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.
Advertisement
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.
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.
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
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.
People kayak on the Potomac River near the Georgetown neighborhood and Theodore Roosevelt Island in Washington, DC, September 3, 2018, during the Labor Day holiday, the traditional end of the summer vacation season. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
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
Advertisement
Earth Day Celebration: A Day Unplugged: Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Anacostia Community Museum, free
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.
Dozens of Iowa National Guard soldiers leaving Iowa today will spend the next six months serving in Washington, D.C..
Last August, President Trump issued an executive order declaring there was an epidemic of crime in the nation’s capitol and he immediately mobilized National Guard troops from the District of Columbia. The Pentagon then started asking state guard units to deploy to D.C. and made a request of Governor Kim Reynolds last year. “They asked earlier and I said no because we had one of the largest deployments that we’ve had for a long, long time and I just felt we were stretched pretty thin,” Reynolds said.
In May of last year, nearly 2000 Iowa National Guard soldiers were deployed to the Middle East. The final group of those soldiers returned to Iowa last month. Reynolds said the Pentagon “circled back” recently and asked her to send a group of Iowa Guard soldiers to D.C. and she’s deployed 120 Iowa Guard soldiers to D.C. “to ensure the safety and security” of people who are in the nation’s capitol, “especially with everything that’s going on with the 250th birthday of our country,” Reynolds said, “and so we were able to participate and do our share.”
Reynolds told reporters the federal government will pay the entire cost of the deployment. Reynolds will speak this morning at a private send off ceremony for the Iowa Guard soldiers before they leave for D.C. There were over 5000 National Guard troops in Washington this past Sunday, including 185 from Nebraska and over 100 from Minnesota.
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) — One hundred and twenty members of the Iowa National Guard are leaving Friday for Washington, D.C., where they will assist with security measures and America 250 celebrations at the request of the Trump administration.
Reynolds initially said no
Gov. Kim Reynolds said she had previously declined the Trump administration’s request, citing the strain of one of the state’s largest recent deployments.
“They asked earlier, and I said no because we had one of the largest deployments that we’ve had for a long, long time and I just felt that we were stretched pretty thin,” Reynolds said.
Advertisement
Nearly 2,000 Iowa National Guard members had spent a year or more deployed to the Middle East. Those soldiers have since returned home.
Guard members now available following Middle East return
With those troops back, Reynolds said Iowa was in a position to fulfill the president’s request.
“We have them all back. They circled back, especially with everything that’s going on with the 250th uh birthday uh of our country. And so we were able to participate and do our share,” Reynolds said.
Different states have sent National Guard members to Washington, D.C., since last August.
Reynolds said the federal government will pay the costs of Iowa’s deployment to Washington, D.C.
Advertisement
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON – Metro riders are seeing changes Thursday morning as WMATA adjusts its shuttle bus system following concerns about long lines and confusion tied to the Red Line summer shutdown.
Express shuttles to North Bethesda will now only pick up on Wisconsin Avenue near the Trader Joe’s. Local shuttles serving Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor have been moved to the Friendship Heights Metro station, while some regular Metrobus routes are picking up on Western Avenue.
Advertisement
Red Line Shuttle Service Updates
• Local shuttle boarding will be relocated to Bus Bay K – the current C83/D96 bus stop on Wisconsin Ave. • C83 and D96 buses will be relocated to the bus shelter on Western Ave near Wisconsin Ave. • Express shuttle boarding will remain in the 5300 block of Wisconsin Ave NW.
What we know:
Advertisement
FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick says Red Line riders say the shutdown has added time to their commute, though many are trying to stay positive. The shuttles connect North Bethesda and Friendship Heights through September 6, when Purple Line construction is expected to wrap up.
Metro Red Line summer shutdown leads to long shuttle lines
Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns
Advertisement
The workaround relies on dedicated shuttle bus lanes along northbound and southbound Wisconsin Avenue/355 and up to Rockville Pike. But truck drivers, delivery drivers and passenger vehicles have been stopping or parking in those lanes, forcing shuttles to go around and slowing traffic.
Metro and Montgomery County police have increased enforcement to keep the lanes clear. Metro Transit Police say they asked more than 60 drivers to move out of the bus lanes in the first days of the shutdown.
Advertisement
Metro is also adding about 100 parking spaces at Friendship Heights in the former Lord & Taylor garage. Some Montgomery County riders are opting for the MARC train downtown instead.
Metro’s Red Line shutdown is now in full effect: Here’s what you need to know
Metro Red Line Summer Shutdown: Changes to shuttle bus service after concerns
Advertisement
The Source: Information in this article comes from WMATA and previous FOX 5 reporting.
NewsWashington, D.C.MarylandWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
