Montpelier Wine Festival - Sat-Sun, May 3-4, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sun)
AUSTIN, Texas -- The shimmering concoction in the martini glass had a dreamy, pale green color. But what exactly was it? Perhaps the cucumber rose perched on the rim offered a clue. Was it a martini made with Hendrick's Gin, which is made with cucumber and rose petals?
Surprising observers throughout the region, the City of Falls Church adopted its coming fiscal year budget Monday by a unanimous vote that raised the residential real estate tax by a mere two cents. The $76,427,560 Fiscal Year ’09 budget fully funds the School Board request and will actually cost the average taxpayer in Falls Church $174 less than a year ago.
With Falls Church City Attorney Roy Thorpe leaving after 12 years of service, the Falls Church City Council voted to retain Assistant Fairfax County Attorney John Everett Foster to fill the slot as of June 2.
Last week’s Reconvened and special sessions resulted in a number of notable accomplishments for the 2008 General Assembly.
WASHINGTON -- The American people have heard President Bush and his spokespersons say many times that the U.S. government does not engage in torture.
Next Tuesday’s municipal election in the City of Falls Church will matter a lot to every man, woman and child living in the city. If you, dear reader, are taking the trouble to look at this editorial, we urge you to put a little extra effort, as well, into getting to the polls at some point between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. this Tuesday, May 6.
Springtime also is celebration time for many Mason District residents and organizations. Congratulations are in order for:
Five former mayors of the City of Falls Church, in two letters to the News-Press published in this edition, joined six members of the current City Council, including the current mayor, to urge voters to vote “No” on the charter-change referendum on the City’s municipal election ballot Tuesday.
In recent weeks, airlines around the world have been reporting substantial losses, declaring bankruptcy or completely shutting down. So far the losses have been mostly of small airlines, but many of the large ones have started to thrash around for merger partners. At $3.71 a gallon, jet fuel is now the single largest expense an airline faces.
Providence Players’ ‘Steel Magnolias’ Opens This Friday
The new theatre at the James Lee Community Center on Annandale Road between Rt. 29 and Rt. 50, just beyond the Falls Church City limits, will again be the venue for a lively production by the Providence Players theatre troupe. This time, Robert Harling’s rousing play, “Steel Magnolias,” will be the production, running from this Friday, May 2, through Saturday, May 17. The performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with two Sunday matinees, May 4 and 11, at 2 p.m. For tickets and info, check www.providenceplayers.org, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (703) 425-6782. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for students and adults over 62.
I recently spent two weeks doing commentary for the new Asian Pacific Poker Tour. The quality of play was surprisingly good but I did notice that many players tended to misplay small pairs before the flop.
This is National Volunteer Week (Apr. 27 - May 3), an annual celebration established by presidential executive order in 1974 that recognizes volunteers and the contributions they make to our communities. This year's theme: “Volunteer to Change the World.”
Tuesday was the saddest day in America in a very long time. The nation’s core values were not attacked by some foreign enemy, but from within. Virulent racism suddenly reared its ugly head, unbridled and unbound, roaring through the nation’s most powerful media institutions to rip the Rev. Jeremiah Wright asunder and to compel his brother Afro-American, a man who would be president, into a public spectacle of compliance and subservient denial. It was a lynching.
For the week of April 22-28, 2008.
Falls Church Business News and Notes for the week of May 1 - 7, 2008.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor for 36 years of a Southside Chicago church that grew from 87 members in 1972 to 8,000 under his leadership, spoke to a sold-out audience at the National Press Club Monday morning, receiving three thundering standing ovations while seeking to establish a context for the series of controversial video snippets from his sermons that have drawn national attention this spring.
Jean and I spent last weekend in Williamsburg attending the 50th reunion of William and Mary’s Class of 1958. It was Jean’s class, not mine, but it was a great weekend nonetheless.
When I first came out in 1988, if two young gay people met, the reaction often was, "You too! I thought I was alone." As my 20-year high school reunion approaches, I witnessed an identical response in a seminal New York Times Magazine cover story. At a coffee shop in Boston, two gay men, Aaron and George, met for the first time.
There's something about air travel that gives Stephen Kellogg pause. When the wheels lift off, so does his mind soaring off into self-reflection. Maybe it's the proximity to the heavens, or the turbulence that imparts a trepidation that every sip from his mini-Coke can might be his last. Whatever it is, there is something about planes that prompts Kellogg to ponder his life.
One of the best things about this region of Virginia is being able to have authentic cultural cuisine at your fingertips without needing a passport. I have never been to Peru, but if the food there is anything reminiscent of that which I had at Fairfax’s Cuzco Restaurant, then consider my bags packed.
FC Arts Gallery Exhibit Opening
Falls Church Arts, looking to expand the art culture of Falls Church with its Da Vinci Passport series of arts events, is celebrating the opening of its latest gallery, Perspectivo: Unexpected Views of Nature. The exhibit features over 60 works by more than 30 members of the organization, celebrating the moment when art resonates with the audience to create a different view of nature. The gallery opens on Friday, May 2, from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Falls Church Arts Gallery (111 Park Ave., Falls Church), with the show running until May 30. For more information, visit www.fallschurcharts.org.
GMHS Alum Awarded Special Room at UVA
George Mason High School alumni of the 2005 graduating class Chad O’Hara was recently chosen by a select committee of faculty and students to be the recipient of the Gus Bladgen Room on the Lawn at the University of Virginia, where O’Hara is currently a junior. The room, nicknamed the “Good Guy Room,” was endowed to honor Blagden, a University graduate, who was beloved and admired throughout the University community. A criterion for selection was based upon such characteristics as good moral character and selfless commitment to serving the University community. O’Hara won this honor up against 100 other nominees.
Dan Reilly’s memorable first “set of wheels “ was not a car. In 1974, in Brooklyn, NY, he custom made his own skateboard out of roller skate wheels and a 2x4 piece of plywood. At the age of 12, this was just the beginning of a ride that would lead to his life long interest in skateboarding and eventually to his self declared title, “Skateboard Historian.”
On the heels of celebration, just following her 16th birthday on August 11, 2003, Gwynora “Nora” Hemphill was diagnosed with liver cancer. Despite her trials with chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and the weight and hair loss that came with the cancer treatments, Hemphill, a student at George Mason High School at the time, impressively retained a positive attitude. Instead of focusing on herself and falling victim to pity, Hemphill turned her concentration outward to her community, helping others in need until she passed away in May of 2006.
Battling a case of nerves isn't that unusual on the first day of a new job. However, battling rapid, rain-forest river currents just to make it to the office is.
Stuart High football, as you know it, is dead.
After a one-win season in 2005, the Raiders were already on life support, sporting a record of 5-64 since the start of the new millennium. The program fully flatlined in 2006 and 2007, when the Raiders never once experienced the thrill of victory and carted a 24-game losing streak into this offseason. After a stretch like that, the spirit summoning slogan of “wait 'til next year” must hold the same level of encouragement as it would for a death row inmate.
A 5-1 rout of rival Clarke County High School highlighted another undefeated week for the George Mason High School boys varsity soccer team. After downing the Eagles on Friday, the Mustangs carried off their sixth-straight district win with a 3-0 victory over Manassas Park on Tuesday.
The J.E.B. Stuart boys varsity tennis team is set to cruise to the National District title this season, flaunts an unblemished record of 10-0 and features one of the top youth tennis players in the country — and head coach Matt Hills is worried.
Starting their second rotation through the Bull Run district, the George Mason High School varsity girls soccer team rolled over Manassas Park last Tuesday, 10-0, to remain undefeated at 5-0. However, a familiar face remains twice on their schedule, as the Mustangs still have to face defending state runner-up Clarke County twice in the next two weeks.
The Mason boys lacrosse team has put the sting of a mid-season loss to Broad Run behind them, as they continued building on their incredible season with another win on Thursday, bringing their season record to an outstanding 10-1.
The Mason High varsity baseball team scraped out a pivotal win over district opponent Rappahannock on Wednesday, April 23, the first of two Bull Run District wins on that week.
Class A Games
Express vs. Mudcats — The Express played exceptionally well as they shut out the Mudcats 8-0. The offense was led by Armando Marquez, who hit a solid double while going 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Jacob Lusk, who also banged out three hits on three trips to the plate with an RBI.
On Saturday, the Falls Church Youth Lacrosse League's U11 Boys traveled to Wakefield High School and defeated a very physical Arlington team, 10 -2, to notch their sixth win, remaining undefeated. The offense was overwhelming behind four goals from Eriksen Johansen, three from Brandon Ward and one apiece from Jackson Cogar, Sean Fitzgerald and Jack Hennessey. The team showed excellent teamwork, as seven of the goals were off of assists, three from Johansen and one each from Myles Cobb, Jacob Litton, Fitzgerald and Hennessey. The team controlled possession of the ball, led by four groundballs by Johansen, Cogar and Fitzgerald.
On Saturday the varsity track teams at George Mason High School participated in their second invitational meet of the season, competing against much larger AAA and AA schools at the Freedom Invitational in Woodbridge, Va.
Mason High Girls Tennis
The Mason girls tennis team, after winning three of their last four matches and upsetting Freedom High School last Tuesday with some clutch play from their doubles teams, played host to National Cathedral last Thursday. The Mason girls squeaked out another tough victory, winning 5-4 over the visiting team. Michelle Repper dominated with an 8-0 victory in singles to lead the charge for the Lady Mustangs, while Annie Zweighaft celebrated her birthday with an 8-5 win over an extremely tough opponent. The doubles once again proved key, as the top two Mustang doubles teams notched victories to move the Lady Mustangs into the “W” column. Repper and Zweighaft played at the No. 1 spot, winning 8-5, while Claire Sedmak and Claire Prybulka won at No. 2 by the same score. After six early losses, the Lady Mustangs are fighting their way back to .500 with a 5-7 record to date. Their next game is Thursday, May 1 at home against Stone Ridge County Day.
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