Great Falls Celebrates Spring
Community enjoys 30th Annual Spring Festival.
“When the weather is nice we always have a nice turnout,” said Wendy Adeler Hall, daughter of the Great Falls jeweler Jorge Adeler. On Sunday, April 13, families from the Great Falls community and Northern Virginia gathered at the Village Green for the annual Spring Festival. The Spring Festival and Egg Hunt was hosted by the Great Falls Optimist Club and Adeler Jewelers, a family business which has served northern Virginia for more than 20 years.
Doreen Montis Exhibits at Great Falls Library
Doreen Montis presents a collection of abstract and contemporary photography at the Great Falls Library. The photographs in the exhibit are images that were captured as seen thru the camera. They were not digitally manipulated or created in Photoshop. It is interesting to see how ordinary images, such as oil and water, lights, and glass can become works of art by changing the focus point or lighting conditions. Stop by and test your skills at identifying the objects in the photographs. The Great Falls Library is located at 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. The collection will be on display from April-June, 10 percent of all sales will go to the Friends of the Library. Montis’ images have received top honors at several exhibitions and contests. They have appeared magazines and are in personal collections nationwide. To see more of Montis’ images, visit her website at www.dmontisphotoart.com.
Great Falls Volunteers Take Part in Watershed Clean Up
Northern Virginia residents participated in the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 5, sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Last year, this Potomac watershed cleanup through the region collected over 300 tons of trash. The Great Falls Citizens Association organized over a dozen volunteers this year to clean up along Difficult Run stream and worked for over three hours to pull out debris along the trails and woods along the stream, which flows into the Potomac River. Many of the volunteers were high school students.
Supporting the Artemis House
Great Falls Friends and Neighbors (GFFN) presented a check for $4451 to the Artemis House. The money was raised from the sale of White House Christmas ornaments. From left, standing - Pat Kuehnel, Danielle Colon, (Artemis House), Maria Volpe, Ranjana Chawla, MaryAnn Nocerino; Seated - Jolie Smith (Artemis House) and Roz Drayer.
Rehearsing Barn raising at Great Falls Farmers Market
This past Saturday was a rehearsal for the barn raising that will take place at Great Falls Day on Sunday, May 4. The National Barn Alliance brought their Dutch Barn to the market to set it up and make sure all the pieces are there and that everything is in order. Local families came to help out. It was a demonstration of teamwork. Typically advertised as an activity for 10-year-olds, we found that in Great Falls, children of all ages were able to engage in the activity and make a valuable contribution.
Great Falls Volunteers Take Part in Watershed Clean Up
Northern Virginia residents participated in the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 5, sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Last year, this Potomac watershed cleanup through the region collected over 300 tons of trash. The Great Falls Citizens Association organized over a dozen volunteers this year to clean up along Difficult Run stream and worked for over three hours to pull out debris along the trails and woods along the stream, which flows into the Potomac River. Many of the volunteers were high school students.
Writing Contest on Purpose of the Grange
Great Falls Day to be celebrated on May 4.
The Great Falls Historical Society invites young writers to participate in A Historic Essay Contest -- Seeing Today Through Yesterday’s Eyes. Great Falls Day will celebrate the 85th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Great Fall Grange at the Great Fall Grange Hall, 9818 Georgetown Pike, May 4, 2014, 1 to 5 p.m. Length, Font & Format: Minimum one type-written page, Times New Roman Font, 12 point; maximum three type-written pages, Times New Roman Font, 12 point; Microsoft Word Format. Deadline: Friday, April 25, 2014, 5 p.m. Eligible Age Groups: Level one: 8 to 12 years; level two: 13 to 15 years. Deliver entry to information desk at the Great Falls Library by Friday, April 25 at 5 p.m.
What’s Next for Great Falls Traffic?
To the Editor: As one of the "naysayers" noted by Eric Knudsen in your latest article about the "Walker Road Diet Project," I applaud him for continuing to put his face on the ridiculous projects the Great Falls Citizen's Association has imposed on us.
Sharing the Inspiration
Great falls’ ‘Evening with the Authors’ allows writers, readers to learn form each other.
Jeff Preletz of Leesburg went to the “Evening with the Authors” as a reader, but he left convinced that he, too, is a writer who must finish his first book. He didn’t expect the turnout for a Saturday night event at the Great Falls Library to be so great that patrons would spill into the hall and out the front door. But he got what he came for – inspiration from authors to put his ideas in print. “This is no ordinary book signing,” he said. “We are conversing with published authors and learning from them.”
Colvin Run Mill Goes Back to 1810
Staff look forward to restoration of mill.
Last year Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls entered a contest to win grant money through the Fairfax County Park Foundation. The result was a fourth-place finish among 24 historic sites in the contest and a $75,000 grant for Colvin Run Mill, the largest grant in the site’s history. This money is now being used to fund restoration of the mill. Fairfax County spent about $1 million restoring the mill between 1968 and 1972, but stopped before finishing when funds ran out.
Focus on Transportation
McLean, Great Falls Citizens Associations meet with state Secretary of Transportation.
State Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne Jr.’s firsthand experience with northern Virginia road congestion happened as he was running late to a meeting last week. His excuse for arriving tardy to the March 31 McLean and Great Falls citizens associations’ community hearing gave the 100-plus members in the audience some comic relief before he delved into more serious topics like the Route 7 expansion and increasing tolls.
Forestville Talent on Display
Students and professional artists exhibit creativity at Spring Art Fair
Forestville Elementary was turned into an art museum last week. The school’s Parent Teacher Association held it’s Spring Art Fair on Thursday, displaying works by about 70 student artists and professionals from Great Falls Studios. “We do this every two to three years,” said event organizer and PTA member Maureen Gatti. “The artists have really appreciated being here for the children and the children like meeting the professional artists.” In the cafeteria, dance performances to popular songs like “In Summer” from the movie Frozen, even got the children in the audience dancing. Proud parents took pictures of their children on stage or in front of their art display. Fifth grade student Cassie Dallas, 11, said her love of oil painting began after she saw an artist painting at her local farmers market. Her parents sent her to lessons, and she gets to paint for one to two hours with her instructor every week.
Clearing Up ‘Diet’ Mistery
To the Editor, Thank you for your illuminating article on the so-called Walker Road ‘Diet’ in Great Falls [“Walker Road ‘Diet’ Nears Completion,” Great Falls Connection, April 2-8, 2014]. It goes a long way towards clearing up the mystery (to me and perhaps to others) of why we had to endure several months of inconvenience while different versions of construction crews plied their trade. If I understand it correctly, we spent a million dollars of scarce taxpayer funds to make the president of the Great Falls Citizens Association and the owner of The Brogue tavern happy. This at a cost nearly four times the original estimate. To further summarize, we Great Falls residents allegedly needed a crosswalk and it was determined that it could not be done without reducing the number of Walker Road lanes at the Great Falls Center.
Week in Great Falls
Spring Festival Needs Volunteers
The Great Falls Optimists are in need of volunteers with this year's Spring Festival. If you can give a few hours on Sunday, April 13 to help, here are the times you could help: *10 a.m. to Noon – helping with set- up; *1 to 3:45 p.m. -- supervising children playing games and on the rides; 3:45 to 4:05 p.m. -- helping the children line up at the age appropriate entrances to the Egg Hunt on the Village Green; * Clean-up following the Egg Hunt. The Great Falls Optimists want to thank all those who have volunteered in previous years and those who will help this year. Call 703-216-3035 or e-mail a.c.bongiorno@comcast.net
Commentary: Why I Support Medicaid Expansion
As the Virginia General Assembly continues to discuss the expansion of Medicaid, the benefits and consequences of doing so have received a great deal of attention. Debates rage in the media, among businesses and around the kitchen tables of ordinary Virginians throughout the state. At our board meeting of March 25 my colleagues and I reiterated, in a bi-partisan vote, our strong support for Medicaid expansion in Virginia.