Hello to everyone, but especially the mama mallard who built a nest outside the Planet Word Museum. The Duck Cam might be our favorite thing on the internet this week.

If you’re trying to stay on top of any kids on spring break, here are some great ways to keep kids busy for free and cheap.

Happy Passover and Easter to all who are celebrating. You’ll find egg hunts at Water Park, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Fan Fest and Tudor Place.

For Earth Day, catch “The Wild Robot” in The Yards Park, unplug at the Anacostia Community Museum or celebrate with Nature Forward’s Lake Buddies program for kids.

Heads up! Head to the bottom of this article to find a quick list of all this week’s events in chronological order.

• Weekend weather: How does 80 degrees sound? Make outdoor plans because Friday through Sunday look warm and dry. Here’s the forecast.

Weekend highlights

Free pick
The Occoquan PEEPS Show
Through Sat., historic Occoquan
🔗 Details

As if you needed a reason to stroll the dynamic small businesses along the water in Occoquan, the annual Easter tradition brings a friendly competition of creativity. Shop, stroll and vote for your favorite scene centered around PEEPS candy. 

Free pick
Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration
Sat., 11 a.m., Folger Shakespeare Library
🔗 Details

What’s in a birthday? If you’re Shakespeare, it’s free cupcakes, a puppet show version of “Twelfth Night,” dancing and a sword-fighting demonstration.

The Folger Shakespeare Library is going big for The Bard with this free party for all ages. Doors open at 11 a.m. so your group can explore the exhibition halls, theatre and Reading Room, plus see printing press demos. At 1 p.m., head outside for lawn games and other “ruff-making” until it’s time to sing “Happy Birthday” at 2:45 p.m. (that’s when the cupcakes come out).

Folger suggests a $15 donation to keep the celebration going.

Grown Shakespeare fans may also be interested in a lecture that evening from the library’s director.

The NOVA Roller Derby league holds its spring exhibition Saturday. News4’s Tommy McFly spoke to the league president and breaks down what to expect and how to enjoy the whole event. 

NOVA Roller Derby Spring Fling
Sat., The Michael & Son Sportsplex in Sterling, $0-$15
🔗 Details

Get ready to rock, roll and maybe crash at an exhibition for the roller derby curious and those who want to watch this unique sport.

The “tiny-but-terrifying Rookie Showcase” begins at 12:30 p.m. before an exhibition game at 1 p.m. You’re guaranteed high-speed action either way. Tickets are free for kids 11 and under, $5 for teens and $15 for adults.

“We actually have the perfect thing planned if this is your first-ever time going to roller derby because we’re going to a full three-jam demo, explaining how points are scored, how the game is played and what kind of penalties you’re likely to see,” she said. “Get there as early as you can!”

Free pick
DPR Spring Break
Though Sat., various locations
🔗 Details

The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation has a packed schedule of free events for spring break week, ranging from a karaoke night to an all-day skate party to Easter egg hunts.

Float your boat

Fletcher’s Boathouse in Upper Northwest plus the Key Bridge Boathouse and Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown are open for the season, with double kayak rentals starting at $23-$32. The Wharf Boathouse is currently open on weekends.

NOVA Parks offers Northern Virginia residents kayak rentals starting at $18 for one hour. Find more information here.

Golf with Us: Golf under $5 for kids
🔗 Details

Kids can get out onto the green for $5 or less if they sign up for Bank of America’s Golf with Us program with Youth on Course. Find information on signing up here.

With a one-year, free membership, kids can visit thousands of courses across the country, including the Rock Creek Park Golf Course, Paint Branch Golf Complex and the Burke Lake Golf Center.

Sign-ups will close once there are 75,000 memberships or on May 24.

Concerts this weekend

MIKE, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Black Cat, $27 (advance)/$32 (day of)
Incredibly prolific rapper/producer with a straightforward, narrative style that’s unique for its subtlety. Details.

Everyone Asked About You, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, The Atlantis, $22
Quintessential Midwest emo. This band had a short run in the late ‘90s but has returned with its heartstringy indie rock in recent years. Favorite upcoming young indie rock trio of D.C. alt rock progeny Birthday Girl DC open. Details.

Night Train 357, 6 p.m. Friday, Byrdland, free with RSVP
In-store performance of positivity preaching D.C. emcee’s “Affirmations” album. The event features special guests and a discussion of the album. Details.

Yesness, 8 p.m. Saturday, Pie Shop, $20
A couple of post-rock originators — Damon Che of Don Caballero and Kristian Dunn of El Ten Eleven — teamed for an album of instrumental math rock with a groove that creeps under the skin. Details.

Same Heads, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Black Cat, $15 (advance)/$20 (day of)
D.C. band offers reverb loaded indie rock that often borders on hardcore or the ear-bleeding end of the shoegaze spectrum. Local shoegazers Pinky Lemon open. Details.

Things to do in D.C.

Adams Morgan Art Walk: Through April 27, free

NEXT 2025 Festival student performances: Opens Thurs., George Washington University, free

Spring Sake Festival: Thurs., The Morrow Hotel, $95+

Comedy – We Listen and We Don’t Judge: Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Prima DC, $10

Eat. Drink. Shaw. food festival: Thurs., 7-9:30 p.m., The Howard Theatre, $100

Concert – Lucy Dacus: Fri. and Sat., The Anthem, officially sold out but available for $32+ on third-party sites like StubHub

Earth Day Movie Night: “The Wild Robot”: Fri., 8-10 p.m., The Yards Park, free

Eggstravaganza!: Fri. and Sat., Tudor Place in Northwest, $10-$20

Bloom Ride & Spring Picnic: Sat., begins and ends at Franklin Park, $15-$75

Common Good City Farm’s Spring Kickoff seedling sale and seed + plant swap: Sat., noon to 3 p.m., 300 V St NW, free entry

First Studio: Art, Story, and Workshop for kids 3-5: Sat., The Kreeger Museum, $10

Earth Day Celebration: A Day Unplugged: Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Anacostia Community Museum, free

Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration: Sat., 11 a.m., Folger Shakespeare Library, free ($15 donation suggested)

Uncorked wine festival: Sat., 4-8 p.m., Nationals Park, $75+

Concert – Oh He Dead: Sat., doors at 6 p.m., 9:30 Club, $25

Trap Poetry DMV: Sat., 6:30 p.m., 1360 Okie St NE, $30+

Sucka for Love: R&B Experience: Sat., 8 p.m. to late, ART DC – Arlo Rooftop Bar, free admission before 9:30 p.m. with RSVP or $25

Black A** Comedy: Sat., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Busboys and Poet 14th Street, $25

Bachata Class: Sat., Ruben’s Dupont Circle, $10

DC Improv Stand-Up Showcase: Sat., 6 p.m., Dupont, $22

Coffee Club from Daybeaker morning party: Sun., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Flash DC, $39-$44

Crochet 101 Workshop: Sun., 2-4 p.m., 301 Tingey St SE #120, $35

National Cannabis Festival Movie Night: “Pineapple Express”: Sun., 6 p.m., Alamo Drafthouse Cinema DC Bryant Street, $20

Things to do in Maryland

Bunnyland at Butler’s Orchard: Thurs. to Sat., plus April 21 and 26-27, Germantown, $12-$15 (online)/$15-$18 (at the gate)

Zydeco Dance with Ruben Moreno and the Zydeco Re-Evolution: Fri., Glen Echo Park, $20

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Fan Fest and egg hunt: Sat., gates open at 10 a.m., Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, free

Earth Day activities with Nature Forward: Sat., 10 a.m. to noon,  Chevy Chase Lake, free

Arbor Day Celebration and Tree Planting: Sat., 8:30 a.m. to noon, University Hills Park in Hyattsville, free

Things to do in Virginia

The Occoquan PEEPS Show: Tues. to Sat., historic Occoquan, free

Theater – “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”: Through June 22, Signature Theater, $47+ (including fees)

“Nailed It”-Style Cake Decorating Competition & Class for tweens and teens: Thurs., 1-3:30 p.m., Fran’s Cake & Candy Supplies in Fairfax, $120

Line Dancing with W.I.L.D: Thurs., 7-9 p.m., Honor Brewing Company in Sterling, $15

Candlelit Sound Bath: Fri., 7-8 p.m., MIYU Beauty & Wellbeing – Falls Church, $37

Y2K After Dark @ Punch Bowl Social: Fri., 9 p.m. until late, Arlington, free admission

Water Park Easter Egg Hunt: Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., National Landing Water Park in Arlington, free

Nova Roller Derby Home Round Robin: Sat., The Michael & Son Sportsplex in Sterling, $0-$15

Easter at The Perch: Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Capital One Center in Tysons, $20-$40

Easter Bunny Hosts Kids and Family Festival: Sun, Shipgarten in Mclean, $0-$10

Concert – Junkyard Band: Sun., 4-9 p.m., BABYLON in Falls Church, $25

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

Brookfield Asset Management is selling another office building in Washington, D.C.

An affiliate of the company sold the Edison Place building in the nation’s capital for $175 million, according to property records reported by the Washington Business Journal. The buyer of the property at 701 Ninth Street NW was an affiliate of Exelon, a utility company.

The deal works out to about $481 per square foot.

The property serves as the local headquarters for Pepco Holdings, a subsidiary of Exelon. The former owner of the 364,000-square-foot building was Potomac Capital Investment, a subsidiary of Pepco, which sold the building to the Brookfield affiliate for about $170 million in 2004.

The recent sale rendered Pepco’s lease at the 2001-built property obsolete. Tenants include  Zaytinya, a José Andrés restaurant on the ground floor.

“The strategic sale of 701 Ninth Street NW underscores Pepco Holdings’ commitment to the District and Brookfield’s disciplined approach to unlocking value for our investors,” a Brookfield spokesperson told the Commercial Observer.

Brookfield’s “approach to unlocking value” appears to involve selling plenty of office properties, especially around D.C.

Brookfield last month sold an office building right down the street to Rockwood Capital for $153 million. The sale of 750 Ninth Street NW came in slightly below what Brookfield paid to acquire the property from the Smithsonian Institute 20 years ago.

The investment giant that same month sold an eight-story office building in Arlington, Virginia, for $47 million; the buyers appear to be affiliates of Chicago-based Remedy Medical Properties and Boca Raton-based Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. That represented another modest loss for Brookfield, which acquired the property in 2021 for $50.1 million.

Brookfield also recently sold a 10-story office building in Manhattan for $150 million to photography retailer B&H Photo, sources told The Real Deal. That property went for $105 million less than what the company paid for it in 2018.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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Brookfield ditches another DC office with a discount 

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Brookfield records another loss on an office sale

B&H Photo bought Brookfield’s 34th Street office building

WASHINGTON – Mayor Muriel Bowser is putting a freeze on new spending as the District deals with a massive budget problem created by Congress. 

Employee furloughs may be just one of the drastic measures D.C. takes due to a major budget crunch. It appears the city’s government won’t be hiring new people, giving raises or bonuses, adding new contracts, or paying overtime after April 27.

There is a process to request waivers, and District officials expect a lot of requests. It’s likely that critical city service workers like police and first responders will be asking for waivers for overtime.

What they’re saying:

FOX 5 received a statement from the D.C. police union is concerned about the impact of these freezes and is advocating to get a waiver.

“These measures, driven by a $1.1 billion cut to the District’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, jeopardize public safety and hinder our officers’ ability to protect and serve our communities effectively,” the union wrote in its statement. “Our department is already stretched thin, and these restrictions threaten to exacerbate staffing shortages, limit response times, and reduce proactive policing efforts.” 

The police union says overtime is essential to maintain adequate coverage and they’re asking MPD Chief Pamela Smith to secure exemptions for overtime and hiring. 

Going further, the union says it’s calling on Congress and specifically the House of Representatives to restore the District’s full fiscal year 2025 budget. 

“The failure to correct this unprecedented cut — imposed despite prior approvals of our locally funded budget — is unacceptable and places an unfair burden on District residents and workers,” they wrote. 

What we know:

As of right now, there are no planned closures to District facilities or plans to stop any services. No furloughs either. But the city’s memo makes it clear that all of those things are on the table.

City officials have to formulate a budget that is $410 million lower between now and Sept. 30.

D.C. leaders would not give an estimate of how much these freezes will save but the frustration caused by Congress is palpable. The District has the money it needs to remain fully functional but they can’t spend it because of a mistake in the federal spending bill. 

The Senate passed a fix and the president supports the fix but the House has not voted on it and they don’t return until the end of the month.

What we don’t know:

On Monday, Bowser said she sincerely felt like the District wouldn’t be in this position but now they have to make plans that could eventually impact city services and workers. What exactly those plans will look like isn’t fully clear yet.

“I thought that because we had a bipartisan bill that came out of the Senate, we had the full-throated support of the President of the United States. This bill doesn’t save one penny of federal dollars and it was perfectly teed up for a vote, that’s why,” she said. 

In the next 10 days, the City Administrator has to give a plan to the mayor about further reducing money spent through potential furloughs or facility closures.

The mayor says that the plan cannot close schools but does give the city administrator the authority to terminate contracts, leases or other ways to reduce.

What’s next:

Bottom line, right now, we do not know what the exact impact will be but we do know that if the House doesn’t pass a fix when it comes back, we could see more significant impacts to the District and its residents.