Wine and Cheese Party and Silent Auction
Hosted by the Alexandria Commission for Women to benefit Alexandria’s Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, the party will be held at 228 S. Washington St., Thursday, June 22, 5-7:30 p.m. Wine will be provided by Virginia’s own Stone Mountain Vineyards, a current sponsor of the Walk, and food will be provided by several Alexandria businesses. A silent auction will also be hosted during the event. One of the premiere items up for bid is a VIP tour, wine tasting, and lodging for two nights for up to four people in the guest house at Stone Mountain Vineyards in Dyke, Virginia. Tickets are available for $25 per person or $30 at the door. Cash or checks only are accepted for payment and checks should be made payable to Walk Fund 2006. Checks can be mailed to Donna Udvari, Burke and Herbert Bank, PO Box 268, Alexandria, VA 22313. RSVPs are also being accepted for the party. Please call 703-550-4949, or send an e-mail to Donna Udvari at dudvari@burkeandherbert.com to RSVP for the event.
Securing the Blessings of Liberty Exhibition
On Friday, June 23, the Alexandria Black History Museum opens a new exhibition, Securing the Blessings of Liberty: Freedoms Taken and Liberties Lost, to the public. The exhibition, opening in the museum’s Robert H. Robinson gallery is free and open to the public. The exhibition opening is the conclusion of the museum’s Juneteenth programming, celebrating the emancipation of American slaves.
Securing the Blessings of Liberty is the story of slavery from an African American perspective. It begins in Africa, where Europeans, looking for an inexpensive source of labor, plundered thriving African societies, and enslaved millions of men, women and children. As the story continues, it follows the Middle Passage — the harrowing voyage endured by Africans. Areas of Securing the Blessings of Liberty highlight early Virginia landowners, the development of a tobacco based economy, and the prosperity it brought to the Chesapeake region.
Artifacts from the DAR Museum, Mount Vernon, Schomberg Center for the Study of Afro-American History, Alexandria Archaeology, Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Smithsonian Institution, and the Arlington County Courthouse help to tell the story and complement design exhibition produced by VisionWorks Studio and Kund and Associates.
The Alexandria Black History Museum, located at 902 Wythe St., is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free.
Successful Aging Senior Expo 2006
The Alexandria Commission on Aging and the Alexandria Office on Aging and Adult Services will present the Successful Aging Senior Expo 2006 at the First Baptist Church in Alexandria, located at 2932 King St., Wednesday, June 28, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The expo will be a “one stop shop” of organizations and service providers who can address the needs of seniors and the families who support them. The event will include a luncheon and an awards ceremony honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to Alexandria’s senior community. The keynote speaker will be Bill Thomas, M.D. – an international authority on geriatrics and a nationally known innovator of humanistic aging as an active, integrated and joyful phase of life. The cost to attend the event is $15 (if you register on or before June 21). For more information, please contact the Alexandria Office on Aging and Adult Services at 703-838-0920.
Cajun Swamp Stomp Fund-raiser on the River
The Cajun Swamp Stomp begins with a cocktail reception at the City Marina, adjacent to the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N Union St. Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. It continues at 7:30 p.m. aboard the Cherry Blossom for dinner, dancing and cruising on the Potomac River until 9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $65 per person and are tax deductible. The event supports The Fund for Alexandria’s Child and benefits children who are in foster care or at risk of abuse or neglect. This year, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to foster children in Greater New Orleans who continue to feel the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. For information or to reserve tickets, call Suzanne Kratzok, Coordinator of Community Resources at 703-519-3318, ext. 206, or e-mail Suzanne.kratzok@alexandriava.gov.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum Children’s Days
Children’s Day at Gadsby’s Tavern features 90-minute tours with stationed “hands-on” activities designed for families and groups of children to bring 18th-century to life. Activities include story telling, candle making, meeting a pirate, dressing up in 18th-century clothes, and playing colonial games. Families, groups, camps, and schools are welcome, July 18 and Aug. 9 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St. Cost is $5 per person (ages 3 and up) or $3 per person for groups of 8 or more. Reservations are required, call 703-838-4242.
Lantern-Light Tours at Gadsby’s Tavern
See Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in a whole new light — lantern light. Tour the circa1785 tavern and 1792 City Hotel during the summer season with costumed guides as you experience the tavern as patrons did over 200 years ago before the advent of electricity.
Tours are every Friday night, June through August from 7–10 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person ages 5 and up. Tours last approximately 30 minutes, with the last tour starting at 9:15 p.m. Some Friday nights are unavailable for tours due to special events or holidays. Call ahead to confirm tour date. The event is open to the general public and is suitable for all ages. Call 703-838-4242 or visit www.gadsbystavern.org. Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St., is owned and operated by the City of Alexandria.