Lake Braddock QB Henderson Settling into Comfort Zone
Bruins loaded with talent entering 2013 season.
Lake Braddock opens the 2013 season at Robinson on Aug. 30.
Concerts from Kirkwood Kicks Off New Season
On Oct. 25, 2003, Concerts from Kirkwood presented its first concert in the sanctuary of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Springfield and has presented a collection of world-class performances every year since except for one year, during which the venue was being renovated. On Sept. 21, of this year, 10 years later, the tradition will continue with the first of four concerts for the 2013–2014 season featuring a debut performance of the Milan Piano Trio. The trio will present a program with a Latin theme beginning at 3 p.m. in the church sanctuary at 8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield.
August in Antarctica Gets Warm Reception
People flock to Richard Byrd Library’s 55th Anniversary Celebration.
The Richard Byrd Library recently held a warm celebration for the Antarctic explorer for whom it was named. The library’s 55th anniversary celebration brought community members together to learn more about Byrd and the South Pole, and to appreciate the great impact the explorer had on the nation. The first of the two celebratory components was a talk by author Guy Guthridge, who was avidly received by a group of more than 115 adults. Guthridge discussed the life and legacy of Byrd, and explained his extraordinary expeditions in the South Pole.
David Fee to Lead Hunt Valley
Easy-going, approachable principal offers inclusive style of leadership.
After 18 years in education, David Fee was named new principal of Hunt Valley Elementary School in Springfield on July 1, taking over the position from former principal Pat Small who retired on June 30.
Week in Springfield
The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Blood Services Region will hold blood drives in cities and towns throughout the region. Donors are encouraged to give all summer long, but especially near key summer holidays when donations decline.
Is Your Home Ready for Back to School?
Local designers offer tips for creating functional and stylish homework spaces.
Summer will soon come to an end, and children everywhere will be heading back to school and coming home with homework. To keep students engaged and excited, some local designers offer suggestions for creating a space so fun and inviting that your children will want to hang out there — even if that means doing homework.
Outdoor Elegance Meets Cutting Edge Technology
A design/build team explores fine architecture in weather-resistant materials.
If anything in the summer of 2013 points to still evolving homeowner expectations, it may be the frequency with which locals are integrating screen porches, patios, fire pits, and outdoor kitchens into original landscaping schemes that artfully marry the house to its setting.
Geocaching Diversifies
Urbanites embracing new game.
Geocaching usually has been portrayed as someone with hiking boots and a walking staff gazing afar from a hilltop in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not so anymore. Substantial numbers of those joining the sport are placing and hunting for caches in urban settings, and that includes Northern Virginia.
Editorial: Library Mission
Further cuts to library budget must be analyzed for impacts on needy families.
The current proposal to “streamline” services at Fairfax County Public Libraries comes on top of disproportionate, and some would say Draconian, cuts since 2009.
Matthew Schmitz and Megan Taylor To Wed
Megan Taylor, daughter of Daniel and Anne Taylor of Springfield, is engaged to Matthew Schmitz, son of Daniel and Nancy Schmitz of Bristol, Ill.
Will the Next Attorney General Defend Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage?
Republican says he will defend amendment; Democrat is not so sure.
Virginia's next attorney general will have to stand in a courtroom and make a decision about whether or not the commonwealth's constitutional ban on marriage should be defended. Republican candidate Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-26) has been clear about his support for the amendment and his intention to provide a vigorous defense of marriage. Democratic candidate Sen. Mark Herring (D-33), on the other hand, has yet to take a position on whether or not he will defend the amendment.
The Median Has No Message
Political signs banished from roadsides as campaign season heats up.
Some people call them flowers of democracy. Others call them weeds of political pollution. Whatever one thinks of the campaign signs and placards that appear along the roads of Fairfax County, expect to see a lot fewer of them. Last month, county officials launched a new program in which nonviolent inmates at the county jail hit the streets four days a week to remove illegal signs. With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, the message is no longer in the median. Anger and resentment has been rising over the issue of roadside political signs for years, and campaigns frequently go to war with each other to see which side can plant or steal or deface the largest number of placards. Unlike Prince William County, which had an agreement with the Virginia Department of Transportation that allows the local government to collect the signs and fine violators, Fairfax was caught in a bind. Part of the Virginia code made it illegal for the county to remove the signs in Fairfax County until after an election.
West Springfield's Laguna Meets Redskins
The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation hosted the Washington Redskins High School Coaches Clinic Wednesday, July 31, along with Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation Centers. Redskins Executive Vice President/General Manager Bruce Allen, head coach Mike Shanahan and Redskins alumnus LaVar Arrington met with more than 250 high school coaches from Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and North Carolina. Paul Laguna, Varsity WR coach at West Springfield High School, also attended.
A Life-changing Experience in Ghana
I recently got back from the most life-changing experience of my short 21 years. Yendi, Ghana is a beautiful place on the West Coast of Africa that is so completely different from our delightful home in Springfield. As I traveled out of the United States for the first time in my life, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was going to bring them the gift of mosquito nets, but I was not expecting the gift I was about to receive.
Springfield Woman Participates in Mary Kay Seminar
Kathy Puglisi of Springfield joined nearly 50,000 Mary Kay independent beauty consultants at the company’s annual seminar held in Dallas from July 21-Aug. 7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.