Marvin Powell, chairman of the Centreville-Jamestown 2007 Committee, presented on May 29 Supervisor Michael Frey, the Committee’s Honorary Chair, with a Certificate from Gov. Timothy Kaine officially recognizing Centreville as a participant in the Virginia 2007 Community Program.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. As part of the statewide celebration, communities have been invited to join the Virginia 2007 Community Program. To participate, a community must fulfill five steps including organizing a committee of community leaders, examining the community’s history, and developing events and legacy projects to share with the community.
The Centreville Community Foundation, working with local historical groups, initiated the process of organizing a committee. The large event planned thus far is Centreville Day, which will be held on Saturday, Sept. 15. The Committee hopes to see Centreville Day enhanced this year to reflect the community’s great cultural diversity as well as its rich history. It is hoped that other events in addition to Centreville Day may also be planned.
In addition to events and activities, communities are expected to create lasting legacy projects. Some Centreville projects are underway and others are under discussion, for example, students from Mountain View High School have been conducting video oral history interviews with seniors who grew up in the Centreville area. DVDs with the interviews will be presented to the Centreville Library and the video will be posted on the Centreville Community Foundation Web site, www.centrevilleva.org.
The next meeting of the Centreville-Jamestown 2007 Committee is Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Centreville Regional Library. Go to www.centrevilleva.org , e-mail ccf@centrevilleva.org, or contact Cheryl Repetti at 703 830-5407.
The following individuals and groups were submitted as the Preliminary Centreville-Jamestown 2007 Committee on April 16. It is expected that more groups and individuals will be added as the year progresses and the Committee’s work is more widely known: Supervisor Michael Frey, Honorary Chairperson; Marvin Powell Chairperson; the Centreville Community Foundation; the Centreville Day Planning Committee: Ralph Miller; 2nd Flight Productions Theatre Company: Shannon Katcheressian; American Legion Post 1995: Steve Hunter; the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable: John McAnaw & Charles Balch; the Centreville Rotary Club: Michelle Duncan & Jim Daniels; Fairfax County Foster Care and Adoption: Rosa Suau; Friends of the Centreville Library: Jim Mercer; Friends of Historic Centreville: Cheryl Repetti; the Historic Centreville Society: Rita Koch, Claudette Ward , & Debbie Robison; Linda Miller, Individual Member; Little Rocky Run Homeowner’s Association: Al Francese; Mountain View Alternative High School: Sharon DeBragga; St. John’s Episcopal Church: Reverend Howard Kempsell, Doug Garrell.