March in the Neighborhood: Timepieces and the science of time; Welcoming spring with cleanups and dance

Time, as we experience it, is a forward-moving phenomenon. For most of the past century, physicists have also understood time in that way, positing that “the first arrow of time” only increases disorder, or entropy, and there is no backtracking. That, however, does not explain how the complex systems of the universe are able to form and endure. So two Carnegie researchers are proposing a “second arrow of time,” and they’ll be discussing their theory and its practical applications at the next Carnegie Neighborhood Lecture on March 18th. Register here to attend in person at the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory on Broad Branch Road, or online.

For a more down-to-earth meditation on time: Head over to Hillwood for its latest exhibit on the history of timepieces. Or, mark the passage of time with a walk through Hillwood’s gardens, where spring’s early bloomers are popping through the soil.

The Rock Creek Morris Women at the Peirce Mill barn in 2023. (Friends of Peirce Mill photo)

Go back in time at Peirce Mill. On March 14th, the Rock Creek Morris Dancers, as they’ve done for most of the past 30 years, will celebrate the spring equinox with their centuries-old dances. Peirce Mill will again turn back the clock on March 21st, with a Women’s History Month event highlighting the mill’s time as a tea house a century ago. Visitors are encouraged to attend in period costume, and will be offered refreshments.

Give spring a little help. Native plants and flowers can’t emerge and thrive where non-native invasive species have taken over. Rock Creek Conservancy is hosting several cleanups and a March 18th info session on the training involved to be certified to lead them.

On March 20th, Van Ness Main Street’s Good Clean Fun initiative is gathering volunteers to tackle more of the invasive plants along the Brandywine Street side of at Forest Hills Park. Participants must be at least 18 years old, and can find more information and register here.

Forest Hills Connection is a editorially independent program of Van Ness Main Street.