Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Attention

Postmaster:

Time-sensitive

material.

Requested in home

11/27/09

PRSRT STD

U.S. Postage

PAID

Alexandria, VA

Permit #482

November 26, 2009Vol. XX, No. 47 Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Paper

25 Cents

See Forum, Page 5

See Sewing Support, Page 3

The annual HolidayBazaar featuringhandmade crafts was

held Saturday, Nov. 21, at theMount Vernon UnitarianChurch on Windmill Lane.

HandmadeCrafts

Anthropologist and co-founder of AYNI, BarbaraWolff, with her soon tobe sister-in-law KierstenWeissinger, sell textilesfrom Ayacucho, Peru andhand knitted scarves andhats (also kitted in Peru)at the bazaar. For moreinformation on AYNI visitwww.ayni-usa.org

Felted cards made by thevillagers in the Santa Anadistrict of Ayacucho,Peru.

Guatemalan crafts were displayed on a table at theentrance to the church hall during the fair.

Photos by Louise Krafft/

Gazette

By Michael Lee Pope

The Gazette

Like many people, SandraEdens has always wantedto find a way to use her tal-

ents for good. But her talent issewing, and she never seemed tofind the right match or opportu-nity for her capability. Then oneday, she was reading “Citizen Air-man,” the official magazine of theAir National Guard and Air ForceReserve. That’s when it hit her. TheApril 25 issue featured an articleon the creation of a group knownas “Sew Much Comfort,” an orga-nization created to provide adap-

tive clothing for injured veterans.“I come from a military family,”

said Edens, who is a member ofthe Air Force Reserve. “So this wassomething that really spoke tome.”

With military efficiency, Edenswent to work. First she trackeddown the founder of the organi-

zation and set up a meeting.Then she worked with othersewing enthusiasts to set upa nonprofit organization. ByDecember 2005, she was

hosting a weekly sewing circle inat her townhouse in Kingstowne.But the group became so popularthat it eventually moved to Mes-siah Evangelical Lutheran Churchin February 2008.

“This is something that’s ideally

Sewing Support for the TroopsGroup meets weekly to make adaptiveclothing for injured service members.

By Jeffrey Aaron

The Gazette

Lorenzo Abella had a plan last week whenhe walked into a summit at Best Westerndesigned to help small businesses surviveand thrive.

He was going to stay for one of the scheduled threehours. If he didn’t learn anything, “I would politelyleave,” said the part-owner of Pane e Vino Ristorantein Lorton.

Abella stayed for three hours and then some atthe Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation’s firsteconomic summit appropriately called “Survivingand Thriving in Today’s Economy.”

Five representatives from local, state, and federalagencies ranging from the Mount Vernon-Lee Cham-ber of Commerce to the Small Business Administra-tion told 115 business owners how they can helptheir small business and noted economist Dr. StephenFuller told them what to expect economically nowand in the future.

“The worst is over,” Fuller said. “2009 was theworst year of this current business cycle. The eco-nomic environment is improving, but it will be a longhaul before we feel good,” he said.

Fuller, a professor of Public Policy at George Ma-son University, likened 2009 as one of the worst eco-nomic years since the Great Depression. Retail busi-nesses will feel a recovering a little more slowly be-cause they’re more impacted by unemployment, he

said. They have to wait until growth occurs and moredisposable income is generated.

The 69-year-old economist predicted that “2010will be better than 2009 and 2011 will be better than2010. Early 2011 we will have replaced everythingwe lost and 2011-12 will look like a normal year.”

Among other illustrations, Fuller credits Enron,Madoff, and greed as the culprits in the downfall inthe economy. “Greed took over and people took moreand more risk. People threw wisdom out the door.”But now “consumers are discovering maybe theydon’t need four flat screens TVs, maybe not evenone,” he said.

THE SFDC’S GOAL for this first-ever summit wasto make small business owners aware of the services

Fuller: ‘The Worst Is Over’Forum provides advice,help to business owners.

Dr. Stephen Fuller sees steady, but slow,economic growth in the area.

2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

From Page 1

News

See All, Page 5

suited for the church,” said the Rev.Wollom Jensen, pastor at Messiah Evangeli-cal Lutheran Church. “Not only is the churcha peacekeeping organization, we also havea tremendous amount of freedom that ourservicemen and women help protect.”

THE GROUP MEETS Tuesday nights atthe church, which is located in Belle Ha-ven. Members sew Velcro strips onto ath-letic shorts, T-shirts, pajama pants and boxershorts. Some of the clothing items haveVelcro on the left side, and others open fromthe right side. The group also creates cloth-ing items that have Velcro strips on bothsides. Some items are created by specialrequest.

“Many of these injured service membershave casts and bandages and tubes comingout of them,” said Edens. “This gives somesense of normalcy, so they don’t have towear a hospital gown all the time.”

In the past five years, the group has pro-vided more than 85,000 pieces of adaptiveclothing and comfort accessories. The cloth-ing is provided at no cost to the veterans,and the sewing is done entirely by the handof volunteers. The vast majority of the cloth-ing constructed in Mount Vernon is sent toWalter Reed Army Medical Center, althoughEdens said her group has also sent clothingto Andrews Air Force Base, Afghanistan andIraq.

“We can’t keep up with the demand,” saidEdens. “There’s so much of a need for this

kind of clothing.”

THE MOUNT VERNON group is only oneof the many Sew Much Comfort groups thatmeet on a regular basis to construct adap-tive clothing.

Overall, the nonprofit has about 1,700volunteer seamstresses in the Untied States,Canada and Germany. Volunteers haveshipped to 97 combat medial units, mili-tary hospitals, clinics and wounded warriorbarracks. The organization also has a dis-tribution center in Colorado, where un-adapted clothing is sent to volunteers andadapted clothes are sent to service-mem-bers.

The nonprofit organization receives awide range of letters, many of which opena revealing window into the lives of thoserecovering from the wounds of war. An AirForce colonel said the gift from Sew MuchComfort meant more than any visit from acongressional delegation or celebrity tour.A Marine colonel said he deeply appreci-ated the gift, although he might have a hardtime persuading Marines to wear pink andpurple. And the wife of an injured service-man wrote to thank the group for the cloth-ing her husband wore while recovering atWalter Reed.

“The clothes gave Chuck self-esteem anddignity,” wrote Carren Ziegenfuss in a 2006letter to the nonprofit organization. “Chuckhad a number of other surgeries after hisinitial stay at Walter Reed, and his suitcasealways contained the clothes from SewMuch Comfort.”

Sewing Support for the Troops

First Lady Visits Hollin Meadows

First Lady Michelle Obama passes out fruit to students during alunch time visit to Hollin Meadows Elementary School.

Official W

hite H

ouse Pho

to

by C

huck K

ennedy

First Lady Michelle Obama met withfaculty members and students atHollin Meadows Elementary School(grades K through 6) on Wednesday,Nov. 18. The school was receiving aUSDA HealthierUS Si lver Schoolaward for its “healthier school nutri-

tion” environment.She and Agriculture Secretary Tom

Vilsack first held a roundtable discussionwith school principal Jon Gates, otherprincipals from the D.C. metro area, ascience teacher, school district officialsand parents of students.

By Todd Georgelas

The Gazette

When Alexandria writerMichael K. Bohn was re-searching his last book,2007’s “Money Golf: 600

Years of Bettin’ on Birdies,” he came acrossa memorable phrase used to described the1920’s: “The Golden Age of AmericanSports.” It was a decade that featured aconstellation of vibrant personalities (mostnotably Babe Ruth) who enticed crowds tonew stadiums, and brought a new breed of

journalist to the sports pages.Money poured in, and sports wentnational.

Bohn’s new book, “Heroes andBallyhoo,” profiles 10 of these colorful ath-letes, and the marketing, promotional ma-chinery and “ballyhoo” (hype resembling acarnival barker’s pitch) that swirledaround them and made them stars.Bohn says the book is “not justabout sports heroes, it’s about howlife changed in the 1920s.”

Why did the 1920s fostersuch a sports explosion?

There were three legs on thestool: one was postwar attitudeby the people. They were tiredof war and wanted excitement,and at the same time American produc-tivity went up to the point where their dis-posable income increased. They weren’tworking 60 hours a week to make rent andfood money. They had money to buy stuffwith, and they’d buy cars and toasters andhair products and deodorant. And they’dstart buying tickets to games. The secondthing, through serendipity or goodparenting or what have you, was the rightkind of athlete showed up — colorful ath-letes who changed their sports.

The third part of it was the developmentof over-the-top reporting, sports writing andpublicity. It was the golden age of purpleprose. It was the first period where every-thing came together: money, publicity,sportswriters, public relations, and adver-tising. And historians viewed it the sameway. It’s really a story of American cultureand American life.

That’s part of the book’s argument,that new forms of media promotethese spectacles.

If you look at cable TV in the ‘80s and‘90s, it was a similar thing. In the ‘20s, itwas radio, and the complete strangleholdthat sportswriters had in the newspapers.There was a huge increase in the quality ofthe sports writing: Grantland Rice, DamonRunyon. [Sports writers] used to be justhacks …. You had good storytellers showup in the sports section, publishers increas-ing their sports sections dramatically in size,and interesting people.

How did theaspect ofpersonalityplay into thecoverage?

That was the be-ginning of modernsports writing, tolook at the personand get beyondthe scores. Up until then, they’d neverquoted the athletes in their post game re-ports. You go back and look at the New YorkTimes during the early 1920s, and theydidn’t have any sound bites from Babe Ruthwhen he’d hit a home run to win a game;they’d talk to the coach. So the whole ideaof an athlete as a personality came to be inthe ‘20s, and the sports writers respondedby bringing color.

But the public knew aboutsome controversies —boxer Jack Dempsey washeckled as a ‘slacker’ fordodging the draft, forexample. Why were theyconsidered heroes despitethese questionable traits?

He was a compensatory hero fora lot of people. He represented awild west that was disappearing.The bank clerk and the dry goodssalesman looked to Dempsey as be-

ing what the country used to produce, athrowback to that. A lot of people made abig deal out of compensatory heroes —“Doing what I can’t do” — and the promot-ers took advantage of that and usedDempsey’s qualities to promote fights.

At one point in the book, whentennis star Helen Wills arrives inFrance, you refer to the hype asthe “ballyhoo machine.”

I used it as a metaphor for something likecranking out sausage. Everything was there:glamour, sports, color, personalities, pub-licity, and the wonderful heat in the southof France. That’s what I meant by thephrase; all those factors went in the top ofthe machine, and the ballyhoo came out theother end.

You also mention that Babe Ruth’spromoter, Christy Walsh, was thefirst sports marketer. What did hebring to the table?

Advertisers had long sought athletes andcelebrities to endorse their products. Walshfigured out how to maximize that and le-verage it and get more money out of it. Ruthwas getting $5 for a story about a game withlocal sports writers. Walsh figured out hecould syndicate Ruth’s account (which wasghost-written) to hundreds of newspapers,and totally magnify the income stream andthe impact. Then he learned he could book

Michael K. Bohn

And All That ‘Ballyhoo’New book describes“how life changed in the 1920s.”

Q&A

4 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Alexandria–Old Town703-299-9499

1315 King Street betweenPayne and West Street

www.snapfitness.com/oldtownalexandria

Stop by, call or visit www.snapfitness.com

• No risk, no hassle - pay monthly• FREE instruction and workout plan• Personal trainers for faster results• 30-day money-back guarantee

People

West PotomacAcademy,w o r k i n gwith busi-

ness partner Evelyn BrooksDesigns, offered its FashionDesign students the oppor-tunity to design a WestPotomac Academy (WPA)logo to be used in a WPAbangle bracelet and a WPAcharm bracelet.

Students participated in theJewelry Challenge under the guid-ance of Brooks and West PotomacAcademy Fashion Design instruc-tor Maggy Francois. Studentsworked on jewelry design con-cepts and used personal inspira-tion to create logos that includedthe WPA letters. Each student sub-mitted detailed sketches showingcreativity and originality; designshad to have the ability to be turnedinto jewelry. Each submission wasaccompanied by a written pieceexplaining the student’s inspira-tion.

The winner of the Jewelry Chal-lenge was Cindy Ramirez, a jun-ior at West Potomac High School.Evelyn Brooks Designs will present

her with a $100 gift cer-tificate and a WPA banglethat features her winningdesign. Runners-up wereDeborah Winbush, a se-nior at West Potomac HighSchool, and Maria Ruiz, asenior at West SpringfieldHigh School. Each runner-up will receive a WPAcharm bracelet.

Evelyn Brooks Designs is manu-facturing the WPA bangle and theWPA charm bracelet, both contain-ing the winning logo design. Thebangle and the charm bracelet arecurrently for sale, and EvelynBrooks Designs will donate a por-tion of the proceeds to the WPAFashion Design program to sup-

Cindy Ramirez, a junior at WestPotomac High School, won theJewelry Challenge.

Cindy Ramirez’s winningjewelry design.

Ramirez Wins Jewelry Design Competition

port the annual Classroom in NewYork City trip, during which stu-dents will tour design studios andschools and work with some of thefashion industry’s top designers.

Visit West Potomac Academy’sFashion Design classroom for anorder form, or visitwww.ebrooksdesigns.com/wpa.

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

For more information:www.RexReiley.com

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

RE/MAX Allegiance703-768-7730

rex.reiley@rmxtalk.com

Alex/Mt. Vernon $474,9004302 Granada Street

Large, Lovely 4BR, 3BA Splitw/1 Car Garage on a .35 AcreLot. Beautiful hardwood floorson main level, freshly paintedinterior. French doors off Diningrm to a Sun rm with skylight,hot tub & wrap around deck.

Beautifully landscaped yard w/electric powered shed. 5minutes to Ft. Belvoir, 15 minutes to Huntington Metro &Old Town, 35 minutes to Pentagon/D.C.

Alex/Stratford $529,9008716 Linton Lane

HUGE PRICE REDUCTION-MOTIVATED SELLER - Lovely4BR, 2.5 BA Colonial w/brickfront & carport. Very competi-tively priced in mid 500s. Not ashort sale or bank owned. Familyrm w/fireplace off the kitchen.

Hdwd floors on the main & upper lvls w/partial, unfinishedbasement which can be finished off or left as a work-shop/storage area. Just down the street from Ft. Hunt Elem.Minutes to Ft. Belvoir & Huntington Metro.

Alex/Olde Mill $185,0005704 Olde Mill Court #142

Condo in popular Olde MillCommunity in Mt. Vernon, just afew minutes from Ft. Belvoir.Lovely 2BR/2BA, vaulted ceiling& balcony provide lots of lightand expansiveness. Wood burn-ing fireplace adds to the ambi-

ence. Unit shows very nicely. Top floor allows attic accessw/lots of storage. Well maintained complex in a lovely set-ting of trees. Building offers attractive architectural design.18 minutes to Hunting Metro.

Alex/Mt.Vernon $529,9009326 Craig Avenue

Large brick 5BR, 3BA split w/2car garage on a .4 acre lot inlovely Mt. Vernon area w/lots oftrees. 2 fireplaces, energy effi-cient replacement windows,beautiful refinished hdwd floorson main level, new carpeting,

landscaped fenced rear lot w/huge deck off sunroom addi-tion, freshly painted interior & exterior. Superbly priced sorenovate kitchen/baths to your desire. Easy commute to Ft.Belvoir, Alex, Old Town, DC/Pentagon.

Alex/Wessynton $780,0003406 Wessynton Way

Large Beautiful 5BR, 3BA con-temporary Col on a spectacular.6 acre wooded lot.3 finished lvls,numerous upgrades including-completely renovated kit & mas-ter bath. Bedroom & full bath onmain lvl along a wall of windows

overlooking a large koi pond & beautiful in-ground pool. One ofWessynton’s most unique & treasured properties. A boat launchallows easy access to the Potomac River.

SOLD

Alex/Riverside Est. Under $750,0008352 Orange Court

WATERFRONT PROPERTYWITH DOCK ON NAVIGABLEWATER. <1.5 mile to thePotomac. 4BR, 2.5BA Colonialw/Carport conveys as well! Buy itnow “AS IS” for <$750,000 or payhigher in the spring after cosmetic

work has been done on home. Your Choice! 5 minutes to Ft.Belvoir, 15 to Old Town, 35 to Pentagon/D.C. Call Rex for Info –703-409-4784-- P.S. Interest Rates are Low Now.

COMIN

G

SOON

SOLD

Rex ReileyWishing you and your family aHappy Thanksgiving Season.

SOLD

UNDER

CONTR

ACT

From Page 1

News

agencies provide and put a face with a name, ac-cording to Loretta Mayfield, SFDC’s marketing man-ager.

Howard Newman was one of those RichmondHighway business owners who met with Dave Fuller,the Business Services manager with the Virginia De-partment of Business Assistance.

Newman, who has owned Fast Signs of Alexan-dria, learned how he could make his company moreattractive to the state almost overnight by makingchanges in how he markets his products to govern-ment.

“We expanded the range of our products by beingmore comprehensive,” he said.

In short, Fast Signs has the capability of producingsay widget AA1 but governments need widget AA2.Newman has always had the capacity for producingAA2 but didn’t market his firmfor the capability. Now that hehas expanded his product line,he has made his business moreappealing to government con-tractors.

“It was very instructive. Ididn’t expect that to happen,”said the owner of the 18-year-old business.

The state’s representative gave Newman “greatideas to work for VDOT (Virginia Department ofTransportation). People were anxious to help smallbusinesses become as viable as possible.”

Newman has owned the business since 1999. This

past year he has had to layoff one employee of fiveand reduced the number of hours the four remain-ing employees work.

Newman admits that marketing and advertisingbudgets are the first to go in any business that issuffering financially. “People aren’t able to buy. If theydon’t advertise, we don’t produce. Small businessesare hanging on by the skin of their teeth, but if yougive up, you’re toast,” he said.

ABELLA IS responsible for the financial-end of histhree-year-old family-owned restaurant in Lorton.

The summit was “timely because I’m trying to refi-nance some of our debt to move ahead and make itthrough these times,” he said.

And he appears to be moving in the right direc-tion. A bank representative was present at the sum-mit and Abella met with him days afterward.

“That’s the kind of quick response needed,” he said.But in order to qualify for loans guaranteed by the

SBA, Abella is going to have tohurry in order to meet theagency’s Dec. 31 deadline. “I’mracing against the clock,” hesaid, but confident he can pro-vide his business plan and otherpaperwork on time.

SFDC is a public/private non-profit economic development

corporation designed to provide assistance to exist-ing and potential business on Richmond Highwaywith expertise in locations, demographics, propertyinventory, and financing information. It receives anannual budget of $192,000 from Fairfax County.

Forum: Economy Improving

“2010 will be betterthan 2009 and 2011 willbe better than 2010.”

— Dr. Stephen Fuller,economist

him on a barnstorming tour during the off-season,and generate income for Babe and himself — his 10percent. It’s just what IMG or any other sports mar-keter does today. They’re using that model thatChristy created, of selling words or appearances tothe public, advertisers, or marketers for golf balls orrunning shoes.

What were sports like before the 1920s?The main thing is there was no organized national

sport before this, except baseball. There were hun-dreds of minor leagues — but it wasn’t very orga-nized and it wasn’t very coherent nationally. Therewas no basketball to speak of; tennis and golf wereviewed as country club sports. Golf didn’t start in

See Bohn, Page 6

From Page 3

And All That ‘Ballyhoo’

6 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

$299$299

From Page 3

Obituary

See ‘Ballyhoo,’ Page 7

Peter Barretta Jr.Peter Barretta Jr., 89, of

Charlottesville, Va., died Monday,Nov. 16, 2009, after an extendedillness. Col. Barretta, a former resi-dent of Waynewood, a communityin the Mount Vernon area of Alex-andria, was born Feb. 28, 1920 inMeadville, Pa., the oldest son of thelate Rosalia and Pietro Barretta. Hewas preceded in death by his wifeEdna G. Barretta of Charlottesville,Va., and three sisters: ElizabethSturm of Huntington, W.V., MarilynBarisano of Nahant, Ma., and CiraBarretta of Arlington.

He is survived by his four chil-dren, Dr. Rosalie G. Barretta ofFalling Waters, W.V., Elizabeth M.Barretta-Davis and her husbandReggie of Earlysville, Va., Peter A.Barretta III of Port Deposit, Md.,and Patricia F. Steele and her hus-band Robert, along with their chil-dren, Marcus and Josephine Steeleof Chapel Hill, N.C., his two sis-ters, Rosalie Fera of Meadville, Pa.,and Anne Ambrose and her hus-band Leedy of Manassas, Va., andhis four brothers, Sam and JoeBarretta of Venice, Fla., BenBarretta and his wife Pat ofMeadville, Pa., and AnthonyBarretta and his wife Patty ofCrozet, Va., along with manynieces and nephews.

Col. Barretta was a veteran ofWorld War II, the Korean War, theDominican Republic revolt and theVietnam War, serving over 28 yearsin the Air Force, retiring in 1970.Col. Barretta was proud of his ser-vice to his country and wasawarded numerous medals andcommendations during his militarycareer including the Bronze Star.

On his retirement from the Air

Force in 1970, Col. Barretta be-came a member of the AntarcticanSociety and the American PolarSociety. For the next 25 years hewrote feature articles, columnsand book reviews for The IcecapNews and other polar journalswith an emphasis on polar avia-tion and scientific missions. A pro-lific writer, he was particularly in-terested in the Lost Squadron air-craft in Greenland and wrote ex-tensively concerning the recoveryefforts. Through his correspon-dence with scientists and explor-ers from many countries heamassed an extensive collection ofpolar cachets documenting manyexpeditions to the Antarctica.

After living in the Alexandriaarea for over 40 years, he and hiswife Edna moved to Our Lady ofPeace Retirement community inCharlottesville, in 2003.

Two viewings will be held atDemaine Funeral Home at 520 S.Washington Street in Alexandria,on Tuesday, Nov. 24 from 6-8 p.m.and Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 9-10 a.m. A memorial mass will beheld at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday,Nov. 25 at Good Shepherd Catho-lic Church, 8710 Mt. VernonHwy., in Alexandria. Final memo-rial services are scheduled laterat Fort Myer Chapel at ArlingtonNational Cemetery, Feb. 4, 2010at 12:45 p.m., and a military fu-neral to follow. The family re-quests expressions of sympathy bemade in the form of contributionsto the Air Force Memorial Foun-dation, the Disabled AmericanVeterans or a veterans organiza-tion of donor’s choice.

the United States until 1988;tennis had been around a littlelonger than that, but not anythingto speak of. Tennis didn’t take offuntil they moved the nationalchampionships out of Newportand down to New York City, wherepeople could get to them on thesubway, and more diverse peoplecould get there. Then the WestSide Tennis Club started buildingbig stadiums to house the crowds.

Seven of the 10 stars youfollow in the book wereinvolved in individualsports — a couple eachfrom swimming, golf andtennis, Dempsey in boxing— and only three fromteam sports. Do you thinkthere was a particularappeal brought by theindividual athlete?

There are other analogues tothat during the ‘20s: Lindbergh as

the ‘lone eagle’ flying over by him-self. There’s a whole school ofthought among sociologists andanthropologists, that America lostits individualism during the 1920s.They became factory workers in-stead of farm owners; they becamea cog in the machinery. The Ameri-can ideal up that point was thatyou could go out on the frontier,get your section of land, farm it,and do it all on your own. [Tennisstar] Bill Tilden did everything byhimself; no one is there to helphim. Same way for golf and swim-ming.

There’s some irony there,that the public could in-dulge fantasies about theindividual and the past eraof the frontiersman, whilethese heroes were beingbrought to them via amachine-like process — anational process to a na

Bohn’s ‘Ballyhoo’

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

3221 Duke St., Alexandria Commons • 703-370-4100

SINCE 1990

❁ ORIENTAL STAR ❁

Chinese~Japanese~Thai Fusion RestaurantEXCEPTIONAL VEGETARIAN MENU ❁ CARRY-OUT MENU

Fine Dining with Full-Service Bar & CateringFree Delivery Minimum $15•Within 3 Miles

Business HoursMon-Thurs & Sun: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.Fri & Sat: 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

MSG

We Use 100% Vegetable OilOPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

www.orientalstarva.com10% off with this ad, Dine-in Only

Since 1976

scriptorium-alexandria.com

309-C Cameron Street • Alexandria, Virginia 22314703.549.2880

• stationery• invitations

• calligraphy

YOU WANT QUALITY SERVICEFROM A LOCAL AGENT

Chris UmbelState Farm Agent

703-751-4404We are open on Saturdays!

Hablamos EspañolVisit Us at www.novainsure.com

State Farm Home Office Bloomington, IL State Farm.com

Auto • Home • Business • Life • Health

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.

InformationalLunch

Tuesday,December 15th

RSVP703-578-7201

Mount VernonPaint Company(703) 768-1975

Drop Cloth andSanding Sponge

6229 Richmond Hwy

FREE

Per gallon of anyRegal Product

$4.00 OFF

Must be presented at time of purchase.

Must be presented at time of purchase.

From Page 6

People

tional audience.That a system brought them an

individual hero, cranked out likesausage out of a machine, there isan irony there. It probably contin-ues, when you think about today’snews media/sports conglomerate(and it’s all intertwined), I thinkit’s consistent with what wasbirthed in the 1920s.

How does our currentsporting age compare tothe ‘20s? Is it a directoutgrowth?

There are a hundred times moresports than there were, many moremedia outlets. It’s become diluted.Most importantly — and this isprobably the key — is there’s nomystery anymore, and you needmystery to have heroes. There’s nomystery anymore because every-body knows everything, all thetime, as soon as possible, wartsand all.

Is that why there can’t beanother “Golden Age”?

That was my point. There aretoo many cable TV shows, toomany blogs, to have a mystery.

For a longer version of this discussion,go to www.connectionnewspapers.com.

‘Ballyhoo’

Every year between Christmas andNew Year’s, the Mount Vernon Gazetteturns its pages over to the contributions oflocal students. We are seeking artwork,photography, poetry, opinions, short sto-ries and reflections. We welcome contri-butions from public schools, privateschools and students who are homeschooled.

E-mail: to PhotoAX@connectionnewspapers.com, or mail or deliver contributions by Dec. 4, to 1606 King St.,Alexandria, VA 22314. Please be sure to include the student’s name, age, grade,school and town of residence along with each submission. For information, call703-778-9410.

Be a Part of CHILDREN’S (& TEENS’) GAZETTE

8 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinionwww.MountVernonGazette.com

Newspaper of Mount Vernon

An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered

to homes and businesses.1606 King Street

Alexandria, Virginia 22314

NEWS DEPARTMENT:To discuss ideas and concerns,

Call: 703--778-9410e-mail:

gazette@connectionnewspapers.com

Steven MaurenEditor, 703-778-9415

smauren@connectionnewspapers.com

Michael Lee PopeReporter, 703-778-9437

alexandriagazette@yahoo.com

Steve HibbardAssociate Editor, 703-778-9412

shibbard@connectionnewspapers.com

Julia O’DonoghueEducation & Politics, 703-778-9436

jodonoghue@connectionnewspapers.com

Ken MooreCourts & Projects, 703-917-6417

kmoore@connectionnewspapers.com

Jon RoetmanSports Editor, 703-224-3015

jroetman@connectionnewspapers.com

ADVERTISING:To place an advertisement, call the ad

department between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.

Display ads 703-778-9410Classified ads 703-778-9411Employment ads 703-778-9413

Julie FerrillDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9446jferrill@connectionnewspapers.com

Ginger KrupDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9447gkrup@connectionnewspapers.com

Andrea SmithClassified Advertising, 703-778-9411asmith@connectionnewspapers.com

Barbara ParkinsonEmployment Advertising

703-778-9413bparkinson@connectionnewspapers.com

PublisherJerry Vernon

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

Editor in ChiefSteven MaurenPhotography:

Louise Krafft, Robbie HammerArt/Design:

Geovani Flores, Laurence Foong,John Heinly, Wayne Shipp,

John SmithProduction Manager:

Jean Card

Editor Emeritus:Mary Anne Weber

CIRCULATION: 703-778-9427Circulation Manager:

Ann Oliver

CONNECTION NEWSPAPERS,L.L.C.

Peter LabovitzPresident/CEO

Mary KimmPublisher/Chief Operating Officer

703-778-9433mkimm@connectionnewspapers.com

Jerry VernonPublisher/Executive Vice President

jvernon@connectionnewspapers.com

Wesley DeBrosseController

Debbie FunkNational Sales, 703-778-9444

debfunk@connectionnewspapers.com

A Connection Newspaper

During 2008, more families across thecountry were without enough foodduring part of some months than atany time since 1995 when the U.S.

Department of Agriculture began monitoring theextent and severity of food insecurity in U.S.households.

Last year, 17 million households in the UnitedStates were without enough food for some partof some months because they didn’t have themoney to buy food, up from 13 million house-holds in 2007. That’s 49 million people, up from36 million in 2007.

The numbers are almost certainly higher now,as 2009 draws to a close.

The ongoing recession and loss of jobs are driv-ing an ongoing surge of families turning to foodbanks here in Northern Virginia. There are moreunemployed people in Northern Virginia than inany other part of the state, according to the Vir-ginia Employment Commission. While the em-ployment rate is lower here as a percentage ofthe population, this area still has by far the larg-est number of people unemployed.

In August, there were 69,770 unemployedpeople in Northern Virginia, with an unemploy-ment rate of 4.7 percent. The rate was down from5.1 percent in July, but up from 3.3 percent inAugust, 2008.

People have lost their jobs, are unable to findnew ones. In some cases people who own homesare stuck, unable to sell their houses because thehomes are worth less than they paid for them,and are facing foreclosure as well.

Families have used up their safety net, spenttheir savings. They find themselves without be-ing able to put food on the table, and they turn tolocal food banks, food pantries, churches andother charitable organizations for their most ba-sic needs.

Food pantries around the area have launchedadditional food drives to try to meet the need.Many local charities also offer winter coats andholiday gifts, and are also turning to the commu-nity to meet the rising needs.

With the holiday season underway, it’s time tohelp.

— Mary Kimm

Give LocallyMore local families in need right now than everbefore; thankfully, most of us are in a position to help.

Where To Donate❖ United Community Ministries,

Mount Vernon, 703-768-7106,7511 Fordson Road, Alexandria, 22306UCM’s Food Pantry is open weekdays 9 a.m. -5:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. the firstSunday of each month (except January, Julyand September, open on second Sunday).Enter through gates on right side of building,drive around to opposite side of building andring bell at green door.

❖ Food for Others2938 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, 22031703-207-9173

❖ Ecumenical Community Helping Others(ECHO), 703-569-9160, www.echo-inc.org.Open to receive donations at 7205 Old KeeneMill Road, Springfield weekdays from 9:30a.m. until 12:30 p.m., and Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7 –9 p.m.

❖ Lorton Community Action Center,9518 Richmond Highway,www.lortonaction.orglcacvolunteer@msn.com, 703 339-5161,

❖ National Capital Food Bank,6833 Hill Park Drive, Lorton,serving all of Northern Virginia.703-541-3063, www.capitalareafoodbank.orgFood donations accepted Monday-Friday,8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fully equipped withrefrigeration and freezers, so can accept non-perishable food items, plus produce, any kindof meat or dairy products and frozen food.

❖ Good Shepherd in the Route 1 area,703-768-9404

❖ Lorton Community Action Center,703-339-5161

❖ Koinonia Foundation, 703-971-1991❖ The Campagna Center in Alexandria

703-549-0111❖ ALIVE (Alexandrians Involved

Ecumenically) www.alive-inc.org❖ Habitat for Humanity of Northern

Virginia, Arlington, 703-521-9890

By Elizabeth Gambal

The Madeira School

Have you ever eaten anapple and thought thatyou might be biting into

an unlucky child? Hopefully youhaven’t, but in West PotomacHigh’s “Sideway Stories from Way-side School,” there’s a chance that

you might have! In this playfulshow, five elementary school chil-dren experience the highs andlows of school, from learning howto count, to learning that there’s apossibility that Mrs. Gorf will turnyou into an apple.

“Sideway Stories from Wayside

School” was originally written byLouis Sachar as a series of booksand was later adapted to the stageby John Olive. The play is a seriesof vignettes based on chapters inthe book that focus on five chil-dren on the 30th floor. You see, thebuilder of the school was supposedto build a one-story building with30 rooms, but he built a 30-storybuilding with one room on eachfloor. At the beginning of the play,evil Mrs. Gorf turns herself into anapple when a student holds a mir-ror up to her, so the 30th floor getsa new teacher, kind Miss Jewls.Unfortunately, Miss Jewls is later

kidnapped and replaced by Mrs.Gorf’s son, the demented Mr. Gorf,and the class has to endure hiscruel magic powers until they fig-ure out how to break the spell andreturn Miss Jewls to her rightfulpost.

West Potomac High’s productionwas commendable for its strongensemble cast. The kids were al-ways entertaining to watch be-cause they always had animatedfacial expressions that were trulychildlike. The set was very whim-sical and colorful, with brightly

West Potomac High Performs ‘Sideways’

See ‘Sideways,’ Page 14

Cappies Review

See Letters, Page 11

Master pastry chiefRoland Mesnier books,“Dessert University” and“Basic to BeautifulCakes” are on display atthe Mt. Vernon Estate giftshops.

Roland Mesnier signs hisnew book, “All the Presi-dents Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the WhiteHouse, A Memoir” at theMt. Vernon Estate giftshops on Nov. 13.

A White House Memoir

Pho

to

s by LaShaw

n A

very/T

he G

azette

AppreciateSupportTo the Editor:

I want to thank the people of theMount Vernon area for your voteof confidence when you electedme to represent you in Virginia’sHouse of Delegates. Your supportis humbling and inspiring and I amalready working hard for you.

I could not have been electedwithout the “army” of volunteerswho helped me. I am very grate-ful to the hundreds of friendlyMount Vernon people who openedtheir doors and talked to me about

their concerns. I visited over 8,000homes over the four-month cam-paign.

I also thank Jay McConville forhis vigorous campaign and forputting our democracy to the test.Though we were opponents, Ihope to continue my friendshipwith him and to receive his adviceand suggestions.

We face a very difficult statebudget environment in Richmond,but rest assured, I will work ashard as I can to address our needsand make our concerns a top pri-ority of the legislature.

Letters to the Editor

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Offer good through 12/5/09•Not valid with any other offersOffer good through 12/5/09•Not valid with any other offersOffer good through 12/5/09•Not valid with any other offersOffer good through 12/5/09•Not valid with any other offers

10% OFFAny In PlantRug Repair

10% OFFAny In PlantRug Repair

Any In Plant Rug CleaningAny In Plant Rug Cleaning

10 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Three Convenient Locations

Coming Soon! The Bungalow AleHouse in Gainesville!Visit our website: www.bungalow4u.com

MANCHESTER LAKES7003-C Manchester Blvd.

Alexandria, VA 22310

(703) 924-8730

CHANTILLY13891 Metrotech Dr.Chantilly, VA 20151

(703) 502-3925

SHIRLINGTON2766 S. Arlington Mill Dr.

Arlington, VA 22206

(703) 578-0020

Three Convenient Locations

Get Your Elves in Gearand Book Your Office Party

at THE BUNGALOWHoliday gatherings to fit any budget,

custom fit for groups of 10-200!• Lunch time, Dinner time, Party time, Anytime!• Completely Smoke Free as of Dec. 1, 2009• Party Planning: email us at gatherings@bungalow4u.com

TOUGH YEAR?TOUGH YEAR?

“Billiards and Brew & Great Food Too”

Give a Little

Get a Little!

Gift Cards for

SALEBuy $25,

Get $5 for You!

Pool TablesGamesDarts

1 HourFree Pool11am - 3pmwith lunch

3652 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22302

(703) 379-6010www.bcjewelers.net

“PANDORA HOLIDAY EVENT”THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY

December 3, 4, 5

Enter to win a PANDORA Long sleeve velour hoodie ($50 value).New Liquid Silver just arrived!

48 New beads, 9 new Murano, and braided Leather braclets

GIFT WITH PURCHASEReceive a collectible PANDORA Holiday Ornament with your purchase

of $100 or more of PANDORA Jewelry.(Good while supplies last, limit one per customer.)

Now OpenSundays11-4

From Page 8

Letters

I look forward to your contin-ued involvement in governmentand I hope you will stay in closetouch with me. You can reach mylocal office at 571-249-4484 or byemail at scottsurovell@gmail.comuntil I receive my official email.

I hope to see you in the commu-nity and invite you to visit me be-tween Jan. 13 and March 13 inRichmond when the General As-sembly is in session.

I loved walking our neighbor-hoods, making new friends andbringing people together. I willwork hard to bring about workablesolutions and good governmentfor the 44th District.

Scott A. SurovellDelegate-Elect

44th DistrictVirginia House of Delegates

WriteThe Gazette welcomes views on

any public issue. Send to:

Letters to the EditorThe Gazette

1606 King St.Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-778-9410.

By e-mail:gazette@connectionnewspapers.com

12 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

14 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

DecemBER CATALOGUE AUCTIONSATURDAY, December 12th – 10:00 AM

VAAR#0704

PREVIEW IN OUR GALLERYSaturday, Dec. 5 ~ 10-5 Sunday, Dec. 6 ~ 1-4

Monday-Friday, Dec. 7-11 ~ 10-5526 N. Fayette Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

703-684-4550www.potomackcompany.com

Selection of Fine Estate Jewelry

Large Collection ofFine Jewelry includingCartier, Tiffany andLalaounis and a 2 caratdiamond necklace

Contents from Embassy and Movie Staging Firmincluding objects from ‘Salt’ starring Angelina Jolieand ‘How Do You Know’ with Reese Witherspoon.Over 350 objects.

Bust of a GentlemanC. 1870

White Carrara Marble,h: 32 in.

signed by H. Powers

From Page 8

painted desks and a colorfultiled floor. Peppy music in betweenscenes really added to the child-like feel of the play.

Emily Woods and Ryan Walkerstole the show as students Bebeand Myron, respectively. Woodsbounced around the classroomand was always in character nomatter what scene. Her portrayal

of Bebe was precious and believ-able. Walker’s Myron was ador-able, always pushing up hisglasses, and trying not to pullLeslie’s (Nell McKeown) pigtails.Toby Mananzan as Dameon hadthe audience laughing with his biggrin and matter-of-fact remarks.Callan Memmo’s Mrs. Jewls waslovely and had the audience smil-ing with her kind remarks.

Most of the costumes weresimple and to the point. Tango in-structor Miss Valooosh, however,

had a wonderfully colorful cos-tume made by student EllaRobinson. The lighting was verybright and illuminated everycharacter’s face. Some scenechanges seemed longer than nec-essary, but this problem providedonly a minor distraction.

Overall, West Potomac High’speppy production was well-actedand ended with a great return tonormalcy for the 30th floor. Re-member to be careful wheneveryou eat an apple, though!

‘Sideways’Theatre

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Arts ❖ Entertainment ❖ Leisure

Roz White as Pearl Bailey

Where and When“Pearl Bailey … by Request” plays

through Dec. 20 at MetroStage, 1201North Royal Street, Old Town Alex-andria. Performances are Friday at 8p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tick-ets are $45 - $50. Call 703-548-9044or log on to www.metrostage.org.

Club-style bio-revueplays MetroStage.

Colin Hovde/The Gazette

Roz White stars in “Pearl Bailey … by Request” at MetroStage.

By Brad Hathaway

The Gazette

A year ago, audiences enjoyed ashort club-style performance byRoz White as Pearl Bailey at

MetroStage. This year she’s back doing thesame material with a different jazz pia-nist but with pretty much the same effect— audiences having a good time. The big-gest difference? The price. Last year aticket cost $35. This year it will set youback $45 - $50 to get in.

White runs through 16 of Bailey’s sig-nature songs … every song was a signa-ture song when Pearly Mae sang it. Herstyle was, to say the least, distinctive. Thesongs range from some of her early hits,such as 1946’s “A Woman’s Prerogative”and “Legalize My Name,” both of whichshe introduced in her Broadway debut in“St. Louis Woman,” right through “HelloPearly,” which gives a nod to her successleading the 1968 all-black cast version of“Hello Dolly” 22 years later.

Bailey had a unique blend of comicblues delivery and drew her audience’sinto her confidence with asides urgingthem to recognize her talent and herbeauty. That she was talented is undeni-able. She never became a parody of a sexylady like, for example, Mae West, but asshe aged she turned on the glamour andturned up the humor.

White can deliver these songs with style.That style isn’t exactly a duplicate ofBailey’s. After all, Bailey was often re-ferred to as “inimitable.” Many imperson-ators tried to capture that style, and somesucceeded more than others, but whatWhite is doing at MetroStage is more sug-gestion of a style than a spot-on imper-sonation. It sure is close enough to giveyou a feel for her subject’s gifts.

A talented performer, White has ap-peared on this stage before under the di-rection of Thomas W. Jones II in “TwoQueens, One Castle” and “Cool Papa’sParty.” Jones is again directing for thisevening of Pearly-isms.

White is joined for a few of the num-bers by William Hubbard in the role ofHot Lips Page, the trumpeter and singerwho had accompanied Bailey in record-ings of Frank Loesser’s “Baby, It’s ColdOutside” and the racy blues number “TheHucklebuck,” both of which are includedin this show. He acts as a combinationpartner and master of ceremonies with hisown brand of charm and humor.

Three of the four jazz musicians whoplayed in the quartet behind White/Bailey last year are back and eachmakes a solid contribution. The newface isn’t all that new. It is WilliamKnowles at the piano. He wrote the ar-rangements for the show last year andhas appeared at MetroStage behind thesingers in a number of jazz-inflectedshows including the similarly structuredclub-style evenings of the music of Nat

“King” Cole and Duke Ellington.MetroStage has decked out its playing

space as you might expect of a nightclubwith a small stage for the combo and star.A two-step riser provides a spot for thestar to stand in silhouette as Hubbard in-troduces her. The sound fills the smallspace nicely and there are even a fewcabaret tables in front of the stage forpatrons who wish to bring in a drink fromthe lobby concession stand.

❖❖❖Brad Hathaway reviews theater in Vir-

ginia, Washington and Maryland as wellas Broadway, and edits Potomac Stages, a

From left to right: Adrien Finlay, Executive Director, AlexandriaSymphony Orchestra; Rosa Fullerton, Co-Chair 2010 SOLA Ball;Nancy Lasley, Co-Chair 2010 SOLA Ball; Adron Krekeler, Chair LiveAuction; Karen Olson, Co-Chair Silent Auction; Leef Smith Barnes -Winner of the Name the Ball Contest; Sharon Walker, Co-ChairSilent Auction; and Tina Riviello, Artist of the original artwork forthe 2010 Ball.

SATURDAY/MARCH 6

Le Moulin Rouge Ball. The 23rd annual Symphony Orchestra League of Alex-andria (SOLA) Ball. At the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. Contact Jane Ring at 703-548-7454 or jring10@comcast.net. To purchase ASO concert tickets, contact theirbox office at 503-548-0885 or go to www.alexsym.org.

Members of the Old Town Boutique Dis-trict — a collection of 26 Alexandria-ownedretailers — are teaming up once again to en-courage area shoppers to buy locally and save.If you buy from one of the participating storesyour receipt becomes an instant 10 percentoff coupon redeemable at any of the otherparticipating stores.

Some of the retailers may set a few restric-tions, but there’s no limit on the number ofstores you can visit, or the amount of savingsyou can rack up. For example, if you buysomething from Bloomers, you’ll get 10 per-cent off at Red Barn Mercantile. Your full-purchase receipt can get you 10 percent offpurchases at La Cuisine, Mystique Jewelers,The Christmas Attic and other Old Town storestoo.

The offer is good only from 11 a.m. to 6p.m. on Black Friday, Nov. 27. “This is a re-ally great way to save, get to know some ofour local retailers and help the local economyall at the same time,” said Kim Putens, co-owner of Bellacara and Bloomers. “We didthis last year and it was a big hit with cus-tomers. This year, we have about 15 morestores participating. That means a greaterselection and bigger savings on gifts for justabout everyone on your list.”

Visit www.oldtownboutiquedistrict.com.

Old Town BoutiquesOffer Black FridayBargains for All

Holly, Woods andVines Helps DeliverChristmas Spirit toTroop Families

Holly, Woods and Vines is proud to be the onlylocation within the D.C. metro area to participatein the Trees for Troops program. This holiday sea-son, Trees for Troops is expected to collect anddeliver more than 15,000 real Christmas trees fromacross the nation to military families across theUnited States, as well as to soldiers serving over-seas. Consumers will have the opportunity topurchase trees at Holly, Woods and Vines and do-nate them to Trees for Troops.

The collection and delivery of trees will takeplace Dec. 4-6. Consumers may make contributionsto the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation atwww.ChristmasSPIRITFoundation.org. Or visitwww.TreesforTroops.org.

Holly, Woods and Vines is located at 8453 Rich-mond Hwy., Alexandria. Call 703-799-1607.

Web site covering theater in the region(www.PotomacStages.com). He can bereached at Brad@PotomacStages.com.

16 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Fine Arts

NOW THROUGH JAN. 3New Mythology/Tracey ClarkeTracey Clarke’s otherworldly work pairs

dramatic images with short narrativesthat both answer — and ask —questions. An artist’s reception will beheld Sunday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. Ondisplay at the Athenaeum Gallery, 201Prince Street, Alexandria. Call 703-548-0035 or visit nvfaa.org.

NOW THROUGH DEC. 31Gallery West Presents: The 30th

Anniversary Celebration/SmallWorks Show

Join the members of Gallery West in amonth-long celebration of the gallery’s30th year. The gallery is located at1213 King Street in Old TownAlexandria’s Boutique District, betweenPayne and Fayette. Shopping and finedining are nearby.

The gallery is open from 11 – 6 p.m.Wednesday through Sunday. Images ofwork by the members are on view atthe gallery’s Web site: www.gallery-west.com. Call 703-549-6006.

NOW THROUGH NOV. 29Scope Gallery — Table Talk. Over a

dozen Ceramic Guild potters have beencreating cups, plates, bowls and otherserveware to complete a table and addoriginality and color to a holidayspread. The show runs now throughNov. 29, Monday through Sundayfrom 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Thursdaysopen until 9 p.m.; closed onThanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. The galleryis located on the ground floor Studio19, 101 North Union Street Alexandria.Call Scope Gallery at 703-548-6288 orvisit www.torpedofactory.org/galleries/scope.

NOW THROUGH DEC. 20

Heavenly Dialogue: Photographs ofNatural Occurrences. New Workby Lucy Herrman. A portion of thesales from this show will be donated toSHARE of McLean. At 2401 26th RoadSouth, Arlington. Call 703-585-1705.Go towww.DualityContemporaryArt.com

NOV. 30 TO JAN. 3The Kiln Club Show. Runs Monday

through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.with Thursdays open until 9 p.m.Scope Gallery is located at 101 NorthUnion Street, ground floor Studio 19,Alexandria. Call the Scope Gallery at703-548-6288 or visitwww.torpedofactory.org/galleries/scope.

DEC. 8 TO JAN. 3Size Matters: Two Shows-Two

Jurors. Juried by Peg Koetsch and

Brett John Johnson. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.daily except second Thursdays 2 to 9p.m. At the Torpedo Factory ArtCenter, 105 N. Street, #312,Alexandria. Call 703-683-2205.

THURSDAY/DEC. 10Pandora’s Box: Reception and

Unveiling, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Jury talk at7 p.m. Local youth from the newCharles Houston Recreation Centerwill create a large group artwork piecein conjunction with the TorpedoFactory Art Center’s Target Gallerynational exhibition Pandora’s Box. Thepiece will be displayed at the TorpedoFactory and celebrated with areception. At the Torpedo Factory ArtCenter, 105 North Union St,Alexandria. Call 703-838-4565, ext. 4or go to www.torpedofactory.org.Open daily 10-6 p.m. and Thursdaysuntil 9 p.m.

NOW THROUGH DEC. 7Tory Cowles’ Solo

Exhibit, “Boing!”In Tory Cowles’ latest series

of abstract paintings, shestrives to incorporatemore interactive three-dimensional elements.Her work has alwaysbeen light, playful, andjoyful, but now the workinvites the viewer toparticipate. Cowles is aresident artist at theTorpedo Factory ArtCenter. In The Art LeagueGallery: Daily, 10 a.m. –6 p.m.; Sundays, 12 noon– 6 p.m.; Open Thursdaysuntil 9 p.m.

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 17www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Royal RestaurantThe

Dine in or call ahead and your dinner will be ready for pick up.

Dinner hours 2:30-9:30pm730 North Saint Asaph Street

Alexandria, VA 22314(703) 548-1616

Ample Free Parking

(now smoke free)

“What’s for Dinner?!”You don’t have to think too hard, let us solve this classic question.

In addition to our award winning menu, we have addedsome popular specials that add variety for everybody taste.

Real food, for real people at reasonable prices.

Monday - Kids NightBurger Night (Kids eat 1/2 price) Each child must be accompanied by adult having entree.

Tuesday - Greek NightLamb Marinated and Roasted for 3 hours,Athenian Roast Chicken, Moussaka!

Wednesday - All American NightMeatloaf, Chicken Fried Chicken. Va. Ham

Thursday - Italian NightLasagna, Chicken Alfredo, Calamari

Friday - Fish NightCrab Cakes, Shrimp & Scallops over penne pasta with white sauce

Saturday -Steak and Chop NightPrime Rib, Lamb, Surf and Turf, Pork Chops, and Moussaka

SundayBrunch served 7am - 2pm

Calendar

THURSDAY/NOV. 26Alexandria Turkey Trot. 10

a.m. At the Cora KellyRecreation Center, 25 W.Reed Ave., intersection ofWest Reed andCommonwealth Avenues, inAlexandria’s Del Raycommunity. The 5-mile raceis cosponsored by the DelRay Business Association(DRBA) and the DC RoadRunners Club. The onsiteentry fee — with two cans offood — is $25 for adults 22and over and $20 forindividuals aged 13-21 years.Children 12 and under canparticipate for $10 at thedoor and two cans of food.Call Paul Coleus at 703-933-0520 ext. 203 or emailpaul@waterfordinc.com.Visit http://www.dcroadrunners.org/sign-up/turkey.

FRIDAY/NOV. 27Music for the Clarinet. 8

p.m. Free. Presented by theU.S. Air Force Band ChamberPlayers. At the GeorgeWashington MasonicNational Memorial, 101Callahan Drive, Alexandria.Call 202-767-5658 or visitwww.usafband.af.mil.

City Tree Lighting Program. 7 p.m.Entertainment features a message fromthe Mayor, a visit from Santa, aperformance of Santa’s Frosty’s Folliesby the Metropolitan Fine Arts Center,and caroling with a community singalong. At Market Square, 301 KingStreet, Alexandria. Sponsored by theCity of Alexandria. Call 703-883-4686or the Special Events Office at 703-746-5418.

NOV. 27-JAN. 6Christmas at Mount Vernon. 9 a.m.-4

p.m. The halls are decked forChristmas at Mount Vernon. Excitingadditions include a dozen themedChristmas trees, historical chocolate-making demonstrations, and 18th-century dancing! $15/adults, $7/children ages 6-11, free for childrenunder 6. At Mount Vernon Estate &Gardens, 3200 Mount VernonMemorial Hwy., Mount Vernon. Call703-780-2000 orwww.MountVernon.org.

NOV. 27-29Mount Vernon by Candlelight. 5-8

p.m. Mrs. Washington hosts 18th-century Christmas with candlelit walks,fireside caroling, and early Americandécor. Cost is $18/adults, $12/childrenunder 11. At Mount Vernon Estate &Gardens, 3200 Mount VernonMemorial Hwy., Mount Vernon. Call703-780-2000 orwww.MountVernon.org.

NOV. 27, 28, 29“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio

Play.” Six actors portray 43 voices inthis visual recreation of a 1940’s NYCradio station. Produced by ACCT.Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Sundayat 2 p.m. At Aldersgate UnitedMethodist Church, 1301 CollingwoodRoad, Alexandria. Tickets are $9/adults, $5/children 12 and below. Goto acctonline.org or call 703-660-2611.

NOV. 28 TO DEC. 19Alexandria Jaycees’ Christmas Tree

Sales. Hours are Tuesday to Friday, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.;Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trees pricedfrom $45-$90. At the Safeway parkinglot in Old Town, 500 South RoyalStreet, Alexandria. Call 703-866-7171or visit www.alexjaycees.org.

SUNDAY/NOV. 29MVUC Presents. 7 p.m. DMA Piano Solo

Recital, Khe Sin Khoo, Malaysia. Afourth year DMA piano performancefrom WVU, Morgantown. At MountVernon Unitarian Church Chapel, 1909Windmill Lane. Call 703-765-5950.

MONDAY/NOV. 30St. Andrew’s Day. 7:30 p.m. Kirkin of

the Tartan Service. The service willinclude a blessing of the tartans and abagpiper and will be followed by areception with Scottish foods andbeverages. At St. Andrew and St.Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church,402 E. Monroe Ave., Alexandria. Call703-683-3343. Visitwww.standrewandstmargaret.org

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 2Country Music Open Mic night. 8-11

p.m. Novice and aspiring Countrymusicians — bring your instrumentand a few Country songs and plug in atNicks Open Mic night. Mics, PA andamps provided. Solos and bandswelcome. Advanced sign ups and walkins accepted. At Nicks Night ClubAlexandria, 642 South Pickett St.Contact dwtolly@gmail.com.

Holiday Biz-aar. From 6-7 p.m.,Enterprising Moms Networking andShopping Hour; 7-9 p.m., PublicHoliday Shopping Event. The Biz-aarwill feature entrepreneurial momsselling children’s apparel andaccessories, organic homeorganizational solutions, handcraftedjewelry, children’s hand-print andartwork preservation solutions,creative stroller covers. At Spill theBeans Organic Coffee and Chat House,Fort Hunt Centre, 1900 Elkin Street,Alexandria. Contact Carolyn Semedo at703-395-6676 and visit http://TheEnterprisingMoms.com

THURSDAY/DEC. 3Torpedo Factory Holiday Open

House. 6 to 9 p.m. Shop for one-of-a-kind gifts as live music andrefreshments get you into the holidayspirit at this annual bash! Guests arealso invited to give back with a fooddrive benefiting Carpenter’s Shelter.At the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105N. Union St., Alexandria. Visitwww.torpedofactory.org or call 703-

838-4565.Holiday Concert. 7:30 p.m.NOVA Community Chorus, Dr.Mark Whitmire, Director, withthe Alexandria Band. At theSchlesinger Concert Hall,Northern Virginia CommunityCollege, 3001 North BeauregardStreet, Alexandria. Call 703-845-6097.

DEC. 3-4Holiday Market. 9 a.m. to12:30 p.m. Shop for jewelry,purses, soaps and more. At St.Luke’s Day School, 8009 Ft.Hunt Road, Alexandria. CallTracey Navratil at 703-417-9219.

FRIDAY/DEC. 4Holiday Luminarias. 6-9p.m. Free viewing. Lit candlesand Christmas trees line thestreets, providing a holidayglow. In the Historic Del RayDistrict, Mount Vernon Avenuefrom Bellefonte to HumeAvenues.ArtFest 2009 Open House.6-9 p.m. Free. Exhibits, holidaysales and more. The eventfeatures 2D/3D exhibits, holidayceramic sale, jewelry sale,wearable fiber art show and sale,music by Rew Smith Band, artistdemos and food and drinks.

The Ceramic and Pottery Show andSale will run through the weekendand will feature ceramic vessels andforms made by students and associatesof The Art League that are perfect forholiday gift giving. Times are: Friday,Dec. 4, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, Dec.5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 6,12 noon-5 p.m.

The Jewelry Show and Sale, featuredFriday and Saturday, will showcase avariety of jewelry to fit all tastes. Timesare: Friday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; andSaturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. At theMadison Annex in Old TownAlexandria.

Parent’s Night Out. Once a Monthfrom 5-10 p.m. At Meade EpiscopalChurch, Alexandria. Meade staff willentertain kids ages 1-9 with age-appropriate educational themeactivities. Cost is $15/child ($80 familymaximum). Call 703-549-1334.

DEC. 4-5Campagna Center Scottish

Christmas Walk, Parade andWeekend. Free. Parade is Saturday,Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. Even dogs wear kiltsduring the annual Scottish ChristmasWalk. Christmas Marketplace is Friday,Dec. 4 all day, George WashingtonMasonic Memorial. Taste of Scotland,Friday, Dec. 4, evening. Call 703-549-0111, or go towww.ScottishChristmasWalk.com.

The Nutcracker. Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:30p.m., Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2 and 6:30p.m. Performance includes ballet,pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip hopdance and gymnastics. Joint venturebetween West Potomac Academy andAlexandria Community Dance. At WestPotomac High School. For tickets,contact Courtney Betzel at 703-718-2641 or cjbetzel@fcps.edu, or GenniferLissenby, Alexandria CommunityDance director, atglisenby@verizon.net.

DEC. 4-6Holiday Market at Del Ray Artisans.

Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundaynoon to 4 p.m. Unique handmade finearts and crafts from 16 local exhibitorsand bake sale items to benefit Food forOthers. Free. Go towww.TheDelRayArtisans.org. The DelRay Artisans Gallery is located at theNicholas A. Colasanto Center, 2704Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria.Call 703-838-4827.

Bao Bao Zhang Photo

National Chamber Players artistic direc-tor and NSO cellist James Lee.

TUESDAY/DEC. 1An Evening of Baroque Music: Works by Telemann

and Bach. 7:30 p.m. The National Chamber Players willperform Sonata No. 1 in A major and the TafelmusikQuartet in D minor by Telemann, and Bach’sBrandenburg Concerto No. 4. Free. At Pendleton Hall,Ainslie Arts Center, Episcopal High School, 3900 WBraddock Road, Alexandria. There will be a galleryopening and reception for Wildfires: Photographs byYoungsuk Suh, in the Angie Newman Johnson Gallery at6:30 p.m. Go to www.episcopalhighschool.org, emailarts@episcopalhighschool.org, or call 703-933-4135.

18 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

ORTHODOXSAINT APHRAIM SYRIAC…201-312-7678ALL SAINTS OF AMERICA...703-417-9665

CHURCHES—PRESBYTERIANCALVARY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH...703.768.8510

ALEXANDRIA PRESBYTERIANCHURCH…703-683-3348

OLD PRESBYTERIAN MEETING HOUSE…703-549-6670

HERITAGE PRESBYTERIAN…703-360-9546MT. VERNON PRESBYTERIAN…703-765-6118

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIANCHURCH…703-549-4766

CHURCHES—UNITED METHODISTALDERSGATE UNITED METHODIST...703-765-6555

BEVERLY HILLS COMMUNITY UNITED METHODIST...703-836-2406

DEL RAY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH...703-549-2088FAIRLINGTON UNITED METHODIST

CHURCH....703-671-8557ROBERTS MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST

CHURCH...703-836-7332ST. ANDREW’S UNITED METHODIST

CHURCH…..703-751-4666TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH…703-549-5500

WASHINGTON FARM UNITEDMETHODIST...703-780-4696

WASHINGTON STREET UNITEDMETHODIST CHURCH…703-836-4324

CHURCHES—UNITARIANMT. VERNON UNITARIAN...703-765-5950

CHURCHES—UNITYUNITY IN ALEXANDRIA…703-931-8507

SYNAGOGUESAGUDAS ACHIM CONGREGATION…703-998-6460

SYNAGOGUES—ORTHODOXCHABAD LUVAVITCH OF

ALEXANDRIA-ARLINGTON…703-370-2774

Visit These Houses of WorshipJoin A Club, Make New Friends, or Expand Your Horizons...

Good ShepherdCatholic Church

Mass ScheduleSaturday Evening5:00 pm; 6:30 pm (en Español)

Sunday7:30; 9:00; 10:30 am; 12:00 Noon2:00 pm (en Español)6:30 pm Mass (Starts Sept. 13)

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

Weekdays(Mass or Communion Service)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

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRISTHOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST...703-960-8772

CHURCHES—AFRICAN METHODISTEPISCOPAL ZION

ALLEYNE AME ZION CHURCH…703-548-3888

CHURCHES—ANGLICANCHRIST THE SAVIOR... 703-953-2854

ST. ANDREW & ST. MARGARETOF SCOTLAND… 703-683-3343

CHURCHES—APOSTOLICLOVE OF CHRIST CHURCH…703-518-4404

CHURCHES—BAPTISTALFRED STREET BAPTIST CHURCH…703-683-2222

BAPTIST TEMPLE CHURCH…703-548-8000DEL RAY BAPTIST CHURCH…703-549-8116

DOWNTOWN BAPTIST CHURCH…703-549-5544FIRST AGAPE BAPTIST

COMMUNITY OF FAITH…703-519-9100FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA…703-684-3720PROVIDENCE- ST. JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH…703-683-2565

SHILOH BAPTIST…703-683-4573MT. PLEASANT BAPTIST CHURCH...703-256-1239

VICTORY TEMPLE…703-370-2233PLYMOUTH HAVEN BAPTIST...703-360-4370

CHURCHES—BRETHREN GRACE BRETHREN CHURCH…703-548-1808

ALEXANDRIA CHURCH OF GOD...703-548-5084

BUDDHISMTHE VAJRAYOGINI BUDDHIST CENTER...202-331-2122

CHURCHES—ROMAN CATHOLICGOOD SHEPHERD

CATHOLIC CHURCH…703-780-4055ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH…703-836-3725ST. LOUIS CATHOLIC CHURCH…703-765-4421ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH…703-836-4100

CHURCHES—CHRISTIANHIS KINGDOM MINISTRIES... 703-313-5029

FIRST CHRISTIAN OF ALEXANDRIACHURCH... 703-549-3911

CHURCHES—CHRISTIAN SCIENCEFIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST

ALEXANDRIA...703-549-7973CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH

MT. VERNON...703-768-2494

CHURCH OF CHRISTALEXANDRIA CHURCH OF CHRIST…703-836-3083

CHURCHES—EPISCOPALEMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH...703-683-0798ST. AIDAN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH...703-360-4220ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH... 703-780-3081ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH...703-765-4342ST. MARK EPISCOPAL CHURCH...703-765-3949

CHURCHES—LUTHERANEPIPHANY LUTHERAN

CHURCH-ELCA….703-780-5077BETHANY LUTHERAN….703 765-8255

EVANGELICAL LUTHERANCHURCH….703-765-5003

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERANCHURCH-ELCA….703-548-8608

IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH,MISSOURI SYNOD…703-549-0155

MESSIAH EVENGELICAL LUTHERANCHURCH, ELCA...703-765-5003

NATIVITY LUTHERANCHURCH, ELCA….703-768-1112

Wesley United Methodist Church

10 am Sunday Worship ServiceSunday School classes (child to adult)and youth group (7th to 12th grade)

9 am to noon Monday through Friday Pre-School

8412 Richmond Ave, Alexandria, VA 22309(just off Richmond Highway, near Fort Belvoir & Mount Vernon)

703-780-5019 • www.wesleyva.org

Can You Hear Me Now?

To Advertise YourFaith 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 ES9100 Cherrytree Drive

Christmas Eve Service - Dec 24th at 5:00 pmSunday Worship Service - 10amInter-generational Sunday School - after serviceVicar, The Rev. Huey J Sevier

Opinion

By Gerald A. Fill

Hurricane Ida broughtheavy soaking rainthroughout the Wash-

ington metro area during the pastseveral weeks. Especially vulner-able to water infiltration in base-ments are low lying areas such asthat in the older sections of theMount Vernon area (Bellevue, Fort

Hunt, Stratford Landing, RiversideEstates, Hollin Hall, Huntington,and other areas). Wet basementsare not only immediately destruc-tive but over the long term whenneglected, may cause mold andmildew and may undermine foun-dations and create conditions forchronic wet basements which leakeven when a minor amount ofrainfall takes place in the near fu-

ture. In addition to being a healthhazard homes with chronic wetbasements may cause the resalevalue of the home to decline, andreduce the amount of livable spacein the home.

What does a homeowner dowhen confronted with a wet base-ment? Here are some tips whenand if you decide to find a perma-nent solution.

First and foremost, don’t panicand respond to contractors whomay try and exploit your wet base-ment by offering expensive land-scaping, outside excavation andwall sealing to the foundation, orsump pump installation.

ON AN EMERGENCY basis you

can do two things: (a) Rent or buyan inexpensive dewatering pumpyou can rent from a local appli-ance rental firm or purchase froma hardware store that you connectto a garden hose. It can pump anystanding water out of your base-ment quickly and cheaply withouthiring a contractor. And (b) rentor purchase a WetVac and vacuumup the standing water in yourbasement.

Second, make certain that yousolicit advice and written propos-als from more than one contrac-tor no matter what advice you re-ceive initially. In particular don’tsign up with a contractor who saysthey are in the neighborhood andcan begin the job the next day, orone who tries to pressure you inother ways, including offering alarge discount if you sign imme-diately. Reputable contractors willnot engage in those kinds of pres-sure tactics.

Third, ask for a written proposalthat describes in detail what theyare going to accomplish and whyit is necessary to solve the prob-lem.

Fourth, request a copy of theircontractor’s license and contactthe Better Business Bureau (BBB)for complaints that are unresolved,and with the Fairfax County Con-sumer Protection Commission tomake sure they are in good stand-ing and have no outstanding un-resolved complaints. The reasonfor the reference to “unresolvedcomplaints” is that it is not uncom-mon for contractors who do a lotof work to from time to time havecomplaints filed against them.Some are serious and legitimate;others may not be. But the natureof the complaint, whatever it is,should be evaluated by the home-owner before selecting a contrac-tor.

Fifth, ask the contractor for ref-erences and call or email them.Contractors are not going to will-ingly give you bad references;however, you may be able to learnsomething about the contractorthrough the conversation with thereferences. For example, do theyfinish what they commit in thecontract, on time. A third way tocheck out a contractor is to lookthem up with the Washington Con-sumer Checkbook. The local li-brary may have a hard copy on file.You may also contact them online.There may be a rating on the con-tractor listed with this organiza-tion which periodically evaluatesvarious contractor specialties.

How To Choose a Contractor Tips for homeowners withwet basements.

See How, Page 21

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 19www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Sports

See Sports Briefs, Page 20

See Defending, Page 20

West Potomac GraduateDeVar Excels in NCAA XC

Frank DeVar, son and Catherine Gorham and RodDeVar, completed his cross country season at theUniversity of Mary Washington. He took first placein the Capital Athletic Conference meet, second placeat the Southeast Regional meet, and 16th place atthe NCAA championships, and was named an All-American. Frank was coached by Don Beeby at WestPotomac High School, and Stan Soper at UMW.

Frank will graduate from UMW this spring with adegree in English, and plans to attend graduateschool, and then teach English and coach at the highschool level.

Submit YouthSports News

The local youth winter sports seasons are startingand the Gazette doesn’t want any child’s accomplish-ments to go unnoticed. To have youth sports itemsprinted or posted on the Web, send the information

to Sports Editor Jon Roetman atjroetman@connectionnewspapers.com

CheerleadingExhibition

The Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parksand Cultural Activities will host the Annual City-WideCheerleading Exhibition on Saturday, Dec. 12 at T.C.Williams High School beginning at 11 a.m. The ex-hibition features cheerleading teams from CharlesBarrett, Charles Houston, Cora Kelly, Mount Vernon,Nannie J. Lee, Patrick Henry and William RamsayRecreation Centers. There will also be special per-formances by the T. C. Williams High School cheer-leaders and others.

The exhibition features teams in three divisions:the pee wee, junior varsity and varsity divisions.Teams will display their skills and enthusiasm as theyprepare for the main event, the cheerleading com-petition, in April of 2010. The April competition willbe an invitational event with teams from the Wash

Frank Devar was named All-American at University ofMary Washington.

Co

urtesy pho

to

Sports Briefs

By Jon Roetman

The Gazette

The conclusion ofMonday’s practice in-cluded confusion,frustration and a con-

ditioning penalty for the MountVernon boys basketball team.Head coach Alfonso Smithwatched quietly as players griped,ran out of position and missed anoccasional layup.

Sound like a team in disarray?Don’t worry, Mount Vernon fans.Smith is still the reigning co-Northern Region Coach of the Yearand the Majors are still considereda front runner to repeat as Na-tional District champion. The ad-versity was all part of a learningexperience as the team wentthrough the “Liberty” layup drillfor the first time this season.

The drill involves players pass-ing and weaving their way tolayups at each end of the court.Smith’s goal for the Majors was 52layups in 5 minutes. At first, theuncertainty of some led to thevoicing of displeasure by others.But as time went by, the Majorsstarted to work things out and thedrill started to flow.

For the most part, Smith stoodback and let his players work outtheir problems . In the end, the

team fell eight layups short of itsgoal, and had to run eightbaselines. But in long term, someadditional cardio would be a smallprice to pay for improved commu-nication skills.

Mount Vernon is a talentedgroup. If the Majors can maintaintheir composure and not beatthemselves, there’s no telling howfar they could go.

“WHAT WE TRY to do is putthem in a situation sometimeswhere we know that they’re goingto struggle a little bit,” Smith said.“I try to give as little guidance [aspossible] because I want some ofour leaders to [step up]. … [I] justlet them work through it [and]allow the frustration to happen. Asa coach, part of you wants to stopthe drill when you notice thatthey’re a little frustrated. But thereality is we’re going to be inbattles throughout the seasonwhere there’s going to be frustra-tion and we’re going to have towork through it as a team.”

Junior guard Jesse Konadu (5-foot-9) realizes the benefit of play-ers working through their on-courttroubles.

“Once game time starts, thecoach is not going to be there towalk us through step by step,” hesaid. “It was good to get [the ex-

perience] through practice.”Konadu, a two-year starter,

teams up with senior Robert Smith(5-10), a three-year starter, to givethe Majors an experiencedbackcourt. Each received honor-able mention all-district accoladeslast season. Mount Vernon alsoreturns National District Player ofthe Year Skylar Jones, a 6-4 for-ward who earlier this monthsigned with Division I Niagara.

“We’re the three that have tolead this team,” Smith said, “be-cause we have the most experienceon this team. [Our teammates are]going to look to us for help duringthe game.”

NOW THE MAJORS have to es-tablish where everyone else fitsinto the mix.

“Having your starting backcourtreturning, as a coach, you feelgood about that,” Smith said.“Having a Division I player likeSkylar Jones, you feel good aboutthat. The key for us is really goingto be how well some of the guysstep into their roles.”

Senior Dylan Bischoff (6-4) willstart at center for the Majors dur-ing his first varsity season. Smithsaid Bischoff focused on playingsoccer last season. Junior LoganBeougher (6-2) and his solid, 230-pound frame will provide the Ma-jors with additional size inside.

Senior forward Sean Stewart (6-2) and senior guard StannHazlewood (5-9) will have in-creased roles this season.

Majors Look To Defend District CrownJones, Smith and Konaduto lead Mount Vernon whileteam’s role players settle in.

Mount Vernon head coach Alfonso Smith said seniorSkylar Jones, with ball, needs to increase his leadershiprole this season. The 6-foot-4 Jones signed with DivisionI Niagara and was last season’s National District Playerof the Year.

Pho

to

by Lo

uise K

rafft/T

he G

azette

Mount Vernon Gazette Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-224-3015 or jroetman@connectionnewspapers.com

20 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

TEMPORARY CLOSURE NOTICE

Meadowood Recreation Area10406 Gunston Road, Lorton, VA

The Bureau of Land Management - LowerPotomac Field Station is temporarily closingcertain access routes and certain areas topublic use. Portions of Meadowood will beclosed:

Thursday 12/03/2009 and Friday 12/04/2009

From SUNRISE to 3pm

FORWILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY

Additional information is posted on kiosksand trailheads.

For more information, call (703) 339-8009

From Page 19

From Page 19

Sports

ington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas com-peting against the Alexandria teams.

Tickets will be on sale in advance of the exhibi-tion at the neighborhood recreation centers as wellas at the Lee Center Recreation Services DivisionOffice now through 5 p.m., Dec. 10. Adult ticketsfor ages 13 and older are $5; youth tickets for 6-12years are $2, and youth 5 and under are free. Tick-ets will be sold at the door for $6 for adults and $3for children.

For more information on the cheerleading programand other youth sports programs, call the YouthSports Office at 703-746-5402.

Winter BoxLacrosse Registration

The Beltway Box Lacrosse League is registering nowfor a boys high school and youth winter box lacrosseprogram beginning Dec. 19. Games will be played inAlexandria at the in-line hockey rink behind FrancisC. Hammond Middle School. Divisions are boys highschool varsity and JV and youth U-9/U-11, U-13, andU-15. A seven-game season is planned. US Lacrossemembership is required. Information is available atwww.BeltwayBoxLacrosse.com.

Sports Briefs

Defending Their District CrownWhile several Majors will have

an impact this season, how Jones,the district Defensive Player of theYear last season, handles a new setof circumstances could have a lotto do with how well the Majorsfare this season.

“He has to lead in a much big-ger way than he’s had to in thepast,” Smith said of the Jones.“The guys on the team are watch-ing what he does. A lot of peoplein the region know [him] … on a

first-name basis, so the expecta-tions are going to be pretty high.He’s going to get a lot of attentionthat he didn’t get last year, whereteams are going to gameplan forhim. So he really [needs] to en-large his teammates around himto make sure if teams key on himthat we have so many other partsthat can step up and do whatneeds to be done.”

Mount Vernon went undefeatedin district play last season and willlikely get every opponent’s tough-est effort. Also, Hayfield, which

knocked the Majors out of the re-gional tournament on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, joined the Na-tional District this season and fig-ures to challenge Mount Vernonfor the title.

“In my four years playing on thevarsity, we’ve never beat Hayfield,”Jones said. “Now that they’re in ourdistrict, it’s even more motivationto go out there and beat them.”

Mount Vernon opens its seasonDec. 2 against Paul VI at Woodson.The Majors’ home opener is Dec.5 against West Potomac.

If you do notget TheMount VernonGazettedelivered toyour home…

FIRSTCLASSMAILEDSUBSCRIP-TIONSare now avail-able for thefirst time withtimely postalcarrier deliv-ery: $30 forsix months.Help us meetthe costs of pro-viding first-rate communityjournalism onnewsprint toyour house-hold.

Call 703-778-9426 (or -9427)

or e-mailcirculation@

connectionnewspapers.com

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 21www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

A CLEANING SERVICESince 1985/Ins & Bonded

Quality Service at a Fair PriceSatisfaction GuaranteedComm/Res. MD VA DC

acleaningserviceinc.com703-892-8648

CLEANING CLEANING

LICENSED INSURED

Residential & Commercial10% Senior Citizen Discount

CARE _ MORECLEANING SOLUTIONS

703-862-5904or

703-780-6749caremorecleaning.com

ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL

Metro GutterClean/Install/Repair

• Wood Replace & Wrapping • Pressure Washing• Chimney Sweeping & Repair

20 YEARS EXP.

703-354-4333metrogutter.com

PINNACLE SERVICES,Inc.

703-802-0483GROUP RATES AVAILABLE

FREE EST

• LEAF REMOVAL• GUTTER

CLEANING

GUTTER GUTTER

HOME IMPROVEMENTRepairs & Remodeling:

Plumbing, Electrical, & Painting!

703-455-3858www.ZenouZHomeImprovement.com

No Job too Small

HOME IMPROVEMENTRepairs & Remodeling:

Plumbing, Electrical, & Painting!

703-455-3858www.ZenouZHomeImprovement.com

No Job too Small

HANDYMAN HANDYMAN

RCL HOME REPAIRSHandyman Services

Springfld • Burke • KingstowneLight Electrical • Plumbing •

Bathroom Renovation • Ceramic Tile • Drywall Repair

703-922-4190LIC. www.rclhomerepairs.com INS.

EmploymentEmployment

ASS’T OPERATION MANAGER

Established freight forwarding company in the Northern VA. area seeks experienced in-dividual to assist in the day to day operations to include routing, tracking and tracing of shipments. Prospective applicants must have 2-3 years experience in the freight forwarding business as well as excellent communication skills. Experience with Cargowise or other shipment tracking programs is a plus. Salary based upon experience. Please e-mail resume to ctfs@ctfshows.com or fax resume to 703-518-4729 no phone calls please.

Highly Skilled Financial Client Service Associate

Successful small Wealth Mangement firm in Arlington in search of experienced, professional and detail-oriented Client Service Associate for full time position.

Pay to commensurate experience.Generous small firm benefits. Experience in financial industry a MUST. We are not affiliated with a BD so we cannot hold any securities licenses.

Contact Sossy MatosSossy@OmegaWealthManagement.com

703-387-0919 X502

Enable seniors to live independently in their ownhomes with our non-medical companionship and homecare services. Rewarding P/T days, evenings, weekends,

live-ins, medical benefits offered.Home Instead Senior Care.Call Today: 703-750-6665

COMPANIONS &CNA’s NEEDED

Need an Extra $500 - $1000 per mo. to pay Bills ??

Call Sue @ 703-451-5864Email: avonsatosell@yahoo.com

www.youravon.com/sanderson5864

PEDIATRIC RNOur busy happy stimulating pediatric prac-tice in Alexandria & Fairfax has immediate openings for PT positions. Ideal for nurses returning to the workforce. Competitive salary with benefits. Orientation provided.

Fax resume to 703/914-5494 orcall Sharon at 703/914-8989, ext. 107.

Immediate Openings! PT/FT.Temp/perm. Cust. Sales/Service. Idealfor students/others. Flex. schedules.

All ages 18+. Conditions Apply.

703-359-7600

HOLIDAYHELP

$17.00 Base-Appt.

NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

Weekdays 9-4

TELEPHONE

☎☎301-333-1900

A great opportunity toWORK AT HOME!

☎☎

NATIONAL CHILDRENS CENTERNo sell! Salary + Bonus + Benefits!

Weekdays 9-4

TELEPHONE

☎☎301-333-1900

A great opportunity toWORK AT HOME!

☎☎

LASTLY, do your homework by asking goodquestions about the underlying reason(s)why your basement is wet. There are fourbasic contractor specialties available tosolve one or more problems which may ormay not be able to solve your wet basementproblem. Importantly, you may have a wetbasement because of more than one prob-lem.

The trick is for you to be aware that eachspecialty may offer you a solution that re-lies heavily on their specialty. Some mayperform more than one specialty to solveyour problem. For example: Landscaperswill offer landscaping and drainage im-provement as the solution. Is this the rea-son or a contributing reason that your base-ment leaks? Outside excavation companieswill recommend expensive outside excava-tion and sealing of the foundation wall be-low grade as the solution to the wet base-ment. Is this the best solution to perma-nently solve your wet basement problem?Will the excavator issue a warranty for hiswork? Roofers will typically suggest that thegutters need cleaning, replacement, install-ing gutter “helmets,” and downspout clean-ing and downspout extensions as the solu-

Community

tion. Is this the underlying reason your base-ment is leaking? Waterproofing contractorsspecializing in inside footer drains (subslabperimeter drainage installed and graded toa sump pump installation) as their remedy.Is this the best solution, or do you needlandscaping and gutter cleaning too? Willthe waterproofing contractor issue a war-ranty for his work?

Importantly, any one or a combination ofthese specialties may be the answer to yourwet basement problem. Unless you are anexpert in foundation problems, you are verylikely to be well advised to get advice fromat least two or three contractors which of-fer different types of specialized services.After listening to the contractors’ estimatesand reading their proposals you will have asound basis for determining what is the bestremedy for your wet basement. It is BuyerBeware out there and you need to do yourhomework to avoid spending money thatwill not solve your problem or spendingmore money than is necessary.

From Page 18

How To Choose a Contractor

The MVHS Drama Boosters will presentthe first-ever Mount Vernon High School “SoYou Think You Can Dance?” contestWednesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the MVHStheater. This is a school-wide dance contest,with 21 contestants chosen at open audi-tions.

Judges from the community, who willscore the 13 routines presented by the 21dancers, will select the three highest scor-ing from which the winner will be chosen.The top three will dance a second time, andthe audience will decide the 1st, 2nd and3rd place winners. Prizes will include cashand various gifts from local businesses.

Tickets are $7 at the door, but studentscan purchase tickets in advance for $5. Allticket and concession sales will benefit theMVHS Drama Booster club, which providesa variety of support services to the theatredepartment.

Special musical performances by MVHS

students Marshall Cunningham and JennaKraynak will entertain the audience whilethe final votes are counted.

Student contestants are: Katelyn Arthur,Carson Meadows, Vernisha Colquitt, SarahLocke, Robin Williams, Ryan Solivio, Savan-nah Frank, Dennis Mensah, Prince Baiden,Randall Golden, Andre Campbell, DonovanRossavio, Chris Williams, Mikey Davidson,Sarah Marie Wood, Andrew McKellips,Zipporah Norton, Benjamin Gaston, IanMcKellips, Eric Myhre, and Bryan Azucena.

Judges for the event are: Lauren Bovi,FCPS teacher and former FCPS cheer coach,also a dancer and cheerleader for 20 years;Cece Lewis, FCPS teacher; Brittany Silvious,competitive dancer for 15 years; CharleneAldridge, MVHS cheer coach; Vidki Woltz aMVHS special education teacher and cho-reographer for previous MVHS musicals;and Mike Higdon, actor in Off Broadwayand Broadway shows.

MVHS Students Say They Can Dance

Editorial Note: The author, Gerald Fill, is a part-time free lance reporter for the ConnectionNewspapers. In the past he owned and operated ahome improvement contracting company which spe-cialized in foundation repair and waterproofing. Thisis his personal advice to homeowners experiencingwet basements due to the recent torrential rains.

The Student Govern-ment Associationofficers of MountVernon High Schoolcharged a can or aquarter as an entrancefee to the Homecom-ing Powder Puff foot-ball game on Oct. 13.They raised approxi-mately $271 andcollected many cannedfood items. All itemscollected and pur-chased were deliveredto United ChristianMinistry’s food pantry.

Supporting UCM Food Pantry

22 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Zone 3 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-917-6400

Zone 3: • Alexandria

• Mount VernonClassifiedClassified

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

➣ TRAINING ➣ INSTALLATION ➣ TROUBLE-SHOOTING➣ LET US TAME THAT BEAST FOR YOU

Serving the Area Since 1995

(703) 765-2222JSMITHHDI@aol.com

HDI EASY COMPUTER SOLUTIONS FORINDIVIDUALS & SMALL BUSINESSES

JENNIFER O. SMITH • COMPUTER CONSULTANT

101 Computers 101 Computers12 Commercial Lease

RETAIL FOR RENTOld Town Alexandria

on King St. Approx 800 sq ft. First floor.

Excellent location, reasonable .

Call Mrs Lasker703-765 7583

26 Antiques

We consign/pay top $ for antique/semi antique furn.

including mid century & danish modern Teak

furniture, sterling, mens watches, painting/art glass,

clocks, jewelry, costume jewelry, etc. Call Schefer

Antiques @ 703-241-0790.

102 Instruction

Tutoring AvailableRecent Honor LevelCollege Graduate

Math, Spanish, English All Levels, $30/hr

Call Hal at (703)864-6616

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

Rotten Wood, Wind Damage, Trims,Windows, Doors, Deck, Stairs, Vanity,

Basement Framing, Garbage Disposal,Painting, Power Wash, Siding Repairs.

Licensed, Bonded, Insured

703-266-1233

M. C. LynchHome Improvement

Family Owned & Opererated

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

•Patios •Walkways•Retaining Walls

•Drainage Problems•Landscape MakeoversCall: 703-912-6886

Free Estimates

J.E.S ServicesLANDSCAPE & CONSTRUCTION

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

Specializing in CustomStone and Brick Walkways, Patios,

& Small and Large RepairsLicensed, Insured

• Free estimates • All work guaranteed •www.motternmasonry.comPhone 703-496-7491

MOTTERN MASONRY DESIGN

MASONRY MASONRY

Residential & Commercial Roofing Expert

Full Service Roofing CompanyRepair • Refurbish • Replace

All Major Roof Types703-455-Roof (7663)

Call today for your Free Estimate Lic. & Ins.

ROOFING ROOFING

FIREWOOD

FIREWOODMixed Seasoned Hardwood

$120 half cord$210 full cord

Call Joe at301-856-4436

301-602-9528 Cell

GUTTER

PINNACLE SERVICES,

703-802-0483GROUP RATES

AVAILABLEFREE EST

•GUTTER CLEANING•SMALL REPAIRS•SCREENING•POWERWASHING

HAULING

Construction Debris,Residential, Office

& Tree Removal

ANGEL’S TRASH HAULING

703-863-1086New#- 571-312-7227

AL’S HAULINGJunk & Rubbish

Concrete, furn.,office,yard, construction debris

Low Rates NOVA703-360-4364

703-304-4798 cell

7 DAYS A WEEK

RICK’SHAULING POWERWASHING PAINTINGYard Debris Decks Interior-ExteriorFurniture Sidewalks Deck Staining

Appliances Houses Gutter CleaningConcrete etc Mobile Homes etc Gutter Guards

FREE ESTIMATES703-360-5252

RicksHauling1@ aol.com

IMPROVEMENTS

We Accept VISA/MC

703-441-8811

HOME INSPECTION LISTREPAIRS, CERAMIC TILE,PAINTING, DRYWALL,CARPENTRY, CUSTOMWOOD REPAIR, LT. PLUMBING &ELECTRICAL, POWER WASHING

Since 1964

TheHANDYMANA DIVISION OF NURSE CONSTRUCTION

A&S LANDSCAPING

FALL CLEAN-UPPlanting • Mulching • Sodding

Patios • Decks • Driveway Sealing,Asphalt • Retaining Walls

Erosion Control • Drainage Solutions

703-863-7465

•Trimming •Edging•Mulching •Yard Cleaning

•Hauling •Tree Work

ANGEL’SLAWN MOWING

703-863-1086New# 571-312-7227

DrainageMan• Specialize land drainage issues• 18 Yrs. water management• Design, construction, plants, care• Free estimates

703.329.1908LandiScapes Inc. - Lic./Bonded/Ins.

The

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

ROOFING

Roofing & Siding(All Types)

Soffit & Fascia WrappingNew Gutters

Chimney CrownsLeaks RepairedNo job too small

703-975-2375

TREE SERVICE

•Mulch•Clean-up Grounds

•Lot Land Clearing

ANGEL’STREE & HEAVY

TRASH HAULING

703-863-1086New#- 571-312-7227

LANDSCAPING

LANDSCAPING

Now! CompletePrint Editions

Online!The full print editions of all 18Connection Newspapers are nowavailable on our Web Site in PDF format,page by page, identical to our weeklynewsprint editions, including printadvertising. Go towww.ConnectionNewspapers.comand click on “Print Editions.”

MPRINT EDITIONS

Zone 3 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-917-6400

Zone 3: • Alexandria

• Mount Vernon

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

E-mail: classified@connectionnewspapers.com

CLASSIFIED

NEWSPAPERS

For AllYour

AdvertisingNeeds…

It Works.Week

After Week.

703917-6400

PlaceYourAd

Today!

to your community

For Local…

•Employment•Employees•Services•Entertainment•Announcements•Real Estate•Cars•Trucks•Vans•RV’s•Boats•Pets•Yard Sales•Crafts•Hobbies•And More!

I'am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

-Abraham Lincoln

Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 ❖ 23www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

24 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ November 26 - December 2, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Happy Thanksgivingfrom

Alexandria ~ Mount Vernon Weichert

703-360-7400Alexandria/Mount Vernon Office

8301 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria, VA 22309

31th

Louise Kraft

ContactJANET ABELL

ContactMARILYN TRUDEAU

Again this year. Weichert, Realtors willbe collecting toys to distribute to underprivi-leged children in the local area during theholidays. If you’d like to help us light up theeyes of a child, please bring a new, unwrappedtoy to your local Weichert office.

Come Taste the Difference

Open Thanksgiving Day9 a.m.-1 p.m.

King Stree Location Only

Bradlee Belle View3690J King Street 1600A Belle View Blvd.

703.820.8600 703-384.6880www.unwinedva.com

Two Alexandria Locations

We proudly offer dozens of greatlocally made food, wine & gift items.THANKSGIVING WEEKEND ONLY

Present this ad and take 25% off all local products:ME Swings Coffee • Best Buns Bakery • Pollystyle •

Meadow Creek Dairy • Select Virginia Wineries •Autumn’s Crush Wine Wrap • and more!

(Does not combine with case discounts. Offer valid 11/25/09-11/29/09)