[Archived] Weekly Event Announcements: January 8 – 14, 2011

Saturday, January 8 & 15 - Christmas/Holiday Tree Recycling Collections
Residents who receive City trash service have two Saturdays to set-out trees for recycling pick-up, on Saturday, January 8 and Saturday, January 15.  Residents must:

• Remove all ornaments, tinsel, lights, and stands
• Not place trees in plastic bags
• Place the tree at the curb (no alleys) by 7 a.m.

Trees collected after January 16, will be collected as regular refuse. The trees are recycled into mulch by chipping in the spring. The mulch will be available at the City’s site (4215 Eisenhower Ave.) at no charge to residents in the spring, on a first come, first serve basis. Mulch is also available for delivery for a small fee. For more information, call 703.746.4410.

Monday, January 11 – 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 April 25 any time between 10:30 a.m. and noon. 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 703.746.4242.

Monday, January 11 - "Marketing Matters Most" SBDC Workshop
The Small Business Development Center is hosting a seminar entitled "Marketing Matters Most. What's Your Plan for 2011?" as part of their Start, Manage, Grow workshop series. The seminar is scheduled from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St. Admission is free, but you must register to participate. For more information, call 703.778.1292 or visit www.alexandriasbdc.org.

Tuesday, January 12 – Local Author Lecture Featuring Dr. Kurt Johnson
Come and hear local author Dr. Kurt Johnson talk about his book In My Back Yard: Natural History in the Suburbs at 7:30 p.m. at Alexandria’s James M. Duncan, Jr. Branch Library, 2501 Commonwealth Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 703.746.1705.

Thursday, January 13 – Civil War Dance Class
In preparation for the Civil War Ball on Saturday, January 29, learn the waltz, polka, Virginia reel and more from an expert dance master at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St. The class is 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and costs $12. Reservations are recommended. For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org or call 703.746.4242.

Coming Soon

Saturday, January 15 – Citywide Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 38th Annual Citywide Tribute beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church, 1401 Duke Street. Join Mayor William D. Euille; guest speaker Rev. Donald R. Kelly, Olive Branch Community Church of the Sandy Spring, MD; and the Restoration Choir of Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.shiloh-bc.org.

Saturday, January 15 – Alexandria Library’s Talking Book Service Friends Meeting
Alexandria Library's Talking Book Service will have its Friends meeting from 10 a.m. to noon, featuring special guest American Council of the Blind (NOVA Chapter). The meeting will take place in the Talking Books Office, on the second floor of Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke Street.  The guest speaker will be Vicki Ratcliffe, who will discuss aids for the blind and vision impaired on display. For more information, call Loni McCaffrey at 703.746.1760 or e-mail lmccaffrey@alexandria.lib.va.us. Talking Book Service (TBS) is a free service for the blind, physically and/or visually impaired or learning disabled.  This service is free and open to the public.

Saturday, February 5 - Green Building Workshop Series
Attend the first Eco-City Alexandria Green Building Workshop to learn do-it-yourself improvements that save energy and increase comfort for your home, apartment or small business. The workshop is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Sister Cities Conference Room 1101 at City Hall, 301 King Street. A raffle for an energy efficient door prize will occur at the end of the workshop. For more information, call the Office of Environmental Quality at 703.746.4065 or visit www.alexandriava.gov/Eco-City. RSVP to erica.bannerman@alexandriava.gov to reserve your space at the workshop. To learn more about the City's green building initiatives, visit www.alexandriava.gov/GreenBuilding.

Ongoing

City of Alexandria Farmers’ Markets 
The City of Alexandria is host to the Old Town Farmers’ Market and Del Ray Farmers’ Market every Saturday. The markets feature colorful displays of fresh, locally grown, in-season vegetables and fruit, gourmet coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, meat, bakery items and artisans. For more information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/farmersmarket.

Open through May 1, 2011 – “Patriotic and Public Spirited” Commemorative Wares in George Washington’s Hometown
Alexandria prides itself on being the hometown of George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and historic events such as George Washington’s Birthnight Ball and Lafayette’s 1824 visit to Alexandria were cause for great celebration. This exhibition of commemorative ceramic wares, recovered from archaeological excavations or preserved in collections, shows the community’s interest in events and historic places of local and national significance. The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum (201 South Washington Street) is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.746.4994.

Open through May 7, 2011 - Style and Identity: Black Alexandria in the 1970s, Portraits by Horace Day
At the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 S. Wythe St., view this new exhibition of 32 paintings by Horace Day featuring Alexandria street scenes and portraits of African American Alexandrians. Described as an American scene or regional painter, Day created this body of work at a time when “Black” was becoming “Beautiful,” but when media still promoted stereotypical, demeaning images of African Americans. Day’s portraits reflect the dignity and beauty he saw in his subjects. Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.746.4356.