Holiday Wishes Come True in Great Falls
The Wish List Project sending 325 homeless children holiday gifts.
Because of Ginger Mahon, more than 300 homeless and foster care children and teens will wake up to presents on Christmas. The Wish List Project, which turns 15 this year, will deliver donated personalized gifts to six organizations throughout the county, playing Santa for hundreds of children.
Great Falls Residents Get Update on Toxic Plume
Only one of the three requested pumps to be installed for now.
Residents got an update about the methyl tert-butyl ether [MTBE] plume below the Georgetown Pike and Walker Road intersection last week. Officials from Kleinfelder and the Department of Environmental Quality talked about the removal of the toxic plume so far, assuring residents that their well water will remain clean throughout the cleanup efforts during a Great Falls Citizens Association Town Hall meeting on Nov. 11.
Promoting Rugby in Great Falls
Proceeds from the weekend tournament will support MedStar National Hospital’s spinal cord injury program.
About a year ago, Gary Coetzee nearly died out on the rugby field behind the Great Falls Library. A freak accident left the former professional rugby player quadriplegic on the grass during a game. On Saturday, Nov. 22, he is hosting the inaugural Great Falls Rugby Tournament to celebrate how far he has come a year after the accident and raise money for MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital’s spinal cord injury program.
State Gardens to Host Holiday Open House in Great Falls
Local business will have Christmas trees, themed wreaths and ornaments.
State Gardens is more than plants, according to co-owner Laura Murray. The shop is home to hundreds of giftables for any occasion, particularly the holidays.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors makes two rail-facilitating moves; Arlington ends streetcar project.
As the Silver Line Metororail project progresses towards its second phase opening date of 2018, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are helping pave the way.
Parisot Wins Republican Primary
More than 1,400 area Republicans show up to vote.
With Barbara Comstock filling in the 10th Congressional district’s seat, two candidates are closing in on her current position. Democrat Kathleen Murphy and Republican Craig Parisot, both now officially endorsed by their parties, are vying for the 34th House of Delegates seat via special election to be held Jan. 6, 2015.
Jean R. Packard Remembered at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna
Jean Packard was Frank Roberts’ first boss. He was 13, she was 22 and the acting editor of her father Dave’s Clermont Sun newspaper in Batavia, Ohio. “I was a ‘devil’s rat,’” Roberts said, responsible for odd gofer jobs around the office. “I was trying to hide from work and she’d track me down. She was a tough boss.”
Langley High Orchestra Presents ‘An Evening in Vienna’
The Langley High School Orchestra will present its first concert on Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Langley High School Auditorium at 7 p,m. "An Evening in Vienna" will feature music by composers Beethoven, Mozart, von Suppe and Strauss.
Jim Lehrer to Participate in Great Falls Speaker’s Series
Popular anchorman Jim Lehrer will be the guest speaker at this month’s Great Falls Speaker’s Series (GFSS) on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., at the Great Falls Library. Lehrer, also a prolific author and a playwright, will be on-hand to discuss his newest novel, “Top Down,” about the Kennedy assassination. Signed copies of Lehrer’s book will also be available for sale (for as long as supplies last).
Great Falls’ Spooktacular Success
Traditional village event has record numbers.
The ghouls and ghosts of Great Falls took over the village green and shopping center last Friday, Oct. 31. Celebrate Great Falls’ Spooktacular, a spooky multi-decade tradition, brought out hundreds of children, pets and parents to get candy and get to know their neighbors.
HOT Topic
Fairfax County Fire & Rescue invites the media for Hands-On Training.
Rob Schoenberger is pretty good with a 15-foot extendable camera. Its built-in microphone and powerful lights come in handy, paired with a Delsar seismic sensor device, when trying to locate people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.
St. Francis Episcopal Celebrates 50th Anniversary
St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls celebrated its 50th anniversary with a “Homecoming Weekend” recently.
Toxic Gas Plume Moves South
Citizens association asking for two more cleanup pumps.
Mike Terpak is worried about his well becoming contaminated. Like about 80 percent of village residents, his home runs on a well system. Terpak is a resident of the Oliver Estates, a neighborhood that the gas plume concentrated near the old Exxon station with known carcinogen Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether [MTBE] is creeping towards.
Alex Bartolozzi Wins Healthy Snack Contest
Isabelle Saba, a cadet in Girl Scout Troop 1991, wrote to the farmers market about an idea she had to teach young children about nutrition and healthy living at the farmers market. Some lessons she suggested stressing are “what foods are in season, how buying local is better, the importance of knowing what you eat, where the food comes from, and why the farmers market is always the best choice.”
Earning Black Belts at Great Falls Academy
Pictured above are four recent black belt graduates of the Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do Great Falls Academy, located in the Seneca Square shopping area, near Seneca Road, as well as Andrew and Earlena Bellino, owners of the Academy with Master Lightfoot, a prodigy of Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, who invented performing some martial art routines to music.