Send announcements to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com or fax to 703-917-0991. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454.
This free listing is reserved for activities and events that are open to the public at no or minimal cost.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, Claude More Park will be sponsoring its 2nd Annual Autumn Arts & Crafts Show in the Lanesville Historic Area. Claude Moore Park is searching for arts and craft vendors with hand-made items who may be interested in participating in this yearÕs show. The show will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
This yearÕs show is juried and vendors are required to complete an application, pay the $30 10 x 10 booth fee and submit photos of their work. Only severe weather will cancel event. To receive a vendor application, contact Claude Moore Park at 703-444-1275; interested vendors can also download an application with instructions at www.loudoun.gov/prcs/park/claude.htm, follow this link to the Special Events listing. The deadline to register as a vendor is Friday, June 30. Claude Moore Park is located at 21544 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling.
The Master Singers of Virginia will hold auditions through June for its 12th season. Singers of all voice types are encouraged to reply.
The Master Singers of Virginia, directed by Erik Reid Jones, is an a cappella choral ensemble in Northern Virginia, concentrating on 20th and 21st century choral music. Some of the music to be performed in the upcoming season includes RachmaninoffÕs ÒVespers,Ó BrittenÕs ÒCeremony of the Carols,Ó and Aaron CoplandÕs ÒIn the Beginning.Ó
The Master Singers perform three major concert programs each season as well as other engagements throughout Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C., area. The upcoming season will include engagements at both the Waterford Concert Series in Waterford and the Alden Theatre Concert Series in McLean.
Visit the Web site at www.msva.org. To schedule an audition call Diana Manfredi, president, at 571-213-6306.
With Fourth of July ranked as a deadly weekend for alcohol-related traffic crashes, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reminds everyone to designate a non-drinking driver before celebrations begin. MADDÕs Designate a Driver campaign includes a Safe Party Guide, available at www.madd.org/party. Tips include: urging party hosts to be responsible by offering a variety of non-alcoholic beverages for designated drivers; never serving alcohol to those under the legal drinking age of 21; asking guests to appoint a designated driver before the evening begins; not letting guests mix their own drinks; and never allowing guests who have had too much to drink to drive home. The guide also provides non-alcoholic ÒmocktailÓ drink recipes.
The Town of Leesburg, in partnership with The Historic District Resident's Association and the Leesburg Daybreak Rotary, seeks participants for its annual Fourth of July Parade. The parade will begin at 10 a.m., Tuesday and will kick off at Ida Lee Park and travel south on King Street, ending at the intersection of Fairfax and South King streets. Prizes will be awarded. There is no fee to participate for more information and guidelines visit www.idalee.org or call The Town of Leesburg Parks and Recreation Department at 703-777-1368.
The Independence Day SoberRide program, sponsored by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, will begin at 4 p.m., Tuesday July 4 and run through 4 a.m., July 5. The program offers free cab rides, up to $50, to people who have been drinking. The program is available in Washington, D.C.; Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland; and Arlington, Fairfax, eastern Loudoun and Prince William counties in Virginia. Call 1-800-200-TAXI for a free ride home.
Artists who live and/or work in Loudoun County are invited to enter artwork in the Loudoun Landmarks Exhibit, which will be on display in the County Government Center in Leesburg and at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling. Exhibit dates are July 14-Sept. 27. The exhibit is sponsored by the CountyÕs Arts Advisory Committee.
Drawings, paintings, photographs, prints, fiber art and mixed media will be accepted. Each artist may submit two entries, which must be appropriate for public exhibit and be framed and wired for hanging. Artists may deliver work to the Government Center, July 10, between 6-8 p.m., and July 11, between 9 a.m.-noon. Artists will be expected to pick up work Sept. 28 and 29. Detailed information and application forms are contained on the Web site at www.loudoun.gov/advisory/art.htm or contact Holly Peterson at hpeterso@loudoun.gov.
Ashburn Fire and Rescue Department annual photograph fund-raiser is underway. Make arrangements with the authorized staff in Ashburn Fire and Rescue shirts who are going door to door in the neighborhoods. For a donation to AVFRD, receive a free photo shoot and 11 by 14 photo. Or visit the Ashburn Fire House, 20688 Ashburn Road, Ashburn to make a donation and have photo taken.
Bring family, friends, co-workers, baseball team, pets or just yourself. Photo shoot July 16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Call the Fire House at 703-729-0006.
Northern Virginia Family Service is seeking donations for its 2006 Back To School Drive, which helps children of low-income families prepare for the school year ahead by equipping them with new school supplies.
Participants will be provided with a childÕs first name, age, gender and grade level as well as what they will need to begin school. A typical donation would consist of a backpack and several items such as notebooks, paper, pencils, etc. Gift cards or monetary donations are also accepted. Supplies must be collected by July 31.
For more information on how to donate school supplies or volunteer time to this project, call 703-219-3978.
Voce Chamber Singers, a 24-member mixed choral ensemble, will hold auditions for its 2006-2007 concert series. There are openings in all voice parts, and all soloists are selected from within the ensemble.
Voce rehearses on Monday evenings, September through May, in Vienna, and performs in Northern Virginia.
Auditions will be scheduled on the evenings of Aug. 30 and 31, and at other times by appointment. To schedule an audition, leave a message at 703-277-7772 or send an e-mail VoceVA@hotmail.com with your choral experience and contact information. Visit Voce's Web site at www.voce.org.
The Loudoun Symphony announces performing opportunities for paid principal string positions and for nonpaid section strings and brass positions for the 2006-2007 season. Paid principal string positions are assistant concertmaster and principal viola. Nonpaid positions are second trumpet, fourth horn and section strings. Auditions will take place in the afternoon Sunday, Sept. 10, in Leesburg. The orchestra rehearsals for the 2006-2007 season are Wednesday evenings, September 2006-May 2007.
Individuals interested in auditioning should specify the instrument and send name, address, and daytime phone number along with a $5 nonrefundable fee payable to: Loudoun Symphony, P.O. Box 4478, Leesburg, VA 20177. Repertoire and an audition time slot will be forwarded by mail. Call the Loudoun Symphony office at 703-771-8287.
Residents and businesses using the Loudoun County Recycling Drop-off Centers are reminded that the recycling centers accept only mixed bottles, cans, and paper. Specifically, items that are accepted at the recycling centers include clear- and colored-glass bottles and jars; aluminum and steel cans; plastic bottles and jugs Ñ beverage, detergent and squeeze bottles and jugs only; newspapers; magazines; phone books; catalogs; junk mail; office paper; cardboard; and paperboard such as cereal boxes.
Items that are not accepted at the centers include plastic bags; plastic flower pots; Styrofoam; or any other type of plastic that is not specifically a bottle or jug; window glass; plate-glass; porcelain; wood; yard waste; furniture; needles; nails; construction materials; electronics; hazardous chemicals or chemical containers; and motor oil containers.
If an item is not listed on the sign as acceptable for recycling, do not deposit it in the recycling bin, and instead call the Loudoun County Office of Solid Waste Management at 703-777-0187. For more information visit www.loudoun.gov/oswm.
Loudoun Volunteer Services seeks nominations for Student Volunteer of the Month. Loudoun students will be recognized for their volunteer efforts during the 2004-2005 school year. Nominate students, or groups of students, elementary-12th grade, who volunteer their time in a variety of ways in their schools, churches, and towns. A one-page narrative may be sent to the Loudoun Volunteer Services Board at pivs@loudoun.gov or to 1 Harrison St., S.E., P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, VA 20177.
The one-page narrative should include the student's name, address, telephone number, school and a description, including length of service of the exemplary volunteer efforts of the student. Contact information for the person nominating the student should also be included.
Volunteers will be featured in the Loudoun Volunteer Services Newsletter and on the Loudoun County Government Web site. Contact Lisa Rose, volunteer coordinator, at
703-777-0113.
The Loudoun County Office of Solid Waste Management (OSWM) recently helped arrange a donation of 1,000 unused bicycle tires to the nonprofit group Bikes for the World.
Wavecrest Laboratories LLC contacted the OSWM concerning proper disposal of 1,000 unused bicycle tires. Kate Glass, Loudoun County's recycling coordinator, contacted Keith Oberg, director of the Arlington-based group Bikes for the World about the tires. The 1,000 bicycle tires will ultimately be transported to a Bikes for the World warehouse for placement in community development programs in developing countries.
Glass reminds businesses that they are required to recycle and that the OSWM can provide assistance identifying recycling opportunities for everything from newspapers to bicycle tires. More information about business recycling requirements is available on the Loudoun County
Web site at www.loudoun.gov/oswm/recycle/business.htm.
Bikes for the World accepts donations from corporate and private donors. More information is available on the group's Web site at www.bikesfortheworld.org.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyÕs Team In Training (TNT) program has guaranteed race entries into the 2006 Marine Corps Marathon. TNT trains participants with help from certified coaches who develop a training program. In addition to running, the TNT also has a walk and run/walk program where participants with different abilities can alternate running and walking.
As participants train for the marathon, they also help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society raise money to fund cancer research and patient support services.
Individuals interested in joining the TNT program for the Marine Corps Marathon or any of TNTÕs fall season events, call 703-960-1100 or visiting www.teamintraining.org/nca.
The grassroots nonprofit organization, Operation Pinecone, based in South Riding, strives to support the service members and their families by sending care packages abroad and delivering comfort items and providing support in various ways to service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There are collection boxes for donations for this cause throughout Loudoun County. Visit Operation Pinecone, www.operationpinecone.org.
The Loudoun School Community Coalitions sponsor the ÒParents Who Host Lose the MostÓ campaign to reduce underage drinking and is asking parents to take a survey by visiting www.loudoun.k12.va.us, and click on the Òfor ParentsÓ button, then ÒCoalitions,Ó then the George Mason University survey button. It takes about three minutes, then hit the submit button.
Sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The Loudoun Symphony Association Inc. is seeking nominations to fill upcoming vacancies on its board of directors.
Preloaded Playaway, a self-playing, self-contained digital audio book, audio books will be available by the end of June at all Loudoun County Public Library branches. Each palm-sized unit is permanently loaded with one audio book. Each Playaway is packaged with earphone, a lanyard and batteries.