Annandale Today contest winners announced

Two Annandale residents won Annandale Today’s random prize drawing.

To enter the drawing, people filled out a brief survey at the Annandale Today table at the Taste of Annandale on Sept. 21.

Erin McGartland won two pickleball paddles donated by Diadem Sports. Jean Rackowski won a large bag of imported snacks from Annandale specialty stores, including Antojitos Aracely’s, Naz Foods, Danuri, the Hidden Cloud, and Bol Market.

A regular reader of the Annandale Today newsletter, Rackowski says she likes to know “what’s going on in the neighborhood, the plans for Annandale, and what new buildings are going up.”

Annandale has changed a lot since Rackowski moved here in 1989. She says, “I like the old Annandale better.”

Her biggest concern is traffic, especially the difficulty of navigating Columbia Pike and Gallows Road to get to Aldi. She’s also concerned about the new development planned for the shopping center on John Marr Drive. “Where are people going to park? I certainly miss having a store like Kmart.”

The Taste of Annandale was “a huge success this year,” Rackowski says. The new location – at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space – was “a very nice change; it was safer for everybody.”

McGartland, a history teacher at Oakton High School, also enjoyed the Taste of Annandale; she especially liked the food and watching the little kids dancing to the King Bees band.

She is most interested in Annandale Today stories about crime and new restaurants. Since moving to Annandale eight years ago, she is always looking for new dining spots.

“I like being part of a diverse little town,” says McGartland, who refers to her neighborhood, near Annandale High School, as “such a sweet little spot,” with several schools and playgrounds nearby. “I’m proud to be an Annandale resident.”