ROTARY CLUB PREPS ANNUAL CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL: The Rotary Club of McLean will hold its 12th annual Chocolate Festival on Sunday, Jan. 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the McLean Community Center.
Admission is $3 for ages 4 and older.
“Attendees can indulge their sweet tooth by sampling offerings from more than 12 regional chocolate vendors,” organizers said. “Mars Corp. will deliver a captivating presentation on the history of chocolate, adding an educational touch to the event. In addition, entertainment will be provided by the Sunshine Gang Band.”
There also will be a children’s room, featuring face-painting and other engaging activities, and attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the vision and mission of the Rotary Club of McLean.
Proceeds generated from the festival will contribute to various community projects championed by the Rotary Club of McLean. They include scholarships for graduating high-school seniors; books for Timber Lane Elementary School; support for the McLean Project for the Arts; helping find abused single moms a safe place to live; purchase of playground equipment at the Fairfax Children’s Center; and purchase of hygiene products for school-age girls. International efforts being supported include clean-water initiatives in a number of African countries; a worldwide eradication of polio; medical needs in Central America; and food insecurity across the globe.
For information, see the Website at www.mcleanchocolatefestival.org.
McLEAN PROJECT FOR ARTS HOSTS EVENTS RELATED TO NEW EXHIBITIONS: The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) will host two upcoming events related to its winter exhibitions “Moving Beyond Beauty: Reverence and Reclamation” and “To March is to Love: Weavings by Janel Leppin.”
On Saturday, Jan. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m., MPA curator and artistic director Nancy Sausser will host an in-person artist talk featuring Adjoa Jackson Burrowes, Jacqui Crocetta, Maggie Gourlay, June Linowitz, Elizabeth Skorska and Janel Leppin.
On Thursday, Feb. 8 at 11 a.m., Sausser will host a Tea & Talk. Guests are invited to enjoy a cup of tea and discuss the exhibitions with the MPA team.
For information, see the Website at mpaart.org.
McLEAN ART SOCIETY TO FEATURE ARTIST DESCRIBING HOW SHE BEGINS NEW WORK: The monthly meeting of the McLean Art Society will feature a demonstration by local artist Ann Barbieri on Friday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. at the McLean Community Center.
Barbieri will discuss how she begins a new painting. She describes her work as “colorful abstracts” that often deploy oil, crayon, collage and other media to convey a sense of joy, expectation, beauty and energy.
Barbieri has been recognized as “Artist of the Year” by the Friends of the Torpedo Factory (where her studio is based), has been invited to numerous solo exhibitions, and was twice selected by the U.S. State Department to exhibit her works for its Art in Embassies program.
The event is free, and the community is invited.
McLEAN AAUW FORUM TO FOCUS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The McLean area branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will present a program – “Artificial Intelligence: The Good, the Bad and What We Need to Know” – on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. at the McLean Community Center.
Speaker Jennifer Swann is director of information security for Bloomberg Industry Group and an expert in cybersecurity.
The community is invited.
