Helping Self-Improve or Simply Amuse

What winter doldrums?

Whether it’s a snow-tubing expedition for teens, insider's secrets from or a trip down memory lane to a doo-wop sock hop, the next few months are chockfull of chances to be vigorous and vital while you await the spring.

Doting dads will swoon over their wee sweethearts at the 4th Annual , 7pm to 9pm Feb. 10 at the Lake Marion Community Center. Tickets are available at the MVF office or by calling 301-948-0110.

If your baby needs it, chances are the r will have it. New and gently used baby gear will be for sale at the 18th annual event, which runs from 9am to 1pm Feb. 25 at the Lake Marion Community Center. Vendors wanted, call 301-948-0110.

Montgomery Village's homegrown masterpieces head to the fore at the annual . The Village’s longest-running event marks its 38th iteration on March 10 and 11 at the North Creek Community Center.

It’s a busy calendar for the more civic-minded, too:

• The MVFit committee convenes for the first time Jan. 19 as its dozen volunteers get to work helping develop and promote a Village-wide fitness and nutrition program meant to make this among Maryland’s healthiest communities.

• Politics get their most local this time of year with elections for the Montgomery Village Foundation’s board of directors and for the Village’s various HOA’s and condo associations. The MVF board’s five-week campaign kicks off Jan. 24 with a candidates’ Q-and-A forum, 7pm at the North Creek Community Center. Timelines for the HOA and condo elections vary. Check the Village News or go to www.montgomeryvillage.com for details.

• Jan. 28 brings the first public forum on . The forum, hosted by Sen. Nancy King and the Montgomery Village Foundation, starts at 10am at the Lake Marion Community Center.

Not busy enough? The Montgomery Village Foundation's ever-evolving lineup of classes and activities is bound to spark your interest. For a full program listing, pricing and registration info, check out the MVF winter recreation guide (attached). Here are a few highlights, starting with some of this season’s new offerings:

Two four-week sessions of “Real World Self Defense” for middle school and high school students, led by Wes Crain, three-time Tae-Kwon-Do national champion. Tuesdays and Thursdays. First session runs Jan. 10 to Feb. 2. Second session runs Feb. 14 to March 8.

Among Wes Crain’s five different black belts is one in Brazilian Jujitsu, the bedrock of Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Crain will lead a class for kids 8 to 14 and a class for everyone older than 15. Wednesdays, Jan. 11 to March 28.

Lake Marion Community Center will play host to more exotic end of the sports spectrum. Featuring the likes of European handball, futsal and indoor cricket, the “Teen Multi-Sports” program is for kids grade 6 through 9. Thursday afternoons, Jan. 19 to March 8.

Clip, collect, ka-ching: J’amie Kirlew, she of “Extreme Couponing” TV fame, will share her dollar-stretching strategies during in-depth workshops on Jan. 29, Feb. 21 and March 22.

Chemistry meets art in “Beakers and Brushes,” where preschoolers (ages 3-and-a-half to 5) learn via hands-on experiments. Thursday afternoons, Feb. 16 to March 29 at the Whetstone Community Center.

Twenty-somethings on up, relive some of your favorite childhood games—kick ball, ping pong, dodge ball—in a rec league that’s more about mingling and making friends than it is about competition. Wednesday nights, Feb. 22 to March 28 at the Lake Marion Community Center.

For those a bit longer in the tooth, Seniors in Action! continues its campaign to keep the 55+ crowd healthy and happy. All month long, stop by the Stedwick Community Center to check out any of their activities for free.

• Mondays: arts and crafts, 11am to noon

• Tuesdays and Thursdays: light cardio workouts, 9am to 10am

• Wednesdays: snacks, board games, cards and conversation from 10am to 1pm, followed by an hour of table tennis.

• Thursdays: This new session offers the chance to learn new card and table games, 12:30pm to 2:30pm.

Seniors in Action! is also putting together a pair of special events for February.

Gather up your most learned buddies and put those lifetimes of combined knowledge to use at Trivia Night, from 6pm to 8pm Feb. 3 at the Stedwick Community Center.

Then on Feb. 24, take a trip back in time to an old-fashioned sock hop. DJ, dancing and décor from 7pm to 10pm at the North Creek Community Center.