10 minute read
Notebook • Kathleen Donner
kids&family
Girls on the Run 5K
The Girls on the Run 5K is on Sunday, Nov. 21 at Anacostia Park. It is a 3.1-mile loop around the park. Registration will stay open until Monday, Nov. 15 at midnight for Community Buddy Runner registration and until Sunday, Nov. 20 at noon for families and community runners. But if you register before Oct. 17, you will receive early bird pricing. At Girls on the Run, they inspire all girls to buildconfi dence and make intentional decisions, while fostering care and compassion for self and others. Read more at gotrdc.org.
Trick or Treating at Mount Vernon
Tickets are on sale now for Trick or Treating at Mount Vernon on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2 to 6 p.m., rain or shine, where kids can celebrate Halloween with 18th-century entertainment and activities such as Punch & Judy Shows, chocolate making, live music, and pictures at a straw-bale selfi e station. $25 for adults; $15 for kids. Face masks are recommended indoors for all persons, vaccinated or unvaccinated.
Photo: Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon
After performing in Princeton, New Jersey, acclaimed contralto Marian Anderson is denied lodging at the Nassau Inn because she is Black. Physicist Albert Einstein invites her to stay at his home, and the two form a profound friendship based on their love for music and their commitment to human rights. Based on true events, My Lord, What a Night takes us into Einstein’s home and imagines the conversations and circumstances that led to Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Don’t miss this remarkable new play about courage, justice and our shared humanity.
Teachers can bring their students to a free matinee performance on Oct. 14 and 21 at 11 a.m. at Ford’s Theatre. Ford’s provides free group tickets and transportation to DC public schools and other qualifying schools. There is a limit of 40 tickets per teacher. Read more at fords.org/for-teachers/programs/student-matinees.
Healthy Kids Running Series at Anacostia Park
Healthy Kids Running Series is a fi ve-week running program in the spring and fall for kids pre-k through 8th grade. Each HKRS Series takes place once a week and offers age-appropriate running events including the 50- and 75-yard dashes, the quarter mile, the half mile and the one mile run. Kids compete each week for a chance to earn points. At the end of the Series the boys and girls who accumulate the most points in their respective distances are awarded trophies. All participants receive a medal on Week 5. This fall’s series is Oct. 2 to Nov. 7. $40. Races are at Anacostia Park, Playing Field #1, Anacostia Dr. and Good Hope Rd. SE. Read more and register at healthykidsrunningseries.org/race-locations/anacostia-kenilworth-dc/.
Photo: Courtesy of Healthy Kids Running Series
Fort Dupont Public Ice Skating in October
Fort Dupont Ice Arena, 3779 Ely Pl. SE, has reopened for public skating. October hours are Sundays, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m.; Fridays, noon to 2 p.m. Adult admission is $5; kids, $4. Skate rental is $3. fdia.org.
Jake Blount: Performance for Young Audiences at the KC
Washington, DC-native Jake Blount fell in love with the banjo a decade ago after stumbling upon a performance in an Ethiopian restaurant on DC’s U Street. e banjoist, ddler, singer, and scholar is a specialist in the folk traditions of Black and indigenous Americans—and a recipient of the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize. Blount blends his charismatic and limber voice with blues, bluegrass, and spirituals for an awe-inspiring musical experience. Jake Blount is on stage at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 17, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. and most enjoyed by ages seven and older. Tickets are $20. kennedy-center.org.
NSO Family Concert: Sleepover at the Museum at the KC National BookFestival Children’s and Teens Authors Online
Imagination Stage’s Balloonacy runs Jan. 15 to Feb. 20.
e Museum of Natural History is Mason’s favorite place to visit and he can’t wait to celebrate his birthday with a sleepover there, but rst he has to scout for the best place to spend the night. On Sun. Oct. 31, at 2 and 4 p.m., join Mason and his friends for a musical and scienti c scavenger hunt through the many exhibits in this concert with music from and based on the book of the same name by Karen LeFrank. e 2 p.m. concert is a sensory-friendly performance designed to create a performing arts experience that is welcoming to all families, including those with children with autism or other sensory sensitivities. Sleepover at the Museum is most enjoyed by ages ve, up. Tickets are $18 to $20. kennedy-center.org.
Temple Hall Farm Pumpkin Patch Enjoy a safe family outing at Temple Hall Farm, 15855 Limestone School Rd., Leesburg, VA, picking pumpkins. You can take a wagon ride over to the pumpkin patch to pick your perfect pumpkin and see draft horses, cows, goats, llamas, sheep, pigs, chickens and other farm animals. Entry fee is $10 which includes a pumpkin. Open daily through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At door tickets only— credit preferred. novaparks.com/events/templehall-fall-festival. Air & Scare at Udvar-Hazy On Saturday, Oct. 30, noon to 5:30 p.m., explore the spooky side of air and space at Air & Scare, their annual Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va. Participate in creepy crafts, spooky science experiments, and other Halloween-themed activities. Arrive in costume to get into the Halloween spirit and enjoy safe indoor trick-or-treating. Be aware of high-volume attendance and allow for additional time for parking and security screening. Free; parking is $15. airandspace.si.edu. e 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival, Sept. 17 to 26, included an extraordinary lineup of authors for children and teens—all now featured in videos on demand at loc.gov/bookfest. e theme of this year’s festival, “Open a Book, Open the World,” was a starting point for many conversations with authors, often discussing how their own books open up new worlds for their readers. Some of the children’s authors and
Imagination Stage 2021-2022 In-Person Season their featured books are: Derrick Barnes, I Am Every Good ing; Kacen CalImagination Stage welcomes audiences back to in-person perfor- lender, King and the Dragon ies; Kate mances in December, while continuing to o er digital program- DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall, e ming. First up is Corduroy, Dec. 11 to Jan. 23, for ages three and Beatryce Prophecy; Rep. Sharice Daolder. We all need a friend, and Lisa is instantly drawn to the per- vids of Kansas, Sharice’s Big Voice: A fectly imperfect teddy bear on display at the department store. If Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman; only she can convince her stressed-out mother to buy Corduroy for Nikki Grimes, Legacy: Women Poets of her! Meanwhile, Corduroy is determined to nd his missing button the Harlem Renaissance; Dan Gutman, and become worthy of going to a real home. e rest of the season Houdini and Me; Brayden Harrington, Balloonacy, Jan. 15 to Feb. 20; P.Nokio, Feb. 23 to April 10; Mother and Brayden Speaks Up: How One Boy Goose, March 11 to April 10; and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, June 22 to Inspired the Nation. Aug. 7. Prior to the start of in-person performances, an immersive, Some of the teens authors and their interactive online show S.P.I.E.S. & the Lost Treasure of Atlan- featured books are: Traci Chee, We Are tis (formerly Spy Academy) returns for an encore run from Nov. 13 Not Free; Jay Coles, ings We Couldn’t to 28. 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda, imaginationstage.org. Say; Sharon G. Flake, e Life I’m In; Tahereh Ma , An Emotion of Great Delight; Trung Le Nguyen, e Magic Fish; Jason Reynolds, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks; and Katie Zhao, How We Fall Apart. Children’s National Hospital Partners with UHS Mayor Bowser, Universal Health Services (UHS) and Children’s National Hospital have announced a Letter of Intent for Children’s National pediatricians, nurses, physician assistants, and other medical
staff to operate and provide professional services at the new hospital at St. Elizabeths East, which is scheduled to open in late 2024. Specifically, Children’s National staff will operate the pediatric emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit. This agreement is another step in establishing a robust system of health care in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and will ensure that children and mothers can receive the highest quality of care without leaving their communities. newhospitals.dc.gov.
The new $375 million full-service community hospital will support 136 beds, with the ability to expand, will provide a complete range of inpatient services to all District residents, and include maternal health and newborn delivery services, normal and neonatal intensive care, a verified trauma center, an ambulatory office building for outpatient and community health services, and a 500-space parking garage. The facility is expected to open in late 2024. In addition to the new hospital, UHS will open two urgent care facilities, one in Ward 7 and one in Ward 8.
Find a Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch or Hayride
Find pumpkin patches, pick-yourown pumpkin farms, hayrides and corn mazes in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia at pumpkinpatchesandmore.org. The site claims to have the world’s best pumpkin pie and pie crust recipes as well. It also has home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. Yes, we’re sending you to a website. Most pumpkin patches and corn mazes open by mid-September; some earlier. In winter, you’ll find cut-yourown Christmas tree farms at pickyourownchristmastree.org.
La llamada de Sylvia Mendez (Separate is Never Equal)
A world-premiere commission, this family-friendly bilingual play explores the life of Sylvia Méndez, who at eight years old became instrumental in the 1946 Mendez v. Westminster decision, a landmark case focused on the desegregation of Mexican and Latinx students in California. Sylvia Méndez has been a champion for civil rights ever since. $12 for adults; $10 for kids. On stage at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW, Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24. galatheatre.org.
Children’s Environmental Health Day
Each year on the second Thursday of October (Oct. 14), the children’s environmental health community commemorates Children’s Environmental Health Day (CEH Day). This day anchors the overall Children’s Environmental Health Movement and is a rallying point for education, and for individuals and organizations to take action on behalf of children’s environmental health. Organizations, communities, and families can organize their own CEH Day activities or join existing ones. Read more at cehday.org.
Black & Latino Student Fund School Fair
The Black Student Fund & Latino Student Fund Annual School Fair is on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2 to 5 p.m., at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW. Tickets are free. The Fair is one of the largest school fairs of its kind in the region, providing a networking opportunity for thousands of families to meet with representatives from more than 60 independent schools. Parents and prospective students get firsthand knowledge about each school’s programs, community, admission requirements and financial aid process. In addition, the fair features interactive seminars focused on the admissions process, the financial aid process and personal/family financial management. Read more and register at blackstudentfund.org. u
SHAW’S FOOD AND BEVERAGE SHOWCASE IS BACK…WITH A TWIST!
Photo: Pleasant Mann Originally a three-hour in-person food and drink showcase, we’re reimagining this year’s EAT.DRINK.SHAW. event as a progressive experience to be enjoyed by visiting the participating restaurants and bars. Ticket holders will pick up their participant packages on Thursday, November 4, 2021 between 6:00 and 8:00 PM at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Inside will be vouchers valid for a food item or beverage at 30 participating establishments, which can be enjoyed in any order beginning November 4th. Also included will be additional surprises. Each $100 ticket entitles the bearer to approximately $300 worth of food and drink.
Ticket holders get to enjoy a streaming video hosted by local TV personality and influencer Tommy McFly, featuring our chefs, mixologists and brewers.
Proceeds support Shaw Main Streets’ commercial revitalization, historic preservation and neighborhood beautification activities. Tickets are $100, on sale now.
For more information or to order tickets, visit eatdrinkshaw.com.
Shaw Main Streets is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.
