Blossom Kite Festival On Saturday, March 26 (rain date, March 27), from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., rediscover the joy of kite flying back on the Washington Monument grounds, at featured parks, and at home in 2022. The Blossom Kite Festival is a long-standing DC tradition encouraging attendees of all ages fly kites among the cherry blossom trees. The iconic outdoor event is fun, free, and open to the public. This year will feature both virtual and in-person options so that you can fly your kite from your favorite neighborhood park or anywhere across the globe. nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/event/blossom-kite-festival/.
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Photo: Courtesy of the National Cherry Blossom Festival
NPG Teen Portrait Competition The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has opened the Call for Entries for its triennial Teen Portrait Competition. Artists between the ages of 13 and 17 may submit a photographic portrait to the juried competition at NPG-TeenPortraitCompetition@si.edu. The two grand-prize portraits will be printed and displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in 2022. Local teenagers designed the competition for their peers under the supervision of the museum’s education department. The competition was designed to introduce teenagers to the concept of representing identity through portraiture. The competition accepts submissions of photographic portraits only, though digital editing is allowed. The submission deadline is March 29, 2022. npg.si.edu/teen-portrait-competition-rules-requirements. Teen Photo Exhibition by Matailong Du, 2016. Courtesy Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Anacostia River Festival The Anacostia River Festival, Sunday, April 10, 1 to 4 p.m., is a premier event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The eighth annual Festival is a celebration of the Anacostia River, Anacostia Park and the neighborhood. It will present a series of musical performances honoring the history and sounds of communities on both sides of the river amplifying the stories, culture, and heritage of neighboring African American residents. Guests can enjoy the sights and sounds of Go-Go music, local drum lines, and military bands and will be socially distanced through chalked “pods” to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. The Festival, at Good Hope Rd. and Anacostia Dr. SE, will also feature pre-registered and socially distant river activities such as canoeing and fishing. Visit bridgepark.org to register.
Critically endangered spider tortoise hatches at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Photo: Connor Mallon, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Be a Conservation Hero: Join Zoo Guardians Calling all animal lovers and budding conservationists: the National Zoo is recruiting you for the Young Guardians Initiative. Your mission: save species. If you choose to accept it, you’re in for a wild ride—caring for animals and combating the threats they face. Join Zoo Guardians, a mobile game where players build their own zoos, interact with animals through augmented reality, and learn what species need to thrive under human care and in the wild. Guided by their animal keeper mentors, players can choose from among 67 species to adopt, care for and conserve. Grow your Zoo IQ by completing quests, building habitats, creating social groups and adding enrichment items. Zoo Guardians is free and available at zooguardians.com.
Photo: Ayanah George
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