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Arlington’s spring schedule brings together gardening workshops, Earth Day celebrations, theater, art exhibitions, concerts, community fairs and volunteer opportunities. Many activities are free, though some require advance registration.
Gardening and Earth Day events
The Glencarlyn Spring Celebration and Plant Sale runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at the Glencarlyn Demonstration Garden, 300 S. Kensington St. The Earth Day and Arbor Day event will feature nature activities, a 1 p.m. educational tree walk and a sapling giveaway through the Small Trees Make Big Canopies program.
Native plants from Hill House Nursery, locally grown fruit and vegetable starts, and plants propagated from the Library Garden will be offered. Shoppers can also find pottery, jewelry, recycled bags, decorated boxes, gardening materials, T-shirts and used books. Arlington’s historic Ball-Sellers House will be open to visitors. Proceeds will benefit the Library Garden and Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Questions may be sent to glencarlynlibrarygarden@gmail.com.
A free online class on preventing tickborne illnesses will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 25. Elizabeth Forrey, tick surveillance coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health, will discuss Virginia tick species, disease ecology and ways to prevent bites. The program will cover illnesses and conditions including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Alpha-gal food allergy. Registration through Extension Master Gardeners is required to receive the participation link.
The fourth annual Langston Boulevard Earth Day Every Day Festival is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at 4500 Cherry Hill Road. The family-oriented celebration will include live music, art vendors, local food and environmental education.
Del Ray GardenFest will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at the Colasanto Park baseball field near Commonwealth and Mount Vernon avenues in Alexandria. The free event will offer demonstrations, informational booths and hands-on activities. Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia will answer landscaping and gardening questions, and visitors can pick up free seeds for spring and summer planting.
Additional online gardening programs include Houseplants 101 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 4, with Extension Master Gardeners Evin Morrison and Rebecca Secula. The beginner-friendly class will cover lighting, potting-soil mixtures and pest management.
Botanical Journaling is scheduled online from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 11. Extension Master Gardener Mary Jennings will explain how scientific observation and artistic documentation can improve plant identification, record-keeping and understanding of seasonal life cycles. Both classes are free and require registration.
Housing fair, charity run and community programs
Arlington County’s free Live In Arlington Information Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at Walter Reed Recreation Center, 2909 16th St. S.
Presented by the Center for Assistance to Families in partnership with the Arlington County Housing Division, the fair will focus on “Building Wealth Through Homeownership.” Attendees can visit informational tables and choose among 10 public workshops offering community resources, professional guidance and networking opportunities. More information is available from the Housing Information Center at 703-228-3765 or the LAIF team at 703-372-5440.
The eighth Arlington Bunny Hop 5K is also scheduled for April 26. Founded by Clarendon United Methodist Church, 606 Irving St. in Ashton Heights, the charity run will benefit Bridges to Independence. A block party on the church grounds will follow the race.
Centers for Opportunity Arlington is seeking donations of adult clothing and shoes for people recovering from homelessness, substance use and mental illness. Job-seekers particularly need suitable work attire. Donations may be directed to the center at 3219 Columbia Pike, Suite 101. Program coordinator Greg can be reached at 703-567-1346.
Arlington Neighborhood Village, Arlington County and Marymount University are recruiting volunteers for the Community Ambassador Program. Ambassadors connected with civic groups, faith communities, senior centers and residential buildings receive training to help older adults find services, educational programs and opportunities for civic and social involvement.
Prospective volunteers can contact cap@anvarlington.org. Arlington seniors seeking services or activities can call 703-509-8057 to connect with an ambassador.
The Glebe Ladies Tennis Club is conducting its annual membership drive for women in and around Arlington. The club has more than 100 members of varying skill levels and organizes Wednesday drop-in play and other social events. Members pay a small yearly fee to support court reservations, the club directory and programming. The supplied notice says members joining by March 1, 2024, would be included in the annual directory.
Performances and entertainment
Signature Theatre’s production of “In the Heights” continues through May 4. The Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes follows residents of New York’s Washington Heights as they confront gentrification, pursue their ambitions and wonder who possesses a winning lottery ticket. Specialty performances include a discussion night April 9 and Pride Night April 25.
Synetic Theater presented “The Immigrant” at Thomas Jefferson Theater, 125 S. Old Glebe Road, from March 14 through March 23. Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili’s project drew from the 1918 Charlie Chaplin silent-film classic, using physical comedy to portray a young emigrant’s difficult journey to the New World. After its Arlington premiere, the production was scheduled to move to Theater J in Washington for three weeks in April.
St. Andrew’s Players presented “Oliver!” beginning Friday, March 21, at 4000 Lorcom Lane. Suggested donations were $15 for adults and $7.50 for children 12 and younger. A March 22 dinner-and-theater option was priced at $25 for adults and $15 for children.
The National Chamber Ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at Marymount University’s Ballston Center, 1000 N. Glebe Road. Violinist and artistic director Leonid Sushansky and pianist Thomas Pandolfi, former Juilliard classmates, will perform Bach’s Sonata No. 3 in E Major, Lowell Liebermann’s Sonata in G Major, Op. 46, and Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108. The program is connected to Marymount University’s 75th anniversary. Information is available at 703-685-7590.
The ensemble’s season also includes “Vivaldi’s Extraordinary Four Seasons” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.
The Comedy Karaoke Trivia Funtime Show combines stand-up, team trivia and a karaoke contest at Highline RxR, 2010 Crystal Drive. Christian Hunt hosts the monthly event. Kasha Patel was scheduled to headline the April 12 show, while Winston Hodges is set to headline at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Participants may enter alone or with a team and compete for prizes.
Lesson Zero was scheduled to perform music associated with Oasis from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at The Celtic House, 2500 Columbia Pike. Admission was free, with street parking available.
Art and museum exhibitions
“A Passage of Force Through Matter: Current Painting” remains on view through May 25 in the main-level galleries at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington. Featuring Tom Bunnell, Asha Elana Casey, Claudia Aziza Gibson-Hunter, Matthew Mann, Maggie Michael and Marisa Rasum, the exhibition examines painting’s place within a crowded contemporary visual culture.
Joshua Challen Ice’s “Something to Do With My Hands” also continues through May 25 in MoCA Arlington’s lower-level Experimental Gallery. Created for SOLOS 2025, the immersive installation uses sculpture, movement and light to explore care, maintenance and creation.
Brandon Morse’s “Gradually, All at Once” runs through May 25 in the museum’s Truland Gallery. Morse uses code, custom software, generative video, sound and mixed media to create simulations involving phenomena such as entropy and emergence. The exhibition is part of MoCA Arlington’s SOLOS 2025 program.
Morse and Ice discussed their exhibitions during free gallery talks on March 22, with Morse speaking at 3 p.m. and Ice at 4 p.m.
The Arlington Artists Alliance presented “A Brighter Light” from March 20 through May 4 at Alliance Gallery in Clarendon. The juried member exhibition used color, shadow and texture to examine hope, renewal, clarity and resilience.
Local sculptor Ken Beerbohm appeared at Glencarlyn Library on March 24 for an all-ages discussion of his nature-inspired work and creative process.
Classes, talks and civic activities
An Early Spring Wildflower Walk was held March 19 at Long Branch Nature Center. Participants learned about the ecology of cold-tolerant spring plants such as bloodroot, trout lilies and spring beauties. The adult program also welcomed registered teenagers ages 12 and older accompanied by an adult.
EcoAction Arlington held volunteer leadership training March 19 for residents interested in leading service projects, advocating for environmental policy and representing the organization in the community.
Arlington AAUW hosted a March 22 presentation titled “Profile in Courage: Kathryn Stone vs. the Byrd Machine and the Massive Resistance Movement Against School Integration in the 1950s.” Former AAUW-Arlington president Vivian Kallen spoke at Lubber Run Community Center.
VHC Health offered an April 2 healthy-aging webinar titled “Planning the Final Chapter: Giving a Life’s Story Its Perfect Ending.” Kathleen Garces-Foley, a Marymount University professor of religious studies, discussed planning funerals and memorials, including green burials, alkaline hydrolysis, celebrations of life and themed services. Senior Health can be reached at 703-558-6859.
The fifth annual First Responders BBQ was scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at 4435 N. Pershing Drive. Culpepper Garden community sponsored the event.
Central Library in Virginia Square hosted a Women’s Maker Fair on March 22 for Women’s History Month. The event showcased local woman-owned businesses and allowed visitors to meet vendors, learn about their creative methods and purchase their work.