Weekend Planner: Kite Flying, Easter Egg Hunting, Arts and Crafts

Looking to get out and about and have a little fun this weekend? Patch has you covered — there are lots of events for every interest. Know of something else neat going on around town? Tell all of our readers by adding it in the Comments box below. Have a great weekend!

Kite Festival - A Celebration of Spring

Come fly a kite in the pastures. Write with a quill pen, play 18th-century games, sample hearth cooking, climb on a modern fire truck, purchase colorful kites and spring plants. Bring a picnic or buy one here. Rain Date: Saturday, March 30. Saturday noon to 5 p.m. at Gunston Hall, 10709 Gunston Road, Lorton; for more information, call (703) 550-9220 Admission: $10 adults, $6 ages 6-18, $2 ages 2-5, $25 family admission

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus features acrobats, motorcycles and clowns. The show "unveils human agility, strength and beauty." It began Thursday and continues Friday to Sunday at Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville; Friday, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. For more information, call (941) 552-9952; admission: $10 - $48

Ticonderoga Farms Spring Festival

Ticonderoga Farms is hosting egg hunts every weekend, with candy- and toy-filled eggs, and a special golden egg with a prize.  Kids and adults can enjoy hillside slides, hayrides, visiting farm animals, and roasting marshmallows.  Bring your camera for pictures with the Easter Bunny and a basket for the egg hunts (some are also for sale). 

Celebrate spring daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ticonderoga Farms, 26469 Ticonderoga Road, Chantilly; for more information, call (703) 327-4424

Children's Easter Celebration

Egg hunt, bunnies, crafts, cookie decorating and more. Come join the fun Saturday 10-11:30 a.m. at Burke United Methodist Church, 6200 Burke Centre Parkway, Burke; for more information, call (703) 250-6100 Admission: FREE

A Walk Through Time at Walney

Step back in time Saturday with Emmeline Machen and tour Walney, her family farm. Hear adventures from the Civil War, learn about early settlers and see historic buildings and remains.  Finish with light refreshments. The cost is $5. The program takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Spring Eggstravaganza Puppet Show

Celebrate spring Saturday with an egg-cellent puppet show, stories, and crafts at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale from 2 to 3 p.m. Meet live animals while learning about the awakening of many woodland creatures. Naturalists highlight the history of eggs. This program is suited for children ages four to eight. The cost is $5. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.

Easter Egg Hunt at Colvin Run Mill

Colvin Run Mill Historic Site in Great Falls is hosting three Easter egg hunts Saturday. Each hunt lasts 45 minutes. Children ages two to three start at 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Four and five-year-olds start at 10:45 a.m. Six to eight-year-olds start at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $6 per child. Register online. For information, call 703-759-2771.

Clifton Easter Egg Hunt

Join the Annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and the hunt begins at noon, Main Street, in the Town of Clifton. (Patch recommends the crepes and coffee drinks at the Clifton Cafe afterward!)

Easter Egg Hunt and Bake Sale

Franconia United Methodist Church in Franconia invites you and your children (2 years old - 6th graders) to a free Easter Egg Hunt and Bake Sale Saturday, 10 - 11 a.m. We are located at the corner of Beulah and Franconia, next to the Franconia Elementary School, convenient to the Fairfax Connector routes 231, 232, and 310. For more information, call (703) 971-5151

TopGolf Easter Eggstravaganza

Join TopGolf for their annual Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at TopGolf, 6625 S. Van Dorn St., Kingstowne. There will be games, bounce houses, cotton candy, a magic show, giveaways, prizes and the Easter bunny and egg hunt with 10,000+ eggs! Additional parking will be provided for the event at Edison High School on 5801 Franconia Road. Rain date: March 30 (No shuttle will be provided to and from the parking lot.); for more information, call (703) 924-2600

Jane Austen Tea

Jane Austen set her novels in the natural beauty of the English countryside when England was becoming a nation of gardeners. From 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Green Spring Gardens, in western Alexandria they'll explore the Regency-era gardens and landscapes depicted in Austen’s novels and tell you about Jane’s own passion for gardening. Participants must be at least age 13. The $28 fee includes a full afternoon tea served at the Historic House. To make a reservation, call 703-941-7987.

Build Your Own Bluebird Box

Uncover the mysteries of bluebirds Sunday through a slideshow and walk at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly from 2 to 3 p.m.  Make your own nest box for your backyard.  Bring a hammer.  Participants must be at least age six. The cost is $15 per person. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Dinosaur Egg Hunt at Hidden Oaks

Three to seven-year-olds enjoy a dinosaur-themed program and outdoor egg hunt Sunday while visiting dinoland in Nature Playce at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. Make a dino craft. Register online for one of three times: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., 2 to 3 p.m. or 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.  The cost is $6 per child. For details call 703-941-1065.

Live Music at Paradise Springs Winery

Enjoy your Friday evening or Saturday afternoon with live music at Paradise Springs Winery, the closest winery to Washington DC and the first in Fairfax County. After a hard week at work, relax with a picnic, good friends, and a great bottle of wine. Artists include acoustic acts, pianists, jazz bands, banjos, or other various forms. Recurring weekly on Friday, Saturday at the winery, at 13219 Yates Ford Rd., Clifton, Fridays until 9 p.m., Saturdays 2 p.m.- 6 p.m. For more information, call (703) 830-9463

50th Annual Needlework Exhibition

The nation's premier exhibition of contemporary needlework, held annually to support Woodlawn. Woodlawn was the home of Eleanor Custis Lewis, one of America's foremost needleworkers. The exhibition honors her legacy by maintaining the tradition of the needle arts and by raising funds to preserve her estate. On display through Sunday, March 31 at Historic Woodlawn Plantation, 9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria; Wednesday-Monday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. For more information, call (703) 780-4000; admission: Adults, $10; students K-12, $5. 

Ephemeral: Interpretations of the Cherry Blossom

An exhibition on the ephemeral nature of the cherry blossom. Curated by Laurel Lukaszewki and Komelia Hongja Okim, the exhibition will explore fleeting moments captured in art and celebrate the cherry blossom and Asian and American relations. Artists in this exhibition include: Glass artists Michael Janis and Robert Kincheloe, photographer David Douglas, painters Sumita Kim and Jun Chul Kim, and sculptures Akemi Maegawa, Dalya Luttwak and David Loren Gerlach. On display through April 7 at the Workhouse Arts Center, McGuireWoods Gallery in Lorton, 9601 Ox Road. Free admission.

Craftsmen's Classic Arts & Crafts Festival

Friday to Sunday at Dulles Expo Center, 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Chantilly; features original designs and work from more than 400 talented artists and crafts-people from across the Nation. See the creative process in action as many demonstrate throughout the show. Something for every Style, Taste & Budget with items from the most traditional to the most contemporary. Times: Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call (336) 282-5550 Admission: $8 adults, $1 kids 6-12, free for kids under 6

Children's Book Launch: Pluto's Secret

Saturday, 11 a.m., at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly Children's book launch for Pluto's Secret: An Icy World's Tale of Discovery, a new book written and illustrated by museum employees. The book tells the true story of this distant world through whimsical artwork and entertaining dialogue, for ages five and up. Author Margaret Weitekamp, curator of Space History, will read the book at 11 am. Early Childhood Educator and illustrator Diane Kidd will then give a brief presentation on illustrating, and co-author David DeVorkin, senior curator of Space History, will speak to the audience about Pluto.

Starting at 11:30 am, children can participate in an educational activity in the gallery and Dr. Weitekamp, Dr. DeVorkin, and Ms. Kidd will be available to sign copies of the book outside the Planetarium Store. Pluto's Secret is available to purchase at the Museum Store. For more information, call (703) 572-4118
Admission: Free (Parking: $15)