Thursday, September 18, 2008

Cheap dates

State Fair military discount
For military members, The State Fair of Virginia, Inc., offers $3 off the standard gate, walk-around ticket price, all day, every day to the State Fair from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5. The 11-day event is at Richmond Raceway Complex in Richmond.
The fair has entertainment, exhibits, thrill shows and animals.
Midway and Kidway Rides require separate ride tickets for individual rides or all-day wrist bands, available at the fair.
Eligible customers include U.S. military active duty, activated or drilling Reservists; National Guard personnel and retired servicemembers, including their spouses and children. A valid DoD ID is required for people 11 and older. Children age 10 and under must be accompanied by a qualifying family member with an ID. There is a three-children limit per DoD ID card.
Veterans with a VA ID are also eligible for the discount, but not their spouses or children.
The offer does not apply to civilians or contractors.
Complete ticket information and schedules are available from statefairva.org or by calling 1-800-LUV-FAIR (1-800-588-3247) or (804) 569-3232. The State Fair is handicap accessible. Pets are not allowed.

National Book Festival
The free, 8th Annual National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress, is Sept. 27 on the National Mall from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine.
Authors will be available for book signings. Some of this year’s first-time authors attending are Dionne Warwick, Salman Rushdie, Tiki Barber, Warren Brown from D.C.’s Cake Love, and Arthur and Pauline Frommer, R.L. Stine, Neil Gaiman and Kay Ryan, the new U.S. Poet Laureate.
Separate pavilions will house different genres, such as mystery and fiction; children; teens and children; home and family; and history and biography.
Sponsors’ pavilions have activities and characters for families.
PBS will have performances, including “The Electric Company” stage shows and sing-alongs with Steve Songs of PBS Kids.
Characters expected include Clifford the Big Red Dog, Super Why, Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street and Curious George.
Scholastic publishing will have children’s book readings by Ms. Frizzle, science demonstrations by The Dirtmeister and a Klutz Build-a-

Book center.
More information is available from loc.gov/bookfest, which includes online author chats, event Web casts and podcasts and author list. 

Fete at the Fort
The Friends of Fort Ward present the City of Alexandria with the second annual General John G. Barnard Award Saturday, commemorating more than 50 years f preservation activities at the Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site.
Fort Ward, in Alexandria’s West End, is the flagship of the Defenses of Washington, the system of Union forts that protected Washington, D.C., during the Civil War.
The award is presented during a celebration from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Museum.
The event includes period music and light refreshments. Members of the public are invited and may call 703-838-4848 for reservations. The Fort Ward, owned and operated by the City of Alexandria, is considered to be the best-preserved and interpreted site in the remaining

Defenses of Washington.
The museum portrays the site’s history, provides an introduction to the historic defense system and offers exhibits on Civil War topics as well as educational programs, tours, lectures and living history activities throughout the year. The museum is a repository for more than 4,000 Civil War artifacts and operates a comprehensive research library.
In 2006, the Civil War Preservation Trust named the Defenses of Washington one of the top 10 most endangered Civil War battlefield sites. More information is available from fortward.org.