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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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December 4-10, 2013 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com
Oak Hill ❖ HerndonOak Hill ❖ HerndonPage 8
Howard Nachman handedout toy dreidels to childrenduring the Chanukahcelebration on Sunday atthe Herndon Town Square.
WellbeingPage 12
WellbeingWellbeingPage 12
ChanukahCelebratedAt HerndonTown SquareNews, Page 5
ChanukahCelebratedAt HerndonTown SquareNews, Page 5
Holiday Homes TourSet for Dec. 7News, Page 3
Every Tweet CountsNews, Page 4
Holiday Homes TourSet for Dec. 7News, Page 3
Every Tweet CountsNews, Page 4
2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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During the last week of each year, the OakHill/Herndon Connection devotes its entire issueto the creativity of local students. The results arealways remarkable, and the editions have wonmany awards. It is a keepsake edition for manyfamilies.
We publish artwork, poetry, essays, creativewriting, opinion pieces, short stories, photography,photos of sculpture or gardens or other creativeefforts.
We ask that all submissions be digital so they canbe sent through e-mail or delivered on CD or flashdrive. Writing should be submitted in rich textformat (.rtf). Artwork should be provided in .jpg
format. Identify each piece of writing or art,including the student’s full name, age, grade andtown of residence, plus the name of the school,name of teacher and town of school location.Please provide the submissions by Friday, Dec. 6for publication the week of Dec. 26.
E-mail submissions to:[email protected]
To send CDs or flash drives containing artworkand typed, electronic submissions, mark themclearly by school and hometown and mail the CDto Children’s Connection,1606 King Street,Alexandria, VA 22314.
Be a Part of CHILDREN’S CONNECTION
Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
By Ryan Dunn
The Connection
Herndon HighSchool seniorBlake Morgan
was honored at theschool auditorium withthe presentation of anAll-American Bowljacket from local sol-diers, in the company offriends, family, fellowband mates and stu-dents. “We are thrilledBlake is representingus,” said Herndon HighBand Director KathleenG. Jacoby. “I think thisis a small indication ofthe type of person Blakeis. He is caring and com-passionate and alwayspushing the band to thenext level.”
Morgan joins theranks of an elite groupof only 125 musicians and colorguard members from across thecountry who will showcasetheir talent during a halftimeperformance at the nationallybroadcast U.S. Army All-Ameri-can Bowl in San Antonio, Texason Jan. 4, 2014. Band membersare selected not just becausethey excel in music and perfor-mance, but because they em-body the values of the ArmyStrong Soldiers like loyalty andintegrity. Christine Norton fromthe All American Games wel-comed everyone to the eventand introduced guest speakers.
George Mason UniversityArmy ROTC Recruiting Opera-tions Officer Matthew Hoovercongratulated Morgan and pre-sented him with a ROTC drink-ing glass. “This is a great part-nership we are involved withthe US Army and the All Ameri-can Games to recognize Ameri-can musical excellence,” saidAssistant Executive Directorwith the National Associationfor Music Education Jane MellBalek. “It is very competitiveand we get applications fromstudents in all 50 states.”
Sergeant First Class MichaelNelson officially invited Mor-gan to the All-American Bowl.“Celebrating more than 13years of excellence, the U.S.Army All-American Bowl em-
phasizes the unique skills andvalues responsible for successin marching band, in the Armyand in life… It takes a specialperson to be a soldier, just as ittakes a special band member tobe selected as a US Army All-American.”
Morgan is looking forward tothe January performance. “It isa real blast, it will be a high-light of my senior year,” saidMorgan. “I feel hard work paysoff in the long run.” After re-ceiving the official AmericanBowl jacket, Morgan thankedhis parents and teachers. “I amglad I could be here,” said Mor-gan. “This is just a reflection ofwho you guys are,” said Jacobyto the audience of students andband members. “I am so proudof you all, good job, Blake!”
The ceremony concludedwith a melody by the HerndonHigh Drumline. Under direc-tion of Kathleen Jacoby, theHerndon High Band has re-ceived numerous accolades thisyear for its musicianship. Oneof many noteworthy accom-plishments is their Decembertrip to Hawaii to march in the2013 Pearl Harbor MemorialParade.
To learn more about the Prideof Herndon band, visit http://herndonband.net .
Performing atAll American BowlHerndon High senior BlakeMorgan will perform in premierfootball game.
Herndon High School seniorBlake Morgan holds an officialjacket with Staff SergeantJeffery Wallace at the schoolauditorium.
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From left, Herndon Vice Mayor Connie Hutchinson, Councilmember Shelia Olem andBarb Nagy preparing for this year’s Holiday Homes Tour, which will be held Saturday,Dec. 7.
Holiday Homes Tour Set for Dec. 7
News
By Alex McVeigh
The Connection
The Town of Herndon will host its annual Holi-day Homes Tour Saturday, Dec. 7, giving visi-tors a chance to explore five residences and
the visions of their owners.“I’ve been a regular visitor on the tour for the past
several years, ever since I saw the historic house atthe corner of Elden Street and Grace Street, which Ihad admired since moving into town,” said MarieCarpenter of Herndon. “And I was amazed that thetour included not just historic homes, which get mostof the attention in Herndon, but the various modernand other kinds of renovations people have done.It’s inspiring from a home decoration standpoint.”
The home of Eric and Jean Gibson is one of thosehistoric homes. It was built in 1900 in the classicAmerican Foursquare style.
It was formerly the office of Dr. Ernest Shull, andfeatures a warehouse in the rear of the property,stained glass windows in the foyer, dining room andfamily room and a large patio in the backyard, addedby the Gibsons.
Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel and her husband Davewill have their home on display as well. The Merkelshave spent the last 11 years renovating their home,
expanding and turning the back porch into a familyroom, adding a powder room, mudroom, coveredporch, children’s playroom, office loft and guest bed-room.
Other renovations include the kitchen, which wasrenovated this year, doubling it in size, adding a tinceiling and an 11-foot island.
By comparison, the home of Ken Marter and RayNuzzal is one of the town’s most recent addition.Built in 2012, it features interior columns, an indoor-outdoor fireplace and a custom buildout of the lowerlevel into a guest suite, storage room, exercise roomand patio. Diane D’Amico of the town’s CultivatingCommunities initiative said that this year’s tour isthe first that is completely walkable.
The entirety of the tour takes place within severalblocks of downtown. Out-of-towners coming toHerndon via bicycle can store their cycles atdowntown’s Green Lizard Cycling.
In addition to the five home stops, HerndonArtSpace will be open, offering light refreshmentscourtesy of the Herndon Chamber of Commerce.
The homes will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. onSaturday, Dec. 7.
Tickets to the tour are $15 in advance, $20 theday of the tour. They can be purchased at theHerndon Florist, 716 Lynn Street, ArtSpace, 750Center Street and the Herndon Community Center814 Ferndale Avenue, and online at www.herndon-va.gov.
More information is available at facebook.com/holidayhomestour, or by calling 703-485-6800, ext.2222.
Diane D’Amico, one of thecoordinators of this year’sHerndon Holiday HomesTour, which will be Satur-day, Dec. 7.
The home of Ray Nuzzal and Ken Marter, one of the moremodern stops on the Herndon Holiday Homes Tour,which will be Saturday, Dec. 7.
Annual tour features fivehomes, will be walkablefor the first time.
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4 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Hometown: Born in Baltimoreand raised in Pennsylvania,Schoeneman came to the D.C. met-ropolitan area to attend The GeorgeWashington University, where heearned two degrees. He moved toFairfax County in 2007.
Education: B.A. in political sci-ence, George Washington University,2001. Master’s degree in politicalmanagement, George WashingtonUniversity, 2004; Law degree, Catho-lic University School of Law, 2011
Family: Married to KayAnn, thecommunications director for theFairfax Chamber. The couple live inFairfax with their 3 1/2 year-old sonNick and cat, Howie.
Public Office: Schoenemanserved in President George W. Bush’sadministration as special assistantand senior speechwriter to Secretaryof Labor Elaine L. Chao from 2008 to2009. In that capacity, he served asthe Secretary’s lead liaison to orga-nized labor and as a member of hersenior staff. In the 2011 election, heran against state Del. David Bulova,a Democrat, but failed to capture the37th house district seat.
Profession: Schoeneman earnedhis law degree at Catholic University.
He is the legislative director for theSeafarers International Union ofNorth America, a maritime laborunion. Schoeneman is co-owner andan active blogger for the right-lean-ing political blog Bearing Drift.
Membership & Affiliations:Member of the historic St. John’sEpiscopal Church on LafayetteSquare; Catholic University Law Re-view, published The Scarlet “L” –Have Recent Developments in Lob-bying Regulation Gone Too Far?;vice president of the Wescott RidgeHomeowners Association; an activefreemason, he has served as an of-ficer in John Blair Lodge #187;member of the International Propel-ler Club of the United States, wherehe serves on the Board of Governorsof the D.C. Chapter; founding mem-ber of the GW Graduate School ofPolitical Management Alumni Asso-ciation, and served as its firstpresident; communications directorfor the Fairfax County RepublicanCommittee in 2010 and former gen-eral counsel for FCRC From 2012 toMarch 2013. He is a member of theAmerican Bar Association, theFairfax Bar Association and the Fed-eralist Society.
Brian Schoeneman — At a Glance
Brian Schoeneman in his Fairfax townhome with hiscat, Howie. His favorite portrait of Revolutionary heroGeorge Washington hanging above the fireplace.
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News
See Election, Page 11
By Victoria Ross
The Connection
On the morning ofNov. 6, the day af-ter the general elec-tion, it appeared
that Republican Mark Obenshainhad eked out a razor-thin victoryover Democrat Mark Herring tobecome Virginia’s next AttorneyGeneral.
Like most hotly-contested politi-cal battles, the close race gener-ated even closer scrutiny.
National political analyst DavidWasserman, with the Cook Politi-cal Report, thought there wereanomalies in the absentee ballottotals for Fairfax County, whichhad been expected to vote stronglyDemocratic.
Wasserman took to Twitter withhis evidence, pointing out theremust be absentee ballots missingin Fairfax County, because the per-centage of requested absentee bal-lots that had been returned andreported on election night wasmuch lower than the percentageof other counties. Wasserman andothers noticed that there were ab-normally low totals in the 8th Con-gressional District, which includesBailey’s Crossroads.
“Are we supposed to buy thatjust 7 percent of voters in Bailey’sCrossroads who requested an ab-sentee ballot actually voted? Pre-posterous,” Wasserman concludedin one tweet.
Meanwhile, Brian Schoeneman,the senior GOP appointee toFairfax County’s three-memberElectoral Board, was in the midstof a post-election canvass, his firstsince being appointed to the boardlast spring. Essentially, a canvassis checking and double-checkingElection Day votes, the purpose ofwhich is to catch inevitable humanerrors.
Schoeneman, a well-knownFairfax attorney, Republicanblogger and former Bush staffer,had been posting tweets andFacebook messages on ElectionDay to make the process as trans-parent as possible for voters.
He had also been reading thetweets from Wasserman and oth-ers. Finding no evidence of a dis-crepancy after an initial review, hetweeted a reply.
“To respond to rumors goingaround, there are zero – o – ZEROuncounted absentee ballots inFairfax County. We completed our
count last night,” Schoenemanposted on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at2:33 p.m.
The “zero” tweet instantly wentviral.
Over the next 36 hours, the twit-ter sphere exploded as hundredsof followers jumped into the fray,providing numbers, offering theo-ries, and, at times, hurling parti-san insults.
Wasserman and Ben Tribbett, aFairfax County Democratic opera-tive who writes the political blog“Not Larry Sabato,” kept pepper-ing Schoeneman with numbersshowing abnormally low totals for
absentee ballots.Schoeneman, in an effort to be
“hyper-transparent,” encouragedthe crowd sourcing by engagingfollowers with real-time status re-ports.
At 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, Nov.7, Schoeneman tweeted:
“I’m working on figuring this outas we speak … Nobody’s beingrude. Dave is keeping me honest,which is fine.”
A half hour later, at 8:14 p.m.,Schoeneman sent out a “Houston,we have a problem” tweet:
“I’ve talked to the GR (generalregistrar) and we are working on
this as we speak — I am convincednow too that there is an issue.”
“It was my worst nightmare asan election official, the perfectstorm of events,” Schoeneman saidlast week. “During the canvass, wespent most of the day catchinglittle errors, and we didn’t realizewe had a glaring error.”
Votes were temporarilyunderreported when a voting ma-chine in Bailey’s Crossroads mal-functioned early on Election Day.Although the machine was laterrepaired, an election officialgrabbed the totals generated whenthe machine broke down, ratherthan the final tally — a muchlarger number for Herring.
Schoeneman’s transparency andhis willingness to explore whatwent wrong on election nightthrust him into the epicenter ofpartisan politics.
While his actions earned him therespect of many Democrats, bothlocally and nationally,Schoeneman also earned thewrath of some in his own party,
who weren’t happy that FairfaxCounty’s revised count turned thetide in favor of Democrat MarkHerring.
“Anyone who knows Brianknows that he is honest to a fault,and will do everything in hispower to make the (election) pro-cess as fair and transparent as pos-sible,” said Cameron Quinn,Fairfax County’s general registrar.
Chris Sanders, a local Twitterfollower, said he was impressed bySchoeneman’s candid responsesduring the election. “He is a stand-up guy, even though we don’t havethe same politics,” Sanders said.
On Nov. 25, the Virginia StateBoard of Elections certified elec-tion results with Herring defeat-ing Obenshain by a mere 165 votesout of more than 2 million caststatewide. Obenshain has re-quested a recount, which is ex-pected to be held in mid-Decem-ber.
The “found” absentee ballots
How Republican Brian Schoeneman earned wrath ofhis party by making sure every vote counted in county.
Every Tweet Counts
Brian Schoeneman, Secretary of the Fairfax County Elec-tion Board, took to Twitter throughout Election Day andin the days following the election, to communicate withpolitical observers who questioned the discrepancybetween requested absentee ballots and actual votecounts in the statewide elections. Schoeneman’s nowinfamous “zero” tweet, posted on Wednesday, Nov. 6,went viral and sparked a fast and furious twitter spheredebate.
Brian Schoeneman, Secretary of the Fairfax CountyElection Board, at his “day job” as an attorney inFairfax County.
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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Ryan Dunn
The Connection
There was a festive atmosphereon Sunday night as members ofthe community came to theHerndon Town Square to cel-
ebrate Chanukah. “The message ofChanukah is a story of religious toleranceand a victory of good over evil,” said RabbiLeibel Fajnland of Chabad Reston-Herndon.The event was open to the public and morethan 50 persons came to attend.
“I was very pleased and happy to see alot of children at the event, and happy withthe turnout,” said Arthur Nachman. “In allthe years we have been doing it, this is thelargest turnout for this event. I think this isdue in part to the Herndon Chamber ofCommerce and also in part of the work ofChabad Reston-Herndon.” HowardNachman, brother to Arthur Nachman,handed out toy dreidels to children in thegroup.
Elysa Birman, resident of Herndon andmember of the Council for the Arts of
Herndon had proposed to the HerndonChamber of Commerce that a separate eventbe held to celebrate Chanukah. Birman’shusband Igor and their daughters Ashleyand Zoey were also attending the eveningcelebration. “We are very excited to cel-ebrate Chanukah at this spot,” said ElysaBirman.
“This is amazing, it is nice to see this forChanukah,” said Herndon resident LindaDowner. Members of the Nachman familyof Herndon were invited to help light thefirst five candles of the menorah, one for
each night of Chanukah, which began lastWednesday night. A menorah provided bythe Nachman family has been present at theHerndon Town Square during Chanukahseason for more than 30 years.
Herndon resident Blake Rose and his sonBrian were videotaping the evening eventfor Herndon HCTV, a nonprofit communitytelevision station which can be seen on COXchannel 23 in Fairfax County and FiOSchannel 28. “We have a video segmentcalled “Around Our Town” and we intendto include tonight’s event there,” said Blake
Rose.“A night of Chanukah is incomplete with-
out a little music,” said Rabbi Fajnland, andthe assembled group sang several Chanukahsongs including “Maoz Tzur” and “I Have ALittle Dreidel.” Rabbi Fajnland handed outchocolate coins to kids in the crowd. Afterthe menorah was lit, everyone was invitedto enjoy latkes and donuts, as well asChanukah-themed crafts for the kids.
To learn more about the Chabad ofReston-Herndon, visit their webpage atwww.chabadrh.org.
Rabbi Leibel Fajnland of Chabad Reston-Herndonhelped led the Chanukah celebration at the HerndonTown Square on Sunday, December 1.
Chanukah Celebrated At Herndon Town SquareMenorah lit as com-munity celebratesFestival of Lights.
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More than 50 persons attended the evening celebra-tion of Chanukah at the Herndon Town Square onSunday. Afterwards everyone was invited to enjoylatkes and donuts.
6 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Biscuit, the little Shih Tzuwho survived on his ownfor more than two years in
the Franconia Community andwas rescued by Fairfax CountyAnimal Control Officer Enna Lugo,staff and volunteers of the FairfaxCounty Animal Shelter, has been
adopted and is adjusting well tolife in his new home.
After being rescued last April, hespent several months in foster carewith Officer Lugo and was adoptedin August by Faisal and Rashid ofOakton, and their two school-agechildren, Julia and Sam.
According to Mary Ann Rashid,Biscuit has become comfortableand even protective of his familyover the past several months. “Heand I walk the kids to the bus ev-ery morning and he waits for them
The little Shih Tzufinds a lovinghome in Oakton.
The Latest on Biscuit
Biscuit was adopted in August by Faisal and Mary AnnRashid of Oakton, and their two school-age children,Julia and Sam.
Biscuit with his rescuer, Fairfax County Animal ControlOfficer Enna Lugo.
to come home.”She reports that his favorite ac-
tivity is cuddling with the familyduring TV time and that he sleepsunder the parent’s bed, much likehe slept underneath a porch dur-
ing his two years roaming free.Officer Lugo is thrilled with the
match. “I can’t believe how muchhe’s bonded with his new family!He’s found the loving home wealways wanted for him.”
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Opinion
As Fairfax County faces a tight bud-get year and Fairfax County PublicSchools consider significant cuts,clearly some changes are going to
affect services on the ground.As various proposals emerge, there should
be some specific analysis of howchanges, innovations and cuts wouldaffect the poorest one-third or so of thecounty’s residents specifically.
The schools, along with certain county agen-cies, must take special note of their mission,including providing services to families whoare on the short side of the economic and digi-tal divide. Elimination of print notices andnewsletters, conversion to digital textbooks,use of internet-based surveys are just examplesof small innovations that can leave many resi-
dents behind.In another example, it is disturbing that on-
going concerns about Fairfax County librariesdo not include a clear statement of mission toserve families and individuals who lack accessto broadband internet at home.
In Fairfax County, where nearly 20percent of the households have annualincome of under $50,000, about 8 per-cent live below the poverty line and
more than 47,000 public school students arepoor enough to qualify for subsidized meals,the public libraries are indispensable. Accessto library resources goes beyond books, andincludes the very digital access that manypeople cite as a threat to libraries. Public ac-cess to information via computers and Internetfor those who do not have other access is a
critical service, and should be clearly definedas a critical mission of the libraries.
According to a 2010 report, Opportunity forAll: How the American Public Benefits fromInternet Access at U.S. Libraries, funded bythe Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: 44percent of people in households living belowthe federal poverty line ($22,000 a year for afamily of four) used public library computersand Internet access; among young adults 14-24 in households below the poverty line, 61percent used public library computers andInternet for educational purposes; among se-niors 65 and older living in poverty, 54 per-cent used public library computers for healthor wellness needs.
The report also notes: “This access has alsoproven to be critical in times of disaster, wherelibraries may be the only access point still op-erating that can provide a delivery point forgovernment and social services to those dis-placed.”
Budgeting and restructuring must take intoconsideration the disproportionate effect ofcutting services on lower income householdsespecially.
Who Will Be Hurt?Innovations, changes and cuts designed to helpthe budget should be subject to analysis of howthey will affect those on the short end of theeconomic and digital divide.
Editorial
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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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News
CYA CollectingGifts for Hospi-talized Children
Members of the Chantilly YouthAssociation (CYA) are hoping tobrighten the holidays for local chil-dren fighting cancer. It’s collectingpresents for the DC CandlelightersChildhood Cancer Foundation’sChristmas party for the pediatriconcology patients at Inova FairfaxHospital.
But it needs help from the com-munity to provide the gifts, includ-ing gift cards for boys and girls.Price range should be $20-$25;presents are needed for babiesthrough teens.
Gifts are being accepted nowthrough Dec. 14 at the CYA office,next to Cassel’s Sports and Awardsat 13996 Park Center Road inHerndon. If no one’s at the CYAOffice, gifts may be dropped off atCassel’s.
Volunteers are also needed forthe gift-wrapping party on Satur-day, Dec. 14, and for the deliveryof presents to Inova Fairfax Hos-pital for the children’s Christmasparty on Dec. 16. More than 65families will be at the party, andDC Candlelighters wants to pro-vide gifts to all the patients andeven to their siblings.
Anyone who’d like to volunteerto help with wrapping and/or de-livering these gifts should contactMark Abbott [email protected] Candlelighters is a nonprofitorganization; for more informa-tion about it, go towww.dccandlelighters.org.
— Bonnie Hobbs
Bulletin Board
To have community events listed inthe Connection, send [email protected] the Friday prior to the followingweek’s paper.
FRIDAY/DEC. 6 Reston Lions Club Annual Citrus
Sale. 4-7 p.m. Lake Anne Plaza,11401 North Shore Drive, Reston.Fresh Florida navel and juiceoranges, red grapefruit, tangelos,chocolate peanut clusters, and OhioBuckeye Chocolates available. Also –Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8, 8a.m.-6 p.m. All proceeds benefit sightand hearing programs. Eyeglassesand hearing aids accepted at thetrailer for recycling.www.RestonLions.org
SUNDAY/DEC. 8 Worm Composting. 2-3:30 p.m.
Walker Nature Center, 11450 GladeDrive, Reston. Learn about Wormcomposting, which is a type ofvermiculture that is a natural methodof recycling food waste. Reservationsrequired by Dec. 5. Fee: $35/Bin RAmembers; $40/Bin [email protected]
8 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
OF GREATER WASHINGTONFAIRFAX COUNTY REGION
Support
Join in our annual givingcampaign:For more information,E-mail [email protected]: 703-820-5206Visit http://www.bgcgw.org/givegreatfutures/and select “Fairfax County”
The mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of GreaterWashington is to help boys and girls of all backgrounds,especially those who need us most, build confidence,develop character and acquire the skills needed tobecome productive, civic-minded, responsible adults.
BGCGW’s Fairfax County region includes the CulmoreCharacter Club and Murraygate Village Club, serving 582members a year. On average, 120 youths come throughthe doors every day during the school year.
Meet Henry Lopez, 2013 NationalBoys & Girls Clubs Virginia Youthof the Year, who grew up with theBGCGW Culmore Character Clubfor 14 years. Henry now attendsGeorge Mason University on anHonor Scholarship studyingcomputer engineering.
By Ryan Dunn
The Connection
Activities at Reston TownCenter continuedthroughout Black Fri-day, with thousands of
people participating or observingholiday themed events. Among theevents were the Gingerbread ManMile for Kids, the annual holidayparade, and the evening Christmastree lighting and sing along. TheReston Holiday Parade has been anannual tradition since 1991, andwas supported by sponsors includ-ing the Reston Community Asso-ciation and the Reston Town Cen-ter Association.
Beginning at 8 a.m., tots to highschool students ran in the Ginger-bread Man Mile at the Kids MileFun Run presented by PotomacRiver Running. The course covereda 1-mile loop around Reston TownCenter. Race winners were able totake part in the parade followingthe races. Approximately 1,200persons registered for the race. “Itis kid focused and a great oppor-tunity for any child any age,” saidPotomac River Running head coachKelly Kavanaugh who was emcee-ing the race. The Gingerbread ManMile benefits Children’s NationalMedical Center.
Nathan Musso, a sophomore at
Robinson High in Fairfax, donnedthe costume of the GingerbreadMan and cheered on participatingrunners. “It was fun,” said Musso.Braden and his brother JackSturman both ran in the 8 to 9 agegroup of the race. “We are thrilledthey were able to participate in thisrace,” said their mother, JenniferSturman.
THE 23RD ANNUAL RESTONPARADE began at 11 a.m. with theMasters of Ceremonies beingSonya Gavankar McKay, TV Person-ality, and Devon Lucie of Channel8. Reston real estate broker JoeRitchey was this year’s Grand Mar-shal.
Junior Grand Marshal wasLauren Spar, 8th grade student atLangston Hughes Middle School.In her two years at the school shehas run her own service club, SPAR(Service Projects Around Reston).“I love the Holiday Parade,” saidMcKay. “It is the perfect way ofkicking off the holiday and finish-ing the year with family, commu-nity and charity.”
Prior to the 11 a.m. start, thou-sands of commemorative RestonTown Center jingle bells werehanded out to children along theroute on Market Street as theywaited for the parade to begin. Thetheme of this year’s parade was
“Destination: Reston,” and manyfloats and groups used the trans-portation theme, paying tribute tothe soon-to-come Silver Line.
The Herndon High and SouthLakes High School marching bandsperformed, in addition to membersof local schools’ Junior ROTC pro-grams. The Herndon High StepTeam also preformed a dance rou-tine. “We have had many practicesand prepared a lot for this event,”said Herndon High senior and stepteam member Ryan Withers.
Members of the Reston Commu-nity Players cast in the upcomingproduction of “Les Miserables”sang songs from the musical, andstaff and associates of ArtInsightsAnimation & Film Art Gallery pa-raded as Disney princesses. “Welove representing Disney, and thekids love it,” said ArtInsights ownerLeslie Combemale.
APPROXIMATELY 2,000 VOL-UNTEERS helped make day’sevents a success. Spectators cameto see at least 60 groups partici-pate in the holiday parade,amounting to more than 500 par-ticipants in the procession. Restonresident Lyn Cordts along withfamily members from North Caro-lina came to view the parade.Cordts’ son Robby was volunteer-ing with other members of Boy
Scout Troop 1313 as a parade mar-shal. “It was a great parade,” saidCordts.
The parade concluded with ar-rival of Santa and Mrs. Claus in ahorse-drawn carriage. Merrimentat Reston Town Center continuedinto the evening. At 5 p.m., atFountain Square there was a per-formance of “Santa’s Frosty Fol-lies,” by the Metropolitan Schoolof the Arts, and a tree lighting andsing along with Reston Chorale at6 p.m. Visitors also had the oppor-tunity to go on a horse drawn car-riage ride. “It is very exciting,” saidRoss Kirby who was filming theevent for Story Catcher Production.
To learn more about the RestonTown Center and upcoming events,visit http://www.restontowncenter.com.
Nathan Musso, a sophomore at RobinsonHigh in Fairfax, donned the costume of theGingerbread Man and cheered on partici-pating runners in the Gingerbread ManMile for Kids at Reston Town Center priorto the parade. This event was presented byPotomac River Running.
Parents and children in the ages 4 to 5group begin their run in the GingerbreadMan Mile for Kids at Reston Town Centeron Friday, Nov. 29.
The Northern Virginia Firefighters EmeraldSociety Pipe Band was one of the morethan 50 groups participating in the 23rdannual Reston Holiday Parade.
The Pride of Herndon, Herndon HighSchool’s marching band, was in the 23rdannual Reston Holiday Parade at RestonTown Center.
The balloon of JayJay the Jet Plane was
sponsored by theReston CommunityCenter for the 23rdannual Reston Holi-
day Parade.
Holiday Parade Returns To RestonHoliday season celebrated in Reston Town Center.
Holiday Entertainment & Gift Guide
Photos by
Ryan Dunn
The Connection
10 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY/DEC. 4-DEC. 9The Artists of Montorno. 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 10a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and1-5 p.m. Sunday, at ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center St.,Herndon. Montorno paintingworkshops in Seravezza, Italy,have been a refuge for artists tostudy with famous painters andsculptors for almost two decades.The exhibit features the work ofMontorno instructors DanniDawson, Mike Francis, TrishaAdams, Mary Del Popolo, PeggyFeerick, Gavin Glakas and KurtSchwarz—locally andinternationally known artists.Portraits, landscapes, still lifepaintings, drawings, pastels,printmaking and photography are
featured. 703-956-6590 orwww.artspaceherndon.org.
TUESDAY/DEC. 5 - SUNDAY/DEC. 29Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.
269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon.This one-man show retells the classicstory but focuses on Scrooge’sdeparted, doomed and chainedbusiness partner, Jacob Marley.
FRIDAY/DEC. 6First Fridays. 7 p.m. ArtSpace
Herndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. Join ArtSpace Herndon forArt House Cinema and Brew. Thefirst Friday of the month, watch animportant piece of art film history bythe finest producers and directors inthe world. 21+, $10 for the movie
and two microbrews. Reservationsrequired artspaceherndon.org.
TUESDAY/DEC. 10Discover Graphics. At ArtSpace
Herndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. Exhibiting the work ofprintmakers for the past 30 years.
Grace Pettis. 7:15 p.m. The FolkClub of Reston-Herndon. In hershort career, Grace Pettis has builta reputation as a respectedsongwriter among artists,industry, and fans.
SATURDAY/DEC. 14Opening Reception for Discover
Graphics. 4-7 p.m. at ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. Exhibiting the work ofprintmakers for the past 30 years.
Entertainment
TUESDAY/DEC. 3- SUNDAY/DEC. 29Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol.
NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset ParkDrive, Herndon. In this behind-the-scenes retelling of one of the mostfamous stories of all time, joinMarley and an annoying little spritenamed Bogle, as they set out on animpossible adventure to save oldScrooge’s soul. Tickets: $25. http://www.nextstoptheatre.org
WEDNESDAY/DEC. 4“The Twelve Dates of Christmas.”
NextStop Theatre, 269 Sunset ParkDrive, Herndon. Tickets: $25. http://www.nextstoptheatre.org.
THURSDAY/DEC. 5Dulles Chamber Small Business
Holiday Expo & Mixer. 5:30-7:30p.m. Washington Dulles MarriottSuites, 13101 Worldgate Drive,Herndon. Tickets:www.dulleschamber.org
FRIDAY/DEC. 6- SATURDAY/DEC. 7Living Nativity. 6:30-9 p.m.
Southview Community Church, 2620Reston Pkwy, Herndon. TheChristmas story is recounted in ameaningful and tangible way withlive animals and visualinterpretations.
SATURDAY/DEC. 7Alternative Gift Market. 10 a.m. - 2
p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church,1625 Wiehle Avenue, Reston. Thisannual market and craft festivalallows you to donate on behalf ofsomeone to a cause that will benefitothers.
Gifts from the HeART: Reception
and Holiday Sale Event. 11 a.m. -4 p.m. Lake Anne, 1609-AWashington Plaza, Reston. Originalworks of art in a variety of media,including oil, acrylic, watercolor,collage, stained glass, ceramic,sculpture, and mixed media, in awide range of sizes and prices. http://restoncommunitycenter.com/gifts-from-heart.shtml
Herndon Towne Square SingersWinter Concert. 7:30 p.m.ArtSpace Herndon, 750 CenterStreet, Herndon. The Towne SquareSingers perform music of theholidays from TV and movies.Tickets: $12. http://www.herndon-va.gov/
Herdnon Tree Lighting and Sing-Along. 5-6 p.m. Herndon Town Hall
Square, 730 Elden Street, Herndon.Join in celebrating at Herndon’shistoric downtown for carols, treelighting and a visit from Santa.
Holiday Homes Tour of Herndon.10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 777 Lynn Street,Herndon. Tour Herndon homesdecorated for the holidays.Admission: $15 in advance; $20 dayof tour. 703-435-6800 ext. 2222.
Jingle with Santa at Lake Anne. 11a.m. - 2 p.m. Lake Anne Plaza, 1609Washington Plaza, Reston. Festiveactivities ranging from the visit fromSanta (arriving on a lake barge),strolling carolers, a petting zoo,music, wine tastings, merchantspecials, children’s crafts, cookiedecorating, holiday arts & craftsmarket, holiday entertainment and
more.Lights, Camera, Christmas. 2 p.m.
ArtSpace Herndon, 750 CenterStreet, Herndon. The Towne SquareSingers will give two performances oftheir winter concert Lights, Camera,Christmas featuring music of theholidays from TV and Movies.Tickets: $12. Register atwww.herndon-va.gov/webtrac
Winter Open House & Santa’sWorkshop. 11 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.Herndon Fortnightly Library, 768Center Street, Herndon. Liveentertainment including handbellmusic performed by Joyful Ringers,stories, visits with Santa, and crafts.
Zombie Bash. 5-8 p.m. 2709 West OxRoad, Herndon. Prepare to be scaredto death then to rise and scareothers. This game is designed forplayers age 18 and up due to thecontext and intense combat.Admission: $20.00 or play a zombiefor free.
Winter Wreaths. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.OR 1-2:30 p.m. Walker NatureCenter, 11450 Glade Drive, Reston.Make festive wreaths for your home.When making reservations, includethe number of people in your partyand how many wreaths you wouldlike to make. Reservations requiredby Dec. 4. Fee: $20/wreath RAmembers; $25/wreath [email protected]
Children’s Holiday Shopping. 10a.m. - 2 p.m. Frying Pan Farm Park,2709 West Ox Road, Herndon. Staffhelps children shop for presents forfamily and friends in the CountryStore.
Old-Fashioned HolidayCelebration. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.Frying Pan Farm Park, 2709 West OxRoad, Herndon. Enjoy farm animalfun, photos with Santa, and muchmore.
SUNDAY/DEC. 8 Cocoa Wagon Rides. 5-9 p.m. Frying
Pan Farm Park, 2709 West Ox Road,Herndon. Journey through the farm
on a wagon followed by a campfirewith cocoa and s’mores. Tickets: $8.
Herndon Towne Square SingersWinter Concert. 2 p.m. ArtSpaceHerndon, 750 Center Street,Herndon. The Towne Square Singersperform music of the holidays fromTV and movies. Tickets: $12. http://www.herndon-va.gov/
35th Annual Herndon Holiday Arts& Crafts Show. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Herndon Community Center, 814Ferndale Ave., Herndon. More than70 arts and craft vendors offerunique gifts, decorations andhandmade items.
Children’s Holiday Shopping. 12p.m. - 4 p.m. Frying Pan Farm Park,2709 West Ox Road, Herndon. Staffhelps children shop for presents forfamily and friends in the CountryStore.
SUNDAY/DEC. 8-31, 2013America the Beautiful 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Monday – Sunday at the HuntersWoods Exhibit, 2310 Colts Neck Rd,Reston. A mood, glowing light, subtlecolor and, above all, the chi or spiritof the subject are all captured inLassie Corbett’s paintings. 703-435-1888 or www.lassiecorbettart.com
MONDAY/DEC. 9NARFE Dulles Chapter 1241
Holiday Party. 1-4 p.m. AmphoraDiner, 1151 Elden Street, Herndon.$25 per person. RSVP by Dec. 5. Call703-435-3532.
MONDAY/DEC. 9-JAN. 6, 201415th Annual Gifts from the HeART
Exhibit. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday -Sunday at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery,1609 Washington Plaza N, Reston. Inthe Jo Ann Rose Gallery, originalworks of art in watercolor, oil,acrylic, mixed media, collage,photography, fiber and charcoal aredisplayed. 703-476-4500 orwww.restoncommunitycenter.com
Southview Community Church, 2620 Reston Pkwy,Herndon, presents “Living Nativity,” in which the Christ-mas story is recounted in a meaningful and tangibleway with live animals and visual interpretations, start-ing Dec. 6.
Holiday Calendar
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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
On Wednesday Nov.27, Grace JarmanDawson, 93, died
peacefully at home inPurcellville, Va. She was bornon June 3, 1920 in Crozet, Va.to Mattie and George Jarman,one of seven children. Her lifewas marked by love for familyand friends and by the remark-able value system, spirit, andethic of accomplishment shepassed on to all. She and herhusband Laurence Dawson,who died in 1987, were mar-ried for 46 years and shared adeep commitment to marriageand family.
She was always present andsupportive in the lives of herfive children and taught by ex-ample. She was the Cub Scoutleader, little league organizer, 4-H Club leader, Pony Club leader,Herndon High School classmom, and US Eventing Associa-tion organizer. To her grandchil-dren she was friend, teacher,and role model during summervacations on the farm. She col-lected friends throughout herlife and deeply valued these re-markable shared relationships.Her motto of “no such word ascan’t” carries on in the lives ofso many.
She is survived by her sisterJune L. Cleveland; children:Laurence A. Dawson, Jr(Sandee), George W. Dawson(Rosemary), Lewis D. Dawson,Patricia D. Foos (Rob) andPhyllis M. Dawson; by grand-children Cami Boyd (Randy),Stacy Stearns (Jonnie),Gwendolyn Dawson (BaNguyen), Jacob Foos, NicholasDawson, Heather (Rick) Bur-man. Mitchell (Amy) Foos, Lin-den Foos, and David Dawson;and by great grandchildrenGrace Burman, Phyllis Stearns,Mikaela Foos, Chipper Burman,Sarah Nguyen, Matthew Foos:by Jineen Reed (Mike) who waslike a daughter to her and byso many close friends.
She was predeceased by hersiblings Anna May Keifer,Walter Massey Jarman, JohnBallard Jarman, Margaret M
During the 1960s, Grace Dawsonplayed a key role in theacquisition and earlydevelopment of Frying Pan Park.
Grace JarmanDawson, 93, Dies
Grace Jarman Dawson
Lewis, and Charles RusselJarman.
She and her husband residedin Great Falls, Va. from 1951until 1987. He was employedby the U.S. State Department.Together they were also instru-mental in real estate develop-ment and life in the community.During the 1960s as a volunteer4-H club leader she played a keyrole in the acquisition and earlydevelopment of Frying Pan Parkand served in key state wide 4-H Club leadership roles.
During the 1970s she servedas District Commissioner andRegional Supervisor in the USPony Club, in the 1980s shehelped organize and produceequestrian competitions sanc-tioned by the U.S. Eventing As-sociation, notably Difficult RunPony Club Horse Trials and theMorven Park Horse Trails. Herlegacy includes building manyof the cross-country jumps stillin use.
In 1987 after her husband’sdeath, she and her daughter,Phyllis Dawson, moved toHillsboro, Va., where they de-veloped Windchase, an eques-trian center with an interna-tional reputation.
A public service celebratingher life was held on Sunday,Dec. 1 at the Great Falls UnitedMethodist Church. AdamsGreen Funeral Home ofHerndon provided services andis receiving floral arrangementsor alternatively donations maybe made in Grace’s name to theAmboseli Trust for Elephants atwww.elephanttrust.org or call508-783-8308.
ObituaryNews
From Page 4
and the approved provisional bal-lots resulted in a 975-vote newswing in favor of Democraticnominee Mark Herring. In fact, theadditional votes from FairfaxCounty were the single biggest fac-tor in Herring edging outObenshain in the final certifiedtally.
The headline-making storyspawned conspiracy theories bypolitical activists on both sides ofthe aisle. While Schoeneman saidhe was just doing his job by mak-ing certain that every votecounted, others in his party saw itdifferently.
Jeanine Martin, on The Bull El-ephant blog, asked “Why is BrianSchoeneman, who purports to bea Republican, helping Democratsby extending this deadline?”
Martin was referring to the Elec-tion Board’s unanimous decisionto extend the provisional bal-lot deadline through Tues-day, Nov. 12, a full week af-ter the Nov. 5 election, whileother Virginia counties wereadhering to a deadline at 1p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8.
That decision earnedSchoeneman the scorn of Re-publican party officialsthroughout the state.
“What happened in Fairfaxover the last week, culminating intonight’s announcement of a re-versal in fortunes of the VirginiaAttorney General candidates, wasa travesty,” wrote Steve Albertson,vice chairman of the StaffordCounty Electoral Board, in hisblog. “… In doing so they raised agiant middle finger to the rest ofus.”
Schoeneman said it stung tohave members of his own partyquestion his integrity.
“These folks knew better.They’ve worked with me for years,and they know I’m honest andwilling to address any complaints.
“One of the downsides to poli-tics is that there are some folks —and they exist on both sides of theaisle — who want to turn every-thing into a ‘good vs. evil’ battlewhere everybody with one letterafter their name is good and theother side is evil,” Schoenemansaid.
Schoeneman also said therewere some Republicans who ques-tioned his attempts at transpar-ency and responsiveness through
social media such as Twitter andFacebook.
“When I made that ‘zero’ tweet,I was trying to tamp down the ru-mors that we had missing ballotsor missing votes — and by miss-ing I mean physically not present,like a box of ballots lying aroundsomewhere that hadn’t beencounted. I had confirmed with thestaff that this wasn’t the case,”Schoeneman said.
“And I was right,” Schoenemanadded, “we didn’t have missingballots. We did have a major tabu-lation error that inadvertently left3,000 or so votes off the resultssheet, which we caught and cor-rected. So both sides were right —there were votes that hadn’t beenreported, but my tweet was alsoaccurate, because we didn’t haveany missing ballots that hadn’tbeen counted in the 8th.”
Looking back on election night,Schoeneman said he doesn’t re-
gret his infamous tweet, or anyother tweets that gave the publica chance to “see into the factorywhere the sausage is beingmade.”
“When folks are that cynical, it’shard to crack through to convincethem that their preconceived no-tions about politics are wrong. Ihope I was able to do that for afew people on the left — prove tothem that there are Republicansout there who care about the rules,getting it right and being fair … Iwant the average voter to knowthat their vote counts.”
Asked if he would do anythingdifferently on election night,Schoeneman replied that hethought the process could be im-proved with enhanced communi-cation to election chiefs.
“The one thing I know we needto do differently and would havedone differently is to get our chiefsand coordinators the spreadsheetwe had that included all of themail-in absentees and absentee-in-person ballots cast by Congres-sional District. Had our folks in the
8th District Central Absentee Pre-cinct had that information, theycould have figured out right awaythat their numbers were off,” hesaid.
Ironically, it wasn’t supposed tobe Schoeneman sitting in that hotseat this highly partisan election.
Last February, Schoeneman wasrepresenting the Fairfax CountyRepublican Committee in a lawsuitstemming from the 2012 electionwhen the term of election boardmember Hans von Spakovsky, aRepublican former member of theGeorge W. Bush administration,was up.
Von Spakovsky, a political light-ening rod for his controversial re-search on voter fraud, was the lo-cal Republican Party’s first choiceto remain on the board. Althoughit’s almost unheard of for the panelof circuit court judges to refuse aparty’s first choice, the panel by-passed von Spakovsky.
Instead, they picked the party’ssecond choice: Brian Schoeneman.
“Did I ever think I’d be sittinghere as an election officer? No,absolutely not. But I’m here, andI’m committed to transparency.Call it ‘Getting it right in Fairfax.’That’s kind of my new slogan,”Schoeneman said, smiling.
An avid Orioles fan,Schoeneman compared theevents of election night, and thesubsequent fallout from the Attor-ney General’s saga to the WorldSeries.
“We had a good night on Tues-day night, and a couple of nightswhere I thought we were in realtrouble, but we patched things to-gether and got it done,”Schoeneman said. “Given that wedidn’t completely wrap up the pro-cess until 10 minutes before thedeadline on Tuesday the 12th, thewhole process felt like comingdown to the last pitch of the lastinning of Game 7 of the series, andhaving your guy hit a walk offsingle to win the game. And it wasthat stressful the whole time, too.”
Election Aftermath:‘Getting it Right in Fairfax’
“I hope I was able to do that for a few peopleon the left — prove to them that there areRepublicans out there who care about therules, getting it right and being fair…”
— Brian Schoeneman,a Republican and Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board
12 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIPCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP
7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sunday school: preschool - grade 2Music: grades 3 - 7
10:25 a.m. Sunday School Grades 3 to 12Music 4 years to 2nd grade
11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service
Nursery care provided at 9:00 a.m. service
The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Laura Cochran
703-437-6530www.stannes-reston.org
1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston
ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston
Welcoming, Diverse, Progressive
African Methodist EpiscopalSt. Luke’s African MethodistEpiscopal...703-897-9395
Assembly of GodWord of Life...571-223-2963
Worship Center Assembly of God...703-777-5662
Baha’iBaha’i...1-800-22-UNITE
BaptistBelievers Baptist Church...
703-777-4220Crossroads Baptist Church...
703-779-3637Faith Bible...703-430-1345
First Baptist Church of Sterling...703-430-3322
Guilford Baptist...703-430-6444Heritage Baptist Church...
703-739-5436Leesburg Baptist Church...
703-777-2209Loudoun Baptist Church...
703-777-1336Oak Grove Baptist Church...
703-456-4360
Potomac Baptist Church...703-430-2377
Sterling Park Baptist Church...703-430-2527
Washington Plaza BaptistChurch...703-471-5225
CatholicChrist The Redeemer...
703-430-0811Our Lady of Hope...703-430-5702
St. John the Apostle...703-777-1317
St. Joseph’s...703-880-4300St. Theresa...703-729-2287St. Veronica...703-689-4409Church of Jesus Christof Latter-Day Saints
Algonkian Ward...703-471-6146Ashburn Ward...703-858-5611
Brambleton Ward...703-858-5611Goose Creek Ward...
703-858-5604Shenandoah Singles Ward...
703-858-4973Sterling Park Ward...
703-471-6147
Church of the NazareneChurch of the Nazarene...
703-777-6850Episcopal
Church of the Holy Spirit...703-726-0777
Potomac Falls EpiscopalChurch...703-404-0900
St. James Episcopal Church...703-777-1124
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church...703-430-2121
St. David’s Episcopal...703-729-0570
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church...703-437-3790
St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church...703-779-3616Evangelical
Christ Community...703-729-2928Jewish
Beth Chaverim ReformCongregation...703-391-8669
Congregation Sha’are Shalom ... 703-737-6500
LutheranChrist Our Savior Lutheran
Church...703-444-5747Community Lutheran Church...
703-430-6006Holy Trinity Lutheran...
703-777-4912Our Savior's Way Lutheran...
703-858-9254Methodist
Ashburn United Methodist...703-729-5100
UnitarianThe Unitarian Universalist Church
in Reston...703-956-9155Bethel United Methodist...
703-779-7745Evergreen Church...
703-737-7700Galilee United MethodistChurch...703-430-2203
Leesburg United Methodist...703-777-2056
Mt. Pleasant United Methodist...703-779-7745
Mt. Zion United Methodist...703-777-6382
Sterling United MethodistChurch...703-430-6455
Non-DenominationalBroadlands Community...
703-724-0361Christ Star Church of God...
571-375-2602Christian Tabernacle Church...
703-858-1863Daybreak Community...
703-729-1288Dulles Covenant...703-327-9797
Grace Bible Church...703-777-9415
New Life Church...703-404-4792New Life Christian Church...
703-222-8836Shepherd Gate Church...
703-961-1040Sonrise Community Church...
703-728-0420Sterling Park ChristianChurch...703-437-3612
PentecostalNew Life Praise and Deliverance
Church...703-777-5339Presbyterian
Ashburn Presbyterian...703-729-2012
Bethel Presbyterian Church...703-777-4221
Faith Chapel and FurnaceMountain Presbyterian...
703-777-7836Leesburg PresbyterianChurch...703-777-4163
Potomac Hills CommunityChurch...703-771-1534
Reston Presbyterian Church...703-759-5515
Riverside PresbyterianChurch...703-444-3528Sterling Presbyterian
Church...703-771-8680Seventh Day Adventist
Leesburg Seventh Day AdventistChurch...703-777-4466
Unitarian UniversalistUnitarian Universalist ofSterling...703-406-3068
Unitarian Universalist of Loudoun(Leesburg)...703-737-7644
Unitarian Universalist Churchof Reston...703-742-7992
To Highlight your Faith Community, Call Karen at 703-917-6468
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Wellbeing
By Marilyn Campbell
The Connection
While the holiday season isfilled with parties, shop-ping, decorating and otherfestive activities, mental
health experts say it often brings unwel-come guests as well: stress and depression.
While they can be difficult to managewhen one is in the midst of a bout, with afew strategies one may be able to preventboth before they ruin the holiday season.
Frederic Bemak, Ed.D., a professor incounseling and development at GeorgeMason University in Fairfax, said causes ofstress and depression during the holidayscan include difficult family dynamics or is-sues such as illness, death of family mem-bers or changes due to marriage or divorce.
“People need to have open and clear dia-logues about those issues,” said Bemak. “An-ticipatory conversations about those issuesin advance is better than arriving and thensaying ‘Now what do I do?’”
Bemak advises managing one’s own issuesfirst. Sometimes that means seeking pro-
fessional help. “Gain an understanding ofyour issues and behaviors,” he said. “If youhave had a difficult relationship with a fam-ily member, you have to work on that foryourself and ask yourself ‘How do I handlethose things when these issues come up?’so you don’t get pulled back into behaviorpatterns that are unhealthy.”
Bethesda-based psychotherapist KarenSoltes, a licensed clinical social worker whotreats military veterans, said while spend-ing time with family can be challenging, alack of familial connection can also poseobstacles.
“During the holidays, it is hard for peoplewho don’t have family,” said Soltes. “A lotof veterans I work with are disconnectedfrom their families and are lonely becausethey don’t have family to be with.”
Linda Gulyn, Ph.D., a professor of psy-chology at Marymount University in Arling-ton, said high expectations can lead to anxi-ety and sadness as well. “Some people feelthis need to spend a lot of money, whichcan contribute to stress, especially withparents and children,” she said. “They haveunrealistic expectations which can lead toprofound disappointment.”
In addition to dealing with possiblecauses, recognizing the warning signs ofstress and depression can help prevent se-rious bouts. “One big sign that your mood
is being affected is trouble with sleeping,”said Gulyn. “Senses of hopelessness, guilt,regret or other kinds of negative feelingsare signs, as well as overeating and alcoholor substance abuse. You’re also more likelyto be more agitated with other people.”
Shorter days and less sunlight are othercontributors. “The holidays happen to fallin winter where we’re more likely to haveour moods affected by lack of light,” shesaid. “That is our brain’s response to re-duced sunlight, which we need very much.”
If one feels the warning signs of stress ordepression, there are behavior modifica-tions that can help ward off both. “Watchthe alcohol consumption,” said Gulyn. “Getas much activity and sunlight as possibleand try to modify your expectations.”
However, Gulyn says that at the top ofher list is social support. “Have interactionswith other people who can keep you activeor give comfort, advice, fun or joy,” she said.“Exercise is great, meditation is great, butnothing beats spending quality time withfriends.
Soltes said, “I tell people to put them-selves at the top of their Christmas list andgive as generously [to] and nurture them-selves as they do others in their lives. Thatcould mean having a ‘staycation’ like stay-ing at home in your pajamas and watchingyour favorite movie on Netflix.”
Holiday Blues: Cope and PreventMental health expertssay being realistic andseeking support canhelp you avoid holi-day stress and depres-sion.
Bethesda-based psychotherapistKaren Soltes enjoys a conversationwith her friend Linda Feldman.Mental health experts say spend-ing quality time with friends canhelp relieve holiday-induced stressand depression.
Pho
to
by M
arilyn
C
am
pbell
Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Sports
South Lakes Basketball to HostTournament
The South Lakes boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will host theRAL Tip Off tournament Dec. 5, 6 and 7.
The boys’ team will face Stonewall Jackson at 7:30 p.m. onThursday, Dec. 5 and Wilson (Washington, D.C.) at 7 p.m. onSaturday, Dec. 7.
The girls’ team will host Western (Baltimore) at 5:30 p.m. onFriday, Dec. 6 and Potomac Falls at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Herndon Boys’ Basketball toFace Patriot in Home Opener
The Herndon boys’ basketball team will host Patriot for its homeopener at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Hornets will host Washington-Lee on Dec. 10 before par-ticipating in the Gonzaga Holiday Tournament Dec. 13-15, start-ing with a game against Mount Saint Joseph on Dec. 13.
Herndon traveled to face Woodson on Dec. 3, after TheConnection’s deadline.
NoVa Harriers Shine at FootLocker Regionals
Marshall senior Mackenzie Haight was one of five NorthernVirginia harriers to finish in the top 10 at the Foot Locker CrossCounty Championship South Regionals on Nov. 30 at McAlpineGreenway Park in Charlotte, N.C., and earn a berth to nationals.
Haight (Vienna) placed fifth in the boys’ race with a time of14:51. The Vienna native placed sixth in the Group 5A boys’ raceat the VHSL state meet on Nov. 15.
Edison senior Louis Colson, who won the 5A boys’ state cham-pionship, finished fourth at Foot Locker South with a time of14:50. In the girls’ race, Virginia 6A state champion CarolineAlcorta, a senior at West Springfield, finished first at Foot LockerSouth with a time of 16:55.
Lake Braddock teammates Hannah Christen (17:15) and KatyKunc (17:16) placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
The five Northern Virginia runners, along with the other top-10 finishers, will compete at nationals on Saturday, Dec. 14 atMorley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego.
Football PlayoffsThe top-seeded Centreville football team and No. 3 Westfield
will meet in the 6A North final on Dec. 7 at Centreville HighSchool. The winner advances to the state championship game totake on the winner of the 6A South final between No. 1 OscarSmith and No. 3 Colonial Forge.
Centreville beat Westfield 28-0 during the regular season onOct. 11. Centreville defeated No. 13 Stonewall Jackson 52-27 onNov. 30 during the 6A North semifinals at Centreville High School.Westfield defeated No. 2 Lake Braddock 19-16 at Lake BraddockSecondary School, overcoming a 16-3 deficit in the game’s finalsix minutes.
The South Lakes girls’ basketball team, along withthe Seahawks boys’ team, will host a tournamentDec. 5, 6 and 7.
Craig Sterbutzel/T
he C
on
nectio
n
By Ryan Dunn
The Connection
Way to go! You are doinggreat!” cheered WolfGottschalk as partici-
pants in the 2013 Herndon TurkeyTrot ran by Ferndale Avenue nearthe Herndon Community Center.Despite cool weather that re-mained below 40 degrees, spiritswere upbeat for volunteers andrace participants. “The key thingabout the race is how many fami-lies and kids participate,” saidCindy Roeder, director at HerndonParks and Recreation. “It [the Tur-key Trot] has grown to be a com-munity race with a focus on fami-lies participating. This is the larg-est registration we have yet hadfor this race.”
Outside Herndon CommunityCenter, people warmed up in thelate afternoon on Saturday, Nov.23 for the 5K race. “If you seesomeone go down in front of you,they are not a speed bump, helpthem up,” said Gottschalk. He gavethe final instructions to partici-pants in this year’s Turkey Trot. Anemployee of Fitness Image Results,Gottschalk led warm up exercisesfor race participants.
“For us this is great to see somany people coming out withtheir friends and get a bit of exer-cise. It is wonderful to see so manylocal people from the area. Wehave over 1,000 runners in thisyear’s race,” said Abby Kimble,Herndon Park and Recreation Mar-keting Specialist. Kimble noted thecommunity center was participat-ing in Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe Recy-cling Program, which concludes atthe end of November. All athleticshoes collected go toward makingbasketball courts, track fields,playgrounds, floor tiles, new shoesand apparel.
Maddie Humphrey, a resident ofReston and PE teacher at FlorisElementary was participating inthe race for the first time and wascheered on by her friend KevinMallon. “This was more a crosscountry race than I expected,” saidHumphrey. “I really enjoyed it.” “Ihad a good run,” said SusannaSullivan, a resident of FallsChurch. “I ran about 20 secondsfaster than last year.”
The registration fee to race was$15 and a can of food which wasgiven to the non-profit charityLINK, Inc. A turkey and all thetrimmings were given to the over-all male and female winners. “Ihave done this race every year re-peatedly, so I advertised it to myfriends,” said Sterling residentAmy Carroll who convinced somefriends and fellow members of theReston YMCA to join in this year’sHerndon Turkey Trot.
This is the second year studentsfrom the 4th through 6th grade atDranesville Elementary, called theDragon Runners, participated inthe Herndon Turkey Trot. “Theypractice twice a week at ourschool,” said Dranesville Elemen-tary Principal Kathy Manoatl.
Herndon Elementary andHutchison Elementary also hadgroups of students participating inthe 5K race. Hutchison Elementaryteachers Matt Lear and RobinSchuh were leading a running clubof 4th through 6th grade students.
When participants completedrunning, they returned to theHerndon Community Center gymwhere they could obtain snacks.A raffle was conducted, and prizeswere awarded to the race partici-pants based on age and gender.Great Harvest Bread Companybrought muffins and bread. JimmyCirrito, owner of Jimmy’s Tavernserved bowls of baked potatosoup. “We have been coming to theHerndon Turkey Trot since 1997,”said Cirrito.
Herndon’s 5K TurkeyTrot Brings Out CrowdsAnnual racebrings togethercommunity.
Wolf Gottschalk led warmup exercises for race par-ticipants of the Herndon 5Krace. This year had thebiggest registration for thisrace.
Runners in the 2013Herndon 5K Turkey Trotbegan their race atHerndon CommunityCenter’s parking lot.
Matt Kroetch from Chantillycrosses the finish line.Kroetch was the 5K overallwinner with a time of 16minutes and 27 seconds.
Maddie Humphrey residentof Reston and PE teacher atFloris Elementary partici-pated in the 5K race andwas cheered on by herfriend Kevin Mallon.
“
14 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
As much as last week’s column,“Scanticipation” was about my looking for-ward – in a non-foreboding way, to myscheduled CT Scan on the 27th and thepresumptive positive (not negative) results,having to write a column for this weekbefore having received those results makesthis writing effort particularly challenging.Due to the Thanksgiving holiday onThursday and the indeterminate staffingsituation on Friday, not to mention possiblevacation days taken by my oncologist, Ihave not heard back from my him as yetabout my scan. Not totally unexpected, butthe calm with which I wrote last week’scolumn has been replaced with an uneasi-ness that I had not anticipated. Perhapsreality has set in, finally.
On the one hand, no news is good news– and I can certainly live with that, as youregular readers know. On the other hand,generally speaking, my oncologist wouldrather not share bad news electronically(although we have discussed this and heknows my preference for knowing vs notknowing). And on yet another hand, theinformation has simply not been communi-cated to me because of the holiday andthere’s nothing more to be read into it thanthat. Much easier written than actuallyaccepted.
But accept it I must. Which really is nobig deal since the exchange of informationis basically out of any of my hands anyway.And as an experienced cancer patientfamiliar with the emotional demands ofwaiting for the life-and-death-type results aCT Scan can indicate, I should know better– and I do, however…what bothers memost is my attitude in last week’s column. Ithink I anticipated disrespectfully, as if I wassome kind of big shot simply because I hadbeen through it all so many times beforeand moreover, I felt fairly asymptomaticand as such, somehow I knew better (notbest, just better) and the sense that I hadwas that not much problematic with mylungs would be indicated when the resultscame back. And I may yet be correct, butlast week’s column smacked of a certaintype of hubris (is there more than onekind?) thinking I knew something. Well, Ididn’t and I don’t know anything. Cancerwill do what it does and it probably doesn’tconsider what I think I feel or what I feel Ithink. Ultimately, as in many things in life,it’s results that matter and I’m a a little madat myself for presuming/anticipating factsnot in evidence. I should have expressed ahealthier dose of respect and concern (andhope, always) and not taken any sides inthe debate over whether feeling nothingwas in fact as significant as I wrote it outto be.
Presumably, I will the know scan resultssoon enough, but not before this week’scolumn needed to be submitted. I don’tbelieve I necessarily crossed a line express-ing confidence about an as yet unpublishedresult. But as a cancer patient, I really don’twant to tempt fate, just in case anyone ispaying attention, if you know what I mean?So I guess this column is an attempt to righta wrong, in arrears, if that’s even possible.When you’ve outlived your original prog-nosis by as long as I have, introspectingbecomes an occupational-type hazard. Still,life goes on, thankfully.
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
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News
By Ryan Dunn
The Connection
Saturday, Nov.16, the Council for theArts of Herndon held a networkingevent at the Classical Ballet Theater,
in the Reston-Herndon Office Park. Wineand light refreshments were served, and theevent was open to the public. “We had al-ways planned to hold the event at differentvenues to highlight the arts venues inHerndon,” said Council for the Arts ofHerndon (CAH) Director Signe Friedrichs.“The first of these events was held atArtSpace Herndon.”
Herndon resident Tricia CherringtonRatliff assisted in setting up the CreativeConnection Event. A local artist, Ratliff wasasked by the CAH to make her successfulart networking event public. “It began as agathering of five artists in my studio whocame together to show our latest work andget inspiration: Jordan Xu, Vicki Blum,Trisha Adams, Juanita Dahlin and me,” saidRatliff. “We naturally shared businessknowledge with each other too.”
During the meeting, everyone has thefreedom to share or display their latestproject, portfolios, handouts or news. At-tendees could participate in the “CreativeConnections Game,” where participantswrite labels describing what they do and agoal they are trying to achieve. “There’s akind of collective ‘pay it forward’ attitudethat makes the game successful,” saidRatliff. “I had come up with the idea of agame for a Women in Technology network-ing event many years prior and saw that itwould be applicable to this group,” statedRatliff.
Amy Skiavo, resident of Chantilly at-tended the event with her sister. “My sisterAnna Bledsoe volunteers with the HerndonArts Council, so I came out to supportthem.” Skiavo enjoys designing jewelry inher spare time and has written for severaldifferent comedians before beginning herown career in comedy.
Also attending was Reston residentKathleen Leatherwood, author of “ThatCrazy English: Raps and Songs for Teach-ing English Literacy.” “This is my secondtime attending this networking event. Iheard about this through a friend at
ArtSpace Herndon,” said Leatherwood. Sheis a former ESOL teacher for Fairfax CountyPublic Schools in Virginia.
Other artists attending the event includedVicki Blum, who brought several paintingswith her. “I find this to be an opportunityto speak with other artists and enhance mycareer. It is a great exchange,” said Blum.Freelance artist Jordan Xu brought severalpieces with him. Xu has a painting style thatcombines classical realism with vibrant col-ors and broad, casual brushwork. Also at-tending was professional guitarist AlRobertson, board member of the HerndonFoundation for the Cultural Arts.
“I am very happy with the event,” saidFriedrichs. “As time went on more and moreconnections were made. This is one of ourmost satisfying events because it consistsof people learning from each other.”
Herndon’s Classical Ballet Theatre ofNorthern Virginia will be performing theholiday favorite “The Nutcracker” this yearat Northern Virginia College in Annandale,production dates are Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Formore information and to obtain tickets, visitwww.cbtnva.org/nutcracker. To learn moreabout Council for the Arts of Herndon, visitherndonarts.org.
From left —Herndonresident
TriciaCherringtonRatliff withCouncil forthe Arts of
Herndon(CAH) Direc-
tor SigneFriedrichs.
Artists Make‘Creative Connections’
Reston resident Kathleen Leath-erwood, author of “That CrazyEnglish: Raps and Songs forTeaching English Literacy.”
Pho
to
s by R
yan D
unn
/T
he C
on
nectio
n
16 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ December 4-10, 2013 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
