Collecting Groups Near Me

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center Star Party

Members of the public are invited to view the wonders of the universe through the telescopes of NOVAC volunteers at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. You do not need to be a member of the club or own any astronomical equipment to attend. Telescopes will be provided by the Smithsonian and pre-approved members of the NOVAC. No other personal telescopes are permitted at the event. The event will take place on the bus parking lot of the museum. **Please park your vehicle at the south end of the main visitors lot and follow signs and red lights to the observing site. As a reminder, parking during the event is free.** Have a cosmic question? One of NOVAC's astronomers or museum staff will be happy to help you. As the sky gets dark, be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the night sky! Don't forget to dress warmly. Please check the weather forecast. For lighting, cover a flashlight in red cellophane (the darker the better). Bring along water to keep hydrated. Note: This outdoor event is weather-dependent and may be cancelled because of significant cloud cover or precipitation.

Indoor Volleyball BB or better, sponsored

Wingspan Game Evening - Following Alliance Afternoon

NextGen Birders for Conservation is hosting a Wingspan game evening at the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance headquarters in Reston, VA. This event will following the Alliance Afternoon, which runs from 2PM-4:30PM. All are welcome at both events, but feel free to show up for boardgames and refreshments even if you do not attend the Alliance Afternoon event! We will primarily be playing Wingspan and will have some sets on-site to use. Please bring your own set if you wish to do. Other board games are welcome as well - as is socializing without playing anything! The intention of this event is to give folks a space to play Wingspan again, while also allowing like-minded conservations and wildlife enthusiasts to mingle and meet. Non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided. Feel free to bring your own food and drinks, as well. Please park in the parking lot for the National Wildlife Federation. There will be a sign on the front door of the building with instructions for contacting somebody who will let you in and direct you to the right place.

Thursday night competitive indoor volleyball

This volleyball game is for BB/A or higher level players. Everyone will be on waitlist first and one day before the game I will move players in.

Adult Book Club: Read! Plant! Grow!

Join us for a book discussion on gardening and nature, followed by apple cider making. We'll discuss *Braiding Sweetgrass* by Robin Wall Kimmerer. At the end of the program, participants can enter a raffle to win a plant donated by Reston Farm Garden Market and a small sapling donated by Bartlett Tree Experts. To request a copy of the book, email Allison (allison.forbes@loudoun.gov), or pick up a copy from Rachel (rachel@lhfarmmuseum.org) at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. Visit www.heritagefarmmuseum.org to learn more.

Tuesday - Reston Lake Anne - Sand Volleyball (BB/A) - Season IX

Profs & Pints Northern Virginia: Forgeries Throughout History

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Forgeries Throughout History,”** on famous fakes and their real impact, with Vanessa R. Corcoran, Catholic Church and medieval historian and director of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-forgeries-throughout-history](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-forgeries-throughout-history) .] Today people often discuss fraud and forgery as if they are uniquely modern problems—the products of the internet, artificial intelligence, and the rise of deepfakes. But the impulse to deceive by fabricating evidence, identities, or images is far older than any digital technology. Moreover, even those who did not get away with it for long sometimes altered the course of history with their trickery. Learn in depth about such deceptions during an evening of mythmaking and myth-busting with Dr. Vanessa R. Corcoran, previously has given excellent Profs and Pints on Catholic history and culture and the 2025 papal conclave. She’ll walk you through a series of forgeries tied to the Crusades, the Catholic Church, and the Byzantine Empire, especially focusing on fakery that confounded the medieval world. You’ll learn about cases involving forged documents, imitated signatures, counterfeited money, bogus works of art, and imposters in disguise. We’ll look at how Roman artists in antiquity created sculptures that they attempted to pass off as Greek works to increase marketability. (Even Michelangelo was guilty of trying to disguise one of his sculptures as a work from the classical era.) Later on, Dutch painter Han Van Meegeren created numerous forgeries of Vermeer’s paintings, ultimately getting convicted of fraud and forgery. Among acts of deception that changed the course of history was a medieval forgery titled “The Donation of Constantine,” which as of the late 700s was used to buttress claims that the fourth-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine I had transferred authority over Rome to the Pope. It was viewed as authentic until fifteenth-century Renaissance humanist Lorenzo Valla debunked it as created centuries after Constantine died. A popular legend in the Catholic Church held that a woman later known as “Pope Joan” disguised herself as a man and ruled as “popess” in the ninth century. That narrative, largely debunked by modern historians, was treated by medieval chronicles as credible and used to buttress arguments that women should be ordained as priests. Among other cases we’ll examine include the Shroud of Turin, purported to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth, which was denounced as forgery as early as 1389 but remains venerated as a relic by some believers. Dr. Corcoran’s talk will offer an important lens for understanding the challenges and stakes of today’s debates over AI-generated fakery. You’ll walk away with an appreciation of how every generation has had to learn, often painfully, how to distinguish what merely looks authentic from what actually is. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Customers at a 1984 art and antiques fair examine a Han van Meegeren fake of a Vermeer. (Photo by Rob C. Croes, National Archives of the Netherlands.)

Photograph Meadowlark Botanical Gardens - Sunset in the Gardens - Sept 16 6:30PM

**NOTICE: The park is open for Sunset Closing until 8:30 PM** [https://www.novaparks.com/parks/meadowlark-botanical-gardens/events/sunset-in-the-gardens-with-pups-830pm-closing-0](https://www.novaparks.com/parks/meadowlark-botanical-gardens/events/sunset-in-the-gardens-with-pups-830pm-closing-0) From the website: Enjoy twilight and sunset hours when Meadowlark Botanical Gardens remains open for extended hours. Admission will end at 8:00pm. Regular admission ($4-8) and memberships apply. Please note: * Wednesdays are "Pup Stroll Days" when leashed dogs are permitted. $6/pup. No retractable leashes. * These extended hours may be cancelled in the event of inclement weather. Please check [Meadowlark's Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/MeadowlarkGardens/) or novaparks.com for an inclement weather alert or call 703-255-3631 x0. There are no portrait photography reservations offered for extended hours. We will meet at the visitor center. Bring Water, a tripod, comfortable shoes, fully charged batteries, and empty cards There is no specific route in this park. Folks are free to wander around the trails in the park at their own pace. Check out Rob Trek's video from May 16, 2021: [https://youtu.be/QwNR_TuxM4Y](https://youtu.be/QwNR_TuxM4Y) Share only your very best, most interesting shots after the field trip, and keep it down to between 5 and 10 photos. Beauty, conservation, education, and discovery flourish throughout the year at this 95-acre complex of large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than twenty varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms, and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature. https://www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens/ By sending in an RSVP and joining this meetup event hosted by the Virginia Beltway Photography Meetup, I am also agreeing to the terms of the following release and waiver of liability, which shall be binding on my heirs, executors, administrators, successors, and assigns. In consideration of my (and my child’s) participation in the Virginia Beltway Photography Meetup, I do hereby release, discharge, and hold harmless the Organizer, its members, officers, directors, employees, and the leader(s) of this event from any and all liability by reason of any damage, loss, expenses, or injury arising from my (and my child’s) participation in this event, including that caused solely or in part by the fault of any and all of the above-named parties.

Fountain Pen & Stationery Hangout 🖋️

Let’s meet again to share the joy of fountain pens with each other! Bring your spare inks to swap samples, if you enjoy that sort of thing. Journaling and art is welcome as well. See you there!

Nature Walk - Lake Fairfax Park

Come join us for a nice, peaceful morning walk through the beautiful Lake Fairfax Park to enjoy the early fall weather experience before it gets too cold. There are multiple trails to choose from, ranging from easy to moderate. Bring comfortable shoes and a water bottle. Meet us over by the soccer field. Parking is free.

National Drive Electric Poolesville Day

Glenstone Museum Adventure 📸