Music fills the summer nights at Mason District Park
The free Spotlight by Starlight concerts going on this summer at Mason District Park feature all kinds of music, from rockabilly to blues, jazz to country. Here are some samples of songs from the past few concerts recorded by Bob Kovacs, who also uploaded them to the Annandale Arts You Tube channel. This one, from … Continued
Lane Ruiz looks back on 34 years at an Annandale barber shop
Lane Ruiz takes a break between haircuts. Annandale has changed a lot over the past 34 years—but a few things have remained pretty much the same. Parliament Cleaners and Sal’s Shoe Repair had already been decades old in 1980 and are still up and running. Another Annandale old-timer, barber Lane Ruiz, has been at the … Continued
Deer hunters allowed in Annandale parks
A deer in Annandale Community Park. Deer hunting is now allowed in several Fairfax County parks in the Annandale/Mason area, including Mason District Park, Roundtree Park, Holmes Run Stream Valley, the White Gardens Park, and Lillian Carey Park. Residents living near these parks were sent a warning letter July 29 from Fairfax County Animal Control … Continued
Beware of scammers seeking personal information
There are several kinds of scams going on around here, involving phony utility and IRS personnel, warns Pfc. Brendan Murphy, the crime prevention officer at the Mason Police District. According to an email alert from Murphy, there has been an increase in complaints involving residents who have received emails or phone calls stating their utilities … Continued
Mason District concerts feature wide variety of music
In case you missed the recent Spotlight by Starlight concerts at Mason District Park, Bob Kovacs uploaded three more videos to the Annandale Arts You Tube channel. “Jaco y Paco” is an original song that was performed by Incendio at the park amphitheater July 28. Incendio is a Lost Angeles-based jazz band that plays all … Continued
$1 million lottery ticket sold in Annandale
The sign in front of the Annandale Giant. The Annandale Giant, at 7137 Columbia Pike, sold a $1 million Powerball ticket, a store official confirmed. The winner does not want to be publicly identified, at least not at the present time, but we have learned it’s a white woman in her 50s who probably lives … Continued
Seven Corners property owners consider redevelopment potential
The Seven Corners Shopping Center used to be an enclosed mall. The Seven Corners Land Use and Transportation Task Force has some pretty ambitious plans for turning the aging commercial crossroads into a higher-density, walkable hub with a mix of more upscale housing, retail, and office structures. But will the Seven Corners property owners be … Continued
It’s party time on John Marr Drive
The balloon section at the new Party Co. The Party Co. is up and running in its new expanded space, and a grand re-opening celebration is expected to be scheduled withing the next couple of weeks. The new Party Co. shop is in the same shopping center as the old store on John Marr Drive … Continued
Annandale communities come together for National Night Out
Firefighters from the Annandale fire station visit kids at a National Night Out event on Hirst Street. Police officers, firefighters, and government officials went to as many National Night Out events as possible throughout the Annandale area on Aug. 6 to put a human face on crime prevention and public safety. Officers from the Mason … Continued
Enjoy nature at night on a trail ride through Wakefield Park
Photos from MORE. There’s something totally exhilarating about zipping through the woods on a mountain bike at night scattering stones and mud in your wake. And that’s correct; I did say “night.” An organization of local mountain bikers called Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) organizes night rides in Wakefield Park in Annandale three times a week … Continued
Annandale businesses give back to the community
TD Bank’s charitable arm and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt are helping families in the Annandale area. The TD Charitable Foundation has donated $5,000 to the Annandale-based Korean Community Service Center, reports James Min, manager of the TD Bank at 7209 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. “KCSC has been providing a financial literacy school for adults for a … Continued
Man charged with setting fires in dumpsters at Kingsley Commons
Kingsley Commons [photo from the development’s Facebook page.] Fire investigators from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department charged Carlos Cruz Ortiz, 20, of no fixed address, with setting seven fires in dumpsters during the weekend at the Kingsley Commons townhouse complex on Monticello Drive and Arlington Boulevard in the Falls Church Area of Fairfax … Continued
Fairfax County to consider allowing tiny studio apartments
An example of a residential studio apartment from a video by USA Today. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed last week to consider a new zoning category to allow tiny apartments, known as “residential studio units.” These single-person units, with about 500 square feet, would be aimed at lower-income people, including the elderly, students, … Continued
Meet your neighbors at a National Night Out event Aug. 6
The 2012 National Night Out event at the Annandale Shopping Center. The public is invited to a free, communitywide National Night Out event at the Annandale Shopping Center Tuesday evening Aug. 6, 6 p.m. on Columbia Pike by Gallows Road, featuring an outdoor family-friendly movie. That’s just one of many National Night Out events happening … Continued
FCPS community bids farewell to former Superintendent Jack Dale
Jack Dale at the retirement celebration with a caricature and his official portrait. Hundreds of school administrators, county officials, and education advocates bid farewell to former Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Dale at a retirement celebration Aug. 1 at the Mason Inn. School board chair Ilryong Moon (at-large) and Deputy Division Superintendent Richard Moniuszko … Continued