Dr. Seuss is teaming up with The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore for World Oceans Day on Wednesday to honor all the fish in the sea.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as well as its partner organizations are using the beloved children’s book, “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” to educate children and families on different varieties of fish and how everyday actions impact ocean waters.

Fun giveaways will be at the zoo’s Base Camp Discovery on Wednesday, and other Dr. Seuss-themed entertainment will be held there. So if you’re looking for something to do with the kids and camp hasn’t started yet, this is a good way to entertain them and sneak in some education.

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Hunt Valley is about to be invaded by monsters. The Monster-Mania convention this year will feature a tribute to the “Friday the 13th” franchise, with a guest list of more than a dozen actors from the film series.

Mingle with the actors, watch movies, buy memorabilia and get your ghoulish time on. Tickets are $20 to $50, and the action starts Friday at Marriott Hunt Valley Inn.

Check out Charles Village this weekend too, since there’s plenty going on. First off is the Charles Village Festival, free for all attendees at Wyman Park Deli. The weekend-long festival will have live entertainment, food and family activities. Also around Charles Village is the Baltimore Rock Opera Society. The group will present “Amphion” and “The Terrible Secret of Lunastus,” two original rock operas, all weekend long. Tickets are $12 to $15.

And if you don’t feel like sleeping Saturday night, there’s the Starscape Festival, so you can practice insomnia with music and dancing. It starts at noon and lasts through 6 a.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $65 to $149.50 for the show at Fort Armistead Park. Enjoy the sunrise with dance music and dance parties sure to wear you out for Sunday.

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I got a release Wednesday about the Kratt Brothers coming to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The stars of the PBS series “Wild Kratts” will perform two live shows June 26.

Now, if you have no idea who these guys are, you need to check them out even on a blind whim if you have children. The brothers have been making animals entertaining on TV and during live shows since I was in elementary school. Yes, that might have been yesterday, but I was happy to see they’re still around and they’re back at the Maryland Zoo. They’ve visited the venue before (I went at the behest of my family at the age of 10) and they do get kids engaged in wildlife education.

The duo’s new animated show debuted on Maryland Public Television in January, after having a long stint on MPT with other shows. “Kratts’ Creatures,” the original show, first aired on PBS stations in 1994.

Tickets to the show for zoo members are $5 per person, and non-member pays $5 plus general zoo admission. General admission tickets are $16 for adults, $11 for children, and $13 for seniors. Children under 2 are free.

And just for fun, here’s a clip from the Kratt’s Creatures show:

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In light of all the news about plans to change up the Inner Harbor that came out Wednesday, there are definitely some great things going on this holiday weekend worth checking out.

My colleague Melody wrote Tuesday about concerts that are kicking off this weekend at Harborplace. The free, 44-event summer concert series will be rocking through the summer. Saturday shows start at 8 p.m., Sunday shows at 6 p.m.

The NCAA 2011 Men’s Lacrosse Championships will be Friday through Monday. Fans can purchase tickets to the games at M&T Bank Stadium ranging from $75 to $350. Friday kicks off with a USILA North/South Game at Goucher College.

Saturday will be a great day for Brew at the Zoo (complete with wine too) at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The event, also held on Sunday, goes from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets range from $40 for members under 21/designated drivers to $75 for non-members over 21. Wild Famous Dave’s BBQ will also be on hand for 200 guests to enjoy in a private tent for relaxing in the shade.

On Monday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Fort McHenry will observe Memorial Day with wreath-layings, a flag demonstration involving veterans at noon, services at Mount Auburn, Baltimore’s oldest African-American cemetery and observance of the National Moment of Silence (3 p.m. in the Star Fort.)

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This weekend, it’s going to be a little hard not to get your Preak on. Or hail Kegasus. Or whatever you really want to call it. Maryland’s Christmas of horse racing is in town this Saturday, and all eyes will be on Animal Kingdom to win the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico Race Course.

If you’d rather just watch the Preakness Stakes festivities from home, there are other events to enjoy too:

As part of the Preakness Celebration, hot air balloons start Thursday at Turf Valley and go until Saturday at 6 p.m. Admission is free, while tethered ballon rides cost a small fee.

And the Children’s Hospital at Johns Hopkins will hold its 80th annual turtle derby Friday. For a small fee, spectators can name a turtle and enter it to win a cash prize. Races begin at 12:30 p.m. in the Preclinical Teaching Building courtyard on the Johns Hopkins medical campus.

And if you’re looking for something more refined than the infield, there’s the annual Wine in the Woods event at Symphony Woods in Columbia. Going on both Saturday and Sunday, wine tasters can enter for $25 to $30, designated drivers can join for $10 to $15, and children older than 3 years get in for $5. (The super underage set gets in for free.)

The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival is also going on this weekend at Sandy Point State Park Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $55 to $120 and all the action starts at 11 a.m. The lineup includes The Lee Boys, John Mayall, Chris Isaak, Dana Fuchs, Little Feat and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

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Embrace your inner 4-year-old and climb up into the padded seat of a big truck cab. Or a police car.

This Saturday, the Baltimore Museum of Industry has its big truck day event, which should draw in kids from all ages like the Pied Piper.

The event lasts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with lots more outdoor entertainment and half-price admission to the museum itself.

And while you’re around town, catch some lunch or an early dinner on Charles Street during its “Let’s Eat Charles Street” promotion Saturday.  The 300 block of  N. Charles Street will be closed to traffic for an event that features local restaurants, retailers, kids’ activities and live music. Food and drink prices will vary, but admission to the event itself is free. Participating vendors are listed on the event’s website.

And draw on your pencil mustache! John Waters will be visiting Atomic Books on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Baltimore-native film director will be there to sign copies of “Role Models,” available in softcover.

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Today, I’m on the hunt for Woody Harrelson.

“Game Change” is filming at the Tremont Grand, right around the corner from TDR’s offices, and security and set people have told us that Harrelson’s supposed to make an appearance Monday to shoot a scene.

The made-for-TV movie about the 2008 presidential election is filming around the state, and has made its way to downtown Baltimore. Harrelson plays Steve Schmidt, a senior campaign adviser to Sen. John McCain. Also set to star in the movie is Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, and a bunch of other people.

In case you’ve been walking around Charles Street lately and noticed the orange and black “Denali” signs, it’s for Denali Productions Inc., a commercial production company. If you’re curious, president Bob Carmichael’s site is here, showing the array of other work they’ve done.

While a few of us TDR staff walked right through a scene shortly before 11 a.m., none of the actors were him. One set man quipped that  Harrelson hadn’t woken up yet, while a security guard told us that we may not get to see him on account of his entourage.

The day is still early, Mr. Harrelson.

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Yes, The Daily Record is devoted to covering legal and business news — but many of our readers are University of Maryland graduates, and they were no doubt shocked by the sudden retirement this week of longtime basketball coach Gary Williams. So, having a sports story atop our list of the week’s five most-read stories isn’t all that surprising.

1. Maryland basektball coach Gary Williams retiring – by Rachel Bernstein
“It’s the right time,” Williams said in a news release. “I am fiercely proud of the program we have built here. I couldn’t have asked any more from my players, my assistant coaches, the great Maryland fans and this great university.”

2. Towson U. could lease part of nearly vacant complex – by Melody Simmons
Administrators at Towson University are eyeing the nearly vacant Towson Commons to lease for possible classroom and academic office space, a conversion some say could rejuvenate the center of the communit

3. Md. casinos total $13.5 million in April slots revenue – by Rachel Bernstein
Hollywood Casino Perryville generated more than $10 million, or an average of $223.38 for each of the 1,500 machines at the Cecil County facility. That’s more than the $210 per machine the state said it would average before the casinos opened.

4. After relocation, ex-Middle East resident living in misery – by Melody Simmons
Just after she settled on the single-family house in the 3400 block of Kentucky Avenue in Belair-Edison for a purchase price of $184,900, a multitude of things went wrong.

5. Audit finds discrepancies in Maryland Transit Administration ridership numbers – by Nicholas Sohr
The Maryland Transit Administration reported to federal officials carrying 18 million more bus riders than it did when submitting ridership data to the state in fiscal 2009.

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Baltimore Orioles TV ratings are up on MASN, according to Nielsen Research.

Through the team’s first 26 games of the 2011 season, the household audience in the Baltimore market overall is 24 percent larger than it was last year. That means an average of 61,208 area homes tuned to Orioles games this spring.

Viewing is up in all demographics, according to Nielsen, including a 33 percent increase in men 18 to 34 years of age. A year-to-year increase of 25 percent happened among males 25 to 54 years of age. Orioles audience is also more than twice as large in the Washington, D.C., market than it was last year.

The Washington Nationals TV ratings are up 78 percent on MASN over last year.

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It’s back again! The Maryland Film Festival is here for our viewing pleasure Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are $10 for most screenings, so get them soon after checking out the great schedule.

John Waters will be presenting “Domaine,” while Animal Collective presents “Boxer’s Omen.” So, if nothing else, you’ll see some local celebrities there, and Harry Belafonte for the closing night special documentary. Speaking of movies, Belafonte’s very name always evokes this scene in my head.

Now, free comic books. Head to Atomic Books in Hampden to get free comics and to celebrate the debut of the third issue of Mutant. You can also jump over to the Collectors Corner in Parkville for free comics, free pizza, a trivia contest and appearances by comic creators and characters.

And it’s Flowermart this weekend! Both Friday and Saturday, the festival will go on from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Mt. Vernon’s parks near the Washington Monument. Check out dance performances, contests, music, parades, food and of course, flowers.

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