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Bulletin Board

Monday/Aug. 27 Blood Drive. Virginia Tire & Auto, the Fairfax-based full-service provider of automotive maintenance, repair and tire services, is partnering with Inova Blood Donor Services as it hosts a blood drive from noon-6 pm at the Ashburn/Dulles (44285 Ice Rink Plaza) and Centreville (14611 Lee Hwy) facilities. Customers who donate blood will receive a voucher for a free oil change at any of its 11 locations (or $30 off any service). Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins will are welcome at the two Virginia Tire & Auto facilities. To schedule an appointment visit inova.org/donateblood, click donate blood 2x, and enter sponsor code 8000 for Ashburn/ Dulles or enter sponsor code 7929 for Centreville or call 1-866-BLOODSAVES.

Roundups

WFCM Seeks Food, Volunteers

Western Fairfax Christian Ministries’ (WFCM) food pantry urgently needs donations of oil (48 oz. or smaller); flour (2-5 lb. bag); sugar (2-5 lb. bag); rice (2 lb. bags); canned meats; salad dressing, jelly; jam; peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, Ramen Noodles, canned fruit; canned peas, beets and mixed vegetables; canned soup and baked beans; dry pasta and beans; ketchup, mustard, pancake mix and syrup; hot and cold cereal and coffee. In addition, the Food Pantry would appreciate fresh produce from local gardens. Also needed are laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper and baby wipes. WFCM clients are also in great need of gasoline cards. Bring all items to WFCM’S food pantry at 13981 Metrotech Drive (near Backyard Grill and Bar) in Chantilly. Volunteers are also needed:

Roundups

Recycle During Electric Sunday

Residents may recycle old TVs, computers, peripheral electronic devices – such as keyboards, speakers, printers and scanners, as well as household hazardous wastes – including fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, for free, during Fairfax County’s “Electric Sunday” events. The next one is slated for Sunday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, in Fairfax. For more information, call 703-324-5052.

Looking Ahead: Many Projects Are on the Horizon

Building, Road Construction Ahead

New and exciting projects are on the horizon in the Sully District. Below are some of them: COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Currently, many local residents needing radiation or other oncology treatments go to Inova Fairfax Hospital to receive them. But a new, fourth, medical office building on the Inova Fair Oaks Hospital campus would bring these services closer to home. Inova Fair Oaks plans to construct that building, plus more parking and a new entrance from Rugby Road. Hospital representatives hope to have the medical office building completed and occupied by the end of 2013.

A Family Affair: Chris and Beth Caron of Springfield, with four of their five children, …

Yae Ji Cha, Sweet Frog Employee, Burke, 16 years "It’s really safe, I’ll tell you …

Signs are up indicating that Phase One of the $200 million transformation of Springfield Mall …

Supervisor Michael Frey’s View of Centreville

Frey Reflects on Sully District

Michael Frey has lived in Centreville’s London Commons community for more than 20 years and has been the Sully District supervisor since the district was created in 1992. So Centre View asked him to explain what he believes makes Centreville so special. “An awful lot of community life is built around the schools,” he said. “People love them and the PTAs have tremendous support.” He also praised the volunteers who put on Centreville Day and other community events at E.C. Lawrence Park and its mill and visitors center. But what especially left an indelible mark on him, said Frey, was “the way people came together after the May 8, 2006 shooting at the Sully District Police Station. That, to me, says as much about the character of the community as anything.”

Schools

School Notes

Centreville ES will host its Annual Welcome Back Picnic on Friday, Sept. 7, 5:30-8:30 p.m. The Flock (CES’s own staff band) will perform as students and family enjoy food from Chick-fil-a, Baja Fresh, Cici’s Pizza and Rita’s or their own family picnic. Community organizations including Southwestern Youth Association, Boy/Girl Scouts, FC Library, Police and Fire, Park Authority, CES Green Team and PTA will be sharing their information and services.

What Makes Centreville Special

I have loved living in Centreville for 24 years, but my family’s history in the village goes back 150 years to the Civil War. In August 1862, my great, great grandfather McGraw marched with New York’s 157th Infantry to the tiny town. The Republican state senator and abolitionist had one goal: end slavery. When Lieutenant McGraw arrived, he found thousands of soldiers bivouacked in the desolate village where a second battle in Manassas had just tinted Bull Run’s water red with the shredded bodies of approximately 25,000 men in blue and gray. Little did he know that his new home — a tent — would transform into a peaceful house for his great, great granddaughter a century later.

Column: Life in the Cancer Lane

Having been there and done that now for three and a half years certainly helps. And however familiar it may be and/or has become, it doesn’t exactly help to pass the time or affect the results, unfortunately. Cancer sucks! That much is clear. Now and in the future.

Madeleine Steppel Finds Recipe for Success

Reston resident dines with president and first lady.

One night a few weeks ago, while she was at Camp Louise in Maryland, Madeleine Steppel, 9, of Reston headed to the administration building to wait for a call. Once she got to the building, known around camp as "the White House," the call came in: she had won a trip to the real White House for lunch with first lady Michelle Obama.

Herndon’s History on Display

Town’s rail history still major part of downtown.

Commander William L. Herndon, never actually set foot in the town that bears his name. The naval commander died 22 years before the town was founded, going down with his ship, the S.S. Central American, when it sank in Sept. 1957 off the coast of Cape Hatteras, loaded with three tons of gold.

Herndon Home to Many Popular Restaurants

More than 100 restaurants offer food from more than 30 cultures.

Herndon’s signature restaurant is, according to many locals, Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern. Owner Jimmy Cirrito, a native of upstate New York, signed his lease on Veterans Day, 1996, and has been a fixture of the community ever since.

Strategic Plan Looks to Further Simon’s Ideals

Reston Association plans for new properties, service needs to 2016.

When Robert Simon used the proceeds from the sale of Carnegie Hall to buy almost 7,000 acres of Virginia farmland in March 1961, he founded a community with a plan. A place where residents could live, work and play in a variety of housing types with a variety of recreational opportunities. For the community’s first 50 years, those principals guided the community’s development and governance.

Finding Recreation in Reston

Trails, tennis, pools offer variety of opportunities.

As avid outdoorsman, Larry Butler says he spends his vacations getting as far away from civilization as possible. As the director of Parks and Recreation for the Reston Association, he knows places in Reston offer something similar.

Great Falls Exxon Station to Close

Community concerned about losing one of two gas stations, TD Bank preparing application for site.

The Exxon station at the corner of Walker Road and Georgetown Pike will cease pumping gas Sept. 1, and will cease all operations by March of next year. Starting Sept. 1, the underground fuel tanks will be removed, which will cease pumping gas. The current service operator will maintain services until February 2013, then they will move to the Shell service station across the street.

Community Meets at Old Brogue

Katie’s Coffee House, Cars and Coffee, traditional Irish fare are signatures of local restaurant.

On most Saturday mornings, Matt Borland of Falls Church is up before sunrise, washing and waxing his red and white 1965 Mustang. Though Saturday is only one of two mornings during the week Borland doesn’t have to be in Washington, D.C. by 8 a.m., he doesn’t mind getting up early, he has a purpose.

Great Falls Has Development Standards

Comprehensive plan, community involvement, designed to keep semi-rural character.

With an area of just under 18 square miles and one of the lowest densities in the county, Great Falls is designed to have a semi-rural character. The Great Falls Citizens Association, a non-partisan committee made up of residents, has as a primary goal to "preserve the historic, low density semi-rural character of Great Falls and its natural resources."

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