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WellbeingPage 5

Mayor Merkel Won’t Seek a Fifth TermNews, Page 2

Food For Neighbors Expands News, Page 3

Shaping An Optimal

Future News, Page 2

A team of five friends ages 10-11 who attend Floris Elementary School in Herndon won the third-place Championship trophy at the FIRST LEGO League Competition. From bottom to top, left to right, Varenya Immidiset-ti, Arjun Krishnamurthy, Srinika Kallem, Sanya Bhalla, Ayush Tripathy.

2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

MISSION BBQopened a new lo-cation in Herndon,

at noon, Monday, Dec.16. Co-founder Bill Kraus hosted theGrand Opening celebration forthe fast-casual restaurant lo-cated at 2403B CentrevilleRoad. A crowd of nearly 70people, including local digni-taries, law enforcement and fireand rescue personnel, veterans,active-duty military and thepublic, attended the event. Re-tired Navy radar operatorSigmond Alman of Oakton,who served on the USSMonterey during World War IIand retired Air Force ColonelRobert A. Shawn, took part inthe ribbon-cutting ceremony

and served as guests of honor.According to opening tradition,

Kraus stood outside on top of“Bam Bam,” MISSION BBQ’s bigmobile barbeque assist machine,and addressed the crowd. “Want-ing to build a business that hadpurpose, had meaning, had signifi-

cance, we opened our first MIS-SION BBQ in Glen Burnie, Md., onSept. 11, 2011, and damn right,we did that intentionally. Inten-tionally that ten years after thisworld changed as we all knew it,in some small way, we’re going totry to change it back. We are go-

ing to remind people how fortu-nate we are to live in this amaz-ing country. What makes this coun-try so great are our heroes. Howdo we define a hero at MISSIONBBQ? It’s anybody who will standin a line and raise their right handand swear to protect, serve, andsave. You can do it in your com-munity or if you put on the clothof our nation and fight to keep usfree and to keep us safe,” saidKraus. Patriotism is the core ofMISSION BBQ, according toKraus. Every day at noon, staff andpatrons stop what they are doingand in a show of respect sing thenational anthem, hats removedand hand over hearts. Openingday was no different with a saluteto the Stars and Stripes. The cer-emony kicked off with “The Star-Spangled Banner” performed liveby Fairfax County Police Lieuten-ant Tim Field, McLean District Sta-tion, “a local uniformed Americanhero,” said Kraus. The ribbon-cut-ting ceremony followed immedi-ately afterward with Shawn doingthe honors and Alman beside.

Serving Up BBQ and PatriotismMISSION BBQopens inHerndon.

As Fairfax County Police Lt. Tim Field, McLean DistrictStation, sings the national anthem of the United States atthe ribbon-cutting for MISSION BBQ in Herndon, co-founder of the fast-food restaurant chain, Bill Kraus(right) and General Manager, Adam Faggio (left) standwith hands over their hearts.

Then everyone went inside andenjoyed authentic BBQ servedin a dining room filled withtributes to those who make theUnited States great.

According to Kraus, as aformer Under Armour, Incorpo-rated marketing executive with25 years experience, he andSteve Newton, a restaurant in-dustry veteran with 20 yearsexperience at OutbackSteakhouse, co-founded andopened the doors to their firstMission BBQ believing therewas “nothing more Americanthan BBQ.” They also believed,he said that there was nobodymore American than the bravemen and women who swear toprotect and serve communitiesand country. Looking aroundthe dining room filled with mili-tary, police, firefighters and firstresponders chowing down onBBQ and sides, Kraus said,“What is never lost on me isthat we get the easy job. We justget to serve food and say thanksto our heroes.”

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More and more Northern Vir-ginia schools are reachingout to Food For Neighborsto address prevalent food

insecurity among teenagers, who lack a re-liable source of nutrition over weekends.As Food For Neighbors expands its services,it heavily relies on volunteers to donate ap-proximately $25 of food five times per year.Volunteering is easy, and it makes an im-mediate impact on students. https://www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved/

“I’m so thankful to our volunteers andpartners who allow Food For Neighbors tosay ‘yes’ when a new school asks for help,”said Food For Neighbors founder, KarenJoseph. “Currently, we’re looking for ‘RedBag’ food program participants in the FallsChurch area, to which we’re expanding ser-vices in early 2020.”

AN ALL-VOLUNTEER CHARITY, FoodFor Neighbors has rapidly grown from serv-ing over more than 100 students at HerndonMiddle School and Herndon High School,to serving nearly 1,000 students. In addi-tion to supporting its original Herndonschools and newly-added Falls Churchschools, Food For Neighbors providesweekly food assistance to Irving, Key, Jack-son, Whitman, and Carl Sandburg MiddleSchools as well as to West Springfield, Lee,Bryant, Mountain View, West Potomac, andMount Vernon High Schools. The program

has moved into nearby Loudoun Countyschools including Sterling Middle School,Park View High School, River Bend MiddleSchool, and Potomac Falls High School, andthe nonprofit also provides supplementalfood to Langston Hughes Middle School andthe South Lakes High School food pantry.This is tremendous growth given that thenonprofit is only in its fourth year of exist-ence.

“I was shocked to find that, in FairfaxCounty, one in four children go hungry ev-ery day,” noted Karen Joseph. “To me, thatmeant that it could be the children nextdoor, around the corner, or down the streetwho are struggling with basic nutrition. Ourchildren’s peers in their classrooms couldbe struggling to learn, pay attention, or stayfocused as a result of being hungry. Markand I felt we had to do something.”

Karen and her husband, Mark Joseph,founded Food For Neighbors to address teenhunger at schools just like those in Herndon,where many students had few reliable foodsources other than their weekday schoolbreakfasts and lunches. While various pro-grams had recently begun to address thisconcern at the elementary school level, theywere too limited to address the large middleand high school populations.

In 2016, Food For Neighbors began fill-ing this gap via its “Red Bag” program,which allows individuals to shop for non-perishable items at their convenience and

to set them on their doorsteps for collec-tion approximately five times per year. Vol-unteers organized by neighborhoods thencollect the food and bring it to a central lo-cation, where it is sorted and then deliv-ered to participating schools. At the schools,volunteers package the food, and socialworkers and parent liaisons distribute thepackages to students on a weekly basis.

School counselors and social workers,who are at the heart of the program at theschool level, continue to note the positiveimpact that Food For Neighbors is havingon their students.

Food For Neighbors Expands asNeed to Fight Teen Hunger Continues

“The other amazing component of thisprogram is that this might be the very rea-son—food assistance—that keeps themcoming to school and not being a dropout,”explains Florence “Pipi” Harrison of BryantHigh School. “It opens doors to other con-versations and resources that we can pro-vide. Once again, it’s not just a bag of food.It’s keeping the connection to our schooland help.”

KAREN JOSEPH thanks the many schoolcounselors and social workers for making adifference in the lives of their students aswell as the “Red Bag” program participants,drivers, sorters, and deliverers for makingFood For Neighbors possible. She alsothanks Herndon community partners, GreatHarvest Bread Company and Sprouts Farm-ers Market, and the many other organiza-tions that have provided financial dona-tions.These include Trinity Presbyterian Church,First Baptist Church of Herndon, FairfaxOral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Town Cen-ter Family Medicine, Giant Food, MODPizza, Brandywine Realty Trust, EldenStreet Tea Shop, Touchstone Crystal,Herndon Cheer, Herndon Navy JuniorROTC, and Hornets Lacrosse. She encour-ages community members to donate foodvia the “Red Bag” program and/or to pro-vide other assistance by visiting https://www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved/.

Food For Neighbors volunteersbrave the cold to collect food.

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Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Mercia Hobson

The Connection

A team of five friends ages 10-11 who attendFloris Elementary School in Herndon walkedaway with the 3rd Place Championship tro-

phy at the FIRST LEGO League, Virginia + Washing-ton D.C. Competition. The event was held at JamesMadison University in Harrisonburg in early Decem-ber. “A total of 500+ teams from across the statecompeted at the regional level to qualify for the state-level competition. A total of 109 teams then com-peted at the state level,” said adult coach JanhaviRajagopal.

During the multi-month season, ArjunKrishnamurthy, Varenya Immidisetti, Srinika Kallem,Sanya Bhalla and Ayush Tripathy researched a real-world engineering challenge, developed a solutionand designed related LEGO-based robots. Callingthemselves Team Curiobots, the students, guided bytheir adult coaches, took on the CITY SHAPER Chal-lenge, a phrase coined by the FIRST LEGO League.“Our cities and towns face big issues, like transpor-tation, accessibility and even natural disasters. Howcan we shape a better future for everyone? It willtake teamwork and imagination. Are you ready tobuild a better tomorrow together,” asked organizerson the nonprofit’s website va-dcfll.org.

TEAM CURIOBOTS prepared for judging in fourareas, Robot Game, Robot Design, Project and theFIRST Core Values. “They judge you on how well youwork as a team,” Kallem said, referencing the fun-damental competition difference, which distin-guished FIRST LEGO League from other champion-ships of its kind, the incorporation and judging ofCore Values.

Tripathy said: “I learned so much.Member Arjun Krishnamurthy said he and fellow

teammates “learned how to program and run an Ev3robot...and (learned) engineering skills in a fun andsporty atmosphere.” Using LEGO MINDSTORM tech-nology, Team Curiobots designed, programmed andtested their robot game model using the LEGO build-ing bricks combined with the real-life robotic tech-nology, elements with touch, color and infrared sen-sors. The model was supposed to represent the team’sInnovation Project.

“Every year, they design a mat that is based on thetopic (the challenge) of the year. There are usuallyfourteen missions ...each has a number of points...Atthe tournament, they gave (us) two and a half min-utes to do as many missions as we could,” saidKallem. “We knew Robot was our weak spot,” saidTripathy. “We adapted other things teams had donelike programs, Master loop and PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller) … We only wanted toimprove,” he said.

As for the Curiobots’ Innovation Project, accord-ing to Bhalla, this segment of the competition al-lowed the team to “think outside of the box and solveinnovative real-life problems. … We felt like futureengineers as we raised awareness for promoting en-ergy-efficient Data Centers,” she said.

The team identified Data Centers as their project

to explore because, as Kallem and other teammatestraveled to classes and appointments near theirhomes in Northern Virginia, they noticed the mas-sive buildings. “We always see a bunch of Data Cen-ters... We didn’t know what they were, so we … re-searched it,” Kallem said.

“This season, we met many experts to help us com-plete our Innovation Project,” said Bhalla. She namedspecialists at the Department of Energy, Greenspaceand Amazon AWS: Manassas Data Center. “We got aboatload of information doing the project,” saidImmidisetti. Bhalla said that the team discussed theimplementation considerations of their solution witha civil engineer and program manager.” (We) got agreat insight into the cost of building a data centerunderground and in an existing bunker,” Bhalla said.

Next, the team pitched their solution to a seniorcampaigner at Greenspace. The team gained addi-tional insight, but this time regarding the lack ofgovernment support to invest in clean energy in Vir-ginia, according to Bhalla.

“Dominion Energy is a utility company that sup-plies electricity to all data centers in this area (and)uses non-renewable sources such as coal to powerthe Data Center. This needs to change,” said Kallem,who added the team planned to raise the neededchange to their State Senator.

Team Curiobot’s plan was three-fold, beginningwith “Bring the Change,” spreading awareness aboutthe problem through the distribution of flyers at lo-cal sites, according to Immidisetti. The second partof the team’s solution was to recover the heat pro-duced from the servers. “When the servers get hot,the hot air just gets lost,” Bhalla said.

THE TEAM proposed to reuse the waste heat, “toput water and oil inside of the CRAC units (com-puter room air conditioning devices), which are ba-sically huge A.C. units for the data center and usethat recovered heat in nearby buildings,” saidImmidisetti. According to Kallem and Bhalla, whilethe second part of the team’s solution coupled exist-ing data centers with other facilities that have highheat demand, the team urged investing in clean, re-newable energy. “For existing data centers, we areproposing to put solar panels and windmills on theroof. This will supplement the electricity that the datacenter pulls from the grid. The heat will be reused.For new data centers, we are proposing to put themunderground. On top, there will be a mixed spacewith pools, offices, restaurants and more,” saidKallem. Bhalla added: “We are proposing to builddata centers underground, so they would not be eye-sores. The heat from the servers would go throughpipes that heat the buildings above the data centers.”

Shaping an Optimal FutureHerndon Children place3rd at FIRST LEGOLeague Virginia + D.C.Championships.

From bottom to top, left to right, VarenyaImmidisetti, Arjun Krishnamurthy, SrinikaKallem, Sanya Bhalla, Ayush Tripathy.

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After a decade of service,Herndon Mayor LisaMerkel, announced on

Jan. 2 that she would not seekre-election in 2020. First serv-ing as Vice-Mayor from 2010-2012, then as Mayor since2012, Merkel will step down atthe conclusion of her term.

Eight years after moving toHerndon and choosing to raiseher family there, Merkel de-cided to run for Town Councilin 2010. At the time, Herndonhad been in the national newsover day labor and immigrationissues. Merkel was concernedthat those issues dominatedtown politics and wanted toshift the conversation towardsthe future Metro Station andDowntown development. Shewon her first race for Mayor by38 votes in a contested three-way race, becoming the firstwoman elected to serve asHerndon’s Mayor. Since thatfirst election, Merkel has wonthree additional elections byincreasing margins and wasunopposed in 2018.

Throughout her tenure,Merkel has remained passion-ate about maintainingHerndon’s small town charac-ter while capitalizing on theopportunities being in theDulles Technology Corridor af-fords the Town.

Under her leadership theHerndon Metro Station areawas rezoned for transit-ori-ented development and the firstdevelopment plan was ap-proved by the Town Council.Additionally, the town createda downtown master plan, andultimately entered into a com-prehensive agreement withComstock Partners to build thelong-awaited downtownproject. Construction is set tobegin in 2020.

Merkel released a video high-

lighting the town’s progressduring her tenure and thank-ing the residents of Herndonfor making her job the best ofany Mayor’s, anywhere.

Merkel holds a bachelor’sdegree in Education from Au-burn University and a master’sdegree in Curriculum and In-struction from Virginia Tech.She was formerly an elemen-tary school teacher, readingspecialist and staff developerwith Fairfax County PublicSchools and currently repre-sents the town on the North-ern Virginia Regional Commis-sion, serves as the Town Sec-tion Chair on the Virginia Mu-nicipal League Executive Boardand is a member of theHerndon Historical Society, andthe Dulles Regional Chamber ofCommerce. Lisa and her hus-band, Dave, are raising theirfamily in a circa 1895 farm-house in Herndon’s historicdowntown.

During her tenure,Mayor Merkel focused onthe future Metro Stationand Downtown develop-ment while maintainingHerndon’s small towncharacter.

Lisa Merkel is the first woman elected to serve asHerndon’s Mayor

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4 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Opinion

By Rabbi Leibel Fajnland

Director Chabad of Reston - Herndon

Google Dina Hurwitz. You may finda video of a poised, articulate,lovely woman speaking beforethousands of fellow Chabad emis-

saries at their convention in 2016, or beforean attentive crowd at a lecture somewhereacross the USA. “She’s got it all together,” youmay think.

But behind that smooth facade lies an hon-est, fragile, deep and strong woman warrior.A woman who is facing an excruciating chal-lenge with candor and courageous faith—achallenge that has changed her family’s livesin unimaginable ways.

Dina was a typical Chassidic girl. Fun, pretty,and well-versed in Torah. Born in Nashville,Tennessee, she was raised in California. At 14,she went to the Crown Heights neighborhoodof Brooklyn, N.Y., to visit family. Her cousin’sbest friend was a young man named YitziHurwitz. “I never met anyone with so muchjoy and excitement. He literally danced whenhe walked. In the end, that’s who I’m going tomarry,” she told her mother.

Dina and Yitzi did marry in 1996, when shewas 21 years old. She was sure that no oneelse could possibly have such a deep love. Theirdelight and happiness shines from pictures ofthe two.

The young couple moved across the countryto start a Chabad center in Temecula, Calif., asmall community about 100 miles from LosAngeles. “Yitzi’s life dream was to be a footsoldier of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and showpeople how beautiful it is to be Jewish,” ex-plains Dina. A hands-on father, he adored theirgrowing family. Life progressed, filled with thenormal demands of work, travel, community,family.

In 2012, everything changed.Yitzi started complaining, “Something’s not

right with my mouth,” he said. Friends jokedabout the non-drinking rabbi who had slurredspeech, sounding drunk. Six months of testingled to a devastating diagnosis: bulbar onsetALS, the most aggressive type of this neuro-muscular disorder more commonly known asLou Gehrig’s disease. Communication betweenthe brain and muscles fails to work properly,and the muscles slowly atrophy and die. Atfirst, Yitzi’s speech was affected, with somediminishment on his left side, but many nor-mal activities were still possible. He was ableto communicate through a text-to-voice app.But the disease forged mercilessly ahead.

Dina helplessly watched “this outgoing mu-sician, storyteller, dancer, rabbi and great com-municator, who could talk to anyone in theworld,” lose all those abilities over the periodof a year-and-a-half.

Today, Rabbi Yitzi is bedridden and mostlyparalyzed. A tracheotomy has extended his lifewell beyond the expected two-year duration.After nearly five years, this dancing, singing

beacon of life is more than 95 percent immo-bile, except for two things: He can smile, andhe can move his very expressive eyeballs. Pe-riod.

Many would be tempted to wallow in self-pity or anger. But the couple has heroicallyrisen to the challenge. Even with these unimag-inable limitations, Yitzi expresses intense loveand optimism, and deeply touches many lives,combining the latest technology and his iron-clad determination to find whatever way pos-sible to give and spread happiness. He shareshis indomitable spirit by laboriously writing ablog with the movement of his eyes, focusingon each letter with a Tobii gaze-activated key-board; a daylong, exhausting task. This weeklyblog has thousands of followers around theworld.

And as for Dina? At first it was about sheersurvival (mental, physical and logistical): rais-ing their seven children, dealing with ongoingcomplex medical issues, finances and count-less other demands, without collapsing ormarinating in bitterness. But this enormouschallenge has grown, and grown her, intomore.

She has cried. And mourned. And been bit-ter. And coped. And laughed. And loved. Andlearned.

She shares her insights, frustrations, faithand compassion freely. A small family blog,“The Caffeinated Thinker,” started before Yitzi’sillness has grown into an honest and

empathetic source of strength for thousandsof readers. Dina shares her path, how shelearned to differentiate between pain and suf-fering, and how a woman who was “completelyparanoid about public speaking” realized thatshe had vital life lessons to share. She nowspeaks about her story in many venues aroundthe world with humor, poignancy, a few tearsand, most importantly, gritty, real-life inspira-tion that every member of the audience cantake home and apply to their challenges, bigor small.

We invite you to join us as we welcome Mrs.Dina Hurwitz to Reston this Sunday evening,Jan. 12, where she will present a powerful lec-ture open to the entire community titled“STRENGTH THROUGH STRUGGLE”.

We all go through challenges in life. Is therea way to thrive, not only in spite of them, butas a result of them? Mrs. Dina Hurwitz has anAMAZING story to tell, one you will find veryinspiring.

Proceeds to benefit ALS research.

The heroic story of anALS stricken rabbi.

Strength Through Struggle

DetailsSUNDAY, JAN. 12, 6:30 P.M.At Reston Community Center Lake Anne1609-A Washington Plaza N, Reston 20190Suggested Donation: $18; Evening Sponsorship: $72;

Gold Sponsorship $ 180.For more information or to reserve visit

www.chabadrh.org/ALSor email rabbi@chabadrh.org

Photo contributed

Even with unimaginable limitations, rabbi Yitzi expresses intense love andoptimism, and deeply touches many lives.

WriteThe Connection welcomes views on any public issue.

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Oak Hill & Herndon

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By Marilyn Campbell

The Connection

After a season filled with Champagne, Whis-key Sours, Gingerbread Martinis and otherlibations, some might need a break frombooze. Dry January, a public health cam-

paign that encourages giving up alcohol until the firstof February – can help with that effort. The healthbenefits of staying dry for a month range from thin-ner thighs to a fatter wallet.

“It’s very common for people to come home aftera stressful day and unwind with a glass of wine ortwo,” said Alexandria-based substance abuse coun-selor Sarah Brewer, Ph.D. “But the reality is that whilealcohol does seem to make you more relaxed at first,it can lead to anxiety or a depressed mood.”

Weight loss can be a pleasant side effect of abstain-ing from an evening pour, says nutritionist KathrynArmstrong, who sites a report by the National Insti-tutes of Health that showed a strong link betweenweight gain and alcohol. “Ba-sically, the cocktail or winethat you’re drinking hasempty calories,” she said.“Also, many people tend toeat, especially junk food whenthey drink.”

“Another benefit of being al-cohol-free for a month is thatpeople often find that theydon’t need that glass of wineto relax and unwind from astressful day,” added Brewer.“Giving up alcohol for amonth might give you an op-portunity to find explore otherrelaxation methods like medi-tation or going for a walk orsome other type of exercise.”

For those who regularly attend happy hourswith friends or have a glass of wine to relax,abstaining during one of the longest months ofthe year might seem unpleasant or unappeal-ing, says Bethesda-based therapist CarolBarnaby, LCSW. “You might to find things todistract you,” she said. “If you’re used to hav-ing a drink or going to a happy hour at the sametime every day, you can schedule something elseduring that time so you’re mind isn’t on alco-hol. People who enjoy the taste of alcohol mighttry eating fruit or drinking a fruit flavored spar-kling water.”

Attempting to take abreak from alcoholmight unmask deeper is-sues, suggests Brewer.

“If you find that youcan’t stop drinking, itcould mean that youhave a problem with al-cohol consumption,”she said. “By not drink-ing you might find thatyou’ve been using alco-hol to help deal withother issues like depres-sion, PTSD or anxiety. Inthose cases you shouldget help from a medicalor mental health profes-sional.”

The benefits of andstrategies for taking amonth-long booze break.

Dry January?

Wellbeing

“By not drinking youmight find that you’vebeen using alcohol tohelp deal with otherissues like depression,PTSD or anxiety. In thosecases you should get helpfrom a medical or mentalhealth professional.”

— Sarah Brewer, Ph.D.

“If you’re used to having adrink or going to a happy hourat the same time every day, youcan schedule something elseduring that time so you’remind isn’t on alcohol.”

— Carol Barnaby, LCSW

Giving upalcohol during“Dry January”can havepositive healthbenefits.

Photo by

Marilyn Campbell

6 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Herndon residents, Councilmembersreflect on Mayor Lisa C. Merkel’sdecision not to seek 5th term.

Viewpoints

Photo contributed

Teri Cochrane - Town residentsince 2017: I don’t know anythingabout the politics in this town, butit has a beating heart. I attendeda town council meeting to honorGreen Lizard Cycling. I thoughtthe session was well structuredwith Robert’s Rules (of Order) pro-cedures. My philosophy is togather information on how tomake things better and not criti-cize.

Photo by Mercia Hobson

Jeff Mann - Town resident: I re-ally appreciate her leadership. I doknow that what we talked aboutten years ago is different thanwhat we are talking about now. Ifwe are going to do something withthe Downtown RedevelopmentProject, let’s start it. If we’re not,let’s drop it.

Photo via Facebook

Former Herndon TownCouncilmember JasbinderSingh - Town resident 30 years:Mayor Merkel’s legacy can be sum-marized as follows: Giveaway ofthe Downtown Land: If, as ex-pected, the downtown develop-ment contract is executed, the de-veloper will essentially get theland for free. The Town will leaveabout $12 million on the table.Gross Lack of Transparency: Twofacts speak volumes. On July 1,2012, the very first day of Merkel’sfirst term, the town changed theformat of the Minutes of (Coun-cil) Meetings to render them feck-less. None of the documents re-lated to the downtown develop-ment have been made public un-der one pretext or another.

By Mercia Hobson

Herndon TownCounci lmemberSigne V. Friedrichs- Town resident for 24years: I am so gratefulto Mayor Merkel for allshe has done to movethis town toward an in-clusive, hopeful and vi-brant future. Her taskwas not easy. I will missher on Council, and Iknow she will go on todo even more wonder-ful things. I wish herthe best. Friedrichs an-nounced she would not seek re-election as a HerndonTown Councilmember in the Nov. 3, 2020 election dueto family responsibilities.

Courtesy Town of Herndon

Herndon TownCounci lmemberPradip Dhakal:Town resident for 8years-We, thank MayorMerkel for her serviceand leadership in thetown. She is very easyto work with; she wasalways on top of agen-das and very caringabout the town and theresidents. We will missher and wish her a veryhappy time with herfamily. Dhakal an-

nounced he would seek re-election as a Herndon TownCouncilmember in the Nov. 3, 2020 election.

Herndon ViceMayor Sheila A.Olem - Town resi-dent for 30 years:The current Mayorand I were bothelected in 2010, so Iknow Mayor Merkelwill cherish spendingmore time with herfamily and attendingher children’s eventswithout the guilt ofmissing a townevent... You never getthat time back as aparent. Olem announced she would seek election asHerndon Mayor in the Nov. 3, 2020 election.

Courtesy Town of Herndon

Herndon TownCounci lmemberWilliam J. (Bill)McKenna - Townresident since 2012: Ihave heard from a lotof people about Lisanot running for re-elec-tion, and they are sadabout it and rightfullyso. Although I am noton social media, I haveheard that the messageboards were blowingup. I think that aloneis a testament to her

stewardship and leadership of the town by the re-sponse. I am grateful to the Mayor for all of her ser-vice over the years and look forward to continuingto work with her for the balance of the term.McKenna announced he was not focused on campaign-ing or elections, but on working diligently for the townas they enter the budget season.

Courtesy Town of Herndon

Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Are you sitting down? I wasn’t when I got the call from my oncologist after hours this past Thursday. He was calling me with the results from the previous week’s biopsy. He said he had “exciting news.” He said the biopsy was not only “typed” (genetic mutation/biomarker) but, as he continued to bury the lead using

got around to it: I may not have (or have had, still to be discussed/possibly determined) non-small cell lung cancer, stage IV. Instead, I may

papillary thyroid cancer, referred to as “the friendly cancer,” by my oncology nurse the following infusion when I shared with her these

survival/life expectancy after diagnosis.

working diagnosis, I had an ultrasound of my

week, Team Lourie will be meeting with an endocrinologist. She (I saw her picture on the

had a discussion, or at the very least, received an email/referral from my oncologist citing chapter and a few verses about who I am, how I’ve been treated, what scan/results I’ve had and of course, the news of this most recent biopsy, explaining why he reached out. I really don’t expect, given my oncologist’s excitement, and the fact that he called me (only the second time in nearly 11 years) that the endocrinologist will be likewise informed and possibly even excited to share a similar diagnosis with a previous-ly-characterized as “terminal” patient who (yours truly) might not be “terminal” after all.

Somehow, I have to slow my roll and pull back on the reins. We’re still early days here.

miracle.” Though at present it all sounds fairly promising, it’s not exactly cast in stone. and nei-ther has a revised Thyroid-cancer-treatment plan been put in place. I’m still a lung cancer “diag-nossee” and one still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Therefore, until I’m told otherwise, as of now, I’m scheduled for my bi-weekly opdivo immunotherapy infusion on Jan. 3, 2020.

Now, why all of this is worth writing about, prematurely as it is, is that oncologists, almost

“exciting news.” Generally speaking, they are giving bad news and saying it very directly at

“Why not take that vacation you’ve always dreamed of while you’re still feeling good?” The implication being quite clear that it’s likely to get worse from here. To receive a call like I did Thursday from my oncologist now implying that it might get better from here is completely out of the ordinary. Moreover, if he initiated such a communication, I should probably take him at his words and take him very seriously.

Right now, I am possibly elated to be over the moon. However, it’s not as if I’ve been given a clean bill of health. Cleaner, yes, but one still

endocrinologist in her stethoscope and hear some magic words, I am keeping my powder dry and not shouting off my mouth - too much.

Cancer is a funny business. There are twists and turns and unexpected results, much of it not controlled by the doctors. And though I may be on the precipice of being blessed with some amazing, life-altering news, this time for the un-believably good, I am still a week, maybe even weeks away from knowing with any certainty. In the interim, however, I am certain of one thing. If this change in my status does occur and I’m given back my life expectancy, somehow, I will try and return the favor.

OMG

Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

FRIDAY/JAN. 10Reston Chamber Open House. 11 a.m. to 1

p.m. At Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce,1886 Metro Center Drive, Suite 150, Reston.Stop by to see the new space; they will beserving cake and light refreshments, and have aribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

CommemorativeBrick Program.The Reston Historic Trust & Museum will be

celebrating its commemorative brick program.Members of the community are encouraged tosupport not only the Reston Historic Trust &Museum on Giving Tuesday – but to do so byordering a commemorative brick which is agreat way to leave your mark on Reston or giveas a gift to friends, family, teachers, neighbors,organizations, or even a pet. Commemorativebricks can be ordered at https://www.restonmuseum.org/bricks The bricks areordered only once a year. Bricks to be installedin 2020 must be ordered by Jan. 8, 2020. Bricksare then reviewed by the Lake AnneCondominium Association and Reston HistoricTrust & Museum. They are displayed anddedicated on Founder’s Day, which will be April18, 2020 and installed shortly thereforedependent on weather.

SUPPORT GROUPSParent Support Partners, a service of the

Healthy Minds Fairfax initiative, are all parentswho have received training and are qualitied tooffer education, support and assistance at nocost to families or caregivers. They providereliable information that families can use indecision-making and are familiar with servicesand resources that can help families in distress.Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/healthymindsfairfax or www.nami-northernvirginia.org/parent-peer-support.html.

ONGOINGSTEM Professionals Needed. Volunteers are

needed to assist K-12 STEM teachers in northernVirginia as part of the American Association forthe Advancement of Science’s STEM VolunteerProgram, stemvolunteers.org, during the 2019-20 school year.Contact Don Rea at 571-551-2488 or donaldrea@aol.com.

Assistance League of Northern Virginia, avolunteer nonprofit, invites community membersto join the organization to participate in itsReading Express program. Volunteers provideone-on-one tutoring to first grade studentsduring the school year.

To learn more contact VP Membership MaryGronlund at gronbiz@aol.com or ProgramCoordinator Lynn Barron atlynnieb517@verizon.net.

Volunteer Adult Mentors Needed. Help assistthe Department of Family Services’ BeFriendA-Child mentoring program. The mentors provideopportunities for companionship, guidance andsupport to children who have been abused andneglected, or who are at risk of abuse andneglect. Contact Ibrahim Khalil atIbrahim.khalil@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-4547.

Herndon High School Library needsvolunteers. Training available to help with re-shelving books, pulling books for teacher use,helping to check passes, or other specialprojects. To learn more, emailhhs_library@fcps.edu.

RSVP, a volunteer network for seniors seekingservice opportunities in and around FairfaxCounty, Arlington County and the City ofAlexandria, offers a wide array of opportunitiesfor volunteers 55 and older. RSVP volunteersenjoy flexible schedules, free accident andliability insurance while serving, optionalmileage and meal reimbursement and areinvited to volunteer group projects and socialgatherings. To sign up for an upcomingorientation, email Carly Hubicki atchubicki@volunteerfairfax.org or call RSVP at703-403- 5360. To learn more about RSVP, visitwww.rsvpnova.org.

Bulletin

8 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ January 8-14, 2020 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

By David Siegel

The Connection

A rainy night on April 3, 1968 inMemphis, Tenn. It was not longafter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

had delivered a powerful speech in sup-port of striking sanitation workers inMemphis. King had implored his listen-ers to work together; to take “a standwith greater determination … to makeAmerican a better nation.”

As he finished his speech, King spokeof seeing the Promised-Land from themountaintop; then speculated about hisfuture. Would he see the Promised Land?What might have happen after he deliv-ered his speech, then retired for thenight. That’s the focus of “TheMountaintop” NextStop’s upcoming the-atrical production.

Written by award winning playwrightKatori Hall, “The Mountaintop” envisionswhat could have happened when a mys-tifying stranger meets Dr. King bringingunanticipated weighty news.

“This is a moving and beautiful play thatgets to the heart of Dr. King’s dream for abetter America,” said Evan Hoffmann,producing artistic director, NextStop The-atre. “We have gathered an exceptionalgroup of artists to guide this story ontothe stage. I could not be more excited toshare this work with our audiences.”

“The Mountaintop” is directed by Kevin

S. McAllister. “He is one of the most soughtafter artists in the area,” noted Hoffmann.“McAllister has been a member of theBroadway cast of ‘Come From Away.’” Hehas also received several Helen HayesAwards.

NextStop’s “The Mountaintop” starsCurtis McNeil as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Shayla Simmons is Camae; the fictionalcharacter who may not be what she firstseems. What happens between Dr. King andCamae becomes an encounter with unfore-seen twists of fate that spill over in a star-tling, mysterious manner

To bring audiences closer to the actors,NextStop is reconfiguring its theatrical spaceto make the experience even more intimate.

“We will be donating twenty of theclosest seats to each performance to lo-cal high school students, so that they canhave a front row to history,” saidHoffmann. It is the “Front Row to His-tory” Initiative, which will provide free,front-row tickets for local high schoolstudents to see “The Mountaintop.”

“It is my hope that this unique oppor-tunity will open new doors and perspec-tives for the students who participate,and foster a greater dialogue between theperformers and the audience,”ºsaidHoffmann. “’The Mountaintop’ is an ex-traordinary play providing an up-closeand personal look at a famous, iconic civilrights leader.”

NextStop’s upcomingproduction of‘The Mountaintop.’

Vivid, Poetic Play AboutDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. Thedeadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artworkencouraged.

ONGOING

NOW THROUGH FEB. 2”The Mountaintop.” At NextStop Theatre, 269

Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. “The Mountaintop”is a historical drama taking place in Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr.’s hotel room the night before hisassassination. He meets a young maid whoforces him to consider exactly who and what heis fighting for. Full of vivid theatricality, poeticlanguage, and surprising twists, this drama takesus to the summit of a man’s historic life andoffers a stunning view of his dream for ournation. Visit the website:www.nextstoptheatre.org/shows/mountaintop

FRIDAY/JAN. 10Baby & Me Yoga. 10:30 a.m. At Reston Regional

Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston.Bring your baby for a nurturing yoga workshopdesigned for the two of you. No experienceneeded. Bring a mat or blanket. CosponsoredFRRL. Age 6 weeks—16 months with adult. Visithttps://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

SATURDAY/JAN. 11Sing! Books with Miss Emily. 10:30 a.m. At

11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston. Join MissEmily for singing storytime with illustratedsongs. Cosponsored by the FRRL Age 2-5 withadult. No registration required. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

SUNDAY/JAN. 12Sunday Funday. 1-4 p.m. At Reston Regional

Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston. Dropby the Children’s desk on any Sunday for a funindependent activity. Perhaps you will create aflannel board, or play Book Bingo, or explorethe library with a scavenger hunt. We will havea new activity each month. Age 5-11. Noregistration required. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

Michael Cleveland & Flame Keeper. 7 p.m.At Bluegrass Barn at Frying Pan Farm Park,2739 West Ox Road, Herndon. Put some toe-tapping fun into your gift-giving this holidayseason by treating friends and family to amusical performance at Bluegrass Barn at FryingPan Farm Park. Cost is $18/advance; $20/door.New this season is the Half Season Pass — fourshows and reserved seats for $68. Food anddrinks, including beer and wine, are availablefor purchase at the performances. Tickets can bepurchased online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/frying-pan-park/ or by phone at 703-222-4664 or 703-437-9101.

MONDAY/JAN. 13Baby Lapsit. 10:30 a.m. At Reston Regional

Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston.Enjoy nursery rhymes and songs while buildingearly literacy skills for your child. Age Birth to11 months with adult. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

Preschool Storytime — Fairy Tales. 2 p.m. AtReston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDr, Reston. This month we will foster your littleone’s love of reading with stories, songs, andcrafts focused on our favorite classic fairytales!Age 3-5 with adult. NO Registrationrequired. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

TUESDAY/JAN. 14Baby Play and Explore. 11 a.m. At Reston

Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr,Reston. Join in an hour of unstructured play andsocial time for babies. Cosponsored by Friends ofthe Reston Regional Library. Age birth-18months with adult. No registration required.Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

Read to the Dog. 7 p.m. At Reston RegionalLibrary, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston.Read aloud to a trained therapy dog. Bring yourown book or choose one from the Library. Firstcome, first served - one 15 minute session perchild. Age 5-11. No registration required. Visithttps://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

WEDNESDAY/FEB. 15

Teddy Bear Tea Party. 2-4 p.m. At HerndonCommunity Center, 730 Elden Street, Herndon.Bring your favorite teddy bear or stuffed friend,dress in your tea time best, and enjoy tea, treats,stories, and a special craft. Cost is $18 per child/adult couple; $10 per add’l person. Pre-registration required. Visit the website: https://www.herndon-va.gov/recreation/special-events/teddy-bear-tea-party.

THURSDAY/JAN. 16Toddler Storytime — I Want My Hat Back!

10:30 a.m. At Reston Regional Library, 11925Bowman Towne Dr, Reston. Join in thisenchanting tale by Jon Klassen. If you have aspecial hat, wear it for our storytime. Age 2 withadult. No registration required. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

Magic Tree House Book Club. 4:30 p.m. AtReston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDr, Reston. Read to discuss: Winter of the IceWizard by M.P. Osborne. Copies available at theChildren’s Desk. Grade 3-4. No registrationrequired. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

FRIDAY/JAN. 17Gymboree Music. 10:30 a.m. At Reston Regional

Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston.Discover melody pitch and rhythm whilebuilding a repertoire of joyful songs.Cosponsored by FRRL. Age 6-18 months withadult. Please register. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

Gymboree Music II. 11:15 a.m. At RestonRegional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr,Reston. Dance and sing to a new musical style

each month, including Latin, Rock ‘n’ Roll andClassical. Cosponsored by FRRL. Age 18-24months with adult. Please register. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

JAN. 17-26Joshua’s Hands Quilting Event. Location TBA

in Purcellville. Joshua’s Hands is a non-profit inLoudoun County that hosts free quilting eventsto support wounded servicepeople. Joshua’sHands will host 10 days of quilting fun to makehandmade quilts for servicemen and womenwounded while serving our country. All arewelcome. No sewing experience or registrationneeded. All materials are provided butdonations are appreciated. Come for an hour orthe day. Monday-Saturdays 9 a.m.-9 p.m.;Sundays 1-9 p.m. Purcellville. Check website forexact location. Info@JoshuasHands.org, or call540-454-7827, or visit www.JoshuasHands.org.

JAN. 17 TO FEB. 1Ken Ludwig’s “The Game’s Afoot.” 8 p.m. At

Reston Community’s CenterStage, 2310 ColtsNeck Road, Reston. The Reston CommunityPlayers presents this murder-mystery comedyfeaturing real-life 1930s Broadway star WilliamGillette, admired the world over for playingSherlock Holmes. Mystery and hilarity in equalparts ensue in this murderously funny whodunitproduction that will keep you guessing until thefinal curtain. Tickets: $28/adult, $24/seniorsand students. Performance Dates: Jan. 17, 18,24, 25, 26, 30, Feb. 1. Tickets atwww.restonplayers.org.

SATURDAY/JAN. 18

Reston Festival: Lunar New Year. 1 p.m. AtReston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman TowneDr, Reston. Celebrate Lunar New Year with thelibrary and the Northern Virginia ExperimentalChinese School. Festivities for all ages willinclude crafts, games, and performances. AllAges. No registration required. Visit https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/reston-regional

MLK Tribute. 4-5:30 p.m. At Reston CommunityCenter Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road,Reston. Celebrate the life of Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. through Negro Spirituals performed byJasmine Marshall Lizama, Bryan Jackson, andBeverly Cosham. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream”speech performed by students from Al FatihAcademy. Free admission. Visit the website:http://www.restoncommunityorchestra.org

Curator’s Talk and Opening Reception. 4-6p.m. At Greater Reston Arts Center. For theexhibit Moira Dryer: Yours for the Taking, whichruns Jan. 18–April 18. Artist Moira Dryer (b.1957, Toronto, Ontario; d. 1992, New York, NY)in conjunction with the major exhibition ofDryer’s early work at the Phillips Collection inWashington, D.C., entitled Moira Dryer: Back inBusiness.

Country-Western Dance. At Galilee UnitedMethodist Church, 45425 Winding Road,Sterling. The Northern Virginia Country-WesternDance Association will hold a dance. Lessons, 6-7 p.m. Open dancing, 7-9:30 p.m. A DJ providesmusic. Couples and singles of all ages welcome.Admission for NVCWDA members $10; non-members $12; children under 18 accompaniedby a paying adult $5. Trial membershipsavailable at door for member level entry fee.Smoke-free, alcohol-free. BYO refreshments.Visit the website www.nvcwda.org .

Calendar

Curtis McNeilfeatured inNextStop Theatre’sproduction of‘The Mountaintop’running Jan. 9 toFeb 2, 2020.

Shayla Simmonsfeatured inNextStop Theatre’sproduction of‘The Mountaintop’running Jan. 9 toFeb 2, 2020.

Kevin S. McAllisteris directing theNextStop Theatreproduction of‘The Mountaintop’running Jan. 9 toFeb 2, 2020.

Where and WhenNextStop Theatre presents “The Mountaintop” at 269 Sunset Park Drive, (Inside Sunset Busi-

ness Park), Herndon. Performances: Jan. 9 to Feb. 2, 2020. Thurs. Jan 9, 23, and 30 at 8 p.m.,Fri. Jan 17, 24, and 31 at 8 p.m., Sat. Jan 11 and 25 at 8 p.m. Jan. 18 and Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. and8 p.m., Sun Jan. 12, 19, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. Special performanceon Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets: General Admissionº$35-50*(NextStop strongly encourages booking in advance. Ticket prices increase as performances getnearer and fill up). Tickets call: 866-811-4111 or visit www.nextstoptheatre.org.

Photos courtesy NextStop Theatre