[Archived] Weekly Event Announcements for the City of Alexandria: October 24 – October 30, 2009

For Immediate Release: October 23, 2009

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 is cancelled due to forecasted thunderstorms. It will be rescheduled for a later date.

Saturday, October 24 – Old Town North Community Partnership: Paws in the Park
Paws in 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 e-mail 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.

Sunday, October 25 – 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 26 – 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 27 – Lights for Bikes Campaign Begins
Volunteers from BikeWalk Alexandria, the City of Alexandria, and three area bicycle shops will hand out free bicycle lights to cyclists as part of an annual safety and education campaign. Timed to coincide with daylight savings time, the purpose of the bicycle light giveaway is to reach out to bicycle commuters and other cyclists riding in the dark without the proper safety equipment. The initiative is sponsored by the City of Alexandria, Wheel Nuts Bike Shop, Spokes Etc., The Bicycle Pro Shop and viaVelo delivery service. For more information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/localmotion 

Wednesday, October 28 – Last Day of the 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 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the Farmers’ Market Online.

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.

Wednesday, October 28 – “Cemetery Art” Lecture
At Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St., get in the Halloween spirit with Dwight Young from the National Trust for Historic Preservation as he explores the history of cemetery design in America! You’ll see cemeteries as outdoor art galleries after this informative and entertaining look at the beautiful, surprising and bizarre structures and symbols of funerary art. Doors open at 7 p.m., lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $12 per person. For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org or call 703.838.4242.

Thursday, October 29 – Green Education and Workforce Forum
Learn what’s happening locally in the movement to create a greener and more sustainable economy at the Green Education and Workforce Forum hosted by JobLink, Alexandria’s One-Stop Career Center. The forum will be held from 8 am to 2:30 pm at the First Baptist Church, 2932 King St. The Forum will bring together business persons, workforce professionals, City directors and vocational trainers to share ideas and practices with attendees who may be preparing to green their business or persons looking for a job in the green economy. RSVP to Evelyn Quiles or T.D. Mitchell at 703.838.4316 or email evelyn.quiles@alexandriava.gov.

Friday, October 30 & Saturday, October 31 – Poe in Alexandria
This Halloween, celebrate the bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday! Join actor David Keltz at the Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, 201 S. Washington St., as he recreates Edgar Allan Poe’s visit to Virginia in 1849. The performance includes recitations from classic works such as “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and many others. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. and performance begins at 8 p.m. Best for teens and up due to the scary nature of some material. Tickets are $15 per person. For more information, please visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.838.4994.

Coming soon! 

Saturday, October 31 – History Scavenger Hunt
Celebrate Virginia Archaeology Month by identifying artifacts that bring Alexandria’s past to life at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, 105 North Union Street, #327. Take part in this free Virginia TimeTravelers passport “Stories of a Nation” patch program from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  For more information, please visit www.alexandriaarchaeology.org or call 703.838.4399.

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.

Open through Saturday, January 9, 2010 – Spirits in a Bottle Exhibition
Artist Barbara Hardaway decorated more than a hundred Arizona Tea bottles for this exhibition of decorative expressions of an ancient African tradition. This whimsical show at the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., pays homage to the 9th- and 10th-century Congolese tradition of adorning the ends of tree branches with colorful bottles that would catch the sunlight. Hardaway updated this ritual by festooning her bottles with feathers, fabric, beads, netting, ribbons and seashells. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, please visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.838.4356.