McLean PetFest Comes to Central Park
The McLean Community Center has developed a new event for pets and the families that love them. McLean PetFest will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at McLean Central Park, located at 1468 Dolley Madison Blvd. Admission is free.
‘Johnny Appleseed’ Comes to The Alden on Oct. 20
Theatre IV’s production of “Johnny Appleseed” will be presented as part of the McLean Kids Performance Series at The Alden in McLean at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20. Tickets are $15, $10 for McLean tax district residents. The theatre is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, inside the McLean Community Center.
Metro Improvements Six Years in the Making
$50 million project was delayed by global financial crisis.
The high-speed elevators and new mezzanine at the Rosslyn Metro station were six years in the planning, a process that was delayed when developer JBG Properties was unable to move forward with a development that was supposed to be constructed concurrently. But when the global financial crisis dried up funding for the development, Arlington leaders decided to press forward anyway. Now commuters at one of Virginia's highest ridership stations in the system have three new high-speed, high-capacity elevators, a new fare mezzanine, a separate set of gates, a separate manned kiosk and a new emergency stairwell. "This project has a huge life-safety benefit, not only for the 36,000 people who use the station today everyone on the Orange Line and Blue Line and future Silver Line in that it enables us to get emergency response teams down into the station," said Dennis Leach, deputy director of Transportation and Development. "It also allows for an orderly evacuation in the event of an emergency either in the station itself or in the tunnel under the river."
MCC Wins Recreation and Park Society Award
The McLean Community Center (MCC) won a Virginia Recreation and Park Society Award at the organization’s annual conference, which was held Sept. 7-10, in James City County, Va. The Center won Best Promotional Effort Award — Traditional for its Endless Summer Camp Guide.
Letter: Risk to Public Health
Just before the government shutdown, the EPA announced proposed limits on carbon pollution from newly built power plants — a major breakthrough for our public health, the fight against global warming, and a clean energy future. However, the ongoing impasse in Congress has severely hampered progress on the issue, leaving Americans more vulnerable to the devastating effects of global warming and unmonitored pollution from dirty power plants.
Avoiding Questions on Gun Violence
Regardless of whatever official reason the Republican Party provides for the last-minute cancellation of the Comstock-Murphy debate in the 34th District on Oct. 8, it appeared that Comstock panicked at the sight of a handful of protestors—my McLean friends and neighbors—holding signs that questioned Delegate Comstock’s voting record on gun violence. It sure looked like she wanted to avoid explaining why she voted against universal background checks and voted to allow guns in bars.
Yorktown High To Present ‘The Widow Ranter’
Performances begin Thursday.
The curtain rises this Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in the Yorktown High School auditorium for the first of two community performances of “The Widow Ranter.” Written in 1675 by Aphra Behn, one of the world's earliest professional female playwrights and among the least-known writers of Restoration comedy, “The Widow Ranter” is set in the New World, a contemporary account of the real-life Jamestown uprising known as “Bacon's Rebellion.” While this historical-fictional adventure includes many invented subplots (romantic and comedic), it is also a document of Jamestown's true character, with its outlaws, American Indians, opportunists and individualists.
New Officers Inducted at Churchill Road
On Friday, Oct. 11th, the Churchill Road SCA held its induction ceremony for its newly elected officers for 2013-2014: President—Izzy Schone; Vice President—Sean Mullery; Secretary—Matthew Strong; Historian—Will Wheat; Treasurer—Michael Hoeymans; and Sergeant At Arms—Arielle Moore. Parents, teachers and students observed the ceremony. CRS Assistant Principal Sharon Jones introduced the inductees. Senior Jason Cui, president of Langley High School SGA, addressed the audience, urging the new SCA officers to “not be afraid to ask for help; to learn to work well with others, and to believe in yourself.” After reciting the SCA pledge, newly elected SGA president Izzy Schone spoke, asking students to share any ideas they have about school programs and improvements in the suggestion boxes which will soon be placed in the school.
Spookfest Concert at Langley High
Halloween is coming one week early to Langley High School as the LHS Orchestra presents Spookfest on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Symphonic Orchestra players will join with members of the band to present film scores from “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Theater students will present chilling poetry by Edgar Allan Poe as the freshman orchestra performs “The Evil Eye” and “The Hideous Heart” and “Two Scenes from the Hallow.” The sophomore orchestra will present “Ghosts of Brandenburg” after sophomore pianists play the duet from “The Corpse Bride.” Finally, the Philharmonic orchestra will dazzle listeners with incantations and a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” This concert is free to the public and designed for children of all ages. Appropriate costumes are encouraged for performers and audience alike. Come out if you dare and enjoy the show.
Local Band To Perform
Calder & Pugh at Four Courts on Saturday.
Enjoy a night out in Arlington and a trip down memory lane at Ireland’s Four Courts as the local band Calder & Pugh headlines the stage on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 9 p.m. with a set of songs ranging from ‘90s hits to some of today’s hits to some of their own original music. “[It’s a] young crowd,” said Matt McIntyre, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist. “The kind of music we play is geared towards that crowd because they grew up with that music.”
Week in Reston
Community Forum to Review Master Plan
With the Reston Master Plan Special Study Task Force work nearing completion, Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) is hosting a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m., to review the draft language for the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan. The plan will guide development around the three transit station areas in Reston through 2030. The meeting will be held at South Lakes High School, Lecture Hall, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston.
Celebrating First Year in Business
Trade Roots offers handmade, fair trade goods from around the world.
When Lisa Ostroff's children were big enough that they didn't need her home full-time anymore, she decided to focus on a way to implement her college degree in international relations. However, she had a rather unusual idea in mind: Opening the first and only store in Arlington to offer fair trade goods, many from women in small villages. Now, her store, Trade Roots, is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and Ostroff is content. "I love the products, but it's more than that," she said from a tiny desk in the store, each nook and cranny filled with colorful earrings, scarves, house wares and stories. "I love the concept." She purchases all the items she sells in her store through the Fair Trade Federation, a network of wholesalers and retailers that purchase hand- and artisan-made goods from around the world in an effort to help small, typically women-owned, businesses earn a fair price for their work.
RCC Announces 2013 Preference Poll Results
On Tuesday, Oct. 8, at the request of Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed three Reston residents to the nine-member Reston Community Center Board of Governors: returning Board member Beverly Cosham, and new board members John Mendonça and Michelle Moyer.
Lake Anne Says ‘Gracias and Thank You’ to Rotary
Friday, Oct. 11 the Reston Rotary visited Lake Anne ES and donated dictionaries to all of the third grade students. Because Lake Anne is a Spanish immersion school they were kind enough to donate both bi-lingual (Spanish/English) and English dictionaries.
Week in Herndon
Local Centers Host Free Trick-or-treating
The merchants of Franklin Farm Village Center in Herndon, Colonnade at Union Mill in Clifton and Centrewood Plaza in Centreville are hosting free trick-or-treating on Saturday, Oct. 26, rain or shine. All children dressed in their Halloween costumes will receive candy and other goodies from participating businesses from noon to 2 p.m. at Franklin Farm Village Center, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Colonnade at Union Mill and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Centrewood Plaza. Entertainment will include a balloon artist and magician at each center.
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