Gather Around for Story Time, But Leave the Little Ones at Home

FILM Frank Zappa Mini-Festival Continues The Library of Congress's music division is hosting a series of rock films through December, and among the offerings are movies made by the late Zappa. Monday, expect a double feature: the violent claymation flick "The Amazing Mr. Bickford" (directed with Bruce Bickford) and the 1984 concert video "Does Humor Belong in Music?" Free, but reservations are suggested. 7 p.m. Mary Pickford Theater, third floor, Library of Congress, Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. SE. Call 202-707-5677 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to make a reservation. For the full schedule, visit http://www.loc.gov/rr/mopic/pickford/pickford.html.

MARYLAND

Today

THE HOLIDAYS Frosty Friday This annual tradition in downtown Frederick is both a holiday festival and a Black Friday economic booster. The city's quaint shops open early, restaurants serve post-Thanksgiving breakfasts (which, yes, cost money), Frosty arrives to mingle with his public, the Dickens Carolers sing and free hot cocoa is served. Highlights also include the "fair trade" market for kids, which sells items for $5 or less, and, assuming you have no ethical considerations, horse-drawn carriage rides ($10 per adult, $5 per child). And the night ends, oddly enough, with "Dark Side of Oz" -- a screening of "The Wizard of Oz" paired with the classic Pink Floyd record "The Dark Side of the Moon." Film: $6; seniors and students, $4. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St. Festival: Market, Patrick and Carroll streets, Frederick. For a full schedule, visit http://www.downtownfrederick.org/play/frostyfriday.htm or call 301-698-8118.

FOR FAMILIES "Alice" Round House Theatre enlisted renowned family-theater playwright Mary Hall Surface to adapt Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" for its new production. The classic story follows Alice's journey down the rabbit hole and into a surreal universe, of course. For age 6 and older. Wednesdays-Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m., and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Dec. 28. Round House Theatre, 4545 East West Hwy., Bethesda. http://www.roundhousetheatre.org or 240-644-1100.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Today

THE SCENE Dance With the Grandsons Burn off last night's calories when the local swing/rockabilly quartet returns to the Barns at Wolf Trap for one of the venue's regular dance events. Many of the chairs are cleared for the performance to make room for dancers. $16. Tonight at 8. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Rd., Vienna. 877-965-3872 or visit http://www.wolf-trap.org.

Tomorrow

FOR FAMILIES Annual Scottish Preview Every December, Alexandria plays host to event after event tied to the Campagna Center's Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend. That's scheduled for next week, but this weekend you can catch a fraction of the Scottish flavor -- the dogs, the Highland dancers, the food, the Tartan Day representatives -- when the Lyceum hosts the Scottish Preview. Free. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow. 201 S. Washington St., Alexandria. 703-838-4994.

Tuesday

ON STAGE "Les Misérables" The onetime Broadway hit (which can seem, dare we say it, as bombastic as a Bollywood film) gets a freshening-up and a new scale here: For its new production of the musical, Signature Theatre enlisted a set designer to create a vast set that will "encase" the 280-seat black box Max Theatre with a 19th-century Parisian feel. "Les Miz" starts Tuesday. $65-$87. Through Jan. 25 (no performances Dec. 16, Dec. 24-25 or Jan. 1). Signature Theatre, 4200 S. Campbell Ave., Arlington. 202-397-7328 or visit http://www.signature-theatre.org.