Cascades Countryside ❖ Potomac Falls PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID ❖ Martinsburg, WV Lowes Island PERMIT #86 Attention Postmaster: Time sensitive material. Requested in home 9-4-08 ❖ Sterling Classifieds, page 17 ❖ Sports, page 15 ❖ Real Estate, page 14 ❖ Faith, page 13 ❖ OnOn thethe MendMend E Section, page 10 ❖ News, page 3 MoreMore OptionsOptions News, page 3 Health & Fitness, page 9 ❖ EnergyEnergy IssuesIssues News, page 3 FirstFirst Camps & Schools, Page 5 insideinside Cool Place for Teens Cascades Library alternates between middle- and high-school activities. P h By Steve Hibbard o t After Hours Teen Center o The Connection s b Fridays, 7-10 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 y S at’s Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls. All teens must have t ooking for a teen hang-out th e a permission slip, signed by a parent or guardian, v cool, fun and safe? Loudoun e on file. Download the permission slip at http:// H County Library has just the an library.loudoun.gov. Go to Teen Scene then Events i b b Day L then Hanging Out Rocks. swer. It offers an “After Hours a ❖ r Day Sept. 5: (HS) – Live! Restless Street Band Teen Center” Friday nights at the Cascades d ❖ Sept. 12: (MS) – Gamer Night / Library, from 7-10 p.m. It’s free to join and ❖ T Sept. 19: (HS) – Gamer Night h ❖ e alternates weekly between high-school stu- Sept. 26: (MS) – Hip Hop Groove ❖ Oct. 3: (HS) – Hip Hop Groove C dents — ninth- to 12th-graders, followed o ❖ Oct. 10: (MS) – Art Night n by middle-school students — sixth- to ❖ n Arts ❖ Entertainment ❖ Leisure Oct. 17: (HS) – Art Night e ❖ c eighth-graders. Oct. 24: (MS) – Halloween Dance Party t i ❖ Oct. 31: (HS) – Halloween Dance Party o The center has planned activities like n (HS)-High-school students Food & Drink mystery nights, cooking classes, deejay (MS)-middle-school students nights, yoga nights and live teen bands like Playing a game of Dance Dance Schools, page 6 Send announcements or events, which are open to The Restless Street Band performing this Of all the activities, the most popular are Revolution are, from left, Lindsey the public at no or minimal cost, to The Loudoun Friday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. There’s even the electronic games. Gamers can play in- Oteyza, 11, and Megan Connection, 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 free pizza and drinks. dividually or in multiplayer formats. Some Woodmancy, 11. or e-mail [email protected]. Deadline is Friday, two weeks before the event. Pho- “It’s a place for the teens to socialize that’s players are so serious that they bring their tos/artwork encouraged. For more information, call safe,” Chrissie DeStefano, youth services own memory cards. There’s Guitar Hero, did a survey several years ago, one of the 703-917-6454. programming specialist, said. “We try to be Rock Band, Medal of Honor, Dance Dance complaints was teens didn’t have a lot to low key with the things we provide to them. Revolution, Super Smash Brothers Brawl — do in the area. The pilot program took off End of Summer Backbarn BBQ at Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, Saturday, Sept. 6, They’re just looking for some place to go to on systems like Wii, PS2, XBox 360, Game in June 2005 and the center has been so from 12-4 p.m., Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, meet up with their friends.” Cube and Play Station. “For the most part, successful that it won a national award — 38906 Mt. Gilead Road, Leesburg. Features a a lot of the boys are gamers who like to the John Cotton Dana Award for Best Teen Willowcroft wine tasting and barbecue catered by A FREE-FORM ATMOSPHERE, the li- compete on the video games,” DeStefano Program through the American Libraries Red, Hot & Blue. Cost: $12 per person. Call 703- 777-8161 or visit http:// brary caters to anywhere between 70 and said. Association. www.willowcroftwine.com. 100 teens who may not be involved in sports Connor Cucchiaro said, “I like game night “We work really hard on making this activities. If they want to hang out or so- because they have more video games than something that comes from the teens them- Wine country bus tours to Breaux Vineyards rop off their I have at home.” His mother Anita agreed, selves,” DeStefano said. “It’s [the teens’] and Notaviva Vineyard, Saturday, Sept. 6. cialize, that’s fine. Parents d The Washington Wine Academy, in conjunction children at 7 p.m. There are two security “I think everything the library offers is very suggestions and ideas.” with Reston Limousine, offers winery tours. There guards who lock the doors at 7:30 p.m., and generous and I’m very grateful.” The part that Brittany Peipert, 13, enjoys are three pick-up locations and gourmet boxed parents must pick up their children by 10 Chris Jester, teen center assistant, calls the most is socializing with her ninth-grade lunch options. Cost: $35 per person, $50 per per- son with lunch. Call 703-478-0500, Ext. 1 or visit p.m. Teens are not allowed to leave the the environment “definitely upbeat but con- friends from Potomac Falls High School. “A http://www.washingtonwineacademy.org/wine- building unless they are signed out by their trolled.” He says the goal is to offer several lot of kids from my school hang out here,” tours.htm#Tour1. parents. different options to the teens — from danc- she said. “Everybody is welcome,” Beth Wiseman, ing to a deejay and Hip Hop Groove exer- Lauren Nibert, 14, stopped playing Pick- Wine country bus tours to Tarara Winery and Hidden Brook Winery, Sunday, Sept. 7. The public information specialist with the cise classes to swing dance instruction. Up Sticks to say “It’s a good place for us to Washington Wine Academy, in conjunction with Loudoun County Library, said. “It just re- There’s open-mic night and karaoke sing- forget about what’s happening in school and Reston Limousine, offers winery tours. There are quires the authorization slip from their par- ing as well as more relaxing activities like have fun.” three pick-up locations and gourmet boxed lunch ent or caregiver.” card games, board games and drawing. Her friend Marguerite Benedict, 13, options. Cost: $35 per person, $50 per person with lunch. Call 703-478-0500, Ext. 1 or visit http:// With televisions and electronic games lin- Occasionally, someone will bring in a gui- added, “It’s a nice place to get away, and if www.washingtonwineacademy.org/wine- ing one dark room full of die-hard gamers, tar and the teens will surround him and talk you have problems at home, you can forget tours.htm#Tour1. and another room divided into a Twister about his or her music. “It’s very low key,” them. It’s a good place to hang out with game space, art space and board games, DeStefano said. “They’re not looking for your friends.” Tuscarora Mill, 203 Harrison St., Leesburg, is hosting the Stone Brewery Beer Dinner Wednes- Wiseman says it’s “a fun environment where parental supervision when they come here. Beth Oteyza, mother of Lindsey, 11, is day, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. Includes an evening of they can came and catch up with friends We’re sort of nonintrusive.” happy with the program. “It gives the kids Tuskie’s cuisine paired with the beers of Stone and always have something fun and inter- the chance to meet other kids not necessar- Brewery. Admission fee TBA. Visit ative ily in their schools.” www.tuskies.com. esting to do.” AFTER THE LOUDOUN Youth Initi Big Apple Circus Coming Sept. 25 As students arrive he one-ring Big Apple Circus re world premiere of Play On! will be pre- delight from eight countries around the Tturns to Dulles Town Center Sept. sented under the air–conditioned big top globe. No seat under the big top is more for the first day of 25 through Oct. 13 to launch its at Dulles Town Center in Sterling, at the than 50 feet from the ring. Photo by Mike DiCicco /The Connection new tour — Play On! — a new music box intersection of routes 7 and 28. Tickets range from $18 to $52 and are of a show including a circus symphony of There are acrobatic Chinese ballerinas, available by calling 703-828-9014 or 888- astonishing acts and laughter, propelled by pirouetting on top of their partner; Brazil- 541-3750 or online at bigapplecircus.org. www.ConnectionNewspapers.coma jazzy mix of classical, soul, and rock and ians on the flying trapeze; juggling twins For group ticket sales, call 877-407-8497. roll from the best circus band in the land. from America; Russians springing skyward The circus box office, located in front of the school, Rolling Kicking off an 11–month, 10–city tour, the from their Russian barre; the world’s fast- big top at Dulles Town Center, will open est fashion show from Armenia; a talented Wednesday, Sept. 22. Hours of operation The LaSalle Brothers — troupe of Italian dogs; and the exploits of will be Saturday, Sunday and Monday, from Ridge Elementary’s Big Apple Circus company members vault- 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Tuesday-Friday, from d identical juggling twins e t Jake, top, and Marty — ing onto galloping horses. 10 a.m.-to 8 p.m. For wheelchair accessible u b i Artistic and creative directors Paul Binder seating or for information, call the ticket r make their debut in the Big t n Apple Circus, Sept.