'Writing Your Personal History'' takes place on Thursday, March 6-Aug. 14, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Class meets at Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. The class is an informal, group-run workshop for people interested in documenting their life stories. Class members select the topics and read their work to each other for feedback. The class is free; a donation of $5 is used for coffee and tea at each class. Advance registration is required. Call 703-255-6360.
Vienna Parks and Recreation sponsors an overnight casino trip to Atlantic City on Thursday-Friday, March 4-5. A charter bus leaves at 10 a.m. on Thursday from the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. and returns Friday at 7:30 p.m. Cost to Vienna residents is $154 per person single occupancy; $115 double occupancy; and $108 triple occupancy. Out-of-town participants pay $124-$177. Cost includes transportation, casino package, dinner and breakfast buffets and overnight accommodations at the Holiday Inn on the Boardwalk. Call 703-255-6360.
Open registration begins Monday, March 8 for "A Week in History Camp" for children ages 8-10. Sponsored by Historic Vienna Inc., the camp takes place this summer at Vienna's Freeman House on Church Street. Children will learn about local history through games, music and dance, crafts, herb gardening and cooking. The program also features visits to nearby historic sites. Call for dates and fees at 703-255-6360.
"Wills, Trusts and the High Cost of Dying" takes place on Monday, March 8, from 10-11:30 a.m., at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. The seminar with attorney David Hoffman explores the forms of wills and trusts, federal and state death taxes, common planning mistakes and probate in Northern Virginia.
The program is free and no registration is required. Call 703-255-6360.
Summer playground registration offered by the Town of Vienna begins Monday, March 8. The summer program for children ages 6-11 features seven weeks of arts and crafts, games, special events and field trips. For dates and fees, call 703-255-6360.
Vienna Parks and Recreation hosts an open registration for summer youth sports camps beginning Monday, March 8. In the program, children learn the fundamentals of golf, horseback riding, fencing, tennis, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball and football.
Teens may also register beginning March 8 for activities including white water tubing, horseback riding, trips to Kings Dominion and the Cameron Run wave pool.
Call for dates and fees at 703-255-6360, or visit www.ci.vienna.va.us.
Vienna Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show on Thursday, March 11. A charter bus leaves at 8 a.m. from the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. and returns at 7 p.m. Cost is $54 for residents; $67 for all others. Registration deadline is March 4. Call 703-255-6360.
"Wine Time, A Night of Fine Bulgarian Wines, Entertainment and a Fabulous Dinner" takes place Friday, March 19, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Marco Polo Restaurant, 245 Maple Ave., West, Vienna. Hosts for the fund-raising event are Excellence in Education who sponsor Bulgarian students at MIT and CalTech. Tickets are $100 per person; $800 for a table of eight. For reservations, contact Katerina Ossenova at 703-938-9062, Ext. 222.
Vienna Parks and Recreation is taking applications for the annual Amateur Photography Contest and Exhibit at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. The exhibit dates are Saturday-Sunday, March 20-21. Photos will be judged by local professional photographers and ribbons awarded in eight categories in black and white and color. A separate contest for students in grades 7-12 is offered. The entry fee is $7 per person. Entries are limited to five photos per person and two per category. For more information, call 703-255-6360.
Spring tennis leagues begin play April 4. Men's singles games take place on Thursdays and women's singles on Sundays at Meadow Lane and Glyndon parks. Each league member plays a minimum of seven matches during the season. The fee to participate is $10 for residents; $15 for all others. Register by March 28. Call 703-255-6360.
The adult co-ed football league begins its spring season April 25. Games are played on Sundays at Southside Park. Registration fee is $400 per team and includes 10 regular season double-header games, a post-season tournament, umpire fees, softballs and awards. Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of 12 teams. Call 703-255-6360.
Adult summer basketball league plays June 21-Aug. 6. Two 10-team divisions play a round-robin schedule with the top teams competing in a championship tournament. The fee is $500 per team. There is a $20 charge for each non-Fairfax County player. Call Vienna Parks and Recreation at 703-255-6360.
NOVACO Transitional Housing is a program for victims of domestic abuse. Through HUD funding and community and church donations, the organization offers a comprehensive two-year transitional housing program for families that includes counseling, education for job enhancement, life skills training and child care. All clients receive follow-up counseling for up to two years after graduation from the program. For more information, call 703-938-5458.
"Life Notes with Vera Turner" is in production for broadcast in 2004 on Cox Cable channel 10 in Fairfax and on Comcast Cable channel 10 in Reston. Later in the year, expanded coverage is planned for other public access cable stations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The show tapes before a live audience at Fairfax Public Access Studios on March 15, April 19, May 3 and June 7. To reserve a seat, e-mail info@lifenotestv.com. Visit www.lifenotestv.com. Call 703-837-0227.
The Children's Friendship Project for Northern Ireland (CFPNI) is seeking local families to help further the peace and reconciliation effort. Families are needed to host a pair of Protestant and Roman Catholic teens (boys or girls ages 15-18) for four weeks this summer. To be eligible, families must provide a safe, neutral setting for the teens to get to know one another, a single bedroom for them to share and day-long supervision.
During their stay the teens attend a leadership conference on Capitol Hill and other team-building and social activities, although the majority of their time is spent getting to know each other and joining in the host family's normal routine.
Applications to host must be submitted by March 2004.
For more information or to obtain a host family application, contact Jenny Mullen at 703-450-4479 or nvacoordinator@cfpni.org. Visit www.cfpni.org.
CFPNI is a 17-year-old national, all-volunteer peace program aimed at building trust, understanding and friendship among the next generation of leaders in Northern Ireland.
World Heritage is seeking families, couples (with or without children) or single parents interested in hosting a high-school-age foreign exchange student. Call Judith Henderson at 703-998-0606.
The AARP and IRS joined together to sponsor a free confidential program, "Tax-Aide," in which trained counselors prepare income tax returns and answer income tax questions for low and middle income and senior citizens. The program in Vienna takes place each Tuesday and Wednesday, from Feb. 10 through April 14, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at The SunTrust Bank, 515 Maple Ave., East. Taxpayers should use the bank's Berry Street entrance and go to the third floor. No appointment is needed and the service is free of charge. Items taxpayers should bring include:
* Copies of 2002 Federal and Virginia returns;
* Federal and Virginia 2003 tax forms and booklets received;
* Social Security card or other evidence of numbers for taxpayers and dependents;
* Documents received showing 2003 wages, interest, dividends, pensions;
* Social Security benefits, capital gains and any other income; and
* Documents received showing deductible expenses such as mortgage interest, personal property taxes, medical and health and long term care insurance expenses, charitable contributions and any other deductible expenses.
For more information, contact Ken Quincy at 703-573-7919.