Special Events

Through June: Saturday: Kids' Congress. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances at noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m. May 23: Beach Safety and Fun. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 30: Puppet Studio. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances at 11:30 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. June 6: Healthy Activity and Nutrition. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 13: Pet Advocacy. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 13: Birdfeeder Making. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 20: Community Heroes.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After receiving complaints from downtown residents and businesses, the Annapolis City Council is considering a limit on the number of festivals allowed. At a hearing on the bill on Monday, some merchants and residents praised the proposal. Jeff Schaub, who owns Annapolis Marine Art Gallery on Dock Street, said special events at City Dock have hurt his sales. "The soul of business downtown is its independent businessmen, who have their families, their life savings,...

DON'T MISS Although normally closed on Mondays, the Corcoran Gallery of Art will be open this Monday — free — in celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. It's a great opportunity to catch the museum's survey of contemporary African American art, "30 Americans. " Then, on Thursday at 7 p.m., the Corcoran will present a lecture by Barkley Hendricks, the influential portraitist whose paintings of ordinary people are among the works on view. Hendricks will be joined by curator Trevor...

Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maryland needs parent volunteers to support programs and activities, plus volunteer committee members, committee leaders and board members. Contact Shefa Nola Benoit at info@bgcsm.net Calvert Meals on Wheels needs volunteer drivers to help deliver meals to the homebound. 410-535-4606 or 301-855-1170. Project Echo, a shelter for the homeless in Prince Frederick, needs volunteers to staff a shift or help serve a meal. Volunteers must commit to four hours a month.

Get out and play! That probably seems like an odd message for kids, but with all the computer and video games there are, not to mention television, sometimes you need to be reminded to go outside and run around, kick a ball, roll in the grass. That's just the message that the kid-focused TV network Nickelodeon is sending this weekend. On Saturday, for the eighth year in a row, Nick is celebrating a Worldwide Day of Play. To make sure kids actually do play, Nick will shut down its TV...

WHEN: Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. WHERE: National Zoo. ETC.: It's a 50th birthday bash for FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo). There will be games to play, funky hats to wear and demonstrations of animal training and feeding. The party is free; parking is not. For more information, visit http://www.nationalzoo.si.edu (click on "Come to special events at the zoo in the spring") or call 202-633-4240.

Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maryland needs parent volunteers to support programs and activities, plus volunteer committee members, committee leaders and board members. Contact Shefa Nola Benoit at info@bgcsm.net Calvert Meals on Wheels needs volunteer drivers to help deliver meals to the homebound. 410-535-4606 or 301-855-1170. Project Echo, a shelter for the homeless in Prince Frederick, needs volunteers to staff a shift or help serve a meal. Volunteers must commit to four hours a month.

An Android bug that surfaced a few days ago is getting increased attention Monday, as Google tries to fix a problem that's preventing users from inputting December birthdays and anniversaries. The glitch, which affects Google's "People" application, showed up with the latest version of Android's Jelly Bean system, 4.2. The dates offered up in the "Events" menu moved straight from November to January, preventing people from noting special events in the last month of the year. A fix or two has been offered up for the bug. For...

A special license allowing all wineries in Maryland to serve food, offer wine samples without a fee and hold special events was rejected by the 2009 General Assembly. But lawmakers did allow Calvert County wineries to begin having stands at some farmers markets and special events. Regulations governing state wineries vary from county to county. There are different rules, for example, about being open on Sundays or serving a full bottle vs. a sample of wine. The Class W series of bills considered by the legislature would...

Groups that sponsor parades and other special events in Alexandria might march into a hearing tonight on proposed policies on those events. Alexandria's Parks and Recreation Commission invites residents to the hearing, set for 7 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave. The policy proposals came from a study requested by the Alexandria City Council of the costs associated with special events supported and provided by...

Margaret L. "Maggie" Wimsatt, a planner and organizer of high-profile social events for the rich, the powerful, the well-connected and the well-known of the nation's capital, died of cardiac arrest March 13 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. She was 95. A daughter, Justine Wimsatt, confirmed her death. Mrs. Wimsatt was widely recognized as a maven of protocol who knew which closets harbored skeletons and which didn't. She once saved the day with a last-minute switch in...

An Android bug that surfaced a few days ago is getting increased attention Monday, as Google tries to fix a problem that's preventing users from inputting December birthdays and anniversaries. The glitch, which affects Google's "People" application, showed up with the latest version of Android's Jelly Bean system, 4.2. The dates offered up in the "Events" menu moved straight from November to January, preventing people from noting special events in the last month of the year. A fix or two has been offered up for the...