The DC Lineup for this weekend: families, food and fossils

The District is celebrating families this autumn weekend, with an adoption ceremony downtown and a field day in Anacostia. Festivals focused on cider, music, film and fossils — plus a history walk and a 5K/fun run — are also on the Lineup for this weekend, Nov. 15 through 17. For job and training opportunities, there’s an open call for new Metrobus operators and a workshop teaching emergency medical skills.

The weather is expected to be cloudy throughout the next couple of days with temperatures ranging from 33 to 54 degrees, according to the forecast.

1. Family Celebration: More than 30 kids ages 1 to 19 will go through their formal adoption ceremonies this Saturday at the 33rd annual DC Adoption Day in Court Celebration. Local NBC4 news anchor Barbara Harrison — whose “Wednesday’s Child” segments feature children in need of adopted homes — will introduce each young person and their new family to the audience before a judge finalizes the adoption. The ceremony highlights the benefits of adoption and seeks to inspire people in the District to think about adopting or fostering youth in the city’s child welfare system. The DC Superior Court and the DC Child and Family Services Agency host the event, which is open to the public and takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave. NW.

2. Food & Drink: Stars in the District’s food industry will join celebrities Martha Stewart and Wolfgang Puck at MetroCooking DC this weekend. The schedule includes appearances by chefs from DC restaurants including Centrolina, Taco Bamba, Chloe, Timber Pizza Co., Call Your Mother, Kith/Kin, Rasika, Himitsu, Seven Reasons (which tops “Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America, 2019”) and Oyster Oyster. Tastings, shopping, cooking demonstrations, book signings, and a beer, wine and spirits garden are part of the program. A portion of the proceeds from the Grand Tasting Pavilion will go to the DC-based nonprofit So Others Might Eat. The festival takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. Ticket prices vary.

3. Health & Safety: Black Lives Matter DC and Ujimaa Medics host an Emergency StreetMed Training this Saturday on how to help someone in a medical emergency, including asthma attacks and shootings, as well as how to protect yourself in a serious situation. The workshop is meant to be an inclusive space geared “primarily to people who live in, or love people who live in communities where shootings often occur,” according to the event description. “Ujimaa” means “collective work and responsibility” in Swahili. Ujimaa Medics began teaching these workshops in Chicago in 2014 and has since offered over 100 free workshops to more than 1,000 students. Their work has been featured in Vice news and Block Club Chicago. This Saturday’s training takes place from 1 to 6 p.m. at Covenant Baptist Church, 3845 South Capitol St. SW. Complimentary lunch will be provided at noon.

4. Jobs: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is hosting a hiring event this Saturday to fill over 200 Metrobus operator positions before year’s end. Those who are new to driving buses and commercial vehicles may participate in a 10-week paid training program to learn safe operations, WMATA rules, standard operating procedures, federal regulations and customer service. Interested applicants must bring a current resume, a valid driver’s license or CDL/permit and an original, recent traffic record. The positions are open only to those 21 years or older who are authorized to work in the U.S., among other requirements. The hiring event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Atrium Hall at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

5. Family Fun: The Anacostia Fall Family Field Day offers a range of activities. Participants can take family photos, go on a boat ride, make shea butter, design arts and crafts, play games and skate in the Anacostia Park Roller Skating Pavilion. The free celebration takes place Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the skating rink, 1500 Anacostia Drive SE. The Anacostia High School Parent Teacher Student Organization collaborated with the National Park Service on the event.

6. Recreation: The PTA at Janney Elementary School hosts the ninth annual Janney 5K and Kids’ Fun Run this Saturday to advocate for healthy lifestyles and foster connections within the community. Last November almost 800 people participated. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. followed by the fun run at 10 a.m. Both start at Janney Elementary, 4130 Albemarle St. NW. Registration is open at Janney on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, registration is from 7 to 8:30 a.m. Prospective volunteers are asked to email janney5k@janneyschool.org.

7. Film: The organizers of the Washington Jewish Film Festival will honor local filmmaker Aviva Kempner’s 40-year career at an eight-day retrospective at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Saturday’s 8:45 p.m screening of Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg will include a pre-film introduction by Kempner followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. This weekend’s other screenings of Kempner’s films with Q&A sessions take place on Friday at 1 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 and 6:45 p.m. Screenings of Kempner’s films — including The Spy Behind Home Plate, Rosenwald, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg and Partisans of Vilna — will continue through Saturday, Nov. 23. Ticket prices for this weekend’s events range from $9 to $13.

8. Food, Drink & Music: Rootstock, a celebration of Mid-Atlantic cider and music, unfolds in DC this Saturday. General admission costs $39 for entry from 1 to 4 p.m.; tickets include a souvenir tasting glass and unlimited samples of over 50 regionally made ciders (including from DC’s ANXO, Capitol Cider House and Supreme Core). Food will be available for purchase, and two local bands will perform. VIP admission costs $69 for entry starting at noon, and includes a free commemorative T-shirt and access to a VIP-only performance. Designated-driver tickets are also available for $20. The 21-and-over event takes place from noon to 4 p.m. at Hook Hall, 3400 Georgia Ave. NW.

9. History: The National Park Service invites the community to explore the World War II and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials during an “Evening With a Park Ranger” on Saturday. Participants will meet at the World War II Memorial near the contact station on Homefront Drive SW at 8 p.m. and then walk for a little over a mile. Leashed pets are welcome to join their owners on the 90-minute excursion.

10. Science: The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History presents Fossil Fest/Festival de Fósiles this Saturday, with experts sharing research techniques for studying prehistoric ecosystems. Scientists and paleontologists will be on site to give visitors insight into their work and demonstrate tools they use. Other opportunities to explore include virtual reality, 3D prints, hands-on learning stations, films, and arts and crafts like mask-making. The fest is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center at the museum, on the National Mall at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. It is an English-Spanish event with bilingual volunteers, program materials and signs.