Now that daylight savings time is upon us, and winter weather, hopefully, is a blast in the past, attention turns to outdoor activities or, at least, activities that take us out of the house. Following are a few opportunities to explore in the next couple of weeks.

The Mason District Town Meeting to discuss the FY 2008 budget will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. at Belvedere Elementary School, 6540 Columbia Pike (between Whispering Lane and Sleepy Hollow Road). Guests panelists include County Executive Anthony H. Griffin and Chief Financial Officer Edward L. Long. A question and answer period will follow their presentations. The meeting is open to the public, and I look forward to seeing you there.

The Glasgow Middle School PTA is sponsoring a brick sale to raise funds for a “state of the art” computer lab at the new school. You can buy a brick for $35 and have it engraved with a name, a thank you, or a memorial. The engraved bricks will be installed in the courtyard of the new school, which is scheduled to be completed and open in 2008. For more information, or to purchase a brick, contact Norma Jean Young at normajeanyoung@verizon.net or 703/354-6417, or Regina Derzon at derzon@verizon.net or 703/916-0655. Deadline for purchasing bricks is March 23.

The Fairfax County Police Department, in partnership with the county’s Criminal Justice Academy, will host an Open House and Career Fair at the Academy, 14601 Lee Road in Chantilly, on Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Interested candi-dates will be able to test (a video-based exam consisting of scenarios law enforcement officers encounter daily) for the position of Police Officer and Police Cadet at 1 p.m. Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese interpreters for oral communication will be on-site. Detectives will discuss immediate career opportunities in all participating public safety agencies (police, sheriff’s office, the Vienna and Herndon police departments, animal control, and public safety communications). A panel discussion about women’s public safety careers also will be conducted. For more information, call 703/246-7563.

March 24 also is the date for the Beech Tree Elementary School Fun Fair, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Fun Fair will be held, rain or shine, at the school, 3401 Beech Tree Lane in Falls Church (off of Annandale Road). This is a fun event for families, with lots of children’s games, face-painting, prizes, and food. Proceeds from the Fun Fair support extracurricular programs at the school.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation is spearheading the 19th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup in Fairfax County on March 31 and April 1. Partners in the cleanup include the Friends of Accotink Creek and the Fairfax Watershed Network. Volunteers will remove litter at established cleanup sites near many neighborhoods. To find a cleanup site near you, log on to www.potomaccleanup.org/trash_initiative/rc_sites.html,

or check the Friends of Accotink calendar at www.accotink.org/19thCleanup.htm.