Southern Maryland Weekend Events: Sep 11-14
This weekend is jammed packed with stuff to do for families with little ones! From eating funnel cake at the Prince George’s County Fair to enjoying the festivities at Nanjemoy Heritage Day, I’ve found great events happening in Southern Maryland! Don’t forget to check out the calendar for more events!
Disclosure: Always check the event website for changes before heading out!
Friday
Small Fry
Watkins Nature Center – Upper Marlboro
Friday, September 12; 10 am
Cost: $3-$4
Stories, games, and crafts for little ones. Ages 3-4.
Prince George’s County Fair – Upper Marlboro
September 10-13
Rosecroft Raceway- Fort Washington, MD
The Prince George’s County Fair began in 1842 as a friendly gathering for local farmers to showcase their produce and livestock and have a little fun. We they have the distinction of being the oldest running Fair in Maryland!
Town of La Plata Concert Series featuring Dr. Phill’s Big Band– La Plata (FREE)
La Plata Town Hall
Friday, September 12; 7 pm – 9 pm
The weekly concerts take place on the lawn at La Plata Town Hall. Concert goers are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for sitting. Coolers are allowed, but no alcohol, please. Concessions are available from the Town’s food trailer located near the back of the parking lot, an ice cream truck is also stationed there for your enjoyment. A play area for children, the Kids’ Zone, allows parents to enjoy the concert while keeping an eye on the little ones.
Art and Story Time – Annapolis
Chesapeake Children’s Museum
Fridays, 10:30-11:30am
Cost: Free with $4 admission
Children ages two to five-years-old and their accompanying adults can share books, flannel board stories, puppets, and acting out stories along with related art and craft activities.
***FOR PARENTS ONLY***
Parent’s Night Out – Indian Head
Henson Community Center
Friday, September 12; 7 pm – 9 pm
Cost: $5; Must Register
Do you need a night out? Don’t worry about who can watch the kids Friday night! Kids will make a craft, play games, watch a movie, and enjoy a snack. Space is limited, advance registration recommended.
Saturday
Paws to Read – La Plata (FREE)
La Plata Library
Saturday, September 13; 2 pm
Paws to Read is a program that allows kids to read to a furry friend who is a great listener! Improved reading skills and confidence plus lots of fun are the goals of this unique program. All dogs are Human Society certified therapy dogs. Ages 6 to 11. Register please.
Fairwood Arts Festival – Bowie (FREE)
Sunday, September 13, 2015; 3-8 pm
Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy performances, children activities, art and food vendors at the Fairwood Arts Festival. Featured performers include Rob White, Lorenzo Miller, Akua Allrich and Upton Blues Band. All Ages.
Indian Discovery Day – Saint Mary’s City (FREE)
Saturday, September 13; 10 am – 4 pm
Explore and celebrate Indian lifeways and culture. Learn skills, try crafts, watch demonstrations and gain a new appreciation of what “back to nature” really means! 
Point Lookout Lighthouse – Scotland
Saturday, September 13; 10 am – 4 pm
Donations Accepted
The Point Lookout Lighthouse Preservation Society will welcome visitors to the Point Lookout Lighthouse, located in the Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, MD. Docents from the Point Lookout Lighthouse Preservation Society will be on hand to answer your questions. No charge to enter the lighthouse, however standard park entrance fees apply. Donations greatly appreciated, and all funds go toward restoring the lighthouse to the 1927 time period.
Lego Mania – Chesapeake Beach- (FREE)
Calvert Library Twin Beaches Branch
Saturday, September 13; 2:30 pm
For kids from kindergarten to 5th grade. Lego enthusiasts will meet monthly to hear a story followed by a Lego building session. Each session will close with sharing time. Legos supplied by library.
15th Annual Nanjemoy Heritage Day – Nanjemoy- (FREE)
Nanjemoy Community Center
12 pm – 3 pm
The Nanjemoy Community Center will host the 15th Annual Nanjemoy Heritage Day at the Nanjemoy Community Center. The festivities will begin with a lively parade. Following the parade, participants will enjoy live music, crafts for the kids, face painting, area artists, local heritage displays, classic cars, games, and more.
Sunday
Children’s Program – Bring Your Baby Doll – North Beach – (FREE)
Bayside History Museum
Sunday, September 13; 2pm to 3 pm
Bring your favorite Baby Doll to the Museum. Discover the history of the Depression here in this area in the late 20’s to early 30’s thru the American Girl Doll “Kit”. Ages 6 – 10.
Grandparents’ Day Tours – Riverdale
Riversdale House Museum
Sunday, August 23; 8 pm – 9 pm
Cost: $3 for adults; $2 for seniors; $1 for students; FREE for ages 4 & under
Bring your grandparent (or other special senior) for a FREE tour of the Riversdale House Museum for a fun, hands-on activity everyone can enjoy! Note: One free tour per paid admission.
Maryland Renaissance Festival –Annapolis
August 29 – October 25, 2015
Cost: Varies
Unique among most festivals, including renaissance festivals, the Maryland Renaissance Festival utilizes a story line and progresses each year forward in the timeline of Henry VIII, through all his reign and all his six wives. This year finds the festival in its third progression, well into the Kig’s marriage with his first wife Katherine of Aragon. More than 200 performers fill ten stages and taverns as well as the streets of the village with continuous entertainment.
Beyond Southern Maryland
Model Trains and Thomas, Too – (FREE)
Historic Vienna Train Station
Saturday, September 12; 1 pm – 5 pm
See and hear model trolleys and steam and diesel trains, plus watch Thomas the Tank Engine and some of his friends as they chug up and down the mountainous terrain and through the towns of Western North Carolina on this large amazing layout. Sponsored by: Northern Virginia Model Railroaders. 
Birth, Bellies and Babies Expo 2015-Baltimore (FREE) Christ Lutheran Church
701 S. Charles Street
Saturday, September 12; 10 am – 3 pm
A fun-filled day of education, shopping and discovery,focusing on various aspects of fertility, pregnancy and early parenting.Featuring workshops and demonstrations, babywearing and raffle prizes, local and eco-friendly vendors, and so much more! Please join us to see how your family can be sustained and supported during these early child-rearing years.
The Kreeger Museum Open House – (FREE)
Kreeger Museum
Saturday, September 12; 10:00 am
Join us for this free family event as we celebrate art, music and nature. Outdoor art activities for children, artist talks in the Sculpture Garden, live jazz and more. Treat yourself to lunch at food trucks and enjoy beer from a local brewery. (via DCThrifty Mom and Culture Capital)
48th Anniversary Celebrating Family Community Festival – (FREE)
Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum
Saturday, September 12; 12:00 pm
Anacostia Community Museum’s presents its Celebrating Cultural Diversity Fall Fun Festival featuring live music, food vendors, exhibition tours and art activities for the family. Event features the Junkyard Band (D.C. Go Go group), Broesler School Irish Step Dancers, Pan Lara Steel Drummers (Caribbean), Panama Danzas y Ritmos (dancers), the Savoy Players (school theater group), and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment B Civil War re-enactors campsite. Art activities include making Japanese kites, Mexican paper flowers, Venetian ball masks, Indian Henna painting, Art of Adornment dress up, African storytelling and more.
Target Family Night: 123 Andrés: Latin Music for Children and Families – (FREE)
Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage
Sunday, September 13; 6:00 pm
Andrés Salguero is 123 Andrés, one of the most exciting voices in the family music scene today. His new CD, ¡Uno, Dos, Tres, Andrés! en Español y en Inglés, is an interactive celebration of Latin American culture for children and families. (via DCThrifty Mom and Culture Capital)
