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Vienna area students in grades 6-8 are invited to join the free after-school program at Club Phoenix Teen Center, located in the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. The program for this school year begins Sept. 2. Hours are 12:30-6:30 p.m. Monday and 2:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Get help with homework or enjoy cooking classes, book clubs, and sports and fitness activities. Club Phoenix also offers pool and ping pong tables, a dance floor, foosball and video games, and much more.
For more information, call the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department at 703-255-6360 or visit www.viennava.gov.
"Writing Your Personal History," an informal, group-run class for people interested in documenting their life stories for themselves and future generations to enjoy, will be held each Thursday, September 4-March 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Class members select topics about which to write, and read their work to each other for supportive feedback.
The class is free of charge; a donation of $5 will be used to provide coffee and tea at each class. Space is limited and registration is required. For more information, call the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department at 703-255-6360 or visit www.viennava.gov.
The Vienna Woman’s Club 49th annual Holiday Bazaar and Fall Festival is planned for Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE. . Funds raised are used for the annual Scholarship Program and other community projects. To rent a space, call N. Volpe 703-938-7716 or email
jvolpe@cox.net for information or an application.
Volunteer ombudsman advocates are needed for local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. They make weekly visits, meeting one-on-one with residents and work with the residents, their families and the staff of the facility, to ensure that the residents’ rights are being protected. Applicants must be available to volunteer four hours per week, primarily during regular business hours. Volunteer ombudsmen must not be employed by a long-term care facility. Interviews of applicants will be held this summer in preparation for the next annual training, scheduled for Sept. 15, 16, and 26, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each day. The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is a public service, funded in part by the Fairfax County Area Agency on Aging. For information and an application, call 703-324-5422 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/LTCOmbudsman.
Chinese Conversation Group meets for practicing speaking the language, 7:45-8:45 p.m., Wednesdays at the group study room of the Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Call 571-225-7697.
Vienna Newcomers Club: a social group meets every second Thursday of the month at the Marco Polo Italian restaurant. Social gathering at 11:30 a.m., with a lunch and program at noon. Call Nancy at 703-938-4835 for reservations. September through May, the lunches have guest speakers. At the December holiday lunch, there will be seasonal music. The club also has a monthly book exchange, bowling league and other activities. Call Mary Ann at 703-620-4432.
The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department hosts smoke-free Bingo every Sunday night in the Flame Room at the fire department, 400 Center St. S. Doors open at 4 p.m., sales begins at 5 p.m. and games begin at 7 p.m. Visit www.vvfd.org/bingo.cfm.
Historic "Little Library," located on the grounds of the Freeman House, 131 Church St., N.E., will be open the first Sunday of every month, 1-4 p.m. Members of Historic Vienna, Inc., will provide a history of the building and its role as Vienna’s first library. Built in 1897, by 1969 it was the oldest continuously used library building in Fairfax County. For more information, call 703-938-1791.
The Vienna Host Lions Club meets every second and fourth Tuesday evening at the American Legion Post 180 building on Center Street in Vienna. For additional details and more information, contact Mike Mead at 703-938-5235 or mikemead@aol.com.
Vienna Toastmasters meets at the Vienna Community Center the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7.30 p.m. Toastmasters can help participants overcome fears of public speaking. For more information, call Nicola at 703-268-5001.
Brinker Toastmasters meets at Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St., N.E., the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 9:30 a.m. Those interested in becoming more effective listeners, leaders and speakers are welcome. Call Mike Schultz at 571-344-1127 or visit homepage.mac.com/schultzmt/brinker.
Lunchtime Weight Watchers, hosted by the Town of Vienna, meets at 11:15 a.m. each Tuesday at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Open to the public, the cost is $168 for a 13-week session, payable in advance. Call 703-255-6350.
Vienna Community Center has open gym for ages 17 and under, 3:30-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Call ahead to check on availability.
The Town of Vienna is providing free wireless Internet access at the Town Green, located at Maple Avenue and Mill Street. This is a pilot project to attract more customers to downtown Vienna, encourage the use of this new public park, and en-able more citizens to access Town services online. From dawn to dusk throughout the year, users can log in using "Vienna Gov’t Sponsored Free WiFi" for the SSID. (SSID stands for "Service Set Identifier" and is a unique ID for naming a wireless network. All wireless devices attempting to communicate with each other must share the same SSID.) Users are responsible for taking measures to secure their devices and Internet communications. For questions or comments, e-mail cgriffin@viennava.gov or call 703-255-6364.
After-school program for children in grades 6-8 is available at Club Phoenix. Hours are 12:30-6:30 p.m. Monday and 2:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Children can get help with homework or enjoy cooking classes, book clubs, sports and fitness activities. Free. Call 703-255-6360.
Donations to local groups: the Dyer-Gunnell Post (Post 180) of the American Legion, based in Vienna, and Louise Archer Elementary PTA can benefit from on-line shopping. Visit http://Fundraising.ExtraRebates.com and click on any of the 410 participating stores, then complete an on-line purchase. The groups will receive a cash rebate or a percentage of the purchase, from 1 to 25 percent.
Tickets are now available for a trip to the August 24 Baltimore
Orioles/New York Yankees game at Camden Yards, sponsored by the Vienna Parks and Recreation Department. Sign up for the trip in person at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E., or online at $64 for Town of Vienna residents, $80 for out-of-town participants; includes transportation and a game ticket in the lower reserve outfield seating. A charter bus will leave the Vienna Community Center at 10 a.m., giving baseball fans time to enjoy Baltimore's Inner Harbor and other attractions prior to the 1:35 p.m. game time. Call 703-255-6360 or visit www.viennava.gov.
Calling for Halloween parade volunteers: Do you love a parade? Join in planning for the 62nd annual parade, or help out on parade night, October 29. The next parade committee meetings are scheduled for 9 a.m. July 10 and August 7 at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Call parade chairman Rebecca Diamond at 703-463-4241 or e-mail rdiamond@tysondodgejeep. The theme of this year's parade is "It's an Old-fashioned Halloween!" and the Grand Marshal will be Vienna's favorite vampire, Count Gore De Vol, online host of "Creature Feature."
The Business & Professional Women (BPW) of Greater Fairfax begin a new season of monthly dinner meetings. On Monday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m., at la Madeline Bakery & Café in Tysons Corner. The guest will be Kristina Bouweiri, president and CEO of Reston Limousine. Reserve with Sandy Amato at smamato@comcast.net or 703-405-2631 by Sept. 5.