News, Page 3connectionarchives.com/PDF/2017/101117/Springfield.pdf · 2019-12-18 · Springfield...

Springfield Connection ❖ October 12-18, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Former AddictShares His StoryNews, Page 11

Epic Story AboutCombating RacismNews, Page 12

Former AddictShares His StoryNews, Page 11

Epic Story AboutCombating RacismNews, Page 12

Area Authors TourLiterary Conferences

News, Page 3

Area Authors TourLiterary Conferences

Fairfax author John B. Wren, left, andSpringfield writer Eric Gardner, right,discuss the upcoming fall book seasonAug. 23 at the Grounded Coffee Shop,where they meet weekly as a mutualsounding board and keep each other

motivated to write.

Inside

Senior Living

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2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ October 12-18, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Charity Walk toBenefit LocalNonprofit

The Hemophilia Association of the Capi-tal Area (HACA), a nonprofit organizationbased in Springfield, will hold its fifth an-nual Fall Walk on Saturday, Oct. 14, at LakeAccotink Park in Springfield.

HACA has served people in the metro D.C.area who are affected by bleeding disorderssuch as hemophilia and von Willebrand dis-ease since 1964.

The event will take place at the McLaren-Sargent Pavilion, accessible from theHeming Avenue entrance of the park. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. at the pavilion, withthe 2-mile walk along the shores of the laketaking place at 10 a.m. Registration is $25and includes a t-shirt (while supplies last).

Funds raised through the walk will sup-port the programs and services of HACA,which include summer camp for kids witha bleeding disorder; patient assistance tohelp with the cost of healthcare bills andemergency expenses; chapter scholarshipprograms; and more.

For more information on HACA, go to

www.hacacares.org. To register for thewalk, go to https://tinyurl.com/FallFestivalWalk.

Lorton Man Dies inCrash on Alban Roadin Springfield

Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives fromWest Springfield Police District are investi-gating a fatal crash in Springfield Tuesdaymorning, Oct. 10, involving a 1998 FordMustang and a 2008 Dodge Caliber. It hap-

pened in the 8400 block of Alban Road atabout 8:15 a.m. The Ford Mustang was northon Alban Road and the 2008 Dodge Caliberwas south on Alban Road when the carscrashed almost head on into one another. Thedriver of the Ford Mustang, 82-year-old Wil-liam Henry Corum of Lorton, was pro-nounced dead at the scene. The other driverwas treated for minor injuries at the sceneand was released. Speed is yet to be deter-mined, but after a preliminary investigationit does not appear alcohol was a factor in thecrash, according to police. All lanes of trafficon Alban Road were closed for several hours.The crash remains under investigation.

Week in Springfield


NewsSpringfield Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

Springfield writer Eric Gardner, 41,served on three panels in Augustat the Killer Nashville InternationalLiterary Conference in Franklin,

Tenn. — where he received the 2017 Read-ers’ Choice Award for Best Fiction AdultHorror for his 2016 book “Awakening.” It’sthe second volume the “XIII Legion Series.”

The retired U.S. Army captain writes con-temporary fiction about good versus evil.Under Gardner’s command, his gritty char-acters persevere through the constant beatdown of life as they explore mankind’s rolein heaven and hell.

He draws fire from his previous life as amilitary infantry officer and is shooting fora Halloween release date next year for hisfifth book “Descent.” The timing couldn’tbe better because Gardner describes hisbooks as “scary” and “macabre.”

LAST MONTH, his children let their stay-at-home dad attend the Creatures, Crimes& Creativity (C3) Con in Columbia, Md.,with Fairfax author John B. Wren — whowas a panelist Sept. 9 in two symposiumsabout “Writing emotion: Opening a vein”and “the nitty gritty of prose.” The semi-

retired mechanical engineer returned Sept.10 for a talk on “the politics of villains.”

Gardner also was a panelist that day in adiscussion most law-abiding citizens rarelyconsider: “Bullet, garrote or blade? Inven-tive ways to kill off characters.”

Their art takes these Fairfax Countywordsmiths all the way to Canada this weekfor Bouchercon 2017: Passport to Murder,a mystery convention in Toronto Oct. 12-15. Gardner and Wren say they attend these

genre-specific events because “we talkcraft,” meet fans, other authors and buildnetworks.

“Writing a book can be an isolating en-deavor,” admits Gardner. “It’s easy to be-come discouraged.” That’s why he and Wrenmeet each week for coffee — so they cansuffer together.

Wren, 73, has written two psychologicalthrillers and a mystery novel called “Darryl’sReunion” that was adapted as a screenplay.

Last year, he shifted gears from the 21st cen-tury into reverse and backed himself intothe first millennium with historic tales setin Ireland between 893 and 1042.

His interest in the Emerald Isle stems fromhis mother, who was born in a lighthousein Ireland’s County Cork. The year 2014marked the millennial anniversary of theBattle of Clontarf — which inspired Wren’strilogy about a family of medieval Irishwarriors beginning with “an Trodai Scolai”and followed by “an Trodai Laoghaire.”

The series required a “wee bit of re-search,” Gardner said last year at a booksigning in Burke. Wren takes pride in pre-senting an accurate account of historical factwhile weaving his fictional characters in andout. His third book “an Trodai Conall” isdue out next month.

Both Gardner and Wren get their bookspublished through an online independentprint-on-demand service called CreateSpace— a division of Amazon.com.

Although they don’t enjoy the benefit ofa publicity dream team, CreateSpace offersmarketing advice for a fee and pays theirauthors as their books sell on Amazon andother retail outlets. Gardner and Wrenwatch the profits trickle into their account.

The payoff hasn’t justified the hard workyet.

“We’re not gettin’ rich,” Wren admits. It’sthe process of writing he truly enjoys.

Visit their websites johnbwren.com andwww.Thirteenthlegionseries.com.

Photo by Marti Moore/The Connection

Fairfax author John B. Wren, left, and Springfield writer Eric Gardner,right, discuss the upcoming fall book season Aug. 23 at the GroundedCoffee Shop, where they meet weekly as a mutual sounding board andkeep each other motivated to write.

Scary plots are ripe forHalloween reading.

Area Authors Tour Fall Literary Conferences

Detectives are asking for assistanceidentifying two suspects who carjackeda woman at knifepoint on Sept. 29. Theincident occurred in the lower parkinglot outside of Target at Springfield TownCenter, 6500 Springfield Mall. As awoman was getting in her car, the sus-pects pictured here approached.

According to police, the female suspectbrandished a knife, while the male sus-pect grabbed the victim and pulled herfrom the vehicle. The two suspects droveaway and later used the victim’s credit

Photo courtesy of the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum

Eagle Scout Troop ReplacesRailroad Ties at MuseumAlex Allison, Eagle Scout candidate (front, center, with cap) and mem-bers of his Troop 1853 as well as friends and family members, replaceddecaying railroad ties at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum on Oct. 8.Troop 1853 is located in Springfield. The Fairfax Station Railroad Mu-seum is located at 11200 Fairfax Station Road.Learn more at www.fairfax-station.org, www.facebook.com/FFXSRR, orcall 703-425-9225.

card at a retail store in Virginia. The ve-hicle, a tan 2010 Honda CRV with Vir-ginia tag WNX-3508, has not yet beenrecovered.

Anyone with information on the iden-tity of these subjects is asked to contactDetective Rich Downham at 703-246-7800or Crime Solvers electronically by visitingwww.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tipby texting “TIP187” plus your message toCRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax CountyPolice at 703-691-2131.

Help Identify Suspects in Carjacking

Police photos

Carjacking suspects

By Marti Moore

The Connection


News

Andrews FederalSponsors Back toSchool Bash inSpringfield

Andrews Federal Credit Unionrecently served as a CommunitySponsor for the Tots2TweensBack2School Bash at the Spring-field Town Center in Springfield,Virginia.

The first 500 children were pro-vided drawstring backpacks, pen-cils and pencil cases. Additionally,Andrews Federal staff volunteersgave away fidget spinners,notepads, pens, and lunch bags tothe winners of their spin the wheelgame.

“Starting the school year off onthe right foot is extremely impor-tant,” said Andrews Federal’sEnola Thaboun, Springfield TownCenter Branch Manager. “We arealways ready to contribute to thesuccess of our future leaders in anyway we can.”

To learn more about AndrewsFederal Credit Union and its com-munity involvement, or to becomea member, call 800-487-5500 orvisit www.andrewsfcu.org.

Andrews Federal’s Ryan Drigo looks on as two youngattendees spin the wheel for a prize at the Back2SchoolBash at Springfield Town Center.

Andrew’s Federal’s Enola Thaboun, Springfield TownCenter Branch Manager; Ryan Drigo, Springfield TownCenter Assistant Branch Manager; and Stan Koussis,Community Development Manager.

Photos contributed

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People

Discussing ‘Lottery Dream Home’Andy and Valerie Shreev of Alexandria recently won the million-dollar top prize in aVirginia Lottery game. They will be featured on the HGTV show “My Lottery DreamHome,” airing Friday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. on cable network HGTV. The couple claimedthe top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s “Golden Spades Scratcher” game in October 2016.Andy bought the winning ticket at Kingstowne Sunoco, 5800 Kingstowne Center Drivein Alexandria. Rather than take the full prize over 30 years, the couple opted for thecash option of $561,798 before taxes. At the time of their win, the couple was celebrat-ing an even bigger prize: The birth of their daughter.


Opinion

By Scott Surovell

State Senator (D-36)

Stephen Paddock’s Las Ve-gas assault rifle killingspree has again high-lighted the dangers of

Virginia’s and America’s much-too-lax firearms environment. Virgin-ians know the dangers of high-powered weapons having experi-enced snipers Malvo and Muhammad and theVirginia Tech massacre. Some of us have beensteadily, but unsuccessfully, trying to pass rea-sonable firearms violence prevention laws inVirginia for years.

For example, after Jared Loughner’s 2011attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, I cospon-sored legislation to prohibit the sale of fire-arm ammunition magazines that hold morethan 20 bullets. The legislature has rejectedthe bill every year since.

In 2015, a Fairfax attorney told me about a

client he defended in a mentalcommitment proceeding in whichhis client was found to be a dan-ger to himself or others. Virginialaw prohibits these people fromobtaining a concealed weapon per-mit or possessing a firearm, but thelaw does not prohibit the posses-

sion of ammunition. I tried to prohibit men-tally-incapacitated people from purchasing orpossessing ammunition, but the legislaturestruck it down.

In 2015, I fought to prohibit Virginia fromrecognizing concealed weapon permits fromother states unless their permits contained thesame restrictions required by Virginia law —like those adjudged insane subject to protec-tive order, convicted of two misdemeanors infive years, convicted of assault or sexual bat-tery, addicted to drugs, convicted of driving

while intoxicated in the last three years or dis-honorably discharged from the Armed Forces.

Attorney General Mark Herring cancellednumerous reciprocity agreements with otherstates for these reasons, but months later in2015, the legislature passed legislation requir-ing reciprocity. Today, a non-felon, Virginiaresident who cannot obtain a concealed carrypermit in Virginia can obtain one in Floridaand use it here.

Last year, I introduced legislation requiringbackground checks for all gun purchases. Thiswould close the gun show loophole and en-sure that a felon could not evade purchase re-strictions by simply buying guns on eBay orother gun-sale websites. My bill was killed 12-3 in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.While it seems likely that bump stocks will bebanned now that 58 innocent people weremowed down, I am not optimistic we will seeadditional safety improvements in the shortterm.

I will continue to work for reasonable lawsto prohibit firearm violence in Virginia and Iwelcome any ideas from my constituents. Youcan reach me at [email protected].

... Elected officials should too.

People Support Firearm LimitsCommentary

Claims UpAgainst FactsTo the Editor:

In response to Kevin R. Rose’sOpinion: Letter to the Editor: DeerHunting Effect Misrepresented(Connection, Sept. 6-12, 2017).

How convenient for you to notmention that you work with Vir-ginia Department of Game andInland Fisheries (VDGIF). VDGIF,your employer, profits from thesales of hunting licenses, so it isno surprise that the VDOT datathat clearly shows hunting is in-creasing deer-vehicle collisions inour county bothers you so much.

As a resident in Fairfax Countyand one who is adjacent to a parkwhere bowhunting is taking place,I also received the postcard youspeak of and I requested data fromVDOT to see for myself if the con-tent in the postcard is correct andit is. Though it was time consum-ing to map out all of the deer ve-hicle collisions (DVCs) in ourcounty over the last three years,which is all VDOT could providefor me, I did see a very obvioustrend that did show how approxi-mately 93 percent of all DVCs overthe span of these three years is, infact, within 1 to 1.5 miles of a bowhunted park or in a bow huntedpark. Your claims are up againstthe facts – in this case the VDOTdata which fortunately is not bi-ased like you are.

Kudos to whoever mailed outthese postcards. There are peoplein our county who are sick and

tired of “higher officials” makinguneducated decisions and puttingthe public’s safety at risk. Whoeversent out these flyers seems to havenoticed deer carcasses besidethese bow hunted parks and de-cided to look into this. Everyonehas a right to VDOT data and I’mglad the author of this postcardreminded us of this, since weclearly can’t rely on people whoare running this so-called deermanagement program or peoplewho work with pro-huntingVDGIF.

You go on to argue that 92 per-cent of Fairfax County is within 1.5miles of a bow hunted park.Please show us how 92 percent ofFairfax County is within 1.5 milesof a park. I grew up in FairfaxCounty and know well enough youare making this up. All we have todo is look at a map and see that.

As a VDGIF employee you alsohave access to data from 2005 to2016. You are comparing 11 yearsof data that only you seem to haveaccess to to three years of data(2014-2017) explained in thepostcards. The postcard clearlystates that the author could onlyobtain three years of data fromVDOT. The data in the postcard isbased on data collected betweenMay 6, 2014 and April 25, 2017. Ihad a look at the VDOT data dur-ing this time frame and the post-card is accurate in terms of DVCsand locations. If you did yourhomework and looked at the samedates, you would have the samenumbers as the postcard. This alsogoes for the dates of the deer ster-

ilizations in Fairfax City. The post-card also gave accurate data forthose three years.

Not a surprise that you, VDGIF,have several years worth of VDOTdata, yet, we the residents ofFairfax County only have access tothree years of VDOT data.

As for the research articles youclearly did not read, hunting doesincrease the overall deer popula-tion since hunted herds did havean increased incidence of multipledeliveries. In this case a significantincrease of twins and triplets indeer herds that were hunted. Whydo you call this insignificant?

Rob BrooksFairfax Station

Column as anInspirationTo the Editor:

As a regular reader of KennethLourie’s “Cancer Column,” I’d liketo request the Editor to please con-sider giving the column a much-deserved face-lift. The Connectionneeds to shed more light onLourie’s illuminating accounts ofdealing with the deadly disease,and overcoming the odds, insteadof burying it in the shadow of theBusiness Directory with an Obitu-ary-like black border! Also, a colorprofile picture would breathe newlife into these weekly gems. I un-derstand, Lourie is an Ad/SalesRepresentative, but more impor-tantly, he is a Survivor and an in-spiration to us all. See Letters, Page 7

Letters to the Editor

Considering the other cancersplaguing our society — fake news,mass shootings, and reality showsthat are anything but real to mostof us — it is all the more urgent tohighlight real-life, first-hand ac-counts from people like Louriewho are fighting the real fight. If,perhaps, we read such stories ofcourage and positive determina-tion, it could inspire a sorely-needed dose of consideration,empathy, and kindness in our com-munity, or at the very least, giveus a much-needed reality-check.

To Mr. Lourie, thank you forsharing your story every week, andwishing you continued strength...

Shaila MuralidharGreat Falls

Fairfax CountySteps to LimitUnsustainablePensionLiabilitiesTo the Editor:

Fairfax County can limit its un-sustainable pension liabilities if itseeks serious policy options. Butit has not.

Unfunded pension liabilities of itsfive main pension systems in June2016 were an unsustainable $5.6billion, up $0.8 billion in that yearalone. Moreover, that unfunded

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level would be far larger were itsliabilities based on realistic 5.5 per-cent discount rates rather than 7.25percent discount rates.

One of five systems is the Edu-cational Employees’ Supplemen-tary Retirement System (ERFC) forpublic school employees. Its un-funded liabilities surged 27 per-cent last year. Worse, this supple-mental system entices good em-ployees to retire as early as 52.

In short, four of five systems —not the Virginia Retirement system

From Page 6

Letters

— are unduly generous. If theCounty were prudent with liabili-ties for which it ultimately is re-sponsible, it would seek — andconsider — serious pension op-tions. But it has not. To be prudent,the County should seek impacts onits unfunded liabilities of:

1. Changing full pension ages tothe first of the Social Security ageor one satisfying the Rule of 90(age plus service years),

2. Eliminating employee contri-butions to, and eligibility for, pen-sions for new and unvested em-ployees,

3. Using realistic pension dis-count rates of 5.5 percent rate,

4. Capping cost-of-living adjust-ments at 2 percent,

5. Increasing contribution ratesby both employers and participat-ing employees by 0.5 percent overeach of the next five years and

6. Enhancing returns by shiftingfunds to diversified low-cost indexfunds.

Dr. David V. PritchettMcLean

Arabic New Life Baptist Churchis located at 6428 Ox Road in FairfaxStation. Worship services are on Sun-days at 10:45 a.m. and prayer servicesare on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. BibleStudy is on Fridays at 7 p.m. Pastor:Wissam Jamil. Call 703-273-5599.

Sydenstricker United MethodistChurch has Worship services Saturdayin the chapel at 5:30 p.m. and Sundayin the Sanctuary at 8:30 a.m. and 11a.m. traditional worship. Sunday Schoolfor youth and children is in the Sanctu-ary at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday School foradults is in the sanctuary at 9:45 a.m.Fellowship is in Hottle Hall on Sundaysat 10:30 a.m. 8508 Hooes Road inSpringfield. www.sumcdisciples.org or703-451-8223.

St. Anthony of Padua AmericanNational Catholic Church, 10383Democracy Lane, Fairfax, holds mass forContemporary Catholics every Sundayat 12:30 p.m. St. Anthony’s is an inde-pendent Catholic parish, inclusive andaccepting of all people. Experience trueacceptance and true Catholicism.www.MySaintAnthonys.org.

Calvary Hill Baptist Church,9301 Little River Turnpike in Fairfax,conducts Worship team practice for thePraise Band in the Sanctuary everyThursday at 7 p.m. All are welcome.703-323-1347.

The Unitarian Universalist Con-gregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter

Mill Road in Oakton, offers servicesSundays at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.www.uucf.org.

The Fairfax Church of Christ,3901 Rugby Road in Fairfax, has facili-tators available to help those who areexperiencing a separation or divorce.703-631-2100 or www.fxcc.org.

Congregation Adat Reyim, anindependent Jewish congregation, of-fers services Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdayat 9:30 a.m. and Maariv minyan at 7:30p.m. Hebrew School is Sundays from 9-11:15 for K-6th graders and Mondaysfrom 5:30-7:30 p.m. for 3rd-6th graders.Adat Reyim is located at 6500 WestburyOaks Court in Springfield. 703-569-7577 or www.adatreyim.org.

Faith Notes


Home LifeStyle

By Marilyn Campbell

For the 10th anniversary of the D.C.Design House, 23 designers trans-formed the Potomac, Md. home

which includes nine bedrooms, nine fullbathrooms, four half bathrooms, a cinema,two-story library, a pool and a pool house.Visitors will have the opportunity to walkthrough the 27,256 square-foot estate toview the latest in home design trends. Pro-ceeds from the event benefit the Children’sNational Health System.

It was actress Grace Kelly and the movie“To Catch a Thief” that inspired

Designer Marika Meyer’s creation of thelady’s retreat. “I thought of her elegance andher scarf blowing in the wind,” said Meyer.

A collection of framed Hermes scarvesline of the of the room’s walls.

Much of the room’s furniture, includingtwo vintage, velvet chairs and a neutral sofa,surround a Lucite cocktail table, creating abalance between modern and traditionalstyles.

“When designing the room I thought,‘who would live in that room and whatwould she be like?” said Meyer.

Meyer used custom-designed, hand-painted fabric from her own collection for

the room’s drapes, pillows, stools and otheraccessories. One of her biggest obstacleswas making the large room feel intimate.“I designed it to make it beautiful and func-tional, she said. “I created different desti-nations so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.”

Among those destinations are a large sec-retary, a game table and a bar cart.

Dubbed A Study in Blue, the library bydesigner Kelley Proxmire draws inspirationfrom the library of New York socialiteBrooke Astor. “I knew it was a classic and Ihad seen a recent picture and I knew it wasa classic,” said Proxmire. “Her books wereprobably antique, leather-bound and I knewthat I something wanted something neatand tidy like that.”

The room’s dark wood paneling is bright-ened with natural lighting and accessorizedwith blue and white porcelain and paintedbooks in varying shades of blue.

Inside D.C. Design House In its 10th year, showcaseraises money for charity.

DC Design HouseLocation: 9004 Congressional Court,

Potomac, Md.Tickets: $35 at www.dcdesignhouse.com/

copy-of-eventsOpen through Oct. 29: Saturday-Sunday

12-5 p.m.; Closed Mondays; Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29:DC Design House, last day, 12-5 p.m.

The designer’s goal was to create a tech-nology-free zone that allowed for uninhib-ited conversation. “Families need a place tosit and talk to each other without being onthe telephone and watching television,” saidProxmire. “I want all my rooms to say,‘Come and sit.’ I don’t want them to be toostandoffish.”

Marrying modernand traditional designelements, Alexandria-based design duo ToddMartz and SusanNelson created a fam-ily room that is both en-ergizing and relaxing,and is meant to be anelectronics-free zone.

“The scale of thehouse is formal, but wewanted to created a room that is familyfriendly,” said Martz. “We wanted to incor-porate children’s art, but display it in a waythat’s elegant.”

The walls are covered with bright yellowwallpaper that provides an energetic back-drop for blue and white porcelain accesso-ries. To accommodate the lives of a mod-ern family, the white sofa is covered inCrypton fabric, which is stain-resistant and

easy to clean. Other furniture in the room,which includes two faux leather chairs arecentered around a handmade, wooden cof-fee table.

Children’s artwork hangs inside the book-cases among blue and white ginger jars. “Itmakes the book cases a little less serious,”

said Nelson.The poolside oasis

created by Kim Asnerof Country Casual Teakallows visitors to betransported to a luxuryspa. Lush greenery andteak lounge chairs sur-round the pool. Anabundance of seating,a cabana and a poolhouse make the spaceideal for entertaining a

crowd or enjoying the space’s serenity.“The area is large so we needed substan-

tial furniture,” said Asner. “The cabana looksgrand and impressive, but it’s also comfort-able.”

Located at 9004 Congressional Court,Potomac, Md., the home is listed at $10.28million by Long and Foster Real Estate.Open through Oct. 29, tickets are $35. Visitwww.dcdesignhouse.com.

“When designing theroom I thought, ‘Whowould live in thatroom and what wouldshe be like?’”

— Marika Meyer

Photo by Marilyn Campbell

Designer Marika Meyerused fabric from her owncollection to make accesso-ries, including this dog bedand bone, for the lady’sretreat.

Photo by Angie Seckinger

Bright yellow wallpaper energizes the family room byTodd Martz and Susan Nelson.

Photo by Marilyn Campbell

Todd Martz and SusanNelson use felt flowersmade by women in Nepal toaccessorize the familyroom.


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Senior Living

Be Useful, Fit,And Have FunStaying busy and remainingproductive in the “Golden Years.”

By Eden Brown

The Connection

For active “seniors,” there isnothing worse than whenthe bank teller and the

waitress start calling you “sweetie”or “dear,” and the passengers inpriority seating on the bus get upto offer you a seat.

Old? Of course none of them feelold. The hair may be graying, theshoes may be sneakers, and themembership may be AARP, butNorthern Virginia is a haven forpeople who want to stay activeand useful after retirement.

Join a Musical GroupSallie Klunk of Arlington says

she plays in a small musical groupat a local nursing home. “I playflute with three other instrumen-talists and about 10 singers oncea week at Powhatan NursingHome. Residents are providedwith song sheets. My husbandDave and I played at PowhatanNursing Home for 10 years as apiano and flute duo before I joinedmy present group.”

During her time in the nursinghome in Fairfax, she learned aboutPets on Wheels, and saw the im-pact it had on residents. “For theresidents, singing and enjoyinganimals are enriching experi-ences.”

Volunteer forPets on Wheels

The Fairfax Pets on Wheels pro-gram requires six steps: submit anonline application; attend an ori-entation on the first Wednesday ofeach month, starting at 7:30 p.m.Get a pet behavior assessment. PetHandler teams are required to passa behavior assessment to evaluatethe pet’s controllability, aggres-sion, reaction to strangers, andoverall behavior and level of stressin unfamiliar surroundings. Step4: Get a Fairfax County Govern-ment Appointee BackgroundForm. Step 5: Certify your pet’swellness. A FPOW health certifi-cate is completed by your pet’sregular veterinarian certifying thatthe pet is healthy and vaccinationsare current. Step 6: Attend train-ing at the facility of your choice.

To learn more, emaild f s p e t s o n w h e e l s @

fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703-324-5406.

WednesdayMid-Week Hikers

“Another way to stay fit and so-cial is the Wednesday Mid-WeekHikers,” Nora Palmatier said. “Wehave a large listserv and someoneorganizes a hike each week, thenyou go or not.”

Kate Hughes provided details:“Initially organized in the late1970s, the PATC Mid-Week Hikersare an enthusiastic collection ofretirees, semi-retirees and othersthat love to hike. While the pacevaries somewhat within the group,participants need to be very fit asmost hikes are a brisk 8-12 miles,with up to 3,200 feet of elevationgain. Including a lunch break,most hikes last 5-6 hours. Hikelocations include the ShenandoahNational Park, the George Wash-ington National Forest in Virginia,Sugarloaf Mountain and CatoctinNational Park in Maryland. Hikesare posted on the PATC websitecalendar (top of the homepagewww.patc.net) a few days beforeeach hike.”

The Potomac Appalachian TrailClub (PATC) also has an easy hik-ers group. There are dozens ofother hiking meet-ups in theNorthern Virginia area, and find-ing them is easy: seewww.meetup.com/topics/hiking/us/va/arlington/

Master GardenersThe Virginia Cooperative Exten-

sion (VCE) Master Gardener pro-gram trains participants in bestmanagement practices of garden-ing and landscaping techniquesthat preserve and sustain the en-vironment. Offered by the Arling-ton County Office, in partnershipwith the City of Alexandria, TheMaster Gardener Training classesare offered once a week severaltimes a year. The class is 9 a.m-3:30 p.m. with a break for lunchfrom 12-12:30 p.m. The cost of the2017 volunteer training is $235 forArlington/Alexandria residentsand $285 for non-residents.

Limited scholarship assistance isavailable. Contact coordinatorLeslie Fillmore, at 703-228-6426or [email protected] or look up ac-tivities on www.mgnv.org.


We didn’tinheritthe earthfrom ourparents.We’re bor-rowing itfrom ourchildren.

—Chief Seattle(1788-1866)Suquamish/

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Making America Green Lecture. noon atGeorge Mason University HUB Ballroom, 4400University Drive, Fairfax. Mark Jacobson, arenowned climate scientist, Stanford professor,and science director of Mark Ruffalo’s SolutionsProject, will detail his vision and plan for 100percent renewable energy in the U.S. by 2050.Free. Email [email protected].

FRIDAY/OCT. 13Drone Flying Demonstration. 7 p.m. at South

Run District Park, 7550 Reservation Drive,Springfield. The DC Area Drone Users Group(DUG) will host a brief discussion and thenhands-on flight demos of small, unmannedaircraft systems. Call 703-866-0566 or visitonline at fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/southrun.

SATURDAY/OCT. 14Fall Walk

Fundraiser. 8:30a.m. at LakeAccotink Park, 5660Heming Ave.,Springfield. TheHemophiliaAssociation of theCapital Area(HACA), a nonprofitorganization basedin Springfield, israising funds tosupport theprograms andservices of HACA,which includesummer camp forkids with bleedingdisorder; patientassistance to helpwith the cost ofhealthcare bills andemergency expenses;chapter scholarshipprograms Visitwww.hacacares.org.

Special Treasuresand Used BookSale. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.at the Church of theGood Shepherd,9350 BraddockRoad, Burke.Houseware,furniture, sports equipment, toys, decor, smallelectronics, collectibles. Call 703-323-5400.

Fairfax Fall Festival. 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. at OldTown Fairfax, Route 123 and Route 236,Fairfax. Over 400 arts, crafts, information, foodvendors, children’s activities and three stages ofmusic and entertainment for all ages. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov.

Fire Prevention Week. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., allFairfax County Fire and Rescue Stations will behosting an Open House, stop by the local stationthat day to meet the firefighters, see the firetrucks, join in the activities and learn about firesafety. Visit fairfaxcounty.gov.

❖ Station 27 Fire Station Tour — WestSpringfield, 6140 Rolling Road.

❖ Station 22 Fire Station Tour — Springfield,7011 Backlick Road.

Bunny Man Lecture. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at City ofFairfax Regional Library, 10360 North Street.County Archivist and Bunny Man expert, BrianConley, will talk about the legend of the BunnyMan which has captivated Northern Virginiafear-seekers for over four decades. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/events/ or 703-293-6227.

Benefit Musical. 6:30 p.m. at the The HistoricSydenstricker Schoolhouse, 8511 Hooes Road,Springfield. Friends of SydenstrickerSchoolhouse will hold a fundraising event at theSchoolhouse featuring a special musicalperformance by the Rossi Family and aperformance of Will Rogers’ USA, a one-manshow performed by Rob Cork. Visitwww.sydenstrickerschoolhouse.org.

OCT. 14-15Fall Festival. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Whitehall

Farm, 6080 Colchester Road, Fairfax. Featuringa large corn maze in the shape of a chicken,pumpkin patch, farm animals, inflatable bouncehouses, hay ride, and nature trail. $12, activeduty military and their families receive $2 offper ticket. Also takes place Oct. 21-22. Visitwww.whitehall.farm.

SUNDAY/OCT. 15Rose Display. 2-4 p.m. at Merrifield Garden

Center- Fair Oaks, 12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax.Arlington Rose Foundation hosts seminar onnew and interesting roses for next year’s garden.Free. Call 703-371-9351 or [email protected].

OCT. 16-19Halloween Costume Exchange. Drop off

various times at Sherwood Center, 3740 Old LeeHighway, Fairfax. Pick up new costume onFriday, Oct. 20 from 6-9 p.m. Drop off gentlyused and clean Halloween costumes Mondaythrough Thursday, and come pick up a greatsecond hand costume for this year on Friday.Visit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts or call 703-

385-7858.

FRIDAY/OCT. 20Pathway to WellnessConference. 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the FairfaxCounty GovernmentCenter, 12000Government CenterParkway, Fairfax.Keynote Speaker will beJennifer Marshall,founder of “This is MyBrave,” and otherpresenters will talk abouthow creativity, poetry,music and dance can bepart of recovery. $30.Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb or [email protected] byCandlelight. 6:30 p.m.at at George Mason’sGunston Hall, 10709Gunston Road, Lorton.Sip on period cocktails asyou learn to how to make18th-century mixeddrinks and snacks in thehearth kitchen. $35, $25for Friends of GunstonHall. Call 703-550-9220ext. 240 or [email protected].

SATURDAY/OCT. 212nd Annual Shelane’s 5K Run/Walk. 7:30

a.m. at Fairfax County Government Center,12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax.Free kids activities: rock wall, moon bounce,face painting, arts and crafts and more. Comerun/walk to help raise awareness and resourcesfor postpartum mood disorders in memory ofShelane Dawn Gaydos. $30 for 5K, kids fun run,$10. Visit shelanesrun.org/ or call 571-332-9026.

Help The Homeless 5K Walk 2017. 8:30 a.m.At Fairfax City Hall, 10455 Armstrong St.,Fairfax. A 5K through the neighborhoods ofFairfax City or the 1.5 mile short course. $32.Visit www.PathwayHomes.org.

2017 Library Jubilee Gala Fundraiser. 5:30-8p.m. at Pohick Regional Library, 6450Sydenstricker Road, Burke. “The Library GoesHollywood” with food, ice cream, auction andphoto booth with VIP Hollywood guest, MarilynMonroe. $75. Call 703-324-8300 or [email protected].

Trunk or Treat. 6-8 p.m. at Franconia UnitedMethodist Church (FUMC), 6037 FranconiaRoad. Games, snacks, hot cider in the churchparking lot. Visit www.franconiaumc.org/ or call703-971-5151.

Campfire Stargazing. 8-10 p.m. at Burke LakePark is located at 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station.Astronomical naturalist identifies the stars,constellations and other night-sky features, andmake S’mores. $10. Call 703-323-6600 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelakepark/.

SUNDAY/OCT. 22Clifton’s Ivakota Farm History. 3:30-5 p.m. at

Pohick Regional Library, 6450 SydenstrickerRoad, Burke. Lynne Garvey-Hodge, a FairfaxCounty History Commissioner, lectures onClifton’s Ivakota Farm, which from 1915 to 1925served as a school and home for unwed mothersand their children. Call 703-324-8300 or [email protected].

Entertainment

RosesThe Rose Display is Sunday, Oct.15 from 2-4 p.m. at MerrifieldGarden Center- Fair Oaks, 12101Lee Highway, Fairfax. ArlingtonRose Foundation hosts seminar onnew and interesting roses for nextyear’s garden. Free. Call 703-371-9351 or [email protected].

Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. Dead-line is noon on Friday. Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGLake Accotink Park Carousel Closed, Mini-golf

and Marina Open. The carousel at Lake AccotinkPark has been closed for the remainder of the2017 operating season for needed repair work.The mini-golf and marina will continueoperating as normally scheduled through Oct.16. Call 703-324-8745.

THROUGH OCTOBERFall Festival and Pumpkin Playground.

Various times at Burke Nursery & GardenCentre, 9401 Burke Road, Burke. Weekdays is

$10 per person and the weekend price is $14 perperson. Call 703- 323-1188.

Pumpkin Patch. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at the St.George’s United Methodist Church, 4910 OxRoad, Fairfax. Buy fall pumpkins and decorativegourds grown by Native American farmers tosupport jobs in a high unemployment area inArizona. Call 703-385-4550.

THURSDAY/OCT. 12Digital Storytelling Workshop. 10:30 a.m.-

noon at George Mason University, InnovationHall Room 215-G, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. Award-winning storyteller Laura Packerwill help storytellers identify audiences andtheir needs, hone the voice, and tell a story in away that will reach out and change the world.Call 703-993-1170 or visit english.gmu.edu/.


COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bbWorship Gathering – Sunday 8:45 & 11 AM

Sunday School 10:10 AMSun. Evening – Realtime Worship & Youth 6 PM

Family Night – Wednesday 7:15 PMHome Life Groups, College/Young Adult

Ministries, and Living Free Support GroupsVisit our Website: www.jccag.org

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

To Advertise YourCommunity of Worship,

Call 703-778-9418

“Loving People to Life”

Cruise from Baltimore on RCCL Jan. 11-20. ........................................................ $604 9-nights cruise to Bahamas with All meals & entertainment on The Grandeur of the Seas.

Sandpiper all inclusive Resort in Florida Jan. 13-20. ........................... $929 land only 7-nights with all meals, entertainment, sports & alcoholic beverages at Club Med Sandpiper Resort between Miami & Orlando. Call for details.

St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah, GA March 15-18. ............................................ $1,025 The place to be on this holiday! Motorcoach from Vienna, McLean Metro or Rockville, 3-nights on Tybee Island at oceanfront hotel, 2 breakfasts, 2-dinners, Parade Day brunch, Private seating for parade with inside facilities, Sightseeing & so much fun!

News

By Basma Humadi

The Connection

“The beauty of living in sobriety is thatyou find the silver lining in yoursaddest stories,” said former NBAplayer Chris Herren. “You make

peace with the past. You forgive – and you allowyourself to be forgiven.”

Herren spoke and shared his story Monday, Oct. 2to parents at Fairfax High School. Students at thehigh school also gathered earlier that day to listento Herren’s speech during school hours. The focus ofhis speech encompassed Herren’s personal journeythrough recovery and addiction, and the need forcommunities to focus on wellness.

Herren had it all, lost it all, then struggled to buildit all back. He started drinking and smoking pot in-frequently as a teen then tried a line of cocaine forthe first time in college. It led to a 14-year long ad-diction on numerous different substances, whichwould go on to cost Herren $25,000 a month to sup-port. Landing a stint with the Boston Celtics, gettingkicked out of college or seeing his newborn soncouldn’t help end it.

“It’s hard in any profession – hiding,” Herren said.“It’s hard no matter what you do in life to balancework and an illness. Often times, they don’t go to-gether. To try to manage that and sustain that, it wasexhausting and unmanageable.”

Herren will continue to share his story around highschools in Fairfax County throughout the week aswell. By speaking to high schoolers, faculty and par-ents, Herren hopes to change the attitude of thosewilling to listen.

“I think when it comes to addiction, as communi-ties, we’ve put so much emphasis on how bad it getsinstead of how it begins,” Herren said. “We want toshow our kids how ugly and painful addiction be-comes instead of understanding at 13, 14, 15, 16years old why we would even take a chance on let-ting it begin.”

Challenging educators and children to change thestructure of the typical systems they live in is one

major factor Herren wants to influence. He is nownine years sober.

“I think wellness should be a core class from thebeginning,” Herren said. “I think you should em-power kids to be able to communicate their struggleand to build their self-esteem and self worth. Notevery kid has a uniform to hide behind and buildtheir confidence. Not every kid is involved in sportsor theater or band. There’s a lot of kids out therethat need some affirmation.”

One parent in the crowd, Alina Lockridge, admit-ted that Herren’s speech to high school students ear-lier that day helped her daughter grow interested inunderstanding their family’s past with addiction.

“At first, I did not want to come down,” Lockridgesaid. “[My daughter] started talking about what sheexperienced and the things I thought I had hid fromher about my family’s addiction. You put it in such away that made her think and frame it as, ‘What didthey experience? How can we help them?’”

Chris Herren, former NBAplayer and addict, speaks toparents and children incounty schools.

Former Addict Shares His Story

Photo by Basma Humadi/The Connection

Addressing a crowd of parents, Herrenhopes that more will take initiative inlooking out for their children


News

By David Siegel

The Connection

Building robust community part-nerships for the Fairfax Countyperforming arts scene, Fairfax’sHelen Hayes Award recipient Hub

Theatre and the Jewish Community Centerof Northern Virginia (JCCNV) are develop-ing a staged reading of a new play. The playis “The Secrets of the Universe (and othersongs)” based on little-known actions tocombat racism from two towering figuresof American society, Marian Anderson andAlbert Einstein.

The play, with songs by Helen HayesAward recipient Marc Acito, is “about theunion of hearts, minds, and souls in a questto unlock the secrets of the universe,” saidHelen Murray, artistic director, Hub Theatre.“Einstein and Anderson are two incredible

By David Siegel

The Connection

Journey to Argentinaright here in your ownNorthern Virginia backyard.

Take in the passion-filled dance andmusic called the tango. Consideredone of Argentina’s great culturalarts, “Tango Buenos Aires: TheSpirit of Argentina” will be display-ing authentic, alluring dance move-ments fired-up with classic tangomusic performed live.

“Tango Buenos Aires: The Spiritof Argentina” will focus on thepower of the tango to engage per-formers and audiences alike with itsaddictive nature. The tango pro-gram will trace the evolution of thetango as a dance and cultural style.Patrons will find themselves gazingat “very beautiful dances and a storybeing told. There are high energydances, sensual dances, and danceswith high kicks and lifts,” saidRosario Bauza, artistic director,“Tango Buenos Aires.”

On stage will be 10 dancers anda singer, plus musicians performing livemusic. The music compositions will in-clude works by Carlos Gardel, a centralfigure in tango history and AstorPiazzolla as well as original music byFernando Marzan and other composers.

Enjoying a live performance, rather

ter for the Arts that will add audi-ence participation. There will be afree beginners’ tango class to thosewith tickets to “Tango BuenosAires.” The free dance lesson is tostart before the Saturday eveningperformance. There will be instruc-tors from Tango Mercurio, a North-ern Virginia dance company andstudio. The basics of tango will betaught to those who pre-register. Inaddition, there will be a pre-perfor-mance discussion with members ofthe performance troupe.

So, come to “Tango Buenos Aires: TheSpirit of Argentina” to celebrateArgentina’s enduring tango; its ardentmusic and dramatic moments. Even takethe opportunity to learn new dance skillsor brush-up on old skills with the freetango lessons being made available.

than seeing on a screen either big or small,Bauza hopes the audience will become“happy and joyful as they see our perfor-mance.”

“We would like the audience to depart ourCenter for the Arts performance with a de-sire to visit Argentina and experience tango

there also. They will have also learned alittle about the life of Carlos Gardel, who isknown as the voice of the Tango,” saidBauza. “Above all else we hope everyoneenjoys ‘The Spirit of Argentina.’”

There will be a specially developed fea-ture for the tango dance event at the Cen-

Where & When“Tango Buenos Aires: the Spirit of Ar-

gentina” performing at the George MasonUniversity, Center for the Arts, 4400 Uni-versity Ave., Fairfax. Performance:Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets are$50, $43 and $30. Call 703-993-2787 orvisit www.cfa.gmu.edu Note: Pre-perfor-mance discussion with member of thecompany. Also free beginners’ TangoClass led by instructors from TangoMercurio starting at 6:30 p.m. on Satur-day, Oct. 14. Space is limited and advanceregistration required. Open to ticket hold-ers for the “Tango Buenos Aires”performance. Registration atcfa.gmu.edu/calendar/2496/.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Artists Management Inc.

“Tango Buenos Aires: The Spirit of Argentina” comes to George MasonUniversity, Center for the Arts, on Saturday, Oct. 14.

figures, both able to reach beyond them-selves to a higher understanding of theworld, meeting and forming a friendship.”

Presenting this original drama will “en-rich our collective audiences,” said JeffDannick, executive director, JCCNV. “Hereis a unique opportunity to observe and en-joy a unique relationship between two his-toric giants. Eighty years after their extraor-dinary meeting, the themes and issues

brought forward in the play continue toresonate.”

Asked about the reading and the artisticprocess Murray said, “this is a workshoppedstaged reading of a play in progress. So nocostumes or props, just music stands andactors with scripts. The cast will includeprofessional actors from the area.”

The reading also provides an opportu-nity for the audience to provide their in-

Co-produced by Hub Theatre and JewishCommunity Center of Northern Virginia.

Epic Story About Combating Racism

Helen Murray,Artistic Director,Hub Theatre

Jeff Dannick,Executive Direc-tor, JewishCommunityCenter of North-ern Virginia

Where & WhenHub Theatre and the Jewish Community

Center of Northern Virginia (JCCNV)present “The Secrets of the Universe (andother songs),” at the JCCNV, 8900 LittleRiver Turnpike, Fairfax. Performance,Sunday, Oct. 14, 2017 at 4 p.m. Tickets:$16 (general admission), $14 (JCCNVmembers, $12 for groups of 15 or more.Call 703-323-0880 or visit www.jccnv.org.

formed feedback.Playwright Acito is expected at the per-

formance to take in what he sees and hearsfrom the actors and audience alike, to fur-ther develop the script on its next step tofull production.

Murray went on to say, “it is exciting tohave a partner in bringing this show to ourcommunity. With the help of JCCNV we willbe able to reach a broader audience withthe messages found in this play – ones oftolerance, friendship and diversity.”

“Our institutions are very different inpurpose and structure, but whenever ourmissions align, this partnership deliversamazing experiences for our audiences. Itdemonstrates the best in what makes North-ern Virginia such a special place to live,”said Dannick.

“The Secrets of the Universe (and othersongs)” is a message of tolerance, friend-ship and diversity. It aims to depict personaland public struggles to overcome racialprejudice where and when it can occur. Forthis show, It started with being denied ahotel room.

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‘Tango Buenos Aires: The Spirit of Argentina’ at the Center for the Arts.

Fiery Tango Music and Dance


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News

Shifting economic trends and demographics havetaken their toll on this local family run business. JudyRyan of Fairfax was an outgrowth of the Image andColor Consulting business Ryan owned beginningwith Color Me Beautiful in a studio in Fairfax City.Developing into a retail location for apparel and ac-cessories, the operation moved to Twinbrooke Cen-tre on Braddock Road in 1988. Home décor and giftswere added to respond to customer requests.

“The world was a very different place in 1988. Noonline shopping, free shipping, free returns, no Ama-zon and my customers and I were a lot younger,”said Ryan. “Our customers are retiring, down-sizing,leaving the area and generally shopping less. Ourwonderful, loyal customers have supported us withgreat attendance at our monthly events, but day to

day traffic has diminished.”The decision to retire was a very difficult one. Judy

Ryan said, “If the store could stay in business while Iworked 30 hours instead of 50 or more [a] week, I’dprobably work until I’m one hundred.”

A letter mailed and an email went out announcingthat a Retirement Sale will begin on Oct. 12 at 10a.m. “The store will most likely remain open untilDecember as the inventory is sold down and newmerchandise will arrive. And, we haven’t even be-gun to put out our wonderful Christmas collection,”she said.

Judy Ryan and her team look forward to thankingtheir customers in person and to helping them findsome good presents and some nice things for them-selves to remember the store.

Fairfax Library Foundation is rolling out the redcarpet for library supporters on Oct. 21, 5:30-8 p.m.at Pohick Regional Library for the 2017 Library Jubi-lee: The Library Goes Hollywood!

The Library Jubilee is the Foundation’s largestfundraising event each year, with 100 percent of pro-ceeds invested into Fairfax County Public Library. Itis a chance to raise funds for the library, acknowl-edge donors, and celebrate the achievements of li-brary programs.

Have you ever noticed that many of the best mov-ies are adapted from books? This year’s Jubilee cel-ebrates the stories we find in our libraries and onthe big screen with our theme, The Library GoesHollywood. This premier event brings together thebest in Fairfax County: in attendance will be Foun-dation and Library leadership and staff, elected offi-cials, published authors, business leaders, and librarysupporters.

The Foundation is raising money for Fairfax CountyPublic Library programs like Changing Lives ThroughLiterature, giving first time juvenile offenders an al-ternative to formal court action, and Ready to Read

Early Literacy Outreach, bringing interactive read-ing experiences to preschool students. The newestfunding area is the New American Initiative, raisingfunds for English Language Learning materials. Lastyear the Library Jubilee raised $120,000, with greaterproceeds than ever before going to library programsand services.

Each year at the Jubilee, attendees celebrate thiswork of the Library and Foundation while enjoyinghors d’oeuvres, cocktails, musical entertainment anda silent auction. Shirley’s Catering and Peterson’s IceCream will be back this year with their delicioustreats, savory and sweet.

A jazz trio from Mason Music Productions will pro-vide live music in the new Pohick Regional Library,while guests bid on auction items including wineryvisits, hotel packages, and passes to Disney World.There are some new things in store for this Jubilee,like a photo booth and VIP Hollywood guest, “MarilynMonroe.”

For more information on sponsorships and how tobe involved, call 703-324-8300 or [email protected].

Judy Ryan of Fairfax Announces Retirement Sale

Library Goes Hollywood for 2017 Gala Fundraiser

County Marks Constitution WeekAt the Sept. 12 meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Anna MariaFitzhugh Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, was honoredwith a Proclamation which officially designated Sept. 17 to Sept. 23 as ConstitutionWeek in Fairfax County. Pictured are Anna Maria Fitzhugh Chapter members withBraddock District Supervisor John C. Cook and Chairman Sharon Bulova.


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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Recently I received a very generous offer inthe mail: a $10 gift certificate from my localhardware store acknowledging my upcom-ing/now passed birthday. From what I couldread, there was no minimum purchase, noexclusions and no small-type print, just a rea-sonable expiration date: Oct. 31, approxi-mately six weeks out from the day I receivedthis unexpected gift. More than enough time,one would imagine.

The only problem: what am I going to get atthe hardware store, other than the employees’pity about how little I know about so much?Most of the time when I’m in a hardware store(typically I’m not browsing, unlike the cookieaisle at the supermarket), I’m attempting tosolve a problem I have at home for which Ihave very little experience and extremely poorinstincts at rectifying. Not only do I rarelyknow what I’m talking about, I don’t evenknow the proper questions to ask toenable/assist the employee in figuring what theheck my problem actually is – other than me,that is.

I’m very much out of my element in a hard-ware store. A fish out of water doesn’t begin todescribe my situation. Tevye, from “Fiddler onthe Roof” in speaking to his daughter, Chava,about marrying outside the faith came close:“a bird may love a fish, but where would theybuild a home together?” Build a home? I haveenough difficulty maintaining one that’salready built.

When I’m asked, or when I offer it, usually Isay: “I know two things: sports and chocolate.”I guess I could also add being a cancerpatient/survivor, but I don’t want to redirect aperfectly innocent conversation into a totallydifferent direction: me and my druthers.Although, my situation has been publicly con-sumed in the Connection Newspapers goingon eight and half years; in person, I try to notlet it be the first or even second thing thatcomes out of my mouth. And I never initiate,though I’m happy to respond if asked.Generally speaking, I’d rather it not be aboutme and my cancer. As my mother used to say“It’s enough already.”

But none of this comes up in a hardwarestore. In fact, the only thing that comes up ismy Adam’s Apple as I sheepishly swallow andadmit how incapable I am as a home-owner/do-it-yourselfer and how much help Ineed to do almost anything. At least the park-ing is free so it’s not a total loss.

As you might imagine, this situation doesn’texactly lead to an easy conversation or a satis-fying outcome. Quite the contrary. I know onething for sure however, if left to my owndevices, either I will cause additional andcostly damage in my crude attempt to self-repair, or I will hurt myself in the process. Andwaste money as well, as the end of the day willlikely find me and the problem no closer to aresolution than we were at the beginning ofthe day.

As William Shakespeare might have written:it will be much ado about nothing as nothingmuch will have been done. In these recurringcircumstances, all I can hope for is a safe land-ing, so to speak, one in which, as pilots oftenjoke: I can walk away uninjured.

Given that I’m a tool twit and have failedmiserably at homeowner 101, what then couldI possibly buy at the hardware store with mygift certificate? I just got an idea: lightbulbs. Icouldn’t possibly screw that up, could I? Imean, they’re supposed to be screwed up –into the socket, right? What could be morenatural for me?

One last question though: when I place thebulb into the socket, do I screw them to theright or to the left?

What To“Ware?”Business Directory

To Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

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Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.

DEMENTIA CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPSShepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke sponsors

a monthly meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of eachmonth, noon-1:30 p.m., for caregivers to learnand to share with others experiencing similarchallenges. Before attending, contact thefacilitator, Eileen Thompson at 703-451-8626 [email protected].

THURSDAY/OCT. 12Short-Term Rental Community Meeting. 7

p.m. in Conference Rooms 9 and 10 the FairfaxCounty Government Center, 12000 GovernmentCenter Drive, Fairfax. The county scheduledanother meeting to discuss proposed zoningrules for short-term rentals with the community.The public will be able to provide feedback, askquestions and learn about the results from thecommunity survey. Go towww.fairfaxcounty.gov for more.

IN-PERSON, TV DEBATESThe League of Women Voters of the Fairfax

Area (LWVFA) will hold forums about thecandidates who are running for election to theVirginia House of Delegates. The League invitedall certified candidates campaigning for office intheir respective districts. At the in-personforums, question-and-answer sessions will befollowed by an opportunity for informalconversations with individual candidates. Thepublic and press are encouraged to attend. Formore information about the candidates’priorities and positions, visit www.vote411.org.In-person forums:

* Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. at HayfieldSecondary School, Lecture Hall: 7630 TelegraphRoad, Alexandria.

* Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at SullyGovernment Center: 4900 Stonecroft Blvd.,Chantilly.

SATURDAY/OCT. 14Town Hall Meeting. 9 a.m. at Junior

Achievement Finance Park, 4099 Pickett Road,Fairfax. Supervisor John Cook presents a townhall on Raising Teens in the 21st Century. Call703-425-9300 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news2/event/parent-resources-town-hall-meeting-raising-teens-in-the-21st-century/.

Office Hours. Mount Vernon District SupervisorDan Storck will host Saturday office hours.Email [email protected].

❖ 9-11:30 a.m. at Lorton Library, 9520 RichmondHighway, Lorton.

❖ 12:30-3 p.m. at the Mount Vernon District office,2511 Parkers Lane, Mount Vernon.

SUNDY/OCT. 15Women’s Health and Wellness. 3-5 p.m. at the

Clifton Town Hall, 12641 Chapel Road, Clifton.The Democratic Women of Clifton and No. VAinvite members and the general public to animportant meeting on women’s health andwellness. A local ob/gyn and a cardiologist willspeak and take questions. [email protected] or visitwww.democraticwomenofclifton.org.

BRADDOCK ROAD STUDYCommunity Meetings. Braddock District

Supervisor John Cook and the Fairfax CountyDepartment of Transportation (FCDOT) willhost a series of community meetings focused onspecific sections of Braddock Road this fall.

❖ Wednesday, Oct. 18: Beltway area – BraddockHall, 9002 Burke Lake Road, Burke

❖ Wednesday, Oct. 25: Burke Lake intersection– Kings Park Library, 9000 Burke Lake Road,Burke

❖ Thursday, Nov. 16: Ravensworth Roadintersection – Ravensworth Baptist Church, 5100Ravensworth Road, Annandale

❖ Monday, Dec. 11: Burke Lake intersection,second meeting – Kings Park Library, 9000Burke Lake Road, Burke

The goal of the Braddock Road Multimodal Study isto develop commuting improvements for thecorridor from Guinea Road to I-495 toRavensworth Road. Visit fairfaxcounty.gov/fcdot/braddockroadmmstudy/.

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