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.
Opinion: Maintaining a Viable, Diverse Community in Fairfax County
While need for housing, childcare, healthcare and other human services have grown, these programs have faced significant cuts over past few years.
The following open letter to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors concerns housing and human services budget recommendations from the Fairfax Budget Advocacy Coalition for Housing and Human Services.
Northern Virginia Senior Olympics Mission: Living Healthy Longer
The 2014 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics will take place Sept. 13-24 at 18 venues throughout Northern Virginia. Adults 50 years of age and over who live in one of the sponsoring jurisdictions are eligible to participate.
Cox’s Spring Special Offers Nearly 600 Free Episodes
Cox Communications customers can enjoy an all-access free pass to some of the most popular TV shows with the opportunity to catch up on past episodes of shows they love, plus get exclusive On Demand sneak peeks, all in the Spring FreeView On Demand from now until April 20.
Week in Great Falls
Town Hall Meeting on Deer Issues Great Falls Citizens Association will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Falls Grange, as a Part II - GFCA Deer & Forest Health Program. Part one of this program was held in March when Commonwealth and Fairfax County experts discussed the role of deer in forest degradation, Lyme disease and car collisions. The April 8 program will look at possible solutions * Kristen Sinclair, Fairfax County Park Authority, who will outline deer control in county parks; * Kevin Rose, certified wildlife biologist with the VA Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, who will discuss Commonwealth hunting requirements and non-lethal forms of deer control; and * Jerry Peters, Great Falls resident and founder of Green Fire, who will describe his neighborhood's bow hunting program and the impact on local deer herds. There will be ample time for questions and answers during this public program.
The Northern Virginia Problem
Top Virginia Universities are harder to get into: checking why and how to help.
Many Northern Virginian students are biting their nails, waiting for their college admission letters this week. But in a sea of overachievers, NoVa students are coming across a pervasive issue with in-state colleges—what is being dubbed the "the Northern Virginia Problem." Many residents of Fairfax, Alexandria City, Loudon, Fauquier, Prince William and Arlington counties are spreading the word that top Virginia universities—the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee and William and Mary are becoming harder and harder to get into.
Walker Road ‘Diet’ Nears Completion
$1 million project features crosswalks and street side parking.
To the average person, the Walker Road Project looks nearly complete.
Protecting Children Online
Great Falls-based Enough Is Enough protects children from the harms of the Internet.
Enough Is Enough (EIE), a nonprofit based in Great Falls, was the first of its kind.
Local Student Starts Foundation
Katharine Jiang’s contribution grants 100 D.C.-area students notebook-laden backpacks.
Few high school students can say they have created a foundation. Sixteen-year-old Katharine Jiang of Great Falls is one of those few.