ieds, page 10 herndon hosts friday night live

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ May 6-12, 2015 ❖ 1www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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May 6-12, 2015 online at www.connectionnewspapers.com

Herndon HostsFriday Night Live

News, Page 3

Mother’s Day Photo GalleryNews, Page 5

Council of the Arts ofHerndon to Host‘Play It Forward’

News, Page 4

Herndon's free outdoor music show,Friday Night Live, started on May 1 andwill continue on Friday eveningsthrough Aug. 28. The event takes placeat the Herndon Municipal Center.

WellbeingPage 7

Oak Hill ❖ HerndonOak Hill ❖ Herndon

2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ May 6-12, 2015 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com


News

By Ryan Dunn

The Connection

The evening of Friday, May 1,downtown Herndon hosted theyear’s first Friday Night Livewith the band Go Go Gadjet.

Sponsored by organizations includingVolkswagen Group of America and theWorldgate Center, Friday Night Live (FNL!)is one the most popular outdoor concertseries in the D.C. area. The concert has beenranked as a “Must See” for Fairfax County,and is recognized by the Virginia TourismCorporation.

The event is hosted at the Town Greennear the Fortnightly Library and MunicipalBuilding at 777 Lynn Street. “It is great forthe community,” said event volunteer MaxHarwell. This year is the 21st year of FridayNight Live, and each year FNL! donatesmoney from tips to Herndon High School’sAfter Prom and All Night Grad Parties. “Itis going to be a great summer event,” saidArt Anselene, Herndon’s Town Manager.

“FNL is always the market that starts mysummer, I am so glad the Herndon councilhas not made any changes to this event,”said Reston resident Leslie Loges.

Previously, Herndon council memberJasbinder Singh made inquires on changesto the layout of Friday Night Live, yet nochanges have been made. “We have beenattending for about 18 years, it is one ofmy favorite things of the week,” said Restonresident Brian Moran, who attended theperformance with his family.

The founder of Friday Night Live, DougDowner, was unable to attend the year’s firstconcert. However, George Price, a boardmember of the FNL group along with manyother volunteers was present. “I have seen

four generations together listening to mu-sic here,” said Price. “We will not chargeanything for this event, it is designed tobring people to Herndon.” Approximately50 non-paid volunteers including membersof the Herndon Optimists Club help providedirections and check bags. The familyfriendly, outdoor event is cancelled ifweather conditions become unfavorable.

This was musician Eric Henkels first timeperforming at Herndon Friday Night Live.“I think it is fantastic to play live music forpeople. The lineup of bands for this sum-mer includes some talented people,” saidHenkels. Songs the band Go Go Gadjetplayed included tunes by Elvis, Katy Perry,and Sublime. Town of Herndon councilmembers and Mayor Lisa Merkel attendedthe year’s first FNL show. “FridayºNight Livehas been Herndon’s signature summer eventfor 21 years and counting,” stated MayorMerkel. “I was a fan and supporter evenbefore moving into Town, and applaud theChamber for its efforts to bring such a fam-ily friendly, free event to the heart ofHerndon every summer.ºOver the pastcouple of months I’ve heard from hundredsof others who feel the same way and feelpassionately thatºFridayºNight Live shouldremain a fabulous and free summertradition.ºI couldn’t agree more and I lookforward to many summers ahead!”

“It is a great community event, and asboth a Herndon citizen and Town Councilmember I support Friday Night Live,” saidTown Council Member Sheila Olem. Foodstands from local restaurants includingJimmy’s Tavern, Dairy Queen and JJ Delisell snacks and food. Beer and beveragesare sold on the site until 9:30 p.m. No alco-holic beverages may be brought into theevent, and no pets are allowed. Friday NightLive concerts will continue on Friday eve-nings at Herndon until Aug. 28. There willnot be a FNL event on Friday, May 29 asthe Herndon Festival will be taking place.

Visit www.herndonrocks.com for updatesand more information.

The first Friday Night Live of 2015 was held Friday May 1 in downtownHerndon. The free, outdoor event is one the most popular outdoorconcert series in the D.C. area. Each Friday evening May through August,the music series brings bands playing rock, reggae, and funk to hun-dreds of fans.

Reston resident Brian Moran attended the first Friday Night Live show indowntown Herndon with his family.

Herndon Hosts Friday Night LiveFriday Night Livemusic returns toHerndon.

Band members ofthe band Go GoGadjet with Herndonresident GeorgePrice, a board mem-ber of the FridayNight Live group.The band Go GoGadjet was the firstband to play at the2015 Herndon Fri-day Night Live.

Richard Downer,father of Friday Night

Live founder DougDowner, and Del-egate and former

Herndon Mayor TomRust (R-86) at thefirst Friday Night

Live show inHerndon 2015.

Photos by

Ryan Dunn/

The Connection

Herndon Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


News

Council of the Arts of Herndon to Host ‘Play It Forward’Event Details

May 7, 6 - 9 p.m., Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern,697 Spring Street, Herndon.O

n May 7, the Council for theArts of Herndon (CAH) willagain be teaming up withJimmy’s Old Town Tavern to

provide an evening of live music; food anddrinks; raffle prizes; all for a wonderfulcause.

The Play it Forward program is an instru-ment donation program. CAH collects goodquality instruments for students who wouldotherwise not have been able to rent them.The program was first proposed in 2013 byLaura Readyoff, owner of The Music Loft,who was hearing from local music teacherswho were concerned about losing frustratedyoung musicians whose resources could notcover the cost of purchasing or renting goodquality instruments.

Readyoff proposed that the CAH fund amodest program to collect and refurbishused instruments that had been gatheringdust in people’s closets and attics, in orderto provide these young future musicians

with such limited resources with the toolsthat would make practicing more joyful andeffective.

Since then, this program has become anannual event, culminating with celebratoryfundraiser at Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern.This event includes live music by JerryIrwin, in addition to the raffles and give-aways.

The first Play it Forward event atJimmy’s Old Town Tavern, April2013. From left, Grace Han Wolf

(immediate past president, CAH),Signe Friedrichs, Executive

Director, CAH and Elysa Birman,Board member and owner,

Friendly Computers Herndon

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LearningRx of Fairfax, Leesburg,Vienna, and Reston and N. Potomac,Md., are supporting autism research

from April 15-30 by going blue.For each LearningRx student that wearsblue, LearningRx will donate $10 to theAutism Society of Northern Virginia in FallsChurch and the Autism Society of Mont-gomery County, Md. Also, new studentswith autism will receive more than 50 per-

cent off of brain training at $199 for fivehours of brain training throughout April.“We know autism affects many people, andmany of our students struggle with autisticsymptoms as well; it’s important to supportautism research,” said Maureen Loftus, execu-tive director of LearningRx of Reston andVienna.

For more information, visitwww.learningrx.com.

From left — KristinQuinn , advanced

brain trainer atLearningRx, Jack-

son Hill,LearningRx stu-

dent, 11, Reston,Sebastian

Velazquez,LearningRx stu-

dent, 12, Herndon,and Emily Smith,

assistant director,LearningRx Reston.

LearningRx Wears Blue for National Autism Month

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Arts Herndon Announces Interim BoardCouncil for the Arts of Herndon and The Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts

have announced the members of the newly formed interim board for Arts Herndon. Theinterim board will finalize the by-laws and organizational structure for the new organi-zation, and will oversee the transition as the Foundation and the CAH combine to createthis new parent institution. The interim board will also elect the first board of directorsfor Arts Herndon. The interim board will then dissolve.

Six board members from each organization were elected to serve on this interim board.From the Council for the Arts of Herndon Board of Directors, interim board members willbe Elysa Birman, Owner of Friendly Computers; Cathy Lanni, Sales Associate at Long &Foster Real Estate, Inc.; Sheila Olem, Councilmember of Herndon Town Council; Marga-ret O’Reilly, Owner of Margaret A. O’Reilly, PC; Mike O’Reilly, Principal in the O’ReillyLaw Firm and formerly Mayor of Herndon; and Laura Readyoff, Owner of The MusicLoft. The Herndon Foundation for the Cultural Arts has elected to the interim boardHarlon Reece, Retired Marine Corps Officer and President of ArtSpace Herndon; MerciaHobson, Fine Arts Ceramicist and retired teacher of the hearing impaired; MartinSteinhobel , Managing Partner, Valens Point, LLC; Peter Toth, Fine Art and ProfessionalPhotographer and Retired Corporate/Advertising Executive; David Birtwhistle, CEO,Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance; and Lori Culp with the National Rural Utili-ties Cooperative Finance Corporation.

Week in Herndon

The Duck Donuts store on EldenStreet near Herndon Parkwayhad crowds of clients this week-

end, the first days of their opening. Abreakfast and brunch restaurant, theDuck Donuts in Herndon replaces aspace formerly occupied by Milwaukee’sFrozen Custard which closed in Novem-ber 2014.

Offering warm, delicious and made toorder donuts along with premiumroasted coffees, Duck Donuts was startedat the Outer Banks of North Carolina.Founded by Russell A. DiGilio, the firststore opened in 2006. The Herndon lo-cation is the first branch for the fran-chise in Fairfax County. Duck Donuts areserved hot, with toppings ranging fromclassic powdered sugar to chocolate,peanut butter or strawberries icing. Top-pings include shredded coconut,sprinkles, chopped peanuts and even

bacon. Donuts can be sold by singles,half-dozen, dozen, or bucket.

The Fairfax store is scheduled to openin June this year.

Managing the Herndon site are Gen-eral Manager Alvin Barnuevo and Op-erations Manager Rue Rusike. Barnuevosays the Herndon location will offer spe-cial, seasonal flavor items during holi-days such as Valentine’s Day and St.Patrick’s Day. The Herndon location em-ploys about 20 persons. Patrons can viewtheir doughnuts being made as they or-der them. Normal business hours for thestore will be 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Town of Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkelsaid, “Herndon’s anticipation of the DuckDonuts opening has beenincredible.ºNearly every day, someoneasked me if I knew when the big daywould finally arrive,” stated Merkel.º“Ifthe first weekend’s lines were any indi-cation, I have a feeling they will rivalGeorgetown Cupcake as a dessert desti-nation in Herndon.” For more informa-tion on Duck Donuts, visit http://duckdonuts.com.

—Ryan Dunn

Duck Donuts Opens at HerndonDonut store nowopen at BB&T Cen-ter in Herndon.

The HerndonDuck Donuts

offers made toorder donuts

along with pre-mium roasted

coffees. TheHerndon branchis the first fran-chise in Fairfax

County. Otherlocations arescheduled to

open in Virginiathis year.

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Mother's Day Photos

Elizabeth Sadlack, of Herndon, with her daughters Coraand Sadie at a cafe in Salzburg, Austria.

Frank Pincoski, dressed as Santa, with his mother, AnnaPincoski, of Herndon. Even Santa has a Mommy and hereshe is! Happy Mother’s Day.

From left: Elijah, Adam and Cindy Green, of Oak Hill.Cindy and the boys rode bikes on the Maryville-AlcoaGreenway trail, in Alcoa, Tenn., and stopped for a restbreak at the bridge extending over Alcoa Highway.


Opinion

There are families dealing with hun-ger in every county in the UnitedStates, including here in NorthernVirginia.

In Fairfax, there are 67,190 people who arefood insecure, (facing hunger at some pointmonthly) which is more than 6 percent of thepopulation, according to a report by FeedingAmerica.

In Arlington, 8.7 percent of the populationis food insecure, 18,750 people. In Alexandria,10.8 percent of the population faces hunger atleast monthly, that’s 15,540 people.

You can see the national data by county inan interactive map: http://map.feedingamerica.org/

ON SATURDAY, MAY 9, as they deliver mail,postal carriers will collect donations of non-perishable food left by residents near their mailboxes. They will be joined by retired letter car-riers, by family members and friends, and byvolunteers to help collect and distribute thesacks of non-perishable food items that get leftnext to mailboxes that morning.

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bagcontaining non-perishable foods such ascanned soup; canned vegetables; canned meatsand fish; pasta; peanut butter; rice or cerealnext to their mailbox before the regular maildelivery on Saturday. Carriers will bring thefood to local food banks, pantries and shel-ters.

The annual food drive is held in more than10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the VirginIslands and Guam. Last year almost 73 millionpounds of food was collected in the one-dayevent for people in need throughout the UnitedStates.

CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED by hunger dis-proportionately, with nearly 30 percent of stu-dents in Fairfax County Public Schools poorenough to receive subsidized meals at school,which is an incredible 51,968 students. Thatpercentage is more than 31 percent in Arling-ton with more than 7,700 students poorenough to get meal benefits. In Alexandria, 60percent of students are poor enough to getmeal benefits; that’s almost 8,600 students.

Many of these students go hungry on week-ends, during school closures for bad weatherand in the summer. More on that soon.

In the meantime, leave a bag of food out byyour mailbox on Saturday.

Saturday, May 9, is the postal carriers food drive;put a sturdy bag with food donation next to yourmailbox that morning.

Hunger Is Widespread

Editorial

By Stacey A. Kincaid

Sheriff, Fairfax County

Across the nation, people arehaving serious discussions abouthow to alter the dynamic that toooften exists between some law en-forcement officers and individuals.Out of each case, we learn some-thing that will help us go forward.So, as justice pursues its course inFairfax County with re-gard to the tragic deathof Natasha McKenna,let’s not lose sight of thereal underlying problem: the sys-temic mishandling of mentally illpatients who have few or no re-sources, and law enforcement’sstruggle to deal with untreated orundertreated individuals.

There is a teachable momenthere for those of us who have dedi-cated our lives to law enforcementand for members of the commu-nity who believe in dignity andfairness for those who come into

contact with the criminal justicesystem.

All of us are eager — and manyare impatient — for the investiga-tion into Ms. McKenna’s death tobe concluded. This incident hasnot been forgotten or ignored.From the beginning, the Sheriff’sOffice has cooperated with the in-vestigation fully. The recentcompletion of a report by the Of-

fice of the Chief Medi-cal Examiner means theinvestigation is nearinga close. I have not of-

fered more than passing commentbecause, as both a law enforce-ment official and a citizen, I do notwant to prejudice the outcome ofan investigation in advance of thefacts by answering questions towhich I do not have the answers,or by anticipating actions I mighttake once all the facts are known.I admit to having been disap-pointed that someone chose to re-lease internal documents — for

the same reasons I think anyoneinterested in justice and fairnesswould be.

In the meantime, and for theforeseeable future, our jail willcontinue to be a warehouse forindividuals with mental illnesswho have been unable or unwill-ing to access effective clinical care,social services and housing in thecommunity.

About 40 percent of the inmatesin our jail have been identified asneeding some level of mentalhealth care during their incarcera-tion.

More than a quarter have a se-rious mental illness — often com-bined with a substance abuse dis-order — that requires interven-tion, regular treatment and medi-cation management.

The Sheriff ’s Office is workingto improve mental health care atthe jail, but as of this writing, wehave no available options to prop-erly divert individuals under arrest

and avoid unnecessary incarcera-tion. In no way whatsoever is thisintended to justify inappropriate,improper or illegal behavior bylaw enforcement officers any-where; it is simply a fact.

As I have done for years, I willcontinue to advocate locally andin Virginia for more treatment cen-ters for minor offenders who areseriously mentally ill and would bebetter served in a mental healthfacility than in a jail.

I have pledged my 28-year ca-reer with the Sheriff ’s Office inservice to the safety, security andwell being of all Fairfax Countyresidents, and to do so as fairly andtransparently as possible. I willcontinue to work with mentalhealth organizations in search ofsolutions to an intractable prob-lem facing vulnerable individualsfor whom all of us, out of nothingmore than common human com-passion, must assume some re-sponsibility.

Law Enforcement, the Mentally Ill and the Pursuit of Justice

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:A man once asked the holy

Prophet Muhammad (may peaceand blessings of Allah be uponhim), “O Messenger of Allah! Whohas the most right to the best treat-ment from me? The Prophet re-plied, “Your mother. The manasked, “Then who?” The Prophetsaid, “Your mother.” The manasked again, “Then who?” TheProphet again said, “Your mother.”The man asked again, “And afterthat?” The Prophet replied, “Your

father” (Bukhari and Tirmidhi).To truly appreciate the awesome

significance of this particular in-cident, one must remember thatthis took place more than 1,400years ago, in a completely maledominated society; a societywhere women were treated nobetter than slaves.

In Islam the role of a mother isrecognized as being so pivotal inthe upbringing of the children - aswell as in shaping the future ofmankind and society - that Mus-

Mother’s Day and Islamlims are taught that the attainmentof paradise lies under theirmother’s feet.

Not only does this paradise re-fer to the one in the hereafter, butit also refers to a social paradise inthis world…peace, blessings, andsecurity which are obtained afterrespecting and honoring yourmother each and every day, regard-less of how difficult the circum-stance may be.

So while it’s thoughtful andsweet to pause our busy lives once

a year to overtly celebrate every-thing our mothers mean to us withflowers and gifts, it is more impor-tant that we also instill the prac-tice of honoring them daily bymaking them proud of the man-ner in which we conduct our-selves; as well as attending to theirgrowing needs with the same care,compassion, love, and patience asthey once extended to us when wewere children.

Aisha KhanHerndon

Commentary

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Wellbeing

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

Bill and Betty Kenealy, ofSpringfield, make it a pointto socialize regularly with

their long-time friends, many ofwhom are other couples they metthrough work and through the ac-tivities of their five children.They’ve watched their childrenbecome adults, worked, retiredand even survived cancer. Nowthey’re living together in a retire-ment community in Springfield.Bill is 85 and Betty is 81.

“We enjoy meeting for dinner ona regular basis or playing cards ordominoes and Bingo,” said Bill.

One of those couples is Georgeand Peggy White, both 80. Theymet when Bill and George werestationed together in the military.Both couples speak fondly of thestrength they get from their friend-ships.

“All of us have different storiesand have different backgrounds,”said Peggy White, 80. “It’s been aninteresting and rewarding.”

Healthy friendships and strongsocial connections provide morethan interest, say researchers.They are vital to one’s mental,physical and emotional wellbeing.A study by the National Institutesof Health show that people whoare socially isolated are morelikely to die of heart disease thanthose who have close relation-ships. While it might be more chal-lenging to make friends as oneages, the benefits are worth theeffort say researchers.

“Research shows that social con-nections are more important forhealth, longevity and cognitivefunctioning than any other vari-able,” said Linda Gulyn, professorof psychology at Marymount Uni-versity in Arlington. “Social sup-port … increased likelihood ofgetting proper health care, com-pliance with health treatments,diet, activity [and] mental health.”

A HEALTHY SOCIAL NET-WORK is credited with longevity.“Social support at all stages of thelifespan reduces people’s stresslevels, and this in turn promotesphysical health,” said Linda Cote-Reilly, Ph.D., associate professor ofpsychology at Marymount Univer-sity. Seniors who have active so-

cial connections are better able tofight disease, they experiencegreater psychological well-beingand reduced incidence of depres-sion, Cote-Reilly said.

Social isolation can lead to de-pression and physical health is-sues.

“One of the things that researchhas shown is that social isolationis a killer,” said Dominique S.Hubbard, professor of psychologywho studies social exclusion andostracism at Northern VirginiaCommunity College. “One of themost fundamental things that weneed is meaningful social connec-tions and a sense of belonging.”

In fact, researchers point to avariety of studies that link healthand longevity with fulfilling rela-tionships.

“There is this really amazingstudy done in Alameda County,Calif., that followed almost 5,000residents for nine years, and foundthat the best predictor of mortal-ity rates were people who indi-cated they had few meaningful re-lationships, meaning that peoplewho answered they had manymeaningful relationships weremore likely to be alive than thosewith few,” said GeorgeanaStratton, Ph.D., (associate profes-sor of psychology at Northern Vir-ginia Community College in Ster-ling. “Even when they … only lookat people with cancer or heart dis-ease, they still found that thosewith many meaningful relation-ships did better than those whoanswered few.

“Their social relationships werethe best predictor of health anddeath, meaning it predicted bet-ter than other things they mea-sured like smoking and stress,”said Stratton.

Seniors are more susceptible tothe harmful effects of a dearth ofcompanions. “Isolation is poten-tially very damaging to all of us,but most especially to seniors,”said Pamela Stewart, assistantdean of psychology, Northern Vir-

ginia Community College,Annandale campus. “Friendshipskeep us balanced and generallymore positive. They help to keepus busy, can give us a focus andkeep us more happily engaged inthe world around us.”

Retiring and relocating createschallenges when attempting tomaintain existing friendships. “Un-fortunately, for many the pool offriends becomes smaller as oneages,” said Stewart. “We lose touchwith our former work mates anda fair percentage of our friendsmay have moved away or passedaway.”

Those who are no longer in situ-ations that offer natural opportu-nities for social interactions canstill recreate a circle of friends.

“Seniors can replace those byadding new things,” said Hubbard.“Consider joining a class or abridge club. The key is to haveconsistent, positive interactions.”

Donating one’s time offers anopportunity for staying connected.

“Volunteering at a local schoolor animal shelter or even gettinga part time job is a great way tomeet people and stay engaged andcurrent,” said Joyce Schwartz, ageriatric social worker who livesin Potomac, Md. “Pursuing ahobby, working out a gym or at-tending lectures are good too, es-pecially if they’re free or dis-counted activities for seniors.”

STILL, STAYING ENGAGEDsocially and developing newfriendships can become increas-ingly challenging, as one getsolder.

“Physical disabilities and ill-nesses can increase the likelihoodthat a person is hospitalized orhomebound in later adulthood,which can lead to social isolationand depression,” said Cote-Reilly.

Also important, said Cote-Reilly,is distinguishing connections thatoffer positive social interactionfrom those that simply providecontact with another person.

Healthy Relationships for LifeResearchers saymeaningfulfriendships helppreserve health.

George White, 80, stays socially connected by volunteer-ing for the West Springfield police department. He andhis wife, Betty, also 80, stay connected with friends.


Sports

Herndon’s ConferenceRecord, 5-2Herndon junior Graham Seitz pitchesagainst Chantilly on May 1. The Hor-nets lost 7-1, dropping their Confer-ence 5 record to 5-2. Herndon facedWestfield on Tuesday, after TheConnection’s deadline. The Hornetswill host Centreville at 6:30 p.m. onFriday, May 8.

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

A huge event on a scale FairfaxCounty has never before seen —that’s the 2015 World Police &Fire Games. It’ll run June 26-July

5 and promises to be a once-in-a-lifetimeexperience for area residents.

“We expect over 12,000 first respondersfrom more than 70 countries,” said countypolice Maj. Rich Perez, who’s heading upsecurity. “There’ll be 61 sporting eventsspanning 10 days, and with more athletesthan the summer Olympic Games.”

Perez is in charge of bringing together 37different federal, local and state entities toprovide security for the events. Thesegroups include the county Fire and RescueDepartment, Sheriff’s Office, Virginia StatePolice, the U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity, the TSA, ATF, and Department ofState.

The World Police & Fire Games started inSan Diego, Calif., in 1985 and are held ev-ery two years. “We’re celebrating the cama-raderie, honor, courage and athleticism offirst responders from around the world,”said MPO Michelle DuBois, one of thecounty Police Department’s athletic out-reach ambassadors.

Both active and retired fire and law-en-forcement personnel will be competing.“This is the 30th anniversary of the games,so there’ll be dignitaries here, too,” saidDuBois. “And it’s also the 75th anniversaryof the Fairfax County Police Department.”

THE OFFICIAL website isFairfax2015.com and, said Perez, “It’s get-ting 9 million hits a day. The local, economicimpact is expected to be $70 million to $80

million for those 10 days.” That’s because,in addition to the athletes, themselves, anestimated 30,000 visitors are also expectedto attend the games here.

Some 80 county firefighters and 50county police officers are registered to par-ticipate, including Police Chief Ed RoesslerJr. “He registered for the triathlon and hasbeen diligently working out and preparingfor it,” said Perez.

Some other local first-responders will bedefending their awards won previously. FireDepartment Battalion Chief Jerome Will-iams won a gold medal in stair climbing inthe last games, held in New York. Andcounty police officer, Lt. Mark Kidd, is thecurrent gold-medal holder in darts.

But all the participants are special, saidBill Knight, president of the World Police &Fire Games. “These athletes are truly he-

roes from around the world,” he said. “Andthey deserve to be treated like Olympians.”

The various athletic competitions will beheld at 53 different venues, but more than70 percent of the games will take place inFairfax County. Athletes will participate inevents including archery, badminton, base-ball, beach volleyball, bench press, billiards,body building, bowling, boxing, cross coun-try, cycling, darts, dodge ball, flag football,golf, hockey, judo, karate, lacrosse, halfmarathon, motocross, motorcycle andmountain biking. They’ll also vie inorienteering, paintball, pistol and rifle com-petitions, police service dogs, rowing, rugby,skeet shooting, soccer, softball, swimming,table tennis, tae kwon do, tennis, track andfield, triathlon, ultimate firefighter, volley-ball, wrestling and wrist wrestling.

Several of the events will be held in the

local communities. There’ll be baseball atWestfield High; Toughest Competitor Aliveat the Cub Run Rec Center; clays, skeet andtrap shooting, Bull Run Regional Park; cy-cling, police driving track in Chantilly; darts,Fairfax County Police Association Hall inFairfax; and lacrosse, Centreville High.

GMU will also host baseball games, aswell as basketball, bodybuilding, boxing,swimming, tennis, and track and field. Atthe Reston Town Center will be the athletevillage and check-in, plus the half marathonand honor guard competitions.

Martial arts will be held at NOVA’s ErnstCenter, and weightlifting will be at theHerndon Community Center. Meanwhile,archery, cycling, mountain biking andorienteering will take place in FairfaxStation’s Fountainhead Regional Park. AndTysons Corner will host dodge ball and stairracing.

MASS TRANSIT will be used as much aspossible to transport the athletes to andfrom each venue.

“There’s no cost to attend and view anyof the events,” said DuBois. “So we encour-age people to bring their families andfriends to them and enjoy.”

But such a huge undertaking can’t be ac-complished without volunteers, and some4,000 of them are needed. Signups are athttp://fairfax2015.com/volunteer.

“We need medical personnel at eachvenue to cover the athletes, volunteers andspectators,” said DuBois. “People are alsoneeded to check in the athletes and directthem to the next station. Volunteers mustbe 18 or older and able to read, write andcommunicate in English. They must alsopass a background check to keep everybodysafe.”

Urging people not to pass up this oppor-tunity to lend a hand, she said, “You canplay a key role in one of the largest, multi-sport, multi-venue events in the world. In-stead of just watching, you can be a part ofhistory.”

61 Sports Events over 10 DaysFairfax County host-ing the 2015 WorldPolice & Fire Games.

Police officers Rich Perez and Michelle DuBois discuss the upcomingWorld Police & Fire Games.

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COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIPCOMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bTo Highlightyour Faith

Community,Call Karen at703-917-6468

7:45 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Sunday School: preschool - grade 2Music: grades 3 - 7

10:25 a.m. Sunday School Grades 3 to 6Music 4 years to 2nd grade

11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II5:00 p.m. Come Just as You Are Contemporary Service

Nursery care provided at 9:00 a.m. service

The Rev. James Papile, RectorThe Rev. Laura Cochran

703-437-6530www.stannes-reston.org

1700 Wainwright Dr., Reston

ST. ANNE’SEPISCOPALCHURCH • Reston

Welcoming, Diverse, Progressive

Send announcements [email protected]. The deadlineis the Friday prior to the following week’s paper. Pho-tos/artwork encouraged.

FRIDAY/MAY 1-AUG. 28Herndon Friday Night Live. 6:30 p.m. 777

Lynn Street, Herndon. Listen to great music onFriday nights during the summer. Visitherndonrocks.com/schedule.php for more.

THURSDAY/MAY 7Farmers Market. 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Old Town

Herndon, 700 block of Lynn Street, By the RedCaboose. Every Thursday vendors sell productsthey grow and are located within a 125-mileradius of Fairfax County, ensuring that yourpurchases will be fresh. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/wp-farm-mkt.htm.

Food Truck Thursdays. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. RestonTown Square Park. First Thursday of the month,a variety of food truck vendors.

THURSDAY/MAY 7 - FRIDAY/MAY 8Big Truck Days. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. -

7 p.m. Friday. Herndon Public Works Complex,1479 Sterling Road, Herndon. The Town ofHerndon’s Department of Public Works hosts itsannual “Big Truck Days,” an opportunity forchildren - and their parents - to see the town’sbig trucks and heavy equipment on display. Allages. Free. http://www.herndon-va.gov/.

FRIDAY/MAY 8Friday Night Live! 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Herndon Town Green, 777 Lynn Street,Herndon. Outdoor concert series featuringpopular local and regional acts from up anddown the east coast. For information visitwww.herndonrocks.com.

SATURDAY/MAY 9Spring Farm Day. 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Frying Pan

Farm Park, 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon. Comesee puppet shows, do some crafts or play somegames. You can even milk a real cow. $8 if atthe door, $7 if bought in advance, kids under 2free.

MONDAY-TUESDAY/MAY 11-12Slimy Salamanders. 10-11 a.m. Walker Nature

Center, 11450 Glade Drive, Reston. Ages 18months to 35 months. Salamanders look likelizards, but they are actually amphibians withmoist skin. Get your hands messy while learninghow this slimy skin protects them. Enjoy a snackwhile reading The Salamander Room by AnneMazer. Go on a short hike to discover wheresalamanders live and what they eat. Reservationsrequired by May 6. Fee: $7/child RA members,$9/child Non-members.

[email protected]. 703-476-9689 and press 5.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 13Technology Changing Art Exhibit Artist

Reception. 7-9 p.m. ArtSpace Herndon, 750Center Street, Herndon. The opening receptionand awards presentation for the 11th AnnualCouncil for the Arts of Herndon Tech Arts

Competition. This competition features artistsfrom Fairfax County public high schools. Theexhibit and artists reception are free and open tothe public. http://www.artspaceherndon.com/technology-changing-arts/

FRIDAY/MAY 15Senior Tea. 1 p.m. ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center

Street, Herndon. Every month seniors are invitedto visit the gallery to view the current exhibit andenjoy a cup of tea and a sweet treat. Special forMay 15 we will feature singer Kitt Potter. Seniorsfrom the Herndon Senior Center are regularvisitors. All teas are free and open to the public.

Herndon Pyramid Concert. 7 p.m. HerndonHigh School Auditorium, 700 Bennett Street,Herndon. This is a great opportunity to hearmany talented instrumentalists from HerndonHigh, Herndon Middle School and their feederelementary schools. Bring the whole family andenjoy performances from each of the followingensembles: Elementary Area Band, HerndonHigh School Saxophone Ensemble, HerndonMiddle School Symphonic Band, HerndonUnited Methodist Church Percussion Ensemble,Herndon High School Wind Ensemble, HerndonHigh School Indoor Guard and Herndon HighSchool Indoor Drumline. Admission is free.

SATURDAY/MAY 16Spring Gala. 7-9 p.m. ArtSpace Herndon, 750

Center Street, Herndon. Enjoy a spring eveninghonoring Elma “The Queen of Herndon” Mankinwhile enjoying the beautiful chamber music ofthe Beau Soir Ensemble. Tickets, per-person,$25 in advance, $30 at the door. Semi-formal.http://www.artspaceherndon.com/spring-gala/.

Herndon High School’s Annual PaigeSaucedo 5k Memorial Fundraiser. 9 a.m. -noon. Herndon High School, 700 Bennett Street,Herndon. Herndon High School will host the 4thAnnual Paige R. Saucedo 5K Scholarship Walk/

Run. Registration is $20 per adult and $10 perchild (under 18). T-shirts will be given to 5Kregistrants as supplies last. Proceeds of eventwill benefit Herndon High School ESOL studentsdemonstrating academic excellence andfinancial need to support post- high schoolopportunities. Two 1st place $500 scholarshipswill be awarded to student race winners, maleand female (age 14 – 18) regardless of secondlanguage criteria.

Teddy Bear Picnic. Herndon Fortnighly Library,768 Center Street, Herndon. 2 p.m. All ages andtheir favorite stuffed animal enjoy stories, songs,and activities.

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will take place Friday-Saturday,May 16-17, at Reston Town Center, and provides an interactive experi-ence to view, purchase, and experience art directly from the artists whohave created it.

Calendar

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Arts HerndonInterim Board

Council for the Arts of Herndon andThe Herndon Foundation for the Cul-tural Arts have announced the mem-bers of the newly formed interim boardfor Arts Herndon.

Six board members from each orga-nization were elected to serve on thisinterim board. From the Council for theArts of Herndon Board of Directors,interim board members will be ElysaBirman, Owner of Friendly Computers;Cathy Lanni, Sales Associate at Long& Foster Real Estate, Inc.; Sheila Olem,Councilmember of Herndon TownCouncil; Margaret O’Reilly, Owner ofMargaret A. O’Reilly, PC; Mike O’Reilly,Principal in the O’Reilly Law Firm andformerly Mayor of Herndon; and LauraReadyoff, Owner of The Music Loft.

The Herndon Foundation for theCultural Arts has elected to the interimboard Harlon Reece, Retired MarineCorps Officer and President ofArtSpace Herndon; Mercia Hobson,Fine Arts Ceramicist and retiredteacher of the hearing impaired; Mar-tin Steinhobel , Managing Partner,Valens Point, LLC; Peter Toth, Fine Artand Professional Photographer andRetired Corporate/Advertising Execu-tive; David Birtwhistle, CEO, NorthernVirginia Transportation Alliance; andLori Culp with the National Rural Utili-ties Cooperative Finance Corporation.

Week in Herndon

Mostpeopleareaboutashappyas theymake uptheirmindsto be.—Abraham Lincoln


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Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

“CT Looked Good”

Cryptic? Hardly. Words I can live withthe for the next three months until mynext CT Scan? Absolutely. I’m going tostop now before I make this initial para-graph a priceless MasterCard moment.What this column is about, however, is anupdate about the good-make-that-greatnews I received electronically from myoncologist late Friday afternoon, two daysafter I had completed my most recent CTScan, and a full week before our nextface-to-face appointment, when the scanresults both good and bad are typicallyshared and discussed. And though myoncologist understands and appreciates –per last week’s column – that waiting isexcruciating for the patient/survivor; hisfear of providing misinformation and/ormisinterpreting the radiologist’s report,and in turn my overreacting to one or theother, accounts for the timeline thatprobably doesn’t suit either one of us.

Nevertheless, it is what it is, it’s what ithas been and I doubt, living into thefuture, it will be any different. Writing acolumn or two about its drag on my coef-ficient is healthy enough, I suppose (betterto get it out than to keep it in, the mentalhealth professional might say). But I’mguessing the correlating/paralleling uni-verse might be that obsessing/ “compul-sing” over something I can’t change islikely not good for this soul or psycheeither. And if there’s any substance to theanecdotal claim that cancer patients/ survi-vors who can eliminate some stress fromtheir lives will have a better outcome/longer life, then the sooner I understandand accept control and/or lack thereof,with respect to my treatment/process/overall cancer experience (maybe a fewother areas, too), the more rewarding myfuture will be. As Clint Eastwood said nearthe end of Magnum Force: “a man got toknow his limitations,” so too must apatient know and accept his.

I likely can’t change how and when mydoctor communicates to/with me, though.He has procedures; I have mine. He hasrules, preferences, timelines, etc. As thepatient, I would say mine are probablydifferent. As to the oncologist who haskept me alive six-years-going-on-sevenafter originally giving me a “13-month totwo-year” prognosis, my reply to his e-mail was more wordy: “Thank God andthank you! Now we can relax a little bituntil we see you at our next appointmenton the 24th.” To say we’re looking for-ward to that next appointment would be abit naïve. Still, we’re not in fear for ourlives, as sometimes has been the case.

Once in-office, we’ll look at the com-puter and compare the two previousscans, and likely evaluate and discuss thepast, present and future. These meetingsare as much about strategy as anythingelse. I certainly don’t expect any guaran-tees, nor do I expect any warm andfuzzies. I’m sure he’ll be smiling as willwe, and be grateful as well, for our amaz-ing good fortune. Nevertheless, this is anextremely serious business with an unpre-dictable outcome. Moreover, as much as Iappreciate MasterCard’s “Stand Up ToCancer” campaign; being a cancer patientis hardly priceless. In fact, it’s all it’scracked up to be. That being said, whenthe three words typed in your e-mail sub-ject box are the title of this column, forthe moment, all is right in your world –until the next scan of course, threemonths hence. It’s a cycle of loom forsure, but it sure beats the gloom it couldhave otherwise been.

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HOW TO SUBMIT ADS TO

To have community events listed in the Connec-tion, send to [email protected] the Friday prior to the following week’s paper.

MONDAY/MAY 11Writers Group for Adults. Herndon Fortnighly

Library, 768 Center Street, Herndon. 7 p.m. Alllevel of writing experience are welcome and willreceive support and feedback. The groupreviews work-in-progress from up to threemembers each month.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 13Reston – League of Women Voters meeting

on growth in Fairfax County. 7:30-9 p.m.North County Governmental Center, 1801Cameron Glen Drive, Reston. Where is theCounty’s growth going to go? What has changedin Fairfax County’s land use and where do we gofrom here? Free, open to the public (men andwomen), call 703-757-5893. Background papersat www.lwv-fairfax.org.

Wednesday Morning Book Club for Adults.Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDrive, Reston. 10:30 a.m.

Call branch for title.ESL for Intermediate Adult Students. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. 11 a.m. Join Richard’s Wednesdayconversational group.

Precious Preschoolers. Herndon FortnighlyLibrary, 768 Center Street, Herndon. 11 a.m.Ribbit, Ribbit: Frogs Fact and Fiction. Ages 3-5with adult enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, andgames about these fun amphibians.

THURSDAY/MAY 14ESL for Advanced Adult Students. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. 10 a.m. Join Richard’s Thursdayconversational group.

Baby Steps Storytime. Reston Regional Library,11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. 10:30a.m. Ages 12-24 months with adult enjoy aninteractive storytime.

FRIDAY/MAY 15ESL for Beginner Adult Students. Reston

Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive,Reston. 10 a.m. Join Elayne’s Fridayconversational group.

MONDAY/MAY 18NARFE Dulles Chapter Luncheon Meeting.

11:30 a.m. Amphora Diner, 1151 Elden Street,Herndon. Topic: Protecting Yourself againstFinancial Crimes. Speaker: Tom Polhemus,Financial Crimes Unit, Fairfax County Police.Please call and make your reservation to LouiseRooney at 703-435-3523 no later thanThursday, May 14.

WEDNESDAY/MAY 20Terrific Wonderful Ones. Herndon Fortnighly

Library, 768 Center Street, Herndon. 11 a.m.Age 12-23 months with adult enjoy building anearly literary foundation through rhymes, songs,and stories with music. Openings.

ONGOINGFood Addicts in Recovery. Wednesdays at 7

p.m. at The Vine Church, 2501 Gallows Road,Dunn Loring.

Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat?Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is afree twelve step recovery program for anyonesuffering from food obsession, overeating,under-eating or bulimia. For more informationor a list of additional meetings throughout theU.S. and the world, call 781-932-6300 orwww.foodaddicts.org.

Fairfax County’s Meals on Wheels urgentlyneeds drivers in the Annandale, Franconia/Kingstowne, Reston, Mount Vernon and McLeanareas. 703-324-5406, TTY 711 orwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadults.

Knitting Enthusiasts, Musicians Needed.10:30 a.m.-noon, at Herndon Senior Center.Herndon Senior Center seeks a knittingenthusiast to teach basic procedures. Musiciansto play soothing music on weekend morningsalso needed. 703-324-5406, TTY 711,www.fairfaxcounty.gov/olderadult [email protected].

Bulletin Board


Opinion

Statement from Fairfax County PublicSchools Superintendent Karen K. Garzafollowing the Fairfax County Board ofSupervisors passage of the Fairfax CountyFiscal Year (FY) 2016 budget:

Once again, we findthat the FairfaxCounty Board of Su-pervisors has failed

to fully fund Fairfax County Pub-lic Schools (FCPS). This is ex-tremely disheartening — we en-tered this budget year making agood faith effort to workcollaboratively with the Board ofSupervisors. We worked for nearlya year with the County Executiveand the Board of Supervisors todevelop a reasonable budget thatmet only the very minimal needsof FCPS, and in the end they didnot deliver.

Supervisors are sending a clearmessage that they are uncon-cerned about the increasing chal-lenges of our students, our teach-ers, and our schools. The supervi-sors refused to fully fund our bud-get for the 2015-16 school year(FY 2016), when faced with anominal $7.6 million deficit. We

have grave concerns as to whatwill happen in the 2016-17 (FY2017) school year when we face adevastating shortfall of more than$100 million.

The entire Fairfax County com-munity has a critical decision tomake: either we invest the neces-sary funds in our students andschools, or we will have to worktogether to decide what to cut —and we cannot cut our way to ex-cellence.

Due to years of chronicunderfunding coupled with a de-cade of significant enrollmentgrowth and increasing studentneeds, we will not be able to sus-tain the current quality nor the fullrange of academic programmingwe currently offer our students.We have sought to protect theclassroom to date, but with thescale of the FY 2017 shortfall, wewill have to take a serious look atthe programs that we must cutstarting in the 2016-17 schoolyear. These cuts will likely affectall current academic programmingincluding limiting elective choices,reducing career and technical pro-

grams, impacting advanced offer-ings, and again raising class sizesat all levels. We must make thesedifficult choices by December2015 because students begin theircourse selections in January 2016.

Since 2008, we have cut 2,175positions and nearly a half-billiondollars from our budget affectingevery school and department. Wehave fallen so far behind in teachersalaries that we are no longer com-petitive and are losing talentedstaff to neighboring school dis-tricts. Our teachers are the reasonFCPS students excel and achieve.Losing our most experiencedteachers will have a significant ef-fect on student performance andwill ultimately affect the reputa-tion of FCPS. Fairfax County pub-lic schools are frequently cited asone of the main reasons that busi-nesses choose to relocate to thecounty, and Fairfax has some of thehighest property values in thecountry, but without excellentschools as a foundation — corpo-rate investment in Fairfax andproperty values will decline.

In the education of our children,every year matters; we cannothope to make up deficits in theireducation in their later years. It iscritical we take action now.

I hope our community will joinme to #saveFCPS.

Garza Calls Community to Help #saveFCPSSuperintendent says FCPS facesdeficit of more than $100million; FCPS excellence at risk.

Karen K. Garza

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By Tim Peterson

The Connection

When the members of theSchool Board reconvene onMay 7, they’re scheduled to

act on whether or not to add “genderidentity” to the list of nondiscriminationcategories for all Fairfax County PublicSchools students, employees or appli-cants for employment. The current listin the board’s policy item 1450 includesage, race, color, sex, sexual orientation,religion, national origin, marital statusand disability.

A new business item at the board’sApril 23 meeting was a recommendationto adopt this policy change, “To ensureconditions of nondiscrimination andequal opportunity in the school system”(language from the draft new policy).

The proposed change drew several

speakers during the citizen participationportion of the meeting.

Del. Bob Marshall (R-13), representingparts of Prince William and Loudoun coun-ties, opposed adding gender identity to thenondiscrimination list based on the boardlacking the authority to do so.

“Seven Attorney Generals from 1982through 2010, in eight opinions, all con-cluded that the General Assembly is the onlybody with authority to establish or changepublic policy to define classes for forbid-den discrimination,” Marshall said in hisremarks. “In that time, five Attorney Gen-erals published six formal opinions dealingwith local government including schoolboards.”

Marshall and other speakers also refer-enced an opinion issued earlier this year bycurrent Attorney General Mark R. Herringthat local school boards can, in fact, includesexual orientation and gender identity aspart of nondiscrimination policies. Herringsaid the state constitution and law provide“power fairly implied from the express grantof authority.”

However Marshall urged the board to

look at a larger body of past opinions “inlight of possible citizen legal response.”

Andrea Lafferty, president of the Tradi-tional Values Coalition and mother of aschool-age child in Fairfax County, also op-posed the policy change. “There is a way toaccommodate transgender students and stillprotect the other students’ privacy rights,and the rights of parents,” Lafferty said inher remarks. She referenced a public SchoolBoard discussion in March that she said“none of the important issues of concern orthe real issues to be faced,” such as bath-rooms, changing rooms and the impact ofteachers in the classroom.

“Children need and deserve a psychologi-cally stable and emotionally secure environ-ment in which to learn — your policychange threatens this,” Lafferty said.

West Potomac High School teacher andsponsor of the school’s Gay-Straight AllianceRobert Rigby favored the policy change.

“From hearing from students and parents,I can say that harassment and discrimina-tion based on sexual orientation have de-creased during my time working forFairfax,” Rigby said in his remarks. “How-

ever, transgender students students andstudents who do not display traditionalgender expression continue to experi-ence a great degree of of harassment;their friends and family members alsohear some amazingly negative com-ments.”

Manny Solon, a Fairfax County resi-dent, also spoke in favor of the change,comparing having a gender identity dif-ferent from your body to Alzheimer’sdisease.

“To have that feeling and to not be ableget out and express yourself is a hell onearth,” Solon said, “and I think we oweit to ourselves and to these kids, whoare our kids to go and speak up forthem.” The next meeting of the FairfaxCounty School Board will be at 7 p.m.on May 7 at Luther Jackson MiddleSchool, 3020 Gallows Road in FallsChurch. To email the School Board, con-tact [email protected] information about requesting tospeak at meetings is available atwww.fcps.edu/schlbd/meetings/requestspeak.shtml.

Nondiscrimination and Gender IdentitySchool Board to con-sider policy change.

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