Send announcements, which are open to the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or e-mail to loudoun@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Photos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call Jennifer Lesinski at 703-917-6454. For additional listings, visit www.connectionnewspapers.com.
Leadership Loudoun is accepting applications for the Class of 2009. Leadership Loudoun is a nine-month leadership program dedicated to developing and engaging leaders who work together to serve the good of Loudoun County. During the program year, participants explore challenges facing Loudoun County and learn how to become agents of change. Contact Robin Geiger at 703-771-5511 or by e-mail at robin.geiger@loudoun.gov. Visit the Web site at www.leadershiploudoun.org.
Rhythm, Rhyme and Tune Time: Early Literacy through Music at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn. Sing, chant, play instruments and move creatively as children explore the sounds, rhythms and patterns that make up the language. Wednesdays, at 11:15 a.m., from July 9-Aug. 13. Recommended for newborn to age 4 with parent/caregiver. Register online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-737-8105.
Babygarten, a fun and informational program that focuses on how nursery rhymes, songs and books can enrich children’s lives, at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn, July 9-Aug. 13. Recommended for newborn through 18 months with parent/caregiver. Register online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-737-8105.
The International Plastic Modelers Society will hold a Make and Take Model workshop, July 12, at 2 p.m., at the Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls. Each child will receive a model kit and will assemble it in the class. Recommended for children ages 8 and up with a parent/adult caregiver. Register, only child, online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-444-3228.
Artist Robert A. Johnson will be holding an outdoor painting workshop that revisits 200 years of southern history at Oatlands, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, from July 14-18. The workshop will emphasize the use of the brushstroke to depict form and depth, capture the true color of the landscape and maintain a painting’s freshness and life. Cost: $625. Call 800-333-5707 or visit www.ScottsdaleArtSchool.org.
Babygarten is a program that brings caregivers and babies together to nurture the bond between caregiver and child and aid in the child’s development. Recommended for newborn to 18 months with parent/caregiver. Register online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-444-3228, Ext. 309. At the Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls, Mondays, July 14-Aug. 18, at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays, July 15-Aug. 10, at 2 p.m.
Baby signs at the Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn July 19 and Aug. 9, at 1 p.m. A basic baby sign class with instructor Dana Carmichael. Recommended for ages 6-24 months with parent/caregiver. Register online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-737-8100.
Self defense, July 19, 3 p.m., at Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road. Learn how to keep safe: pick up tips on avoiding dangerous situations and tricks for defending one’s self. Recommended for ages 12-18. Register online at http://library.loudoun.gov or phone 703-737-8100, Ext. 4.
Scrapbooking workshop, July 26, 1-3 p.m., at the Sterling Community Center, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. Learn how to scrapbook or update your scrap booking skills. Child care will be available for a nominal charge. Cost: $10 per person. Call 703-430-9480.
Children ages 3-5 can celebrate summer with arts, crafts and group play at the summer explorers precamp. Classes meet for one week, Wednesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., July 30-Aug. 1. Cost: $25. Advance registration required, call 703-771-5913 or e-mail dcc@loudoun.gov.
Dance Tech Workshop. Dance-intensive work on ballet, jazz and lyrical technique with turns and leaps. Ballet or jazz shoes required. For ages 7-11. Fee: $150 per person. Held at the Creative Dance Center in Ashburn, Aug. 4-8, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. To register, contact the Douglass Community Center at 703-771-5913 or e-mail dcc@loudoun.gov.
Claude Moore Recreation Center is offering Fit Kids classes for ages 2-5 years old. New session includes tumbling classes, fit kids fitness and a special class for 2-3 year olds: Balls, Balls, Balls. Call 571-258-3600 for times.
The Claude Moore Community Center, 46111 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, is offering music together, Tuesdays and Fridays, from 9:30-10:15 a.m. and 10:30-11:15 a.m. The class offers developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum for parents, children and primary-care givers. Call 571-258-3500.
The Claude Moore Community Center, 46111 Loudoun Park Lane, is offering My First Preschool, Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9-10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9-10:30 a.m. Class for children who will be 2 years old by Sept, 1, 2008. Call 571-258-3500.
Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, is offering stretch and tone classes where participants use bands and hand weights, every Thursday, 11-11:45 a.m. Free. Call 703-737-8039.
Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, is offering tai chi, which involves three primary subjects: health, meditation and martial arts, Mondays, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Call 703-737-8039.
Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, is offering a Sewing and Stitch-In class, Mondays, 9-11:30 a.m. Beginner level. Sewing machines provided; bring in your sewing project. Come and sew, knit, needlepoint or crochet. Free. Call 703-737-8039.
Line dancing, at the Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, Wednesdays, 1-2 p.m. Learn some new line dances. Free. Call 703-737-8039.
Beginner tap dancing, at the Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m. Learn some new line dances. Free. Call 703-737-8039.
Claude Moore Community Center, 46111 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, is offering lunch bunch afternoons for children 3-5 Mondays and Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Includes crafts, outdoor and indoor playtime and sports. Pack lunch from home, no microwavable food or refrigeration available. Cost: $7 an hour. Register required, call 703-430-6673.
Leesburg Senior Activity Center, 215 Depot Court, Leesburg, is offering a National Council on Aging exercise tape class, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Call 703-737-8039.