[Archived] Weekly Event Announcements for the City of Alexandria: October 17 – October 23, 2009

For Immediate Release: October 16, 2009

Saturday, October 17 – Grand Opening of The Station at Potomac Yard
Residents are invited to a grand opening celebration for The Station at Potomac Yard (2801 Jefferson Davis Hwy) on Saturday, October 17, at 8:30 a.m. The Station at Potomac Yard combines retail, affordable housing, and the opening of the City's first fire station in more than 30 years. Following the grand opening ceremony, public tours of the facility will be available from 9:30am to noon. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/PotomacStation.

Saturday, October 17 – Family Fall Festival
Visit the Alexandria’s Family Fall Festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Armistead L. Boothe Park, 520 Cameron Station Blvd. Admission is free, and the festival will be held rain or shine. The festival features entertainment, crafts, demonstrations and fun for the entire family.  There will be fees for scarecrow making, bouncy boxing, pony rides and moon bounce. For additional information, visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation.  

Saturday, October 17 – Plastic Bag Recycling Initiative at Family Fall Festival 
Make the Right Choice! One Plastic Bag at a Time! Bring your plastic bags to the Family Fall Festival at Armistead Boothe Park, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and receive a free reusable bag! Look for the Recycling table to learn more about the Plastic Bag Recycling Initiative and to recycle your plastic bags.  For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/PlasticBags. 

Saturday, October 17 - Chefs to Give Cooking Demonstration at Alexandria Farmers’ Market
Acclaimed chefs from Alexandria’s finest restaurants will give cooking demonstrations Saturday mornings at the Alexandria Farmers’ Market, located at Market Square, 301 King Street. Local chefs will show you how to prepare a variety of culinary delights and samples will be available for tasting following each demonstration. The cooking demonstrations are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This week’s demonstration features A La Lucia - Italian Fried Donuts. For additional information, call 703.746.5504.

Sunday, October 18 – West End Farmers’ Market 
The public is invited to the West End Farmers’ Market at Ben Brenman Park, located at 4800 Brenman Park Dr. The West End Farmers’ Market is open to the public, Sundays through November 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation. 

Monday, October 19 – Tavern Toddlers
Join us for a special program for toddlers (walkers through 36 months) and their caregivers at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St. Tavern Toddlers features a weekly open playtime in Gadsby’s historic ballroom Mondays, excluding Federal holidays, through November 16 any time between 10:30 a.m. and noon. New themes this fall! Cost is $7 for a group of three, which must include one adult, or $30 for purchase of a five-week pass. For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org or call 703.838.4242.

Tuesday, October 20 – Dine Out for the Walk to Fight Breast Cancer 
Dine out and shop in Alexandria to support the Walk to Fight Breast Cancer throughout the day!  Visit your favorite Alexandria restaurants and businesses to help raise awareness and money for the Alexandria Breast Cancer Fund. For more information, including a list of participating locations, visit www.alexcancerwalk.com or call 703.746.5030.

Tuesday, October 20 – Alexandria Gets Fresh!
Join us at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, 101 Callahan Dr. for Alexandria Gets Fresh! At 6 p.m., local food samples will be served, and beginning at 7 p.m., “Fresh,” a film by Ana Sofia Jones, will be shown. A panel discussion moderated by Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka, Polyface Farm’s Joel Salatin, and Flavor Magazine’s Melissa Harris will follow. Donations of $10 will be accepted to help support Alexandria’s ALIVE food shelter. To RSVP, e-mail Susan Mclaughlin at white_tortoise1@msn.com.

Wednesday, October 21 – Upper King Street Fresh Farmers’ Market
The public is invited to the Upper King Street Fresh Farmers’ Market, located at the King Street Gardens Park, 1806 King St., just a few steps from the King Street Metro. The Upper King Street Fresh Farmers’ Market is open Wednesdays through October 28 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Farmers’ Market Online. 

Coming soon!

Saturday, October 24 – Walk to Fight Breast Cancer 
Participate in the Walk to Fight Breast Cancer and help raise money for the Alexandria Breast Cancer Fund. Form a walking team, collect pledges and bring your whole family out to this event! The Alexandria Breast Cancer Fund pays for mammograms and other important diagnostic screenings for un- and under-insured women in Alexandria. For more information, visit www.alexcancerwalk.com or call 703.746.5030.

Saturday, October 24 – Heritage Trail Civil War Bike Ride 
Meet at the Bike and Roll Alexandria shop, 1 Wales Alley, for a 14.5-mile guided bike tour of Alexandria Defenses of Washington. The tour starts at 10 a.m. and is expected to last until 2 p.m. The route includes steep hills and street cycling. Helmets are required and children must be accompanied by a participating adult. Pack drinks and snacks. No registration fee is charged, but reservations are required. Please call 703.838.4399 or e-mail ruth.reeder@alexandriava.gov to save your space!

Saturday, October 24 – Old Town North Community Partnership: Paws for the Park
Paws for the Park will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Montgomery Park, North Royal and Montgomery streets. Area dogs, and the kids and folks who love them, are invited to gather for DOGA, Pumpkin Painting, a Blessing of the Animals, K-9 Games, Musical Sit, a fur-filled Costume Parade for two and four legged contestants and much more! The cost is $15 and proceeds benefit the Montgomery Dog Park Improvement Fund, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and the Alexandria Police Department K-9 Program. For more information, please contact Old Town North Community Partnership at 703.836.8066 or info@oldtownnorth.org.

Saturday, October 24 – International Day of Climate Action 
The Office of Environmental Quality invites residents to join people all over the world to take a stand for a safe climate future.  Residents can participate locally by attending a concert to benefit the international day of climate action.  The EcoVoice Ensemble will perform at 3:50 p.m. at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 321 S. Fairfax St. For more information, visit www.ecovoce.org or call 703.549.6670.

Wednesday, October 28 – Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee Benefit
Join the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee for lunch or dinner at Fontaine Caffe & Crêperie, 119 S. Royal Street, as Chef and Owner Kyong Yi donates ten percent of the day’s proceeds to the Committee to support its exchanges with Caen. For more information, visit www.fontainecaffe.com or call 703.535.8151.

Ongoing!

City of Alexandria in Search of Holiday Tree
During the holidays, the Market Square glistens with the sparkling majesty of a Holiday Tree— made possible only through a generous donation each year. The City of Alexandria is once again in search of a Colorado Blue Spruce, Leyland Cypress or other well-formed evergreen tree, approximately 25 to 35 feet tall, to serve as the City’s official 2008 Holiday Tree. The City will remove the tree from the donor’s property in mid-November and grind the stump at no cost. Persons in the Washington metropolitan area who are interested in donating a tree should contact John Noelle, City Arborist, at 703.746.5496 or e-mail john.noelle@alexandriava.gov.

City of Alexandria Offers Enhanced Service Hours at the Charles Houston Recreation Center
The City of Alexandria Department of Recreation Parks and Cultural Activities offers enhanced service hours, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St. Participants will have use of the center’s fitness room, game room, gymnasium and computer lab. Single and multi visit admission passes are available for purchase. For additional information, visit alexandriava.gov/Recreation or contact Sheila Whiting at 703.746.5552 or sheila.whiting@alexandriva.gov.

For more information, contact Jennifer Harris, Communications Officer, Office of Communications, at 703.746.3961 or jennifer.harris@alexandriava.gov