Donna Manz of Vienna has a B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, 1969; studies at Virginia Tech, MBA program, Tourism and Hospitality Management, ongoing. Donna prefers soft news, life-style news, to hard news. Particularly enjoys promoting human interest stories, especially those of the people and civic groups who make Vienna and Oakton a better place to live.
Recent Stories
ViVa! Vienna! Returns Memorial Day Weekend
Three-day festival features live entertainment, carnival food, rides and 300-plus vendors.
ViVa! Vienna! is back: Carnival midway, live entertainment and food vendors kick-off the three-day Memorial Day weekend festival on Saturday, May 25. And that’s just the beginning. On Sunday, more than 300 vendors—selling crafts, goods and services—converge along the historic Church Street corridor, hosting upwards of 50,000 visitors to the festival sponsored by the Rotary Club of Greater Vienna.
Vienna Woman’s Club Awards Scholarships
Madison HS seniors, Vienna elementary schools recipients of club’s generosity.
The Vienna Woman’s Club celebrated 51 years of scholarship awards on May 15 at a program honoring three local high school seniors and four Vienna elementary schools. The scholarship winners each received a $1,000 check from the Woman’s Club. “The scholarships honor exceptional seniors and their families,” said Scholarship and Education Committee co-chair Jo-Lynn Westlund.
Incumbents Retain Town Council Seats
Standing under umbrellas, the four candidates running for three Vienna Town Council seats greeted voters in a rain steady throughout most of the morning and early afternoon. The rain wasn’t torrential but neither was voter turnout throughout much of the day.
Safety and Bike Rodeo Teaches Healthy Habits
Child-centered activities held on Town Green on May 4.
Those children on Mill Street on Saturday, the ones in the parking lot across from the Town Green surrounded by Vienna police officers, were not being charged with a traffic violation. They were, instead, being guided around a training course by Vienna police in Vienna’s 2nd Annual W&OD Safety and Bike Rodeo sponsored by the Town of Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee, Friends of the W&OD and local civic groups and businesses.
Taste of Vienna Brings Community Together
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser offered restaurant fare, live entertainment and a moonbounce for kids.
Certainly, Saturday’s almost-May weather contributed to the festive mood at the 2nd Annual Taste of Vienna sponsored by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Abundant sunshine and cloudless blue skies lit up Cherry Street on April 27. Throngs of local families, seniors, teens and babies in strollers milled around food and wine tents, under eating tents and along the stage front, where contemporary pop bands performed. It was the kind of community-spirit day Vienna is known for.
Community Center Expansion Discussed
Open forum on April 23 solicited viewpoints and needs from community.
If you had an unlimited budget—or a magic wand—what would you turn the Vienna Community Center into? Most of the more-than 35 attendees at the Department of Parks and Recreation April 23 forum on the proposed expansion of the community center shared a consensus of what they hoped to see an expanded community center look like (from a large indoor swimming pool with retractable walls to a well-equipped fitness center and regulation-sized gym).
Making Life ‘Greener’ in Vienna
Vienna Green Expo showcases community conservation options.
During the 5th Annual Vienna Green Expo on Thursday, April 18, three Vienna businesses were recognized for incorporating green practices into their business. The Vienna Town/Business Liaison Committee awarded Maple Avenue Market, Vienna Paint and Caffe Amouri with the 2013 Vienna Green Business Recognition Award.
Vienna Woman’s Club Supports Homeless Female Veterans
Club fundraises on behalf of Final Salute, Inc.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are more than 13,000 homeless female veterans living in the United States; half of them are single mothers. Only about half of the 500 transitional housing programs accept women. These homeless female veterans have fewer resources than male veterans do.
Patrick Henry Library Book Sale Draws Community
Two-day spring sale sells donated books of every genre.
t took a year of planning and collecting, approximately 15 volunteers and more than 2,000 books to carry off the spring book sale hosted by Friends of Patrick Henry Library. The two-day sale, spread over April 13 and 14, took over the front lawn, the event room and an area of the children’s department. When the book sale opened to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, a waiting line had already formed.
Shooting for Stardom
Marshall HS vocalist/songwriter has global fans.
Remember this name: Sammy Hakim. The George C. Marshall High School junior is a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, and holds the record for most weeks at number one on independent charts as ranked by New Music Weekly.