You are here: Home » Towns & Neighborhoods » Alexandria »

Weekender: Good For A Laugh, Nighttime In the Woods and Carve It Up

June 29, 2012 5:24 pmBy: Fairfax News

It’s the weekend before Independence Day with lots of great activities at your Fairfax County Parks.

Friday

Is This Thing On? Start the weekend laughing as the Workhouse hosts a Live Standup Comedy Night. This event will feature brilliant comedians who are bound to show you a good time, including Jeff Maurer, “Last Comic Standing” semi-finalist, and Kat Radley, winner of the Women in Comedy Festival Friars Club Award. The show will be hosted by Rahmen Mostafavi, who has appeared at DC Improv, Riot Act, Richmond Funny Bone and the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. Ages 18 and above welcome. 8 p.m. Workhouse Arts Center. $10/person in advance, $12/person (cash only) at the door. For information call 703-584-2900.
Snake and Turtle Feeding: At least one snake, two turtles and a toad will be fed at Hidden Oaks. The program is appropriate for children age 4 and above, accompanied by a registered adult. 3 p.m. Hidden Oaks Nature Center. $5/person. Register online. For information call 703-941-1065.
Campground Wildlife: Explore the wildlife that inhabits the Pohick Bay area at a naturalist-led campfire and hike. Meet at the campfire circle in the main field of the campground for a nocturnal animals talk. Then enjoy roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. After the sugar rush, come along for a hike into the woods! Reservations required. 7 to 9 p.m. Pohick Bay Regional Park. Free. For information and reservations (required) call 703-339-6104.

Saturday

Face the Music: Bring the kids to a fun and educational introduction to chamber music. The Fairfax Symphony’s ” Overture to Orchestra” is geared toward young children from preschool through early elementary, introducing them to different sections of the orchestra. Children are encouraged to participate in these exciting, educational shows, which introduce a variety of musical concepts, including sound, rhythm, the mechanics of each instrument and music of different cultures and eras. 10 to 11 a.m. Ellanor C. Lawrence Park Amphitheater. Free. For information call 703-324-7469.
Sounds of the Night Campfire: Learn to identify nocturnal animal calls and enjoy stories of the night around a campfire and make s’mores! Children age 4 and above are welcome, accompanied by a registered adult. 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Hidden Oaks Nature Center. $6/person. Register online. For information call 703-941-1065.
Saturday Family Fun – Comedy with Mark Lohr: A unique blend of circus skills and physical comedy draws in audiences and leaves them howling with laughter. He juggles, he eats fire, he spins plates and he can leap tall shrubbery in a single bound! Faster than a punch line, more powerful than a 3 -year-old, it’s Mark Lohr, Super Vaudevillian! 10 to 10:45 a.m. Town Square Park at Reston Town Center. Free. For information call 703-476-4500.

Sunday

Tea Time! Enjoy a sit-down tea reminiscent of elegant garden teas without the heat and insects. At the (Indoor) Garden Tea you’ll meet butterflies and ladybugs, which contribute to lovely gardens. Make a flower crown and learn flower lore. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Hidden Oaks Nature Center. $15/person. Register online or call 703-222-4664. For information call 703-941-1065.
Art Reception at Green Spring Gardens: Come to the art exhibit opening of local artists Marni Maree, Sharon Safran, and Penny McGrath. Enjoy light refreshments as you view local art and meet the artists. 1 to 3 p.m. Green Spring Gardens . Free. For information call 703-642-5173.
Wood Carving Lessons: Skilled wood carvers lend their tools and expertise to help uncover your hidden artistic talent as you create a creature from a block of wood. Noon to 4 p.m. Colvin Run Mill . Free. (A nominal fee is charged for wood blanks.) For information call 703-759-2771.
Independence Day 2012: Celebrations are scheduled at Lake Fairfax Park, Langley High School and the Workhouse Arts Center. Concerts, picnics, pony rides, tasty treats and much more are among the offerings. Get details.

Information was correct at time of publication. Please contact individual event sites to confirm programs are being held as scheduled.

Comments

More Top Stories

Top Stories Vienna
Vienna Farmers Market Is Moving

Starting May 4, the Vienna Saturday Farmers’ Market is moving a few blocks and relocating to the Faith Baptist Church parking lots, 301 Center Street South, located next to the Vienna Police Department and across from the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. The Farmers’ Market will open on May 4, 2013, and will run continuously on Saturdays through October 26, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., in the Faith Baptist Church parking lots. The Optimist Club of Greater Vienna operates and [...]

Read more →
Politics Top Stories
Connolly Claims Postal Service Lacks Authority to Cut Saturday Deliveries, But Others Beg to Differ

With great fanfare, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, (D-Va.) today released a statement from the Government Accountability Office saying the claim by the Postmaster General that the U.S. Postal Service has the right to cut its mail delivery schedule from six-to-five days “rests upon a faulty USPS premise.” There is no legislative authority from Congress allowing the change, said Connolly, who represents a Northern Virginia district packed with government employees. “The GAO legal opinion clearly rejects the Postal Service’s attempt to circumvent the [...]

Read more →
Loudoun Police & Crime Top Stories
Caleb Gordley’s Parents Forgive the Neighbor Who Shot Their Son

Caleb Gordley’s parents say they have forgiven the neighbor who shot and killed their 16-year-old son in a tragic mishap in Sterling last weekend. The Gordleys say they understand why Donald West Wilder II shot Caleb, who had sneaked out of his home to go to a party Saturday night. When he returned early the next morning, Calel entered Wilder’s home through a window, apparently thinking it was his. Wilder confronted Caleb in his home and shot him. “I just [...]

Read more →
Education Top Stories
School Board Gets Discipline Recommendations

Following months of study, meetings, and debate, the Fairfax County School Board’s Ad Hoc Committee on the Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R) will issue its recommendations to the board in a special session tonight (March 20, 2013) at 6pm. Significant changes to student discipline practices could occur if the School Board adopts the committee’s wide-ranging suggestions. A total of 50 approved recommendations are included in the community committee’s report. Chief among these are positions FZTR Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform has advocated for over [...]

Read more →
Politics Top Stories
The Washington Examiner Jettisons Local News

For awhile there, everybody was fighting to get into local news. Now it seems that everybody’s fighting to get out of it. The latest to fold its tent is The Washington Examiner, which said today it is dropping local news coverage, cutting 87 jobs and changing into a weekly magazine and daily website focused on political news. The Manassas News & Messenger was booted by its Berkshire Hathaway owners late last year and a recent Pew study finds news in general being [...]

Read more →
Great Falls Top Stories Transportation
Great Falls White Oak Tree Must Go, VDOT Declares

It may seem like a lot of commotion over a tree but these aren’t just any trees. For months, the Virginia Department of Transportation, county officials and Great Fall residents have been debating the future — if any — of two stately white oak trees at the corner of Georgetown Pike and Walker Road. The ax is finally falling. VDOT says that, weather permitting, on March 19 it will remove one of the two trees and trim the other one. The tree [...]

Read more →
Health Politics Top Stories
An Unseen Effect of Sequestration: Dirtier Air

Amidst all the talk about sequestration’s effect on the military and intelligence budgets, one subject crucial to the region’s health, if not its economy, has been overlooked, according to the Lung Association of Virginia, which is quoting a White House report that estimates Virginia will lose about $2,997,000 in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. “The sequester is a big hit to public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is [...]

Read more →
Floods & Natural Disasters Top Stories
Like Its Namesake, Snowquester Arrives on Time, Batters Fairfax

UPDATED: 9 AM Thursday And so with a slight whimper, Snowquester began to melt and life returned to normal. County government and courts are open on a regular schedule today, buses and trains are running. Fairfax schools open two hours late. UPDATED: 1 PM Like the ax-wielding budget cuts after which it is named, the storm Snowquester arrived right on schedule and went to work upsetting normal patterns of life in the Fairfax area. Light snowfall began Tuesday night but [...]

Read more →