Stuart HS community launches project to clean up Stuart Park
J.E.B Stuart High School teacher Lauren Kinne, along with students and volunteers, will be spending three mornings during the next few weeks cleaning up Stuart Park, and the public is invited to join them. The first activity of the J.E.B. Stuart Park Rejuvenation Project takes places Saturday, Sept. 29, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Stuart students in … Continued
Betsy Washington of Lake Barcroft honored for environmental activism
Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova presents an Environmental Excellence Award to Betsy Washington Lake Barcroft community leader Betsy Washington is among several conservation advocates presented with a Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Award by the Board of Supervisors Sept. 25. The awards recognize county residents, organizations, businesses, and county employees who dedicate time and energy … Continued
Community meetings address tax options for funding transportation
Biesiadny Fairfax County can no longer county on state funding for transportation projects to relieve congestion. The county needs $3 billion over the next 10 years, while state funding has dropped to zero and federal funding for transportation has been allocated through 2018. So the county either has to come up with a new revenue … Continued
Fall Garden Day at Green Spring Gardens
Asters, winterberry, lilac, butterfly bushes, and Montauk daisies were among the biggest sellers at Fall Garden Day at Green Spring Gardens Sept. 22. The annual event, featuring 21 plant venders, non-profit organizations, a silent auction, crafts, and musical entertainment, benefits Friends of Green Spring (FROGS). Pitcher plants from the Carnivorous Plant Nursery of Derwood, Md.
This is the week to safely dispose of unneeded medications
If you’ve got unused, expired medications clogging up your medicine cabinet, you can dispose of them safely by dropping them off at Fairfax County police stations Sept. 24-29. Operation Medicine Cabinet promotes proper disposal of unwanted medications to prevent accidental poisoning, prevent them from being abused by the wrong people, and protect the environment. This … Continued
‘Skate Annandale’ to take place Oct. 6
Photo from American Inline Last spring, when a group of local business owners put forth the idea of developing a skate plaza on a small unused lot between the Annandale Volunteer Fire Station and the Annandale Christian Community for Action building on Columbia Pike, Mason Supervisor Penny Gross suggested hosting a temporary “skate event” to … Continued
Pedestrian killed in school bus accident in Annandale
A dangerous intersection. A man struck by a Fairfax County school bus in Annandale has died, the Mason Police District reported Sept. 21. Falls Church High School students were on the bus at the time of the accident. Joon Seok Ahn, 89, of 6925 Columbia Pike, was walking westbound and entered the crosswalk at Columbia Pike/Gallows … Continued
Community input sought on how to pay for transportation as state funding runs out
Fairfax County will be holding a series of community outreach meetings over the next couple of months to explore what the public thinks should be done about paying for transportation in light of diminished state funding.Various options are on the table, including a meals tax. The meeting for Mason District residents will be Oct. 1, … Continued
Scene around A-Town: A peace sign on the AHS football field
Annandale High School students in the Peer Mediation program organized a human peace sign on the football field Sept. 21 to commemorate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, the online edition of Annandale A-Blast reported.
ReBuild founder Paul Hughes remembered as advocate of sustainability
ReBuild Warehouse founder and executive director Paul Hughes, who died suddenly of a heart attack Sept. 15 at age 68, is being remembered as a champion of sustainability and environmental activism. “He had an environmental vision which is sorely needed, and he devoted his life to promoting this cause, as well as many others,” states … Continued
Great gardens: No more lawn at this Annandale home
The Essers’ front yard. This is the first article in what we hope will be a series on extraordinary gardens in the Annandale area. Please email suggestions for other gardens to highlight. The entire lot surrounding Cam Esser’s house in the Truro community of Annandale is grass-free. Instead of a lawn, there are all sorts … Continued
Dedication ceremony held for Mason Crest Elementary School
Third-graders sing the Mason Crest school song. The Mason Crest Elementary School gym was a sea of parents and teachers, plus a few students, many dressed in the school colors red and black, as local dignitaries officially launched the new school with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Sept. 18 dedication for Annandale’s newest school, held … Continued
Lake Barcroft Village will help older residents stay in their homes
The Lake Barcroft Village, an aging-in-place organization aimed at helping older residents stay in their homes, is on target to officially launch in January 2013. So far, 28 members and 70 volunteers have signed up and the group has raised $25,000, Dale Gianturco, treasurer of the Lake Barcroft Village, said at the organization’s September meeting. … Continued
The battle of the soups: Pho Hoa vs. Gom Ba Woo
The pho at Pho Hoa By James Moon In some bouts, competitors start from opposite corners. But in Annandale two small, opposing restaurants known for their soup, have shared the same corner, overlooking Columbia Pike at Tom Davis Drive for years. To the left is Pho Hoa (7133-B Columbia Pike), a Vietnamese noodle soup specialist … Continued
Wow! houses: A dome in Annandale Acres
Charles “Chip” Emmons had always been a fan of Buckminster Fuller, the visionary inventor of the geodesic dome. So you could say the house he and his wife, Betty, built in Annandale in 2001, based on that concept, is truly their dream house. Chip says a dome house has one-third more surface area and “the … Continued