The DC Lineup for this weekend: Indie books, Arbor Day and heaps of history

The final weekend of the month, April 26 to 28, is brimming with activity. Along with events celebrating Arbor Day and Independent Bookstore Day, highlights include the DC Author Fest, the Georgetown French Market, the Georgetown House Tour, and the National Arboretum Garden Fair and Plant Sale. There are also multiple jazz concerts, discussions about DC history, an exotic bird show at the National Zoo, a museum family day and an open studio for a local glass artist.

The weather forecast calls for yet another bout of rain on Friday — which will make for showers every single weekend this April. The rest of the weekend should be sunny, though, with some clouds on Sunday and temperatures ranging from 48 to 73 degrees.

1. Local Literature: The DC Public LIbrary will present the DC Author Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Library of Congress in the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Writers from the DC area will engage in workshops, discussions, social activities and professional development. Specific topics include publishing and marketing your first book, structuring a novel, and writing short stories. James Beard Award-winning author and DC native Michael W. Twitty is this year’s featured speaker. At 1:30 p.m. in the Mumford Room, he’ll discuss his writing about food history and African-American culinary culture. Local groups and companies such as the Washington Independent Review of Books, the Writer’s Center, Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and Mason Jar Press will also be on hand to share information about their work. Admission is free, but online registration is required. … Saturday is also Independent Bookstore Day. The first-ever “DC Bookstore Crawl” will highlight bookshops across the city with limited-edition merchandise, discounts and other festivities. Politics and Prose, Busboys and Poets, Bridge Street Books, East City Bookshop, The Potter’s House, Wall of Books, Capitol Hill Books, Solid State Books, Loyalty Bookstore and Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe are all participating.

2. Nature: The first-ever Arbor Day Festival at Oxon Run Park takes place this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 13th Street and Valley Avenue SE. The free, family-friendly event organized by the DC Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division will celebrate the existing trees in DC’s largest city-maintained park and provide opportunities to plant new trees. The day also features tree climbing, do-it-yourself birdhouse workshops, nature walks and bike rides hosted by Capital Bikeshare and Washington Area Bicyclist Association. The local jazz and go-go band JoGo Project will perform at noon. Participation in activities is first come, first served, with sign-up sheets at the Welcome Booth. All ages are welcome. Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs since seating is limited. Children 5 to 18 may climb trees, but their parent or guardian must sign a liability waiver. Food trucks will be on site with snacks for purchase.

3. Jazz Music: There are plenty of chances to experience jazz in the District this weekend: First, on Friday night the Ellington Fund and Duke Ellington School of the Arts present the concert “Jazz City.” Sunny Sumter, executive director of the DC Jazz Fest, will host the event, which features performances by the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Jazz Orchestra, Cyrus Chestnut and Marcus Johnson and celebrates what would have been Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington’s 120th birthday. Tickets cost $10 for students, $25 for general admission, and $45 for a VIP ticket that includes a reception at 6:30 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., with an after-party and jam session at 10 p.m. … Then on Sunday, Loyalty Bookstore hosts the Rev. Sandra Butler-Truesdale, who co-wrote the book Washington, DC Jazz about the history of jazz in the city. There will be opportunities to have the book signed, plus free wine. The event is from 3 to 4 p.m. at 827 Upshur St. NW. General admission is free, with an option to buy a book and a reserved seat for $25. … Finally, DC Jazz Jam hosts a quartet of jazz faculty from Bangkok’s renowned Mahidol University College of Music on Sunday at The Brixton, 901 U St. NW, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The free concert is part of a DC Commission on Arts and the Humanities-funded “Sister Cities” arts exchange between DC and Bangkok.

4. Local Art: Mid City Artists, a group of professional artists in the Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods, is showcasing new kiln-formed art glass creations from DC native Robert Wiener at a spring open studio. This free event is on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DC Art Glass Studio, 1322 Corcoran St. NW. Wiener began making art in 2002 after taking his first art glass class at the Millennium Art Center in DC. He eventually left his day job in accounting and finance to pursue art. He opened his own studio, DC Art Glass, in 2004, according to his website. … Also on Sunday, a new collective of artist studios called Crestworth will host an open-critique session from 2 to 5 p.m. at 4602 14th St. NW. Local artists are invited to attend with or without examples of their own work. Four of the building’s 10 studios are still available, so Sunday’s gathering is also a time for artists interested in joining to tour the space. Register online for this free event, which includes drinks and snacks.

5. Education: The Humanities Truck brings scholars from American University to different communities in the DC area. This weekend, students from the university’s Public History Program will present programs on two Northwest DC neighborhoods: On Saturday morning, delve into the history of the landmark Park & Shop strip mall in Cleveland Park with local residents at the Cleveland Park Farmers Market, 3426 Connecticut Ave. NW, from 9 to 11 a.m. The program, called “Site of Imagination: The Park & Shop in Cleveland Park,” will examine why the plaza is “viewed as innovative by some and outdated by others,” organizers say. Then on Saturday evening, learn about Tenleytown’s Fort Reno Park origins in the removal of a vibrant African-American community known as Reno City. This discussion, “Finding Reno (& The People Who Called It Home),” will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Fort Reno Park, 4000 Chesapeake St. NW. The program will begin with a tour by architect and local historian Neil Flanagan, who has done extensive research on Reno City.

6. Animals: Sunday is the last chance to see the free limited-run show Birds in Flight in the Great Meadow of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., bird behaviorist Phung Luu will display his flock of exotic birds. There will be opportunities for visitors to take photos and feed the birds by hand. Handlers will choose a variety of species to display, such as owls, buzzards, falcons, macaws, parrots and ravens.

7. Architecture: Dating to 1931, the annual Georgetown House Tour of historic 18th- and 19th-century homes raises money for St. John’s Episcopal Church’s ministry and outreach programs. The self-guided tour takes place this Saturday, with the featured homes open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase (or pickup after online registration and payment) starting at 11 a.m. at St. John’s, 3240 O St. NW. Ticket prices range from $40 to $55, which includes admission to a Parish Tea and a panel discussion with designers and architects. The tea is from 2 to 5 p.m. in the church’s Blake Hall, where homemade tea sandwiches and sweets will be served. The discussion about the neighborhood’s residential design with four well-known Georgetown architects and interior designers starts at 3 p.m. at the church.

8. Nature: Buy rare, hard-to-find and classic plants at the Friends of the National Arboretum Garden Fair and Plant Sale this weekend on Saturday and Sunday at the U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave. NE. The event is free to attend and open to the public on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon is open only to members.) A FONA tent will feature annuals, perennials and woodies for sale, with a “Collector’s Corner” filled with special varieties. Vendors will also be on site selling food for visitors as well as additional plants and products, ranging from garden accessories to botanical jewelry. Experts will be available to help buyers find the best plants for their garden, and the Washington Revels Gallery Voices perform madrigals and other songs as they rove the grounds from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Proceeds go to the arboretum.

9. Local Outdoor Market: Support over 35 local businesses at the 16th annual Georgetown French Market, a free, European-style outdoor market and sidewalk sale in Georgetown’s Book Hill neighborhood along Wisconsin Avenue from O Street to Reservoir Road NW. Presented by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, the fair takes place on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Discounted items from shops, restaurants, salons and galleries are among the attractions, along with face painting, caricature art, street performers, and live French and gypsy jazz. View a video of highlights from the 2017 market and photos from years past for an idea of what to expect.

10. Family Fun: The American University Museum welcomes visitors of all ages on Saturday for its free Family Fun Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Katzen Arts Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. The day includes activities such as art projects, scavenger hunts, guided tours, storytelling and music. Children must be chaperoned by an adult. Register online and check in at the door.

This post has been updated to correct the address of Loyalty Bookstore.