Weekend: Campfire at Burke Lake Park, Animal PJ Party, Full Moon Hike

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA --

Friday, Feb. 10: Fired Up Friday

Campfire Fridays : Enjoy the roar of a campfire, s’mores and animals in this monthly event. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Hidden Pond Nature Center. Explore different topics and parts of the park each time. Ages 3 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $8/person. Register online. For information, call 703-451-9588.

Also on Friday:

Animal Pajama Party : Put on your PJs, come hear stories, meet animals and wish goodnight to the center’s animals. Bring a favorite stuffed animal. From 7 to 7:45 p.m. at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Ages 3 to 6. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $6/child. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.

Full Moon Nature Hike and Campfire : Hike under the full moon with a naturalist guide to point out signs of creatures that glide, fly and tiptoe through the woods in the dark, ending with a campfire and s’mores. From 7 to 8 p.m. at Burke Lake Park. Ages 6 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $7/person. Register online. For information, call 703-323-6600.

Saturday, Feb. 11: Saturday Stroll

Evening Walk : Join naturalist P.J. Dunn to hike the trails as you look and listen for owls, beavers and other night animals. From 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. at Huntley Meadows Park. Adults. $8/person. Register online. For information, call 703-768-2525.

Also on Saturday:

Family Fun – Sensational Seeds : Explore the sensational world of seeds by working with them and learning how they grow. Plant some to take home to grow. From 10 to 11 a.m. at Green Spring Gardens. Ages 5 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $6/person. Registeronline. For information, call 703-642-5173.

Feeding Day: Join a naturalist and youth volunteers to search for worms and insects and help serve dinner to the display animals. Make a birdfeeder to take home and use. From 10 to 11 a.m. at E.C. Lawrence Park. Ages 2 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $7/person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.

African-Americans at Walney Walking Tour : In this interactive walking tour, learn the names and stories of the many African-American families who lived in slavery and in freedom at Walney. From 11 a.m. to noon at E.C. Lawrence Park. Ages 6 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $6/person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Sunday, Feb. 12: Sunday Sweethearts

Animal Valentines : Play musical valentines and critter sweetheart games as you learn how animals find a mate. Meet live animals and make an animal valentine craft. From 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. at Hidden Oaks Nature Center. Ages 4 to 8. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $7/child. Register online. For information, call 703-941-1065.

Also on Sunday:

Orienteering Workshop : Come learn how to use a compass, read a topographic map and navigate orienteering courses. From noon to 2 p.m. at Burke Lake Park. A compass is required. Ages 8 and up. $25/person. Register online. For information, call 703-323-6600.

Maple Syrup Boil-Down: The maple trees are tapped. Bundle up and watch as sap is boiled down into sweet syrup over an open fire. From noon to 2 p.m. at Colvin Run Mill. Sample syrup over fresh baked cornbread while supply lasts! Ages 3 and up. $5/person. Pay at site; no reservations required. For information, call 703-759-2771.

Winter Lecture – The Presidents’ Gardens : Garden historian Marta McDowell shares the history of the White House grounds in this entertaining program, revealing how the story of the garden is also the story of America. From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Green Spring Gardens. Book signing follows. Adults. $10/person in advance; $12/person at the door. Register online. For information, call 703-642-5173.

Song-Catcher Cecil Sharp in Virginia: Come for a multimedia program about the original “Song-catcher,” English folksong collector Cecil Sharp, and his amazing discoveries in the hinterlands of Virginia in the early 20th century. From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the City of Fairfax Regional Library. Free; register online. For information, call 703-293-6227.

Sunday Afternoon Dance: Dancers of all skill levels are welcome to foxtrot, swing, cha-cha and waltz. Music selection ranges from golden oldies to today’s more modern dance selections. Door prizes and light refreshments add to the fun; partners not required. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center – Hunters Woods. Ages 18 and up. $10/person. Pay at door. For information, call 703-390-6157.

Valentine Tea and Poetry : Enjoy poetry and tea at the Machen Farm with your sweetheart. A costumed interpreter shares a Walney mystery love poem and invites you to write your own while dining on mint tea and sugar cookies. Frame your poem in the style of a childhood Valentine. From 3 to 4 p.m.at E.C. Lawrence Park. Ages 2 and up. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $8/person. Register online. For information, call 703-631-0013.

Camerata – Inside Out: Experience the beauty of the Reston Chorale’s chamber ensemble, Camerata, with music that will capture your heart and imagination. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. at The CenterStage, Reston Community Center. $30/general admission, $25/senior and free to active military and students under 17 with a ticket-holder (free ticket required). Buy tickets online. For information, call 703-834-0079.

Sunday Country Western Dance: Line dance, two-step, shuffle and swing the night away to popular country-western tunes played by Reston Community Center’s DJ. Dances are held monthly in the Community Room, which offers a spacious wooden dance floor and a smoke-free environment. Refreshments provided. No square or contra dancing, please. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Reston Community Center – Hunters Woods. Ages 18 and up. $10/person; pay at door. For information, call 703-476-4500.

PHOTO of campfire courtesy of Fairfax County