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online at www.connectionnewspapers.com November 23-29, 2017

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What Are You Thankful for This Thanksgiving?Viewpoints, Page 6

‘A Disaster for Northern Virginia’News, Page 3

Waiting for SantaNews, Page 9

Santa’s kids, from left, Lyha, Jamieson, Stephanie, Reagan, Kiley and Jayden at

Springfield Town Center on Saturday, Nov. 18 when their Santa took to his chair.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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www.connectionnewspapers.comSee Cappies, Page 7

By Vanessa Rivera

Oakton High School

A year in the life of friends may be measured in daylights, sunsets, and cups ofcoffee, but the talent and dedication seenin Hayfield Secondary School’s production

of “Rent” was immeasurable.Based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,”

“Rent” is a rock musical with book, music, and lyricsby Jonathan Larson. Premiering in 1996 in the NewYork Theatre Workshop, “Rent” went on to Broad-way in the same year. After 5,123 performances overthe span of 12 years, “Rent” closed in 2008.

The story starts on Christmas Eve with Mark Cohen,a struggling filmmaker, as he documents life on Av-enue B with his roommate, Roger Davis. Mark, deal-ing with a recent breakup, and Roger, coming toterms with his recently diagnosed HIV, face eviction.As the two seek meaning in life, they struggle, along-side their friends, with emotion, devotion, and caus-ing a commotion.

Roger, played by Jackson Miller, and Mimi playedby Trish Hoang, lit a spark in their duet “Light MyCandle.” Jackson Miller, a standout actor, ensuredevery song was a “one song glory” with his vocalexpertise. Mark (Corbin Farrell) and Joanne (HallieStrelsky) maintained a spiteful yet good-natured

chemistry, evident during “Tango: Maureen.” As thetwo bonded over the unfaithful Maureen, they tan-goed cleanly. Shannon Flack reached for the stars,and then jumped over the moon, in her role asMaureen. She brought an irreplaceable energy as shepouted playfully or protested dramatically.

A true light of the cast, Max von Kolnitz, playedthe lovable and bright character of Angel. Max ex-ecuted high energy twirls, impressive vocals, andpoise to bring the drag queen role to life. The rela

A Display of Sophistication and MaturityHayfield Secondary Schoolpresents musical “Rent.”

Cappies Review

CorbinFarrell inHayfieldSecondarySchool’sproductionof musical“Rent.”

Photo by

Dr. Tom Kinder

Springfield Connection ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Andrea Worker

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11)says that he and his Democraticcolleagues are more than will-ing to work in a bipartisan ef-

fort on meaningful tax form. “As a leader ofthe New Democrat Coalition, a group of pro-business Democrats, I have written on sev-eral occasions to Speaker Paul Ryan andWays and Means Chairman Kevin Bradyasking them to partner with us … to sim-plify the tax code, create revenue … andprovide middle class tax relief.”

Speaking at a roundtable gathering thatthe congressman hosted at the offices of theNorthern Virginia Association of Realtors(NVAR) on Monday, Nov. 13, to discuss theconsequences of the GOP tax plans,Connolly says those overtures have beenrejected.

“Congress had a real opportunity to pur-sue neutral tax reform that would lowercorporate tax rates and benefit the middleclass.” Connolly expressed “deep disap-pointment” at the House and Senate billsbeing proposed, categorizing both as“shameful, corporate giveaways” that willhave unprecedented and far-reaching nega-tive effects on Northern Virginia, the Com-monwealth of Virginia, and the nation.

Connolly reported that by using “dynamicscoring” – a method of analysis that includesthe potential feedback effect certain tax cutscan have, and that he said Republicans of-ten advocate “because it provides more gen-erous deficit projections for tax cuts” — theproposals actually increase the country’sdeficit to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, “andsomebody has to pay that bill.”

An assessment of the tax plans by Con-gress’ nonpartisan Joint Taxation Commit-tee released on Monday, Nov. 20, seems tosupport the congressman’s concerns. Thecommittee’s analysis projects that some 13.8million moderate-income American house-holds would actually see a tax increase as aresult of the Senate plan by 2019. House-holds earning less than $200,000 per yearwould face increases of $100 to $500. Thetax liability rises even more for earners be-tween $75,000 and $200,000. According tothe analysis, tax increases would be felt by21.4 million households by the year 2025.

Connolly likened the plans to previouslyfailed “trickle-down” attempts at tax reformand economic stimulus.

“1981, 2001, 2003. The Reagan and Bushtax cuts. So disastrous that they had to en-act tax increases in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987and 1990” to raise the needed funds. “Thenin the early 2000s, President George W.

Bush took the record surpluses of theClinton era and created record deficits.”Connolly added that the trickle-downtheory is based on “the hope and the prayerthat such tax cuts will someday pay forthemselves,” but that history has alreadyproven “that assumption to be false.”

TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT of the pro-posed legislation on the Northern Virginiaregion, Connolly convened a group of localbusiness leaders, economists and financialexperts, as well as participants represent-ing social service providers, persons withlong-term medical and care needs, econo-mists, parents of students with significantstudent debt, and seniors.

Connolly set the stage for the discussionwith a few more facts and figures, althoughhe cautioned that “we still haven’t seen thewhole of either proposed legislation.”

* The plans either repeal or limit severaltax breaks that are crucial to Northern Vir-ginians, including medical and dental ex-pense deductions, premiums for long-termcare insurance, in-home and nursing homecare, and mortgage interest deductions.

* The state and local income tax (SALT)deductions would be limited or even re-pealed. In Connolly’s 11th District, 50 per-cent of tax filers claim the SALT deduction,

with 75 percent of the claimants being inmiddle income tax brackets. The numberof SALT claimants throughout FairfaxCounty is as high as 280,000 households.

* The plans call for the repeal of EstateTax, which only applies to about thewealthiest 5,000 decedents each year, whilecutting adoption tax credits and credits forsmall businesses that invest in accessibilityimprovements for persons with disabilities.

* According to the Tax Policy Center, af-ter-tax income for the top 1 percent of earn-ers would rise by about 2.6 percent by 2027,while those at the bottom 80 percent wouldsee after-tax increase of between 0.0 per-cent and 0.6 percent.

After Connolly’s remarks, Bob Adamson,chairman of the board of the Northern Vir-ginia Association of Realtors, was the firstof the gathering to offer comments.

Representing some 12,000 Realtors in theregion, Adamson stated that the NVAR“wants to be part of the solution,” but findsthe proposed legislation to be “unfair tohomeowners,” disproportionately placingthe burden of “filling in the financial gaps”directly on them.

NVAR Chair-elect Lorraine Arora agreed,adding that “real estate bolsters theeconomy” with so many related jobs andservices, and that any plan that suppresses

home buying will cause a “ripple effect ofharm.”

The Realtors at the table also worried thatthe proposed tax reform will actually lowerexisting house values. NVAR CEO RyanConrad said that in the NoVa region, thatdecrease could be as much as $30,000 lostin home equity.

ADDITIONALLY, THE REALTORS fore-see a decrease in housing stock that is al-ready an issue, and even see FairfaxCounty’s successes toward ending and pre-venting homelessness, slip into reverse, asdevelopers are less able than ever to profit-ably build affordable housing.

Continuing the “ripple effect” theme,JoAnne Carter, managing director of PFMFinancial Advisors, LLC, said that the pro-posals threaten the means by which munici-palities, nonprofits and other businessesfund their services and investments in im-provements and expansion.

“Eliminating Private Activity Bonds andcausing cuts to ‘advance refinancing,’” saidCarter is severely hampering the ability tofinance the basics, like “schools, roads, hos-pitals, transportation, airports, sea ports, allof it.” That in turn “increases the burdenon the counties,” said Adamson, while po-tentially depleting their main source of rev-enue. For municipalities like Fairfax County,that are, in essence, only able to raise fundsthrough property taxation, the choices aredauntingly few. Either raise those taxes sig-nificantly, or reduce expenditure on infra-structure and public and social services.

“And if we damage our AAA Bond rating,”added Carter, “it costs more for these mu-nicipalities and service providers to borrow.”According to Carter, Fairfax County couldsave between $3-12 million when re-financ-ing with a Triple A Bond rating. “Losing thatcould mean that public structures just don’tget built.”

Nancy Mercer, a licensed clinical socialworker and the former executive directorof the ARC of Northern Virginia, and RidgeMultop, an economist, former AARP Con-gressional Affairs and former House Bud-get Committee staffer, both discussed theimpact the proposed tax bills could have onseniors, those with long-term care and/ormedical issues, and those most in need andmost vulnerable in the community.

Multop “put a face” on the discussion,speaking about an economist friend. “He’s85 years old, on a fixed income, in assistedliving. He looked at how these bills wouldimpact him based on his 2016 tax filing andsaid it would raise his taxes by more than$3,000. How do people like him cope withthat?”

Eliminating tax deductions for medicalexpenses and long-term care would beharmful to seniors, Multop said, possiblyforcing more into custodial care and plac-ing an additional burden on municipalitiesand nonprofits. “We are cutting our socialsafety network, one strand at a time,” said

‘A Disaster for Northern Virginia’Connolly holdsroundtable oncongressionaltax plan.

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) meets with local leaders to discuss theconsequences of the proposed Senate and House GOP Tax Reform Bills.Connolly admitted from the start that he wasn’t there to “sing theirpraises.”

Pho

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ndrea W

orker

Bob Adamson,chairman of theboard of the North-ern Virginia Asso-ciation of Realtors,views the proposedlegislation as “un-fair tohomeowners,” andthat they will have anegative “rippleeffect” on the localeconomy and resi-dents of the com-munity.

See Roundtable, Page 11

Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


Opinion

An effort to support locally ownedbusinesses has resulted in the rec-ognition of Small Business Saturday,the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

This year that is Nov. 25. Black Friday, the dayafter Thanksgiving, is promoted as a day ofnational zeal for shopping. Presumably thenext day shoppers can focus on local shopping.

There is a joy to shopping inlocal stores at the holidays, towalking along a sidewalk withthe streets decked out for the

holidays, to being greeting by someone likelyto be the owner of the store, to finding giftsthat are not mass-produced.

Shop Locally, Give LocallyEvery day is for shopping small and shopping locally.

Editorial

We all benefit when local stores thrive,when local business districts beckon.

Locally owned retail shops, services, restau-rants depend on vibrant local communitiesto thrive. Most small, locally owned busi-nesses invest in community, helping to trans-form our towns and communities with a senseof place.

Supporting small businesses, locally ownedbusinesses, has to be more than a one-dayaffair. And in this area, there doesn’t have tobe anything small about shopping locally.

But still, local families will shop and ex-change gifts during the next month, spend-ing tens of millions of dollars in a variety of

places.One way to be sure holiday shopping comes

with some holiday spirit is to do a portion ofyour shopping in some of the area’s locallyowned stores. There is special holiday ambi-ance available by shopping in the heart of atown that is decked out for the season. Smallretail shops are part of defining any commu-nity. Their livelihood depends on the livabilityand quality of the neighborhoods around them.A small business owner pays attention to ev-ery detail in his or her business in a way thatno chain can.

The small business owner is often the leaderfor fundraising for local charities, for fire andrescue service, for local schools and in orga-nizing holiday events.

Local shoppers should be sure to save someshopping time and dollars for local stores.Spend some time shopping in your own com-munity, and also plan an excursion to a nearbytown to check out the holiday spirit there.

See Connection’s Holiday Calendar for greatcelebrations near you.❖ Fairfax County:

www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/16/holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Arlington:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/arlington-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Potomac:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/potomac-almanac-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Alexandria:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/20/alexandria-holiday-calen-dar-2017/

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

During the last week of each year, thisnewspaper devotes its pages to the creativ-ity of local students and children. The re-sults are always remarkable. It is a keep-sake edition for many families. Even read-ers without children of that age spend timeadmiring and chuckling over the issue. Theannual Children’s Connection (includingChildren’s Gazette, Children’s Almanac andChildren’s Centre View) is a tradition of wellover a decade.

We publish artwork, poetry, essays, cre-ative writing, opinion pieces, short stories,photography, photos of sculpture or othercreative efforts.

We ask that all submissions be digital sothey can be sent via email, dropbox orgoogle drive or delivered on CD or flashdrive. Writing should be submitted in richtext format (.rtf). Artwork should be pho-tographed or scanned and provided in jpeg

Short Deadline for Children’s Editionformat.

We welcome contributions from publicand private schools, individuals andhomeschoolers. To be published, we musthave first and last name of the student.Please include the student’s age and/orgrade, school attended and town of resi-dence, plus the name of the school, nameof teacher and town of school location. Pro-vide submissions by Friday, Dec. 1.

Email submissions for the Children’s Edi-tion to the following editors:

❖ For Burke, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Sta-tion, Great Falls, Herndon, Lorton, McLean,Reston, or Springfield, email to KemalKurspahic at [email protected].

❖ For Alexandria, Arlington, Centreville,Chantilly, Mount Vernon, or Potomac, Md.,email to Steven Mauren at [email protected].

To the Editor:In response to:

www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/08/commentary-i n d e p e n d e n t - p r o g r e s s i v e -doublespeak-imm/

Fairfax County police officers donot conduct immigration enforce-ment sweeps or stop individualssolely to inquire about immigra-tion status. Fairfax County policeofficers follow General Order 601and cannot arrest someone unlessthere is reasonable suspicion thata crime was committed or is be-ing committed.

Operation and policy decisionsregarding the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center fall under theauthority of the Sheriff, an electedconstitutional officer, independent

of the Board of Supervisors. PerCode of Virginia 19.2-83.2, whenindividuals are arrested andbooked into the Fairfax CountyAdult Detention Center, their com-puterized fingerprints are auto-matically transmitted to the Vir-ginia State Police’s Automated Fin-gerprint Identification System(AFIS), regardless of their immi-gration status. The Virginia StatePolice forwards the information toother state and federal databasesper their guidelines. From there,it is up to ICE to determine who isa priority for deportation. Before2016, ICE operated under the Pri-ority Enforcement Program andfocused its efforts on deportingundocumented immigrants withserious criminal records. Under

the Trump Administration, the Pri-ority Enforcement Program nolonger exists, and any immigrantwho is in the country illegally maybe selected by ICE for deportation.

If ICE places an arrest warrantand an order to detain on an in-mate in the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center, the Sheriff’s Of-fice will hold that inmate for upto 48 hours (not counting week-ends and holidays) past his or herscheduled release date. If ICE doesnot take custody of the inmatewithin that time frame, the inmatewill be released.

The Board of Supervisors, thePolice Department, the Sheriff ’sOffice and all Fairfax County gov-ernment agencies comply withstate and federal laws, and immi-

gration is a federal matter. Anychanges regarding deportations orthe focus and direction of ICE mustcome from the federal level. Onthe local level, we continue to fo-cus on community policingthrough positive outreach andbuilding trust with the residentswe serve. All residents of FairfaxCounty should know that FairfaxCounty police officers are here toprotect and serve any and all com-munity members, regardless ofcitizenship. No person should beafraid to call the police out of fearof deportation — our police offic-ers are not in that business.

Sharon BulovaChairman,

Board of Supervisors

Letter to the Editor

Focus on Community Policing, Positive Outreach

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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Free digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go to

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

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[email protected]

Andrea WorkerReporter

[email protected]

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[email protected]

ADVERTISING:For advertising information

e-mail:[email protected]

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Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

[email protected]@MaryKimm

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Springfield


Rolling Road WideningFairfax County

Public Information Meeting

Thursday, November 30, 20176:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Rolling Valley Elementary School6703 Barnack Drive

West Springfield, VA 22152

Find out about plans to reduce congestion and improve

safety by widening Rolling Road (Route 638) from two

to four lanes between Viola Street and Old Keene Mill

explore options for the undergrounding of utilities will

also be detailed.

Stop by between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. to view dis-

be available to answer your questions.

Review project information at the VDOT project web-

site (www.virginiadot.org/projects), at the information

meeting, or during business hours at VDOT’s Northern

ensure appropriate personnel are available to answer

your questions.

Give your written comments at the meeting, or submit

them by December 11, 2017 to Hamid Misaghian, P.E.,

VDOT.virginia.gov. Please reference “Rolling Road Wid-

ening” in the subject line.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employ-

ment in all programs and activities in accordance with

you need more information or special assistance for

COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bbWorship Gathering – Sunday 8:45 & 11 AM

Sunday School 10:10 AMSun. Evening – Realtime Worship & Youth 6 PM

Family Night – Wednesday 7:15 PMHome Life Groups, College/Young Adult

Ministries, and Living Free Support GroupsVisit our Website: www.jccag.org

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

To Advertise YourCommunity of Worship,

Call 703-778-9418

“Loving People to Life”

By Scott Surovell

State Senator (D-36)

Election Day was an electoral earthquake inVirginia politics. Fourteen seats in theHouse of Delegates switched from Repub-lican to Democratic members — the largest

switch since 1899. Two have not yet been certified dueto irregularities and three are heading to recounts. Wedo not know if any party will control the House andprobably will not know until late in the day on the firstday of session after the dust has settled.

While the new situation in the House of Delegateswill create some uncertainty over the next 50 days,it will create some opportunities in Virginia publicpolicy, but not a wholesale change of direction. TheSenate of Virginia is still controlled by the Republi-can Party and most major committees have signifi-cant partisan majorities.

Notwithstanding, I am hopeful that in the short-term, we might see some changes in three areas:Medicaid Expansion, Criminal Justice Reform, andNonpartisan Redistricting.

MEDICAID EXPANSIONFirst, Virginia has foregone billions of dollars over

the last several years due to our failure to expandMedicaid. In addition to billions of dollars, we have30,000 new jobs per year and approximately $200million per year in savings to Virginia taxpayers.

Today, nearly 36,000 residents of the 36th Districtreceive their healthcare from Medicaid, including24,000 children. This means there are likely over20,000 adults right here within minutes of your homewho would received healthcare if Virginia had takenaction.

The new margins in the House of Delegates makemovement much more likely, but not without somechanges in our existing program. In 1985, Medicaidconsumed 6 percent of Virginia’s General Fund Bud-get — today, that number has grown to 23 percentand that is before the coming tsunami of baby boomer

retirement home admissions. We need to bend theMedicaid cost curve, but I am hopeful that we arenearing the end of irrationally refusing federal helpto get healthcare to hundreds of thousands of needyVirginians.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMSecond, Virginia’s residents and jails continue to

be burdened by an overly punitive criminal justicesystem which over felonizes conduct and clings onto antiquated trial practices. Virginia’s $200 thresh-old between misdemeanors and felonies is the low-est in the United States of America and has not beenadjusted since 1981. I will introduce legislation toraise this to $500 and remain the lowest in the UnitedStates for the ninth time. Similar legislation haspassed the Senate and died in the House five times.Hopefully, no longer.

Also, accused persons in Virginia have extremelylimited discovery rights in criminal trials. Legislationto bring Virginia’s criminal discovery rules up tomodern standards has also passed the Senate anddied in the House. This year should be different.

NON-PARTISAN REDISTRICTINGThird, the close margins in the Senate and House

of Delegates may finally make it possible to movenonpartisan redistricting legislation through theGeneral Assembly. Computer enabled partisan redis-tricting lies at the root of many political problems inour country. Non-partisan redistricting constitutionalamendments have passed the State Senate twice, butnormally die in committee in the House. I am hope-ful that the new situation in Richmond will movethe discussion forward.

I am putting together the 36th District legislativeagenda over the next month. Please send me yourlegislative ideas and feedback on structuring our$100 billion budget over the next two years.

It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Pleasecontact me at [email protected] if you have anythoughts.

Election Day EarthquakeBrings Possible Policy Shifts

Commentary

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted atleast two weeks prior to the event.

Burke Presbyterian Church, 5690Oak Leather Drive in Burke, worship ser-

vices are Sundays at 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m.,and 6 p.m. www.BurkePresChurch.org.

One God Ministry Church, 4280/4282 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, offersEarly Morning Service at 8 a.m., SundaySchool at 10 a.m., Sunday Worship Ser-vice at 11 a.m., and Wednesday Bible

Study at 7 p.m. Women, Men, and YouthBible Studies are on the third Tuesday ofeach month at 7 p.m. A Spiritual GiftsService is the first Friday of every monthat 7 p.m. One God Ministry has ministriesfor youth, men, women, couples, musicand singles. 703-591-6161 orwww.onegodministry.org.

Faith Notes


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What are you thankful forthis Thanksgiving?

Viewpoints

Jamila Ahmadi of Spring-field (with son Adam)

“I’m thankful for my son thathe’s doing well after six days offever that we were so worried thatsomething big might be wrongwith him. We had to go to the hos-pital in Baltimore and we foundout there is nothing wrong withhim; he just had probably a virusbut it lasted so long so I’m very,very thankful.”

Ashton Saundersof Springfield

“I’m thankful for my Nana andGrandpa; I’m thankful for myfriends and teacher too.”

Margaret Dominyof Springfield

“I’m thankful for my good healthand my two sons and my wonder-ful husband.”

Theo Ouzhinskiof Springfield

“I’m thankful for my family, thecommunity and the opportunity tolearn.”

Grace Saundersof Springfield

“I’m thankful for my family; I’mthankful for my teachers and allthe education that’s given to me.”

Interviews conducted by Steve Hibbard at Pohick Regional Library.


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We’veMoved!

This marks the 27th yearLong & Foster is an official sponsor & drop off for the

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve inits TOYS for TOTS campaign.

New, unwrapped toys may be dropped off at the office, located at

6045 Burke Centre ParkwayBurke, VA 22015Daily from 9AM-5PM.

All donations must be made before December 10, 2017.

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday.

Dallas B. Moore, of Alexandria, graduatedfrom Boston University (Mass.) with a Master ofSocial Work.

Sean P. Atienza, of Alexandria, graduatedfrom Boston University (Mass.) with a Master ofScience in computer information systems.

Students from six Fairfax County public schoolshave been named to the 2017 All-Virginia JazzBand and Ensemble. Students named to the 2017

All-Virginia Jazz Band and Ensemble include LukeMrini, Eugene Song, and Aiden Rodeschinfrom Lake Braddock Secondary School.

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax County publicschools have been named to the Virginia HonorsChoir for 2017. Thirty-four Fairfax County PublicSchools (FCPS) students were selected for thechoir, and five students were named as alternates.This select choir is open to the top 125 singers fromaround the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is thehighest honor a choir student can attain during hisor her high school career. FCPS students named tothe 2017 Virginia Honors Choir include: BeatriceThurgood from Lake Braddock Secondary School.

Schools

From Page 2

tionship of Angel (von Kolnitz) andTom Collins (Marek Brown) proved cap-tivating and caring. No matter where thescene’s focus was, Angel and Collins heldhands and shared loving glances. AfterAngel’s tragic passing in Act Two, MarekBrown notably used visual expressionsto transition from calm to heartbroken.

Beautifully professional, the set immacu-lately encompassed New York “at the endof the millennium.” A telephone booth, aharvest moon, and old rock and roll post-ers adorned the set’s levels and scaffold-ing. Stacked televisions played clips of thefriends laughing together, bringing a cre-ative touch to the show. Overall, space wasgreatly used, and complemented by light-

ing. When Angel flounced on stage, Christ-mas lights glittered to match his energy.In addition, blackouts and crisp lightshelped introduce memorable moments,such as the dazzling snowfall during“Christmas Bells.”

Perhaps most impressive of Hayfield’sproduction of “Rent” was the sophistica-tion and maturity each cast member dis-played, which can often be a challengefor the themes portrayed in the script.The entire ensemble came together andconnected, building an honest and genu-ine show, indisputably throughout theknockout number “Seasons of Love.”

The musical “Rent” sends the messageto remember love, and you’ll have notrouble remembering Hayfield Second-ary School’s production.

Cappies Review


Entertainment

Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGSanta’s Flight Academy. Through

Dec. 24, at various times at at FairOaks Mall, 11750 Fair Oaks Mall,Fairfax. Santa surrounded by a spacemotif. Visitwww.santaexpresslane.com.

Toy Collection. Through Dec. 10,Sheehy Auto Stores throughout theWashington, D.C.-metro area willcollect new and unwrapped toys aspart of the company’s annual SheehyCares Toy Collection to benefit theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys forTots Program, which will distributethose toys as Christmas gifts to lessfortunate children in the communityin which the campaign is conducted.Sheehy’s Toys for Tots drop-offlocations include:

❖ Sheehy Volkswagen of Springfield,6601 Backlick Road, Springfield

❖ Sheehy Ford of Springfield, 6727Loisdale Road, Springfield

❖ Sheehy Subaru of Springfield, 6571Backlick Road, Springfield

❖ Patriot Harley-Davidson, 9739 FairfaxBoulevard, Fairfax

NOV. 25-26Fairfax Ballet Company’s

Nutcracker. Nov. 25, 2 p.m. and 7p.m., and Nov. 26, 2 p.m. at W.T.Woodson High School, 9525 MainSt., Fairfax. Fairfax Ballet Seniorcompany member Ana Victoria Smithof Clifton, dances the role of Clara.Company members, along withstudents from the Russell School ofBallet and professional guest artists.Email [email protected] orcall 703-665-9427.

NOV. 30-DEC. 2Holiday Book Sale. various times at

the Richard Byrd Library, 7250Commerce St., Springfield. Over10,000 like new books in allcategories both rare and popularmost at $2 or less, plus loads of CDs,DVDs and special gift offerings. Over3,000 children’s books. Funds raisedwill pay for library children’sprograms and more. [email protected] or call 703-451-8055.

FRIDAY/DEC. 1Guitarist Peter Griggs Holiday

Concert. 7 p.m. at GracePresbyterian Church, 7434 Bath St.,Springfield. Show is called “MusicFor An Old English Christmas.” Visitwww.gracepresby.org or call 703-451-2900.

Dinner Theatre. 7 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The Little MatchGirl” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

SATURDAY/DEC. 2Pancake Breakfast with Santa. 8-

11 a.m. at Fire Station # 3, 4081University Drive, Fairfax. $10, ages 3-12 $5; and, under 3 free. Allproceeds benefit the FVFD. Visitfairfaxva.gov.

Christmas Traditions Concert.9:30-11 a.m. at St. Stephens UnitedMethodist Church, 9203 BraddockRoad, Burke. The St. Stephen’sUnited Methodist Women MaranathaSingers will present a morning ofholiday music. Free. Call 703-250-5013.

Holiday Sing-A-Long Luncheon.11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Springfield Golfand Country Club, 8301 Old KeeneMill Road, Springfield. $20. Call 703-

922- 6438 or [email protected].

Velveteen Rabbit. 2 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The VelveteenRabbit.” Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Festival of Lights and Carols. 2-7p.m. at 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Children ages 12 and undercan enjoy lunch with Santa atSherwood Community Center. Lunchseatings will be offered at 11:30a.m., and 12:30 p.m., must pre-register. Listen to live holiday musicand enjoy s’mores and hot cider atOld Town Square from 2-7 p.m.Enjoy caroling and lighting of theChristmas Tree at Old Town Squareat 6 p.m. Visit fairfaxva.gov/about-us/special-events/festival-of-lights-and-carols.

Christmas in Brass. 3 p.m. at

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield.Featuring the Barclay Brass Quintet.This ensemble will present a programof secular and sacred seasonal musicthat will appeal to a broad audienceof all ages. Visitwww.kirkwoodpres.com, or call thechurch office at 703-451-5320.

Little Match Girl. 4 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “ Little Match Girl”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Town of Clifton Holiday HomesTour. 4-7 p.m. at 7140 Main St.,Clifton. Five homes in Town and abonus home outside of Town, inaddition to the caboose and twohistoric churches that will be open tothe public. $25 adult pre-sale, $30 onDec. 2; $5 child; credit cards aremore. Visit clifton-va.com or email

[email protected] Theatre. 7 p.m. at Truro

Anglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The Little MatchGirl” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Art Show and Reception. 7-10 p.m.at Fairfax Art League Village Gallery,3950 University Drive, Fairfax.Stories by Michael Edwards, painter,sculptor and mixed media artist.Enjoy the exhibit, music by Dj MasterRenegade, wine, food, and anoriginal poetry reading by DebWright. [email protected].

DEC. 2-3Arts and Crafts Show. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sundayat the Audrey Moore RECenter, 8100

Braddock Road, Annandale. Call 703-321-7081.

SUNDAY/DEC. 3“Hansel and Gretel” Opera. 2 and 5

p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. MasonOpera will present EngelbertHumperdinck’s take on the BrothersGrimm fairytale “Hansel and Gretel.”Tickets: $12, $8, $5. Call 703-385-7858 or visit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

Home for the Holidays Concert. 4-6 p.m. at Lanier Middle School, 3801Jermantown Road, Fairfax. MainStreet Community Band plays a mixof seasonal favorites. Visitwww.fairfaxband.org.

MONDAY/DEC. 4Funday Monday. 10:30 a.m. at Old

Town Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Fun with Mr. Skip. Free. Call703-385-7858 or visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

FRIDAY/DEC. 8B-I-N-G-O. 7 p.m. at Fire Station 3,

4081 University Drive, Fairfax.Smoke free, all proceeds go topurchasing fire and rescueequipment. Visit www.fairfaxvfd.comor call 703-273-3638.

Flutist in Concert. 8 p.m. at OldTown Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Celebrate the Sounds of theSeason with the Columbia FluteChoir in the Christmas Concert. Free.Call 703-385-7858 or visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

SATURDAY/DEC. 9Christmas at George Mason’s

Gunston Hall. 10-7 p.m. at GeorgeMason’s Gunston Hall, 10709Gunston Road, Lorton. A full day ofholiday activities starts with a visitfrom Santa and games and crafts forall ages. Call 703-550- 9220 ext. 240or email [email protected].

Lunch with Santa. 11:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. at Sherwood CommunityCenter, 3740 Old Lee Highway. Call703-385-7858.

Lunch with Santa. 11:30 a.m. and12:30 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. Childrenages 10 and under can enjoy lunchwith Santa. $6. Call 703-385-7858 orvisit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

DEC. 9-10James and the Giant Peach. Shows

at 12:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at theGMU Harris Theatre, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. When James is sent byhis conniving aunts to chop downtheir old fruit tree, he discovers amagic potion that grows atremendous peach that rolls into theocean and launches a journey ofenormous proportions. Visit afyp.org.

SUNDAY/DEC. 10Holiday Ornament Craft Day. 1-4

p.m. at the Fairfax Station RailroadMuseum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad, Fairfax Station. Museummembers and ages 4 and under, free;5-15, $2; 16 and older, $4. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org.

SATURDAY/DEC. 16James and the Giant Peach. Shows

at 12:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at theGMU Harris Theatre, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. See Dec. 9-10description. Visit www.afyp.org.

Frosty Follies Show. 6 p.m. atSpringfield Town Center, Spring MallDrive, Springfield. MetropolitanSchool of the Arts will present theirannual Frosty Follies shows in theSpringfield Town Center in the MainCourt. Visit metropolitanarts.org/.

By David Siegel

The Connection

Local playwright Anne M. McCaw has cre-ated her own cheerful, musical vision forthe Christmas season. It is a contemporary

retelling of the Biblical Nativity story titled“Peekaboo! A Nativity Play.” The play is having itsworld premiere at the Hub Theatre

“‘Peekaboo! A Nativity Play’ is hilarious and alsohonest and heartfelt,” said Hub artistic directorHelen Murray. “The Hub is producing the showbecause it is everything Hub is about – hope, love,family, music, comedy and magical moments.

“I want people to feel closer to each other whenthey walk away from Peekaboo!. I want them tohold their families and friends close, to celebratethe season, and to be filled with hope,” addedMurray, who is also directing “Peekaboo! A Nativ-ity Play.”

With its focus on how to protect a newborn thewhole world has been pinning its hopes on,“Peekaboo! A Nativity Play” follows the Bible quiteclosely in its modernized comic tale with musicunder the direction ofJonatan Feuer. A di-verse ensemble willportray Mary, Joseph,the Angel Gabriel,Herod and the WiseMen.

Hub veteran KatieJeffries Zelonka playsMary. “The opportunityto retell the Christmasstory in a way that isfresh, funny, but stillcarrying a powerful message of hope is very ap-pealing to me.

“Mary is a determined, resourceful, funny, hope-ful girl with your typical teenaged flair for thedramatic and a bit of a temper,” added Zelonka.

“At the core of it all, she has a big heart and lovescompletely, which is the driving force behind mostof her actions.”

“We know the story and the characters of theNativity. Or do we?” asked Jacob Yeh, who por-trays Herod. “Have we really ever stepped intothe shoes of Mary, Joseph, or Gabriel? What aboutthe drummer boy? How would they tell or even

sing the story of whathappened?”

When asked aboutthe Herod character,Yeh described him as “aloud, despotic, boorish,vain, misogynistic manwho sends his goonishsons to do the dirtywork in his desperateattempt to hold on topower.”

“Peekaboo! A NativityPlay” is for those especially interested in “a newperspective on the Nativity story without compro-mising the beauty of the story of Christmas,” saidMurray. “It will kindle the sense of hope and won-der of Christmas.” And jolliness is included.

Ring in the Holidays with‘Peekaboo! A Nativity Play’Fairfax’s Hub Theatrebrings cheerful musicalfor Christmas season.

Photo by Helen Murray/The Hub Theatre

Katie Jeffries Zelonka as Mary andAnderson Wells as Gabriel in “Peekaboo!A Nativity Play.”

Where & WhenThe Hub Theatre presents “Peekaboo! A Nativity Play”

at The John Swayze Theatre, New School of Northern Vir-ginia, 9431 Silver King Court, Fairfax. Performances: Dec.1 to Dec. 24, 2017, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m.and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets $32 and $22(students and seniors). Call 703-674-3177 or visitwww.thehubtheatre.org. Note: There is construction oc-curring next to The New School of Northern Virginiaparking lot. There is plenty of parking, but be careful ofchanging lanes.


News

By Mike Salmon

The Connection

Up on Santa’s lap, the pressureis on and sometimes no wordscome out, but Santa knowssomehow. That’s what hap-

pened with Liam Dallavale, 2, of Springfieldwho is a fan of trains, and his motherAmanda looked on it as another type of ac-complishment. “He didn’t cry,” she said.

That was the scene at Springfield TownCenter on Saturday, Nov. 18 when theirSanta, a veteran of 13 years as a Santa, andthree years at the Town Center, took to hischair. In a matter of minutes, the linewrapped around the center plaza, whilecountry musicians Sandra Lee and Rebecca

Santa’s ScheduleSanta will be at the Town Center full time for the

next few weeks. For the last week of November,here is Santa’s schedule:

❖ Thursday, Nov. 23, 6 a.m.-midnight❖ Friday, Nov. 24, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.❖ Saturday, Nov. 25, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.❖ Sunday, Nov. 26, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.❖ Monday, Nov.27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.❖ Tuesday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.❖ Wednesday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.❖ Thursday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

Santa and Wishes Are in Placeat Springfield Town Center

Magnuson manned guitars on stage. “It’sour official opening for the holidays,” saidKimberly Baldy, the town center marketingcoordinator. There will be events all throughthe month until Christmas, such as thePREIT Perks event next weekend with freevalet and free gift wrapping for members.

It’s a little bitcountry fromSandra Lee andRebeccaMagnuson,singer-songwriters fromNashville.

LiamDallavale, 2,

of Springfield,braved it out

on Santa’s lapwith parentsAmanda andJoe looking

on.

Ho ho ho saysSanta, as

children’s wishesare whispered in

his ear.

Photos by

Mike Salmon

The Connection


Business DirectoryTo Advertise Your Business, Call Karen at 703-778-9422

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By KENNETH B. LOURIE

“Some club,” as my late mother would likelyscoff. And the club to which I refer is, to spin anold Groucho Marx joke: a club you’d rather notjoin especially if they’d have you as a member.This is of course, the cancer club, a club whosemembership continues to grow despite world-wide efforts to the contrary. According toMedscope.com, one in two men and one inthree women will be affected by cancer in theirlifetime. Hardly a statistic to be ignored. Andso, even though I had a rather unevent-ful/healthy upbringing and further on into adult-hood, in late middle age, 54 and five months,Feb. 27, 2009, I was impacted and rudelyawakened with a non-small cell lung cancer,stage IV diagnosis – out of the blue, and given a“13 month to two-year” prognosis to boot. As alife long non-smoker with no immediate familyhistory of cancer, whose parents both lived wellinto their 80s, I was more inclined to worryabout the Boston Red Sox pitching depth than Iwas about cancer.

But cancer, for the past nearly nine years hasbeen my life and amazingly, so far anyway, notthe cause of my premature death (what deathisn’t ‘premature?). And what brightens my dayand lifts my spirits more than anything else(other than a Red Sox World SeriesChampionship) is when I meet a newly-diag-nosed lung cancer patient who exhibits thecan/will do positive-type attitude necessary toendure the inevitable ups and downs to follow.To be selfish, it empowers me and strengthensmy own resolve to live life to the fullest (it’s notas simple as saying it) and damn the torpedoes.

Within the last few months, I have met, overthe phone, two such individuals. The first man,Lee, I met before he even had his first infusion.The second man, Mark, a bit more experi-enced, I met a year and a half after his first infu-sion. Each man was engaging, outgoing, confi-dent, enthusiastic and quite frankly, happy tomake my acquaintance. You see, after beinggiven a less-than-desirable prognosis, it’s help-ful to meet someone who, despite havingreceived a similar diagnosis, has neverthelessmanaged to live almost nine years post diagno-sis. (If he can do it, I can do it kind of feeling.)

As for me, the nearly nine-year survivor,meeting cancer patients who are at the begin-ning of their respective cancer journeys, helpsme to reconnect with my roots, so to speak,and share and share alike some memorableexperiences, both cancer-related and not. In away, we get to live vicariously through oneanother which for me reinforces how lucky I’vebeen to survive for as long as I have.

And not that I need reminding, but it’s easyto take for granted one’s good fortune and for-get – occasionally, the seriousness of my situa-tion and the cloud that hangs over my head.The sword of Damocles has got nothing on me,literally or figuratively. Living with cancer is akinto nothing really. The chance that you’ll survivebeyond your prognosis, maybe even have yourtumors shrink, or see your scans show “no evi-dence of disease,” creates a kind of tease thatcause your emotions to run the gamut. Thepossibility of living after being told you’re dying– and vice versa, perhaps more than once, overyour abbreviated – or not, life expectancy, issimply too much to handle/absorb sometimes.It’s a roller coaster for sure, but one that rarelycomes to a complete stop and never allows youto get off. Moreover, it’s not multiple rides, it’sone long, endless ride with no guaranteesabout what happens next – or where it evenhappens.

Meeting people who are ready, willing andable to confront their cancer future is just asimportant and stimulating as meeting someonelike me who hasn’t succumbed to this terribledisease. It’s a win-win situation. Particularly sig-nificant when at date of diagnosis, it appearedto be a lose-lose. I’m proud to be a member ofthe cancer club, especially so when I meet peo-ple like Lee and Mark.

Welcome tothe Club

Mercer.Multop donned his economist’s hat once

more to also note that so far he had heardno mention from the GOP plan makers ofthe debt service on the increasing deficit.“That’s another $200 billion in interest coststhat I don’t hear them having accountedfor.” Multop’s concern is that Medicaid,Medicare and Social Security benefits willbecome the targets to shore up the finan-cial levee in the wake of these tax cuts andthe domino effect of their implementation.

Another personalized example of the theproposed reforms was offered by attendeeEdythe Kelleher. The executive director ofSoutheast Fairfax Development Corpora-tion, Kelleher could have spoken about im-pacts to development in that region, butinstead, told how cuts to student loan in-terest deductions and a proposal to taxteacher’s assistant stipends would affect hergraduate-school son.

“He works, he goes to school, he lives fru-gally. We provided him with a cheap car.”Kelleher says that if a tax on the modestteacher’s assistant stipend is adopted, “that’s$6,000 more each year, and he doesn’t knowwhere that money will come from.”

Connolly responded to this story by say-ing the need to educate for competitivenessin the world’s marketplace is greater thanever. The congressman said that makinggetting an education even more difficultmeans “some will have to leave school.That’s hardly ‘making America great again.’”

As the session came to a close, NVAR CEOConrad asked Connolly, “What’s your ad-vice? What do we do next?”

In addition to the rally call to NVAR mem-bership and AARP members, Connolly re-plied, “Run, don’t walk and immediatelyexpress your concerns to your representa-tives” at every level of government, and “telleveryone you know. This plan does not re-flect our values and priorities. We can andshould do better than this.”

From Page 3

RoundtableNews

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted at leasttwo weeks prior to the event.

Students from six Fairfax County publicschools have been named to the 2017 All-Virginia Jazz Band and Ensemble. Studentsnamed to the 2017 All-Virginia Jazz Bandand Ensemble include Luke Mrini, EugeneSong, and Aiden Rodeschin from LakeBraddock Secondary School.

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax Countypublic schools have been named to the Vir-ginia Honors Choir for 2017. Thirty-fourFairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) stu-dents were selected for the choir, and fivestudents were named as alternates. This se-lect choir is open to the top 125 singers fromaround the Commonwealth of Virginia, andis the highest honor a choir student can at-tain during his or her high school career.FCPS students named to the 2017 VirginiaHonors Choir include: Beatrice Thurgoodfrom Lake Braddock Secondary School andMorgan Freeman, Mackenna Gordon,Olivia Brennan, Shelby Kaufman, MiaPeri, Sofie Peri, Jack Hopewell, PaulHardin, Hunter Browning, and LukeBrennan from Woodson High School.

School Notes


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