Neighborhood news: Fall festival around corner

Mark your calendars now for the Town of Dumfries 8th Annual Fall Festival. The festival is sponsored by the Town of Dumfries and the Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad, and will be held Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival will be held outdoors (rain or shine) at Merchant Park (at the corner of Duke and Cameron streets.)

There will be free face painting, a moon bounce and the ever-popular petting zoo for the kids. Come join us as we celebrate the arrival of fall!

Calling all crafters, vendors

Reserve a space now to showcase your crafts at the festival. Limited spaces are available. A $25 fee is required to reserve a 10 by 10 space. Crafters and vendors must provide their own canopies, tables and chairs. Anyone interested in participating in the Fall Festival should contact the director of Community Services at 703-221-3400, Ext. 115 or choltz lander@dumfriesvirginia.org. Deadline for applications is Oct. 16.

Prepare for Dumfries Holiday Parade

Preparations are being made for the 35th Annual Dumfries Holiday Parade. This year’s parade will be held Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. (rain, snow or shine, unless weather conditions become unsafe). If you have any questions, please e-mail choltz lander@dumfriesvir ginia.org or call 703-221-3400, Ext. 115.

As always, your support of the Dumfries community is greatly appreciated! We look forward to hearing from you.

Meetings on hold

The monthly Seniors group meetings on the third Friday of each month are on hiatus until September. Mark you calendars now for the next one Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. in the community center. The purpose of the meeting is to identify and address the needs of area seniors and retirees.

All seniors and retirees of the community are invited to attend. For further information, please contact Cathy Holtzlander, director of Community Services, 703-221-3400, Ext. 115.

Also on hiatus until September has been the English as a Second Language classes. They will resume in September as well. Classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the community center. Those interested in attending ESL classes should contact Leslie Buckley at 703-878-7414.

Other classes

Also don’t forget about these other great classes offered by our wonderful town: Art classes are held every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon in the Cultural Arts & Community Center Building from 1 to 3 p.m. Adults and children are welcome. Those interested in taking a class should contact Peggy Lusk at 703-670-4127.

Karate classes are held every Thursday 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to noon in the Community and Cultural Arts Center building. Those interested in taking a class should contact Sylvester Cheatam at 703-221-7873.

Congressional services

In an effort to improve constituent services, congressional caseworkers will travel from Rep. Rob Wittman’s permanent district office in Tappahannock to outlying areas across the community to address constituent concerns.

A staff representative will meet the second Tuesday of each month with residents from 10 a.m. to noon in the Dumfries Community and Cultural Arts Center located at 17757 Main St. The town welcomes all area residents to participate in these monthly meetings.

NVCC

For those of you out there who have been thinking that now might be the time to get back to your education or those of you who have just graduated from high school, all campuses of Northern Virginia Community College will be open Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow students to talk to counselors, apply to the college and register for fall semester courses.

To learn more about NVCC’s programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit www.nvcc.edu.

1st Choice Seniors

Area seniors, you are invited to travel with your 1st Choice Seniors friends on bus trips to Branson, Mo., in October; Myrtle Beach in November; plus day trips and a fantastic trip to Greece in September and a Cruise to Alaska in May 2010.

For more information, call Dymple Smith at 703-590-7915.