Hitting the Streets of Clarendon

A couple of weeks back, Adams Morgan Day lured what seemed like half the city to 18th Street with its arts market, music and, yes, copious vendors selling meat on a stick.

Today, it's Arlington's turn (and the temperatures will be far more agreeable) as Clarendon Day returns to the streets of the county's effective downtown.

The afternoon festival features a crafts / flea market with paintings, jewelry and toys and performers on two stages -- including pop singer Chelsea Lee, the McLean teenager whom The Post recently profiled as one of Washington's rising stars of the arts scene, folkie Justin Trawick and Chapel Hill, N.C., rockers the Old Ceremony. Vendors include Whitlow's on Wilson, Delhi Dhaba, Hard Times Cafe and La Tasca.

If you were at Adams Morgan Day, you might have noticed the children's area with the "bungee trampoline." You'll find much the same setup here, with a climbing area, moon bounce and more in the kids' area (called Camp Clarendon).

Free admission. Noon-7 p.m., rain or shine. Wilson Boulevard between Irving and Garfield streets. (Take Metro to Court House or park in garages at 3033 Wilson Blvd. and 2100 Clarendon Blvd.) For details, visit http://www.clarendon.org.

-- Lavanya Ramanathan

The District

Today

LITERATURE National Book Festival The Library of Congress's annual celebration of reading, books and authors returns for its eighth year on the Mall with a lineup packed with dozens of big names (Salman Rushdie, James McBride, Tiki Barber, Cokie Roberts). The authors are stationed at pavilions according to subject matter, so you can get a "Goosebumps" book signed by R.L. Stine at the Teens and Children tent and so on. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. On the Mall between Third and Seventh streets NW. For a full schedule, visit http://www.loc.gov/bookfest.

Tomorrow

CONCERT My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult Talk about a throwback. This Chicago acid-industrial band, which was campier and more dancey than high-art contemporaries Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, is marking its 20th anniversary with a tour that will recall the Wax Trax years of the late 1980s and early '90s. The tour brings My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult to DC9 tomorrow. $17; $15 in advance online. 9 p.m. 1940 Ninth St. NW. 202-483-5000 or get tickets at http://www.dcnine.com.