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Weekly Event Announcements for the City of Alexandria: April 4 - 10, 2009

Saturdays, April 4, 18, 25 and May 2 – Spring Clean-Up 2009
Citizens who receive the City of Alexandria's refuse services are invited to participate in Spring Clean-Up 2009. Scheduled pickups will be held each consecutive Saturday throughout the month of April and first weekend in May. Please check the Spring Clean-Up map at www.alexandriava.gov/tes/solidwaste to determine your assigned collection area and date of collection. For more information, call 703.519.3486.

Saturday, April 4 – Alexandria Celebrates National Public Health WeekThe City of Alexandria and The Alexandria Health Department encourage the public to recognize and celebrate National Public Health Week, April 6-11. The Health Department staff will be at the Old Town Farmers’ Market in Market Square (301 King St.) to provide information and answer questions about several health-related topics, including the importance of a healthy environment, health care for the underserved, protecting and promoting health, and being prepared for health emergencies.

Saturday, April 4 - 15th Annual Homeownership Fair
The City, in partnership with the Virginia Housing Development Authority, invites City residents and workers to attend the 15th Annual Homeownership Fair. The Fair will be held at George Washington Middle School, 1005 Mount Vernon Ave., from 9:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. In addition to exhibits from real estate professionals, lenders, and nonprofit organizations, this year's fair will feature classes on the home buying process, buying foreclosed properties, and home purchase finance. A new class on foreclosure prevention, provided by Housing Counseling Services and Legal Services of Northern Virginia, will be offered for both existing homeowners and new home buyers. Classes will be offered in English, Spanish and Amharic. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact the Office of Housing at 703.746.4990.

Saturday, April 4 - Alice Ferguson Foundation’s 21st Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup
The City of Alexandria seeks volunteers to participate in the Alice Ferguson Foundation’s 21st Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup (PRWC) from 9 a.m. to noon. The PRWC is the largest cleanup in the watershed; last year, 12,078 volunteers removed more than 285 tons of trash from regional streams. Volunteers should wear shoes and clothes that they do not mind getting dirty; trash bags and gloves will be provided. In case of heavy rain, the rain date will be Saturday, April 11. The City will be hosting the cleanup site at Four Mile Run Park at the end of Commonwealth Avenue. For more information, visit www.fergusonfoundation.org/trash_initiative/rc_sitesalexandriava.html. To volunteer, please contact Jesse Maines at 703.519.3400, ext. 166 or e-mail jesse.maines@alexandriava.gov.

Saturday, April 4 - Sexual Assault Awareness Month Event
Volunteers for the Alexandria Sexual Assault Response and Awareness (SARA) Program will be in the community providing education and outreach to promote awareness surrounding sexual assault and program services. Please stop and talk with your city volunteers to receive a ribbon and show your support for the prevention of sexual violence in our community and around the nation. For more information and a list of all awareness events, please visit www.alexwomen.com.

Saturday, April 4 – Deadline for 1st Annual Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award Nominations
The Environmental Policy Commission is seeking nominations for its First Annual Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award. This award honors Frances Ellen Pickering’s lifelong dedication to environmental preservation and conservation throughout the City of Alexandria. Alexandria residents, groups, clubs, organizations, or corporate neighbors may be nominated. Award winners will have a tree planted in their honor during Alexandria Earth Day 2009. For more information, please visit www.alexearthday.org or contact the Office of Environmental Quality at 703.838.4334.

Saturday, April 4 – Fifth Annual Rum Punch Challenge
Just as guests did over 200 years ago, enjoy different rum punch creations at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 N. Royal St.) from local distilleries, restaurants and caterers, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Vote for your favorite – the winner will be announced at the end of the evening! Also enjoy food (both period and modern), as well as a silent auction full of great items. Cost is $50 per person (includes admission and food and drinks for the evening) or $100 (includes admission, food and drinks, and patron bag). Reservations are required and can be made by calling 703.838.4242. For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org.

Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 – Show Globe ScienceWhat is a show globe? Come to the History Center & Museum Store, 101 N. Union St., between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and learn about show globes, the large glass vessels filled with colored water that apothecaries displayed as a sign of their business. Here is your chance to test your knowledge of water density and make your very own show globe! When it is finished, take your show globe to the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary for $1 off an adult admission and see the large show globes there! Donations are welcomed. For more information, please call 703.706.5262.

Monday, April 6 – Tavern Toddlers
Join us for a special program for toddlers (walkers through 36 months) and their caregivers at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St. Tavern Toddlers features a weekly open playtime in Gadsby’s historic ballroom Mondays, excluding Federal holidays, any time between 10:30 a.m. and noon. New themes each month! Cost is $7 for a group of three, which must include one adult, or $30 for purchase a 5-week pass. For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org or call 703.838.4242.

Tuesday, April 7 – Skeeter Swift Visits Charles Houston Recreation Center
The City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities and the Hoop Academy Project are hosting a visit from Alexandria basketball legend and former American Basketball Association star Skeeter Swift at 1 p.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe Street. Swift became a Hall of Famer at East Tennessee State University and scored more than 3,000 points in his professional career. Swift will conduct a youth basketball clinic and give a motivational talk. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Michael Johnson at 703.898.5115 or Harry Covert at 703.856.0451.

Thursday, April 9 – “1968 in America” Exhibition Opening
The Alexandria Black History Museum (902 Wythe St.) is hosting an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for its new exhibition, “1968 in America.” Audiences will have an opportunity to look back on 1968, a tumultuous and influential year, through original photographs, magazine covers, political memorabilia, record albums, and other objects that explore this pivotal moment in American history. The reception is free but reservations suggested. For more information, please visit www.alexblackhistory.org or call 703.838.4356.

Coming Soon!

Saturday, April 11 – Hunt for History
Here’s a fun way to explore the Tavern and City Hotel! The history is easy to find, but where are the eggs? Help find the Tavernkeeper’s Easter eggs and learn about the past at the same time at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St. Light refreshments included. Reservations are requested. Tours times from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $5 per adult, $3 per child (ages 2-17). Remember to bring your Easter basket! For more information, please visit www.gadsbystavern.org or call 703.838.4242.

Ongoing Events

Now through Wednesday, April 15 – City of Alexandria Offers Free Tax Preparation Assistance for Qualified Residents
The City of Alexandria is offering free tax preparation assistance to low-income residents during the 2009 tax season. Taxpayers are eligible for the Tax Preparation Assistance Program if their income is below approximately $22,000 for individuals and below approximately $42,000 for families. Persons requesting the assistance must bring a picture ID, W-2 forms and other income records, and records or receipts for expenses such as child care and/or education. They must also provide social security cards or ITIN letters for all family members and a copy of last year’s tax return, if possible. The sessions will be held in the lobby of the Alexandria Department of Human Services, 2525 Mount Vernon Ave. Taxpayers will be assisted on a first-come, first-served basis. Spanish-speaking volunteers will be available on-site, and electronic filing will be available to help taxpayers receive their refunds more quickly. Tax preparation sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturdays, and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through April 15.

Open through Friday, May 15 – “Jewish Washington” Exhibition – The Lyceum“Jewish Washington: Scrapbook of an American Community,” an award-winning exhibition from the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, is now open at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St. With a special emphasis on Northern Virginia, the exhibition chronicles the people, places, and events that shaped the history of the Washington area’s Jewish community from 1795 to the present. It is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested admission is $2. For more information, please visit www.alexandriahistory.org or call 703.838.4994.