11th Annual Tinner Hill Festival Saturday

Falls Church's Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation will host its 11th annual festival this Saturday at its vacant lot in the 500 block of S. Washington St. A range of live musical performances will commence at noon. The fete celebrates the location of the first rural branch of the NAACP established in 1918, and this year also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown Vs. Board of Education decision.

In addition to the music, highlights include a tribute to the late Piedmont blues musician John Jackson of Falls Church by his sons and the presentation of a Commonwealth of Virginia Commendation honoring him. The winners of the 8th annual E.B. Henderson `Dear Editor' contest will be honored at 3 p.m.

The contest asks local high school students to write a letter to the editor responding to a newspaper article or photo that addresses issues of ethnic minority prejudice or that promotes understanding of community multicultural diversity. The competition is in memory of the prolific letters to the editor writing of E.B. Henderson, the founder of the first rural NAACP branch here.

A $1,000 first prize award this year goes to Sofia Misenheimer of George Mason High School in Falls Church. A second prize of $500 was awarded to Sara Greenberg and a third prize of $300 went to Jennifer Jenkins.

"Distinguished writer" awards of $50 each went to Paulina Hoang, Louise Robertson and Emily Walden. "Special merit" awards of $25 each went to Anna Duning, Marie-Louise Juul Jenson, Katie Mitchell and Rachel Taylor.

Funding for the awards was provided by the Washington Post and the process assisted by Diener and Associates, CPAs. Dena Sewall, granddaughter of E.B. Henderson, chaired the contest.

Local author Bob Kuska will present his new book about Henderson, entitled "Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketball and Changed America's Game Forever," selling and signing copies. Kuska writes that Henderson saw basketball "not as an end in itself, but as a public health and civil rights tool."

Soul food by Big Daddy's BBQ and Paradise's Homemade Ice Cream will be available, and other vendors will be selling crafts and services representative of African and African-American culture.

The Falls Church Music Conservatory Jazz Band opens the entertainment at noon, followed by the United Gospel Singers, Imani, the James Lee Sparkettes, the Jackson Brothers' tribute to John Jackson, Sojourner Trtuh, Danny Blew and the Blues Crew and Second Chance.

The City of Falls Church is a co-sponsor of the event along with Diener and Associates, CPAs, Foxes Music Company, Cox Communications, the Falls Church Animal Hospital and WFAX Radio.

Free parking is available at the site of the duck pin bowling alley on 500 S. Maple Ave.