F.C. ‘Arts District’ Push to Begin Sept. 8
Two leaders of the City of Falls Church’s burgeoning arts community will be addressing the F.C. City Council at its Sept. 8 meeting, reporting on progress in the development of an arts center at the new Pearson Square mixed use project and advocating that the City officially designated itself as an “Arts District.”
Laura Hull of the Creative Cauldron and former Vice Mayor Marty Meserve of the Falls Church Arts are slated to address the Council, and Hull said they’d present a draft resolution that the Council could use to certify the City with the official “Arts and Cultural District” designation that the Virginia State Legislature authorized in 2005. The designation includes provisions for a set of tax and other incentives to encourage the location of arts-related enterprises in the City. “We’re very heartened by the progress in our theatre and visual arts center at Pearson Square,” Hull told the News-Press. “We’re getting wonderful cooperation from our Transwestern landlords, and it looks like we’ll have a space that can seat about 100 people.”
F.C. School Patron Celebrates 95th Birthday
Jesse Thackrey, an icon of the City of Falls Church’s school system, one of the earliest members of its school board and a continuing supporter through scholarships and other forms of support, will celebrate her 95th birthday with friends and family this Saturday. The event is being coordinated by the Falls Church (Continuing) Episcopalian Church, where she is an active member. The non-profit Falls Church Educational Foundation (FCEF) has created a Jesse Thackrey Early Childhood Classroom Fund, which is used to enrich the school system of which she has been such an important part. Those wishing to celebrate Thackrey’s birthday with a gift are being encouraged to make a donation to her fund. Checks can be made out to the FCEF, designating the Jesse Thackrey Fund on the “memo” line, and mailed to 450 W. Broad St., Suite 305, Falls Church, VA 22046. Persons seeking more information on Saturday’s party can contact the church at 703-532-8818.
Falls Church Woman Wins Vlasic Contest
Nikki Umbreit, 22, of Falls Church was announced this week as the winner of the Vlasic Pickles company competition to “be” the company’s primary marketing symbol, the Vlasic stork. Her 50-word essay about her love of Vlasic pickles and how she’d bring the stork character to life with her personality and passion for pickles earned her a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and a chance to make an appearance as the Vlasic stork at an event to be determined.
Hazel Adcock Estate Sale Saturday in F.C.
An estate sale of the property of the late Hazel Adcock, a well-known and active Falls Church City resident for many years, is slated at her 300 Lawton Street home Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Her collection includes items gathered during travels abroad, and include Ethiopian pottery and paintings, sterling flatware, carpets, a large glass collection and a library of books on international and art subjects. Falls Church’s Quinn Auction Galleries and Estate Services is conducting the sale. Adcock was a member of the Falls Church Women’s Club, Garden Club and a founding member of the Cherry Hill Writers and Poets Society. She contributed historical features published in the Falls Church News-Press in the early 1990s.
F.C. Police Offer ‘Bullying & School Violence’ Seminar
This Friday, Aug. 22, the Falls Church City Police will offer a second free summer seminar, “Teen Truth: An Inside Look at Bullying and School Violence,” open to educators, parents and students from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the City Hall Training Center. Seminar leaders will discuss how to change the alienating culture of high school, stop bullies, and make school a safe and supportive place for all young people. Pre-registration is urged by calling Officer Derrica Wilson at 703-248-5056 or e-mailing dwilson@fallschurchva.gov. An earlier seminar was held on Aug. 11.
