[Archived] Weekly Event Announcements: November 29 - December 5, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 28, 2008    

Weekly Event Announcements for the City of Alexandria
 November 29 - December 5, 2008 

Saturday, November 29 – Scottish Heritage Preview
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., celebrate Alexandria’s Scottish heritage at The Lyceum (201 S. Washington St.) a week before the Scottish Walk. At this free event, visitors will enjoy bagpipes and other Scottish music, performances by highland and country dancers, historical re-enactors displaying period clothing, weaponry, and armor, and the opportunity to learn about Scottish breed dogs and meet some available for adoption. For more information, please visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.838.4994.

Saturday, November 29 – Holiday Concerts Begin in Historic Old Town Alexandria
Enjoy the music of the season in Alexandria as a break between shopping, on your way to dinner, or just to get in the spirit of the holidays. The 2008 Holiday Concerts take place during weekends and evenings from November 29 through December 19. Local performers volunteer their talent to entertain during this festive time. Outdoor concerts are cancelled in the event of inclement weather. For a complete list of concerts, visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation. For additional information, call the Events Hotline at 703.883.4686 or the Special Events office at 703.838.4844.

       November 29, Market Square, 301 King St.
       1 p.m. Alexandria Kleztet (Traditional & Innovative Jewish Music) 
       2 p.m. Michael Mulvaney (Holiday & Blues Americana)

       November 30, Market Square, 301 King St.
       2 p.m. Doris Justis (Folk/Acoustic Holiday)
       3 p.m. Lisa Taylor (Acoustic Holiday)

Monday, December 1 – Commission on HIV/AIDS Hosts World AIDS Day Service Awards
The Alexandria Commission on HIV/AIDS will hold its second Annual World AIDS Day Service Excellence Awards Program from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Alexandria, 2932 King St. The awards program will acknowledge and honor the extraordinary efforts of peer-nominated HIV/AIDS providers and advocates in Alexandria. To RSVP, contact Nechelle Terrell, HIV/AIDS Coordinator, at 703.838.4400 ext. 305 or e-mail nechelle.terrell@vdh.virginia.gov.

Monday, December 1 – Landmark/Van Dorn Advisory Group Meeting
The Landmark/Van Dorn Advisory Group will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the meeting room adjacent to Lane Bryant at Landmark Mall. This meeting will provide an opportunity for the Landmark/Van Dorn Advisory Group to discuss and comment on the preliminary draft Landmark/Van Dorn Area Plan. Members of the public are invited to comment following the Advisory Group's discussion. For more information, contact Pat Mann at 703.838.4666, ext. 303.

Thursday, December 4 – Celtic Concert
As part of the 38th Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, a Celtic Concert will be held from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive. Leaping highlanders, fiddlers, pipers and Scottish dancers will entertain in the grand Masonic Memorial theatre. This concert is not recommended for children under 12 years of age. The cost is $30 per person; groups of ten or more may purchase tickets for $25 each. Tickets may be purchased by calling Thasia Williams at 703.549.0111 ext. 107 or purchasing them online at www.ScottishChristmasWalk.com.

Thursday, December 4 – Community Meeting on Planned Mark Center Development
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Duke Realty Corporation have invited residents to a community meeting at 7 p.m., to present information about the planned development at Mark Center to accommodate the relocation of various Department of Defense (DoD) agencies to the Alexandria Mark Center. The meeting will be held at the William Ramsay Elementary School, 5700 Sanger Ave. The meeting will begin with an open house at 6:30 p.m., followed by a formal presentation and a question and answer period. For more information, call Nancy Miyahira, Duke Realty Corporation, at 703.578.7786 or Ann Johnson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at 703.806.6095.

Opening Wednesday, December 3 – Childhood Memories in Miniature: African American Dollhouses Exhibition
Take in the memories of childhood and the spirit of the holidays with this joyful exhibit of miniature dollhouses by Sharon J. Frazier and Linwood M. Smith. This new show at the Alexandria Black History Museum (902 Wythe St.) features more than a dozen buildings and rooms in 1:12 scale, including a log cabin, stone home, one-room schoolhouse, and church, as well as buildings and rooms inspired by real places in Alexandria. A barbershop and hair dressing salon, a medical building, an attorney’s office, and a florist were all influenced by actual businesses in the Parker-Gray community, a historically African-American neighborhood in Alexandria. The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Saturday, January 24, 2009. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, please visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.838.4356.

Open through Wednesday, December 31 – Drawings by William Lydston, Jr. Exhibition
This exhibition of Civil War artwork at Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site (4301 W. Braddock Rd.) has been extended through the end of the year. Civil War drawings by soldier, artist and musician William Lydston, Jr., are featured in this exhibit with musical instruments and related objects as part of the statewide celebration of Virginia’s musical heritage. Admission to the museum is free. The exhibition is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.fortward.org or call 703.838.4848.

Now open through Saturday, February 28, 2009 – Jones Point Lighthouse Exhibition
A new exhibit at The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, highlights the Jones Point Lighthouse and the Fresnel lenses that guided vessels into Alexandria along the Potomac. A scale model of the building and interpretative panels discuss the history of the lighthouse from its construction in 1856 to recent restoration efforts. Also on view are two original Fresnel lenses, one of which was actually used in the lighthouse itself. The Lyceum, located at 201 S. Washington St., is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.   Suggested admission is $2 and limited free parking is available. For more information, please visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.838.4994.

Coming Soon!

Friday, December 5 through Sunday, December 7 – Pet Photos With Santa
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria will host “Pet Photos with Santa” on December 5-7 at the Olde Towne School for Dogs, 529 Oronoco St. Both pets and people are welcome to pose with Santa. All proceeds benefit the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and the animals of the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter. To schedule an appointment, call 703.836.7643.

Saturday, December 6 – Ornament Decorating Workshop for Families
A free Ornament Decorating Workshop for families will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, 105 N. Union St., #327. Be inspired to decorate take-home artifact-shaped dough ornaments based on colors and patterns from the Museum's collection of excavated artifacts. For more information, call 703.838.4399 or visit www.alexandriaarchaeology.org.

Saturday, December 6 – City of Alexandria Hosts Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade
The City of Alexandria invites the public to attend the 38th Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade at 11 a.m. in historic Old Town. The centerpiece of the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, the parade celebrates the City's Scottish heritage, featuring more than 100 Scottish clans, bagpipe and drum bands, living history reenactment groups, dog clubs, and a special appearance by Santa Claus. This year’s Grand Marshal is Willard Scott of NBC’s The Today Show. For information on The Campagna Center, call 703.549.0111, or visit www.campagnacenter.org.

Saturday, December 6 – Burke & Herbert Holiday Boat Parade of Lights
Fifty powerboats, sailboats and the District's fireboat, the John Glenn, will parade down the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria fully decked out in holiday spirit and cheer for the ninth annual Burke & Herbert Holiday Boat Parade of Lights. Beginning at 5 p.m. in the Washington Channel (between East Potomac Park and the Southwest Waterfront), the parade will head to the Alexandria waterfront marina by 6 p.m. The brightly lit boats are creatively decorated as they compete in categories such as "Best in Show," "Best Thinking Outside the Christmas Box," and "Hardiest Souls." Watch the parade from the docks of the Alexandria marina, where the parade concludes and many of the boats will tie up in the harbor. The festivities begin at 4 p.m. in the Alexandria marina with entertainment, live music and Santa. For additional information, call 703.838.5005 or visit www.VisitAlexandriaVa.com.

Sunday, December 7 – Thirty-Fourth Annual Toys for Tots Benefit Square Dance
Put on your dancing shoes and make plans to attend the 34th Annual Toys for Tots Benefit Square Dance from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Lee Center Exhibit Hall, 1108 Jefferson St. This year’s theme is “Let’s Do More at Thirty Four,” and features a special performance by the Capital Squares Demonstration Team at 3 p.m. The annual square and round dance benefits the United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Drive. No admission fee is charged, but the recommended donation is a new, unopened toy or a $10 minimum contribution per couple ($5 for singles). For additional information, call the City’s Special Events Hotline at 703.883.4686.

Sunday, December 7 – Eleventh Annual Women, Art and Shopping Holiday Spectacular! 

Join the Friends of the Alexandria Commission for Women and the Commission for Women for the Women, Art and Shopping Holiday Spectacular, scheduled from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Next Realty Building, 1100 N. Fayette Street, nine blocks north from the intersection of King and N. Fayette Streets, at the end of Fayette. Admission is free and complimentary refreshments will be served. Purchase art and crafts from emerging women artists (jewelry, cards, ceramics, quilting, glass, clothing, handbags, children's items, photography, pottery and more) just in time for the holidays. Fifteen percent of all proceeds benefit the Commission for Women and Alexandria Office on Women projects. For more information, please call 703.838.5030.