Community briefs

staff reports
Published: August 21, 2008

Center announces upcoming auditions
MANASSAS — The Center for the Arts’ Rooftop Productions announces auditions for its opening production of the 2008-2009 season. Actors and actresses, ages 19 and up, are needed for roles in James Thurber’s Tony Award winning comedy review, “A Thurber Carnival.”  Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script and will be held on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 from 7 to 9 pm at the Center for the Arts, 9419 Battle Street in Manassas. The performances are scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 7-22 at 8 p.m. in the Kellar Theater at the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory.  For more information, call (703) 330-ARTS.

Auditions for Willy Wonka to be held
MANASSAS — Actors, singers, and dancers are needed for the Pied Piper Theatre’s upcoming production of Willy Wonka Junior. This musical production follows the adventures of Charlie Bucket who finds the winning ticket to tour the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. Auditions will take place September 5 and 6 at the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory, 9419 Battle St. in Manassas. Vince Worthington will direct Willy Wonka and performances are scheduled in Manassas from Nov. 15-23.  “How to Audition” classes are also available for those who would like to be better prepared for auditions. Call the Center for the Arts at (703) 330-ARTS for further information or to schedule an audition.

RACSB accepts award nominations
FREDERICKSBURG — The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board is currently accepting nominations for its 23rd annual Distinguished Volunteer Awards in the areas of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse. The awards will be presented at RACSB’s Legislators Get-Together, an evening event to be held Oct. 16, at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House and Conference Center.
The community is encouraged to submit nominations. The nominated individual should be a volunteer and not compensated for his/her acts. He or she should not be a past recipient. The following criteria will be used for the selection of the 2008 recipients: creativity; initiative; leadership; dependability; inter-relationship with co-workers, the public and clients; and any usual or outstanding acts or performance.
Nominations may be e-mailed to or faxed to (540) 371-3753 by Aug. 22. For more information, visit racsb.state.va.us.

Maggie Moos to hold blood drive
NORTH STAFFORD — Maggie Moos ice cream shop in Stafford Marketplace has announced a partnership with INOVA Health System to give ice cream to blood donors. The store will be holding a blood drive on Sept. 1. Donors will receive a free pint of ice cream for a pint of blood donated. For more information on the event, call (540) 288-9866.

—  Press releases

Donate used cell phones to soldiers
STAFFORD — The Liberty Tax Service office at 2612 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Suite 101 in Stafford is hosting a used cell phone collection event to help Cell Phones for Soldiers on August 30 from 11 am. until 1 pm. Liberty’s tax professionals will be on hand to provide free tax advice and information about the company’s fall tax schools.

“Every donated used cell phone can buy a calling card up to 70 minutes for a soldier, so bring yours…” said Janet Garza, owner of Liberty Tax Service.
Liberty Tax will donate all collected phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization dedicated to helping soldiers stationed in Iraq and overseas afford to call their loved ones. The organization recycles used cell phones to provide calling cards for soldiers. For more information, visit cellphonesforsoldiers.com.
Historical society to hold musical meeting

On Aug. 28, the Stafford County Historical Society will hold its monthly meeting at the Stafford County Administration Center. The theme will be “Music in Stafford in the Colonial, Revolutionary and Federal Periods.” Noted musician John Douglas Hall will play music from the Colonial Period. He usually plays at Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria. Stirring Revolutionary War music will be played during the middle of the evening. Anneliese Bull and Ruth Packard will dance to Scottish music from the Federal Period. This is reminiscent of Falmouth’s beginnings by Scottish merchants. Historian Al Conner, will give a presentation throughout the evening showing what was happening in Stafford during these times. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Sight and hearing van times set
STAFFORD —  S.E.R.V.E. will be hosting the Lions Club Sight and Hearing van for school-age children Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no fee for the Sight and Hearing screening completed by the Lions Club Sight and Hearing van.
No child will be screened without a signed parent permission form. Parent permission forms can be picked up at S.E.R.V.E. Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or Tuesday and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m.  S.E.R.V.E. is located at 15 Upton Lane across from the Stafford County Courthouse on U.S. 1.

— Submitted

Forbes.com ranks UMW among best
FREDERICKSBURG — Forbes.com online news magazine has rated the University of Mary Washington as the 13th best public college in its inaugural list of “America’s Best Colleges.” 
Overall, the university ranks 144th out of 569 undergraduate institutions that the magazine considers the nation’s best. The list is compiled in conjunction with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, which rates the undergraduate institutions based on the quality of the education provided and how much their students achieve. The CCAP ranks only the top 15 percent of the nation’s more than 4,000 colleges and universities. Other Virginia schools listed as top public institutions include the University of Virginia (5), the College of William and Mary (6), Virginia Military Institute (9) and James Madison University (22).
The list is based on rankings from 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors recorded on the Web site RateMYProfessors.com, the percentage of alumni who are listed among the notable people in “Who’s Who in America,” the percentage of students who graduate in four years, the amount of student debt of graduates who borrowed and the number of students or faculty who have received awards like Rhodes Scholarships or Nobel Prizes.

— Press release