Chamber comes to neighborhood

The Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce will be in the neighborhood July 23 at an 8 a.m. Business Before Hours at the Burke and Herbert Bank at 17119 Wayside Drive in Dumfries.

This monthly meeting provides a forum for making connections with other area professionals. Enjoy refreshments, networking and door prizes while learning more about the services offered by the Dumfries branch.

Reservations are requested and there is no charge to attend these meetings. Call 703-590-5000 for reservations or visit http://www.region alchamber.org

PW Forest Park

Prince William Forest Park offers the following this weekend:

—Friday: Forest Film Festival featuring “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (PG) at the Pine Grove Picnic Area at 8 p.m.

—Saturday: Children’s Craft Cabin at the Craft Lodge, Cabin Camp 3 A-Unit at 10 a.m., the Rock’n the Forest at the Visitor Center at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Historic Cabin Camp Tour at Cabin Camp 3 parking lot at 10:30 a.m.  and the Campfire Talk: Little House on the Fall Line at Oak Ridge Campground Amphitheatre at 8 p.m.

—Sunday: Early Birders Bird Walk at the Visitor Center at 7:30 a.m., the Rock’n the Forest at the Visitor Center at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Cooperative Extension

Many of you have been asking me about the extension programs, so here is the latest I have.

—On July 11 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. “Saturday in the Garden — Building a Living Wall” class will feature worm composting and biointensive gardening. Grow herbs in a living wall which provides a beautiful structure in your garden as well as the microclimate that herbs prefer. Also, discover worm composting and how worms can recycle your kitchen scraps and make compost for your garden.

—The extension also holds a children’s program every Saturday when it has a class for adults. This time it is “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Cabbage.” The soil tells the story of whether a plant will live or die, but you can make the difference. This is a fun way to learn about plant chemistry.

Registration is requested for everything, so call 703-792-7747 to register. These programs are located at the Teaching Garden at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road in Bristow.

Birthday wishes

I would like to wish a wonderfully Happy Birthday to Shaun Burke on his 4th birthday on July 9. If you see Shaun please wish him a happy birthday.

And I must send out a belated Happy Birthday to Cheri Ventry, whose birthday was June 29; hope it was a happy one!

Cathy Cowger reports your neighborhood news from the Dumfries area every Thursday in the News & Messenger. If you have news about birthdays, your family, your club or your HOA activities, please send it to Cathy at .