CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S DAY SOLID WASTE

COLLECTION AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

Christmas Day Trash and Recycling Collection

Residents are reminded that Trash and Recycling will be collected as normal, during the Christmas Day holiday week.  Trash and Recycling will be collected on Christmas Eve Day.

New Year’s Day Trash and Recycling Collection

Residents are reminded that Trash and Recycling will be collected as normal, during the New Year’s Day holiday week.

The Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics drop-off center will be operating on the following schedule during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weeks:

Closed: Saturday, December 25, 2010 and Saturday, January 1, 2011

Open: Monday, December 27, 2010 and Monday, January 3, 2011

Normal hours of operation are every Monday and Saturday ONLY, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 3224 Colvin Street (Please note the new location). Learn more at: www.alexandriava.gov/solidwaste.

Residents who receive City trash service have two Saturdays to set-out trees for recycling pick-up.  Saturday, January 8 and Saturday, January 15.  Residents must:

• Remove all ornaments, tinsel, lights, and stands
• Not place trees in plastic bags
• Place the tree at the curb (no alleys) by 7 a.m.

The trees are recycled into mulch by chipping in the spring.  This mulch is available at the mulch site at no charge to City residents in the spring, on a first come, first serve basis.  Mulch is also available for delivery for a small fee.  Trees collected after January 16, will be collected as regular refuse.

ARHA AND THE CHARLES HOUSTON RECREATOIN CENTER

TO HOST SANTA’S WINTER WONDERLAND

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) and the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities will host the second annual Santa’s Winter Wonderland from Monday, December 20 through Wednesday, December 22 at the Charles Houston Recreation Center, 1108 Jefferson St. ARHA and the Charles Houston Recreation Center will welcome hundreds of children to a holiday celebration filled with gifts from Santa, music, food, mimes and a host of festive activities.

The schedule of activities is as follows:

• Monday, December 20 & Tuesday, December 21 – Open to the General Public 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Christmas music, holiday activities, refreshments and unwrapped gift donations
• Wednesday, December 22
  5 p.m. – Santa arrives on his Big Red Fire Truck
  5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Santa and his Elves present gifts and holiday treats to children

The 2010 event is made possible through the help of a variety of community-based organizations and private corporations who are providing volunteers, financial support, and in-kind donations. Special guests include ARHA Board Members, Congressman Jim Moran, Mayor William D. Euille, City Officials, and other Business and Community residents.

Come out to join Santa and his elves as they hand out toys and treats to the children from ARHA land in the festive Winter Wonderland Village.

For additional information, contact Sandra Fowler at 703.549.7115, ext. 231 or by email at sfowler@arha.us.

BEGINNING CALLIGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Date: Saturday, January 8^th

Time: 1 – 4 pm

Alexandria, VA (December 14, 2010) In conjunction with its February 2010 show, Love Letters, Del Ray Artisans (DRA) is pleased to offer a calligraphy workshop in advance of the show submission dates.  This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn basic calligraphy strokes and lettering with a calligraphy marker (yours to keep!).

Instructor Jenny Nicholson has been a calligrapher since 1988 and she enjoys sharing her love for letterforms with students.  She is a member of the Washington Calligraphy Guild and has studied with international master calligraphers.  For the past 12 years she has been employed by the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the Department of State as a Calligrapher and a Protocol Officer, creating invitations and designs for the Secretary of State’s official functions.  Additionally, she served as an Activities Director for 5 years at an Assisted Living residence where she planned and taught numerous art classes.

The Beginning Calligraphy Workshop will be held on Saturday, January 8^th from 1 – 4 pm.  The fee for this workshop is $20 for members, $25 for non-members.  Register for this popular workshop as soon as you can, but no later than Tuesday, January 2^nd.  There is a minimum of 7 registrants and a maximum of 16.  Registration is available at www.thedelrayartisans.org/WebCalendar/view_entry.php?id=801&date=20110108 or in the gallery during gallery hours.

The workshop will be at the Del Ray Artisans gallery at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia 22301.

For more information, please visit www.TheDelRayArtisans.org or contact curator(s) Matthew Tito Cuenca (571.213.9177 matthewcuenca@hotmail.com) or Tracy Wilkerson (703.501.1736 tlwideas@comcast.net).

HAPPENINGS IN DEL RAY

ST. STEPHEN’S & ST. AGNES SCHOOL – Prospective Families – Join us for the Middle School Admission Visiting Day on January 5 from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. This is a unique opportunity for prospective students to shadow current Middle School students for a day of classes on our Middle School campus. Call 703-212-2706 for more information or visit www.sssas.org.

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN SCHOOL – Alexandria’s Jr. K-8 Classical Academy, featuring small class sizes, an accelerated classical curriculum and a surprisingly affordable tuition.  Scholarships available for limited number of exceptional middle school students. Join us for our Open House Saturday, Jan. 8th    9am – 12:00 noon.  Location: 1801 Russell Rd, Alex., VA. 22301. www.immanuelalexandria.org 703/549-0155.

FRIENDS OF DUNCAN LIBRARY – Please join the Friends of Duncan Library and the Duncan Library Staff for the annual Duncan Library Holiday Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 6pm to 8:30pm, featuring holiday cheer, jazz from Project Natale (starting at 6:30pm) and an Author Talk from award-winning local novelist Thomas Kaufman (7:30pm). In the spirit of the season, please consider bringing a new, unwrapped toy for Community Partners for Children.  Location: 2501 Commonwealth Ave.

CITY OF ALEXANDRIA OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

Saturday, December 18 – Local Author Book Signing for Letters to Virginia – Local Alexandria author Barb Winters will sign copies of her book, Letters to Virginia: Correspondence from Three Generations of Alexandrians Before, During, and After the Civil War. This free event will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Rd. For more information, call 703.746.1704.

Sunday, December 19 – Colonial Handbell Ringers – The Lyceum – Join the Colonial Handbell Ringers as they present their festive holiday musical show at The Lyceum, 201 South Washington Street. Get into the holiday spirit as you listen – and sing along – with their performance of holiday classics using a long set of Whitechapel bells. Two free one-hour shows with the first performance at 2 p.m. and then repeated at 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.746.4994.

Monday, December 20 and Tuesday, December 21 — Santa’s Winter Wonderland – Help make a child’s Christmas a merry one. Become part of Santa’s Winter Wonderland, a program hosted by the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Charles Houston Recreation Center. The Winter Wonderland will provide hundreds of children with a holiday celebration filled with gifts from Santa, music and other festive activities. You can become one of Santa’s helpers by bringing a gift on Monday, December 20, or Tuesday, December 21 to the Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe St.) from 6 to 9 p.m.  Santa and his elves will deliver the gifts on December 22. For more information, contact Sandra Fowler at 703.549.7115, ext. 231, or sfowler@arha.us.

Friday, December 31 – First Night Alexandria’s New Year’s Eve Bash – Ring in the New Year with 100 live performances – from swing and rock to Russian folk – at 17 indoor venues, plus the Second Annual Fun Hunt, children’s entertainment and games, and a spectacular midnight finale at the George Washington Masonic Memorial featuring lasers, video, music and fireworks. Performances start at 7 p.m. throughout Old Town. Tickets can be purchased online through December 25 and at the Alexandria Visitors Center, located at 221 King Street. Additional ticket locations can be found at www.FirstNightAlexandria.org. Get your discounted ticket for $15 before December 21; $20 after December 21. Children 12 and under are free. For more information, visit www.FirstNightAlexandria.org or call 703.746.3301.

City of Alexandria Farmers’ Markets - The City of Alexandria is host to the Old Town Farmers’ Market and Del Ray Farmers’ Market every Saturday. The markets feature colorful displays of fresh, locally grown, in-season vegetables and fruit, gourmet coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, meat, bakery items and artisans. For more information, visit www.alexandriava.gov/farmersmarket.

Open through May 1, 2011 – “Patriotic and Public Spirited” Commemorative Wares in George Washington’s Hometown – Alexandria prides itself on being the hometown of George Washington and Robert E. Lee, and historic events such as George Washington’s Birthnight Ball and Lafayette’s 1824 visit to Alexandria were cause for great celebration. This exhibition of commemorative ceramic wares, recovered from archaeological excavations or preserved in collections, shows the community’s interest in events and historic places of local and national significance. The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum (201 South Washington Street) is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.746.4994.

Open through May 7, 2011 – Style and Identity: Black Alexandria in the 1970s, Portraits by Horace DaY – At the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 S. Wythe St., view this new exhibition of 32 paintings by Horace Day featuring Alexandria street scenes and portraits of African American Alexandrians. Described as an American scene or regional painter, Day created this body of work at a time when “Black” was becoming “Beautiful,” but when media still promoted stereotypical, demeaning images of African Americans. Day’s portraits reflect the dignity and beauty he saw in his subjects. Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.746.4356.

Thursday, December 23 & Friday, December 24 – Christmas Holiday (Observed) – All City of Alexandria government offices will be closed on Thursday, December 23, and Friday, December 24, in observance of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day holidays.

CANCELLED: Tuesday, December 27 – Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholder Advisory Group Meeting – The City of Alexandria’s Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Stakeholder Advisory Group will not meet on Tuesday, December 27 as previously announced. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Thursday, January 13, 2011. For more information, call Laura Durham at 703.746.5493 or e-mail laura.durham@alexandriava.gov.

Alexandria Marketing Fund Announces Application Deadlines for FY 2011-2012 – Applications are now being accepted by the Alexandria Marketing Fund, a program administered by the Alexandria Marketing Committee. The Marketing Fund is designed to foster public-private partnerships that develop projects to enhance the long-term marketing priorities of the City; increase awareness and improve the quality of Alexandria’s diverse businesses, promote Alexandria to specific target audiences, and generate additional business sales and tax revenues in Alexandria. Application deadlines for the FY 2011-2012 funding cycle are Tuesday, January 18, 2011; Tuesday, June 21, 2011; and Tuesday, August 16, 2011. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/marketingfund or contact Andrea Blackford at 703.746.3959 or andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov.

City of Alexandria Commission for the Arts Seeking Volunteers to Serve on Resource Panels – The Alexandria Commission for the Arts is seeking volunteers with experience and interest in dance, literature, music, theatre and visual arts to serve on Resource Panels. Responsibilities include reviewing and evaluating Fiscal Year 2012 grant applications for grantees seeking funding for various arts programs. For more information, visit www.alexandriacommissionforthearts.org, www.alexandriava.gov/arts, or call the Office of the Arts at 703.746.5588.