Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Attention
Postmaster:
Time-sensitive
material.
Requested in home
12/15/17
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Alexandria, VA
Permit #482
The Hollin Meadows Elementary SchoolPTA held a Happy Hour Toy Driveevent on Thursday, Dec. 7 at DRP - DelRay Pizza in Belle View for about 70
people. The event was sponsored by the PTA’s Careand Share Committee to thank teachers, staff andPTA members for their support and to collect toysfor about 60 families this holiday season at theTitle 1 school. The school has a large contingentof international students from 25 different coun-tries who speak about 30 different languages.
“We are hosting this toy drive for our PTA mem-bers, for the teachers and staff of our school, andfor alumni families and community members whohave continued to support both the school andthe Care and Share Committee as both a thankyou for these people and as a means to raise toysfor our toy drive,” said Co-Chair Erin Anderson.
“What we hope to hope to accomplish is two-fold: one is raising awareness of the needs of ourschool community, and the other is providing toysand gifts for kids at the holiday season whowouldn’t otherwise have them,” added PTA Presi-
Hollin Meadows Elementary Principal Jon Gates,Heather Young and Melissa Edmiston sit around thefire at DRP - Del Ray Pizza during the Happy Hour ToyDrive event.
Hollin Meadows parentJenn Regardie at theraffle table.
Happy Hour Toy DriveHollin Meadows showshow to care and share.
dent Nancy Engler.Jon Gates, school principal, said, “We’re mak-
ing sure that our families who don’t have themeans have a very happy holiday season and thechildren are served, and so it’s a very caring com-munity. I’m totally humbled by the contributions
that we get every year andwhat they do for our families.”
At the happy hour, guestssipped wine and beer anddined on basil pesto arcanine,veggie and pizza rolls, miniquiche and meat balls.
The school also collectedtoys through the school lobby,the Mount Vernon PresbyterianChurch, in a separate neigh-borhood toy drive, andthrough the Mason Hill Citi-zens Association. On Wednes-day, they let the parents hand-select toys for their children ina special room with toys.
— Steve HibbardTan Anderson drops off toys at the Toy Drive.
Erin Eley,an eventmanagerwith DRP -Del RayPizza,serveswine.
Pho
to
s by Steve H
ibbard/T
he G
azette
See Trees, Power, Page 3
By Michael K. Bohn
The Gazette
I saw Dominion Energy’scontractor, Asplundh, whilethey were ‘trimming’ the
trees on Parkers Lane,”Williamsburg Manor resident GregCrider recalled recently. “I’ve seenthe company do reasonable trim-ming in the past, but they reallybutchered the trees this time.”
One of the trees Crider men-tioned is near the point whereCollingwood Road becomesParker’s Lane close to the Justice-Snowden/Bock Farm in MountVernon. It’s been pruned so se-verely, and in a seemingly unnatu-ral manner, that it appears to beraising its limbs in search of sal-vation from the tree gods. MimiFriedman of River/Briary Farms,offered her reaction to the sametree: “We gasp when we pass theone across from the farm onParkers.”
Crider and Friedman join manyothers on one side of a multisideddebate/argument about howpower suppliers keep tree limbsfrom interfering with their over-head lines. The target of the resi-
Trees vs. Power LinesCompeting for the same space.
This severely pruned tree is on Sherwood Hall Lane nearthe library. VDOT arborist Robert Burris said it wasstable in normal weather conditions and absent decay.
These drawings from PennState University illustratethe accepted practice of“directional pruning.”
Pen
n State U
niversity Exten
sio
n
dents’ ire, at least in the MountVernon area, is Dominion Energyand its tree-trimming contractors.Dominion’s Jay Griles, manager ofthe company’s Distribution For-estry Division, and companyspokesman Chuck Penn explainedDominion’s challenges.
“It’s a difficult task to keep our
“
December 14, 2017Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper
Home for the Holidays
Page, 8
Holiday Entertainment
Page, 10
2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Mount Vernon Gazette Editor Steven Mauren
703-778-9415 or [email protected]
See Trees vs. Power, Page 13
From Page 1
Trees, Power Lines Compete for Same Space
Dominion Energy trimmed this tree on Sherwood Hall Lane by the li-brary but left the phone and cable TV lines fully encapsulated. A Verizonspokesman, when viewing this image, said the homeowner was respon-sible for clearing the branches from the telephone land line. A CoxCommunications representative said they rely on Dominion Energy tokeep Cox’s CATV lines cleared.
Fort Hunt Road south of the Beltway hosts multipleseverely-pruned trees. This one is located betweenWellington Road and Collingwood Road.
This tree has caught the eye of many residents.It’s located near the point where CollingwoodRoad turns into Parker’s Lane near the JusticeSnowden/Bock Farm.
lines free of trees and objects that mightadversely impact our ability to provide safeand reliable electricity,” Griles said. “It isimportant to balance keeping the lines clearwith the impact we have on our customersand their property.”
Griles added that Dominion appreciateshow people react to the manner in whichthe company trims their trees and that Do-minion respects a “tree’s emotional value.”“It’s a very hard situation for us to deal with,as it is for them. Trees are good for every-one, electricity is good for everyone, theyare just not good for each other.”
“DIRECTIONAL PRUNING”At the heart of the tree-trimming issue is
an industry-standard practice termed “di-rectional pruning.” [See drawings illustrat-ing the technique from a brochure publishedby Penn State University’s Extension Ser-vice titled “Pruning for Utility Line Clear-ance.”] This pruning method removesbranches growing toward power lines infavor of those growing away.
While this practice is endorsed by the TreeCare Industry Association and the Interna-tional Society of Arboriculture, anotherwidely observed trimming practice – top-ping – is not. Some private tree trimmersfavor the operation, but certified arborists,including Dominion’s, abhor it. The tech-nique cuts off a tree’s top and major laterallimbs, as if trimming a hedge or boxwood.According to TreesAreGood.org, an educa-tional website sponsored by the ISA, “Top-ping is perhaps the most harmful tree prun-ing practice known.” The cuts foster wooddecay and thus reduces the tree’s structuralintegrity and life span.
OPTIONSAlternatives to directional pruning are
limited, and one is often useless in the well-established neighborhoods of MountVernon: Don’t plant unapproved trees un-der overhead power lines. However, thiswould apply to current homeowners wish-ing to replace a failed tree with a new one,and Dominion requests them contact thecompany regarding approved plantingsunder power lines. [See https://www.dominionenergy.com/home-and-small-business/manage-service/trees-plants-and-power-lines].Virginia Tech’s Co-operative Extension also offers advice onselecting new trees at http://urbanforestry.frec.vt.edu/STREETS/docu-ments/VTextutility.pdf.
Tree removal is an option for existing,severely-pruned trees or for those scheduledfor radical trimming. The first instance caninclude trees pruned in the past, or whenresidents come home from work and seetheir newly mangled tree. “We handle theseon a case by case basis because each treeand location have several variables,”Dominion’s Penn said. Those matters caninclude tree size, proximity to roads andbuildings, accessibility — climbing a utilitypole versus bucket truck access — and costto Dominion Energy of removing the tree.
If the tree is within 10 feet of a power line,Dominion will seek a means of partneringwith the resident to achieve removal. If athird-party contractor is needed, Dominionwill prepare the tree by removing any limbswithin 10 feet of the line or temporarily de-energize it for safe removal.
A homeowner’s awareness of plannedtrimming currently is an iffy propositionbecause Dominion only notifies residents ofscheduled pruning by adding a note on theirmonthly electric bill. However, if residentssee the note they should contact Dominionusing the above link or by calling 1-866-366-4357. Ask to speak with the company’sForestry Coordinator and ask for details.
In some locations, Dominion haspartnered with cities to remove and replantthe right trees. “We work with the munici-palities,” Dominion’s Griles said, “on theremoval and they work with thehomeowners’ association on what to re-plant.”
Cathy Ledec, the tree commissioner inFairfax County’s Mount Vernon district,
noted Dominion’s help in the developmentwhere she lives. The company was agree-able about working with the homeowners’association, paid for the removal of prob-lem trees and approved a replanting list.“It’s in the interest of Dominion to removeproblem trees,” Ledec said, “otherwise theyhave to come by every two or three yearsto trim the trees.”
Mount Vernon resident N. E. Hamilton hasshared a bit of Ledec’s experience. “Thereare plenty of mangled trees over here inMount Vernon Hills,” he said. “Myneighbor’s mangled tree hangs way over thestreet and threatens my vehicle when it’sparked in my auxiliary parking spot. I in-quired and Dominion Power told me thatthe owner needs to contact them to have itassessed for removal.”
Jim McGlone, an urban forest conserva-tionist in the Virginia Department of For-estry, agrees there are few alternatives topruning beyond removal. “The power in-dustry has developed growth regulatinghormones for trees,” McGlone said, “and
they slow down the extension of new shootsand reduces the pruning cycle. But powercompanies need the legal authority to usethis compound, plus it’s more expensivethan pruning.”
McGlone, also a member of the FairfaxCounty Tree Commission, seconds the state-ment by Dominion’s Griles about trees andpower lines competing for the same space.“This is one of the constraints that urbanforesters deal with all the time,” McGlonesaid. “Unfortunately, there is no easy solu-tion to creating extra space exceptundergrounding the lines.”
In McGlone’s view, Dominion is, in themost part, “using arboriculturally appropri-ate pruning practices.” He also added abottom-line assessment: “One of things thatis important to keep in mind is that trim-ming those trees is a deadweight cost to theutility. They would rather not have to dothat. The fact that they are spending moneyto do it is because it’s important to theirbusiness practice — provide electricity totheir customers.”
Keith Cline, director of Fairfax County’sUrban Forestry Management Division, ac-knowledged the hard choices in tree vs.power line conflicts. “There’s no easy solu-tion. Dominion must prune those trees tooclose to the lines because of potential powerloss, but homeowners want healthy andpretty trees.” Cline also said the FairfaxCounty Code, Chapter 46 (Health or SafetyMenaces), authorizes the county’s removalof a tree that is a safety hazard. Cline ech-oed Dominion’s stance on removal: “If dras-tic pruning is required, Dominion can workwith the homeowner to remove the tree andreplace it with ‘the right tree in the rightplace’ that will not interfere in the lines.”
Last, Cathy Ledec has been disappointedin Dominion’s use of notes in monthly billsto notify customers of planned tree-trim-ming operations. “Like many, I no longerreceive a paper copy of the bill,” she said,“and the bills for my homeowner’sassociation’s electricity usage go to ourmanagement company, so we wouldn’t seethose either. It seems that we have to find abetter way to communicate the upcomingtree trimming schedule.”
Pho
to
s by M
ichael K
. Bo
hn
4 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Mike Salmon
The Gazette
Vicky McLeod of the Southeast FairfaxDevelopment Corporation (SFDC),learned a lot from Mary Thonen, a
friend of hers for years and a mentor ofMcLeod’s with a sense of community.Thonen’s community beautification meth-ods became a focal point for the area andbecame the namesake of an annual awardgiven out by SFDC to local establishmentsfor their contributions to Richmond High-way improvements.
“She was just an active worker, when sheset her mind on something, she did it,” saidMcLeod.
McLeod was among the attendees at the2017 Mary Thonen Highway BeautificationAwards Ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 6,when the corporation named this year’s re-cipients of the Mary Thonen award. “Shehad her hands in everything,” McLeodadded.
After looking at the many applications forthis year’s award and their contribution toimproving the challenging Richmond High-way corridor, SFDC awarded first prize tothe Cherry Arms Apartments, second to theMount Vernon Square Apartments and thirdto Mount Vernon Plaza.
At Cherry Arms, “we always try to keepour curb appeal up,” said Jean Austin, theassistant property manager. They concen-trated on sprucing up the trees out front,as well as stuck to the schedule with regu-lar maintenance. “That’s how we continueto look as great as we do,” Austin said.
Mount Vernon District Supervisor DanStorck (D), a driving force behind the “Em-bark” improvement project, looks at theappearance of properties as a key part ofrevitalization. “It is the difference betweenpeople feeling like they live on a healthy,modern main street, or an old, rundownhighway,” he said.
Picking a Mary Thonen award winner is“a real positive process,” said Rachel Carter,a former board member and currently aRealtor at Coldwell Banker Realty who wasat the event. “It’s all about landscaping andbeautification, it’s important for visibility,”said Carter.
The awards ceremony was also an oppor-tunity for Walter Clarke, the newly ap-pointed Mount Vernon District Representa-tive on the Fairfax County Planning Com-
mission, to look at the beautification stemsfrom that perspective, “We want to continuethat legacy,” Clarke said. He will officiallymove into the position on April 1, but he’shad years of experience in the RichmondHighway corridor. He’s had a couple of yearson the Embark Richmond Highway advisorycommittee he co-chaired with Dick Knapp.He also works as the vice president, Busi-ness Banking, at Burke and Herbert Bankas his full time job. Embark “looks at whatthe possibilities can be,” Clarke said.
In Storck’s eyes, the Embark plan and theMary Thonen award complement eachother. “As Embark and new developmentcome to the corridor there will be an em-phasis on curbside beautification and envi-ronmentally pleasing features,” Storck said.
Other elected officials at the presentationincluded Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee),Del. Paul Krizek (D-44), and JamesMigliaccio, Lee District Planning Commis-sioner.
Storck hopes the award will becomesomething property owners will strive forto improve the overall district. “The MaryThonen award is a wonderful way to rec-ognize and encourage our property ownersto put forward their best presence along ourmain street,” he said.
Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee)hears the concerns of others in the Rich-mond Highway corridor.
Rachel Carter andWalter Clarke at theawards ceremony.
Thonen Awards for BeautificationStreetscape improvements praised.
VickyMcLeodwasfriendswith MaryThonen.
Award WinnersFirst Place: Cherry Arms Apartments, of Hybla
ValleySecond Place: Mount Vernon Square Apart-
ments, of Hybla ValleyThird Place: Mount Vernon Plaza Shopping
Center (Federal Realty Investment Trust), of HyblaValley
Other finalists:❖ City Side Apartments, of Huntington/North
Gateway❖ Kentucky Fried Chicken, of Hybla Valley❖ Montebello, of Huntington/North Gateway❖ Red Roof Inn, of Huntington/North Gateway❖ The Beacon at Groveton, of Beacon Hill❖ The Mehr Brothers Sunoco, of South County❖ Washington Square Apartments, of South
County
Pho
to
s by M
ike Salm
on
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
8515 OLD MOUNT VERNON RD
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22309, DOOR 1
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/MVHSHM
ENTRANCE IS FREE TO PUBLIC
LOTS OF PARKING AVAILABLE
OUR MARKET FEATURES UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFT
OPTIONS FROM LOCAL VENDORS, TASTY
FOOD & DRINKS AND PLENTY OF
CONTAGIOUS HOLIDAY CHEER!
DECEMBER 16th, 2017 I 10AM - 3 PM
Alex/Riverside Estates $599,9008400 Cherry Valley
Riverside’s largest & most popular split foyer model w/2800 sq ft under roof, plus spacious 2 car garage- Meticulous-ly renovated & maintained - Updates include: kitchen, baths, roof, triple pane windows, furnace, A/C, exterior siding plus in-ground sprinkler system &
garage doors controlled by cell phone - The list goes on… Large deck overlooks a beautiful fenced backyard. 5 minutes to Ft. Belvoir (S), 15 mins to Alex (N) – Walk to schools. This is turnkey!
Alex/Potomac Valley $554,9008807 Vernon View Drive
Lovely 4BR, 2BA, 4 lvl, Split on a lg, beautiful .3 acre lot w/a fenced bkyd. Freshly painted interior & beautiful re-finished hdwds. Main lvl has a spacious & cozy Family rm w/gas FPL, 4th BR, & 2nd full bath. Upper level #1 offers an open kitchen plus Living & Dining
Rm. Upper level #2 has a full bath & 3BRs. The lower level has a lg partially fin-ished Rec rm. Good price on a super lot & very nice home that you can add some personal touches to. CS 3% on the house-Call Rex for an early visit 703-409-4784
COM
ING
SOON
Alex/Riverside Estates $548,0008608 Cherry Valley Lane
Charming 4BR, 3.5BA Colonial w/3 finished levels. Kitchen has been updated w/granite counters, break-fast bar & porcelain flooring. All Baths have been updated w/new tile, vanities, & fixtures to include double sinks in the master & main bathrooms. Family rm on main lvl has gas fireplace. Beautiful hdwd floors throughout. Lower lvl Rec Rm & extra Den/5th BR. 2
car garage has work area (work bench conveys). Walk-in attic access on upper lvl for lots of storage. Cozy brick patio w/screened gazebo (conveys). New roof in 2016. Walk to elementary & high schools. 5 minutes to Ft. Belvoir (S) & 15 minutes to Old Town, Alex (N). Best Value in Riverside Estates! Call Rex for showing. CS3%
Mt. Vernon Grove $574,9009336 Heather Glen Drive
Beautiful 4BR, 2.5BA colonial w/2 car garage on the Potomac River side of Mount Vernon. .34 Acre. Li-brary on main level. Family rm w/fireplace off the kitchen w/French doors to bkyd. Dressing room & walk-in closet adjoin the spacious Master suite. Separate Dining &
Living rms. Unfinished basement w/walk-up steps. Minutes to Ft. Belvoir (S) & 15 minutes to Old Town, Alex, (N).
Alex/Berkshire East $449,0005956 Berkshire Court
Lovely three level townhouse, 3BRs, 3.5BAs in walking distance to Huntington Metro! Freshly painted, new carpeting, beautiful kitch-en. Spacious floor plan, recessed lighting, hardwood floors. Updated bathrooms. Wood burning fire-place in lower level. Family Room w/walkout door to bkyd patio. Minutes to Old Town, Alexandria.
Alex/Riverside Estates $2,8758314 Bound Brook Lane
Beautiful 3 level colonial w/1 car gar. Meticulously maintained. Lovely landscaping. Renovated kitchen, SS appliances, granite, breakfast bar. Re-fin hdwd floors. Gorgeous screened porch off Din Rm. Beautiful finished lower level. Minutes to Ft. Belvoir (S) & 15 minutes to Old Town, Alex (N).
RENTAL
COM
ING
SOON
SOLD
Mt. Vernon Manor $545,1008705 Gateshead Road
Beautiful Mt. Vernon colonial w/double carport & private backyard facing woods. 4 BRs, 2.5BAs, replacement windows, hdwd floors, screened back porch, family room w/fireplace off kitchen, separate dining & living rooms, fitness studio in walkout basement. Large master
suite includes adjoining sitting room that can be a nursery or a home office. .34 Acres. Great location, great price!!
SOLD
See Finding Local, Page 13
By Gale Curcio
In the Alexandria area, thereare a dozen antique, consign-ment and thrift stores that are
full of unusual items that makegreat holiday gifts. There are theclassics, like crystal, silver andchina. Gifts for collectors includeaction figures, trading cards, oldcars and trains. They are also a go-to place for holiday decorations forthe house or office.
Here’s a look at a few of thesestores.
Formerly known as Thieves Mar-ket, Mount Vernon Antique Cen-ter, 8101 Richmond Hwy., hassomething for everybody. Thereare plenty of antiques, but thereare also vintage items, gift items,clothing, jewelry and more. Lo-cated on Route 1, across fromCostco, there are currently morethan 30 vendors in the store. Mer-chandise changes on a daily basis,and most vendors will keep a“wish list” ifa customer is lookingfor something in particular.
Inside and upstairs at the MtVernon Antique Center is a com-puter store – The Eldest Geek. Atthe other end of the store is Yel-low Gold. Not only do they sellgold jewelry, but they also designand repair gold and silver fashionjewelry and watches. Libby Bryant,who used to work at Hodges Gal-lery in Belle View Shopping Cen-ter, now has a space upstairs whichis full of eclectic treasures. Shedoes framing and restoration of allkinds of artwork.
Lisa Balough, volunteer at SelectSeconds Thrift Store, 5834-DNorth Kings Hwy., said, “SelectSeconds is a frequent stop forsavvy shoppers. The jewelry casehas a full selection that variesdaily. The housewares selectionruns the gamut from high end col-lectible to everyday practical.Clothing choices for women, chil-dren, and men from dressyevening wear to the coolest jeans.
Appliances, books, linens, officeitems, great shoes and purses, andwonderful toys for children andadults.”
AnnElise Waller, volunteer atThe Twig Thrift Store, 106 N. Co-lumbus St., said that they have anice collection of pink-tag labels:“These are clothing items that areespecially nice and good for theholidays.”
Another volunteer, SusanLabovich, said, “We have so manybeautiful things but we also have
customers who come in looking forugly Christmas sweaters. “Sometimes of year, we get tons of dona-tions. It’s hard to turn them away.The other thing we do that’s re-ally nice is that churches give theirclients vouchers to shop at Twig.Another nice things is that if weget blankets and things we can’tsell we bring them to the animalshelter.”
Over at Look Again Resale Shop,
Holiday Gifts
Dealer booth at Mount Vernon Antique Center has aselection of holiday items and other gift items.
Evolution Home currentlyhas a selection of vintageornaments.
Finding Local Treasures
Pho
to
s by G
ale C
urcio
6 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
www.MountVernonGazette.com
@MtVernonGazette
An independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper delivered
to homes and businesses.Published by
Local Media Connection LLC
1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314
Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to
connectionnewspapers.com/subscribe
NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]
Steven MaurenEditor, 703-778-9415
Mike SalmonAssistant Editor
Andrea WorkerReporter
Jeanne [email protected]
@TheismannMedia
ADVERTISING:For advertising information
Debbie FunkDisplay Advertising/National Sales
Julie FerrillReal Estate, 703-927-1364
Helen WalutesDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9410
David GriffinMarketing Assistant
PublisherJerry Vernon
Editor & PublisherMary Kimm
[email protected]@MaryKimm
Editor in ChiefSteven MaurenArt/Design:
Laurence Foong, John Heinly,Ali Khaligh
Production Manager:Geovani Flores
CIRCULATIONCirculation Manager:
A Connection Newspaper
Opinion
The Children’s Health Insurance Pro-gram, CHIP, provides health cover-age to low-income, children withfamily incomes too high to qualify
for Medicaid, up to 200 percent of the federalpoverty level in Virginia, up to $49,200 for afamily of four. In Virginia, coverage under CHIPis called Family Access to Medical InsuranceSecurity (FAMIS) and covers more than 69,000children and pregnant women. More than 8.4million children are covered nationally underCHIP.
Ironically, families with chil-dren covered under FAMIS(note that the S stands for “se-curity”) will receive letters this
week letting them know that their medical in-surance security ends in January unless theU.S. Senate acts to reauthorize (fund) CHIPby the end of the year. The House of Represen-tatives passed a bill to reauthorize CHIP inNovember, funding it mostly through cuts toprograms in the Affordable Care Act.
The letter to Virginia FAMIS participantsreads:
“We are sending you this letter because thesepeople in your family are enrolled in FAMIS orFAMIS MOMS:
“FAMIS and FAMIS MOMS are paid for bystate and federal funds through the Children’sHealth Insurance Program known as CHIP. For
20 years CHIP has had the strong support ofCongress and has been renewed many times.We are hopeful that Congress will once againprovide the funding to continue this program.However, because Congress has not acted yet,we need to let you know that there is a chancethe FAMIS programs may have to shut down.
“If Congress does not act soon, the FAMISprograms will end on Jan. 31, 2018.”
Having tens of thousands of uninsured chil-dren is bad health policy for every Virginian.It’s better for all children in school to have allchildren be able to access health care, bothpreventative care and care when they are sick.
According to a recent publication in the NewEngland Journal of Medicine:
“The body of evidence summarized here in-dicates that coverage expansions significantlyincrease patients’ access to care and use of pre-ventive care, primary care, chronic illness treat-ment, medications, and surgery. These in-creases appear to produce significant, multi-faceted, and nuanced benefits to health.
“Some benefits may manifest in earlier de-tection of disease, some in better medicationadherence and management of chronic condi-tions, and some in the psychological well-be-ing born of knowing one can afford care whenone gets sick. … Some of these changes willultimately help tens of thousands of people livelonger lives.
Save Healthcare for Children Right NowIf U.S. Senate fails to act soon, 69,000 children and pregnant womenin Virginia, more than 8 million nationally, will lose health coverage.
Editorial
“Conversely, the data suggest that policiesreducing coverage will produce significantharms to health, particularly among peoplewith lower incomes and chronic conditions.”
Also, having health coverage leads to greaterfinancial security, and that helps the economy.“There is abundant evidence that having healthinsurance improves financial security,” accord-ing to the same study.
Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner andTim Kaine have repeatedly called for a vote toreauthorize CHIP.
Yesterday, they said, “Today is a scary dayfor a lot of families in Virginia, and it was com-pletely preventable. We asked SenatorMcConnell multiple times to help us supportthe 66,000 children and 1,100 pregnantwomen in Virginia who receive their healthcare through the CHIP program, but Republi-can leadership still hasn’t brought it forwardfor a vote. There is a bipartisan bill on the table,and it’s critical that we pass it before Congressleaves for the holidays so we can give somepeace of mind to Virginia parents who areworried about whether their children will havehealth insurance in the new year.”
We wish everyone peace of mind in the NewYear.
— Mary Kimm
MismanagementOf WoodlawnTo the Editor:
I read your article about the in-tended “transformation” ofWoodlawn with interest. I spentmany years as a “stable parent”with a daughter who rode andworked at Woodlawn Stables for10 years, and before that had en-joyed seeing the fields of horsesfor many decades.
I quit my long-time membershipin the National Trust for HistoricPreservation over what I consid-ered their mismanagement of theWoodlawn property: they’ve al-lowed the meadow and slope be-tween the house and Route 1 growup in trees, blocking the historicview of the house from the road.The Trust was instrumental inchoosing the new alignment forthe wider Route 1, destroying thehistoric alignment of the road. Andthe Trust eliminated the stablesand the historic use of the prop-erty for horses.
Now they intend to commercial-ize the property, apparently with
LetterCommentary
See Letters, Page 14
By Jeffrey C. McKay
Lee District Supervisor
Since I first took office, improv-ing Route 1 has been a majorpriority of mine. It’s where I
spent my entire childhood, and is criti-cal to the county’s economic success.Route 1 received a boost on Tuesdaywhen the entire Board of Supervisorsvoted to list our Route 1 widening andBus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects as the top twopriorities for regional and federal funding overthe next eight years through the Northern VirginiaTransportation Authority (NVTA).
Smart infrastructure investments pay off hugedividends in the long term, both in saving moneyand congestion relief, a major factor in my deci-sion on the vote. Overall, the funds will have amajor positive impact on the residents who livealong Route 1 and the thousands of people whocommute on it every day. Adding on to the wid-ening, the Richmond Highway project will alsoadd bike and pedestrian lanes, as well as rework-ing traffic timing to address rush hour congestionalong the highway. The BRT project includes me-dian running BRT from the Huntington MetrorailStation to Fort Belvoir, and will include new tran-
sit stations, facilities for bicycle, pe-destrian and vehicle travel modes.
While this is a great step ahead, Iremain committed to continuing towork on securing additional fundingto get these improvements built. Whilethere has been misinformation float-ing around in the last few months thatFairfax County is less committed toRoute 1, that is simply not true.Projects in Mount Vernon and Lee
make up 43.8 percent of the list of projects thatwe have requested NVTA funding for, nearly halfof all countywide requested funds.
In the past years, the county has been makingmany improvements that have been long overdueas a result of lacking state funding. Almost all side-walk, bus and road improvements made over thepast 10 years have been paid for by the county,despite the roads being state-owned.
While superficial results are fast and easy, truerevitalization takes time and effort. I am proudthat the Board of Supervisors voted to approvethis funding request that prioritizes Route 1. Whilethe widening and improvement along the high-way is complicated and takes time, getting fund-ing is the critical step necessary to really get go-ing beyond planning and towards implementation.
Prioritizing Route 1
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
8 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
VARIETYSTORE
Est. 1958
Experiencethe Nostalgiaof an old-time
Five & Dime Store
“If we don’t have it,you don’t need it.”
Hollin HallShopping Center
7902 Fort Hunt Rd.,Alexandria, VA 22308
Home for the Holidays
Those still looking for inspiration forholiday décor are in luck thanks tosome of the area’s top tastemakers. The
lights and shapes of Christmas trees, holidaymantels, a menorah and other décor, designedby some of Washington’s top interior design-ers, are on display.
The designers donated their time to createfestive displays for an event called “Light Upthe Season” to benefit for Children’s NationalHealth System. The designs were unveiled ear-
Holiday Décor on DisplayLight Up the Season
Through Dec. 20 at Four Seasons in Georgetown,2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
Photos by Marilyn Campbell
Alexandria-based designers Susan Nelson and Todd Martzof Home on Cameron created this mantel display.
lier this month at a festive event that includedactivities such as holiday cookie decorating,ornament making, a visit from Santa andChildren’s National Dr. Bear mascot, musicalperformances and youth entertainers, silentauction.
Each original piece is a collaboration betweenpatients of Children’s National and area design-ers and businesses. The Creative & Therapeu-tic Arts Services at Children’s National workedwith the Children’s Health Board to pair de-
signers with patients for inspirationThe holiday decor will be on display and
available for purchase at the Four Seasons Ho-tel in Georgetown through Dec. 20.
— Marilyn Campbell
Top designers create lavishholiday designs for charity.
Alexandria-baseddesignerVictoriaSanchez –picturedwith thepatientswho servedas herinspiration– createdthis treefor “LightUp theSeason.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 9www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Opinion
See Letters, Page 14
By Paul Krizek
State Delegate (D-44)
Tuesday morning,the Virginia De-partment ofMedical Assis-
tance Services (DMAS)mailed letters to 68,495 Vir-ginia children and 1,114pregnant women informingthem their children stand to losehealth coverage on Jan. 31 if Con-gress fails to reauthorize fundingfor the Children’s Health InsuranceProgram (CHIP).
Congress already let it expire onSept. 30 and needs to reauthorizethis life-saving program as soon aspossible.
CHIP provides low-cost healthcoverage to children in familiesthat earn too much money toqualify for Medicaid. In somestates, like here in the Common-wealth, CHIP covers pregnantwomen. Each state offers CHIPcoverage, and works closely withits state Medicaid program.
Without CHIP funding, Virginia
will run out offunding for itsversion of thisprogram, calledFamily Accessto Medical In-surance Secu-rity (FAMIS),on Jan. 31,2018. The let-ters are in-
tended to warn families of thatpossibility and inform them aboutsteps they can take now to preparewhile they wait for Congress toact. Indeed, two other states, Colo-rado and Utah, have already noti-fied their residents that they willsoon run out of money to fund thiscritical program.
The agency said another letterwould come in January if the pro-gram was not renewed by then,and to let them know that theirbenefits are currently unchanged.In the meantime, this letter is urg-ing the families with children thatneed medical care to, “... make an
Congress NeedsTo Fund CHIP
10 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Submit entertainment announce-ments atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.
ONGOING39th Annual Weichert Toy Drive.
Through Dec. 15, various times atWeichert Realty, 121 N. Pitt St.Members of the community areinvited to drop off new, unwrappedtoys at the company’s sales officeswhich will be delivered throughoutthe holidays in conjunction with localcharities that assist financially andphysically disadvantaged children.Call 703-549-8700.
Snow Day on Stage. Through Dec.16, various times at The Lab atConvergence, 1819 N. Quaker Lane.This nonverbal production featureslive music and lots of wintertime fun,just in time for the holiday season.$9. Visit www.artsonthehorizon.org.
“A Christmas Carol.” Through Dec.
16, various times at The LittleTheatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St.$17. Call 703-683-0496 or visitwww.thelittletheatre.com.
Del Ray Artisans’ Holiday Market.Through Dec. 17, weekend hoursonly, Fridays: 6-9 p.m., Saturdays &Sundays: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the DelRay Artisans, 2704 Mount VernonAve. Free to browse. Call 703-838-4827 or visit www.delrayartisans.org.
Watercolor Exhibit. Through Dec. 19,various times at Green SpringGardens, 4603 Green Spring Road.See “Nature from Three Points ofView”, the work of Jan Burns,Madeleine Chen, and ShariMacFarlane, at the HorticultureCenter. Sunday, Oct. 29 is the ArtistsReception. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring or call 703-642-5173.
The Old Bull and Bush. ThroughDec. 24, various times at MetroStage,1201 North Royal St. An effort toreopen the famous HampsteadEngland pub on stage to celebrate theholidays with food, song, jokes,
dance and a sing-along. Call 703-548- 9044 or visitwww.metrostage.org.
4th Annual Holiday MarketFestival. Through Dec. 23, varioustimes in the Carlyle District, 300John Carlyle St. Art and craft items,enjoy sweets, mulled wine and liveentertainment from local musicians.
Visitwww.alexandriaholidaymarket.com.
Potomac Fiber Art Show. ThroughJan. 7, various times at the TorpedoFactory, 105 North Union St., Studio29. The show will be supplementedwith juried items on Dec. 5.TheTorpedo Factory has new hours,10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and
weekends, and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.on the second Thursday of eachmonth. Visit torpedofactory.org.
Mercy in Alexandria WalkingTour. Sundays at 1:30 p.m. atAlexandria Visitors Center, 221 KingSt. Experience an inside access tourof 19th century Alexandria. Inspiredby the PBS mini-series “MercyStreet,” accompany a trained militaryhistorian through Civil War-eraAlexandria and learn the actualhistory behind the TV show. Shorttours are $15, private tours for fiveare $149. Visitwww.dcmilitarytour.com for more
The Lyceum: 175 Years of LocalHistory. Ongoing, Monday-Saturday10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.at The Lyceum, 201 S. WashingtonSt. On view in the museum’sColdsmith Gallery, the historicalobjects and images featuredrepresent The Lyceum, thecommunity at work, andcommemorations and celebrations.Throughout the exhibition, visitorsare invited to “be the curator” and
By Shirley Ruhe
Let me grab a pie dough.” ChefEric Reid is making a “quiche-like” bacon-tomato pie at Re-serve on Mount Vernon Avenue.
He has prepared the crust and pulls it fromthe freezer — about 12.5 ounces of high-gluten King Arthur flour, 16 Tablespoonsfrozen butter, 1/3 cup ice water and 3 Table-spoons sour cream which gives it a “nicelittle flakiness.” This makes two crusts. Reidpulls out his Escali scale. “I like to use
weight measures; it is somuch more accurate.”
Reid liberally sprinkles flouron the counter so the crustdoesn’t stick. He presses down
on the crust, rolling it in one direction, thenanother. He twirls the crust around the roll-ing pin and places it at the edge to unwindin the glass pie plate. “I use a glass pie plateso I can see how the crust is cooking whenit has a lot of butter.”
Using a small knife, Reid cuts off the ex-tra crust around the pie plate. “I don’t crimpit; I like the way it looks.” He recalls thisrecipe came into his head when he and hisdad were sitting on the deck at the lakehaving a bourbon and he needed a specialside. “It’s got our name all over it.” Reidsays he always tweaks a recipe until he getsit the way he likes it.
Reid pulls out a large aluminum bowl andmeasures two and a half cups “give or take
a Tablespoon or so” of Duke’s mayonnaise.“I’ve made this so many times I just eyeballit now.” Then he breaks two large eggs intothe bowl and adds a cup and a half ofcooked, chopped Cherrywood bacon. “Thecherrywood gives the bacon a sweeter,fruiter taste.” He says the original recipe hadthe bacon in the crust but with all of thebutter he thought it would be too greasy.
Then he takes about a cup of shreddedParmesan and a pinch of dried dill, and hemixes it well. “No need for salt because ofthe bacon. It’s like a BLT without the let-tuce. “So we’re gonna do half the mixturein the pie crust.”
A tray of salted, thinly sliced slightly un-der-ripe tomatoes sits on the side. The salthelps pull out some of the juice in the to-mato slices. Reid picks up each tomato slice,one at a time and throws it hard into thepan. “This is to slap them down and get outthe seeds and shake off some of the salt.”He carefully places each tomato slice in anoverlapping spiral on top of the mixture.He says, “The bottom layer of tomatoesdoesn’t have to be pretty but I like to know;it’s an OCD thing.”
Reid spoons the other half of the mixtureon top of the spiraled tomatoes and spreadsit to the edges of the crust, then arrangesanother layer of spiraled tomatoes. “Isprinkle more of the dried dill and about1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan just to coverit.”
“Into the oven she goes at 350 degrees
for 45 minutes.” Reid says this will serveeight people.” He serves it at room tempera-ture. Reid says Reserve reopened fourmonths ago after being closed for two years.“We felt there was a void with all of the bigplates where you needed a doggy bag.” Hewould take the leftovers home and forgetabout them and then a few days later theywould literally go to the dog. “What we haveto offer is more shareable, small plates.” Hesaid they have nine items on the menu soyou can bring in all of your friends and or-der everything.
The bacon-tomato pie is a customer fa-vorite along with the hot chicken and theMontreal sausage. “I make the sausagemyself from top butt, slice and freeze.” Theninto a meat grinder with chopped bacon,season with granulated onion and garlic,black pepper, sugar, crushed red chili. It goesthrough the sausage stuffer, then is smokedover pecan wood.
Reid said his parents always cooked. Hisdad was from Nebraska and his mom fromMartinsville so it was fun to see differentproduce. When they drove back and forth,“mom and dad would always pull over andgrab some stuff.” His mom made sautéedyellow squash with onions and a lot of blackpepper and wine “which was on our menuwhen I worked at Del Merei Grille” wherehe was for five years. He says he startedout at Evening Star Cafe where he trainedunder the chef there.
Now onto squid ink ravioli. “This is our
Holiday Entertainment
Meet Chef Eric Reid at Reserve
In the
Kitchen
“
Photos by Shirley Ruhe
Bacon-tomato pie ready to serve.
Layer half mixture in piecrust.
Throw tomato slices todeseed.
Chef Eric Reid starts withbuttery crust.
Eyeball eggs, mayo andcrisp Cherrywood bacon.
Spiral alternating layers oftomatoes.
vegetarian dish. The squid ink adds a nice,fun color and has a slightly salty under-tone.” Again he eyeballs the flour and eggsand feeds the dough through the pastamachine. “They always tell me this moundof dough doesn’t look like much but 1, 2, 4,6, 8 through the machine and back on it-self. It gets longer and longer. “See itstretches the whole length of the counter.”
Calendar
Civil War AuthorOn Monday, Dec. 18, local journal-ist John Bicknell discusses his book“John C. Fremont and the ViolentElection of 1856,” from 7-8:30 p.m.at Washington Street United Meth-odist Church, 109 South Washing-ton St. Christmas refreshmentsserved. Free. [email protected] or call703-409-4035.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 11www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Exp. 12/31/17
think about why the various artifactsare in the museum’s collection, andabout how tangible representatives ofthe past help tell the story ofAlexandria’s history. Free. Visitwww.alexandriahistory.org.
Pick-Up Hockey. Ongoing,Wednesdays and Fridays 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Mount Vernon Ice Skating,2017 Belle View Blvd. Play hockeywith other hockey buffs, hitting slapshots and learning puck handlingskills that the pros use. Players musthave full equipment. 16 and older.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/mtvernon/ or call 703-768-3224.
Medical Care for the Civil WarSoldier Exhibit. Ongoing at theFort Ward museum, 4301 W.Braddock Road. ongoing exhibitwhich features original medicalinstruments and equipment from theCivil War period and information onUnion Army hospital sites inAlexandria. Free. Visitwww.alexandriava.gov/fortward formore
Alexandria’s Nurses and Hospitals
During the Civil War. Ongoing atThe Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St.An exhibit on the life of ClarissaJones, a nurse at The Lyceumhospital during the Civil War. Thetrue story of a nurse in Alexandriaduring the war, drawing parallelswith characters portrayed in the PBSdrama “Mercy Street,” withreferences to the experiences of othernurses, such as Anne Reading, whoworked in the Mansion Househospital, and Jane Woolsey, whoserved at the Fairfax Seminaryhospital. Admission is $2. Visitwww.alexandriava.gov/lyceum.
Shield of Earth: Defending theHeart of the Union exhibit.Ongoing, museum hours Tuesdaythrough Saturday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.,Sundays, noon-5 p.m. at Fort WardMuseum, 4301 West Braddock Road.Highlights of the exhibition includemilitary passes issued by ProvostMarshal’s Office, construction tools,and original photographs of some ofWashington’s defenders. 703-746-4848 or www.fortward.org.
By Hope Nelson
Deep within the walls of Union Street PublicHouse, there’s a new tasting room emerg-ing, with its own offerings and its own iden-
tity: The 1986 Whiskey Bar. This bar-within-a-baroffers all manner of – what else? – whiskey, alongwith some cocktails.
The whiskey bar’s origin story harks back to theorigin of Union Street Public House: in 1986.
“We wanted to look at where we’ve come from overthe last 31 years,” said general manager Dan Patrizio.
“You can’t buy legacy. You can’t buytime. And we wanted to really respectand appreciate the fact that 1986 wasthe year we started.”
But while Union Street has been around for thebetter part of 31 years, the 1986 Whiskey Bar is anewcomer on the scene. Not even a month old yet,it’s a celebration of one of the nation’s finest spirits,Patrizio said.
“It came about for a simple fact that (whiskey is)America’s native spirit,” he said. “I love whiskey ofall sorts, and I felt that it was from a business per-spective an underserved commodity here in OldTown. There’s a ton of exceptional places to dine,but there weren’t a lot of places you could go have aproper whiskey.”
1986 aims to change all that. From a plethora ofwhiskeys available to enjoy all by themselves to atableau of cocktails that range from traditional tocreative concoctions, the bar aims to be accessibleto both hard-core whiskey connoisseurs and morecasual acquaintances.
Three dozen different whiskies and bourbons makeup 1986’s body of work at the moment, ranging fromthe house whiskey – Old Forester, which began pro-duction in the 1870s and continues to the presentday – to more far-flung choices. On the cocktail front,diners and drinkers can expect traditional standards,such as the old fashioned, as well as signature cre-ations such as the Irish Brigade, a vanilla-infusedwhiskey with chamomile tea and luxardo.
Don’t drink whiskey? Don’t worry. 1986 also of-fers aged rum, tequila and more.
So far, the whiskey bar “has been very well re-ceived,” Patrizio said. “We’ve been very pleased withthe community response. The community was look-ing for things like this. They’re looking for the rareand the interesting.”
Need a little nibble with your drink? 1986 is in theprocess of ironing out its own menu, but while that’sin process, they’ve got you covered with Union StreetPublic House’s traditional bar menu.
Patrizio says the accessibility of the bar is one ofthe things he’s proudest of. It doesn’t require a mem-bership card to get in; it’s not a hidden speakeasy.1986 is open for whoever comes in the door — andPatrizio hopes customers will be comfortable.
“When you walk into 1986, you know that this is aplace you can come, you can enjoy, you can have theexperience you are looking for because it’s intention-ally approachable,” he said.
Lift a Glass at the 1986 Whiskey Bar
If You Go1986 Whiskey Bar, 121 S. Union St.Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight, Wednesday-SaturdayTry this: The 1870 formula of Old Forester.
“That has been featured very prominently in quitea few cocktails we’ve put out so far,” says generalmanager Dan Patrizio.
Holiday Entertainment
Photo by Maurisa Potts
The 1986 Whiskey Bar within Union StreetPublic House opened late last month.
Appetite
Hope Nelson owns and operates the Kitchen Recessionistablog, located at www.kitchenrecessionista.com. Email her anytime at [email protected].
Calendar
SopranessenceBharati Soman will be partof the SopranessenceConcert on Saturday, Dec.16, 4 p.m. at Convergence,1801 N. Quaker Lane. Visitwww.arts.virginia.gov.
12 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
PUBLIC NOTICEPlease be advised that there will be two 15-minute
fireworks displays that will take place on:
Friday, December 15 andSaturday, December 16, 2017
between 8:45pm and 9:15pm as part of the public eveningevent, Christmas Illuminations, here on the property.The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association thanks you for your
tolerance and apologizes for any disruption. To receive MountVernon fireworks notifications via e-mail, write to:
Color Disorder Exhibit. Ongoing,Thursday through Sunday, noon-4p.m., Sundays, noon-4 p.m. at theThe Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Ajoint exhibition of artists Katie Bainesand Amy Chan who use diversepainting materials such as acrylic,gouache, airbrush and screen print tobuild energized abstract paintings.www.nfaa.org or 703-548-0035.
Flamenco Show. Wednesdays andThursdays, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at LaTasca, 607 King St. Watch dancersand guitarists perform traditionalflamenco. Free to attend. Call 703-299-9810 or visitwww.latascausa.com.
French Movie Night. Every Thursday,7 p.m. in the back room of FontaineCaffe and Creperie, 119 S. Royal St.View a French film. Free, noreservation necessary. Call 703-535-8151 or visitwww.fontainecaffe.com/reviews.html.
Alexandria Cars and Coffee invitescar enthusiasts to meet for coffee atHollin Hall Shopping Center in frontof Roseina’s, 1307 Shenandoah Road.Owners of classic cars, hot rods,exotic cars, motorcycles and moremeet to share car stories and drinkcoffee. Group meets the first Sundayof every month. 8:30-11 a.m.
Fifty Years of Collecting. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays 12-5 p.m. Fort Ward Museum, 4301 W.Braddock Road. An anniversaryexhibit of objects from the Fort Wardcollection. Free. Visitwww.fortward.org or call 703-746-4848.
Evenings at the Athenaeum.Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. 7 p.m.Second Thursday of every month.Visit nvfaa.org to view concertcalendar and listen to upcomingSecond Thursday Music artists.
The Monday Morning Birdwalktakes place weekly, rain or shine(except during electrical storms,strong winds, or icy trails), at 7 a.m.(8 a.m. November through March), isfree, requires no reservation and isopen to all. Birders meet in theparking lot at the park’s entrance at3701 Lockheed Blvd. Direct questionsto park staff during normal businesshours at 703-768-2525.
Civil War Sundays. 1-5 p.m. atAlexandria Archaeology Museum,105 North Union St., #327. Learnmore about the Civil War as itoccurred in Alexandria. Finddioramas, newspaper articles andmore Free. Visitwww.alexandriaarchaeology.org.
CAMPS, CLASSES & WORKSHOPSCommunity Dance. 7:30-9:30 p.m.
every third Friday at Hollin HallSenior Center, 1500 ShenandoahRoad. Live music. Tickets are $4. Call703-765-4573.
Life Drawing. Del Ray Artisans offers a
range of open life drawing sessionsfor anyone to develop life-drawingskills further. Drop-in for the sessionand bring supplies to draw or paintlive models. Fee ranges from $8-$12.All skill levels are welcome. Del RayArtisans is located at 2704 MountVernon Ave. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org for aschedule.
The Harmony Heritage Singers(Mount Vernon Chapter ofBarbershop Harmony Society), adaytime, a cappella, Chorus,rehearses on the 2nd and 4th
Tuesdays, monthly, at Sherwood HallRegional Library, 2501 SherwoodHall Lane, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Newcomerswelcome for fun or to book for aperformance. Visitwww.HHSingers.org, or call Bruce at703-352-5271.
THURSDAY/DEC. 14Local Author Thursday. 5-7 p.m. at
The Old Town Shop, 105 SouthUnion St. Featured author GarrettPeck is a historian and tour guide inthe nation’s capital. Call 703-599-6307.
Meet the Artist. 8 p.m. at the TorpedoFactory, 105 North Union St. ArtistDesirée Venn Frederic discusses“Nomadic & Creative: Art and theImmigrant Experience.” Visittorpedofactory.org.
FRIDAY/DEC.15The Late Shift: STEAM-Powered
Exhibit. 7-11 p.m. at the TorpedoFactory, 105 North Union St.American Geosciences Institute joinsthe festivities for a night of music,interactive art, artist presentations,featuring interdisciplinary artist FumiAmano. Visit torpedofactory.org.
DEC. 15-16Christmas Illuminations at Mount
Vernon. 5:30-9 p.m. at GeorgeWashington’s Mount Vernon Estate,3200 Mount Vernon MemorialHighway. $34 adult/$24 youth withmansion tour; $30 adult/$20 youthwithout mansion tour. Visitwww.mountvernon.org/illuminations.
SATURDAY/DEC. 16Santa on the Trolley. 9 a.m.-noon at
Alexandria’s City Hall Market Square,301 King St. Alexandria TransitCompany (DASH) and Santa Claus,will be on hand for a morning of freephotos with Santa courtesy of JackieGarcia Photography. All children willreceive a special gift from Santa.Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats willbe on-site brewing up hot apple ciderto go. Visit www.dashbus.com.
Meet the Artist. 3-6 p.m. at theBroadway Gallery, 5641 B General
Washington Drive. Closing receptionfor Richard McMurry. Call 703-354-2905.
Sopranessence Concert. 4 p.m. atConvergence, 1801 N. Quaker Lane.“Tuneful Tidings” featuring BharatiSoman, soprano soloist. $55 family 4-pack (pre-sale only); $20 generaladmission; $18 senior/military; $10youth (18 and younger). Visitwww.arts.virginia.gov.
SUNDAY/DEC. 17The Mount Vernon Flutes. 2 p.m. at
The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Thissmall ensemble from the MountVernon Concert Band will performholiday songs in the gallery. Free.Visit www.nvfaa.org or call 703-548-0035.
Cookies with Santa. 4-5:30 p.m. atthe Union Street Public House, 121South Union St. Meet with Santa andMrs. Claus. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.
Celtic Christmas with Iona. 7 p.m.at the George Washington MasonicMemorial 101 Callahan Drive.Sponsored by FocusMusic. $15/18 atdoor. Email [email protected] orcall 703-380-3151.
MONDAY/DEC. 18Civil War Roundtable. 7-8:30 p.m. at
Washington Street United MethodistChurch, 109 South Washington St.Local journalist John Bicknelldiscusses his book “John C. Fremontand the Violent Election of 1856.”Christmas refreshments served. Free.Email [email protected]
or call 703-409-4035.Ballroom Dance Classes. 7 p.m. at
The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Ledby Gary Stephans on Fox Trot, Waltz,Tango, Swing, Salsa, Merengue,Rumba, Cha-Cha and Samba. Visitwww.nvfaa.org or call 703-505-5998.
SUNDAY/DEC. 24Waterskiing Santa. 1 p.m. at the
waterfront between King andOronoco streets. Free. Visitwww.waterskiingsanta.com.
THURSDAY/DEC. 28Piff The Magic Dragon Magician.
7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701Mt. Vernon Ave. A former participanton America’s Got Talent. Visitwww.birchmere.com.
SUNDAY/DEC. 31New Years Noon. 10 a.m.-noon at the
Barrett Branch Library, 717 QueenSt. The fourth annual bash includesperformances by “Oh Susannah” and“The Great Zucchini” and an 11:55a.m. for a countdown to “Noon Year”with music and a balloon drop. Allages invited, but especiallyappropriate for children ages 2 andup. Visit www.alexandria.lib.va.us orcall 703-746-1704.
First Night Alexandria. 2 p.m. tomidnight at venues throughout OldTown. Activities include the NinthAnnual Fun Hunt, musicalentertainment, food, drink andmidnight fireworks over the PotomacRiver. Visitwww.firstnightalexandria.org or call
703-746-3299.
JAN.9-FEB. 4“Déjà Vu,” Art Exhibit. Various times
at at the Torpedo Factory, 105 NorthUnion St., Studio 29. Potomac FiberArts Gallery show “Déjà Vu,”highlights the work of artistsElizabeth Davison, Elise Miller, andDianne Harris Thomas. Visittorpedofactory.org.
FRIDAY/JAN.12Concert at Blessed Sacrament. 8
p.m. at Blessed Sacrament CatholicChurch, 1427 W. Braddock Road.Free. Email [email protected] call 703-548-1176.
SATURDAY/JAN. 13Watercolor Workshop: Painting
on Yupo. 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. atGreen Spring Gardens, 4603 GreenSpring Road. Paint on slick plasticcalled yupo with in–structor MarniMaree. $90. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173.
THURSDAY/JAN. 18Air Force Band Concert. 8 p.m. at
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall4915 East Campus Drive. Specialappearance by tubist PatrickSheridan. Visit www.nvcc.edu/schlesingercenter/.
SATURDAY/JAN. 20Winter Tree Day. 10-11 a.m. at Green
Spring Gardens, 4603 Green SpringRoad. Take a walk in the woods toexamine trees in their wintry state.Get to know some evergreens andlearn how critters use trees as theirhomes during our coldest months.$6. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173.
Tea Tasting: A Tea for EachContinent. 10-11:30 a.m. at GreenSpring Gardens, 4603 Green SpringRoad. Sample teas from each of theseven continents of the world. $25.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173.
SATURDAY/FEB. 3Watercolor Workshop: Paint a
Winter Scene. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 GreenSpring Road. Learn to paint a winterlandscape in wa–tercolor with thehelp of artist Erik Hottenstein, whodemonstrates techniques fortranslating photographs into winterscenes and provides guidance foryour individual piece. $90. Visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173.
Holiday Entertainment
Art ExhibitOn Thursday, Dec.14 Artist Desirée Venn Frederic dis-cusses “Nomadic & Creative: Art and the ImmigrantExperience.” 8 p.m. at the Torpedo Factory, 105 NorthUnion St. Visit torpedofactory.org.
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 13www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Trees vs. Power LinesFrom Page 3
Ledec offered two ideas on im-proving trimming notifications,First, Dominion could use anonline approach similar to that ofVirginia’s Department of Transpor-tation. At VDOT’s website is a mapshowing scheduled paving activi-ties, an excellent tool forhomeowners: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/n o r t h e r n _ v i r g i n i a /northern_virginia_paving_program.asp
Secondly, and, speaking as thechair of the Environment and Rec-reation Committee of the MountVernon Council of Citizens’ Asso-
bility. The image you sent me of the tree on SherwoodHall ultimately could become a VDOT issue becauseit’s our tree.” Kamilakis added that if a pruned treein a VDOT right of way posed a safety hazard, VDOTcould pay for its removal.
Kamilakis asked VDOT arborist Robert Burris toinspect the Sherwood Hall Lane tree, and afterwardBurris offered his assessment: “The tree has an atypi-cal growth habit because of the directional utilitypruning, but structurally it is OK under normalweather conditions and in the absence of any sig-nificant decay. After the tree was initially prunedyears ago, it began to add wood as it grew to com-pensate for the effects of the pruning and to supportits subsequent atypical growth habit.”
When asked about the potential effects of snow/ice loading or high winds on the tree, Burris said,“When wet snow or ice accumulates on tree branchesand adds weight to them, branches can be damagedor fail if they become overloaded.
Light accumulations can cause small, dead, decay-ing, or broken branches to fail. As wet snow or iceaccumulations increase, so can the size of anybranches or limbs that might be damaged. Strongwinds can add to the stress on trees that are coveredwith wet snow or ice.
However, any tree can be damaged during aweather event that includes accumulating amountsof wet snow or ice.”
Dominion is undergrounding its overhead electri-cal lines in areas with a history of outages arisingfrom tree problems. However, the company has noplans for widespread undergrounding.
Finding Local TreasuresFrom Page 5
900 King St., manager Jeff Elmendorf, said, “We havethe best selection of Christmas presents at goodprices. Our store is actually two stores in one. Wehave quality donations and nice antiques, but itemsrange from $1 items to higher end items.”
As a new manager, Elmendorf said, “If peoplehaven’t been here lately, we have a lot less clutter lotand more good stuff. We have transformed the store.“Many people don’t realize that we are a charity, butour proceeds help the prevention of blindness.”
Evolution Home, 6239 Shields Ave., is the next stepin the evolution of a 15-year old business and com-bines a large consignment area with various dealerbooths – full of fun and unusual items. Owner SusanDriscoll, said, “Our theory is that our homes are con-stantly evolving. Small apartments, first time homes,forever homes, homes with kids, homes with dogs,
empty nests and retirement dream homes — as wemove through each stage of life our styles, tastes andbudgets change. Evolution Home has one goal, tobe with you through each change. We are commit-ted to providing quality antique, vintage, modernand consignment home furnishings and accessories.”
The Back Porch Thrift Store, 8794 SacramentoDrive, has nominally priced necessities, affordableapparel, very reasonable vintage, retro and contem-porary furniture,
books, collectibles and home decor for every taste.Their inventory changes daily and customers will findantique furniture, luxury crystal ware, popular DVDs,rare books, vintage jewelry, designer clothing, styl-ish home decor, electronic goods, heritage china,collectibles and more.
There are two Goodwill Stores on Route 1, 6220Richmond Hwy. and 8228 Richmond Hwy. as well asa new 2nd Avenue Value Store, 8750 Richmond Hwy.
ciation, Ledec offered to use MVCCA’s communica-tions capabilities to publicize scheduled trimming.Dominion’s Chuck Penn agreed to examine the offer,as well as investigate using social media and theonline Nextdoor.com listserve in the Mount Vernonarea.
VERIZON, COX AND VDOTThere are three other major players in the local
overhead utility/tree conflict – Verizon’s landlinetelephone and FIOS services, Cox Communicationscable TV and telephone and VDOT.
Shown a photo of a tree enveloping non-power,overhead lines on Sherwood Hall Lane, Verizonspokesman John Johnson responded: “The tree andits maintenance are the landowner’s responsibility.We would trim it only if we needed to do so in orderto perform work on the lines.”
Emma Inman, Cox’s director of public affairs inVirginia, offered the following: “We generally relyon the pole owner, such as Dominion, to address thetrees or any associated real estate as they own theeasement.” However, photos in the Mount Vernonarea of trimmed trees near overhead utility lines showDominion’s power line pruning, but often there isno accompanying trimming around Cox and Verizonlines.
Multiple images of severely pruned trees were sentto VDOT representative Ellen Kamilakis, includingthe trees on Sherwood Hall Lane and at theCollingwood/Parker’s corner. “A lot of these trees areours because they are in the right-of-way, which weown,” Kamilakis said, “so they will be our responsi-
Fairfax County
Photo
“Topping”trees, suchas thosepictured, isa practicediscour-aged by allcertifiedarborists.
14 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
Five weeks of blissful ignorance. (Speak foryourself. I am.) No 24-hour urine collection.No pre-chemotherapy lab work. No chemo-therapy infusion. No CT scan. No follow-upappointment with my oncologist – or anyother doctor for that matter. No brain MRI. Nofasting. No emailing. No prescription-drugrefilling. No vitals. No weight check. Notaste/eating side effects. No anything. Otherthan pretending and presuming that all is notwrong in my “whirled” (my underlying diagno-sis), life is for the living, and I’m living proof,random though it may be, that an incrediblygrim/surreal prognosis: “13 months to twoyears,” was not all it was cracked up to be.
Forgive me if I unleash my pent-up innerdemons. As a cancer patient, there’s just somuch to worry about; daily, weekly, monthlyand always, that when you get a break/brakein the action, it becomes a moment in time tocelebrate and cherish.
Good things may come in small packages,but great things come in five-week intervals.And though the minor deficits I have as aresult of nearly nine years of chemotherapyhave not dissipated; in the scheme of things, inthe midst of two-fortnights-and-a-half of “une-ncumbrances,” to quote my late father, I am“untethered,” to once again quote my father.This time however, quoting the late, great SidCaesar for a skit he performed (involving “anelephant,” my father always said) on “TheShow of Shows” back in the early 50s.
And so for the next month and change, Iam almost normal (or a reasonable facsimilethereof); other than following my daily anti-cancer, non-Western routine which I have longago assimilated into my dos and don’ts, that is.A routine which, though it can always beenhanced, is a direct result of the advice I’vereceived from my certified Holistic HealthCoach. And despite the fact that I may notexactly be on the straight and narrow – morelike the squiggly and wiggly, I certainly am noton the path I was when my cancer cells acti-vated after I slid into my first PET scan back inearly February 2009, and “lit it up like aChristmas tree,” according to my thoracic sur-geon. An indication/confirmation which led toa surgical biopsy a week or so later which thenled to the last nine years of my life.
Still, it’s been a life worth living and one forwhich I have few regrets. I have lived so farbeyond my original prognosis, it’s not evenfunny; it’s ridiculous. Sure, I’m doing more ofthe right things than I ever did, but hardly am Ithe poster boy for “see what happens whenyou ... .” If I’m the poster boy for anything, it’smore likely “how to maintain and evenincrease your weight while being treated forstage IV, non-small cell lung cancer.”
Not that I won’t savor the moments ahead,but I am mindful, which led to the substanceof this column, of what happens after thissemi-party is over: Jan. 2, 2018 – 24-hoururine collection; Jan. 3, 2018 – pre-chemo-therapy lab work; Jan. 5, 2018 – chemother-apy infusion; Jan. 17, 2018 – CT scan; andfinally, Jan. 26. 2018 – follow-up appointmentwith my oncologist to discuss the results of myscan, and then maybe another emotional hon-eymoon or, God forbid, a nightmare that diag-nosis to date has rarely raised its ugly head.
That possibility roams my head, constantly;compartmentalized – yes; “in the vault” – yes,but unfortunately, “the cancer,” (as “Forrest,Forrest Gump” said) still in my body and,medically speaking, not yet something one canflush out with treatment. But there’s alwayshope.
In the past few years, the FDA hasapproved half-a-dozen new lung cancer drugs,more than during the preceding decade. Idon’t think medical professionals would saythey have lung cancer on the run; they mightsay however, they have it on the trot. Which isgood for me because I can’t run, but I can trot.
As GoodAs It Gets Business Directory
To Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422WWW.CONNECTIONNEWSPAPERS.COM
ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL
GUTTER GUTTER
IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS
LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING
LANDSCAPING LANDSCAPING
TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE
TILE / MARBLE TILE / MARBLE
Good is not good, where
better is expected.
-Thomas Fuller
Opinion
From Page 6
From Page 9
Letters
restaurants and other commercial ventures,all while claiming some historical basis inmarket gardening and organic farming.While Arcadia may be a worthwhile orga-nization, the destruction of the historic land-scape surrounding Woodlawn is a travesty.
If the Trust wasn’t up to managing theproperty as it was, they should have justsold it (their first historic property) withappropriate easements.
Robert McNeilAlexandria
appointment to visit your doctor or dentistbefore Jan. 31.”
The shameful Congressional gridlock anddysfunction have left nearly 70,000 Virgin-ians who depend on the FAMIS programswinging in the wind. DMAS delayed send-ing this letter as long as possible, but it hasa responsibility to these families to informthem of the possibility that their coveragecould lapse so they can be as prepared aspossible to explore limited alternatives.
CHIP typically has near-unanimous bipar-tisan support, but was neglected this yearbecause of Congressional Republicans’ pre-occupation with passing their current taxplan to redistribute our national wealth tobillionaires and to repeal the AffordableCare Act.
Children and pregnant mothers in Vir-ginia and across the country depend onCHIP for life-saving care. Eliminating thisprogram would wreak havoc on families’health care for children should never be apolitical bargaining chip.
Taking care of our children’s health careis about people, not politics — but the pro-cess has become inherently political. It isnot too late to ask your friends living inGOP-held congressional districts to call ontheir congressmen to reauthorize CHIP soVirginians and citizens across the countrycan have the medical certainty they deserveand need.
Funding CHIP
WriteThe Gazette welcomes views on any
public issue. The deadline for allmaterial is noon Friday. Letters must
be signed. Include home addressand home and business numbers.
Letters are routinely edited for libel,grammar, good taste and factual
errors. Send to:Letters to the Editor
The Gazette1606 King St.
Alexandria VA 22314Call 703-917-6444 or mail
Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 ❖ 15www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
12 2017
Special VIP Offerfor your Toyota
ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA
1/31/18. 1/31/18.
1/31/18.
16 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ December 14-20, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
