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Halloween Parties, SoberRide

Halloween is now as much of an adult party as a children's festival. Along with the Fourth of July, the holiday period including New Year's Eve and a few other dates, Halloween stands out as a holiday connected to an increase in drinking and driving.

Be Part of the Children's Centre View

Call for student artwork and writing; deadline Dec. 3.

During the last week of each year, the Centre View devotes its entire issue to the creativity of local students and children. The results are always remarkable. It is a keepsake edition for many families. The annual Children's Centre View is a tradition of well over a decade, and we begin getting inquiries from teachers and parents about submitting artwork and writing almost as soon as summer is over.

Bulletin Board

Thursday/Oct. 25 Chantilly HS Government Forum. 9 a.m. Representatives from the five parties on the ballot in Virginia will be in attendance. Aneesh Chopra, President Obama’s former chief technology officer, will represent the Obama campaign. Bill Redpath, the chairman of the National Libertarian Party, will represent the Gary Johnson campaign. Mitch Turner, the chairman of the Virginia Constitution Party, will represent the Virgil Goode campaign. The Romney (Republican) and Stein (Green) campaigns will also be represented. The forum will take place in the Chantilly HS auditorium. Students and community members will have a chance to ask questions.

Bulletin Board

Ongoing White House Ornament Sale. The Western Fairfax County Woman’s Club is selling 2012 White House Christmas ornaments. This year’s ornament honors William Howard Taft. This ornament features President and Mrs. Taft delivering Christmas present in a White Steamer automobile. The ornaments cost $19. Proceeds benefit charity. Order by calling 703-378-6841 or 703-378-6216. It is possible to order previous years’ ornaments.

The Passover Amendment: Should Legislators Meet on Religious Holidays?

Former Del. David Englin (D-45) was behind amendment now before voters.

Every year, the Virginia General Assembly convenes several weeks after the session to react to the governor’s vetoes.

Bike Summit Oct. 27

The inaugural Fairfax Bike Summit will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at George Mason University. The goal is to bring together current and future bicyclists, bicycle organizations, bike shops and transportation professionals to discuss how to make Fairfax County a better place to live by making bicycling a major component of the transportation system.

Fantasy Pumpkins To Thrill and Delight

Centreville man creates Halloween enchantment.

n his daily life, Noel Dickover is a federal contractor for the State Department. He’s also a science-fiction junkie and an expert pumpkin carver. So as Halloween approaches, when he comes home at night to Centreville’s Westbrooke community, he busies himself designing and carving the 50 or so pumpkins that’ll be displayed in his front yard at 14223 Hartwood Court on Halloween night. The glowing spectacle attracts 500 to more than 1,000 visitors each year, and word of his creations has spread internationally. Dickover puts his patterns online for free and just asks anyone who does them to send him photos of their finished creations. “Last December, I was doing a technology event for nongovernmental organizations,” he said. “I was in Bucharest, Romania, and this guy comes up to me and says, ‘I know you — I did your Angry Birds pattern.’ I was just floored by that — that was awesome.”

Commentary: Also on the Ballot

With all the buzz about the presidential election, some voters may be surprised to learn that there are other electoral contests and issues on the ballot. At the request of many people, each year I write about the ballot facing voters and share my intentions on how I will be voting. It will come as no surprise to anyone that I will be voting for President Obama for re-election. This campaign as much as any has been about the clear role of government, and President Obama reflects views that I hold that our society must be open to opportunity for all and not to a privileged few. There is no reason to stay home from this vote. It does not get any more fundamental than this one.

Alexandria/Mount Vernon Calendar: Oct. 24, 2012

Upcoming events and activities

‘It’s Just Good, Wholesome Fun’

Alliance Theatre presents musical comedy, : “Nunsense.”

When 52 of the Little Sisters of Hoboken, a convent in New Jersey, die after eating bad potato-leek soup, the remaining 19 nuns need to bury them. But first, they have to put on a talent show to raise enough money to do so. That’s the premise of “Nunsense,” The Alliance Theatre’s rollicking new musical comedy. It’s being performed weekends, from Nov. 2-18, at Mountain View High School, 5775 Spindle Court in Centreville. Show times are Friday-Saturday, Nov. 2-3 and Nov. 9-10, and Nov. 16-17, all at 7:30 p.m., plus Sunday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16/adult; $14/child (12 and under); $14/senior citizens; go to boxoffice@thealliancetheatre.org.

Overcrowding Leads Budget Concerns

At the Alexandria City School Board’s Oct. 11 public hearing on its FY 2014 budget, parents and school staff voiced their concerns over funding for various schools and programs.

Job Switch for Peter Noonan

Former Centreville High principal leads Fairfax City Schools.

Since coming to Fairfax County Public Schools in July 2001, Clifton resident Peter Noonan has been on an upward trajectory. He went from being an assistant principal to a principal to a school system assistant superintendent. But he left it all in July, yet continued moving upward, as he became the superintendent of the City of Fairfax Schools. “I tossed my hat in the ring when then-Superintendent Ann Monday announced her retirement, the first part of the year,” said Noonan. “I thought it would be a great opportunity. I’d been a principal in the City of Fairfax, at Lanier Middle School, and already knew the relationship between the city and county so well. And I’ve aspired to be superintendent for a long time.” Unlike the huge FCPS, Fairfax City’s school system has just four schools — Lanier Middle, Fairfax High and Daniels Run and Providence elementaries — and it’s appealing to Noonan to “have influence over a smaller group of schools and work with a really great group of principals and teachers.”

Old Town

LET'S TOAST OUR TOWN - 'Towners, this isn't your mother's party do we're touting here today. No siree. The one I have in mind begs you to show up. It promises to please. It sings. It swings. It's sooo 21st century. It's for a noble notable cause and it's coming up just around the corner — Nov. 10 to be precise. Stay tuned.

Letter: New Voice For the City

As an 88-year-old woman and a resident of Alexandria for the past 55 years, I am deeply concerned about the future of Alexandria. I applaud a particular City Council candidate who is focused on maintaining a livable, family-friendly Alexandria. An excellent candidate, Allison Silberberg, is adding a new voice to that effort.

Letter: Making a Difference

Alexandria needs Allison Silberberg on our City Council. Please vote for Allison on Nov. 6.

Letter: Long Service To Community 

In his opening remarks in the second mayoral debate Andrew MacDonald stated that life in Alexandria had worsened under Mayor Euille's leadership, but it would only be fair to examine his own record.

Calendar

CV110712-100 Ice Palace Fair Oaks Enchanted Ice Palace Holiday Tradition Thursday, Nov. 8 through Monday, Dec. 24 Open during all Fair Oaks regular and holiday hours Fair Oaks Grand Court, 11750 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, Virginia 22033 Fair Oaks' Ice Palace holiday tradition features a 30-foot ice dome with falling snow, interactive multi-sensory elements, larger-than-life snow globes, Ice Throne and light show beneath twinkling icicles descending from Fair Oaks' 65-foot Grand Court atrium. New this year will be showcases of the beloved prehistoric herd from the family film Ice Age: Continental Drift. The 1,200 square foot Ice Palace will culminate with a visit to Santa and a special complimentary Ice Age gift. Fair Oaks will also celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah with a unique display adjacent to the Ice Palace featuring the history and significance of the dreidel (sevivonim). Free and open to the public. Visit www.ShopFairOaksMall.com or call 703-279-2708.

Letter: Anti-Status-Quo Thinking

Pope states once again in his Oct. 18 front-page article that the plan would triple the allowable density on the three waterfront redevelopment sites. This is incorrect.

Letter to the Editor

Many Contributed To Centreville Day

To the Editor: “It is our joy to serve our community,” is how Bill Hatcher, pastor at Centreville Baptist Church, has so perfectly expressed the spirit of all the people who came together and help make Centreville Day possible. As the president of Friends of Historic Centreville, I can’t begin to state how deeply grateful I am to all of those people: to members of the planning committee, to the sponsors and vendors of Centreville Day, to the community and school volunteers, to the churches and other property owners of the Historic District, to our local government, to everyone who contributed in any way to making this Centreville Day a success. Centreville Day benefits the Friends of Historic Centreville (FHC), a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving local history and to help make Historic Centreville Park a meaningful part of our community. FHC is a small group, however, and Centreville Day, as evident from the length of the list below, is a large undertaking. Each contribution was important to creating the whole and greatly appreciated. Thus, is no special order, I want to acknowledge and thank the following:

Letter: Schools Heading In Right Direction

School Board elections are in danger of being overlooked (quite literally: make sure you turn over the ballot to see the school board candidates on the reverse side) during this election with so many offices on the ballot. I would like to highlight one of the District B candidates: Marc Williams.

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