The DC Lineup for this weekend: Parks, plants and performing arts

This weekend in the District hearkens back to the city’s history and celebrates its landscape as Rock Creek Park marks its 129th birthday and Tudor Place shares its heirloom plants. The 19th annual Barracks Row Fall Festival and the 16th annual Crafty Arts & Makers Festival are also on our list of weekend activities. Events featuring local artists and musicians as well as Turkish and Mexican culture are other highlights over the next few days, Sept. 27 to 29.

With the DC Circulator set to return to its regular $1 base fare on Oct. 1, this is the last weekend to enjoy free rides in place since February on the familiar red buses.

The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy conditions throughout the weekend, with a chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures should range from 67 to 90 degrees.

1. Nature: Rock Creek Park — the country’s third oldest national park — turns 129 on Friday. To commemorate this occasion, the National Park Service is hosting Rock Creek Park Day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free events throughout the day including educational talks on biking, hiking and camping in the Washington area. Hands-on activities for kids and a live DJ are also on the schedule at the Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road NW. This event coincides with National Public Lands Day, when volunteers will be on hand in Rock Creek Park and other sites in DC and beyond to remove invasive plants, clean up trash and plant flora. 

2. Art: Five local artists — selected this summer as the 2019 Hamiltonian Fellows — celebrate the opening of their group exhibition new. now. Madeline A. Stratton, Amber Eve Anderson, Akea Brionne Brown, Yacine Fall and Tommy Bobo will be showing their work. The opening reception is on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hamiltonian Gallery, 1353 U St. NW, Suite 101. The exhibit runs through Nov. 2, with artist talks for new. now. scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The Hamiltonian Fellowship Program for emerging visual artists requires that fellows contribute to the DC art community during their tenure with activities to engage the public, such as exhibits and discussions.

3. Music: The Atlas Performing Arts Center offers an opportunity for young people to meet the Capital City Symphony, one of the founding arts partners of Atlas. On Saturday, the orchestra will host an educational program called “That String Thing!” geared toward kids ages 3 to 8. Musicians will play their instruments, explain their craft and give participants hands-on experience with an instrument petting zoo in the Paul Sprenger Theatre at the Atlas, located at 1333 H St. NE. Founded in 1967 as the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra, the Capital City Symphony moved to the H Street Corridor in 2005 with a goal of making classical music accessible in “an area of the city that has been traditionally underserved, both economically and culturally,” according to the event description. Tickets for “That String Thing!” cost $15 and are available for the first session at 10 a.m. or the second session at 11:30 a.m. All attendees age 1 and over must have a ticket.

4. Music: The third annual Opera Outside concert features soprano Vanessa Becerra, baritone Benjamin Taylor and pianist David Hanlon. The free event is on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon on the upper field of Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park, at 16th and W streets NW. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chairs, and to stop by the registration table for a chance to win free tickets to the 2019-2020 season of Washington Concert Opera, which is hosting the performances along with Washington Parks & People.

5. Music: A monthlong celebration of creativity in the District with 202Creates ends with “The Sound of Family & Fun,” a free festival focused on creativity and community. Participating DC-based performers include the reggae group Englishman and Shango Band; arranger, composer, singer and flutist Verny Varela; the funk, jazz, R&B and rock band Bela Dona; and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Side By Side Band, a musical group that aims to foster police-community connections. DC government agencies will also be present to explain what they offer local residents. Food and games are also on tap for the festival, which is free and open to the public. Activities run from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday at 2241 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE.

6. Nature: Usher in autumn with a picnic among the seasonal foliage at a Fall Plant Sale and Picnic on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. in Tudor Place’s historic gardens, 1644 31st St. NW. Tudor Place, a national historic landmark, houses collections from the six generations of the Peter family that called the Georgetown estate home, according to its website. This weekend’s free event features heirloom plants traditionally grown by the Peter family. The day also includes tours of the garden, Q&As about beekeeping, Georgetown’s Maracas ice pops and a chance to meet local artist Kevin Poorman and purchase his art.

7. Culture: The free annual Turkish Festival draws around 20,000 visitors each year, according to its website. The day includes authentic Turkish food, live music and entertainment, folk dancing, Turkish arts and crafts vendors, a Turkish coffeehouse, fortune telling and other cultural activities. Games, arts and crafts for kids are also on the schedule. The fest takes place on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 12th and 14th streets.

8. Ward 6 Neighborhoods: The attractions at Barracks Row Fall Festival “blend urban diversity with the curiosities of small town fairs,” according to the Barracks Row Main Street website. Irish folk dance, the all-female Afro Brazilian band Batalá Washington, the DC Rollergirls and a donkey procession are among the scheduled entertainment. Local vendors will be on site as well. This year also features “Barracks Row Mystery Hunt: The Stolen Recipe Challenge,” a game developed by the team at Escape Artist DC. The premise is that a star chef is slated to open a restaurant on Barracks Row, but his recipe has been stolen. Teams compete to track it down as well as discover the secret ingredients. The mystery hunt takes place from noon to 3:30 p.m.; tickets cost $10. The entire festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

9. Culture: Hispanic Heritage Month continues with Mexicanidad, an evening of music, food and dance — all authentic to Mexico. Ballet folklórico and country line dancing from Baja California are some of the styles that will be featured in performances by DC’s Corazón Folklórico Dance Company. The celebration is for all ages, but only those over 21 years old may drink alcohol. Tickets cost $25. The event takes place Saturday from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, DC, at 2829 16th St. NW. The Petworth-based Corazón Folklórico — featured on WETA Arts in a recent segment about Hispanic Heritage Month — offers free dance classes every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Spanish Education Development Center, 4110 Kansas Ave. NW.

10. Arts & Crafts: The Washington City Paper hosts its 16th annual Crafty Arts & Makers Festival. The fest features arts and crafts vendors from DC and beyond — including local merchants such as American Roadtrip, with its pennant pillows and chicken icons; and BicycleTrash, whose goods and accessories are made from locally sourced, high-quality bike trash. Through Friday, day passes are available online for $6 and weekend passes for $10. On Saturday, day passes can be purchased online for $8 and weekend passes for $13. Crafty takes place on the Akridge Lot at Buzzard Point, 1880 2nd St. SW, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.