A Night at the Aquarium for Fairfax Youth
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington members take a private overnight tour of Baltimore's National Aquarium.
Ten students from the Fairfax branch (Murraygate chapter) of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington got a sneak peak of Shark Week by spending the night among them at the Baltimore Aquarium at the seaport in Baltimore. They spent a “night at the museum” as part of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program sponsored by COX Communications last Friday, July 25.
LTA Stages ‘Spamalot’
Musical comedy is based on “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”
The Little Theater of Alexandria is staging the musical comedy “Spamalot” Aug. 2-23. The irreverent play, which won three Tony Awards, including the Tony for Best Musical in 2005, is adapted from the 1975 film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” It originally starred Tim Curry as King Arthur, David Hyde Pierce as Sir Robin and Hank Azaria as Sir Lancelot on Broadway.
Hosting Safetypalooza
Boy Scouts, professionals teach children how to avoid trouble.
Thanks to 15-year-old Boy Scout Alex Battani, several local children know more about bike, bus and fire safety, as well as avoiding strangers. A rising junior at Westfield High, he put on a Safetypalooza at the Sully District Police Station. Also participating was police Crime Prevention Specialist Tara Gerhard, with that station, plus firefighters from the Springfield District Station and members of the Blue Suit Pacers Cycling Team.
Creative Dance Center, Pat Mitchell Unite
Spotlight Theater Camp starts Aug. 4.
There’s a new, local theater program with a familiar face at the helm. Westfield High grad and theater alumnus Pat Mitchell is partnering with Creative Dance Center (CDC) to put on Spotlight Theater Camp. The camp will run Aug. 4-8, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at CDC, 14155-E Sullyfield Circle in Chantilly. For more information and to register, go to www.cdctheater.com. Mitchell’s excited about it and is hoping for a good turnout.
WGCC Swim Team Wins Division-A Championship
Lightning swimmers break several records.
Last year, the WGCC Lightning swimmers lost the Country Club Swimming and Diving Association championship title by a half a point to Kenwood. Had any one WGCC swimmer finished one place higher during the two-day league championship meet, the team would have won. Many of the team's swimmers trained hard all winter with that half-point on their minds. This past week, the team moved three steps closer to claiming that title with decisive victories in three of their biggest meets this season.
Springfield Shortlisted for FBI Headquarters
Other locations are Greenbelt and Landover.
Springfield could very well be the next site of the FBI headquarters. The General Services Administration and FBI announced Tuesday that Springfield was included on the shortlist for the new FBI headquarters.
Laurel Hill Master Plan Meets Final Approval
Construction expected to begin this fall.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve the plan to develop the site of the former Lorton prison.
Sunflowers for Wildlife
Sunflowers for Wildlife
The peak bloom of 25 acres of sunflowers off River Road is past, but the fading flowers will leave seeds that attract songbirds and other wildlife for some time to come. Goldfinches and Indigo Buntings are visible by the the dozen as the sunflower seeds mature.
Supervisors Deny Landfill Application
Board votes against plan to extend life of Lorton Landfill.
The Board of Supervisors voted late Tuesday to reject an EnviroSolutions application to extend the life of the Lorton construction debris landfill until 2034. Supervisors voted in a 6-4 vote to deny the application, which in effect will require the landfill to close by the end of 2018.
History
Alexandrians vs. British Raiders – June 1814
At 5:30 on the evening of Tuesday, June 21, 1814, a number of Alexandria cavalrymen were sitting on their horses on a hill overlooking the village of Benedict, Md. on the Patuxent River, about 40 miles southeast of Washington. Below them, they could see several British barges and ships anchored in the river near the village.
Friendship Firehouse Festival Aug. 2
Historic firehouse celebrates 240th birthday.
Alexandria’s historic Friendship Firehouse will celebrate its 240th birthday Saturday, Aug. 2 at the annual Friendship Firehouse Festival.
Commentary: Jefferson-Houston’s Journey through Re-Segregation
“Alexandria quietly is making plans for a model community-centered facility to replace its least integrated elementary school, Charles Houston,” The Washington Post reported in January 1968. “But present indications are that the new Jefferson-Houston Elementary School will be as segregated as the old one.” To what extent is today’s new school facility, the ongoing construction and failing academics a continuation of yesterday?
Seniors Struggling with Hunger
Senior Hunger is real, and, according to information provided by the Meals on Wheels Association, 8.8 million of America’s seniors or nearly 1 in 6 may not know where their next meal is coming from. Programs like Meals on Wheels are critical to solving this national crisis. In the State of Virginia over 124,000 seniors are struggling with hunger and only 22 percent are receiving help through Meals on Wheels.
District 10 Crown
The SYA West Little League 11/12 year old All-Stars captured the District 10 crown after a 10-2 victory against SYA East in the championship game.
Letter: Bee Safe Neighborhoods
Letter to the Editor
Roundups
Roundups.
Introducing Fall SYA Volleyball
SYA Volleyball completed its 17th year this past June.
Letter: Determining Cost Of Added Jobs
To the Editor: The examples given regarding people who will receive expanded coverage Medicaid are tragic and saddening. However, the figures given to substantiate the beneficial effects of expanded Medicaid coverage in Virginia appear to be whimsical.
Garden Club Works in Small Ways with Major Impact
In 2008, immediately after its inception, the Centreville Garden Club took on its first community project: a refurbishment of the planters around the Sully Government Center.
Poem
It rained yesterday Umbrella rainbow of bright colors Through the rain of summer A child’s imagination The laughter and purity of it.