Last Tuesday, October 17, was the third event in the Mary Riley Styles Library program celebrating Falls Church City’s sister city partnership with Kokolopori, Democratic Republic of Congo. Sally Coxe, president of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI), spoke about her recent expedition to Kokolopori to a rapt audience. She emphasized the critical link between successful great ape conservation and helping the people living in bonobo habitat areas such as Kokolopori improve their health, educational and economic opportunities. Without concerted international support for rainforest people, bonobos–the rarest of the four great ape species–could be extinct in the wild within a decade, before most people on the planet even know they exist. One important way Falls Church citizens can help Kokolopori residents improve their lives is by supporting the establishment of Kokolopori’s new health clinic. Coxe mentioned the grateful father whose toddler son had been saved by BCI staff after the boy had fallen into a cooking fire, because they provided antibiotic cream for his burns and transported him to the nearest hospital 70 kilometers away. By working with BCI and Vie Sauvage, BCI’s Congolese partner organization in Kokolopori, Falls Church citizens have an opportunity to make a big difference in the lives of a Congolese community and the forests and wildlife that are part of our common global heritage. Next Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m., is the fourth and final event in the Mary Riley Styles Library’s Kokolopori program: modern and traditional Congolese music by Bana Ndule (Children of Music), a live five person band.
Student “Granted” Summer Research Award
While some college students were sunbathing and shopping, Falls Church resident Winthrop Rodgers used the summer break to earn a Hoffman Research Support Grant to work with Professor Trian Nguyen in art and visual culture. Rodgers, a sophomore at Bates College, edited images of Vietnamese Buddhist portrait sculptures that date back from the 14th century, so that they can be published in a book Professor Nguyen is currently writing. Hoffman Research Support Grants are awarded to students engaged in summer research and can be up to $1,000. Bates College is a small liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine.
‘Tis the Season to buy Art
After last year’s smashing success, Falls Church Art will hold its Second Annual Holiday Gallery at its new home on 111 Park Ave., Falls Church. Missed out on last year’s fun? This year will gallery will feature original art, painting, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, photography and more, all created by more than a dozen local artists. The opening reception is Friday, November 3 from 6-8 p.m. The Gallery will run until December 23rd with hours of Monday- Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sundays 12-4 p.m. For more information please see www.FallsChurchArts.org.
A Burger To Build On
On October 28 the Falls Church Scout Building Association (FCSBA) will host its annual barbeque to raise money for maintenance and repair of the Scout House located at 128 Spring St. The Scout House is a historic log cabin home to generations of Falls Church Boy and Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and a Children’s Play Group/Mothers’ Morning Out Program. The fundraiser will help supply money for preservation of the logs and the replacement of the windows. For more information call Kevin Coleman at (703) 241-1617 or Barry Buschow at (703) 533-8610.
Local Restaurant to Get Jazzed Up
Despite nearby construction, Falls Church Sign of the Whale is singing a happy tune. The restaurant will host two jazz shows in November featuring critically acclaimed Canadian saxophonists and composer Jeff Antoniuk with the Jazz Update quartet. The quartet features two Falls Church residents, Tony Martuccci on drums and Wade Beach on piano. The first show will be on Thursday November 2 from 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. and will be the first of a regular series for the group, who has been asked to perform the first Thursday of every month. On Friday, November 17, there will also be a show to celebrate the upcoming release of the Jazz Updates first CD. There is no cover charge for either event; for more information please call (703) 573-1616.
Hundreds Help Carve Out A Smashing Success
With the shortage of pumpkins this year, 1,600 of the big, orange squash were brought in from Maine last Friday where they were decapitated and gutted in preparation for the first annual Clarksburg Pumpkin Festival the following day. The one-day event, which featured pumpkin carving, music, food and seasonal fun was held at Clarksburg Town Center. The brainchild of companies Life is Good and Newland Communities, the event raised nearly $30,000 for the NIH Children’s Inn and Camp Sunshine, charities that help children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Both companies hope to make this New England tradition an annual event in the Clarksburg area.
Capital Chorus To Take Part in Harvest of Music
Several Falls Church and Northern Virginia residents will perform as part of the 50-man Singing Capital Chorus on stage at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on November 4. The chorus will be part of the 60th Harvest of Harmony Barbershop performance and promises to transport the viewer back to “an America of simpler and nostalgic times”. Tickets range from $12-18 and will be sold at the Lisner Auditorium (21st & H St. NW, DC) or can be purchased by calling (301) 946-0934.
Former Mustang Enjoys Academic Success
Congratulations to George Mason High School alum Lisa Webb who has been inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Webb, a sophomore at the University of Denver, graduated from Mason in 2005. Membership into the Society, the nation’s only interdisciplinary honors organization for first and second year college students, is based on scholarship, leadership and service.
Hall of Fame Tickets Still Available
All members of the Falls Church community are encouraged to attend the induction ceremony for the George Mason High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 4. Among those to be honored include Ted Yeary, Jim Davis, Joan Clinton, Nick Earman, Jenny Boozell, Carlos Rodriguez, Al Krueger and the 1954 boys track and field team. The ceremony will be held in the Mustang Gym at the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School starting at 5:30 p.m. Those interested in purchasing tickets should contact Joel Hamme at joel.hamme@ppsv.com or (703) 534-0161.
Cabs Take Fright Out of Holiday Driving
As a means to keep the scares strictly in terms of ghosts and goblins, free cab rides will be offered throughout Falls Church on Halloween evening to promote safe driving. Offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the Halloween SoberRide program will be in operation beginning at 8 p.m. on October 31 and will operate until 4 a.m. on November 1. During this eight hour period, area residents 21 and older celebrating with alcohol may call the toll-free SoberRide phone number 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a no-cost (up to $50 fare) safe way home.
Recognizing a long run of HOPE
HOPE in Northern Virginia, Inc. recently celebrated 35 years of meaningful assistance to women facing unplanned pregnancies. The ministry to expectant mothers grew from the basement of St. Ambrose Church to an office above 7 St. Deli and finally to its current facility at 610 Park Avenue in the spring of 1982. HOPE volunteers assist clients who may be emotional unprepared for a pregnancy, economically strained by that reality, or a student/immigrant with many additional challenges to address. The volunteers also utilize community resources to help pregnant women find practical solutions in the community to address housing, medical care, employment and other basic needs. For more information on HOPE or to volunteer some of your time please contact, (703) 536-2020 or hopeinnova@verizon.net.
Falls Church Native Selected as Kennedy Center Intern
Congratulations to Eric Snow of Falls Church, Va. who was recently selected by the Kennedy Center as one of 25 fall interns through the Center’s Experiential Education Initiative (EEI), a part of the Center’s Institute for Arts Management. Eric, son of Nick and Robbie Snow, attended Madison High School and has volunteered with the Falls Church Community Service Council and the Providence Players of Fairfax. The internship, recognized as one of the “Top 100 Internships” by the Princeton Review, is full time and includes assisting with administrative and technical aspects of the Center in addition to attending weekly seminars led by executives of the Center and other major art institutions in DC. While at the Kennedy Center, Eric is working in the Document Center.
For Library, Food is Better than Fine
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library is giving you a chance to save your wallet from overdue fines and help a good cause when the annual “Food for Fines” Week kicks off this Sunday, October 29. The event, which runs through November 4, is an opportunity for patrons to clear their records of library fines by donating food for local food banks. Each grocery item will cover the fine for one overdue item which includes books, videos, DVDs, CDs or cassettes. Those notorious for forgetting to return items really luck out as there is no limit on the number of fines that can be cleared or overdue materials that can be returned. Items can be returned to the library (120 Virginia Ave., Falls Church, Va.) during regularly scheduled hours. For more information contact the library at (703) 248-5030 or visit www.falls-church.lib.va.us.
FC Well-Comes Center
The Consumer Wellness Center celebrated its’ grand opening on Wednesday with an open house and ribbon cutting event from 1-5 p.m. The Center’s goal is similar to the Reston Drop-In Center and strives to provide a safe, substance-free atmosphere to adults 18 years and older who are mental health consumers. An art room, computer classes and other recreational programs will be available at the center which is located at 6245 Leesburg Pk. Suite 420, in Falls Church.
