To have community events listed free in The Potomac Almanac, send e-mail to almanac@connectionnewspapers.com. Deadline is Thursday at noon for the following week’s paper. Photos and artwork encouraged. Call 703-778-9412.
<cal1>Now Through Jan. 10, 2010
<cal2>"Disney's Mulan." At Imagination Stage. Performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. 4 p.m. Some Saturday 11 a.m. performances as well. Tickets from $10-$21. At Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave, Bethesda. Visit www.imaginationstage.org or purchase at 301-280-1660.
<cal1>Thursday/Jan. 7
<cal2>Thursday Night Blues Dance. 8:15-11:30 p.m. Admission: $8. Beginner's workshop from 8:15-9 p.m. Dancing from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Rotating DJs and instructors. At the Ballroom Annex of Glen Echo Park. Email: info@capitalblues.org.
<cal1>Jan. 7, 8, 9, 10
<cal2>"Aida, the Musical." 7:30 p.m. nightly, with 2 p.m. matinee on Jan. 10. Tickets are $10. Presented by Wootton High School Center for the Arts. Directed by Adam Graham and Jackie Serratore, Wootton’s production features the talents of Jenay McNeil as Aida, Jonathan Helwig as Radames, Jordan Smilan-Goldstein as Amneris, Joseph Horowitz as Zoser, Jeffery Popkin as Mereb, Alex Garretson as Pharaoh, Ari Halevy as Amonasro, and Stephanie Wasser as Nehebka. The leads are well supported by a talented cast of 25 additional students. Vocal direction is provided by Jacqueline Serratore with choreography by Ms. Serratore, Mr. Graham, Mel Allard, and two student choreographers, Claire Mauro and Allie Myers. At Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville. Call 301-279-8581.
<cal1>Friday/Jan. 8
<cal2>Concert and Peace Vigil. Concert at 8 p.m. and Vigil at 9 p.m. "The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace," performed by a massed choir from six Maryland and Virginia choirs. $20 suggested donation; proceeds to a local peace-related cause. At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, 100 Welsh Park Drive (near Montgomery College), Rockville. Call 301-762-7666 or visit www.uucr.org.
<cal2>Contra Dance. 7:30-11:30 p.m. Admission: $9. Contra dance lesson from 7:30-8:15 p.m. Called dance to live music from 8:30-11:30 p.m. With the Glen Echo Open Band. At the Spanish Ballroom of Glen Echo Park. Email: fndcontra@yahoo.com
<cal1>Saturday/Jan. 9
<cal2>Pianist Alexander Paley Performs. 8 p.m. Complete Chopin Preludes and Waltzes. Free. Paley will usher in the 200th anniversary year of the birth of composer Frédéric Chopin with a concert of the complete Chopin Preludes and Waltzes. At Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church, One Westmoreland Circle, at Massachusetts and Western Avenues, the boundary of D.C. and Bethesda.
<cal2>Bizet's Carmen. 8 p.m. With the National Philharmonic. Mezzo-soprano Kendall Gladen brings to life the manipulative and magnetic personality of Carmen in this concert performance. Free pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. at the Education Center. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
Used Book Sale. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Most hardback books and large paperbacks are $1; regular paperbacks are $.50. At the Potomac Library, 10101 Glenolden Drive, Potomac. Call 240-777-0690.
<cal2>The Crimestoppers. 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Performing at the Pony Express Bar & Grill, 9600 Newbridge Drive, Potomac.
<cal2>Swing Dance. 8 p.m. to midnight. With live music by Blue Sky 5+2. Beginning swing dance lesson from 8-9 p.m. Dancing from 9 p.m. to midnight. At the Spanish Ballroom of Glen Echo Park. Email: dance@flyingfeet.org
<cal2>Why Don’t My Kids Listen to Me? Free workshop for all parents of children ages 2 1⁄2 to 18 presented by the Parent Encouragement Program. 3-4:30 p.m. at the PEP Office, 10100 Connecticut Ave., Kensington. Pre-register by calling 301-929-8824. www.PEPparent.org.
Three-D Thread Sculptures. 10 a.m. to noon. Free. Eileen Doughty, one of this year’s two Conant Grant recipients, will lecture on her investigations into creating sculptures formed with thread and a sewing machine. At St. James Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Road, Potomac. Sponsored by the Potomac Fiber Arts Guild. Go to www.potomacfiberartsguild.org.
Feast of the Epiphany and Spaghetti Supper. 5 p.m. Intergenerational service is designed for all ages. It begins in darkness, features a children's sermon and special music, and concludes with the lighting of hundreds of candles. A spaghetti dinner will be offered by the youth group as a fund-raiser for their summer mission trip to a workcamp in Buffalo, NY. To be held at St. James' Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Rd., Potomac; call 301-762-8040; office@stjamespotomac.org; www.stjamespotomac.org
<cal1>Sunday/Jan. 10
<cal2>U.S. Navy Band Chamber Recital. 2:30 p.m. Free. At Glenview Mansion, 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville. Call 202-433-2525, or visit www.navyband.navy.mil.
Poetry and Prose Open Mic. 2 p.m. Sign-up for readers starts at 1:30 p.m. At The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda. Call 301-654-8664. www.writer.org.
Contra and Square Dance. 7-10:30 p.m. $12/$9 admission. The Folklore Society of Greater Washington presents traditional American contra dancing. The evening can include square dances, mixers, waltzes and other couple dances. There is a lesson is at 7 p.m., followed by dances called by Shawn Brenneman for Nightwatch from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. At the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park.
<cal2>Cajun/Zydeco Dance. 3-6 p.m. Dancing by the Bayou presents a Cajun/Zydeco dance with live music. Dance lesson at 3 p.m. with Michael and Sharon is followed by dancing from 3:30 - 6 p.m. At the Spanish Ballroom of Glen Echo Park. Contact Email: Dancingbythebayou@verizon.net
<cal1>Rock, Paper and Scissors. A multimedia exhibit of stone sculptures by Irma Spencer, paintings by Marsha Goldfine, and paper sculptures by Renate Chernoff. Artist's reception from 1-3 p.m. on Jan. 10 At Har Shalom Synagogue, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac. Exhibit runs from Jan. 5-Feb. 24, 2010. Call 301-299-7087.
Preventing Unwanted Behavior in Dogs, Cats & Birds. 1-3 p.m. How to reduce unwanted behaviors in dogs, cats and birds by providing a more species-friendly environment and enriching it with appropriate items and toys. Free but register at: www.yourdogsfriend.info or 301-983-5913. At Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Rd., Potomac.
Genealogy Fest. 1 p.m. Schmooze; 1:30 p.m. business meeting and announcements, followed by program. There will be "area" desks available, each supported by an expert in a particular area of research, to answer questions. Sponsored by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington. At Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda. Send questions to JGSGW_DC@COMCAST.NET or visit www.jewishgen.org/jgsgw.
<cal1>Monday/Jan. 11
<cal2>Beth Sholom Book Club. 8 p.m. Will be reviewing Ariel Sabar's "My Father's Paradise." This non-fiction book is Sabar’s quest to reconcile an ancient past with his own life today — and to knit his father’s story to his own. All are welcome. Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah is located at 11825 Seven Locks Rd. Potomac. Email Tanya Lampert alamp9608@yahoo.com.
<cal1>Tuesday/Jan. 12
<cal2>Hungry for Music. 8 p.m. A concert of folk/Americana solo acts to benefit Hungry for Music, a group that provides musical instruments to young musicians. Will include Doug Alan Wilcox, David LaFleur, Michelle Swan and Jerry Bresee. Presented by Focus Rockville. Tickets are $18/door; $15/advance. Go to www.FocusMusic.org. At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, 100 Welsh Park Drive, Rockville. Contact David Spitzer at focusrockville@earthlink.net or 301-275-7459.
Why Don’t My Kids Listen to Me? Free workshop for all parents of children ages 2 1⁄2 to 18 presented by the Parent Encouragement Program. 7:30-9 p.m. at the Renaissance Children’s Art Center, 12116 Darnestown Rd., North Potomac. Pre-register by calling 301-929-8824. www.PEPparent.org.
<cal1>Thursday/Jan. 14
<cal2>Blues Dance. 8:15 - 11:30 p.m. Admission: $8. Beginner workshop runs from 8:15 - 9 p.m. Dancing from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Rotating DJs. At the Ballroom Annex of Glen Echo Park. Email: info@capitalblues.org
<cal2>Parenting with a Plan. Free workshop for all parents of infants and toddlers. Presented by the Parent Encouragement Program. 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the PEP Office, 10100 Connecticut Ave., Kensington. Pre-register by calling 301-929-8824. www.PEPparent.org.
Poetry Out Loud. 4 p.m. Ten school winners will compete and three will be named first, second, and third place county winners and move on to the regional competition in February. The public is invited to attend. Free. RSVP by Jan. 10 to The Writer's Center at Postmaster@writer.org or 301-654-8664. At The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda.
<cal1>Friday/Jan. 15
<cal2>Super Fiesta Latina Party. 8:15 p.m. - Midnight. Admission: $15. Hosted by Fabio and Jennifer Bonini. Beginner lesson from 8:15 - 9 p.m. for Salsa beginners and up. The lesson is followed by dancing from 9 p.m. to midnight with teacher and DJ Fabio Bonini playing the best of Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cha-Cha, Reggaeton. At the Ballroom Annex at Glen Echo Park. Email: Jennifer@ForeverDancing.com.
<cal2>Contra Dance. 7:30 - 11:30 p.m. Admission: $9. Contra dance lesson from 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. Dancing from 8:30-11:30 p.m. Music performed by Green Light Karma: David Knight, fiddle; Andrew Marcus, accordion; Dave Wiesler, piano and guitar. At the Spanish Ballroom of Glen Echo Park. Email: fndcontra@yahoo.com.
<cal1>Jan. 15-Feb. 21
<cal2>"Rapunzel." Presented by the Puppet Co. Playhouse at Glen Echo Park. Performances Fridays at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. It is recommended for PreK- Grade 4, and runs 45 minutes. Tickets are $10, with group rates available. Visit www.thepuppetco.org or call 301-634-5380.
<cal1>Saturday/Jan. 16
<cal2>Tikvat Israel Film Festival. Tikvat Israel Congregation of Rockville is hosting its fourth annual Israeli Film Festival entitled "Before Beaufort: The Early Films of Joseph Cedar." The movie, "Time of Favor" is Jan. 16 from 7:45-10:30 p.m. The movie, "Campfire" is Jan. 23 from 7:45 to 10:30 p.m. Included in the price ($10/$12) are a dessert reception and a discussion after each film led by Dr. Eric Zakim, Coordinator, Program in Modern Hebrew Language and Literature at the University of Maryland. At Tikvat Israel Synagogue, 2200 Baltimore Road, Rockville (next to Rockville High School). RSVP to adulted@tikvatisrael.org.
<cal2>Swing Dance. 8 p.m. - midnight. Admission: $15. Dancing to the 10-piece George Gee Swing Orchestra. Beginner swing lesson with Tom and Debra at 8 p.m. Dancing from 9 p.m. to midnight. At the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park. Visit http://www.americanswing.org.
<cal2>American Balalaika Symphony. 8 p.m. Presents "From the Cities to the Steppes: Music of Old Russia." Under the artistic direction of Peter Trofimenko. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
<cal1>Sunday/Jan. 17
<cal2>Contra and Square Dance. 7-10:30 p.m. Admission: $12/$9. The evening can include square dances, mixers, waltzes and other couple dances. All Contras and Square dances are taught, no partner is necessary. There is a lesson is at 7 p.m., followed by dances called by Greg Frock for Sugar Beats from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. At the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park. Visit http://www.fsgw.org.
<cal2>Waltz Dance. 3 - 6 p.m. Admission: $8. Beginning waltz lesson from 3-3:30 p.m. Dancing from 3:30-6 p.m. to Trio con Brio with Paul Oorts, Elke Baker, and Jonathan Jensen. At the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park. Email: info@waltztimedances.org
Open Door Reading Series: David Gewanter and Wayne Karlin. 2 p.m. At The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda. Call 301-654-8664 or visit www.writer.org.
<cal1>Monday/Jan. 18
<cal2>Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. 4-6 p.m. Montgomery County will celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a Tribute and Musical Celebration. Some of the performances include the gospel group, ChoirBoyz; musical performances by Li-Ly Chang & James Xu; a dance performance by Sigiri Lalanavo, from Sri Lanka; and a host of other performers. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Free but tickets are required. For tickets, go to www.Strathmore.org or call 240-777-2570.
<cal1>Friday/Jan. 22
<cal2>Debby Boone in "Reflections of Rosemary." 8 p.m. Boone pays tribute to some of the songs that Rosemary Clooney made famous, including "Blue Skies" and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
<cal1>Jan. 22-23
<cal2>Rabbi Visit. Rabbi Ysoscher Katz from YCT (Yeshiva Chovevi Torah Rabbinical School) will be the scholar-in-residence at Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah, 11825 Seven Locks Road, Potomac. He is the director of the Beit Midrash program at YCT and was a leading teacher of a daf yomi class in Boro Park for several years. Rabbi Katz will deliver three lectures: Friday after dinner, Saturday at 11 a.m.; and Saturday at 5 p.m. All are free except for the dinner on Friday night. For dinner arrangements, call 301-279-7010.
<cal1>Saturday/Jan. 23
<cal2>Gan Shabbatt. 11 a.m. An interactive Saturday morning service for young children and their families. Members and non-members welcome. At Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac.
BSO Presents: Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto. 8 p.m. With Jiri Belohlavek, conductor and Garrick Ohlsson, piano. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
<cal1>Tuesday/Jan. 26
<cal2>Folk Music. 8 p.m. Folk/Americana singer-songwriter Craig Bickhardt, with special guest Meghan Cary. Tickets are $18 at the door, $15 in advance at FocusMusic.org. At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, 100 Welsh Park Dr., Rockville. Contact David Spitzer at focusrockville@earthlink.net or 301-275-7459.
<cal1>Friday/Jan. 29
<cal2>Beatlemania Now. 8 p.m. Live stage show with 30 Beatles' classics, including film footage and TV commercials of the times. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
<cal1>Saturday/Jan. 30
<cal2>Achieving Your Dog's Training Goals. 2-4 p.m. How to achieve your dog training goals; why dogs do the things they do; how to effectively use rewards, as well as when and how to stop using them. At the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac. Free, but register: www.yourdogsfriend.info or 301-983-5913.
<cal1>Jan. 30-31
<cal2>A Russian Evening. Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $29-$79. Pianist Leon Fleisher in a performance conducted by Piotr Gajewski with by the National Philharmonic. The concert will also feature Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, "The Pathetique." A free pre-concert lecture will be offered one hour before. At the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Go to www.Strathmore.org or call 301-581-5100.
<cal1>Sunday/Jan. 31
<cal2>Day of Learning. YCT (Yeshiva Chovevi Torah Rabbinical School) and Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah are sponsoring a day of learning (Yom Iyun) on Sunday, Jan. 31. The program will explore how we experience our relationships with our parents and how we hope to pass our experience on to future generations. Rabbis Avi Weiss, Dov Lizner, Joel Tessler, Nissan Antine , Jack Bieler, Yamin Levy, Aaron Frank as well as Laura Shaw Frank will be the facilitators for the day program. Registration is at 10:30 a.m. and participation is free of charge but pre-registration is required. Lunch is $25. To register, email sapter@yctorah.org or call 212-666-0036.
<cal1>Saturday/Feb. 6
<cal2>From Fear to Confidence. Proven techniques to reduce your dog’s fears. 1-3 p.m. What steps you can take to help your dog overcome his fears. Free, but register: www.yourdogsfriend.info or 301-983-5913. At the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Rd. Potomac.
<cal1>Feb. 6-March 21, 2010
<cal2>"Peter and the Wolf." At Imagination Stage. Performances on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. 4 p.m. Some Saturday 11 a.m. performances as well. Tickets from $10-$21. Visit http://www.imaginationstage.org.
<cal1>Saturday/Feb. 20
<cal2>Dominance in Dog Training: An outdated and dangerous approach. 2-4 p.m. A veterinary behaviorist will discuss the consequences of using dominance to train pets, while also explaining the newest research on how wolves live in the wild and how dogs learn. Free, but register: www.yourdogsfriend.info or 301-983-5913. At the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Rd. Potomac.
Gan Shabbatt. 11 a.m. An interactive Saturday morning service for young children and their families. Members and non-members welcome. At Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac.
<cal1>Monday/March 15
<cal2>The President's Own. 8 p.m. U.S. Marine Band presents "Beware the Ides of March: The Force of Destiny." Col. Michael J. Colburn conducting. Free but tickets required. At The Music Center at Strathmore.
<cal1>Saturday/March 20
<cal2>Gan Shabbatt. 11 a.m. An interactive Saturday morning service for young children and their families. Members and non-members welcome. At Congregation Har Shalom, 11510 Falls Road, Potomac.