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TextCalendar of Events: Weekend Highlights
Saturday, May 4
Pink Lady's Slipper Walk
Join a Hidden Oaks Nature Center naturalist from 1 to 1:45 p.m. for
a free leisurely stroll to a natural display of wild orchids at
Roundtree Park in Falls Church. The naturalist will call to confirm
meeting location. This is a free program. For information, call
703-941-1065.
Riverbend Bird Stroll: Warblers
Hike with a naturalist during peak warbler migration from 7 to 9
a.m. Discover why Riverbend Park is an important stopover and nesting
area that attracts so many species. Beginners welcome. Bring
binoculars. Meet at the visitor center. The cost is $7 per person.
For information, call 703-759-9018.
Slaughter House Wagon Ride
Join us on a nighttime wagon ride to the lesser known grounds of the
old Lorton Prison known as the Slaughter House. Learn about some of
the prison history and what happens when nature takes over the
abandoned buildings. Tours offered at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The
cost is $8 per person. Register online. For information, call Hidden
Pond Nature Center at 703-451-9588.
Workshop: Hypertufa Garden Container
Create a stone trough of hypertufa for a natural-looking container
that's ideal for succulents, conifers and rock garden plants. Green
Spring staffers explain the process and lead you through construction
from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or in the afternoon from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The
cost is $35. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Broom Making
At Sully's slave quarter, learn the history of brooms. Make your own
out of broom straw. Brooms have been used for thousands of years, and
tradition says when you move out of the house, leave the broom to
welcome the next family. This one-hour program is offered at 1 p.m.
and 2:30 p.m. The cost is $10. Register online. For information, call
703-437-1794.
May Day Baskets
Make a May basket and fill it with flowers to hang on the front door
of friends or neighbors as a May Day surprise. Four to
eight-year-olds learn to identify some wildflowers and make art with
flowers at Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 2 to 3 p.m. The cost is $6
per child. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Off-trail Birding at South Kings Highway
Search for neo-tropical songbird migrants at Huntley Meadows Park
from 7 to 10 a.m. Binoculars and field guides are recommended. Meet
at the park's South King's Highway entrance. The cost is $6 per
person. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Native American Games Day
Shoot a bow and arrow, launch a spear and make cool crafts as you
learn about daily Native American life long ago. Stop by Riverbend
Park anytime from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for fun hands-on activities and
games. The cost is $5 per person. For information, call 703-759-9018.
Wagon Ride: Journey to the Pond
From 10 to 11 a.m., journey to see what's hopping, splashing and
swimming in the pond at Riverbend Park. Meet at the nature center.
The cost is $5 per person. Register online. For information, call
703-759-9018.
Sunday, May 5
Local Watercolor Artists Reception
Meet artists from the Potomac Valley Watercolorists at a reception
held at Green Spring Garden's from 1 to 3 p.m. Works displayed by the
artists will be for sale. Light refreshments served. Admission
is free. For more information, call 703-642-5173.
Wetlands Awareness Day
Enjoy an active, colorful afternoon with live animal presentations,
nature activities and family fun at Huntley Meadows Park from noon to
4 p.m. Bring friends and family to learn all about wetland ecology,
local natural history and the importance of our wetlands. Admission
is free; however, there is a small fee for some activities. For
information, call 703-768-2525.
Teddy Bear Picnic
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic at Hidden Oaks
Nature Center! Bring your teddy bear to join our stories, songs,
games and light refreshments for humans and bears from 1:30 to 2:30
p.m. The cost is $8 per child. Register online. For information, call
703-941-1065.
Weather-wise or Otherwise
Ride the gust of scientific discovery at Sully Historic Site as you
rotate to weather-wise stations making a wind vane, barometer, and a
weather journal. This program is offered at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. The cost
is $10 per child; $5 per adult. For information, call 703-437-1794.
Saturday, May 11
Nocturnal Senses Campfire
Join a Hidden Oaks Nature Center naturalist at the campfire at 7
p.m. to learn how animals of the night use their keen senses of
smell, sight and hearing to get a meal or to keep from being a meal.
Make s'mores. The cost is $6. Register online. For information, call
703-941-1065.
Dinofest in Nature Playce
Explore Hidden Oaks Nature Center's dinoland and unearth a real
fossil to keep. Compare your height and length to that of dinosaurs.
Search for hidden dinosaurs and tracks. Make a fossil impression to
take home. This one-hour program starts at 2 p.m. The cost is $5 per
child. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Saturday, May 11
Great Shrubs for Mixed Borders
Mixing perennials together can be challenging; coordinating
heights, colors and bloom times. Shrubs can help glue your garden
together as perennials show off intermittently. Horticulturalist
Karen Rexrode shows you colorful shrubs and evergreens to anchor
your mixed border for year round beauty. This one-hour program at
Green Spring Gardens starts at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $18 per
person. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Garden Sprouts: Peter Rabbit's Garden
Mr. McGregor's garden had lots of leafy lettuce, and yours can
too. Children ages three to five enjoy the classic tale, explore
Green Spring's vegetable patch, and take home a seedling from 11
a.m. to noon. The cost is $5. Register online. For information,
call 703-642-5173.
Family Fun: Leafy Green Gardens
Nothing tastes as good as fresh-from-your-garden produce! Visit
Green Spring Gardens' vegetable garden from 2 to 3 p.m. to learn
the basics of growing vegetables and plant a lettuce trough to take
home. The cost is $25 with kit or $6 without a kit. Register
online. For information, call 703-642-5173.
Spring Farm Day
Frying Pan Farm Park will be abuzz with spring activities from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. Watch sheep shearing and antique farm equipment
demonstrations. Participate in hands-on farm activities such as cow
and goat milking. Enjoy crafts, games, puppet shows and get an
up-close introduction to the baby farm animals. The cost is $7 in
advance or $8 at the door. Register online. For information, call
703-437-9101.
Park Manager Walk and Talk
Join Huntley Meadows Park Manager Kevin Munroe from 4 to 6 p.m. to
learn about the wetland restoration project on a free walk.
Register online. For information, call 703-768-2525.
Mother's Day Campfire
Enjoy an evening campfire with mom as we investigate the hard work
that goes into raising young. Toast marshmallows around the
campfire at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park from 7 to 8 p.m. The cost is
$6 per person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.
Sunday, May 12
Mother's Day Tea
Raise your teacups to mothers and nurturers everywhere! From 1 to
3 p.m. at Historic Green Spring, we'll tell you about some of the
remarkable mothers who raised children in the Historic House from
the 1780s to the 1960s. They lived in the same house, but their
stories – reflecting many eras - were very different. The cost is
$28 per adult and $18 for children under 12. To register, call
703-941-7987.
Make a Bird Bath for Mom's Day
Make your mother or friend a homemade and hand-painted bird bath
at Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Treat her to tips
about attracting birds to her backyard and how to id local species.
The cost is $15 per child. Register online. For information, call
703-941-1065.
Saturday, May 18
Little Equestrians
This class introduces young children ages four to six to basic
horse care and handling at Frying Pan Farm Park from 2:30 to 3:15
p.m. Touch, pet, and lead a horse, and prepare our horse friend's
dinner. The cost is $8 per child. Register online. For information,
call 703-437-9101.
Junior Equestrian
This hands-on, un-mounted class for 7 to 10-year-olds offers an
overview of horse basics at Frying Pan Farm Park from 3:30 to 4:15
p.m. Groom, lead, and exercise a horse, learn about tack and
equipment, and practice horse care and handling. Help with feeding,
first aid, and horse care. The cost is $10 per child. Register
online. For information, call 703-437-9101.
Evening Walk at Huntley Meadows
Join Park Naturalist P.J. Dunn to hike the trails after dark rom
7:30 to 9:30 p.m., listening for owls and frogs and watching for
beaver activity. The cost is $6 per person. Register online. For
information, call 703-768-2525.
Open House Extravaganza
Burke Lake Golf Course and Oak Marr Golf Course are hosting open
houses from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop by for club demonstrations, door
prizes, free golf tips, skills contests, and kids events. For
information, call Burke Lake GC at 703-323-1641 or Oak Marr GC at
703-255-5390.
A Propensity to Dig: Flower Garden at
Sully
From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. visit Sully Historic Site and the
garden of Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first Congressman,
and learn about plants and their uses in the Federal Era. While
many plants were grown for daily sustenance and commerce, others
had medicinal or decorative uses. Hear about Mrs. Lee's
"propensity to dig", and her brother, Zaccheus, a merchant
and noted botanist in Philadelphia. A guided tour is included in
the fee of $7 per adult, $6 per student, and $5 per senior and
child. For information, call 703-437-1794.
Saturday, May 18
Frog Chorus at Eakin Pond
Celebrate National Frog Month! Join a Hidden Oaks Nature Center
naturalist-led walk to Eakin Pond to identify frogs by sound and
features from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meet at Eakin Park on Prosperity
Rd. in Fairfax. Bring one flashlight per family. The cost is $5 per
person. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.
Misunderstood Plants
Some plants suffer from bad public relations and others deserve
more bad press than they get. Learn about human and wildlife
benefits and hazards from local flora at Hidden Oaks Nature Center
from 1 to 2 p.m. Receive seeds of an unsung hero to plant at home.
The cost is $5. Register online. For information, call
703-941-1065.
Nature Buddies
Parent and child take a walk to the wetland to look at real-world
examples of seasonal happenings at Huntley Meadows Park from 10 to
11:30 a.m. Following the walk there will be activities and a craft.
The cost is $10. Register online. For information, call
703-768-2525.
Nature Printing
Create beautiful nature prints from flowers, shells, seeds,
grasses, fruits and veggies at Riverbend Park from 9:30 a.m. to
noon. We experiment with different papers and fabrics using inks
and paints. Each student creates several pieces to take home. The
program cost is $18 per person plus a $14 supply fee. Register
online. For information, call 703-759-9018.
Sunday, May 19
Wildflowers, Tinctures, Teas and Vinegar
In this wildflower workshop at Riverbend Park from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. we take a hike and learn about the healing and edible plants
that grow in the park. Then we collect plants to create healing
tinctures, teas and vinegars. The cost is $20 per person plus a $7
supply fee. Register online. For information, call 703-759-9018.
Tree Trek
Trees make Ellanor C. Lawrence a special place. Join expert
naturalist Jim Dewing at 5 p.m. on a search for the biggest,
oldest, most rare, and most important trees in our forest. Discover
what makes a forest habitat home and how parks care for them.
Register online. For more information, call 703-631-0013.
Eric Carle's Storybook Party
From 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Hidden Oaks Nature Center, enjoy popular
stories by author Eric Carle as we act out being hungry
caterpillars actually munching through some of the storybook
treats. Meet not-so-grouchy ladybugs and more. Miss Spider will
join us for tea! The cost is $15. Register online. For information,
call 703-941-1065.
Mill Run Dulcimer Band Concert
Take a relaxing musical journey to the past from 2 to 4 p.m. at
Colvin Run Mill Historic Site. Welcome the band back for a spring
concert featuring your old-time favorite tunes. Admission is free.
For information, call 703-759-2771.
Saturday, May 25
Cures from the Quarter
At Sully's slave quarter learn how enslaved African Americans
maintained their health. Discover the differences and similarities
between preferred healthcare methods of slaves and their masters.
This program is included in Forgotten Road Tours and offered at 1,
2, and 3 p.m. The cost is $7 per adult, $6 per student, $5 per
senior and child. For information, call 703-437-1794.
River Monsters
From 10 to 11:30 a.m. explore the Bull Run stream to discover
river monsters at Hemlock Overlook. Fish the deep pools for giant
catfish and search the banks for northern water snakes. Bring
fishing pole and bait. The cost is $6. Register online. For
information, call 703-631-0013.
Native American Games Day
Shoot a bow and arrow, launch a spear and make cool crafts as you
learn about daily Native American life long ago. Stop by Riverbend
Park anytime from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for fun hands-on activities and
games. The cost is $5 per person. For information, call
703-759-9018.
Sunday, May 26
Copperheads and Black Racers
Assist an Ellanor C. Lawrence Park naturalist with a reptile
survey from 10 to 11 a.m. We will search for, capture, identify and
release snakes. Learn the habits and preferred habitats of our
native snakes. The cost is $5 per person. Register online. For
information, call 703-631-0013.
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