Send announcements, which are open to the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, contact Matthew Razak 703-917-6457. For additional entertainment listings, visit www.connectionnewspapers.com, E section.
<cal1>Wednesday/Nov. 14
<cal2>Museums Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Washington, D.C., to visit the Natural History, Gallery of Art, American Indian, U.S. Botanical gardens, air and Space and African Art/Freer/Hirshhorn/Sackler museums. Lunch on own. Cost: $8 members, $10 nonmembers, includes transportation with free admission. Extensive walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
Gotta Catch 'Em All … Pokemon. 4 p.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. Join Ash, Misty, Max, Brock and Team Rocket for a rockin' time of games, crafts and fun. Don't forget your favorite Pokemon and bring cards to trade. Recommended for ages six and up. Advance registration required. Call 703-430-9500 or sign up online at www.lcl.lib.va.us.
Lucketts Area Visit. 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m., meet at the Lucketts Community Center parking lot to join the car pool. Join Joe Coleman and Phil Daley on a drive on dirt roads on a birding trip and look for migrants and other signs of fall. Contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or 540-554-2542.
Fairy Tale Theater. 5:30 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road. Watch Ashburn’s teens as they put on a performance. Recommended for ages 3-10. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
<cal1>Thursday/Nov. 15
<cal2>Thanksgiving Luncheon. Noon, Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Annual luncheon. Lunch donation requested. Call 703-430-2397, Ext. 103 to register.
Hola! Spanish Bilingual Story Time. 4 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Barbara Davilla entertains ages 2-6 with bilingual stories. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
Kaleidoscope Series. 10 a.m., Ida Lee Park Recreation Center. Joe Pipik’s Backpack Puppets perform The Rainbow Show for ages 2 and up. Cost: $5 in advance for each child with adults free, $8 at the door for each child with adults free. Call 703-777-1368 or visit www.idalee.org.
<cal1>Friday/Nov. 16
<cal2>Benefit Concert. 7 p.m., St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Sterling. Evening of Celtic and new age music featuring songs by Secret Garden, Celtic Woman and more. Free, donations for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will be accepted.
Shopping Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Boyd's Bear Country, Gettysburg, Pa. Includes shopping at Boyd's and downtown Gettysburg. Lunch on own. Cost: $10 members, $12 nonmembers, includes transportation. Extensive walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
After Hours Teen Center. 7-10 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Cascades. Improv workshop for high-school students. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
Exploring an Old Southern Estate. 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Morven Park, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Learn about Morven’s Park history. Early plantation, hunt country, and working farm aspects covered. Guided tours include exhibits, carriage collection, Confederate huts and outdoor grounds. Meet at the Coach House Visitors Center. Cost: adults $5 and children $1. Visit www.morvenpark.org or call 703-777-6034.
<cal1>Saturday/Nov. 17
<cal2>Bluegrass Series. Doors open at 6 p.m., music begins at 7 p.m., Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road. Features Nothin’ Fancy; refreshments available at the snack bar. Cost: $13. Call 703-771-5281.
Lanesville Open House. 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestal’s Gap Road, Sterling. Guided tour of the Lanesville Open House. Children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. Free. Call 571-258-3700.
Cyber Club. 6-10 p.m., Sterling Annex Community Center, 22084 Shaw Road, Sterling. Parents can take a break on Saturday night while the kids have fun with video games, recreational activities, movies and dinner at the C3 Cyber Club. The cost is $64 for one child and $35 for the second. Preregistration is required. Call 703-430-6673.
Piscataway Indian Nation. 1 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn. The Piscataway Indian Nation Singers and Dancers will educate and entertain audiences who want to learn more about Native American history and culture. Recommended for all ages. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
Discover Feng Shui, 12:30-4:30 p.m., Loudoun Academy of the Arts Foundation, 222 South King St., Leesburg. Improve your living space. Alice Wechsler, certified by the Feng Shui International Institute, will present a four-hour seminar. Participants will learn ways to harmonize and balance their homes by using water, fire, earth, wood or metal elements. Registration recommended, call 703-777-8043.
Living History. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Morven Park, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Learn how Loudoun County and the countryside dealt with the World War I. Morven farm workers and Leesburg citizens tell about life on the home front. Meet at the Coach House Visitors Center. Cost: adults $5 and children $1. Visit www.morvenpark.org or call 703-777-6034.
Sophie, the Performing Dog. 2 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Celebrate Children's Book Week with Sophie, an adorable dog who will charm you with tricks. Recommended for the family. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
<cal1>Sunday/Nov. 18
<cal2>Birding Hotspots in Central Loudoun, 8 a.m.-noon, meet at 8 a.m. at the Banshee Reeks Visitor Center, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. Walk the Banshee Reeks Nature preserve, a wetlands area and the Beaverdam Reservoir. View local birds, migrating waterfowl and wintering raptors. Birding trip is sponsored by the Audubon Naturalist Society and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. Cost is free. Contact Joe Coleman at jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or call 540-554-2542.
Sunday in the Preserve, 1 p.m., Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. Search for natural wonders during an informal, family walk around the preserve. Phil Daley of the Friends of Banshee Reeks and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will lead the walk. Cost is free. Call 703-669-0316.
Winmill Travel Collection. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Morven Park, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Take a guided tour of 19th century horse drawn vehicles including coaches, sleighs, buggies and more. Meet at the Coach House Visitors Center. Cost: adults $5 and children $1. Visit www.morvenpark.org or call 703-777-6034.
<cal1>Monday/Nov. 19
<cal2>Live at the Library. 4 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Meet Valerie Tripp, American Girl series author, who will talk about her love for writing, share the five steps of the writing process and talk about writing as a career. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Call 703-444-3228.
Exploring an Old Southern Estate. 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Morven Park, 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Learn about Morven’s Park history. Early plantation, hunt country, and working farm aspects covered. Guided tours include exhibits, carriage collection, Confederate huts and outdoor grounds. Meet at the Coach House Visitors Center. Cost: adults $5 and children $1. Visit www.morvenpark.org or call 703-777-6034.
<cal1>Tuesday/Nov. 20
<cal2>Me & My World. 4 p.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St. Learn about different foods. Children bring three copies of a favorite recipe to share. Recommended for
ages 4-6. Advance registration required, sign up online at www.lcpl.lib.va.us, go to Calendar of Events or phone 703-430-9500.
Puppet Show. 4:15 p.m., Cascade Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Kaydee Puppets presents Nursery Rhyme and Rhythm and the Frog Prince. Recommended for ages 3-8. Call 703-444-3228.
<cal1>Wednesday/Nov. 21
<cal2>Wool Gathering. 4-5 p.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. Come and join a knitting circle. Learners are welcome, but bring your own needles and yarn. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
Senior Movie. 1:30 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. See "Ocean’s Thirteen," staring George Clooney, Ellen Barkin, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Andy Garcia, rated PG-13. Cost: $2 includes popcorn and soda. Call 703-430-2397.
<cal1>Thursday/Nov. 22
<cal2>Fun Run. 10K starts at 8:15 a.m.; 5K, at 8:25 a.m.; and the 2K fun run/walk, at 8:35 a.m., at Crossroads United Methodist Church, 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn. 14th Annual Ashburn Farm Thanksgiving 10K, 5K, 2K Fun Run/Walk to benefit The HUMBLE United Methodist School, an orphanage and school founded by Crossroads UMC in Lukojjo, Uganda. Cash prizes awarded for top finishers. Also includes drawing, post-race food and refreshments. Registration for the 10K is $30, the 5K is $25 and the 2K fun run is $15. Register online at www.active.com or download an entry form at www.ecrossroadsumc.org. Completed forms may be dropped off at the church. Call Crossroads UMC at 703-729-5100 or visit www.ecrossroadsumc.org.
<cal1>Friday/Nov. 23
<cal2>Annual Fund-Raiser. Doors open at 7 p.m., Lansdowne Resort, Ashburn. The Capital Steps, an American political satire group, will participate in the annual Loudoun
Habitat for Humanity fund-raiser. In addition to the evening’s entertainment, there will be a raffle drawing. Advance tickets are available at www.loudounhabitat.org or by calling 540-751-2244.v
<cal1>Wednesday/Nov. 28
<cal2>Casino Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Charles Town, W.Va. Includes slots and simulcast horse racing. Lunch on own. Cost: $7 members, $9 nonmembers, includes transportation and $5 cash back, subject to change. Minimum walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
<cal1>Friday/Nov. 30
<cal2>After Hours Teen Center. 7-10 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Cascades. Live disc jockey for middle-school students. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
<cal1>Wednesday/Dec. 5
<cal2>Wool Gathering. 4-5 p.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. Come and join a knitting circle. Learners are welcome, but bring your own needles and yarn. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
<cal1>Monday/Dec. 10
<cal2>Holiday Lights Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Washington, D.C., to view the Pageant of Peace and visit the Mormon Temple grounds and visitors center. Lunch on own. Cost: $21 members, $23 nonmembers, includes transportation with free admission. Dinner on own at Union Station. Extensive walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
<cal1>Wednesday/Dec. 12
<cal2>Casino Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Charles Town, W.Va. Includes slots and simulcast horse racing. Lunch on own. Cost: $7 members, $9 nonmembers, includes transportation and $5 cash back, subject to change. Minimum walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
<cal1>Thursday/Dec. 13
<cal2>Holiday Lights Trip. The Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace will take a trip to Washington, D.C., to view the Pageant of Peace and visit the Mormon Temple grounds and visitors center. Lunch on own. Cost: $21 members, $23 nonmembers, includes transportation with free admission. Dinner on own at Union Station. Extensive walking. Call 703-430-2397 for departure/return times and locations.
<cal1>Wednesday/Dec. 19
<cal2>Wool Gathering. 4-5 p.m., Sterling Library, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. Come and join a knitting circle. Learners are welcome, but bring your own needles and yarn. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Visit www.lcpl.lib.va.us.
<cal1>Monday/Dec. 24
<cal2>Christmas Eve Luncheon. 12-2 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Ham and turkey provided, participants bring a side dish to share. Cost: $2 for members, $4 for nonmembers. Call 703-430-2397.
<cal1>Monday/Dec. 31
<cal2>Senior Dance Party. 1:30-4:30 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades Marketplace, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. New Year’s eve party and dance. Call 703-430-2397.
<cal1>Friday/Feb. 22
<cal2>YMCA FUND-RAISER. 7-11 p.m., Lansdowne Resort. 20th Annual Chocolates Galore & More, fund-raiser for the YMCA Loudoun County. Includes dessert and hors d’oeuvre competition, dancing, silent and live auction, food from local restaurants and caters. Visit www.ymcadc.org or call 703-777-9622.