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. For additional ongoing events listings, visit our Web site at www.connectionnewspapers.com.
On Tuesdays, at 11:30 a.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., will hold a bilingual conversation group. Practice English and Spanish in an informal group. For all ages. Upcoming dates May 9, May 16, May 23, May 30, June 6, June 13, June 20 and June 27. call 703-430-9500.
After Hours Teen Center, Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls, Fridays, 7-10 p.m. Grades six-12th. May 12, gamer night; May 19, karaoke night; May 26, win, lose or draw; June 2, gamer night; June 9, movie night; June 16, concert, Jeffrey Gaines; June 23, cartoon workshop, Chris Fick.
Paintings and drawings by Loudoun Sketch Club artists will be on display at the County Government Center in Leesburg, from through June 28. The exhibit will be juried by painter Don Stivers. The public is invited to meet the Sketch Club artists at an opening reception Friday, May 12, from 5-8 p.m. Their artwork is for sale and will be on display through June 28 in the Gallery of the Government Center located on the first floor adjacent to the Board of Supervisors' meeting
room.
"Wonders Never Cease" a comedy by Mario Baldessari, Sterling resident Jim Helein and Barry Wood, runs at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, 1556 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.,Washington, D.C., May 12-June 4, Thursday-Sunday nights, at 7:30 p.m.; with Saturday matinees at 3:30 p.m. Tickets $20 on Thursdays and Sundays; $25 on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 202-333-7009 or visit www.chartertheatre.org.
The Loudoun Museum celebrates Centuries of Change 2006, the second in a three-year series of exhibitions and special events designed to commemorate important dates in LoudounÕs history. On May 13, the museum opens the exhibition In Their Voices: Community, Dissension and Reunion, which explores life in Loudoun during the 1800s, using period artifacts, documents, and images from the museumÕs collection to interpret the topics of community development, slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction and the golden age of agriculture. Excerpts from journals kept by Loudoun residents during the century reveal the range of contemporary opinions and concerns during these quickly changing, and often tragic, times.
Younger visitors will also enjoy the Loudoun MuseumÕs ChildrenÕs Discovery Room, a special exhibit with hands-on history. Call the museum at 703-777-7427 or e-mail bfriedmann@loudounmuseum.org.
Oatlands Plantation, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, will be holding "For Season Teas" throughout the year. Includes Mother's Day teas, Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13; artists' tea, Sunday, July 30; school days teas, Friday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 9; autumn leaf teas, Thursday, Oct. 19 and Friday, Oct. 20; teddy bear tea, Sunday, Dec. 17. Cost $24.95 plus tax per person; children 8 and under are $15.95 plus tax. Seating at 1 p.m.
Fall teas are served Thursdays-Saturdays, from Nov. 9-30, except Thanksgiving Day. Holiday teas are served Thursdays-Saturdays, from Dec. 1-29, except Dec. 24. Cost $21.95 plus tax per person; children 8 and under are $12,95 plus tax. Seating are at 1 p.m.
Reservations required for all the teas, call 703-777-3174 or visit www.oatlands.org.
Rust Library will hold the nine-part viewing and discussion series, The Civil War, which will feature the award-winning documentaries directed by Ken Burns. The series will be facilitated by historian and scholar Harry Butowsky and will be presented Sundays, May 14 and 21, the program begins at 2 p.m. This series will trace the course of the U.S Civil War from the abolitionist movement to the death of President Lincoln and the beginnings of Reconstruction. Call 703-777-0541 or visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
Northern Virginia Community College Loudoun Campus presents "Numina," sculpture by Aaron Quinn Brophy, at the Waddell Art Gallery, Northern Virginia Community College Loudoun Campus, 1000 Harry F. Byrd Highway, Sterling. BrophyÕs sculpture, Numina, showcases his figurative style that, in his words, Òaddresses the ephemeral nature of existence.Ó The show runs through May 26.
Gallery 222 introduces two emerging artists whose work will be on display through May 27, Octavia Frazier of Sterling and Annie Horkan. Gallery 222 is located at 222 South King St., Leesburg. The gallery is open Monday-Saturday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and by appointment by calling 703-777-5498. Visit www.gallery222.com.
The Loudoun Valley HomeGrown Markets Association sponsors seven farmers markets in the county until the end of October, featuring home-grown, producer-only markets, meaning the people who sell the food are the people who grow it.
The seven market locations and hours of operation are Cascades, Sundays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., The Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place; Leesburg, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Virginia Village Shopping Center; Lovettsville, Tuesdays, 4-7 p.m., Game Protective Association, Route 287; Middleburg, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Marshall Street; Purcellville, Thursdays, 4- 7 p.m., 21st Street, across from the train station; South Riding, Saturdays, 2-5 p.m., Town Center Parking Lot; and Sterling, which opens June 7, Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m., Briar Patch Park, 1400 block of Sterling Boulevard.
The new edition of "Inside Loudoun County" spotlights the work the county is doing to prepare residents for a possible flu pandemic as well as efforts to prevent Lyme disease.
Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend is the guest on the show, which also features a video guide to pandemic flu preparedness and response in Virginia, prepared by the Virginia Department of Health.
Goodfriend also discusses the growing problem of Lyme disease in Loudoun County and how residents can take steps to make their yards less friendly to ticks infected with the organism that causes the disease.
Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, has the following ongoing story times: Baby lapsit, ages 0-18 months. Mondays, 7 p.m.; Mother Goose nursery time, 18-24 months, Tuesdays and Thursday, 10 a.m.; Terrific 2s, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:45 a.m.; Preschool story time, 3-5 years, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30 a.m.; Wonderful Wednesdays, 3-5 years, Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m.; and Pajama story time, 3-5 years, Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Call 703-737-8100.
The Cascades Library 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls, hosts the following ongoing story times: Lapsits for 2s, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. and Wednesdays, 11:15 a.m.; Mother Goose nursery time, ages 18-24 months, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:15 a.m.; Pajama story time, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.; Story time for 3s, 4s and 5s, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; and Terrific 3s, Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Call 703-444-3228.
The Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., has the following ongoing story times: Preschool story times, for 2-5 years old, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Call 703-430-9500.
On the last Friday of each month, at 7 p.m., teenagers from Loudoun and Fairfax counties are invited to the Dulles Town Center, in partnership with Next Level for Teens, for an evening devoted to teen issues and events, called Teens Talk at Dulles Town Center. Free. The Dulles Town Center is located at the intersection of routes 7 and 28. Visit ShopDullesTownCenter.com.
Dodona Manor, the restored home of Gen. and Mrs. George C. Marshall in Leesburg, is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Tours are available from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., on Saturdays and from 1-5 p.m., on Sundays. The last tour for each day begins at 4 p.m.; and each tour is preceded by an introductory video exploring the professional career of Marshall, spanning more than 50 years of public service.
Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and group tours and $5 for students. Reservations are required for group tours. Visit www.georgecmarshall.org or call the tour reservation line at 703-777-1301.
Weekend and holiday free parking for Dodona Manor tours is available in the Loudoun County Government Building on Loudoun Street. Additional parking is available in the Leesburg municipal/court parking lot Ñ Red Lot Ñ off North Street.
Leesburg Animal Park has several new animal exhibits including exotic and domestic animals, an expanded contact area to pet and feed animals, a new bird aviary, a safari ride to tour. The park will feature live entertainment on weekends.
The Leesburg Animal Park is located at 19270 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. Admissions are $7.95 for children and seniors, $9.95 for adults. Group rates are $6 with a 10-person minimum. Wild Wednesdays offer $2 off all admission rates, not valid with other offers. Hours are Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Visit www.LeesburgAnmialPark.com or call 703-433-0002.
The Loudoun Museum will be featuring an exhibition, A Ladies Night Out in Loudoun: Formal Wear from the Loudoun Museum Collection. The items on display come from the museumÕs large and unique collection of textiles. Most of these objects are on display for the first time.
The exhibition will cover formal wear from the early Victorian period to the 1950s. The exhibit also includes hair combs, shoes, boots, hand bags, hat, stockings and collars from the Victorian period to the mid-20th century. In addition, the exhibit includes a rare Martha Washington ChildrenÕs Corset from the early 1900s and the directions on how it should be used to shape the waist of young ladies.
Visit the Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St., S.W., in historic downtown Leesburg, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m., Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults; $1 for seniors, teachers, students and children 4-17 years old; children 3 years old and under, museum members and military families are free. Call Eric Larson, 703-777-7427 or e-mail elarson@loudoumuseum.org.
Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg, will hold ÒTeen Machine Team,Ó a monthly gathering of young Òtime travelersÓ for fun, hands-on activities and book talks every first Wednesday at 7 p.m. Collect clues, discover the past and travel back in time through activity centers, book talks and creative projects. Recommended for ages 9-11. Register prior to program date by calling 703-771-5624.
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling, is open Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; as well as Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children 2-12 and free for children under 2. On permanent display is "The Country People" where visitors travel through time and experience the past 300 years of agricultural history through 10 generations of Loudoun County residents. The Claude Moore children's Farm is an interactive exhibit area for children and their families. Visit www.loudounfarmmuseum.org or call 703-421-5322.
Guided Nature or History Hikes for all ages at Claude Moore park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling. Nature hikes, Frogshackle Cabin Nature Center, history hikes and special request programs for school groups, scouts, community organizations, adults and families are available on a variety of topics throughout the year. Programs designed to foster an appreciation of Loudoun County's natural and cultural resources in a fun and informative way. Cost is $3.50 per person, with a minimum charge of $35. Call 703-444-1275 for reservations.
Temple Hall Farm is open for the 2006 season with new baby animals are arriving every week. Twenty-five new lambs will be born this spring. Baby chicks will arrive the middle of April. Cows, llama, goats and other interesting animals are all part of the Temple Hall Family. Temple Hall Farm is open, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday.
Contact Temple Hall Farm at 703-779-9372 or via e-mail at TempleHallFarm@NVRPA.org.
Morven Park, the historic home of Virginia Gov. Westmoreland Davis, located in Leesburg, is a 1,000-acre estate offering visitors a glimpse into Virginia country life during the early years of the 20th century is open to the public April-November, Fridays-Mondays and other times by appointment. Tours are offered at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The park closes at 6 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $1 for children. One price admits visitors to all museums and the grounds. Special group tours and ticket packages are also available. Special holiday tours offered in December. Call: group tours, 703-777-2414; educational programs, 703-777-6034; and equestrian center and events, 703-777-2890.
Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling, offers several Scout programs, Call 703-444-1275 for more information or to register.
* Older Girl Scout-IP Heritage. Investigate several architectural styles, explore the Lanesville community and historic road, learn research techniques, plan a service project and begin career exploration while hunting for the heritage of Eastern Loudoun.
* Bear Cub Scout-Achievement No. 3. Hike to the Civil War Signal Station, wave signal flags and tour the Lanesville house.
* Wolf Cub-Scout Achievement No. 4. Walk in the footsteps of George Washington, hike the "mountain" used by American Indians and Civil War soldiers and discover the important roots of the community.
* Boy Scout-American Heritage Badge. Explore a National Register Site, compare 1779 and 1812 flags to the present flag, hike to a Civil War Signal Station and walk in the footsteps of past heroes while discovering American heritage. Registered badge counselor will lead program.
Virginia Apples for Flavor: The Story Of Hill High Orchards, a permanent exhibit at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, 21558 Heritage Farm Lane in Sterling has opened. Learn about the history of Hill High Orchards and come away with a greater appreciation of the apple. Sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum Inc. Call 703-421-5322. Museum admission $5/adults, $4/seniors, $3/ages 2-12.
ÒArt CoopÓ is display at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. Featuring a changing exhibit of works by area artists. Juried by LHFM Art Advisory Sub-Committee. The museum is open Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; as well as Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children 2-12 and free for children under 2. Visit www.loudounfarmmuseum.org or call 703-421-5322.
Leesburg First Fridays and First Fridays Jr. Galleries and shops open their doors on the first Friday of each month with special events, refreshments and entertainment, from 6-9 p.m. There is no First Friday in January. Free. Call 800-752-6118. Visit www.leesburgfirstfriday.com.
Loudoun Bluegrass Association. Weekly acoustic jam session held every Tuesday night, 7-8:30 p.m., at the Morningside House Retirement Center, 316 Harrison St. in Leesburg. All bluegrass/country musicians, singers and spectators are welcome. Free. Call Randy Kenyon
703-777-9865, home.
The Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour takes place June 24-25 and features opportunities to visit the working studios of more than 20 artists. The tour is free to the public. It is presented in cooperation with the Franklin Park Arts Center, The Round Hill Arts Center and The Friends of Franklin Park Art Center. Each participating artist donates a piece to the tour gala, June 24, which helps fund future tours. Call Jeff Stern, 540-338-7973, or visit www.franklinparkartscenter.org.
Oatlands Plantation, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, will hold its annual "Four Seasons of Oatlands" art show and sale, July 9-Aug. 20, at the Carriage House to benefit the nonprofit Oatlands Inc., which maintains, exhibits and interprets the cultural and historic significance of the property. Admission free to see the art. Includes images of the Mosby Heritage area, which encompasses Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William and warren counties in Virginia and Jefferson County in West Virginia. The art show and gift shop are open Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 1-5 p.m. Call 703-777-3174 or visit www.oatlands.org.