Send notes to the Connection at south@connectionnewspapers.com or call 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Dated announcements should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event.
<b>Thursday/Sept. 24
</b>Discussion of “The Tainted Muse.” 10:30 a.m., at George Mason University, Research 1 building, Room 163, Fairfax. Brustein discusses his latest book. Free.
Literary Presentation. E.L. Doctorow receives the 2009 Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement. 7:30 p.m., at Concert Hall, 4400 University Drive, George Mason University, Fairfax. Part of the Fall for the Book Festival, sponsored by the Fairfax Library Foundation. www.fallforthebook.org.
Stories and Science. 4 p.m. John Marshall Library, 6209 Rose Hill Drive, Alexandria. Simple experiments and stories. Age 4-6 with adult. 703-971-0010.
Gorilla Music Battle of the Bands. 6:15 p.m. at Jaxx, 6355 Rolling Road, West Springfield. $8 in advance, $10 day of show. 703-569-5940 or jaxxroxx.com.
<b>Friday/Sept. 25
</b>Burke Centre Friends Book Sale. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. 703-249-1520.
Lunch Bunch. 12 p.m. John Marshall Library, 6209 Rose Hill Drive, Alexandria. Bring lunch, come for stories. Birth-5 with adult. 703-971-0010.
Get Your Fans Up Concert #4. 8:30 p.m. at Jaxx, 6355 Rolling Road, West Springfield. $10 in advance, $20 day of show. 703-569-5940 or jaxxroxx.com.
<b>Saturday/Sept. 26
</b>Burke Centre Friends Book Sale. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. 703-249-1520.
Venture Into Volunteering. 10 a.m. Kingstowne Library, 6500 Landsdowne Centre, Alexandria. Volunteer fair for baby boomers, retirees and seniors. Learn about volunteer opportunities available at local organizations and agencies. 703-339-4610.
ARTS by George! Brian Stokes Mitchell and the American Festival Pops Orchestra 8 p.m., at Concert Hall, George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. Tickets: $60, $52, $30 Pre-performance discussion.
Night of the Living Shred, Born of Osiris, All Shall Perish and more at 4:15 p.m. $13 in advance, $15 day of show. Sinners Trail, Hightest, Crooked Crow and more at 9:45 p.m. $10. Jaxx, 6355 Rolling Road, West Springfield. 703-569-5940 or jaxxroxx.com.
<b>Sunday/Sept. 27
</b>Fall Picnic. 12:30 p.m., at Ravensworth Baptist Church, 5100 Ravensworth Road, Annandale. Moon Bounce. 703-941-4113; www.rbc-va.org.
<b>Tuesday/Sept. 29
</b>Computer Tutoring. 4:30 p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. One-on-one help with computers, common software applications and navigating the Internet. Call to sign up. Adults. 703-249-1520.
Book Discussion Group. 7 p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. Call for title. Adults. 703-249-1520.
<b>Wednesday/Sept. 30
</b>‘Smoke On The Mountain’ opens at the Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre, Route 1 at Furnace Road in Woodbridge. The show will run through Nov. 29, with matinees on selected dates. Call 703-494-6311 or visit www.lazysusan.com for showtimes and ticket prices.
Wakefield Farmers Market. 2-6 p.m. at Wakefield Park, 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale.
Mother-Daughter Book Club. 7 p.m. Burke Centre Library, 5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke. Call for title. Ages 9-11 and their mothers. 703-249-1520.
Practice Your English. 10:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Kingstowne Library, 6500 Landsdowne Centre, Alexandria. Conversation group for adults learning English. 703-339-4610.
<b>Thursday/Oct. 1
</b>“The Wedding from Hell,” Murder Mystery Dinner Theater at Robert E. Lee High School, 6540 Franconia Road, Springfield. Doors open: 6:30 p.m. Dinner served: 7:20 p.m. $10 per person.
<b>Friday/Oct. 2
</b>Comedy Sportz. Fast-paced, improvisational comedy 7:30 p.m., at Little Theatre at Lake Braddock Secondary School, 9200 Burke Lake Road, Burke. $10 per ticket.
<b>Saturday/Oct. 3
</b>Art, Wine & All That Jazz. 12-8 p.m. ,at the Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton. Local wineries from Virginia and North Carolina, art and all day jazz performances. $25 in advance or $30 at the gate. www.workhousearts.org or 703-584-2927.
Author Signing/Lecture. George J. Haas, author of “The Martian Codex: More Reflections from Mars,” will conduct a lecture and PowerPoint presentation featuring NASA photographs of aesthetically designed structures found on the surface of Mars. 1 p.m., at the Boarders Express, 6725 Springfield Mall, Springfield, 703-971-9443.
<b>Sunday/Oct. 4
</b>Art, Wine & All That Jazz. 12-8 p.m. ,at the Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton. $25 in advance or $30 at the gate. www.workhousearts.org or 703-584-2927.
Reunion Music Society Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Christopher Johnston, performs Jazz With Strings at 7:30 p.m. The music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker/ Clifford Brown accompanied by a string orchestra. The concert is in the Forum at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. Adults $15, seniors/teens $10, age 12 and under free. 703-569-0973.
<b>Wednesday/Oct. 7
</b>Fall Fashion Show sponsored by the Women’s Association of Northern Virginia. 11 a.m. at the Springfield Golf and Country Club, 8301 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield. Bring non-perishable items for the capital area food bank. $30 for luncheon. Sarah Smith, 703-250-6636.
<b>Saturday/Oct. 10
</b>Children's Consignment Sale sponsored by Spring-Mar Cooperative Preschool. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church, 10125 Lakehaven Court, Burke. Children's clothing and furniture, baby equipment, toys, books and videos, maternity and nursing clothes and more. Due to space constraints, shoppers with strollers are not permitted. www.spring-mar.org or 703-239-1213.