Preserving Summer Memories
Reflections of the Great Falls Farmers Market’s ‘Jelly Girls.’
We have completed our last Saturday at the Great Falls Farmers Market and we are heading back to Christopher Newport University. We are looking back on what a great idea it was to start a jelly-making business and get our feet wet at the Farmers Market. It was so much fun! We enjoyed talking to customers about how we prepare our jellies and it was such a treat when a customer came back the second time.
Great Falls Exxon Station to Close
Community concerned about losing one of two gas stations, TD Bank preparing application for site.
The Exxon station at the corner of Walker Road and Georgetown Pike will cease pumping gas Sept. 1, and will cease all operations by March of next year. Starting Sept. 1, the underground fuel tanks will be removed, which will cease pumping gas. The current service operator will maintain services until February 2013, then they will move to the Shell service station across the street.
Time for School
Advice on how to transition from a laid-back summer to a hectic academic year.
When Ellen Feldman’s 5-year-old son started school for last fall, one of the biggest adjustments for the single mother of two was having to adhere to a schedule. “All of a sudden we went from being able to do things on our own time frame to having to wake up and be at a certain place at a certain time,” said Feldman. “Sending my son off to school for the first time was exciting, but also difficult.”
Editorial: Starting School Prepared
First day of school is Sept. 4; local nonprofits provide school supplies and weekend food.
With school beginning in a few weeks, area charitable organizations have been collecting contributions of new backpacks, calculators, other school supplies, money and gift cards and winter coats to help the tens of thousands of truly needy Northern Virginia students.
Teaching a Love of Music
Summer Strings Camp culminates in concert.
At the Summer Strings Camp, young musicians come together to share a love of music and gain experience playing in an orchestra. Held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, the camp runs for seven days and culminates in a concert to showcase the students’ best material.
‘Must Love Cars’ Exhibit at Katie’s Coffee
In a series that includes classic racecars from the 60’s and 70’s, Mraz’s artwork uses torn bits of recycled automotive and fashion magazines. Her treatment of materials leads viewers through a visual journey that begins with simple images but quickly shifts to the complex.
Letter: No Enemies on TJ Admissions Front
To the Editor:
FCPS is not being honest, straightforward or holding itself accountable for the fact that too few of these disadvantaged kids are achieving as well as others relative to their populations and too few are fostered appropriately so they can be identified for and take advantage of advanced curricula, including advanced academic programs (AAP) and thence TJ and high school honors, AP and IB programs. The leaders in this system have had years to figure out how to make serious improvements, but they have hidden and spun or not even bothered to gather data and have excluded individuals and groups that could be partners in resolving this situation. Thus, we have a segregated system, as the data show.
Should Virginia Compensate for Dark Days of Eugenics?
Del. Patrick Hope (D-44) asks governor and General Assembly to form a task force.
The number of victims is unknown in Virginia’s system of forced sterilization, a dark chapter that stretched from the 1920s into the 1970s.
Letter: Getting Our Trees Back
Letter to the Editor
When I returned to Great Falls, after only a week away, I was absolutely shocked to find that our small but charming shopping place was completely changed...
Nike Field to Handle 100-year Storm
Drainage in conjunction with turf field expected to hold 100-year storm.
In addition to adding synthetic turf to Nike Field #4, the Fairfax County Department of Environmental Services will add stormwater improvements to the area, which aim to help assuage local storm water drainage issues.
Editorial: Readers Respond on TJ Admissions
"Stop making smart 8th graders feel inferior because they are not admitted."
Readers responded to last week's editorial, which cited a civil rights complaint about the apparent lack of access to gifted and talented programs and admission to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Pike Named to Historic Register
Virginia recognizes pike June 21, national register in progress.
In 1969, several community members came together to help preserve the Burling Tract, a 336-acre parcel of land, located just north of Georgetown Pike near the Beltway. More than 40 years later, the efforts of at least 140 local citizens have led to the road being placed in the Virginia Register of Historic Places, with the placement on the National Register soon to come.
Seeking A Sundial at Observatory Park
Analemma Society hosts lecture, fundraiser for sundial replica.
In 1371, Arab astronomer Ibn al-Shatir constructed a sundial at the Great Mosque in Damascus that was a pinnacle of scientific achievement. Almost 650 years later, members of the Analemma Society of Great Falls are hoping to bring a replica to Observatory Park at Turner Farm.
Weekly Entertainment (Vienna/McLean/Great Falls)
July 27-August 10.
Entertainment in Vienna/McLean/Great Falls.
Potomac Interceptor Project Begins
Odor abatement facility, pipeline rehabilitation planned for Great Falls.
Eastern Great Falls will be the site of a new odor abatement facility, part of the ongoing project from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority