The 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival resumes today on the National Mall and will continue through Monday.

This year’s festival focuses on Oman, the Forest Service, Nuestra Musica and Food Culture USA. Activities today include a 3 p.m. henna workshop in the Oman adornment pavilion; “tales from the woods” at 1 p.m. at the Forest Service’s community stage; and talks by chefs Carole Greenwood of Buck’s Fishing and Camping in D.C. at 1 p.m., and Mark Furstenberg of Breadline in D.C. at 2 p.m., both in the Beyond the Melting Pot section of Food Culture USA.

The 39th annual festival is open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Monday on the Mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. All events are free.

Fireworks Follow Festival’s Conclusion

The National Mall will once again be the sight of the nation’s premier July Fourth celebration.

Although the fireworks, which are launched from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, don’t start until 9:10 p.m., it is advised to stake out a spot on the Mall early. The National Symphony Orchestra and other guest performers will play patriotic tunes, such as John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” at 8 p.m. in front of the Capitol.

Suggested viewing sites for the fireworks are near the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial and anywhere along the Mall between 14th Street and the Capitol.

Open flames, grills, personal fireworks and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Portable restrooms and first aid stations will be located along the Mall, and picnic tables are available at Hains Point. The rain date is July 5.

The Smithsonian Metrorail station will be closed July 4. Riders are encouraged to use Metro Center, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, Federal Triangle or L’Enfant Plaza stations.

July Fourth Revelers Can Get a Free Ride Home

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free rides to July Fourth partygoers who need a safe way to get home.

The SoberRide program will be offered from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. July 3 and 4. Residents ages 21 and older can call (800) 200-TAXI for a free (up to $50 fare) ride. Cingular Wireless users can call #TAXI for the service.

SoberRide is available in the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland; and Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and eastern Loudoun counties in Virginia.

According to WRAP, July Fourth is the second deadliest holiday when it comes to alcohol-related car accidents. “The fact is that in 2003 in this country, more people were killed by drunk drivers on July Fourth than during the New Year’s holiday, St. Patrick’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday holidays combined,” WRAP President Kurt Erickson said in a statement.

Since 1993 alone, WRAP has provided more than 29,000 free cab rides home to would-be impaired drivers.

For more information about WRAP’s SoberRide program, go online to www.soberride.com.

Hirshhorn Kicks Off Annual Art Nights Tonight

Join the Hirshhorn Museum as it turns upcoming hot summer nights into Art Nights 2005, a series of outdoor concerts, discussions, artist talks and children’s activities.

Kicking off tonight and continuing for the next three Thursdays, the Hirshhorn galleries, sculpture garden, plaza and museum shop will remain open until 8 p.m. A variety of free events will take place each week from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tonight’s activities include an improv act, post-fusion jazz by Trio Ricochet and Lee Pembleton and a performance by the Chuck Redd All Stars. The concert will be held in the sculpture garden, weather permitting. In the event of rain, concerts will be held in the museum’s Ring Auditorium.

For more information on Art Nights 2005, visit hirshhorn.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000.