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 Friday, 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.
Cookies for my Dad, Wednesday, June 14, for children 4 and up. Bake and decorate cookies for dad or grandfather for Father's Day. Class is 4-5 p.m., at the Sterling Annex, 22084 Shaw Road. Cost $7 per child, plus $4 supply fee to instructor. Preregistration required, call 703-430-6673.
Loudoun County Broadband Services is co-sponsoring a Community Broadband Workshop, Thursday, June 15, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building, 21000 Education Court in Ashburn.
Scott Bashore, manager of Loudoun County Broadband Services, will provide an update on the county's efforts to increase broadband access and consumer choice for Loudoun residents and to ensure that local businesses and government agencies have access to broadband services.
The workshop, sponsored by the county and the Intel Corporation, also will feature reports on successful community broadband projects and will include small group breakout sessions.
The workshop is free, but reservations are required, call Jackie Sweet at 408-765-4518 or send an e-mail to jackie.sweet@intel.com.
Spring workshops are being offered at the Loudoun Academy of the Arts in Leesburg.
Plein Air Painting Master Class with Ed Cooper. Fifteen-hour outdoor workshop with award-winning painter. June 16-18. $200.
Registrations are open now for an entire summer's worth of art programs for children. Visit www.loudounacademy.org for the complete schedule. Call 703-777-8043 to register. The Loudoun Academy of the Arts is a 501c3 educational organization located at 222 South King St., Leesburg.
The Loudoun Museum and the Loudoun Sampler Guild are offering the 11th annual Children's Needlework Seminar the week of June 19-23, for children entering fourth grade through high school.
The seminar is taught by experienced needle workers with a broad background in the needle arts. Aspiring embroiderers will learn different stitches and techniques based on their level of experience. Course projects are designed for beginner, intermediate, and advanced stitchers.
The seminar will be held at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, from 9 a.m.-noon. The fee of $65 will include the cost of all materials and supplies. Advance registration is required by June 9. Proceeds benefit the Loudoun Museum's Collections Fund. Call the Loudoun Museum at 703-777-7427 or e-mail education@loudounmuseum.org.
On every first and third Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., offers ESL basic computer skills needed for Internet, e-mail and word processing. Recommended for speakers of English as a second language. Limit 10 students per session. Register by calling 703-430-9500 V/TYY. Upcoming dates are June 20.
Birds of a Feather, for ages 4-6. Would you like worms and seeds for lunch? Taking a bath in the dirt? How about building a nest with only your mouth? In this two-day class, try living like a bird and see how you like the feathered life. Class runs Tuesday and Thursday, June 20 and 22, from 9:30-11 a.m., 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling. Cost is $20.50/child. Contact 703-444-1275.
KidzArt preschool at the Douglass Community Center, 407 East Market St., Leesburg, for ages 3.5-5. Children are guided through an easy to follow curriculum by a certified instructor who introduces them to the "language" of art. Classes are Tuesdays and Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon, June 20 and June 22; June 27 and June 29; July 11 and July 13; July 18 and July 20; and July 25 and July 27, cost is $98 for each two-day class.
To register, contact the Douglass Community Center at 703-771-5913 or e-mail dcc@loudoun.gov.
The Sterling Annex, 22084 Shaw Road, is offering an introduction to Indian Bollywood dance class for children and adults. Introduction to Indian music and dance elements of Bollywood. Thursdays, June 22-Aug. 10, 5-5:45 p.m. for children 5-12; 6-6:45 p.m. for adults. Fee is $65. Call 703-430-6673 to register.
The Loudoun County Extension Office is offering food safety training, June 28, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Loudoun Extension Office in Leesburg. Cost for text, examination, and certification is $104. After completion of the course, a one-hour certification exam is administered and certification is awarded by the National Restaurant Association to those passing the exam. The registration deadline is June 14. To register or for more information, call Beverly Samuel, Loudoun Cooperative Extension Office at 703-777-0373.
Aurora Studio Theatre Inc. will hold basic improvisation classes, Thursdays, through July 20, 7:30-9 p.m. Learn about the art of improvisation and practice proven techniques for refining skills on-the-fly. Co-taught by Phil Erickson, co-founder of the former Wise Guys Inc. Comedy Auction Team and Penny Hauffe. Cost $100 per student, $90 if postmarked by May 21. Visit www.aurorastudiotheatre.org to register or call 540-668-6779.
Aurora Studio Theatre is a 501(c)3 organization created to foster, encourage and develop new opportunities for actors at the high-school level and above, provide new avenues of work for playwrights, directors and producers, and entertain as well as educate the community through a commitment to excellence in the theatrical and literary arts.
The Loudoun Cooperative Extension is offering a Virginia gardener short course, which will run throughout the year as a series of sessions in July 10, July 24, and Aug. 7; Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. The course will be held at the Extension Office, 30 B Catoctin Circle, S.E., Leesburg, from 6-8 p.m., on those dates.
Participants can choose to attend one session or all eight. Cost is $10 per session or $65 to register to attend all eight sessions. Those who complete all eight sessions will receive a certificate of completion at the closing of the short course in November. A registration flyer can be downloaded from the Loudoun County Extension Web site http://www.loudoun.gov/services/agri.htm or it is also available at local libraries. Call or e-mail the Master Gardener Volunteer Helpline Office and ask to have a registration flyer mailed, 703-771-5150, Ext. 107mg@vt.edu.
In July, Laney Oxman will teach Pate de Verre (Paste of Glass) in which adult students will create small, colorful glass sculptures. This session of six classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, July 11-27. Cost is $140, plus $25 for supplies.
The artist will teach Terrific Tiles to children who will decorate clay tiles using drawings, under glazing and collage. These sessions will be held the week of Aug. 14-18. Cost is $160, plus $15 for supplies. Contact the Loudoun Academy of the Arts at 703-777-8043, Gallery 222 at 703-777-5498 or www.loudounacademy.org.