Aug. 21, 2002
A broad coalition of environmental, cultural and historical groups will join forces at Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 7 a.m. to celebrate the National Park Service Founders Day. Volunteers will remove invasive exotic vegetation, plant native trees and help unveil a new informational exhibit on the woodlands. Union Army re-enactors will also be on hand to talk to visitors about the Civil War's effect on the environment. Call 703-235-1537 or 703-235-1530 or visit www.nps.gov/arho.
The registration deadline for the 2002 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics is Friday, Aug. 30. The Senior Olympics, held Sept. 14-26, features over 25 indoor and outdoor events. Cost is $4 for registration and $1 per event. Participants must be 50 by Dec. 31. Call 703-228-4403 for a registration form, or contact any senior center.
Historic Arlington Roundtable will be held Tuesday, Sept. 3, from 12:15-1:15 p.m., in Room 715 at the County Building, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. The informal gathering features a brown-bag luncheon for anyone interested in Arlington's history. The topic will be "Neighborhood Histories in Arlington." Call Michael Leventhal at 703-228-3813 or e-mail cwramirex@starpower.net.
Four senior bike trips (Sept. 4, 10, 17 and 24) are planned for beginning and intermediate senior cyclists with Pat Blackmon of Senior Cycling. The first trip, on Wednesday, Sept. 4, is for beginners and features van transportation to the C&O Canal for a three-, six-, nine- or 12-mile trip. The fee is $50, which includes transportation, leadership with a sweep rider, snacks and lunch. The last three trips designed for intermediate cyclists have a fee of $60 each. Preregistration is necessary by contacting Esther Clark, fitness coordinator of the Office of Senior Adult Programs (OSAP) at 703-228-3600, Ext. 9996, or e-mail Esther Clark at eclark@co.arlington.va.us. Registration forms are also available at OSAP, 300 N. Park Drive at Lubber Run. Seniors must join OSAP and pay an annual registration fee of $5 to be eligible for the cycling program. Call OSAP at 703-228-4744.
An Interactive Fire Station Chat, designed to give people practical tools to deal with the 9-11 terrorist attacks, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 6:30-8 p.m., at Arlington County Fire Station #9, 1900 S. Walter Reed Drive. The presentation is free and open to the public and will be hosted and facilitated by Ray Madaghiele — a Gilbert, Ariz., civil engineer turned human-potential engineer — whose 3,000-mile, 70-day bicycling journey from Phoenix to Ground Zero, New York City, will bring him to Arlington. Call Bill Cox at 703-351-9747.
The Arlington Police and Fire departments will host a 5K race to commemorate 9/11 at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. The race will begin and end in Crystal City and will take runners by the rebuilt west wall of the Pentagon. The race will also serve as a fund-raiser for four Sept. 11-related charities. Proceeds will be donated to The Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the New York Police and Fire Widow and Children's Fund and a Pentagon victim's fund. The race fee is $20 if participants register before Sept. 1, and $25 if runners register later. All preregistered runners will receive long-sleeved T-shirts featuring a commemorative Sept. 11 logo. Visit www.racepacket.com to register online or call Matt Smith at 703-228-4071 or Dan Borrelli at 703-228-4052.
A 9/11 Youth Forum will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 2:30-4:30 p.m., in the auditorium of Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St. Teens from and throughout the Washington metropolitan area will gather to talk about how the events of and since Sept. 11 have affected their daily lives, their outlook on the world and their future in it. The anniversary event is free and open to the public. It will be videotaped by Channel 33 (Arlington Community Television) for inclusion in Arlington County's Oral History Archives for broadcast at a later date. The event is co-sponsored by CrisisLink and the Arlington Center for Well Being. Call Mary Azoy at 703-516-6771 or Jane Heavey at 703-522-7710 for more details or to register as a teen participant.