Attention Postmaster: Time-sensitive material. Requested in home 11/24/17 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Alexandria, VA Permit #482 November 23, 2017 Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper Inside See Riverside, Page 12 See Rising Hope, Page 12 By Steve Hibbard The Gazette F or its Thanksgiving Holiday Give- away, Rising Hope Mission Church distributed 350 Thanksgiving bas- kets with all the fixings and sides last Wednesday and Thursday to help the homeless, low-income families, and dis- abled veterans along the Route 1 Corridor between Alexandria and Ft. Belvoir. The church on Russell Road in Alexandria also served 35 homebound bags of turkeys and fixings to those who were unable to get out of their homes. The baskets of food included 14- to 16- pound turkeys donated from Christ Church in Lorton, all the fresh sides, a bag of rice, au gratin potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, cranberry, canned fruit and veggies, and gravy as well as fresh fruit and veggies that were donated from Trader Joe’s, according to Melissa Lee, Food Pan- try coordinator. On Thanksgiving Day, Rising Hope will be serving the homeless along the Route 1 Corridor from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Volunteers will be cooking a Thanksgiving meal, serv- ing it and then cleaning up afterwards. They repeat the same effort on Christmas Day. Coordinator of Outreach Ministries Mary Hamilton said they give out a lot of cold weather wear to the homeless — both those who are sleeping outside and those staying at shelters. They are especially in need of men’s warm coats, sleeping bags, blankets, warm socks, shoes and long johns. She said they give out clothing to between 300 and 500 people in the community each week. The biggest need is for men’s winter and fall clothing but they are also happy to re- ceive women’s and children’s clothing. Last year, they gave out 1,600 Christmas gifts to the community, and this year, they still need new toys for children for all age groups. Donations can be dropped off at Rising Hope between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. The community can still send a financial donation to Rising Hope (through Dec. 31) to be applied to the $30,000 matching gift provided by Beyond Coffee Beyond Church, Thanksgiving Food Baskets distributed by Rising Hope Church. Through Love Serve One Another By Ashley Claire Simpson The Gazette S ome of the most poignant grade school memories come from lunch. Especially if you’ve ever been the new kid on the block, you know the impor- tance of a friendly face in a school cafeteria. For 40 years, Alexandria’s Dorthy Taylor was there to provide one for the chil- dren of Riverside Elementary School. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Taylor re- tired as Riverside’s longest serving “lunch lady” in the school’s history. “Dorthy was definitely Riverside’s longest lunch lady and probably the longest tenure em- ployee, as least to the best of anyone’s memory on staff,” said Paul Basdekis, Riverside Elemen- tary School principal. Although the role at Riverside became incredibly significant to her, the elementary school cafete- ria position simply started as a means for Taylor to produce extra income for her family. Before she knew it, though, she was too in- vested in the Riverside community to pursue anything else. “Years go by and you still enjoy the people you work with, the job you are doing and the children. The younger ones are especially fun to be around and engage with,” she said. “And, I have been blessed with good health overall. So as those benchmark anniversa- ries came, not only did our family need the money, but I was still making a difference and liking the work.” Although she had her own chil- dren at home, nurturing Riverside students was like an extension of motherhood for her. “Engaging with the kids and making a difference was by far my favorite part,” she said. “I know the role I played in feeding the stu- dents was important, and it’s been in the news so much lately that providing meals at school is so critical to student health. For too many kids, that may be their only meal of the day. Hungry kids per- form poorly in school. The staff I worked with and many teachers and administrators would donate money each year to an informal fund to help kids in need. We would never allow a student to come into the cafeteria and not eat. It just didn’t happen in the 40 years I worked.” Taylor has seen how lunch in Fairfax County Public Schools has changed over the past four de- cades. “The kitchen has been modified so much over the years,” she said. “In the early years, meals were prepared from scratch — spa- ghetti, pizzas, burgers, turkey, tacos. Even potatoes were peeled and mashed by hand, fruit was cut fresh, the chicken came in whole and was cut into pieces, seasoned, breaded and cooked all by hand. Food was much more wholesome. On the other hand, even though food is more processed in many respects, there is also more em- phasis on good nutrition. There are no longer, soda and juice ma- chines, ice cream bars and cups are no longer sold.” The students coming in and out of the cafeteria every day have also changed. “Students in the early years dressed up – button up shirts and slacks for boys, and dresses for girls,” Taylor said. “Now there are much more icons, slogans, car- toons, logos, and goofy and funny Rising Hope volunteers Artrolus Hicks, Sia Mbayo- McWhite and Iris Barr. Volunteers Christopher Kemp, Martha Reitman, and Food Pantry Manager Melissa Lee. Beloved Riverside Elementary honors Dorthy Taylor’s 40 years service to the school. Dorthy Taylor outside Riverside Elementary School. Photos by Steve Hibbard/The Gazette
Transcript
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Attention
Postmaster:
Time-sensitive
material.
Requested in home
11/24/17
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Alexandria, VA
Permit #482
November 23, 2017Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper
Advertising Supple
ment to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 ❖ 1
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Inside
See Riverside, Page 12
See Rising Hope, Page 12
By Steve Hibbard
The Gazette
For its Thanksgiving Holiday Give-away, Rising Hope Mission Churchdistributed 350 Thanksgiving bas-kets with all the fixings and sides
last Wednesday and Thursday to help thehomeless, low-income families, and dis-abled veterans along the Route 1 Corridorbetween Alexandria and Ft. Belvoir. Thechurch on Russell Road in Alexandria alsoserved 35 homebound bags of turkeys andfixings to those who were unable to get outof their homes.
The baskets of food included 14- to 16-pound turkeys donated from Christ Churchin Lorton, all the fresh sides, a bag of rice,au gratin potatoes, macaroni and cheese,cornbread, cranberry, canned fruit andveggies, and gravy as well as fresh fruit and
veggies that were donated from TraderJoe’s, according to Melissa Lee, Food Pan-try coordinator.
On Thanksgiving Day, Rising Hope willbe serving the homeless along the Route 1Corridor from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Volunteerswill be cooking a Thanksgiving meal, serv-ing it and then cleaning up afterwards. Theyrepeat the same effort on Christmas Day.
Coordinator of Outreach Ministries MaryHamilton said they give out a lot of cold
weather wear to the homeless — both thosewho are sleeping outside and those stayingat shelters. They are especially in need ofmen’s warm coats, sleeping bags, blankets,warm socks, shoes and long johns. She saidthey give out clothing to between 300 and500 people in the community each week.The biggest need is for men’s winter andfall clothing but they are also happy to re-ceive women’s and children’s clothing.
Last year, they gave out 1,600 Christmas
gifts to the community, and this year, theystill need new toys for children for all agegroups. Donations can be dropped off atRising Hope between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.,Tuesdays through Fridays.
The community can still send a financialdonation to Rising Hope (through Dec. 31)to be applied to the $30,000 matching giftprovided by Beyond Coffee Beyond Church,
Some of the most poignantgrade school memoriescome from lunch. Especially
if you’ve ever been the new kid onthe block, you know the impor-tance of a friendly face in a schoolcafeteria. For 40 years,Alexandria’s Dorthy Taylor was
there to provide one for the chil-dren of Riverside ElementarySchool.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Taylor re-tired as Riverside’s longest serving“lunch lady” in the school’s history.
“Dorthy was definitelyRiverside’s longest lunch lady andprobably the longest tenure em-ployee, as least to the best ofanyone’s memory on staff,” said
Paul Basdekis, Riverside Elemen-tary School principal.
Although the role at Riversidebecame incredibly significant toher, the elementary school cafete-ria position simply started as ameans for Taylor to produce extraincome for her family. Before sheknew it, though, she was too in-vested in the Riverside communityto pursue anything else.
“Years go by and you still enjoythe people you work with, the jobyou are doing and the children.The younger ones are especiallyfun to be around and engagewith,” she said. “And, I have beenblessed with good health overall.So as those benchmark anniversa-ries came, not only did our familyneed the money, but I was stillmaking a difference and liking thework.”
Although she had her own chil-dren at home, nurturing Riversidestudents was like an extension ofmotherhood for her.
“Engaging with the kids andmaking a difference was by far myfavorite part,” she said. “I knowthe role I played in feeding the stu-dents was important, and it’s beenin the news so much lately that
providing meals at school is socritical to student health. For toomany kids, that may be their onlymeal of the day. Hungry kids per-form poorly in school. The staff Iworked with and many teachersand administrators would donatemoney each year to an informalfund to help kids in need. Wewould never allow a student tocome into the cafeteria and noteat. It just didn’t happen in the 40years I worked.”
Taylor has seen how lunch inFairfax County Public Schools haschanged over the past four de-cades.
“The kitchen has been modifiedso much over the years,” she said.“In the early years, meals wereprepared from scratch — spa-ghetti, pizzas, burgers, turkey,tacos. Even potatoes were peeled
and mashed by hand, fruit was cutfresh, the chicken came in wholeand was cut into pieces, seasoned,breaded and cooked all by hand.Food was much more wholesome.On the other hand, even thoughfood is more processed in manyrespects, there is also more em-phasis on good nutrition. Thereare no longer, soda and juice ma-chines, ice cream bars and cups areno longer sold.”
The students coming in and outof the cafeteria every day have alsochanged.
“Students in the early yearsdressed up – button up shirts andslacks for boys, and dresses forgirls,” Taylor said. “Now there aremuch more icons, slogans, car-toons, logos, and goofy and funny
Rising Hope volunteers Artrolus Hicks, Sia Mbayo-McWhite and Iris Barr.
Volunteers Christopher Kemp, Martha Reitman, andFood Pantry Manager Melissa Lee.
Beloved Riverside Elementary honors Dorthy Taylor’s 40 years service to the school.
Dorthy Taylor outside Riverside Elementary School.
Photos by Steve Hibbard/The Gazette
2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Andrea Worker
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11)says that he and his Democraticcolleagues are more than will-ing to work in a bipartisan ef-
fort on meaningful tax form. “As a leader ofthe New Democrat Coalition, a group of pro-business Democrats, I have written on sev-eral occasions to Speaker Paul Ryan andWays and Means Chairman Kevin Bradyasking them to partner with us … to sim-plify the tax code, create revenue … andprovide middle class tax relief.”
Speaking at a roundtable gathering thatthe congressman hosted at the offices of theNorthern Virginia Association of Realtors(NVAR) on Monday, Nov. 13, to discuss theconsequences of the GOP tax plans,Connolly says those overtures have beenrejected.
“Congress had a real opportunity to pur-sue neutral tax reform that would lowercorporate tax rates and benefit the middleclass.” Connolly expressed “deep disap-pointment” at the House and Senate billsbeing proposed, categorizing both as“shameful, corporate giveaways” that willhave unprecedented and far-reaching nega-tive effects on Northern Virginia, the Com-monwealth of Virginia, and the nation.
Connolly reported that by using “dynamicscoring” – a method of analysis that includesthe potential feedback effect certain tax cutscan have, and that he said Republicans of-ten advocate “because it provides more gen-erous deficit projections for tax cuts” — theproposals actually increase the country’sdeficit to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, “andsomebody has to pay that bill.”
An assessment of the tax plans by Con-gress’ nonpartisan Joint Taxation Commit-tee released on Monday, Nov. 20, seems tosupport the congressman’s concerns. Thecommittee’s analysis projects that some 13.8million moderate-income American house-holds would actually see a tax increase as aresult of the Senate plan by 2019. House-holds earning less than $200,000 per yearwould face increases of $100 to $500. Thetax liability rises even more for earners be-tween $75,000 and $200,000. According tothe analysis, tax increases would be felt by21.4 million households by the year 2025.
Connolly likened the plans to previouslyfailed “trickle-down” attempts at tax reformand economic stimulus.
“1981, 2001, 2003. The Reagan and Bushtax cuts. So disastrous that they had to en-act tax increases in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987and 1990” to raise the needed funds. “Thenin the early 2000s, President George W.
Bush took the record surpluses of theClinton era and created record deficits.”Connolly added that the trickle-downtheory is based on “the hope and the prayerthat such tax cuts will someday pay forthemselves,” but that history has alreadyproven “that assumption to be false.”
TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT of the pro-posed legislation on the Northern Virginiaregion, Connolly convened a group of localbusiness leaders, economists and financialexperts, as well as participants represent-ing social service providers, persons withlong-term medical and care needs, econo-mists, parents of students with significantstudent debt, and seniors.
Connolly set the stage for the discussionwith a few more facts and figures, althoughhe cautioned that “we still haven’t seen thewhole of either proposed legislation.”
* The plans either repeal or limit severaltax breaks that are crucial to Northern Vir-ginians, including medical and dental ex-pense deductions, premiums for long-termcare insurance, in-home and nursing homecare, and mortgage interest deductions.
* The state and local income tax (SALT)deductions would be limited or even re-pealed. In Connolly’s 11th District, 50 per-cent of tax filers claim the SALT deduction,
with 75 percent of the claimants being inmiddle income tax brackets. The numberof SALT claimants throughout FairfaxCounty is as high as 280,000 households.
* The plans call for the repeal of EstateTax, which only applies to about thewealthiest 5,000 decedents each year, whilecutting adoption tax credits and credits forsmall businesses that invest in accessibilityimprovements for persons with disabilities.
* According to the Tax Policy Center, af-ter-tax income for the top 1 percent of earn-ers would rise by about 2.6 percent by 2027,while those at the bottom 80 percent wouldsee after-tax increase of between 0.0 per-cent and 0.6 percent.
After Connolly’s remarks, Bob Adamson,chairman of the board of the Northern Vir-ginia Association of Realtors, was the firstof the gathering to offer comments.
Representing some 12,000 Realtors in theregion, Adamson stated that the NVAR“wants to be part of the solution,” but findsthe proposed legislation to be “unfair tohomeowners,” disproportionately placingthe burden of “filling in the financial gaps”directly on them.
NVAR Chair-elect Lorraine Arora agreed,adding that “real estate bolsters theeconomy” with so many related jobs andservices, and that any plan that suppresses
home buying will cause a “ripple effect ofharm.”
The Realtors at the table also worried thatthe proposed tax reform will actually lowerexisting house values. NVAR CEO RyanConrad said that in the NoVa region, thatdecrease could be as much as $30,000 lostin home equity.
ADDITIONALLY, THE REALTORS fore-see a decrease in housing stock that is al-ready an issue, and even see FairfaxCounty’s successes toward ending and pre-venting homelessness, slip into reverse, asdevelopers are less able than ever to profit-ably build affordable housing.
Continuing the “ripple effect” theme,JoAnne Carter, managing director of PFMFinancial Advisors, LLC, said that the pro-posals threaten the means by which munici-palities, nonprofits and other businessesfund their services and investments in im-provements and expansion.
“Eliminating Private Activity Bonds andcausing cuts to ‘advance refinancing,’” saidCarter is severely hampering the ability tofinance the basics, like “schools, roads, hos-pitals, transportation, airports, sea ports, allof it.”
That in turn “increases the burden on thecounties,” said Adamson, while potentiallydepleting their main source of revenue. Formunicipalities like Fairfax County, that are,in essence, only able to raise funds throughproperty taxation, the choices are daunt-ingly few. Either raise those taxes signifi-cantly, or reduce expenditure on infrastruc-ture and public and social services.
“And if we damage our AAA Bond rating,”added Carter, “it costs more for these mu-nicipalities and service providers to borrow.”According to Carter, Fairfax County couldsave between $3-12 million when re-financ-ing with a Triple A Bond rating. “Losing thatcould mean that public structures just don’tget built.”
Nancy Mercer, a licensed clinical socialworker and the former executive directorof the ARC of Northern Virginia, and RidgeMultop, an economist, former AARP Con-gressional Affairs and former House Bud-get Committee staffer, both discussed theimpact the proposed tax bills could have onseniors, those with long-term care and/ormedical issues, and those most in need andmost vulnerable in the community.
Multop “put a face” on the discussion,speaking about an economist friend. “He’s85 years old, on a fixed income, in assistedliving. He looked at how these bills wouldimpact him based on his 2016 tax filing andsaid it would raise his taxes by more than$3,000. How do people like him cope withthat?”
Eliminating tax deductions for medicalexpenses and long-term care would beharmful to seniors, Multop said, possiblyforcing more into custodial care and plac-ing an additional burden on municipalities
‘A Disaster for Northern Virginia’Connolly holdsroundtable oncongressionaltax plan.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) meets with local leaders to discuss theconsequences of the proposed Senate and House GOP Tax Reform Bills.Connolly admitted from the start that he wasn’t there to “sing theirpraises.”
Pho
to
s by A
ndrea W
orker
Bob Adamson,chairman of theboard of the North-ern Virginia Asso-ciation of Realtors,views the proposedlegislation as “un-fair tohomeowners,” andthat they will have anegative “rippleeffect” on the localeconomy and resi-dents of the com-munity.
4 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Ken Moore
The Gazette
Mount Vernon District Super-visor Dan Storck and Chair-man Sharon Bulova an-nounced the next potential
match of a resident curator with a historicFairfax county home.
The county was scheduled to decide onsubleasing the Stempson House at 7520Furnace Road in Lorton to Resident Cura-tor Steven J. McCullough at its next boardmeeting on Nov. 21.
“I’m looking forward to this,” said Chair-man Sharon Bulova.
“I am very much as well,” said Storck. “Wehave several properties that lend themselvesto this” program.
The county’s Resident Curator Programis designed to preserve historic propertiesby offering long-term leases to qualifiedtenants who rehabilitate and maintain thehistoric houses. A curator can be a privatecitizen, a nonprofit entity, or a for-profit
entity, according to county documents.
THE STEMPSON HOUSE gets its historicsignificance from association with theOccoquan Workhouse and Reformatory andthe Women’s Suffrage movement of theearly 1900s, according to Resident CuratorProgram documents.
The United States purchased the land in1910 to construct the prison, according tothe documents. “In 1937, amongst theLorton Reformatory orchard trees, prison-ers constructed a residence for a prison of-ficer. It is likely that prisoners constructedthe house, under the direction of prisonengineers, using bricks manufactured at theprison brick kiln. Ultimately, the residencewas converted for use by the prison secu-rity office.”
The 1,500 square-foot-house is describedas a “vernacular style residence with Colo-nial Revival style elements.”
The length of McCullough’s lease is an-ticipated to be a little more than sevenyears.
The Board of Supervisors established itsresident curator program in Fairfax Countyin 2014.
Other applications have been taken forthe Turner Farm House, 10609 GeorgetownPike, in Great Falls and the Ellmore Farm-house on West Ox Road in Herndon. Andthe county intends to continue its programs
Stempson House is significant due to its association with the OccoquanWorkhouse and Reformatory, and the Women’s Suffrage movement ofthe early 1900s.
Lorton house with historic ties to bematched with resident who will exchangerent for restoration.
Stempson House Finds Curator
at the Ash Grove in Tysons, Lahey Lost Val-ley in Vienna, and Hannah P. Clark (Enyedi)House in Lorton.
See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/press/html/ir141-16.htm
Learn more about the Resident Curatorprogram and other properties atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rcp.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Mt. Vernon Grove $594,9009336 Heather Glen Drive
Beautiful 4 BR, 2 1/2 BA colonial w/2 car garage on the Potomac Riv-er side of Mount Vernon. .34 Acre. Library on main level. Family Room w/fireplace off of the kitchen w/French doors to backyard. Dress-ing room & walk-in closet adjoin the spacious Master suite. Separate Din-ing and Living Rooms. Unfinished basement w/walk-up steps.
Alex/Riverside Estates $615,0008331 Blowing Rock Road
Beautiful Mt. Vernon Colonial w/stunning renovations! 4BRs, 3.5BAs, 3 lvls, garage & deck. Gorgeous addition w/exquisite remodeling expands the kit & family rm. The quality & design are exceptional. Stunning kit w/all the bells & whistles (skylight, tile & bamboo flooring, SS appliances, silestone counters, high-end cabinetry, double wall oven, gas cooktop) & a casual eating area
overlooking bkyd. Spectacular family rm w/gas FPL & sliding glass doors to the deck. Abundant windows provide natural lighting. 4BRs on the upper lvl. Lower lvl has a full bath, lg finished rec rm, & an additional rm that can be easily configured as a 5th BR. Roof replaced in “15. Wood FPL in living rm & lower lvl. This is a winner!
Alex/Yacht Haven $649,9009417 Forest Haven Drive
Stunning immaculate 2 level Rambler on a large spectacular landscaped half acre lot. Updated: Kitchen w/corian, SS appliances & cherry cabinets, 3 updated baths, 2 wood burning Fpls. Beautiful new/refinished hdwd floors-Large finished basement w/family rm, den/BR, 3rd bath & could be used as an in-law
suite. Tons of storage available plus a 2 car garage- Great location in prestigious Yacht Haven Estates w/water front properties & an amazing Marina, Pool and Club House.
Alex/Berkshire East $449,0005956 Berkshire Court
Lovely three level townhouse, 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 Baths in walking distance to Huntington Metro!Freshly painted, new carpeting, beautiful kitchen. Spacious floor plan, recessed lighting, hardwood floors. Updated bathrooms. Wood burning fireplace in lower level Family Room with walkout door to backyard patio.
OPEN
SUNDAY
1-4
Alex/Potomac Valley $554,9008807 Vernon View Drive
Lovely 4BR, 2BA, 4 lvl, Split on a large, beau-tiful .3 acre lot w/a fenced bkyd. Main lvl has a spacious & cozy Family rm w/gas FPL, 4th BR, & 2nd full bath. Upper level #1 offers an open kitchen w/ceramic tile floor & space for a table plus Living & Dining Rm. Upper level #2 has a full bath & 3BRs w/car-
pet over the hdwd floors. The lower level has a large partially finished Rec rm. Good price on a super lot & very nice home that you can add some personal touches to. Keep an eye out for the Estate Sale on furniture. CS 3% on the house-Call Rex for an early visit 703-409-4784
Alex/Riverside Estates $2,8578314 Bound Brook Lane
Beautiful 3 level colonial w/1 car gar. Meticulously maintained. Lovely landscaping. Renovated kitchen, SS appliances, granite, breakfast bar. Re-fin Hdwd floors. Gorgeous screened porch off Din Rm. Beautiful finished lower level. Minutes to Ft. Belvoir (S) & a5 minuts to Old Town, Alex (N).
COM
ING
SOON
RENTAL
Alex/Woodstone $329,9007100 Cold Spring Court
This beautifully updated End Unit is one of the nicest properties in Woodstone. It has a beautifully fenced bkyd & expansive side yard. The interior is meticulous, updates in-clude: kitchen w/granite counters, SS appli-ances, windows replaced w/double panes, plus front & rear doors replaced, all in ‘15. Main lvl floors replaced in ‘17, W/D in ‘14, roof in ‘12 & furnace in ‘14. BRs are huge & hall bath has a Jacuzzi tub. This is a 10!
UNDER
CONTRACT
NEW
LISTING
NEW
LISTING
OPEN
SUNDAY
1-4
OPEN
SUNDAY
1-4
WEDNESDAY/NOV. 29Holiday Grief Workshop. 1 p.m. at
All Saints Episcopal Church —Sharon Chapel, 3421 FranconiaRoad, Alexandria. Capital Caring’sAlexandria Neighborhood is offeringgrief workshops during the holidayseason. These workshops will includetips on how to cope with grief duringthe holiday season, reflection abouthow to care for ourselves and aclosing ritual of remembrance. Theworkshops are open to thecommunity, free of charge. ContactChesley Simpson at 703-333-6954 [email protected]. Visitcapitalcaring.org.
Spiritual Lecture. 7:30-9 p.m. at St.
Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 8531Riverside Road. Join David Potter ashe looks at Contemplative Activism:A Grounded Spirituality for SocialTransformation. Call 703-360-4220or visitwww.centerforspiritualdeepening.org.
SATURDAY/DEC. 2Future Quest. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at GMU’s
Johnson Center, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. College and careerconference for area middle and highschool students with disabilities, aswell as their parents, teachers andother professionals. Featuring morethan 40 workshops and exhibitsrelated to successful life after high
school. Free. There is free parking inLot K, or in the Mason Pond ParkingGarage for $8. Visitww.futurequestgmu.org to register oremail [email protected].
THROUGH DEC. 3Coat and Blanket Drive. Nova Relief
Center is holding a blanket and coatdrive for Syrian and Iraqi refugeeswho have fled their homesto escapethe violence from the civil war inSyria. Paxton Van Lines and Maerskare donating their services this year.Donated blankets and coats shouldbe new or gently worn, and may be
Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.
Bulletin Board
CorrectionThe following was left off the list
of “Give Locally in Fairfax County”in last week’s Gazette: MountVernon At Home: From practicalhelp to social, wellness, educa-tional and cultural activities,Mount Vernon At Home member-ship helps connect senior membersof our community. Neighborshelping neighbors is the power ofMount Vernon At Home withvolunteer support. Mount VernonAt Home is a 501(c)(3) nonprofitorganization to meet the needs ofolder members.www.mountvernonathome.org,703-303-4060.
See Bulletin, Page 18
Book-signing byLocal Author
Meet former Mount Vernon resident TesaJones when she returns to the area to signcopies of her recently released novel, “Re-flection of Memories.”
Until a few years ago, Jones lived inTauxemont — across the street from the
Harvey’s gasstation on Fort Hunt Road. She grewup in that neighborhood, went toHollin Hall Elementary, Bryant In-termediate and Fort Hunt HighSchool.
This coming weekend, she’ll besigning books at Barnes & Noble -Potomac Yard, 3651 Jefferson DavisHwy. on Saturday, Nov. 25, noon to2 p.m.
6 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Dealers
★ Mount Vernon Antique Center ★
8101 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria
703-619-5100www.mtvantiques.com
Browse for great antique & vintage items, and get yourcomputer fixed, watch repaired and artwork framed.
Followus onFacebook &Twitter
People
By Jeanne Theismann
The Gazette
Want to know the secret to along life? If 107-year-oldLaura Mallory is to be be-lieved, it is not having a
husband and children to worry about.“I never married or had kids,” said
Mallory with a laugh when asked the se-cret to her longevity.
Mallory’s comment was just one of themany bits of wit and wisdom shared as 25centenarians from across Northern Virginiagathered for the second Celebrating Cente-narians reception Nov. 7 at The Fairfax atFort Belvoir.
“I call this ‘saging not aging,’” said KateCaldwell of Elder Tree Care ManagementServices and organizer of the event. “Ourcentenarians are sage wise and this is anopportunity to bring everyone together tocelebrate life.”
Mallory was one of two 107-year-olds inattendance. At 100, Rubinette Dunawaywas the youngest.
“I just turned 100,” said Dunaway. “Inever imagined there would be so manypeople here older than me.”
World War II Army Colonel Joseph Lucchi,just a few days shy of his 103rd birthday onNov. 17, attended the luncheon with hiswife Rosa, who he married 48 years agofollowing the death of his first wife.
“She is only 90 years old so I guess I wasrobbing the cradle,” joked Lucchi. “She isalso a great cook but unfortunately when Iretired, she informed me that she was re-tiring too — from the kitchen.”
When 102-year-old Vera Punke wascomplimented on her youthful skin, shequipped, “If you think I look good now, youshould have seen me last year.”
Interspersed with the laughter were moreserious observations on life as a centenar-ian.
“I think it’s important to maintain a senseof curiosity no matter how old you are,” said103-year-old Doris Kessler.
For Lucchi, having a fulfilling life as acentenarian is about the attitude he devel-oped growing up as the son of poor Italianimmigrants.
“The secret in life is to work hardand treat others with respect,” saidLucchi, who attended law school atnight and retired as the Chief Clerk ofthe Appellate Court in New York. “Ifyou are good to people you often findlater in life that they are good to you.”
When Mallory wasn’t joking aboutthe benefits of being single, she sim-ply said, “There is no secret. God hasbeen so good to me in allowing me tolive so long.”
Sharing their wit and wisdom.‘Celebrating Centenarians’
Centenarians from across Northern Virginia gather for a group photoNov. 7 at the Celebrating Centenarians luncheon at The Fairfax at FortBelvoir.
Just days shy of his 103rd birthday,World War II veteran JosephLucchi, right, enjoys the Celebrat-ing Centenarians luncheon Nov. 7at The Fairfax at Fort Belvoir. Withhim are his wife Rosa and grand-daughter Amy Joseph.
Synergy HomeCareJanet Barnett, left,
talks with 102-year-old Vera Punke.
At 107, Laura Mallory, right, re-members the end of World War I.
Mitch Opalski and Janet Barnett ofSynergy HomeCare, one of thesponsors of the Celebrating Cente-narians event Nov. 7 at The Fairfaxat Fort Belvoir.
Pho
to
by Edw
in
G
ro
sveno
r
Pho
to
s by Jean
ne T
heism
an
n/T
he G
azett
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
8 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
An effort to support locally ownedbusinesses has resulted in the rec-ognition of Small Business Saturday,the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
This year that is Nov. 25. Black Friday, the dayafter Thanksgiving, is promoted as a day ofnational zeal for shopping. Presumably thenext day shoppers can focus on local shopping.
There is a joy to shopping inlocal stores at the holidays, towalking along a sidewalk withthe streets decked out for the
holidays, to being greeting by someone likelyto be the owner of the store, to finding giftsthat are not mass-produced.
Shop Locally, Give LocallyEvery day is for shopping small and shopping locally.
Editorial
We all benefit when local stores thrive,when local business districts beckon.
Locally owned retail shops, services, restau-rants depend on vibrant local communitiesto thrive. Most small, locally owned busi-nesses invest in community, helping to trans-form our towns and communities with a senseof place.
Supporting small businesses, locally ownedbusinesses, has to be more than a one-dayaffair. And in this area, there doesn’t have tobe anything small about shopping locally.
But still, local families will shop and ex-change gifts during the next month, spend-ing tens of millions of dollars in a variety of
places.One way to be sure holiday shopping comes
with some holiday spirit is to do a portion ofyour shopping in some of the area’s locallyowned stores. There is special holiday ambi-ance available by shopping in the heart of atown that is decked out for the season. Smallretail shops are part of defining any commu-nity. Their livelihood depends on the livabilityand quality of the neighborhoods around them.A small business owner pays attention to ev-ery detail in his or her business in a way thatno chain can.
The small business owner is often the leaderfor fundraising for local charities, for fire andrescue service, for local schools and in orga-nizing holiday events.
Local shoppers should be sure to save someshopping time and dollars for local stores.Spend some time shopping in your own com-munity, and also plan an excursion to a nearbytown to check out the holiday spirit there.
See Connection’s Holiday Calendar for greatcelebrations near you.❖ Fairfax County:
During the last week of each year, thisnewspaper devotes its pages to the creativ-ity of local students and children. The re-sults are always remarkable. It is a keep-sake edition for many families. Even read-ers without children of that age spend timeadmiring and chuckling over the issue. Theannual Children’s Connection (includingChildren’s Gazette, Children’s Almanac andChildren’s Centre View) is a tradition of wellover a decade.
We publish artwork, poetry, essays, cre-ative writing, opinion pieces, short stories,photography, photos of sculpture or othercreative efforts.
We ask that all submissions be digital sothey can be sent via email, dropbox orgoogle drive or delivered on CD or flashdrive. Writing should be submitted in richtext format (.rtf). Artwork should be pho-tographed or scanned and provided in jpeg
Short Deadline for Children’s Editionformat.
We welcome contributions from publicand private schools, individuals andhomeschoolers. To be published, we musthave first and last name of the student.Please include the student’s age and/orgrade, school attended and town of resi-dence, plus the name of the school, nameof teacher and town of school location. Pro-vide submissions by Friday, Dec. 1.
Email submissions for the Children’s Edi-tion to the following editors:
❖ For Burke, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Sta-tion, Great Falls, Herndon, Lorton, McLean,Reston, or Springfield, email to KemalKurspahic at [email protected].
❖ For Alexandria, Arlington, Centreville,Chantilly, Mount Vernon, or Potomac, Md.,email to Steven Mauren at [email protected].
To the Editor:In response to:
www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/08/commentary-i n d e p e n d e n t - p r o g r e s s i v e -doublespeak-imm/
Fairfax County police officers donot conduct immigration enforce-ment sweeps or stop individualssolely to inquire about immigra-tion status. Fairfax County policeofficers follow General Order 601and cannot arrest someone unlessthere is reasonable suspicion thata crime was committed or is be-ing committed.
Operation and policy decisionsregarding the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center fall under theauthority of the Sheriff, an electedconstitutional officer, independent
of the Board of Supervisors. PerCode of Virginia 19.2-83.2, whenindividuals are arrested andbooked into the Fairfax CountyAdult Detention Center, their com-puterized fingerprints are auto-matically transmitted to the Vir-ginia State Police’s Automated Fin-gerprint Identification System(AFIS), regardless of their immi-gration status. The Virginia StatePolice forwards the information toother state and federal databasesper their guidelines. From there,it is up to ICE to determine who isa priority for deportation. Before2016, ICE operated under the Pri-ority Enforcement Program andfocused its efforts on deportingundocumented immigrants withserious criminal records. Under
the Trump Administration, the Pri-ority Enforcement Program nolonger exists, and any immigrantwho is in the country illegally maybe selected by ICE for deportation.
If ICE places an arrest warrantand an order to detain on an in-mate in the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center, the Sheriff’s Of-fice will hold that inmate for upto 48 hours (not counting week-ends and holidays) past his or herscheduled release date. If ICE doesnot take custody of the inmatewithin that time frame, the inmatewill be released.
The Board of Supervisors, thePolice Department, the Sheriff ’sOffice and all Fairfax County gov-ernment agencies comply withstate and federal laws, and immi-
gration is a federal matter. Anychanges regarding deportations orthe focus and direction of ICE mustcome from the federal level. Onthe local level, we continue to fo-cus on community policingthrough positive outreach andbuilding trust with the residentswe serve. All residents of FairfaxCounty should know that FairfaxCounty police officers are here toprotect and serve any and all com-munity members, regardless ofcitizenship. No person should beafraid to call the police out of fearof deportation — our police offic-ers are not in that business.
Sharon BulovaChairman,
Board of Supervisors
Letter to the Editor
Focus on Community Policing, Positive Outreach
www.MountVernonGazette.com
@MtVernonGazette
An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered
to homes and businesses.Published by
Local Media Connection LLC
1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314
Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
By Scott Surovell
State Senator (D-36)
Election Day was an electoral earthquake in Virginia politics. Fourteenseats in the House of Del-
egates switched from Republican toDemocratic members — the larg-est switch since 1899. Two have notyet been certified due to irregulari-ties and three are heading to recounts. Wedo not know if any party will control theHouse and probably will not know until latein the day on the first day of session afterthe dust has settled.
While the new situation in the House ofDelegates will create some uncertainty overthe next 50 days, it will create some oppor-tunities in Virginia public policy, but not awholesale change of direction. The Senateof Virginia is still controlled by the Repub-lican Party and most major committees havesignificant partisan majorities.
Notwithstanding, I am hopeful that in theshort-term, we might see some changes inthree areas: Medicaid Expansion, CriminalJustice Reform, and Nonpartisan Redistrict-ing.
MEDICAID EXPANSIONFirst, Virginia has foregone billions of
dollars over the last sev-eral years due to ourfailure to expand Med-icaid. In addition to bil-
lions of dollars, we have lost 30,000 newjobs per year and approximately $200 mil-lion per year in savings to Virginia taxpay-ers.
Today, nearly 36,000 residents of the 36th
District receive their healthcare from Med-icaid, including 24,000 children. This meansthere are likely over 20,000 adults right herewithin minutes of your home who wouldreceived healthcare if Virginia had takenaction.
The new margins in the House of Del-egates make movement much more likely,but not without some changes in our exist-ing program. In 1985, Medicaid consumed6 percent of Virginia’s General Fund Bud-get — today, that number has grown to 23
percent and that is before thecoming tsunami of babyboomer retirement home ad-missions. We need to bend theMedicaid cost curve, but I amhopeful that we are nearing theend of irrationally refusing fed-eral help to get healthcare tohundreds of thousands of needyVirginians.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMSecond, Virginia’s residents and jails con-
tinue to be burdened by an overly punitivecriminal justice system which over felonizesconduct and clings on to antiquated trialpractices. Virginia’s $200 threshold betweenmisdemeanors and felonies is the lowest inthe United States of America and has notbeen adjusted since 1981. I will introducelegislation to raise this to $500 and remainthe lowest in the United States for the ninthtime. Similar legislation has passed the Sen-ate and died in the House five times. Hope-fully, no longer.
Also, accused persons in Virginia haveextremely limited discovery rights in crimi-nal trials. Legislation to bring Virginia’scriminal discovery rules up to modern stan-dards has also passed the Senate and diedin the House. This year should be different.
NON-PARTISAN REDISTRICTINGThird, the close margins in the Senate and
House of Delegates may finally make it pos-sible to move nonpartisan redistricting leg-islation through the General Assembly.Computer enabled partisan redistricting liesat the root of many political problems inour country. Non-partisan redistricting con-stitutional amendments have passed theState Senate twice, but normally die in com-mittee in the House. I am hopeful that thenew situation in Richmond will move thediscussion forward.
I am putting together the 36th District leg-islative agenda over the next month. Pleasesend me your legislative ideas and feedbackon structuring our $100 billion budget overthe next two years.
It is an honor to serve as your state senator.Please contact me at [email protected] you have any thoughts.
Election Day Earthquake
Commentary
AnnoyingHelicoptersTo the Editor:
The hovering helos that seem to find no-where else to hover except above the 22308needs to cease, desist, and frankly, move on.On Nov. 17 at 9 p.m., there were three ofthese helos just hovering 200 - 300 feet up,interrupting an otherwise pleasant evening.
Our collective advice is that there is anentire river of water just east of 22308called the Potomac. Can we please directthem to move their show eastward? At10:30 p.m. they are still up there. Whyhover constantly at night, above homeswhere people seek peace after a hard day’slabor? The river would ideal for them. That
Letters to the Editor
way, should they run out of fuel, the riverwill gladly allow for a wet and safe land-ing, keeping us out of harm’s way, and atpeace on the ground.
This utter madness needs to stop.
Michael DantleyAlexandria
Gun ViolenceIsn’t EpidemicTo the Editor:
While I agree that there should be stricterlaws in regards to the sale of guns in orderto prevent these mass killings from happen
See Letters, Page 17
10 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Andrea Worker
The Gazette
The agenda was full at the 2017Social Action Linking Together(SALT) Fall Advocacy Confer-ence. The annual forum was
held at the Virginia International Univer-sity in Fairfax on Saturday, Nov. 11 with apacked house in attendance.
SALT is a non-partisan faith-based net-work of individuals and organizations withthe goal of bringing “the social and eco-nomic justice teachings of their faith to bearon public policy and legislation.” Whatstarted as eight socially conscious peopleabout 20 years ago, has grown to abase of about 1,300, who educatethemselves and the public on thefacts surrounding social issues, andthe actions that can be taken to ad-dress them.
“It’s education, it’s advocacy,building relationships with legisla-tors, and bringing people togetherto strengthen the voices of all,” saidSALT Founder and Coordinator JohnHorejsi, who is no stranger to thehalls of the Commonwealth’s gov-ernmental chambers and offices inRichmond.
Each year, SALT selects new pri-ority issues, or continues to addressissues in progress, and rallies itstroops to raise awareness and rec-ommend actions. Horejsi was par-ticularly pleased to announce thatlargely through the efforts of SALT mem-bers, many more Virginians in need will nowbenefit from the TANF (Temporary Assis-tance for Needy Families) program, simplyby having consolidated the TANF catego-ries.
Additional improvements to TANF, includ-ing an associated scholarship program isone of SALT’s priorities for the 2018 Vir-ginia legislative session.
THE GROUP has identified several otherpriorities upon which they will focus theirattention in the coming year, including:
❖ Ending school lunch shaming: SALTsupports legislation that would prohibitidentifying – and stigmatizing – childrenwho are unable to pay for school meals.
❖ Legislation to provide video visitationservices to inmates, and not to ban in-per-son visits where video visits are provided.
❖ Limiting, and ultimately eliminatingsolitary confinement in prisons.
❖ Opposing block grants for all humanservice programs opposing block grants forMedicaid.
❖ Supporting greater equity in KinshipGuardian situations, granting more fundsto family members caring for children —where foster carers now receive, in some
cases, almost five times the funds allottedto family carers.
To illustrate the scope of the needs of thecitizens of Virginia, Horejsi recruited SisterSimone Campbell and state Del. Ken Plum(D-36) as speakers for the forum.
Sister Campbell, a member of the inter-national Roman Catholic religious congre-gation Sisters of Social Service is often re-ferred to as one of the “Nuns on a Bus.” Asthe director of NETWORK, a Catholic ad-vocacy group for social justice, SisterCampbell leads a group of nuns who, since2012, conduct bus tours around the coun-try as part of their advocacy work, educat-ing and leading discussions on a variety ofissues, from healthcare to immigration,voter suppression to advocating for a “liv-ing wage” for all.
The need to provide a “living wage” wasa central element in Sister Campbell’s key-note address on “21st Century Poverty.”
Sister Campbell advised the audience tothrow away the old stereotypes of the “typi-cally impoverished.” Today’s poor are in-creasingly “the working poor,” she said, re-counting the story of a young woman sheencountered at a special White House lun-cheon. The woman was filled with excite-ment for having been chosen to attend the
event, yet before the end of the meal,she confessed that despite having a“good, full-time job” at a well-knownretailer, she lived at a homeless shel-ter because she couldn’t afford thehigh cost of rents in the D.C. area.Her dream was to work and save herway out of this dilemma.
Sister Campbell doesn’t believethat anyone working a full-time job– and some working more than onejob – should not be earning enoughto pay for a place to live and themeans to exist.
“There’s something wrong here.We say we are a nation based on fam-ily, yet we do so little to support fami-lies and hardworking individuals.”
The “nun on a bus” expressed herscepticism regarding the tax reform
proposals currently being put forth on theHill. “Trickle down does not work. We havealready proven this, time and again. Andyou know the definition of insanity, right?Doing the same thing over and over, expect-ing a different result.”
Before concluding her remarks, SisterCampbell challenged the attendees to em-brace certain “virtues,” including remem-bering to keep a “modicum of joy” in yourefforts.
Secondly, she added to “use your ‘holycuriosity,’ by asking people about them-selves and their situations as the way totruly know the face of 21st century poverty.Practice “sacred gossip” by sharing the sto-ries that you hear and encouraging othersto take action, and finally, just figuring outwhat your part is and doing it.”
Sister Campbell cautioned against tryingto “do it all” or needing to take charge.“Learn whether you’re the head, the feet,the hands, whatever you do best to contrib-ute.”
She says it took awhile, but now sheknows what she does best and where shefits in. “I am the stomach acid … there tochurn everybody and everything up.”
Plum followed Sister Campbell’s address,giving a mini-history of the Commonwealth,
particularly in relation to slavery, the birthof a culture of racism, and the reasons whyhe feels the issue of monuments to Confed-erate war participants is far from over.
“Virginia has more such monuments thanany other state,” said Plum, “with 223, al-most all of them built in either the early1900s or during the Civil Rights movementof the 1960s. What’s the message there?”
Like Sister Campbell, Plum also addressedthe issue of poverty and the widening gapbetween the wealthy and the less fortunate,using a series of charts and graphs that il-lustrated how statistics may not tell thewhole story, unless you look a little deeper.
Despite always being categorized as oneof the richest states in the union, Plumshowed how the “real” numbers show onegeographically small portion of Virginia, the“Golden Crescent” of Northern Virginia toHampton Roads, having a median incomeof $150,000. “For the rest of Virginia, thatnumber is closer to $40,000. What do wedo with that information? We have to findways to share economic opportunities andall that comes with it to rural Virginia, aswell.”
LOOKING AHEAD to the 2018 legislativesession, Plum thinks redistricting could bea hot topic — and that it should be. Fight-ing for more school funding and the expan-sion of Medicaid is also on his agenda.“$10.4 billion by not expanding it. Wholeaves that kind of money on the table, es-pecially in ‘fiscally conservative’ Virginia?”
Plum warns that it “might not be pretty”when the session begins, as both partiesreadjust after the Democratic wins in theNov. 7 election, but the delegate is hopefulthat all the new faces bring fresh new per-spectives and new solutions.
The final speaker at the forum was GayGardner, from Interfaith Action for HumanRights, (IAHR) speaking about herorganization’s efforts to “make solitary con-finement truly a last resort.”
Gardner cited numerous studies that at-test to the physical and mental harm doneby long-term solitary confinement.
Kimberly Jenkins-Snodgrass, a boardmember with IAHR spoke briefly about herown son, an inmate who has been kept insolitary for four years. Other prisoners theyhave contact with have been held in isola-tion for even longer, one for 14 years.
“Getting a straight answer as to why thesemen have been so confined is not easy,”Gardner said. Sometimes, solitary is em-ployed as a response to an inmate who ex-hibits signs of mental illness or distress, “butsolitary confinement only makes the con-dition worse.”
A question-and-answer session followedthe speakers’ presentations. Horejsi notedthat the energy in the room remained high,despite the almost overwhelming numberof issues that had been brought to the table.“Must be that joy that Sister Simone toldus to keep handy,” he said, before adjourn-ing the forum and exhorting attendees to“Go and do good.”
Social justice advocatestold: “Go and do good.”
SALT Holds Annual Advocacy Conference
Photos by Andrea Worker/The Gazette
Sister Simone Campbell — often referred to as “the nun on the bus” forthe bus tours she and other nuns undertake on their mission to bringabout social justice — was the keynote speaker at the SALT conference.
Social Action Linking Together (SALT) founderand coordinator John Horejsi welcomes at-tendees to the organization’s 2017 Fall Advo-cacy Conference.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
#1 Real Estate Brand Online* | Unmatched Property Exposure on 900+ Websites | 111-Year Legacy
Alexandria 310 King St. | Alexandria, VA 22314 | 703.518.8300
A Very Happy Thanksgiving to All from the Alexandria Office!
Traumerei Farm 70 Legacy Lane, Fredericksburg VA This custom estate is exceptionally maintained, light-filled casual open flrpln w/ gracious Frml Rms & high-end custom finishes. Sited on 36.6 Acres w/ 3 fenced paddocks, a 7 stall barn w/ heated tack Rm, office & bathroom. Privately set high above rolling pastures w/ riding trails to explore, Orchards & Herb Garden. Located halfway between Richmond & DC, it’s a quick drive with EZ pass access. $1,545,000 Susan Gray & Alexandra Attiliis (703) 203-9900 http://bit.ly/2whNKUm
McLean 1021 Towlston Road, McLean VA Beautifully maintained All brick estate home privately sited on 2+ acres. Great outdoor entertaining w/Pool & integrated Spa, deck & screen porch. Two story foyer, open kitchen/fam rm, Large master suite, full apartment style guest suite. Freshly updated move-in condition. In the heart of McLean located just 6 miles from Tysons Corner & Silver Line. $1,649,000 Susan Gray & Alexandra Attiliis (703) 203-9900 http://bit.ly/2fgDeC8
Open House Sunday 1-4pm • Belle Haven 2200 Foresthill Road, Alexandria VA Situated on one of the Belle Haven’s most sought after streets, you will find this beautiful and stylishly renovated center hall colonial. The owners have lovingly utilized every inch to afford the next family, luxury living with old world charm! Just completed, a “state of the art” gourmet kitchen with handcrafted custom cabinetry, a six burner Wolf gas range/convection dual oven, Subzero fridge! $1,450,000 Ellis Duncan (703) 307-4295 http://bit.ly/2ynksmZ
Open House Sunday 1-4pm • Jefferson Manor 5800 North Kings Highway, Alexandria VA Great investment property across the street from Huntington Metro Station. 100yards from the Metro escalator! Price has been reduced! Fantastic value. All brick 3 lvl Semi-D home w/gracious hardwoods, new roof, new AC, and new 200 AMP panel. Fresh paint throughout. This is a turn-key house in exceptional condition. Finished LL. Large fenced backyard. Hurry over soon. $355,000 om Rickert (703) 477-79010 http://bit.ly/2u9hqhq
PRICE REDUCED! • Marina Towers 501 Slaters Lane # 1419, Alexandria VA Rarely available original WATERFRONT penthouse three bedroom, two bath with two garage parking spaces. Freshly painted and cleaned, waiting for your personal touch. Views to DC. Easy access to DC Airport and more $630,000 Mary Cay Harris (703) 981-9976 http://bit.ly/2y9ftDp
PRICE REDUCED! • Open House Sunday 2-4pm MONTEBELLO 5901 Mount Eagle Drive #215, Alexandria VA This very well maintained and lovely large “G” Model 2 bedroom condo in top Montebello building. This unit has close access to the Huntington Metro Station. Enjoy the terrific restaurant/bar, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts and walking/jogging trails! $287,500 Ellis Duncan (703) 307-4295 http://bit.ly/2yfthjo
Mount Vernon Valley 4407 Wyres street, alexandria va Updated 3 BR, one level rambler with carport on huge lot. Updates include new kitchen appliances, cabinets, ceramic tile floor and granite counter tops; carpet; doors; bath and painting. Vacant and ready for the buyer who wants a detached home at a great price. $335,000 Edward Pagett (571) 237-4753 http://bit.ly/2yc7d5B
PRICE REDUCED! • Marina Towers 501 Slaters Lane # 1019, Alexandria VA WATERFRONT rarely available 2BR/2BA, (formerly 3) Fully equipped, oversize gourmet kitchen Upgraded bathrooms Generous closet space. All rooms have river views. Enjoy sunset & capitol views from balcony. Underground garage parking w option of additional space Fully equipped fitness center. Club rm with pool, grill & access to bike path. UTILITIES INCLUDED Airport DC minutes away. $665,000 Mary Cay Harris (703) 981-9976 http://bit.ly/2fgmUnZ
Carlyle Towers 2181 Jamieson Avenue, Unit 1010, Alexandria VA PRISTINE, freshly painted vacant 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with glass enclosed balcony has wood floors THROUGHOUT, bath upgrades to include Quartz tops, new faucets, sinks, light, etc. Storage Room. Garage parking. Open Sunday OR give Marie a call if you want to see it another time! $525,000 Marie Louise Meyer (703) 929-1002 http://bit.ly/2zepLqg
COMING SOON! • KIRK (22308) 2212 William and Mary Drive Enjoy entertaining in this stunning 4BR 3BA home with an open floor plan on a very large lot. Beautifully renovated kitchen and baths, gleaming hardwoods throughout, 2 car garage, private patio overlooking professionally landscaped yard, woods and creek. $759,000 Cathy D’Antuono (703) 819-3077 http://bit.ly/2nTPLR3
Sleepy Hollow Woods 6821 Murray Ln, Annandale VA Sunny and bright home. Amazing backyard with plenty of room to entertain and play! Relax poolside! Large lower level with family room, bedroom, full bath, huge laundry room and plenty of storage! $599,000 Tracy Vitali (904) 505-1874 http://bit.ly/2hggKCK
Parkside at Alexandria 1425C Van Dorn N, Alexandria VA PRICED TO SELL! Desirable END unit in the heart of Parkside At Alexandria! New hardwood flooring and wall to wall carpet installed. Private patio, great for entertaining, grilling and family meals. Close to clubhouse, enjoy a dip in the pool or an energizing workout in the gym. Convenient to 395/495, BRAC, Pentagon, bus/rail. $306,000 Joyce Jones (703) 731-6071 http://bit.ly/2mnDF3I
12 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
From Page 1
News
From Page 1
prints on tees and shirts that boys andgirls wear. As well, there is so much morediversity. In the early years, the school chil-dren were predominantly white. Now, it’sso nice to see such a blend of students fromAfrica, Asia, South and Central America andfrom countries across Europe. And they of-ten dress in the colors and styles that areinfluenced by where they came from. Thediversity is great in my mind.”
While some things change, others remainthe same.
“Teachers are still great,underappreciated and overworked,” shesaid. “They do so much for kids besidesteach academics; they really try to teachmanners, and civility. Learning table man-ners is important to be taught, and manyof the teachers through the years try to in-still these lessons.”
Taylor herself planted some importantlessons to the children that surrounded her,especially her own. Her three children –Ron, Teresa and David – all went to River-side and their mom was the epitome of hardwork.
“My mom was only 17 when she had me,and she and my dad worked their butts offto ensure we had everything we needed to
have a great childhood,”Ron said. “They sacri-ficed a lot to make ourlives fun, safe and full ofexperiences. I know mywork ethic is a direct re-sult of their example. Itry to emulate and honorthem with how I engageand perform with mycoworkers and clients inmy workplace. Howmany people does any-one know who worked40 years anywhere? Andeven more incredible atone place doing one job.It’s estimated with 180annual school days over40 years with 500 to 700kids eating a lunch eachday and the last twoyears breakfast for allthe kids each day. My
See Taylor, Page 17
Students and staff surprise Dorthy Taylor with a celebration of her 40 years ofworking at the school.
Riverside Elementary School Honors Dorthy Taylor
according to Denene Crabbs, StrategicPartnership director. To donate, go torisinghopeumc.org/shop or mail a checkpayable to Rising Hope, 8220 Russell Road,Alexandria, VA 22309, or call Kat Romanat 703-360-1976. Office hours are 9:30
Rising Hope Distributes350 Thanksgiving Baskets
Photos by Steve Hibbard/The Gazette
Rising Hope Food Pantry Manager Melissa Lee assists Ray Schonasky ofMount Vernon with his bags of food.
a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. FoodPantry hours are Wednesdays 1:30-3:30p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon and 3:30p.m.-7:30 p.m. The Rags to Riches Cloth-ing Closet is open Wednesdays and Thurs-days 9:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. Food andclothing donations can also be delivered tothe Russell Road address.
Terri Powell of Hybla Valley withher bags of food.
Tony Nash, a Rising Hope volun-teer for nine years, takes Thanks-giving turkeys out of the freezer.
Volunteers Vivian and JeremiahKuffour of Alexandria.
Linda Duck of Mount Vernon withher turkey and bag of fixings.
mom helped prepare and serve between3,600,000 and 4 million meals. I think thatmay be a record. My family is in awe ofMom’s achievement.”
As much as the always evolving Riversidestudent body meant to her, Taylor had a sig-nificant impact on Riverside, too.
“As someone who just recently spent sometime in the kitchen to help cook and servefor the Thanksgiving lunch that brings inan extra 300 plus parents to have lunch withtheir kids, I can tell you that it is not easywork,” Basdekis said. “The ladies work fastand they work hard to make sure that our
kids have a hot and healthy meal ready forthem at lunch time. I could barely last anhour in there and Dorthy did it every schoolday for 40 years. She is an incrediblyhumble and positive person who embodies
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Entertainment
Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.
ONGOINGMultiple Exposures Gallery.
Through Nov. 26, various times atthe Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105North Union Street, #312. Photoexhibit. Visitwww.multipleexposuresgallery.com.
Holiday Toy Drive. Through Dec. 8,various times at Quander RoadSchool, 6400 Quander Road. Donatenew/slightly used unwrapped toysfor toddlers to 12 years old (puzzles,dolls, board games, action figuresand more). Call 703-718-2400, Ext.2431.
Toy Collection. Through Dec. 10,Sheehy Honda of Alexandria, 2434Richmond Highway, Alexandria willcollect new and unwrapped toys aspart of the company’s annual SheehyCares Toy Collection to benefit theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys forTots Program, which will distributethose toys as Christmas gifts to lessfortunate children in the communityin which the campaign is conducted.
Mount Vernon Farmers Market. 8a.m.-12 p.m., Wednesdays, throughDec. 14. Fresh local food, artisancrafts. Sherwood Library, 2501Sherwood Hall Lane. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farmersmarkets/mtvernonmkt.htm.
39th Annual Weichert Toy Drive.Through Dec. 15, various times atWeichert Realty, 121 N. Pitt St.Members of the community areinvited to drop off new, unwrappedtoys at the company’s sales officeswhich will be delivered throughoutthe holidays in conjunction with localcharities that assist financially andphysically disadvantaged children.Call 703-549-8700.
Watercolor Exhibit. Through Dec. 19,various times at Green SpringGardens, 4603 Green Spring Road.See “Nature from Three Points ofView”, the work of Jan Burns,Madeleine Chen, and ShariMacFarlane, at the HorticultureCenter. Sunday, Oct. 29 is the ArtistsReception. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring or call 703-642-5173.
The Old Bull and Bush. ThroughDec. 24, various times at MetroStage,1201 North Royal St. An effort toreopen the famous HampsteadEngland pub on stage to celebratethe holidays with food, song, jokes,dance and a sing-along. Call 703-548- 9044 or visitwww.metrostage.org.
Potomac Fiber Art Show. ThroughJan. 7, various times at the TorpedoFactory, 105 North Union St., Studio29. The show will be supplementedwith juried items on Dec. 5.TheTorpedo Factory has new hours,10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily andweekends, and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.on the second Thursday of eachmonth. Visit torpedofactory.org.
All the President’s Pups. Saturdays10 a.m. at George Washington’sMount Vernon, 3200 Mount VernonHighway, Mount Vernon. All thePresident’s Pups Walking Tour, alongthe way, learn about GeorgeWashington’s love for dogs, his dogs’unusual names, and his efforts toimprove the quality of his huntingdogs through breeding. $7. Visitwww.mountvernon.org.
Mercy in Alexandria WalkingTour. Sundays at 1:30 p.m. atAlexandria Visitors Center, 221 KingSt. Experience an inside access tourof 19th century Alexandria. Inspiredby the PBS mini-series “MercyStreet,” accompany a trained militaryhistorian through Civil War-eraAlexandria and learn the actualhistory behind the TV show. Short
tours are $15, private tours for fiveare $149. Visitwww.dcmilitarytour.com for more
The Lyceum: 175 Years of LocalHistory. Ongoing, Monday-Saturday10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.at The Lyceum, 201 S. WashingtonSt. On view in the museum’sColdsmith Gallery, the historicalobjects and images featuredrepresent The Lyceum, thecommunity at work, andcommemorations and celebrations.Throughout the exhibition, visitorsare invited to “be the curator” andthink about why the various artifactsare in the museum’s collection, andabout how tangible representatives ofthe past help tell the story ofAlexandria’s history. Free. Visitwww.alexandriahistory.org.
Pick-Up Hockey. Ongoing,Wednesdays and Fridays 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Mount Vernon Ice Skating,2017 Belle View Blvd. Play hockeywith other hockey buffs, hitting slapshots and learning puck handlingskills that the pros use. Players musthave full equipment. 16 and older.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/mtvernon/ or call 703-768-3224.
Medical Care for the Civil WarSoldier Exhibit. Ongoing at theFort Ward museum, 4301 W.Braddock Road. ongoing exhibitwhich features original medicalinstruments and equipment from theCivil War period and information onUnion Army hospital sites inAlexandria. Free. Visitwww.alexandriava.gov/fortward.
Alexandria’s Nurses and HospitalsDuring the Civil War. Ongoing atThe Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.An exhibit on the life of ClarissaJones, a nurse at The Lyceumhospital during the Civil War. Thetrue story of a nurse in Alexandriaduring the war, drawing parallelswith characters portrayed in the PBSdrama “Mercy Street,” withreferences to the experiences of othernurses, such as Anne Reading, whoworked in the Mansion House
hospital, and Jane Woolsey, whoserved at the Fairfax Seminaryhospital. Admission is $2. Visitwww.alexandriava.gov/lyceum.
Shield of Earth: Defending theHeart of the Union exhibit.Ongoing, museum hours Tuesdaythrough Saturday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.,Sundays, noon-5 p.m. at Fort WardMuseum, 4301 West Braddock Road.Highlights of the exhibition includemilitary passes issued by ProvostMarshal’s Office, construction tools,and original photographs of some ofWashington’s defenders. 703-746-4848 or www.fortward.org.
Who These Wounded Are: TheExtraordinary Stories of theMansion House Hospitalexhibit. Ongoing, Tuesday throughSaturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sundays,noon-4 p.m. at the Carlyle HouseHistoric Park, 121 N. Fairfax St.Come see the site that inspired“Mercy Street,” the new PBS’ seriesinspired by real events that tookplace at Carlyle House.www.carlylehouse.org or call 703-549-2997
Color Disorder Exhibit. Ongoing,Thursday through Sunday, noon-4p.m., Sundays, noon-4 p.m. at theThe Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Ajoint exhibition of artists Katie Bainesand Amy Chan who use diversepainting materials such as acrylic,gouache, airbrush and screen print tobuild energized abstract paintings.www.nfaa.org or 703-548-0035.
Flamenco Show. Wednesdays andThursdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at LaTasca, 607 King St. Watch dancersand guitarists perform traditionalflamenco. Free to attend. Call 703-299-9810 or visitwww.latascausa.com.
French Movie Night. Every Thursday,7 p.m. in the back room of FontaineCaffe and Creperie, 119 S. Royal St.View a French film. Free, noreservation necessary. Call 703-535-8151 or visitwww.fontainecaffe.com/reviews.html.
Their Fates Intertwined: The Leesof Alexandria in the War of1812. Wednesday- Saturday, 10a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Lee-Fendall House and Gardens, 614Oronoco St. A new exhibit on theexperiences of the Lee family inAlexandria during the War of 1812examines the contributions ofAlexandria’s citizens during theconflict that led to the writing of ournational anthem through the lives ofthis iconic Virginia family. Visitwww.leefendallhouse.org or call 703-548-1789.
Alexandria Cars and Coffee invitescar enthusiasts to meet for coffee atHollin Hall Shopping Center in frontof Roseina’s, 1307 Shenandoah Road.Owners of classic cars, hot rods,exotic cars, motorcycles and moremeet to share car stories and drinkcoffee. Group meets the first Sundayof every month. 8:30-11 a.m.
Fifty Years of Collecting. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 12-5 p.m. Fort Ward Museum, 4301 W.Braddock Road. An anniversaryexhibit of objects from the Fort Wardcollection. Free. Visitwww.fortward.org or call 703-746-4848.
Dinner for the Washingtons. 11a.m. at George Washington’s MountVernon, 3200 Mount VernonMemorial Highway. A walking tourthat goes behind the scenes to findout how food was prepared andserved before the era of microwavesand TV dinners. $7 in addition toestate admission. Visitwww.mountvernon.org.
Evenings at the Athenaeum.Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. 7 p.m.Second Thursday of every month.Visit nvfaa.org to view concertcalendar and listen to upcomingSecond Thursday Music artists.
The Monday Morning Birdwalktakes place weekly, rain or shine(except during electrical storms,strong winds, or icy trails), at 7 a.m.(8 a.m. November through March), isfree, requires no reservation and is
open to all. Birders meet in theparking lot at the park’s entrance at3701 Lockheed Blvd. Direct questionsto park staff during normal businesshours at 703-768-2525.
Civil War Sundays. 1-5 p.m. atAlexandria Archaeology Museum,105 North Union St., #327. Learnmore about the Civil War as itoccurred in Alexandria. Finddioramas, newspaper articles andmore Free. Visitwww.alexandriaarchaeology.org.
Doggy Happy Hour. Starting April 5,Tuesdays through October 5-8 p.m.at Jackson 20 and Hotel MonacoAlexandria, 480 King St. DoggyHappy Hour at Jackson 20 and theHotel Monaco Alexandria offersspecials on cocktails and beers plustreats and water for caninecompanions. Free, but drinks soldseparately. Visit www.monaco-alexandria.com for more
Wake Up Wednesdays featuring ThePop Up Cafe. 7-9:30 a.m. onWednesday’s near the King StreetTunnel - Carlyle Entrance locatednear 2000 Duke St. near Motley Fool.The cafe will feature coffee, livemusic to help commuters start theday off right and donuts from SugarShack. [email protected]
every third Friday at Hollin HallSenior Center, 1500 ShenandoahRoad. Live music. Tickets are $4. Call703-765-4573.
Life Drawing. Del Ray Artisans offers arange of open life drawing sessionsfor anyone to develop life-drawingskills further. Drop-in for the sessionand bring supplies to draw or paintlive models. Fee ranges from $8-$12.All skill levels are welcome. Del RayArtisans is located at 2704 MountVernon Ave. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org for aschedule.
The Harmony Heritage Singers(Mount Vernon Chapter of
Art ExhibitIMPart Exhibit Showcases the Power of Art through Dec. 3 at the Art League Gallery,105 N. Union St.,Studio 21. TheArt League’s IMPart visual arts education program connects returning Injured Military Personnel with transformativeart experiences. These experiences are designed for creative enrichment, relaxed social engagement, redevelopmentof fine motor skills, and expressive catharsis. Visit www.theartleague.org for more.
14 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Ring in the holiday season
with a return of the classic
by Charles Dickens.
A must for the
entire family!
SHOW DATES:
December 1-16, 2017
Little Theatre of Alexandria600 Wolfe Street • 703-683-0496
www.thelittletheatre.com
Exp. 12/31/17
Entertainment
Barbershop Harmony Society), adaytime, a cappella, Chorus,rehearses on the 2nd and 4th
Tuesdays, monthly, at Sherwood HallRegional Library, 2501 SherwoodHall Lane, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Newcomerswelcome for fun or to book for aperformance. Visitwww.HHSingers.org, or call Bruce at703-352-5271.
THROUGH DEC. 3IMPart Exhibit Showcases the
Power of Art . Various times at theArt League Gallery, 105 N. Union St.,Studio 21. The Art League’s IMPartvisual arts education programconnects returning Injured MilitaryPersonnel with transformative artexperiences. These experiences aredesigned for creative enrichment,relaxed social engagement,redevelopment of fine motor skills,and expressive catharsis. Visitwww.theartleague.org.
FRIDAY/NOV. 24Cookies with Santa. 4-5:30 p.m. at
the Union Street Public House, 121South Union St. Meet with Santa andMrs. Claus. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.
City of Alexandria Tree LightingCeremony. 6-9 p.m. at MarketSquare, 301 King St. Free. Call 703-746-4343 or visitwww.alexandriava.gov.
SATURDAY/NOV. 25Small Business Saturday. Noon-3
p.m. at various businesses on KingStreet and Mt. Vernon Avenue in DelRay. Visit VisitAlexandriaVA.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.
Frosty Follies. 6 p.m. at MarketSquare, 300 King St. TheMetropolitan Arts Dance Schoolpresents the annual Frosty Follies.Call 703-339-0444 or visitwww.metropolitanarts.org.
NOV. 24-25Mount Vernon by Candlelight. 5-8
p.m. at George Washington’s MountVernon Estate, 3200 Mount VernonMemorial Highway, Mount Vernon.$24 for adults; $16 for youth. Call703-780-2000 or visitwww.mountvernon.org/candlelight.
SUNDAY/NOV. 26Musical Sunday Brunch. 11 a.m.-3
p.m. at Union Street Public House,121 S. Union St. Featuringinternational Latin and Brazilian jazzand classical guitarist Cristian Perez,with John-Marc Diner on bass andNick Natalie on saxophone. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.
Museum Store Sunday. Varioustimes at the following 10participating museums acrossAlexandria. Visit AlexandriaVA.com/museumstoresunday orwww.museumstoresunday.org.
❖ George Washington’s Mount Vernon(free tote bag with purchase of $50or more while supplies last; open 9a.m.-5 p.m.)
❖ Alexandria Archaeology Museum (20percent off; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ Alexandria Black History Museum (20percent off; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ Carlyle House (10 percent discountand free Carlyle House postcard withpurchase; open 12-4 p.m.)
❖ Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site(20 percent off; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ Friendship Firehouse Museum (20percent off; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (20 percentoff; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ Lee-Fendall House Museum (20percent off; open 1-5 p.m.)
❖ The Lyceum: Alexandria’s HistoryMuseum (20 percent off; open 1-5p.m.)
❖ Stabler-Leadbeater ApothecaryMuseum (20 percent off; open 1-5p.m.)
MONDAY/NOV. 27Yoga for Gardeners. 9:30-10:30 a.m.
at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 GreenSpring Road. This class features agentle introduction to the vinyasamethod which helps participantsincrease the strength, flexibility andendurance necessary for gardening.Class held indoors. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks or call703-642-5173.
THROUGH NOV. 30Training for Turkey. Various times at
the Metropolitan School of the Arts,5775 Barclay Drive, Suite 4. Preparefor feasting with an unlimited fitnesspass for their Barre Fitness(MetroBarre) and yoga classes for themonth of November. $60. Visitwww.metropolitanarts.org or call703-339-0444.
Local Author Thursdays . 5-7 p.m.at the Old Town Shop, 105 S. UnionSt. Featuring Barbara Cousens, whocame to this country in 2001 from
her native South Africa and will betalking about her book “MyAlexandria Tales.” Visittheoldtownshop.com/.
NOV. 30-DEC 2West Potomac Academy’s
Nutcracker. Various times at WestPotomac High School, 6500 QuanderRoad. Guest choreographers includeprofessional dancers Paul McGill andBrittany Hall (a West PotomacAcademy Dance alumna), andChristie Elise (a Washington Wizardsdancer). $12/$15. Visitwww.fcps.edu/WestPotomacHS/.
Mt. Vernon Oral History. 10 a.m.-2p.m. at Mount Vernon GovernmentCenter, 2511 Parkers Lane.Recording residents experiencesliving in the community. Free. Call703-799-7601.
DEC. 1-2Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend.
Various times at the The CampagnaCenter, 418 S. Washington St. The47th Annual Scottish Christmas WalkWeekend has activities throughoutthe weekend. Visitcampagnacenter.org or call 703-224-2395.
DEC 1-17Del Ray Artisans’ Holiday Market.
Weekend hours only, Fridays: 6-9p.m., Saturdays & Sundays: 11 a.m.-6p.m. at the Del Ray Artisans, 2704Mount Vernon Ave. Free to browse.Call 703-838-4827 or visitwww.delrayartisans.org.
DEC. 1-16Snow Day on Stage. Various times at
The Lab at Convergence, 1819 N.Quaker Lane. This nonverbalproduction features live music andlots of wintertime fun, just in timefor the holiday season. $9. Visitwww.artsonthehorizon.org.
“A Christmas Carol.” Various timesat The Little Theatre of Alexandria,600 Wolfe St. $17. Call 703-683-0496 or visitwww.thelittletheatre.com.
DEC. 1-234th Annual Holiday Market
Festival. Various times in theCarlyle District, 300 John Carlyle St.Art and craft items, enjoy sweets,mulled wine and live entertainment
Calendar
MetroStageCelebratesThe Old Bull and Bushwill be at MetroStage,1201 North Royal St.through Dec. 24. Aneffort to reopen thefamous HampsteadEngland pub on stageto celebrate theholidays with food,song, jokes, danceand a sing-along. Call703-548- 9044 or visitwww.metrostage.org.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
202 King Street, Alexandria, VA
Entertainment
from local musicians. Visitwww.alexandriaholidaymarket.com.
SATURDAY/DEC. 2Alexandria Archaeology Ornament
Decorating Workshop. 1-4 p.m. at theAlexandria Archaeology Museum, TorpedoFactory Art Center, 105 N. Union St. Call 703-746-4399 or visitwww.alexandriaarchaeology.org.
Boat Parade of Lights. 5:30 p.m. waterfront atthe foot of Cameron Street near the TorpedoFactory Art Center, 105 N. Union St. 18thAnnual Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade ofLights. Festivities at the marina 2-9 p.m. Visitwww.visitalexandriava.com/boatparade.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY/DEC. 2-3Original Artwork Sale. 4-7 p.m. Saturday,
noon-4 pm. Sunday at Hollin Hall Senior Center,1500 Shenandoah Road. Eighty local artists,
most members of the Torpedo Factory ArtLeague, will display and sell their originalartwork. Visit www.hollinhallseniorcenter.org/.
SUNDAY/DEC. 3Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. 2 p.m.
at The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. The dancerswill show the audience how it’s done and theninvite spectators to give it a try. Music will beprovided by local and well-known ScottishCountry Dance fiddler, Becky Ross. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-548-0035.
MONDAY/DEC. 4Ballroom Dance Classes. 7 p.m. at The
Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Led by GaryStephans on Fox Trot, Waltz, Tango, Swing,Salsa, Merengue, Rumba, Cha-Cha and Samba.Visit www.nvfaa.org or call 703-505-5998 formore.
Holiday FunFrosty Follies will be on stage Saturday, Nov. 25, 6 p.m. at MarketSquare, 300 King St. The Frosty Follies are from the Metropolitan ArtsDance School. Call 703-339-0444 or visit www.metropolitanarts.org.
Calendar
16 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
The Alexandria Harmonizers
Present
Peace & Joy: An A CappellaHoliday Concert
With
Virginia Bronze, Pratt Street Power and
TBD Ensemble
December 2nd, 8:00PM - December 3rd, 2:00PMT.C. Williams High School
3330 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302
Tickets: $25, $30 or $3520% Senior and 50% Student Discounts on $25/$30 seats
The Alexandria Harmonizers gratefully acknowledges the operational support it receives from the Commission
for the Arts of Alexandria, Virginia
Another Community Partner
Entertainment
WEDNESDAY/DEC. 6Japanese Art Auction. 10 a.m. at the
Potomack Company, 1120 N. FairfaxSt. Featuring the Hauge Collection.call 703-684-4550 or visitwww.potomackcompany.com.
“A Christmas Carol” at theTavern. Reception at 7 p.m.,Performance from 8-9:15. At TheLittle Theatre of Alexandria, 600Wolfe St. Gadsby’s Tavern MuseumSociety is hosting a specialperformance of “A Christmas Carol”at The Little Theater of Alexandria.$25. Visitwww.gadsbystavernmuseum.us/.
Holiday Magician. 7-8:15 p.m. at theHoliday Inn-Carlyle, 2460Eisenhower Ave. Featuring threefamily magicians in the region:Noland the Magician, Captain Tokenthe Magician and Louis the Magician.Donations of nonperishable fooditems or new toy are encouraged:Donations go to the Salvation Army.Contact Danny [email protected] or call703-347-5540.
THURSDAY/DEC. 7Worldly Collection for Auction. 10
a.m. at the Potomack Company, 1120N. Fairfax St. Featuring the RonKrannich Collection from Burma,Thailand, Indonesia, Papua NewGuinea and Democratic Republic ofCongo. Call 703-684-4550 or visitwww.potomackcompany.com.
Shops of Del Ray’s Ladies’ NightOut. 5:30-8:30 p.m. on MountVernon Ave., Del Ray. Shop local andenjoy special promotions whilesipping Virginia wine. Call 703-683-2570 or visit www.visitdelray.com.
Neighborhood Health 20thAnniversary Gala. 6-9:30 p.m. atthe Hilton Mark Center, 5000Seminary Road. Join the gala“Celebrating Our Partnerships” tosupport Neighborhood Health’smission of serving thousands ofuninsured patients in the community.Email [email protected] or phone571-438-7715.
An Introduction to French Comics.7-9 p.m. at The Lyceum, 201 S.Washington St. Arlington residentRM Rhodes leads this lecture aboutcomics. Visit www.alexandriava.gov/Lyceum or call 703-838-4994.
Meet the Author. 7 p.m. at TheAthenaeum, 201 Prince St. “A CivilLife in an Uncivil Time: Julia Wilbur’sStruggle for Purpose” by PaulaTarnapol Whitacre. $15. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-548-0035.
SATURDAY/DEC. 9Civil War Christmas in Camp.
noon-4 p.m. at Fort Ward Museum &Historic Site, 4301 W. BraddockRoad. $2 suggested donation perperson; $5 per family. Call 703-746-4356 or visit alexandriava.gov/blackhistory.
Historic Alexandria CandlelightTours. 4-9 p.m. at Gadsby’s TavernMuseum, 134 N. Royal St. Tour stopsat several locations around OldTown. $25 adults; $20 seniors (65years and older) and active military;$5 children (ages 6-17). Call 703-746-4242.
Del Ray Candy Cane Bar Crawl. 4p.m. at Mount Vernon Ave., Del Ray.Free. Call 703-683-2570 or visitwww.visitdelray.com.
Ivy Hill Cemetery Presents: TheHistory and Mystery ofChristmas. 7 p.m. at Ivy HillCemetery, 2823 King St. HistoriansTerry Gish and Wayne Kehoe host aninformational event. $10. Not forchildren under 10. Call 301-395-9541 or 703-549- 7413.
Alexandria Choral Society concert.7:30-9:30 p.m. at GeorgeWashington Masonic Memorial, 101
Callahan Drive. Alexandria ChoralSociety presents “On This ShiningNight,” featuring new settings offamiliar works, modern compositionsto evoke the season, and traditionalseasonal carols. $20 adult, $15senior/military/student. Visitwww.alexandriachoralsociety.org.
SUNDAY/DEC. 10Apothecary Museum Geek Tour
Series. noon-1 p.m. at Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105S. Fairfax St. $15. Call 703-746-3852.
Colonial Handbell RingersConcert. 2 and 4 p.m. at 201 S.Washington St. Free. Call 703-746-4994 or visit colonialringers.com.
Cookies with Santa. 4-5:30 p.m. atthe Union Street Public House, 121South Union St. Meet with Santa andMrs. Claus. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.
TUESDAY/DEC. 12Homeschool Programs with
Historic Alexandria . Each classoffers two sessions, 10-11:30 a.m. or1-2:30 p.m. Class is “Ship ScienceÓat the Alexandria ArchaeologyMuseum, 105 N. Union St., #327.Use dendrochronology and otherscientific methods to uncover themystery behind Alexandria’s 18th-century ship discovered along thewaterfront. Visitshop.alexandriava.gov.
WEDNESDAY/DEC. 13AARP Virginia Dinner Group. 4-8
p.m. at FireFlies, 1501 Mount VernonAve. Enjoy dinner with other AARPmembers and their guests and receivea 20 percent discount on a dinnerentree. Call 703-548-7200.
DEC. 15-16Christmas Illuminations at Mount
Vernon. 5:30-9 p.m. at GeorgeWashington’s Mount Vernon Estate,3200 Mount Vernon MemorialHighway. $34 adult/$24 youth withmansion tour; $30 adult/$20 youthwithout mansion tour. Visitwww.mountvernon.org/illuminations.
SUNDAY/DEC. 17The Mount Vernon Flutes. 2 p.m. at
The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Thissmall ensemble from the Mount
Vernon Concert Band will performholiday songs in the gallery. Free.Visit www.nvfaa.org.
Cookies with Santa. 4-5:30 p.m. atthe Union Street Public House, 121South Union St. Meet with Santa andMrs. Claus. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.
MONDAY/DEC. 18Ballroom Dance Classes. 7 p.m. at
The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Ledby Gary Stephans on Fox Trot, Waltz,Tango, Swing, Salsa, Merengue,Rumba, Cha-Cha and Samba. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-505-5998.
THURSDAY/DEC. 28Piff The Magic Dragon Magician.
7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701Mt. Vernon Ave. A former participanton America’s Got Talent. Visitwww.birchmere.com.
SUNDAY/DEC. 31First Night Alexandria. 2 p.m. to
midnight at venues throughout OldTown. Activities include the NinthAnnual Fun Hunt, musicalentertainment, food, drink andmidnight fireworks over the PotomacRiver. Visit firstnightalexandria.orgor call 703-746-3299.
JAN.9-FEB. 4“Déjà Vu,” Art Exhibit. Various times
at at the Torpedo Factory, 105 NorthUnion St., Studio 29. Potomac FiberArts Gallery show “Déjà Vu,”highlights the work of artistsElizabeth Davison, Elise Miller, andDianne Harris Thomas. Visittorpedofactory.org.
SATURDAY/JAN. 13Watercolor Workshop: Painting
on Yupo. 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. atGreen Spring Gardens, 4603 GreenSpring Road. Paint on slick plasticcalled yupo with in–structor MarniMaree. $90. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173.
THURSDAY/JAN. 18Air Force Band Concert. 8 p.m. at
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall4915 East Campus Drive. Specialappearance by tubist PatrickSheridan. Visit www.nvcc.edu/schlesingercenter/.
Little Hunting Creek in the WinterArt exhibition and sale on Dec. 2-3 from 4-7 p.m. onSaturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday at the Hollin HallSenior Center, 1500 Shenandoah Road. Eighty local art-ists, will exhibit and offer their artwork for sale. Call 703-799-9635 for more.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 17www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
From Page 12
News
everything we teach our childrenabout work ethic. We want to pro-vide our students with the toolsthat will enable them to have asmany career options as possibleupon graduation, but most impor-tantly, we want them to do theirbest in whatever line of work theychoose. Dorthy is a great exampleof work ethic, humility, and com-mitment and she has left an im-pression on our children and Riv-erside community for so manyyears.”
As a new citizen of the world ofretirement, Riverside is still verymuch with Taylor. And, as shemoves forward, she’ll still bespending time with an importantgroup of youngsters.
“It’s been tough,” she said. “I stillwake up early and think I havework to go to. Work still calls toask questions, which makes mechuckle and feel good. It’s nice tobe missed, but I have three kids,five grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren so I love spendingtime with them. I also plan totravel more to see my sisters,brothers, nieces and nephews.”
Taylor
From Page 9
ing, I do believe it’s a bit naive tothink that restricting guns willeliminate violence altogether.
The letter [“To End Epidemic ofViolence” by the League of WomenVoters of Virginia] talks about end-ing the “epidemic of violence” thatplagues the country. While it is fairto claim that any incident of vio-lence is one too many, I think it’simportant to know that the so-called “epidemic” isn’t one at all.In fact there’s data that suggeststhe national crime rate is goingdown; people just believe it’s ris-ing.
The reason behind these falseperceptions of crime is due towhere we get our news from: themedia. Oftentimes, media outletsuse the phrase “if it bleeds, itleads” in regards to crime; thisphrase conveys the
idea that more gruesome crimesget more exposure, as they attractmore attention, and in turn willbenefit the outlet. This inaccuracydepicted by the media stokes thefears of the public by exaggerat-ing the amount of crime presentin a given area. In reality, very fewhouseholds experience violentcrime in a year.
Kayleigh PelkeyAlexandria
Letters
18 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Business DirectoryTo Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422
WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM
ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL
GUTTER GUTTER
IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS
LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING
TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE
TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE
Good is not good, where
better is expected.
-Thomas Fuller
and nonprofits. “We are cutting our socialsafety network, one strand at a time,” saidMercer.
Multop donned his economist’s hat oncemore to also note that so far he had heardno mention from the GOP plan makers ofthe debt service on the increasing deficit.“That’s another $200 billion in interest coststhat I don’t hear them having accountedfor.” Multop’s concern is that Medicaid,Medicare and Social Security benefits willbecome the targets to shore up the finan-cial levee in the wake of these tax cuts andthe domino effect of their implementation.
Another personalized example of the theproposed reforms was offered by attendeeEdythe Kelleher. The executive director ofSoutheast Fairfax Development Corpora-tion, Kelleher could have spoken about im-pacts to development in that region, butinstead, told how cuts to student loan in-terest deductions and a proposal to taxteacher’s assistant stipends would affect hergraduate-school son.
“He works, he goes to school, he lives fru-gally. We provided him with a cheap car.”Kelleher says that if a tax on the modestteacher’s assistant stipend is adopted, “that’s$6,000 more each year, and he doesn’t knowwhere that money will come from.”
Connolly responded to this story by say-ing the need to educate for competitivenessin the world’s marketplace is greater thanever. The congressman said that makinggetting an education even more difficultmeans “some will have to leave school.That’s hardly ‘making America great again.’”
As the session came to a close, NVAR CEOConrad asked Connolly, “What’s your ad-vice? What do we do next?”
In addition to the rally call to NVAR mem-bership and AARP members, Connolly re-plied, “Run, don’t walk and immediatelyexpress your concerns to your representa-tives” at every level of government, and “telleveryone you know. This plan does not re-flect our values and priorities. We can andshould do better than this.”
From Page 3
RoundtableNews
Bulletin Board
From Page 5
dropped off at any designated drop-off locationbelow. To make a tax-deductible donation, visitNOVA Relief Center’s website atwww.NOVAReliefCenter.org
❖ Office of Supervisor Dan Storck, Mount VernonGovernmental Center, 2511 Parkers Lane,Mount Vernon
❖ Office of Supervisor Jeff McKay, FranconiaGovernmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road,Alexandria
THURSDAY/DEC. 7Holiday Grief Workshop. 2 p.m. at Spring Hills
Mount Vernon, 3709 Shannons Green Way,Alexandria. Capital Caring’s AlexandriaNeighborhood is offering grief workshops duringthe holiday season. These workshops willinclude tips on how to cope with grief duringthe holiday season, reflection about how to carefor ourselves and a closing ritual ofremembrance. The workshops are open to thecommunity, free of charge. Contact ChesleySimpson at 703-333-6954 [email protected]. Visitcapitalcaring.org.
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
“Some club,” as my late mother would likelyscoff. And the club to which I refer is, to spin anold Groucho Marx joke: a club you’d rather notjoin especially if they’d have you as a member.This is of course, the cancer club, a club whosemembership continues to grow despite world-wide efforts to the contrary. According toMedscope.com, one in two men and one inthree women will be affected by cancer in theirlifetime. Hardly a statistic to be ignored. Andso, even though I had a rather unevent-ful/healthy upbringing and further on into adult-hood, in late middle age, 54 and five months,Feb. 27, 2009, I was impacted and rudelyawakened with a non-small cell lung cancer,stage IV diagnosis – out of the blue, and given a“13 month to two-year” prognosis to boot. As alife long non-smoker with no immediate familyhistory of cancer, whose parents both lived wellinto their 80s, I was more inclined to worryabout the Boston Red Sox pitching depth than Iwas about cancer.
But cancer, for the past nearly nine years hasbeen my life and amazingly, so far anyway, notthe cause of my premature death (what deathisn’t ‘premature?). And what brightens my dayand lifts my spirits more than anything else(other than a Red Sox World SeriesChampionship) is when I meet a newly-diag-nosed lung cancer patient who exhibits thecan/will do positive-type attitude necessary toendure the inevitable ups and downs to follow.To be selfish, it empowers me and strengthensmy own resolve to live life to the fullest (it’s notas simple as saying it) and damn the torpedoes.
Within the last few months, I have met, overthe phone, two such individuals. The first man,Lee, I met before he even had his first infusion.The second man, Mark, a bit more experi-enced, I met a year and a half after his first infu-sion. Each man was engaging, outgoing, confi-dent, enthusiastic and quite frankly, happy tomake my acquaintance. You see, after beinggiven a less-than-desirable prognosis, it’s help-ful to meet someone who, despite havingreceived a similar diagnosis, has neverthelessmanaged to live almost nine years post diagno-sis. (If he can do it, I can do it kind of feeling.)
As for me, the nearly nine-year survivor,meeting cancer patients who are at the begin-ning of their respective cancer journeys, helpsme to reconnect with my roots, so to speak,and share and share alike some memorableexperiences, both cancer-related and not. In away, we get to live vicariously through oneanother which for me reinforces how lucky I’vebeen to survive for as long as I have.
And not that I need reminding, but it’s easyto take for granted one’s good fortune and for-get – occasionally, the seriousness of my situa-tion and the cloud that hangs over my head.The sword of Damocles has got nothing on me,literally or figuratively. Living with cancer is akinto nothing really. The chance that you’ll survivebeyond your prognosis, maybe even have yourtumors shrink, or see your scans show “no evi-dence of disease,” creates a kind of tease thatcause your emotions to run the gamut. Thepossibility of living after being told you’re dying– and vice versa, perhaps more than once, overyour abbreviated – or not, life expectancy, issimply too much to handle/absorb sometimes.It’s a roller coaster for sure, but one that rarelycomes to a complete stop and never allows youto get off. Moreover, it’s not multiple rides, it’sone long, endless ride with no guaranteesabout what happens next – or where it evenhappens.
Meeting people who are ready, willing andable to confront their cancer future is just asimportant and stimulating as meeting someonelike me who hasn’t succumbed to this terribledisease. It’s a win-win situation. Particularly sig-nificant when at date of diagnosis, it appearedto be a lose-lose. I’m proud to be a member ofthe cancer club, especially so when I meet peo-ple like Lee and Mark.
Welcome tothe Club
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 19www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Special VIP Offerfor your Toyota
201711
ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA
20 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
2 ❖ Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF US,WE WISH YOU A JOYFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!
THE BREAD & WATER COMPANY WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OURTHANKS AND GRATITUDE FOR ALL OF THE GRACIOUS WARMTH AND
EXCITEMENT THE COMMUNITY HAS SHOWN US.WE HOPE THAT OUR BREADS WILL KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP
AND YOUR TABLES WARM.
Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
4 ❖ Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
6 ❖ Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
8 ❖ Advertising Supplement to Alexandria Gazette Packet & Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
![Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection …connection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com › news › ... · Drum Corp, Francisco said, “He [Prince Charles] was very grateful](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/5f03faf47e708231d40bb8f8/mount-vernonas-hometown-newspaper-a-a-connection-a-news-a-drum-corp.jpg)
