The Arlington County Fair August 19-23, 2009

Every August the English classes at REEP go to the Arlington County Fair on opening night and the following morning.  The fair is at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 S. Second St.  Here are some pictures from the fairs in 2004 and 2005.

There is a park & ride shuttle bus service to the fair from three locations:  (1) the Arlington Career Center & Columbia Pike Branch Library parking lot at 816 S. Walter Reed Dr. (2)  the I-66 parking garage at N. Quincy St. & N. 15th St. (3) the Ballston Metro station. The cost to ride a shuttle bus is $1.00 each way. Parking and entrance to the fair is free.

Ana, a REEP student, is riding the bus from the Career Center with a friend. The trip only takes about five minutes.

For more details about the shuttle, click here.

Exhibits Inside the Community Center

At the entrance to the community center, Ana stops to get a map of the exhibits and a schedule of fair activities. She doesn't want to miss the pig races!

Fire, Police, and Sheriff  Exhibits

There are lots of free brochures that you can take home to read.

The Arlington Fire, Police, and Sheriff Departments have a popular exhibition area with information about public safety and county services.

Friendly police officers have balloons and coloring books for children.

This character represents the Sheriff's  Department!  He walks around the community center and talks to children.

You need a bag to carry everything you  pick up at the fair.  No problem! There are free bags at the entrance and at some exhibits.

The yellow pencils in the blue box are free. Take one!

Naylor and his teacher, Jane Tuckerman, look at a display of weapons that the police have taken from criminals.

Notice the candy on the table. Many exhibitors put out candy, pencils, or pens for you to take. Some give away key chains, refrigerator magnets, or other useful small items.

More information!

Roxana and Laura are finding brochures in English and Spanish.

Several exhibitors have information about staying healthy and treating diseases.

Ligia and Yorlais have also found a lot of information to take home.

There are workers at all the exhibits to answer your questions.  The fair is a good place to practice English!

At the Red Cross exhibit you can learn  how to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies.

Staff  from the library, including Mexico native Ingrid Kauffman (left),   can help you sign up for a library card.  Ingrid can also tell you about the computer classes that she teaches in Spanish.

The Virginia Hospital Center exhibit is behind this display of prize-winning vegetables.  You can also see the winners of competitions for the best drawings, needlework, creative writing, and other artistic activities.

Visit REEP's exhibit and enter a raffle for 12 weeks of free English classes.

REEP students are invited to visit the United Methodist Churches exhibit and pick up a brochure about Just Neighbors Immigration Legal Services.  Just Neighbors provides low-cost legal counseling and some types of legal services to low-income immigrants living in Northern Virginia.

The Carnival Outside the Community Center is a carnival with food, games, an animal petting zoo, pig races, and amusement rides.  Click here to see pictures of the carnival.

To learn more about the Arlington County Fair, click here.

Go to Cynthia's welcome page.