Summer is running at full speed! Looking for an activity close to home with cooler temperatures? Then head to Alexandria Library’s Beatley Central Library (across from Cameron Station). They have a full and exciting schedule of events for the month of August. We have selected a few highlights for you.
Silent Listening Party | Monday, August 03, 2026 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm | Large Meeting Room | Age group: 12-18
You may have heard of silent dance parties and silent book clubs, but how about a silent listening party!? The Alexandria Library has a wealth of audiobooks available on CD, Playaway, digitally, and more! Bring your own audiobook and headphones or pick from a curated selection. Snacks will be provided, as well as a limited number of wired earbuds that work with the Library's Playaway selection. Then just lounge around listening to your book in (sort of) silence! Please note that this is a self-guided program for individuals to participate it, and there will be no group activities, though you are welcome to talk to each other about what you are reading or listening to!
Registration is recommended for an event reminder, but space will be available on a first come, first served basis.
TACA Presents: Kids’ Ghanaian Cultural Dance | Wednesday, August 05, 2026 | 4:30pm - 5:30pm | Large Meeting Room, Frank and Betty Wright Reading Garden | Age group: all ages
Explore Ghana with two fun dances: Kpanlogo, the national dance of Ghana; and Azonto, one of the first Afrobeats rhythms to hit the global airwaves!
We will dance, learn a thing or two from Ghana, and even learn some new words in a new language!
Space is limited. Please visit the Youth Services desk 30 minutes before the program to request a ticket. In case of inclement weather, this event will be moved indoors.
I Dig American Sign Language | Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 5:00pm – 6:00pm | Large Meeting Room, Frank and Betty Wright Reading Garden | Age group: 0-5
Let’s dig deep and learn basic American Sign Language for dinosaurs, diggers, and the things we love through stories, songs, and more! Presented by Kathy MacMillan, author of the Little Hands Signing series and Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together.
Space is limited. Please visit the Youth Services desk 30 minutes before the program to request a ticket. In case of inclement weather, this event will be moved indoors.
Alzheimer’s Association Caregiver Support Group | Sunday, August 16, 2026 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm | Board Room, Zoom meeting | Age group: seniors, adults
Alexandria Library partners with the Alzheimer's Association's National Area Chapter to bring you a quarterly support group at Beatley Central Library. Build a support system with people who understand. Alzheimer’s Association® caregiver support groups, conducted by trained facilitators, are a safe place for caregivers, family and friends of persons with dementia to:
• Develop a support system.
• Exchange practical information on caregiving challenges and possible solutions.
• Talk through issues and ways of coping.
• Share feelings, needs and concerns.
• Learn about community resources.
Please contact Lori Woelfel at bankingonamemory@gmail.com or (703) 831-7646, or
Ellen Collins at wavewaltz@aol.com or 703-216-3199 if you have problems connecting to the zoom meeting, or to arrange a test call to check the connection prior to the meeting.
Visit alz.org/nca to learn more about caregiver programs and resources. To further extend your network of support, visit ALZConnected®, our online community, at alzconnected.org.
Writing Your Voice, Your Kind of Story | Monday, August 17, 2026 | 5:30pm – 7:00pm | Large Meeting Room | Age group: 12-18
Explore poetry through warm-ups, writing exercises, and performance practice to stoke your imagination, explore ideas, and find your voice from within.
This workshop is open to all experience levels! Your teacher will guide you through warm-ups, writing exercises, and performance practice to stoke your imagination, explore ideas, and find your voice from within. Attendees will be invited to contribute to the community by holding a brave space for care and growth. The workshop will open with a check-in, then move through a warm-up activity, a lesson, and time to write and share. Teens will explore how to write honest and creative poetry to express their relationship to belonging while strengthening their creative writing skills, allowing them to engage with writing and performing poetry as a way to connect to the world around them.
Registration is recommended for an event reminder, but space will be available on a first come, first served basis.
Bar C Ranch Petting Zoo | Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm | Beatley Library Parking Lot | Age group: all ages
Say hello and feed friendly animals like a llama, donkey, and mini cow from Bar C Animal Ranch. Can't make it on August 19? Join Bar C Ranch for a petting zoo on June 20 from 10 AM - 3 PM, Duncan Branch Library Butterfly Garden.
250th Film Festival | Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | 2:00pm – 5:00pm | Large Meeting Room | Age group: seniors, adults
We are celebrating America's 250th Birthday with a screening of Steven Spielberg's 2021 remake of the classic musical West Side Story. An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.
There is so much more to do at Beatley Central Library and the other branches of Alexandria Library! Check the full events calendar here
Did you know that Alexandria Library provides access to newspaper content through their database subscriptions? You only need your library card number to read the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today and many more. Links to major newspapers and other publications and also a full description on how to get access can be found here.
Caroline Boomaars is on a four-year adventure in the US following her husband who works as an engineer officer for the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Very happy to be living in the warm and welcoming community that is Cameron Station, Caroline tries to give back by volunteering for Beatley Library, Friends of Beatley Library and recently joined Cameron Station’s Communications Committee.
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