The McLean Community Center’s McLean Traveler Program will offer a new view of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia on its “Taste of the Tidewater” tour. The three-day tour is Friday through Sunday, Sept. 10-12. The cost of $745 for McLean residents and $770 for all others (per person, based on double occupancy) includes transportation by private motorcoach and all taxes and gratuities. Highlights of the tour include two-night accommodations at the four-star Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel; visits to Jamestown Settlement, historic Smithfield, the MacArthur Memorial, Nauticus (National Maritime Center), Battleship Wisconsin, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk Botanical Garden and the Mariners Museum; a cruise on the 135-foot, three-masted tall ship American Rover; breakfast at the hotel on Saturday and at the Botanical Garden on Sunday; lunch at Smithfield Inn, Freemason Abbey and Red Maple Inn and dinner at Fusion 440.
For more information or to register (Activity No.1008.240), call the McLean Community Center at 703-790-0123/TTY: 703-827-8255, or visit: www.mcleancenter.org
Garden Stroll and Tea. Spend an afternoon exploring Green Spring Gardens. An English tea is served in the historic Manor House following the guided tour. $22. At Green Spring Gardens Park, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, 703-642-5173. Register and pre-pay for event.
Bird and Butterfly Walks at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Take a free, introductory, guided stroll with butterfly and bird photographer William B. Folsom. Sundays, 12:30 p.m., April-October, at 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. Call 703-255-3631.
Grinding Grain. Sundays, 12-3 p.m., at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Fresh cornmeal, grits and whole wheat flour are for sale in the Colvin Run General Store. Call 703-759-2771 for more information or to check if the mill is running in case of bad weather.
Puppet Show for Preschoolers. Thursdays at 1 p.m., at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Children ages 3-5 can meet Marvin the Miller and his puppet friends to learn how the mill works and how grain is ground. Afterwards, feed the ducks on the mill pond. Cost is $3 per child. Adults are free. For more information, call 703-759-2771.
Freedom Hill Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) meets at the second Saturday of each month from September to June at 12 p.m. at the American Legion Post 270, 1355 Balls Hill Road, McLean. The DAR is a volunteer service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history and improving education. Prospective members and those interested in the lecture topics are welcome. For membership information, call 703-356-2370 or visit http://users.erols.com/denwards or www.dar.org.
Dancing Nights. Fridays and Saturdays, starting May 28, at 9 p.m., at Marcello Ristorante Italiano, 744-A Walker Road, Great Falls. Fridays feature free hors d'oeuvres and a live band playing rock, Motown, Latin and other styles of music. Saturdays, the social dance and meeting nights, include a DJ playing American, Latin, Arabian and other international kinds of music. Cocktail attire. Admission is $10. Free parking. To R.S.V.P., call 703-759-9380 or 703-759-7401.
"Dial M for Murder," Frederick Knots' mystery about greed, insecurity and failed plans, is being performed at the Alden Theater, located in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. Performance dates continue on June 10 and 11, at 8 p.m. Visit www.gfonline.org, or call the Great Falls Players at 703-759-6224. Call the box office at 703-790-9223.
The Northern Virginia Carvers give free woodcarving lessons with a nominal charge for wood blanks on every first and third Sunday of the summer months, June, July and August, at Colvin Run Mill, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Call 703-759-2771.
Mr. Knick Knack performs every Friday through September, 11-11:45 a.m., at Tysons Corner Center, lower level, Community Stage. Call 703-893-9400 or visit www.ShopTysons.com.
Milling Around Summer Afternoons. July 5-Aug. 27, at Colvin Run Mill Historical Site, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Programs are "Little Ears at the Mill," a summertime story, song and craft for children, Mondays, 1-2 p.m., ages 3-6; "History Hunt," a historical hands-on scavenger hunt for children 6-10, Wednesdays, 1-2 p.m.; puppet shows with Marvin the Miller and his puppet friends, Thursdays, 1-2 p.m.; and ice-cream making and a historical game for children 5-10, Fridays, 1-2 p.m. $3 per child. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. Call ahead if weather is inclement. 703-759-2771.
Ice Cream Making. First and third Saturdays beginning June 26, 12-4 p.m., at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Samples are available for 75 cents. For more information, call 703-759-2771.
Toastmasters International, McLean Chapter, meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the Dolley Madison Library. Join them to work on improving your communication skills, to become more effective in meetings and to convey your message more concisely. Contact Theresa Wadell, 703-801-7594.
The Great Falls Women's Club offers bridge lessons, a knitters and crocheters group, a tennis group and a book discussion group. Anyone interested in joining the club is welcome to attend. Membership is open to all Fairfax County residents. Call Patty Staas, 703-356-5845.
Access Services, the Library Branch that serves individuals with disabilities, sponsors a support group for seniors and people with low vision, at the Patrick Henry Library in Vienna. The VIP (Visually Impaired Person) Vienna Group meets at 10:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Patrick Henry Library is located at 101 Maple Ave. E. in Vienna. For more information, call 703-938-0405.
Colvin Run General Store. Visit this restored building with fixtures from 100 years ago, and browse through the old-fashioned store. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., every day except Tuesday. Call 703-759-3403.
The Women's Center hosts the Job Hunters Forum the second Wednesday of each month from 7:30-9 p.m. The forum offers support for women and men who are actively searching for jobs. Cost is $10 members, $25 nonmembers each session.
New Beginnings, a nonprofit support group for separated and divorced individuals, has six meetings a month in the area on different nights in various locations in members' homes. Call 301-924-4101 or visit www.newbeginningsusa.org.
Mothers & More of Northern Virginia is a support organization for mothers who have altered their career path to care for their young children at home. General meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at the Fairfax County Government Center at 7:30 p.m. Call toll-free at 866-716-7766 for more information.
JAM! Jazz McLean, a teen jazz band directed by Rob Holmes, meets every Monday, 6-8 p.m., at the Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean. Bring an instrument. For more information, call 703-893-0910 or visit www.geocities.com/jam4teensva.
Swing Dancing will take place every Wednesday night at the Potomac Swing Dancing Club Room, 146 Maple Ave. E., Vienna, across from Whole Foods. Beginning jitterbug/Lindy Hop lessons are at 7:30 p.m., and dancing continues 8:30-11 p.m. Club members pay $10 for the lesson and dance, $6 for dance alone. Nonmembers pay $12 for lesson and dance, $8 for dance alone. For more information, call Donna Barker at 703-978-0375 or visit www.erols.com/swing4me.
McLean Newcomers Club is a social organization made up of newcomers and not-so-newcomers from McLean and its environs. The club meets at different locations throughout the month, both public and private, for various activities such as museum tours, coffees, card groups, book group, potluck luncheons, house and garden activities and much more. Call 703-237-3138, or visit www.geocities.com/mcleannewcomers for information on activities or to join the club.
Ranger Talks. 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. during the weekends; see the daily program schedule for weekday times. Join a ranger at Overlook 2 to learn more about Great Falls Park and the Potomac River at Great Falls Park. Check daily program schedule for times during the weekdays. Call 703-285-2965 for more information. Free.
Bird-Watching. Rain or shine on Sundays from 8-10 a.m. Join an informal group of bird-watchers to catch a glimpse of resident and migratory birds in Great Falls Park. Meet in the Visitor Center courtyard dressed for the weather. Call 703-285-2965 for more information.
Friends of the Great Falls Library. A group of book-lovers and library users who support special programs for children and adults at the Great Falls Community Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike. The board meets monthly, September through June. For information on becoming a library "friend," call 703-757-8560.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meets every second Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Beverly Hills Methodist Church, 3512 Old Dominion Blvd. in Alexandria. For more information, call 301-439-FLAG or visit pflagdc.org.
The McLean Photo Club meets every second Tuesday of the month, September through June, at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Meet-and-greet at 7 p.m. is followed by the program at 7:30 p.m. Contact Bill Prosser, president, at ProsserWM@aol.com or 703-821-2670.
Personalized Internet Training. Learn how to use the Web, work with e-mail, or use the library databases. At Great Falls Public Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Call for an appointment, 703-757-8560. Adults.
Personalized Internet Training. Learn to use the Web or increase skills. At Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. Call for an appointment, 703-790-8088. Adults.
The Order of the Eastern Star, Herndon Chapter 55, whose district includes Great Falls, holds its closed, regular meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at the Masonic Lodge in Herndon at 8 p.m. For information, call Donna Sumpter at 703-437-0859.
Mothers and the Law, a support/focus group for women with an interest in promoting justice for mothers and children of separation and divorce, meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m., in the library of McLean Baptist Church, 1367 Chain Bridge Road, McLean. Join them to share experiences as litigants in the courts of Virginia. Call 703-748-0072 or 703-421-6203 for more information. Free.