The DC Lineup for this weekend: A family-friendly start to fall

The first day of fall is this Saturday, and DC is transitioning to the new season with a variety of outdoor festivals this weekend. The DC State Fair, Taste of Georgetown and events at President Lincoln’s Cottage and Tudor Place will all be serving food along with lots of fun activities. And there are lots of kid-friendly events where families can build on the excitement of the new school year.

Also, don’t forget that the nine-day WalkingTownDC event (featured in last week’s DC Lineup) will conclude this weekend, with tours from Anacostia to the U.S. Capitol grounds and from Brookland to Burleith. Check out the full list and register on the Cultural Tourism DC website.

DC’s weekend forecast for Sept. 21 through 23 befits the start of autumn: rainy and cool, dipping into the low 60s.

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   Neighborhoods: The ninth annual DC State Fair is a “celebration of all things homegrown,” according to its website. The event features local food and drinks, arts and crafts vendors, and informational displays from entities such as DC Vote and the DC Department of Public Works. Competitions (including hula-hoop and limbo contests), a pet parade, educational workshops and entertainment are also a part of the fun. It will be held on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 375 and 425 M St. SW near the Waterfront Metro station. Admission is free, but organizers are collecting donations to support the cause.

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   Museums: This Saturday, Smithsonian magazine is hosting its yearly nationwide Museum Day, where visitors can reserve passes that admit two people into any participating museum or cultural institution — for free. (There’s a limit of one ticket download per email address.) The 23 participants in DC include some that are free every day, such as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Natural History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Postal Museum. But many popular spots that usually have a fee — including Dumbarton House, the National Building Museum, the Newseum, the Kreeger Museum, the Phillips Collection and the National Museum of Women in the Arts — are taking part as well.

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   Family: Bring the family for a day of fun during this Saturday’s Homecoming event at President Abraham Lincoln’s Cottage at 140 Rock Creek Church Road NW. The event features a Freedom 5K that honors the anniversary of Lincoln’s landmark Emancipation Proclamation, issued exactly 156 years ago on Sept. 22, 1862. Registration for the race is $35 online and $40 on race day. Family activities are free and include a 100-yard Tot Dash, pony rides, arts and crafts, a picnic, a story hour, music and cottage tours.

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   Food and Drink (Day 1): Georgetown’s Tudor Place presents Brews, Booze & Bites this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. The outdoor program keeps close ties to local tradition, honoring the past with tours of the historic estate, classic American lawn games and Prohibition-era jazz from the Foggy Bottom Whomp Stompers. Nearly two dozen area vendors — including District Distilling Co., Georgetown Olive Oil, Moorenko’s Ice Cream and Bacchus Wine Cellar — will offer food and beverages. Admission costs $35 to $45, with discounts for groups of six or more.

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   Food and Drink (Day 2): To experience a variety of culinary delights, be sure to save room for Sunday’s Taste of Georgetown from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along K Street NW between Wisconsin Avenue and Thomas Jefferson Street. As part of the festival, the traditional neighborhood will let loose with its annual eating competitions. Visitors can sample food from over 30 restaurants, including Baked & Wired, Cafe Bonaparte, Pizzeria Paradiso and Clyde’s of Georgetown. Tasting packages range from $11 for two tickets to $44 for 10 tickets, with proceeds benefiting the Georgetown Ministry Center’s efforts to help the homeless.

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   Parks: This Saturday is National Public Lands Day, a day of volunteer projects across the country presented by the National Environmental Education Foundation and the National Park Service. The foundation’s website has an interactive map that makes it easy to find nearby events. Though many of the DC activities are full, the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens group still has 23 open spots for its cleanup at the Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., and everyone is asked to arrive by 8:45 a.m. to prepare for the activities from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants must be at least 14 years old. After work that will include removing trash and invasive plants and thinning water lilies, volunteers will enjoy a free lunch and performance by the East of the River Steel Band.

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   Dance: Joy of Motion kicks off its season with concerts that debut new work from faculty and resident performers this Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. The nonprofit dance space — which has operated in DC since 1976 — has 60 instructors, offers over 300 classes each week and draws about 9,000 dancers every year. The Washington City Paper’s annual “Best of DC” compilation has listed Joy of Motion among its top three “Best Dance Companies” for the past four years.

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   Music: The National Symphony Orchestra’s season begins this Saturday at 7 p.m. with a gala concert at the Kennedy Center starring the world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell, a five-time Grammy nominee who won classical music’s prestigious Avery Fisher Prize in 2007. During this weekend’s performance, Bell will collaborate with music director Gianandrea Noseda for a space-themed tribute to NASA’s recent 60th anniversary as well as the upcoming 50th anniversary of mankind’s first landing on the moon. Tickets range from $65 to $175.

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   Fashion: DC Fashion Week concludes this weekend with three events. On Friday at 8 p.m., Madame Tussauds Wax Museum at 1001 F St. NW will host a sold-out show featuring the newest collection by DC-based designer Ean Williams, founder of DC Fashion Week. Then, on Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., Metropolitan Emerging Designers Showcase & Indie Artists (M.E.D.I.A.) will highlight new industry talent with an event at Crystal City Doubletree Hotel by Hilton at 300 Army Navy Drive in Arlington, Va. The week will conclude Sunday with the 29th International Couture Collections Showcase from 5 to 8 p.m. at the French Embassy at 4101 Reservoir Road NW. Tickets for the last two shows ($50 for Saturday’s event and $70 for Sunday’s finale) are still available.

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    Literature: For those interested in how Washington journalism has historically intertwined with politics, head to Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW on Saturday for a free talk by journalist Steve Usdin on his book Bureau of Spies: The Secret Connections Between Espionage and Journalism in Washington. Usdin is senior editor at BioCentury publications, and his work has appeared in The Economist and The Wall Street Journal, among other outlets. His talk at 3:30 p.m. will touch on themes evocative of today’s headlines, including Russian spies and government scandals.