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Springfield Connection ❖ June 8-14, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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SpringfieldFranconia❖Kingstowne❖NewingtonFranconia❖Kingstowne❖Newington

Springfield WellbeingWellbeingWellbeingPage 10

The anaconda-themed“Snakeinator,” made itback to the beach, andthe sailors kept dryduring the CardboardBoat Regatta, cappingoff the Springfield Dayscelebration on June 3-4.

The anaconda-themed“Snakeinator,” made itback to the beach, andthe sailors kept dryduring the CardboardBoat Regatta, cappingoff the Springfield Dayscelebration on June 3-4.

County HonorsLord & Lady FairfaxNews, Page 3

Governor CandidatesRace for NominationNews, Page 4-5

County HonorsLord & Lady FairfaxNews, Page 3

Governor CandidatesRace for NominationNews, Page 4-5

Cardboard Boat RegattaA Hit at Springfield Days

News, Page 11

Cardboard Boat RegattaA Hit at Springfield Days

News, Page 11

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ June 8-14, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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News

Every year since 1984, two indi-viduals from each of the nineFairfax County magisterial dis-tricts, as well as two from the at-

large “domain” of Board of SupervisorsChairman Sharon Bulova are honored fortheir service to their communities or forparticular acts of heroism. For their dedica-tion, these community caretakers arenamed Lord and Lady Fairfax for the year.

The 2017 honorees were feted at a re-ception at the County Government Centeron the morning of June 6. Following thisgathering, the Lords and Ladies were es-corted into the Board Auditorium wheretheir accomplishments were publically ac-knowledged and each received a certificatedeclaring their status.

The Lords and Ladies will be making afew more appearances during their reigns,including at the signature celebration forFairfax County’s 275th anniversary, whichwill take place in the area surrounding theHistoric Fairfax Courthouse in centralFairfax, on June 17. Just to add another“jewel in the crown” of this event whichpromises fun and festivities for the wholefamily, the real Lord and Lady Fairfax willbe joining celebration all the way fromGreat Britain. Nicholas Fairfax, 14th LordFairfax of Cameron, and Lady Annabella willhelp celebrate the founding of our countyfrom when the area was part of lands ownedby his ancestor, the 6th Lord Fairfax ofCameron. In announcing the visit by Lordand Lady Fairfax (the originals), ChairmanBulova laughed that the noble guestsseemed a bit confused by the fact that therewere more peers in Virginia whom theywould be meeting. “Only here in Fairfax,”she told him. “We’re special.”

— Andrea Worker

At-Large –Chairman Bulova

Lord Fairfax: John J. “Jeff” Lisanick is a

former client at New Hope Housing’sEleanor U. Kennedy Shelter. Desiring to giveback to the homeless community, he joinedthe Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) asan original member in 2012. Since beingelected Chair of the CAC in 2013, he hasbeen a member of the Governing Board witha goal of preventing and endinghomelessness. Jeff took his passion to endhomelessness to a new level in July 2015when he was hired by New Hope Housingas the Residential Coordinator of the sameshelter in which he was once a client. Henow serves as the Coordinator of Residen-tial Services, overseeing seven differentsites.

Lady Fairfax: Jane Miscavage has been anincredible asset to both Fairfax County Pub-lic Schools and our community at large. In2007, Jane began serving as a founder andmanager of the Food Allergy Support Groupof Northern Virginia, where she helped over400 families access up-to-date allergy re-search and health care professionals. Hercommitment to children and families con-tinued through her service to #IamFCPS, agrassroots organization that advocated fora fully funded 2017 FCPS budget, and later,

as the Vote Yes Meals Tax Campaign Man-ager. Currently, Jane Miscavage continuesto serve our schools as Vice President of theFairfax County Council of PTAs.

Lee DistrictLord Fairfax: Richard Knapp is a truly

dedicated citizen of Fairfax County, work-ing tirelessly to reinvigorate and preserveFairfax’s past while also bettering the fu-ture of the Route One Corridor. This is dem-onstrated by his hard work on the OldMount Vernon High School ReutilizationTask Force and its Steering Committee, help-ing bring a landmark back to life. His co-chairmanship of the Embark AdvisoryGroup has revealed a great guiding handin easing transit in Lee District, and his con-tinued work with the Pinewood Lake HOAand as the Lee representative on the South-east Fairfax Development Corporationshows dedication to his neighbors.

Lady Fairfax: Michele Duell’s commitmentto improving the standard of living for theresidents of Lee District is hard to match.Her service with the Friends of Richard ByrdLibrary saw the creation of Educators’ Night,

a great program that helps teachers get freebooks, while her dedication to pedestriansafety led to the installation of FairfaxCounty’s first HAWK Signal. Her work withthe Springfield Civic Association helped givea voice to residents and their needs withinlocal government, and her active supportof her FCPS neighborhood elementaryschools contributed to student enrichmentinitiatives.

Springfield DistrictLord Fairfax: Mike Thompson, a Senior

Vice President at a public relations companyin Alexandria, is heavily involved in Spring-field and Fairfax County, and has held mul-tiple committee positions. Among thesepositions, he serves as the secretary of theFairfax County Park Authority board andwas elected to the Board of Visit Fairfax in2016. Serving on the Fairfax County Ath-letic Council since 2009, he has helped up-date the county’s field and gym allocationpolicies.

Additionally, he worked with the Depart-ment of Neighborhood and CommunityServices and started a countywide soccerprogram, which brought in professionaltrainers to work with young players fromunderserved communities. Among multipleawards, Mike has received a DistinguishedPartner Award from Fairfax County’s De-partment of Community and RecreationServices, and was named the CommunityChampion of Springfield District.

Lady Fairfax: West Springfield residentNancy-jo Manney has served as presidentand CEO of the Greater Springfield Cham-ber of Commerce since 1998. She is a mem-ber of the Virginia Association of Chamberof Commerce Executives, the Coalition ofNorthern Virginia Chambers, VirginiaChamber of Commerce and US Chamber ofCommerce. Nancy-jo is also vice presidentof the Transportation Association of GreaterSpringfield and helped plan the 2017Springfield Days Festival.

Lee District Lord & Lady Fairfax, Richard Knapp and Michele Duell, withSupervisor Jeffrey McKay (D-Lee).

Springfield District Lady & Lord Fairfax, Nancy-jo Manney and MikeThompson, with Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield).

At-large Lady & Lord Fairfax, Jane Miscavage and John J. “Jeff” Lisanick,with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova.

County Honors Lord & Lady Fairfax

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Springfield Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


News

By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

You know that old saying that noth-ing is certain in life but death andtaxes? Here in Virginia, there’s another certainty: Every year is an

election year.This year features a primary fight between

three Republicans running for governor,each with his own separate and distinct taxplan.

“Well this is really more of a conversa-tion than Republicans usually have abouttaxes,” said Stephen Farnsworth is a pro-fessor at the University of Mary Washing-ton. “You have a candidate willing to in-crease taxes, a candidate willing to abolishthe income tax and then, I guess, theGoldilocks plan, which is in the middle.”

The Goldilocks in this campaign is formerRepublican National Committee ChairmanEd Gillespie. Back in March, he outlined aproposal that would lower the state incometax rate on people who make more than$17,000 a year from 5.75 percent to 5.15percent. For someone making more than$60,000 a year, that would mean about$400 less in taxes a year. Gillespie’s pro-posal relies on revenue growth rather thanspending cuts to pay for the tax cuts.

“Our rates were set in 1972,” saidGillespie during the one and only debate ofthe primary season. “They have not comedown in 45 years, and other states aroundus have been moving.”

The idea is classically Republican: cuttaxes and predict that will turbo charge theeconomy, creating jobs in the process. It’sthe kind of trickle-down economics thatfueled the rise of President Ronald Reaganback in the 1980s. Gillespie is selling thetax cut plan as a clean break from the lastfour years of Democratic leadership in theExecutive Mansion, a move to the centerright for a state that’s sharply divided.

“It would also result in hard-working Vir-ginians who have had stagnant wages butrising costs over the past three, four, fiveyears when our economy has been stagnanthaving nearly $1,300 more in our pocketsto spend as we see fit.”

ONE IDEA that’s not classically Republi-can is raising taxes. But that’s what stateSen. Frank Wagner (R-7) wants to do withthe gas tax. He’s proposing a plan thatwould raise the gas tax in an effort to raisemoney for building roads while avoidinghigh-cost tolls that have become prevalentin Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

“I can’t remember a Republican candidatefor statewide office in Virginia running ona tax increase,” said Quentin Kidd, a politi-cal science professor at Christopher New-port University. “And there probably aren’ta dozen nationally in the last decade or twodecades who have run on a tax increase likeFrank Wagner is right now.”

Meanwhile, Wagner is suspicious ofGillespie’s tax proposal. Specifically he’scritical of how it’s been sold. For example,

“Let me tell you something,” Wagner saidduring the debate. “It’s easy to say thatwhen you’re sitting here and you’ve neverbeen in state government.”

To solve the problem, Wagner is propos-ing raising the gas tax to pay for buildingsroads. The proposal echoes an earlier erain Virginia politics, when Gov. Harry Byrdsuggested using the gas tax as a way to fi-nance building roads while avoiding debt.In Wagner’s plan, raising the gas tax wouldavoid higher tolls on roads in Northern Vir-ginia and Hampton Roads. Plus the proposalis built on a sliding scale, which would meanthe tax would actually decrease when gasprices rise.

“We have an $18 billion deficit in the Vir-ginia Retirement System. We have a RainyDay Fund for a recession that should be at$2.4 billion. It’s down to less than $300million right now.”

REPUBLICANS USUALLY run on cuttingtaxes. And although Gillespie has a moder-ate plan for cutting taxes, another candi-date in the race has an extreme proposal,one that some Republicans are calling un-workable. Prince William County Board ofSupervisors Chairman Corey Stewart wantsto eliminate the income tax.

“Virginia hasn’t had a significant surplusin revenues, unanticipated unaccounted forrevenues, in 10 years,” said Stewart duringthe televised debate. “Ed’s plan is com-pletely dependent on that. It hasn’t hap-pened. It’s a charade.”

Stewart’s solution? Ask state departmentsto identify how they would slash their bud-gets 30 percent, and then use those cuts asa menu to reduce spending.

“My tax plan is dependent on a cut inspending,” he said. “We are going to reducethe rate from 5.75 percent to 4.75 percentin a single year.”

Within a decade, Stewart says, the incometax would be eliminated altogether.

“That’s wishful thinking,” said Republi-can strategist Dan Scandling. “That’s notgoing to happen because what are you go-ing to replace it with? Are you going to dosomething on property taxes and push it allonto the localities? I don’t think that’s go-ing to go over very well.”

Three Republicans Running for Governor Offer Dueling Tax PlansCut taxes or raise taxes? GOP primary debate offers an unusual array of options.

Ed GillespieAge: 55Experience: Chairman of

the RepublicanNational Committeeand counselor to thePresident in the GeorgeW. Bush administration

Bachelor’s Degree: TheCatholic University ofAmerica

Place of birth: Mount HollyTownship, New Jersey

Profession: lobbyist

Corey StewartAge: 48Currently: Chairman of the

Board of Supervisors, PrinceWilliam County

Bachelor’s Degree: GeorgetownUniversity’s School ofForeign Service

Juris Doctorate: WilliamMitchell College of Law

Profession: attorney

Frank WagnerAge: 61Bachelor’s Degree: U.S. Naval

AcademyMilitary service: nine years in

U.S. NavyPlace of birth: Ruislip, EnglandProfession: businessman

Learn more at

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Top Gillespie Donors❖ $1.5 million from Let’s Grow Virginia, a Henrico-based PAC, funded in part by Hilton Worldwide

and Carly Fiorina’s super PAC❖ $100,000 from Dwight Schar, a McLean-based homebuilder with NVR Homes❖ $50,000 from Florida-based private prison company GEO Group, which operates Lawrenceville

Correctional Center, Virginia’s only private prison❖ $50,000 from Edward St. John of the Maryland-based commercial real-estate agency St. John Prop-

erties Inc.❖ $40,000 from Richard DeVos of the Michigan-based investment management firm Windquest Group

(husband of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos)

Top Wagner Donors❖ $205,000 from Wagner’s Senate campaign committee, funded in part by the Virginia Senate Re-

publican Caucus and the Republican Party of Virginia❖ $23,000 from William Magann of the Portsmouth-based concrete contractor W.F. Magann Corp❖ $10,000 from Stephen Ballard of the Virginia Beach-based general contractor S.B. Ballard Inc❖ $10,000 from Kenneth Allen Hall of the Virginia Beach-based Hall Pontiac GMC❖ $10,000 from Virginia Beach-based commercial real estate firm Pembroke Enterprises

Top Stewart Donors❖ $429,000 from Stewart’s Prince William County committee, funded in part by the Republican Party

of Virginia and the Republican Party of Prince William County❖ $35,000 from Christopher Ekstrom of the Texas-based private equity firm Ekstrom Properties LLC❖ $30,000 from Manassas-based information technology company Progeny Systems Corp❖ $20,500 from Charles Robbins of the Newington-based home health care company CR Associates❖ $10,000 from Ahmet Aksoylu, an Oakton-based Realtor with Aksoylu Properties

Gillespie’s plan would save $1,300 a yearfor families that make more than $100,000a year. But that’s well under the medianhousehold income in Virginia, which is

$65,000. On the campaign trail, Wagner hasattacked Gillespie’s plan as an irresponsiblegiveaway to the rich — one that isn’t rootedin experience in government.

The Fairfax County School Board has selected Dr. ScottBrabrand as the finalist for the position of superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), pending

final Board approval at its meeting June 8. Brabrand currentlyserves as the superintendent of the Lynchburg City Schools inLynchburg. Brabrand previously worked at FCPS in several rolesincluding assistant superintendent, principal of Fairfax HighSchool, assistant principal, associate principal, and teacher.

Brabrand was selected as finalist following a nationwidesearch led by the firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.The board received input from parents, employees, and thecommunity before candidates were brought forward. The boardinitially interviewed candidates in early February before nar-

rowing the field for second interviews. A committee of 19 staffand community members interviewed semi-finalists and pro-vided feedback to the board prior to the finalist selection.

Braband earned his bachelor of science in foreign servicedegree in international economics from Georgetown Univer-sity in 1990, and his master’s degree in education from TheGeorge Washington University. In 2003, he completed his doc-toral work in educational leadership and policy from VirginiaTech. Prior to joining FCPS as an employee, he served as volun-teer at FCPS while working as assistant manager for Bell Atlan-tic.

Following Board approval, it is anticipated Brabrand will be-gin a four-year term on July 10.

Board Names Superintendent Finalist


News

By Michael Lee Pope

The Connection

Regrets? Candidates for theDemocratic nomi-nation forgovernor have probably got afew. But Lt. Gov. Ralph

Northam has too few to mention. During adebate on NBC4 late last month, Julie Careyasked the lieutenant governor what kind ofmistakes he’s made that he regrets duringa recent televised debate, Northam did nottalk about about his two votes for GeorgeW. Bush in 2000 and 2004. And he didn’ttalk about taking money from Dominion,the utility that wants to build controversialpipelines through the state.

“Well I tell you I don’t really have anyregrets, Julie,” said Northam. “But what Idid learn was when I started in Richmondin 2008 as a senator … ”

And then Northam told a story about hisefforts to get a smoking ban passed in Rich-mond after initial opposition from Republi-cans. One of the old verities of political lifein Virginia is that if you’re explaining, you’relosing. And the lieutenant governor was notabout to start explaining his support forRepublicans. And he wasn’t about to startexplaining the $40,000 he’s accepted fromDominion and its executives during his runfor governor. So he changed the subject.

“Not sure that qualified as a mistake,”responded Carey. “But let’s try you Mr.Perriello on that.”

That’s when former U.S. Rep. TomPerriello (D-5) talked about an issue thathis critics have been focused on since theday he announced his candidacy earlier thisyear: a vote he made during his time inCongress to deny federal funding for abor-tions in taxpayer-subsidized health insur-ance plans under the Affordable Care Act.Supporters of Northam have been usingPerriello’s vote in favor of the Stupak-PittsAmendment as a way highlight Northam’slong history supporting women’s reproduc-tive rights.

“That amendment and the eventual com-promise was highly restrictive, said Perrielloduring the NBC4 debate. “And in workingwith reproductive justice advocates sincethen understanding just how much of a stepbackwards it was in that space.”

THAT EXCHANGE reveals a curious phe-nomenon in the race for the Democraticnomination this year. Both candidates aretrying to run to the left, abandoning theirpreviously moderate or even center-rightpositions on a number of issues. So which

candidate has a more difficult transforma-tion? Opinions are divided. Virginia Techpolitical science professor Robert Dentonsays Perriello will have a more challengingtime selling voters on his new progressivepersona.

“He has to explain that at the time I wasn’tcountering my beliefs, attitudes or valuesrelated to abortion,” said Denton. “But I waslooking at my constituents in the Fifth Con-gressional District and therefore trying torepresent them.” Others aren’t so sure. Uni-versity of Mary Washington professorStephen Farnsworth says Northam is in amore perilous position explaining his votesfor Bush.

“The anger that you see among Demo-crats really I think is going to create a sensethat the votes for Bush were more problem-

Dominion plans to spend onthe two pipelines in Virginiacould be put to better use.

“I’ve opposed these twopipelines,” he said duringthat first debate. “I believefor a fraction of that $6.7 bil-lion, we could put tens ofthousands more people towork on clean energy, energyefficiency, localizing foodproduction and other mea-sures.”

THE DEBATE over guns hasalso been a sticking point inthe Democratic primary. Onthe campaign trail, Northamhas criticized Perriello forchanging his position on theNational Rifle Association, agroup that once endorsed hiscampaign for Congress. Dur-ing one of the televised de-bates this year, Northamturned to Perriello and re-minded voters that he hasreceived support from theNRA during a time whenconcerns were mountingover gun control in America.

“That was since 2010,”said Northam. “You served in Congress from2008 to 2010. That was after the VirginiaTech tragedy. What has changed about theNational Rifle Association between 2010and 2017?”

Perriello responded that times havechanged. “Well, you know, you and I haveboth have all done guns. You know that.You were a deciding vote after Virginia Techon something that prevented Fairfax andother communities from being able to de-mand fingerprinting on concealed carry per-mits.

That was a deciding vote. There wasnever a moment where I was a deciding votefor the NRA.” Both of the candidates sup-port free community college for Virginia stu-dents, although they differ on how to fi-nance it. Northam says no tax increasewould be needed to finance his plan; stu-dents would engage in public service to payfor free community college in high-demandareas.

“If they become certified in one of theseareas, then they will give one year back inpublic service at which time they will getpaid,” said Northam. “So it’s not like they’reout there working for free.”

Perriello says a tax increase will beneeded, especially for those making morethan half a million dollars a year. He saysthat would allow people who attend freecommunity college to have the dignity tocome home at night and tuck their childreninto bed.

“We don’t need people giving back in ser-vice,” said Perriello. “We have a private sec-tor with jobs ready to hire people if we helpthem just a little bit to get that certificateand have the dignity of the kind of job theycan support a family with.”

Democratic Candidates for Governor Run to the LeftTwo candidates tryto ignore moderaterecords andrepackage themselvesas hardcoreprogressives.

Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam and former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-5) debatein Fairfax County.

Ralph NorthamAge: 57Currently: Virginia’s 40th Lieutenant Governor;

previously served in the Virginia SenateBachelor’s Degree: Virginia Military InstituteMedical Degree: Eastern Virginia Medical SchoolPlace of birth: Nassawadox, Va.Profession: pediatric neurologist

Tom PerrielloAge: 42Served one term in U.S. Congress, Va. 5th districtBachelor’s Degree: Yale UniversityJuris Doctorate: Yale Law SchoolPlace of birth: Ivy, Va.Profession: attorney

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Top Northam Donors❖ $200,000 from venture capitalist Michael Bills of Bluestem Asset Management LLC❖ $110,000 from Henrico-based Common Good VA, a committee set up by Gov. Terry McAuliffe in

March 2014 to raise political donations during his time as governor❖ $77,000 from Thomas DePasquale of the software company Outtask LLC❖ $52,500 from Conrad Hall, retired president and CEO of Norfolk-based Dominion Enterprises❖ $50,000 from Washington-based DGA Action, a super PAC funded by Democratic Governor’s Asso-

ciation

Top Perriello Donors❖ $500,000 from Sonjia Smith, Charlottesville philanthropist❖ $250,000 from George Soros of New York-based Soros Fund Management LLC❖ $230,000 from the New York-based activist network Avaaz Foundation❖ $125,000 from Alexander Soros, New York executive and philanthropist (son of George Soros)❖ $75,000 from Courtney Smith, financial advisor with New York-based East Rock Capital

atic,” said Farnsworth. “Perriello may be bet-ter able to explain away the very conserva-tive nature of his old congressional district.”Perhaps the more thorny issue for Northamis his position on the controversial pipelinesDominion wants to build in Virginia. De-spite being asked multiple times on the cam-paign trail, the lieutenant governor has yetto take a stand one way or the other.Northam says the multibillion projects couldcreate jobs and boost the economy. “Obvi-ously we want the pipeline to be built withscience and transparency,” Northam saidduring the first debate in April. “We alsoneed jobs in the commonwealth of Virginia.”

Perriello has made his opposition to pipe-lines a centerpiece of his campaign, and he’spledged to reject campaign contributionsfrom the utility. Perriello says all that money


Opinion

See Meal, Page 15

On June 13, every Virginia voterhas the opportunity to vote in thePrimary Election to choose thecandidates for their chosen party

for governor and lieutenant governor.Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello are vying

to be the Democratic nominee for governor.Ed Gillespie, Cory Stewart

and Frank Wagner are seekingthe Republican nomination forgovernor.

For lieutenant governor, Justin Fairfax, GeneRossi and Susan Platt are seeking the Demo-cratic nomination.

Bryce Reeves, Glenn Davis Jr. and Jill Vogelcompete for the Republican nomination forlieutenant governor.

In Fairfax County, there are primaries for

Democrats in two delegate seats as well, thethe 67th District and the 42nd.

In the 67th, three Democrats, John Carey,Karrie Delaney and Hannah Risheq face off forthe right to run against incumbent Del. JimLeMunyon (R).

In the 42nd, long-time Del. Dave Albo (R) isgiving up his seat; two Democrats and threeRepublicans are seeking to be on the Novem-ber ballot to replace him. The Democrats, TillyBlanding and Kathy Tran, will appear on theprimary ballot.

The Republican candidate for the 42nd Dis-trict will be chosen by GOP party canvass onJune 10 at South County Middle School, 10a.m. to 3 p.m. Eligible voters of the 42nd dis-trict will choose between Steve Adragna,Michael Drobnis and Lolita Mancheno-Smoak.

The filing deadline for independent and non-primary party nominees is June 13 at 7 p.m.for the November general election.

For in person absentee voting, availablethrough June 10, see www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/absentee.htm. For more informationon voting in Fairfax County including sample

ballots, see www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/upcoming.htm

Send Father’sDay Photos

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18, and onceagain the Connection will publish a gallery ofFather’s Day photos. Every year at this time,the Connection puts out the call for photo-graphs of fathers and their children, grandfa-thers and their children and grandchildren.

Send in photos with the following informa-tion: the town where you live, the names ofeveryone in the picture, the approximate datethe picture was taken, the ages of the childrenand a sentence or two about what is happen-ing and where the photograph was taken. Besure to tell us your town name and neighbor-hood. Photos are due by June 12.

You can submit your photos online atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/fathersday.You can also email photos [email protected].

Vote On or Before June 13In-person absenteevoting continuesthrough June 10.

Editorial

By Andrea Worker

The Connection

Traditionally speaking, thereporter wanders the pe-rimeters of an event, then

dashes in to get the scoop with akey subject, a quote or two andmaybe a photo. Then it’s back to

the sidelines toscout out the nextnewsworthy mo-ment.

There were certainly a lot of tra-ditions being observed at theRamadan Iftar dinner at Fairfax

County Government Center onMay 31, organized by the Ameri-can Turkish Friendship Association(ATFA) and hosted by Board of Su-pervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova— but the reporter as pure ob-server was not one of them.

Instead, demonstrating the spiritof friendship that ATFA seeks topromote, this reporter was“adopted” for the event by the Kilicfamily of Vienna — father Erdal,mother Emine, daughter Yasemin,and son Cemal, who have been inthe country since 2015. While theactual assignment was attended

to, with interviews, photographsand hasty scribbling of highlightsfrom speeches, in between it all,however, Ermine kept urging“come, sit down with us, eat” asshe pointed to the plate she hadput together for the new “familymember.”

THE EVENING marked the thirdtime that Fairfax County officialshave hosted the joint communityoutreach. The Iftar is the eveningmeal when Muslims end theirdaily fast at sundown during theholy month of Ramadan. After abrief introduction and some in-sight into the meaning ofRamadan by Zeynap Cakmak ofClifton, Bulova welcomed the hun-dred-or-so attendees, comprisingall ages, ethnicities, and religious

beliefs.Citing “our diversity as the

greatest asset in Fairfax Countyand what truly makes us special,”Bulova said it was “appropriate”to host the dinner at the Govern-ment Center. “This is the gather-ing place for our community andwe welcome all of our neighborshere.”

Iman Mehmet Ayaz of the Insti-tute of Islamic-Turkish Studies inFairfax, thanked Bulova and thecounty for “making us feel in-cluded. These days it is extrameaningful to be welcomed andmade comfortable, here at the cen-ter of our government.” Ayazadded that having such a diversegroup at the Iftar dinner reflectedthe “true spirit of Ramadan.”

Chairman Sharon Bulova enjoys the offerings at theRamadan dinner with (left) Mustafa Akpinar, CEO withthe Rumi Forum for Interfaith Dialogue and InterculturalUnderstanding and (right) Emre Celik, president withRumi, organizers of the event.

A Meal Among NeighborsAmerican Turkish FriendshipAssociation and County dinetogether for Ramadan.

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Zeynep Cakmak, a student from Clifton, welcomed attend-ees and gave a brief explanation of Ramadan and theIftar meal.


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Letters

To the Editor:My vote on June 13 will be for

Tilly Blanding, the Democraticnominee for District 42. Tilly is aproven fighter and a communityleader. She has the progressivevoice we need in Richmond. Tillyhas been working in this districtfor almost 30 years, as a socialworker, community organizer, anda volunteer for many of ourcounty’s great programs.

I have known Tilly for manyyears. I recently shared with herthat I was laid off from my job af-ter 25+ years of dedicated service.She asked if I still had health cov-erage because she knows that Ihave Type 1 Diabetes, and I toldher I didn’t qualify for VA Medic-aid. Her passion and conviction tofight for Medicaid expansion willhelp Virginians who need medicalcare, people like me. I have over-come my circumstance, but thatcan’t be said for everyone. Whatabout veterans, the mentally ill,senior citizens, children and low-income Americans? Tilly will fight

for Fairfax families.Tilly understands the challenges

facing our district. She was a so-cial worker for almost three de-cades at Child Protective Servicewhere she found the solutionsneeded to protect children fromdangerous situations. She alsohelped found the first three Fam-ily Resource Centers in FairfaxCounty, trained people to becomefoster parents, and oversaw 13community-based programs andpartnerships. She has lobbied inRichmond for Medicaid expan-sion, livable wages, and protec-tions for women’s rights for manyyears. Tilly has the tenacity andthe fortitude needed to fight forour Democratic values in Rich-mond.

I know she has my support onJune 13 and I urge you to vote forTilly Blanding, Democrat for Del-egate, District 42.

L. C. CarterResident of Fairfax County,

District 42

Blanding for 42nd

To the Editor:In 2016, Virginia grew at an ane-

mic 0.6 percent! The nation grewmore than twice as fast. Severalyears of anemic growth has caughtup to us, with over a billion-dollarshortfall in the state budget.

Yes, the federal governmentplays a big role, but much of ourdestiny is in our own hands. Theanswer is effective, policy drivenleadership that is hyper fixated onlifting up Virginia. If we don’tgrow, we can’t take care of all Vir-ginians. Ed Gillespie has been lay-ing out policy after policy specifi-cally designed to grow Virginia. Eddidn’t come up with these ideas ina vacuum either, he created work-ing groups that pulled in expertisefrom every corner of the Common-wealth to study, debate, and craftan entire growth platform.

The Cutting Taxes for ALL Vir-ginians Plan cuts individual in-come tax rates by 10 percentacross-the-board, creating morethan 53,000 new full-time, privatesector jobs.

The FAITH In Our Governmentfor ALL Virginians Plan will close

loopholes and give Virginians abetter opportunity to hold electedleaders accountable for their ac-tions.

The Efficiency + Effectiveness:A Government that Works for ALLVirginians Plan will reorient gov-ernment to more successfully ad-dress Virginia’s problems, demandevidence-based solutions, right-size our government to bettersteward taxpayer dollars, andincentivize our state governmentworkforce to be more responsiveto the needs of all Virginians.

The Removing Barriers to JobCreation for ALL Virginians Planwill bring meaningful reform toremove barriers to job creation,making it easier for businesses togrow and thrive in the Common-wealth. It focuses on standing upfor Virginia’s job creators, reform-ing Virginia’s regulatory climate,reforming occupational licensingand streamlining business forma-tion. Step one, vote this June 13for Ed Gillespie.

Gabe VenturiReston

Gillespie for Governor

The Connection welcomes views on any public issue.The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters are

routinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors. Send to:

Letters to the Editor ❖ The Connection1606 King St. ❖ Alexandria VA 22314

Call 703-917-6444Email [email protected]

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News

By Thomas Kendziora

The Connection

A standing-room-only crowd wason hand for Wednesday night’s42nd District Democratic forumat the West Springfield Govern-

ment Center—to listen to two women.Candidates Tilly Blanding and Kathy Tran

are competing for the party’s delegate nomi-nation. The district has been served by Re-publican Del. Dave Albo for 24 years, buthe announced in April that he would notseek reelection. The Democratic party viewsthis district as a prime flip target in Novem-ber. The district voted 57 percent for HillaryClinton in November to Donald Trump’s 37percent. Clinton won every precinct in thedistrict except one, Fountainhead.

Both candidates said they were inspiredto run in large part because of the 2016 elec-tion result. With the women’s march takingplace one day after Donald Trump’s inaugu-ration, there are a lot of newly energizedcitizens who are taking a more active rolein politics at all levels, Tran said. Tran calledthe energy at the forum “undeniable.”

“I think having two women running is very

exciting,” Blanding said. “We both attendedthe Emerge Bootcamp Training a couple ofmonths ago, and there were 30-somethingwomen from around the state in that train-ing. So it’s very, very exciting to see womencoming in there and taking charge, especiallyafter what happened to Hillary [Clinton],the disappointment there. I think that’s whyyou see so many women running, not justin Virginia but around the globe.”

Blanding and Tran discussed education,health care and state transportation, amongother issues, during the 90-minute debate,which was moderated by Mike Henry, chiefof staff for Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). Whilethe two candidates agreed on most mattersof policy, their differing styles were on dis-play. Blanding, for instance, made a pointto involve the room during her points (“Raiseyour hand if you’ve been in traffic”), whileseveral of Tran’s talking points centered onfriends or family members.

Tran’s time working at the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor and the National Immigra-tion Forum gives her experience dealing withlegislation. She played a role in implement-ing the Workforce Innovation and Opportu-nity Act, and her vision includes an empha-

sis on improved education.“As a legacy, [my husband] and I want to

make sure that all our kids know that we’redoing absolutely everything we can whenour country is facing this moment of crisis,”Tran said in her closing statement.

Blanding spent three decades as a socialworker in the region. She came out of re-tirement to enter this race, and said she will

place a premium on listening and inclusive-ness during her campaign and beyond.

“My door will swing on open hinges topeople in my region,” Blanding said. “Theycan come to me because that’s what I’m be-ing elected for: to help people.”

The primary election for the Democratsin this race is June 13, and the winner willrun against one of three Republican candi-

dates — Steve Adragna, Michael Drobnis orLolita Mancheno-Smoak — in the generalelection on Nov. 7. The Republican candi-date will be chosen at a Primary Canvass onJune 10.

Inspired to RunKathy Tran and Tilly Blanding wyefor the 42nd District seat in Richmond.

From left: Moderator Mike Henry and Democratic candidates Kathy Tranand Tilly Blanding debate a variety of issues during a forum at the WestSpringfield Government Center on Wednesday.”

Kathy TranCareer: Department of Labor; National

Immigration ForumEducation: Duke (undergrad); Michigan

(Masters)Focus of First Bill: Increased investment

in education

Nelfred “Tilly”Blanding

Career: Retired social workerEducation: South Carolina StateFocus of First Bill: Improved Pre-K educa-

tion enrollment

GOP to HoldPrimary Canvas

42nd District GOP Primary Canvass willbe held, June 10, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. FirehousePrimary between the three candidates to bethe Republican nominee for the 42nd Houseof Delegates seat is open to eligible voters ofthe 42nd district. South County MiddleSchool, 8700 Laurel Crest Drive, Lorton.

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Send notes to the Connection at [email protected] or call 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted at leasttwo weeks prior to the event.

Fairfax Baptist Temple, at the cornerof Fairfax County Parkway and Burke LakeRoads, holds a bible study fellowship at 9 a.m.Sundays followed by a 10 a.m. worship service.Nursery care and children’s church also pro-vided. 6401 Missionary Lane, Fairfax Station,703-323-8100 or www.fbtministries.org.

Grace Presbyterian Church offersSunday school for all ages at 9:15, and ablended worship service 10:30 a.m. everySunday morning. Coffee and fellowship fol-lows worship. Nursery care is provided from9-11:45 a.m. 7434 Bath Street, Springfield.703-451-2900 or www.gracepresby.org.

First Baptist Church of Springfieldoffers Sunday school at 9:15 a.m., followedby both traditional and contemporary wor-ship services at 10:30 a.m. at 7300 Gary St.,Springfield. 703-451-1500 orwww.fbcspringfield.org.

The Guhyasamaja Buddhist Center,10875 Main St., Fairfax City provides freeclasses to both newcomers and advancedpractitioners of Tibetan Buddhism. The cen-ter emphasizes working with the mind andlearning how to understand the workings ofthe mind, overcoming inner causes of suffer-ing, while cultivating causes of happiness.Under the direction of Lama Zopa Rinpoche,the center is a place of study, contemplationand meditation. Visit www.guhyasamaja.orgfor more information.

Clifton Presbyterian Church, 12748Richards Lane, Clifton, offers Sunday worshipservices at 10 a.m. and Cup of Fellowship at11 a.m. Nursery care is provided from 9:45-11:15 a.m. Christian education for all ages isat 9:45 a.m. 703-830-3175.

Faith Notes


By Marilyn Campbell

While sustaining an injury isn’t onanyone’s list of fitness goals, arecent study by the Center for

Injury Research and Policy shows an in-crease in gym-related injuries in recentyears. Corrective exercise is among thestrategies for recovering from workout-re-lated injuries, but fitness experts are alsoemphasizing prevention.

“Generally speaking, at some point it’sgood following an injury to perform cor-rective exercises to rehab injured muscles,”said Joel Martin, Ph.D., Exercise, Fitnessand Health Promotion Graduate Programcoordinator and assistant professor of Ki-nesiology at George Mason University.

“Depending on the stage of the healingprocess the exercises may focus on gettingblood flowing to the injured area, regain-ing strength in injured muscle or correct-ing poor movement patterns that contrib-uted to the injury.”

One of the most common causes of sportsor workout related injuries is performingan exercise incorrectly, says Martin. “You

should take the time to learn proper formand seek the help of an exercise professionalfor advice as to how to perform various ex-ercises,” said Martin. “Investing the time tolearn how to move well at the beginning ofan exercise program will pay off in the longrun.”

Failing to do warm-up exercises before aworkout and increasing the intensity of theexercise too quickly — either within theexercise session or across multiple exercisesessions — are among the leading causesof workout injury, says Martin. Not follow-ing safety procedures is another.

“Some of the most serious exercise inju-ries happen from not using common sense,”he said. “These can come in a variety offorms, but may be due to trying to showoff, not wearing proper shoes or equipmentfor the exercise mode, exercising in unsafeenvironments, or not using a spotter forheavy lifts.”

Even with safety measures in place,Parker Bryant, a personal trainer based inBethesda, Md., tells his clients that injuriescan happen, even to the most cautious ath-letes. “For many common injuries, especiallya muscle that’s sore because it’s been over-used, I usually advise clients to apply icefor about 20 minutes several times a day toreduce any swelling and to rest the injuredbody part,” he said.

For those dedicated to fitness, being toldto rest can be hard to hear, says GeoffRobison of Custom Kinetics in McLean, buthe says that it is possible to be active whilerecovering from an injury. “One of the hard-est things for a runner with an injury to hearis that they have to stop running,” Robisonsaid. “But one of the worst things you cando when you have an injury is lay downand not move. Movement, when done prop-erly, can be very healing. It can bring bloodflow and realign your body.”

Exercise can be used to help heal someworkout or sports related injuries, saysRobison. “Everyone who walks in our doorgets taken through an assessment,” he said.“Whether it’s low back pain, a knee prob-lem or shoulder pain, we find the root causeof the problem.”

Once the problem is identified, Robisonand his team of trainers work to create anexercise program that is designed to de-crease pain and build fitness.

One example that he uses to explain histherapeutic strategy is knee pain, which hesays is one of the injuries he sees most of-ten in clients. He observes the client’s move-ments to help determine the cause of theproblem. “Maybe it’s coming from the foot,because the foot is not strong enough, soyour knees cave in when you squat,” he said.“Maybe your glutes [gluteal muscles] areweak or maybe your quads [quadriceps] areweak. Strengthening these muscles can helpstabilize the leg and help relieve knee pain.”

Robison builds an exercise regimen thatis designed to address a specific issue orinjury. “One exercise that I might use is theclam shell where clients lie down on theirside and open and close their knees,” hesaid. “When it’s a case of muscle overuse, Imight use a foam roller or resistance bandsto loosen and strengthen the muscles.”

Bryant says that an injury can be an op-portunity to try a new type of workout. “Forexample, if you’re a runner, but your kneesare bothering you, stop running for a whileand try swimming to give your knees a rest,”he said. “After you’re been pain-free formore than a week, you’re probably healed.When you do return to your normal exer-cise routine, don’t dive in with the sameintensity as before your injury. Graduallywork your way back so that you don’treinjure yourself.”

Wellbeing

Getting Hurt in the GymPrevent and treatworkout injuries.

Geoff Robison of Custom Kineticsin McLean shows a client how touse corrective exercise.

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A healthy body starts with a healthy mouth!

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News

By Mike Salmon

The Connection

June is the month for com-munity celebrations, butthere’s hardly an activityaround the County like

the Cardboard Boat Regatta, cap-ping off the Springfield Days cel-ebration on June 3-4. The beach-head at Lake Accotink was linedwith the homemade boats whichwere mostly decorated under theloose theme of Fairfax County’s275th birthday.

Various groups were enteredinto the race, including thecounty’s School Aged Child Care(SACC) teams that got out theduct tape, cardboard and historicideas as they crafted their boats.This included the Knicker Bockerboat, named after the famous1922 snowstorm, or the 29 Dinerboat named after a diner that’sbeen in Fairfax for 70 years, or theCelebrate Fairfax boat from UnionMill Elementary school in

Centreville that had a ferris wheelin the middle. “We’re celebratingthe 275th anniversary,” said theparent who helped build the UnionMill boat.

Most of the crews were deckedout in sailor hats of some sort, ex-cept the 29 Diner boat, who hadauthentic paper chef hats that thenew owner John Wood found

when he took over the diner threeyears ago.

Then there were ballet dancersMelanie Becker, 13, and AnastasiaShafer, 13, who were ballerinas forthe Nutcracker production thispast holiday season at the VirginiaBallet Company in Fairfax. Theirboat was sound, but just in case“we have our bathing suits under-

neath,” the ballet costumes, saidBecker.

Sharon Bulova, the Chairman ofthe Fairfax County Board ofSupervisor’s, was on hand tosound the buzzer for the first race.“I love this race, my absolute fa-vorite,” she said. “This is the bestactivity for the SACC program,they do research and engineerhow to build something that willfloat,” she said.

When the races started, therewas lots of cheering, paddling andswimming by the contestants,proving that there is never toomuch duct tape when trying to geta cardboard boat to float. The bal-lerinas from the Nutcracker weresuccessful, even when the boatappeared to be heading out to seaafter passing the buoy to turnaround, and they came in secondfor their heat. “We came up with astrategy beforehand,” said Shafer.The “Unsinkable,” from Alexan-

dria and Columbia, Md., had amotto of their own. “Good edges,good seams and good friends,”said Charlotte Granahan, 14.

Other Springfield Days activitiesfor the weekend included a craftsfair in at the Springfield UnitedMethodist Church, a 5K fun run, apetfest and a car show the daybefore.

“It’s bringing the businesses, thecivic groups and residents to-gether,” said Nancy jo Manney, theGreater Springfield Chamber ofCommerce executive director. Atone time, Springfield Days was abigger event, with a Miss Spring-field beauty pageant and a carni-val in the parking lot of Spring-field Plaza or then SpringfieldMall, but economics may haveplayed a factor in planning thoseactivities. “It gets harder andharder for the shopping centers togive up parking spaces,” Manneysaid.

Sharon Bulova, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, launched the firstrace at Lake Accotink.

Cardboard Boat RegattaStill a Hit at Springfield Days

Car classics were on display at the American Legion Post176.

Lake Braddock alumni Sarah Waye and a 1959Mercedes Benz, owned by Rod Grimm of Springfield.

Tanner Helgason,10, holds up the

box of original 29Grill chefs hats the

crew donned toget their boat

across the finishline. The 29 Grill

of Fairfax spon-sored a boat in the

Cardboard BoatRegatta.

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Left, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly

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Dulles airport Sunday Jan. 29.

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Helen Slade of New York’s Cotton Club

brought the audience to its feet with songs

such as “We Shall Overcome” at the Martin

Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert on Sunday,

Jan. 15 in the Wakefield High School

auditorium. In a highlight of the evening,

Slade invited children from the audience

to dance and sing with her on stage.

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RestonRestonPage 6

“I know! I know!”Many of the studentswere eager to answer“Mr. Jefferson’s” (BillBarker) questionsduring the livinghistory assembly atArmstrong Elementary.

MLK Keynote:From Obama to TrumpNews, Page 3

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MLK Keynote:From Obama to Trump

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Happy New YearThe fireworks finale of First Night Alexandria provides the backdrop to a selfie for

a couple celebrating New Year’s Eve on King Street. See story and more photos on

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azette Packet

By Vernon MilesGazette Packet

For the City Council, thelargest looming issue inthe upcoming months of2017 is always the city’s

budget. The routine is fairly simi-lar year after year: the city andschool system haggle to a compro-mise over expanding school enroll-ment costs whileother city depart-ments rotatethrough yearly bud-get increases anddecreases. But this

year, according to the City Coun-cil, the budget process is shapingup to look a little more dire thanusual.

“The budget isgoing to be a verybig deal,” saidC o u n c i l m a nTimothy Lovain.“It always is. It’sour main busi-ness, but it will beparticularly chal-lenging withMetro needs,school needs, andother infrastruc-ture. Those capi-tal needs are criti-cal to the futureof the city. Weneed to address them as best wecan.”

While school capacity needsgenerally take the largest focus inthe budget discussion, this year aMetro system in crisis and crum-bling city infrastructure are mus-cling into the spotlight. The issuesbeing discussed and weighedaren’t new, but Councilman Paul

Smedberg says the scale of thedemands exceeds previous years.

“We’ve had these issues before,but the dollar amounts and thesize is bigger,” said Smedberg.“Schools, infrastructure, andtransportation are all core to whatwe do. How we prioritize the restis what we have to decide.”Across the council, schools, in-

frastructure, and transportationare agreed to be the core budgetpriorities in 2016.“Blooming student enrollment

in the schools also presents a realchallenge,” said Lovain. “It largelyshows up for us in school construc-tion funding needs. It’s a happyproblem, it’s a compliment to oursystem, but we’re adding so manystudents. There’s a structural defi-cit we face. [Our]needs are grow-ing faster thanrevenues. Thatshows up on thecapital side andfor schools.”

In terms ofcapital costs, theapproved Alexan-dria City PublicSchools (ACPS)FY 2017 - FY2026 Capital Im-provement Plan(CIP) budget lastyear totaled$273,988,551. The FY 2018 - FY2027 CIP proposed by Superinten-dent Alvin Crawley raises that 10-year total to $515,739,655.“We need to expand the num-

ber of schools that we have andsomehow or another accommo-date renovations and expansion,maybe building a whole new

In the RedSchools, Metro, and infrastructureform trinity of 2017city budget priorities.

WellbeingWellbeing

Page 14

“We’re not goingto be able to makeeverybody happybut we wereelected to makehard decisions.”— CouncilmanWillie Bailey

The YearAhead

Send notes to the Connection atconnectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/or call 703-778-9416. The deadline isthe Friday prior to the next paper’spublication at noon. Datedannouncements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

ONGOINGStorytime in the Park. Tuesdays

through May 30, 10:30 a.m. at OldTown Square. Fairfax. Visitfairfaxva.gov/parksrec or call 703-385-7858.

Senior Line Dancing 1-2 p.m. LittleRIver Glen Senior Center 4001Barker Court, Fairfax. Line Dancing isa gentle, social form of aerobicactivity. Studies have shown it aids inwarding off Alzheimer’s disease. Noprevious experience needed. Cost: $5per 8 week session. Email [email protected] or call 703-524-3739.

Carolina Shag. Wednesdays. 6:30-10p.m. Arlington/Fairfax Elks Lodge,8421 Arlington Blvd., Fairfax. Freelessons at 7:30 p.m. No partnersneeded. Dinner menu. $8. Under 21free. nvshag.org.

FUN-Exercise Thursdays, noon-12:50p.m. Grace Presbyterian ChurchFamily Room, 7434 Bath St.,Springfield. Inova certified exerciseinstructor leads a moderate levelexercise class with music and currentevents conversation. Muscle, Balance,Strength Training using stretch bandsand weights both standing andseated exercises. Instructor donationis $5. [email protected] or 703-499-6133.

Exercise Program Mondays andFridays at 9:30 a.m. year-round atLord of Life Lutheran Church, 5114Twinbrook Rd. Fairfax. The exercisesare for strength, balance andmaintaining limberness. ContactSCFB office at 703-426-2824 formore information.

Cafe Ivrit (Hebrew Cafe).Wednesdays. 8:15-9:15 a.m. JewishCommunity Center of NorthernVirginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike,Fairfax. Shalom (hello) Did youalways want to converse in Hebrew?Join Na’ama each week forconversational Hebrew. You will

learn and practice Hebrew in a funand interactive way while learningmore about Israel. Free, however weask that you try to attend regularly.RSVP [email protected].

Smoke Free Bingo. 7 p.m. EveryFriday. Fairfax Volunteer FireDepartment, 4081 University Drive,Fairfax. Free coffee, entertainingcallers, $1,000 jackpot (with breaksfor smoking friends).www.fairfaxvd.com. 703-273-3638.

English Conversation Groupsweekly at George Mason, BurkeCentre, and Lorton Libraries Practiceand improve your English. Day andstart times vary. Visit:va.evanced.info/fairfaxcounty/lib/eventcalendar.asp

Funday Monday 10:30 a.m., everyMonday at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. There willbe music, movement, storytelling,performances, crafts, and more. It isopen to children of all ages, howeverespecially for those who haven’t yetstarted school. Programs are free andopen to the public, donations aregratefully appreciated. There isample free parking in the downtownarea, and stroller access at the rear ofOld Town Hall on Main St. 703-385-7858 www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts

Kingstowne Farmers Marketopens. 4-7 p.m. every Fridaythrough Oct. 27, at Kingstowne GiantParking Lot, 5870 KingstowneCenter, Alexandria. Freshly picked,producer-only vegetables and fruit,from-scratch bread (including glutenfree), baked goods, kettle corn, salsa,hummus, cake pops, fruit popsicles,and ice cream. [email protected] call 703-642-0128 for more.

CAMPS & CLASSESArt Camp. Various times July 3-7, July

24-28, and July 31-Aug. 4 at theWoods Community Center, 10100Wards Grove Circle, Burke or thesecond location is Burke PresbyterianChurch, 5690 Oak Leather Drive,Burke. Lessons by Carol Zeitlin. Call703-250-6930 or visitwww.czartlessons.com for more.

JUNE 8-10Summer Book Sale. Various times at

the Burke Centre Library, 5935 FredsOak Road. Featuring books for adultsand kids and other media for summervacations. Call 703-249-1520.

FRIDAY/JUNE 9Meet the Author. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30

p.m. at Springfield Golf & CountryClub, 8301 Old Keene Mill Road,Springfield. Great Harvest BreadCompany Jeff Connelly, will sharehow they may be a nationalcompany, but they have the spiritand heart of a locally owned smallbusiness. Also Keith Clemons, will bespeaking about the book heauthored. Call 703-922 6438/703-913-9844 or [email protected].

Music on the Plaza. 7 p.m. at the OldTown Plaza, 3955 Chain BridgeRoad, Fairfax. Music and danceperformances. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov for more.

JUNE 9-11Celebrate Fairfax. Various times at

the Fairfax County GovernmentCenter, 12000 Government CenterPkwy., Fairfax. Community-widecelebration with art, musicalperformances, and rides. Everclear ison the main stage on Saturday night.Visit celebratefairfax.com/ for more.

SATURDAY/JUNE 10FootGolf National Qualifier. 1:30-9

p.m. at Pinecrest Golf Course, 6600Little River Turnpike. Pinecrest GolfCourse will host the U.S. NationalQualifier for the American FootGolfLeague. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/golf/pinecrestgc/ or call 703-324-8782.

SUNDAY/JUNE 11Tiny Dancers Ballet Recital. 10:15

a.m. (Fairfax studio); 1:15 p.m and3:45 p.m. (Mosaic studio) at W.T.Woodson High School, 9525 Main

See Entertainment, Page 14

Mozart in HavanaOn Sunday, June 18, Simone Dinnerstein with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra will beplaying at the George Mason University Harris Theatre, in Fairfax. Pictured here, pianistSimone Dinnerstein (center in white) is in Cuba with Havana Lyceum Orchestra mem-bers during the recording of “Mozart in Havana.”

Entertainment

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Cats benefit from being in a foster home. We needlong- and short-term fosters for cats of all ages,mothers with litters and kittens on their own.

Email [email protected].

Adopt/Donate/Volunteer atwww.lostdogrescue.org

Consider Fostering

You Can Make a Difference

visit the website, cl ick on Participate

News

By Gretchen Kernbach

The Connection

Although the KingstowneFarmers Market issmaller in size com-pared to other markets

in Fairfax County, its taste is noth-ing less. Every Friday from 4 to 7p.m., in the Kingstowne Town Cen-ter, vendors line up and put theirproducts out for sampling andpurchasing. Among the presentfarms were C&T Produce, EldaGardens, Linda Vista Farm andMcCleaf’s Orchard. Each tent pro-viding their own array of freshcrops ranging from strawberries tolettuce. McCleaf’s Orchard, out ofBiglerville, Pa., displays beets, as-paragus, Fuji apples, broccoli, cau-liflower and other fresh producefor the public to buy. Koby Griest,an employee of the vendor, saidthe most popular product is “usu-ally the fruits during whatever sea-

son they’re in.”Kiwi Kuisine, out of Alexandria,

put their own spin on fresh fruitsand veggies by blending them to-gether into different juices. Toname a few: “Crazy Carrot” con-tains carrots and passion fruit,“Red Dragon” is made from redbeets and “Kiwi Monster” has kiwiand kale. In addition to theirjuices, Kiwi Kuisine offers their sig-nature meat pies to visiting shop-pers. They vary in ingredients. Forexample, market-goers can choosefrom steak and garlic mushroom,roast lamb, curry chicken or spicy

veggie. Also present at theKingstowne Farmers Market isKiko Frutti, offering all natural fro-zen fruit pops. Thirteen differentflavors are available ranging fromwatermelon raspberry to pinacolada. Each pop goes for $3 or10 can be purchased for $27.

The Inside Scoop parks its foodtruck in the lot, offering shopperscold treats in the heat of the day.Ice cream cookie sandwiches, sun-daes and milkshakes are just someof the treats present.

Colonial Kettle Corn also takespart in the market. The Spring-

field-based company cooks up itskettle corn on the spot for thatcarnival feel on an everyday Fri-day afternoon. Likewise, SweetNuna Middle Eastern Delicacies,Kylie’s Pop Shop and Salsa LasGlorias are all present at the farm-ers market. Visitors can swing byeach tent for a completely differ-ent experience. Sweet Nuna sellshummus, baklava, tabouli, lentilsoup and pita bread/chips. Kylie’sPop Shop offers a selection of dif-ferent flavored cake pops. SalsaLas Glorias puts out varying stylesof salsa and guacamole for pur-

chase. “We come here every week,we love the community that’shere,” said Alexandria local Eliza-beth Krantz. “Since we come ev-ery week we know a lot of thepeople and vendors, they recog-nize us and know our orders.”

Celebrate Me, a dessert bakeryout of Woodbridge, offers maca-roons, mini sugar cookies, cup-cakes and cheesecake in a jar. Inaddition, information is given outat its tent regarding cake andcookie decorating classes.

The Kingstowne Farmers Marketwill be running until Oct. 27.

Kingstowne Market: Small in Size, Big in TasteVendors bringtheir own flavorto the market.

A long line forms out of the C&T Produce tent.

Springfield locals Robyn (left) andRose Palompo enjoy their fruit popsfrom Kiko Frutti.

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Moving Sale 6348 Munhall Ct., McLean

Fri 6/9 4-7 pmSat 6/10 8-2 pmSun 6/11 9-1 pm

Household goods,

Collectibles, Books, Vintage

items and clothes, Furniture,

Records, and more!

Yard Sale

From Page 12

St., Fairfax. Call 703-785-5580 or visitwww.tinydancers.com for more.

TUESDAY/JUNE 13Women Only Golf Tournament. 9

a.m. at Greendale Golf Course, 6700Telegraph Road, Alexandria. It’sCaptain’s Choice on the front 9 andbetter ball on the back 9 for two-person teams. $45. Call 703- 971-6170 for more.

BHS Research Seminar. 7-9 p.m. atBurke Centre Library, 5935 FredsOak Road. “Using the WashingtonLibrary at Mount Vernon” is thetopic. Staff from the WashingtonLibrary at Mount Vernon willdescribe the resources available andprocedures for researchers at thisarchive. Visit www.burkehistoricalsociety.org for more.

WEDNESDAY/JUNE 14Alzheimer’s Documentary. 2-4 p.m.

at Harris Theater, George MasonUniversity, 4400 University Drive,Fairfax. “Alzheimer’s: Every MinuteCounts” documentary screening anddiscussion. Call 202-480-0706 oremail [email protected].

Tai Chai Class. 6:30-7:30 a.m. at OldTown Square, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Every Wednesday throughAugust, weather permitting. Free.Visit www.fairfaxva.gov or call 703-385-7858 for more.

THURSDAY/JUNE 15Historic Interpretation. 7-9:30 p.m.

at the Sherwood Community Center,3740 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax.Event topic is “Nicholas Fairfax, 14thLord Fairfax of Cameron.” [email protected] or visitFairfax275.org for more.

Havana Lyceum WoodwindQuintet. 7 p.m. at JewishCommunity Center of NorthernVirginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike,Fairfax. Fairfax Symphony presentsSimone Dinnerstein with the HavanaLyceum Orchestra. $35 or $25. visitwww.fairfaxsymphony.org or call888-945-2468 for more.

FRIDAY/JUNE 16Music on the Plaza. 7 p.m. at the Old

Town Plaza, 3955 Chain BridgeRoad, Fairfax. Music and danceperformances. Visitwww.fairfaxva.gov for more.

THURSDAY/JUNE 17Fairfax County’s 275th

Anniversary. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at theSherwood Community Center, 3740Old Lee Hwy, Fairfax. Family friendlyactivities, live entertainment, historyexhibits, living history, historicalorganization booths and displays.Email [email protected] or visitFairfax275.org for more.

Father’s Day Golf Tournament. 8a.m. at Burke Lake Golf Course, 7315Ox Road, Fairfax Station. Compete inclosest-to-the-pin-contests, and prizeswill be awarded for the top threeplaces in all three divisions. $65 perteam.Call 703-323-1641 for more.

Kidz Korner Children’s Event.10:30-11:30 a.m. at Old TownSquare, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. A variety of children’sactivities and entertainment. FreeVisit www.fairfaxva.gov or call 703-385-7858 for more.

Navy Sea Chanters Concert. 6-7p.m. at the Workhouse Arts Center,9601 Ox Road, Lorton. Performingmusic from sea chanteys to Broadwaytunes.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/performances for more.

Father and Daughter Dance. 6-9p.m. at Sherwood CommunityCenter, 3740 Old Lee Highway,Fairfax. Girls celebrate Father’s Daywith dads, grandads, big brothers,godfathers and family members,dancing, games, prizes and food.$30. Call 703-385-7978 or [email protected] for more.

SUNDAY/JUNE 18Yoga on the Square. 10 a.m. at Old

Town Square, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Bring a yoga mat, a waterbottle, and yourself. Call 703-385-7858 for more.

Father’s Day Jazz Brunch. noon-1:30 p.m. at Hilton Garden InnFairfax, 3950 Fair Ridge Drive. ByFairfax NAACP. fairfaxnaacp.org.

Havana Lyceum Orchestra. 5 p.m.at George Mason University HarrisTheatre, Fairfax. Fairfax Symphonypresents Simone Dinnerstein with theHavana Lyceum Orchestra. $45, $38,$30. visit www.fairfaxsymphony.orgor call 888-945-2468 for more.

JUNE 21-JULY 18Snoopy and Belle in Fashion.

Various times in Fair Oaks Mall,11750 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax. Acelebration of Washington D.C.’spolitical style, dolls will featurepresidential outfits. Visitwww.shopfairoaksmall.com.

Entertainment

Independence CelebrationOn Saturday, July 1, fireworks will be featured at theIndependence Day celebration, 5-9:30 p.m. at LortonWorkhouse, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton. Community,family friendly, music. Call 703-584-2900 or visitworkhousearts.org for more.


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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Having been a cancer “diagnosee” now foreight years and exactly three months — as I sitand type on May 27, 2017, a lifetime consider-ing the original “13 month to two-year” prog-nosis I was given on February 27, 2009, I havelearned much about cancer that I didn’t know.In fact, I’ve learned everything about cancer Iknow now because previously I knew nothing.Growing up I heard/experienced very littleabout cancer. My parents were healthy as wasmy immediate family (aunts, uncles, cousins).

And even though I spent many Sundays withmy parents visiting my grandparents in nursinghomes, the diseases/afflictions I rememberhearing most about were diabetes, Parkinson’s,Leukemia and high cholesterol. Never canceror any condition that I associated with cancer. Irealize now how lucky we all were. I wouldn’tsay I took good health for granted, but I mighthave taken it as a given. Not any more.

Everyday I wake up, as my father used tosay, is a good day; and ever since I was diag-nosed in early 2009, most days — all thingsconsidered, and I do consider all things, havebeen good days. I have been extraordinarilyfortunate in how my body and mind hasreacted to being diagnosed with a “terminal”disease: non-small cell lung cancer, stage IV.Rarely have I ever gone one step forward andthen two steps backward.

Oh sure, the early hairless days of heavy-duty chemotherapy (infused for six hours everythree weeks) were challenging, but it was aprocess I had to endure — so far as I knew (Iknow a bit more now and there are manymore choices/protocols than ever before).

It reminds me of a long-ago M*A*S*H epi-sode in which “Hawkeye” met a South Koreanwoman after she drove — a Cadillac — into the4077th. She needed medical help for her fam-ily. Col. Potter ordered “Hawkeye” to returnwith the woman back to her home.Begrudgingly he went along, mistakenly think-ing she felt a sense of entitlement. After a shorttime treating her family he learned how wronghe had been. Later that day, “Hawkeye” sawthe woman walking up a nearby trail carryingbuckets of water on a pole. When he askedher why she was doing that (getting the waterthat way, from wherever); she replied:“Because that’s where the water is.” It struckhim — and apparentl — it struck me, too. As acancer patient/survivor, that has always beenmy approach/attitude. “Next man up,” a com-mon sports refrain; no excuses, keep movingforward.

Over the years, I have met many cancerpatients; at the Infusion Center, at conferences,at work and at play. And I may be biased (no‘maybes’ about it), but I have to say, we’re afairly hearty and resilient bunch. Getting diag-nosed with a terminal disease — frequently outof the blue, is not exactly the stuff of whichdreams are made. Quite the contrary.

Nevertheless, many of the cancer patientsI’ve met seemed to have faced their demonsand are standing tall against the worst kind ofadversity. Bette Davis is often credited with thequote: “Old age is not for sissies.” Well, neitheris cancer. It seems to be for everybody, every-where. Unfortunately, cancer is an indiscrimi-nate, equal opportunity destroyer; all ages, allraces, all ethnic groups, all populations.

According to “Medical News Today,” “Onein two people will develop cancer in their life-times.” So getting cancer is either a matter oftime, inevitable or a random-type miracle if itdoesn’t affect you. For many of us who’ve beenaffected already, we’ve come to learn that can-cer isn’t the automatic death sentence it used tobe, especially for us lung cancer patients. Theresearch dollars and enthusiasm going intodefeating this scourge are at their most signifi-cant in decades, perhaps ever.

Now is not the time to give up hope. It’stime to embrace it.

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Opinion

From Page 6

A MealAmongNeighbors

In addition to the chairman, representa-tives from all branches of county law en-forcement and safety agencies and other de-partments were on hand to show theirneighborly support. Supervisor John Foust(D-Dranesville) was also in attendance, aswere Del. Vivian Watts (D-39), Del. MarkSickles (D-43), and deputy county execu-tive for public safety, David Rohrer.

Watts, who was hosted by a local familyduring a 2008 visit to Turkey, said it was“so sad what is happening in that extraor-dinary place.” With the tensions and un-rest in their native country, and the spikein anti-Muslim sentiment that many Turk-ish immigrants have faced in their newhomeland, Watts is saddened that many“must feel like no place is home. That’s whyit is all the more important to be here aspart of the bridge to connect people.”

Mustafa Akpinar, CEO of the Rumi Forumand an organizer of the event, agreed thatof late “it seems like we are all on doubleshifts on our mission to be part of the com-munity, but we love diversity and we cel-ebrate it.” Back to the Kilic table, whereEmine carefully described each of the deli-cacies that she had picked out for my en-joyment, while still telling me that she, too,worries about the state of affairs in Turkey.“But we are so glad to be here, where thingsare so possible.”

Cemal, a smiling and anything-but-shy11-year-old, was happy to talk about a widerange of subjects; why we are gathered here— “to better learn to communicate witheach other” to cars — “Sorry, I am more forLamborghini than Ferrari.”

Yasemin spent her first year here study-ing primarily in Turkish while she perfectedher English — which seemed pretty perfectalready. The 16-year-old student at OaktonHigh School is exploring the paths her fu-ture might hold. “I like math, for sure, butlately I am thinking about politics, or thelaw, something that I can do to help every-one have a better life.” She also loves towrite — “I am working on a book” — sojournalism is also a possibility.

ALL AROUND US, people were talking,laughing, and just getting to know eachother a little better. The Imam’s call toprayers after the meal was the only pause.The gathering continued for many, onceeveryone had come back together.

Time to go and actually write the story,despite pleas from Emine, Yasemin andCemal (dad Erdal was off meeting and min-gling with other groups) to stay a bit longerand chat. Duty calls, but not before receiv-ing an invitation to attend a Turkish cook-ing class with Emine and a class in Ebru,the traditional Turkish “marbling” art formwith Yasemin. No regrets on breaking withjournalistic tradition on this one occasion,and learning some new ones with a roomfull of neighbors.

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