A Penny For Your Thoughts

Most people consider January 1 the beginning of the New Year, but September seems to make a good case for replacing the traditional January date. Now that school has started again for most students, and traffic patterns have returned to their pre-summer vacation modes, community events are crowding the calendar. Everyone seems to have plans to kick off a new season right after Labor Day.

In addition to numerous civic association fall parties, here are some events that might be added to your calendars. On Saturday, September 11, Fairfax County will hold a candlelight vigil in commemoration of the three-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the memorial grove planted at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 p.m. Attendees will gather in the Forum of the Government Center and be led to the grove site by the Fairfax County Public Safety Honor Guard.

On Sunday, September 12, the video “Historic Mason District” will premiere at the historic Clark House, 6332 Barcroft Mews in Falls Church (just off Columbia Pike near the Barcroft Plaza Shopping Center). Guest curator and video producer Naomi Zeavin will present background information about the making of the video and answer questions from the audience. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. and is free.

Also on the 12th is the annual Slavic Festival at the Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church, 3410 Woodburn Road in Annandale (near INOVA Fairfax Hospital). There always is good music, good food, and good fellowship at the Slavic Festival, and admission is free. Shuttles will run from the Woodburn Road Medical Offices parking lot to the church site. The 25th Annual Mason District Park Festival will be held on Saturday, Septem-ber 18, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the park, 6621 Columbia Pike in Annandale. Live entertainment on the showmobile stage, craft vendors, food, police and fire demon-strations, and children’s rides are featured at this popular family event sponsored by the Friends of Mason District Park and the Fairfax County Park Authority. Admission and parking are free. (Raindate is Sunday, September 19, same hours.)

Completion of the Bailey’s Crossroads Streetscape will be celebrated at a special opening on Wednesday, September 22, at 10:00 a.m. The celebration will be hosted by the Bailey’s Crossroads Revitalization Corporation at 3515 Courtland Drive (corner of Columbia Pike). The streetscape project from the Arlington County line to Lacy Boulevard will be completed this month after years of planning and more than a year of construction. The project was funded by bonds approved by the voters in 1987.

Gardeners will find lots of inspiration for leisure-time projects at the Fall Fling at Green Spring Gardens on Saturday, September 25. This Friends of Green Spring (FROGs) fund-raising event will include lectures about gardens and the creation of Historic Green Spring, a silent auction, and a delicious chocolate fountain for dipping fruits and treats. The $20 registration fee includes the lectures, a bidder number, and access to the chocolate waterfall. The event is scheduled, rain or shine, from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Green Spring Gardens can be accessed from its new entrance on Braddock Road, one block north of the Little River Turnpike intersection. Parking is free.