Metropolitan Youth Tap Ensemble of Metropolitan School of the Arts in Alexandria, Va. recently performed for the Black History Month Celebration by Music at NOVA at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, Va.  Other entertainment included:  poetry, Martin Luther King, Jr. excerpts, NOVA Jazz Ensemble, NOVA Community Chorus and more. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org.   

“We were honored and thrilled to be part of NOVA’s Black History Month celebration – tap has rich roots in black history, and some of our greatest tap legends were African-American,” said Melissa Dobbs, founder and president of Metropolitan School of the Arts Alexandria and Lorton, Va.

Monza of Historic Manassas will be collecting gently used coats to donate to SERVE in exchange for a $10 Monza or Carmello’s gift card and free hot chocolate and coffee on Sat.,Dec. 5 during the Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. Coat donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Monza at 9405 Battle Street in Old Town Manassas, Va., as well as throughout December to support SERVE of Manassas, Va. They’ll also be accepting new toys for children of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Manassas, Va.) in exchange for a $10 Monza/Carmello’s gift card during December. For more information, go to www.eatmonza.com.

One gift card will be given per coat and/or per new toy.

Carmello’s was named one of the 10 best restaurants in Historic Manassas, Va. by culturetrip.com, a global website that highlights cultural art, food and travel around the world and in the U.S.  Go to www.carmellos.com.

Culturetrip.com is a global platform for local culture. The site’s audience has grown to nearly 2,000,000 monthly readers in two years, with a large following of about 500,000 people across social media channels. Hailing from all corners of the globe, readers browse the wealth of local and global cultural recommendations and knowledge on offer. Culturetrip.com was the winner of the United Kingdom Website of the Year Award for Arts and Culture and named one of 25 United Kingdom Tech Companies to Watch as well as named a Top Travel and Arts Site by The Guardian/The Times in 2012.