Things To Do In Green Valley

On this week’s agenda: a musical tribute to Walter Dean Myers, a Labor Day jazz and wine fest, baseball with the Hagerstown Suns, an art exhibit from the Trawick Prize finalists, and acrobatics above 35,000 gallons of water. Enjoy yourselves, and as always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in DC. 13th Annual Page-to-Stage Festival: In His Own Words: A Concert in Tribute to Walter Dean Myers at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Foggy Bottom | Saturday, August 30 At the time of his death earlier this summer, Walter Dean Myers had written more than 100 books for children and young adults, including challenging (and oft-challenged) texts such as Fallen Angels and Monster. The Page-to-Stage Festival's theatrical tribute will honor his legacy with music, dance, and spoken-word pieces inspired by his most famous works. (2700 F St. NW; free) Flo Fest DC 2014 at Gateway DC at St. Elizabeths East Ward 8 | Monday, September 1 Music, wine, and literature get their day in the sun at Flo Fest DC's end-of-summer bash. Jazz, salsa, and R & B from artists such as Marcus Johnson and The Donvonte McCoy Latin Jazz Orchestra pair well with samples of wine and food from local celebrity chefs, or a contemplative trip to the literary pavilion. (2700 MLK Jr Ave. SE; $45; buy tickets here) Hagerstown Suns Baseball Game Hagerstown | Monday, September 1 The Class-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals hosts its final regular-season game against the Lakewood BlueClaws at Municipal Stadium, one of the nation's oldest minor-league ballparks. A win against Lakewood could help the Suns push past their division-leading rivals, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, in the hunt for a South Atlantic League crown. (274 E. Memorial Blvd., Hagerstown, MD; $10; buy tickets here) The 2014 Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards Exhibit Tenley Circle | Wednesday, September 3 The Trawick Prize for visual art gives artists in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, a shot at $14,000 in prize money and wider recognition for their work. In this group exhibit, the nine finalists for the 2014 prize showcase their nominated pieces in the gallery of the Bethesda Urban Partnership. (7700 Wisconsin Ave.; free) Cirque Italia at Sudley Manor Square Shopping Center Manassas | Wednesday, September 3 through Sunday, September 7 Touting itself as "America's First Water Circus," Cirque Italia blends the gracefulness of the waves with the boisterousness of traditional circus acts. Aerialists and acrobats swing and flip from a trapeze that dangles above a 35,000-gallon water tank during a show that also features a strongman duo, a mermaid act, and a bicycling clown. (7807 Sudley Rd., Manassas, VA; $31; buy tickets here) Photo courtesy of Cirque Italia

On this week’s agenda: a LEGO festival for kids and adults, a pub crawl to kick off Oktoberfest, and whimsical comedy from Aparna Nancherla. The MLK Jr. Memorial Library celebrates Banned Book Week, and the Folger Consort remembers lute ayres from Shakespeare’s day. Enjoy yourselves, and as always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in DC. Brick Fest Live LEGO Fan Festival at Maryland State Fairgrounds Lutherville-Timonium | Through September 21 As children age up, so do the creations they build with LEGO bricks. At Brick Fest Live LEGO Fan Festival, adults and kids engage in a shared love of all things LEGO by building new creations and showing off ornate sculptures. You can also snag custom LEGO accessories, including sci-fi weapons scaled to a LEGO minifig's grasp. (2200 York Rd., Lutherville-Timonium, MD; $22; buy tickets here) District Oktoberfest at RFD Chinatown | September 20–21 To kick off a month of celebrating Bavarian culture, bar RFD is hosting a tour of Chinatown watering holes where participants guzzle a 12-ounce pour of each establishment's Oktoberfest speciality. The eight-hour beerathon will drop in at bars such as Iron Horse Tap Room, Penn Social, Jackpot, and Rocket Bar, and all locations will have specials in addition to their included beers. (810 7th St. NW; $25; buy tickets here) Aparna Nancherla at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage Foggy Bottom | Monday, September 22, at 6 p.m. One of the 2013 New Faces at Just for Laughs, Aparna Nancherla brings her brand of whimsical, absurdist, and smart comedy to the Kennedy Center's Theater Lab. A DC native, Nancherla has recently made a name for herself performing standup on Conan and writing and corresponding for FX's Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. (2700 F St. NW; free) Banned Books Week and Uncensored: The Art Exhibit at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Chinatown | Through September 27 The MLK Memorial Library salutes banned books with its new exhibit, Uncensored: The Art Exhibit. The collection showcases paintings, videos, and performance art that explore the concept of censorship. Programming also includes literary crafts for kids in the Children's Room, and a screening of To Kill A Mockingbird (Monday, September 22) to honor the once-banned book of the same title. (901 G St. NW; free) Courting Elizabeth: Music and Patronage in Shakespeare's England at Folger Elizabethan Theatre Capitol Hill | Friday, September 26, 8 p.m. Strumming viols and a lute, the Folger Consort will perform five dances by Elizabethan lutenist John Dowland, who counted the King of Denmark and the Earl of Essex among his patrons. Also on the program: lute ayres and select lyra viol pieces by Scottish composer Tobias Hume. (201 E. Capitol St. SE; $37; buy tickets here) Photo courtesy of Brick Fest Live

On this week’s agenda: a beer festival with the band !!!, flamenco music in the Sculpture Garden, a kid-size signing of the Constitution, the return of Lil Boosie, and a seriously transformative circus. Enjoy yourselves, and as always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in DC. Third Annual Snallygaster Beer Festival at The Yards The Yards | Saturday, September 13 This year's fest features more than 250 craft brews from around the globe, including autumn seasonals, cask ales, assorted barrel-aged beers, and craft cans. The beers will pair nicely with gourmet treats from local purveyors such as Red Hook Lobster Pound, Lemongrass Truck, Red Apron Butchery, and Takorean. Live music from dance-punk outfit !!! and local electro-pop artist Brett completes the festival trifecta. (1st St. SE and N St. SE; $35; buy tickets here) Ricardo Marlow and Ensemble at the National Gallery of Art National Mall | Sunday, September 14 Amid the leaves and statues of the Sculpture Garden, classical guitarist Ricardo Marlow will honor Hispanic Heritage Month with a performance of his signature flamenco melodies. Marlow's striking, percussive style is ideal for dancing, and will be amplified even further by the seductive strings of his accompanying ensemble. (700 Constitution Ave. NW; free) Constitution Day Family Activities at Boeing Learning Center Federal Triangle | Wednesday, September 17 Parents and kids can channel the penmanship of the Founding Fathers by reenacting the signing of the Constitution a mere 227 years later. The National Archives and Records Administration will provide quill pens for children to apply their own John Hancocks (or, in this case, George Washingtons) on replicas of the great document. Crafts and costumes will also be on hand to add to the colonial festivities. (700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW; free) Lil' Boosie at Echostage Langdon Park | Friday, September 19, at 9 p.m. Fresh from his release from Louisiana State Penitentiary, the rapper who perked ears with hits like "Give Me That" and "Better Believe It" is back with a new single ("Show Da World") and a new outlook on life. On this tour, expect him to get back to business, turning new phrases in preparation for his forthcoming album. (2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE; $65; buy tickets here) Big Apple Circus's Metamorphosis at Dulles Town Center Sterling | Thursday, September 18, and Friday, September 19 New York's legendary circus troupe returns to bewitch crowds through trapeze artistry, torch juggling, contortion, and gymnastic feats performed on horses. The show is called Metamorphosis, and the acrobats take this theme seriously; many death-defying tricks and stunts focus on transformation, such as turning balls into flames. (21100 Dulles Town Circle, Suite 194, Sterling, Virginia; $35; buy tickets here) Photos courtesy of Big Apple Circus, Snallygaster, and the National Gallery of Art.