This weekend, May 10 - 12, the Washington, DC area is bursting with a variety of spring-time activities for the whole family. Whether you're looking for a trip down memory lane, great live music, a celebration of history, or a cultural journey, there's something for everyone on the calendar. Read on for WETA Around Town's event highlights for this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Innocent & The E Street Shuffle at The Hamilton Live. This tribute concert celebrates the to two of the most loved albums in rock and roll history: Van Morrisons’ 1970 ‘Moondance’ and Bruce Springsteen's 1973 'The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle’. The Hamilton is the newest member of the Clyde's Restaurant Group following tradition with top of the line food and live music. So if you're looking for an all-in-one musical adventure, this is the ticket! Featuring performances by: Justin Jones, Brian Simms, Luke Brindley, Owen Danoff, Billy Coulter, Daryl Jr. Cline, Tommy Lepson, Jon Carroll, Tony Denikos, Kirk Philips, Margot MacDonald & more.

think what life would be like without cars, buses or trains? This Saturday you will have the opportunity to show your appreciation by celebrating National Train Day 2013 because this year’s theme is “trains matter”. Each spring, this nation-wide festivity brings communities together to honor the history of trains and how they have helped transform America. Enjoy a variety of free activities such as educational stations, arts and crafts, Amtrak K-9 unit demonstrations, train car walkthroughs and more. So if you’re in the mood for some rich history, “choo choo” choose to partake in National Train Day. 

Day with free film screenings and a live concert! On Friday, The Quebe Sisters Band from Texas will perform western swing, vintage country, bluegrass, jazz and swing standards, and Texas-style fiddling in the campus theater. On Saturday, LoC will screen “Memphis Bell”, a true story of the 25th and last mission of the American B-17 bomber, starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, and Tate Donovan. Come out and celebrate history and culture with these free events this weekend!

Spice up your weekend with an eclectic array of dance performances!  This Saturday and Sunday, join El Teatro de Danza Contemporanea/DC Contemporary Dance Theatre as they present “Sin Decir Palabres”/”Unspoken Words,” DC’s 3rd Latin American Concert Dance Festival at the Gonda Theatre at Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center.  This annual festival has a variety of dance styles, including classical, indigenous, and contemporary, and includes works from some of DC’s most outstanding dance talent, internationally recognized Latino choreographers, and world renowned performing artists!  On Saturday only, American icon choreographer, Kevin Iega Jeff, will kick of the premiere of his work, Juntos, as a special guest speaker.  You won’t want to miss these fantastic performances!         

Celebrate Arbor Day this weekend or enjoy a musical experience unlike any you've ever had. Read on for the WETA Around Town Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia event highlights for this weekend, April 26 - 28.

Since it opened in 1923, the Avalon Theatre has long since been a landmark for filmgoers andtheater buffs in the Washington, DC area. Not only is the Avalon known for its film festivals, documentaries, and special programs but it also remains to be the oldest operating movie house in the DC area. This Saturday, the theater will host a gala in celebration of the historic theater's 90th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the theater’s awakening as a nonprofit. 

Imagine a world without any music.  How would you rebuild sound from the ground up, piece by piece, determining music’s most important elements?  This Sunday at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, the United States Marine Band turns off the music as it presents an educational and interactive young people’s concert called “Sound Off!”.  After kicking off the performance with the familiar “Superman” theme, the music will disappear and the band and audience will rebuild music from the bottom up.  Family participation is essential since the band depends on the audience’s spontaneous artwork and improvised skits for its live soundtrack.  After the concert, everyone is invited to the lobby for an instrumental “petting zoo.”  Though 5-12 year olds are the key demographic, all ages are guaranteed to have a good time!        

Spring has sprung and we're in the mood to celebrate! Check out our weekend event highlights in DC, Maryland, and Virginia for April 19 - 21 below, you're sure to find something you'll like.

Celebrate The King of Latin Jazz

Tito Puente (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000) was a prestigious Latin jazz and salsa composer and a remarkable musician.  Known as “The King of Latin Jazz” and “The King of the Timbales,” Tito Puente made an extensive impact in the music world for 50 years.  This Saturday, the Anacostia Community Museum hosts Metro Mambo: Tito Puente: The Definitive Celebration!  Hosted by Jim Byers from 89.3 FM’s Latin Flavor, this celebration of the legendary Tito Puente includes un-released recordings, personal insights, and rare memorabilia from former Puente band members and Puente’s biographer, archivist, and best friend of over 40 years, Joe Conzo.  Get excited, there will be a dance party featuring one of the region’s top bands!       

Now that the sun is finally shinning and the flowers are beginning to bloom, why not spend the weekend outdoors? This weekend, the City of Alexandria will host the 20th Annual Alexandria Earth Day and Arbor Day. The event will consist of a variety of activities such as the Arbor Day tree planting, visual and performing arts events from Alexandria City Public School students, the Annual Earth Day Tree Sale, and music from Woven Green, an eco-friendly band. Also included will be the display of a new hybrid DASH bus, a hybrid trolley and other vehicles to educate families of the importance of going green. So get on your bike, jump on the bus, or walk to Alexandria’s Annual Earth Day Celebration. 

“To be, or not to be: that is the question” and we have an answer! This Sunday, you need to “be” at William Shakespeare’s Birthday Open House hosted by the Folger Shakespeare Library. This free celebration will feature fun activities for the whole family, like a Shakespeare portrait contest, fortune telling, Elizabethan crafts, stories from 16th Century England, a scavenger hunt, and poetry contests. Sunday is also the only day the Reading Rooms are open to the public so take a tour inside and then head out on a docent-lead walk through the Elizabethan Garden. This event is rain or shine, be sure to get there in for the cake-cutting ceremony on the lawn at 3:30pm. 

Looking for something to do this weekend in DC, Maryland, and Virginia?  Check out our selection of a tropical flower exhibition, mysterious Slavonic music, and an epic viola serenade right in your own backyard!

Living in or near a big city like DC, you can sometimes find yourself disconnected from the natural world.  This weekend, the National Museum of Natural History will have an opportunity for museum-goers of all ages to see a major collection of Latin American orchids close to home.  Attend the Fiesta de las Or-Kid-eas Family Festival for a variety of orchid related activities, such as orchid face painting, orchid tattooing, orchid mosaic-making, and plant discussions.  Want to learn how to pot an orchid?  Orchid experts will also be giving patrons an orchid-potting demonstration and will even allow them to take an orchid home with them.

The best way to relax after an exciting weekend is with an afternoon classical music in a beautiful setting.  This Sunday, enjoy the Cathedral Choral Society’s performance of Rachmaninoff's “Solemn Vespers, Op. 37” at the impressive Washington National Cathedral.  To make this concert even more interesting, the Choral Society will perform the piece in the original Old Church Slavonic, which is a Slavonic language dating back to 9th century Byzantine missionaries.  With a talented chorus and historic location, this concert will take you back in time and in peace.

Identity

As humans, every one of us has a unique blend of characteristics that make up our identities. Join us this Saturday starting at 9:30pm on the Washington, DC area PBS station WETA TV26 & WETA HD and take an in-depth look at the identities of three very different people in a Hollywood film and two Independent Lens documentaries.

Top Hat (1935) – Mistaken Identity

Love hurts… especially when your significant other thinks you’re someone else.  The remedy? A nice a suit, a bow-tie, and a little tap dancing to turn that frown upside-down.  Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers top the charts in this musical performance making Top Hat a classic comedy you just can’t miss.  The film follows an American dancer named Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) as he travels to London to star in a production by Horace Hardwick (Everett Horton).  Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) is rudely woken one night to the tap dancing of Jerry Travers as he celebrates in the room above.  After confronting him, hate turns to love.  The situation becomes complicated when identities are confused and tensions run high.

Tune in for Top Hat beginning at 9:30pm on Saturday. Repeats Sunday at 11:30am

Independent Lens: Soul Food Junkies – Cultural Identity

When tradition runs strong, old habits die hard.  In filmmaker Byron Hurt’s culture, indulging in fried pork chips, greasy bacon, and cheese covered scrambled eggs is normal.  In his documentary, Soul Food Junkies, Hurt explores the culinary ceremony, in which eating unhealthy is just part of some African Americans' heritage.  As the son of an overweight father, Hurt hopes to open the eyes of the public to the harsh effects that come with this tradition.  Through interviews with doctors, community members, historians, and soul food cooks, Hurt explores the pros and cons of soul food and how it deeply impacts African American identity. 

Tune in Saturday at 11:00pm for our screening of Independent Lens: Soul Food Junkies.

Independent Lens: P-Star Rising – The Search for Identity

Making a name for yourself in the hip-hop world is one of the many hardships that comes with a rap career.  For one little girl following her dream, this would not be the case. Her father, Jesse Diaz, was once a rap entrepreneur in search of fame but soon found himself in the shoes of the many other hip-hop artists that fail to make it. Priscilla, Jesse’s nine-year-old daughter, discovers that she is not just an ordinary pre-teen in Harlem but a gifted child with the ability to rap like a pro. Anxious to relive the life he once lost, Jesse becomes invested in Priscilla’s career. Follow the rise and fall of stardom in this docu-drama about family, fame, and obsession.

Join us this Sunday at 12:00am for the Independent Lens documentary P-Star Rising.