People

New Dominion Chorale Soloist, Met Star Sings with Fairfax High School

She advises would-be opera stars to take the slow road to fame.

Danielle Talamantes grew up in Vienna, attended McLean High School, and now she sings with the New York Metropolitan Opera and is the soprano soloist for the New Dominion Chorale. She has some advice for would-be opera stars: “Stay home.”

Mount Vernon Military Notes: Oct. 24, 2012

Military notes

Dog Day Afternoon

Greenspring celebrates 10th annual Halloween Pet Parade.

Prancing, dancing and wagging their tails, Midnight, Ladybug, Itsy & Bitsy paraded across the stage in their Halloween finery as Greenspring celebrated its 10th annual Halloween Pet Parade on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Burke Artist Launches ‘Barn Sale without the Barn’

Think "Upscale Tag Sale" of original art, vintage jewelry and everything in between.

A year ago, I read an article about this new phenomenon called "Barn Sales." These various groups of women in the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia would put all this beautiful antique and vintage furniture for sale in differently-styled vignettes. The kicker was that these vignettes were set up in different stalls of a barn. Each had a different look: Victorian here, retro there, Hollywood regency there, farmhouse chic there, with antiques throughout. As I watched all these people waiting in line eagerly to buy all these vintage and antique and "freshened" goodies, two things occurred to me. 1. The art I was making at the time would look amazing in this venue. 2. Between me and Sharon, we knew where to find or how to make almost everything in the show. On the way home I looked at her and said, "Sharon, let's have a barn sale this fall." and she said, "Where are we going to find a barn in Burke?" And we just decided we didn't need a barn. Hence the tag "Branches: the Barn Sale Without a Barn".

Obituary: John P Hightower Jr.

John P Hightower Jr., 79, of Salem died on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012.

Pumpkin Purveyor for Charity

2011 Living Legend of Alexandria Wendy McGann John.

The vestry approved and dedicated all proceeds to charity. That was a fateful decision. It allowed the ICOH Pumpkin Patch to become the second most successful patch among the more than 1,200 patches run by churches across the nation.

Recalling a Potomac Icon

“Mitch” Mitchell of Mitch and Bill’s dies.

Clyde Eastham Mitchell, was the “Mitch” of Mitch and Bill’s. He died from heart failure Oct. 18 at Kingshire Manor Assisted Living, Rockville. He was 86.

Bringing Community Market to Great Falls

Open since July, Salud Healthy Pantry offers "best of the best" in health food.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Denise Rodriguez became enchanted with the idea of community markets after growing up around the bodegas her father ran.

Local Artists Show Off Studios

Annual studios tour shows artists’ workspaces.

Fourteen years ago, David Cowdrill was visiting a pottery in Maine, when a door opened for him, literally and figuratively. The potters opened up their workshop to him, showing him how to create ceramics, and Cowdrill, an engineer by trade, found a new opportunity.

Reston Town Center Lights the Night

Annual walk raises funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Thousands of blood cancer patients, survivors, caretakers, and family and friends of those who have passed away from the disease gathered at Reston Town Center Saturday, Oct. 20 to take part in the annual Light the Night Walk, held by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Bach to Rock Opens in Herndon

Music studio features lessons, recording equipment, DJ school.

Bach to Rock, a music school for students of all ages, has opened its newest location at Worldgate Centre in Herndon. The school features lessons for a variety of instruments, as well as recording facilities and the Beat Refinery, Bach to Rock’s instructional DJ school.

Shelter House Holds Annual Sleep Out

More than 40 people spend night outdoors to support homeless.

As she prepared to go to sleep in the front seat of her pickup truck, Jewell Mikula thought about what had led her here, to a night sleeping in her car on a cold October evening.

The Connection