Kensington Celebrates International Day of the Book

Book lovers young and old won’t want to miss Kensington’s seventh annual festival in celebration of International Day of the Book.

The celebration kicks off April 21 with a fundraiser for the Noyes Library Foundation at the Two Pears Restaurant in Kensington from 7-9 p.m. Attendees will be treated to food, wine, live music and dancing for $40 per person to benefit the foundation, which supports the Noyes Children’s Library. Tickets can be purchased online or via regular mail.

April 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Howard Street will host more than 100 local booksellers, book artists, authors and more in celebration of books and reading. Readings will be conducted by several authors including Marcie Lovett, David Levy and Kensington Poet Laureate and Patch blogger .

Kids and parents alike will enjoy free books, the chance to play chess with a master and the Twinbrook Tellers, a storytelling group made up of children and teenagers ages 8-18. These creative kids share fairy tales, folk tales, literary stories, real-life adventures and stories they make up themselves.

Children will also be able to enjoy a scavenger hunt, an art contest and other art activities, a nature demonstration and more. Adults will be able to have their rare books evaluated and learn how to start their own publishing company.

The celebration will also feature live music with performances by The Nighthawks and Hang-Over Royale with David Kitchen.

All Day of the Book activities are free. Anyone interested in volunteering should email kensingtonbookfestival@gmail.com or call 301-949-9416.