E-mail announcements to the Gazette, gazette@connectionnewspapers.com. Photos and artwork are encouraged. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week's paper. Call Steve Hibbard at 703-917-6407 with questions.
<cal1>Ongoing
<cal2>The Third Annual Alexandria Film Festival is soliciting entries from U.S. and international filmmakers. The festival will be held Sept. 24–27 at the George Washington Memorial Masonic Temple. This year, the Film Festival is partnering with Withoutabox, the film industry’s premier online service platform. To submit your film online, visit www.withoutabox.com/login/7816. All entries submitted through Withoutabox will receive an additional discount. For more information or to obtain entry forms and submission guidelines, visit www.alexandriafilm.org. Call 703-838-6348.
<cal1>Thursday/July 16
<cal2>Music at Twilight Concert. 7:30 p.m. Presented by the Ebenezer Baptist Church Evangelical Women’s Choir. At Fort Ward Park, 4301 W. Braddock Rd. Call 703-883-4686 or visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.
Printmaking. 7-8:30 p.m. Adults can enjoy an evening out to explore monoprints, monotypes, collographs and found object prints. Visit www.artatthecenter.org.
Preschool Palettes. All ages. 9:30-11:30 am. Celebrate your child's flair for the artistic by transforming their unique creations into beautiful keepsake books! Call to register. 703-548-4092. Hooray for Books! Children's Bookstore, 1555 King St., Alexandria. www.hooray4books.com
Summer Quest Reading Program. 11 a.m. Keep your children reading through the summer with the Alexandria Library’s Summer Quest program! This week, children ages 3 and older are invited to come to Barrett Branch Library (717 Queen St.) to enjoy messy outdoor fun that includes bubbles and coloring chalk. Free. Contact Lisa Springer at 703-838-4555.
<cal1>July 16-18
<cal2>"Anything Goes." Show times are Thursday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, July 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8/adult, $6/senior, student; $7 and $5 if reserved in advance. Call 703-998-6100, ext. 20, and leave message. At Bishop Ireton High School.
<cal1> Friday, July 17
<cal2>"Twilight," the movie. Starts at dusk. Part of the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival. Food and beverage sales open at 7 p.m. At Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Brenman Park Drive. Call 703-883-4686 or go to www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.
Lantern Tours. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum by candlelight with a costumed guide to experience the historic tavern and hotel before the advent of electricity. 7-10 p.m. Cost is $5 per person, ages 5 and up. The museum may be closed on some occasions; at 134 N. Royal St., call 703-838-4242.
Sounds of a Dixieland Band. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Free concert at Grist Mill Park, 4710 Mt. Vernon Memorial Hwy., Alexandria. Call 703-324-7469 after 6 p.m. for cancellation updates.
Alexandria Citizens Band. 7:30 p.m. concert. Jack Dusek, interim conductor. At Market Square, 301 King Street, Old Towne Alexandria. Call 703-339-6643 or go to www.band.alexandria.va.us.
Black Moon Tonic. 7-9 p.m. Family-friendly ice cream social. Free admission. Performing classic rock dance music. At Saint Aidan's Episcopal Church, 8531 Riverside Rd., Alexandria. Call 703-360-0033 or email bardsplay@aol.com.
Clover-College Park Day. Begins at 5:30 p.m. The Clover-College Park Civic Association is hosting 'Clover-College Park Day' at the corner of Cambridge and Vassar Roads. (Rain date is Saturday, July 18 at 5:30 p.m.) 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dedication of the new sidewalks on the 300 and 400 blocks of Cambridge Road. An official ribbon-cutting will take place. 6:30-7:30 p.m. 1st Annual Watermelon Eating and Seed Spitting Contest will take place at the corner of Cambridge and Vassar Roads. This is where President Gerald Ford called 'home' for more than 20 years.
<cal1>Saturday/July 18
<cal2>"Kung Foo Panda," the movie. Starts at dusk. Part of the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival. Food and beverage sales open at 7 p.m. At Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Brenman Park Drive. Call 703-883-4686 or go to www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.
Afternoon Tea Offering. 1-3 p.m. $24.95/person. This is the first in a monthly series full of tiers of sweets and delicate teapots boasting aromatic loose teas. At Fontaine Caffe & Creperie, 119 S. Royal Street, Alexandria. Call 703-535-8151.
A World Away Storytime. Ages 3 and up. 11:30 am. Adventures are fun, whether they take place in the far-flung reaches of the globe or your own backyard! Free. 703-548-4092. Hooray for Books! Children's Bookstore, 1555 King St., Alexandria. www.hooray4books.com.
"The President's Own" United States Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra performs. 7:30 p.m. At Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria. Call 703-845-6156 or www.schlesingercenter.com.
Fort Ward Civil War Camp Day and Skirmish. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A day-long living history event highlighted by bayonet drills, cannon firing and skirmish drill. Admission is $5 per adult and $10 for families with children. At Fort Ward Park, 4301 West Braddock Road in Alexandria. Call 703-838-4848 or visit www.fortward.org.
<cal1>Sunday/July 19
<cal2>Fort Hunt Concert. 7-8 p.m. Vernonberg an Potomak Volksmusikblaskapelle (the Mount Vernon German Band) will present a free concert of authentic German music. At Fort Hunt Park. Visit www.mvbands.com or call 703-768-4172.
Jazz at Meade with Joel Holmes. 4 p.m. Holmes composes his own style of music, blending an array of traditional and contemporary jazz, gospel, R&B, soul, hip-hop, neo soul, funk, classical and pop. $15 donation. At Meade Memorial Episcopal Church, 322 N. Alfred St., Alexandria. Call 703-549-1334. Go to http://meadechurch.org.
Architecture in the Afternoon Tours. 2 p.m. Discover the architecture of George Mason’s home. This 90-minute tour explores the mansion’s exterior and interior. At Gunston Hall Plantation, 10709 Gunston Rd., Mason Neck. 703-550-9220 or http://www.gunstonhall.org.
1759 Conversations: Establishing Gunston Hall. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Enjoy a conversation with costumed interpreters portraying a member of George Mason's family or a visitor to Gunston Hall. At Gunston Hall Plantation, 10709 Gunston Rd., Mason Neck. 703-550-9220 or http://www.gunstonhall.org. Included in site admission: $9, $8 seniors, $5 ages 6 to 18, younger free.
Summer Chamber Music Series. 3 p.m. Free. The Covington String Quartet. Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association. At The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St., Alexandria.
<cal1>Tuesday/July 21
<cal2>Sculpture in Motion. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Artist-builders ages 4 to 10 will sculpt forms in wire to create a framework for a moving sculpture. Explore light, shadow, balance, and sound while building with wire, recycled materials and loose parts. Visit www.artatthecenter.org for details.
<cal1>Thursday/July 23
<cal2>Cocktails and Conversation. 6-8 p.m. $35/person. Led by The Protocol School of Washington-certified Susanna Theo, the program focuses on artful conversation skills for business/social networking. Discussion will include the do’s and don’ts of positive conversation; how to correctly handle food and drink while networking; and answer questions like "how can one back away form the incessant talker." At Indigo Landing Restaurant, 1 Marine Drive, Alexandria. Contact Katherine Turner at turnerk@indigolanding.com or 703-548-9227.
Bob Brown Puppets. 3:30 p.m. Presents "Old MacDonald's Farm." Recommended for children ages 2 & up. At Barrett Library, 717 Queen St., Alexandria. Call 703-838-4555, ext. 3.
<cal1>Friday/July 24
<cal2>Ms. Virginia Senior America Pageant. 2-4 p.m. Free admission. Silver Jubilee celebration. At the Lee Center, Kauffman Auditorium, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria. Suggested donation $10. Reception follows. Call 703-425-7258.
Pablo Antonio y La Firma. 7:30-8:30 p.m. 13-piece Latin band specializing in salsa, cumbia, bachata, regaeton and merengue. Performing as part of the Mt. Vernon Nights summer concert. At Grist Mill Park, 4710 Mt. Vernon Memorial Hwy., Alexandria. Concerts are cancelled if it is raining. If there is a threat of bad weather, call 703-324-SHOW (7469) after 6 p.m. for cancellation updates.
<cal1>Saturday, July 25
<cal2>African Heritage Cultural Festival. 1-7 p.m. The music, culture, and food of Africa takes center stage as the City of Alexandria hosts the African Heritage Cultural Festival. At Market Square, 301 King St. Call 703-883-4686 or visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.
Beatrix Potter Storytime. Ages 3 and up. 11:30 am. Snuggle up in storytime corner and read about Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and a host of our other favorite friends! Free. 703-548-4092. Hooray for Books! Children's Bookstore, 1555 King St., Alexandria. www.hooray4books.com