<lst>The Newcomers Club of Vienna meets on the second Thursday of each month at Vienna's Marco Polo Restaurant and is open to all Northern Virginia residents. Cost for lunch is $17. Call Ann Melick for reservations at 703-938-1077. Programs include a monthly book exchange lunch bunch, and the club sponsors a bowling league and various day trips and tours. Call Peggy at 703-591-7058.
Newcomers of Great Falls offers all residents of Great Falls, new and not so new, an opportunity to establish a stronger connection to the Great Falls community through social activities, volunteer opportunities at community events and philanthropic undertakings that benefit local charities. Residents of the Great Falls area are invited to attend up to two of the following events for free before joining the club:
Family Dinner Club: April 1 at 6 p.m.
Bridge: April 4 from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Cookbook Cooking: April 7 at 11:30 a.m.
Couples Dine Around/Supper Club: April 8 at 7 p.m.
Intermediate/Advanced Bridge: April 18 at 9:30 a.m. Salad lunch at 12:30 p.m.
Book Group: April 20 from 10 a.m.-noon.
Bunco: April 20 at 7:30 p.m. No experience necessary.
Cultural Tours: April 21 from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Ellicott City.)
Moms and Tots: April 21 and April 28 at 10:30 a.m.
Mixed Evening Bridge: April 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Nature Walk: April 25 at 9:30 a.m.
All Kinds of Needles: April 26 at 1 p.m.
Lettuce Munch: April 28 at 11:30 a.m.
Wine Club: April 29 at 7 p.m.
Visit www.greatfallsnewcomers.com or e-mail Karen Daboll at kdaboll@aol.com.
The Great Falls Women's Club offers bridge lessons, a knitters and crocheters group, a tennis group and a book discussion group. Anyone interested in joining the club is welcome to attend. Membership is open to all Fairfax County residents. Call Patty Staas, 703-356-5845.
The Vienna Optimist Club is a part of Optimist International and focuses on the needs of the youth in the Vienna-Oakton communities. The Club has contributed thousands of dollars toward the purchase of school equipment and programs for Vienna-Oakton youth for over 50 years. The Optimist Club meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Marco Polo Restaurant in Vienna. Call Barbara McHale at 703-901-8300.
The Vienna-Reston Jaycees will meet on Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the new food court in the Tysons Corner Mall. Look for a balloon. The group will eat, socialize and discuss upcoming projects. E-mail info@viennajaycees.org or call Karen at 703-281-1255.
The Analemma Society, through a cooperative agreement with Turner Farm Park, hosts a weekly public viewing of night skies at the observatory. All ages are invited to join with experienced astronomers and their telescopes on Friday evenings to learn and observe, weather permitting. Call 703 759-9018 or visit www.nps.gov/gwmp/grfa.
The Friends of Vale Schoolhouse Inc. was founded in 1934 by a group of 12 women for the purpose of preserving and protecting the Vale Schoolhouse, which was built in 1888. Today the women's group has approximately 150 members. In addition to the preservation efforts, they sponsor a variety of activities throughout the year. Visitors are welcome to attend the monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at the Vale Schoolhouse, 3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton, at 9:15 a.m. Call 703 264-3589.
Toastmasters International - Navygators. Group meets every Wednesday at noon at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, 820 Follin Lane. Helps people learn and practice the skills of public speaking, listening and thinking on their feet. Call Alan Payne 703-255-8208.
Mothers Against Unjust Law, (MAUL) meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in McLean. Women experiencing legal abuse, difficult litigation, parental alienation or child custody evaluations should call 703-748-0072.
Vienna Presbyterian Church Young Adults Group meets every Wednesday at the Vienna Presbyterian Church, 146 Maple Ave. from 7:30-9 p.m. Contact Amy Reeves at Amy.Reeves@viennapres.org.
Mothers & More of Northern Virginia General Meeting: Mothers & More is a support organization for women who have altered their career path to care for their young children at home. General meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at the Fairfax County Government Center at 7:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome. Free. Call toll-free 866-716-7766 or visit www.novamoms.org.
Mothers First is dedicated to supporting women who have chosen to alter their careers to raise children at home. Activities include parent/child morning meetings and field trips, moms' night out and lectures. Call 703-827-5922 or visit www.mothersfirst.org.
All women throughout the Northern Virginia area and the Department of Defense in the National Capital Region are invited to explore possible membership in the Pentagon Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. Membership is open to any woman (military, civilian, spouse, or contractor) 18 or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove direct lineal descent from anyone who contributed to the cause of American independence. Contact Margaret Thompson at mvthompson1@hotmail.com or Barbara Ellis at bjellis@erols.com.
Northern Virginia Bookcrossing Meetup. These book-lovers like to keep their books busy by reading, releasing and tracking their books' adventures with others locally, nationally and internationally. Take book challenges, hunt for books "in the wild" and more. Share books and be part of a group with a different angle to book loving. For more information and next monthly meetup date, visit bookcrossing.meetup.com/72.
Toastmasters International, McLean Chapter, meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 6:45 p.m. Churchill Elementary School, 7100 Churchill Road, McLean. Join them to work on improving communication skills, to become more effective in meetings and to convey a message more concisely. Contact Kevin Whelan, 703-759-5009.
The Womens Center hosts the Job Hunters Forum the second Wednesday of each month from 7:30-9 p.m. The forum offers support for women and men who are actively searching for jobs. Cost is $10 members, $25 nonmembers each session. The center is located at 133 Park St., N.E., Vienna.
New Beginnings, a nonprofit support group for separated and divorced individuals, has six meetings a month in the area on different nights in various locations in members' homes. Call 301-924-4101 or visit www.newbeginningsusa.org.
McLean Newcomers Club is a social organization made up of newcomers and not-so-newcomers from McLean and its environs. The club meets at different locations throughout the month, both public and private, for various activities such as museum tours, coffees, card groups, book group, potluck luncheons, house and garden activities and more. Call 703-790-8384, or visit www.geocities.com/mcleannewcomers for information on activities or to join the club.
Friends of the Great Falls Library. A group of book-lovers and library users who support special programs for children and adults at the Great Falls Community Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike. The board meets monthly, September through June. For information on becoming a library friend, call 703-757-8560.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meets every second Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Beverly Hills Methodist Church, 3512 Old Dominion Blvd. in Alexandria. Call 301-439-FLAG or visit pflagdc.org.
The Order of the Eastern Star, Herndon Chapter 55, whose district includes Great Falls, holds its closed, regular meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at the Masonic Lodge in Herndon at 8 p.m. Call Donna Sumpter at 703-437-0859.
Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) uncovers all that can be found in the universe as mothers. Mothers of children ages birth through kindergarten are invited to be encouraged in their role as a mom, wife and woman. Each meeting includes teaching based on Christian principles, breakfast, discussion time with other mothers and a craft. The children will be participating in the MOPPETS program. MOPS meet two Thursdays a month, September through May, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at McLean Presbyterian Church, 1020 Balls Hill Road, McLean. Visit www.mcleanpres.org/mops.htm or call 703-821-0800.