Three Outdoor Activities This Weekend

As the blossoms bloom and the mercury rises, students need to stretch their legs to shake off the winter’s lingering cabin fever.  Mark your calendar to ensure you do not miss these three outdoor events.

SteeplechaseSteeplechase Races.

Steeplchasing is a form of horse racing imported from England.  Jockeys race their steeds around a predetermined grassy course with strategically placed hurdles.  Races are traditionally held on warm, sunny days, making it an ideal way to spend a spring afternoon.  The next steeplechase is the Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point on Saturday, April 2.

Location:

Shawan Downs

1401 Shawan Road

Cockeysville, Maryland 21030

For a full calendar of Maryland steeplechase races and more details on each race, please visit http://www.marylandsteeplechasing.com.

Cherry BlossomNational Cherry Blossom Festival.

Washington D.C hosts its annual celebration of spring from March 26 to April 10.  The tradition showcases the 3,000 blossoming cherry trees Tokyo gifted the U.S. in 1912.  If you need more than flowering trees to coax you into the city, this two-week, city-wide festival also features over 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events.  For more information on the schedule of events and the predicted peak blooming period of the blossoms, please see http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

International Pillow Fight Day.

DCPillowFightAcross the world one day a year ordinary citizens abandon propriety and publicly engage in pillow fights.  For those missing the fun of childhood sleepovers, stop by the National Mall (on the block nearest the Capital building) on Saturday, April 2 at 2 p.m. with a pillow and prepare for the fight of your life.  This odd event is a part of the urban playground movement to replace passive, non-social activities like watching television with active, outdoorsy things.  For more information on locations of pillow fights across the world’s cities, check out http://www.pillowfightday.com. If attending, make sure not to bring down pillows, which make too much of a mess.

–Jessica Murray, The Patriot Press

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