alexandria gazette packet - the connection...

Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ December 17-23, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

25 Cents

Gazette PacketServing Alexandria for over 200 years • A Connection Newspaper

Alexandria

December 17, 2015

Address Service Requested

To: 1604 King St.,

Alexandria, VA 22314

Attention

Postmaster:

Time-sensitive

material.

PRSRT STD

U.S. Postage

PAID

Alexandria, VA

Permit #482

See Meeting with, Page 5

See Council, Page 25

See Firefighters, Page 7

By Vernon Miles

Gazette Packet

Chief Earl Cook’s meeting with residentsfrom the area near Four Mile Run, thesite of Alexandria’s most recent of fourunsolved murders, had a different tone

from Cook’s presentation on the same topic to CityCouncil last week. The murder of Eduardo DavidChandias Almendarez isn’t an abstract problem fac-ing the city; for residents attending the meeting atthe Cora Kelly Recreation Center, it raised questionsabout local safety.

The police community meet-ing on Dec. 14 didn’t offermuch by way of new informa-tion on Alexandria’s four un-solved murders, but Cook didreassure residents that the po-lice were still keeping the cityprotected.

“We have increased our po-lice presence in the greatercommunity and in your com-munity,” Cook told the audience. “Officers are outtonight and every day since the homicide. We askeveryone to keep due diligence. Fortunately… we’veseen a drop in crime, but statistics aren’t what’s im-portant when someone has lost their life.”

Without a suspect in custody, the police could stillnot confirm whether or not the homicide was gangmotivated, but Cook did say that his “guesstimate”is that they were probably gang related.

“The gang problem is regional,” said Cook. “[Theseguys] are not that territorial and they move rapidly.”

Cook would not comment on whether it was con-

nected to the earlier homicide of Jose Luis Ferman,found in Beverley Park, or the two earlier homicidesin the Braddock neighborhood. Cook also said hecould not comment on whether the victims in thetwo most recent cases were killed on-site or whetherthe bodies were disposed there later.

Despite the limited information he could provideon the details of the homicide, Cook did stay to an-swer every question about procedure and respondto each of the concerns from citizens. The bleachersof the center’s gymnasium were full, and at least one-third of those assembled at the police communitymeeting were Spanish-speaking. An English-Span-

ish translator service was of-fered and frequently used.Adriana Schellhaas from CasaChirilagua said many of thecommunity’s parents attendedthe meeting.

“It was good to see the par-ents here,” said Schellhaas,though in the future she en-couraged the police to break themeeting into smaller groups,

partially to help the prospect of speaking up feel lessdaunting. “You hear unsafe things, and the fact thatthese [murders] were so close… the neighborhoodhas been quieter than usual.”

Residents in the local neighborhoods are still onedge, but say they feel safer.

“I appreciated that Chief [Cook] answered all ofthe questions respectfully,” said Aidan Bohlander. “Itwas a respectful, thorough, and thoughtful meeting.

Chief Earl Cook reassures citizens at Cora Kelly Recreation Center.

Assurances, but No AnswersResidents express appreciation for increasedpolice community engagement.

“We have increased ourpolice presence in thegreater community andin your community.”

— Chief Earl Cook

Pho

to

by Verno

n M

iles/ G

azette Packet

By Vernon Miles

Gazette Packet

The most recent bout of de-veloper EYA and a groupof Waterfront residents

went in the developer’s favor, butit wasn’t a knockout, and the citi-zens showed they weren’t goingdown without a fight.

The fight centered over an ap-peal of an Old and Historic Alex-andria District Board of Architec-tural Review (BAR) decision ap-proving Buildings 1, 2, 3, andTownhouses. Collectively, thesebuildings are EYA’s planned re-placement for the abandoned fac-tory at 2 Duke St. called RobinsonTerminal South. A petition filed byJames “Hal” Hardaway with 53signatures called the BAR decision

“arbitrary and capricious,” sayingthat the exterior architectural fea-tures of the structures do not con-form with the city’s standards.

The central premise of the ap-peal was the same that’s been atthe center of most developer vs.citizen fights in Old Town: that thescale and character of the build-ing is inappropriate for the historicneighborhood.

“This is not appropriate for OldTown and the Historic Water-front,” said Townsend “Van” VanFleet, comparing the constructionto urban renewal efforts in the1960s. “Historic properties wererazed to create modern buildingsof absolutely no consequence.”

Some in the city objected to thatcomparison.

By Jeanne Theismann

Gazette Packet

Christmas arrived early formore than 250 childrenfrom local Head Start

programs as they picked out toysand visited with Santa and Super-hero Flash Max during the annualFirefighters and Friends to theRescue toy drive distribution dayDec. 15 at Penn Daw Fire Station11.

“We distributed over 3,000 toysto 65 schools, shelters andnonprofits in the City of Alexan-

To the RescueFirefightersprovide toysfor area children.

ACT Executive DirectorJohn Porter, right, con-gratulates Capt. WillieBailey on the success ofthis year’s toy drive.

Pho

to

by Jean

ne T

heism

an

n/G

azette Packet

Appeal DeniedCouncil upholds BAR approval ofRobinson Terminal South buildings.

Page 23

2 ❖ Alexandria Gazette Packet ❖ December 17-23, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

If you’re Katherine Keith and it’s notpast Dec. 30, stop reading. This issupposed to be a surprise party.

But for the rest of Alexandria, MyGrandmother’s House is hosting an eventon Dec. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at the CarlyleClub to gather supplies and raise fundsfor families in need in rural Virginia. Thespace was an in-kind donation from theCarlyle Club and the event will featurelive music.

My Grandmother’s House is a smallnon-profit, started in Alexandria lessthan a year ago. In its first six months,My Grandmother’s House has given away8,000 diapers, 59 cradles, and $19,700in baby and toddler clothes. In additionto equipment and toys, families in needreceive two days’ worth of food, diapers,and clothing.

The charity is run by the aforemen-tioned Keith, her daughter Anne Bryant,and Bryant’s friend Caitlin Mack. Bryantsays a few years ago, her mother retiredand spent time in the Northern Neck re-gion of Virginia, and discovered thatmany of the new mothers in the areadidn’t have access to the resources moth-ers in Northern Virginia have.

“There’s too much stuff up here, not

enough down,” said Bryant. “[Those]moms and kids desperately need theseresources.”

— Vernon Miles

To Grandmother’s House

Katherine Keith and CaitlinMack load up My Grandmother’sHouse’s mobile facility.

Pho

to

by Verno

n M

iles/ G

azette Packet

Scouts from the American Heritage Girls Troop 1381 gather with theirtroop leaders and friends after placing wreaths in the Alexandria Na-tional Cemetery on Saturday afternoon.

Wreaths Across AmericaV

olunteers gathered at the AlexandriaNational Cemetery on Saturday,Dec. 12, to place wreaths upon 1962

headstones. Scouts from the American Heri-tage Girls of St. Rita’s Troop VA 1381 ob-tained sponsorship for 1,168 of the wreaths.This is the fourth year that the Scouts haveparticipated in soliciting sponsorships of thewreaths.

Jane Bremberg looks for a head-stone to place a wreath.

Pho

to

s C

on

tributed

After the long andtroubled saga of FireStation 210’s origins,the station officially

had its ribbon cutting ceremonyearly on Dec. 12. Officially, the firestation had been open since April,but had suffered fromunderstaffing issues.

“[This station] will continue togrow and change,” said MayorWilliam Euille, appointed as anhonorary fire chief at the cer-emony by actual Alexandria FireChief Robert C. Dubé. “We’re de-lighted to see it come to life; pro-tecting residents, visitors, andbusinesses. We’re truly blessed tohave such dedicated firefighters,medics, and support staff.”

Jason Wehmeyer took over thenew station as captain. Wehmeyerhad been captain of other compa-nies before, but had been work-ing in training recently. Accordingto Wehmeyer, taking over a newstation like 210 is as much an op-portunity as it is a challenge.

“It’s good to be back out on thestreet,” said Wehmeyer. “The areaaround here has residential, com-mercial, and interstate. It’s a goodmix of old and new challenges.Our first order is going to be build-ing relations with mutual aid inFairfax.”

City Officially Launches Fire Station 210

Fire Chief Robert C. Dubé(left) with Mayor WilliamEuille.

Firefighters and City Council unbuckle a hose, the Fire Station equivalent to a ribboncutting.

In the meantime, Wehmeyersaid he’s mostly trying to become

familiar with the neighborhoodthat he and the rest of 210 are now

tasked with protecting.— Vernon Miles

Fire Station 210’s CaptainJason Wehmeyer.

Pho

to

s by Verno

n M

iles/ G

azette Packet

Alexandria Gazette Editor Steven Mauren

703-778-9415 or [email protected]


Interested in a Career in Real Estate? Pre-licensing courses are available soon. Call Managing Broker, Mark Ackermann, at 703-888-5100 for further information.

Alexandria/Potomac Yard Area $448,800181 East Reed Avenue, Unit #307. METRO COMING! Instant equity –Metro in Potomac Yard – soon! Meanwhile, enjoy sleek, urban living inthe Preston. Your home has 2 BR/2 BA, with spacious en suite master.Dramatic espresso floors, surround sound and recessed lighting. Openfloor plan, 11' ceilings, corner unit w/huge windows and balcony.Gourmet kitchen w/granite counters, gas stove. Catch views & fireworksfrom rooftop deck. GARAGE SPACE + visitor parking! Close to D.C., OldTown. Come see! Barbara Rosen 703-407-6481

Alexandria $174,8002059 Huntington Avenue. River views from each room! Your new homeboasts 850 sq. ft. with renovated kitchen and bath, large rooms, and gleamingparquet floors. Enjoy coffee or a bite at the kitchen counter or spacious diningroom. Wow! Huge living room and bedroom. Balcony facing river and NationalHarbor lights, including Capital Ferris Wheel. 2 Walk-in closets. Metro 5 blocks,easy access to 495, Old Town, and D.C. 24 hr. desk, pool, tennis. Come see orcall me at 703-407-6481. Barbara Rosen 703-407-6481

Chatham Square/Old Town$925,000

422 Euille St. Elegant3 bedroom, 3.5 bathtown house withattached 2-car garagejust a few blocks fromshops, restaurants onKing Street and theriverfront. Four finishedlevels, family room withfireplace, gourmet eat-in kitchen and spaciousMaster suite with luxurybath. Rooftop terracewith city views!

Christine Garner703-587-4855

Alexandria/Old Town

$1,725,000130 Prince St. Historic4 bedroom, 3.5 bathsemidetached home on“Captain’s Row” 1 blockoff of King St. Fullyrestored, (over $900K)with spacious rooms,high ceilings, 2fireplaces, random-width wood floors andcustom built-ins. Lovelygarden with Koi pond,brick patio and pergolawith street access.


Alexandria/Old Town$764,999

719 S. Royal St.Walk to cafés, shops& the riverfront fromthis beautifullyrenovated home. 2BRs, fireplace,handsome kit/FR.Finished Basement.Deep garden. Easyparking.Diann Hicks Carlson

702-628-2440

Alexandria/Braddock Place

$575,000802 N. Fayette St. Greatopportunity! Brick endtown house with 2separate units and 2 off-street parking spaceslocated just a couple ofblocks from the BraddockRd. METRO! A 1 level, 1bedroom & 1 bath unit onthe main level withseparate entrance and a 2level, 2 bedroom & 2.5bath unit above. Each unithas 1 assigned parkingspace. 1 Block toBraddock METRO. CallChristine for details.


Annandale $949,0004011 Gallows Rd. Almost 1 Acre inside Beltway! Already subdivided andapproved by Fairfax Country and ready to build, this private and level lot ispart of a former dairy farm and fringed with mature trees. Bring your ownbuilder, or work with ours. We have plans ready for a 3-level, 4 bedroomcolonial with a three-car side load garage which can be built in the mid-$900,000, including land! Call Mary Hurlbut for details, 703-980-9595.

Michael Seith & Mary Hurlbut 703-980-9595

Alexandria $694,9005503 Teak Court. 4+ Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms on 3levels. Large lot on cul-de-sac with mature trees. 2-car garage, less than 1.5 miles to Ft. Belvoir; updatedkitchen, hardwoods. Overlooks golf course.

Leslie Atkinson 703-967-1471

Alexandria/Lofts $240,000301 S. Reynolds St. #209. CUTE AS A BUTTON! And all fixedup pretty, for a bargain price. Adorable 2 level, 2 bedroom,1.5 bath town house-style condo with loads of personality.Fresh and new kitchen and baths. Washer/dryer in unit.Gleaming wood floors. Covered parking. Easy Walk toMetro and shopping. Julie Hall 703-786-3634

Del Ray $1,099,0003 West Howell Ave. Beautiful 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home with a fabulous 2level addition, new front porch and off-street parking. Gourmet kitchen withlarge island and breakfast room. Adjoining family room with French doorsto the fenced yard with new patio. Upper level with 3 bedrooms includingthe Master suite with luxurious en suite bath. Lower level recreation roomwith access to the yard. Christine Garner 703-587-4855

Alexandria/Kings Hwy $485,0003506 Groveton St. Beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath house withTHIS HUGE yard. Completely renovated inside with cherrycabinets, granite counters, wood floors throughout andexposed brick wall. New bathrooms. Cool inside and out.Easy walk to shopping. Easy to Huntington Metro.

Julie Hall 703-786-3634

McLean $989,0006501 Sparrow Point Ct. Premium serene woodedcul-de-sac on a huge lot in Langley Oaks! Well-maintained home, original owner and an AMAZING

VALUE! In Langley HS District!Beverly Tatum 703-585-9673


News

Holiday Entertaining“Santa” Steve Czechansky walks up and down thesidewalk at Centre Plaza on Quaker Lane, poppinginto the small stores on the strip to play Christmassongs on his accordion. He squeezes the bellows inand out as he finds the button for the C majorchord. He says, “It is just for fun.” Czechansky hasbeen playing the accordion since he was 7 years old“as the first male child in a Polish family.” He sayshe plays with a partner in a group called Buttonsand Bellows.

Pho

to

by Sh

irley R

uh

e/G

azette Packet

Meeting with ResidentsFrom Page 1

I generally feel safe.”“It was very informative,” said

Lucy Willis. “It gave the commu-nity a sense of what [the police]are doing.”

Willis has lived in Alexandriasince 1976 and said the crime situ-ation isn’t nearly as bad today asit was throughout the ‘80s.

“I feel safe today,” said Willis.“Considering what we had in thepast, we don’t have a lot of crime.”

Willis and others at the meetingechoed a sentiment that had been

shared at community meetingssince the first homicide in earlyJune in an affordable housingneighborhood, and warned citi-zens not to assume residents ofaffordable housing are involved incriminal activities. While Cookencouraged citizens to report sus-picious activity, he also empha-sized Willis’ point on unitingrather than dividing the local com-munity.

“Don’t make assumptions aboutyour neighbors,” said Cook.“Reach across the fence and talkto them.”

Helen J. Evans, 88 of Al-exandria, died at herhome on Dec. 10, 2015.

She was born June 13, 1927 to thelate William and Margaret Peevelyof Speedwell, Tenn. Helen was along time resident of Alexandriaand lived in the Rosemont neigh-borhood for over 50 years. Com-ing from a farming family she en-joyed tending to her vegetablegarden every summer. Helen isalso known for her love of childrenthat extended beyond her own andenjoyed socializing with her neigh-bors.

Including her parents, she is pre-ceded in death by her loving hus-

band of 54 years, Clarence Evansand her daughter, Norma GailStentzel.

Helen is survived by her threedaughters, Ann Lewis; MaryHutchinson (Steve); Donna Marr(Robert), and her two sons, DavidEvans (Elaina) and James Evans(Karen); her two sisters, PaulineAusmus and Kathy Cheek. She isalso survived by her 12 lovinggrandchildren.

Family and friends celebratedHelen’s life at Cunningham TurchFuneral, 811 Cameron St., onMonday, Dec. 14. Interment fol-lowed at Mount Comfort Cem-etery, Alexandria.

Obituary

Helen J. Evans


People

By Ionela Lutai

Volunteer Alexandria

Are you ready to be jolly?Would you like to helpseniors and low-income

families during this winter sea-son? If so, consider becominga Snow Buddy. Volunteer Alex-andria, in collaboration withthe City of Alexandria, imple-ments Snow Buddies, a pro-gram in which volunteers reg-ister to help others by shovel-ing snow when winter decidesto throw on its white coat.

Last year, 30 Snow Buddyvolunteers helped more than 35families who needed snow re-moval assistance during thesnow season. “Snow Buddieshas been great!” said volunteerEric Dillon. “The best part is theseniors. All of them offer mesomething warm to drink or say‘thanks’ in person and it trulyshows their gratitude.”

If interested in volunteeringas a Snow Buddy, register atwww.VolunteerAlexandria.organd search Snow Buddies.Once registered, you will bematched with a senior or fam-ily that needs assistance.

“Snow days for my peers are

like holidays where everyonestays warm and drinks wine,but I know these days are any-thing but little vacations for myseniors,” Dillon added. “Theseevents adversely affect theirlives. Hopefully, I’m being apart of the solution for them.”

Let It SnowSnow Buddies helpduring winter months.

Volunteer Alexandria’sSnow Buddies help thosein need during the win-ter months.

Pho

to

co

ntributed

Mr. and Mrs. Carl EugeneCarson III and Mr. andMrs. Robert Paul

Napoli announce the engagementof Carl E. “Forthe” Carson IV ofAlexandria, to Megan MarjanNapoli of Wilmette, Ill. The groom-to-be is a 2006 graduate of St.Stephen’s and St. Agnes EpiscopalHigh School and Appalachian

State University. The bride-to-be isa graduate of New Trier HighSchool in Wilmette, Ill. andDePauw University. Mr. Carson isa senior sales engineer for KeyenceCorporation and Miss Napoli is anassociate buyer for Target Corpo-ration. Both reside in Minneapolis,Minn. The couple plans to marrySeptember 2016 in Chicago, Ill.

Carl E. “Forthe” Carson IV and Megan Marjan Napoli

Carson, Napoli Engaged

By Shirley L. Ruhe

Gazette Packet

Emily Lawton pushes down the three pistonvalves in different combinations on her altohorn, pitched in E-flat and used in British style

bands. She is “playing the kettle” as the glass doorsautomatically swing open but customers stop for aminute to listen before grocery shopping. The mel-low rounded tone floats through the Safeway park-ing garage with “Away in a Manager.” Lawton turnsthe page to “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” andshoppers walk past the shiny red Salvation Armykettle located in front of the grocery store. Lawton

said, “I don’t really know how manypeople donate because I am concen-trating so much on playing my music.”

It is 2 p.m. In a few hours Lawtonwill be at Dulles airport heading back

to England after four weeks in the United States vol-unteering for the Salvation Army. She said, “I havebeen coming here to do this for four years.” She ex-plained she came to America the first time as a Sal-vation Army volunteer at Christmas as somethingdifferent to do, to make a difference and to see theworld.” This year she arrived Nov. 17, but she addedthat the Salvation Army started collecting this yearon Nov. 9. The tradition began in 1891 when a Sal-vation Army captain sought to find a way to feed1,000 San Francisco homeless and put out a kettle.

Lawton said she works from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.six days a week as a volunteer, with a few breaks ofcourse. She moves from place to place playing herhorn in a different location each day as assigned.“People tell me they like the horn better than thebells.” Lawton has been at the Giant on TelegraphRoad, the Safeway on Van Doren and on Fort Huntand the Giant on Beacon Hill. Today she is bundledup outside the Safeway at Braddock Shopping Cen-ter. Lawton said sometimes it gets cold but, “we wearheavy coats, and some days it is quite nice andwarm.”

She said in England the Salvation Army doesn’thave the red kettles but instead they have SalvationArmy bands that go around and play and, “we have

like a case for donations; oh I don’t know what tocall them. We call them tins. They are just like this.”She makes a small circle with her fingers.

Lawton has been playing the alto horn for aboutfive years.

She said she played brass when she was youngerbut gave it up for a while and then started again,but with the alto horn. When Lawton arrives back inEngland? “When I get home, I am going to play withthe Salvation Army band.” She turns the page in herbook of music. “I don’t really have a favorite, “ shesaid. Lawton straightens her blue felt hat with theSalvation Army insignia and “Winter Wonderland”greets the next visitors.

Lawton ‘Plays the Kettle’

Emily Lawton, playing the alto horn onher 11 a.m.-6 p.m. shift with the SalvationArmy, selects “Away in a Manager” for thegrocery shoppers entering the Safeway.

People

At Work

In three hours Emily Lawton will be at Dulles Airportwaiting for a plane to take her back to England. For thelast four years she has come to Alexandria to volunteerwith the Salvation Army for several weeks playing heralto horn beside the “big red donation kettle.”

Emily Lawton “plays thekettle” outside the Safewayat Bradlee Shopping Center.She is here from England tovolunteer with the Salva-tion Army in Alexandria.She says the first time shecame if was somethingdifferent to do and shewanted to see the worldand help people.

Pho

to

s by Sh

irley R

uh

e/G

azette Packet


TCHOUPITOULASFine Furnishings and Interior Design

Tradition with a Twist

210 N. Lee Street, Alexandria ~ 703-299-0145www.TchoupitoulasFurnishings.com

Mon–Fri: 10–6 • Sat: 10–5 • Sun: 12–5Active Duty and Retired US Military Always

receive an additional 10% off every saleINDUSTRYPARTNER

Spread good tidingswith a gift from Tchoupitoulas!

Historic Christ Church~ Sunday, December 20, 5:00 P.M. ~

Children’s Christmas Pageant & Yuletide FeastThe pageant will be held in the church. Doors open at

4:30 P.M. After the pageant, all are welcome to enjoy theYuletide Feast, a catered dinner, in the Auditorium. Suggested

donation of $20 (or $5 per person). You may bring yourfavorite holiday treat to share for dessert.

Thursday, December 24 • Christmas Eve Services3:00 P.M. ~ Worship with Communion & Carols5:30 P.M. ~ Worship with Communion & Carols

8:00 P.M. ~ Festive Worship with Communion, Choir & Carols10:30 P.M. ~ Festive Worship with Communion, Choir & Carols

Friday, December 25 • Christmas Day Service10:00 A.M. ~ Worship with Communion & Carols

Thursday, December 31 • New Year’s Eve Service10:00 P.M. ~ Prayer service

118 North Washington StreetAlexandria, VA 22314

www.historicchristchurch.org

703-549-1450

News

Firefighters Provide ToysFrom Page 1

Sit Means Sit therapy dog volunteers Ted Madsen (withSkjold), Tiffany Singleton (with Thor) and Sonny Madsen(with Freyja) lend a helping paw at the toy distribution.

dria and Fairfax and PrinceGeorges counties,” said Capt.Willie Bailey, who founded the toydrive 16 years ago. “Prior to thedistribution to school representa-tives, we escorted and gave 250toys to local preschool kids.”

Bailey, a resident of Del Ray andcouncilman-elect for the City ofAlexandria, said that 500 newcoats were also given out to chil-dren in need. “This was done withthe support of numerous localbusinesses including the policeand Sheriff’s Office,” he said.

Fairfax County Fire Chief Rich-ard Bowers was on hand to helpwith the toy distribution, whichalso included bikes, gift cards andbooks.

“This is a very special day,” Bow-ers said. “It’s incredible to see thecommunity come together like this. It gives the chil-dren a start and place to look for a finish in life.”

Volunteers included firefighters Mike Furman asSuperhero Flash Max and Dave Saunders and his sonHunter as Santa and his elf. GO TEAM Sit Means Sitvolunteers were on hand with therapy and comfortdogs.

“It’s wonderful seeing Will continue to give backto the community,” said ACT Executive Director John

Porter. “From backpacks in August, coats in Octoberand toys in December, Will continues to be concernedabout those in need in Alexandria and Fairfax County.He’s amazing.”

Bowers concurred.“We have Santa, a superhero — everything a kid

wants in life in one place at one time,” Bowers said.“Will does a great job and makes this a special dayfor everyone.”

Pho

to

by Jean

ne T

heism

an

n/G

azette Packet


News

Members of the OldTown Walled GardenClub completed the

judging for the annual door deco-rating contest last week.Winners were chosen for original-ity of design, scale, color, con-trast, and attractiveness from thestreet. This year’s winners are:first place – 323 North Royal St.,second place – 212 South Lee St.

and third place – 205 North Co-lumbus St. Honorable mentionswere presented to 314 Prince St.and 611 South Fairfax St.The first, second, and third placewinners were awarded prizesfrom Blackwall Hitch onCameron Street, The MarketSquare Shop on King Street, andSonoma Cellar on King Street, re-spectively.

1st Place winner - 323 North Royal St.

2nd Place - 212 South Lee St.3rd Place - 205 North Co-lumbus St.

Door DecoratingContest Winners

Pho

to

s C

on

tributed

Holiday SweetsA table just inside the door of GreatHarvest Bread Co. at Centre Plaza isspread with large packaged gingerbreadmen, Christmas tree cookies and candycane crunch cookies based off theoatmeal cookies with freshly milledwhole wheat flour. “We’re proud ofthat,” said Megan Hurst who owns thebakery with her husband Brad. The frontdoor swings open and her two youngdaughters burst into the bakery withAshley headed for the “St. Nick-er-doodles,” her favorite. “They are our“giant cookies,” Hurst said. On the wireracks behind the counter sit the Hanuk-kah breads (although sold out for theday), holiday stollen with honey, cinna-mon, rum flavor, almonds, hazelnuts,apricots and more and well as thepumpkin spice or pumpkin chocolatechip bread, the Kentucky bourbon breadand pumpkin cream cheese bars.

In the kitchen of Alexandria Pastry Shopin its 28th year at Bradlee ShoppingCenter, Uber Lovez is making 18” gin-gerbread houses with a metal formspecially created. “We sell about 100 ofthese a season,” said owner Tom Lally(left). He said one woman has beenordering these undecorated for 15 yearsand decorates them with her son. Thekitchen refrigerator is full of 700 as-sorted mini French pastries ordered fora holiday party although “most of ourbusiness is retail.” Metal trays of cook-ies, macaroons, freshly made crêmebrûlée “waiting for the burnt sugartopping” and small key lime tarts linethe wall of the kitchen. The large glasscase in the bakery is filled with whitestocking cookies, red bells, red sprinklestars, red and white candy cane cookieswhile the Buche de Noel (chocolatesponge cake with chocolate ganache) islined up in the case around the corner.

Jessica Rapier, themanaging director, saidBuzz Bakery is a classicAmericana bakery, “thethings your grandmawould have made.” Shesaid many of the holidayspecialities are her sisterand mother’s recipes.Travis McClary, a bakeryemployee, points to therum bundt cake thatcomes in a mini-size boxas well as a full sizebundt cake. “It is prettyamazing, very rum-flavored with a lot ofparty in that cake,”according to Rapier.

In the kitchen at Bittersweet bakery on King Street, aspecial order of mixed cupcakes is being loaded for acorporation with the company logo on the top and an“asap” on the order. They sit beside yellow cupcakeswith iridescent pink pearls and sugar, another special“pick up“ order. Diana Mejia, an employee for 19years, said, “we try to make something different forthe customers every single year.” Mejia added, “Thecarrot and red velvet cupcakes are the best sellers.”She pulls out a tray of Christmas cookies decoratedlike Christmas ball ornaments from the rack of stock-ings, tiny gingerbread men, candy canes and Christ-mas trees. They will have icing added before they areadded to the display of Christmas cookies. The longglass case in the front of the store is filled with tinyyellow cupcakes frosted in pink with upright greenwreaths, chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icingand red sprinkles. For your favorite canine there arepeanut butter carrot cupcakes with a dog bone on top.

Pho

to

s by Sh

irley R

uh

e/G

azette Packet


www.AlexandriaGazette.com

@AlexGazette

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

[email protected]

Vernon MilesReporter, 703-615-0960

[email protected]

Jeanne Theismann703-778-9436

[email protected]@TheismannMedia

Jon RoetmanSports Editor, 703-752-4013

[email protected]@jonroetman

Steve ArtleyCartoonist

[email protected]

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

[email protected]

Debbie FunkDisply Advertising/National Sales

[email protected]

Julie FerrillDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9446

[email protected]

Tara LloydDisplay Advertising, 703-778-9447

[email protected]

Andrea SmithClassified Advertising, 703-778-9411

[email protected]

David GriffinMarketing Assistant

[email protected]

PublisherJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

Editor in ChiefSteven MaurenPhotography:

John Bordner, Deb Cobb,Louise Krafft, Craig Sterbutzel

Art/Design:Laurence Foong, John Heinly

Production Manager:Geovani Flores

Editor Emeritus:Mary Anne Weber

CIRCULATION: 703-778-9426Circulation Manager:

Ann [email protected]

A Connection Newspaper

The Alexandria Gazette Packet is distributedweekly to selected homes in the

City of Alexandria.Any owners or occupants of premises thatdo not wish to receive the paper can notify

the publisher by telephone at 703-778-9426or by email to

[email protected],and the distributor will be notified to

discontinue service.

Gazette PacketAlexandria

Opinion

By Amy Johnson, Jennifer Konish

and Nick Arent

The holiday season is one of our fa-vorite times of year because it’s allabout the best things in life. It’s atime for celebrating, bringing age-

old cultural traditions to life, and spendingtime with family and friends. It’s about beingthankful for all of the things we are fortunateenough to have in our lives and remindingpeople how much we love and appreciatethem. Oh and we suppose the delicious food

that accompanies all ofthese things makes themthat much more enjoyable!

During the holidays thereare still a number of people who are strugglingto make ends meet and many who don’t haveenough to eat, but luckily, it is also the seasonof giving. Around the country, the holidays in-spire hundreds of thousands of people to giveto the poor. Caring individuals get involved bydonating to hunger-relief organizations suchas the Capital Area Food Bank — the largestnon-profit serving the Washington metro area— serving at soup kitchens, and finding otherways to contribute to the improvement of ourcommunities. Especially when it comes to shar-ing food, we make sure that everyone hassomething to eat. The holiday spirit unites us,brings out the best in us, and motivates us tomake a real difference in the lives of others.

This year, let’s make it our New Year’s reso-lution to keep this level of engagement con-

tinuing into 2016 by tackling one of most tragicproblems facing our country — childhood hun-ger.

About 400,000 children here in Virginiaalone are at risk of going hungry and it’s a prob-lem we can’t afford to put off for another year.Despite all the pies, casseroles, hams and tur-keys that will be enjoyed over the next severalweeks, over 15.5 million kids across the coun-try are food insecure. According to No KidHungry “three out of four public school teach-ers say students regularly come to school hun-gry” — another alarming statistic. In a coun-try as prosperous as our own, it is absolutelyunacceptable that there are any children whodon’t know where they are going to get theirnext meal.

The bottom line is that when kids are hun-gry, they struggle to learn, and kids whostruggle to learn, struggle in life. With stom-achs growling, hungry children sit throughclass unable to focus and get the most out ofschool. Fatigue and weakness as the result ofpoor nutrition make it difficult for them to stayawake or participate in physical activities likerecess and PE. They are more likely to sufferfrom hyperactivity, miss school, and experienceother behavioral problems which creates anegative learning environment for all students— even their peers who are not food insecure.Perhaps the scariest thing about childhood foodinsecurity is the inability for a child to reachtheir full potential because of the dramaticdamage hunger does to their brain. Over time,hungry students fall behind their peers aca-demically and many of them never catch upmaking it far more difficult for them to findgood jobs and take care of their children oncethey grow up. The medical sector is beginningto reprioritize its resources to see healthy foodas the important intervention it is. For example,the American Academy of Pediatrics recently

recommended for the first time that pediatri-cians screen all children for food insecurity.

If we want to make sure every child gets afair shot in life, we need to make sure ourelected officials and decision-makers properlyfund and improve existing food assistance pro-grams such as free/reduced price school meals,SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) andWIC. Research shows that these programs helpstudents to perform better in school and in life— but they don’t go far enough. First LadyDorothy McAuliffe is an excellent example ofhow politicians from both sides of the aisleshould be making this issue a priority and con-tinuing to develop new solutions.

Congress is currently considering legislationto reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act and tomake changes to a number of food assistanceprograms. This legislation will influence fund-ing for programs like the Child and Adult CareFood Program and Summer Food Service Pro-gram which allows the Capital Area Food Bankand other organizations to provide nutritiousmeals to food insecure children when schoolis out of session. If you are as concerned aboutchildhood hunger as we are, you can contactyour elected officials and urge them to takeaction by calling the congressional switchboardat 202-225-3121.

We will start 2016 with one in six kids acrossVirginia waking up at risk of going hungrythroughout the year. With your help — bymaking ending childhood hunger your NewYear’s resolution and taking action on this is-sue throughout the year — we can work to-ward a future where we wake up on New Year’sDay to a country where every child’s basicneeds are met so that they all have a fair op-portunity to be successful in life.

Season of Giving Never Has To EndWhy ending childhoodhunger should be yourNew Year’s resolution.

Amy Johnson and Jennifer Konish are the NOVA KidsCafe Coordinators with the Capital Area Food Bank. NickArent is a Campaign Organizer with Virginia Fair Share.

Commentary

See Letters, Page 13

Letters to the Editor

Steve A

rtley/G

azette Packet

SilberbergNeeds SupportTo the Editor:

Those of us who, for the past sixyears, have harped on the lame-duck City Council in 2009 for mov-ing city elections to Novembermight well take an object lessonfrom last month’s results. CityCouncil was the only contest onthe ballot in most of the city, yetturnout was huge. Perhaps theelection of two Republicans in thelast-ever May election in 2009 hadmore to do with the Democratspresenting a slate for at-large po-sitions … all white with only onewoman. With Mayor Euille unop-posed, black Democrats had nocompelling cause to turn out andwomen had no good reason toticket split. Two blacks and twowomen seem to be the political“equilibrium.” In the two succeed-


Dealers

★ Mount Vernon Antique Center ★8101 Richmond Hwy., Alexandria

703-619-5100www.mtvantiques.com

Discover the secret source of many collectors, dealers,decorators and shoppers with “good eyes” and great taste.

Followus onFacebook &Twitter

The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but notbe limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service and it may includeapproximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warrantedand you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents affiliatedwith Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are notemployees of the Company. ©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved.Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act andthe Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, theColdwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Previews Internationaland the Previews logo are registered and unregistered servicemarks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.10713WDC_05/15

Alexandria 310 King St. | Alexandria, VA 22314 | 703.518.8300

86,000 Agents | 3,000 Offices on 6 Continents | 109-Year Legacy

Open House Sunday 2-4pmWarwick Village241 Burgess Avenue, Alexandria VACompletely renovated TH. 3 BR, 2 BA,Brand new kit opens to DR & LR. HWflrs, SS appl, sliding glass doors tobeautiful landscaped backyard & deck.Steps to “The Avenue” in Del Ray.$560,000Michelle MitchellMLS # AX9529133

Old Town 419 Wolfe St,Alexandria VABright & sunny 3 BR + 21⁄2 BAtownhome, circa 1820, in theabsolute heart of southeastquadrant. Brand new heating,cooling & hot water justinstalled! This is agem! $1,150,000Donnan C. Wintermute MLS # AX8755141

Open House Sunday 2-4pmMason Hill1907 Windmill Lane,Alexandria VABeautiful French Country Houseis a Gardeners Delight! GourmetKitchen with SS, Quartz, 2 Sinks,Kitchen Island. 5 LargeBedrooms with 4 Full Baths.2 Patios and 2-Car Garage.$859,000Greg Doherty MLS # FX8751957

Old Town 810 Montgomery Street,Alexandria VAPhenomenal price in Old Town!3 level town house with 2 parkingspaces. Hardwood floors onevery level, gourmet kitchen,gorgeous bathrooms, patio,rooftop terrace, walk to Metro!$689,900Karen LeonardMLS # AX9513273

Price Reduced!Open House Sunday 1-4pmBelle Haven Terrace2201 Yale Drive, Alexandria VAWell-maintained and beautifullyupgraded 3 bdrm rambler on a1/4 acre corner lot. This prettyhome features a new gourmetkitchen, game/family room, newbaths and large treehouse!$599,500 Donnan C. WintermuteMLS # FX9876574

Mt Vernon Manor8619 Gateshead Rd,Alexandria VASpacious 4 BR, 2.5 BA colonialin sought-after Mount VernonManor. Meticulously maintained,hardwood floors, fireplace,carport, updated kitchen,windows, doors, roof, etc.Must see! $529,900Mark SouderMLS # FX9533313

Opinion

By Mary Lee Anderson

Executive Director

Senior Services of Alexandria

In celebration of the eighth annualSubaru “Share the Love” Campaign,management and employees from

Beyer Subaru delivered Meals on Wheelsto Alexandria seniors, and also brought spe-cial gifts to help start the holiday season.Beyer Subaru has selected Senior Servicesof Alexandria as its Community Partner forthis year’s “Share the Love” event.

Beyer Subaru’s supportfor SSA and its Meals onWheels Program beganseveral years ago. WhenDon Beyer first returned toAlexandria after complet-

ing his role as ambassador to Switzerland,he called SSA. He wanted to find a volun-teer opportunity for his employees andMeals on Wheels had a special place in hisheart. Ever since, Beyer Subaru staff havedelivered meals each month and the deal-ership highlights the program every yearthrough the “Share the Love” Campaign.

The campaign runs through Jan. 2, 2016,and Beyer Subaru will donate $250 for ev-ery new Subaru vehicle sold or leased to

the customer’s choice of charities, includ-ing its hometown charity, Senior Servicesof Alexandria. In addition, there are fournational organizations designated bySubaru — ASPCA, Make-A-Wish, Meals onWheel Association and National Park Foun-dation.

With Subaru retailers also making theirown donations to local charities, total do-nations will be well in excess of the $15million committed by Subaru of America.

“We are thrilled to once again partnerwith Senior Services of Alexandria for theSubaru Share the Love campaign. It bringsgreat joy to our employees and customersto have such a meaningful impact on thelives of our Alexandria seniors,” saidStephanie Beyer.

Beyer Subaru of Alexandria is located at7416 Richmond Highway in Alexandria. Formore information about the Share the LoveCampaign, visit Subaru.com/sharethelove.

Senior Services of Alexandria is a non-profit organization that has as its mission,“to foster independence and self-sufficiency,enabling seniors within the City of Alexan-dria to age with dignity.” For more infor-mation about its programs and services, visitseniorservicesalex.org or call 703-836-4414.

From left: Sam Hicham and Kamrul Ashfakh, Beyer Subaru; Mary LeeAnderson, SSA’s executive director; Nicole Izes and Anil George,Beyer Subaru.

Sharing the Love

Senior

Services of

Alexandria

Pho

to

C

on

tributed

Dreamsand dedi-cationare apowerfulcombina-tion.

—WilliamLonggood


Opinion

By Barbara S. Moffet

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

Every once in awhile an animal ar-rives at Alexandria’s Vola LawsonAnimal Shelter who seems des-tined for something big. A dog

called Zara, who showed up in September2013, was one of those animals. Zara — aBelgian Malinois, a breed resembling a Ger-man shepherd — had a brown and blackcoat and large, alert ears pointed skyward.

Turned in by an individual who providedlittle information about her, Zara obviouslywas a young dog with boundless energy.“She was very high-energy, very intense andfocused on playing with toys,” recalledAbbie Hubbard, deputy director of the shel-ter, which is operated by the Animal Wel-fare League of Alexandria. “She was veryresponsive to stimuli — and possibly too

much for a family to handle.”So Hubbard and her shelter

colleagues floated an idea: CouldZara be of help to the Alexan-

dria Police Department? A call was made.The force’s dog trainer and another officercame to visit Zara. After much consider-ation, they decided to take a gamble on her.

A year later, after intense training, espe-cially from Officer Steven Escobar, a 15-yearveteran of the force, Zara graduated fromBasic K-9 School. She now is his officialpartner, riding with him on patrol in thepolice cruiser every day, indispensable tohis work. “It was an experience at the be-ginning — Zara wanted to go, go, go,”Escobar said. “But she responded well toher training, and now she helps me handleburglaries, robberies and calls about suspi-cious packages all over the city.”

One of eight dogs now on the Alexandriapolice force, Zara is Escobar’s second K-9partner; his first one, a laid-back Germanshepherd, died last year. Escobar workedclosely with Zara in her months of trainingand found that above all, she was motivatedby play. Using toys — and edible treats —Escobar taught her to respond to the com-mand of “seek” by running down a pathwhere a criminal might have fired aweapon, using her laser-sharp sense of smellto follow a fresh scent trail and root out adiscarded gun. Zara also has learned to“track” — putting her nose to the ground

to trace the scent of a criminal who is flee-ing police.

When a burglary is in progress, Zara goesin first. Her training leads her to zero in onthe criminal and bite his right arm until heis subdued and Escobar can take over.

Learning how to sniff out explosivesproved challenging for the dog. “We triedtraining her with a towel scented with ex-plosives, but she just couldn’t get it,”Escobar said. “Then our head trainer real-ized that a toy might get her attention, sohe started using a scented tennis ball. Shecaught on right away.” Now, on a commandof “locate,” a leashed Zara walks right up

to a suspicious package that has been re-ported by the public, sniffs it and the areaaround it for a possible bomb, and thenkeeps moving if there is nothing to fear. Sofar, Escobar said, she has not sat down bysuch a package — the signal that a bombmight be hidden inside. She has been rightevery time.

Escobar says he has bonded with Zara,who’s now 4 years old, and that his familyhas, too. She goes home with him everynight and transforms into a pet, at least fora few hours. “It doesn’t take long beforeshe’s nudging me to go back to work,”Escobar said.

Zara recently was certified by the U.S.Police Canine Association, and she contin-ues to train for eight hours weekly, includ-ing running an agility course at the K-9 ken-nels near the city’s Lee Recreation Center.She has become a rock-solid partner toEscobar. “Really, the dogs we work with takemost of the risk when we’re responding tocalls,” he said. “I feel much more securehaving Zara with me — it’s just safer foreverybody.”

Operated by the Animal Welfare League of Alex-andria, the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter is at 4101Eisenhower Ave. Visit www.alexandriaanimals.org orcall 703-746-4774.

Zara practices her jumps at the AlexandriaPolice Department’s K-9 agility training coursein Old Town.

One of eight police dogs on the Alexandriaforce, Zara is a Belgian Malinois who wasoriginally brought to the Vola Lawson AnimalShelter.

Alexandria Police Officer Steven Escobar prac-tices commands with his partner, Zara.

Former shelter dog Zara trains for action with herpartner, Officer Steven Escobar. Zara ascends a wall on the police K-9 agility course.

Shelter Dog Finds Higher Calling: Police Work

AWLA

Pho

to

s by Sh

elley C

astle Pho

to

graph

y


Helping our Alexandria neighbors 55+ remainindependent and in their own homes


From Page 10

Letters

ing elections which they swept, theDemocrats scrupulously avoidedmaking that mistake again.

Philosophy and party have be-come increasingly aligned. It ishard nowadays to find a liberalRepublican or a conservativeDemocrat. The base in each partywill not stand for it. What wemight deride as “crony capitalism”is today what the Democrat Partypractices and most of its votersprefer. Development deals are alocal-level example of that phe-nomenon. Republicans hereshould understand that’s the handthey’ve been dealt. And indepen-dents, like me, have to work to getbetter deals than the crummy onesour “get-to-yes” at any cost CityCouncil has been giving us lately.

Only a minority of Democrats inthe wider electorate seems willingto hold out for better deals and say“no” to bad ones, but with the rightDemocrat candidates and enoughindependent and Republicancrossover votes in the DemocraticPrimary next time, we can makesure Mayor Allison Silberberg isn’tthe only Democrat willing to say“no” to bad development deals.

Dino DrudiAlexandria

Thanking PublicSafety StaffTo the Editor:

I continue to hear disturbingreports of police brutality through-out our country, I cannot help butthink of the men and women ofour own police, sheriff and firedepartments. I wonder if they re-alize how grateful our city is fortheir dedication and commitment.To quote the words used at one ofthe funerals of a fallen police of-ficer, “Here they are and here theystay. They live in danger every dayso we can live in peace.”

As a resident of Alexandria forover 20 years, I have had the needto call on our public servants.When my dogs barked in themiddle of the night and my gatewas open, within minutes of mycall, the police were at my homewith a police dog while the officeron the phone instructed me to lockmy bedroom door and stay on thephone with her until they arrived.When there was a severe drugproblem on my street, the officersof the drug unit worked tirelesslyto eliminate the problem perma-nently, while giving our street ex-tra security. When the house nextdoor was on fire, minutes after my

call, police and firefighters wereon the scene. “Yes, here they areand here they stay” protecting ourfreedoms and keeping us safe.

Our police, firefighters anddeputy sheriffs live a very differ-ent life from most of us. They puttheir lives at risk every day, on andoff duty. I cannot imagine beingresponsible for protecting so manypeople. I cannot imagine being thefamily that waits for a call fromtheir loved one at the end of theirshift to say they are safe while alsofearing the call might come fromsomeone else, with a differentmessage. I cannot imagine gettinga call telling me there is an emer-gency and report immediately orwalking into gunfire or a burningbuilding to save a child. I cannotimagine living my life in a constantstate of readiness. Yet, this is thedaily life of our

police, sheriff and firefighters.They live this life to secure ourlives. However, with all of theirdedication, our public protectorsget less pay and often, fewer ben-efits, than so many people in theprivate sector. How many of ourprotectors can even afford to livein the city they protect? How manyof them can afford to own theirown home?


Letters

Springtime for ChristmasCherry blossoms bloom at the corner of Duke and Holland Lane,across from the Whole Foods.

Pho

to

by Jim

Laro

cco

From Page 13


Have you ever stopped to say “thank you”to these brave individuals when you seethem on the street? It is a difficult time inour country. We desperately need thesededicated individuals to now we are grate-ful for their courage, commitment and self-lessness. Please take the time to say thankyou when you see them on the street. Mostof all, keep them, and their families in yourprayers. We are so fortunate to have suchoutstanding police and fire departments anddeputy sheriffs in our city.

We do not want to lose any of them.

Linda Trinkle WolfAlexandria

DefineCompromiseTo the Editor:

I am as disappointed with your reporting[“BAR Fight,” Dec. 10] of the recent BARmeeting on the Old Colony site as I am withthe BAR and the developers. The articleimplies the community is unwilling to com-promise and that the developers have of-fered valid compromises. The concept ofcompromise seems to be very different tothe developers and the BAR than to the com-munity and most reasonable people.

Compromise assumes two or more trulydifferent positions based on points of view.Clearly, the developer and the BAR believecompromise is between two somewhat closeconcepts between one oversized design andanother. The community has indicated thatcompromise means a three-story structurebetween the concepts of a four-story build-ing and the current state.

What I saw at the BAR meeting was apanel that looked at a TV screen providinga perspective that in real time would haverequired the viewer to stand about 75 yardsaway — while the issue at hand is what theperspective is from 60 feet away. If you onlyview the former perspective, compromisewill look a great deal different than if youview it from the latter perspective whichwill be the one the neighbors will see everyday, all day.

What we have is here is a choice betweenreal and false compromise.

Jon SheinerAlexandria

Council’sShortcomingsTo the Editor:

An election comes and goes. The mayorgets voted out (yea), but all the councilmembers get re-elected. Why?

Build a new fire department, pass on afederal grant to staff it for two years andnow you are budgeting it out of the citybudget. Those two years would have giventhe city time to rethink and adjust its bud-get as it continues to just talk about address-ing infrastructure needs. Pass on land forSamuel Tucker Elementary School, and thenturn around and buy land for the school.CSX bridge, pass on a state grant that would

have paid for a new bridge and then begina harassment campaign against the railroadcompany to paint and do quick fixes to thebridge.

Recent homicides, gang violence cyclical?Let me make like an ostrich and stick myhead in the ground. Obviously everyoneforgot about the gang-related homicidewhere the feds took it over recently. Neverseemingly making news, gang tagging atFour mIle Run Park, a stabbing incident, anddrugs in the trash cans, all within the lastcouple of years.

The one thing that was well overdue wasthe council and mayor’s pay raise and ad-justing benefits for their staff. The opposi-tion to this was uncalled for. Yes on the sur-face it seems like a hefty pay raise, but waswell overdue. The pay raise one shouldquestion are various city positions whosepay is similar to neighboring jurisdictions.Why the school superintendant needs payalmost equal to a Fairfax when we are afraction the size is ridiculous. This is oneperfect example of where pay hostilityshould be and not at the council attempt-ing a pay raise.

Ruben “Bill” DuranAlexandria

EthicalLapsesTo the Editor:

Regarding the Alexandria City Council’sclaim of transparency in its dealings withthe citizens, I submit two examples of re-cent major ethical lapses on their part:

Increased property taxes: During the en-tire campaign, no member of the currentcouncil supported or mentioned a five centincrease to our property taxes in 2017. Evenmore disheartening was the discussion atthe recent council retreat when membersof council “war gamed” the public’s reac-tion to a tax increase — i.e., “if we do the

whole five cent increase now, then by thetime the next election rolls around in threeyears, the citizens will have forgotten aboutit, and it won’t be an issue.” This type ofleadership does not engender any confi-dence in our elected leaders.

Pay Raises: In addition to the tax hike,the council also neglected to mention thatthey were planning a considerable pay raisefor themselves. However, a barrage of citi-zen phone calls and emails to the councilalong with the firefighters venting their dis-pleasure totally derailed the council’s at-tempt, resulting in the issue being “tabled”for the time being. Although the Alexan-dria City Council is underpaid for the timespent carrying out their civic duties, someof that time is totally unnecessary. Withbetter scheduling and management of is-sues presented before them, the meetingscould be of much shorter duration, espe-cially when most of the issues are a “faitaccompli.” Before any pay raise is imple-mented, I would suggest that a citizen’s taskforce be convened on this matter, with rep-resentatives appointed by a number of thecivic associations. The task force would becharged with developing a process forchecks and balances in pay raises for theCity Council. No government entity shouldbe entirely responsible for awarding them-selves a pay raise. In that regard, the foxguarding the hen house comes to mind.

Townsend A. “Van” Van FleetAlexandria

Trump HateWith LoveTo the Editor:

I ran for City Council in 2003 as a Repub-lican, and since that time, I have rarelyvoiced my opinion in public. Recent events,however, compel me to again cast my viewsinto public life, if only for a particular pur-pose, explained below.

If Hitler were alive today, every one of us

would oppose his words, policies, and ac-tions, I believe. And yet somehow we areliving with a fascist and not enough of usare speaking out.

Donald Trump wants to forcibly deport11 million Hispanics living in the UnitedStates. Round them up and deport them,split apart families, etc.

He wants to bar any Muslim from enter-ing the U.S. Tourists. Businessmen. Immi-grants. Orphans. Anyone. He wants to cre-ate a database of Muslims.

If you take the word “Hispanic” and “Mus-lim” in the sentences above and replacethem with the word “Jew” you will haveHitler’s program. Round them up. Exportthem. Monitor those that remain. Excludethem from daily life. Stigmatize them.

Mr. Trump wants to deny citizenship tothose born here, despite the fact the 14thAmendment makes that the law of the land.He wants to impose a religious test on en-try to the U.S., which is against internationallaw and the 1st Amendment.

He apparently believes it’s OK to beat upprotesters at his rally, in fact he seems toencourage it. He bullies opponents from FoxNews to John McCain, whom he called “nota war hero” because he was captured.

Incredible!Speak up, please, my fellow Americans.

Let your friends know it’s not OK to acceptbigotry and hate in the United States. Whatunites us is far more important than whatdivides us. Don’t let fear and bullies becomethe future of our country.

Stand up! Speak out!If every one of us reaches out to 10 oth-

ers, and convinces them to spread the mes-sage for love and against hate, we canachieve amazing things. Like a spider web,the message will grow and increase.

We need to exercise our common concernto discredit this megalomaniac, while westill have a voice to do so — before it’s toolate.

John ReardonAlexandria

In AppreciationOf George MasonTo the Editor:

The Bill of Rights, one of the most impor-tant bulwarks of our freedoms, was theproduct of the wisdom and determinationof George Mason IV of Gunston Hall, aproud native Alexandrian. This forcefulstatement was adopted on Dec. 15, 1791,when the Virginia legislature provided thedecisive vote. Although it is the best-knownsection of the Constitution, many foundingfathers, including George Washington, op-posed its inclusion. George Mason IV de-serves our honor and thanks for his manyimportant contributions to our local wel-fare as well as that of our state, nation andthe world.

When the British closed the port at Bos-ton, he immediately realized that the Ameri-can colonies must unite to resist British tyr-anny. He initiated assistance in word anddeed by writing the Fairfax Resolves,adopted in Alexandria, the county seat, onJuly 18, 1774. He also set an example for


Select yourproducts from

our MobileShowroomand Design

CenterFully Insured &

Class A LicensedSince 1999

Free Estimates703-999-2928

From Now to WOW in 5 Days Guarantee

Visit our website: www.twopoorteachers.com

Home of the $6,850 Bathroom Remodel

TWO POOR TEACHERSKitchen and Bathroom Remodeling

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

10% downnothing until the jobis complete for the

past 17 years

Opinion

By Katharine Dixon

CEO, Rebuilding Together Alexandria

Dear Santa,In case you are trying to find me, I wanted to let you know

that I’m living in a new apartment this year. I even have myown bedroom. We don’t have a chimney, but I know you willfind a way to come in. Don’t worry, I will leave cookies.

My mom seems so happy this year. We get to play moresince we don’t have to spend as much time in the car to get

home. Before, mom and I would sing andtalk on the long ride home. We still talkand sing; but now that we live closer toher work, I have more time to play out-side. I go to the park near my house whichhas a fun playground.

Ana is my best friend. She lives near meand we go to the playground and bus stop

together. I’m hoping that Ana and I can be friends forever.Ms. Smith is my teacher this year. I’m glad I haven’t moved

to another school again. Having just one teacher has made iteasier for me to learn. My grades are better too. I really lovelearning about history but PE and lunch are also cool. I go toan after school program where I get to play and do my home-work.

I know that you have lots of kids to visit this year, but I’mhoping that you can find room in your sleigh for a bike. Itdoesn’t have to be new or fancy, but Ana and I want to biketo the park. The park was just fixed up!

My mom says that we can stay here for a while since ourrent won’t keep going up. That way you know where to findme next year too.

Your friend,Grace

We serve many “Graces” throughout the year —children and their parents who want a safe place tocall home that is near where they work and part of acommunity. We know that having affordable hous-ing is good for children, families and the whole com-munity. It creates stronger, more stable neighbor-hoods and ensures children get better educationalopportunities.

As the New Year approaches, I hope that our gen-erous, diverse, and vibrant Alexandria communitycan find new ways to come together in support ofchildren like Grace. At Rebuilding Together Alexan-dria, we look forward to partnering to create newand innovative ways to keep low-income residentshoused. To learn more about the importance of af-fordable housing or how to volunteer with us, visitwww.RebuildingTogetherAlex.org. Happy holidays.

Volunteers participate in the Hume Park revitalization.

All I Want for Christmas …

Pho

to

C

on

tributed

Rebuilding

Together

Alexandria


By Hope Nelson

Gazette Packet

It’s the middle of the holiday season,and free time is short. Often, sparetime is downright nonexistent, in fact,and the thought of sitting down to a

home-cooked meal is but a dream. Here arethree remedies that are sure to lend a handduring breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast: Stomping Ground2309 Mount Vernon Ave.

A low-key, walk-in establishment that’snew to the Del Ray scene, Stomping Groundwill give you everything you need to get

revved-up in the morning. Fairwarning that you’ll want to sitdown and relax with a café au

lait (with both dairy and nondairy options),but if you’re really set on grab-and-go, theycan do that for you too.

The first thing you’ll notice about Stomp-ing Ground’s menu is the biscuits. As a sand-wich, served with gravy, by themselves —biscuits serve in many functions here, andyou would do well to take part in the trend.Slightly crispy on the outside and wonder-fully tender and crumbly on the inside,these biscuits will allow any Southerner tohark back to their childhood (or theirgrandmama) and will introduce any Yan-kees to the Real Deal right away.

For something hearty and portable, theFarmers Frittata sandwich is always a solidbet. Made with seasonal ingredients, its fill-ing change from time to time but the won-

derful eggy flavor remains. Need fuel forthe whole day? Give the Classic sandwich atry; its filling of fried chicken and pimentocheese will give you the protein (and ca-loric) boost you need to see you throughthe hours ahead.

Lunch: District Taco701 S. Washington St.

District Taco has become a bit of a leg-end in the D.C. area. Beginning as a foodtruck in 2009, it has since expanded to halfa dozen brick-and-mortar locations, includ-ing one in Old Town, which opened one yearago. Serving Yucatan-style Mexican foodfrom morning till night, it’s an excellentplace to drop in, pick up a taco or two, andhead back out to face the busy day ahead.

The restaurant opens early enough in theday (7 a.m.) for diners to enjoy breakfast— and indeed, District Taco does have anall-day breakfast menu for just such an oc-

Three RestaurantsFor Takeout TodayShort on time duringthe holiday season?

casion — but at lunchtime, your best bet isa burrito. Take a long look at the proteinsand toppings before making your decision.The list is lengthy and enticing, but the wisediner knows that not everything under thesun can fit into a single burrito, so choosewisely. Some local favorites: Barbacoashredded beef, al Pastor rotisserie pork(marinated with guajillo chilies andchopped pineapple), or vegetarian. Addsome veggies and top the masterpiece withone (or more) of District Taco’s salsas at itssalsa bar, and you’ll be in good shape untildinnertime.

Dinner: Oriental Bistro3221 Duke St.

Though it sports a proper dining room aswell, Oriental Bistro (formerly OrientalStar) is a gem of a place to order takeout ordelivery on a busy evening. It’s true: Chi-nese food can be a bit, shall we say, typical

when it comes to a delivered-food choice,but Oriental Bistro bears this mantleproudly and surpasses expectations.

When perusing the menu, one tidbit thatstands out is the “mock meat.” Plant-basedeaters, rejoice: Now you, too, can enjoyMongolian beef, Hunan pork, or sweet andsour shrimp. But omnivores will also bequite at home with this menu, which offersall of the takeout staples and more.

Order the fried rice (with your choice ofprotein) and you’ll have at least two mealstaken care of; select the General Tso’sChicken and you’ll be treated to a spicy,slightly sweet entrée that’s teeming withflavor. Order a couple of spring rolls andyour meal is complete. With that, you canget back to the business (or busy-ness) ofthe holidays.

(Left) Café au lait at Stomping Ground in Del Ray. (Above) Forbreakfast, lunch, and dinner, District Taco on WashingtonStreet has a burrito waiting in the wings.

Appetite

Hope Nelson owns and operates the KitchenRecessionista blog, www.kitchenrecessionista.com.Email her at [email protected].

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Pho-tos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks be-fore event.

ONGOING“A Christmas Carol.” Through Dec.

19, 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.and 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. TheLittle Theatre of Alexandria performsthe classic Victorian tale of EbenezerScrooge who travels with ghostlyguides through Christmas past,present and future to find the truemeaning of the holidays. Tickets are$15. Visit www.thelittletheatre.com.

Del Ray Artisans Holiday Market.Through Dec. 20, various times atDel Ray Artisans, 2704 MountVernon Ave. Del Ray’s annualHoliday Market offers handmade finearts and crafts from local artists(including pottery/ceramics,photography, jewelry, fiber, papercrafts and glass). Find differentartists each weekend. Free to attend.Visit www.thedelrayartisans.org/

holidaymarket.Alexandria’s Holiday Market.

Through Dec. 23, various Times atJohn Carlyle Square, 300 JohnCarlyle St. Visitors can enjoy liveentertainment, traditional Europeanfood and sweets, wine and beer,while shopping for arts and crafts.Free. Visitwww.alexandriaholidaymarket.com.

Green Spring Gardens Art Show.Through Dec. 27, gallery hours atGreen Spring Gardens, 4603 GreenSpring Road. Artist Carol Higgsworks in batik, oil, watercolor, andcollage. Painter Joan Wolfe workswith acrylic and Erik and CarolineHottenstein use watercolors. Free.Call 703-642-5173 for more.

“A Broadway Christmas Carol.”Through Dec. 27, various times atMetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St.Created by Kathy Feininger anddirected by Michael Sharp, thisMetroStage holiday tradition is across between the classic Dickens’tale and Broadway parodies. Ticketsare $50. Visit www.metrostage.org.

Tag on 3rd: Gallery 311 OpeningExhibit. Through Dec. 31, 11 a.m.-6

p.m. at The Associates Gallery at theTorpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St.The Associates’ Gallery is re-openingin a renovated space on the TorpedoFactory’s third floor, studio 311. Theexhibit will honor Robert Rosselle, asculptor who died in July. Heoccupied Studio 311 for many years,and two of his sculptures will takecenter stage in the group’s new show.Free. Visit www.torpedofactory.org.

“Not-So-Modern” Jazz QuartetPerformance. Thursdays throughDec. 31, 7:30-10 p.m. at St. Elmo’sCoffee Pub, 2300 Mount Vernon Ave.Not So Modern Jazz Music playsmusic from the glory days oftraditional jazz, including tunes fromtraditional Dixieland and the Swingera. Free. Visitwww.stelmoscoffeepub.com formore.

“Nature’s Journey.” Through Jan. 2,at American Horticultural Society,7931 East Boulevard Drive. DarleneKaplan will exhibit more than 60 ofher original oriental brush paintingsin a one-person art exhibition. Free.Visit www.darlenekaplan.com formore.

Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery:“Winter Wonderland.” ThroughJan. 3, gallery hours at The TorpedoFactory Art Center–Studio 18, 105 N.Union St. Artists working in textilefocus on “sparkle and shine, cleanand white.” Free. Visitwww.potomacfiberartsgallery.com.

Christmas at Mount Vernon.Through Jan. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. atGeorge Washington’s Mount Vernon,3200 Mount Vernon MemorialHighway. Visit George Washington’sestate and see Aladdin the camel onthe grounds, in honor of the camelthat Washington paid to visit MountVernon in 1787. Stroll throughMount Vernon’s modern buildingsand view sparkling holidaydecorations, featuring 12 dazzlingChristmas trees, and historicalchocolate-making demonstrations.Also visit the rarely-open third floorof the Mansion. All is included in thegeneral admission price which is $17for adults, $16 for seniors, $9 foryouth ages 6-11, and free for children5 and under. Visitwww.mountvernon.org/christmas formore.

“George Washington’sThanksgiving Proclamation.”Through Jan. 6, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. atGeorge Washington’s Mount Vernon,3200 Mount Vernon MemorialHighway. This exhibit will detail thehistory of Thanksgiving at MountVernon. On October 3, 1789,Washington issued his Thanksgivingproclamation, designating for “thePeople of the United States a day ofpublic thanks-giving.” Admission tothe exhibit is included in MountVernon ticket prices. Tickets are $17for adults, $9 for children, and freefor children ages 5 and younger. Visitwww.mountvernon.org/thanksgiving.

“Printed Matter.” Through Jan. 17,at The Target Gallery, 105 N. UnionSt. Printed Matter features a mix ofworks (printed media, such asxerography, book arts, and graphicdesign) created using traditionaltechniques as well as newer orreimagined ones. Free. Visitwww.torpedofactory.org for more.

VCA Alexandria Animal HospitalArt Show. Through Jan. 31 at VCAAlexandria Animal Hospital, 2660Duke St. The artwork is on display in

Entertainment

Calendar


COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

To Advertise Your Faith Community, call Karen at 703-917-6468

Good ShepherdCatholic Church

8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria VA, 22309Tel: 703-780-4055 Fax: 703-360-5385 www.gs-cc.org

Saturday Evening:5:00 pm Vigil Mass6:30 pm Vigil Mass (en Español)Sunday:7:30 am; 9:00 am (with SignLanguage Interpreter andChildren’s Liturgy of the Word);10:30 am; 12:00 Noon;2:00 pm (en Español); 6:30 pmWeekdays & SaturdayMorning: 9:00 am (Rosary at

8:30 am)En Español:Monday, 6:30 pm; Thursday,7:30 pm; First Friday, 7:30 pmEucharistic Adoration:(Silent prayer before theBlessed Sacrament) First Friday:following 9:00 am Mass;Wednesday: 6:00 pm; Thursdayand First Friday: 7:00 pm

Mass Schedule

Loving as Christ loves, serving as Christ serves

127 N. Washington St., Alexandria • 703-548-4661Smoke-Free Restaurant

www.lerefugealexandria.com

Please make reservations early forChristmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

Winter Specials

RestaurantRestaurantRestaurant

• Split Pea Soup• Venison Medallions• Beef Wellington• Rack of Lamb • Bouillabaisse

• Dover Sole• Coq au Vin

• Cassoulet

waiting areas and examination roomsas a part of Del Ray Artisans’ GalleryWithout Walls program. Free. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org formore.

“Art Uniting People.” Gallery hoursat the Durant Arts Center, 1605Cameron St. “Art Uniting People – ACelebration of Recovery, Creativityand Mental Health,” is an artexhibition presented every year toshowcase the artwork by localindividuals. Free. Visitwww.artunitingpeople.wix.com/artunitingpeople.

“Ancient Art of Movement.” 1 p.m.at Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500Shenandoah Road. Carmen Shippy,retired professional dancer, teaches aseries designed for ages 50 andabove. Movements are designed tostrengthen core muscles and increaseflexibility. Adjustments will be madefor those with physical limitations.First lesson in the series is free fornon-center members. To continuelessons, a yearly membership to allSenior Center programs is $48. Call703-765-4573 to sign up.

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 & Creperie, 119 S. Royal St.View a French film. Free, noreservation necessary. Call 703-535-8151 or visit

www.fontainecaffe.com/reviews.html.

Journey to Be Free: AlexandriaFreedmen’s Cemetery. ThroughMarch, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4p.m. Alexandria Black HistoryMuseum, 902 Wythe St. A newexhibit tracing the 150-year historyof the long-forgotten Freedmen’sCemetery, its rediscovery and howthe new Contrabands and Freedmen’sCemetery Memorial was created atthe site. Call 703-746-4356.

Their Fates Intertwined: The Leesof Alexandria in the War of1812. Wednesday- Saturday, 10a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Lee-Fendall House and Gardens, 614Oronoco St. A new exhibit on theexperiences of the Lee family inAlexandria during the War of 1812examines the contributions ofAlexandria’s citizens during theconflict that led to the writing of ournational anthem through the lives ofthis iconic Virginia family. Visitwww.leefendallhouse.org or call 703-548-1789.

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 anniversary

exhibit of objects from the Fort Wardcollection. Free. Visitwww.fortward.org or call 703-746-4848.

National Inventors Hall of FameExhibit. Through November 2016 atThe National Inventors Hall of Fame–USPTO campus, 600 Dulany St. Theexhibit features the stories ofInductees of the National InventorsHall of Fame who served theircountry during World War II andreturned home to help build thenation with their innovations. Free.Visit www.inventnow.org.

Dinner for the Washingtons. 12p.m. at George Washington’s MountVernon, 3200 Mount VernonMemorial Highway. A walking tourthat goes behind the scenes to findout how food was prepared andserved before the era of microwavesand TV dinners. $5 in addition toestate admission. Visitwww.mountvernon.org for more.

Second Thursday Music.Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. 7 pm.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.

Entertainment

Exhibit Inspired by Jefferson’s‘Notes on the State of Virginia’

Artist Suzanne Stryk’s exhibit titled “Notes on the Stateof Virginia” was inspired by the book of the same namepublished by Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s. Stryk trav-elled the state, met with local experts and guides, andcreated her assemblages based on her reflections. “Notes”will be on display at The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St. Dec.17-Jan. 31. The opening reception will be 4-6 p.m. on Dec.20, and Stryk will give an artist’s talk on Jan. 31 at 3 p.m.Admission to all events and to the exhibit is free. Visitwww.nvfaa.org for more.

“Sacrament”


Art for Life. Third Thursday of everymonth. 4:30-7:30 p.m. at TorpedoFactory, 105 N. Union St. HyattRegency Crystal City has partneredwill the National Kidney Foundationfor a program highlighting a differentartist each month for a year.

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 & WORKSHOPSPhotography Workshop. 10:30 a.m.-

12 p.m. at Multiple Exposures Galleryon 105 N. Union St. Photographers ofall skill levels are invited to sharework, ideas, and questions at thisfree workshop held on the lastSunday of each month, exceptDecember. No reservations. Call 703-683-2205.

Community 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 arange of open life drawing sessionsfor anyone to develop life-drawingskills further. Drop-in for the sessionand bring supplies to draw or paintour live models. Fee ranges from $8-$12. All skill levels are welcome. DelRay Artisans is located at 2704Mount Vernon Ave. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org for aschedule.

Community Yoga. Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. and Sundays 7:30-8:45p.m. at 532YOGA, 532 N.Washington St. Suite 100. Noexperience required to participate in

weekly community class. Suggested$10 donation. Visitwww.532yoga.com.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY/DEC. 17-18Carbon Leaf. 7:30 p.m. at The

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Richmond-based folk/rock band Carbon Leaf will celebratethe release of “Love Loss HopeRepeat Reneaux.” Tickets are $35.Visit www.birchmere.com for more.

DEC. 17-JAN. 31Suzanne Stryk: “Notes on the

State of Virginia.” Gallery hoursat The Athenaeum, 201 Prince St.Suzanne Stryk’s art exhibit includes aseries of assemblages inspired byThomas Jefferson’s book “Notes onthe State of Virginia.” Free. Visitwww.nvfaa.org.

FRIDAY/DEC. 18Holiday Wine Tasting. 7-9 p.m. at

The Torpedo Factory, 105 N. UnionSt. The Factory Society, the officialyoung-professionals group of theTorpedo Factory Art Center, hosts anafter-hours holiday wine tasting.Attendees will have an opportunity totalk with resident artists in theirstudios and watch them work whilemeeting and networking with otheryoung-professionals. Wines and lightdesserts will be paired with eachstudio along the tour. Tickets are$30. Visit www.torpedofactory.org/holidaywine.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/DEC. 18-19Christmas Illuminations at Mount

Vernon. 5:30-9 p.m. at GeorgeWashington’s Mount Vernon, 3200

Mount Vernon Memorial Highway.Enjoy choir performances, fireworks,visit with re-enactors, learn 18th-century dance moves, learn howchocolate was made in the 18thcentury, and more. Tickets are $30for adults and $20 for youth. Visitwww.mountvernon.org/christmas formore.

SATURDAY/DEC. 19Brunch with Santa. 9-11:30 a.m. at

The Pub by Wegmans, 7905 HilltopVillage Center Drive. Families areinvited to a breakfast with a specialbrunch menu and a visit from Santa.Free to attend. Call 571-527-2465 tomake a reservation.

“Downton Abbey Christmas Tea.”1 p.m. at The Lee-Fendall House, 614Oronoco St. Discuss what mayhappen in the show’s final seasonover a traditional tea. Take a privatetour of the house showing theconnections between the people andplaces of Downton Abbey and thoseof the Lee-Fendall House. Tickets are$50 per person. Visitwww.leefendallhouse.org for more.

SUNDAY/DEC. 20Alexandria Symphony Orchestra:

Family Holiday Concert. 3 p.m.at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S.Pitt St. Select musicians of theAlexandria Symphony Orchestraperform holiday classics. Tickets are$20 and $5 for youth. Visitwww.alexsym.org for more.

Suzanne Stryk: “Notes on theState of Virginia” OpeningReception. 4-6 p.m. at TheAthenaeum, 201 Prince St. CelebrateSuzanne Stryk’s art exhibit whichincludes a series of assemblages

inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s book“Notes on the State of Virginia.” Free.Visit www.nvfaa.org.

Carol Sing and Pageant. 5:30 p.m.at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 8531Riverside Road. Cider and dessertswill follow a children’s nativitypageant. Free. Visitwww.staidansepiscopal.com.

A Sinatra Christmas. 7 p.m. at TheCarlyle Club, 2050 Ballenger Ave.Rob Zappulla performs FrankSinatra’s versions of Christmasclassics. Tickets are $28. Dinneradditional. Visitwww.carlyleclub.com for more.

SUNDAY-THURSDAY/DEC. 20-24Art Pop-Up Shop. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at

Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N.Union St. The “Made in Alexandria”Pop-Up Shop will feature 28 localartists selling art and crafts.Everything priced under $100. Visitwww.torpedofactoryartists.com formore.

TUESDAY-THURSDAY/DEC. 22-24Meet Santa. 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at

Union Street Public House, 121 S.Union St. Children get approximatelyfive minutes to meet and takepictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus. A$20 fee reserves a time slot,professional photos with be availablefor purchase. Visitwww.unionstreetpublichouse.com.

WEDNESDAY/DEC. 23Charles Esten. 7:30 p.m. at the

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. “Nashville” star andmusician Charles Esten will perform.Tickets are $55. Visitwww.birchmere.com for more.

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY/DEC. 23-24“I Am Anne Hutchinson/I Am

Harvey Milk.” 8 p.m. at the MusicCenter at Strathmore, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.The Alexandria Harmonizers will actas the chorus for musicalinterpretation of the lives of civilrights leaders Harvey Milk and AnneHutchinson. Kristin Chenoweth, ofvarious Broadway musicals and“Glee.” Tickets are $49-99. Visitwww.strathmore.org for more.

THURSDAY/DEC. 24Water Skiing Santa. 1-2 p.m. at Old

Town Alexandria Waterfront,between King and Oronoco streets.Attend a holiday-themed watersportsshow along the Potomac. Free. Visitwww.waterskiingsanta.com.

SATURDAY/DEC. 26Southside Johnny. 7:30 p.m. at the

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Southside Johnny isjoined by The asbury Jukes. Ticketsare $39.50. Visitwww.birchmere.com for more.

SUNDAY/DEC. 27Kwanzaa Celebration. 2-5:30 p.m. at

Charles Houston Recreation Center,901 Wythe St. This “Kujichagulia,” orself-determination, celebration willfeature Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright.Free. Visit ow.ly/V30mp.

Hank Williams Night. 7:30 p.m. atThe Birchmere Music Hall, 3701Mount Vernon Ave. Musiciansperform in the 19th annual tribute toHank Williams. Tickets are $29.50plus a service charge. Visitwww.birchmere.com for more.

TUESDAY/DEC. 29Mint Condition Holiday Show. 7:30

p.m. at The Birchmere Music Hall,3701 Mount Vernon Ave. R&B groupperforms. Tickets are $65. Visitwww.birchmere.com for more.

THURSDAY/DEC. 31First Night Alexandria. 2 p.m.-12

a.m. at venues throughout Old Townand Alexandria. This 21st annualNew Year’s Eve celebration willfeature more than 175 performancesat 29 indoor venues, with live music,dancing, children’s face painting andgames. The afternoon’s SeventhAnnual Fun Hunt is accompanied byall-new activities for families andpets. There’s an old fashionedcarnival at the Mount VernonRecreation Center in Del Ray. FirstNight’s fireworks finale returns witha spectacular display over thePotomac River at midnight. Ticketsare $20 before Dec. 14, $30 after.Admission for children 12 and under,seniors, military, and volunteers arefree. Visitwww.firstnightalexandria.org.

Seldom Scene. 8 p.m. at TheBirchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Blue grass band GoldHeart will perform with SeldomScene and Only Lonesome. Ticketsare $39.50. Visitwww.birchmere.com.

FRIDAY/JAN. 1Mo’Fire. 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere

Music Hall, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave.MO’Fire and In Gratitude perform atribute to Earth, Wind & Fire. Ticketsare $35. Visit www.birchmere.com.

SATURDAY/JAN. 2Bill Kirchen. 7:30 p.m. at the

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Musician Bill Kirchen is

Entertainment

Convergence Hosts ‘No Holds Barred’ “No Holds Barred” is an exhibit featuring two artists working in sculpture, Rusty

Lynn and Pamela Underhill. “No Holds Barred” will be on display at The Gallery @Convergence, 1801 N. Quaker Lane, Jan. 8-Feb. 27. The gallery is open on Fridays,10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The reception and artist talk will beheld 6:30-9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15. Patrons may also attend a workshop on boxsculptures. All admission is free. Visit www.ourconvergence.org for more.

“Caught and Found,” Rusty Lynn (above) and “Totem,”Pamela Underhill (right)

Im

ages C

ourtesy o

f th

e artists


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

[email protected]

Exp. 1/31/16

joined by Too Much Fun andCommander Cody. Tickets are$29.50. Visit www.birchmere.com.

TUESDAY/JAN. 5“Twelfth Night of Christmas.”

6:30-8:30 p.m. at The AddisonAcademic Center–VirginiaTheological Seminary, 3737Seminary Road. The Evening Schoolof Theology at Virginia TheologicalSeminary invites the public to aTwelfth Night of Christmascelebration. Free, but registrationrequired. Visit www.vts.edu/evening.

WEDNESDAY/JAN. 6Choral Evensong on the Feast of

the Epiphany. 7:30 p.m. at St.Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S. PittSt. Grant Hellmers, Organist-Choirmaster of St. Paul’s EpiscopalChurch, will direct the adult choir ina Choral Evensong on the Feast ofthe Epiphany. Free. Call 703-549-3312 or [email protected] formore.

THURSDAY/JAN. 7Civil War Ball Dance Class. 7:30-

9:30 p.m. at Gadsby’s TavernMuseum, 134 N. Royal St. Inpreparation for the Civil War Ball onthe Jan. 23, learn the waltz, polka,Virginia Reel and more from anexpert. Tickets are $12 per class, $30for the entire series. Visitwww.shop.alexandriava.gov formore.

FRIDAY/JAN. 8“True Colors: Like a Rainbow”

Opening Reception. 7-9 p.m. at

The Del Ray Artisans Gallery, 2704Mount Vernon Ave. Meet the artistsof the “True Colors: Like a Rainbow”exhibit. Free. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org/True.

The Cecilian Players. 8-10 p.m. atBlessed Sacrament Church, 1427 W.Braddock Road. Concert consisting ofworks by Debussy, Ravel, andShostakovich. Free. Call 703-836-7480 for more.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/JAN. 8-9Ricky Skaggs. 7:30 p.m. at the

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Bluegrass musicianRicky Skaggs is joined by KentuckyThunder. Tickets are $39.50. Visitwww.birchmere.com.

JAN. 8-31“True Colors: Like a Rainbow.”

Gallery hours at The Del Ray ArtisansGallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. DelRay Artisans’ artists use colors of therainbow for inspiration. Free. Visitwww.TheDelRayArtisans.org/True.

JAN. 8-FEB. 27“No Holds Barred.” 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

on Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. onSaturdays at The Gallery @Convergence, 1801 N. Quaker Lane.This exhibit is named for the “don’thold back, just let go” approachartists Pamela Underhill and RustyLynn employ in their artmaking.Free. Visit www.convergence.org formore.

SUNDAY/JAN. 10Panel Discussion: “Take a Turn

Down Mercy Street.” 1 p.m. atThe Athenaeum, 201 Prince St.

George Combs, manager ofAlexandria Library’s SpecialCollections Branch, author MichaelLee Pope, and Callie Stapp of TheStabler-Leadbeater ApothecaryMuseum will introduce you to thehistory behind the new PBS series,“Mercy Street,” which is based inAlexandria. Free. Call 703-746-1721or email [email protected] to rsvp.

Winter Warmer Ladies Tea. 3-5p.m. at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum,134 N. Royal St. Choose from avariety of 18th-century desserts,drink tea, and visit with “DolleyMadison.” Tickets are $35. Visitwww.shop.alexandriava.gov formore.

“Twelfth Night: A Celebration ofEpiphany & Winter Solstice.” 6p.m. at Christ Church, 118 N.Washington St. Armonia Novaperforms using historical instrumentsincluding baroque harps and earlyviols. Free, donations accepted. Visitwww.armonianova.org for more.

Maceo Parker. 7:30 p.m. at theBirchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Saxophonist MaceoParker performs. Tickets are $39.50.Visit www.birchmere.com.

THURSDAY/JAN. 14Meigs Hodge. 7 p.m. at The

Athenaeum, 201 Prince St.Traditional and contemporary bluesguitar and vocals. Tickets are $15.Visit www.nvfaa.org for more.

Civil War Ball Dance Class. 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Gadsby’s TavernMuseum, 134 N. Royal St. Inpreparation for the Civil War Ball onthe Jan. 23, learn the waltz, polka,Virginia Reel and more from anexpert. Tickets are $12 per class, $30for the entire series. Visitwww.shop.alexandriava.gov for

more.Holy Holy. 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere

Music Hall, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave.Band Holy Holy will performfeaturing Tony Visconti and WoodyWoodmansey performing DavidBowie’s “The Man Who Sold theWorld.” Tickets are $39.50. Visitwww.birchmere.com.

FRIDAY/JAN. 15“No Holds Barred” Opening

Reception. 6:30-9 p.m. at TheGallery @ Convergence, 1801 N.Quaker Lane. Celebrate the exhibitnamed for the “don’t hold back, justlet go” approach artists PamelaUnderhill and Rusty Lynn employ intheir artmaking. Free. Visitwww.convergence.org for more.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/JAN. 15-17Eddie From Ohio. 7:30 p.m. at the

Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 MountVernon Ave. Local folk band will givea show entirely based on requestsfrom the audience. Tickets are$39.50. Visit www.birchmere.com.

SATURDAY/JAN. 16Family Art Workshop: Shape Tape

Art. 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. atConvergence, 1819 N. Quaker Lane.Parents and children ages 4-9 areinvited to make art using tape, acrylicpaint, and a canvas. Tickets are $30,$5 for each additional child. Visitwww.metamorphosisaec.com/mommy-me-holiday-workshops.

Celebration Gala. 6-11 p.m. atHoliday Inn, 625 1st St. This BlackTie Gala will celebrate theinstallation of the new Pastor ofHistoric Shiloh Baptist Church,Reverend Taft Quincey Heatley.

Tickets are $60. Visit www.shiloh-bc.org for more.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/JAN. 16, 23-24, 30Jane Franklin Dance: “Niche.”

7:30 p.m. at Theatre on the Run,3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive,Arlington. Alexandria dance companyJane Franklin Dance performs“Niche,” which follows anunremarkable couple with a newhouse, big careers, and oddneighbors. Tickets are $15 in advanceand $20 at the door. Visitwww.janefranklin.com.

SUNDAY/JAN. 17Celebrate Community 5K & 1K

Fun Run/Walk. 8-11 a.m. atEisenhower Ave. This event willhonor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. withan additional food drive for ALIVE.Registration costs will be $15-25, and$20-25 on the day of the race. Visitwww.shop.alexandriava.gov formore.

THURSDAY/JAN. 21Morris Day and The Time. 7:30 p.m.

at the Birchmere Music Hall, 3701Mount Vernon Ave. Listen to liveR&B. Tickets are $69.50. Visitwww.birchmere.com.

Civil War Ball Dance Class. 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Gadsby’s TavernMuseum, 134 N. Royal St. Inpreparation for the Civil War Ball onthe Jan. 23, learn the waltz, polka,Virginia Reel and more from anexpert. Tickets are $12 per class, $30for the entire series. Visitwww.shop.alexandriava.gov formore.

Entertainment


218 N. Lee Street703-683-1007

www.labergerie.com

Join La Bergerie as wecelebrate featuring aStrolling Violinist

Christmas Eve 3-Course Dinner for $69New Year's Eve 4-Course Dinner for $99

Reserve now. Both evenings 5-10 p.m.

murphyspub.com713 King Street • 703.548.1717

Christmas Day - Traditional Dinnerwith all the trimmings. Open at 5pm.

Live music starts at 8:30 pm

New Year’s Eve - 4-Course Dinnerwith party favors, live entertainment

and champagne toast at midnight.$40 per person. Reservations only.

New Year’s Day - Brunch 11am-2pm

734 North Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314703-548-1616 • www.RoyalRestaurantVA.comAward-winning wine menu • Major credit cards accepted

Reservations Suggested

Happy Holidays

HOLIDAYCATERING &

EVENTLOCATIONS!

Food fit for a king on a family budget

An Alexandria community fixture for more than 100years, the Royal Restaurant of fers the best in Greek,Italian and American cuisine. Enjoy burgers, steaks,prime rib, chicken, seafood, pasta and full salad barcomplete with special children’s menu items.

The Best in Family Dining

116 South Alfred Street - Alexandria, VA703-838-8000 • thegrillealexandria.com

Seven-CoursePrix Fixe $95.00

Supplemental Wine Pairing $45.00Make reservations early.

New Year’s Eve


Celebrate the New YearItalian Trattoria Style

Three-course Dinner with Champagne or House Wineincludes balloons, noisemakers, hats, etc.

Enjoy theRomance of Music

by Mike Blaneywith Daryl Otton the Piano

and a few arias by Franco, too!

305 S. Washington Street, Old Town • 703-548-9338 • www.trattoria-dafranco.com

Franco &his staff

wish you aJoyful 2016!

• Special Three-Course dinner menu only after 7:30 p.m. • Early seating available

5:00–7:00 p.m. featuringour regular

& specialmenu

SpecialMenuIncludes:

• Fillet of Salmon with Caviar• Linguine with Mixed Seafood• Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary• Veal with Cream Brandy Sauce

Live Opera…Every Month

Next Opera Night is Dec. 27• Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs…

3-Course Dinner w/Wine $39.95• Mondays…Italian Class• Tuesdays…Flamenco show with

Ricardo of Andalusia• Fridays…Daryl Ott on the Piano

with Franco• Saturdays…David Redskin on

the Piano with Franco

RSVP: New Year’s Eve Dinner119 South Royal Street, Alexandria VA 22314

703.535.8151 • www.fontainecaffe.com

Sweet andSavory Crêpes,Steak Frites,

Mussels,Boutique Winesand Craft Beers,

French MovieNight

1510-A Belle View Blvd.703-660-6085 • www.dishesofindia.com

Belle View Shopping Center

Innovative Indian Cuisine

Chef’s Special Menu for New Year’s EveNew Year’s Day Dinner open 4-9 pm

Call us for details

Closed Christmas Day for the HolidayClosed New Year’s Day for Lunch

Party Trays and Gift Certificates for the HolidaysLuncheon Buffet Every Day * A La Carte Dinner Every Night


From Page 14

Opinion

others by sending food stuffs overland tothe Bostonians at his own expense and in-viting others to join him in doing so. GeorgeWashington and other Virginians did, thusproviding the first example of intercolonialcooperation against the British and prevent-ing the Bostonians from being starved intosubmission. Mason’s Virginia Declaration ofRights was adopted by our General Assem-bly on June 12, 1776. It included the lines:“That all men are born equally free and in-dependent, and have certain inherent natu-ral Rights … among which are the Enjoy-ment of Life and Liberty, with the Means ofacquiring and possessing Property, and pur-suing and obtaining Happiness and Safety.”Jefferson’s most famous lines in our Decla-ration of Independence are a close para-phrase. It also served as the basis for ourConstitution’s Bill of Rights, the FrenchDeclaration of the Rights of Man and Citi-zen adopted in 1789, and the United Na-tions’ Universal Declaration of HumanRights of 1948.

Mason wrote the first constitution for theState of Virginia, which served us well foralmost 200 years. It was an importantmodel for the U.S. Constitution, the oldestwritten constitution still in active use in theworld, distinguished for its separation andbalance of powers, a doctrine Masonadopted after careful study of contempo-rary thinking and the best features of allgovernments until his time. Mason was thegenius who set the framework for ourcountry’s Constitution, and his tenacity ininsisting that a Bill of Rights be includedensured that a citizen’s rights are protectedat all levels of government.

Mason recognized the moral and practi-cal obligation of the nation to ensure free-dom for all people and end slavery at theearliest opportunity. He advocated educa-tion and gradual emancipation of slaves.Because the proposed Constitution post-poned freeing the slaves for 20 years andlacked a Bill of Rights, although he favoreda stronger central government, he votedagainst its adoption, and thus incurred theenmity of his great friend and closest neigh-bor, George Washington.

Although Mason did not have a collegeeducation, he recognized the importance ofcontinuing education by reading and think-ing deeply throughout his life, for the ben-efit of his family, city, state and nation. It isvery appropriate that we have an elemen-tary school in Alexandria and a universityand regional library in Fairfax that arenamed for him. The south-bound span ofthe 14th St. Bridge is also named for him.

In his personal affairs he set an exampleof practicality, order and honor. Mason wasa faithful and active Christian, a loving hus-band to his childhood sweetheart and fa-ther to his nine surviving children, and awarm friend and host. His home, GunstonHall, located off Route 1 at Lorton, is opento the public; there is also a museum onthe property.

His birthday is Dec. 11 (1725) and Bill ofRights Day is Dec. 15 (1791). Alexandriashould declare and celebrate George Ma-son Week to honor this exemplary citizen.

Ellen Latane TabbAlexandria

By Catherine Smeallie

And Caroline

Friedrichs

There are many hungrypeople in Alexandria.Nearly one out of ev-

ery five of us live in a house-hold struggling to make endsmeet according to Toward anEnd to Hunger in Alexandria,a report prepared for the Al-exandria Childhood ObesityAction Network in 2014.

Melanie Gray, director ofOutreach and Mission at ChristChurch, said that “manypeople who come for food aresenior citizens, people whohave jobs but don’t makeenough to feed their familiesand people who are just get-ting by. They are all races, agesand backgrounds.”

Fortunately, there are ser-vices to help hungry people inAlexandria. Alexandria hasfood banks, food pantries, andemergency food kitchens.Food banks are organizationsthat distribute foods to chari-ties in a region. The new Al-exandria Food Center run byALIVE (Alexandrians InvolvedEcumenically) is an exampleof a food bank. Food pantriesprovide food directly to indi-viduals who need it. Food forOthers, the Salvation Army,Christ Church, ChristHouse,and the Carpenter’sShelter (among others) pro-vide food pantry services.Emergency food kitchens, likeChrist House and theCarpenter’s Shelter, provideprepared meals.

Emergency food providersreceive their supplies from avariety of places includingfood banks, food donationsfrom individuals and organi-zations, and donations ofmoney. There is always a needfor donations and volunteerassistance at all of Alexandria’semergency food providers.Donations tend to increase atholiday times, but are neededyear-–round.

Food Needs in AlexandriaAlexandria’s emergency

food providers agree that theycan make use of almost alldonations. However, there arecertain foods, includingcanned meats, peanut butter,low sodium items, and cannedfruits and vegetables (see theaccompanying Top Ten list)that are in the greatest de-mand. Charlotte Martinsson ofALIVE said, “People should tryto imagine what it would belike to have empty cupboards,hungry children, and a rentbill coming due– and thinkabout the type and amount offood that would be most ben-eficial in that situation.” Theonly donations that cannot beused are expired foods andopen packages. Donations arecrucial for all emergency foodproviders. Any questionsshould be directed to the pro-viders below.

Emergency Food Providersin Alexandria

❖ ALIVE!, www.alive–inc.org,703–-837-–9300

❖ Food for Others,www.foodforothers.org/

❖ Christ Church Lazarus Minis-try, www.historicchristchurch.org/get–involved/let–us–help/lazarus–ministry, 118 North Washington St.

❖ Grace Episcopal Church’s foodpantry, www.gracealex.org/Pro-grams/New–Outreach–Mission/Food–Programs/, 3601 RussellRoad

❖ Christ House Emergency Assis-tance food pantry, www.ccda.net/programs_christhouse.php, 131 S.West St.

❖ Washington Street UnitedMethodist Church/Sara’s OpenTable, http://wsumc.com/mission–and–ministry/open–table/, Kingand Washington Street

❖ Carpenter’s Shelter,www.carpentersshelter.org/, 703-548–7500

❖ The Salvation Army, http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/ncac/,107 East Bellefonte Ave.

This article was written byCatherine Smeallie and CarolineFriedrichs, members of the Alexan-dria Country Day School studentservice leadership group MUSCLE(Motivating You to Serve yourCommunity through Leadershipand Education), with help fromtheir teachers Elizabeth Lockwood,Evelyn Chaleki, and JessicaHernandez Basta and otherMUSCLE members.

Email announcements to [email protected]. Include date, time, location, de-scription and contact for event: phone, email and/or website. Deadline is Thursday at noon, at least twoweeks before event.

THROUGH DEC. 30Leaf Collection Program. Visit

www.alexandriava.gov/leafcollection.

THROUGH DEC. 31Accepting Nominations for 2015 CIVIC

Awards. The City of Alexandria Park andRecreation Commission is acceptingnominations for the 30th annual awardsprogram. The award recognizes residents whohave provided a service in recreation or parkneeds. Visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.

THROUGH JAN. 1Holiday SoberRide. 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Offered by

the nonprofit Washington Regional AlcoholProgram, the SoberRide program will providefree cab rides up to $30. Call 1-800-200-TAXI.

FRIDAY/DEC. 18Nomination Deadline. The Office of Historic

Alexandria seeks nominees for the The FortWard Interpretive Plan Committee, who willoversee the development of an interpretive planfor the park that identifies important themesand stories associated with the park and torecommend programs that explaining themeaning of the park’s unusual cultural, historicand natural resources. Send nominations toNicole Quinn at [email protected].

Bulletin Board


By Marilyn Campbell

Gazette Packete

Matthew Mamalian’s holidayshopping list included someitems that might seem atypi-cal for a 12-year-old middle

school student: shampoo, socks, soap anda few snacks. He, along with several friendsfrom his Sunday school class, packed theitems in shoeboxes wrapped with holidaypaper and tucked a handwritten note of en-couragement inside each box.

“We were all laughing and having funpacking them,” he said. “We also learnedthat there are people who really need thesethings because they don’t have a lot else.”

The project was part of Interfaith Works’holiday giving program, an effort by thelocal nonprofit organization to meet theneeds of the homeless. The holiday seasoncan be a time for children to learn the prin-cipals of benevolence, say child develop-ment experts. Involving children in chari-table activities, modeling altruistic behav-ior and making a link between compassionand a higher power are all effective waysparents can teach their children the valueof giving to the less fortunate.

“Children need to have empathy modeledfor them and they need a script to follow or

ideas for carrying out charitable acts,” saidChristine Pegorraro Schull, Ph.D., profes-sor of Early Childhood Education at North-ern Virginia Community College in Alexan-dria. “Children aspire to be kind and to begood citizens, but they don’t necessarilyknow how to do these things,”

Involving Matthew and his siblings inphilanthropic efforts through Potomac Pres-byterian Church is one of the ways that theirmother, Cyndy Mamalian, makes a connec-tion between gratitude, charity and a higherpower. “I think it’s important for them tothink beyond themselves and live out theirfaith,” she said. “You need to put your faithinto action, and that is about caring forother people.”

Janet Dunlop, Matthew’s Sunday schoolteacher and a member of the Mission Com-mittee at Potomac Presbyterian Church,melds volunteer projects with class discus-sions to teach her students about gratitudeand charity. This holiday season, as themiddle-school aged children clipped wrap-ping paper and tied ribbons aroundshoeboxes filled with deodorant, tooth-paste, snacks and other essentials for thehomeless, she gave them a description ofthose who are on the receiving end of theirproject.

“Many young people growing up in

Conversations, modeling behavior andhands-on actions can help teach children.Lessons in Giving

Potomac don’t have much experience withhomelessness,” said Dunlop. “When myhusband and I arrive at the shelter withthese boxes, the people there are so happyto receive them. So, this is also about help-ing the children see another aspect of lifeand trying to instill in them a life-long idealof service.”

Charitable giving for adults often meansdonating old clothes at the end of the taxyear or writing a check to a nonprofit orga-nization. However, children might find itdifficult to understand how these abstractactions make a difference. That’s why psy-chologists and educators recommend giv-ing children first-hand experience in car-ing for others.

Jenny Trope, Ph.D. and her childrenraised money to purchase grocery store giftcards that they are distributing to home-less men and women they encounter thiswinter. “It gives the kids a glimpse of whatit’s like to be alone, hungry and stuck out-side when it’s cold,” said Trope, who is alsoa marriage and family therapist based inArlington.

Such hands-on projects, coupled with aconversation about why it’s important totake action to aid people in need of a help-ing hand, could drive home the message.“Children aspire to be kind and to be good

citizens, but they don’t necessarily knowhow to do these things,” said Schull.

A study by the United Nations Founda-tion and the Women’s Philanthropy Insti-tute at Indiana University-Purdue Univer-sity Indianapolis found that talking to chil-dren about giving is highly effective for en-couraging philanthropy, and increases achild’s inclination to give by 20 percent.

“Conversations are critical. Talking aboutgiving in combination with modeling iswhat actually increases children’s giving,”said Debra J. Mesch, Ph.D., director of theWomen’s Philanthropy Institute. “We …know that these conversations need to befocused on why and how giving … makesan impact on individuals in need, ratherthan simply talk that is more general, suchas giving is the right thing to do.”

The dialogue can include concrete ex-amples of how a charitable action will ben-efit others, say mental health experts.“Around the holidays when you’re strug-gling to survive, when you’ve lost everythingand every decision you make is about meet-ing your absolute, basic needs, like howyou’re going to take a shower, it’s a nicesurprise to get a wrapped box of soaps,toothpaste, socks, snacks and a personalnote,” said Nikki Stanaitis, LCSW-C of In-terfaith Works.

Advertising Deadlines are the previous Thursday unless noted.

DECEMBER12/30/2015................................Children’s ConnectionJANUARY1/6/2016...................Wellbeing, Renewal, Resolutions1/13/2016...............................................HomeLifeStyleMartin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 181/20/2016....................................A+ Camps & Schools1/27/2016 ........................................Community Guide1/27/2016.............................Winter Fun, Food, Arts &

Entertainment; Valentine’s PreviewFEBRUARY2/3/2016...........................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts I2/3/2016....................Wellbeing – National Children’s Dental Health Month2/10/2016................................................HomeLifeStyle2/10/2016.........................Valentine’s Dining & Gifts II2/17/2016.....................................A+ Camps & SchoolsE-mail [email protected] for more information.

Reaching Suburban Washington’s Leading Households• Alexandria Gazette Packet• Arlington Connection• Burke Connection• Centre View• Chantilly Connection

• Fairfax Connection• Fairfax Station/Clifton/Lorton Connection• Great Falls Connection• McLean Connection• Mount Vernon Gazette

• Oak Hill/Herndon Connection• Potomac Almanac• Reston Connection• Springfield Connection• Vienna/Oakton Connection

Newspapers & Online703-778-9431

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com/Advertising

SPECIAL CONNECTIONS CALENDAR

Award-WinningAward-

Winning


SportsAlexandria Gazette Packet Sports Editor Jon Roetman

703-752-4031 or [email protected]

By Jon Roetman

Gazette Packet

The T.C. Williams boys’ bas-ketball team entered thefourth quarter of Tuesday’sConference 7 opener

against undefeated Lake Braddockwith a four-point lead despite the ab-sence of standout guard Tavaris James,

who sat out due toillness.

By the end of thecontest, three Titanshad scored in doublefigures, led by a ca-reer-high 28 pointsfrom junior guardFahmmi Mamo.

In a postgame in-terview, head coachBryan Hill said TChas “improved expo-nentially” early inthe season.

While T.C. Will-iams had reason for optimism Tues-day, the Titans failed to secure a vic-tory in Burke, thanks primarily to acareer-best performance from 6-foot-8 Lake Braddock senior James Butler.

Butler, a Navy signee, scored 46points, including 18 in the fourth quar-ter, and the Bruins improved to 5-0overall and 1-0 in the conference withan 83-77 victory at Lake BraddockSecondary School.

The undersized Titans had no an-

swer for Butler, who was a force in the paint.T.C. Williams’ tallest player, 6-foot-5 centerAndrew Tovsky, fouled out with 6:30 re-maining and Lake Braddock leading 64-62.Butler, who surpassed his previous career-high of 35 points, continued to capitalizeon the Titans’ lack of height, scoring in thepost and on putbacks.

“TC, once the big boy got in foul troubleand they just tried to surround [Butler] alittle bit, and it was tough,” Lake Braddockhead coach Brian Metress said. “I thoughtwe ran offense well, we threw passes to himand we got him in all sorts of differentmatchups.”

After a jumper by T.C. Williams guardJordan Jones cut Lake Braddock’s lead to68-66 with 5:08 remaining, Butler scoredLake Braddock’s next 11 points.

Butler’s final field goal gave the Bruins a

79-72 advantage with 1:15 remaining.“A guy has a big game like that, it’s what

it is,” TC head coach Hill said. “It’s basket-ball, it’s what happens.” Butler’s effort over-shadowed a big night for Mamo, who fin-ished with 28 points. The second-year var-sity athlete scored 17 in the first half andknocked down a trio of 3-pointers.

“I thought his effort was the best yet, thebest that I’ve seen,” Hill said. “He’s really,really going to continue to blossom andgrow — [he’s] just a junior. He played thepoint guard for us today and I thought hedid a great job. I challenge him all the time.He’s a fantastic student — all honors classes,like a 3.7 grade point average, a really goodkid. It’s best to have a kid like that on yourroster.” Jones scored 16 points for the Ti-tans, including 12 in the second half.

“Jordan Jones really has done a great job

being a senior leader for us,” Hill said. “…I’m really thankful to have him back thisyear.”

Freshman guard Jaquan Johnson knockeddown four 3-pointers and totaled 14 points.Junior forward Teyan Williams scored ninepoints and junior guard Gabriel Haroldadded seven.

The loss dropped TC’s record to 1-3 over-all and 0-1 in the conference. The Titanswill travel to face West Potomac at 7:15 p.m.on Friday, Dec. 18.

“We’re a work in progress,” Hill said. “Ireally like our team. The kids have boughtin and they’re really working hard. I’m notnecessarily happy with the loss, but I’mhappy with the effort and the willingnessto continue to fight and compete and im-prove as a team and I think as the year en-dures, we’ll show up and be right there.”

Mamo Scores Career-High 28 in Loss to Lake BraddockTitans dropConference 7 openerto Bruins, fall to 1-3.

“We’re awork in

progress.I really likeour team.”

— T.C. Williamsboys’ basketballcoach Bryan Hill

T.C. Williams junior guard Fahmmi Mamo scored a career-high 28 pointsagainst Lake Braddock on Tuesday.

T.C. Williams senior Jordan Jonesfinished with 16 points againstLake Braddock on Tuesday.

Pho

to

s by C

raig Sterbutzel/G

azette Packet

TC Girls WinConference 7 Opener

The T.C. Williams girls’ basketball team defeatedLake Braddock 40-27 in both teams’ Conference 7opener on Tuesday night in Burke.

Bhrandi Crenshaw led the Titans with 12 points.Trinity Palacio finished with nine points, and GraceAsch and Keyana Roberts each had seven.

The Titans will host West Potomac at 7:15 p.m. onFriday, Dec. 18.

SSSAS BoysWin 4 of 5

The St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes boys’ basketball teamwon four of its first five games this season, includinga 2-1 showing at the Sleepy Thompson Tournament.

During the tournament, the Saints defeated

Woodberry Forest 55-48 on Dec. 3, lost to Atlan-tic Shores 69-66 on Dec. 4 and beat St. Anne’s-Belfield 57-52 on Dec. 5.

SSSAS improved to 4-1 with a 58-53 win overMillwood on Dec. 11.

The Saints will travel to face H.D. Woodson at3:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 in the DMV Tip-Off Classic at North Point High School.

Bishop Ireton GirlsStart 5-2

The Bishop Ireton girls’ basketball team is offto a 5-2 start.

The Cardinals lost to Bishop O’Connell 57-54on Tuesday in Arlington. Prior to the defeat, Iretonhad won four of its first five, including a three-game win streak to open the year.

Bishop Ireton will host Paul VI at 7:30 p.m. onTuesday, Dec. 22.

Sports Briefs

T.C. Williams’ Bhrandi Crenshaw scored 12 points duringthe Titans’ 40-27 victory over Lake Braddock on Tuesday.P

ho

to

by C

raig Sterbutzel/G

azette Packet


Zone 3 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 3: • Alexandria

• Mount Vernon

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com

GUTTER CLEANINGGutters and Downspouts Cleaned

Small Repairs • Gutter Guards

PINNACLE SERVICESlic/ins 703-802-0483 free est.email [email protected]: lawnsandgutters.comFriendly Service with a Friendly Price!

GUTTER GUTTER

A&S Landscaping

703-863-7465LICENSED

Serving All of N. Virginia

• All Concrete work• Retaining Walls • Patios• Decks • Porches (incl. screened) • Erosion & Grading Solutions• French Drains • Sump Pumps• Driveway Asphalt Sealing

Remodeling Bathrooms, Kitchens & Basements

Picture PerfectPicture Perfect

Exterior & Interior Repair, Painting, Carpentry,Wood Rot, Drywall, All Flooring, Decks

Licensed – Bonded – Insured“If it can be done, we can do it”

http://www.pphionline.com/

•FREE Estimates•FAST & Reliable Service

•EASY To schedule•NO $$$ DOWN!

Handyman Services Available

(703) 590-3187(703) 590-3187

Remodeling Homes, Flooring,Kitchen & Bath, Windows,

Siding, Roofing, Additions &Patios, Custom Deck, PaintingWe Accept All Major Credit Cards

Licensed, Insured, Bonded • Free Estimates • Class A Lic

Phone: 703-887-3827 Fax: 703-830-3849E-mail: [email protected]

www.rncontractors.com

R.N. CONTRACTORS, INC.

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS

J.E.S. ServicesYour neighborhood company since 1987

703-912-6886

Landscaping & Construction

All work Guaranteed

• Planting & Landscaping Design• Drainage & Water Problems• Concrete Driveways, Replacement or New• Patios and Walks • Masonry Work or Dry Laid• Paver, Flagstone, Brick, any style you choose• Retaining walls of all types

Free Estimates - Fully Licensed & Insured

LAWN SERVICE LAWN SERVICE

Custom Masonry703-768-3900

www.custommasonry.infoPatios, Walkways, Stoops, Steps, DrivewaysRepairs & New Installs•All Work Guranteed

BRICK AND STONE

MASONRY MASONRY

GOLDY BRICKCONSTRUCTION

Walkways, Patios, Driveways,Flagstone, ConcreteFREE ESTIMATES

Licensed, Insured, Bonded

703-250-6231

PAVING PAVING

Quality Tree Service & LandscapingReasonable prices. Licensed & insured

24 Hour Emergency Tree Service

25 years of experienceFree estimates

703-868-5358

Leaf RemovalGutter Cleaning

TREE SERVICE TREE SERVICE

Quality Tree Service& Landscaping

Reasonable prices. Licensed & insured.

24 Hour EmergencyTree Service

25 years of experience – Free estimates 703-868-5358

Summer Cleanup...Tree removal, topping & pruning,shrubbery trimming, mulching,leaf removal, planting, hauling,gutter cleaning, retaining walls,

drainage problems, etc.

CHESAPEAKE/POTOMAC

WINDOW CLEANINGResidential Specialist/Family owned/operated

Working Owners Assures QualityNo Hidden Fees/No Broken Window Springs

30 yrs Experience in local area

Licensed 703-356-4459 Insured

WINDOWS & GLASS WINDOWS & GLASS

News

From Page 1

“No historic structures were demolishedfor this docket item,” said John Von Senden,chair of the BAR for the Old and HistoricDistrict. “What you see before you reflectsthe give and take of a design dialogue thathappens over those couple of years. Peoplehave quoted the waterfront plan and ourBAR guidelines, but the waterfront masterplan encourages modern design.”

Von Senden noted that the city’s guide-lines noted specifically that direct copyingof historic buildings is discouraged and thatnew designs shouldn’t be summarily dis-missed. Al Cox, Alexandria’s Historic Pres-ervation manager, noted that Alexandria’shistoric waterfront featured several verylarge buildings that were industrial in char-acter.

But the citizens weren’t alone in the fight.The original BAR decision had been nar-rowly approved in a 4-3 vote. Wayne Nealerepresented the BAR’s minority view on thedecision.

“This is the most significant project tooccur in a very long time,” said Neale. “Thisproject will stand for 100 years or more.We should strive for not just squeaking bywith a majority vote.”

Neale suggested that the City Council re-mand the project back to the BAR with rec-ommendations to review the exterior de-signs to be more compatible with the localarchitecture and to make the waterfront

view more in keeping with Alexandria’spast. Specifically, Neale requested morevariety in roof lines and more brick thanglass in the structure.

“Does it look like Old Town? Does it feellike Old Town? It really doesn’t. It’s notthere yet,” said Neale. “With those two rec-ommendations, I am confident that it willcome back to you in better form.”

The citizens found support from ViceMayor Allison Silberberg, whose successfulcampaign for mayor had partially been cen-tered around ensuring that new construc-tion fit the historic character of Alexandria’sneighborhoods. Silberberg’s critics, mostnotably incumbent Mayor William Euille,called her stance anti-development. Muchof the tension from that election was stillvery present at Saturday’s meeting.

“We’re faced with a situation where ourown BAR, on one of the votes, is [split] 4 to3,” said Silberberg. “We all want to get thisright, but there’s still a lot of concern .…This is a serious, pivotol moment.”

Silberberg originally proposed followingNeale’s suggestion to remand the decisionback to the BAR. However, the City Councilwas only allowed to either accept the BARdecision, overrule it, or approve it withmodifications. Silberberg then motioned tomodify the BAR’s decision to include eleva-tion changes, but it received no second fromthe rest of the County Board. Instead, CityCouncil Member Justin Wilson moved touphold the BAR’s decision and approve thebuildings. It was passed, with all butSilberberg voting in favor.

Council Upholds


21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

21 Announcements 21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Zone 3 Ad Deadline:

Tuesday Noon

703-778-9411

Zone 3: • Alexandria

• Mount VernonClassifiedClassified

ALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLSREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NUMBER 15-11-08

The Alexandria City School Board dba Alexandria City Public Schools is seeking competitive proposals from qualified Offerors for Service/Recognition Awards.

Sealed Proposals with the notation RFP# 15-11-08 Interven-tion (RTI) Tool for Elementary Mathematics for Alexandria City Public Schools. Proposals will be received in the Central Pro-curement Office, 1340 Braddock Place, Suite 620, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, on or before 3:00 pm, December 5, 2016. The time of receipt shall be determined by the time clock stamp inthe Procurement office. Proposals appropriately received will be opened and the names of the firms responding will be read aloud. RFP documents may be obtained at the above Procure-ment Office or by calling 703-619-8140, or bydownloading the RFP from the ACPS website athttp://www.acps.k12.va.us/financial-services/purchasing/bids.php

ACPS reserves the right to cancel this RFP and/or reject any or all offers and to waive any informalities in any proposal.

Francine MorrisBuyer

21 Announcements 21 AnnouncementsALEXANDRIA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NUMBER 15-12-01

The Alexandria City School Board dba Alexandria City Public Schools is seeking proposals for Special Education Consulting Services in the ACPS school district.

Emailed Proposals with the notation RFP# 15-12-01 Special Education Consulting Services will be received in the Central Procurement Office, 1340 Braddock Place, Suite 620, Alexan-dria, Virginia 22314, on or before 3:00 pm, January 8, 2016. Proposals received via email shall be transmitted with a date and time stamp. Any email response received where the senders date and time are after this specified time shall not be considered. RFP documents may be obtained at the above Procurement Office or by calling 703-619-8162, or by down-loading the RFP from the ACPS website athttp://www.acps.k12.va.us/financial-services/purchasing/

No RFP may be withdrawn for a period of ninety (90) days af-ter the opening of proposals except as may be set forth in the RFP. ACPS reserves the right to cancel this RFP and/or reject any or all proposals and to waive any informalities in any pro-posal.

Gerald W. Amacker (Jerry)ACPS Senior Buyer

21 Announcements 21 Announcements

Dana McLeod 1955 - 2015

The wise and wonderful lady with the incredible laugh and a smile that just lit up the room, the sensitive friend who really listened, the spirited role model whose courage amazed us all, the protective big sister every little brother needs, the brilliant and caring teacher/director every young theatre per-former should experience at least once. Peacefully, in the early morning hours of Nov. 16th 2015, Dana McLeod passed away in the loving care of the staff at Mt. Vernon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Dana had fought an incredibly brave battle with MS for twen-ty years and though the disease changed the course of her life, it would never define her. A former actress, dancer and musical theatre performer, she played roles as varied as Harpo Marx, Louise in the musical “Gypsy” and even Yo-semite Sam. She also danced at Radio City Music Hall in a special holiday extravaganza.When performing was no longer an option, she became a teacher, director and choreographer spending many years working in the children’s theatre program at the Alden Thea-tre in McLean, Virginia.

Dana faced her final days with grace, strength and even hu-mour. So moved by Dana’s unbreakable spirit, one nurse on her palliative care team said, “I feel so blessed to have met you.” Dana left this world with a beautiful look of peace and total contentment on her face. We think she knew how much we loved her, what a difference she had made in our lives and how we all felt so blessed to have known her.

She is survived by her mother and step father, Marilyn and Ken Murton, and her brother Kenneth John Murton of Toron-to, Canada.

Our deepest gratitude goes to Nora Miller, Margo Harris and the incredible staff at Mt. Vernon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center who brought Dana home in her final days with open arms and a hero’s welcome.To Janet, Retta, Carolyn and Mary Beth who truly redefined the word “support”. And to the amazing people at Inova Fairfax Hospital and Capital Caring you are forever in our hearts.

A Remembrance of Dana’s Life will be held on Sunday May 15, 2016 at the McLean Community Center in McLean, Virginia at 2:00 p.m.

Donations in Dana’s name may be made to the National MS Society, Greater DC - Maryland Chapter, 1800 M Street, NW, Suite B50 North, Washington DC 20036


21 Announcements 21 AnnouncementsOBITUARYOtto Harrison Shupe, 76, of Fries, Virginia passed away Thursday, December 10, 2015 in the Holston Valley Hos-pital, Kingsport, Tennessee. Harrison was born April 19, 1939 in Virginia to the late Otto Bruce and Cenie Katherine Sexton Shupe. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Susie Underwood Shupe. Harrison and Susie both lived in Alexandria for many years before moving to Fries.

He is survived by son Michael (Sharon) Shupe of Fries, VA; Daughter Heather (Daniel) Osborne of Clintwood, VA; six grandchildren: Lori and Eddie Shupe, Kylie, Seth, Micah and Luke Osborne; step grandchildren Keshia Carpenter , Darren Felts; sisters Luann (Buddy) Mays of Kingsland, Georgia; Sharon (Donald) Sharp, Debra (Mike) Thomas, Sheila (Alan) Rogers all of Columbia, Tennessee. Several other relatives and many friends survive.

The funeral service will be held Monday, December 14, 2015 at the Liberty Hill United Methodist Church, 40 Crusader Lane, Fries, VA at 4:00 PM. Interment will follow in the Liberty Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2:00 PM until time for the service.

Flowers will be appreciated or donations can be made to Camp Jacob, 2723 Camp Jacob Road, Clintwood, VA 24228 or Atkins Memorial UM Church, 199 Atkins Lane, Fries, VA 24330 or the donor’s choice.

A guestbook is online at www.vaughanguynn.com



Latinos como tú sirviendo a nuestra comunidad

703-444-7804www.VAGoldBuyers.com

21580Atlantic Blvd.

#120Sterling,VA 20166

• We are Local• We Buy Gold, Silver and Diamonds• Over 40,000 Satisfied Customers• We are Licensed and Specialize in State Sales

Not Ready to Sell? Please call us for our Lending Options!


We pay top $ for STERLING, MEN'S WATCHES,

JEWELRY, COSTUME JEWELRY, FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND CLOCKS.

Schefer Antiques703-241-0790

[email protected]

26 Antiques 26 Antiques

JENNIFER SMITH ❖ Serving the Area Since 1995

➣ Speed Up SlowComputers

➣ Virus Removal

➣ Computer Setup➣ Help with Windows 8

571-265-2038

HDICOMPUTER SOLUTIONS

[email protected]

101 Computers 101 Computers

9 Land

5 ACRES,R-1, Lorton,

Sub-dividable,Price $599,000.

Public Water Access and 6 Bedroom Perk Approved

Beautiful Horses next door, Call Bob at

703-690-6969

21 Announcements

LEGAL NOTICEPursuant to the provision of section 4-1-16 of the code of

the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Police Department located at 3600 Wheeler Ave-nue, Alexandria, VA 22304 is

now in possession of un-claimed bicycles, mopeds, lawn equipment, money,

scooters, and other items. All persons having valid claim to

the property should file a claim to the property with reasona-ble proof of ownership or the items will be sold, destroyed, converted or donated. For a

complete listing go to http://alexandriava.gov/police/and contact the Police Proper-ty Section at (703) 746-6709.

I believe thefuture is only

the past again,entered through

another gate.-Arthur Wing

Pinero

LANDSCAPING

SOD, Mulch, Clean-UpLeaf Removal

Hauling.703-863-7465

A&S CONSTRUCTIONDo what

you can, withwhat you have,where you are.

-TheodoreRoosevelt

ClassifiedClassified

Home & GardenHome & GardenCONTRACTORS.comconnectionnewspapers.com


ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

POTOMACRIVER

703-684-0700 | ALEXANDRIATOYOTA.COM

ServiceCentersKeep Your Toyota

a ToyotaLet’s Go Places

TOYOTALIFETIME GUARANTEE

Mufflers•Exhaust Pipes•Shocks•StrutsToyota mufflers, exhaust pipes, shocks, strutsand strut cartridges are guaranteed to theoriginal purchaser for the life of the vehiclewhen installed by an authorized Toyota dealer.See us for full details.

ToyotaOwnersOnline.com

29 YEARS OFRECEIVING

THISHONOR

1 OF 4DEALERSHIPS

IN THE NATIONTO RECEIVE THIS HONOR

New RAV4s, PriusesScion IMs and IAs

PRE-WINTERSAVINGS

ALL ON SALELIKE NEVER BEFOREFall is here and so are the SAVINGS!

Ask one of our sales managers,George, Mike, Yared or Rocky

703-684-0700WE ARE HERE

TO MAKE DEALS!

You Have Saturdays OffThat’s Exactly Why We Don’t!

Make your next service appointment at:

alexandriatoyota.com

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

ALEXANDRIATOYOTA

3750 Jefferson Davis Hwy.Alexandria, VA 22305

703-684-0710www.alexandriatoyota.com











NEW! Extended Service Department Hours:Monday – Friday, 7 am to 9 pm

Saturday, 8 am to 5 pmSunday, 10 am to 4 pm

Sunday by appointment only.
















alexandria gazette packet - the connection...

Documents