Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/... · 2012. 12. 28. · 4...

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 20-26, 2012 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

AttentionPostmaster:

Time-sensitivematerial.

Requested in home12/21/12

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDAlexandria, VAPermit #482

December 20, 2012Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper

HolidayHappenings

Page 19

See Willie Bailey, Page 4

By Jeanne Theismann The Gazette

F or 45 Head Startpreschoolers, Christmasarrived a week earlywhen they entered Penn DawFire and Rescue Station 11 Dec.18 to select a toy of their choicefrom the thousands that hadbeen collected as part of the2012 Firefighters and Friendsannual toy drive.

“For the first time we are let-ting a few of the kids pick outtheir own toys,” said Capt.Willie Bailey, founder of thedrive. “Words don’t describe theway the kids’ faces light upwhen they see a toy and realizeit’s theirs to keep.”

Following the visit from theGum Spring area students, rep-resentatives from a record num-ber of organizations set aboutcollecting toys for the childrenthey serve.

“We have over 70 schools,shelters and nonprofits fromAlexandria and Fairfax Countyparticipating in this year’sdrive,” Bailey said. “I can’t be-lieve all the schools andnonprofits that reached out tous this year. You hear on the

news that the economy is rough— this is proof.”

Now in its 16th year, the annualdrive collected 4,000 toys with thehelp of local businesses and indi-

viduals, including studentsfrom St. Stephen’s and St.Agnes middle and upperschools.

That’s What Friends Are ForFirefighters andFriends annualtoy drive to help4,000 areachildren.

AFD Captain Thurston McClain helps a Gum SpringsHeadstart student find a toy.

Toy drive organizer Captain Will Baileywelcomes Margaret Panik and SteveGreensburg of the Fairfax County Fed-eration of Teachers.

Kappa Alpha Psi Alumni Chapter mem-bers Charlie L. Price, Charles Parker Jr.,Stanley Lamb and Leonard Askew volun-teer to help with the distribution onTuesday morning.

Pho

tos by L

ouise K

rafft

/Th

e Gazette

See Southern, Page 3

By Michael Lee PopeThe Gazette

From the top of the hill-side graveyard atWoodlawn BaptistChurch, Pastor TravisHilton looks out over the cars rush-ing by on the highway below. Formonths, families at his churchhave been worried that about 100of these graves might have to beexhumed to widen RichmondHighway. Now that the FederalHighway Administration has en-tered into a programmatic agree-ment with the National Trust forHistoric Preservation, Travis saysGod has answered the prayers ofhis congregation.

“That’s something that we cancelebrate this Christmas is that we

will not have to have concernabout the graves at WoodlawnBaptist Cemetery,” said Hilton. “Sothat is a relief.”

A few miles to the northeast,however, prayers have not beenanswered. Sitting in her office atWoodlawn Stables, owner CynthiaMitchell says she does not knowwhat the future holds for her busi-ness. She says she’s confident shewill carry on the business some-how — even if it means movingaway from Fairfax County, whichshe says has become increasinglyhostile to horses. For now, shesays, the expectation is thatWoodlawn Stables will close whenits lease with the National Trustfor Historic Preservation ends.

Stable UnstableFuture of Woodlawn Stables indoubt now that feds havedecided on southern bypass.

See Legislation, Page 5

By Michael Lee PopeThe Gazette

Last week’s mass shooting atan elementary school inConnecticut has alreadyprompted a debate about gun con-trol in Virginia, where the upcom-ing session of the General Assem-bly is likely to feature a numberof bills on both sides of the issue.Advocates for gun control will seekto force individuals to report sto-len firearms within 24 hours of thetheft and limit the number of bul-

lets that are allowed in ammuni-tion clips. Advocates for wideravailability of guns are likely topush to allow concealed weaponson college campuses and in air-ports.

“Democrats have felt a lot moreemboldened to talk about limitingaccess to certain kinds of guns andcertain kinds of ammunition,” saidKyle Kondick, analyst with theUniversity of Virginia Center forPolitics. “It does seem like the pro-

Mass shooting in Connecticutto spotlight gun legislationin upcoming session.

A Loaded Debate

2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 20-26, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

Spec. Rachael Shilakes, from theWounded Warrior Unit at FortBelvoir, was selected to place thePOW/MIA wreath at the Dec. 15ceremony. Escorting her is JudgeAdvocate Chuck Terio from Post 609.

Sgt. Justin Sutherland and hisdaughter place the wreath for theArmy. Sutherland was also selectedfrom Fort Belvoir’s WoundedWarrior Unit.

The graves for the four civilians lost when chasing John Wilkes Booth, after Lincoln’s assassination, are in a special section of the cemetery.

Members of the Mount Vernon Chapter of the DAR come to place wreathsat the Alexandria national Cemetery each year to honor the four civil-ians lost when chasing John Wilkes Booth. This DAR chapter is the thirdoldest in the state of Virginia.

Wreath Laying at Alexandria National CemeteryPhotos by Renée Ruggles/The Gazette

From Page 1

“We have spent the better part of the last30 years building relationships within thiscommunity, and had multiple generationsof students work here, ride here, showtheir horse here,” said Mitchell. “It’s a hugeloss to the community, not just the horseworld.”

THE CLASH between the National Trustand Woodlawn Stables began when U.S.Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) secured a $180 mil-lion appropriation to widen the road as aresult of the Base Closure and RealignmentCommission changes that have added thou-sands of new daily commuters to FortBelvior. Part of the agreement struck lastweek includes money for the National Trustto construct a new horse barn — if the or-ganization can find an operator for it.

“This agreement is great news for thecommuters along the already crowdedRoute 1 corridor,” said Moran in a written

statement. “This is a good outcome follow-ing a thorough process — everyone withsomething at stake was able to arrive at acompromise.”

An attorney for the National Trust ac-knowledged the agreement included moneyfor the organization to build a horse barn,but he was quick to add that that didn’tmean the organization would do so. Someof the details about how the project willwork have yet to be ironed out, and theNational Trust has a number of propertiesit needs to protect. In addition to the his-toric plantation house known as Woodlawn,the National Trust also owns a house notopen to the public known as Grand View aswell as a Frank Lloyd Wright house that wasmoved to the property during the construc-tion of Interstate 66. Leaders at the NationalTrust say threading that needle has been adifficult task.

“We are not in favor of the road. How-ever, we know that it’s going to go in,” saidRoss Bradford, an attorney who represents

the National Trust. “And in order to be goodneighbors, we supported an alignment thatwould minimize impact to the national his-toric landmark, which is our primary focusat Woodlawn.”

FOR SUPPORTERS of Woodlawn Stables,the idea that horses would not be a part ofthe community has been a worrisome de-velopment. That’s why a group formed andbegan calling itself Save Woodlawn Stables,whose founders took part in the negotia-tions leading to the programmatic agree-ment. They say the language in the agree-ment about the Federal Highway Adminis-tration contributing money to the NationalTrust for a horse barn is a “placeholder” —essentially keeping the idea alive whetherthe operator is Woodlawn Stables or an-other investor.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a numberof potential investors come forward whenthe lease runs out,” said Shelly Kazel, co-founder of Save Woodlawn Stables. “We

hope the trust will see this is what the com-munity wants on the property.”

The agreement sets out a plan that woulddemolish the existing barn to make wayfor a new commuter bypass. It would bereplaced with a new barn, which wouldbe located on the far end of the propertynear where an outdoor arena is currentlylocated.

“Like most residents and supporters ofSave Woodlawn Stables, we are devastatedwith the decision to choose a road designthat forever changes the landscape ofWoodlawn Plantation and the home of oneof the area’s most popular and cherishedequestrian facilities: Woodlawn Stables,”said Castle in a written statement. “SWS hasno doubt that the entire Woodlawn prop-erty would be a promising multi-use prop-erty where a riding facility can successfullyco-exist and greatly contribute to the sus-tainable future of Woodlawn Plantation andthe needs of the National Trust for HistoricPreservation.”

Southern Bypass Decision Impacts Woodlawn Stables


News

From Page 1

“We got the entire school community involved,”said eighth grade history teacher Karen Ruberg.“Willie came and spoke to the middle school stu-dents and explained how older kids are often for-gotten so we encouraged them to collect toys theywould like themselves.”

In addition to toys, more than 130 new bikes werecollected for what has become known as Distribu-tion Day along with cash donations that allowedBailey to purchase gift cards for older teens.

“Every local company we reached out to for help

didn’t turn us away,” said Bailey, who was presentedwith checks from Caldwell Banker Brokerage and theFairfax-Arlington Elks Lodge just prior to the distri-bution of toys. “It’s sad that the need is still out therebut good that the citizens and business communitystep up and support it.”

As has become custom, Primo Family Restaurantdonated pizza and food for the dozens of firefightersand volunteers helping sort and distribute toys forchildren in need.

“We’re going to be able to help a lot of kids with allthe donations that came in,” Bailey said. “We don’twant a kid to go without a toy if we can help it.”

Willie Bailey Toy Drive 2012

Volunteers from the Sheriff DepartmentSecond Lt. R. Morse and First Lt. JamiePopik with Captain Will Bailey.

Redskin cheerleaders Lindsay and Trulyare welcomed by Michael Johnson and AFDCaptain Thurston McClain.

Pho

tos by L

oui se K

rafft

/Th

e Gazette


VennellsTo Celebrate50th Anniversary

Charles (Ben) and Gloria (Ann)Vennell were married on Jan. 1,1953 in Harrisburg, Pa. BenVennell created, owned and oper-ated the Hollin Hall Variety Storeand also The Treasure Chest andThe Needle and Thread Shop inthe Alexandria area.

Ben and Ann Vennell owned theVariety Store for over 50 years andalthough they retired, the store isstill a fixture in the community.

The Vennell’s have two daugh-ters, whose families , along withtheir grand-children also live in thearea.

People

News

Story of the Raven The 7th graders at Burgundy Farm Country DaySchool rehearse the Native American story of theRaven on Tuesday morning. The students will per-form the Raven as part of the annual Festival ofLights Celebration on Thursday morning.

Pho

to by L

ouise K

rafft

/Th

e Gazette

From Page 1

gun rights people have not been as vocal as the anti-gun people, at least not yet.”

But the gun-rights lobby has traditionally had avery strong lobby in Richmond, especially now thatRepublicans are in control of both chambers and thegovernor’s office. Last year, for example, the newlyelected Republican assembly overturned alongstanding ban preventing individuals from pur-chasing more than one handgun a month. ManyNorthern Virginia Democrats say they often feel frus-trated by the tone in Richmond.

“It’s really hard to predict what the thinking is ofsome colleagues who would like to see a moreheavily armed society,” said state Sen. Adam Ebbin(D-30).

VIRGINIA HAS STRONG LAWS protecting therights of its citizens to carry and use guns, a tradi-tion that dates back to English common-law insti-tuted when the commonwealth was a British colony.The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence givesVirginia a score of 11 out of 100, describing the com-monwealth as having “weak gun laws that help feedthe illegal gun market, allow the sale of guns with-out background checks and put children at risk.” Butmany Republicans say no change to the law couldhave prevented the mass shootings that happenedlast week.

“Just because you pass a law doesn’t mean you’regoing to stop it. I mean, there’s millions and mil-lions and millions of guns in America,” said Del. DaveAlbo (R-42). “So when somebody wants to pass alaw that says no one can have a gun, does any ratio-nal person think that would work?”

One issue that comes up again and again each yearis the so-called “castle doctrine,” sometimes knownas “stand-your-ground” legislation, that would pro-

tect individuals from being sued if they fatally shootan intruder. That hasn’t passed, but other measuresincreasing the availability of guns have been success-ful. One overturned a longstanding ban against in-dividuals purchasing more than one handgun amonth. Another successful bill allows local govern-ment employees to bring concealed weapons ontogovernment property.

“I’ve been very surprised by what I’ve seen in Rich-mond,” said Del. Scott Surovell (D-44). “We’ll findout this session whether people have changed theirpoint of view about this.”

THE COMING SESSION is likely to see legislationthat would require Virginia to give reciprocity to out-of-state concealed weapons permits. Legislators arealso likely to debate a measure that would make it aClass 5 felony to provide false statements on a crimi-nal history background check. Yet another potentialbill would provide information from the backgroundcheck to the U.S. Attorney General for a NationalInstant Criminal Background check. And more legis-lation is in the works.

“In light of last Friday’s events, I feel morally com-pelled to introduce concrete legislation in the Gen-eral Assembly Session in January,” said state Sen.Donald McEachin (D-9). “Over the coming weeks, Iwill consult with my fellow legislators and announcespecific plans that will help stem this horrific tide ofgun violence.”

But the debate won’t be limited to guns.“To me, the one common problem in most of these

cases you’ve seen recently, which is the guy who shotthe congresswoman, the guy who was in the movietheater, the guy in Connecticut, was that they all hadsevere mental health problems,” said Albo. “Is thereason we are seeing more of these because morepeople are being mainstreamed? I don’t know, and Ithink that’s a question that needs to be asked.”

Spotlight on Upcoming Gun Legislation


The Best in Family Dining

An Alexandria community fixture for more than100 years, the Royal Restaurant offers the bestin Greek, Italian and American cuisine. Enjoyburgers, steaks, prime rib, chicken, seafood,pasta and full salad bar complete with specialchildren’s menu items.

Foodfit for a king

on a family budget

734 North Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314703-548-1616 • www.theroyalrestaurant.com

Award-winning wine menu • Major credit cards accepted

Visit These Houses of WorshipJoin a Club, Make New Friends, or Expand Your Horizons…

To Advertise Your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-917-6468

Christ the SaviourAnglican Church

“To Love & Serve the Lord withGladness & Singleness of Heart”

www.christthesaviouranglican.org

703-953-2854

Location – Washington Mill E.S.9100 Cherrytree Drive

Worship Service – 10 a.m.Inter-generational Sunday School – after service

Good ShepherdCatholic Church

8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria VA, 22309Tel: 703-780-4055 Fax: 703-360-5385 www.gs-cc.org

Loving as Christ loves, serving as Christ serves

Saturday Evening5:00 pm; 6:30 pm (en Español)

Sunday7:30; 9:00; 10:30 am; 12:00 Noon

2:00 pm (en Español)

6:30 pm Mass (from Sept. 9until mid June)

Weekdays(Mass or CommunionService) 9:00 am (followed by Rosary)

Children’s Liturgy of the WordSundays (Sept.-July) during 9:00 amMass (English)

Sign Language InterpreterSunday at 9:00 am Mass

Mass Schedule

b

bb

b

bb

By Marilyn CampbellThe Gazette

The holidays start with a sauce-pan of mushrooms — usuallyportabella, crimini or oyster —sautéing in olive oil. Next, slicedonions sizzle in a bath of bubbling butterand wine until they’re caramelized.

This is how Bonita Lillie starts her yule-tide feast. Under the guidance of her defthands, such rank and file produce becomemushroom soup. Fresh minced pork andcheddar cheese become a re-creation of hermother’s sausage rolls. She doesn’t measureingredients, count calories or add flavor-depleting substitutes. Only real food makesthe cut in her Alexandria kitchen.

“I go with my gut and what feels right. Idon’t use recipes,” said Lillie, a registereddietician and nutrition instructor atMarymount University in Arlington. “Ifyou’re cooking a family dish that you lookforward to every holiday and you substi-tute a fat-free version of something, it won’ttaste right and you won’t satisfy your

memory of that dish.”During a time of year when it is not un-

common to wash down Bûche de Noël witheggnog or to pile one’s plate with slices ofcrown roast beef drizzled with merlot creamsauce, Lillie and other local nutritionists,food enthusiasts and health gurus say don’tengage in self-deprivations. They empha-size that moderation, minor modificationsand keeping it real are the keys to main-

taining family traditions in ways that arehealthy.

“Fat, per se, is not evil,” said NicholeFerrigno, culinary director for Tiny Chefsin Great Falls, Alexandria, McLean, Oakton,Springfield, Arlington and Potomac. “It re-ally becomes about the type of fat one isconsuming. When we think of … eggnog,peppermint cake and gingerbread, I wouldtell folks to have just a little bit of the realthing. I do not ever, ever recommend sub-stituting real foods with processed look-a-likes.”

READ LABELS and examine the contents,say experts, or better yet, buy foods thatdon’t require labels. “[I]t is definitely bet-ter to eat real food,” said Joel Martin, Ph.D.,a professor of kinesiology at George MasonUniversity in Fairfax. “Our bodies have beenused to eating real food for thousands ofyears and only recently have artificial in-gredients been introduced into our diets.In the long run, regularly eating these sub-stitutes may cause numerous undesirableeffects.”

Ferrigno, a former restaurant chef, sug-gests swapping imitation for moderation.“Even when it comes to holiday indul-gences, one can partake and still do sowithin the parameters of a healthy diet,”she said. “The key … is to stick with whole,

unprocessed foods. By consuming the realthing, your body is satiated with just a smallamount. When we consume artificial ingre-dients, it takes much, much longer andmany, many more calories to reach the samelevel of satiety.”

Replacing one natural ingredient withanother is a flavor-preserving option. “Youcould substitute … an alternative sweetenerlike honey or agave nectar” for sugar, saidLenora Lawson, a chef instructor at The ArtInstitute of Washington’s International Cu-linary Schools in Arlington.

In fact, minor ingredient tweaks can packpowerful taste bud punches. “When you’rebaking a cake, sometimes you can replaceoil with applesauce in some cakes, and of-ten it tastes better,” said Lillie. She cautions,however, that “when you take out the fat inany dish, you have to replace it with herbsor other seasonings so that you don’t losethe taste.”

Most importantly, when faced with a diz-zying array of yuletide treats on a tray ortable, think before making a choice. “Bemindful, be appreciative and aware of whatyou are eating,” said Jennifer Kay Nelson,director of clinical dietetics and an associ-ate professor of nutrition at the Mayo ClinicCollege of Medicine. “Mindlessly grabbingcookies, candy, nuts here-there-everywhereoften end up in unexpected pounds.”

Teaching Health and Holiday Culinary TraditionsNutrition experts saymoderation, notdeprivation, is key. P

ho

to by M

arilyn

Cam

pbell/Th

e Co

nn

ectio

n


Jefferson Funeral Chapel

703-971-7400

Please call for your free brochureat no obligation to you.

5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22315

Funeral & CremationServices

• Local Family OwnedOperated.• Convenient to Neighborhoods.• New Facility/ Full Service Funeral Home

with Traditional Chapel and Large Visitation Rooms.

• Substantial Savings without Sacrificing the Quality of Caring Service.• Courtliest and Professional Caring Staff.

News

Kimberly Todd shows oneof the taller trees stillavailable for sale at theMount Vernon High Schoolsale. The Mount VernonMajors Booster Club isselling trees and swags inthe lot by the school sta-dium. Last day of sale isWednesday, Dec. 19 from 3– 8 p.m. if inventory isdepleted. Otherwise volun-teers will be out this week-end. Proceeds benefit theathletic programs at theschool.

TreesFor SaleBob Lom-bardy and EdPerez help putMickMcKeown’stree into thetrunk of hisLexus. WestPotomac HighSchool Athletic Boosters Club and Crew are selling holi-day trees, wreaths and garlands through Dec. 22 at theCarl Sandburg Middle School. Members of the high schoolathletic teams are volunteering to help daily with thesale. Hours are Monday – Friday 5 – 8 p.m., Saturday 9a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

Pho

tos

by L

ouis

e K

raf

ft/T

he

Gaz

ette


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

connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

NEWS DEPARTMENT:To discuss ideas and concerns,

Call: 703-778-9410e-mail:

[email protected]

Steven MaurenEditor, 703-778-9415

[email protected]

Michael Lee PopeReporter, 703-615-0960

[email protected]@MichaelLeePope

Jeanne Theismann703-778-9436

[email protected]@TheismannMedia

Jon RoetmanSports Editor, 703-224-3015

[email protected]@jonroetman

Louise KrafftPhotographer

[email protected]

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

e-mail:[email protected]

Julie FerrillDisplay Advertising, [email protected]

Helen WalutesDisplay Advertising, 703-224-3028

[email protected]

Andrea SmithClassified Advertising, [email protected]

Debbie FunkNational Sales703-778-9444

[email protected]

PublisherJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]

@MaryKimm

Editor in ChiefSteven MaurenArt/Design:

Laurence Foong, John HeinlyProduction Manager:

Jean CardGeovani Flores

CIRCULATION: 703-778-9427Circulation Manager:

Ann [email protected]

A Connection Newspaper

Showing They CareIn response to the tragedy at SandyHook Elementary School, Girl ScoutDaisy/Brownie Troop 185 of Alexan-dria made cards during their troopmeeting on Friday, Dec. 14. Duringthe meeting, the girls discussed theincident and their feelings aboutincident. They will be mailed toSandy Hook Elementary School fordistribution to its staff and families.

Cost of SocialServices ProgramsTo the Editor:

The Obama administration actions have beenincreasing dependency instead of creating jobs,upward mobility and self sufficiency. Foodstamps alone have increased by 17 millionmore recipients. Therefore, the cost of socialprograms have increased. Many able bodiedpersons receive free or subsidized housing,food stamps and free health care. These threeitems represent the most cost of a workingperson’s budget Such government benefits dis-courage persons from working and increasesdependency.

Social service costs represent about 50 per-cent of the income taxes collected by govern-ment. The government doesn’t sell productsto earn income but rather collects taxes fromhard working taxpayers. To find out what yourcontribution to social services are, obtain the2011 taxes paid and multiply that amount by50 percent and then divide that result by 12months to obtain your monthly contributionto help pay for free or subsidized housing, foodstamps and free health care. You then can de-cide whether it is better to create jobs to helppersons become self sufficient or continue onthe path of dependency. Any action taken isup to you.

Frank MedicoMount Vernon

Letter to the Editor

See Texting, Page 17

By Scott A. SurovellState Delegate (D-44)

At 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, 2011,18-year-old Kyle Rowley was drivinghome from his summer job down Route7 near the Fairfax County line when his carran out of gas. He pulled his car into the right-hand lane, turned on his flashers and got outto push his car off the road.

Behind him, Jason Gage approached from

Legislating Against Texting and DrivingCommentary

the west. About 20 feet from a break in thecurb, Gage’s car struck Rowley and his car frombehind, throwing Rowley to the middle of theroad where another car ran him over. Both carsflipped and rolled. Gage was rendered uncon-scious, had no recollection of what occurred.No one witnessed the collision.

Gage had 2,000 feet of straight, level pave-ment on a lit road to see

Opinion

W ith less than a week beforeChristmas, many people havenot completed their shopping,and so we remind youof the importance of spending a sig-nificant portion of your shopping bud-get locally. At this point in the season,the high cost of expedited shipping might alsoserve as an incentive to shop in locally ownedstores.

One way to be sure holiday shopping comeswith 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 a

town that is decked out for the season.Small retail shops are part of defining any

community. Their livelihood depends on thelivability and quality of the neighborhoodsaround them. A small business owner pays at-tention to every detail in his or her business ina way that no chain can. Frequently, it is thesmall retail person who is active in fundraising

for local charities, for fire and rescueservice, for local schools and in orga-nizing holiday events.

Local retail stores, mom-and-popstores, continue to face tough challenges. Com-petition from big box stores and online sellersmakes the holiday shopping season all themore important to locally-owned retailers.

With less than two weeks to go before theend of the charitable giving year, we also re-mind you of the critical local needs that arefilled by a variety of local nonprofit organiza-

Reminder: Shop Locally, Give LocallySupporting thecommunity.

tions. With suggestions from readers, we haveupdated our lists. We welcome suggestions aswe continuously update our local lists of com-munity organizations. You can find a completelist on our website,www.connectionnewspapers.com

Last News Issueof 2012

This is the last regular edition of the Con-nection for 2012, and it includes the last ofour 2012 series on immigration. Next week,delivered shortly after Christmas, is theChildren’s Connection, devoted to the artworkand writing of area students.

— Mary Kimm,[email protected]

Editorial

Where To Give LocallyThe Fairfax County Office of Public Private Partnerships

has put together a list of 12 ways to supportnonprofit partners that are in need of contributionsto carry out their mission. Visitwww.fairfaxcountypartnerships.org

❖ Support services for aging in place through LifeCircle Alliance www.lifecirclealliances.org/donate.htm

❖ Shop online “Gifts that Give Hope” Alternative GiftFair for Fairfax Countyatwww.giftsthatgivehope.org/fairfax providing linksto buy gifts that support more than 20 FairfaxCounty nonprofits including Alternative House,Herndon-Reston FISH, FACETS, Stroke ComebackCenter, and more.

❖ Honor the memory of a relative or friend orrecognize a birthday, wedding, anniversary,

retirement or other special event by donating abench to a park through the Fairfax County ParkFoundation http://fairfaxparkfoundation.org/support/benchtree.htm

❖ Buy a book to fulfill the Library Foundation’s WishList http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html/002-9627810-1915264?id=2P3AKWX1F9FO

❖ Donate the gift of trees through Reforest Fairfax ofthe Fairfax County Restoration Project http://www.fcrpp3.org/reforestfairfax/

❖ Give the gift of Art to benefit the Arts Council ofFairfax County, http://artsfairfax.org/donate

❖ Protect a child’s smile and health by donating toProject Pearly Whites from the MCCP Foundation,mccpfoundation.org/news/mccp_foundation_launches_project_pearly_whites/

❖ Help end homelessness through the Office to Prevent

and End Homelessness, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/homeless/opeh.htm

❖ Give the gift of your time and become a mentor forBeFriend-A-Child, http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/childrenyouth/befriendachild.htm

❖ Provide for a family for the holidays through A WayForward and donate care packages to those whoneed it most, http://www.awayforward.org

Other Fairfax County organizations that need your helpto keep helping others:

❖ United Community Ministries, Mount Vernon,703-768-7106, 7511 Fordson Road, Alexandria,22306 http://www.ucmagency.org/

❖ Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, 703-237-0866, www.lcnv.org, Teaches adults the basicskills of reading, writing, speaking andunderstanding English. Offers one-to-one tutoringprograms for adult learners as well as beginning-level ESOL and Family Learning adult programs.

❖ Computer C.O.R.E. 703-931-7346,www.computercore.org, Adult Education, ComputerTraining and Career Development, with classes inAlexandria, Fairfax, Herndon and Annadale

❖ National Capital Food Bank, 6833 Hill ParkDrive, Lorton, serving all of Northern Virginia, 703-541-3063. www.capitalareafoodbank.org


IN SUPPORT OF

©2012 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC® Coldwell Banker PreviewsInternational®, And Previews® Are Registered Trademarks Licensed To ColdwellBanker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal HousingOpportunity. Owned And Operated By NRT LLC. 4999WDC. The property informa-

tion herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to,county records and the Multiple Listing Service and it may include approximations.Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and youshould not rely upon it without personal verification.

Dominating the Luxury Market

Kathleen Kennedy | Branch Vice PresidentOld Town Alexandria | 310 King Street | Alexandria, VA 22314703-283-3321 | Now accepting new agents

Recognized as a world leader in marketing exceptional properties, we have prominent offices across the globe,

which means your home has exposure all over the world.

Over $600 million of national real estate sold to international buyers

Nationally, we handle an average of $68.9 million in luxury sales every day!

May your Holiday be filled with

love and cheer!

May your Holiday be filled with

love and cheer!

During this holiday season, with so much to be grateful for, we askyou to join us in helping those less fortunate. In our efforts to make along term difference, we have chosen two projects: We are collectingnew and slightly used coats for infants and children in need up toeighteen years old. These may be dropped off until December 22nd.

We are also collecting toys for infants to age eighteen for the Centerfor Cancer and Blood Disorders/Children’s National Medical Center.The toys need to be new unless they are slightly used books orDVDs. Wrapping is not necessary. Toys can be dropped off at ouroffice anytime until January 4th.

The AlexandriaColdwell Banker

Family Wishes YouHappy Holidays!

The AlexandriaColdwell Banker

Family Wishes YouHappy Holidays!

12 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 20-26, 2012 Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 20-26, 2012 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


Focus On Immigration

By Victoria RossThe Gazette

Final part of the series.

O n Election NightNov. 6, KeisyChavez’s nerveswere frayed.The Fairfax single mom had

been campaigning hard for Demo-crats since the official launch ofLatinos for Obama last April.

She filmed a commercial forSenate candidate Tim Kaine inSeptember, worked phone banks,door-knocked during 104-degreeheat, stuffed envelopes, deliveredyard signs, and seized every op-portunity to talk to friends, neigh-bors and strangers about the im-portance of the 2012 election.

Her daughter, Cinthya Qureshi,24, likes to tease her mom abouther willingness to talk to anyonewhen it comes to politics.

“If my mom is pumping gas, andsees someone next to her, she willstart a conversation about poli-tics,” she said.

“I’ve been organizing for Presi-dent Obama and Governor Kainesince the launch of their cam-paigns, and everyone I talk to inthe Latino community gets firedup to help spread the message ofeverything they have done for us,”said Chavez.

Chavez was ecstatic over ofKaine’s and Obama’s victories inVirginia. “It was such a powerfulfeeling. I can’t really describe howhappy and relieved I felt,” she said.“It shows that you can make a dif-ference. It’s a big motivation torealize that you can have an im-pact on something bigger thanyou, something that touches somany people.”

Like many Latinos this electioncycle, Chavez made certain hervoice was heard. According to exitpolls, recent immigrants, not justLatinos, voted overwhelmingly, 73percent, for Obama in NorthernVirginia.

Data from the Pew ResearchCenter also shows that AsianAmericans have shifted more toDemocrats since 2008 than anyother minority group. Represent-ing just 3 percent of the nationalvoting population, they are thefastest growing demographic inthe United States, and their influ-

ence is being felt beyond tradition-ally blue states, like California, Ha-waii, New York and New Jersey,into swing states like Virginia andNorth Carolina.

“This area, particularly FairfaxCounty, is teeming with immi-grants, from South America, India,Vietnam, South Korea and else-where,” said Frederic Bemak, di-rector of the Diversity Researchand Action Center at George Ma-son University. “I can’t imaginemany of them swooned atRomney’s incessant China bashing,or talk of self-deportation for theundocumented.”

“The tectonic plates are shiftingon immigration,” said FrankSharry, a McLean resident and ex-ecutive director of America’s Voice,an advocacy group for immigrants.“The fact that leading conservativevoices are joining Republican lead-ers in calling for immigration re-form that includes relief for the 11million undocumented immi-grants in America is a major de-velopment that will open up space

for the GOP to do the right thingand help pass sensible reform leg-islation.”

Sharry said political leadersshould consider the response from2012 voters to this question askedin the network exit polls: “Shouldmost illegal immigrants workingin the United States be offered achance to apply for legal status ordeported to country they camefrom?”

“By a whopping 65-percent-to-28-percent margin, Americanssupport the ‘apply for legal status’option,” Sharry said.

Chavez said the 2012 electionwas a “reality wake-up call.”

“I think it has finally hit someRepublican politicians and policy-makers that if you don’t embraceimmigration you will go nowhere.If you really want your party oryour candidate or issues to be ad-dressed, you need to embrace themix of people in this country. Ev-eryone has something to bring, re-gardless of whether you’re Latino,Asian, or Irish.”

Voting: How thepowerless beginto access power?

Political affiliation aside, re-search shows that immigrants, es-pecially when they organize andvote, are influencing the politicaldiscussion overall, not just elect-ing Democrats.

According to immigration ex-perts, the right to vote is a keymotivating factor when immi-grants choose to become citizens,instead of just holding on to theirgreen card.

Andrew Eade, who grew up inEngland, has been working in theU.S. for 16 years. In May, Eade wasone of 75 new citizens who tookthe Oath of Allegiance during aspecial naturalization ceremony atthe Fairfax County GovernmentCenter.

A resident of Herndon for 16years, Eade said he wanted to be-come a citizen so he could “fullyparticipate in the system andvote.”

“I’ve been paying taxes for allthese years, and I thought it wastime to vote. You want to feel likeyou are getting your voice heard,”he said.

Tam-Anh Lam, 23, calledTammy by her clients at the FourSeasons Nail Salon in Oakton,pulls out a creased photo of her 4-year-old daughter, Leah-Anh, toshow a client.

Lam came to the United States

with her parents when she was 2years old. Lam lives with her par-ents in Reston, who help take careof her daughter.

She became a citizen when sheturned 18, but did not vote untilthis year. Lam said she wants herdaughter to grow up with self-con-fidence and the higher educationshe lacks.

“I never paid much attention,but this year there was so much inthe news that concerned me.” Lamsaid news about immigration, edu-cation and healthcare struck achord with her, and she decidedshe would vote this year.

“I wanted to vote because itgives you power. It’s the Americanway. . . . I wanted my daughter toknow that we’re Americans too,and she can do anything. If I can’tdo it, maybe she can. Who knows,she could be a doctor someday,”Lam said.

Community-based organiza-tions, according to a 2009 UrbanInstitute study, play a key role inencouraging immigrants to enrollin citizenship programs so theycan participate in the electoral pro-cess.

“A significant aspect of immi-grant integration is civic partici-pation,” said Richard Eldridge, theCitizenship volunteer manager atHogar Immigrant Services, aFairfax County program of Catho-lic Charities of the Diocese of Ar-lington. “We have a strong com-ponent of helping people becomenew citizens, of empowering im-migrants through the benefits of

Immigrants make significant gains in influencingpolitical system.

How the Powerless Access

Brian Moran, former chairman of the Democratic Party ofVirginia with U.S. Rep. James Moran (D-8) and FredShwaery of Vienna, a member of the Arab AmericanDemocrats of Virginia, at the 24th annual Arab AmericanCandidates’ Night Dinner held at the Tysons CornerMarriott on Sept. 30.

Keisy Chavez, a Latino activist with Latinos for Obama,and daughter Cinthya Qureshi at their business inHerndon.

Pho

tos by V

icto

ria R

oss/T

he G

azette


citizenship.”“Our goal is for immigrants to

achieve self-sufficiency and par-ticipate fully in the greater com-munity,” said Brooke HammondPerez, education services andgroup manager. Hogar, which wasfounded in 1981, offers a combi-nation of legal consultation, En-glish-language instruction and citi-zenship classes.

While the majority of Hogar’simmigrant clients live below thepoverty level, their determinationto become engaged, active citizensis inspiring, Hammond Perez said.

But few have touchedHammond Perez personally asmuch as client Alhaji Alpha Bah,an 82-year-old immigrant fromSierra Leone. In 1992, Bah was ashop-keeper in the West Africannation when civil war broke out.During a decade of brutal civil war,when tens of thousands of peopledied, Bah was forced from hishome, living as a refugee inGuinea for seven years beforecoming to the United States in2003.

“He was accompanied to theU.S. by four of his nine children,”Hammond Perez said, adding thathis other children had to stay be-hind in Guinea and Sierra Leone.“Even now, he doesn’t know thewhereabouts of three of those fivechildren.”

Bah came to Catholic Charitiesin 2010. He did not have any for-mal education, did not speak En-glish and was not able to find con-sistent work. Despite these ob-stacles, Bah, accompanied byHammond Perez, was officiallysworn in as a U.S. citizen on Oct.

14, 2011. When asked what hewanted to do as a new American,he said he wanted to register tovote as soon as possible. “I feelproud. I feel big. You are a citizen.Welcome to America,” Bah said invideo interview discussing his ex-periences. (To see the video, visithogarimmigrantservices.org.)

ImmigrantsGaining PoliticalInfluence

In Virginia and at the nationallevel, immigrant voters are chang-ing the political landscape in un-precedented ways, and hold in-creasing influence across the po-litical spectrum.

“From a political perspective,the way the demographics areshifting, those who would demon-ize and attack new immigrantsand Latinos do so at their peril,”said Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49),the first Latino Democrat electedto the Virginia General Assembly.

Latinos have a long history ofpolitical involvement through or-ganizations which give them ac-cess to elected officials, accordingto the Urban Institute.

In contrast, the Urban Institutestudy says, Asian and African im-migrant communities are newerand lack long-serving, establishedleaders to spearhead and encour-age participation and advocacy.While Asians comprise 17.4 per-cent of Fairfax County’s popula-tion, compared to 15.6 percent

See Immigrants, Page 16

Power

Andrew Eade, wife Stephanie and son Greyson, 21months, of Herndon. Eade, from England, was one of 75candidates who took the Oath of Allegiance during aspecial naturalization ceremony May 25 at the FairfaxCounty Government Center.

Pho

to by V

icto

ria R

oss/T

he G

azette

See Barriers, Page 16

Del. Mark Keam (D-35) is the first Korean Americanand the first Asian-born immigrant to serve in theVirginia General Assembly. In November 2009, Keam waselected to an open seat in the House of Delegates and re-elected in November 2011. Keam, 46, currently serves onthe House Education and Finance Committees, and is co-chair of the Legislative Tourism Caucus. Keam sat for aseries of interviews with Connection reporter Victoria Rossin his Vienna office in December. Here is Keam’s story,mostly in his own words.

For new Americans, life is hard, but oncethey overcome those barriers, they arestronger, and they contribute so much be-cause they fought so hard to get here. I’m proudof my background. The policies I advocate for arefrom the perspective of an immigrant, somethingwhich is sorely missing in Richmond. As an im-migrant who came here with nothing, I’m able tohave everything I ever wanted, to give my chil-dren incredible opportunities.

Let me put it this way, unlike most people whoseimmigration stories are fairly simple, (for ex-ample, they move from one country to anothercountry), I lived in four different countries andseveral different cities. I guess you could say Iwas the result of global circumstances beyond mycontrol.

My parents met in the late 1950s. They had losttheir parents during the war, so I didn’t know anyof my grandparents. My mother had an older sis-ter, who was a devout Christian. She didn’t likemy father.

My parents were like street kids after the Ko-rean war. My mother didn’t finish school and myfather was sort of a rogue. The only way my auntwould let him approach my mother was to provehe was upstanding citizen, so he became a minis-ter.

In 1961, there was mandatory conscription inthe military, so Keam’s father was sent to Vietnamas a chaplain.

My father would come back at least once everytwo years. My brother was born in 1962, my sis-ter was born in 1964 and I was born in 1966. In1969, he came back to Seoul, and he wanted toset up a church. But Korea was still very run-downpost war. Imagine Afghanistan, imagine that sce-nario. Korea was like Afghanistan times two. Norunning water, all the buildings were bombed,everything was devastated, being run by dicta-tors. It’s only 50 miles from DMZ. That was theworld I was born into.

THE WAR IN VIETNAM was at a standstill, alot of countries started establishing ties in SouthVietnam, so they asked my father, who had stud-ied Vietnamese language and culture, to establisha Korean church and community center. We livedin the church, and I remember the building well.

This goes directly into how I got into politics.From the time I was 4-years-old, I can’t rememberone meal we had with just the five of us. Our mealswere with whoever was at the church. For the5,000 Koreans who lived in Vietnam in the 70s,every one of them came to our church because itwas also the only community center. It was thehub of all Korean activities. From the time I wokeup until I went to bed, there were always peoplearound us.

When I was a small kid, I freaked out becausewe had caskets. I remember there’d be a weddingin the morning, a funeral in the middle of the day,and another wedding at night. You’d see the samepeople dressed up for a wedding and then backfor a funeral, because they knew each other. I livedin that world with the idea that community helpseach other. It was ingrained in me such a naturalway that I think, to this day, that’s the core of mybeing. What made me who I am and what mademe think the way I do and act the way I do everysingle day was molded in my childhood. Moreimportantly, because of my father, I saw it was in-cumbent upon us to be leaders in our community.Family is important, but community is just as im-portant. So that has led me to do what I’m doingtoday.

When Keam was 9-years-old, in April of 1975, herecalls his family fleeing the church compound dur-ing what historians call the Fall of Saigon. The cap-ture of Saigon by the People’s Army of Vietnam andthe National Liberation Front, marked the end ofthe Vietnam War and the start of a transition pe-riod leading to the formal reunification of Vietnaminto a communist state. The fall of the city was pre-ceded by the evacuation of almost all the Americancivilian and military personnel in Saigon, along withtens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians as-sociated with the southern regime. The evacuationculminated in Operation Frequent Wind, which wasthe largest helicopter evacuation in history.

That’s the most traumatic thing that’s ever hap-pened to me. We were playing in the room, and Ijust remember my mother coming in saying wehave to pack up and go.

We had seen a lot of things. Whenever I see war-

Del. Mark Keam (D-35)

Photos by Victoria Ross/The Gazette

Immigrant Success StoryDelegate Mark L. Keam.


From Page 15

torn scenes of Libya or Syria, it brings back flashes of memory.I never saw actual tanks roll in, but we heard bombs going off.There were times when we would go through the markets of Viet-nam, and we had seen Buddhist monks self-immolating in politi-cal protests—just awful.

After seeing things like that, it wasn’t real to us until that daymy mom said pack up.

The families at the compound got in the cars, and drove to thislittle airport. As we’re leaving in the helicopter, we look back andI see my dad standing behind the chicken-wire fence.

KEAM SAID HE EVENTUALLY reconstructed what happened tohis father through relative’s stories and his father’s testimony.

My father was stranded on the rooftop, and he was arrested bythe Viet Cong. He had two marks against him. One was that hewas a religious leader in a communist country. Another mark wasthat he served in the South Korean military, even though he wasa chaplain.

We were taken back to Seoul, and there were so many rumors.We heard that my father was killed, or that he was in prison, orthat he made it but he’s not coming back. We had absolutely noway to understand this. . . .

When we arrived back in Korea, we had zero, nothing. No onewas doing well. My mother found a one-bedroom apartment inSeoul. My mom had never finished high school let alone college.As a woman, she had no way of having meaningful employment,being a single mother with three kids. … So my mother went tochurches and to ex-military friends and it was those people whosupported us, not the government. I never asked her, and shenever talks about it, but I believe the only way she fed us everysingle day, is that she begged and went to charities and welfaregroups. That was the year I became an adult and lost my child-hood innocence.

KEAM SPOKE ENGLISH AND FRENCH, but not much Korean.Back at school in Seoul, he was bullied and treated as a special-needs student. He said that terrible year transformed him in waysthat make him the person he is today.

I preach this all the time, discrimination is discrimination nomatter who is doing it to whom. My life’s mission is to fight againstdiscrimination. I am also passionate about literacy. I serve on theboard of Virginia Literacy Foundation, a nonprofit founded byformer Virginia First Lady Jeannie Baliles to ensure that every-one has essential reading and writing skills they need to succeed.

After what Keam considers the worst year of his life, assuming hisfather was never coming home, feeling out of place in his nativecountry, his family got another surprise. His father returned home,showing up on their doorstep out of the blue.

“That’s a story for another time, how we eventually got here,”Keam said.

THE REST OF THE STORY, ABRIDGED: After reuniting withhis father, Keam’s family then moved to Australia, where his fatherestablished another church before eventually moving to California.

Keam received a political science degree from the University ofCalifornia at Irvine, and had a chance to live in Falls Church whileworking as a college intern. After receiving a law degree fromHastings College of the Law, Keam returned to Virginia where hemet and married Alex Seong Keam, also an attorney. The Keamshave two children, Tyler, a Cub Scout, and Brenna, a Brownie. Bothchildren attend Mosby Woods Elementary School in Fairfax.

As a part-time citizen-legislator, Keam, who is known as the mostprolific member of the General Assembly on Twitter @markkeam,maintains a year-round office in Vienna in addition to his Rich-mond office. When the General Assembly is not in session, Keamserves as senior advisor for strategic affairs at Verizon; he has workedat Verizon since 2007. Before that, for six years, he served as chiefcounsel to the Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin on theSenate Judiciary Committee. Before working on Capitol Hill, Keamworked at the Small Business Administration, and had also servedas an attorney with the Federal Communications Commission’s Wire-less Bureau.

Overcoming Barriers

From Page 15

sors were willing to spend targeting our community.”Lopez pointed out that since 2000 Latino voter

participation in the Commonwealth of Virginia hasgone up between 1 and 3 percent every election cycle.Currently, there are 683,000 Latinos in Virginia, andapproximately 183,000 of those are eligible voters,according to the State Board of Elections.

According to the 2010 decennial census, between2000 and 2010, Latino voter registration increasedby 75 percent in Virginia, one of highest increases incountry.

“This is something that really blew me away,” Lopezsaid. “The average age of the Latino citizen is 15 yearsold. Think about what that means in two years andfour years and eight years. You’re going to see a hugeincrease in Latino registered voters.”

Lopez said the increasing percentage of Virginia’sLatinos and immigrant voters make him hopeful thatthe political polarization regarding immigration re-form will diminish.

“There’s something huge about what’s happeningin the Commonwealth,” Lopez said. “The demo-graphic shifts coming to Virginia will wipe out theeffects of the short-sighted anti-immigrant politick-ing we see now.”

Chavez said it’s just smart—politically and eco-nomically—to create a pathway to citizenship foryoung immigrants. “We’re relying on their talent andskills. It’s not just a Latino concern. . . . It helps theeconomy and makes America stronger for everyone.”

“Like the program says ‘it’s the new normal.’ Getused to it. Embrace it,” Chavez said.

who are Latino, Asians speakmany different languages andcome from a wide variety of cul-tures, making it more difficult topolitically mobilize the populationas a whole.

Regardless, political leaders areincreasingly tuned in to the con-cerns of immigrants, and the num-ber of immigrant community-based organizations is increasing.In 2000, according to the UrbanInstitute, there were 90 such or-ganizations in Fairfax County; in2009, the number was up to 149.

“The number of organizationsdevoted to the interest of membersof the immigrant community hasbeen increasing just as the num-ber of immigrants has been in-creasing,” said Del. Ken Plum (D-36). “I try to attend as many meet-ings of groups with immigrantmembers to demonstrate to themthat they can have a say in gov-ernment and that there are thosein elective office who value thecontributions.”

At the 24th annual Candidates’Night Dinner, hosted by the ArabAmerican Republicans and theArab American Democratic Caucusof Virginia on Sept. 30, nearly ev-ery Fairfax County Democrat run-ning for office was there, courting voters, includingKaine, U.S. Rep. James Moran (D-8) and U.S. Rep.Gerry Connolly (D-11). Former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis,(R), who served eight terms in Congress, was MittRomney’s surrogate.

Launched in 1987 by the Arab American Institute(AAI), the event is a forum for campaigning politi-cians, and a place where the Arab-American com-munity can engage in the political process.

“Candidates’ Night, by admission of most politi-cians attending the forum, has been praised as oneof the best ethnic political forums,” said event co-chair Saba L. Shami. “It’s become an institution,bringing candidates together with the Arab Ameri-can community as an integral part of the Americanpolitical process.”

Del. Mark Keam (D-35), the first Korean Ameri-can and the first Asian-born immigrant to serve inthe Virginia General Assembly, said Asian immigrantsare beginning to see unprecedented growth in bothpopulation and political clout.

“In 2000, I was the convention chair of the Na-tional Asian American Bar Association. It was heldin D.C., and we broke all records. We had 500 law-yers getting together in the same town, and we hada budget of over $300,000. We thought that was bigtime,” Keam said.

“In 2012, same town, same convention, but thisyear the event drew 1,700 lawyers and had a budgetof $1.6 million,” Keam said. “What that tells you issomething about both the physical growth and theeconomic clout of Asians, because of the money spon-

Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-49) at the Democratic CommitteeHeadquarters in Annandale.

Immigrants GainInfluence in Virginia

Focus On Immigration

Pho

to by V

icto

ria R

oss/T

he G

azette


Zone 3 Ad Deadline:Tuesday Noon

703-917-6400Zone 3: • Alexandria• Mount Vernon

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

A CLEANING SERVICESince 1985/Ins & Bonded

Quality Service at a Fair PriceSatisfaction Guaranteed-

Angies List 2011-Super Service Award!Comm/Res. MD VA DC

acleaningserviceinc.com703-892-8648

CLEANING CLEANING

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

GUTTER CLEANINGGutters and Downspouts Cleaned

Small Repairs • Gutter Guards

PINNACLE SERVICESlic/ins 703-802-0483 free est.email [email protected]: lawnsandgutters.comFriendly Service with a Friendly Price!

GUTTER GUTTER

LicensedInsured

We Accept VISA/MC

703-441-8811

You have tried the rest - NOW CALL THE BEST!!Proudly serving Northern VA - 46 yrs. exp.

The HANDYMANA DIVISION OF NURSE CONSTRUCTION

BATHROOM REMODELING, DRYWALL,PAINTING, CERAMIC TILE, CARPENTRY,POWER WASHING & MUCH MORE

A&S Landscaping

703-863-7465LICENSED

Serving All of N. Virginia

• All Concrete work• Retaining Walls • Patios• Decks • Porches (incl. screened) • Erosion & Grading Solutions• French Drains • Sump Pumps• Driveway Asphalt Sealing

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

R.N. CONTRACTORS, INC.Remodeling Homes, Flooring,Kitchen & Bath, Windows,Siding, Roofing, Additions &Patios, Custom Deck, Painting

We Accept All Major Credit CardsLicensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A LicPhone: 703-887-3827 Fax: 703-830-3849

E-mail: rncontractorsinc@gmail

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

R&N Carpentry

✦BASEMENTS ✦BATHS ✦KITCHENSForeclosure specialist/Power washing

✦Exterior Wood Rot More!Deck & Fence repair, Screen Porches

No jobs too large or smallFree est. 37 yrs exp. Licensed, Insured

703-987-5096

J.E.S ServicesLANDSCAPE & CONSTRUCTION

Call: 703-912-6886Free Estimates

•Patios • Walkways•Retaining Walls•Landscape Makeovers

Drainage Problems

MOWING, TRIMMING, EDGING,MULCHING & TRIM HEDGES

PINNACLE SERVICES, INC.LAWN SERVICE

Friendly Service for a Friendly Price

703-802-0483703-802-0483

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

Custom Masonry703-768-3900

www.custommasonry.infoPatios, Walkways, Stoops, Steps, DrivewaysRepairs & New Installs•All Work Guranteed

BRICK AND STONE

MASONRY MASONRY

FIREWOOD

FIREWOODMixed Seasoned Hardwood

$130 half cord$220 full cord

Call Joe at301-856-4436

301-602-9528 Cell

AL’S HAULINGJunk & Rubbish

Concrete, furn.,office,yard, construction debris

Low Rates NOVA703-360-4364

703-304-4798 cell

7 DAYS A WEEK

ANGEL’S HAULING

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

Junk Trash Removal, Yard/Construction

Debris, Garage/ Base- ment Clean Out,

Furniture & Appl.

703-863-7465

A&SLANDSCAPING

Planting • Mulching • SoddingPatios • Decks • Driveway Sealing,

Asphalt • Retaining WallsErosion Control • Drainage Solutions

HAULING

HAULING

LANDSCAPING

EmploymentEmployment

Advertising SalesFull time outside sales in NoVA, minimum 1year experience in sales environment required.Print & digital products, salary based on expe-rience + commission + bonus & benefits.

Send resume & cover letter to:[email protected]

Freelance ReporterTo cover news plus events features

in Mount Vernon. Rewarding,flexible work, pay is nominal.

Email letter, resume plus clips [email protected]

Advertising SalesWork part-time in and near

your home officeEnjoy commissions and flexible hours

Great opportunity for outside salesperson to work primarily in and near yourhome. Use relationship selling to create andexpand community print and internetadvertising campaigns to local businesses forConnection Newspapers, NorthernVirginia’s best-read community newspapersand websites.

Keep productivity high and commutinglow while working close to home. After ashort training period, travel to our Old TownAlexandria headquarters and productionfacility required only once or twice a weekduring off-peak traffic hours. Call 703-778-9431 for details.

Educational InternshipsUnusual opportunity to learn manyaspects of the newspaper business.Internships available in reporting,photography, research, graphics.Opportunities for students, and foradults considering change of career.Unpaid. E-mail [email protected]

Art Graphic Designer (Alexandria, VA)Dsgn/create art & graphics to meetclient/vendor needs. Work w/printers, illustrators & photographers.Mail resume to C. Gray, TGDCommunications, Inc., 901 N. Pitt St.,Ste 250, Alexandria, VA 22314.

From Page 8

TextingOpinion

Kyle’s vehicle. There were no skid marks.A forensic analysis of his mobile phone re-vealed that he sent or received text mes-sages within 15 seconds of the time stampon the 911 call reporting the collision.

I represented Kyle Rowley’s family in hiswrongful death action. A Fairfax CountyGeneral District Court Judge found Gagenot guilty of reckless driving after notingthat the Commonwealth could not proveany driving behavior beyond a reasonabledoubt, except for possibly the texting on ahand-held electronic device. Because themaximum punishment for texting whiledriving under Virginia law is a secondarynon-reckless infraction, the judge dismissedthe charge, as required under Virginia Law.Jason Gage has never been punished by thestate for the death of Kyle Rowley and can-not be under our current laws.

Del. Ben Cline and I believe that Virginia’slaws should be changed and we are intro-ducing a bill in the General Assembly nextmonth. In 2009, a Virginia Tech Transpor-tation Institute study found that textingwhile driving takes a driver’s eyes off theroad for an average of 4.67 seconds. At 65miles per hour, that’s equal to driving withyour eyes closed for 1.5 football fields.

The same study found that texting whiledriving increases the chances of a safety-critical driving event by 23.24 or 2,300 per-cent. By comparison, eating while drivingincreases the chances by 1.01, smoking0.97, talking on a phone hands-free 0.44and talking on a handheld phone 1.04. Inother words, while many behaviors whiledriving are unsafe, texting while driving isexponentially riskier than other behaviors.

In Virginia today, the maximum penaltyfor texting while driving is $25 for a firstoffense and $50 for a second offense. Noone can be stopped solely because an of-ficer sees him or her using a phone.

Delegate Cline and I are proposingchanges. Delegate Cline is a Republicanfrom Lexington, a prosecutor and chairmanof the Conservative Caucus. Some say weare a political odd couple, but as legisla-tors and attorneys we have been discussingthe problems with the existing law for thelast six months. We each understand thecurrent law’s deficiencies from differentpoints of view, and believe that there is aneed to change current law to make ourroads safer.

We have several objectives. First, using aphone for anything other than a phone callshould be a primary traffic offense. Second,if such use of a phone is a proximate causeof an accident or injury to person or prop-erty, it should be classified as reckless driv-ing. Third, Virginia needs to send a clearmessage that use of a phone for anythingother than a voice call while driving is dan-gerous behavior that needs to stop.

This legislation will no doubt be modi-fied as the General Assembly works its will.We have already received requests to cre-ate exceptions for global position systems(GPS) functions, playing music and lawenforcement. We are both hopeful thatsomething will finally happen this year.


Zone 3 Ad Deadline:Tuesday Noon

703-917-6400Zone 3: • Alexandria• Mount Vernon ClassifiedClassified

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements





HDI COMPUTER SOLUTIONSJENNIFER SMITH ❖ Serving the Area Since 1995➣ Speed up Slow Computers➣ Troubleshooting➣ Virus Removal➣ Computer Setup

(571) 265-2038 ❖ [email protected]

101 Computers 101 Computers

Call today and learn how this time-saving extra edge can improve

your grades while investing less time

Use my proven study techniques to improve

results while saving time!

Dean’s List college graduate with 7 years of

experience offers individual tutoring

throughout Northern Virginia.

Accounting/Finance Degree. All grade levels,

specializing in math,

English as first or second language, Spanish.

Call Hal @

(703) 864-6616. Tutoring rate is $50/hr.

2200%% OOff ff ff ii rr ss tt sseessss ii oonn

wwhheenn yyoouu mmeenntt ii oonn tthh ii ss aadd

102 Instruction 102 Instruction

12 Commercial Lease

1500 SF AVAILABLE FOR LEASE

SOUTH OLD TOWNE ALEXANDRIA

S WASHINGTON AND WILKES STREETS

CALL LIZ HARRINGTON703-837-0950

26 Antiques

We pay top $ for antique furniture and mid-century

Danish/modernteak furniture, STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES, jewelry

and costume jewelry,paintings/art glass/clocks.

Schefer Antiques @703-241-0790.

Email:[email protected]

Geraldine C. Hager of Alexandria, Virginia formerly of Ft.Myers Beach, FL and Highland Falls, NY, left us to join herhusband, father, and mother early in the morning onDecember 13, 2012.

Gerry, or DeeDee as she was known to her family, was bornMay 27, 1925 in West Point, New York. DeeDee was theonly child of Eleanor and Paul Taneyhill. She grew up andwent to school in Highland Falls, NY. DeeDee was the highschool prom dancing partner for the famous actor CharlesDurning, and she never lost her dancing chops.

It was in Highland Falls that she met and married JohnHager, the love of her life, in 1948. Her husband worked asa contractor in New York before they retired to Florida inthe late 1960s. Although she and Johnny were unable tohave children of their own, after she retired from her fed-eral job with the Social Security Administration, DeeDeeenjoyed being able to take care of the Yancey grandchildren.

In 2006 DeeDee Hager moved to Alexandria to live with hercousin Phyllis Yancey. In the neighborhood she was knownfor baking a mean apple pie, an incredible key lime pie, awicked dump cake, and for writing prolific thank you notes.Around town she was everyone’s favorite patron, spreadingkindness and laughter to workers at her bank, doctors’offices, dry cleaners, and hair salon.

DeeDee was a devoted member of St. Rita’s CatholicChurch. She is survived and will be desperately missed byher cousins Phyllis Yancey, Pat Aller, Bill Engle, FredEngle, Bill Yancey, Annette Allgood, Mary Jo Morgan, theirspouses and children, and her Beverley Hills neighborhood.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Hager at2pm on December 22, 2012 at St. Rita’s Catholic Church inAlexandria, Virginia. Funeral arrangements are being han-dled by Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home. Mrs. Hager will belaid to rest in Southern Palms Memorial Gardens Cemetery,in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Obituary

For a free digital sub-scription to one or allof the 15 ConnectionNewspapers, go towww.connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe

Complete digital rep-lica of the print edition,including photos andads, delivered weeklyto your e-mail box.

Questions? E-mail:[email protected]

Falcon RoofingRoofing & Siding (All Types)

703-975-2375falconroofinginc.com

Soffit & Fascia WrappingNew Gutters • Chimney Crowns

Leaks RepairedNo job too small

ROOFING ROOFING

Charles JenkinsTREE SERVICE

Seasoned FirewoodTopping, trimming, Stump Grinding

Lic. & Ins!540-829-9917 or 540-422-9721

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

Leaf &Tree Removal

ANGEL’SLAWN MOWING

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

PAINTING

PATRIOTPAINTINGwww.PatriotPainting.net

Wallpaper Removal,Carpentry,

Power Washing.Int/Ext Painting

Free Est. • Satisfaction Guar.!Lic./Ins. Int./Ext.

703-502-7840Cell

571-283-4883

TREE SERVICE

ANGEL’S TREE REMOVAL

Angeltreeslandscaping-hauling.com

Brush & Yard Debris Trimming & Topping

Gutters & Hauling

703-863-1086703-582-3709240-603-6182

LANDSCAPING

CLASSIFIEDDEADLINESZones 1, 5, 6............................Mon @ noonZones 2, 3, 4 ...........................Tues @ noon

E-mail ad with zone choices to:[email protected]

or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

EMPLOYMENTDEADLINESZones 5, 6 ..............................Tues @ 11:00Zones 1, 3 ................................Tues @ 4:00Zone 2 ....................................Wed @ 11:00Zone 4......................................Wed @ 1:00

E-mail ad with zone choices to:[email protected] or call Andrea @ 703-778-9411

ZONESZone 1: The Reston Connection The Oak Hill/Herndon ConnectionZone 2: The Springfield Connection The Burke Connection The Fairfax Connection The Fairfax Station/Clifton/

Lorton ConnectionZone 3: The Alexandria Gazette Packet

The Mount Vernon GazetteZone 4: Centre View North Centre View SouthZone 5: The Potomac AlmanacZone 6: The Arlington Connection

The Vienna/Oakton ConnectionThe McLean ConnectionThe Great Falls Connection

Newspapers & Online

HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com


Holiday Entertainment

First Night 2012 venues in Old Town. StrollAlexandria’s historic streets amongvenues, or hop on and off the freeKing Street Trolley to catch favoriteacts. Museums, public buildings, andretail shops showcase regional andnational talent. Dance the night awayat the Torpedo Factory Art Centerand the George Washington MasonicMemorial, or catch intimate concertsat venues including the Lyceum,Indus Imports and Imagine Artwear.New musical acts include: BonnieRideout makes a one-performance-only appearance. Patrons canpurchase a special ticket thatincludes reserved seating (availablewith online purchase only) for hershow. Janine Wilson Band will havelisteners dancing to an assortment ofroots rock. Nicole Belanus is asinger/songwriter with acoustic andfolk-rock influences.

Family Fun. This family-friendly eventis full of activities for children

A fireworks display over the Potomac Riverwill ring in the New Year as the grand finale of First Night Alexandria, the NewYear’s Eve bash that takes over Old Town. The city’smost musical evening features Argentinean tango,New Orleans funk, traditional Irish music, rockingrhythm and blues, classic country, acoustic folk, andjazz violin, to name just a few of the 116 acts found

FirstNight2012

Pho

to by V

i cto

r W

olan

sky P

ho

to

graph

y

at 21 indoor venues on Dec. 31, 2012. With theseperformances, plus children’s entertainment, new af-ternoon activities and the all-ages, brain-teasing FunHunt, First Night Alexandria is the largest family-friendly and alcohol-free New Year’s Eve event in theregion. A First Night badge gives the wearer accessto entertainment and activities at spots all aroundOld Town.

Pho

to b

y Jea

nne

Thei

sman

n/T

he

Gaz

ette

Guitarist Pete Farnumwill lead blues androckabilly group RoseBetween Thorns intheir farewell concertat the American LegionPost 24 ballroom, 400Cameron St., duringFirst Night Alexandriafestivities. Togethersince 2006, membersare retiring and mov-ing away, making thistheir farewell show.

Anna, 3, takesthe mic for herimpression ofa cow duringan open micsession at theJeffersonHoustonSchool duringAlexandria’s2011 FirstNight celebra-tion.By

Lo

uis

e K

raf

ft/T

he

Gaz

ette

By L

oui se K

rafft

/Th

e Gazette

2011 FirstNight-goersBryan, Rob,

April andAustin Olesky

set out to-gether on their

evening fromthe Jefferson

HoustonSchool.

throughout the night, including facepainting, moon bounce, clowns doingballoon sculptures, and interactivegames. Visit the Seaworthy SmallShips activity and sail model boatsfor free, or buy and build one. JoinHooray for Books’ own Miss Meganfor an evening of stories and songs.Visit the How-To Cowboy Joke Fest,sing-along and rhythm instrumentswith Mr. Don, and more. Alcohol-freevenues keep it fun for all ages.

Headquarters & Free Trolley. Thisyear’s First Night headquarters is theDurant Arts Center, 1605 CameronStreet, just blocks from King St-OldTown Metro Station. The Free KingStreet Trolley will operate until 1a.m., and a dedicated trolley willmake a continuous loop from theKing St-Old Town Metro, to FirstNight headquarters at the DurantArts Center, then to the GeorgeWashington Masonic Memorial andback to the Metro.

Afternoon Fun interactive games for children 12 andyounger. 4-6 p.m.King Street Garden Park at King

Street and Diagonal Road. Pro FeedPet Nutrition Centers in partnershipwith the Animal Welfare League ofAlexandria presents WhiskerWonderland activities for children.There will also be treats andactivities for dogs. 2-5 p.m.

Embassy Suites Hotel, 1600Diagonal Road The T.C. WilliamsChamber Orchestra. 2-4 p.m.

Hooray for Books, 1555 King St.Storytelling by Miss Megan. 2, 3 and4 p.m.

Olio Tasting Room, 1223 King St.Taste a variety of decadent treatsmade with Olio oils and vinegars,and take home a recipe. 1-4 p.m.

Sugar Cube, 1218 King St. The SugarCube will offer “Countdown toMidnight” free cookie decorating(one cookie per child). 2-5 p.m.

Ten Thousand Villages, 915 King St.The story of Galimoto will be readevery hour on the hour, for those 3-8,and light refreshments. 2-5p.m.

Morrison House Hotel, 116 S. AlfredSt. T.C. Williams Jazz Quintet“Autumn Chill.” 2-4 p.m.

The Paper Source, 118 King St. Freedemonstrations including stamping,heat embossing, envelope makingand kit making. 2-5 p.m.

Torpedo Factory Art Center, ArtLeague Gallery and AlexandriaArcheology Museum, 105 N.Union St. Art activities for all ages. 2-5 p.m.

Fourth Annual Fun Hunt. Cluesheets can be picked up at either theTorpedo Factory Art Center (105 N.Union St.), or Durant Arts Center(1605 Cameron St.). Completed cluesheets must be returned to theDurant Arts Center by 5:30 p.m. tobe eligible for prizes. 2012 FirstNight Alexandria admission badgemust be presented to pick up a cluesheet. 2-5:30 p.m.

Durant Arts Center, 1605 CameronSt. T.C. Williams Choir, 2-4 p.m.;The George Washington MiddleSchool Chamber Orchestra, 4-6 p.m.

Jefferson Houston School, 1501Cameron St. Moon bounce and

Fireworks. First Night Alexandria’sfireworks finale returns at a newlocation, with a display over thePotomac River at the foot of KingStreet at midnight. The finale willkick off at 10 p.m. with aperformance by The Stairwells in theunit block of King Street where DJRay Casiano will spin music for adance party in the street.

Food Trucks. New this year, the foodtruck craze descends on Alexandria.Popped Republic and the Red HookLobster Pound will be serving fromnoon until midnight on Union Streetat the Torpedo Factory Art Centerwhile DC Slices and Doug the FoodDude will serve from noon until 10p.m. at the Jefferson Houston School.

Live Music and Entertainment. Themain event begins at 7 p.m. with 116live performances at 21 indoor

DetailsDec. 31, 2012Afternoon activities: 2-5 p.m.Performances: 7-11:45 p.m.Fireworks: midnightVisit firstnightalexandria.org for thecomplete schedule of shows and ac-tivities and to buy admissionbadges. Plan your visit to Alexandriaat www.VisitAlexandriaVA.com.Admission is $20. Additional fee of$10 for reserved seating for BonnieRideout show. Children 12 and un-der and active military are free. Seewebsite for ticket sales locations orpurchase online.


Holiday Entertainment

See Calendar, Page 18

E-mail announcements to [email protected]. Photos andartwork are encouraged. Deadline isThursday at noon.

ONGOINGOccupied City: Life in Civil War

Alexandria Exhibition. At TheLyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum,201 South Washington Street . Opendaily, through September 2013, thisexhibit traces life in Alexandriafollowing Virginia’s decision tosecede from the Union in May 1861.See how Robert E. Lee’s hometownwas transformed literally overnightfrom a prosperous commercial portinto a supply, hospital, andtransportation center for the UnionArmy, and find out why Alexandriabecame a destination for AfricanAmericans seeking freedom. Explorethe experiences of Alexandrians andothers who lived here during thistumultuous time, through their ownwords, as well as in periodphotographs and collections items.The Lyceum is open Monday throughSaturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. andSunday, from 1-5 p.m. Suggestedadmission is $2. Visitwww.alexandriahistory.org or call703-746-4994.

Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery will host thejuried show “Bedecked andBedazzled” through Jan. 6 atStudio 18 of Torpedo Factory ArtCenter, 105 N. Union St. In thisshow, the artists excel in holidayspirit and sparkle with jewelry,sculpture, clothing and wall pieces.The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-6p.m., except on Thursdays when it isopen from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Closed Dec25 and Jan 1. Free. Visitwww.torpedofactory.org.

The Marshall House IncidentExhibition: This exhibit at FortWard features objects from themuseum collection to tell the notablestory about the event that launchedthe Civil War in Alexandria. Openthrough 2012 at Fort Ward Museum(4301 West Braddock Rd.) is openTuesday - Saturday, from 10 a.m. - 5p.m., and Sunday, from noon - 5 p.m.Visit www.fortward.org or call 703-746-4848.

Art Exhibit. Alexandria artist FrancisSeeger will display “People” in theAthenaeum Gallery, 201 Prince St.from Jan. 10-Feb. 24. Free. Featuresa number of the artist’s larger figuralpaintings. Often appearing to bewaiting for time to pass or expressing

a touch of boredom, Seeger’s subjectsare captured with a bold, intuitivehand and vibrant palette. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or 703-548-0035.

Life in Civil War AlexandriaExhibition. Daily exhibit traces lifein Alexandria following Virginia’sdecision to secede from the Union inMay 1861. Through September 2013at The Lyceum, Alexandria’s HistoryMuseum, 201 South Washington St.Open Monday through Saturday, 10a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.Suggested admission $2. Visitwww.alexandriahistory.org or call703-746-4994.

Tavern Toddlers. Mondays, 10:30a.m.-noon. Mondays through the endof April 2013. Designed for walkersthrough 36 months and theircaregivers. Tavern Toddlers featuresa weekly open playtime in Gadsby’shistoric ballroom. Gadsby’s TavernMuseum is located at 134 NorthRoyal St. Call 703-746-4242 or visitwww.gadsbystavern.org.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 19Chatham County Line ‘Electric

Holiday Tour.’ 7:30 p.m. $22.50.The Birchmere Music Hall is locatedat 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500.

Music. 10:45 a.m. - noon at RonaldReagan Washington National Airport,Terminal B near Cibo Bistro andWine Bar. Free performance by CarlSandburg Middle School SymphonicOrchestra and Choralettes.

DJ Dance Party. 9-11 p.m. at Nick’sNightclub, 642 S. Pickett St. Enjoydancing with DJ Dabe Murphy. $6.Visit www.gottaswing.com or 703-359-9882.

Music. 8 p.m. at St. Elmo’s Pub, 2300Mount Vernon Ave. Hear modernbluegrass artist Conor Mulroy. Visitwww.stelmoscoffeepub.com orwww.conormulroy.com.

THURSDAY/DEC. 20Carbon Leaf. 7:30 p.m. $27.50. The

Birchmere Music Hall is located at3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500.

Christmas Display of LionelTrains. 10 a.m. Bring the Kids tovisit Hollin Hall Senior Center towatch the operation of both HOlayouts and the Lionel train setup byJoe Pallone. At 1500 ShenandoahRoad. Call 703-765-4573.

THROUGH DEC. 20Exhibition. Night Windows, an

exhibition of 3D, mixed mediaconstructions in lighted boxes, will beon display in the Margaret W. andJoseph L. Fisher Art Gallery, locatedin the Rachel M. Schlesinger ConcertHall & Arts Center at the AlexandriaCampus of Northern VirginiaCommunity College, 3001 NorthBeauregard St. The gallery hours are10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday throughFriday and during concertperformances.

FRIDAY/DEC. 21Pieces Of A Dream . 7:30 p.m. $35.

The Birchmere Music Hall is locatedat 3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500.

Light the Night Community ArtEvent. 5-7 p.m. at Art at the Center,2804 Sherwood Hall Lane. Freeevent. Donations of unwrapped toysand books for families in need in thearea will be accepted. Visitwww.artatthecenter.org or 703-201-1250.

Wee Ones Storytime. 10:30-11 a.m.at Hooray for Books, 1555 King St.Children up to age 2 can explore theworld through stories and songs.Free. Visit www.hooray4books.com.

THROUGH DEC. 21 Food Drive. Bring non-perishable food

donations to the @home lounge, 111S. Alfred St. Upon donation, patronscan feel free to enjoy a free cup ofhot chocolate, warm up by the fire.

SATURDAY/DEC. 22Bill Kirchen’s Honky Tonk Holiday

Show.. 7:30 p.m. $29.50. Visithttp://billkirchen.com/. TheBirchmere Music Hall is located at3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500.

Wee Ones Storytime. 10:30-11 a.m.at Hooray for Books, 1555 King St.Children up to age 2 can explore theworld through stories and songs.Free. Visit www.hooray4books.com.

Sweets with Santa. Sessions at 10a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. atOccasionally Cake, 207 King St.Santa makes a visit while visitors canmake an ornament and enjoy asweets buffet of hot cocoa, truffles,mini-cupcakes and cookies. $50/child. For reservations, 703-647-9638. Visitwww.occasionallycake.com.

SUNDAY/DEC. 23Christine Lavin & Uncle Bonsai

‘Just One Angel’ 7:30 p.m. $25.00.Visit www.christinelavin.com orwww.unclebonsai.com/. TheBirchmere Music Hall is located at3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.birchmere.com or call 703-549-7500.

Performance. Metropolitan Fine ArtsCenter Frosty Follies jazz ensemblewill perform at the NationalChristmas Tree in Washington, D.C.at 1 p.m. Free. Visitwww.metrofinearts.com.

THROUGH DEC. 23“A Broadway Christmas Carol” A

cross between the classic Charles

Dickens tale and uproarious songparodies of favorite Broadway showtunes. From Thursday throughSunday. 8 p.m. on Thursday andFriday; 3 and 8 p.m. on Saturday; 3and 7 p.m. on Sunday. AtMetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St. Call703-548-9044 or visitwww.metrostage.org.

Santa Claus is Coming to OldTown. Santa and Mrs. Claus areback in Old Town Alexandria to takepictures with children every Saturdayand Sunday between Thanksgivingand Christmas. Presented by the OldTown Boutique District inpartnership with the City ofAlexandria and Bike and RollAlexandria and with the support ofarea businesses. The cost for picturesis $15 for a 5 x 7 print. Hours:Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except forDec. 1 (Scottish Walk Parade day)when hours are 1-5 p.m.; Sundays,noon-5 p.m. At Bike and RollAlexandria, One Wales Alley. Call703-501-6289 or visitwww.oldtownboutiquedistrict.com.

THROUGH DEC. 25The Christmas Attic’s Holiday

Advent Calendar. The ChristmasAttic, has partnered with areaschools, churches, and communitygroups again to help produce itsannual temporary exhibitionfeaturing illuminated canvases of artfor The Christmas Attic’s HolidayAdvent Calendar Event. Each day atsundown, the store will reveal“advent art” featuring a variety oflocal holiday creations. All art will beplaced either in the windows or onthe brick of the building on the frontside facing Union Street. Visitors canpicture the entire building beingtransformed into an advent calendar.There will be holiday entertainmentand activities inside the store forshoppers to enjoy on a variety ofnights. At the closing of the AdventCalendar event, the canvases ofadvent art will be available forauction at a post-event celebration(to be scheduled). Proceeds from theauction will go to the Make-A-WishFoundation of the Mid-Atlantic. AtThe Christmas Attic, 125 S. Union St.Call 703-548-2829 or visitwww.christmasattic.com.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 26“Downton Abbey” Marathon. 1-5

Christmas MusicAt St. Elmo’s

Doris Justis, who is a regular at St.Elmo’s Coffee Pub in Del Ray, will havea family-friendly Christmas Carolthemed gig, from 8-10 p.m. on Dec. 22.Visit www.dorisjustis.com. She will alsoappear at St. Elmo’s Jan. 25, Feb. 22,March 23, April 26, and May 25, 8-10p.m.

Doris Justis, a part of the Metro D.C. folk scene for morethan three decades, returns to St Elmo’s on Dec. 22, toplay Christmas songs, from 8-10 p.m. This will be a familyfriendly set and children are welcome.

St. Elmo’s is ready for the holidays. Their trademark cupsand clouds are surrounded by colorful lights and snow-flakes.

Pho

tos by R

enée R

uggles/T

he G

azette

Calendar

Art at theCenter

Art at the Center’s wintersession will begin Jan. 7 andcontinue through March.Visit www.artatthecenter.orgfor full class descriptions andto register. Take advantageof early bird discountsthrough Dec. 21.


TO ALL OF YOU FROM ALL OF US, A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!SINCERELY.... MARKOS PANAS

OP

EN

ING

SO

ON

★Holiday EntertainmentFrom Page 17

p.m. at Charles E. BeatleyLibrary, 5005 Duke St.Free. Tea and biscuits willbe served. 703-746-1702.

THURSDAY/DEC. 27“Downton Abbey”

Marathon. 12:30-5:30p.m. at Charles E. BeatleyLibrary, 5005 Duke St.Free. Tea and biscuits willbe served. 703-746-1

Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/... · 2012. 12. 28. · 4...

Documents

Transcript of Ellington CMSconnection.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/documents/... · 2012. 12. 28. · 4...