Sights and Sounds Of Reston Holidayconnectionarchives.com/PDF/2018/112818/Reston.pdf ·...

‘Touch Lives and Make a Difference’News, Page 6

Amazon Is Coming to TownCommentary, Page 5

Sights and Sounds Of Reston Holiday

News, Page 3

Guests of honor, Santa and Mrs. Claus, wave to spectators at the

28th annual Reston Holiday Parade.

Holiday EntertainmentPage 8

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com November 28-December 4, 2018

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2 ❖ Reston Connection ❖ November 28 - December 4, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Reston Connection ❖ November 28 - December 4, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

NewsReston Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

Early in the morning Nov. 23, 2018,the day after Thanksgiving, 52groups and participants for the28th annual Reston Holiday Pa-

rade gathered at the top of Market Streetin Reston. A lineup of dignitaries, perform-ers and balloon handlers prepared to bringa bit of holiday fun to a time-honored eventin preparation for honored guests Santa andMrs. Claus.

Workers inflated behemoth Macy’s styleballoons. Handlers dressed in colorful out-fits that coordinated with their balloons,wrangled knotted ropes, freeing the linesand boosting the balloons afloat.

“I’m a little nervous,” confessed NickiSkinner of Herndon. “It’s a big balloon.”Members of the Spirit of Reston-South LakesHigh School Marching Band rehearsed onelast time directed by Catie George, 17, DrumMajor.

Grand Marshal Sissy Sheridan, 14, ofReston, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11),Del. Ken Plum (D- 36), SupervisorCatherine Hudgins, (D-Hunter Mill) joinedby Lord and Lady Fairfax, Ron Copeland andCarmen Powell and Fairfax County SheriffStacey Kincaid climbed into their rides,ready to make their way down MarketStreet in Reston Town Center. Along theparade route, local volunteers dressed in redaprons such as Lisa Roy and her daughterFrancesca and Catherine Lamoureux and

her daughter AielloVivienne pushed grocerycarts filled with jingle bellnecklaces, passing themout to spectators.

PRECISELY at 11 a.m.,emcees Angie Goff andDoug Kammerer of NBCNews4 each stood at oneof the two grandstand po-diums erected along thehalf-mile parade route. Inunison, they announced,“Ladies and gentlemen,children of all ages, getready for the sights andsounds of the 28th an-nual Reston Holiday Pa-rade because it is here.”

The duo began a lively

Reston parade nominated for the third year in a row as one of“USA Today’s” Best Holiday Parades.

The stunning stilt walking Snow Queen looms large over everyone bring-ing a bit of royalty and Winter Wonderland to the 28th annual RestonHoliday Parade.

Photos by Mercia Hobson/The Connection

The sight and sounds of the 28th annual Reston Holiday Parade kickedoff with the official banner and characters.

Sights and Sounds of Reston Holiday

The Caporales San Simon Virginia USA brings itsenergy and enthusiasm to the 28th annual RestonHoliday Parade.

Grand Marshal of the 28th annualReston Holiday Parade SissySheridan rides in high style alongthe half-mile parade route. “I’mhaving so much fun,” Sheridan said.

See Reston Parade, Page 12

Much to the utter delight of thelittle children at the 28th annualReston Holiday Parade, the day’sspecial guests of honor, Santa andMrs. Claus arrive in a horse-drawncarriage concluding the holidaytradition brought to Reston TownCenter by Boston Properties.

The sights and sounds of the award-winning Spirit of Reston-SouthLakes High School Marching Bandcan mean only one thing, Santa andMrs. Claus are almost at the 28thannual Reston Holiday Parade.

banter describing the parade participants.One of the first in the lineup was award-winning bagpiper Drew Donlon from Em-erald Society Pipe Band followed by theFairfax County Ceremonial Honor Guard.“The largest and most active police HonorGuard in the Commonwealth of Virginia,”the emcees said.

Next, Goff and Kammerer welcomed theparade’s Grand Marshal for 2018, SissySheridan, born and raised in Reston. “SissySheridan is fourteen years old and already


Opinion

During the last week of each year,this newspaper devotes its pagesto the creativity of local studentsand children. The annual Children’s

Connection (including Children’s Gazette,Children’s Almanac and Children’s Centre View)is a tradition of well over a decade.

We welcome contributions from pub-lic and private schools, art classes, in-dividuals and homeschoolers. We pub-lish artwork, poetry, essays, creative writing,opinion pieces, short stories, photography,photos of sculpture or gardens or other cre-ative efforts.

We ask that all submissions be digital so theycan be sent through email or delivered on flashdrive. Writing should be submitted in text for-mat. Artwork should be photographed orscanned and provided in jpeg format.

Some suggestions:❖ Drawings or paintings or photographs of

your family, friends, pets or some favorite ac-tivity. These should be photographed orscanned and submitted in jpeg format. Photosof sculpture or larger art projects are also wel-come.

❖ Short answers (50 to 100 words) to someof the following questions: If you could giveyour parents, family or friends any gift thatdidn’t cost money what would that gift be?What are you most looking forward to in theupcoming year? What do you want to be when

you grow up? What is your favoriteanimal? What is your favorite toy?What makes a good friend?

❖ Your opinion (50 to 100 words)about traffic, sports, restaurants, video games,toys, trends, politics, etc.

❖ Poetry or other creative writing.❖ News stories from school newspapers.❖ Photos and text about activities or events.To be published, we must have the full first

and last name of the student artist/writer.Identify each piece of writing or art, includ-

ing the student’s full name, age, grade andtown of residence, plus the name of theschool, name of teacher and town of school

location. Home schoolers’ contributions arewelcomed.

To send flash drives containing artwork andtyped, electronic submissions, mark themclearly by school and hometown and mail theflash drive to: Children’s Connection (includ-ing Children’s Gazette, Children’s Almanac andChildren’s Centre View), 1606 King Street, Al-exandria, VA 22314.

Please send all submissions by Monday, Dec.3, 2018. The Children’s Edition will publishthe last week of 2018.

You can see last year’s editions by visitingwww.connectionnewspapers.com/PDFs/ andscroll down to Children’s Edition.

Email submissions for the Children’s Editionto the following editors:

For Burke, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Station,Great Falls, Herndon, Lorton, McLean,Reston, or Springfield, email to KemalKurspahic [email protected].

For Arlington, Potomac, CentreView,Chantilly, Alexandria and Mount Vernon,email to Steven Mauren,[email protected]

Get creative and sendart, poetry and more.

Call for Submissions to Children’s Edition 2018

Editorial

By John Lovaas

Reston Impact Producer/Host

The island of Cuba is only 90 miles fromthe Florida coast. On Nov. 8 we trav-elled there on a cruise ship, one of the

few ways to visit Cuba since President 45sharply restricted travel there by Americans.A nascent tourist industry and the small busi-nesses and jobs it generated have been crushedalong with contacts between our two peoples.

We stopped in two southern Cuban ports—Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba — and trav-elled by bus for a one-day visit to Havana. Fromthe port of Cienfuegos where we enteredthrough a hoop house-sized building with heatsensing equipment measuring body tempera-tures (to detect fevers!) to Havana’s streetswith brightly colored 1950s vintage Americancars, Cuba was different.

Cienfuegos had the wonderful charm of im-perial Spanish architecture and design withbroad avenues, plazas and monuments of he-roes. We could see and feel the rhythm of themusic and the beauty of colorful works of arteverywhere. The people were diverse andwarm. While the stores were not stocked withflashy consumer goods you’d find in the U.S.and people were obviously not wealthy, nordid we see the stark poverty and malnutritionone finds elsewhere Latin America.

I found it interesting to chat with people Imet — well spoken and literate as well as warmand engaging. With universal, free health care,more doctors per capita than most countriesand free education through university, Cuba iswell positioned to grow economically once theyfigure out how to blend some (not too much)free market incentives into the system. To date,that opening remains small.

Havana was amazing —clean, with beautiful parks,plazas, monuments andlovely buildings, althoughthere were areas with de-teriorating structures. Iparticularly remember onehouse we passed, riding ina pink 1954 Ford convert-ible, with an old womanleaning out a second storywindow smiling at me — acouple of feet below her, abig chunk of the building’s wall was gone.

We passed the American Embassy on a beau-tiful, wide avenue on Havana Bay, with a 16th

century castle/fortress several blocks long vis-ible across the bay. I swear half the cars I sawin Havana were the classic, gaudy-colored1950s American cars including the ones ourtour group rode in, still going 60 years later!The latest models were 1959 or 1960, the yearthe U.S. declared the embargo. Otherwise,there are few personal automobiles in Cuba.Cars are subject to huge duties and can bepurchased only with bags full of cash — liter-ally! We rarely passed cars on the dual lanehighway between Havana and Cienfuegos.

Fidel is dead and his visage is mostly gone,too. He is buried in a modest tomb and or-dered there be no signs, no monuments to him.But, Che Guevara, Fidel’s comrade in arms andthe consummate rebel, is everywhere—onsigns, walls, t-shirts, etc. Jose Marti, the greatLatin Liberator is the 2nd most visible hero.

Things noticeably not seen: Boats! Along allthe shores we passed, I could count the num-ber of small boats we saw — on islands people

fish for food, they travel place to place on theirboats. Why no boats?!? Think for a moment… remember thousands of Cubans makingtheir way on all manner of crafts escaping toUS shores? Cubans must have a rarely grantedspecial permit to own a boat — because theykept going out in them and never coming back.We also saw very few uniformed police, nomilitary that I remember, and no clerics.

Cuba, largely dependent on agriculture, hasto import most of its food staples — e.g., riceand beans — while arable land sits idle or pro-duces sugar cane, the number one export crop.Most Cubans get their basic foods from publicbodegas by way of government-issued rationcards. Fidelismo seems to have destroyed ba-sic agriculture, although, amazingly, organicagriculture is appearing with domestic and for-eign market potential. Agriculture is an areawhere the United States could transfer a greatdeal of technology and knowhow should weever get back to a good working partnershipwith our Cuban neighbors.

We have one regret — our time in Cuba wastoo brief. We’d like to go again.

Cuba

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

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Mercia HobsonCommunity Reporter

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Reston

Photo by Leandro Cortes.

In Havana in 1954 Ford for touring the city. Fromright: Fran Lovaas, Pat Coluzzi, Dale Sheldon andJohn Lovaas at the wheel. Latter replaced by licensedCuban driver for city tour.

Independent

Progressive


By Kenneth R. “Ken”

Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Amazon that hasmade its way intojust about everyconsumer’s home

with its online goods and ser-vices has announced that it isbringing its second headquar-ters or at least half its east-coast headquar-ters to Alexandria in Crystal City. The area— now being called “National Landing” —is actually in Arlington County. The otherhalf of its headquarters, originally expectedto be in one location, will be in Long IslandCity in Queens, N.Y.

There were few regrets in Virginia or theWashington, D.C., area at getting just halfthe prize in the most competitive contestfor an economic development project inrecent times. Even half the prize is expectedto bring 25,000 top jobs to the region.

I attended the announcement ofAmazon’s decision in an abandoned Crys-tal City warehouse that has in recent yearsfallen on hard economic times. The ware-house will be demolished to make room forthe new HQ2. During Gov. Ralph Northam’sremarks, I was thinking that we have trulyreached a crossroads in economic develop-ment in the northern part of the Common-

wealth. There will be little needfor the structures like that ware-house. Northern Virginia thatincludes Reston and TysonsCorner has fully moved into thearena of high technology andwill be mentioned in the futureas one of the centers of techno-logical innovation in our coun-try. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is justthe latest of a long list of entre-

preneurs who have seen the value of a NoValocation.

I am a skeptic of big payout deals thathave been increasingly used by states andlocalities to lure companies to their loca-tions. There seems to be almost unanimousagreement among economic developmentexperts that Virginia may have pulled offone of the best deals they have seen in aneconomic development proposal in recenttimes. There is cash to Amazon involved,but that cash is in the form of performancepayments when Amazon reaches certaintiers of development and production of top-paying jobs. The math of the proposal showsthat in the end Virginia will be a substan-tial net winner from the economic activitycoming from the new headquarters andsupporting development and the new Vir-ginia taxpayers it will include.

Amazon Is Coming to TownCommentary

See Plum, Page 10


News

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

“It’s a great day when our businesscommunity comes together tosupport students with real-worldchallenges and the opportunity to

apply collaboration and communicationskills,” said Kim Retzer, South Lakes HighSchool principal, as she stood in the hall-way of the Sheraton Reston hotel on Mon-day, Nov. 19, 2018. For the 26th year in arow, the senior class of South Lakes HighSchool in Reston participated in the Eth-ics Day program, presented in a 26-yearpartnership between the Greater RestonChamber of Commerce and South LakesHigh School.

Mark S. Ingrao, CCP CAE, President &CEO Greater Reston Chamber of Commerceexplained a bit about the program. “TheGreater Reston Chamber of Commerce is thefirst Chamber in the Northern Virginia areato develop a program that engages our fu-ture leaders in ethical decision making andprovide our members an opportunity to fa-cilitate discussions with these young menand women. ...This ethical discourse chal-lenges our youth and encourages our vol-unteers.”

Dressed in business attire, students andvolunteer table leaders from the local busi-ness community visited four module rooms.There facilitators, and if needed actors, pre-sented an event, scenario or video to thestudents meant to depict what they asyoung adults might face in the future. Givenit may not precisely be the same, it wouldgive students the opportunity to examinetheir own biases and how they might playa role in decision-making.

ONE MODULE was the Organ DonationRoom, which offered students the scenariowhere five actors, portraying end-stageheart failure patients, presented their casesto receive the one available heart that cameavailable at Reston Hospital. Facilitators,Nancy Susco and Tony Barnett of RestonHospital Center cautioned students not tobe swayed by emotion or promises.

After hearing the patients’ pleas, the stu-dents at each table discussed their thoughtsand values, practiced active listening andattempted to reach a consensus naming onerecipient. Students had to agree unani-mously on who should get the heart, yet asindividuals and a committee be able to de-fend the choice. While table leaders includ-ing Eileen McNally, Leidos, and Joe Becker,Not Your Average Joe’s, facilitated studentconversation through active listening, ques-tions, and drawing students out, they werenot to be opinion-givers, stated informationin a Leader handout.

In the Courtroom Dilemma, FacilitatorLaura Kowalski, Reston Association, in-formed the students they had been ‘se-

lected to serve on a jury’ in Fairfax CountyCircuit Court. She said what they wereabout to see and hear was based on a realcourtroom record of Involuntary Man-slaughter. Kowalski commenced telling the“jury” the student who died reportedly hadbeen drinking heavily at a party and waskilled as a passenger in her own car when

her friend, who allegedly had not beendrinking and did not have a license, at-tempted to drive her home. After hearingfrom actor witnesses and attorneys, suchas Ken Chadwick, Esq., Matt Cleary III andJudge Glenn Clayton, each jury table hadto reach a unanimous verdict of guilty ornot guilty.

DURING THE LUNCH BREAK, studentslingered in the hallway. Earlier, the Cham-ber had instructed the Connection not toidentify students by name but permittedcomments and photos.

In an interview, one student reflected onEthics Day. “I think today really opened myeyes to a lot of decisions I would never havethought of if I hadn’t experienced them first-hand today,” he said.

“These seniors represent our future; weshould all be willing to do whatever we canto prepare them to make good decisions. Ioften tell folks appearing before me that,‘Life is full of choices,’ and it is programslike this that will help them to ‘choosewisely’ in the future. Some timely advice,especially in light of current events,” wroteGlenn L. Clayton II, Judge. Juvenile & Do-mestic Relations District Court FairfaxCounty Courthouse.

“There are so many challenging decisionswe all face every day, and this event hasgiven every student who has been a seniorat SLHS exposure to these types of difficultscenarios which they may face. It gives themthe tools and experience to draw upon tomake better ethical decisions,” said EthicsDay Actor Juliana Carter, Tailored LivingCOO, who responded to a request on herperspective of the day.

Asked why the business community wasproducing the event, Ingrao, said,”The busi-ness community should be the one puttingon Ethics Day. The business community isabout ethics.”

Ethics Day 2018: A 26-year partnership between South Lakes High School andGreater Reston Chamber of Commerce.

‘Touch Lives and Make a Difference’

Center back, Judge Glenn L. Clayton II, takes anacting role as a judge during the ‘Organ DonationRoom’ scenario presented during Ethics Day 2018 atSouth Lakes High School in Reston. Also pictured(left) Ken Chadwick, Esq. and (right) Matt Cleary III,Law Offices of Mathew A. Clary III, PC.

Glenn L. Clayton II, Judge, Juvenile & Domestic Rela-tions District Court Fairfax County Courthouse listensto a student spokesperson defending his table’sdecision during Ethics Day 2018, a partnership be-tween Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce andSouth Lakes High School.

South Lakes High School students discuss the dilemma in anorgan donation during Ethics Day 2018, a program presented asa partnership between Greater Reston Chamber of Commerceand South Lakes High School.



News

Office Depot Donates School Supplies toLake Anne ElementaryOffice Depot manager Josh Speaker and assistant manager Phill Bryansurprised Lake Anne Elementary Principal Jill Stewart with a donation ofschool supplies that had been donated over the past few months atOffice Depot. Several students and staff members were gathered to helpunload the van that was filled with school supplies. Lake Anne wouldlike to say a heartfelt thank you to Office Depot, Josh Speaker and PhillBryan for this donation which “will be put to good use!”


Holiday Entertainment

The Wonder of the SeasonExperience The Wonder of the Season with musical offerings from The Reston Chorale, members of Washington Symphonic

Brass and tenor Timothy King. A musical holiday treat for the entire family, featuring popular favorites and timeless trea-sures. Saturday, Dec. 1, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Tickets atwww.RestonChorale.org or 703-476-4500, ext. 3.

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Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.

THURSDAY/NOV. 29Girl Power! Book Club. 7 p.m. at

Scrawl Books, 11911 Freedom Drive,Reston. Readers between the ages of10-12 are invited to join authorKatherine Marsh, for a discussion ofher new novel, Nowhere Boy. Free.Visit www.scrawlbooks.com or call703-966-2111.

SATURDAY/DEC. 1Jingle on the Lake. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at

Lake Anne Plaza. Enjoy making anornament, decorating a cookie, theLake Anne ES choir and holidaymusic. Santa and his elves arrive byboat and paddle board at noon.Children can have their photo takenwith Santa – he stays until every littlechild receives their turn. Call 703-582-6475.

Monster Drawing Rally. 10-5 p.m. atGRACE, 12001 Market St., Suite 103,Reston. The Monster Drawing Rallyturns the GRACE gallery into a publicperformance space as over 50 artistscreate unique artworks on-site usingtheir preferred media. As the worksare completed, they will be hung onthe wall and available for purchase at$75 each. Call 703-471-9242 or visitrestonarts.org.

Holiday Story Hour. 11 a.m.-noon atScrawl Books, 11911 Freedom Drive,Reston. Best-selling children’sauthors Sue Fliess and Lezlie Evansteam up for a super holiday storyhour. Sue will read from her newbook, Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins;while Lezlie reads from herheartwarming book FindingChristmas, and leads a holiday craft.All are welcome. Free. Call 703-966-2111 or visit www.scrawlbooks.com.

Holiday Gift Shopping Event &Reception. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at RCCLake Anne, 1609-A Washington PlazaN., Reston. During the 20th AnnualGifts from the HeART Exhibit, abenefit for Cornerstones, artists inthe Jo Ann Rose Gallery will displayand sell original works of art inmediums like watercolor, oil, acrylic,mixed media, collage, photography,and fiber from Nov. 26 to Jan. 7.Free admission. Visitwww.restoncommunitycenter.com/attend-shows-events-exhibits/exhibits-and-galleries.

Children’s Winter Wonderland.11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at North CountyGovernmental Center, 12000Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. TheFairfax County Alumnae Chapter ofDelta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. willhost its 3rd Annual Children’s WinterWonderland. Children will enjoycrafts, face painting, holiday letterwriting, games, sweet treats andmore. Santa is also scheduled to stopby for Story time. This event is freeand open to the public. Visitfcacdst.org or [email protected].

Mystery Author Extravaganza. at 1p.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Authors from the ChesapeakeChapter of Sisters in Crime willpresent their 2018 novels and shortstories. Books will be available forsale and signing. Seating is limited.Adults. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Holiday Performance – TheGrinch. 1-1:30 p.m. at FountainSquare at Reston Town Center. Enjoythe Rhythm Street Dance Centersinging and dancing their waythrough the holiday classic. Meet theperformers after the show, includingthe Grinch. Visitrestontowncenter.com/events.

Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides. 4-9p.m. departures on Market Streetnear Clyde’s at Reston Town Center.

Presented by Reston Town Center tobenefit local charities. $5 per person.Children under 5 ride free. Visitrestontowncenter.com/holidays.

The Wonder of the Season. 4:30and 7:30 p.m. at Reston CommunityCenter, 2310 Colts Neck Road,Reston. Experience The Wonder ofthe Season with musical offeringsfrom The Reston Chorale, membersof Washington Symphonic Brass andtenor Timothy King. A musicalholiday treat for the entire family,featuring popular favorites andtimeless treasures. Tickets atwww.RestonChorale.org or 703-476-4500, ext. 3.

Herndon Holiday Tree Lighting &Sing-along. 5-6 p.m. at the cornerof Lynn and Elden streets. Carols,tree lighting and a visit from Santa.Free. Call 571-323-5304 or visitwww.dullesregionalchamber.org.

SUNDAY/DEC. 2Run with Santa 5K. 8:30 a.m., at

Fountain Square at Reston TownCenter. Jump into the season’s spiritand wear favorite holiday gear orcostume. Free kids fun-run withfinisher medals. Presented byPotomac River Running. Call 703-689-0999 or visit prraces.com/runwithsanta.

Mini-Train Rides. Noon-4 p.m.departures on Market Street nearClyde’s at Reston Town Center.Donated proceeds are all received byKids R First. Presented by RestonTown Center to benefit localcharities. Visitrestontowncenter.com/holidays.

David Baldacci: Author Talk &Book Signing. 2 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. RestonRegional Library is partnering withBards Alley bookstore to hostNewYork Times bestselling authorDavid Baldacci for an author talk andbook signing. Baldacci introduces hisnewest series character, FBI SpecialAgent Atlee Pine, in Long Road ToMercy. Copies may be pre-orderedonline from Bards Alley or by calling571-459-2653. David Baldacci bookswill be available for purchase at theevent. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov toregister.

MONDAY/DEC. 3Toddler Story Time. 10:30 a.m. at

Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Funstories, songs and finger plays. Age 2with adult. Free. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Home Sellers Class. 1 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston.MarkSierakowski will present a workshopon selling a home. Adults. Free. Call703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Crazy 8s Club. 5 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Join BedtimeMath’s Crazy 8s and build stuff, runand jump, make music and make amess. Grades K-2. Free. Register at703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Family Code Night. 7 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Parents andguardians pair up with their childrento learn coding basics. No codingexperience necessary. Ages 5-11.Free. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

TUESDAY/DEC. 4Storytime for Three to Fives. 10:30

a.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. An early literacy programwith stories and activities. Age 3-5with adult. No registration required.Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Spanchats. 7 p.m. at Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Join an ongoingmonthly Spanish conversation group.All levels from beginner to fluent arewelcome. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Reston Sings! Handel’s Messiah.7:30-9 p.m. at Saint John NeumannCatholic Church, 11900 LawyersRoad, Reston. Join in singing G.F.Handel’s Messiah. Reception tofollow. Individuals who bring a newor gently used coat to benefitCornerstones’ Coat Closet will receivea $5 discount on admission. $10-$15.Tickets at www.RestonChorale.org.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 5Holiday Open House. 4-6 p.m. at the

North County Governmental Center,1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston.Join Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, staff,neighbors and friends for a cup of

holiday cheer and a nibble ofseasonal treats at the Hunter MillHoliday Open House. Bring a non-perishable food item for a local foodpantry. RSVP to [email protected] or 703-478-0283.

WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY/DEC. 5-9Conservatory Ballet’s The

Nutcracker. Full-length andabbreviated versions, various times atCenterStage, 2310 Colts Neck Road,Reston. Based on the belovedperformances by Marius Petipa andLev Ivanov, Conservatory Ballet’s all-children’s cast performs TheNutcracker, including three YoungChildren’s Matinee performances foraspiring dancers. $17-25. Visitwww.restoncommunitycenter.com.

THURSDAY/DEC. 6Baby Lapsit. 10:30 a.m. at Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Enjoy nurseryrhymes and songs while buildingearly literacy skills for your child.Age Birth to 11 months with adult.Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Millennials Book Club. 7 p.m. atReston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Titleis To Be Announced. Check out alibrary copy or buy a copy to own.Adults from early 20s to early 30s.Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Selling Your Home. 7 p.m. at RestonRegional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Peggy Yee withFrankly Realty will present a seminarwith tips on selling a home. Adults.Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY/DEC. 6-9Holiday Book Sale. Thursday, 10

a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-3:30 p.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Start shopping early with lotsof gift-quality books. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

FRIDAY/DEC. 7Gymboree Music I. 10:30 a.m. at

Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston.

Discover melody pitch and rhythmwhile building a repertoire of joyfulsongs. Age 6-18 months with adult.Free. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Gymboree Music II. 11:15 a.m. atReston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Danceand sing to a new musical style eachmonth, including Latin, Rock ‘n’ Rolland Classical. Age 18-24 monthswith adult. Free. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Holiday Performance. 6:30-7:30p.m., Fountain Square, Reston TownCenter. Enjoy live music on the plazapresented by River Bend Jazz andRaven Choir. Visitrestontowncenter.com/events.

SATURDAY/DEC. 8Sing! Books With Miss Emily. 10:30

a.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Join Miss Emily for singingstorytime with illustrated songs.Cosponsored by the FRRL Age 2-5with adult. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Irish Dance. Noon at Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. Dancers with the FoleyAcademy of Irish Dance will give adance performance and lesson. Allages. Call 703-689-2700 or visitlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Kendra Gives Back. 1-4 p.m. atKendra Scott, Reston Town Center,11924 Market St., Reston. 20 percentof sales will be donated to theParadigm Foundation. Call 571-599-7792 or visit paradigmfoundation.orgor kendrascott.com/kendra-gives-back.html.

Introduction to Raspberry Pi. 2p.m. at Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. Explore the world ofmicroprocessors in this introductionto Raspberry Pi. Learn set-up basicsand try out a few favorite retrogames. Adults, teens. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

Holiday Music Concert. 4 p.m. atWashington Plaza Baptist Church,1615 Washington Plaza, Lake AnneCenter, Reston. Annual freecommunity holiday music. Presentedby the church choir and professionalartists and directed and produced byKen Williamson. Refreshmentsfollowing. Visitwashingtonplazachurch.com.

Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides. 4-9p.m. departures on Market Streetnear Clyde’s at Reston Town Center.Benefits local charities. $5 perperson. Children under 5 ride free.Visit restontowncenter.com/holidays.

SUNDAY/DEC. 9Mini-Train Rides. Noon-4 p.m.

departures on Market Street nearClyde’s at Reston Town Center.Donated proceeds are all received byFriends of Reston. Visitrestontowncenter.com/holidays.

MONDAY/DEC. 10Crazy 8s Club. 5 p.m. at Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Join BedtimeMath’s Crazy 8s and build stuff, runand jump, make music and make amess. Grades K-2. Register at 703-689-2700 orlibrarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.

TUESDAY/DEC. 11Read to the Dog. 7 p.m. at Reston

Regional Library, 11925 BowmanTowne Drive, Reston. Read aloud toa trained therapy dog. Bring a bookor choose one from the Library. Callor sign up for a 15 minute session.Age 5-11. Register at 703-689-2700or librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov.


News

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

The goal of YMCA FairfaxCounty-Reston is to make allit offers accessible and avail-able to the entire commu-

nity. With that goal in mind and withthe help of its generous donors, commu-nity partners and members, the socialservice agency celebrated its 19th An-nual Community Gala Saturday, Nov. 17,2018, in the newly renovated space.

Regional business owners and community leaderstook up the charge. They came out in full force within-kind donations of art/entertainment, fine dining,family fun and getaways for the raffles and raisedfunds for the only YMCA in Fairfax County support-ing the YMCA’s stated campaign what one does to-day shapes tomorrow. A reported crowd of 240 tick-eted supporters attended the red carpet event.

“The community support was awesome and sonecessary for the Caring for Community fund,” saidLiz Nason, Associate Executive Director YMCA FairfaxCounty Reston. She explained the Caring for Com-munity scholarships program helps make camp pos-sible for many who otherwise can not afford such ontheir limited incomes.

The funds raised will assist the “Y” in 2019 in pro-viding financial assistance to needy families and in-dividuals in the community seeking childcare, pre-school, day camp, senior and teen programs, swimlessons and much more.

Ultimately, bids, as well as general contributionsfor the evening, totaled $138,000, $38,500 for sum-mer camp scholarships reported Nason the day afterthe Gala.

During the evening festivities, Karen Clevelandannounced the recipient of the Jim and Karen Cleve-land Partnership Award, which recognizes excep-tional leadership in bringing organizations togetherto better achieve the common good.

Cleveland said, “This individual truly embodies thevalues of the Y... Her passion is contagious... She is atrue partner in our community...the 2018 recipientof the Partnership Award is Kathy Tracey.”

According to recent information provided by YMCAof Metro Washington, today the 65,000-square-footfacility boasts 12,000 members and operates with a

budget of $8 million and 250 employees.Anyone interested in applying for a Caring for

Community scholarship may visit the YMCA Restonat 12196 Sunset Hills Road or phone 703-742-8800for more information.

YMCA Fairfax County-Reston hosts 19th annual gala inits renovated space.

Community Gala Celebrated

Ravine Mangala and Ali Kassam of Arling-ton await the evening festivities under theballoon canopy at the YMCA Fairfax County-Reston 19th Annual Community Gala heldSaturday, Nov. 17, 2018. “We are very hon-ored and excited to be part of the Caringfor Community Campaign,” said Mangala“I’m thrilled to see how beautiful the reno-vation turned out. It will benefit the com-munity for years to come,” added Kassam

Guests at the YMCA Fairfax County-Reston 19thAnnual Community Gala enjoy the opening remarksby Hugh Taylor, Board Chair YMCA Fairfax County.



From Page 5

For many, the strength of the Virginia Amazonproposal goes beyond the location of a new head-quarters. Gov. Northam called Virginia’s efforts“a new model of economic development for the21st century.” As he explained, most of Virginia’spartnership proposal consists of investments ineducational and transportation infrastructure“that will bolster the features that make Virginiaso attractive: a strong and talented workforce, a

stable and competitive business climate, and aworld-class higher education system.”

The feature of the proposal that is getting thestrongest kudos is the location of a billion-dollarextension of Virginia Tech that will offer graduatedegrees in engineering, technology and innova-tion in the city of Alexandria. And yes, there willbe transportation improvements to Metro and thehighways to better accommodate the new residentswho will be working at the new headquarters.

I believe Virginia was a really big winner in thisannouncement; even half the deal is certain towork to our region’s advantage!

Plum

Protecting OurDiversityTo the Editor:

I want to thank you for publish-ing the article about the Fairfax ForAll coalition’s recent activities(“Advocating for Immigrant Pro-tection”).

As the daughter of two immi-grants, immigration policy has al-ways been important to me — es-pecially as the debate over depor-tation and ICE has escalated. Myparents were fortunate enough tobe able to immigrate legally, andhave been citizens for about 10years, but in examining the dataI’ve come to see that that’s most

likely to do with the fact that theyare white and had college degrees.Our town is so beautifully diverse,and I believe that we’re losing animportant part of our culture whenimmigrants are scared to partici-pate in the community for fear ofdeportation.

If what Fairfax For All says istrue, then there is an entire groupof people in our town who arebeing excluded from importantdecisions, prevented from seekingmedical attention, and afraid toparticipate in the community —all out of fear. I’m learning justhow important these relation-ships to the community, or socialties, are. They allow individualsa sense of purpose and help them

to feel assimilated into this com-munity that we like to profess asbeing so diverse.

Emma SteinhobelHerndon

Letters

WriteThe Connection welcomes views

on any public issue.The deadline for all material is

noon Friday. Send to:

Letters to the EditorThe Connection1606 King St.

Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-917-6444.

By e-mail:[email protected]


Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photosand artwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday atnoon, at least two weeks before event.

HOLIDAY DONATIONSFood for Fines. Through Nov. 30. Fairfax

County Public Library will be hosting a fooddrive called “Food for Fines.”

Canned goods and other non-perishable itemscollected during the drive will be donated toFood for Others, a not-for-profit food pantryand food rescue operation that serves FairfaxCounty.

Each item donated will erase $1 from a patron’soverdue fines up to a maximum of $15.Customers may donate even if there are nofines accrued. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/food-fines for more.

Toys for Tots Drive. Thursday, Nov. 29-Friday, Dec. 7, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’sannual campaign, donations of unwrappedtoys are being collected in Reston TownCenter building lobby boxes until theirDonation Day event on Friday, Dec. 7. Visitrestontowncenter.com for more.

Blanket and Coat Drive. Through Dec. 8.Organized by NOVA Relief Center, blanketsand coats will be sent to refugees in threecamps in Jordan this winter.

Blankets and coats should be new or gentlyworn. Monetary donations are also neededand may be made to NOVA Relief Centeronline and at some drop-off locations. Fordrop-off sites or to make a tax-deductibledonation, visit novareliefcenter.org.

Toys for Tots Drive. Through Dec. 10. AreaSheehy Auto Stores will collect new andunwrapped toys to benefit the U.S. MarineCorps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, whichwill distribute those toys as gifts to lessfortunate children in the community in whichthe campaign is conducted. Sheehy’s Toys forTots drop-off locations include:

❖ Sheehy INFINITI of Chantilly, 4145 Auto ParkCircle, Chantilly

Toys for Tots Drop Off. Through Dec. 12 atNational Realty, 11890 Sunrise Valley Drive,Reston. Stop by any weekday from 9-4 anddrop a new, unwrapped toy in the donationbox in the lobby. All toys will be distributedto needy children within Loudoun Countyand to Herndon & Reston children via thenon-profit Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. Toysshould be for the ages of newborn to 16. Call571-205-8874 for more.

Toy Drive. Through Friday, Dec. 14 at localWeichert, Realtors offices. Members of thecommunity are invited to drop off new,unwrapped toys at the company’s salesoffices. The toys will be delivered throughoutthe holidays in conjunction with localcharities that assist financially and physicallydisadvantaged children. To find a localoffice, go to www.weichert.com/offices/.

THROUGH DECEMBERWhite House Ornaments. Assistance League

of Northern Virginia has begun its annualfundraising sale of White House Ornaments.The 2018 ornament honors Harry S. Truman,highlighting changes made to the WhiteHouse during his administration. One sidefeatures the Truman Balcony and the reversefeatures the Blue Room.

Assistance League is an all volunteer, non-profitorganization. Proceeds benefit ourcommunity-based programs that supportlocal low income children. $22 (+ shipping ifmail delivery required). [email protected] or visitwww.alnv.org.

DONATION REQUESTSupport Reston Historic Trust &

Museum. The Reston Historic Trust &Museum has launched a GoFundMecampaign with the goal to raise $15,000 togo towards the repair, cleaning, andreinstallation of icons on the façade of theformer Lakeside Pharmacy, an original LakeAnne Plaza store, in a new permanentexhibit.

The new exhibit will be unveiled during Reston’sannual Founder’s Day event, April 6th, 2019.Read more about their history and donate atwww.gofundme.com/preserve-lakeside-pharmacy-icons to assist in theirpreservation. Thank you for your help!

Bulletin

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

... Not gently by the stream, and not by yours truly, either. Yet another task that seems beyond this homeowner’s ability.

that which that doesn’t make me happy. Throw in a lung cancer diagnosis and the last thing my re-

to do is anything which doesn’t put a smile on my

work ranks up there with most household tasks that a typical able-bodied homeowner takes pride

Sharp objects, mechanical objects and/or electrical/spinning/rotating objects, objects with

pliers, etc. No power tools. Nothing electrical that re-

-

they didn’t really realize what they were missing.

and hung on a nail in the bathroom down the hall

-

passed on their instincts and priorities to the their

home repairs, yard work, tools and what to do

other homeowner-type tasks. -

-

as a salesman.

and other than taking out the trash and the rub-

skills.

-

Mow, Mow, Mow Your Grass ...


News

From Page 3

a nationally-known stage andscreen actress,” boasted Goff andKammerer. “She hosts the “DIYwith Me” show on Nickelodeon;she’s returning in “Maniac” onNetflix … and now she is appear-ing in “Billy Elliot” at SignatureTheatre in Arlington.”

Sheridan said, “I’m so excited tobe Grand Marshal. It is such anhonor. And I’m having so muchfun.”

During gaps in the parade, theemcees thanked Boston Propertiesfor bringing the holiday traditionto Reston Town Center and re-minded the crowd of additionalfun. “We hope you... can stay forthe day to enjoy visits with Santaand Mrs. Claus, the Mini-TrainRides and ice skating at the beau-tiful Pavilion, plus shopping andeating ...The magical Tree Light-ing is at six o’clock followed by theSing-Along of traditional carolswith The Reston Chorale.”

The pair told spectators that theReston Holiday Parade had beennominated for the third year in arow for “USA Today’s” TEN BESTHoliday Parades. “Grab your phone

and remember: Ten, TEN BEST dotCOM; voting is open until Dec. 10.As of Monday, Nov. 26, RestonHoliday Parade 2018 ranked Num-ber 5 out of the 20 nominees,ahead of Newport Beach ChristmasBoat Parade at #6 and Macy’sThanksgiving Parade with 50 mil-lion in attendance at #7.

“Cast your ballot once per dayuntil voting ends on Monday, Dec.10 at noon ET,” states the websitewww.tenbest.com. The top 10 win-ning events, determined by yourvote, will be announced on Friday,Dec. 21.”

THE PARADE continued for anhour with emcees highlightingparticipants, performances andballoons. They informed specta-tors that continuing through De-cember, there would be horse-drawn carriage rides on Saturdayafternoons and mini-train rides onSunday afternoons to benefit lo-cal charities as well as holiday per-formances at Fountain Square andThe Promenade.

Culminating in the grand paradefinale as always, the day’s mostspecial guests of honor, Santa andMrs. Claus arrived in a horse-

Reston Parade Among the Best in Nation


Emcee Doug Kammerer News4’s ChiefMeteorologist, takes a moment to posewith his two children, Kentan, 11 andCally, 9, who accompanied him to the 28thannual Reston Holiday Parade. As his dadresumed his emcee duties, Kentan sharedwhat he thought of the parade “It’s cool,”he said. “It’s like my own ThanksgivingDay Parade.”

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) wisheseveryone a safe and blessed holiday season,announces Emcee Angie Goff during the28th annual Reston Holiday Parade.

drawn carriage. “Let’s make somenoise (jingle and applause) andwelcome the jolly couple from theNorth Pole to Reston,” called out

the emcees.“Ho, ho, ho, Santa and Mrs.

Claus. Now that you’re here, thatmeans, ‘Holidays Are Here’ at

Reston Town Center.”For more information about vot-

ing for the Best Holiday Parade inthe USA, visit www.tenbest.com.

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