Page 11Page 11connectionarchives.com/PDF/2017/070517/Great Falls.pdf2016, although it improved over 2007 by 15 percent. There are considerably fewer buyers who qualify to purchase

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Great FallsGreat Falls

Turner Farm Park MasterPlan Up for RevisionNews, Page 8

McLean, Great Falls:Strong First HalfReal Estate, Page 4

WellbeingPage 11

WellbeingPage 11

The new VirginiaDepartment of HistoricResources historicalhighway marker wasunveiled for the sitenear the intersectionof Wynkoop Drive andSpringvale Road.

Mapping the EarthGreat Falls’ Role Recognized

News, Page 3

Mapping the EarthGreat Falls’ Role Recognized

News, Page 3

2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ July 5-11, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Great Falls Connection ❖ July 5-11, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Photos by Fallon Forbush/The Connection

Analemma Society Founding President Charles Olin unveils the historicalmarker for the Observatory Park at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls at adedication ceremony on Saturday, June 24. From left: Analemma SocietySecretary Jacqueline Olin, Analemma Society Founding PresidentCharles Olin, Fairfax County Park Authority Deputy Director AimeeVosper, Great Falls Citizens Association President Bill Canis, VirginiaDepartment of Historic Resources Board Chairman Clyde Smith, U.S.Rep.Barbara Comstock (R-10), Jack Fahey, a retired employee of the NationalGeospatial-Intelligence Agency; and guests.

The new Virginia Department of Historic Resources historical highwaymarker was unveiled for the site near the intersection of Wynkoop Driveand Springvale Road: “Here, at a former Nike missile site, the U.S. ArmyMap Service established a research station to support geo-location andnavigation in 1961. Two years later, the Map Service initiated a signifi-cant satellite tracking program that became part of the Defense MappingAgency in 1972. This tracking system contributed fundamentally to theGlobal Positioning System (GPS). The data gathered here enabledgeospatial scientists to establish precise geographical reference pointson the Earth’s surface and to refine their estimates of the Earth’s trueshape and variations in its gravity field. This facility closed in 1993.”

NewsGreat Falls Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]

By Fallon Forbush

The Connection

A new historical highway markerwas dedicated for the Observa-tory Park at the Turner Farm Parkin Great Falls on Saturday, June

24, for the site’s role in establishing tech-nology that many people rely on daily: GPS.

A marker bestowed by the Virginia Boardof Historic Resources already exists for thesite’s Cold War history, when anti-aircraftmissile complexes were established on thegrounds between 1954 and 1962. The his-tory behind the new marker started in 1963when the United States Army Map Servicebegan a satellite tracking program on thesite.

The Army Map Service, which wasmerged into the Defense Mapping Agencyin 1972 and is now integrated into the Na-tional Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, wasresponsible for the publication and distri-bution of maps for use by U.S. militaryforces between 1941 and 1968. But whatmany don’t know is that until 1993, thework done at the observatory on the siteand the data gathered by the Army MapService and the Defense Mapping Agencyfundamentally contributed to the world’sGlobal Positioning System, or GPS.

“It’s fitting that the pioneers behind ourGlobal Positioning System get credit fortheir work,” Fairfax County Park AuthorityDeputy Director Aimee Vosper said duringthe ceremony. “While we all know GPS asthat voice that guides us to our destination,sometimes with a little recalculating on theway, especially for me, its use extends farbeyond our cars and our walking apps.”

During the time the project was running,creating maps could take up to two years,according to Jack Fahey, a retired employeeof the National Geospatial-Intelligence

large satellite arrays traveling around thesky,” Fahey said during the ceremony.“Those stations required months andmonths of data collection and ‘round theclock staffing by teams of technicians andsurveyors.”

The Navigation System Time and Rang-ing (NAVSTAR) Global Positioning Servicebecame fully operational in 1993, but re-ceived little attention at the time, accord-ing to Fahey.

Perhaps not many knew then that GPSwould become an everyday utility for useat the tap of a smartphone app.

“The researchers and technicians and sur-veyors who were here nearly 45 years agoalmost certainly had no idea that their workwould lead to driverless cars and naviga-tion systems that call out our directionsfrom our wireless telephones,” Fahey said.“They would probably be very impressedtoday.”

Virginia Department of Historic ResourcesBoard Chairman Clyde Smith attended theceremony to congratulate the work the parkand nonprofit Analemma Society put in toapply for the marker.

“People identify something they feel issignificant, they go through sort of an ar-duous process of applying for a marker, theysend it down to Richmond and we have ateam of people who review the facts anddetermine if it is significant enough — asthis certainly is here — for a marker andwe put it together,” Smith said during theceremony. “With enough patience, some-times within probably a year of the ideabeing spawned, we end up with a marker.”

The Analemma Society has a partnershipagreement with the park authority to de-velop recreational and educational as-tronomy programs at the roll-top observa-tory at the park in Great Falls. Getting thisAgency and former employee of its prede-

cessor organizations, the Army Maps Ser-vice and Defense Mapping Agency.

“The tracking stations at this site con-sisted of very, very heavy electronic equip-ment housed in vans and linked to very

Great Falls’ role in GPS recognized.Mapping the Earth

Lee Ann Hennig, science director for the Thomas Jefferson High Schoolin Alexandria, spoke at the dedication ceremony about how the observa-tory at the park creates what she called “teachable moments” for FairfaxCounty students.

Virginia Department of Historic Resources Board Chairman Clyde Smithattended the ceremony to congratulate the park employees and theindividuals who applied for the highway historical marker.

See Mapping the Earth, Page 9


By Karen Briscoe

The real estatemarket inMcLean andGreat Falls re-

mains strong in the firsthalf of 2017 over 2016 inevery segment except one.

The number of transactions was up 12percent over the first half of 2017 for thesame time period in 2016. Going back tocompare to the 2007 market over one de-cade ago, the number is up 29 percent. Thisis good news as the market closes out thespring selling season and we enter into thesummertime.

The last peak year in Northern Virginiawas 2007. All price segments performedbetter or remained steady in the first halfof the year 2017 compared to that bench-mark year of 2007.

Sellers in the area are experiencing inmany cases the “best of times” market con-ditions to date for the year. As we move intothe second half of the year, there are strongindications that homes priced well and ingood condition will sell for solidprices.There are some market segments thatmay experience price appreciation, shoulddemand continue to remain strong relativeto supply.

Not surprising, the most significant increasesin number of transactions took place in the

This neighborhood of just 19homes is located close tohiking and biking trails, shop-ping, golf and more.

Basheer & Edgemoore has an-nounced the newest additionto its luxury homes portfolio

with the unveiling of Rivermont, acommunity in the heart of Great Falls.Once home to an expansive horsefarm, the 52-acre site will preservemost of the mature trees and pro-tected areas to provide a beautiful,natural backdrop. This neighborhoodof just 19 homes is located close tohiking and biking trails, shopping, golfand more. Sales are expected to be-gin in fall 2017 from $1.8 million.

Rivermont will feature new homedesigns including spacious gourmetkitchens, 3- and 4-car garages and anarray of multi-generational options –such as main level owners’ suites,guest rooms, elevators, and expansivelower level living to enhance enter-taining. Keeping with the tradition ofBasheer & Edgemoore’s craftsman-ship, homes will provide the finest fin-ishes while incorporating the latest

Rivermont Homes Come to Great Falls

technological advances for today’s lifestyles.Basheer & Edgemoore is developing

Rivermont as a green community with verylittle interruption to the woodlands andprotected areas that will remain on site. Sur-rounded by nature, residents will find acentrally located pond with an abundanceof open space for outdoor recreation and

interconnected trails that will wind through-out the community. Visitwww.BasheerAndEdgemoore.com, or tomake an appointment, call 703-608-7965or email [email protected].

lower brackets. Homespriced under $1.25million for the zipcodes 22101, 22102and 22066 comprisedthe majority of thegains. The under$750,000 is predomi-

nantly condos, townhomes,smaller single-family homesor lot/land where the exist-ing home is torn down and anew home is constructed.The lower brackets representthree price ranges: under$750,000; $750,000 to $1million, and $1 million to$1.25 million. Total sales inthe combined lower bracketswere up by 17 percent yearover year for the first half.

The move-up buyer fallsinto the next three pricebrackets which includesthese price ranges: $1.25million to $2 million; $2million to $3 million and$3 million plus. The mar-ket was essentially flat yearover year in this segment from 2017 to2016, although it improved over 2007 by15 percent. There are considerably fewerbuyers who qualify to purchase homes inthe upper bracket price ranges and thus

overall numbers tend to stay fairly consis-tent or flat.

Karen Briscoe with HBC Group at KellerWilliams is an active and experienced

Sellers in the area are experiencing in many cases the “best of times” market conditions.

McLean, Great Falls: Strong First HalfReal Estate

Realtor in the Northern Virginia marketplace. She works with sellers, buyers,investors and builders in all price ranges.www.HBCGroupKW.com, 703-734-0192,[email protected].

Home sales in McLean/Great Falls area


News

The Great Falls Citizens Associa-tion membership elected the fol-lowing officers and directors forits upcoming fiscal year, July 1,

2017, through June 30, 2018, at its Junemembership meeting.

Re-elected for one-year terms were:❖ Bill Canis, president; and❖ Phil Pifer, vice president.Elected to at-large directors for the GFCA’s

Executive Board, for 2-year terms, were:❖ Ruth Carver,❖ Wayne Foley,❖ David Kondner,❖ Torsten Kracht,❖ Dawn MacPhee,❖ Gary Pan,❖ Ed Phillips and

❖ Laurie Rowe.Continuing to serve out terms from last

year’s election are:❖ James Trent, treasurer;❖ Eric Knudsen, past president;❖ Ralph Apton, director;❖ Jennifer Chronis, director;❖ Pam Grosvenor, director;❖ Matt Haley, director;❖ Scott Knight, director;❖ Jackie Taylor, director; and❖ Sandy Walker.The GFCA was unable to find a qualified

candidate for the secretary position, whichstands vacant.

GFCA MembersElect New Officers

GFCA Presi-dent Bill Canis

Photo courtesy of the Great Falls

Citizens Association

For those struggling physically or spiritu-ally, on the first Sunday of each month,Christ the King Lutheran Church offers arite of healing as part of worship; the op-portunity to be anointed with oil and prayedover.

During the healing rite, the pastor invitespeople to come forward to receive healing.

Healing as Part of Service at Christ the KingThe pastor or another person says a shortprayer while two people lay hands on therecipient. Then the pastor or helper anointsthem with oil as a sign of God’s healing andforgiveness. This is an opportunity for theperson receiving healing to feel supportedby the individuals who are praying overthem. Visit www.gflutheran.org.

Faith Notes


Opinion

The Pet Connection, a twice-yearlyspecial edition, will publish the lastweek of July, and photos and sto-ries of your pets with you and your

family should be submitted by July 20.We invite you to send us stories about

your pets, photos of you and your fam-ily with your cats, dogs, llamas, alpacas,ponies, hamsters, snakes, lizards, frogs,rabbits, or whatever other creatures share yourlife with you.

Tell us the story of a special bond between achild and a dog, the story of how you came toadopt your pet, or examples of amazing featsof your creatures.

Do you volunteer at an animal shelter ortherapeutic riding center or take your pet tovisit people in a nursing home? Does your busi-ness have a pet? Is your business about pets?Have you helped to train an assistance dog?

Do you or someone in your familydepend on an assistance dog?

Or take this opportunity to memo-rialize a beloved pet you have lost.

Just a cute photo is fine too. Our favoritepictures include both pets and humans.

Please tell us a little bit about your creature,identify everyone in the photo, give a briefdescription what is happening in the photo,and include address and phone number (we

Send in Pet Photos Nowwill not publish your address or phone num-ber, just your town name).

Email [email protected] or submitonline at www.connectionnewspapers.com/pets. For advertising information, [email protected] or call 703-778-9431.

Timing Is EverythingThis week’s paper went to press on Monday,

July 3, and as a result does not include cover-age of Independence Day events from theFourth of July. Please see next week’s paper.

Editorial

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:The following open letter was addressed

to Secretary U.S. Department of Trans-portation.

Dear Secretary Chao,As representatives of public

transit customers in the Common-wealth of Virginia, we write toexpress our concerns regarding theFederal Transit Administration’s(FTA) Feb. 10, 2017 decision towithhold federal transit grantmoney in response to incompleteefforts to establish a new StateSafety Oversight Program (SSOP)for the Washington MetropolitanArea Transit Authority (WMATA).

On Feb. 8, 2016, the FTA gavenotice that the Metropolitan SafetyCommission (MSC), a new SSOPto succeed WMATA’s Tri-StateOversight Commission, must be inplace and certified by the FTA onor before Feb. 9, 2017. On Feb. 10,2017, with no new SSOP certified,the FTA announced it would exer-cise its authority to withhold fivepercent of federal funds autho-rized in fiscal year 2017 under theUrbanized Area ApportionmentsProgram (49 U.S.C. 5307). Theinitial withholding equated to $8.9million, and is expected to total$15 million if the withholding con-tinues to the end of the current fis-cal year. This withholding will notjust impact funding for WMATA,but for broader infrastructuremaintenance throughout Virginia,Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

The decision to withhold thesefederal funds has created signifi-cant uncertainty amongst stateand local governments in terms ofbudget planning and stability.Should the withholding of fundscontinue throughout the remain-der of the fiscal year, the govern-ments and their transit systemswill be faced with a number of dif-ficult decisions about the mannerin which they allocate their lim-

ited resources. Under a worst- casescenario, they would be forced tomake cuts to good repair effortsor reduce service to their respec-tive communities, either of whichwould be harmful to our constitu-ents. We agree safety must be a toppriority, but eliminating fundingfor infrastructure repair would di-rectly contradict a SSOP’s statedgoal.

Given the FTA must engage inthis process with 29 other transitagencies nationwide by 2019, weappreciate the complexity of theissues that were considered inmaking the decision to withholdthese funds. However, we mustemphasize — as many of us haveexpressed previously either di-rectly to you, your predecessor, orthe FTA — that the timing of boththe notice and the deadline set byFTA were arbitrary in that thereseemed to be little or no consider-ation of the legislative calendarsof the Virginia General Assemblyor the General Assembly of Mary-land.

The FTA timetable effectivelygave Virginia and Maryland lessthan one full legislative session tonegotiate amongst each other andthe District, draft the proposal,navigate it through the respectivelawmaking bodies, and sign it intolaw. The unreasonable require-ments FTA put forth were not sim-ply for the SSOP to have a legalfoundation by the February 2017deadline, but to have the programfully certified by FTA, which ne-cessitates months of work afterpassing legislation, including, butnot limited to, appointing commis-sioners, hiring staff, and leasingoffice space. We are therefore ledto believe that FTA either set theirrequirements without providingfair consideration to the uniqueinstitutional challenges that exist

within the jurisdictions, or the FTAset them with a deadline so unre-alistic that failure was unavoid-able.

Given the concerns we haveraised in this letter regarding FTA’sshortsighted approach to this mat-ter, and in light of the demon-strated progress which has beenmade, we respectfully request thatyour office work with the FTA toexplore a compromise in whichpart of these withheld funds canbe released as a show of goodfaith, as the jurisdictions continuetheir work to construct a stableSSOP. Lending further justificationfor this request is the real progressthat has been made with respectto organizing the MSC. At the timethis is written:

❖ Virginia, Maryland, and theDistrict (the jurisdictions) haveeach enacted legislation to enterinto an interstate compact to formthe MSC;

❖ The jurisdictions have submit-ted a detailed draft certificationplan to FTA for review (thoughFTA has not yet provided formalfeedback on the plan);

❖ Joint resolutions have beenintroduced in both the House ofRepresentatives and the Senate togrant Congressional approval tothe MSC compact;

❖ The Senate has passed its ver-

sion of the joint resolution;❖ The House Judiciary Commit-

tee, which has sole jurisdictionover the joint resolution, has or-dered the House’s parallel versionof the resolution to be reportedfavorably to the full House; and

❖ We are requesting that themeasure be taken up for consider-ation as soon as possible.

We appreciate the FTA’s impor-tant safety work, especially itstemporary safety oversight rolewith respect to WMATA. WithoutFTA’s diligence, more harm mayhave come to WMATA’s customers.But we must find an equitable so-lution to this matter.

We look forward to partneringwith you, Madam Secretary, aswell as the FTA to ensure safetyremains the top priority in all tran-sit systems and that reforms aremade to accomplish a transitagency that provides safe, reliableservice to our constituents. Weappreciate your thoughtful consid-eration of this request.

U.S. Rep. BarbaraComstock,

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte,U.S. Rep.

Robert J. Wittman,U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor,

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, andU.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner

Withholding Funds Hurts WMATA

The Connection welcomes views on any public issue.The deadline for all material is noon Friday. Letters must be signed.Include home address and home and business numbers. Letters are

routinely edited for libel, grammar, good taste and factual errors. Send to:

Letters to the EditorThe Connection1606 King St.

Alexandria VA 22314Call: 703-917-6444.

By e-mail: [email protected]

Write

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Local Media Connection LLC

1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

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Fallon ForbushReporter

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Great Falls


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Relay for LifeAt the Relay for Life on June17 in Great Falls, cancersurvivor Heidi Jenkins, pic-tured, age 23, rallied the 350participants with her story ofsurvival, leading to a success-ful event raising money forthe American Cancer Society.Jenkins, a resident of theMount Vernon area, wasexecutive director for the2015 and 2016 Relay For Lifeevents at James MadisonUniversity in Virginia, whereshe graduated last year witha degree in communicationstudies. Her father, a retiredFairfax County firefighter, andmother, a nurse in the com-munity for over 30 years,were both at the relay cheer-ing her on.

News

Photo contributed


News

By Fallon Forbush

The Connection

The master plan for the TurnerFarm Park in Great Falls is be-ing revised. The Fairfax CountyPark Authority hosted a public

meeting on Tuesday, June 27, at the GreatFalls Grange to discuss the process.

A park master plan is a document thatestablishes a long-range vision of a park’suses and features by integrating detailedknowledge of its conditions with the desiresof the community, according to the parkauthority.

One of the primary reasons for revisingthe park’s current master plan is becausethe property has expanded.

The park authority initially acquired thesection of stream valley and open fieldsalong the south and east sides of the parkin 1975. The park then expanded in 1999through the acquisition of federal govern-ment property that housed the Nike anti-aircraft missile complexes. This is when thepark’s original master plan began beingdrafted to guide the park’s development. Itwas approved in July 2000.

THE PARK THEN GREW again in 2010when property containing the Turner FarmHouse and its secondary buildings wereacquired. These historical structures are notaccounted for in the park’s original masterplan.

This means the plan does not take intoaccount the county’s Resident Curator Pro-gram, which was established as an optionfor public-private partnerships to provideassistance in maintaining historic houseswithin the county.

“The Turner Farm House is the secondproperty announced in that program,” TimHackman, the Dranesville District represen-tative to the Fairfax County Park AuthorityBoard, said at the meeting. “There are awhole list of properties … that will be rolledout over time.”

For the program, an organization or indi-vidual would live in the farm house andmaintain the property. In order for the farm-house to be included in the program, theprogram must be included in the property’smaster plan.

The park has a mix of recreational facili-ties, including horseback riding and jump-ing facilities, roll-top observatory and ce-lestial telescope facilities, playground andpicnic pavilion. However, some features re-flected on the existing master plan have notbeen constructed.

Since the original plan’s adoption sevenyears ago, the park authority is seeking feed-

back on whether the resources that havenot been built should stay or go:

· Jogging Trail to allow for cardiovascu-lar workouts

· Running Track to measure between 320and 400 meters

· Croquet Court with a grass area mea-suring 84 feet by 105 feet to be locatedwithin the center of the Running Track

“Just because we’re asking, it’s not a guar-antee or an interest of us to change every-thing,” Gayle Hooper, a spokesperson forthe park authority said during the meeting.“We started this because we acquired thenew properties up where the farmhouse isthat needs to be worked into the plan sothat the Resident Curator Program canmove forward with its process. But as wedo it, it’s a great opportunity to come backand check the pulse of the community; findout how well the park is serving everybody.”

Supporters of the equestrian facilitiesshowed up in force at the meeting to advo-cate that it remains a horse-friendly park.

“I think all these uses are wonderful, butthey’re not necessarily compatible,” a horseowner in Great Falls said from the back ofthe room during the meeting. “I know whenI’ve taken my horse over to Turner Farm andgotten on him, mounted him and started towalk down the trail, I often have little kidsrunning up from a park and it’s dangerousfor the horse, it’s dangerous for me as a rider

and it’s dangerous for the kids.”The equestrians in the room were mostly

in agreement for the park authority to ditchthe running, jogging and croquet court thathad not been built and focusing on horsesand riding facilities.

“I’d like for you to give priority to theequestrian aspects of Turner Farm,” saidBeverly Dickerson, an Oakton resident whois president of Fairfax4Horses. “There areso few places where children or adults cango to take riding lessons.”

“I really wouldn’t put horses on thebackburner,” Ursula Moore of Fairfax, whois an American Riding Instructors Associa-tion certified riding trainer, added. “I thinkwe can all work together … this is very us-able and very shareable piece of property.”

Loud applause broke out after therapeu-tic riding was encouraged to remain at thepark.

“We as a board want to express our de-sire to keep it as an equestrian use prima-rily and especially to keep a portion of itfor the ability of Lift Me Up to use,” BillCarbaugh, president of the board of Lift MeUp!, a therapeutic horseback riding pro-gram in Great Falls which uses the park toprovide its services to children and adultswho have physical, mental and emotionaldisabilities.

The Lift Me Up! program has been offeredat the park since the original master plan

was adopted in 2000.

THE EQUESTRIANS also stood up for thestargazers in the room from the AnalemmaSociety, which has a partnership agreementwith the park authority to develop recre-ational and educational astronomy pro-grams at the roll-top observatory at the park.

“It should remain an equestrian facility,primarily, with the exception of the piecethat the Analemma Society, which is a com-pletely separate use,” said Karen Washburn,a member of Turner Farm Events, whichfundraises to maintain the equestrian usesin the park. “But we don’t tread on eachother’s toes, it works out, very, very well.”

The Analemma Society also spoke upduring the meeting.

“The observatories are very important tothe community,” Analemma Society Secre-tary Jacqueline Olin said. “Many people areenjoying Friday nights when they are opento the public for viewing and for the classesthat are being given.”

Olin also put in a good word for the eques-trians.

“Since 2000, the Analemma Society hasbeen developing observatory activity at thepark and the equestrians have been devel-oping theirs — except for a few occasionswhere we had to learn how to handle ourhorse dropping, which we’ve done beauti-fully,” she said. “It’s been a great experi-ence.”

These county residents made it knownthat they put their own money into the de-velopment of the unique equine and obser-vatory resources that can be found at thepark.

“The things that got built on this masterplan all had to have a constituency … a lotof money was raised, a lot of effort,” awoman from Reston said from the back ofthe room.

The public information meeting last weekwas just the beginning of the master plan-ning process.

The park authority will develop and pub-lish a draft of the revised plan and host apublic comment meeting on the draft in thefall, followed by a public comment period.The park authority will then revise the draftas needed and send to the park authorityboard for approval in the winter of 2018 atthe earliest.

Comments about the park and the masterplan may be submitted to the park author-ity by emailing [email protected].

Supporters of theequestrian facilitiesshow up in force toadvocate that itremain horse-friendly.

Turner Farm Park Master Plan Up for Revision

This aerialimage of thelayout ofTurner FarmPark showswhat cur-rently existson the site.

“I’d like for you to givepriority to the equestrianaspects of Turner Farm.… There are so fewplaces where children oradults can go to takeriding lessons.”

— Beverly Dickerson, Oakton resi-dent, president of Fairfax4Horses

Photo courtesy

of the Fairfax

County Park

Authority


recognition was a significantstep in recognizing the park as aresource for astronomy lovers.

“Definitely getting the ArmyMap Service marker is a mile-stone,” said Analemma SocietySecretary Jacqueline Olin, whohelped apply for the highway his-torical marker. “It’s always beenknown in Great Falls as a Nikemissile site, but the fact that for

30 years it was engaged in thisactivity for the production of GPS,that was not known in the com-munity. It’s quite a milestone. It’svery significant.”

Summer Classes atthe ObservatoryPark atTurner Farm

❖ Meteor Astronomy❖ Moonless Night❖ Intro to Telescopes❖ Exploring the Moon❖ Explore the Solar System

From Page 3

Mapping the Earth

Photos by Fallon Forbush/The Connection

“Nearly 25 years ago, the people of this facility formed animportant link in the GPS chain that almost all of usbecame dependent on, not only for commercial naviga-tion such as ships and airplanes, but also finding direc-tions to our favorite coffee shop,” Jack Fahey said of thework conducted at the site. Fahey is a retired employee ofthe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and formeremployee of its predecessor organizations, the ArmyMaps Service and Defense Mapping Agency.

Carl Sagan, an Americanastronomer and cosmolo-gist once said: “Some-where, something incred-ible is waiting to beknown.” During her re-marks at the ceremony,Virginia Sen. BarbaraFavola, D-31, added to thisfamous quote by saying,“Perhaps as drivers ponderthe sign along the road orperhaps visit this observa-tory, they too will findsomething incredible to beknown.”

“I look forward to bringingmy two-and-half-year-oldgranddaughter here,” saidU.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock(R-10), whose son-in-lawworks at the NationalGeospatial-IntelligenceAgency.

News


News

Great Falls has joined the LittleFree Library movement withtwo libraries built and installedby Scouts from Great Falls

Scout Troop 673 on Saturday, June 24.The Friends of the Great Falls Library had

been discussing the purchase of some of thelibraries for the community in the spring of2016 at the same time that Neal Kelly waslooking for an Eagle Project. Neal offeredto build two for placement in Great Fallswith the Friends paying for raw materials.Friends President Michelle Miller and Nealworked together to find locations particu-larly accessible to walkers. Neal made a pre-sentation to Mike Kearney of CelebrateGreat Falls and the Old Brogue who agreedthat one library could be installed near thebenches outside the Great Falls Creamery.The other, built and painted to reflect thearchitecture of the nearby office condomini-ums, was installed near the picnic table atLeigh Corners. Miller noted that residentsand visitors from the nearby BrightviewRetirement home often walk along the side-walk past the small picnic area.

The first Little Free Library was a modelof a one room schoolhouse built by ToddBol of Hudson, Wis. in 2009 in honor of hismother, a teacher who loved to read. Bolfilled it with books and put it on a post inhis front yard. His friends and neighborsenjoyed it so much, he built several moreand gave them away. As of November 2016,there are more than 50,000 little librariesin a variety of shapes and sizes worldwide.Regionally, there is one little library in Cas-cades, several in Arlington, underwritten bythe Friends of the Arlington Public Libraryand 25 or more in Washington DC.

Troop 673 Scouts Greg Roszyk Jr., Matt

Stephens, Charlie Clyne, Jackson Sayers,Thor Kurzenhauser, Mitch and CameronWilliams and Gabe Collins worked withNeal painting, assembling and installing thetwo libraries. The Friends and Scouts ap-preciated the guidance of Scout Dads Greg

Roszyk Sr., Greg Stephens and Richard Kelly.The particularly appreciated the use of Mr.Roszyk’s woodshop.

Anyone may take or return a book at ei-ther location. The Friends encourage read-ers to take books even if they have none to

Great Falls Gets Two Little Free Libraries

return and anyone is welcome to donate atany time. The two libraries will be regis-tered and their Charter plaques attached ata grand opening later in the summer.

More information may be found at thewebsite for Littlefreelibrary.org.

Richard Kelly, Cam and Mitch Williams, MattStephens, Neal Kelly and Gabe Collins finish thelibrary for Leigh’s Corner.

Photos contributed

Neal Kelly and Michelle Miller at the Little Librarynear the Great Falls Creamery.

Langley Drama PresentsFinal Production of the School YearAs the final production of the 2017 school year, Langley High Schooldrama department produced “LIGHTS! CAMERA! SAXONS! SING!,”featuring 2017 Cappies winners including Jamie Goodson (BestActress in a Musical) and Cuinn Casey (Best Male Dancer) in fea-tured vocal and dance solos.

Photo contributed

Dickson Displays Paintings at Katie’s Coffee HouseCoty Dickson will display her oil paintings depicting “Local Scenes WeLove” during the month of July during normal business hours at Katie’sCoffee House, Great Falls Village Centre, 760 Walker Road, Great Falls.Visit oldbrogue.com/katies-coffee-house or call 703-759-2759 for details.


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Wellbeing

By Marilyn Campbell

In her dimly lit basement in Great Falls,Mary Beth Kogod sounds a meditationbell that echoes through the room.The 12 people sitting on cushions in

a circle around her close their eyes and lis-ten to the gentle sounds of her voice.

“If your mind begins to wander,gently guide it back to the sound ofmy voice,” said Kogod, as she leadsthe group in a mindfulness medita-tion session.

The practice of meditating to aidwith ills running the gamut fromstress and anxiety to pain and de-pression is on the rise. According tothe National Institutes of Health(NIH), 18 million people practicedsome form of meditation in 2015,and the number of Americans whoengage in the practice has doubledover the last 15 years.

“We have more smartphones and otherelectronics that consume us and give usconstant access to stressful events we seeon the news,” said Kate Love, who runs theOpen Mind-Open Heart meditation groupin Bethesda. “There is the expectation thatwe need to be available and informed allthe time. This expectation wasn’t in place10 years ago.”

Love says that while scientific research

to back up these claims is limited,it is growing. For example, a studyfunded by the National Center forComplementary and IntegrativeHealth at NIH shows that mindful-ness practices have a positive im-pact on insomnia.

Meditation usually entails sittingrelatively still and quiet, as inKogod’s meditation session, and fo-cusing on one thing, such as asound, an image or one’s own breath.

“I teach clients concentrative meditationwhere they focus on one thing,” she said. “Ialso teach mindful meditation where peopletry to cultivate a sense of awareness of whatis happening in their body. For example,what thoughts pass through your mind as

you sit quietly? What sounds do you hear?What emotions do you feel? The workcomes when you notice these sensations andthen let them go.”

A 2011 study by the Association for Psy-chological Science showed that meditationcan be effective in boosting memory and

concentration. Settings for this mind-body practice now range from work-places to classrooms.

Amber Wilson, a fourth gradeteacher, guides her students in mind-fulness meditation practices most af-ternoons during the school year. “A lotof my students have difficult home en-vironments which affects their abilityto concentrate in school,” she said.“When I stop them between subjectsand let them chill out a little bit, itreally makes a difference in their per-formance, even after just five min-utes.”

Meditation can also help with ad-diction treatment, says WarrenSchelter, Ph.D., a psychologist with apractice in Alexandria. “It can instilla sense of calm and overallwellbeing,” he said. “Anxiety and de-pression often go hand-in hand withaddiction, which is why a calmingmeditation practice might be effectivefor some people.”

Schelter underscores the fact thatmeditation should not replace traditionalmedicine. “I would recommend that any-one experiencing symptoms of mental orphysical illness see a medical doctor first,”she said. “Mediation should work in con-junction with traditional medicine, not inplace of it.”

Practice linked to improvements in health.Meditation as Medicine

Photo contributed

Kate Love of the Open Mind-Open Heart medi-tation group in Bethesda says that meditationcan help reduce stress.

“There is theexpectation that weneed to be available andinformed all the time.This expectation wasn’tin place 10 years ago.”

— Kate Love


By David Siegel

The Connection

Get ready for a chippermusical with greatheart. It’s the McLean

Community Players (MCP) pro-duction of “The 25th AnnualPutnam County Spelling Bee.”The show is about “an eclecticmix of quirky characters. Boththe ‘kids’ participating in theBee and the adults in charge ofrunning it have eccentricitiesthat come to seem endearing,as well as hilarious,” said co-director Kevin McCormack.

The “Bee” is set in a fictionalPutnam County middle school,but it could be anywhere. Thereare awkward adolescents(played by adults) trying to winthe contest. As they work theirway through the competitionthey begin to develop a senseof belonging.

What is special about “The25th Annual Putnam CountySpelling Bee” is that at eachperformance, four audiencemembers will be invited to par-ticipate as spellers. They get togo up on stage with its ninemember cast and be part of theshow. On stage these audiencespellers will be given actualwords to spell and will remainon stage until they misspell aword. All is for good fun. TheTony Award winning musicalhas a book by Rachel Sheinkinwith score by William Finn.

Sarah Watson plays RonaLisa Peretti. Peretti is the onlyfemale “adult” in the show; andhostess of the event. “For Rona,this ‘Spelling Bee’ is as big asThe Oscars or The Olympics.She crosses the days off hercalendar until the Bee is finallyhere. She can’t sleep the nightbefore because she’s so excited.Rona won the 3rd AnnualPutnam Spelling Bee. She

won’t let the audience forgetit.”

Sidney Davis plays LeafConeybear; one of the young-est contestants. “He’s basicallythere by default because theactual winners couldn’t partici-pate, and that reflects on oneof his scenes in the show withhis family. He’s homeschooledwith the rest of his brothers andsisters, so there’s a lot of sib-ling rivalry.” Sierra Hoffmanplays LogainneSchwartzandGrubenierre. Sheis the daughter of two dads.She is “put under a lot of pres-sure to succeed. She’s a politi-cal activist and the youngestcompetitor at the bee.”

“‘Putnam’ is more than ashow about a spelling compe-tition. It delves into friendships,family relationships, the pres-sure to succeed, sportsmanship,and ultimately, embracing whoyou are. These are things manyof us have faced during ourlives,” added co-producersAnnie O’Neill Galvin and DianeSams.

Photo by Irish Eyes Photography by Toby

Courtesy McLean Community Players

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” —Three of the spellers (Sidney Davis, Sierra Hoffman,and William Jeffreys) are given instructions by RonaLisa Peretti (Sara Watson).

Summertime Theater FunMcLean Community Playerspresents “The 25th AnnualPutnam County Spelling Bee.”

Where & WhenMcLean Community Players

present “The 25th Annual PutnamCounty Spelling Bee” at CommunityBuilding Ballroom, Vinson Hall,1735 Kirby Road, McLean. Perfor-mances run July 14-30, 2017. Fridayand Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticketsare $23-$25. Visitwww.McLeanPlayers.org, or callBrown Paper Tickets at1-800-838-3006. Group rates are available.Audio description for the visually-impaired will be offered by theMetropolitan Washington Ear at thematinee performance on Sunday,July 23, 2017. NOTE: Adult situa-tions, this show is most suitable forages 13 and older. Recruiting foraudience volunteers to become partof the production process will beginin the lobby at a sign up table. Priorto the start of the show those se-lected will be interviewed by theproducer, director and the actors in-volved.

News

Carol Mosier, thefounding director of“Mother’s Day Out,”described her first

class as, “The children, two teach-ers, a Fisher-Price phonograph,some books and me.”

The classes at Christ the KingLutheran Church in Great Fallsbegan 25 years ago, and have sincebecome a thriving preschool at thechurch.

The King’s Kids Preschool, whichis currently led by Director HeidiToloczko, spent the better part ofthis past school year celebratingits silver anniversary.

“This year, we mounted threebig events for our celebration,”said Toloczko. “For the first time,during the holidays, we sang at theCelebration of Lights in Great FallsVillage Centre. We also performedour original play this year, andhosted past and present King’sKids Preschool families at our pic-nic.”

Pat Budwig, the founder ofStarshine Theater, which is alsocelebrating its 25th anniversary,partnered with KKP on each of itsevents and wrote and directed theoriginal work it commissioned,“Lost and Found: Adventures ofthe Prodigal Kids.”

The celebration’s central event,the 25th anniversary picnic, wasSaturday, May 20. Families withcurrent and past preschool stu-dents enjoyed hot dogs, water-melon, freeze pops and cake. Theevent featured a moon bounce,face painting and fun prizes for thefamilies with the oldest, youngestand most students of the pre-school.

The preschool also honored oneof its teachers, Lynda Hammel,

who taught at the preschool formore than 20 years, as well as pastdirector Tracey Shenk. The pre-school also bade farewell toKatrina Krause, the school’s mu-sic teacher, who will soon move toNorth Carolina.

“We are so grateful to the folkswho came before us and startedand nurtured ‘Mother’s Day Out,’”

said Toloczko. “This little idea,with its humble beginnings, hasbecome an integral part of ourcommunity. I’m blessed with theopportunity to see this vision un-fold and grow.”

Toloczko added that she is look-ing forward to Budwig directingthe preschool’s musical produc-tions next year.

King’s Kids PreschoolDirector Heidi Toloczko

Two King’s Kids Pre-school students in cos-tume confer backstagebefore they perform inthe play, “Lost andFound: Adventures ofthe Prodigal Kids.”

Preschool CelebratesSilver Anniversary

Pat Budwig, the founder of Starshine Theater who wroteand directed the original work the preschool commis-sioned, shares her musical talents during the King’s KidsPreschool picnic.

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF VIENNA450 ORCHARD STREET, NW

VIENNA, VA 22180703-938-8525

email: [email protected]

SUNDAY WORSHIP, 7:45 AM & 10:00 AMCHRISTIAN LEARNING ACADEMY (SUN.) 9:00AM-9:45AM

MIDWEEK SERVICES, WED. 7:00 PM

Visit These Houses of Worship

To Highlight Your Faith Community, call Don at 703-778-9420

Send announcements toconnectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/.Deadline is Friday at noon for thefollowing week’s paper. Photos/artworkencouraged.

ONGOINGGreat Falls Farmers Market. Every

Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 778 WalkerRoad, Great Falls. Music, vendors,fresh produce, fresh prepared food,delightful bakery, spices from aroundthe world, wild-caught fish, grass-fed, free-range meats, organic-fedpoultry and eggs. [email protected] more.

Art at the Library. Various Viennaartists work on display in June at thePatrick Henry Library, 101 MapleAve. E., Vienna. Reno Number ElevenSteam Locomotive is one of fivepictures supplied by the Vienna ArtsCenter. Visitwww.ViennaArtsSociety.org formore.

Concerts on the Green, Great FallsVillage Centre Green, on Sundaysthroughout the summer, 6-8 p.m.www.celebrategreatfalls.org/concerts-on-the-green/

The Light of Day Paintings. ThroughJuly 15, various times BroadwayGallery, 1025-J Seneca Road, GreatFalls. Featuring landscape paintingsby Michael Godfrey, ChristineLashley, Tricia Ratliff, and RajendraKC. Call 703-450-8005 for more.

“Summer in the City” Art Show.Normal business hours throughAugust 15 at Brightview, 10200Colvin Run Road, Great Falls.Members of Great Falls Studios willexhibit their work in a show. Call703-759-2513 for more.

Free Tai Chi. Every Saturday, from7:55-9 a.m., Introduction andBeginners’ Practice, meet on theoutdoor basketball court locateddirectly behind the Dolley MadisonPublic Library, 1244 Oak Ridge Ave.in McLean Central Park, McLean. Call703-759-9141 or visitwww.FreeTaiChi.org for more.

Fishing Rod Rentals 8700 PotomacHills St., Great Falls. Rentalsavailable during visitor center hours.Fishing tackle and live bait areavailable for purchase. Reservationsrequired for group rentals. $6/rental(2 hour max). Valid driver’s licenserequired. Rod/reel combinations areperfect for beginners and children. AVirginia or Maryland freshwaterfishing license is required for those16 years or older. The park does notsell fishing licenses.www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park/

Colvin Run Mill open 11 - 4 p.m.daily, closed Tuesday. 10017 ColvinRun Road, Great Falls. FairfaxCounty’s operational 19th centurywater powered gristmill, offersrecreational and educationalactivities for all ages through dailytours, school programs and specialevents. Fees: $7/adult, $6 students16+ with ID, $5 children & seniors.Admission to park is free except forsome special events.

Fundamentals of Watercolors.Mondays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Artsof Great Falls, 756 Walker Road,Great Falls. Artist Lorrie Herman willhelp students get comfortableworking with watercolors andunderstanding this medium. Visitwww.greatfallsart.org for more.

Still Life Painting. Tuesdays 10:30a.m.-1 p.m. at The Arts of Great Falls,756 Walker Road, Great Falls. Stilllife provides a great tool to honeskills. Recommended for students ofall levels. Visit www.greatfallsart.orgfor more.

Evening Painting. Tuesdays 6:30 -9:30 p.m. at The Arts of Great Falls,756 Walker Road, Great Falls. JillBanks focuses on oil paintingfundamentals with two sessions eachof still life, landscapes, and portrait/

clothed figure from a live model.Visit www.greatfallsart.org for more.

Intro to Jewelry Design. Tuesdays 9a.m.-noon at The Arts of Great Falls,756 Walker Road, Great Falls. JJSingh teaches a class for anyoneinterested in exploring the world ofmetal clay and its design possibilities.Visit www.greatfallsart.org for more.

FRIDAY/JULY 7Summer on the Green Concert.

6:30 p.m. at 144 Maple Ave. E.,Vienna. Featuring Richard WaltonGroup. Free. Visit www.viennava.govor call 703-255-6360.

Danny Gokey Concert. 6:30-8 p.m. atthe The Tysons Corner Metro StationPlaza, 1961 Chain Bridge Road. Partof the Tyson’s Concert Series. Visitwww.tysonscornercenter.com or call703-893-9401 for more.

SATURDAY/JULY 9Trio Caliente Concert. 5 p.m. at

McLean Central Park, 1468 DolleyMadison Blvd. Set to a wide array ofLatin grooves with vocals in Spanish,Portuguese, Catalan and English. Partof The Alden at the McLeanCommunity Center’s 2017 SummerSunday Concerts in the Park. Call theCenter at 703-790-0123 or visitwww.aldentheatre.org.

JULY 10-14Vacation Bible School. 6-8 p.m.at

First Baptist Church of Vienna, 450Orchard St., NW. Dinner is servedeach night, followed by an engagingopening worship rally at 6:30pm.There are classes for the entirefamily. Free. Call 703-938-8525 orvisit fbcv.org for more.

JULY 14-30Summer Musical. 8-10:30 p.m. or

Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at VinsonHall Retirement Community,Community Building Ballroom, 1735Kirby Road, McLean. McLean playerspresent “The 25th Annual PutnamCounty Spelling Bee.” $23-25. [email protected], call703-304-3176 or visitwww.McLeanPlayers.org.

JULY 15-16Summer Colonial Market Fair. 11

a.m.-4:30 p.m. at The Claude MooreColonial Farm, 6310 GeorgetownPike, McLean. Games, children’sactivities, music, demonstrationssuch as blacksmith, spinning, candle-making and splitting rails. Childrenand Seniors: $4; Adults: $8; childrenunder 3 free; directions and moreinformation at www.1771.org.

Calendar

Big Splash PartyCool off on July 29 at the Big Splash Party, 1-3 p.m.at 144 Maple Ave. E., Vienna. Water games and slide.Visit www.viennava.gov or call 703-255-6360.

Photo by Town of Vienna


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Sports

Four varsity lacrosse playersfrom The Potomac Schoolwill play the sport in the

New England Small College Ath-letic Conference, a Division IIIleague. Alex Kitt and Jacob Lazriswill play men’s lacrosse for Will-iams College, Harrison Osbornewill play men’s lacrosse forAmherst College, and Lyla Joneswill play women’s lacrosse forColby College.

Lazris is a four-year member ofPotomac’s boys varsity lacrosseteam and was a four-year starterat defense. He also was a memberof the school’s varsity footballteam and played club lacrosse forMadlax. “Williams is the perfectcombination of great athletics andgreat academics,” Lazris said.“Coach McCormack played a bigrole in my decision to attend theschool. He’s very supportive andseems like he will push me to thebest of my ability and care aboutmy success both on and off thefield.” Lazris is considering a ma-jor in either history or economicsand may minor in Chinese.

Midfielder Kitt, a two-time boysvarsity lacrosse captain, finishedhis senior season earning All-Con-ference honors and was named tothe All-State first team as a face-off midfielder. He secured nearly75 percent of his face-offs and reg-istered 12 goals and 13 assists.Like Lazris, Kitt also played clublacrosse for Madlax. As a senior,he captained the varsity footballteam at Potomac. Kitt said, “Astrong academic program was mypriority during the college search,and Williams has an outstandingacademic reputation. I also appre-ciated the school’s small, friendlycommunity.” He adds, “MeetingCoach McCormack sealed thedeal.” Kitt hopes to study econom-ics or math at Williams.

A four-year member ofPotomac’s boys varsity lacrosseteam, midfielder Osborne receivedboth All-Conference honors and anAll-Met Honorable Mention duringhis junior year. As a senior, he onceagain received All-Conferencehonors, finishing the season with34 goals and 20 assists. Osborneplayed for the Virginia LacrosseClub outside of school and wasalso a member of Potomac’s var-sity boys soccer team. He said,“Amherst is a great school, aca-demically and in every way. Theirlacrosse team has improved eachseason since the new coachingstaff arrived, and they make theNCAA tournament almost everyyear. So this is a really exciting op-portunity.” Osborne is interested inpursuing an economics major.

As a senior, Jones captainedPotomac’s girls varsity lacrosseteam, on which she played for allfour years of her Upper Schoolcareer. This year, she scored 22goals and made 15 assists. Outsideof school, Jones played for theCapital Lacrosse Club, competedfor the DC Metro Team 2 at the2016 Women’s National Tourna-ment, and was selected to show-case her skills at the Under ArmourAll-America Weekend at TowsonUniversity last summer. Jones hasalso been a member of Potomac’svarsity indoor track and soccerteams.

In college, she hopes to majorin either computer science or eco-nomics. Jones said, “Colby’s envi-ronment reminded me a lot ofPotomac; I know I’ll receive one-on-one attention and benefit fromsmall class sizes and caring pro-fessors there. And I look forwardto being a member of the lacrosseteam and benefiting from the guid-ance and support of their greatcoaching staff.”

From left: Alex Kitt, Jacob Lazris, Lyla Jones, andHarrison Osborne will all be playing lacrosse in theNESCAC next year.

Four Potomac School SeniorsTo Play Division III Lacrosee

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But a fix nonetheless, of our 17-year-old back-up car, a 2000 model year Honda Accord. Onbalance, since inheriting it from mother in 2008,it has been an exceptionally reliable andreasonably-priced second car and one which I’mhappy to own. I drive it approximately 7,000miles per year and not over long stretches. Ineffect, it is our local car. And considering there isno monthly car payment and the insurance/main-tenance costs are low, as a non-car guy who onlywants to get from point “A” to point “B”, I can livewith it “Big time,” to quote our current President.

Now I’m at a bit of a crossroads, however.(And not that this is a “cancer” column per se,but it is a column affected by yours truly being acancer “diagnosee.”) I am dropping the car off atmy local mechanic, Tony, later today becausethere are some warning signs and idiot lights sug-gesting I do so. First, the infamous “check engine”light is illuminated. Its yellow which Tony said isnot as bad/urgent as if it were red. Nevertheless,to turn it off/fix the underlying problem (since itdoesn’t appear to be the gas cap) will likely costhundreds. The preliminary assessment is that thefault is emission related.

The second area of concern is temperature,specifically how poorly my car’s air conditioner iscooling and how loud the fan controlling it iswhen engaged even when one/low is selected.Adding insult to summertime discomfort, thepassenger-side window doesn’t slide down, eitherwhen using its own power-window switch or themaster control on the driver’s side. To summarize,I have one window (the driver’ side) that can godown and extremely limited air conditioning. Iwouldn’t say it’s hot in the car, but I’m sure anynormal person would. Having had previous con-versations with Tony about these repairs, I knowthe dollars needed to right these wrongs mightnot make any sense given the age and mileage onthe car and the diagnosis of its owner. Yet here Iam trying think long term, not cancer term. Whatto do?

I don’t want to be miserable driving theHonda anymore (and it is me who’s driving it).But I only need the air conditioning for anothersix to eight weeks or so – and not every day, andrarely at night. I do need to open the windowsthough for eight to 10 months, not so much dur-ing the winter and rarely on cold nights, butopportunities do present themselves. Spendingthe hundreds/possibly thousands of dollars for allrepairs now however might make me miserable,too. The question persists then for any of us whoown/want to maintain older cars: when are youthrowing good money after bad? Ergo: when isenough, enough? (I sound like Carrie Bradshawfrom “Sex and the City.”)

Would I be better off spending the repairmoney on a newer car and enjoy whatever war-ranty protection I could muster and thus mini-mize future repair bills or not? The only problemwith buying that ‘newer car: it’s likely (heck,there’s no ‘likely’ about it) there will be amonthly car payment which at present I do nothave, and in so having one will definitely makeme miserable.

Factor in my health status and I can’t stop ask-ing myself: do I solve a problem that affects thequality of my life today at the expense of tomor-row (pun intended) or do I plan/repair for tomor-row and suffer the consequences of having doneso today?

As a stage IV, non-small cell lung cancerpatient originally characterized by my oncologistas “terminal” and given a “13-month to two-year” prognosis to boot back in late Feb., 2009,I’ve always tried to live my life and make deci-sions as if I had a future beyond what I was told.

And for the past eight years and four months, Ihave pretty consistently maintained thatapproach. Still, the longer I live, the more myunderlying medical diagnosis impacts my think-ing/judgment. Unfortunately, worlds sometimescollide and reality is up for grabs. And occasion-ally decisions are made in a “bizarro” kind of waywhere topsy is turvy and vice versa. Welcome tomy whirled.

Not AnAuto-Matic Fix

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, visit connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/.The deadline for submissions is noon on Friday.

INDEPENDENCE DAYFree Sober Rides. Tuesday, July 4, 7 p.m.

through Wednesday, July 5, 2 a.m. Arearesidents, 21 and older, may download Lyft totheir phones, then enter the code SOBERJULY4in the app’s “Promo” section to receive a no cost(up to $15) safe ride home. The SoberRide codeis valid for the first 1,500 Lyft users who enterthe code. Visit www.soberride.com.

THROUGH JULY 31Backpacks for Students. Various times at Christ

the King Lutheran Church, 10550 GeorgetownPike, Great Falls. Christ the King’s Team Serviceis collaborating with Reston’s aid to familiesorganization Cornerstones and school suppliescollection organization Kids R First to helpyoungsters in the community. Collections willrun through July; drop off in the church lobby.Visit www.gflutheran.org or call 703-759-6068.

SUNDAY/JULY 16Intro to Connection Practice. 4:30 p.m.at

Unity of Fairfax, 2854 Hunter Mill Road,Oakton. Learn simple, science-based tools forfeeling and expressing peace, responding withempathy and insight, and building resiliency tolife’s ups and downs. $20. Call 703-281-1767 orvisit unityoffairfax.org for more.

THROUGH SUMMERVienna Street-sweeping Program. The Town

of Vienna began its annual street-sweepingprogram beginning March 20. The Town isdivided into eight sections for purposes of thesweeping program. During the first pass throughTown, the Public Works Department asks thatresidents not park on the street. Find the“sweeping” sections at viennava.gov/sweeping.Additionally, signs will be placed on streetsmarking a window of 7-10 days during whichthe truck will come through. Contact publicworks at 703-255-6380.

SUPPORT GROUPSAre You A Caregiver? Shepherd’s Center of

Oakton Vienna Caregivers’ SupportGroup takes place first & third Thursday ofeach month. February 2nd and 16th, 2017 from10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Join us at theUnitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax(UUCF) - Program Building, 2709 Hunter MillRd, Oakton, VA. For more info contactfacilitator, Jack Tarr, [email protected].

Haven of Northern Virginia Support Group.703-941-7000, www.havenofnova.org [email protected].

Virginia Chronic Pain Support Group Meetsfrom 1:30 - 3 p.m. the 2nd Wednesday of eachmonth at Kaplan Center for IntegrativeMedicine, 6829 Elm St., Suite 300, McLean.Group leader, Jodi Brayton, LCSW. 703-532-4892.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDShepherd’s Center of McLean-Arlington-

Falls Church, 1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.,McLean continues to have an urgent need fornew volunteers to help area senior citizens getto and from their medical and therapyappointments. To find out more about theShepherd’s Center and how you can volunteer toprovide transportation and other services, callthe Center at 703-506-2199 or e-mail the Centerat [email protected]. The Center’s website iswww.scmafc.org.

Master Gardener Training. The Fairfax CountyMaster Gardener Association offers plant clinics,home turf training or speakers for homeowner’smeetings. Fees vary. Visit fairfaxgardening.orgor call MG Help Desk at 703-324-8556 for more.

Volunteers Needed. PRS is looking forempathetic and caring volunteers to make phonecalls to older adults who may be feeling sociallyisolated.

The commitment is one 3-hour shift per week forone year.

Located in Arlington. Ages 21 & up. Intensivetraining provided. Learn more and apply: https://prsinc.org/carering-volunteering/. Questions?Email [email protected].

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524B Springvale Rd., Great Falls $1,149,000Striking shingle-style, Nantucket style home with a

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Page 11Page 11connectionarchives.com/PDF/2017/070517/Great Falls.pdf2016, although it improved over 2007 by 15 percent. There are considerably fewer buyers who qualify to purchase