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Senior LivingPage, 8

Recognizing Volunteers of the YearSports, Page 5

‘They’re Really Making These Characters Live’Entertainment, Page 3

Contemporary,Romantic,

Magic-FilledComedy

Entertainment, Page 2

Molly Marsh portrays the fierce Titania in Chantilly High’s upcoming play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

2 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Entertainment

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Shakespeare comes to the local stagewhen Chantilly High presents theclassic comedy, “A MidsummerNight’s Dream.” The cast and crew

of 65 have been rehearsing since February,and Director Andy Shaw double-cast theplay “because we had so many talented stu-dents who deserved to be in this show.”

The curtain rises Wednesday-Saturday,May 1-4, at 7 p.m. Tickets at $12, adults,and $10, students, at the door or viachantillyhsdrama.com.

The story is about four misguided lovers.Lysander and Hermia want to marry, butDemetrius loves Hermia, too, and her par-ents approve of him and not Lysander.Meanwhile, Helena loves Demetrius, but it’sunrequited.

THEY ALL GO into a forest, where theforest spirits put a love potion on their eyesand meddle with their relationships.

However, Shaw put his own twist on thisplay by placing it in post-modern, futuris-tic, Athens, Greece. “There’s magic happen-ing, but I wanted this to feel more contem-porary and relevant to the audience,” hesaid.

So although the scenes take place in apalace and a forest, the costumes were in-spired by “The Hunger Games” movies, “The

Walking Dead” TV series, plus Steampunk.And the story’s three main groups of people– the lovers, fairies and mechanicals (the

common workers) – are dressed accord-ingly.

“Things are going well, and the cast ishaving fun,” said Shaw. “People who’ve onlyread Shakespeare will be surprised to seehow active it is onstage. One of the hardestthings for actors is to make sense of the lan-guage. But they’ve all put in the time – evenoutside of rehearsal – to really learn andunderstand what they’re saying, and they’redoing an amazing job.”

“In the long history of Chantilly theater,it’s the first time we’ve done Shakespeareas a mainstage production,” continuedShaw. “The audience will enjoy all the physi-cal comedy, the variety of different and in-teresting characters, plus the three differ-ent interwoven plots. There’s a romance,bickering married fairies and a group ofcommon, everyday people – themechanicals – trying to put on a play.”

Senior Jared Belsky portrays Lysander, awealthy citizen of Athens. “He’s lovey-doveyand respectful to Hermia and is a good guy,likeable, witty, friendly and a smoothtalker,” said Belsky. “This role is fun becauseI play Lysander – both when he’s in his rightmind, and after he’s been possessed by thelove potion – and show the difference. Forexample, when under the potion, he’s a lotmore over-the-top and comical.”

Since this is a lighthearted comedy, Belsky

Chantilly High presents ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’

Contemporary, Romantic, Magic-Filled Comedy

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 26-28Rock of Ages: High School

Edition. Friday-Saturday, 7 p.m.;Sunday, 2 p.m. at Westfield HighSchool in Chantilly. As the sunsets on the LA strip, Rock ‘n’ Rollcomes alive inside the doors ofthe Bourbon Room. Withimpending demolitions and thestruggles of young love, thepeople of the strip are still“looking for nothin’ but a goodtime” in this electrifying tale ofRock of Ages. The cast and crewof Westfield Theatre’s Rock ofAges will be collecting donationsfor Shelter House at eachperformance. Visitshelterhouse.org for a list ofneeded items. Tickets are $10 atwestfieldtheatre.com or $12 atthe door.

SATURDAY/APRIL 27Springfest 2019. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at

Sully Historic Site, 3650 HistoricSully Way, Chantilly. Springfest isa once a year, environmentalfestival that strives to educateNorthern Virginia residents,businesses and students on thebenefits of helping our planet.Springfest strives to celebrate ourplanet and participate in theobservance of Earth Day. Emailayleah@cleanfairfax.org or visitSpringfestfairfax.org for more.

Home Collection Unveiling. 1-3p.m. at Belfort Furniture, 22250Shaw

Road, Dulles. HGTV personalities,Erin and Ben Napier, will be on-site at Belfort Furniture to unveiltheir new home collections made

Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection

Rehearsing a volatile scene from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” are thelovers (from left) Cullen Kendrick (Demetrius), Haley Herman (Helena),Matthew Mendoza (Lysander) and Jenna Antonacci (Hermia).

See Shakespeare, Page 6

in Virginia. Guests will have theopportunity to meet Erin and BenNapier, and register for a chance towin furniture giveaways, plus otherprizes. No purchase is necessary.Customers will enjoy live music and

refreshments throughout theafternoon. Call 703-406-7600 or visitwww.belfortfurniture.com/grandopening for more.

Fundraiser: VFW Post 8469. 1-5p.m. at Bowl America, 5615 Guinea

Road, Burke. VFW Post 8469 willhost a public bowling event to raisefunds to help support veterans’needs. The cost is $20 for threegames and shoes, plus a raffle ticketto win either a decorative Flags ofValor Flag, a guided day hike in theShenandoah, two tickets to AmyGrant at the Birchmere or a bowlingball. There will also be a CertifiedService Offices on site to help withVeteran benefit issues.

“Enchanted Forest” Joy Prom.6:30-8:30 p.m. at Centreville BaptistChurch, 15100 Lee Hwy, Centreville.Similar to Tim Tebow’s “Night toShine,” this is a free event for all whoregister and intended to be a night offun for the special needs communityas well as a time of respite forfamilies and caregivers. Local youthare volunteering to be coupled withparticipants as “buddies” throughoutthe night’s activities. Registration toparticipate is open to all ages 13 andup, but not limited to high schoolstudents. Visit www.cbcva.org/joyprom.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/APRIL 27-28LEGO Model Train Show. Saturday,

10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.at the Fairfax Station RailroadMuseum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad, Fairfax Station. TheWashington D.C. Metropolitan AreaLEGO Train Club (WamaLTC)members will hold a two day LEGO-based train show. All trains, buildingsand scenery in the display are builtfrom LEGO blocks and shapes.Donations of unwanted LEGO piecesand sets are appreciated to helpsupport WamaLTC’s efforts to bringfun and education to all ages through

its activities.Ages 16 and older,$4; 5-15, $2; 4 and under, free.Visit www.fairfax-station.org orcall 703-425-9225.

SATURDAY/APRIL 27-FRIDAY/MAY 3“7 Divine Laws for Happiness &

Fulfillment.” Saturday-Sunday;4:30-7:30 p.m.; Monday-Friday,6-9 p.m. at Rajdhani Mandir,4525 Pleasant Valley Road,Chantilly. Swami Mukundanandais a renowned teacher ofSpirituality, Yoga and Meditation.He is the founder of the yogicsystem JKYog also known as Yogafor Body, Mind and Soul. Free.Visit www.jkyog.org/events/7-divine-laws-happiness-fulfillment-chantilly-va or call 703-901-3731.

SUNDAY/APRIL 28Echoes of the Past - History

Comes to Life. 1-4 p.m. atFrying Pan Farm Park MeetingHouse, 2739 West Ox Hill Road,Herndon. Return to 18th centuryFairfax County. Learn about thereligious freedom movement, therole the meeting house played inthat movement, and the role ofthe church in the lives of peoplewithin the community.Reenactors, special guests speak,18th century games and exhibitswill bring the history to life. Eventis free. Call 703-437-9101.

Ballet: Carmen. 3-4:30 at HyltonPerforming Arts Center, 10960George Mason Circle, Manassas.Virginia National Ballet presentsthe ballet Carmen and thepremiere of Life In The Fast Lane,

Submit entertainment announcements at www.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. The deadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artwork encouraged.Calendar

See Calendar, Page 6

Saaya Pikula and Emanuel Tavares, Principal Dancers ofVNB rehearse for Carmen.

Ballet PerformanceVirginia National Ballet presents the ballet Carmen and the premiere of Life In

The Fast Lane, a rock ballet to the music of The Eagles. Sunday, April 28, 3-4:30at Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas. $40. Call703-753-5005 or visit hylton.calendar.gmu.edu/virginia-national-ballet-carmen-and-life-in-the-fast-lane.

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Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Entertainment

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Was it Col. Mustard in thestudy with a wrench? OrMiss Scarlett in the librarywith a rope? These ques-

tions and others will be answered whenCentreville High presents the comic, mur-der mystery, “Clue.”

Based on both the classic game and the1985 movie, the play is set for Friday, May3, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 4, at 3 and7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m.Tickets are $10 at the door and viawww.theatrecentreville.com.

In the story, a group of people are invitedto a dinner party – and each person is be-ing blackmailed by the host. He then askseach guest to kill his butler for him – butinstead, he ends up the victim. Then theyall try to solve his murder before the policearrive.

There’s a cast and crew of about 25, andDirector Mike Hudson says it’s going to be“a hysterical show. As soon as it becameavailable for high schools to perform, I wasjumping up and down because the movie,‘Clue,’ came out about the same time as themovie, ‘Murder by Death,’ which I loved,but which had no screenplay for staging.”

“I thought it would be great for highschools because it’s a satire of the murder-mystery genre, it’s funny, is full of actionand energy, and should be enjoyable for allages,” he explained. “We have a lot of ex-citing talent in this show. I’m fortunate tohave had these students available to cast inthese parts because they’re really makingthese characters live.”

WITH THE STORY set in 1959 in a dark,gothic mansion on top of a hill in the Mas-sachusetts countryside, anything can hap-pen. The party guests will be dressed in suitsand cocktail dresses as the mystery deep-ens and the comedy unfurls. As for the au-dience, said Hudson, “I just think they’regoing to have a rip-roaring time.”

Senior Maxwell Leitch portraysWadsworth, the butler. “He’s British, veryattentive and clever, with a witty, dry senseof humor,” said Leitch. “He’s also the driv-ing force of the story and moves everythingalong.”

Leitch is enjoying his role becauseWadsworth “has a lot of energy and is anexplosive character. He yells and can getvery dramatic in a funny way.” He said theaudience will like the show because “It’sreally funny and a good time. And the setwill be really cool. We’ll have a turntablewhere different rooms will rotate on andoff.”

“We also have lots of hilarious charactersand talented actors,” he continued. “And thestory has many twists and turns and a lotof surprises that’ll keep people in suspense.”

Playing party guest Col. Mustard is seniorRicky Mu–oz. “He’s a retired colonel and a

cal, and I’m excited to see it come tolife onstage.”

SOPHOMORE Lydia Buono portraysparty guest Miss Scarlett. “She’s amadam and owns a brothel,” saidBuono. “But she’s not ashamed ofwhat she does and is very elegant, butalso a little tawdry. She’s also snoopyand wants to know other people’s se-crets so she’ll have power over themand be above them.”

She said this role is a little out ofher comfort zone. “But that’s what Ilove about playing her,” said Buono.“She’s so different from me, so I getto stretch myself as an actor. I also likethat she’s so cunning and confident inherself, and I aspire to be like that.”

Buono said audiences will love thisshow because “Both the plot and theset are intricately designed. And eachcharacter is unique in their own way– and that’s what makes it super funto perform and to watch.”

Playing Professor Plum, also a partyguest and a college psychology profes-sor, is senior Nick Mazzi. “He’s asmarmy character, intelligent, cleverand witty,” said Mazzi. “He gets alongwith Scarlett and is definitely a ladies’man. He’s more of an outsider than theother guests, but he also enjoys smok-ing, drinking and being at parties.”

Mazzi is having fun with his part. “Ilike his smirkiness,” he said. “He’s think-ing, ‘HmmmÉhow many women arehere? Are there drinks? And how can Iget close to you, get your number andtake you home?’ He thinks he’s smooth,but he comes off as more of a creep.I’ve never played a character like thisbefore, and it’s fun because you don’tsee characters like him, all the time.”

“The audience will like the relation-ships and chemistry we’re able to showonstage,” he said. “The play is complex,but not confusing. It’s actually very en-gaging and really gets the audiencethinking. As soon as you think youknow what’s going on, something hap-pens and changes your perception.”

Centreville High performs the murder mystery, ‘Clue.’

‘They’re Really Making These Characters Live’

Photos by Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection

A scene from the upcoming “Clue,” complete with party guests, policeand two victims.

A confrontationduringCentrevilleHigh’s upcom-ing play,“Clue.” (Fromleft) are Savan-nah Lagana(Mrs. Peacock),Ben Stallard(Mr. Boddy)and MichaelCrevoisier (Mr.Green).

bit of a blowhard,” said Mu–oz. “He’s notvery intelligent, but he has strong convic-tions and is stubborn. When he interactswith the other guests, he’s often confusedabout what’s happening. So he spends sometime trying to orient himself to protect him-self from the fallout that could come as aresult of him being blackmailed.”

Mu–oz, too, likes his part because he en-joys portraying comedic characters. “Andafter being in theater here for four years,

it’s nice to go out with such a fun role andsomething that just lets me be stupid,” hesaid. “And Col. Mustard gives me a uniqueopportunity to be out there in a way Ihaven’t been before. He really borders onthe ridiculous.”

Mu–oz describes the show as “a classic,murder mystery and very engaging. Peopleare always in conflict, throughout the show,and groups of people are constantly butt-ing heads. This show is absolutely hysteri-

“I thought it would begreat for high schoolsbecause it’s a satireof the murder-mystery genre, it’sfunny, is full of actionand energy, andshould be enjoyablefor all ages,”

—Director Mike Hudson

4 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Senior Living

By Andrea Worker

The Connection

The 2019 Northern Virginia Posi-tive Aging and Wellness Fair onApril 8, powered by the JewishCommunity Center of Northern

Virginia (JCCNV) and Celebrate Fairfax,Inc., has grown dramatically over the years,requiring more and more space to spreadits wings.

This year, for its ninth edition and for thefirst time, the event was held at the FairfaxCounty Government Center at 12000 Gov-ernment Center Parkway in Fairfax. Eventhat impressive structure started to lookmore like Union Station than the halls ofgovernment. Some 600 registered fair at-tendees, 75 exhibitors, with more than 20workshops in session, along with the staff,volunteers, facilitators and sponsors createdan air of organized chaos as they mingledwith the regular business of the county atwork. Before the actual event-day, theevent’s website apologetically announcedthat walk-ins were no longer being ac-cepted, such was the response received.

Pam Wiener, Director of Adult Services atevent co-host JCCNV, officially opened thefair and was followed by opening remarksfrom Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield),who chairs the county’s 50+ Committee.Tisha Deeghan, Deputy Executive Director,Fairfax County, also took a brief turn at thepodium before handing things over to thekeynote speaker Pat Collins, the long-timegeneral assignment reporter for News4.

“I’m one of you. I’m 72. I belong here,”said Collins, as he stood to address thepacked theatre with his signature “snowstick” in hand.

For the next hour, Collins kept his audi-ence enthralled – when they weren’t laugh-ing at his hilarious descriptions of “comingup in the old days,” trained by “grizzled oldmen with typewriters – and no degrees.”

The Emmy award-winning Collins rangedfar and wide in his remarks, from his ownhistory and how he “accidentally became areporter at age 15” to stories across thetimeline of his career. Starting as a printjournalist with the Washington Daily News,then the Washington Star, his first foray intotelevision news reporting didn’t go quite asexpected.

“On my first day, first thing in the morn-ing, they told me I wouldn’t actually go onair until I was ready, and until they thoughtI was ready,” recalled Collins. “Guess whenI did my first on-air broadcast? You guessedit! On the 5 p.m. news that same day!”

After stints at WJLA and WDVM (NowWUSA-TV) in D.C. and WLS-TV in Chicago,Collins found his home at News4 in 1986.

The veteran newsman says he has the bestgig these days. “I can cover everything frommurders to snow storms,” all while work-

Lejeune, Age+Tech Innovator, and even astaffer from the Office of the Attorney Gen-eral.

More experts manned the exhibitorbooths.

There were representatives from numer-ous home care resources and senior livingcommunities, and other sponsors display-ing medical and health-related offerings,and other businesses that provide servicesand products aimed at making the life ofolder adults easier and more comfortable,help residents age in place, and keep upwith today’s technologies.

Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church was just one of those offeringmuch-needed assistance. The nonprofit usesexpert volunteers to make critical homerepairs or construct disability and/or acces-sibility improvements at no cost for quali-fied homeowners on a limited income.

Allegra Joffe, who represented PRSCrisisLink’s CareRing Program, was on duty,introducing visitors to the program thatprovides daily phone calls to help those in-dividuals living alone or disabled or withchronic illness.

“It’s a great free service,” said Joffe. Cli-ents are provided with screening upon in-take and periodically during their time withthe program, “so we can better know themand best serve them,” Joffe added.

CareRing provides a daily friendly chat,but also can assist clients with remindersabout medications or appointments, check-ing on general well-being and even help-ing ensure that clients are eating regularly.

Among the booths that lined much of thelower level of Government Center, there wereeven some opportunities for job and volun-teer-seekers, like the Fairfax County Auxil-iary Police Officer program, there to hunt fora few new “rookies” to join their ranks.

The Grandinvolve organization was alsoon hand, hoping to entice a volunteer ortwo into sharing skills, hobbies, interestsand talents with elementary school kids.

THE LIST of services, products, and po-tential opportunities goes on. If you missedthe 2019 Positive Aging and Wellness Fair,here is a way to get connected.

Check out the county’s websitewww.fairfaxcounty.gov/OlderAdults. Whileyou are there, subscribe to the monthlyGolden Gazette forinformation and a cal-endar of events. There is even a phone num-ber – one number – to reach knowledge-able folks who can get you started or evenhelp you navigate to the information or ser-vices that you are seeking.

Call 703 – 324 – 7948, TTY 711, 8 a.m. –4:30 pm, Monday – Friday for help withservices for older Fairfax County adults. Andone more piece of advice: don’t miss outwhen the next Positive Aging and WellnessFair comes around again.

ing three days a week.While he may now have transitioned to

“part-timer,” Collins insists he’s “not done,yet” saying that older adults have a lot stillto offer in experience and life lessonslearned that they can share.

“And what else can we older adults do?What other power do we hold? That’s right,we vote,” he noted to enthusiastic applause.“So keep going, keep active, use your knowl-edge and your skills. We have plenty left todo.”

THE WORKSHOPS were held in threesessions, with topics like “Better Brain

Healthy: Save Your Memory and YourMind,” “The Street Smart Senior: How toAvoid Getting Scammed,” “Reaching YourFinancial Goals,” “Finding a MeaningfulEncore Career,” “Looking for a MeaningfulVolunteer Experience,” and “Gadgets andGizmos for Your Health and Happiness.”

The teachers were engaging experts intheir fields. Among them were PatriciaRohrer, Long Term Care Program Managerwith the county’s Health Department, Car-rie Brill, Caregiver Specialist and Manage-ment Analyst, Fairfax County Area Agencyon Aging, Cathy Turner, Director of SeniorHealth at Virginia Hospital Center, Cherie

Positive Aging and Wellness Fair draws crowd for education, information – and fun!

Sharing Wisdom of Positive Aging

The 2019 Northern Virginia Positive Aging and Wellness Fair drew some600 registered attendees to the event that packed the Fairfax CountyGovernment Center.

There were more than 20 workshops and panel discussions at the Posi-tive Aging and Wellness Fair on topics from memory care to avoidingscammers.

Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Sports

Thirty-nine Centreville and Clifton arearesidents were honored recently by theSouthwestern Youth Association (SYA)for their efforts during 2018 on behalf of

the organization’s 13,000 registrants and their fami-lies. The volunteer-honorees were nominated by theCommissioners of each of SYA’s thirteen sports pro-grams. SYA has more than 2800 volunteers.

Attending the reception were Supervisors PatHerrity (R-Springfield) and Kathy Smith (D-SullyDistrict). SYA awarded plaques to both recognizingtheir continued support of youth sports programs.Also in attendance was Michael Frey, retired SullyDistrict Supervisor and long time supporter of SYAand the SYA Sports Park.

Gary Flather presented the annual PresidentsAward to Tom Healy, former SYA Football Commis-sioner, in recognition of his dedication to SYA andhis years of volunteer service.

The 2018 honorees were Elizabeth Drake, BabeRuth; Anthony Himelright, Babe Ruth; Brian Seeley,Babe Ruth; Cindy Kim, Basketball; Kristi Purdy, Bas-ketball; Leo Resquin, Basketball; Virginia Anderson,Cheer; Crystal Jordan, Cheer; Alexa Wodack, Cheer;Tracey Barrett, Field Hockey; Susan Malkus, FieldHockey; Katie Manning, Field Hockey; Tom Healy,Football; Jason Mullins, Football; Robert Foster, La-crosse; DeAnna Hughes, Lacrosse; Alison Neun, La-crosse; Tim Bowman, Little League Baseball; Jeff

Raymond, Little League Baseball; Brad Soules, LittleLeague Baseball; Brandon Vickers, Little League Base-ball; in Memoriam Coach Ryan Massimo, Little LeagueBaseball; Larry Novack, Little League Softball; RossLemke, Rugby; Tom Phipps, Rugby; Brian Robinson,Rugby; Kimberly Bramhall, Soccer; Toni Garcia, Soc-cer; Tara Harkins, Soccer; Dorothy Owen, Soccer;Anthony McGhee, Track & Field; Victoria McGhee,Track & Field; Mike McLenigan, Track & Field; SteveBartolutti, Volleyball; Natalia Yu, Volleyball; JamesMartin, Volleyball; Tyler Andersen, Wrestling; WillBaxter, Wrestling; and Dante Winslow, Wrestling.

For more information, visit iwww.syasports.org

Recognizing Volunteers of the Year

Little League Baseball and Softball Awardwinners Larry Novak, Jeff Raymond, BradSoules, and Commissioner Bob Woodruff(not pictured: Brandon Vickers and InMemoriam Coach Ryan Massimo)

Photos contributed

Supervisors Kathy Smith (D-Sully District)and Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) receivingrecognition plaques from SYA PresidentGary Flather, for their support to thechildren and members of SYA

Babe Ruth Award winners AnthonyHimelright and Elizabeth Drake and SYAPresident Gary Flather (not pictured: Com-missioner and Award Winner Brian Seeley

Field Hockey Award winner Katie Man-ning, Commissioner Molly Gift and AwardWinner Susan Malkus (not pictured:Tracey Barrett)

Cheer Award winner Virginia Anderson (notpictured: Crystal Jordan, Alexa Wodack andCommissioner Tammy McCarron)

Soccer Award winners Tara Harkins, ToniGarcia and Dorothy Owen and Commis-sioner Erich Wiemann (not pictured:Kimberly Bramhall)

Track & Field Award winner MikeMcLenigan and SYA President Gary Flather(not pictured: Victoria McGhee, AnthonyMcGhee and Commissioner Alonzo Davis)

6 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

said, “It’s fun seeing how the char-acters interact onstage. And theaudience will enjoy the hilaritythat ensues as the lovers are toyedwith by the spirits and the magicin the forest.”

Playing Titania, the Queen Fairy,is junior Molly Marsh. “Shebounces around the world lookingfor whatever will help her and herhusband Oberon, the King Fairy[played by David Porter], keepnature in balance,” said Marsh.

“She likes to have things go herway,” continued Marsh. “And whenshe doesn’t get what she wants,she’ll do whatever it takes to getit – even manipulate and seducepeople. She’s aware of the powershe has over men and nature andoften uses that to her advantage.”

She, too, likes her role. “Titaniadoesn’t care what anyone thinks,and she can be headstrong withOberon.” explained Marsh. “Butwhen she’s under a spell and fallsin love with a donkey, she becomesgiggly, but is still confident. So it’sfunny to see this strong womanfawning all over this donkey – whohas no idea what’s going on.”

Marsh said the audience will likeChantilly’s different take on thisShakespeare classic. “The sceneryis unusual because the show’s setin a post-apocalyptic world,” shesaid. “There are broken-downbuildings with overgrown weedsand muted colors. So it’ll have amagical atmosphere, but will also

be grungy. And people will appre-ciate our ability to interact withthe set in a high-energy way.”

Senior Anna Rhodes portraysHelena. “She’s insecure and un-sure of herself,” she said. “Shestruggles with self-confidence be-cause she’s in love with Demetrius,but he doesn’t share her feelings.And although everyone else seesher beauty, she thinks she’s lessbeautiful than her best friend,Hermia, who Demetrius loves.She’s also kind and caring and, likeme, puts others above herself.”

Rhodes said her part’s challeng-ing, but she likes it. “The amountof lines and scenes I’m memoriz-ing in Shakespeare’s Englishmakes it difficult,” she said. “ButI’m acting with many of my closefriends.

And the character has made methink about my own self-esteemand confidence, and I’m learningnot to compare myself as much toothers.”

She said the audience will par-ticularly love this production’stechnical elements. “The set is verydetailed and interesting to lookat,” said Rhodes. “And the cos-tumes are beautiful. When I firstsaw the designs, I was instantly inlove with them. My costume isburgundy jeans, tall brown boots,a flowy white blouse and a bur-gundy corset.”

SENIOR Mallory Bedford playsPuck. “He’s a creature of mischief

Entertainment

– a sprite that’s part of the fairyworld,” she said. “He lives in theforest, but can travel around theworld and mess with people’s lives– and not just those who ventureinto the woods, but averagepeople, too.”

She said Puck is charismatic,playful and energetic and likespulling pranks on people for hisown entertainment. “But hemesses up and accidentally putsthe love potion on the wrongperson’s eyes,” said Bedford. “Hecan’t help but cause things to gowrong, even when trying to help.”

Enjoying her role “immensely,”she said, “It’s been fun workingwith Mr. Shaw on ideas for thecharacter and production. Beforeauditioning, I created a presenta-tion and told him how these thingscould fit in. And playing Puck al-lows me to explore this onstage.”A rule-follower in real life, Bedfordsaid acting lets her “make the stagemy own. I get to play around withmy character and castmates in away I’m not able to, normally.”

Overall, she said, “When youthink about high-school,Shakespearean productions, youpicture kids standing in stiff cos-tumes and saying words they don’tunderstand. But in this one, we’vefocused on what Shakespeare’strying to say, and why and how thewords inform the characters’ per-sonalities. Instead of just spewingmonologues, we know why we’resaying these things.”

From Page 2

From Page 2

Shakespeare at Chantilly High

Calendar

a rock ballet to the music of The Eagles.$40. Call 703-753-5005 or visithylton.calendar.gmu.edu/virginia-national-ballet-carmen-and-life-in-the-fast-lane.

TUESDAY/APRIL 30Introduction to Drawdown. 6:30-9

p.m. at Centreville Library 14200 StGermain Drive, Centreville. ProjectDrawdown is a coalition of morethan 200 researchers and otherexperts from 22 countries led byauthor, environmentalist, andentrepreneur, Paul Hawken. Over the

course of five years of rigorousscientific research, they identifiedand modeled the 100 mostsubstantive, already existingsolutions for addressing globalwarming and revealed astoundingnews: It is possible not just to slowglobal warming but to actuallyreverse it by 2050. Workshopmaterial is provided by thePachamama Alliance and includesvideo clips of Paul Hawken. Thepresenter will be Lore Rosenthal, avolunteer with the PachamamaAlliance – a global communityworking to create a sustainablefuture. RSVP at 703-655-5069 oract.sierraclub.org/events/

details?formcampaignid=7010Z0000027PUFQA2.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 1Charity Knitting Party. 10 a.m.-3

p.m. at Sully Government Center,McDonnell Community Room, 4900Stonecroft Blvd., Chantilly. Come andknit or crochet a blue hat as part ofthe #HatNotHate Campaign. Bringblue yarn, needles or crochet hookand hat pattern and join theCraftivist Movement. There will besnacks, participants are welcome tobring a lunch and drink. Choose afamiliar hat pattern or choose onefrom www.lionbrand.com/blog/end-bullying-hat-not-hate/. EmailLuv2knit14@aol.com for more.

See Bulletin, Page 7

Submit civic/community announce-ments at ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork wel-come. Deadline is Thursday at noon,at least two weeks before event.

SATURDAY/APRIL 27Scam Jam and ShredFest. 8 a.m.-

1 p.m. at Fairfax CountyGovernment Center, 12000Government Center Parkway,Fairfax. The Silver Shield TaskForce and AARP Virginia arehosting a free fraud preventionand shredding event. There willbe numerous speakers discussing

how to be aware of scams and how toprevent being scammed ordefrauded. Scam Jam runs 9 a.m.-1p.m.; ShredFest runs 8 a.m.-noon.

Spring Forward. 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. atColgan Hall, George MasonUniversity Science and TechnologyCampus, 10900 University Blvd.,Manassas. Spring Forward FamilyFun Day offers adoptive, foster andkinship families a day of fun andlearning about tools and solutions.Found Families Forward is partneringwith NewFound Families, theVirginia Department of SocialServices (VDSS), and VDOE’sTraining and Technical Assistance

Center. While the kids enjoyactivities, parents, caregivers andprofessionals will be treated tokeynote Family Strong: FiveWays to Fight the Fear, Beat theBurnout, and Stay Focused forthe Long Haul by presenterWendy Besmann. Following thekeynote, parents and caregiverschosse from a variety of breakoutsessions. $0-$40. Visitwww.eventbrite.com/e/spring-forward-family-fun-day-and-regional-conference-tickets-54145770457 for tickets.

Public Information Meeting. 10-

Bulletin Board

Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Roundups

From Page 6

Bulletin Board

11:30 a.m. at Centreville Elementary School(cafeteria), 14330 Green Trails Blvd.,Centreville. Fairfax County Department ofTransportation (FCDOT) will hold a publicinformation meeting on the planning andimplementation of the off-corridor portions ofthe I-66 Outside the Beltway Bicycle/PedestrianTrail. Attendees will be asked to submit namesand weigh in on a sampling of names that havebeen suggested. FCDOT will narrow the list andhost an online survey of names and invite thepublic to vote for their choices. Visitoutside.transform66.org/default.asp for more.

Volunteers Needed. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at SullyHistoric Site, 3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly.Springfest is a once a year, environmentalfestival. This day-long event attracts nearly5,000 people from around the region, and helpis needed with event set-up, parking and kid’sactivities. Volunteers can also fill roles ascostumed characters, rovers and more. Emailayleah@cleanfairfax.org or visitSpringfestfairfax.org for more.

Meeting SaturdayRe I-66 Trail

Fairfax County and VDOT will hold a pub-lic-information meeting on plans for the I-66 Outside the Beltway Trail, this Saturday,April 27, from 10-11:30 a.m. It will be inthe cafeteria of Centreville Elementary,14330 Green Trails Blvd. in Centreville.There’ll be a review of the proposed trailalong the I-66 Corridor, including the off-Corridor segments being funded by thecounty.

Attendees may also suggest names for thisnew, parallel trail.

Walney RoadIs Closing

As part of the I-66 Outside the Beltwayimprovement project, the Route 28 inter-change is being reconstructed to improvetraffic flow and safety and to provide newconnectivity to and from I-66 and the ex-press lanes.

These improvements include the removalof traffic lights from this portion of Route28 by the end of 2020 and will require aseries of traffic-pattern changes during con-struction. Meanwhile, starting on or aboutMay 1, Walney Road will be closed betweenRoute 28 and Cabells Mill Road, with noaccess to or from Route 28. Drivers will bedetoured to Westfields Boulevard. However,when Route 28 construction is complete,Walney Road will be reconnected withBraddock Road by a new overpass overRoute 28. This overpass will connect to andfrom the I-66 express and general-purposelanes, as well as to Route 28 to and fromthe south.

Native PlantSociety Speaker

The Cub Run Stream Valley Park Volun-teer Team will meet Thursday, May 2, from7:30-9 p.m., in the Centreville RegionalLibrary’s meeting room No. 1. A represen-tative from the NOVA Native Plant Societywill be the guest speaker, and the team willbe updated on its successful turnout to cleanup the watershed.

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Like anyone with a name and an address, no doubt over the years, you readers have received unsolicited gifts/inducements in a kind of presump-tive exchange for charitable contributions from many organizations with which you are probably familiar. And among the many good deeds they offer are the manufacture and subsequent mailing at no cost or obligation to the recipient, of self-adhesive, return-address labels.

I have, over the years, made a below-average level of contribution despite having maintained an above-average level of use. Still the labels arrive, regularly. And given their accumulation in my home

die until I have used every one of those labels. In a manner of speaking/referencing, this pursuit has sort of become my white whale. I’m sure Captain Ahab could relate.

Years ago, around the time of my diagnosis, I was likewise determined, given where I live in Mont-gomery County, to not die until the Inter County Connector (a long-planned-for, cross-county highway connecting Interstate 270 in Montgomery County to Route 1 in Prince George’s County) was completed. I never thought, given my “13 month to two-year” prognosis in 2009, that I’d live to see its completion and to attach its transponder and pay its tolls. But I have.

And though I am not a regular driver on this road, I am nonetheless emotionally connected to it. It’s as if we both overcame something.

Which brings me back to the other emotional connection I’ve mentioned: the return-address labels.

design of the labels or anything in particular (they all tend to blend together after a while), it’s that they all have my name and almost always have it spelled cor-rectly, which is not always the case in mail addressed to Lourie. And below that correctly-spelled name, is an equally correct return address.

All combined on a label which doesn’t require any licking or stamping or writing. All of which when combined creates a certain functionality which for a non-millennial, baby-boomer like myself who actu-ally mails envelopes rather than types them online, provides an incredibly helpful asset.

my life is an asset worth mentioning.There are many mailers of a certain age who live,

almost thrive in a non-paper-free environment. We still write our own checks, hand-address our own

I can’t say whether many of us “balance our checkbooks,” but as for myself, I do review the vari-ous entries in my check register with my paper state-

all sounds a bit antiquated to some of you younger readers, some of what you do sounds far-fetched and sort of redundant to me, which probably minimizes your appreciation for something as mundane as a correctly-spelled and properly-addressed return-ad-dress label.

I imagine there’s a path down the middle some-where, but it’s not important that we all correspond.

But for those of you who do correspond with hard copies instead of computerized soft copies, these return address labels can be a vital cog in the mailing machine. Intended recipients are not always where you thought they were and mail that you thought you had properly addressed stands a better chance of being returned to sender.

label might not save the sender time or money, but it might do so for the recipient; and let’s be honest: who doesn’t like to receive mail?

address. If it were not for the return address, label or otherwise, the reason for its delivery might lose some of its appeal.

For me, living beyond the correspondence on -

ing. Because considering the number of labels I still have at home, I’m going to be living for a long time. Cancer be damned.

Label MeDetermined

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8 ❖ Chantilly Connection ❖ April 24-30, 2019 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

By Joe Fay

Executive Director/FACETS

When Richard lost hissight, his long careeras a handyman cameto an end. What be-

gan was a journey into homelessness.Despite his skills and dedication,

blindness prevented him from con-tinuing in the building maintenancefield. As his funds ran low, Richard,who is now 58, struggled and foundhimself moving from shelter to shel-ter around the county and sleeping inother places not meant for habitation.Then he was referred to FACETS, aFairfax nonprofit working to preventhomelessness, and resided for sometime at FACETS’ Linda’s GatewayWoodbine House with five other menwho were medically and physically vulnerable.

Linda’s Gateway is a program meant to helppeople transition to permanent housing. Work-ing with a FACETS case manager, residentsreceive budget counseling, housing locationservices, connection to community resources,basic needs and transportation assistance. AllFACETS programs operate using a “HousingFirst” approach, focusing on first getting peopleinto housing and then working with a case

manager to address barriers to housing stabil-ity, career development, child care, medicalassistance and other basic needs.

Working with his case manager Ruben, Ri-chard pulled his life back together and nowlives independently in his own apartmentthrough FACETS’ permanent supportive hous-ing program. He is still helped by Ruben whochecks in with him and makes sure he can getto medical appointments and is hopeful and

more confident.With the second largest homeless

population in the region,homelessness is a real problem in theFairfax County-Falls Church commu-nity where nearly 1,000 people arehomeless. A majority of these are inworking families with children. Somelike Richard are single and also fac-ing challenges. FACETS connectednearly 400 single adults with life-sav-ing services last year.

Richard will be joining severalother FACETS’ clients to share hiscourageous story about overcominghomelessness at FACETS’ Hope inBloom Breakfast. The free event onApril 25 at 7 a.m. at Fairview ParkMarriott provides an opportunity tolearn more about neighbors in needand meet fellow community mem-

bers who are helping end homelessness in theregion. Attendees will be uplifted and inspiredand discover how we can ensure everyone hasa place to call home in our county.

If you have an interest in learning moreabout the effects of poverty in Fairfax County,we encourage you to join us along with othercommunity, business and political leaders atthis 8th annual breakfast. Register atwww.FACETSCares.org.

Never Losing Sight of Ending Homelessness

Photo contributed

One of the homes used for transitional housing.

By Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

There was both shock and amaze-ment on the part of manyRestonians to hear last Friday

evening that our community was undera tornado warning by the NationalWeather Service (NWS). These warningsoccur all the time, especially in the Mid-west and earlier that day across the deepSouth. For us the weather is relativelymild, although the winds do seem to blow harderthese days, and the rains this spring seem to havebrought a lot of local flooding. The amount of snowvaries from winter to winter.

About 8:30 p.m. on Friday the National WeatherService found that an approaching squall line aheadof a larger storm’s cold front distorted into an Sshape across Northern Virginia. Gusts along the bowwere significant until the bow broke up into a ro-tating storm. Doppler radar revealed a counterclock-wise circulation known as a mesocyclone overReston that developed into a cyclone.

Technically the National Weather Service recordedthat on Friday, April 19, there was a tornado eventin Reston beginning at 8:55 p.m. estimated timewith estimated maximum wind speed of 70 mph,with a maximum path width of 100 yards and apath length of 4 miles. The NWS uses the FujitaScale to classify tornadoes into one of six catego-ries—EF0 (weak) to EF5 (violent). The tornado inour community was rated at the lowest ranking,EF0.

For professional weather people who deal withbad weather all the time, the tornado in our com-munity that lasted an estimated five minutes may

Tornado Warning

have seemed weak. But for those whosought refuge in their basements andheard the wind whipping around theirhomes and saw the trees swaying in theiryards the storm was anything but weak.Fortunately, no one was killed or re-ported hurt. Lots of trees and brancheswere downed and several cars weredamaged with one townhouse being se-

verely damaged. Everyone is left to wonder if wewill be as lucky if the flukes of weather send theirwrath on us again.

Weather refers to what happens in the atmospherearound us with rain, snow, wind, and thunderstormsas examples. For many of us weather conditions seemto have become more severe. Only scientific record-ings of weather events over a long period of timewill provide evidence needed to confirm or deny ourhunches. All the weather events of temperature, hu-midity and rainfall patterns averaged over seasons,years or longer creates our climate. There is ampleevidence to demonstrate that climate is changing andthat human behavior especially in releasing moreheat-trapping gases into the atmosphere is a leadingcause. Completing the circle of what is happening inour world is that climate change is bringing aboutmore extreme weather events.

While extreme weather, climate change and glo-bal warming may be controversial topics to some,many of us are deeply concerned. This week’s cel-ebration of Earth Day was a global experience. Ourlocal weather event while relatively mild reminds usthat we need to be serious about the subject and se-rious about our response to it.

Clarification onSalariesTo the Editor:

I want to thank the Connectionfor the fair and generally accuratereporting on my comments at theApril 9 Board of Supervisors bud-get hearing.

However, there is an importantcorrection.

According to the article, I said,“school and other county employ-ees earn more than the averageprivate sector worker in the re-gion.”

What I actually said was, “halfof private-sector jobs in FairfaxCounty have salaries of $77K orless.” The average salary for teach-ers and public safety employees is$77K or higher. The average sal-ary for county non-public-safetyemployees is $66K.

Arthur PurvesPresident

Fairfax County TaxpayersAlliance

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