The DC Lineup for this weekend: bike rides, community festivals and attention to social issues

This weekend in the District, May 17 to 19, offers opportunities to learn about social issues such as missing persons in DC and the impact of evictions throughout the U.S. Programs that promote the health benefits of bike riding are also on the agenda, along with a panel discussion about school diversity in the city. A number of neighborhood festivals, the Washington Nationals series against the Chicago Cubs, and a showcase of local artists at the new Apple store at the Carnegie Library also make our listing.

The weather forecast predicts isolated thunderstorms on Friday, clouds on Saturday evening and afternoon thunderstorms on Sunday. After the cold spell earlier this week, temperatures should return to being warmer throughout the weekend, between 65 and 90 degrees.

1. Local Social Issues: The Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division is hosting its second annual Missing in Washington, DC event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The goal of this gathering at Temple of Praise Church, 700 Southern Ave. SE, is to help families find their loved ones. Those who are searching for someone are asked to bring photographs of the person, dental and medical records, prior police records or leads, and some of the person’s personal items like a hair brush or toothbrush. Law enforcement and forensic professionals will be on site, as will experts from local and national entities such as the DC Victim Hotline, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the Network for Victim Recovery of DC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Black and Missing, and the DC Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. Free professional counseling and updates on missing persons will also be provided. The event is free and open to the public.

2. Art: Following last weekend’s grand opening of the DC History Center and the new flagship Apple store at the Carnegie Library, the venue at 801 K St. NW will host the StoryMakers Festival to spotlight local artists. This fest runs for six weeks from Saturday until June 29 and includes 40 different creators. Two DC-born artists will be featured on Sunday: New York Times best-selling author Jason Reynolds at 1 p.m. and muralist Rose Jaffe at 3 p.m. Creatives from outside the Washington area will also be featured, including an event coming up on Tuesday with cartoonist Vishavjit Singh whose artwork promotes acceptance. Looking ahead to next month, No Kings Collective, an arts group in the District, promises to close the festival with “an epic block party,” according to their Instagram post promoting the event.

3. Ward 7 Neighborhoods: The Southeast DC edition of PorchFest DC is coming up Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. in Hillcrest. Like the annual festivals in Adams Morgan and along Rhode Island Avenue NE, this weekend’s event features performances held on front porches. In addition to music from various genres, there will be spoken word poetry. DJ Flava from the media outlet Urban One will host a kids’ party at the Francis A. Gregory Neighborhood Library with entertainment from local schools and a 9-year-old DJ, D Fire. The day’s other highlights include violinist Bliss Ananda, a Bob Dylan tribute band and a gospel go-go band. Many local vendors and exhibitors will also be present, including Chocolate City Tees, Candles by Tiera, Project Create DC and the Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs. The festival is free to attend. Lawn chairs, comfortable walking shoes and cash to tip the performers are recommended.

4. Sports: The Washington Nationals face off against the Chicago Cubs — their 2017 playoff foes — this weekend at Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE. Games are on Friday at 7:05 p.m., Saturday at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday at 7:05 p.m. Tickets start at $16. Sunday’s game is a part of the stadium’s 15th annual Youth Baseball and Softball Days presented by Inova Children’s Hospital. This program invites youth baseball and softball players to purchase special tickets online ranging from $10 to $33. The other game in this youth series takes place June 16 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with a pregame parade along the warning track at the edge of the field and a post-game opportunity for kids 12 and younger to run the bases.

5. Bicycling: On the heels of Friday’s annual Bike to Work Day, the DC Public Library is celebrating bicycling with the 10th annual Tour de DCPL, a free bicycle tour that explores how DC’s libraries connect with their communities. The event on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. will start at Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood Library, 4450 Wisconsin Ave. NW, with check-in at 12:30 p.m. The planned route is about 10 miles long and includes visits to library facilities in Cleveland Park, Mount Pleasant, Petworth and Shaw, among others. Register online. … Also this weekend is the fourth annual DC Bike Ride on Saturday, with streets along the route closed to cars. There’s a 20-mile course as well as a 6-mile option. Online registration has closed, but you can register until 7 p.m. Friday at the packet pickup site at 600 New Hampshire Ave. NW. The ride begins at 8 a.m. at West Potomac Park with a “finish festival” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. along 3rd Street SW between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Avenue. Registration costs $70 to $82 for adults and $35 for ages 8 through 17, with a VIP option for $175. Ages 3 through 7 can ride along for free.

6. History: May 17, 2019, marks the 65th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in Brown v. Board of Education and Bolling v. Sharpe, a challenge to school segregation in the District that the justices consolidated with the more widely known case. To commemorate this occasion, the grassroots education coalition Learn Together, Live Together is hosting a panel discussion The Past, Present and Future of School Diversity in DC on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the school at the heart of the case — Sousa Middle School, located at 3650 Ely Place SE. The panelists are Dawn Williams, dean of the Howard University School of Education; Chelsea Coffin, director of the Education Policy Initiative at the D.C. Policy Center; Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union; Kimberly Springle, executive director at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives; and Michaele Turnage Young, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Janel George, senior policy adviser at the Learning Policy Institute, will serve as moderator. Sessions will review the historic context of school segregation in DC as well as explore ways to create diverse, equitable schools today.

7. Ward 5 Neighborhoods: The 16th annual Bloomingdale Community Day is on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crispus Attucks Park, which is located behind the homes in the center of the block created by U Street, V Street, 1st Street and North Capitol Street NW. Along with a dog show at noon, the day’s activities include a yard sale, music, kid-friendly activities, booths with information about local organizations, and the Taste of Bloomingdale with food and drink from local restaurants. All proceeds go toward the upkeep of Crispus Attucks Park, and the event is the park’s largest fundraiser.

8. Seasonal Fair: Enjoy the seventh annual Spring Fling hosted by the Friends of the Soldiers Home on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. on the lower grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, 140 Rock Creek Church Road NW. The event includes live music, food trucks, drinks, face painting, and kids’ activities such as a bounce house. It is free to attend, and parking is available for a $10 donation. Although the fair is family-friendly, organizers request that pets be left at home. Sponsors include Anheuser-Busch, the local bike race DC CX and the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

9. Ward 7 Neighborhoods: Marshall Heights Day is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at J.C. Nalle Elementary School, 219 50th St. SE. The family-friendly event showcases the Marshall Heights community and includes workshops about homeownership and economic development in the neighborhood. The event is organized by the Marshall Heights Civic Association. Refreshments will be served.

10. National Social Issues: This weekend is the last chance to see the exhibition Evicted at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. The exhibit — based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Matthew Desmond, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City — highlights the impact that evictions have on low-income renters across the country. Designers from Brooklyn’s mgmt. collaborative design studio helped develop the exhibit, which includes visual infographics to share data. The National Building Museum is open on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. While admission to the Evicted exhibit is free, tickets to access the museum’s other exhibits cost $10 for adults and $7 for youth, students and seniors. Museum members and kids 2 and younger are admitted for free.