16 THE COURAGE CUP: MEADOW MATCHESThis hugely popular day-long polo event with champagne and celebrated player Charlie Muldoon, encourages inner-city youth to catch chukker fever. Look for Smith Pointers in the Golden Mallet Tent, with its prime hilltop location. The Meadow Matches feature a variety of sporting fare, including The Courage Cup, The Ambassadors’ Cup, The First Chukker, and The Segway Polo Media Challenge Match. noon cup events;6 p.m. – on, twilight polo and dancing; Sheila C. Johnson Field at Great Meadow Polo Club; tickets start at $115 for Platinum Pony VIP Tent; garden party attire; contact www.couragecup.org for more information. 17RAMMY AWARDS Local restaurants celebrate their version of the “Oscars” at the awards ceremony of the area’s most coveted culinary prize. The black-tie dinner includes several courses – and the RAMMYS are the proverbial cherry atop the resume of any chef worth his salt.Reception 6 p.m.; dinner and awards 8 p.m.; Marriot Wardman Park; black tie and boa; $250 for individual ticket, $200 for Rammy members; contact Betsey Alman at 202-331-5990 for more information. 19NORDSTORM DESIGNES PREVIEW FOR FALL 2007 Navigating the aisles and counters at department stores can be a tricky proposition – Nordstroms’ designer preview guides the busy, better-dressed Washingtonian through high-fashion ropes with a presentation of the finest American and European designer collections for fall 2007. 6:30–10 p.m.; National Building Museum; $125 per ticket; call 202-725-5604 for more information. 20 FREER & SACKLER GALLERIES GALA The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery host their black-tie benefit to celebrate the opening of Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The event attracts VIP guests from around the globe, including members of the cabinet, diplomats, Supreme Court justices, high-ranking executives from the private sector, and leading patrons of the international art world.6:30 p.m.; Haupt Garden at the Freer & Sackler; black tie; $500 and $1,500 per individual; contact Alison Cassels at 202-633-0417 or fsgala@si.edu for more information. 30TALL SHIPS BALL AT THE BREAKERS IN NEWPORT The tall ships of the world’s leading navies will sail past the summer resort’s fabeled masion’s before and after the Newport Preservation Society’s annual ball. The weekend features picnics, parades, on-board lunches and a great fireworks display EVENING; The Breakers, Newport Harbor; black tie; $450 per individual ticket; email events@newportmansions or call Melanie Haley at 401-847-1000 ext. 140 for more information.