Annandale Lions Club supports young musicians

Several talented youths were recognized Feb. 25 at the Annandale Lions Club’s annual Bland Music Scholarship Competition at the United Baptist Church of Annandale.

Samantha Rose Williams, 17, a student at T.C. Williams High School, cinched the first-place prize in the vocal contest by singing “Your Daddy’s Son” from “Ragtime.” Charlotte Victoria Lewis, 15, of Stone Bridge High School in Loudoun County, was the second-place winner, and South Lakes High School student Catherine Aidan Mason La Valley, 16, took third place.

In the instrumental competition, pianist Seung Joon Rhie, 15, of McLean High School, was the first-place winner; Kyeong-Eun, 18, of Langley High School, won second place, and flautist Chloe Falkenheim, 14, of Yorktown High School was the third-place winner.

First-place winners in both categories receive $100 from the Lions Club. Second-place winners receive $75, and third-place winners receive $50. The two top winners in each category will perform in a regional competition March 18 in Fairfax. Winners of that event will advance to a district-level competition and the state finals.

“We think youth holds the key to our future, and music is a discipline that is valuable for so many other areas, like mathematics,” says Gene Boucher, who has chaired the Bland competition for the Annandale Lions Club for 34 years. This is the club’s 64th year in the Bland competition.

The competition is named for African-American composer James Allen Bland (1854-1911), who wrote “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” which was the official state song of Virginia until 1997.

AHS Mulch Madness supports safe graduation celebration

You can help your garden and support the Annandale High School All-Night Graduation Celebration at the same time by taking part in the AHS Mulch Madness fundraiser. The annual celebration is a supervised, alcohol-free, fun event for graduating seniors.

Sixty-pound bags of high-quality, shredded, dark brown hardwood mulch (three cubic feet) are $5 each. The bags will be delivered to your home free on April 14 if you order 15 or more and live within the AHS attendance area or the Ravensworth or Wakefield Chapel areas.

If you pick up the bags yourself, they are just $4.50 apiece. Pick-ups are scheduled for April 14, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the AHS back parking lot.

Orders must be paid in advance and received by April 4. You can order and pay online at the AHS PTSA website.

You can also send a check plus your information (name, address, email, phone number, name of subdivision, and number of bags purchased) to: All-Night Graduation Celebration, Annandale High School, 4700 Medford Drive, Annandale VA, 22003, Attn.: Mulch Fundraiser.

For more information, contact Laurie McCann.

Planning Commission considers Willow Run project tonight

The Campbell and Ferrara nursery is slated for townhouse development

It’s time to take a stand against out-of-control development that seems to be destroying every bit of open space left in Annandale. An improving housing market means more pressure by developers to convert every square inch of land to high-density housing, leading to ever more congested roads and overcrowded schools. If community associations and individual residents fail to fight these proposals, we can expect even more of these projects.

Annandale residents who want to preserve the character of well-established neighborhoods need to let our elected leaders know why it’s important to maintain our quality of life.

Opponents of a proposed housing development on the Campbell and Ferrara property on Little River Turnpike will be making their case at a public hearing before the Fairfax County Planning Commission tonight.

School board to vote on 'Mason Crest' as name of new school

If you’re still unsure about calling the new elementary school at the Lacey site in Annandale “Mason Crest,” you have one more day to voice your opinion. The Fairfax County school board is scheduled to vote on the name at its Thursday evening board meeting.

At a community meeting on the name last month, Mason Crest received the most votes from residents of the school’s attendance area, and Masonville was the second-highest vote-getter.

School board member Sandy Evans plans to offer a motion to name the school Mason Crest. “This name received widespread support, and I believe represents the majority view,” she says, “though I know some will be disappointed.”

“I very much appreciate the many thoughtful comments I’ve received from community members over the past weeks,” Evans says. “A number of people pointed to Masonville as the name of the much-beloved school that had been on that site and believed we should return to the historic name. Others felt that the new school deserved a new name to represent a fresh start and that Mason Crest combined a part of the old with the new as a tribute to both.”

Anyone wishing to testify about the naming of the school may sign up online for one of 10 spots to speak at the Feb. 23 school board meeting.

 

The school will open in September. Once the name is approved, FCPS will move forward with signage, and Principal Brian Butler will begin discussions with incoming students on choosing a mascot.

What should be in the Annandale museum?

We asked random Annandale residents this question: “If Annandale had a museum, what should be in it?” Here’s what people suggested:

Mementos from the Annandale High School football team’s state championship wins [in 1965, 1967, 1972, 1978, 1993, and 1994].

The 2011 bed race

A bed from the Annandale Chamber of Commerce’s annual bed race.

Items from the first Annandale Halloween parade.

The first piece of Penny Gross’ campaign literature.

Pothole filler from VDOT.

Artworks by local artists.

Profiles of famous Annandaleans, such as Dave Grohl.

One of Helen Winter’s trash bags. [Helen is the long-time chair of the Annandale beautification committee.]

Displays on the Army radar station in Annandale during World War II.

Items from the Annandale Volunteer Department.  As one resident said, “They ought to be recognized because they are so good.”

Ossian Hall

Pictures of other Annandales [There are Annandales in Minnesota, New Jersey, Scotland, and Australia.]

Menus from restaurants, past and present. [Remember the Three Chiefs?]

Acupuncture needles.

Pictures or items from Annandale’s history, such as the old grange hall, Ossian Hall, Annandale Elementary School, the original Little River Turnpike Toll House, and Annandale’s role in the Civil War. [And how about the story behind the gallows that were on Gallows Road?]

Film captures contributions of pioneer conservationist

By Elizabeth Kirchner

The public is invited to a free screening of “Green Fire,” a documentary about Aldo Leopold, the biologist and writer who raised the nation’s consciousness about environmental conservation.

Aldo Leopold

The film offers plenty of scenes of windy prairies, handsome forests, and purple mountains, but alos piles of elk carcasses, as it chronicles the nation during Leopold’s life in the first half of the 20th century when passenger pigeons still blotted out the sun (before being hunted to extinction), and for most Americans, shooting a wolf was more rewarding than the green fire in her eyes.

The documentary, produced by filmmakers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, will be screened at George Mason University’s JC Cinema March 15 at 7 p.m.

The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is partnering with the George Mason University Sustainability Program, Virginia Master Naturalist Program, REI, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Fairfax Tree Stewards, and other organizations to offer this event.

Stan Temple, professor emeritus in conservation at the University of Wisconsin and senior fellow and science adviser with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will lead a discussion following the film. Conservation organizations will also be on hand with information about their programs.

This event will serve as a “call to action” and networking forum for those already burning with environmental fervor. Those new to environmentalism should enjoy the compelling story of a brave man and a beautiful country.

The film was also shown to Fairfax County government employees earlier this month at a screening sponsored by the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust in partnership with the Park Authority and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.

How can Annandale be improved?

Little River Turnpike is not that pleasant for walking around

We asked random people who live or work around here how they think Annandale can be improved.

Almost everyone said they would like Annandale to be more pedestrian friendly. Here’s how one person put it: “Annandale needs to be more walkable, more like central Falls Church. The way it is now, things are too spread out. It feels kind of transient.”

Here are some other ideas people mentioned for improving the community:

“Mason District Park needs to be cleaned up. There’s too much litter all over the place.”

“Better bus transportation. There used to be a bus that went along Sleepy Hollow Road to Seven Corners and Bailey’s Crossroads.”

“More could be done with the Annandale Carnival, although the Halloween parade is great.”

“How about a big July 4 celebration or a First Night New Year’s Eve event, like the one in Falls Church? Maybe the Korean community could sponsor a Korean barbecue cook-off.”

“The parkland and walking trails should be better taken care of.”

“Break up the large parking lots at Kmart and Giant by adding ‘islands’ with trees and flowers.”

“Create a town center in Annandale.”

“Provide better bus service from central Annandale to Metro stations.”

Public urged to 'Stuff the Bus' with food for the needy

The 2011 Stuff the Bus campaign [photo from the Office of Public Private Partnerships]

The Stuff the Bus food drive, aimed at helping restock local food pantries for the needy, will be in our area this Saturday.

The initiative is managed the Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services department and the Office of Public Private Partnerships with support from MV Transportation and local grocery stores. The public is asked to bring donated food to a Fastran bus parked at designated locations for distribution to lower-income families and individuals.

On Feb. 18, the bus will be in front of Shoppers at the 6360 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Food brought to this location will go to the Falls Church Community Service Council.

The same day and times, the Stuff the Bus food drive will be at the Shoppers at Fair City Mall, 9622 Main St., Fairfax. Food brought here will be delivered to Our Daily Bread.

A bird's eye view of Annandale

Here's a view of Little River Turnpike from the tallest building in Annandale, the Heritage Center at 7617 Little River Turnpike at the Heritage Road intersection

From the opposite direction, you can see the Little River exit on the beltway

Looking toward Hummer Road, you can see the buildings of Fairview Park and in the far distance on the right, Tysons Corner. Thanks to Senior Real Estate Manager John Sylvester of CB Richard Ellis for letting me onto the roof.

Mulch sale supports Falls Church all-night grad party

Need mulch? Falls Church High School is selling three-cubic bags of double-shredded hardwood mulch to raise money for the all-night graduation celebration.

The bags are $5 each ($4.75 if you order by March 15). There is free curb delivery if you order 15 bags or more and live within a five-mile radius of the school. The mulch will be delivered Saturday, April 14.

Otherwise, you’ve got to pick up your mulch at the school on April 14 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The deadline for ordering mulch is April 9.

For more information, contact Jennifer, 703/560-9596. To order by mail, send a check to: ANGC, Falls Church High School, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22043 and include this this information: name, subdivision, street address, email, number of bags times cost per bag, and total cost.