MCA July 2011 Newsletter compressed · Page 3 Middleridge News Thomas Jefferson HS Thanks Middleridge PTSA in support of the Class of 2011 All Night Grad Party. The All Night Grad

Middleridge Civic

Association

By Mary Vander Maten,

MCA President

What a beautiful eve-

ning for an outdoor

movie! Not too hot out, and

no rain; we were fortunate

again on Movie

Night. Check further in

the Newsletter for some

pictures. Thanks to Caro-

lyn Ford and Catie Morales

for planning the event.

In a couple of weeks we

will have our Home and

Garden Tour. I love to pick

up ideas from creative peo-

ple who have remodeled,

put on an addition, or done

some beautiful land-

scaping. This event

will happen rain or

shine. (Last year it

was so hot that bal-

loons on the tour lo-

cation mailboxes

popped, but it was

fun regardless!) What is so

wonderful about Mid-

dleridge is that people

want to stay here, so they

continually craft their

homes and yards instead of

leaving the neighbor-

hood. Save this issue so

that you can refer to the

homes on tour when July

16 comes, or

you can check

the website.

The National

Night Out

comes up the

first Tuesday in

August, on Au-

gust 2 this year. Big plans

are afoot; see the flyer in

this Newsletter. If you are

not on vacation in early

August, put this on your

calendar. Our Middleridge

NNO is the largest in Fair-

fax County!

(Continued on page 3)

Special points of in-

terest:

∗ Movie Night Success

∗ Middleridge National Night Out

∗ BRYC Registration infor-mation

Neighborhood Watch 2

Thomas Jefferson

Thanks Middleridge

3

Concerns in the

Neighborhood

4

Home and Garden

Tour

5

Classifieds 8

Best of Braddock

Nomination

10

2012 MCA Applica-

tion Notes

16

Calendar & Contacts 18

Inside this issue:

Moments with Mary

July 2011 Reaching 578 Homes and Families

Middleridge News

2012 Middleridge Civic Association Membership

“Save this issue

so that you can

refer to the

homes on tour

when July 16

comes.”

Sandy & Al Obuchowski,

Membership Chairs

Summer is upon us and

we can all take advantage

of the great weather that

we’ll enjoy for the next cou-

ple of months. But, it’s also

time to start thinking

about membership in your

Middleridge Civic Associa-

tion (MCA).

Our membership drive

will officially “kick off” at

our National Night Out,

August 2. We are distrib-

uting membership applica-

tions to every house in Mid-

dleridge and Keys Crossing

with the July Newsletter.

The Executive Board of the

MCA hopes that you will

join us as a member of the

MCA and that you will help

us to keep Middleridge a

Great Place to Live.

Again this year there

will be a drawing among

the residents getting their

applications in by Septem-

ber 1st --- two prizes will be

awarded --- they will be gift

certificates to Great Ameri-

can Restaurants. The best

thing to do is get the appli-

cation in as soon as you

receive it --- then you won’t

have to worry about re-

(Continued on page 3)

Page 2 Reaching 578 Homes and Families

Neighborhood Watch The Middleridge Civic Association

membership drive will be start-

ing soon and with that in mind

I invite everyone to give some

thought into volunteering to

participate in Neighborhood

Watch. The membership form

will have several areas of inter-

est for your consideration. If

you think Neighborhood Watch

is something you would like to

participate in then please check it on

your form.

We have planned and communi-

cated the neighborhood watch patrol

schedule for the remainder of the

year. Please ensure that

[email protected]

is marked as safe in your email so

that our emails do not get caught in

your spam filter. Those of

you that have participated

have made great observa-

tions that assist in keeping

Middleridge the neighbor-

hood we all love. Special

thanks for conducting pa-

trols this month go to the

Dress, Franklin, and

Friedman families. If you

are scheduled for a patrol and can’t

make it, and are unable to swap with

someone else, then please let us know

so we can try to ensure the patrol is

covered. Thanks all for your contin-

ued support and stay safe.

By Greg Summer, Neighborhood

Watch Co-Chair, Middleridge Resi-

dent

Summer is here and with it is an

increased need to stay observant

around our neighborhood. With the

children spending their days home

from school for the summer now may

be a good time to review appropriate

use of the house doors with them, es-

pecially the younger ones. Children

should understand when and for

whom they should open the door to

the house. Teach kids to ask who’s at

the door or look out a window before

opening it. This way they can be safe

if an adult is ever unavailable to get

the door.

The

Neighborhood

Watch schedule

for the

remainder of

2011 is complete.

mailto:[email protected]

Middleridge News Page 3

Thomas Jefferson HS Thanks Middleridge

PTSA in support of the Class of 2011

All Night Grad Party. The All Night

Grad Party is one of the most impor-

tant PTSA events of the year. Not a

single graduate who has registered to

attend their All Night Grad Party

Celebration has been killed or injured

in an alcohol or drug related accident

on graduation night since the parties

began in 1987. Your contribution

helped to make this another successful

celebration for our wonderful Sen-

iors!

No services or goods were provided

in exchange for or in connection with

this donation.

You can keep this letter as a written

proof of your donation for your tax

records.

Thanks again for your generous

gift.

Sincerely,

Nannette Henderson

ANGP Committee

Each year the MCA makes a dona-

tion on behalf of the community based

on monies donated during the mem-

bership drive that members have

specified for the All Night Grad Par-

ties. We received the following thank

you note from Thomas Jefferson High

School for Science and Technology…

Dear ANGP Supporter,

Thank you for your donation of

$300 to the Thomas Jefferson High

School for Science and Technology

Moments with Mary

some rejuvenation time. I personally

don't like the term "play hard," as

that seems to defeat the purpose of

relaxing. But whatever you do, have

some fun with dear ones. And if you

get ambitious and clean your base-

ment (it's cool down there), remember

that fall will bring Yard Sale and

Dumpster Day.

I hope your summer plans include

relaxing with your family and

neighbors. Sometimes summer activi-

ties keep us as busy as during the

school year, but I wish each family

(Continued from page 1)

2012 Middleridge Civic Association Membership

on Tuesday, August 2nd. We will

be at the MCA table where we will

have a basket for membership re-

turns. Finally, if you wish, you can

drop your application at our home -

10815 Stanhope Place.

As a member of the civic association

you will receive a Middleridge phone

directory. However, due to increased

printing costs, the directory will be

printed every other year. All

memberships must be received by

October 31st to have your names

listed in the directory for 2012/2013.

We are looking forward to having a

great membership drive for the 2012

year. We hope you take pride in your

neighborhood by becoming a member

of your Middleridge Civic Association

and allowing the MCA to continue to

do great things for you and your

neighbors.

Thank you!!

membering whether or not you sent

the application in and you’ll have a

chance to win one of the prizes.

Memberships can be returned by

mail using the envelope attached to

the application that is delivered to you

with this newsletter. You can also

return your application to your Block

Captain who will turn them in. You

can bring the application to the Na-

tional Neighborhood Night Out

(Continued from page 1)

Spring is in full bloom and we

are all more time

outdoors.

Please remember that our

children and pets deserve our

greatest care!

Slow down while

driving through the

neighborhood!

Our speed limit is

25 mph!

Reaching 578 Homes and Families Page 4

Concerns in the Neighborhood

feel it is their right to leave Gatorade,

water, and soda cans and bottles on

the court and paths along with hun-

dreds of cigarette butts. Inevitably the

bottles and cans wash into the creek

where they remain as a trashy eye-

sore until picked up by someone else.

And the cigarette butts will remain

for months.

I have visited this park for years

and have never seen it in any thing

like the filthy condition it is now in

thanks to the irresponsibility of this

small group. It is no secret who is do-

ing this and hopefully they or their

parents will read this note and then

make the easy effort it takes to walk a

few yard and throw their trash away.

And perhaps those walking by who

see them littering can also politely

remind them to pick up after them-

selves.

By A long time Middleridge Resi-

dent

Sadly our beautiful little Mid-

dleridge Park is under a daily assault

by three teenage boys, or perhaps

even young men, who have taken it

upon themselves to trash and litter

the basketball court and paths of the

park. While it is commendable that

theses fellows gather at the court to

play ball for some odd reason they

MCA Is Proud to Present the 8th Annual

Tour of Homes and Gardens

Saturday, July 16th from 2 – 4 PM

This extremely popular event will be held rain or shine. Just pick an address and start

your tour.

Dream Kitchen (10989 Ryers Place)

Hosted by: Brooke & Jeff Johnson

Our kitchen is completely renovated. We gutted the kitchen & family room, ripping out drywall, paneling, floors

and cabinets, and adding 200 sq. ft. to make our Dream Kitchen an open, spacious, light, modern, and absolutely

wonderful reality.

Creative Lawn and Garden (10901 Paynes Church Drive)

Hosted by: Kevin Barry and Jason Reynolds

J Reynolds Landscaping LLC was hired to design and install custom plants and landscaping to give our yard a

clean modern look. A hillside of ivy and mature azaleas were removed to make way for dry stacked field stone

walls.

Home Theatre and Starlight Patio (5406 Francy Adams Court)

Hosted by: Craig & Stephanie White

We have a cozy home theatre that steps out onto a starlight patio and extensive backyard. Our backyard is a

bird watching bonanza with a private woodland area with in-ground fire pit. We have many bird attracting

plants.

Many New and Wonderful Updates (10807 Stanhope Place)

Hosted by: Paul and Marilyn Armstrong

Hey, we can’t make changes in a big way all at once. We take our time and a work-in-progress is a good thing.

We’ve made several changes to our private backyard, bedroom with walk-in closet, and many other spots. Stop

by!

Relaxing Garden (5406 Water Crest Court)

Hosted by: John and Annette Snyder

We have a peaceful and relaxing backyard and garden. We added a sitting wall and outdoor patio with pavers.

Come and see what we did with our retaining wall and why we love our backyard!

Page 5 Middleridge News




For Sale

Lawn Mower (Gas) $45

Lawn Edger (Gas) $25

Soft Side Pillow Top Waterbed

(Queen) $300

(made by American Waterbed

includes heater & accessories)

Call 703.278.0145

Classified Ads Information for our Youth

From Steve Bergstrom,

Middleridge Resident

Braddock Road Youth Club is

currently registering for the

following youth sports:

Football (ages 7 to 16)

Soccer (ages 3 to 16)

Visit www.BRYC.org and follow

the football and soccer ball at the

bottom of the web page!

http://www.BRYC.org


Be sure to check your

sidewalks for any bushes,

ivy, or other plants that

might be growing over the

walkways.

It will help all of our neighbors

enjoy time outside with clear

walking paths.

Thank you!

We are lucky to have many fantas-

tic residents that care about Mid-

dleridge living in our neighborhood.

Recently the board had the opportu-

nity to nominate a deserving member

for the Best of Braddock award. The

following is the nomination written by

Al Obuchowski recognizing one of our

most dedicated members.

Cathleen A. (Catie) Morales has

been a dedicated resident of the Brad-

dock District for many years. After

growing up in the Middleridge

neighborhood, she moved away in her

early adult life. However, being a resi-

dent of the Braddock District was

meant to be since she returned again

to Middleridge, where she and her

family now live. Catie has been an

icon in Middleridge and has been very

active in the community for several

years. She served as Secretary, Vice

President, and President of the Mid-

dleridge Civic Association. During her

tenure, many new and innovative

events and activities were initiated by

Catie. To name just a few, Catie

started the Tour of Homes, where

neighbors could visit other neighbors

who had made structural or signifi-

cant changes to their homes. She also

started an Easter Egg Hunt for the

children of the neighborhood. Catie

also revitalized the tradition of light-

ing luminaries on the eve of Christ-

mas. This is an activity that brightens

the neighborhood with natural candle

light and adds a beautiful touch to the

already highly decorated holiday

lighted neighborhood. Catie, who

seems to be an endless source of ideas

for new and innovative events, also

started a “Movie Night”. She worked

with a neighboring community and

arranged to have both groups attend

an outdoor viewing of a movie for

families. The communities provided

popcorn and cotton candy for the at-

tendees and it turned out to be a very

successful event.

Catie also conducted some research

into other ways to improve the Mid-

dleridge Community and submitted a

request to the County for a financial

subsidy to enable the community to

build Message Boards at our more

popular entrances to allow the Asso-

ciation to provide information to keep

residents up-to-date on happenings in

the neighborhood.

Catie is a dynamo who maintains a

true love of the Middleridge Commu-

nity and the Braddock District. She is

constantly looking for new ways to

improve the visual impact of the

neighborhood because she under-

stands well that the “first look” one

has of a neighborhood is a lasting one.

There is no Middleridge resident who

has more love of community than Ca-

tie Morales and she is very deserving

of the Best of Braddock Award.

Nomination for Best of Braddock




Middleridge Awarded Neighborhood

Enhancement Grant This grant for $2000 will allow us to erect two letter board signs to alert

everyone of upcoming events. Matching the funds is a requirement of the

grant and we will be allowed to use

“sweat equity” for some of our matching which is a real strength for our

Middleridge Community.

If you would like to help with this project please contact a board member

at [email protected]

Do you have some exciting summer

plans near or far? It is always fun to learn what is happening

with friends and neighbors. Share your

photos and adventures with the neighbor-

hood. Submit your story to

Jessica Summer at

[email protected] and

see your adventure in the next newsletter!




YOUR NEIGHBOR AND RESIDENT FOR OVER

20 YEARS WOULD LOVE TO WORK FOR YOU IN

ALL OF YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS.

Please…

feel very comfortable

stopping by at

5327 KIPP Court

with any Real Estate

questions, or just

telephone.

I’m here for you !

GRI - Graduate Real Estate Institute

ABR - Accredited Buyer Rep.

E - Buyer

SHS - Senior Housing Specialist

Bogdan Jastrzebski Cell: (703) 509-1608 Home: (703) 273-8295

Office: (703) 573-2600 [email protected]





When completing your 2012

MCA membership application

keep in mind the points high-

lighted below...

Middleridge News Page 17

Reaching 578 Homes and Families

Middleridge Civic

Association

Middleridge

Website Executive Board

President—Mary Vander Maten

Vice President—Rick Jones

Secretary— Tim Harazin

Treasurer—Paul Armstrong

Other MCA Contacts

Webmaster—Paul Armstrong

Newsletter Editor—Jessica Summer

Distribution—Sandy Obuchowski

Directory Editor—Al & Sandy Obuchowski

Membership—Al & Sandy Obuchowski

Neighborhood Watch— Tim Hish & Greg

Summer

Community Service—Patricia Yates

Welcoming Chair—Marian Littleton &

Meghan Szkutak

Middleridge Book Club— Shirley Plunkett

Middleridge Women’s Club—Shirley Plunkett

www.middleridgecivicassociation.org

Look for:

• List of MCA Officers

• Committee Contacts

• Photos of Events Past &

Present

• Past Newsletter Issues

• Neighborhood Police Re-

ports

• Middleridge Map/Street

Name History

And much more!!!

Sign up to be notified every

time the Website is updated!

Newsletter Administration

Business Advertising Rates:

Regular Member*

Full Page $75 $50

1/2 Page $50 $30

1/4 Page $30 $20

1/8 Page $20 $10

Classified Ads $ 5

* 2010 Paid MCA Member

Monthly Deadline for ads and articles:

25th of the Month

Checks Payable to:

Middleridge Civic Association

P.O. Box 208

Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Email or drop off Ads to Jessica Summer

([email protected] or

703-934-4881)

Middleridge Mailing Address

P.O. Box 208

Fairfax Station, VA 22039-0208

2011 MIDDLERIDGE CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

Tour of Homes and

Gardens Tour, July 16, 1-4

contact Linda Martin

Membership Drive Begins

National Night Out, Aug.

2, contact Catie Morales

Middleridge Women’s

Club, September 20, con-

tact Shirley Plunkett

Community Yard Sale,

September 24, contact

Catie Morales

General Membership Meeting,

October 6, 8 PM, Bonnie Brae

Music Room

Middleridge Women’s Club, Octo-

ber 18, contact Shirley Plunkett

Fall Cleanup, TBD, contact Sarah

Mayhew

Dumpster Day, October 2, contact

Mary Vander Maten

Halloween Parade & Party, October

29, 2-4, contact Stephanie & Austin

Morales

Every Month:

MCA Board Meeting: 1st Thursday of the month Neighborhood Watch: Friday & Saturday nights

Newsletter Delivery: 5th of the month Welcoming: as needed. Please notify Marian Littleton & Meghan Szkutak


http://www.middleridgecivicassociation.org



Documents

MCA July 2011 Newsletter compressed · Page 3 Middleridge News Thomas Jefferson HS Thanks Middleridge PTSA in support of the Class of 2011 All Night Grad Party. The All Night Grad