<cal1>ONGOING
<cal2>The Holiday season is just around the corner! Our Neighbor's Child (ONC) is now in its 13th year of serving families in the immediate area. This year it expects to help more than 500 families, many of whom could greatly benefit from some additional warm clothing.
The group is currently receiving information on the needy families and individuals in the area and is looking for groups or individuals that can assist with the clothing needs of these families.
Share this information with family or friends who might also be interested. Churches, Bunco groups, book clubs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scout troops, or any group affiliation can join together to sponsor a family. For example, every year Chesterbrook Academy involves its whole school to help more than 25 families keep warm.
If you would like to help, send Tracy McInturff an e-mail at gmfamily1@aol.com or call 703- 222-6669, or Holly Cameron at 703-266-8588.
<cal1>NOV. 19-JAN. 8
<cal2>Miracle of Lights, a holiday drive-through light show, will open on Friday, Nov. 19, and run through Jan. 8, 2005 in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville. The show will be opened from 5:30-10:30 p.m. every night (except New Year's Eve).
This year's show will feature: Planet Holiday, Victorian Virginia, Noah's Ark, Santa's Wood, The Angel's Playground and The Enchanted Woods. The show is located in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, and is hosted by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. The show is sponsored by M.C. Dean, Hot 99.5, WASH FM 97.1, WMZQ 98.7, WBIG 100, Pennysaver, Comcast, Journal Newspapers, The Community PhoneBook and the Connection Newspapers. Cost is $12 per car (1-14 people), $25 per commercial van (15-34 people) and $50 per bus (35 people or more). Discount coupons are available in local papers and on the Miracle of Lights web site www.miracleoflights.com. Call Miracle of Lights 703-709-KIDS (5437) or visit www.miracleoflights.com.
<cal1>NOV. 20-21
<cal2>The Joan Izzo Academy of Dance will be performing "The Kingdom of Sweets" from "The Nutcracker." The performances are as follows: Saturday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12/each; $10/each for Girl Scouts and their families. All performances to be held at the Middleburg Community Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Kris Wooldridge at 703-430-0037 or Roseann Esser at 703-222-0396.
<cal2>Greenberg's World's Largest Train, Toy and Hobby Show will take place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 20-21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chantilly's Dulles Expo Center. More than 50,000 sq. ft. of operating railroads, toy trains and toy collections will be on display. Visit www.greenbergshows.com.
<cal1>SATURDAY/NOV. 20
<cal2>The 24th Annual Fall Craft Fair sponsored by St. Timothy School will be held Saturday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shop for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts; only hand-made crafters participate. While adults shop, there will be children-supervised activities. Highlights include: a stained glass cafe, raffles, and fun for the whole family. To be held at 13809 Poplar Tree Road, Chantilly.
<cal2>Holiday Crafts. The Holiday Craft Show takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Fairfax High School, 3500 Old Lee Highway. Admission is $3. Activities include craft sales, food and an opportunity to have a picture taken with Santa from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 703-385-7858.
<cal1>Sunday/Nov. 21
<cal2>Holiday Crafts. The Holiday Craft Show takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Fairfax High School, 3500 Old Lee Highway. Admission is $3. Activities include craft sales, food and an opportunity to have a picture taken with Santa. For more information, call 703-385-7858.
<cal1>NOV. 26-28
<cal2>The Fairfax Ballet, resident company of Chantilly's Russell School of Ballet, is gearing up for the holidays. Fairfax County's largest regional ballet company, The Fairfax Ballet, will present Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker," Nov. 26-28 at Fairfax High School Theatre. Performance times 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 26; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 27; and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28. Tickets are $25 (center orchestra), $22 (side orchestra) and $18 (balcony). Fairfax High School is located at 3500 Old Lee Highway. Tickets are on sale now! To purchase tickets, come by the Russell School of Ballet, located at 14119-O Sullyfield Circle in Chantilly, between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. To charge tickets by telephone or for more information, call 703-378-4999, or visit: www.fairfaxballet.com.
<cal2>On Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26, 27 and 28, the annual Art & Craft Showcase presented by members of the Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild will be held at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E., Vienna. Show hours are Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $1. This members-only show features 75 outstanding juried artists and artists showing their finest work in six display areas. There's stained glass, fine jewelry, photography, decorative painting, hand weaving, pottery, porcelain ornaments, wearable art and more. Visit www.nvhg.org.
<cal1>Saturday/Nov. 27
<cal2>Holiday Performance. The Classical Ballet Theater presents "Nutcracker" at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., at the Northern Virginia Community College stage in Annandale. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-471-0720.
Craft Show. Members of Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild present the 22nd annual Art & Craft Showcase, featuring 75 juried artists, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E., Vienna. Admission is $1. For more information, call 703-938-8306 or 703-648-9258.
<cal1>Sunday/Nov. 28
<cal2>Holiday Performance. The Classical Ballet Theater presents "Nutcracker" at 2 p.m., at the Northern Virginia Community College stage in Annandale. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-471-0720.
<cal1>Friday/Dec. 3
<cal2>Holiday Performance. George Mason University presents "A Chanticleer Christmas," featuring spirituals and traditional gospel music in arrangements by Chanticleer's music director Joseph Jennings and the Grammy Award-winning, all-male vocal ensemble, at 8 p.m., at GMU's Center for the Arts. An artistic discussion takes place 45-minutes prior to the curtain on the hall's Grand Tier. Tickets are $22-$44, and can be purchased online at www.tickets.com or charged by phone by calling 703-218-6500. For more information, visit www.gmu.edu/cfa.
<cal1>SATURDAY/DEC. 4
<cal2>Clifton's 2004 Candlelight Homes Tour will take place Saturday, Dec. 4 from 4-7:30 p.m. The day's festivities begin at 2 p.m. with caroling on horseback through the town, sponsored by the Clifton Horse Society. The Candlelight House Tour begins at 4 p.m. and will include five homes, three churches and the Clifton Caboose. The five families who have volunteered to have their homes on tour this year are: The Babers, the Mills, the Tom Petersons, the Keens and the Worshams. Live music can be enjoyed during the Tour at the three churches: The Primitive Baptist Church (Senior & Children's Choirs), the Baptist Church (Children's Choir) and the Clifton Presbyterian Church (Robinson High School Choir) and members of the Clifton Lions Club will be hosting the Clifton Caboose. Following the Homes Tour, there will be the lighting of the town Christmas tree and a carol sing-a-long in Ayre Square. Tickets for the Homes Tour are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. They may be purchased at shops and restaurants in Town and the Temptations Gift Stores (both Burke and Union Mill locations). Contact Jennifer Chesley townofclifton@aol.com 703-830-2129 or Lynne Garvey Wark lghassoc@erols.com 703-322-1811.
<cal1>FRIDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 3-4
<cal2>* Westfield High Holiday Caberet, Friday-Saturday, Dec. 3-4, at 8 p.m. in the school auditorium. Students will sing, dance and perform holiday-themed vignettes in this colorful, family-friendly show. Tickets are $5 at the door, and seating will be in the round and will be limited to 200 people each night.
<cal2>It's Christmas time in Manassas. Come celebrate "Christmas Around the World" in the Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. The parade will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 10:30 a.m. The Nov. 1 deadline for participant applications is fast approaching. Anyone interested in being part of this honored tradition should call the parade hotline at 703-369-9030 to obtain an application.
Kids can sweeten up the holidays by learning to make gingerbread houses like pros at the Hilton Washington Dulles. Join Hilton Pastry Chef Steve Miller for a class in gingerbread house creating. This complimentary class includes all supplies needed to take home an edible masterpiece. Children ages 6-10 can sign up. The class takes place on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Spaces are limited, so call now to reserve a spot! Call Debbie at 703-478-2900, ext. 1061. Located at the Hilton Washington Dulles, 13869 Park Center Road, Herndon.
<cal1>DEC. 3-5
<cal2>Make time to enjoy old-fashioned family fun at the "Merry Old Town" celebration in Old Town Manassas. The holiday fun begins on Friday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. with the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Plans for this evening include a live concert on the lawn of The Manassas Museum, lighting of the Christmas Tree by a local celebrity, free hayrides, and, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus via the Virginia Railway Express! The Manassas Museum will also be conducting its Annual Holiday Open House and offering free admission. The 7th Annual Gingerbread Contest also begins on this day. Decorated structures of all sizes and shapes will be on display during the "Merry Old Town" Celebration in Historic Old Town Manassas. Saturday, Dec. 4, is the 58th Annual Greater Manassas Christmas Parade at 10:30 a.m. That Sunday, Dec. 4 you can enjoy the Old Town Merchant's Open House from 1-5 p.m. with free horse drawn carriage rides and hear the sounds of singing on the streets of Old Town by the youngsters from the elementary schools. Call 703-361-6599 or go to www.visitmanassas.org for information.
<cal1>DEC. 4-5
<cal2>Area artists can join members of the Manassas Art Guild for its Winter Art Exhibit, "Let It Show," to be held on Dec. 4-5. The show features more than $700 in cash awards during the judged exhibit phase. Participating artists can also offer framed or matted pieces for the art mart phase. "Let It Show" will be held at the Java Rock Coffee House, 8730 Sudley Road in Manassas. The fee for non-members is $30, and the deadline to enter is Oct. 30. For entry forms, contact Debbie at 703-754-0354.
<cal1>DEC. 4-5
<cal2>The Prince William Art Society and the Prince William Historic Preservation Foundation will be presenting "A Look At Prince William, Past and Present," a holiday fine art show and sale at the Old Manassas Courthouse at Grant and Lee Streets in Manassas. The show will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4 from noon to 8 p.m. (with reception from 5-8 p.m.) and on Sunday, Dec. 5 from noon to 5 p.m.
Prince William Art Society members will exhibit local scenes, landscapes and structures of historical bent. This show will have a distinctly Victorian flavor to complement the activities scheduled in Manassas that weekend: Tree lighting at 6 p.m. Friday night, carols, hayrides and Manassas Museum Holiday Open House; the Annual Christmas Parade Saturday morning and Old Town Manassas Merchants Open House on Sunday. Contact Jackie Fitzpatrick at 703-670-7971 or email jackiefitz@worldnet.att.net.
<cal1>Friday/Dec. 10
<cal2>Live Performance. George Mason University's Center for the Arts presents the Boys Choir of Harlem at 8 p.m., at the Concert Hall. Tickets are $22-$44, and can be purchased by calling 703-218-6500 or by visiting www.tickets.com. For more information, visit www.gmu.edu/cfa.
<cal1>Saturday/Dec. 11
<cal2>Candlelight Tours. The Sully Historic Site seeks volunteers to help during the Candlelight Tours at Sully from 5-8:30 p.m. Help is needed in candle and fire watching, with refreshments, parking and outside activities. Participants must be 16 or older to participate. For more information, call Rob Orrison at 703-437-1794.
<cal1>DEC. 11-12
<cal2>The Mia Saunders School of Ballet will perform "The Nutcracker" on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11-12 at Centreville High School. This year, the stars will be two Little Rocky Run residents, Molly Mackenzie and Kelly Tracy. Ticket prices are as follows: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors; and $6 for students. Call Christine Marshall at 703-222-3378.
<cal1>Sunday/Dec. 12
<cal2>Candlelight Tours. The Sully Historic Site seeks volunteers to help during the Candlelight Tours at Sully from 5-7:30 p.m. Help is needed in candle and fire watching, with refreshments, parking and outside activities. Participants must be 16 or older to participate. For more information, call Rob Orrison at 703-437-1794.
<cal1>Saturday/Dec. 18
<cal2>Ballet Performance. The Swan Ballet presents "Nutcracker" at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Ernst Cultural Theater at the Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for children and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-425-9400.
<cal1>Sunday/Dec. 19
<cal2>Holiday Production. The Asaph Ensemble performs its annual holiday adaptation of "The Nutcracker" titled "Clara's Christmas" 4 p.m., at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at the Alexandria campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and younger, and $5 for seniors 65 and older. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or for advanced ticket sales, call the Asaph Ensemble at 703-368-1812.
Ballet Performance. The Swan Ballet presents "Nutcracker" at 4 p.m.. at the Ernst Cultural Theater at the Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for children and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-425-9400.
<cal1>MONDAY-TUESDAY/Dec. 20-21
* The Chantilly High drama department will present "A Christmas Carol," Dec. 20-21, at 7 p.m. each night in the school theater. This is Chantilly's Cappie entry, so it's sure to be extra-special. And the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the three ghosts, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim is always perfect for the holidays.
<cal1>TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY/Dec. 21-22
<cal2>* Westfield High will offer two children's holiday shows, Tuesday-Wednesday, Dec. 21-22, at 10 a.m. in the school auditorium. Tickets are $3 at the door. Always a crowd-pleaser, this year's show will feature excerpts from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Students will also perform an original piece called "Hanukkah Harry."
<cal2>Ballet Performance. The Virginia Ballet presents "Nutcracker" at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Ernst Cultural Theater at Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-249-8227.
<cal1>Tuesday/Dec. 28
<cal2>Ballet Performance. The Virginia Ballet presents "Nutcracker" at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Ernst Cultural Theater at Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-249-8227.
<cal1>Wednesday/Dec. 29
<cal2>Ballet Performance. The Virginia Ballet presents "Nutcracker" at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the Ernst Cultural Theater at Northern Virginia Community College. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children and seniors. For more information or for tickets, call 703-249-8227.