Know of something that should be included in Around Town? Send a brief write-up to Lea Mae Rice at 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, fax to 703-917-0991 or call 703-917-6459.
The eighth annual Fall for the Book Festival, will run Sept. 27-Oct. 5 at the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. Judy Blume, Dave Eggers, Deborah Tannen and three 2006 Pulitzer Prize winners will headline the event. The festival features literary events, theatrical performances and an art exhibition. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.
The 31st Annual Virginia Wine Festival is Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at Morven Park Equestrian Center, 41793 Tutt Lane, Leesburg. The festival includes wine tasting, educational demonstrations, live entertainment and kid's activities. 703-823-1868 or www.virginiawinefestival.org.
Virginia Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R–37) is looking for an intern to work full time during the legislative session and 12-15 hours per week when the Senate is not in session. Interns are asked to answer phones, sort mail, enter computer data, attend meetings, respond to constituent questions and assist with special projects. Apply online at www.cuccinelli.org/intership.shtml or contact Eve Marie Barner at 703-766-0635 for more information.
The City of Fairfax Parks & Recreation Department is seeking craft vendors for a fall festival. All items must be handmade by the vendor. Deadline is open until filled. The application fee is $5. The Fall Festival will be Oct. 14 (rain date Oct. 15). It is a family friendly street festival in the heart of the City of Fairfax. More than 500 juried crafters and food vendors sell wares. Activities include children's rides, pony rides, inflatable games and family entertainment. Vendor spaces are 10x10 and cost is $125. Expected attendance is 20,000. To receive an application, call 703-385-7949 or e-mail lherman@fairfaxva.gov. Applications are also available online at http://www.fairfaxva.gov/ParksRec/VendorInformation.htm.
The Fairfax County Public Library now offers free wireless access to the Internet at five branches, including the Chantilly Regional Library, the Pohick Regional Library in Burke, the Reston Regional Library, the Sherwood Regional Library in Alexandria and the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library in Falls Church. The new service allows people to use their Wi-Fi enabled laptops to access the Internet for an unlimited amount of time.
Northern Virginia Family Service seeks area residents to become a foster care providers to neglected children with special needs. NVFS helps families get the most out of foster/respite care experience by providing intensive training, certification and continuing education; careful child/parent matching; ongoing assistance and 24-hour support from professional social workers; financial reimbursement; help locating support services for your special foster/respite child; foster/respite parent support groups; and family activities. Register now for summer training. Call Ginny at 703-219-2184.
The Women's Center offers career services. For more information, visit www.thewomenscenter.org.
The Fairfax County Public Library offers 700 free audio books that residents can listen to on computers and portable players. The collection can be accessed at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.
The West Springfield Shield, a free monthly newsletter produced by the West Springfield District Police Station's Crime Prevention Unit, is available via e-mail to anyone interested in receiving it. It offers the latest alerts, important news, crime prevention tips and more. To subscribe, e-mail wspnewsletter@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Fairfax County Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth of the Providence District is initiating a historical project, which was inspired by the rich past of the district, entitled "Providence Perspective." The Providence Perspective Project Committee, which residents are invited to join, will work during the next year to capture the rich history of the district, including oral history interviews. To join the committee please contact Supervisor Smyth's office at 703-560-6946.
Fun Club. Noodles & Noggins Fun Club meets on Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. at the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton. Enjoy some great books, do a fun craft, sing songs and dance. A new theme each week. For ages 1-6 years. Suggested contribution per child. Call the store to register at 703-815-8600.
The Virginia Business and Professional Women’s Foundation offers a variety of scholarships, grants and fellowships to assist women to re-enter the job market or further their education and careers, as well as to support the study of women's issues. Visit www.bpwva.org.
The Wakefield Chorale is looking for men and women for its 24th singing season. Rehearsals are on Tuesdays from 8-10 p.m. at Falls Church High School, 1721 Jaguar Trail. For more information, call 703-938-8044.
Northern Virginia Community College students who have been in foster care may qualify for a state financial aid program to assist them in continuing their education at NVCC. The Foster Care Tuition Grant program is available to high school graduates or those who complete general education development (GED) who were in foster care, in the custody of a social services agency, or considered a special needs adoption when they received their high school diploma or GED. Call Carol Mowbry at 703-323-3014 or visit www.vccs.edu/vccsasr/Tuitiongrant/tuitiongrant.html.
The Teen Center is open from 6:30-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at the Green Acres Center, 4401 Sideburn Road, Fairfax, for teens in grades 7-10. For more information, call 703-385-7978.
The Fairfax County Public Library has added over 7,700 DVDs to its collection. The library has previously offered instructional DVDs, such as “Dog Training,” “John Cleese: Wine for the Confused,” and “Iron Yoga.” New DVDs include film adaptations of popular books such as “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Color Purple,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” and others. The loan period for library DVDs is one week. Overdue fines are 25 cents per day for adult DVDs, and 10 cents per day for children’s DVDs. Interested viewers can browse the DVD collection from the library’s online catalog at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.
The Fairfax County Park Authority recently published its "I Spy" trail guide, which identifies natural treasures found along the Cross County Trail. Designed for families, the "I Spy" guide increases awareness and inspires stewardship of the resources along the 40-mile long trail connecting parks from the Potomac River to the Occoquan. The brochure identifies plant species and wildlife seen during any season, with a section devoted to avoiding poison ivy. Copies of the guide are available, at no cost, at area RECenters and sites along the trail’s route. It is also available in the literature rack on the ninth floor of the Herrity Building on Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. Call 703-324-8674 for more information.
Friends of Burke Centre Library seeks donations of fiction, non-fiction, books on tape and CDs for this big book sale at the Burke Centre Fall Festival. Donations will be collected until September and can be dropped off at the UPS store in the Burke Centre Shopping Center and at the Burke Centre Conservancy office. Volunteers are also needed to help with the book sale. For more information, contact Pat Riedinger at 703-830-3705 or e-mail pariedinger@cox.net.
The City of Fairfax Commission for Women has published a brochure as part of its campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence and offer hope to victims. The brochure, "Someone You Know Might Need Help," offers information about where domestic violence victims can seek help, as well as suggestions for those who may know victims of domestic violence. It is available in English and Spanish. For a copy, visit www.fairfaxva.gov or call 703-385-7894.
Celebration Singers, an all-volunteer women's show chorus, seeks first or second sopranos and altos to join its group. Shows include singing for the community, civic, military and social groups as well as retirement and nursing homes. Rehearsals take place on Wednesdays at the Springfield United Methodist Church and Heritage Hunt. For more information or to set up a rehearsal time, call 703-971-2124.
The Fairfax County Public Library now offers 40 book discussion kits, available for book clubs to check out for six weeks. The kits include 10 copies of a book and support material. Call 703-324-8319 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.
Northern Virginia Community College offers a new associate degree in information technology that transfers easily to George Mason University. After two years of following NVCC’s associate in science in information technology curriculum, students will be on track to transfer to GMU, where they can complete a bachelor’s degree in information technology in just four semesters. To learn more about the new program, visit www.ait.gmu.edu and choose “Transfer Information.”
The Continuing Education and Workforce Development Office at Northern Virginia Community College introduces a comprehensive program in conjunction with MedCertify, Inc., for students interested in the growing field of medical coding. This course will be offered through NVCC’s Medical Education Campus. To register or for more information, call 703-822-6523 or visit www.nvcc.edu/medical/continuing.
All branches of the Fairfax County Public Library now allow customers to use Visa or MasterCard credit and debit cards to pay for overdue or lost books.
The Fairfax County Public Library offers children's book discussion kit for book clubs of younger readers to check out. The plastic containers contain 10 copies of the same book as well as discussion questions, information on the author and other support material. They will be available at Fairfax City Regional Library, Kings Park Library and Pohick Regional Library. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.