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Interfaith Wedding In Great FallsCommunity, 0

Planning Changes to Planning CommissionNews, Page 12

Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle Face Off at Riverbend

News, Page 8

EntertainmentPage 13

Bald eagle, reclaiming its territory, lands on the exact spot on the snag that the Peregrine falcon just vacated at Riverbend Park.

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ November 22-28, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls Connection ❖ November 22-28, 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.”

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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.

See Roundtable, Page 15

Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


News

See History, Page 5

Glen Sjoblom

President,

Great Falls Historical Society

On Nov. 8, DouglasCobb, Vice Presi-dent of the GreatFalls Historical Soci-

ety, introduced a panel of fourspeakers at the Wednesday nightmeeting at the Great Falls Grange– Joan Wehner, Bob Mobley, JoanBliss, and Phil Stone.

They spoke about the 1983 com-munity-wide effort 34 years ago tobuy and then to renovate the OldeForestville School House. Theywere instrumental in these effortsthat allow the continued use byGreat Falls residents for manyyears to come. Many other “oldtimers” also helped raise the$50,000 toward the purchase andanother $50,000 for the restora-tion. The Fairfax County Park Au-thority put up another $150,000in bond money to complete thepurchase from United VirginiaBank. Initially Supervisor NancyFalck, and the Park Authority werenot in favor of the purchase, butwhen they saw how committed thecommunity was, they came to seeit in another light.

JOAN WEHNER also showed afew pictures of the long and ear-lier history of the little school. Thebuilding had been a one-roomedschool, then a two-roomed school,then a residence, long before con-version to a bank and our Post Of-fice. Additional earlier history wasspontaneously recounted byCaroline Miller, who lived there asa child, and was in the last gradu-ating school class in what was thencalled Forestville School, prior tothe 1959 relocation to the nextGreat Falls school where two firestations have since been built. Per-haps we can devote another wholeprogram to this some day.

Joan Wehner led the presenta-tions and displayed the manynewspaper accounts including inthe local papers and the Washing-ton Post, which had been diligentlyresearched by Alex Brudno of theHistorical Society staff, and orga-nized into the power point by theSociety IT manager, RebekahJohnson.

Joan also described the histori-cal evolution of Great Falls beforethe two shopping areas came,when there was only the Grange,the school, Buck Werner’s generalstore, the 7-11, two gas stationsand the old fire station alongGeorgetown Pike.

Names of prominent Great Fallscitizens from the past were re-membered, including Jack andMary Bird, Harrison Wehner,Frances Davila, George and ElkeSummers, Milburn Sanders, Mack(Jack) Crippen. The list goes on,and does, on the plaques still onthe school-house wall, naming thedozens of benefactors and con-tributors to the effort. Just look-ing at this list is a history lesson.

Phil Stone told how he and DonZeigler had created Great FallsHeritage as a 501c3 organizationto accept tax-exempt donationsand negotiate with the First Vir-ginia Bank and the Fairfax CountyPark Authority for the transaction.Many people of the Great FallsCitizens Association had devotedtime to “preserving the semi-ruralcharacter of the area” since it wascreated in 1967, and joined thiseffort as well.

Joan Bliss told of the fundraisingefforts that she managed with helpfrom Mary Bird, Dorothy Horvathand Francis Davila and others, in-cluding mailings, two fundraisingGalas, with cars given for auctionby the Ford and Toyotadealerships.

Bob Mobley, our local decoratedarchitect, described the efforts onthe restoration of the school, in-cluding replacing the roof with thetraditional standing seam roofing,some floor joists and interior wallcoverings, and installing theground level handicapped en-trance, the electrical service andthe heating.

A handicapped bathroom wasalso added. Joan and Bob orga-nized and oversaw the restorationwork, which was done by manylocal artisans working pro-bono tohelp preserve a piece of our be-loved little community.

AFTER THE MEETING, the at-tendees moved from the Grange

Olde Forestville SchoolHistory Recounted

Douglas Cobb introducespanelists.

Speakers atthe event

included JoanWehner, BobMobley, Joan

Bliss and PhilStone.

Photos

contributed


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News

for a tour of a little school, whereall enjoyed home made cookies,apple cider, coffee and good com-pany with good and friendlypeople.

Who knows what the future ofour Best Little School House willbe? It has not been utilized veryoften in recent years, ever sincethe Fairfax County Park Authoritybegan charging an hourly fee foreach use of the Grange and OldeSchool, particularly since the Li-brary allows free use of the meet-ing rooms in the Great Falls Li-brary. George Adeler has led agroup the past few years, to forma local organization, which wouldassume management control fromthe Park Authority and possiblyallow more beneficial communityuses. Some of the uses discussedare a Great Falls Visitors Center, alocation for businesses to meet and

History, Future of the OldeForestville School Discussed

Photo contributed

Olde Forestville School

and take care of her. If our readers wish to provideinput to the Historical Society on these future uses,send in your suggestions it at www.gfhs.org.

a home and museum for the Great Falls HistoricalSociety. At the present time, our Olde ForestevilleSchool just sits there, waiting for someone to love


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:

www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/16/holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Arlington:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/arlington-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Potomac:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/potomac-almanac-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Alexandria:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/20/alexandria-holiday-calen-dar-2017/

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

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.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Great Falls


News

To the Editor:Every year, during the holiday shopping

season, we hear the call to support our lo-cal businesses – Think Outside the Big Box:Buy Local.

This year, in the spirit of building bridges,and breaking down barriers in our grow-ing, diverse community, let us support ourlocal eateries and extend our efforts to thinkoutside the takeout box as well.

Tour the globe with your palate in ourvery own Great Falls Village Center. Withina half mile radius, fill your plate with a tasteof India, Ireland, Japan, the Mediterranean,and Tex-Mex, and swill some drinks thatmake people happy around the world.

Say “Namaste” to India at Bollywood Bis-tro, and get your fill of flaming flavors withtheir chicken tikka/lamb kebob, my favor-ite aloo chole (potato-chickpeas) and daltadka (yellow lentils), the Malabari chickencurry (from the southern coast of India), aNutty Kulfi to cool down your palate, or thecarrot halwa to warm your soul. Sip an In-dian whisky or India Pale Ale.

Kowtow to the Land of the Rising Sunwith Izumi’s pan-seared tilapia fillet andmango salsa or Miso salmon with orangemint sauce, a side of white/brown/friedrice, mochi ice cream/fried banana, and sipsome soothing sake to really feel the sun’sglow!

Meet Othman, who manages the VillageGrill with Mediterranean warmth, and en-joy a plateful of succulent Lebanese/Persiankebobs, hummus (mashed chickpeas withgarlic), tart tabouli salad, and deliciousdolmas (minced meat in grape leaves).Their Mezza Platter gives you a samplingof some of these delectable delights.

Say “Ola!” to the newest entrant to ourlocal food world – El Tio. You can’t go wrongwith chicken enchiladas/shrimp burritos,and try chanting “Chimichanga!” as youdrive away the blues with a big glass ofmango margarita!

Finally, salute our oldest favorite, The OldBrogue, heart and soul of our community,by trying their specials – Burger Mondays,Maine Lobster Tuesdays, Short Ribs HumpDay, and Fried Chicken Thursdays – accom-panied by fried pickles, beer battered on-ion rings, Rhode Island calamari, to fill youwith the confidence that, despite every-thing, all is well with the world.

So, this festive season, in addition to ourtraditional “comfort foods,” let’s make aconscious effort to step outside our com-fort zone and sample cuisines from aroundthe world, right here in our own backyard.And, as the Irish blessing goes: “May theroad rise to meet you” and “the sun shinewarm upon your face.”

Happy holidays!

Shaila MuralidharGreat Falls

Around theWorld on a Plate


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News

See More Photos, Page 9

By Donald M. Sweig

The Connection

Some friends and I walked upriveron the River Trail at Riverbend Parkon a Saturday afternoon earlier thismonth to look at the Bald Eagle

nest in the sycamore tree on Minnehahaisland in the middle of the Potomac. Wewere surprised to find an adult Bald Eagleon the nest moving the sticks around, even

though nesting season is a couple of monthsoff.

Walking about 50 feet further up the trailto get a different look at the nest, I noticeda raptor perched with its back toward us atthe top of a snag right next to the nest. “It’sa Peregrine Falcon,” I exclaimed. Sittingquietly on the snag, the juvenile Peregrineoccasionally turned its head to preen,clearly showing the distinctive malar/mus-tache stripe on the side of its face.

Meanwhile the eagle in the nest was star-ing up at the Peregrine, getting more andmore agitated and continually calling. ThePeregrine appeared to pay no attention.Eventually, the Bald Eagle flew up out ofthe nest, displaced the falcon, and landedon the snag exactly where the Peregrine hadbeen, reclaiming its territory. The presum-ably surprised Peregrine dived off the snag,flew over the nest and down river close tothe surface of the river, made a quick passat some Bufflehead ducks, a favorite food,on the water and continued out of sight.

One can only imagine how agitated theeagle would have been if there had been

Birders thankful to witness a rare encounterbetween two iconic birds of prey.

Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle Face Off at Riverbend Parkchicks in the nest at the time. The eagle wasstill sitting on the snag when we left 10minutes later. We looked for the Peregrinebut didn’t find it again.

Bald Eagles are fairly seen frequently atRiverbend and elsewhere along this sectionof the Potomac. However, the perched Per-egrine falcon was an unusual sighting. Per-haps it was one of the young birds from thenest underneath the American LegionBridge. Perhaps it was a migrant.

For us it was a little adventure to be thank-ful for on an autumn afternoon.

JuvenilePeregrine

Falconperched aboveBald Eagle on

nest atRiverbend

Park.

Bald Eagleflies off itsnest atRiverbendPark lookingup at theunwelcomefalcon.

Photos by

Seth R. Honig


News

Faith Notes are for announcements and eventsin the faith community. Send [email protected]. Deadline isFriday at noon.

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Christthe King Lutheran Church, 10550 GeorgetownPike, Great Falls, announces holiday worshipschedule. Visit www.gflutheran.org or call 703-759-6068.

Thanksgiving Day worship – Thursday/Nov.23 – 10 a.m.

During Advent, Christ the King will present aseries of three midweek Advent programs. Theoverarching theme of these evenings is “Peace forOur Time.” Each evening’s sub-theme will growfrom a Reformation-era hymn. Each evening’s pro-gram begins at 5:45 p.m. with supper followed bydiscussion, worship and the lighting of the Adventwreath. All are welcome.

❖ Thursday/Dec. 7 – Peace Between Nations,hymn: “Savior of the Nations Come” (ELW 263)

❖ Thursday/Dec. 14 – Peace in politics, hymn:“Now to the Holy Spirit Let us Pray” (ELW 743)

❖ Thursday/Dec. 21 – Peace in ourselves, hymn:“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” (ELW 268)

Blue Christmas Service – a non-traditionalservice of remembrance and hope – will be held atKatie’s Coffee House 760 Walker Road, Great Fallson Sunday, Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. brought to you byGreat Falls Area Ministries. For more informationcall Carol Wright 703-582-1640.

Yoga Class with a Christian Focus is heldSaturdays, 3-4 p.m., McGill Hall or the Library atthe Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 BeulahRoad, NE, Vienna. This group is suitable for thosewith beginner and/or intermediate yoga experi-ence. Dress comfortably and bring a mat. Feel freeto bring a towel, block(s) or strap. Contact theChurch Office at 703-938-6521.

Mom’s Group meets second and fourth Thurs-day of the Month, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Churchof the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Road, NE,Vienna. Join the group for coffee and fellowship.The group meets in the Lillian Croy Room, near theChurch Office. Childcare will be available justacross the hall in the Childcare Center. If you areinterested in joining the group, contact the ChurchOffice at 703-938-6521 so that we can plan appro-priately for materials and childcare.

Faith Notes

Photos by Seth R. Honig

JuvenilePeregrinefalconperched on asnag atRiverbendPark in GreatFalls.

JuvenilePeregrineFalcon divesoff its perch toget out of theway of theBald Eagle

Bald eagle,reclaiming itsterritory,lands on theexact spot onthe snag thatthe Peregrinefalcon justvacated atRiverbendPark.


FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA450 ORCHARD STREET, NW

VIENNA, VA 22180703-938-8525

email: [email protected]

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 10:00 AMCHRISTIAN LEARNING ACADEMY (SUN.) 9:00AM-9:45AM

MIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

Visit These Houses of Worship

To Highlight Your Faith Community, call Don at 703-778-9420

Community

Raksha and Dinesh Mehta ofGreat Falls have announced themarriage of their son, Dr. RaajMehta to Dr. Geneva DeGregorio,daughter of Maggie DeGregorio ofWhately, Mass. and PeterDeGregorio of Montgomery, Mass.The three-day wedding celebra-tions started on Sept. 29 with thewedding rehearsal at the ViennaPresbyterian Church in Vienna fol-lowed by a welcome dinner partythat included traditional rituals ofIndian mehendi (henna designapplication) and pithi (applicationof a skin cleansing paste of tur-meric, sandalwood oil androsewater to bride and groom) atthe Meadowlark Atrium in Vienna.A highlight of the event was theperformance by a local Irish bandled by Tam McGeady.

The couple was married on Sept.30 first in a Christian ceremony atthe Vienna Presbyterian Church,led by Rev. Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt.A lunch reception was held imme-diately after the Christian wed

Dr. Raaj Mehta and Dr. Geneva DeGregorioCelebrate an Interfaith Wedding in Great Falls

See Wedding, Page 11

Raaj arrivingfor the Hinduweddingceremony onhorseback aspart of tradi-tional baraat(procession ofthe groom’sparty) ritual.

Geneva andRaaj at the

pithi (appli-cation of skin

cleansingpaste of

turmeric,sandalwoodoil and rose

water) ritualat mehendi

party onSept. 29.

Geneva beingescorted by

her father atthe Christian

weddingceremony.

Photos courtesy of Jessica Latos


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ding. The highlights included a video recap of thebride’s and groom’s backgrounds by their siblings.Subsequently, the couple was married in a Hinduceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, offici-ated by Pandit Ram SnehTripathi. The wedding cer-emony included a Hindu baraat, a traditional arrivalof the groom’s party with the groom riding on horse-back.

A cocktail/dinner reception was held immediatelyfollowing the Hindu wedding. The festivities includedseveral Bollywood and Hollywood inspired dancesand performances by family members and friends.The party music was provided by a live band, Rhythm6, and DJs from Dynasty Entertainment.

The following day on Oct. 1, the bride was wel-comed at the home of Raksha and Dinesh Mehta byperforming Laxmi Pravesh, a Hindu ritual symboliz-ing welcoming of new feminine energy. Followingthe Laxmi Pravesh ritual, guests were treated toChristian and Hindu devotional/inspirational musicby local vocalists Nancy Scimone and Swati Kanitkar.

The couple first met in Boston through a commonfriend in a blind date while Raaj was pursuing hismedical degree and Geneva was interning at a localhospital.

The bride, who is taking her husband’s last name,is an intern in internal medicine at the Brigham &Women’s Hospital in Boston. She graduated cumlaude from Tufts University and received a medicaldegree from the University of Massachusetts.

The groom is a resident in internal medicine atthe Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Hegraduated cum laude from Princeton and receiveda medical degree magna cum laude from Harvard.He was also a Fulbright scholar to Ecuador from2010-11.

Wedding

Geneva and Raaj at the wedding receptionwith their wedding cake. The cake wascustom designed by Cakes by Linda ofFalls Church with design inspirations fromthe invitation card, Geneva’s Hindu wed-ding chunni and Geneva’s Christian wed-ding dress lace.

Geneva and Raaj at their Hindu weddingceremony.

Photos courtesy

of Jessica Latos

Geneva arriv-ing for the

Hindu wed-ding ceremony

escorted byher maternal

uncles.


News

By Ken Moore

Two seats on the 12-memberFairfax County Planning Com-mission remain open.

And earlier this month,Hunter Mill District Supervisor CatherineM. Hudgins announced Frank de la Fe’s de-cision to retire at the end of the calendaryear.

“After 16 years of dedicated service, theHunter Mill District Planning CommissionerFrank de la Fe has announced his intentionto retire,” Hudgins told the Board of Su-pervisors at its meeting on Nov. 2. De la Fehas served on the planning commissionsince 2001, and currently is vice chair.

Hudgins will appoint a new commissionerto begin on Jan. 28, 2018.

“We will have lotsto say about Frank inthe future,” saidHudgins.

Sully District Su-pervisor Kathy L.Smith will alsosearch for a newplanning commis-sioner.

“I guess it’s a dayfor Planning Commission announcements,”she said at the supervisors’ meeting.

Smith’s Planning Commissioner KarenKeys-Gamarra announced her resignationeffective Oct. 25. Keys-Gamarra won a spe-cial election in August to fill the at-large

School Board seat vacated by JeanetteHough two years into serving her four-yearterm. Hough resigned after her husbandaccepted a position overseas.

Of Keys-Gamarra, Smith said, “As muchas I would have loved for her to continueas my planning commissioner, it’s just notpossible to do both jobs.”

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrityfollowed.

“I have no news on my planning commis-sioner,” he said. “That is good.”

Herrity’s Planning Commissioner is PeterMurphy who also serves as chair of the Plan-ning Commission and was first appointedto the commission in 1982.

MURPHY ANNOUNCED at-large com-missioner Janyce Hedetniemi’s immediate

resignation at theopening of the Plan-ning Commission’spublic hearing onOct. 26.

“It’s a great loss tothe commission, sheknows it, we allknow it,” saidMurphy. “We appre-ciate everything

you have done for us.”Chairman Sharon Bulova appointed

Hedetniemi in 2013 and plans to appointher successor at the Board meeting on Nov.21.

Murphy read a full version of

Planning Changes to Planning CommissionTwelve-member commission enduresmultiple changes through grief, triumphs,retirement and more during 2017.

Frank de la Fe,Hunter Mill District

Karen Keys-GamarraPhillip Niedzielski-Eichner, ProvidenceDistrict

Peter Murphy, chair,Springfield District

Janyce Hedetniemi,at-large

James Hart, at-large

KennethLawrence,formerProvidenceDistrictcommis-sioner

Hedetniemi’s statement to the commission:“Tonight, I step away from this wonder-

ful experience as an at-large member of theFairfax County Planning Commission. …From capital improvements to land use andparks, schools, the environment and more,here it is, we give it all, through regulations,procedures, judgement and intuition, al-ways in public view, and sometimes until 2in the morning.”

“I am proud to have shared the title ofcommissioner with my esteemed col-leagues,” she wrote. “Commissioners, thehonor has been mine. I wish you all the bestin your continuing efforts for the bettermentof Fairfax County.”

THE PLANNING COMMISSION on Sept.14 voted to change the start time of publicmeetings in January from 8:15 p.m. to 7.30p.m., in part to encourage additional citi-zen participation and to keep meetings fromlasting as late into the night.

The Planning Commission advises theBoard of Supervisors on all matters relatedto land use in Fairfax County, a particularlybusy time right now reviewing redevelop-ment along the Silver Line. The commis-sion holds public hearings, often multipletimes a week, and often brings togetherresidents, developers and county plannersto work through concerns and conflicts.

This includes the location and characterof public facilities; amendments to the Com-prehensive Plan; amendments to the Zon-ing Ordinance, the Public Facilities Ordi-nance, and the Subdivision Ordinance;rezonings and special exceptions; approv-als of final development plans; and alsosometimes advises the Board of ZoningAppeals.

Planning commissioners are appointed bythe Board of Supervisors for four-year terms

on a staggered basis. Each of the nine su-pervisory districts has a representative, andthree members are appointed at-large.

PHILLIP NIEDZIELSKI-EICHNER re-placed Kenneth Lawrence as the ProvidencePlanning Commissioner on Jan. 11, 2017.

Lawrence died in December 2016 afterserving 13 years on the Planning Commis-sion.

“Ken had a difficult role, responsibility forProvidence District at an exciting time, do-ing new and ambitious things in Tysons andelsewhere,” said colleague James Hart, at-large planning commissioner.

“His public service responsibility was apart of his core being. He gave the Countyall he had,” said Hart.

Hart and Lawrence were sworn in on thesame day 13 years ago.

“I could count on one hand the numberof votes Ken and I disagreed in that 13years. I couldn’t begin to count the numberof hours we spent in meetings together, somany topics,” he said. “Ken’s legacy addedso much to Fairfax County. ... We absolutelywill have more and better parks in Tysonsthanks to him. His commitment improvedour quality of life.”

“His public serviceresponsibility was a partof his core being. He gavethe county all he had.”

— James Hart, on Ken Lawrence

Bulletin Board

See Bulletin Board, Page 15

Submit civic/community announce-ments at ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos and artwork welcome.Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least twoweeks before event.

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, as

well as their parents, teachers andother professionals. Featuring morethan 40 workshops and exhibitsrelated to successful life after highschool. Free. There is free parking inLot K, or in the Mason Pond ParkingGarage for $8. Visitww.futurequestgmu.org to register oremail [email protected].

School Open House. 10 a.m. atBASIS Independent School, 8000Jones Branch Drive, McLean. Meetsubject expert teachers and school

leadership, to learn more about theschool’s liberal arts and STEMprogram. This event features aninformation presentation, and aquestion and answer period. Visitinfo.basisindependent.com/december-open-house for more.

THROUGH DEC. 3Coat and Blanket Drive. Nova Relief

Center is holding a blanket and coatdrive for Syrian and Iraqi refugees

who 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 bedropped off at any designated drop-off location below. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit NOVARelief Center’s website atwww.NOVAReliefCenter.org

❖ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, 2719 Hunter Mill Road,

Oakton❖ Office of Supervisor John Foust,

McLean Governmental Center, 1437Balls Hill Road, McLean

MONDAY/DEC. 11FCPS Community Conversations.

6:30-8 p.m. at Jackson MiddleSchool, 3020 Gallows Road, FallsChurch, Cafeteria (Region 2). FairfaxCounty Public Schools (FCPS)


Entertainment

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

ONGOINGVienna-Wide Food Drive. Through

Dec. 31, bring food contributions toVienna Town Hall - 127 Center St. S;Vienna Arts Society-115 Pleasant St.NW; Bikes@Vienna-128-A Church St.NW; Caffe Amouri-107 Church St.,NE; Evolution Fitness- 216 DominionRoad, NE; Rexall Drug Store-150Maple Ave. W; Drs. Covel, Stack andHenon- 120 Beulah Road, NE; PatrickHenry Library (co-sponsored bySupervisor Cathy Hudgins) and theVienna Community Center. Girl ScoutTroop 2684 will be helping NEVCAby picking up the food. Sponsored byCommittee for Helping Others. Call703-281-7614.

Textures Exhibit. Through Jan. 7,various times at the Vienna ArtsCenter, 115 Pleasant St., NW. Call703-319-3971 or visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

Great Falls Farmers Market.Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 778 WalkerRoad, Great Falls. Music, vendors,fresh produce, fresh prepared food,delightful bakery, spices from aroundthe world, wild-caught fish, grass-fed, free-range meats, organic-fedpoultry and eggs. [email protected].

Fit for Life Classes. Wednesdaysthrough Nov. 22, 11 a.m.–noon atBruen Chapel United MethodistChurch, 3035 Cedar Lane, Fairfax.Sponsored by the Shepherd’s Centerof Oakton-Vienna, to improvestrength, balance and mobility forolder adults, taught by instructor,Michele DeGarmo. $5. Call 703-281-0538.

Free Tai Chi. Every Saturday, from7:55-9 a.m., Introduction andBeginners’ Practice, meet on theoutdoor basketball court locateddirectly behind the Dolley MadisonPublic Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave.in McLean Central Park, McLean. Call703-759-9141 or visitwww.FreeTaiChi.org.

The Freeman Store & MuseumWednesday through Sunday noon-4p.m. 131 Church St. NE, Vienna. TheFreeman Store & Museum isdedicated to Preserving andpromoting Vienna’s heritage throughthe identification, preservation, andinterpretation of history significantplaces, events, and persons.Historicviennainc.org

Bingo Night. Sundays. 4 p.m. FlameRoom, Vienna Volunteer FireDepartment, 400 Center St. S,Vienna. $10. vvfd.org/bingo.html.

Gentle Yoga. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.Emmaus United Church of Christ,900 E Maple Ave. E., Vienna.Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. UnitarianUniversalist Congregation of Fairfax,2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton.Gentle Kundalini Yoga, one freeintroductory session, seniordiscounts. Increase flexibility,improve breathing and health, reducestress. Ravi Kaur has 15 yearsexperience teaching yoga. $15 persession. www.edimprovement.org.571-213-3192.

Fundamentals of Watercolors.Mondays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Artsof Great Falls, 756 Walker Road,Great Falls. Artist Lorrie Herman willhelp students get comfortableworking with watercolors andunderstanding this medium. Visitwww.greatfallsart.org.

Evening Painting. Tuesdays 6:30 -9:30 p.m. at The Arts of Great Falls,756 Walker Road, Great Falls. JillBanks focuses on oil paintingfundamentals with two sessions eachof still life, landscapes, and portrait/clothed figure from a live model.Visit www.greatfallsart.org.

FRIDAY/NOV. 24Wagon Ride at Dusk. 4:30-5:30 p.m.

at Riverbend Park, 8700 PotomacHills St., Great Falls. Sunset tripthrough the park. Call 703-759-9018or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/.

NOV. 24-26Thanksgiving Weekend Show.

Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Spring HillReCenter, 1239 Spring Hill Road,McLean. Approximately 80 juriedartisans offering original, handmadearts and crafts, including decorativepainting, fused, etched, painted andstained glass, ceramics and pottery,hand-painted silk, woodworkinghandweaving, photography, paintingsand drawings,clothing and functionaltextiles, jewelry and much more. Allof the artists and artisans will be onhand to answer questions and talkabout their work. $5, free forchildren 12 and under. [email protected] or call703-391-5611.

MONDAY/NOV. 27Explore the Moon by Telescope.

7:30-8:30 p.m. at Turner Farm, 925Springvale Road, Great Falls. Explorethe lunar surface is marked by cratersand lava flows billions of years old.Call 703-324-8618 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/turnerfarm/.

TUESDAY/NOV. 28Canadian Musician Mappe Of. 7

p.m. at Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple AveE. Performing his debut album “ANorthern Star, A Perfect Stone.” Visitwww.jamminjava.com.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 1-22017 Renaissance Feaste. 7 p.m. at

Langley Halle at Langley HighSchool, 6520 Georgetown Pike,McLean. Holiday celebrationfeaturing costumed servers, jesters,minstrels, musicians, and the Langley

Madrigals. Visit langleychorus.com.Orphie and the Book of Heroes.

Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Oakton HighSchool Robert “Skip” BromleyAuditorium, 2900 Sutton Road,Vienna. $10. Visit oaktondrama.org.

SATURDAY/DEC. 2Breakfast With Santa. 8:30-10:30

a.m. at St. Francis Episcopal Church,9220 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls.Free community event open to all tobenefit Housing Up and SamaritanMinistry. Suggested donation is anew unwrapped toy. Call 703-759-2082.

Live Puppy Nativity. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.at The Church of the Good Shepherd(United Methodist), 2351 HunterMill Road, Vienna. Bring dogs todress up as part of the nativity.Costumes provided. Free. Thechurch’s youth group will be on handto accept donations for Second Story.Visit www.GoodShepherdVA.com.

Home for the Holidays Musical.7:30 p.m. at The Falls ChurchEpiscopal, 115 E. Fairfax St., FallsChurch. Tysons Mclean Orchestraperforms with Melissa Mino. Call703-893-8646.

SUNDAY/DEC. 3Victorian Christmas Fund Raiser.

1-4:30 p.m. at the Historic MountHope mansion, Oak Street, FallsChurch. The Victorian Society at FallsChurch is hosting “The Spirit ofChristmas Past” at the Historic MountHope mansion on Oak Street in FallsChurch to benefit Creative Cauldron,a non-profit performance artsorganization. Email

CorrectionThe Connection Holiday Celebration and Entertainment calen-

dars mistakenly announced a performance by the McLean TysonsOrchestra. There is no concert at Vinson Hall on Dec. 2. The TysonsMcLean Orchestra’s next performance is a Christmas Holiday con-cert Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m., at The Falls Church Episcopal in Falls Churchwith Melissa Mino, soprano. Miriam Burns will conduct concertand Warren Lewis will be an audience participant volunteer con-ductor. Visit www.tysonsmcleanorchestra.org.

[email protected] [email protected].

McLean WinterFest Parade. Pre-parade entertainment begins at 2:30p.m. and the parade will step off at3:30 p.m. sharp. The parade routewill be the same as previous years:Old Chain Bridge Road fromFleetwood Road to Elm Street.WinterFest 2017 will have foodtrucks again this year in the LangleyShopping Center. Visitwww.mcleanwinterfest.org.

Christmas Concert. 4 p.m. at ViennaPresbyterian Church, 124 Park St.NE, Vienna. The Christmas portion ofHandel’s Messiah, presented by theVienna Presbyterian Sanctuary Choirwith soloists Leah Inger, soprano;Jennifer Matthews, alto; TimAugustin, tenor; and Joshua Hong,bass. Commentary by Senior PastorPete James. Call 703-438-0718.

STARTING DEC. 8Watercolor Workshops with Joe

Phillips. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at theVienna Arts Society, 115 Pleasant St.,NW, Vienna. Class each Friday untilJan. 1. Call 703-319-3971 or visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org.

FRIDAY/DEC. 8Gift Collection. 9:30 a.m.-noon at

Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124Park St. NE, Vienna. Collecting new,unwrapped gifts and gift cards forchildren and teens. The North EastVienna Citizens Association issponsoring the event with help fromGirl Scout Troop 2684. Visitnevca.wordpress.com.

SUNDAY, DEC. 10Blue Christmas Service. 3:30 p.m. at

Katie’s Coffee House 760 WalkerRoad, Great Falls. A non-traditionalservice of remembrance and hope,brought to you by Great Falls AreaMinistries. Call Carol Wright 703-582-1640.

McLean Youth Orchestra. 4 p.m. inthe Grand Ballroom of theCommunity Building of Vinson Hall,1735 Kirby Road, McLean. Visitwww.tysonsmcleanorchestra.org orcall 703-893-8646.

Christmas Concert. 4 p.m. at ViennaPresbyterian Church, 124 Park St.,NE, Vienna. A Cathedral BrassChristmas, music from Monteverdi toGordon Goodwin. Call 703-438-0718.

Christmas Youth Concert. 4 p.m. atSt. John’s Episcopal Church, 6715Georgetown Pike, McLean. The youthchoir leads with Christmas hymns,followed by reception. Call 703-356-4902 or visit stjohnsmclean.org.

MONDAY/DEC. 11Santa’s Ride for Children. Donate

new and unwrapped toys, games,books and gifts to be distributed tochildren at Fairfax Hospital,Georgetown Lombardi CancerCenter. Email [email protected] or call 703-255-6324.

SATURDAY/DEC. 16Night In Bethlehem Performance.

5-7 p.m. at Andrew Chapel UnitedMethodist Church, 1301 Trap Road,Vienna. Nativity scene with liveanimals. Visitwww.andrewchapelumc.org.

SUNDAY/DEC. 17Christmas Concert. 4 p.m. at Vienna

Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St.NE, Vienna. Glorious Sounds ofChristmas, a Christmas celebrationfor the whole family led by theVienna Presbyterian Sanctuary Choir,the Cathedral Brass, organ, piano,and noted soloists. Call 703-438-0718.

Langley High Chorus will host its annual Renaissance Feaste at 7 p.m. on Friday,Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2

Langley High to Host Renaissance FeasteTo kick-off the Holiday season, the Langley High

Chorus will host its annual Renaissance Feaste at7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2, foran evening of dinner theater and choral music.

More than 80 students from Langley’s award-winning choir will take guests back to 16th cen-tury England, where they will be entertained by

minstrels, jesters, and ladies and gentlemen of theLangley Madrigals as well as Langley’s Chamber,Concert, Treble and Select Choirs, who will per-form in an English court setting.

Reservations are required. Tickets and more in-formation are available online atwww.langleychorus.com.

Pho

to

co

ntributed


ComputersAnnouncements

We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN’S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY,

FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

[email protected]

Announcements Announcements

To Advertise in This Paper, Call by Monday 11:00 am 703-778-9411WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

Classified






Club To Hold‘MarketPlace’Fundraiser

The Woman’s Club of McLeanwill hold its free, annualMarketPlace fundraiser on Thurs-day, Dec. 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30p.m., in conjunction with its an-nual Holiday Homes Tour thesame day. The fundraiser, at Trin-ity United Methodist Church, 1205Dolley Madison Blvd. (Route 123),McLean, will feature more than adozen vendors, as well as a silentauction of goods and services of-fered by 10 local businesses. Inaddition, lunch and tickets for theday’s Homes Tour will be for sale.Ample car parking will be avail-able at the church.

The following vendors will bepresent: Two Laughing Ladies (funapparel), Entertaining Designs byMelanie Barry, Claude Moore Co-lonial Farm, With You in Mind,Chez Madame Forestier, Ginny’sGems (jewelry and accessories),Beauty Counter Cosmetics,Annalee Design Studios, MerryStitches, USborne Books andMore, Christmas Bakery andChristmas Gifts & Décor.

Silent-auction donors will in-clude: Staybridge Suites, 1st StageTheater, Mangan Jewelers,Fleming’s Steak House, Clyde’sWillow Creek, Your Dog’s BestFriend, Lamps Unlimited andGreat Falls Organizers. Biddingwill close at 3 p.m., with drawingsat 3:30 p.m. (You need not bepresent to win; however, you mustbe available by phone.)

Lunch at Café Noel will be avail-able between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.The menu will be chicken salad,chicken on a bun, wraps, chili(vegetarian and meat), chips androlls. Coffee, tea, soft drinks, wa-ter and desserts will be availableall day.

All proceeds of the MarketPlaceand the Holiday Homes Tour willbe donated to local charities.

Call 703-556-0197 or visitwww.mcleanwomansclub.org.

— Laura Sheridan

Trinity United MethodistChurch.

Pho

to

by Laura Sh

eridan


Business DirectoryTo Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422

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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

and nonprofits. “We are cutting our so-cial safety network, one strand at a time,”said Mercer.

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 making get-ting an education even more difficult means“some will have to leave school. That’shardly ‘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 reflect our values andpriorities. We can and should do better thanthis.”

From Page 3

RoundtableNews

Bulletin Board

From Page 12

Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand will hostCommunity Conversations to hear whatstudents, parents, employees, and members ofthe community are thinking about and whatissues are important to them. Brabrandwelcomes citizens to attend and take part in anyof the upcoming sessions that are convenient forthem. Citizens needing a translator can make arequest for services online. Visit www.fcps.edu/news/superintendent-brabrand-schedules-five-community-conversations-fall.

SUPPORT GROUPSAre You A Caregiver? Shepherd’s Center of

Oakton Vienna Caregivers’ SupportGroup takes place first & third Thursday ofeach month. February 2nd and 16th, 2017 from10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Join us at theUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax(UUCF) - Program Building, 2709 Hunter MillRd, Oakton, VA. For more info contactfacilitator, Jack Tarr, [email protected].

falcon and bald eagle - the connection newspapersconnectionarchives.com/pdf/2017/112217/great...

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