Thursday, Oct. 1
McLean, Langley, O’Connell Alumni Golf Tourney 2009 begins with registration at 10:45 a.m., followed by a shotgun start at noon and a dinner and awards ceremony at 5 p.m. Registration is $100; at least one player in each foursome must be an alumnus. Proceeds benefit military families staying at the FisherHouse in Walter Reed Medical Center. Herndon Centennial Golf Course, 909 Ferndale Ave. E-mail JJDeli@cox.net or call 703-467-0850.

“Cavalia,” the critically acclaimed equestrian odyssey, entertains audiences under the White Big Top at 8 p.m. Final performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. The lavish orchestration of multimedia, equestrian and performing arts features acrobatics, aerialists, dancers, musicians, riders and 13 breeds of horses. Regular tickets are $45.50 to $98.50; special pricing is available for children and seniors. Pentagon City, South Fern Street and Army Navy Drive, Arlington (south of I-395). Visit www.cavalia.net or call 866-999-8111.

“The Foreigner,” presented by The Little Theatre of Alexandria, takes the stage at 8 p.m. Final performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Written by Larry Shue and directed by Frank Pasqualino. Tickets are $15 to $18. Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St. Visit www.thelittletheatre.com or call 703-683-0496.

Friday, Oct. 2
Friday Adventure Walkers meet from 10 to 11 a.m. every Friday through Oct. 9. Enjoy walks at scenic locations around Fairfax County. Cost is $10 for Vienna residents, $12.50 for out-of-town participants; walking guides and maps included. Visit www.viennava.gov or call 703-255-6360.

The 14th annual ValeArts Fine ART Show exhibits more than 120 original works by nine artists from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an artists’ reception at 7 p.m. The show continues Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Families are welcome; a children’s table will entice little artists. Admission is free. The Historic Vale Schoolhouse, 3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton. Visit www.valearts.com or call 703-860-1888.

“Cake Canvas” by David Supley Foxworth, cake artist at Reston’s MallowDrama, is on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit continues Saturday from 11 a.m. until cake-cutting at 4 p.m. The artist hand-paints a replica of Claude Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol — Madame Monet and Her Son,” on fondant. Ayr Hill Gallery, 141 Church St., N.W., Vienna. Visit www.ayrhillgallery.com or call 703-938-3880.

Vietnamese Contemporary Art Festival welcomes shoppers to an evening of art, fashion, home decor and holiday gift-giving ideas from 6 to 9 p.m. Galerie Brigitte donates 15 percent of the festival’s sales to local charities supporting modern Vietnamese life. The Eden Center, 6751 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church. Visit www.galeriebrigitte.com.

“Angel Street” by Patrick Hamilton, presented by the Castaways Repertory Theatre and directed by Marji Jepperson, opens at 8 p.m. Performances are also scheduled for 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 17 and 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, military and groups of 10 or more. Auditorium, Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge. Visit www.castawaystheatre.org.

“Bye Bye Birdie,” a nostalgic, affectionate look back at mid-20th-century Americana presented by The Arlington Players, takes the stage at 8 p.m. The final performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday. Book by Michael Stewart, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams. Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 120 S. Old Glebe Road, Arlington. Visit www.thearlingtonplayers.org or call 703-549-1063.

“The Importance of Being Earnest,” an Oscar Wilde play presented by McLean Community Players, takes the stage at 8 p.m. Performances are also scheduled for 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 10, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors or students. Alden Theatre in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Visit www.McLeanPlayers.org or call 703-790-9223.

Swing Dance with Soul Tones of Swing from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. Come early for a beginner lesson from 8:30 to 9 p.m. and then boogie until midnight. Admission is $15. Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel, 13869 Park Center Road, Herndon. Visit www.gottaswing.com or call 703-359-9882.

Saturday, Oct. 3
Walking for Growing Hope raises money for children with cancer with a 6-mile walk from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Organized by the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna, the event includes free food, live music, face painting and raffle prizes. Donors are needed to sponsor walkers. Start at the parking lot across from the Vienna train station on Ayr Hill Road, and proceed along the W&OD Trail. Visit www.optimistclubofgreatervienna.org or call Bob McCormick at 703-200-3850.

Fall Garden Festival 2009 shows you how to grow garlic and apples, plant bulbs, prune trees and more from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Purchase crafts, jewelry and pottery from local artisans. Fees vary with activity. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp or call 703-642-5173.

Westfield Athletic Boosters Club celebrates its 10th anniversary with its first alumni flag football tournament and picnic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come to play, watch or catch up with old friends. Westfield High School, 4700 Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly. RSVP to Lory Sasek at Lorsas@aol.com.

Annual Country Fair features a quilt show and raffle, Difficult Run jazz band, children’s games, flea market, book sale and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free; parking is available on site. St. Francis Episcopal Church, 9220 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. Visit www.stfrancisgreatfalls.org or call 703-759-2082.

Dulles Day Family Festival kicks off with the ever-popular Plane Pull, Kids’ Bus Pull, games and activities, live music, car show and aircraft on display from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rain date is Sunday. Watch teams of 25 in a tug-of-war against a FedEx jet; proceeds benefit Special Olympics Virginia. Admission and parking are free. Washington Dulles International Airport, behind Cargo Building 5. Visit www.planepull.com or call 703-359-4301.

Vienna’s Oktoberfest features a beer garden and lots of music — Alte Kameraden, Mercury in Summer, Switched at Birth, Radioviolet and Mojo — food vendors, a festival marketplace and a free children’s activity area from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free. Historic Church Street, Vienna. Visit www.vtrcc.org or call 703-281-1333.

Art, Wine & All That Jazz offers award-winning wines from regional vineyards, food, art and jazz performances from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The festival continues Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. Catch Grammy-nominated and Tony Award-winning sensation Betty Buckley with Grammy-nominated pianist Kenny Werner. Performances by Laurence Elder, Hod O’Brien, Jim Wray, Ericka Ovette, Ken Hall, The Dan Leonard Trio, Hailey Niswanger, Steve Rudolph and Ilona Knoplfer. Online tickets are $25 for adults; $15 for seniors, ages 12 and under, and designated drivers; and $140 for VIP. Tickets at the gate are $30 for adults; $15 for seniors, ages 12 and under, and designated drivers; and $150 for VIP. Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton. Visit www.WorkhouseArts.org or call 703-584-2900.

Jazz & Blues Festival at Lake Anne brings to the plaza some of D.C.’s favorite bands, including Afro Bop Alliance — 2009 Grammy winner for Best Latin Jazz Group — Sara Jones, The Dixie Power Trio and the Mykle Lyons Quartet from noon to 6 p.m. Admission and parking are free; $3 wristbands provide access to the Food and Beer Garden. Lake Anne Village Center, 1609 Washington Plaza, Reston. Visit www.lakeanneplaza.com or www.lakeannearts.com, or call 703-582-6475.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” is at 2 and 8 p.m. at Alden Theatre in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Rick Davis, co-artistic director of the Theater of the First Amendment at George Mason University, discusses the playwright and his work at 1 p.m. See Oct. 2 listing.

“Cavalia” is at 3 and 8 p.m. under the Big White Top at Pentagon City, South Fern Street and Army Navy Drive, Arlington (south of I-395). See Oct. 1 listing.

Light the Night, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual walk and fundraising event, is from 3 to 9 p.m. Participants walk in twilight, holding illuminated balloons — white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones. Children’s games, live music and entertainment. Donations accepted. Reston Town Center, 11900 Market St. Visit www.leukemia-lymphoma.org or call 703-960-1100.

Martinez & Guthrie blend acoustic music and interesting rhythms from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Outdoors at the Palladium Civic Place Green, 1445 Laughlin Ave., McLean. Call 703-288-9505.

Sri Satyanarayana Puja is performed at the temple every full moon day, from 5 to 7 p.m. All puja material is provided, including Naivedyam for Sri Satyanarayana Swami. Arrive on time to take sankalpam for the puja. Sri Venkateswara Lotus Temple, 12501 and 12519 Braddock Road, Fairfax. Visit www.svlotustemple.org or call 703-815-4850.

American Balalaika Symphony, under the direction of Peter Trofimenko, presents “Bitten by the Beat,” with The New Dominion Choraliers singing 20th-century rock, pop, doo-wop and swing favorites from Cole Porter to Frank Zappa, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door; seniors and students are $15. Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria. Visit www.ABSorchestra.org or call 703-351-1331.

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra presents Masterworks2 under the direction of Glenn Quader at 8 p.m. A preconcert lecture, free to ticketed patrons, is at 7 p.m. Listen to Mendelssohn’s “Overture to The Fair Melusine,” Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto” with distinguished clarinetist Jon Manasse and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 4.” Tickets are $25 to $55. George Mason University Center for the Arts, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. Visit www.fairfaxsymphony.org or www.tickets.com, or call 888-954-2468.

“Angel Street” is at 8 p.m. in the auditorium, Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge. See Oct. 2 listing.

“Bye Bye Birdie” closes at 8 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 120 S. Old Glebe Road, Arlington. See Oct. 2 listing.

“The Foreigner” closes at 8 p.m. at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St. See Oct. 1 listing.

Sunday, Oct. 4
The 14th annual ValeArts Fine ART Show is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Historic Vale Schoolhouse, 3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton. See Oct. 2 listing.

Grinding Grain with the miller takes place from noon to 3 p.m., weather and water conditions permitting. Tours are $6 for adults, $4 for children and seniors. Colvin Run Mill, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/crm or call 703-759-2771.

Art, Wine & All That Jazz is from noon to 8 p.m. at Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton. D.C. icon Deanna Bogart lights up the stage. See Oct. 3 listing.

Committee for Helping Others, an all-volunteer organization, celebrates its 40th anniversary at 2 p.m. The hundreds of volunteers, sponsors and leaders who have helped to keep CHO running over the years are invited for food, fellowship and recognition. Admission is free. “Great Hall,” Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St., N.E., Vienna. E-mail cho@cho-va.com or call 703-281-7614.

Catch the Buzz while beekeepers Toni Burnham and Patrick Standiford demonstrate honey harvesting from 2 to 4 p.m. Sample honey on cornbread made from the mill’s own cornmeal. Admission is $2 per person. Colvin Run Mill, 10017 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/crm or call 703-759-2771.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” is at 2 p.m. at Alden Theatre in the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. See Oct. 2 listing.

“Cavalia” closes at 2 p.m. under the Big White Top at Pentagon City, South Fern Street and Army Navy Drive, Arlington (south of I-395). See Oct. 1 listing.

The Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna presents Marty Henne, pianist, singer and humorist, performing “Fun and Familiar” favorites at 3 p.m. Admission is $15. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. Vienna Baptist Church, 541 Marshall Road, S.W., Vienna. Call 703-281-0538.

“I Love a Piano” Concert, a 300th birthday tribute to the piano, is at 4 p.m. Pianists James Selway, Kim Witman, Emily Koons and Amber Smith play great music from Beethoven to Irving Berlin using combinations of three pianos and up to 12 hands. Admission is free; donations will be accepted. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 4250 N. Glebe Road, Arlington. Visit www.stpetersmusic.org or call 703-536-6606.

Monday, Oct. 5
Fall Walking Group meets from 10 to 11 a.m. every Monday through Oct. 19. Walk on local trails and in scenic neighborhoods in the Vienna area. Cost is $5 for Vienna residents and $6.25 for out-of-town participants. A guide, trail maps, walking tips and suggested walking routes are provided. Visit www.viennava.gov or call 703-255-6360.

“Five Step Estate Plan,” covering wills, trusts, taxes and probate, is presented by attorney David Hoffman from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Free. Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., S.E. Visit www.viennava.gov or call 703-255-6360.

Monday Night at the National presents “Songs for Autumn: Dreamweaver” with Sapphira singing classics at 6 and 7:30 p.m. Admission is free; seating is limited and tickets, distributed one half-hour prior to performance, are required. National Theatre, Helen Hayes Gallery, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Visit www.nationaltheatre.org or call 202-783-3372.

Tuesday, Oct. 6
“Autumn Surprise,” an exhibit of plein air watercolor paintings by Jack Dyer of Springfield and pottery by Gary Outman of Woodbridge, is on display through Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free. The Artists’ Undertaking Gallery, 309 Mill St., Historic Occoquan. Visit www.theartistsundertaking.com or call 703-494-0584.

The Life and Art of Ernest J. Gaines: Re-imagining Black Southern Manhood is presented by The Big Read/All Fairfax Reads at 6:45 p.m. Keith Clark, associate professor of English and African American studies at George Mason University, discusses experiences that shaped Gaines’ book, “A Lesson Before Dying.” Admission is free. Pohick Regional Library, 6450 Sydensticker Road, Burke. Call 703-644-7333.

Wakefield Chorale, now in its 28th year, rehearses Tuesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. No audition required. North Springfield Elementary School cafeteria, 7602 Heming Court. Call Jule at 703-451-7917.

Weekly Dances give participants the chance to boogie to contemporary and classic dance music — West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Hustle, Shag, Latin and Country Western Two-Step — from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Arrive early for a lesson from 7 to 8 p.m. No partner or dance experience needed. Admission is $10. Colvin Run Schoolhouse, 10201 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls. E-mail edcottrell@macp.org or call 703-435-5620; or e-mail gailcrum3@aol.com or call 703-450-6539.

Wednesday, Oct. 7
Jammin’ Juniors Concert Series welcomes preschoolers, their siblings, friends, parents, guardians and grandparents to hear Yosi and the Superdads at 12:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. McLean Central Park, 1468 Dolley Madison Blvd., at the intersection of Route 123 and Old Dominion Drive. Visit www.mcleancenter.org/alden or call 703-790-0123, TTY 711.

“Out of Africa — Dust in the Wind” by Ginger Garrison explores biological and chemical contaminants hitch-hiking with dust and how downwind ecosystems might be affected, at 7 p.m. Admission is free; photo ID is required. U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston. Visit www.usgs.gov/public_lecture_series.

Top health, wellness and fitness tips for women of all ages from a proactive medical and exercise perspective are offered at 7 p.m. Presented by Linda Rudd, American College of Sports Medicine health fitness specialist, and Pam Stenborg, NP. The seminar is free. STS Health and Fitness, 6848 Elm St., McLean. Visit www.stsfit.com stsfit@verizon.net or call 703-442-0748.