what's up for the weekend... september 8-10

Rain, rain, go away... there are tons of fun things to do today! Guess what? Weather.com is calling for 82 and partly sunny all weekend. Why yes, we may just see that big yellow guy. For a complete listing of weekend 'to-dos', check out our calendar.

Here are our weekend top picks:

Gem Mining and Geocode Cracking Weekend at Clark's Ellioak Farm: Mobile Mining Experience will host a special geode cracking program (Advanced registration is required) from 9-11 a.m. on both Sat and Sun. Register at www.mobileminingexperience.com. Standard gem mining and geode cracking will be available both Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Hampdenfest: From 10 AM - 7 PM on Saturday! HampdenFest began as a local community event organized by the Hampden Village Merchants Association and the Hampden Community Council, but in recent years has evolved into a neighborhood arts festival. Co-sponsored by the Hampden Village Merchants Association and the Hampden Community Council, and with the continuing support of The Hampden Family Center, HampdenFest features 4 stages of music and art performances, an activity area for kids, an emerging artists exhibit and a film festival, as well as four blocks of arts and crafts vendors and other wares from a wide range of merchants and artists. Be sure to stop by the kids games table, sponsored by Cotton Ducky Daycare. (Yepp, Luna is THE best daycare mom around).

Fancy Nancy Tea Party: A tea party for the Fancy Nancy in you! {{Doesn't that sound fun?}} Hear some outrageous stories about Nancy's life while you sip tea and have cakes with your friends at the Southeast Anchor Library. Saturday at 11:30 AM!

The Ukranian Festival in Patterson Park: All day Saturday and Sunday! We hear there is fabulous food, dancing and -- maybe even swords? (Thanks for the info, Learning to Crawl).

Littles Day at Port Discovery: Join Port Discovery for a special Littles' Day dedicated to children 5 and under on Saturday! In celebration of College Savings Month, General Admission for the first 529 guests is $5.29* per person, courtesy of College Savings Plans of Maryland. Moon bounce, pop up science, balloon sculptures, cook and tell with Wegmans and more!

Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival: Now in its 38th year, the Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival runs along both sides of Frederick Road between the Ingleside-Bloomsbury corner and Melvin Avenue and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. This Sunday from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

Children's Day at Ladew Topiary Gardens- Things with Wings: Activities include hands-on learning stations, sing-a-longs, crafts, face painting, balloon sculptors, magic show & children's theatre performance. "Bug Man" Dr Mike Raupp will have his live insects on display. Check website for scheduled activities. Rain or Shine Sunday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM.

The 3rd Annual Baltimore Aerial Festival: Let your imagination fly to a world where aerial artists soar and swing surrounded by the swirl of vibrant graphics and colors in Baltimore’s only alley dedicated to the vibrant art of urban graffiti at Graffiti Alley behind Load Of Fun,120 North Ave at Howard, Baltimore 21201. The Baltimore Alley Aerial Festival returns for its 3rd year, featuring aerial artists from Baltimore and DC for 3 days of cutting edge, site-specific aerial performances for the whole family. Family friendly shows are Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM.

The Maryland Seafood Festival: This family fun and feasting event is a tasty and entertaining tradition, with music, great food, exhibits, arts and crafts, and featuring The Capital’s 21st Crab Soup Cook-off and the Department of Natural Resources’ Maryland Fishing Challenge Featuring Diamond Jim Award Ceremony, Sandy Point State Park, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.