Great Falls Day Celebrated
Visitors learn history of Great Falls community.
On Sunday, May 4, residents of Great Falls and visitors had the opportunity to celebrate Great Falls Day at the Great Falls Grange on Georgetown Pike and learn more about the history of the community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the public assembly hall was built in 1929, a product of the Grange Movement which swept America after the Civil War. The Grange was a symbol of commitment to community involvement and progress, and has been a meeting and special event site throughout its history.
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Last week I had the honor of meeting Stan Brock, the legendary “Wild Kingdom” TV star and founder and president of Remote Area Medical (RAM). He held a press conference in Richmond to announce the details of expanding the Remote Area Medical program in Virginia. (www.RAMUSA.org) Already RAM sponsors a once-a-year health clinic in Wise County in Southwest Virginia where thousands come on a weekend for the only medical care they will receive all year. The expanded effort in Virginia will be headed by Dr. Vicki Weiss who has been providing volunteer eye care with RAM for over 15 years. Also participating in the press conference was Dr. Teresa Gardiner who serves on the Health Wagon in the region that was featured on 60 Minutes recently.
Musical
St. Peter's Episcopal Church's production of “Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” featured about 80 youngsters from second grade through high school last month.
Celebrating Spring with Dance
Classical Ballet Theatre (CBT) celebrates this spring by sharing its love of dance with the community. In late March, it hosted children and their families at its Herndon studios for shorter, narrated Children’s Series performances of The Sleeping Beauty, and, in early April, it took the full classic ballet to the big stage at the Ernst Theater. There, dancers performed before hundreds of enthusiastic audience members. In addition to friends and family, these included military personnel and Fairfax County teachers who received complimentary tickets in honor of CBT’s Silver Anniversary.
New Partnership
Encore Stage & Studio has partnered with the Nauck Community Services Center of the Bonder & Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation. The partnership provides students of the NCSC SOL tutoring program and other Nauck residents scholarships to participate in Encore Stage & Studio’s educational programs in Shirlington.
Addressing Strokes
Fashion show at Old Angler’s Inn to raise funds for hospital program.
When Sara and Mark Reges’ youngest son Charles was just 9 years old, he was hit by a car in Potomac Village. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was on life support for weeks at the Children’s National Medical Center. He was in critical care and partially paralyzed for months following the accident — but today he is a normal young man with no side effects.
YMM Art Space Beautifies Area
Some amusing trees are blooming in the heart of the Tysons Corner business district. YMM Art Space, a children’s art education center, is presenting a public art project by international artists. Environmentally friendly fabric is installed on 30 trees in Tysons’ Square at the intersection of Gallows and Old Courthouse road. Oncoming traffic and commuters enjoy vibrant colors of the fabric mixed in with the budding trees welcoming the early arrival of the spring season. YMM Art Space hopes to grow the surrounding artist community. Staff at the YMM Art Space have art backgrounds and exhibit their work including collaborations pieces by teachers and students. YMM Art Space is located at 8216 Old Courthouse Road.
Pet Fiesta Held At Reston Town Center
Thousands attend pet focused May 3 event.
Visitors and participants of the annual Reston Pet Fiesta enjoyed sunny mild weather on Saturday, May 3. One of the signature events of Reston Town Center, this outdoor event was open to the public and brought together local businesses, animal rescue groups and pet owners for a day of activities and demonstrations. The event was also an opportunity to put in volunteer hours with animal adoption groups.
Speakers Fulfill ‘Inspiration Day’
Three speakers shared their stories of challenges, life experiences and personal successes at the MoverMoms’ third annual “Inspiration Day.” The April 27 event, held at the River Falls Clubhouse was attended by about 60 women who are a combination of MoverMoms’ participants along with family and friends.
Three Great Falls Scouts Promoted to Eagles
Troop 55 in Great Falls recently announced the advancement to the rank of Eagle Scout of four young men: Patrick Ryan, Conrad Dear, Bennett Molster, and Ryan Withers. These scouts have earned at least 21 merit badges, and have demonstrated scout spirit by living the scout oath and law through years of service and leadership. They have each also planned, organized, led and managed extensive service projects.
Madison High’s Mimi Shang Wins Congressional District Art Competition
Five students from four Fairfax County public schools took top honors in Congressman Gerry Connolly’s sixth annual Congressional Arts Competition. Connolly announced the winners Saturday. Mimi Shang of James Madison High School in Vienna took first place honors with her artwork titled Bubble Talking. Her artwork will be hung in the U.S. Capitol for a year alongside the winners of congressional arts competitions from districts across the country.
Vienna Student Honored for Exemplary Essay
The United States Capitol Historical Society has announced that Richard Alec Merski of Vienna, a senior at James Madison High School, has been named one of the winners of the 2013 Making Democracy Work Student Essay Contest. Richard was awarded First Place in the Senior Division and earned a cash prize of $1,000. “The US Capitol Historical Society is pleased to recognize Richard Alec Merski for his exemplary essay,” said US Capitol Historical Society President Ron Sarasin. “As with all the winning essays, Richard’s essay reflected a deep understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our representative form of government.” Merski’s award-winning essay, “The Duties of Democracy: Reflections on a Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities,” reminds us of the cost of defending the rights enjoyed by citizens of the United States.
Oak Hill Students Participate in National STEM Festival
Oak Hill students participated in the USA Science & Engineering festival as an official exhibitor. The team comprising fifth and sixth graders call themselves EcoSy"STEM" Preservers. The team worked on renewable sources of energy with kitchen waste. Generating biogas from organic waste in your own kitchen has been researched and presented at the festival. The team members included: Fufth graders -- Pranava Nidumolu, Sohal Sudheer and Jordan Lee and sixth graders Aditya Kumar, Medha Gupta and Malavika Pillai. Approximately 325,000 people attended the largest celebration of STEM in the nation.
‘Alice’ Comes to Madeira
Haddad Studio of Classical Ballet presents ‘Alice In Wonderland’ on May 11.
“The girls gain an opportunity to enjoy performing and dance before an audience of people,” said Margaret Haddad. “This time the show is ‘Alice In Wonderland’.” Since 1962 Margaret A. Haddad has taught the Nicholai Legat method of Russian Classical Ballet across the globe in locations including England, Lebanon, Kenya. In 1987, Haddad opened her studio in Great Falls. There, talented young people learn the Legat Syllabus, emphasizing grace, unison and discipline. Haddad was one of the first English students accepted to the Legat School of Russian Ballet which was developed by Nadine Nicolaeva and Nicolai Legat. Located in Scotland, the Russian Ballet Society is committed to preserving and maintaining the Classical Russian Ballet style and the Legat System via teaching and examination qualification exams.
End of an Era for Town Council
Mike Polychrones steps down, moves to North Carolina.
For nearly two decades, Mike Polychrones has been a fixture on the Vienna Town Council. But Tuesday morning, after voting in the Town election, he and his wife Patti headed south to their new home in North Carolina. His last Council meeting was April 28 and, at its outset, he was honored by Mayor Laurie Di Rocco and Del. Mark Keam (D-35). Di Rocco gave Polychrones a plaque “in recognition of dedicated service” from 1996-2003 and 2004-2014, and Keam read a resolution from the Virginia General Assembly thanking him for all he’s done.
TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm To Host Annual ‘The First Tee’
During the summer, if you visit the Montgomery County golf courses at Laytonsville, Needwood, Sligo, Northwest or Olney, you will see youngsters blasting balls from sand traps, laying into drives, trying to sink a long putt, or heading off to the tee box carrying their bags on their backs. These are just some of the youths in The First Tee summer program who are learning to play and love the game of golf but also gaining more in terms of personal growth and ethics.
Herndon High Junior Selected for West Point Summer Leaders Seminar
Daniel Vedova, a junior at Herndon High School and co-captain of Herndon High School’s FIRST Robotics team (Epsilon Delta 116), has been selected to be among 1,000 attendees at West Point’s Summer Leaders Experience (SLE) in June. More than 5,000 juniors nationwide applied to SLE, which offers outstanding high school juniors the opportunity to experience life at West Point. SLE attendees live in the cadet barracks (dormitories), eat in the Cadet Mess, and participate in academic, leadership, athletic, and military workshops.
Storm Hits the Area
The pictures taken during the storm last Wednesday, April 30, at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Wolftrap Run.
Paintings at One Aum Yoga Center Encourage Tranquility
Local artists’ works are featured.
Both paintings and yoga promote a sense of calm and tranquility. The mood and the subject matter of a painting is a reflection on meditation while participating in yoga brings a sense of serenity and relaxation to the participant. When one enters Potomac’s One Aum Yoga Center, he or she can feel the calm vibe and experiences the peacefulness — a change from the hustle and bustle that pulls many into a world of commotion and activity. The space says relax — and the yoga and paintings provide the medium.
Storm Affects on Potomac
Storm and flooding had severe affect on Potomac.