Sailing Club Sign-Up Brunch is on Sunday, March 13, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Colonies, 7681 Provincial Drive, McLean. Members and nonmembers are welcome. Sign up for club membership to be eligible for activities like
beginner and intermediate sailing classes held on the Potomac throughout the year. Racing activities, nighttime river cruises, weekend Bay cruises or even club-organized sailboat charters in exotic locales are also available for sign-up. Cost is a dish to share or $10 at the door. The Sailing Club of Washington, a not-for-profit organization, sails out of Washington Sailing Marina. Visit www.scow.org. Call Commodore Steve at 703-684-5266.
Gemstone Club for budding geologists and jewelry-wearers ages 7 and up are invited to join. Attend one or all of 12 sessions on the last Wednesday of each month. Learn about birthstones and the alternate stones for each month. There will be polished gems and uncut crystals to examine. Each child will take home a gemstone in a protective display box. Collect a year's worth of gems as well as a color photo card to go with each month's birthstone. $4 fee. Reservations required; call 703-228-4747. Meet at Gulf Branch Nature Center, 3608 N. Military Road.
Fairlington Baby-Sitting Co-op. Parents pay $5 annual dues and exchange free baby-sitting services with other members. There are also a few social events each year, as well as the semi-annual children's yard sale at the Fairlington Community Center. Call Liz Lichter, 703-671-0389, or Sarah Priestman, 703-933-3804, for an application and more information.
Fair Golds, an Arlington County-sponsored social group in and around the Fairlington area, meets in room 1 at the Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St., at noon on the first and third Thursday of each month. . The meetings begin with a brown bag lunch-dessert and beverage are provided. Fair Golds always welcomes guests and/or new members that are 55 years old or older. Call Emma, 703-931-2951, or Janet, 703-829-9428.
The Board of Parents for Autistic Children's Education, Inc. (PACE Inc.), a nonprofit organization serving the autism community since 1996 and recently recognized with a nomination for the prestigious Northern Virginia Leadership Award, has voted to become the Northern Virginia Chapter of Parents of Autistic Children (POAC-NoVA). POAC is an international organization dedicated to improving the public
education of special needs students by providing opportunities for scientifically-based training to parents, teachers and related personnel that provide direct services to children with autism and other developmental
disabilities. Meetings are held the second Saturday of each month at the Thomas Jefferson Library, 7415 Arlington Blvd./ Route 50, Falls Church. Visit http://www.poac.net/ or contact Scott Campbell, president, at 703-391-2251.
AMC Movie Club. Movie and dinner. Saturdays, 4-6 p.m. Call Howard at 703-522-0529 or e-mail bulldog344@hotmail.com.
Arlington/Falls Church Young Republicans holds monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of each month at the Boulevard Wood Grill, 2901 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Meetings start informally at 7 p.m. with a happy hour designed for young people to network and progress to a formal meeting downstairs at 7:30-9 p.m.
Kids Clubs. Arlington Mill Club for children in kindergarten through third grade and After-School Adventure Program for fourth- and fifth-graders. Arts and crafts, games, sports, field trips and more. Monday-Friday, 2:45-5:30 p.m., and Wednesday 12:45-5:30 p.m. Call Sarah Naduche at 703-228-6429.
Latin Dance for Teens. Learn to dance different types of Latin dance: salsa, meringue, mambo and cha-cha. Free classes held Tuesdays (4 - 6 p.m.) and Thursdays (3 - 5 p.m.) at the Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, 4200 S. Four Mile Run. Call 703-228-7783.
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 information. Free.
Moms Clubs. Support group for mothers who stay at home with their children. Mom's Club of South Arlington meets the second Monday of each month at the Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St. Meeting places alternate between weeks. Call Tina at 703-486-1036. MOMS Club of North Arlington meets the second Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. Call 703-234-3950, Ext. 3403.
Mothers First-Arlington is dedicated to supporting women that have chosen to alter their careers to raise their children at home. Activities include parent/child morning meetings and field trips, moms night out and lectures. October's meetings are Oct. 5 and 19, from 10:30 a.m.-noon, at the Thomas Jefferson Library, 7415 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church. Call 703-827-5922 or visit www.mothersfirst.org.
New Beginnings. Offers discussion groups and social events for recently separated or divorced men and women. Call 301-924-4101 or visit www.newbeginningsusa.org.
Puppy Parties. Join other dog owners Saturdays, 9-11 a.m. The fenced-off area inside Shirlington Dog Exercise Area, along the bicycle path behind a storage facility along South Four Mile Run (between Shirlington Road and South Walter Reed Drive). One-year-old or younger puppies with proof of vaccinations are welcome. A volunteer will be on hand to answer questions. Call 703-578-0522, or visit www.arlingtondogs.org.
Senior Walking Clubs. There are six senior walking clubs in Arlington sponsored by senior action centers. The groups travel weekly to area destinations for a walk of an hour or more. Walter Reed Walkers walk at 9:30 a.m. on Mondays; Madison Walkers, 7 a.m. on Wednesdays; Walking Club of Arlington, 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays; Dawson Terrace, 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays; and The Lee Walkers, 10 a.m. on Fridays. Call the Office of Senior Adult Programs at 703-228-4744.
Separated? Divorced? Widowed? Two programs for separated, divorced, widowed individuals will be offered by the Arlington Catholic Diocese. The Coping program is conducted for two hours on six consecutive Sundays at St. Phillips Catholic Church in Falls Church and is designed to help individuals get through the trauma of losing a spouse. Cost is $3 per session. The Rebuilding program is held on nine consecutive Sundays at St. Martin DePorres Center in Alexandria and is designed to help people move ahead with their lives after the recover from the trauma and feel ready to get on with life. The $30 cost includes Bruce Fisher’s Rebuilding book. For information about Coping, call Gerri Ellenberger 703-670-4845 or David Bodek 703-729-1945. For Rebuilding call Bob Nemmers 703-869-2671 or Marsha Davis at 703-680-9335.
Success by 6 Arlington Weekly Playgroup. The Arlington Methodist Church, 716 South Glebe Road, provides a program for parents to help their children be ready for school by age six. Meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Call 703-836-1820 or see info@scanva.org.
The Senior Singers Chorale. New member welcome. Meets at Lee Senior Center Tuesdays at 2 p.m. No experience necessary. Free. Call 703-228-0555.