June Events Announced By Tinner Hill Heritage Fdn.

Two events are taking place this week, held by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation (THHF). The first is the dedication ceremony for the newly unveiled mural, “Welcome to Tinner Hill,” at the intersection of S. Washington Blvd. and Tinner Hill Rd.

The ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. at 106 Tinner Hill Rd., followed by a reception at 12:00 p.m.
THHF says “Welcome to Tinner Hill” serves as a beacon to one of the historically African American areas of Falls Church, VA, founded in 1872 by Charles Tinner — an outstanding Stonemason — and his wife Elizabeth, who purchased land for their family, built a home (which still stands today), and divided the land among their ten children to build their own homes.

In 1915, after the town of Falls Church proposed racially segregating housing, nine men gathered in the home of Joseph and Mary Tinner to organize and oppose the ordinance. This group, led by Joseph Tinner and Edwin B. Henderson would (in 1918) become the first rural branch of the NAACP in the nation and fight discrimination and injustice throughout Northern Virginia.

Images in the mural are based on the Tinner Hill neighborhood, which remains intact today and historic photographs from the Tinner Family Collection, the Henderson Family Collection and the Collection of THHF.

THHF invites the community to their Juneteenth Festival on Wednesday, June 19, from 12:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. A day of fun, festivities, friendship, “edutainment” and refreshments, the Juneteenth Celebration is inspired by the freedom celebrations that began June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas when the last enslaved people in America were liberated.

Family-friendly activities will include music, songs, games, storytelling, a bouncy house, African drummers, a mime, book readings, authors, chalk art, and historic re-enactors. Speakers include Chad Eric Smith from the Mural Arts Philadelphia Project, and Bellen Woodard — a 13 year old author, the worlds’ first “Crayon Activist,” and a Time Magazine “Kid of the Year” honoree.

Juneteenth Celebrations and traditions pay tribute to the liberation of America’s enslaved people.

FCCAN to Host Home Electrify & Efficiency Event June 22

On Saturday, June 22, from 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. the Falls Church Climate Action Network (FCCAN), along with Falls Church Forward, will host “Electrify Falls Church,” an open house event to help F.C. residents shift away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change, save money, and improve the health and comfort of their homes.

The event is an opportunity to learn from neighbors and a few experts about the range of actions citizens can take. Some topics to be covered at the event include heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery back-up, electric cars and bikes, induction cooking ranges, home insulation and air sealing, and electric garden equipment.

Free pre-registration is required to attend at: fccan.net/electrify-rsvp. The location of the event will be provided upon registration. The event will be held “shine or rain.” Free ice cream will be served.

If you have your own experience or expertise to share, FCCAN encourages you to consider volunteering. Learn more at fccan.net/volunteer-rsvp.

To learn more about FCCAN, visit fccan.net. To learn more about Falls Church Forward, visit
fallschurchforward.org/.

Kensington F.C. Announces Summer Concert Series

Summer is here, and it’s time to groove at The Kensington Falls Church’s Summer Concert Series! Join an evening of live music as they launch their summer concert season in style. Sit back, relax, and soak up the sounds of talented musicians surrounded by great company.

Enjoy an afternoon filled with live music, dancing, fun, and signature summer bites
The first of these monthly concerts begins on Thursday, June 20, from 4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m. at The Kensington (700 W. Broad St., Falls Church), with swingin’ summer sounds by PG and The Hot Tips.
Next month’s performance will be Wednesday, July 24, from 4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m. at The Kensington with acoustic tunes by Sam O’Hare & Josh Earls.

Bringing the series to the close will be a performance by Ginny Carr Goldberg, with vocals and keyboard from the Great American Songbook, Thursday, August 15 from 4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m. at The Kensington.

Cauldron’s “Summer Concert Series” Lineup Announced

This week Creative Cauldron announced the lineup for their annual “Summer Concert Series,” featuring some of the most talented and diverse musicians in the DMV and beyond, which will launch on June 28 and run through August 24, The series is curated by Wammy Award-winning artists Ken Avis and Cauldron’s resident associate artistic director Matt Conner, and features musical styles and genres from Latin, jazz, and blues to acapella.

2024 “Summer Concert Series” Performances (all begin 7:30 p.m.)

• June 28: The Simon & Garfunkel Songbook Tribute
• June 29: The Fly Birds
• July 12: Griefcat
• July 13: The Dave Kline Band
• July 19: Taisha Estrada
• July 20: Josanne Francis
• July 26: Daryl Davis & Friends
• July 27: The Guitar Renegades”
• August 2: Vox Pop
• August 3: Be Steadwell “Queer Love Songs”
• August 10: A Toast to Tosti with Wesley Diener
• August 16: Sharón Clark
• August 17: Ayo “Celebrating Ms. Sarah Vaughan”
• August 23: Irene Jalenti
• August 24: Veronneau

For more information about the series or to purchase tickets, visit creativecauldron.org or call the box office at 703-436-9948.

FCPS Chair Statement on Staff Collective Bargaining Vote

Fairfax County School Board Chair Karl Frisch released the following statement on the heels of news that instructional and operational staff in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) — one of Virginia’s largest employers — have voted to allow Fairfax Education Unions to represent and collectively bargain for them:
“This is a historic and exciting day for Fairfax County. Collective bargaining will help staff retention and student success. After all, teacher working conditions are student learning conditions. Everyone wins when educators and other school staff have a seat at the decision-making table — pay increases, working conditions improve, and turnover becomes less common.

“Growing up, my dad had a public sector union job, and my mother waited tables. Our family’s stable middle-class existence was a direct result of their hard work and the transformative power of collective bargaining. I am excited that our tireless educators and staff now have that right too.”

In February 2020 the FCPS School Board voted unanimously to reverse its longstanding opposition to collective bargaining rights for teachers and staff, adopting a Frisch-sponsored amendment to the FCPS legislative program —issues the school division lobbies for and against in Richmond and Washington.
A few weeks later, the General Assembly came through, giving localities, including school boards, the option of granting collective bargaining rights to public employees. The FCPS School Board moved quickly, initiating a process following an “interest-based” model to draft a resolution for board consideration.

Each of the school division’s 17 certified employee associations was invited to participate in the collective bargaining resolution’s development, working with division counsel, staff, and experts for more than a year to reach a consensus.

Following that process, the FCPS School Board hosted a work session to discuss the draft resolution’s finer details, and a public hearing to receive feedback from staff, students, families, and community members.

Last March the School Board passed a resolution providing collective bargaining rights to teachers and other staff in FCPS, opening the door for today’s historic staff vote. Frisch sponsored the resolution, which was seconded by then-board member Stella Pekarsky, who now represents western Fairfax County in the Virginia Senate as a Democrat.

Two Fairfax Co. Lawmakers Named ‘Legislators of the Year’

Freedom Virginia — a non-partisan non-profit organization dedicated to building a commonwealth where all families have the financial freedom to thrive — this week named two Fairfax County lawmakers “Legislators of the Year,” explaining the decision by saying:

“Virginia Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax) was honored for her bill, SB 388, which would have banned surprise junk fees in Virginia. The Richmond Times-Dispatch called Sen. Pekarsky’s legislation “the most sweeping consumer protection measure to emerge in this year’s General Assembly session.” Sen. Pekarsky took on special interests and fought for consumers in an effort to end surprise hidden fees on transactions. Every year, the average family of four loses $3,200 to junk fees on concert tickets, rental cars, food delivery, cell phone bills, rental apartments and other purchases. SB 388 passed the Senate with bipartisan support, and made it all the way to the House floor in its first year.

“Del. Karrie Delaney (D-Loudoun) was selected for her bill, HB 570, which would have created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) to lower the cost of medicine for Virginians. If adopted, the board would be empowered to set reasonable upper payment limits on certain high-cost prescription drugs. This year marked the first time that a Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill passed both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. Although Governor Youngkin sided with Big Pharma and vetoed the bill, Delegate Delaney’s ability to work across the aisle has built critical bipartisan momentum ahead of the 2025 legislative session.

“Both as lawmakers and as parents, Senator Pekarsky and Delegate Delaney know that we need to fight for policies that lower costs for hardworking families,” said Freedom Virginia Executive Director Rhena Hicks. “We thank them for their fearless leadership in standing up to special interests so that Virginians can keep more of their hard-earned money.”

Sen. Pekarsky thanked Freedom Virginia for the recognition, and committed to continue working to ban junk fees in the state, saying “Every year, too many hardworking Virginians lose thousands to this deceitful practice that also undermines honest small businesses. I am proud of the progress we made this year and know we will continue to build support in the legislature to pass this bill in the future.

“I will never back down from fighting Big Pharma in order to lower prescription drug costs for my constituents,” said Delegate Karrie Delaney. “I appreciate this honor and look forward to building even more bipartisan support for a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Virginia. Together, we can do the work to make medicine more affordable.”

Other legislators representing Fairfax County who were honored include Affordability Champions Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) and Del. Kathy Tran (D-Springfield); Economic Security Allies Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington), Sen. Saddam Salim (D-Falls Church), Del. Laura Jane Cohen (D-Burke), Del. Rozia Henson (D-Woodbridge), Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra (D-Reston), Del. Holly Seibold (D-Vienna), and Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church).

Freedom Virginia’s full legislative scorecard is available at tinyurl.com/FCNP0624fv.