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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com March 14-20, 2018 Opinion, Page 6 v Entertainment, Page 12 v Classifieds, Page 14 Great Falls Connection March 14-20, 2018 7 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Great Falls Great Falls HomeLifeStyle HomeLifeStyle HomeLifeStyle Spring 2018 Spring 2018 Photo by Donna Moulton/Fairfax Garden Club The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours of homes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted by the Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea- tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfax for whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home, beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating to the mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because the owner of this historic house is a world renown quilter. [email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.org The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours of homes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted by the Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea- tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfax for whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home, beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating to the mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because the owner of this historic house is a world renown quilter. [email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.org Inside Home Life Style Photo by Will Palenscar/The Connection Public Safety Heroes Honored News, Page 3 The Conversation Begins: Budgeting Words News, Page 4 Langley Girls Reach State Final, Lose in Overtime Sports, Page 11 Rana Azad #23 releases a shot in the paint for Langley. Azad led Langley with 17 points in the state championship final.

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Page 1: Opinion, Page 6 Langley Girls Reach State Final, …connection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/...2018/03/13  · Classifieds, Page 14 Great Falls Connection March 14-20,

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com March 14-20, 2018

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Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 ❖ 7

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great FallsGreat Falls

HomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyle

Spring 2018Spring 2018

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The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours of

homes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted by

the Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea-

tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfax

for whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home,

beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating to

the mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because the

owner of this historic house is a world renown quilter.

[email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.orgThe 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours of

homes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted by

the Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea-

tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfax

for whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home,

beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating to

the mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because the

owner of this historic house is a world renown quilter.

[email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.org

Inside

HomeLifeStyle

Photo b

y W

ill

Pal

ensc

ar/T

he

Connec

tio

n

Public Safety Heroes HonoredNews, Page 3

The Conversation Begins: Budgeting WordsNews, Page 4

Langley Girls Reach State Final, Lose in Overtime

Sports, Page 11

Rana Azad #23 releases a shot in

the paint for Langley. Azad led

Langley with 17 points in the state

championship final.

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2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

See Valor Awards, Page 15

The 40th annual Valor Awards washeld on Friday, March 9, at theHilton McLean Tysons Cornerhonoring men and women who

have shown valor, courage, and service toothers. Every year the Northern VirginiaChamber of Commerce pays tribute to pub-lic safety employees in the Fairfax CountyPolice Department, Fire & Rescue Depart-ments, Sheriff’s Office, and Herndon andVienna Police Departments for their excep-tional bravery.

Honored guests included elected officialsU.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11), U.S. Rep.Barbara Comstock (R-10), Fairfax CountyBoard of Supervisors Chairman SharonBulova, Supervisors John Foust(Dranesville), Jeff McKay (Lee), Pat Herrity(Springfield), John Cook (Braddock), KathySmith (Sully), and Dan Storck (Mt. Vernon).Chaplain Jerrold Foltz gave the benediction.

The Gold Sponsors were INOVA HealthSystems, Transurban, United Bank, VisitFairfax of Fairfax County, and VolkswagenGroup of America. The Silver Sponsors wereMacerich and Motorola. The Bronze Spon-sors were Dominion, Fair Oaks Mall, andSandy Spring Bank.

Chris Lawrence, News Anchor at NBC4,was the emcee, and the event was recordedin the official Congressional Record.

— Steve Hibbard

40th annual event held March 9 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

Public Safety Heroes Honored

Fairfax County’s Urban Search & Rescueteam, Virginia Task Force 1 is awarded theGold Medal of Valor. In the effort to savelives and alleviate suffering, FairfaxCounty’s Urban Search & Rescue team, Vir-ginia Task Force 1 was deployed to SanJuan, Puerto Rico which had sustained ex-tensive damage from Hurricane Irma onlydays prior to the arrival of Hurricane Maria.Upon arrival, the team immediately estab-lished a base of operations and conductedsearch and rescue operations in the VirginIslands. While conducting lifesaving andhumanitarian aid missions in Puerto Rico,

Members of Fairfax County’s Urban Search & Rescue Team, Virginia TaskForce 1

Gold Medal of Valor RecipientsHurricane Maria formed as a Category 5hurricane taking direct aim at San Juan.Even with the threat of the oncoming hur-ricane, the team continued their search andrescue operations on the Virgin Islands.

The team endured the assault of Hurri-cane Maria for 24 hours only to continuethe search and rescue after the storm hadpassed.

The members of VATF-1 acted withoutregard to their personal safety under ex-tremely hazardous conditions. They dem-onstrated courage, dedication, and deter-mination.

Pilot Garrett Wymer, MPO DouglasMiddlebrooks, and PFC Ali Sepehri areawarded the Silver Medal of Valor for theiractions involving a helicopter crash. Dur-ing the civil unrest that broke out in theCity of Charlottesville. The crew quicklyassessed their landing options and MPOMiddlebrooks and PFC Sepehri hiked ap-

Silver Medal of Valor Recipientsproximately 300 yards in order to gain ac-cess to the crash site while Pilot Wymerprovided responding fire crews and ATCpersonnel with aerial coverage. The fullyengulfed helicopter contained two fallenVirginia State Troopers and both MPOMiddlebrooks and PFC Sepehri continuedto search the wreckage for any other troop-

ers at the scene. Without regard for theirown personal safety, the crew of Fairfax 1landed in an unfamiliar location withoutground support in order to render immedi-ate high level medical care to fallen offic-ers. Pilot Wymer, MPO Middlebrooks, andPFC Sepehri demonstrated exemplary cour-age, composure, and compassion during anincident involving extreme personal risk.

Pilot Garrett G. Wymer receives hisValor Award from Ed Roessler Jr.,Chief, Fairfax County Police Depart-ment.

Police Officer First Class AliSepehri receives his Valor Awardfrom Ed Roessler Jr., Chief, FairfaxCounty Police Department.

Master Police Officer Douglas E.Middlebrooks receives his ValorAward from Ed Roessler Jr., Chief,Fairfax County Police Department.

Officer Isa Martin is awarded theSilver Medal of Valor for his braveryand quick actions when he arrivedearly to work and observed a man at-tempting to breach the station’s securefences. Officer Martin drew his off-duty weapon while simultaneouslyissuing verbal challenges to the driver.With the help with another officer whoarrived on the scene, they secured thesubject without further incident. De-spite his status as a new officer, Of-ficer Martin handled this violent sub-ject with both extreme professional-ism and restraint.

Second Lieutenant Michael Gubeschis awarded the Silver Medal of Valorfor his brave actions in halting a dan-gerous pursuit. Faced with a danger-ous criminal that clearly had no in-tent to stop, Second LieutenantGubesch made a critical decision toend the pursuit before more livescould be put in harm’s way. He usedhis patrol vehicle to execute a per-fectly timed Precision ImmobilizationTechnique (PIT) that spun the vehiclearound on the road. The subject bra-zenly continued to try and escape butwas stopped by the quick thinking anddecisive actions fellow officers on thescene. Potentially placing himself inharm’s way, Second LieutenantGubesch executed sound judgment ina tense situation, ending with a suc-cessful conclusion.

Second Lieutenant Michael D.Gubesch receives his ValorAward from Ed Roessler Jr.,Chief, Fairfax County PoliceDepartment.

Officer Isa L. Martin receiveshis Valor Award from EdRoessler Jr., Chief, FairfaxCounty Police Department.

Silver Medalof Valor

Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic703-778-9414 or [email protected]

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4 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Ken MooreThe Connection

S pringfield Supervisor PatHerrity claimed the dissenting vote. “It probably is notgoing to surprise the Board

that I won’t be able to support this,” hesaid.

By a 8-1 margin, the Board of Super-visors advertised the county executive’sbudget with the proposed 2.5 cent taxincrease.

Braddock Supervisor John Cook sup-ported the advertisement but stated hewon’t support a budget in May if it remainsat the advertised tax rate.

“So I’ll support the advertisement becauseI think the process dictates that there besomething on the table. But if the Board isinclined to pass it as is, it will have to do sowithout me,” said Cook. “If the Board is in-clined to do what a couple of other peoplehave suggested this morning, which is lookfor reductions and perhaps go back to thatconcept of balancing, then I’m looking for-ward to being part of that discussion andwill keep an open mind to where we shouldend up. But 2.5 cents is not where it’s go-ing to be.”

Jeff McKay, chair of the budget commit-tee, said advertising a lower rate “wouldbe taking off the table an opportunity tohear from our public about whether ourpublic employees from the schools andcounty side should be getting the type ofcompensation increases to move them intomarket and to deliver the services that werely on in this county.”

In addition to community meetings sched-uled around the county, the Board slottedthree days, April 10-12, 2018, for publichearings before the full Board.

“We have two months of community con-versation ahead of us, and some membersof this Board have declared how they arevoting on the budget today or what theycan’t support.,” said McKay. “Two monthswe have to hear from our community aboutwhat their priorities are. And to me it wouldbe irresponsible to decide how we are go-ing to vote on the budget without hearingfrom members of our community and howthey feel about it.”

The Board will officially adopt the FY2019 budget on May 1, 2018.

If the Board of Supervisors were to adoptthe full 2.5 cent tax rate increase, it wouldamount to an additional $268 on the aver-age homeowner’s annual tax bill.

“When we advertise the tax rate, that will

become the ceiling for what the tax rate canbe. It can be lower, it can be the same, butit cannot be higher than,” 2.5 cents, saidChairman Sharon Bulova.

Below are excerpts from the March 6,2017 Board meeting.

Linda Smyth, Providence“Given the unknowns still from the Gen-

eral Assembly in terms of budget or WMATAfunding, I think we need to be sure that wehave some flexibility in the tax rate and inthe discussion about our budget.

“But I will also say ... that I’m seeing in-creased assessments in some of our moreaffordable neighborhoods and it’s not thefirst year for some of these neighborhoods.This has been a multi-year cycle and that’sa concern because, again, taxes are part ofthe affordability of owning a home in FairfaxCounty. And I want to be sure that we keep

that as part of the consideration going for-ward.

“I hope, again, when we look closely atthe budget that county executive has putbefore us that we will be able to see if thereare savings that we can go back and findand apply that to help some of our residentsout.

“Residents are … seeing increases in theirhealth insurance, in fact considerable in-creases in that, and everything they do ona daily basis.

“So it’s a balancing act, and I hope wefind that balance. But we need to have alittle flexibility here because we just don’thave all the answers at this point.”

Cathy Hudgins, Hunter Mill“This advertising gives us that opportu-

nity to look at what we really need.“And I think it is difficult having a con-

versation with the citizens sometimes whenwe approach it as to what is the cost versus

what is the return value. And I reallyhave to say that we have done a lot ofwork to make certain that we try to andbe more efficient and more creative inthe services that we provide.

“So I think there needs to be a bal-ancing that we need to have here. Weprovided a meaningful option [in themeals tax]. And guess what? Our citi-zens didn’t support it. ...

“So I think it’s important that if wewant to talk about how great FairfaxCounty is, we need to be prepared tofigure out how to have the services that

that draw people here and create a morebalanced community in supporting what ittakes to live in this county.

“So we’ll have a chance to have that dis-cussion and maybe the opportunity to moveforward, so my vote is yes.”

John Foust, Dranesville“I too will be supporting advertisement

of the tax rate. I think it is important to pro-vide the flexibility that 2.5 cents increaseprovides. Equally important that we spenda lot of time over the next two months look-ing at how we can bring that down. I knowthat I am absolutely committed to doingthat. ...

“We need to address the fact that ourteachers are below the market and we arelosing them.

“We need to address the fact that overthe last several years we have not been con-sistent and have not fulfilled the obligationsand commitments that we have made to ourown county employees.

“Those two things are driving this bud-get. Those two priorities, and I think thatregardless of what we do the next twomonths, we have to commit ourselves tofunding those two things. “Other than thosetwo things, everything else is on the table.I will be very surprised if we’re not ablebring that tax rate increase down.”

Sharon Bulova, Chairman“This is a budget that does address the

Board’s highest priorities, Diversion First,addressing the opioid crisis, gang preven-tion, early childhood education, fundingcompensation for our teachers as well asour county employees ...

“I did also want to just say something forpeople who believe that people are fleeingFairfax County to other parts of the region.Since 2015, Fairfax County’s population hasactually increased by 26,700, which is ac-tually the size or a little bit more than thesize or the population of the city of Fairfax.

Board prioritizes compensation for teachers and county employees.

The Conversation Begins:Budgeting Words

Stay Involved: County Budget Meetings❖ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 7 P.M.Providence Community Budget Meeting, Providence Community Center, First Floor Multipurpose

Room, 3001 Vaden Drive, Fairfax

❖ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 7:30PMBraddock District Council Annual Budget Meeting, Braddock Hall, 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke

❖ THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 7 P.M.Mason District Budget Town Meeting, Mason District Governmental Center, Main Community Room,

6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale

❖ MONDAY, MARCH 19, 7 P.M.Mount Vernon District Budget Town Hall, Whitman Middle School, Lecture Hall, 2500 Parkers Lane,

Alexandria

❖ WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 7 P.M.Lee District Budget Town Hall Meeting, Franconia Governmental Center Community Room, 6121

Franconia Road, Alexandria

❖ THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 7 P.M.Springfield District Budget Town Hall Meeting, Springfield Governmental Center, Community Room,

6140 Rolling Road, Springfield

❖ APRIL 10-12Board of Supervisors Public Hearings on FY 2019 Budget and FY 2019-2023 Capital Improvement

Plan. See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/bosclerk/speakers-form to sign up.More at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget

Linda Smyth,Providence

Cathy Hudgins,Hunter Mill

John Foust,Dranesville

Sharon Bulova,BOS Chairman

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Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

RESTON • 1480 North Point Village • 703-733-3860

News

Langley Band andOrchestra Set SchoolRecords for All-VirginiaSelections

Langley High School is sending a school record 15students to this year’s All-Virginia Band and Orches-tra honor groups. The musicians were selected basedon auditions that were open to the top musicians ineach district in the state. The All-Virginia perfor-mances will be held April 7 at the Dominion ArtsCenter, Carpenter Theatre in Richmond. The studentsselected are: Surya Ambardar (E-flat clarinet),Brooke Baird (violin), Cherri Chen (percussion),Chris Fox (cello), Gaoyang Ganjin (alto saxophone),Beth Johnston (trumpet), Forrest Johnston (trum-pet), Alyssa Kim (violin), Cindy Rodi (piccolo), FayShuai (cello), Jeffrey Song (B-flat clarinet), Wendy

Tang (flute), Izzy Tice (tuba), Boris Topalov (tenortrombone), and Madeline Yu (violin).

Langley BandPerforms in Italy

The Langley High School Band recently returnedfrom a one-week trip to Italy that included visits toPisa, Siena, and Vatican City, with performances inFlorence and Rome. In Florence, the Band performedat one of the oldest churches in Florence, the Audi-torium of Santo Stefano al Ponte. The next day, theband performed in Rome at the 17th century baroqueOratorio del Caravita, where Mozart performed in1770. In both venues, the band played pieces by Ital-ian composers Delle Cese, Albinoni, Respighi, Puccini,and Vecchi, to large and appreciative audiences. Thetrip was a remarkable educational and cultural ex-perience for the students, filled with memories thatwill last a lifetime.

Photo by Christian Faust

Langley Band in Rome’s Oratorio del Caravita.

Photo contributed

Langley Band performing at Auditorium of Santo Stefanoal Ponte, Florence, Italy.

Langley HSBand membersat Colosseumin Rome

Photo contributed

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6 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

By Ken MooreThe Connection

The “Sheriff’s Office will no longerhold inmates past their release dateunless an ICE administrative request to detain the inmate is ac-

companied by a criminal detainer issued by acourt,” according to Fairfax County SheriffStacey A. Kincaid.

Kincaid informed Immigration and CustomsEnforcement (ICE) in late January that theSheriff’s Office will officially terminate its in-tergovernmental service agreement (IGSA)with ICE on May 23, 2018, following the re-quired 120-days notice.

“We intend to comply with all federal obli-gations as they pertain to ICE. … We found itexpedient to no longer have an agreement thatrequired us to extend our resources beyondthese obligations,” according to Kincaid.

ADVOCATES EXPRESSED support forKincaid’s decision at the next available publiccomment period before the Board of Supervi-sors on Feb. 20.

Elizabeth Benson, a member of Fairfax forAll Coalition, said: “The cancellation of theagreement was fought for over the course of ayear.”

“We appreciate the stance taken by the sher-iff to cancel the IGSA and how this is a vitalstep in Fairfax County towards protecting ourcommunities and recognizing that we are anintegral part of this county,” said MichelleLarue.

“I urge every member of the Board of Super-visors to strongly and publicly support SheriffKincaid’s termination of Fairfax County’s IGSAagreement with ICE,” said Penny Anderson.“She should be applauded not vilified for do-ing so.”

BUT IMMIGRANTS WHO LIVE in FairfaxCounty also live in constant fear of law enforce-ment and immigration agents, said Anderson.

They also fear becoming active members inthe political process, educational process andin the community, said Larue.

“If I stand idly by and watch or hear aboutfamilies being torn apart, people avoidingsending children to school, people afraid ofgetting health care they need, and the ex-amples are endless, then I am complicit in thistravesty,” said Anderson, a member of ACLU’sPeople Power.

Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe of Temple Rodef Shalomsaid: “Every faith tradition has its own particu-lar ways of addressing the need to be welcom-ing to those who come into the community. InJudaism, we are commanded to welcome thestranger and treat him or her as our own,” hesaid.

He told his family’s history, relating that hisgrandparents escaped Hitler and Nazi Germanyin 1938. They married two days after their ar-rival in America, with only four people presentat the wedding.

“They were able to build good lives for them-selves, not just because of their own strength,but because of the support of others in the com-

munity, people who didn’t know them butwanted to help,” said Saxe.

“I wonder what would have happened tothem if they would have come into thiscountry today,” he said.

WORK NEEDS TO CONTINUE, the ad-vocates said, for the county to adopt poli-cies to “secure equal justice for all residentsof Fairfax County regardless of immigrationstatus,” said Benson. “Our coalition hasmade additional suggestions about how to

cement these protections in policies.”The political environment has changed with

the current administration, said Larue, whichhas allowed ICE “expanded enforcement ef-forts which only serves to generate fear inour communities and actually underminespublic safety in our county.”

“Now it’s time for the county to also takeconcrete steps in protecting our communityand not collaborating with ICE,” said Larue.

SEVEN SUPERVISORS raised their handswhen Benson asked if they supported thetermination agreement, with the exception

of Braddock Supervisor John Cook and Spring-field Supervisor Pat Herrity. (Providence Su-pervisor Linda Smyth was not present duringthe informal tally.)

“It was the sheriff’s decision not the Boardof Supervisors. I think she did the right thing,”said Bulova. “Fairfax County is a very diversecommunity and we value our immigrant com-munity in Fairfax County and we also keep ourcommunity safe through community policing.”

According to Kincaid’s statement, theSheriff’s Office will continue to cooperate withICE, as it does with other local, state and fed-eral authorities.

Bulova said the sheriff ’s action would notput the community at risk. She also urgedpeople to stay involved in reporting crimes andwhen they are victims of crime.

“While I may disagree with you on your firsttwo points, I very emphatically agree with youon the last one,” said Herrity, followingBulova’s remarks. “Our police don’t do immi-gration enforcement, they never have.”

His remark drew scoffs.“I would encourage you to change that opin-

ion,” Herrity said.

Advocates Praise Sheriff’s End to ICE ContractSheriff will no longerhold detainees forextra time for ICE.

“This is a vitalstep in FairfaxCounty towardsprotecting ourcommunities.”

— Michelle Larue

“In Judaism, we arecommanded towelcome thestranger andtreat him or heras our own.”

— Rabbi Jeffrey Saxe

Keeping Kids SafeTo the Editor:

Thank you for your excellent work, Connec-tion! I was happy to see approximately half ofthe March 7-13 issue of the Oak Hill / HerndonConnection devoted to the conversation onkeeping kids safe from shootings.

A law to restrict purchasing of guns to oneper month only was passed in 1993 in Virginia,and then repealed in 2013. Statistics about gunviolence at the time showed that having thatparticular law on the books prevented so muchtragedy. Statistics show that gun violence wentback up when the law was repealed; gun traf-fickers take advantage of Virginia’s weaker gunlaws and illegally traffic guns to other states.

I did a small amount of research on the one-handgun a month law, and I understand it wasrepealed, but this legislation needs to be re-visited.

I was also surprised to learn about VirginiaLaw SB 288 - a common sense law that wasgoing to require citizens who legally own gunsto report if their gun was stolen or transferred.This law failed in committee and was nevervoted on. It’s a common sense gun law, I can’tunderstand how something so simple could noteven go to a vote in the Senate?

We need to enact common-sense laws thatprotect our nation’s children.

Jodi BeattyHerndon

Letters to the Editor

Write, React, RespondThe Connection welcomes views on any public

issue.The deadline for all material is noon Friday.

Letters must be signed. Include home addressand home and business numbers. Letters are

routinely edited for libel, grammar, good tasteand factual errors.

Send to:Letters to the Editor

The Connection1606 King St.

Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-917-6444.

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

[email protected]

Andrea WorkerContributing Writer

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ADVERTISING:For advertising information

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Great Falls

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Great FallsGreat Falls

HomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyleHomeLifeStyleSpring 2018Spring 2018

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The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours ofhomes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted bythe Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea-tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfaxfor whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home,beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating tothe mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because theowner of this historic house is a world renown [email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.org

The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours ofhomes and gardens in Great Falls, McLean and Vienna hosted bythe Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The fea-tured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfaxfor whom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home,beautifully preserved and not often open to the public, dating tothe mid 1700s. One garden is designed like a quilt because theowner of this historic house is a world renown [email protected] for tickets. www.vagardenweek.org

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8 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

HomeLifeStyle

Mark your calendar for Tues-day, April 24, 2018, as theGarden Club of Fairfax invites you to this year’s His-

toric Garden Week Tour in Great Falls,McLean and Vienna.

Experience 250 years of history in theonce agricultural hills of northern FairfaxCounty. Near the village of Great Falls is theWilliam Gunnell home built in 1750 as ahunting lodge for Lord Fairfax. Strollthrough a quilt garden designed by the cur-rent owner, a well-known quilter, and en-joy carefully tended fruit and vegetablegardens as well as landscaped vistas.

In the historic town of Vienna, explorean 1892 home built on the grounds of theGrange Camp and a charming cottage de-signed by a couple as a “sensible home” toretire-in- place.

A transitional executive home with a wa-terfall garden is showcased in McLean.

Tour headquarters are at MeadowlarkBotanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gar-dens Court, Vienna, where admission andrefreshments are included with the tourticket.

Access to William Gunnell House is onlyby shuttle bus. Pick-up and drop-off at GreatFalls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. Tickets available at the Library. Ad-vance Tickets: $40 per personwww.vagardenweek.org or by mail beforeApril 17. Send a self-addressed stampedenvelope and check made out to The Gar-den Club of Fairfax to Marty Whipple,11508 Yates Ford Road, Fairfax Station, VA22039. (703) 978-4130 [email protected] for questions.$50 day of tour.

As part of the Garden Club of Virginia’s85th Historic Garden Week, this tour willbe one of thirty statewide tours held April21-28, 2018 featuring nearly 200 ofVirginia’s most picturesque gardens andprivate homes.

Proceeds from this celebrated event fundthe restoration and preservation of morethan 40 of Virginia’s historic public gardensand landscapes, a research fellowship pro-gram, and a new partnership with the Vir-ginia State Parks. Iconic landmarks such asMount Vernon, the Pavilion Gardens at theUniversity of Virginia and the WoodrowWilson Presidential Library have been re-stored to their original splendor due to thehard work of thousands of volunteers, thegenerosity of countless home and gardenowners, and the nearly 30,000 visitors fromaround the world who have enjoyed thetours.

For more information about our GreatFalls-McLean- Vienna Tour, and to buy tick-ets online, go to www.vagardenweek.org.The statewide schedule for HIstoric GardenWeek is also listed.

Tour Headquarters, Facilities and SpecialActivity: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens,9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna.Tickets, maps and restrooms available ontour day.

There will be a free King’s Park Flutes

Concert 10 to noon. Tour tickets: $50 perperson available on tour day at Meadow-lark Botanical Gardens and at tour homes.

WILLIAM GUNNELL HOUSE, InnsbruckAvenue, Great Falls The original home is ahall-and-parlor structure built in 1750 on12,588 acres owned by Thomas, sixth LordFairfax, for whom the county is named.William Gunnell III (1750-1820), firstknown resident of the home and believedto have been caretaker for Lord Fairfax,

purchased it in 1791 and constructed anaddition for his large family, making it oneof the area’s grandest manor homes with a1,500-acre plantation and numerous out-buildings. One outbuilding, c.1770, survivestoday. The home was in the Gunnell familyuntil 1913. Twentieth century additions areunobtrusive and compatible with the home’s18th century Colonial and post-Revolutionstyles. In 1934 a log cabin tavern was movedhere from Ruby, Virginia, to become a din-ing room with a massive stone fireplace at

one end. The now 10-acre property includesa large farm pond, Virginia’s fifth oldestmeasured hemlock, boxwood lined paths,flower, fruit, vegetable and herb gardens,and grape and rose arbors. The homeowner,a world-renowned quilter and fabric de-signer, designed the property’s quilt garden,best viewed from a large vine-covered per-gola. The star pattern quilt bedspread de-sign in the master bedroom is repeated in aleaded glass panel in the master bath, in awrought iron railing and in the quilt gar-den. National Register of Historic Places.Accessible only by shuttle bus. Jinny andJohn Beyer, owners.

MONTVALE WAY, McLEAN Locatedwithin a 255-acre wooded community of166 homes in McLean, known as “The Re-serve,” this two-level executive style homewas built in 2001 by one of the premierebuilders in Northern Virginia. An exteriorof bisque and gray brick construction isframed by stone pillars and enhanced by apaved circular drive. Mature trees, grassesand a massing of bulbs, perennials andshrubs provide four seasons of interest. Anarmored soldier stands guard, injecting awhimsical tone. Warm tones of beige andbrown and faux-painted walls on the firstfloor act as a backdrop for the mix of oldand new in art, furniture and family trea-sures. A sunroom is the perfect spot to en-joy the backyard koi pond and extensivelandscaping designed and implemented bythe homeowners. Sandra and Robert Varney,owners

THE GRANGE CAMP, Redwood Drive,Vienna The exterior front of this Folk Victo-rian home with a Federalist front porch isessentially unchanged from its 1892 appear-ance. Alexander Wedderburn, a successfulprinter and publisher in Alexandria, pur-chased the property and built a summerhome on 42 acres previously owned by thepost-Civil War Grange movement and usedfor annual summer fairs for farmers andtheir families. Original windows and inte-rior doors are displayed as pieces of art andoriginal wood molding was salvaged to be-come paneling in the powder room. Aschoolhouse chair and piano are from Ms.Dyer’s mother’s school in Connecticut. Herfather, a furniture maker and refinisher, re-furbished the piano, a Singer sewing tableand other pieces. Mature trees provideshade and privacy to enjoy an array of flow-ering shrubs and specimen trees on the 1.7acre property. Bob Smith and Alison Dyer,owners.

CENTER STREET NORTH, Vienna Fromdrawing board to completion, thehomeowners envisioned a “sensible” homeallowing for present-day living and enter-taining within an open floor plan, and theflexibility of converting the current den toan additional first floor bedroom and bathfor aging in place for this custom built, 2011

The 85th Historic Garden Week in Virginia includes tours of homes andgardens around Virginia, as well as in Great Falls, McLean and Viennahosted by the Garden Club of Fairfax on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Thefeatured historic home was once the Hunting Lodge for Lord Fairfax forwhom Fairfax County is named, a privately owned home, beautifullypreserved and not often open to the public, dating to the mid 1700s.This garden is designed like a quilt because the owner of this historichouse is a world renown quilter. [email protected] for tickets.www.vagardenweek.org

Details from the William Gunnell home in Great Falls built in 1750 as ahunting lodge for Lord Fairfax.

85th Virginia Historic Garden Week in April

See Historic Garden, Page 9

Photos by Donna Moulton/Garden Club of Fairfax

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HomeLifeStyle

modern Cape Cod cottage in his-toric Vienna. As the owner ofREfind, a Vienna boutique, thehomeowner mixes vintage withfresh accessories throughout thisthree-level cottage. The gardenswere designed to be low mainte-nance with native plants, and com-patible with the historic Viennaneighborhood. Three large crepemyrtles at the front of the homeexpand out into layers of massplantings of perennials, shrubs,and spring blooming bulbs. Careyand David Williams, owners.

The Garden Club of Virginia’shorticultural programming in-spires one of Historic GardenWeek’s greatest attractions: theworld-class floral arrangementscreated by club members. We es-timate that over 2,300 fabulousarrangements, using greenery andflowers grown in members’ owngardens, will decorate the featuredhomes on this year’s tours.Places of Interest:

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens,9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct.,Vienna. This 9.5 acre park includeslarge ornamental display gardensand three native plant collections.There are paved walking trails,three lakes, four gazebos and arestored 18th century farmhouse,more than 20 varieties of cherrytrees, azalea, lilac and peony col-lections, irises, a hosta and ferngarden and a children’s garden.

L’Auberge Chez Francois Gar-dens, 332 Springvale Rd., GreatFalls. Owner and Executive ChefJacques Haeringer continues hisfamily’s tradition of serving freshFrench classics in the originalRiver Bend Country Store.

Don’t miss this chance tosee the 1750 WilliamGunnell home and gardensin Great Falls.

Photo by Donna Moulton

Great Falls, McLean, ViennaHouse & Garden TourTuesday, April 24, 2018, 10-4 p.m.

Hosted by the Garden Club of Fairfax,Contact: Claudia Lewis, Garden Clubof Fairfax [email protected] [email protected] for tickets.www.vagardenweek.org

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HomeLifeStyle

By Marilyn CampbellThe Connection

From a Sub Zero refrigerator andBosch dishwasher hidden behindan oak cabinet front to abacksplash and center island cov-

ered with slabs of marble, the options forcreating a dream kitchen can seem endless,say local designers, but they are also verypersonal.

“A seldom used $15,000 La Cornue stovewhich might impress friends may define oneperson’s idea of a dream kitchen, while thedefinition of a dream kitchen for anotherperson might include a more practical ap-proach to form and function,” said interiordesigner Joseph Van Goethem. “For ex-ample, my wife is an excellent cook, so herdream kitchen is allabout spices, dishes andcookbooks.”

Hand-painted Italiantile used for thebacksplash was one ofthe luxuries that VanGoethem incorporatedinto the design of hisown kitchen in Mclean.“It infuses the kitchenwith color and visual in-terest beneath thecabinetry. We chose aSilestone countertop over neutral stone forits durability, stain resistance and ease ofmaintenance.”

For counters toppings, quartz and butcherblock are two materials that interior de-signer Carolyn Elleman says are at the topof her list. Strong and durable, butcherblock is made by connecting long woodenboards. Maple and cherry wood are two ofthe most popular materials for suchcountertops.

A versatile island is a kitchen must-havefor Jean P. Freeman, professor of interiordesign at Marymount University. “The realrave right now in kitchens is something thatI introduced to the Pedini [kitchen designfirm] eight years ago while designing myown sustainable house in McLean, Va.,” shesaid “It was to have an island with most ofthe essentials located on it. The idea of hav-

ing an island with a sink,dishwasher, cook-topand plenty of storagebelow has been taken bystorm.”

Such a design tech-nique reduces the needfor overhead cabinetry,advises Freeman. “Theisland idea uses cabinetswith only pull-out draw-ers for dishes, glasses,pots and pans. Thedrawers are so conve-

nient and easy to organize. ... With all thecounter space, there is room for eating andhaving extra helpers when preparingmeals,” she said.

Drawers can be made to accommodaterefrigeration units and microwaves, advisesFreeman. “Even warming ovens are avail-able in drawers,” she said. “There are manynew and dynamic, convenient and muchmore interesting options on the market thanmost people are aware of.”

Features that im-prove functionalitytop the must-haveslist of designer Mel-issa Fielding ofNicely Done Kitch-ens and Baths.

“I love tray divid-ers. They can reallyrevolutionize thekitchen because youcan maximize thespace for your cookand serve ware,” shesaid. “Another one ofmy highly recom-mended items arekitchen drawers be-cause things like thatfavorite mixing bowlor large pan, cometowards you insteadof having to reach upto get them.”

Keeping trash out of sight is a top prior-ity for Fielding.

“One item that I really feel is a must-haveis a waste bin drawer,” she said. “Otherwiseyou have this beautiful kitchen and then youhave a wastebasket as an eyesore. With awaste bin drawer near your prep area, youcan put in items like onion skin as you’recooking rather than having to walk acrossthe kitchen. They allow a kitchen to be

Designer must-havesfor building adream kitchen.

Highlighting Features thatImprove Functionality

When building his own dream kitchen, interior designer Joseph Van Goethem of McLean, included cabinets forporcelain dinnerware, silver flatware and cookbooks. He also added a backsplash made of hand-painted tile.

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Van

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“The dream kitchenof one person isnever equallydefined as the dreamkitchen of another.”

— Joseph Van Goethem,interior designer

beautiful and functional.”Steam-convection ovens and showpiece

ranges that are ornate enough to becomethe focal point of the kitchen are two desir-able kitchen features, suggests MichaelWinn of Winn Design + Build. “Steam-con-vection ovens are a great way to cook,” hesaid. “These are functioning as a second, oreven primary, ovens and even replacingmicrowaves.”

Photo by Nicely Done Kitchens and Baths

Waste bin and other drawers are kitchen must-haves,advises Melissa Fielding of Nicely Done Kitchens andBaths.

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The Langley Lady Saxons advanced to theVHSL 6A tournamentas the #2 seed after

losing to Marshall in the regionalfinal 44-43 on Feb. 24.

In the Lady Saxons first roundgame in the VHSL State Tourna-ment they defeated Woodbridge47-46 on March 3. Two nights laterthey defeated TC Williams HS 56-54 in overtime to advance to theVirginia 6A State Championship.

Langley faced Cosby HS fromMidlothian, Va,. winners of threeof the last four 6A state titles.Cosby defeated Ocean Lakes 76-39 in the first round, thenLandstown 53-44, to face Langley.

In the first quarter Langley jumped out to an early13-8 advantage.

Cosby then cut into the lead, outscoring Langley14-13.

With Langley up 26-22 to start the third quarter,Cosby had their most productive quarter of the gamescoring 16 and holding Langley to 11.

With the start of the fourth quarter, the Cosby girlshad taken a 38-37 advantage and the 6A Champion-ship was up for grabs. Both teams defenses would

hold the opponent to low scoringin the fourth quarter with Langleynarrowly outscoring Cosby 7-6, toforce overtime, after JordynCallaghan’s shot was no good inthe closing seconds of regulation.

With the game in OT and thescore knotted up at 44, and with2:36 to play in overtime Langleyhad gained an early 4 point advan-tage, 50-46.

But Cosby responded, holdingLangley scoreless in those closingminutes and scoring the final 6points. With 1.9 seconds Langleyhad one last shot for a buzzerbeater, but the in bound pass wasintercepted by Nia Covington.

Cosby won 52-50.Cosby ends the year (24-4) with their fourth State

championship. Langley ends the year (21-8). Lan-gley was led by Rana Azad’s 17 points. Carly Brittadded 11. Nia Covington’s 25 points led Cosby whileCharme Lilly added 14. Azad would also add threeassists, two steals and six rebounds. Jordyn Callaghanadded 9 points, six assists, two blocks, three stealsand three rebounds.

— Will Palenscar

Sports

Langley Girls Reach State Final,Lose in Overtime

Carly Britt scored 11 points and accountedfor 6 rebounds in Langley’s state final lossto Cosby.

Photos by Will Palenscar/The Connection

Lauren Maloney #10 looks for space todribble as Trinity Jackson #10 defends

Jordyn Callaghan #1 goesairborne towards the basket.

The LadySaxons ofLangley pon-der a closestate finalscore momentsafter losing toCosby 52-50 inRichmond.

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Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOING“Harvey.” Through March 24, Friday-

Saturday, 8-10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2p.m. at the Great Falls Grange, 9818Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. TheMcLean Community Players willpresent Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, “Harvey.” Matineeson Sundays, March 11 and 18. $18-$20. Email [email protected] visit McLeanPlayers.org.

Art Exhibit. Through March 31 atGreat Falls Library (Small ConferenceRoom), 830 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. View an exhibit of watercolorsby Artist Betty Ganley featuring herlove of nautical scenes. Visitbettyganley.com.

Great Falls Farmers Market.Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 778 WalkerRoad, Great Falls. Music, vendors,fresh produce, fresh prepared food,delightful bakery, spices from aroundthe world, wild-caught fish, grass-fed, free-range meats, organic-fedpoultry and eggs. [email protected] more.

Colvin Run Mill open 11-4 p.m. daily,closed Tuesday. 10017 Colvin RunRoad, Great Falls. Fairfax County’soperational 19th century waterpowered gristmill, offers recreationaland educational activities for all agesthrough daily tours, school programsand special events. Fees: $7/adult,$6 students 16+ with ID, $5 children& seniors. Admission to park is freeexcept for some special events.

MCC Summer Camps. Plan now toregister children for MCC’s enrichingsummer camp programs for childrenages 3 through 18. Summer CampRegistration begins Monday, Feb. 5,for MCC district residents andMonday, Feb. 12, for all others. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org.

The Arts of Great Falls Schooloffers winter classes for adults andchildren of all skill levels. Visitwww.greatfallsart.org for more.

SATURDAY/MARCH 17Model Railroaders Open House. 1-

5 p.m. at the Vienna Depot, 231Dominion Road NE. NorthernVirginia Model Railroaders hold anopen house at the Vienna Depot eachmonth and on Vienna celebrationdays, including Viva! Vienna and theVienna Holiday Stroll. Freeadmission. Call 703-938-5157 or visitwww.nvmr.org.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/MARCH 17-18“The Snow White Variety Show.” 2

p.m. at The Old Firehouse, 1440Chain Bridge Road, McLean. All thefun of just about every TV showgenre you can imagine is jam-packedinto this wild and fast-paced comedy.This is a part-talk-show, part-realityshow dramatic retelling of a classicstory you thought you knewperformed by talented local youngactors! The dwarves team up to sharetheir own side of Snow White’s story.$10-$15. For ages 6 and older. Visitwww.mcleancenter.org for tickets.

SUNDAY/MARCH 18Nowruz Festival. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at

Tysons Corner Center, 8100 TysonsCorner Center, McLean. Persianfestival will feature family-friendlyfun and food trucks. Visitnowruzfestival.org.

“Winnie the Pooh & Friends.” 3p.m. in the Chapel Auditorium at TheMadeira School, at 8328 GeorgetownPike, McLean. The play is a worldpremiere of Judith Walsh White’snew adaptation of A. A. Milnes’classic “The House at Pooh Corner”

with original songs with lyrics byWhite and music by MichaelOosterhout. $10 at the door, and $5for children 6 and under. Visitwww.travelingplayers.org or call703-987-1712.

“The Trojan Women.” 4 p.m. in theChapel Auditorium at The MadeiraSchool, 8328 Georgetown Pike,McLean. The Trojan Women byEuripides is widely consideredhistory’s oldest existing anti-warplay, as well as one of literature’sgreatest tragedies. Tickets are $10 atthe door, and $5 for children 6 andunder. Recommended for ages 13and up. Visitwww.travelingplayers.org or call703-987-1712.

Spring Fling. 12:30-2:30 p.m. atBloomingdale’s Tysons Corner. TheNew Dominion Women’s Club willhost the 11th annual Spring Flingbenefit fashion show. Enjoydelicious food and drink as well asbid on a raffle while viewing thenewest trends in spring casual,business, and resort fashion. Visitwww.ndwc.org.

TUESDAY/MARCH 20Garden Club Meeting. 10 a.m. at

Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124Park St. NE, Vienna. Five HillsGarden Club will present Kirk Browndiscussing “Designing on the Verge.”It’s all about gardens and changinglife-styles. Free and open to thepublic. Call 571-606-7084 or [email protected].

THURSDAY/MARCH 22The Enola Gay. 7:30-9 p.m. at Patrick

Henry Library, 101 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. Learn about the history ofthe Enola Gay and her most famousmission from Scott Wiley, Docent atthe Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center.Free. Call 703-938-0405 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/3456120.

SATURDAY/MARCH 24Free Tai Chi. 7:55-9 a.m. at St. Luke’s

School Gym, 7005 Georgetown Pike,McLean. Free introduction andbeginners’ practice every Saturdaymorning.Call 703-759-9141 or seeFreeTaiChi.org for more.

Healthy Strides Wellness BookClub. 11 a.m.-noon at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, 7584Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. “ThePrediabetes Diet Plan,” by HillaryWright. This club is for adults, andmeets at different Fairfax CountyPublic Library sites each month. Noregistration is required to attend.Books are available for checkout atFairfax County Libraries or purchasefrom a retailer. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/healthy-strides.

SUNDAY-SATURDAY/MARCH 18-31Fairfax County Parks. Egg-citing

activities are breaking out at parksthroughout Fairfax County in March.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/park-news/2018/psa055.

On Sunday, March 18 – At ColvinRun Mill, children age 2-9 can huntfor eggs and make egg-cellent craftsto take home. Bring a basket. $8 perperson. At Hidden Pond NatureCenter, children age 3 to 12 cancreate a spring mobile of favoritepond animals from plastic eggs. Allmaterials will be provided. $6 perchild. Hidden Oaks NatureCenter is hosting a WoodlandWildlife Egg Hunt for children age 3-8. Meet costumed woodlandcharacters along a trail, collect eggswith non-candy treats and discoverhow different animals raise theiryoung. $8 per child.

On Saturday, March 24 – Childrenage 1-6 are invited to the EasterEggstravaganza at Frying Pan Parkto hunt for eggs that contain treatsand prizes and visit with farmanimals. $8 per child. Add a wagonride for $2 per person. SullyHistoric Site is offering an egghunt, egg-related games and anEaster craft for children age 1-8. $8per child. Wagon rides cost another$2 per person.

On Sunday, March 25 — Stop by theEaster Egg Hunt at Sully HistoricSite. The historic site is offering anegg hunt, egg-related games and anEaster craft for children age 1-8. $8per child. Wagon rides cost another$2 per person. Lake Fairfax Parkwill be hosting an Easter Egg Huntfor children age 1-6. $8 per child.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center isrunning a Dinosaur Egg Hunt on

Calendar

A Great Falls Library conferenceroom is filled with admirers of artand pottery and people converseamongst themselves while lookingat the paintings hung up on wallsbefore moving on to see potteryand sculpture presented in a glasscase only feet away.

Linda Jones is an artist who hasbeen living in Great Falls for morethan 10 years. She works withwatercolor, acrylic paint, as wellas mixed media to create texturein her artwork.

“I paint everywhere,” Jones said,“I’ve painted in planes, on boats,in the car. Wherever I go I musthave small canvases and paintswith me.”

Her work ranges in sizes and arelandscaped based, painting areasfrom the Chesapeake Bay to theAlaskan plains. The exhibit pre-sented at Great Falls Library wasa total of 40 pieces of art createdover a 10-year period.

The pottery presented was cre-ated by art students at Pig PenPottery, learning under LauraNichols. The students’ clay cre-ations ranged from sculptures tobowls and plant holders.

“They learned very quickly,” saidNichols, “It’s always nice to see theage range of students. No one isever too old or too young to learna form of art.”

— Shanzeh Umerani

Art, Pottery on Exhibit atGreat Falls Library

Pottery and otherforms of claywork created byLaura Nichols’students of PigPen Pottery.

A series of artwork pieces created by Linda Jones; Mostof her paintings are either watercolor or acrylic.

March 25, 29, 30, 31 and April 1.Enjoy a dinosaur-themed programand outdoor egg hunt while visitingDinoland in Nature Playce. Theprogram is for children age 2-8. $8per child.

On Saturday, March 31,Clemyjontri Park is offering anEaster Egg Hunt, crafts and photoops with the Easter Bunny forchildren age one to nine. $7 perchild. Add a carousel ride for $2.

FRIDAY/MARCH 30“Clue.” 7 p.m. at The Old Firehouse,

1440 Chain Bridge Road, McLean.Join The Alden staff as they quotealong with the dialogue from “Clue”(PG). Admission and popcorn arefree. Bring your own non-alcholicbeverage. Don a secret identity,select a room, but leave lead pipesand ropes at home. Prop bags are $5each. Supplies are limited andadvance purchase is recommended.Visit mcleancenter.org.

Photos by

Shanzeh Umerani/

The Connection

‘Harvey’ Comes to Great FallsMcLean Community Players present “Harvey” atGreat Falls Grange, 9818 Georgetown Pike, GreatFalls. In rehearsal photo, from left: Veta (AnneHilleary) discusses the party she is hosting with herdaughter Myrtle Mae (Caroline Peterson). Perfor-mances: March 9-24, 2018. Friday and Saturday at 8p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: $18-$20. Grouprates available. General admission tickets throughBrown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006 or visitwww.McLeanPlayers.org.

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Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 10:00 AMCHRISTIAN LEARNING ACADEMY (SUN.) 9:00AM-9:45AM

MIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

Visit These Houses of Worship

To Highlight Your Faith Community, call Don at 703-778-9420

At Home in Great FallsIn a submission that missed our Pet Connection dead-line, Deb Worden of Great Falls sent the photos of thethree kittens adopted in August from the Great FallsAnimal Hospital. They are siblings and are 10 monthsold. Harry Pawter is orange & white. Tuckleberry Finn isall orange. Bean is gray/orange tortoise shell.

People & Pets

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Karen Washburn toSpeak to Great FallsHistorical Society

On March 14, 7 p.m., at the Great Falls Library,historian Karen Washburn will speak to the GreatFalls Historical Society on the history of the westernpart of Great Falls. Her talk is titled ”Evolution ofUpper Seneca Road Neighborhood from Wildernessto Commercial Hub to Quiet Backwater.” The GreatFalls Library is at 9830 Georgetown Pike in GreatFalls.

Washburn is a noted local historian who has spo-ken to GFHS many times, has done original research,received several awards and written a series of his-torical articles in the Elan periodical magazine. Sheis a past President of the Great Falls Historical Soci-ety and a charter member from 40 years ago. Shehas surveyed numerous historical houses and suc-cessfully worked to place several structures on theNational Register of Historic Places, including theGreat Falls Grange, the original Forestville School,and most recently, the entire Georgetown Pike road-bed.

Admission is free and members of the public areinvited to attend, as well as to join the society. Youmay do so on gfhs.org. Membership is $35 for a

family for 12 months.

‘Around the World’ withKenneth Garrett

Great Falls Senior Center welcomes back guestspeaker Kenneth Garrett, an independent photog-rapher, who will make a presentation titled “Aroundthe World in 24 Days.” His photographs reflect hiscreativity in covering major archaeological sites ofthe Mayas, Aztecs, Olmecs, and ancient Egyptiansand the important discoveries in the evolutionaryhistory of mankind. Garrett has photographed ma-jor archaeological sites and has worked around theworld for a host of major magazines while also ac-cumulating book credits.

The March 20 event will held at The Great FallsUnited Methodist Church, 10100 Georgetown Pike,Great Falls, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes lunch.A donation would be greatly appreciated for thelunch. Reservations are a must. Contact PollyFitzgerald at [email protected] or 703-759-4345. If you have not renewed your membership,you can do that at the Hospitality Desk. Also lookfor Message Board to be informed of future programs.For more information, visit gfseniors.org.

The event sponsor is Costa Family and CosmeticDentistry, 100135 Colvin Run Road, Great Falls.

SOBER-RIDE FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAYFree Sober Rides. Saturday, March

17, 4 p.m. through Sunday, March18, 4 a.m. Area residents, 21 andolder, may download Lyft to theirphones, then enter a code in theapp’s “Promo” section to receive a nocost (up to $15) safe ride home.WRAP’s St. Patrick’s Day SoberRidepromo code will be posted at 2 p.m.on March 17 onwww.SoberRide.com. The SoberRidecode is valid for the first 1,500 Lyftusers who enter the code.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATIONChild turning 5 years old by Sept.

30? If so, contact your child’s schoolto make arrangements forkindergarten enrollment. Mostschools begin getting informationtogether now for parents of incomingkindergartners, and many host anorientation or open house. Allkindergarten programs are full-dayand located in FCPS elementaryschools. Check your school’s webpageor contact the school directly forspecific enrollment information anddates of orientationor visit

www.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration.

GOVERNING BOARD CANDIDATESThe McLean Community Center

(MCC) is seeking candidates to runfor seats on its 2018-2019 GoverningBoard. A candidate must reside in theCenter’s tax district (Small District1A-Dranesville). To have their namesplaced on election ballots, candidatesare required to obtain the signaturesof 10 McLean tax district residents intheir respective categories (eitheradult or youth). Three adult positionsand two youth positions are open thisyear. Key Election Dates:

❖ Friday, March 16: Completed PetitionPackets are due at MCC by 5 p.m.

❖ Monday, March 19: Candidates’Orientation, 7 p.m., The OldFirehouse Center, 1440 Chain BridgeRd.

❖ Monday, April 9: Absentee Votingbegins at the MCC AdministrativeOffice, 6631 Old Dominion Dr., andThe Old Firehouse Center, 1440Chain Bridge Road.

❖ Sunday, May 6: Candidates Meet andGreet, 2-4 p.m. Sponsored by the

Friends of MCC, at the Old FirehouseCenter, 1440 Chain Bridge Road.

❖ Wednesday, May 16: Absentee Votingends at the MCC AdministrativeOffice and the Old Firehouse Centerat 5 p.m.

❖ Saturday, May 19: Elections atMcLean Day from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more information on the MCCGoverning Board Elections, call theCenter at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711,or visit the Center’s website: http://bit.ly/2ix7qc1.

WEDNESDAY/MARCH 141 Million Cups. 8:30 a.m.

networking; 9-10 a.m. program atMake Offices at Tysons, 1751Pinnacle Drive, Suite 600, McLean.Each week a different businessowner gives a brief six-minutepresentation about where they are intheir business. They then offer up achallenge question about a newidea, product, expansion orsomething they are facing in theirbusiness. The group thenmasterminds solutions. Free andopen to the public. Visitwww.1millioncups.com/.

Week in Great Falls

Bulletin Board Submit civic/community announcements at ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least twoweeks before event.

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Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

According to my oncologist, it’s time, waypast time in fact (not so much ‘fact,’ more likehis experiences with other cancer patients)that I make more significant changes in mycancer treatment than I have diagnosis todate. What he means, specifically – and whatwe regularly discuss – is extending the intervalof my CT Scan, which currently occurs everythree months.

Not so much to minimize the radiationexposure, more so due to my continuing sur-vival. No one’s ready to characterize me as“N.E.D.,” (no evidence of disease), but neitherdoes it appear, based on the last five years –since I was hospitalized and began my alimtainfusions, that my tumors are growing and/ormoving; at least not as indicated with anyclinical significance.

Nevertheless, the prospect of waitinglonger to find out if any tumor action hasoccurred is unsettling. Currently, given that Iam generally asymptomatic, the primary waythat I learn if there’s been “progression,” is bythe computerized tomography of mylungs/upper torso. Rarely have symptomsmanifested themselves otherwise. And whenthey have, they’ve as often indicated nothingas something – and vice versa; meaning,sometimes no symptoms still showed growth.So it’s confusing, counter intuitive and contra-indicated, and I’m stuck in the middle.

While maintaining this quarterly scanschedule, I have extended the intervalbetween infusions however: from every threeweeks originally to every six weeks now.Which means I’ve reduced the amount ofchemotherapy I receive by 50 percent perquarter. Still the scans have showed “stable.”Given that I’m starting my 10th year post diag-nosis, perhaps it’s time to scan less and livemore?

Our concern has been that if the CT Scancontinues to be the first real indica-tor/confirmation that tumor growth hasoccurred – and if so, presumably differ-ent/more aggressive/life-sustaining tacticswould need to be employed (immunotherapycomes to print, which I have not yet utilized),why wait through the fourth month to findout? Maybe that month’s-long delay in scan-ning would matter in possibly nipping mytumor growth in the bud?

My oncologist’s thinking is that so littlechange has occurred during the past five yearsthat perhaps it’s reasonable to take advantageof my amazing good fortune and extend theinterval?

Moreover, with respect to my quality oflife, reducing the weeks of stress we experi-ence leading up to the scan, and of course thestress the week after, waiting for results, wouldenhance our lives; and eliminating that stressand improving the quality of our lives hasalways been an interest/concern of myoncologist.

And I appreciate his concern for our over-all well being; and I would like to have lesscancer-related impact on my life but, yes,there’s always a ‘but.’ If I extend the scaninterval, I might worry about what’s happen-ing in my lungs during the month after I wouldhave already been scanned? What if? I mean,it’s not as if we can’t go back in time, sort of.We can always restart, re-interval, re-scan, re-everything; so I’ve been reassured. Why notre-engage more with life and rearrange lessbecause of cancer?

Maybe I’ve survived nine-plus years with aterminal form of cancer because I’m meantto? Why not leverage my many good resultsand better manage my cancer commitments?Perhaps it’s time to take control of my life andlive like I’m not dying? Heck, I’ve done alrightso far. Who’s to say I can’t do better?

If my oncologist characterizes me as histhird miracle, then maybe I should start livingmore miraculously?

“Introspections”

Lieutenant Jay Smith and retiredBattalion Chief Tyrone Harrington areawarded the Silver Medal of Valor fortheir courageous response to housefire of a neighbor. They began to uti-lize a garden hose to attack the fire inthe garage and both personnel hadentered the home multiple times in aneffort to rescue a trapped child. Lieu-tenant Smith and Chief Harrington op-erated without the benefit of a firehose, breathing apparatus, or protec-tive equipment, putting the rescue ofthe child before their own personalsafety. As fire and rescue units arrived,Lieutenant Smith and Battalion ChiefHarrington continued to provide di-rect assistance and information to thearriving units. Lieutenant Smith andretired Battalion Chief Harrington ex-hibited extreme courage while draw-ing upon extensive training and ex-perience to assist their neighbors.

Battalion Chief (Ret.) TyroneHarrington receives his ValorAward from Richard BowersJr., Chief, Fairfax County Fire& Rescue Department.

Lieutenant Jay Smith receiveshis Valor Award from RichardBowers Jr., Chief, FairfaxCounty Fire & Rescue Depart-ment.

Silver Medalof Valor

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16 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ March 14-20, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls Connection ❖ Adeler Jewelers/Great Falls Optimist Children's Spring Festival 2018 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls“Egg Hunt” 2018

Welcome!!

It has been 34 amazing years since we invited the children of thecommunity to a small “EGG HUNT” to show our gratitude to GreatFalls for making us feel so welcome. Look where we are now!!!Many years later, and eventually with the wonderful partnership

of the Optimist Club and the support of many many local businesses,friends and neighbors, this event has become a much anticipated localtradition.

We feel honored and proud to be able to bring this to the families ofGreat Falls and we hope that through this festival we are able to showour tremendous gratitude and appreciation for your continued supportof our family and our business. We would not be here were it not foryour loyal patronage.

Enjoy the day and Happy Hunting!

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President Message

Great Falls Optimist ClubFoundation 37th Anniversary

And Great Falls Children’sSpring Festival 34th Anniversary

What a great time to reflect and bethankful to Jorge Adeler of AdelersJewelers,The business community,and the multigenerational families

that have continued to come and contribute to whathas become an annual tradition at this time of yearin our community.

Adeler Jewelers hides 800-1000 gemstones in the8000 plastic eggs stuffed with candy in the excitingegg hunt at the end of the festival to the delight ofchildren and parents alike! All profits are contrib-uted to Great Falls Optimist Club Children’s Fund togive back to the community.

The Great Falls Optimist Club sponsors programssuch as Scholarships for winners of Oratorical andEssay contests among teens including deaf and hardof hearing, Respect for Law, Bicycle Safety, and childidentification programs.

Youth Groups such as ROTC High School Programs,Great Falls Rugby, and Great Falls Little League havereceived contributions to help the youth of our com-

munity learn discipline, commitment and commu-nity.

The Helping Hands program recognizes youth whohave acted above and beyond in their schools andare given funds to be used as they please for theirschools programs.

We deliver Holiday and week end meals and holi-day gift cards to those families who are strugglingto make ends meet. We have paid for equipment thatallows home bound cancer students to remain au-dio/ visually in touch with their peers at school. TheOptimist International has a huge Childhood Can-cer Research Initiative with John Hopkins. We In-vite you and your friends to join us in our efforts tosupport the youth of today in order to invest in aBetter Tomorrow! The more members we have, themore youth can be supported!

Please contact Linda Thompson, membership chairat 703-850-5676 for inquiries into membership.

Call Wendy Adeler at 703 759 4076 to volunteerfor the Children’s Festival.

Great Falls’ Irish Corner!

Corner Walker Road & Georgetown Pike in The Village CenterGreat Falls, VA • 703-759-3309 • www.oldbrogue.com

Proudly serving the Great Falls CommunityFor over 36 years.

SUNDAY BRUNCH10 A.M.to 3 P.M.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENTThursday,Friday &SaturdayNights

Breakfast Served Daily 7 – 11 A.M.We only use local eggs in

our omelets andAmerican scramblers

Catch the local buzz” at Katie’s with one of the world’sbest coffee’s, espresso and lattes. 703-759-2759

Now Enrolling for 2018-2019

www.vgdsva.com703-759-4049

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• Mommy & Me• Preschool Ages 16 months & Up• Montessori Preschool• Extended Day Programs• School Age Childcare K-6

DESIGN BUILD MAINTENANCE9893 Georgetown Pike, Suite 123, Great Falls, VA 22066

703-327-2284www.rossenlandscape.com

HARDSCAPES PLANTING

POOLS & SPAS PATIOS

WALKWAYS FIREPLACES & FIREPITS

WALLS WATERFEATURES

DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

IRRIGATION

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TURF & ORNAMENTAL PLANT

CARE PROGRAMS

HOLIDAY LIGHTING

SNOW REMOVAL

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BirthstonesJanuary - Garnet

Garnet, the birthstone for January, signifies eternal friendship andtrust and is the perfect gift for a friend. Garnet, derived from the wordgranatum, means seed, and is called so because of the gemstone's re-semblance to a pomegranate seed. References to the gemstone datesback to 3100 B.C., when the Egyptians used garnets as inlays jewelry.Garnet is the name of a group of minerals that comes in a rainbow ofcolors, from the deep red of the pyrope garnet to the vibrant green oftsavorites.

February - AmethystAmethyst, the gemstone believed by ancient Greeks and Romans to

ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, also is said to keep thewearer clear-headed and quick-witted. Throughout history, the gem-stone has been associated with many myths, legends, religions, andnumerous cultures. English regalia were even decorated with amethystsduring the Middle Ages to symbolize royalty. It has been associated withmany myths, legends, religions, and numerous cultures. Amethyst ispurple quartz, a beautiful blend of violet and red that can found in ev-ery corner of the earth. Historically, the finest amethyst were found inRussia and were featured in much royal European jewelry.

March - AquamarineThe two birthstones for March are aquamarine and bloodstone.The name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word aqua, mean-

ing water, and marina, meaning the sea. This gemstone was believedto protect sailors, as well as to guarantee a safe voyage. The serene colorof aquamarine is said to cool the temper, allowing the wearer to remaincalm and levelheaded. Its pale, cool color beautifully complementsspring and summer wardrobes. Aquamarine is most often light in toneand ranges from greenish blue to blue-green; the color usually is moreintense in larger stones.

The second birthstone for March is bloodstone, a dark-green jasperflecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide. This ancient stone was usedby the Babylonians to make seals and amulets and was believed to havehealing powers - especially for blood disorders. It is sometimes calledthe martyr's stone as legend tells that it was created when drops ofChrist's blood stained some jasper at the foot of the cross.

April - DiamondAs the April birthstone, diamonds are the ideal gift for a loved one.

And now you have more choices than ever. Get creative and give theultimate gift of beauty: a fancy-color diamond. Fancy-color diamondsare natural, rare and truly exotic gem of the earth. Diamonds in huesof yellow, red, pink, blue, and green range in intensity from faint to vivid See Bithstones, Page 10

and generally the more saturated the color, the higher the value. In fact,diamonds sparkling with intense color are rare and may be priced higherthan a colorless diamond of equal size. Because fancy-color diamondsare very desirable, color is sometimes introduced in a laboratory.May - Emerald

As the birthstone for May, the emerald, a symbol of rebirth, is believedto grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth. Emerald, derivedfrom the word smaragdus, meaning green in Greek, was mined in Egyptas early as 330 B.C. Today, most of the world's emeralds are mined inColombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, and Zambia.

June - Pearl and AlexandriteJune counts three gems as birthstones, pearl, Alexandrite, and moon-

stone.Historically, pearls have been used as an adornment for centuries.

They were one of the favorite gem materials of the Roman Empire; laterin Tudor England, the 1500s were known as the pearl age. Pearls areunique as they are the only gems from living sea creatures and requireno faceting or polishing to reveal their natural beauty.

AlexandriteA relatively modern gem, Alexandrite, was first discovered in Russia

in 1831 during the reign of its namesake, Czar Alexander II, and is anextremely rare chrysoberyl with chameleon-like qualities. Its color is alovely green in both daylight and fluorescent light; it changes color toa purplish red in incandescent light.

MoonstoneThe third birthstone for June is the Moonstone. It was given its name

by the Roman natural historian Pliny, who wrote that moonstone's ap-pearance altered with the phases of the moon - a belief that held untilwell after the sixteenth century. A phenomenal gemstone, moonstonesshow a floating play of light (called adularescence) and sometimes showeither a multirayed star or a cat's eye. Considered a sacred stone in In-dia, moonstones often are displayed on a background of yellow (a sacredcolor) and are believed to encapsulate within the stone a spirit whosepurpose is to bring good fortune. Part of the family of minerals calledfeldspar, moonstone occurs in many igneous and metamorphic rocks andcomes in a variety of colors such as green, blue, peach, and champagne.

July - RubyThere's no better way to demonstrate your love than by giving a ruby

in celebration of a July birthday. Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagi-

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TheThompsonTeam

Proudly Selling Homesin our area for over 30 yearsThe Thompson Team has a rock solid reputation for

integrity and passion for the real estate industry using cutting edge technology. Linda and her son, Reid, combine

their talents to provide proactive services to their clients making each transaction a smooth and fulfilling experience.

Let’s make 2018 your best year yet

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costasmiles.com

10135 Colvin Run Road, Suite 230Great Falls, VA 22066

703.757.0833

Dr. Neha GargeCosmetic & Family Dentist

Dr. Shane CostaCosmetic & Family Dentist

Comfortable Atmosphere • Lunch • DinnerSunday Brunch • Extensive Wine List

Patio Dinning • Meals To-GoOutdoor Catering • Food Trucks

Hoping the weather willbe fantastic, the GreatFalls Optimist Club and

Adeler Jewelers are ready for theannual Children’s Spring Festivalto take over the Village CentreSunday, March 25th, a sure signSpring is here in the community.

We’ll have rides and games andend with the Easter Egg Hunt, eggsfilled with candy and gems.

The Children’s Festival is thelargest fund raiser for the GreatFalls Optimist Club with proceedsbenefitting children locally. This isa great inexpensive family outing!

THE GREAT FALLS OPTIMISTCLUB provides Thanksgiving andHoliday Meals and Gifts for thoseless fortunate; in the past we’veprovided school supplies, equip-ment, word processors, LCD pro-jectors, etc for special educationclasses, as well as children’s can-cer, private injured parties, andmuch more.

This year, we are supporting, theLittle League, the Great FallsRugby teams, the local HS ROTCprogram, and our Junior OptimistClub of Langley High School. Theyare currently working on blanketsfor the homeless.

Sometimes we have oratoricaland essay contests to compete forscholarships and help them gainleadership skills.

Linda thanks the many volun-teers who come out every year tohelp with the festival, whether it’sstuffing eggs on Thursday, March22th or setting up, and cleaning upthe day of the festival! These arethe ones who make it a success!

“The festival began as a way forSee Grand Opening, Page 11

The Great FallsOptimist Club and

Adeler JewelersInvite You, YourChildren, Your

Grandchildren to:

The GrandOpening of

Spring with the34th AnnualChildren’s

FestivalSunday,

March 25th, 20181:30 – 4:30 PM atthe Village Centre

in Great Falls

5/31/18

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Important Information*** PLEASE NOTE: Candy in the Egg Hunt may contain nuts! We doour best to avoid this, but we cannot guarantee it because even nut-freecandy MAY HAVE BEEN MADE on machines that previously processed candythat did contain nuts.

scheduling requirements for the Village Centre and volunteer staff, we are unableto provide a rain date for the egg hunt. Please call 703-759-4076 after 9:00 am onMarch 25th to verify the status of the event if you are concerned about cancellationdue to inclement weather.

The egg hunt includes over $8000 worth of gemstonesdonated by Adeler Jewelers, mixed with candy and

stuffed into 8,000 plastic eggs that will be scatteredaround the Village Centre for children ages 1-10 to find.

All Rides at own risk.

If you would like to know whatyour "gem" is, please go to

www.AdelerJewelers.comand follow the linkunder Learn More.

jobs, including staffing an entrance, helping with set up and clean up the dayof the hunt, and other activities. If you are interested in helping with this fun,family-friendly event, please contact us at 703-759-4076 [email protected]. This is a terrific opportunity for Scout troops andstudents looking for community service opportunities!NO RAIN DATE: Due to the size of this ever-popular event, and to VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We can always use more volunteers to help with a range of

TICKETSTickets go on sale at 12:30

Games and rides are from 1:30-4The egg hunt from 4:00-4:30

Thank You toOur Sponsors

• Great Falls Creamery• Elan Magazine• Old Brogue Restaurant• Rossen Landscaping• Village Green Day School• Stephen Dulaney-State Farm Insurance• SAB Lawn and Landscaping• Linda Thompson Realtor• John Nugent and Sons• Costa Family & Cosmetic Dentistry• Brix Restaurant• Bob Nelson Team/Keller Williams• Mile High Karate• Great Falls Village Centre• Jan and Dan Laytham and Dianne Van Volkenburg Realtors• Main Street Bank• Great Falls Eyecare/Dr. Runke• Deli Italiano Restaurant• Great Falls Swim and Tennis• Loebig Chiropractic• Astro Jump• Megawatts• Great Falls Exxon• Calleva• Great Falls Living$10 per child

Ages 1-10 andParents are freeDonations welcome...

Go on sale at: 12:30

EntranceToddlersNo Parents

1-2on greenwith rides

34th Annual Egg Hunt brought to you by Adeler Jewelersand the Great Falls Optimist Club at the Village Centre

34th Annual Egg Hunt brought to you by Adeler Jewelersand the Great Falls Optimist Club at the Village Centre

WALKER R

OADJoin us for Egg stuffing forthe Egg Hunt at the Grange onMarch 22nd from 6:30-8:30.

If you would like to volunteer for theSpring Festival from 1:00-4:30 on Sunday,March 25th, call Wendy at 703-759-4076

or email [email protected]

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BirthstonesFrom Page 5

Retail • Office Space • Available for Lease • 703-759-2485 • [email protected]

The HEART Of The Great FallsCommunity & Proud Location

Of The Following Events:

Follow us on Facebook for event announcements!Facebook.com/GreatFallsVillageCentre

SHOP GREAT FALLS!Great Falls Village Centrewww.GreatFallsVillageCentre.com

Easter Egg Hunt4th of July Parade

Concerts on the GreenHalloween Spooktackular

Celebration of LightsCars and CoffeeFarmers Market

Photos by Walt Lawrence

Adeler Jewelers...............................703-759-4076AdGen Telecom..............................703-757-6757Allstate Insurance/Doug White.........703-759-7700Aquarian LLC .................................. 703-438-8838Artists on the Green.........................703-609-3092Arts of Great Falls ............................703-232-1575Capital Realty Services ................... 703-759-4900Dent Asset Management.................703-286-7555Dr. C. Ayers ..................................... 703-757-6445Executive Suites at Great Falls .........703-865-2500Georgetown Learning Centers ........ 703-759-3624Great Falls Creamery. .....................703-272-7609Great Falls Cycle Studio..................703-585-5631Great Falls Family Dentistry..............703-759-4707Greenheart Juice Shop...................703-759-2126H2O Pools ....................................... 703-250-5585Jinny Beyer Studio...........................703-759-0250John Nugent and SonPlumbing & Heating........................703-291-1926Katie’s Coffee House.......................703-759-2759Loebig Chiropractic........................703-757-5817New Paradigm Capital Mgmt..........703-757-4802Old Brogue Irish Pub........................703-759-3309Pilates Place, LLC............................703-405-3371Pio Pio Restaurant ........................... 703-865-7700River Nail and Spa .......................... 703-746-8886Robert Mobley, AIA Architect...........703-759-1927School of Theatrical Dance.............703-759-5652Spectrum Property Management .... 703-307-2965Village Centre Mgmt Office ............ 703-759-2485Village Retreat/Massage Therapy....703-638-4852Wells Fargo Bank.............................703-757-1040Wild Ginger Restaurant ................... 703-759-5040

nation, and are said to guarantee health, wis-dom, wealth and success in love. Ruby is avariety of the gems species corundum. It isharder than any natural gemstone except dia-mond, which means a ruby is durable enoughfor everyday wear. Fine-quality ruby is ex-tremely rare, and the color of the gem is mostimportant to its value.

August - PeridotTwo birthstones are available for August

birthdays: Peridot and Sardonyx.Peridot is said to host magical powers and

healing properties to protect against night-mares and to bring the wearer power,influence, and a wonderful year. As peridot isa gemstone that forms deep inside the Earthand brought to the surface by volcanoes, in

Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the tears of Pele,the goddess of fire and volcanoes. Today, mostof the peridot supply comes from Arizona; othersources are China, Myanmar, and Pakistan.

SardonyxSardonyx is a form of onyx and is recog-

nized by its layers of reddish brown and whitebanding. It was popular with the ancientGreeks and Romans who carried into battletalismans of sardonyx engraved with images ofheroes such as Mars or Hercules, believing thatthis would bring courage and victory. Becauseof its attractive banding, sardonyx has longbeen used to fashion cameos (carved raisedfigures) and intaglios (the reverse of cameos).This gemstone is found throughout the world.

September - Sapphire

Sapphire, the September birthstone, hasbeen popular since the Middle Ages and, ac-cording to folklore, will protect your loved onesfrom envy and harm. Medieval clergy woresapphires to symbolize heaven, while common-ers thought the gem attracted heavenlyblessings. Blue sapphires range from very lightto very dark greenish or violetish blue, as wellas various shades of pure blue. The most prizedcolors are a medium to medium dark blue orslightly violetish blue.

October - Tourmalineand Opal

October is another month with two birth-stone choices - Tourmaline and Opal.

Tourmaline has become a favorite gemstoneamong jewelry designer, and gem collectorsthe world over. Since it is available in a widevariety of colors, it is ideally suited to almostanyone's taste.

Tourmaline also is known for displayingseveral colors in the same gemstone. These bi-color or tri-color gems are formed in manycombinations; gemstones with clear color dis-tinctions are highly prized. One multi-colorvariety is known as watermelon tourmaline,and features green, pink, and white colorsbands; to resemble its namesake, the gemstoneis cut into thin slices having a pink center,white ring, and green edge.

The name opal derives from the GreekOpallos, meaning "to see a change (of color)."Opals range in color from milky white to blackwith flashes of yellow, orange, green, red, andblue. An opal's beauty is the product of contrastbetween its color play and its background. Opalis a formation of non-crystalline silica gel thatseeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata.Through time and nature's heating and mold-ing processes, the gel hardened into the formof opals.

November - Topaz and CitrineTwo gems are appropriate for November

birthdays - Topaz and Citrine.Topaz is a gemstone available in a rich rain-

bow of colors. Prized for several thousandyears in antiquity, all yellow gems in antiquitywere called topaz. Often confused with citrinequartz (yellow) and smoky quartz (brown),quartz and topaz are separate and unrelatedmineral species. The most prized color of topazis called Imperial topaz after the Russian Czarsof the 1800s and features a magnificent orangebody color with pinkish undertones.

Citrine, the other birthstone for Novemberis known as the "healing quartz". This goldengemstone is said to support vitality and healthwhile encouraging and guiding hope, energyand warmth within the wearer. Citrine can befound in a variety of shades ranging from pas-tel yellow to dark brownish orange. It is one ofthe most affordable of gemstones and plenti-ful in nature.

December - Tanzanite,Zircon, and Turquoise

The three birthstones associated with De-cember are Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise.

Discovered in the late 1960s in Tanzania,and found exclusively in this tiny area of theworld, tanzanite exhibits a rich violet-bluecolor for which the gemstone is treasured; of-ten it is heat-treated to achieve this color.Colors range from blue to purple, and tanzan-ites that are medium dark in tone, vivid insaturation, and slightly violet blue commandpremium prices. Derived from the Arabicwords zar and gun, meaning gold and color,zircon is found in a wide range of colors suchas: blue, yellow, orange, brown, green, color-less, and red (the most prized color). For manyyears colorless zircon was used to imitate dia-monds. Folk wisdom grants zircon the powerto relieve pain, whet the appetite, protect trav-elers from disease and injury, to ensure a warmwelcome, and to prevent nightmares guaran-teeing a deep, tranquil sleep.

The name turquoise, from the French ex-pression Pierre tourques or Turkish stone,originated in the thirteenth century and de-scribes one of the oldest known gemstones.Turquoise varies in color from greenish blue,through robin's egg-blue, to sky blue shadesand its transparency ranges from translucent toopaque.

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Through The Years

Adeler Jewelers to thank the com-munity for its support”, saidWendy Adeler Hall, whose fatherbegan the celebration over 30years ago. “He’s very communityminded” she said.

There are four age groups for theegg hunt at 4 PM: 8-10 Years tothe north of the green, 5-7 yearsin the middle, 3-4 years to thesouth of the green. The Toddlersand younger are free to pick upeggs near the Festival rides andgames during the festival 1:30-4:30. The children 4 and younger

can have one parent with them,the older ones will be only allowedon the green by themselves. Par-ents can watch behind the ribbons.

The eggs contain candy, butsome of the 8,000 eggs will con-tain gems donated by Adeler Jew-elers. “We usually hide about$8000 of gems mixed in”, Adelersaid. “Typically the gems includeamethyst, garnet, peridot, bluetopaz, citrine, some rubies andemeralds, all the typical birth-stones”, she said. In addition localvendors have sponsored rides, likea moon bounce, a maze and a gi-

ant slide for the children to enjoy.The $10 per child admission giveseach child a bracelet that’s goodfor unlimited rides and the egghunt. “We don’t charge the par-ents admission, but they’re free tomake donations”, she grinned!

The event will take placeweather permitting, and parentscan call 703-759-4076 starting at9 AM on that Sunday if theweather is poor to find out details.Tickets will become available topurchase at 12:30 behind the vil-lage center where the rides will beset up.

The Grand Opening of Spring with the34th Annual Children’s Festival, March 25th.From Pag 7

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