the Inner Circle highlights from 2014 here.

• Be an Inner Circle Contributor We welcome submissions from all quarters for this page. Please direct materials to the webmaster, alan@redcircledc.org
• For earlier, archived items from The Inner Circle, click here.