Send announcements to The Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to
reston@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. Call Jean Card at 703-917-6437, with questions.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
Free ESL classes are being offered at Dranesville United Methodist Church. Various levels of instruction are available for beginning to advanced students. Registration and classes Thursday mornings, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., until the semester ends May 19. New students are welcome at any time. Free child care provided during class time for children 2 years and older. Dranesville United Methodist Church, 1089 Liberty Meeting Court, Herndon. Call the church office at 703-430-3137 during the day, or Sharon Harroun at 703-860-9417 in the evenings.
The Reston Community Center's Opera Appreciation
class will make opera accessible to opera lovers and novices alike. The class takes place Thursdays, Jan. 27-Feb. 17, from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at the RCC Lake Anne. This course is intended for people age 55 and older. Fee is
$20 for people who live or work in Reston and $40 for all others. Register either in person or by faxing a completed RCC registration form to 703-476-8617. Contact the Reston Community Center at 703-476-4500 (V/TTY) or visit the Web site at http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com. The Reston Community Center, Lake Anne, is located in Lake Anne
Plaza, near the intersection of Village Road and North Shore Drive in Reston.
Reston Community Center's Safe Scrapbooking Workshop will be held at RCC Hunters Woods on four Wednesdays, from
Feb. 2-23, from noon-2 p.m., and includes instruction on
how to organize photos and keepsakes into a beautiful personalized album. The class fee includes most supplies and materials. Participants should bring 40 3x5 or 4x6 photos to the first class. The class is intended for persons age 55 and older. The fee is $25 for Reston residents and $50 for nonresidents. Register either in person or by faxing a
completed RCC Registration form to 703-476-8617. The Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, is located in the Hunters Woods Shopping Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road.
Wee Play is a weekly activity class for parents and their 2- or 3-year-olds held in the Classical Ballet Academy in the Reston/Herndon Industrial Park. Each theme-based one hour class includes five activities: table time with bean containers, play dough, magnets, pegs and mallets; circle time with familiar songs, puppets, props, flannel board stories, and finger plays; arts and crafts; activity time with the parachute, tunnels, balance beam, ball skills, paddles and balloons, soccer, hockey, bean bags, hoops, games and more; and a snack and stickers. Classes are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 9:30 and 10:45 am. Ten-class session $125. Spring session begins March 2. Kathy Brennan 703-403-8699.
Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) is holding a spring series of children’s workshops at the Greater Reston Arts Center Gallery, 11911 Freedom Drive, Suite 110, Reston, 3:30-5 p.m., Mondays Feb. 14 or 28, March 14 or 28, and April 11 or 25. This series is for children in grades kindergarten-sixth grade, and includes January: Wire Webs; February: We Love Watercolors!; March: Clay Imprints; and April: Tissue Paper Collage. Fees for the workshops are $11 for GRACE members, with a discount is available for members who sign up for the entire series, and $16 for nonmembers. To register call 703-471-9242. Visit our Web site at www.restonarts.org/education.htm.
The Reston Community Center is offering a children’s fencing class, which teaches footwork, handwork and strategy using safety-tipped swords, protective jackets, masks and instructors from the Virginia Academy of Fencing. For ages 9-13 years old on Thursdays, Jan. 27-March 3, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the RCC Hunters Woods. The course will be repeated on March 31-May 5. The cost is $38, Reston residents and $56 non resident. An equipment rental fee of $29 payable to the Virginia Academy of Fencing is due on the first day of class. Register in person or by faxing a completed registration form to 703-476-8617. Call 703-476-4500 or visit the Web site at http://www.restoncommunitycenter.com. The Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, is located in the Hunters Woods Shopping Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road.
Registration is now open for the spring 2005 series of Children’s Workshops at the Greater Reston Arts Center. These workshops give children an opportunity to learn more about art techniques in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. 3:30-5 p.m., Mondays, Feb. 14 or 28, March 28, and April 25. This series is for children in grades K-6. The workshops are:
February – “We Love Watercolors!”
March – “Clay Imprints”
April – “Tissue Paper Collage”
Visit the Web site at www.restonarts.org/education.htm. $11 for GRACE members and $16 for nonmembers. Preregistration is recommended since space is limited and participation is on a first-come first-served basis. Call 703-471-9242.
Dragonfly and Mayflowers are continuing the Second Friday Studio Series each month from 6–9 p.m. Gallery talks are at 7 p.m.
Feb. 11: Feng Shui – Celebrate Chinese New Year, The Year of the Rooster; March 11: Paint Your Passion – colorists describe exciting new colors; April 8: Bulb Mania From Holland – see and hear from the growers; May 13: Living Outdoors – create a whole new room. Call Dragonfly at 703-467-8675 or Mayflowers at 703-318-8078.
Angela’s Happy Stamper offers free Learn at Lunch programs every Tuesday, from 12–2 p.m., free make and take opportunities and many new classes. Currently, Happy Stamper customers are creating and donating all kinds of stationery for the charity, Support Our Troops. In Iraq, stationery is in short supply for those wishing to send mail home. Call 703-435-0051 or visit www.ahappystamper.com.
Practice Your English, for beginning- and intermediate-level conversation groups for adults learning English. Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive throughout February. Call 703-689-2700.
Individual Internet training for adults at Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, throughout February. One-hour sessions with a technology volunteers. Call 703-689-2700.
Vajrayogini Buddhist Center offers classes in Buddhist meditation, which is open to the public. The classes are Tuesdays of each month, 7-8: 30 p.m., in the "cry" room next to the chapel at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 1700 Wainright Drive, Reston. Visit the Web site www.meditation-dc.org or call 202-331-2122.
Gentle Hatha Yoga. Group sessions for beginners and those who would prefer to remain at a gentle level are offered Saturdays, 12-1:30 p.m., at Brown's Chapel, 11300 Baron Cameron Ave, Reston. Suggested donation is $50 for five classes; $12 for drop in. Weekday, daytime and evening classes are available in private studio in Reston. Call 703-787-0268.
The Reston Community Center's AARP Driver Safety Workshop will be held at the RCC, Hunters Woods Tuesday and Thursday, March 22 and 24. This course is intended for persons age 50 and older. Registration is required in advance, either in person or by faxing a completed registration form to 703-476-8617. A check for $10 payable to AARP is due to the instructor on the first day of class.
For directions, or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact the Reston Community Center at 703-476-4500 (V/TTY) or visit the Web site at www.restoncommunitycenter.com. The Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, is located in the lower level of the Hunters Woods Shopping Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston.
The Fairfax County offices of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (CBRB) offer free weekly career seminars for those interested in learning more about a career in real estate. Information about the residential real estate profession and the opportunities available are among the topics to be discussed. The seminar is appropriate for those interested in starting a new career as well as for experienced sales associates looking to work with the "Company of Choice in the Mid-Atlantic region." To register, call Mark Pergerson at 703-476-8440, or call Barbara Aaron, branch vice president, 703-471-7220 or e-mail at Baaron@coldwellbankermove.com.
Sahaja Yoga free meditation class, each Tuesday, to reduce stress and improve health. 7:15-8:15 p.m., at the Reston Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Contact Navneet Agarwal, 703-793-6556.
Reston Community Center offers English as a Second Language (ESL) courses for adults with beginning to intermediate levels of proficiency in English. The courses will cover basic grammar, conversation, pronunciation and writing. Classes are targeted to people age 16 and older. Students are required to take a free assessment test before they can attend a class. The fee is $20 for Reston residents and $60 for all others. Call 703-476-4500.
Reston resident Carol Berman will help students learn pastel drawing and improve drawing skills on Thursday mornings, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at her Reston studio. Cost is $15 per session. Call 703-437-9068.
SOAR, or "Scouts Obtain Achievements and Recognition," teams Scouts with Reston Community Center Youth Department staff members, who assist the youth in
earning merit badges and completing projects in the areas where they have resources and special expertise such as photo developing, cooking and crafts. Scouts can register for one-day, hands-on workshops on Mondays
and Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. Call Julie Windsor, youth director, at 703-390-6163 to schedule a workshop. The cost of the workshops is $6 for Reston residents and $9 for all others.
Candlelight beginner yoga classes at Brown's Chapel include gentle stretching, breathing and deep relaxation/guided meditation. Mondays 7:30-9 p.m., Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. Call 703-476-2827.
Crossroads School of the Arts, located in Herndon, offers classes in dance, drama and art for preschoolers through teens, as well as workshops for adults. Call 703-404-2977 or visit www.crossroadsarts.info.