Calendar

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.

This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost. For additional calendar listings, visit our Web site at www.connectionnewspapers.com.

<cal1>Wednesday/March 30

<cal2>Women's History Program. A visit with the stars of Aurora Studio's production of "Little Women," Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 20130 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 4 p.m. The actors will teach the audience some games and dances. Call 703-444-3228, Ext. 309.

Sunflowers for Vincent. In honor of artist Vincent Van Gogh's birthday, look at masterpieces, listen to stories and create sunflowers. For ages 5-9. Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, 4 p.m. Advanced registration required by March 29, call 703-737-8105.

Auditions. The Growing Stage Theatre Company will hold auditions for its summer main stage production of Rogers and HammersteinÕs musical, ÒThe Sound of Music.Ó Auditions will be held by appointment only at Heritage High School, Leesburg, from 6-9 p.m. Those auditioning should come prepared with a one-minute monologue and be ready to sing a favorite song. Call 540-338-5367. Call backs will be held on April 2, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Performances of ÒThe Sound of MusicÓ are scheduled for June 24-July 4.

Senior Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, is hosting a trip to Boyds Bear Country, a teddy bear store, and two-hour bus tour of Gettysburg. Includes transportation and tour. Lunch not provided. Moderate walking. Cost $12 for members/$14 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397 to register and for departure/arrival times and locations.

<cal1>Thursday/March 31

<cal2>Family Film Night. Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, 7 p.m. "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," rated G. Bring pillows, blankets and a snack. Call 703-737-8100.

Non-Fiction Book Club. Discussion of "Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women," by Catherine Thimmesh. Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 4 p.m. For ages 6 and up. Advanced registration by March 25, call 703-444-3228, Ext. 309.

Spring to Life. Ages 3-6. Look for signs of spring and learn about the season through games and a craft. 9:30-11 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. The cost to attend is $10.25 per child. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling, at 703-444-1275.

Senior Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, is hosting a two-hour trip to the World War II and FDR Memorials or walk over to the Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials. Includes transportation with free admission to memorials. Lunch at Clyde's, at own expense. Extensive walking. Cost $7 for members/$9 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397 to register and for departure/arrival times and locations.

<cal1>Friday/April 1

<cal2>Basket Bingo. The Lucketts Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a filled basket bingo. Doors open at 6 p.m., with games starting at 7 p.m. Includes 28 games and two raffles. Cost $20. Call 703-777-9344 or e-mail luckettsbingo10@yahoo.com.

Play. The Sterling Playmakers' present Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," 8 p.m., at Sterling Middle School, 201 W. Holly Ave., Sterling. Tickets $10, with group rates available. Call 703-729-8901 or www.sterlingplaymakers.com.

Screenwriters Workshop. Screenwriter, producer and script consultant Khris Baxter will offer an insider's view into professional screen writing, 7 p.m., at Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St. Admission is $4 for Leesburg residents and members of The Writer's Center; $6 for the general public. Call 301-654-8664 or visit www.writer.org.

Singles Dance. Parents Without Partners sponsors a singles dance, from 8 p.m.-midnight, at the Burke Fire Station, 9501 Old Burke Lake Road, Burke. A disc jockey provides light rock, pop and top 40 music. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and snacks. Cash bar. Designed for singles ages 30 and older. Attire is dressy/casual, no denim. Cost is $14 general admission, $12 with this listing. Proceeds to benefit PWP Family & Youth programs. Call 703-362-6496 or 703-543-8215 or visit www.pwp715.org.

Encampment. 250th commemoration of the French and Indian War for all ages. Two hundred and fifty years ago, Lt. Col. George Washington traveled the Claude Moore ParkÕs VestalÕs Gap Road with 120 militiamen heading towards Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) to confront the French. His defeat along the way at Fort Necessity began the French and Indian War. Visit a period camp created by re-enactors and learn about the skills used by soldiers in 1755. Special activities will be available for children. No registration necessary. Cost $2 per person. From 9 a.m.-2 p.m., rain or shine. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling, 703-444-1275.

<cal1>Saturday/April 2

<cal2>Bluegrass Concerts. The Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, hosts two bluegrass bands, Tom Gray, Les Woodie and Tony Ellis and Dave Verney and the Carolina Road Band. Doors open at 6 p.m. with music beginning at 7 p.m. Cost $12 at the door. Refreshments available at the snack bar. Call 703-771-5281.

Wine U. Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg, 4-6 p.m. Learn about grapes, wines and vines in a casual and fun atmosphere. Wine tasting, vineyard and cave tour included. Cost $15. 703-771-7100, Ext. 249 or visit www.tarara.com.

Humane Society Fund-Raiser. The Humane Society of Loudoun County is holding a fund-raiser with live music by The Calypso Nuts at Bungalow Billiards in Cascades, from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $5 donation is appreciated. Silent auction/raffles will be held. Proceeds support homeless animals of Loudoun County. Visit www.bungalo4u.com or www.parrothead.org.

Car Wash. Come to the Potomac Falls Xpress Lube in Cascades, between Applebees and Borders, Saturday, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., and let the youth of Saint MatthewÕs Episcopal Church wash your car. Your donation will help fund their mission trip this summer to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. Visit www.stmatthewssterling.org or call the church at 703-430-2121.

Concert. The Aurora Guitar Quartet will perform at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, 2 p.m., as part of the Live @ the Library series. For all ages. Call 703-737-8100.

Draw In. The Naturalist Center, 741 Miller Drive, S.E., Suite G-2, Leesburg, will hold a "Draw In," from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Artists and illustrators 10 years of age or older are encouraged to try hand drawing objects from the center's collection of natural history specimens. Bring own art supplies. Professional illustrators will be on hand to give assistance. At 1 p.m., local artist Brian Kirk will demonstrate stone sculpture techniques. Call 703-779-9712.

National Park Day. An annual historic preservation event, beginning at 9 a.m., at Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park at the end of Ball's Bluff Road, Leesburg. Participants

gather at the sites to help with activities that range from trash removal to trail building. In exchange for the hard work, volunteers receive T-shirts and have an opportunity to hear

a local historian discuss the significance of the site. Contact Laurelyn Rawson, park ranger, at 703-737-7800 Templehallfarm@nvrpa.org.

Explorer Dinner. The Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company 6 in Old Ashburn will be holding a spaghetti and meatball dinner, from 5-8 p.m., to benefit its Explorers Post. Cost $10 per adult, $7 for seniors and free for children under 3. Includes garlic bread and salad. In addition, there will be a raffle for a Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic headset with noise cancellation and a single portable compact disc player. Raffle tickets are $2 or three for $5. All proceeds go to the Explorers Post. Contact Toni 703-729-0006.

Orphans Fund-Raiser. Dragonslayer Applications, in conjunction with Hope 4 Our Children, is hosting an Indonesian Cultural Festival to raise funds for an Indonesian boarding school for orphans, from 2-5 p.m., at River Bend Middle School on Algonkian Parkway in the Cascades area of Sterling. Featuring traditional foods, shadow-box puppet shows, musicians, dancers and childrenÕs crafts, coffee from Java and Sumatra. In addition there will be information on the project. Visit www.DragonslayerApps.com or the Hope 4 Our Children Web site at www.Hope4OurChildren.com.

Symposium. ÒNative Voices: Contact, Culture and Traditions,Ó from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg. Open to the public. Cost is $15 per person or $7 for Loudoun Museum members and students with identification. Continental breakfast and box lunch included. Reservations required, call 703-777-7427. Speakers include Timothy Shannon, Gettysburg College,

ÒThe Art and Artifacts of Indian Diplomacy in Early America;Ó Karenne Wood, Monacan Nation, ÒThe Monacan Experience from Contact to Present;Ó and Scott Barrows, masterÕs candidate, James Mason University, ÒThe Struggle for the Ohio Valley: Native American and Anglo-American Conflict 1763-1794.Ó

What Do Animals Eat for Lunch? Ages 3-6. Learn about the things animals eat and where and how they find them. 9:30-11 a.m. or 12:30-2 p.m. Registration fee is $10.25 per child. Call Claude Moore Park at 703-444-1275. 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.

Spring Babies. 10-11a.m. Ages 3-5 years. Look in the forests and meadows for new signs of wildlife such as eggs, nests and the babies themselves, read a story and make a nature craft to take home. Advance registration required by March 30. Cost members $6 per child, $4 for each additional sibling; nonmembers $9 per child, $6 for each additional sibling. Rust Sanctuary of the Audubon Naturalist Society, 802 Children's Center Road, Leesburg. Call 703-669-0000.

<cal1>Sunday/April 3

<cal2>Open House. Temple Hall Farm Regional ParkÕs free spring open house, from 1-4 p.m., at the Northern Virginia Regional Park AuthorityÕs working farm at 15789 Temple Hall Lane in Leesburg. The open house also will begin the 2005 season of free Sunday afternoon visits, from 1-4 p.m., through Sunday, Oct. 30. No reservations required. Call 703-779-9372 or e-mail templehallfarm@nvrpa.org.

Play. The Sterling Playmakers' present Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," 2 p.m., at Sterling Middle School, 201 W. Holly Ave., Sterling. Tickets $10, with group rates available. Call 703-729-8901 or www.sterlingplaymakers.com.

<cal1>Monday/April 4

<cal2>Teen Cafe and Book Chat. Includes games, music, snacks, poetry and door prizes. Experience "Seventh Grade Soap Opera" from "Big Talk: Poems for four Voices," by Paul Fleishman. Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 4 p.m. Advanced registration required by April 3, call 703-444-3228, Ext. 309. For ages 12-18.

<cal1>Tuesday/April 5

<cal2>Senior Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, is hosting a trip to Boyds Bear Country, a teddy bear store, and two-hour bus tour of Gettysburg. Includes transportation and tour. Lunch not provided. Moderate walking. Cost $12 for members/$14 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397 to register and for departure/arrival times and locations.

Blood Drive. Inova Blood Donor Services is holding a blood drive, 1:30-7:30 p.m. Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg. For an appointment, call 1-866-BLOODSAVES (1-866-256-6372) or visit www.inova.org/donateblood.

Book Discussion. Author Stephen Budiansky will be at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 7 p.m. to discuss "Air Power: The men, Machines and Ideas that Revolutionized War, from Kitty Hawk to Gulf War II," as part of the Live @ the Library series. For teens 13 and up, and adults. Call 703-444-3228.

PTO Night. Lowes Island Night at Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, from 5-8 p.m., 15 percent of all purchases from Baja Fresh will benefit the Lowes Island Elementary PTO. Baja Fresh has Mexican-style food including burritos, tostadas, soft shell tacos, taquitos, quesadillas, and all you can drink self-serve beverages. Dine in, or call 571-434-7230 for take-out. Baja Fresh is located in the Cascades Marketplace at 20968 Southbank St. For more information, call 703-444-7532.

Club Meetings. Mothers First, a club dedicated to supporting women who have chosen to alter their careers to raise their children at home. The Leesburg chapter will meet 10-11:15 a.m., at the Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road; the Sterling chapter meets 10:30 a.m.-noon, at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place; the Ashburn chapter meets 10:15-11:45 a.m., at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn. Call 703-827-5922 or visit www.mothersfirst.org.

<cal1>Wednesday/April 6

<cal2>Senior Movie. At the Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. "Finding Neverland," starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie. Fictional account of author James Barrie's struggle to bring "Peter Pan" to the stage. Rated PG-13. Admission $2, includes movie, popcorn and soda. Call 703-430-2397.

Health Program. Dr. Joanna Shuman, DPM, will be discussing the importance of practicing good foot health, 10:30 a.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Free. Call 703-430-2397.

Walk Presentation. Katy Werich will be discussing the Loudoun County Arthritis Walk that will take place at the Belmont Plantation May 14. Free. 12:30 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Call 703-430-2397.

Bees! Bees! Bees! Presented by Bill Bundy, president of the Loudoun Beekeeper's Association, 4 p.m., Eastern Loudoun regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Meet live bees, learn facts about their lives, how they make honey and more. For ages 5 and up. Call 703-444-3228.

Adult Seminar. Inspired to Exercise, learn how to set short-term and long-term goals, identify intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and learn training methods to move past training plateaus. $15 per person. Sterling Annex, 1115 W. Church Road, 7-8 p.m. Preregistration required, call 703-862-3942.

<cal1>Thursday/April 7

<cal2>Poetry Reading. Northern Virginia Community College

Loudoun Campus presents Lyn Lifshin at the 14th Annual Hansen Poetry Reading, at 8 p.m., at Waddell Theater on the Loudoun Campus, 1000 Harry Byrd Highway, Sterling. Free and open to the public. Contact Nathan Leslie, 703-450-2646.

Frogshackle Open House. All ages. Hands-on experience exploring artifacts from the natural world. See and touch feathers, nests, shells, fossils, rocks and more from animals and plants that live and grow near and far. Monthly themes: April-plants and seeds; May-geese; June-foxes. Children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. At 2:30 p.m. This program is free. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.

<cal1>Friday/April 8

<cal2>Health Program. Dr. James Laredo of Reston Hospital Center will be discussing Pulmonary Vascular Disease (PVD), 10:30 a.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Free. Call 703-430-2397.

Senior Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, is hosting the 5th Annual Rolling Cherry Blossoms Tour. Visit the FDR Memorial on the way to the Tidal Basin. Includes transportation. Lunch not provided. Moderate walking. Cost $15 for members/$17 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397 to register and for departure/arrival times and locations.

Club Meeting. The speaker for the CountrySide Women's Club general meeting will be Karen MacLeod of the Loudoun Museum, who will discuss the development of the museum as the official repository of Loudoun County history. At 9:30 a.m., at the Parkway Pool Meeting Room, Algonkian Parkway in CountrySide. Prospective members are welcome. Call president Barbara at 703-724-9479 or vice president Teresa at 703-444-3035.

Nature Times Two. Ages 3-5. Enjoy nature for parent and child. Programs on different nature themes include stories, games, crafts and a hike or other outdoor activities. No older siblings. 10-11 a.m. The cost to attend is $6.75 per child. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling, at 703-444-1275.

Wild Nightlife. Search for signs and sounds of owls, opossums, bats and other nocturnal friends and discuss their adaptations for life after dark. Advance registration required by April 5. For ages 4 and up with adult. Cost: members $6 per child, $4 for each additional sibling; nonmembers $9 per child, $6 for each additional sibling. Rust Sanctuary of the Audubon Naturalist Society, 802 Children's Center Road, Leesburg. Call 703-669-0000.

<cal1>Saturday/April 9

<cal2>Coffeehouse Series. The Shenandoah Coffeehouse Series concludes with a performance by Eleni Kelakos, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun, 20460 Gleedville Road. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the performance at 8 p.m. Tickets available at the door. Smoke-free and alcohol-free event. Bring a coffee mug, refreshments provided by the host. Visit http://www.shenandoahacoustics.com/scs.

Cancer Center Fund-Raiser. ÒVintage & Vine,Ó Òa black-tie eveningÓ featuring a designer fashion show illustrating the styles of the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, from 7 p.m.-midnight, at Lansdowne Resort; and is a fund-raiser to build a cancer center at Loudoun Hospital. A few individual tickets are available at $300 each, call 703-771-2801 or visit www.loudounhospital.org.

School Fund-Raiser. Western Fun Fair, Sterling Elementary School, 200 W. Church Road, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (rain or shine). Includes food, fun games and variety of prizes. Entertainment by Bob the Vid Techâ from Maryland Public Television. Proceeds from this PTA fund-raiser will help build a track for the school. Includes more than 50 raffle drawings and the Wild West Silent Auction, including a fire truck ride, a helicopter ride, Ringling Brothers Circus tickets, Washington Nationals tickets and much more.

Family Fun Day. Loudoun Museum will host its first free, family fun day, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the museumÕs grounds and gardens at 16 Loudoun St., S.W. in Leesburg. From "Mobcaps to Moccasins" celebrates the cultures of LoudounÕs early residents during the time of the French and Indian War. Experience life in the 1750s, talk with re-enactors, learn about the arts of open-air cooking, historic pottery and weaving, listen to storytellers, make historic crafts and try colonial games. Includes hands-on events for children. Contact Janis Golden, director of education, 703-777-7427 or education@loudounmuseum.org.

Yard Sale. The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is holding a gift shop yard sale, from 9 a.m. -12 p.m., on the grounds of the Heritage Farm Museum at 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. Contact Kara Koonce at 703-421-1128.

Arbor Day Celebration. The 17th Annual Loudoun Arbor Day Celebration will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, about one mile from Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. Includes a day of activities, demonstrations and the opportunity to take home a tree to plant in observance of Arbor Day. A parade begins at 11 a.m., followed by a ceremony featuring keynote speaker Dennis Desmond, a reptile rescue and rehabilitator. The Hamilton Ruritan Club will be selling barbecue and other

refreshments. Everything else at the event is free, including tree seedlings that will be given away by the Virginia Department of Forestry and Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District. Visit the Loudoun County

Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/general/arbor.htm or call the Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District at 703-777-2075, Dana Malone with the Loudoun County Government at 703-771-5991 or Carol Evans with the Virginia Department of Forestry at 703-777-0457.

Bird Walk. Beginner bird walks, at the Rust Sanctuary of the Audubon Naturalist Society, 802 Children's Center Road, Leesburg. 8 a.m. These one-hour walks through the sanctuary are for bird watching beginners and are led by an experienced birder. Learn about what to look and listen for and tips on identification. Bring binoculars and field guide if have them; if not, some available to loan. Free. To register, call 703-669-0000.

<cal1>Saturday/April 10

<cal2>Music at the Library. Plunky & Oneness featuring J. Plunky Branch will perform at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, 2 p.m., as part of the Live @ the Library series. The band features a broad spectrum of music including African-American, jazz, rhythm and blues, reggae and rap. For all ages. Call 703-737-8100.

Plant Exchange. The 12th annual spring seed and plant exchange at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 2 p.m. Bring extra seeds, bulbs, plants and cuttings to exchange with others. Flowers, herbs, house plants and vegetable seeds are accepted. No money will exchange hands. Call 703-430-2136.

<cal2>Play. The Sterling Playmakers' present Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," 2 p.m., at Sterling Middle School, 201 W. Holly Ave., Sterling. Tickets $10, with group rates available. Call 703-729-8901 or www.sterlingplaymakers.com.

GoodDogz Fund-Raiser. First annual GoodDogz Gala and Silent Auction at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant in Tysons Corner, proceeds go to support the efforts of dog rescue organizations and help keep homeless dogs out of shelters. Dress is black and white, classy. Black-tie optional. Includes heavy hors' de oeuvres, open bar, celebrity guests and silent auction. Cost $75 per person; $120 per couple. For tickets, please go to https://www.gooddogz.org/events/gala.htm or call 571-233-4557.

<cal1>Monday/April 11

<cal2>Frogshackle Open House. All ages. Hands-on experience exploring artifacts from the natural world. See and touch feathers, nests, shells, fossils, rocks and more from animals and plants that live and grow near and far. Monthly themes: March-tracks; April-plants and seeds; May-geese; June-foxes. Children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. At 11 a.m. This program is free. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.

Movies @ the Library. "Bambi," rated G. Bring popcorn and drinks. Take home books about forest animals. Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 2 p.m. For all ages. Call 703-444-3228.

Book Sale. Curves of Sterling will be hosting an Usborne Books book fair to benefit the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter (LAWS), from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and from 4-8 p.m., at 21475 Ridgetop Circle, #110, Sterling in the Arthritis and Sports Building. Contact Karen or Teresa at 571-434-2999.

<cal1>Tuesday/April 12

<cal2>Lecture. Best-selling author Helen Fisher, Ph.D., will present a lecture at the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. One of this countryÕs most prominent anthropologists, Fisher has conducted extensive research on the evolution, expression and science of love, and has published four books ÒWhy We Love,Ó ÒThe First Sex,Ó ÒThe Anatomy of LoveÓ and ÒThe Sex Contract.Ó At 2 p.m., Waddell Theater, Northern Virginia Community College, 1000 Harry Flood Byrd Highway (Route 7), Sterling. Free and open to the public. Contact Dr. Beth Bryant at 703-450-2515.

Blood Drive. Inova Blood Donor Services is holding a blood drive, 3-8 p.m. Sterling Park Safety Center, Patton Hall, 46700 Middlefield Drive, Sterling. For an appointment, call 1-866-BLOODSAVES (1-866-256-6372) or visit www.inova.org/donateblood.

Library 101. Eastern Loudoun regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 4 p.m. For children 6 and up. Learn about the Dewey Decimal System, how to use the online catalog and play a treasure hunt. Advance registration required by April 8. Call 703-444-3228, Ext. 309.

Baka Club. Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg, hosts the Baka Club, for those interested in anime and comics. For ages 12-18. View the latest manga and anime available or bring own favorites to share. Includes drawing, discussion, screenings and refreshments of Japanese candy and soda. 6 p.m. Advance registration required, call 703-771-5624.

<cal1>Wednesday/April 13

<cal2>Shelter Tails. Learn about the local animal shelter, why its important to adopt homeless pets and how to choose a pet and care for it. For ages 5 and up. 4 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road. call 703-737-8100.

<cal1>Thursday/April 14

<cal2>All That Jazz. Presented by the Stone Bridge High School Jazz Ensemble. Learn basic information about the development of jazz styles and receive an introduction to the musical instruments. Several jazz pieces will be played. For all ages. Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, 4:30 p.m. Call 703-737-8100.

Senior Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling, is hosting a casino trip to Charles Town, W.Va. Includes transportation and $5 cash back, which is subject to change. Lunch not provided. Minimum walking. Cost $7 for members/$9 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397 to register and for departure/arrival times and locations.

Book Sale. Curves of Sterling will be hosting an Usborne Books book fair to benefit the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter (LAWS), from 8 a.m.-noon, at 21475 Ridgetop Circle, #110, Sterling in the Arthritis and Sports Building. Contact Karen or Teresa at 571-434-2999.

Backpack and Snack. Ages 3-6. Hike the wilds of the park to look for and learn about birds, bugs, mammals and more. Listen to a nature story sitting among the trees. Bring water and a simple snack to eat on the trail. 9:30-11 a.m. or 12:30-2 p.m. Registration fee is $10.25 per child. Call Claude Moore Park at 703-444-1275. 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.

<cal1>Friday/April 15

<cal2>Nature Buddies. Age 2. This introduction to nature, for toddlers and an adult, will use the child's senses to explore nature, indoors and out. No siblings. 10-10:30 a.m. or 11-11:30 a.m. The cost to attend is $3.50 per child. Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling, at 703-444-1275.

<cal1>Saturday/April 16

<cal2>Golf Fund-Raiser. The Brad Kaminsky Foundation for Brain Tumor Research, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for brain tumor research, will host its Fourth Annual Heroes of Hope Golf Tournament and Silent Auction at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg. The golf tournament begins at 1:30 p.m. with a shotgun start and an awards dinner to follow at 7 p.m. There will be a best-ball tournament and many contests including two hole in one chances to win a new car. Prior to and during the tournament the public can come out and "Shop for a CURE" at the silent auction, which will feature Duke Blue Devils and Penn State autographed items, grand suites from the Warner Theatre and much more or bid on line at

http://www.tbkf.org/golftournament/auction.htm. In

addition there will be many home-based businesses who will donate a portion of sales to brain tumor research. Visit www.tbkf.org or contact Lisa Kaminsky-Millar at

703-729-9897 or DNL1231@aol.com.

<cal1>Monday/April 18

<cal2>Backpack and Snack. Ages 3-6. Hike the wilds of the park to look for and learn about birds, bugs, mammals and more. Listen to a nature story sitting among the trees. Bring water and a simple snack to eat on the trail. 9:30-11 a.m. or 12:30-2 p.m. Registration fee is $10.25 per child. Call Claude Moore Park at 703-444-1275. 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.

<cal1>Tuesday/April 19

<cal2>Club Meetings. Mothers First, a club dedicated to supporting women who have chosen to alter their careers to raise their children at home. The Leesburg chapter will meet 10-11:15 a.m., at the Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road; the Sterling chapter meets 10:30 a.m.-noon, at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place; the Ashburn chapter meets 10:15-11:45 a.m., at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn. Call 703-827-5922 or visit www.mothersfirst.org.

<cal1>Wednesday/April 20

<cal2>SAT Tips. Robert Otten, associate vice president of Academic Affairs at Marymount University, will offer tips on writing the essay for the new SAT. Learn what graders are looking for and how to write an essay that will stand out. The new SAT will be used beginning spring 2005. For ages 16 and up. Advanced registration required, call 703-444-3228, Ext. 5. Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling, 7 p.m.

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