Falls Church News-Press 6-20-2024

June 20 - 26, 2024

New Uyghur Restaurant Moving Into Orso Space

Dolan Uyghur Will Be Its 3rd Location in DMV

by Nicholas F. Benton

It was a sudden, unhappy development for Falls Church when the popular Pizzeria Orso restaurant on S. Maple announced it was shutting down almost immediately this spring. Now, that shocking news has been met with a much happier report, and this concerns a new restaurant that will be occupying the space by the end of the summer.

This latest announcement came on a weekend in Falls Church when its racial and ethnic diversity were on full display, including with a day of Vietnamese-American activities open to the public in Cherry Hill Park, bringing the Eden Center, as it were, to downtown Falls Church for a day, and with the formal unveiling of a brilliant new mural on S. Washington St. marking the newly designated Tinner Hill Historic District, home to the first rural chapter of the NAACP. Juneteenth holiday events yesterday also marked the special week in the Little City.

The Dolan Uyghur will not be just any restaurant. It is a third location in this region that will be opening with the same name, and that means something special for the Little City. For Hamid Kerim, the owner, it will mark another important step in his unfolding restaurant empire here that foresees more locations in the wider area where he already has restaurants on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest D.C. and in Chantilly to the west. This surely stands to be Falls Church’s gain, and in a major way. With apologies that it might sound facetious, it will represent a way for

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YOU ARE ENTERING TINNER HILL!

F.C. Police Chief Meets Business Owners

by Nicholas F. Benton Falls Church News-Press

He’s into his fifth month on the job, but Falls Church’s new police chief Shahram Fard is continuing to work hard to familiarize himself with every element of the community here because community policing is his particular passion.

Chief Fard addressed the monthly luncheon of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce at the Italian Inn Tuesday and offered a deeply personal account of fleeing with his fam -

ily from Iran in the wake of the Ayatollah revolution there in the early 1980s, and his family’s struggles once emigrated to the U.S.when he was just 12.

His dad was a civil engineer in Iran, but forced to flee on horseback incognito across the border into Turkey, eventually winding up in Montgomery County, Maryland, and then Richmond, Virginia. Long story short, as an admirer of public safety work of police at a young age, once in the U.S. his aspirations led him to a career in policing, including 26

years with the Alexandria Police Department, rising to the level of deputy chief.

Long-time friends with retiring Falls Church Chief Mary Gavin, Fard said that rather than retiring, he was persuaded to apply for the job as Gavin’s successor here, and was vetted by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police that ran the Falls Church recruitment effort.

But it was his sensibility to the struggles on small business owners, in particular, that underscored his desire to serve in the area of public safety.

Stripped of his opportunity to work as a civil engineer in the U.S., Chief Fard’s dad was forced to do whatever it took to raise his family in the U.S., and that meant as a rug merchant in Montgomery County, where he faced all the ups and downs of running a small business, including the devastating effect that thefts and robberies had. With so little margin for error as a retailer, his dad fought to make ends meet for his family, and even his wife had to take

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Falls Church News-Press

FALLS CHURCH NEWS BRIEFS

VPIS Announces Line Up for Summer Concerts in the Park

The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) this week announced the schedule for the Summer Concert series of free concerts at Falls Church’s Cherry Hill Park every Thursday evening.

The series starts tonight (June 20) with the Falls Church Concert Band. It is followed by the following: June 27–What Strange Beast (groove rock), July 11–Andrew Acosta Band (classic American roots, folk, rock and roll), July 18 – The Hot Lanes (jazz, big band, Whammy Award winner), July 25–The Big Tow (rock and blues), August 1–Big Howdy (bluegrass, Whammy Award winner), August 8–Kiti Gartner and the Drifting Valentines (rockabilly, country, American).

225 Votes Cast in F.C. In GOP Primary Tuesday

Out of 11,589 registered voters in Falls Church this Tuesday, 225 came to the polls to cast votes in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate which was the only item on the ballot here.

As statewide, Hung Cao was the winner in Falls Church, with 121 votes to 51 for Eddie Garcia, 27 for Scott Parkinson, 16 for Jonathan Emord and 10 for C.L. Smith. Cao will face incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, seeking a third six year term this November.

Sen. Warner Votes for Fire Grants Program

This week, Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner voted to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act, legislation that will renew grant programs that fund essential equipment and resources for fire stations, and also help hire, train, and retain new firefighters. Originally passed by the Senate in 2023, today’s final passage also includes Warner-supported provisions that will promote nuclear energy deployment across the country.

“During my visits to fire stations across the Commonwealth, I’ve seen firsthand how these grant programs help stations hire and retain firefighters and secure important equipment upgrades. Firefighters put their lives on the line day in and day out to keep our communities safe – the least we can do is make sure they have the equipment and the personnel they need to do their jobs safely. I’m also happy to see it take important steps forward in another critical arena – improving the nuclear regulatory space.” said Sen. Warner.

Sen. Kaine Bill Offers Apology to LGBTQ+

This week, Virginia U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) led the introduction of a Senate resolution that acknowledges and apologizes for the mistreatment of and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals who have served our nation in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in the Foreign Service.

“LGBT civil servants, foreign service officers and servicemembers have made countless sacrifices and contributions to our country and national security. Despite this, our government has subjected them to decades of harassment, invasive investigations and wrongful termination because of who they are or who they love,” said Kaine.

JBG Smith Shifts to Residential in Landing

The largest landlord in the National Landing area around Amazon HQ2, JBG Smith, has shifted away from office, making the neighborhood more dynamic by converting older buildings to apartments, hotels and retail. But now, it is doubling down on one office building where it has 43 percent vacancy and sees an opportunity to capture more tenant demand.

The developer is launching a $40 million repositioning effort of the 11-story building at 2011 Crystal Drive, adding a suite of amenities that it says will attract companies not only to that property but to the ones it owns nearby.

F.C. Farmers Market Only One Feted in This Area

The Virginia Certified Farmers Market System is a certification program that recognizes farmers markets that meet and exceed industry best practices in 11 categories.

The Falls Church Farmers Market is the only one in this area among 19 in the state to win Virginia Farmers Market Association certification this year.

As the “gold standard” for farmers markets in Virginia, certification refers to markets that are managed using best practices in categories such as food safety, food origin, food access, public safety, and consumer education.

The standards of the program, which is open to all Virginia markets, were developed by an advisory committee made-up of market managers, state agency and university staff.

residents here to join the fight for democracy and freedom against the tyranny of autocracy and repression merely by dining.

That’s because Kerim is himself a refugee from the ongoing fierce crackdown by the Chinese communist government of over a million Uyghurs living in the far western territories of China, and he has two brothers and a sister-in-law in jail there now.

It is not entirely clear why the Chinese government is carrying out the “ethnic cleansing” there, and it is still very underreported to the wider world. Some theories hold that the repression is linked to Chinese plans to build a highway between Chinese population centers in the east, and Central Asia and Europe through a new “Silk Road” initiative, and that holding the Uyghurs in check is part of a plan for opening that area up for that kind of development.

China’s “Silk Road” or “Belt and Road” initiative is one of

President Xi’s most ambitious foreign and economic policies. It aims to strengthen Beijing’s economic leadership through a vast program of infrastructure building throughout China’s neighboring regions.

Uyghurs are of Turkic ethnicity, living primarily in northwestern China, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where they have been subject to a government crackdown since 2017. There are estimated to be about 11.8 million of them living in western China, having migrated to that region over a thousand years ago. A small number of Uyghurs also live in the Central Asian republics and an even smaller group of about 10,000 are in the U.S., centered in Fairfax County.

The Uyghurs as a group originate from and are culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.

The Uyghurs are recognized as the titular nationality of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China.

After the collapse of the Uyghur Khaganate in AD 840,

ancient Uyghurs resettled from Mongolia to the Tarim Basin and northern parts of China. They became civil servants administering the Mongol Empire.

The word, Dolan, in the name of the restaurant is the name of an ancient tribe of Uyghur people who lived in the Taklamakan Desert. While there are modern Dolan people, the term “Dolan” primarily refers to an earlier Uyghur culture and civilization in the region.

The cuisine is, stated generally, a blend of Central Asian and more traditionally Chinese preparations with lots of lentils, noodles, fried rice, chicken and lamb prepared as soups, stews and kabobs.

The new restaurant here will add to the remarkable diversity of outstanding dining options that have opened up in the Little City in just the last couple of years. While the Eden Center’s choice of mostly Vietnamese cuisine locations have remained unique and uniformly outstanding, new or relatively new Italian locations like Sfizi and Thompson’s Italian mean that losing Pizzeria Orso could be accommodated,

truly outstanding nationally acclaimed places like Ellie Bird and Nue are already drawing busi-

THE SITE OF the recently closed Pizzeria Orso on S. Maple St. will be the site of the new Dolan Uyghur restaurant set to open

work as a salesperson at Macy’s.

This further motivated him to serve in upholding the rule of law, he said, and “community engagement remains huge to me,” he told the Chamber luncheon. “So, why do I do it,” he asked rhetorically, replying to his own question, “Because it comes from the heart.”

“I enjoy building relationships and ‘customer service’ are the two most important words to me,” he said. He noted the particular challenge for police lies in the fact that one bad encounter can soil relations with an entire community and “impairs all of us.” He cited how the highly-publicized case of the police murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020 “forever changed policing.”

“It is fragile for police to keep the trust of a community,” he said.

Among the important new aspects of policing is the emphasis now on “Crisis Intervention Training (or CIT) now, and he applauded the efforts in F.C. on

this score, noting that 98 percent of F.C. officers have been through the training, more than the 70 percent of officers in Alexandria, for example.

More efforts long these lines are in the works, too, he said, including a volunteer “coresponders program,” and a soon-to-be-implemented “table top exercise” based on response to hypothetical incidents, and a “rape aggressor defensive program” that has proven highly effective. Falls Church will also be introduced to a new “National Night Out” exercise to which the public will be invited in Cherry Hill Park on August 6 where a wide variety of safety options will be presented.

In leading up to the introduction of Chief Fard at Tuesday’s luncheon, the Eden Center‘s Alan Frank noted that last month the chief came for a visit to the Eden Center, and wound up spending the afternoon there going from retailer to retailer at the popular Vietnamese-American center to personally meet and listen to all of the small businessmen there.

As the Falls Church Police

Drs

Department has a dedicated space at the Eden Center to occupy as needed, so a similar space has been provided at the Hoffman Company’s massive new 10-acre West End development, considered important in its own right but also because of its close proximity to Meridian High and Henderson Middle schools. The police facility there is less than 100 yards from the high school, he noted, on top of the fact that there are now two school resource officers at the schools themselves.

Chief Fard meets weekly with Falls Church’s City Manager Wyatt Shields and recently met with the Metro Transit captain of security as pedestrian and other traffic to and from the West Falls Church Metrorail station is expected to increase rapidly as the West End project comes more toward completion.

As of July 1 and the beginning of a new fiscal year in Falls Church, the City Council has authorized the addition of three new officers, bringing the total in the F.C. Department to 40, although some need to be brought

We take time to listen to our patients so that we truly understand their needs With emphasis on overall health, we o er services including composite restorations, metal-free crowns, implant restorations, veneers and other cosmetic procedures Our oral hygiene program excels at understanding the vital relationship between oral health and other systems in the

Drs Love and Miller, along with our amazing team, greatly appreciate the community’s trust and support

FALLS CHURCH’S NEW Police Chief Shahram Fard spoke to the monthly luncheon of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Tuesday. (News-Press photo) .

Mark A. Miller, DDS, Melanie R. Love, DDS

Biden Age Offers ‘Valuable Perspective,’ Says Post

Nicholas F. Benton

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

What a decent, nice guy Joe Biden truly is! Politics today operates on the assumption there is no such thing as a nice person, only self-serving toads at best. This sentiment has been so ingrained in our thinking about public service, especially elective office, that to even suggest that someone is operating out of a moral purpose is considered the height of stupidity or naivete nowadays. Was it always thus?

As far back as you can look, there have always been accusations of nefarious self-interest against almost everyone in public life, and evidence of such are always used to justify present-day assumptions. Indeed, it is enlightening to learn how corrupt some of America’s public servants have been over the course of our history, up to the present day, of course.

If someone is operating from a moral sensibility today, they are not immune from charges to the contrary, and on this list belong such names as Jimmy Carter, Anthony Fauci and even Republicans like the late President Eisenhower. It does take into account the role of pragmatism in decision making, of course, as almost nothing of consequence happens in our democracy today without having to take into account differing views and objectives, and the art of compromise.

I have always been struck by the label that Sen. Henry Clay earned during his pre-Civil War career, including as an unsuccessful Whig Party presidential candidate. He was famously known as the “Great Compromiser” for the way he was able to hold the Union together for decades until he died and it could not go further, precipitating the horrible Civil War that cost 700,000 American lives.

He had a clear moral compass operating behind his efforts to hold the Union together against divisive forces that sought to tear it apart. Anyone familiar with the Federalist Papers of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and their seminal

role in ratification of the U.S. Constitution knows that the unity of the former colonies in the face of a primary common enemy — which remained the British at least through the Civil War — on behalf of sovereignty was paramount.

Clay’s morality was rooted in just that, and had he not been so effective at it for decades, a civil war at any earlier point would have succeeded in fracturing and ending the American experiment in democracy. It almost happened anyway, but for the decisive role of President Abraham Lincoln and his willingness to do two things of absolutely monumental importance: to preserve the union and to end slavery.

Now, Joe Biden is America’s most consequential leader in half a century, at least. With another term, he will be able to do things that will put him right up with FDR as a great American hero. His action to offer a pathway to citizenship for immigrant spouses this week is only the latest case of this. His actions to restore American leadership in manufacturing, revive dignity to its working classes, and shore up the Western Alliance against Russian aggression have been remarkable.

His basic decency is palpable, and can only be challenged by his opponents by a relentless fixation on his age. In the meantime, they completely duck questions about the craven immorality and evidence of a rapidly advancing dementia of Trump.

In fact, finally earlier this month a leading opinion-maker asserted that not only is age not really a problem for Biden, but should be seen as a sign of strength. In its D-Day coverage earlier this month, The Washington Post editorialized thusly:

“Moments like the D-Day commemoration remind us that Mr. Biden’s seniority confers valuable perspective. He was not a World War II veteran but grew up surrounded by them, in an America made possible by their sacrifices — and in that sense, he personifies the country’s lasting connection to the spirit of that age. Certainly, the worldview expressed in his words at Pointe du Hoc on Friday does not carry an expiration date.”

“Seniority confers valuable perspective!” Now, there is a worthy campaign slogan for you.

I suspect it is not so much Biden himself, but his younger campaign know-it-alls who claim his age is a problem, not an asset.

20 - 26, 2024

Since 1991, an award-winning LGBT-owned general Interest community newspaper.

Vol. XXXIV, No. 19

June 20 - 26, 2024

• City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Publish Official Legal Notices • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

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Murdoch-ization Of The Post

So, the plot thickens at The Washington Post, as billionaire Jeff Bezos has apparently decided to “Murdoch-ize” one of the two most important newspapers in the Western World. Lengthy analyses by Post writers in that paper, such as the one headlined, “Future Post Editor Tied to Self-Described ‘Thief,’” focus on allegations of ethical violations by key players Bezos is bringing on board to run his paper, but not nearly enough, if anything, about the proverbial “Murdoch in the room.”

The sad news is that The Post may be on the verge of undergoing a transformation from a newspaper to a propaganda weapon akin to Fox News wielded by the forces behind the Trump presidency. As such, it will be going the route of its neighbor to the north, The Baltimore Sun, which has come under the ownership of the lamentable rightwing Sinclair group which acquired it from the Alden Global Capital hedge fund people this January.

In the case of The Post, the latest shake-up of its editorial offices saw the announcement of the impending arrival of Robert Winnett, set to become editor later this year, brought on by now CEO William Lewis, who had been “a top executive in Rupert Murdoch’s media empire,” according to The Post story, and with that the abrupt departure of nowformer editor Sally Buzbee. The Post story and its authors who are listed as Isaac Stanley-Becker, Sarah Ellison, Greg Miller and Aaron C. Davis deviates sharply from a proper focus on the Murdoch angle to touch on allegations of devious means to get information, through phone taps and other means, that caused scandals and confessions of “using deception and illegal means to obtain confidential information for Murdoch’s Sunday Times of London. It focuses on Lewis’ and Winnett’s role in that.

But those scandals of over a decade past are of any relevance only to the extent they underscore the unscrupulous nature of the entire Murdoch media empire that includes Fox News. It involves the wholesale not reporting of facts, but twisting of facts to fit a rightwing narrative that has become the signature of Fox News. It is appalling to us that the Murdoch angle in this takeover of The Post’s newsroom has not caused a huge uproar, except that downright fatigue has set in across so much of our political landscape, a fatigue that is a dangerous element in determining how this November’s U.S. presidential election might turn out.

Assailants against democracy are closing in on all sides. Biden is being hounded daily for his age and his son. Trump is once again getting deferential treatment by the major media. The word on the street is that his victory in November is all but a foregone conclusion, and everyone is lining up to kiss his ring or less desirable extensions of his bodily anatomy.

Only a massive mobilization of popular resistance can stop this now and honest newspapers are vital in this regard.

Platform

1. Keep the news clean and fair.

2. Play no favorites, never mix business and editorial policy.

3. Do not let the news columns reflect editorial content.

4. Publish the news that is public property without fear or favor of friend or foe.

5. Accept no charity and ask no favors.

6. Give ‘value received’ for every dollar you take in.

7. Make the paper show a profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.

Editor,

Jennifer de Vignier’s letter, “F.C. Crime Reports: An Alarming Trend,” points to a rise in the police department crime reports published in the NewsPress , which she sees as “a rising crime rate in our city.” As proof, she is “disheartened to see that that the column had to be carried over to another page this week.”

No doubt she is equally disheartened to see the column continued to another page for a second time this week.

But she should stop looking at the crime reports this way. She should read them for their content. If she did, she’d discover that of this week’s 14 reports, nine deal with traffic offenses,

like lack of driver’s licenses or reckless driving. Hardly serious crimes, and typically they account for the majority of the “crimes” reported weekly.

Of the remaining five nontraffic-oriented crimes reported, trespassing and shoplifting accounted for two, and one — “Unintentional discharge of a firearm” — was potentially serious, but turned out to be a gun owner accidentally shooting themself. That leaves the theft of tires and wheels from a car and “simple assault” by “a known suspect.”

Hardly a crime wave, but typical of Falls Church crime reports. Compare that to the crime rate, with multiple shooting deaths, in the city across the Potomac.

I’ll take Falls Church.

Ted White

Electrify Everything! 7 Ideas for a Healthier Home, Planet

by The Falls Church Climate Action Network (FCCAN)

Across the world, the “electrify everything” movement is growing and you’re invited to join.

Electrify everything efforts focus on rapidly installing clean, efficient electric home appliances and vehicles — and moving away from inefficient, polluting machinery that burns planet-warming fossil fuels.

The “electrify everything” movement has gained momentum in Falls Church as residents and businesses invest in a cleaner, more sustainable future.

The Broad and Washington project, the West Falls senior building, and Founder’s Row II are being built with all-electric appliances for residents.

Last year, the City committed to cutting our carbon footprint in half by 2030 to help keep global warming below 2°C and avoid locking in climate change’s worst effects. To achieve this goal, we need all residents — that includes you — to take steps toward sustainability.

That could mean researching heat pumps now to be prepared when you need to replace your AC system or trying out induction cooking to consider it for your next kitchen upgrade.

That’s why we created the Electrify Falls Church Open House: to offer everyone handson interactions with electric appliances and vehicles, plus electric lawn care service and rooftop solar. Hear neighbors’ tips and lessons learned from replacing fossil fuel devices with clean electric ones. Also, enjoy free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream starting around 11:30 a.m. while supplies last.

Here are seven ideas to start your path toward electrifying everything:

1. Schedule a Home Energy Audit

An energy auditor will use tools to pinpoint where your home loses energy and create a project list to help you save money and make your home more comfortable yearround. Sealing air leaks and adding insulation are the main things to address before updating your HVAC system.

2. Breaker, Breaker: Check Your Electrical Panel

Have an electrician check if your electrical panel (a.k.a. breaker box) can add more electric devices

such as a vehicle, induction range, and solar panels. Older homes might need an upgraded panel.

3. Get Yourself a Clean, Green Comfort Machine (a Heat Pump)

Ever hear about a magical device that cools you in the summer, warms you in the winter, and puts out “three to four times as much energy in the form of heat as they’re using in electricity,” according to the MIT Technology Review ? It exists! Super-efficient heat pumps can be both a furnace and A/C, transferring heat in and out of buildings instead of burning fossil fuels or using less-efficient electric resistance. If your energy audit prescribed plugging air leaks and adding insulation, complete those projects first to get a heat pump sized to meet your home’s needs.

4. Heat Pumps Work Wonders on Water, Too “Heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse,” according to Energy.gov. “While a refrigerator pulls heat from inside a box and sends it into the surrounding room, a stand-alone air-source heat pump water heater pulls heat from the surrounding air and transfers it — at a higher temperature — to heat water in a storage tank.”

5. Introduce Yourself to Induction Cooking

Do electric stoves make you think of slow-heating coils? Today’s induction cooktops use magnetic fields that boil water 20 to 40 percent faster than gas, according to Consumer Reports tests. Cleaning is a breeze with no grates or burners. For renters or anyone interested, portable induction burners cost as little as $50. All-electric homes enjoy better indoor air quality with lower risks of asthma, carbon monoxide poisoning, and fires.

6. Electrify Your Rides

If you’ve never experienced the thrill of an electric car or e-bike ride, schedule a test drive at a local dealer or bike shop such as Conte’s and Bikenetic. If you’re ready to switch to an electric car, determine if public chargers will meet your needs or whether you’ll want a level 2 charger at home.

7. Get Powered by the Sun

If your home has a relatively new and sunny roof, you might

be a good candidate for rooftop solar. Review your electric usage and consider what appliances and vehicles you may add,

then contact solar companies (ask neighbors with panels for recommendations) or check out Solarize NOVA. To compare

solar companies’ quotes, look at the proposed kilowatt-production capacity and divide the total cost by that.

SUPER-EFFICIENT pumps like this one can both heat and cool homes by moving heat inside or outside depending on the season. Learn more at Saturday’s Electrify F.C. Open House. (Photo: Argent Heating & Cooling)

A Penny for Your Thoughts News of Greater Falls Church

By Penny Gross

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Aretha Franklin sang about it. Aristotle, Shakespeare, and Baudelaire wrote about it. Thomas Jefferson referenced it in the Declaration of Independence. Machiavelli mentioned it in “The Prince.” A 14-year-old George Washington made it the first entry in his “Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour,” based on an earlier book of French maxims: “every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.” If a teenaged future president grasped the importance of respect in life and society, why does it seem so difficult for so many today, both in and out of public life?

Closely allied with respect is dignity. In his radio address to the opening session of the United Nations conference in San Francisco in April of 1945, President Harry S. Truman said that “We must build a new world, a far better world – one in which the eternal dignity of man is respected.” He had been president for only ten days; the nation was mourning the passing of Franklin Roosevelt, World War II still was underway though winding down, and his message to the nation and to the world was both inspirational and aspirational.

Truman was known for his plain-speaking and frequent use of four-letter words, although rarely in public. When ladies of a garden club objected to his use of the word “manure” versus “fertilizer,” Mrs. Truman noted that it had taken 25 years to get her husband to say “manure” in place of something rougher. Today, officeholders and candidates routinely use four-letter words to describe opponents, cities, nations, and races, far from respecting the “eternal dignity of man.” An edit of Truman’s comment today might say “dignity of each person” or “human being,” but the original quote reflects usage common many decades ago.

Respecting others first requires respect for yourself.

In her 1937 autobiographical memoir, “This Is My Story,” Eleanor Roosevelt noted that “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

It is not clear if the comment was aimed at the vitriol of radio broadcaster Father Coughlin, whose strident and antisemitic harangues captivated millions of listeners prior to World War II. That was before the Internet and social media, which have few or no guardrails, and permit all manner of identified or anonymous persons to hurl comments, victimizing respect and dignity with nary a second thought.

Most of George Washington’s teenage rules focus on how to dress, eat, stand or sit, reflecting the self-control expected in colonial life in the 1700s. Today, it’s not old-fashioned to demand that our public figures respect the Constitution, federal, state, and local laws, constituents, and colleagues, regardless of political identity. It’s also not oldfashioned, or prudish, to expect those same public figures to respect how they use language.

When a national figure, even a former president, routinely uses four-letter words to describe people, places, and notions du jour, our national conversations are coarsened and, sadly, such language tends to become normalized among the population at large, especially young people. How sad to think that they are growing up with such role models.

Respect, dignity, empathy, self-awareness, care for and about others. These are the qualities that young George Washington understood and fostered, for himself and others.

As our national conversations rocket toward the November elections, we would be wise to heed the counsel of Mr. Washington, President Truman, and Mrs. Roosevelt, before it’s too late.

Delegate Marcus Simon’s Richmond Report

Congratulations to the winners of this week’s primary elections, especially Gerry Connolly in the nearby 11th Congressional District. Gerry has been an amazing representative for Fairfax County and Northern Virginia and I’m sure he will continue to make us all proud.

Congratulations also to Suhas Subramanyam, who will be campaigning to succeed my friend Jennifer Wexton in the 10th Congressional District, and Eugene Vindman, who will try to hold on to the 7th Congressional District seat currently held by Abigail Spanberger (who has announced a run for Governor in 2025).

For a state with a part-time legislature, serving in the House of Delegates is a surprisingly busy job all year round.

While our regular sessions alternate between 60 and 45 days in January and February, lately we’ve been summoned back to Richmond for Special Sessions more often than not. And with Democrats back in the majority, and my seniority number putting me in the most senior quartile of legislators, I’ve got plenty to do.

April was the Reconvene Session. May was the budget special session. Now, we’ve been called back for another Special Session on June 28th to tweak budget language around the eligibility of certain veteran’s family members entitlement to free tuition at Virginia colleges and universities.

When we aren’t meeting in regular, reconvened, or special sessions, we have commission, council and interim committee meetings to attend.

At this year’s first meeting of the Virginia Freedom of Information

Act Council meeting, I was elected Chair. In May, I was elected Chair of the Virginia Code Commission.

Earlier in June, I spent a lot of time with the 2024 senior classes as I had the honor of participating in their graduation ceremonies. For those with kids or family members who graduated, you might have seen me on stage. I’m extra proud this year as my youngest graduated from McLean High School, which means that Rachel and I will be empty nesters pretty soon!

As a parent of two (soon to be) college students who went through the Fairfax County Public School system, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of investing in our kids’ education, in our teachers, and in our school support staff. I’m grateful for the teachers and administrators who persevered through the pandemic and who did their best to make virtual classrooms a positive learning environment.

JLARC Report & Education Funding

When the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s (JLARC) education report came out last year (did I mention I was appointed to serve on JLARC too?), it highlighted that Virginia underfunded K-12 education by $4 billion a year. Although we had been increasing teacher pay and investing in school construction in recent years, it was clear that more needed to be done.

This is why the 2024-2026 Biennial State Budget that we passed last month, and that kicks in on July 1st, is such a big deal — it includes an historic investment of $20.9 billion into our public education system.

City of Falls Church CRIME REPORT

Week of June 10-16, 2024

Reckless Driving, E Broad St, June 10, 10:18 AM, a male, 24, of Vienna, was arrested for Reckless Driving.

Reckless Driving, E Broad St, June 10, 11:22 AM, a male, 31, of Arlington, was arrested for Reckless Driving.

Credit Card Fraud, W Columbia St, June 10, 1:36 PM, an unknown suspect attempted a declined fraudulent transaction using a credit card still in the victim’s possession.

Larceny from Building/Credit Card Fraud,

W Columbia St, between 10 PM on June 9 and 1:53 PM on June 10, an unknown suspect removed a credit card from the victim’s unsecured purse and attempted multiple declined transactions. A fraudulent transaction was completed using another credit card still in the victim’s possession.

Larceny from Building, W Columbia St, between 9 AM and 2:45 PM on June 10, an unknown suspect removed credit cards from the victim’s unsecured purse and attempted multiple declined transactions.

Other Jurisdiction Warrant Service, Park Ave, June 10, 4 PM, a female, 41, of Manassas Park, was arrested on an out-

By The Numbers

This budget has an unprecedented $2 Billion in new investments, including a 6 percent salary increase over the biennium for teachers and support staff. Falls Church City Public Schools will receive $10.35 million.

The budget bill also requires the Virginia Department of Education to enter into contracts to deliver high-quality mental health services at public schools. This includes $5 million for school-based mental health integration grants plus $12 million allocated for child psychiatry and children’s crisis response services. There is also $10 million for the Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP), which addresses shortages of pediatric mental health specialists. This is a $4 million increase from last year!

We’ve also allocated $370 million for At-Risk Add-On, which supports economically disadvantaged students as well as over $70 million to support English language learners.

We substantially increased funding for early childhood education to $1.1 billion and passed a separate bill to improve the availability of childcare and early education services.

During the 2024 Session, we also defeated Republican attacks on our public education system — from proposals to use taxpayer dollars to fund charter schools to underpaying our teachers to a concerted effort to whitewash our history and ban books in our school libraries.

While there are still some goals from the JLARC report that we need to meet, this year’s budget sets us on the right path. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue our upward trajectory.

standing warrant for another jurisdiction.

Larceny from Building, W Columbia St, between 7 PM on June 9 and 7 PM on June 10, an unknown suspect removed cash from the victim’s unsecured purse.

Reckless Driving/No Valid Operator’s License, Hillwood Ave, June 10, 7:11 PM, a male, 26, of Fairfax County, was arrested for Reckless Driving and No Valid Operator’s License.

Other Jurisdiction Warrant Service, S Washington St, June 11, 10:51 PM, a male, 40, of Manassas, was arrested on an

Continued on Page 18

F.C. Red Dominates Arlington American 8-2 in All-Star Clash

by Erika Toman

We are thrilled to announce the exceptional talents selected for the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League (FCKLL) All-Star and Select teams. These players have demonstrated outstanding skill, dedication, and sportsmanship, earning them a well-deserved place on these prestigious rosters. For players, coaches, and families alike, this marks a thrilling journey filled with friendship, competition, and unforgettable moments on the diamond.

Little League All-Star Teams

Falls Church White (Majors Division) (Managed by Nick Toman, and coached by Anthony Verdi, and Chris McCormack): Ryan Alderson, Mikey Baltrym, Simon Coho, John (Tig) Fatzinger, Kellan McCormack, Matthew Miller, James Owen, Luca Pipia, Evan Toman, Hayes Vaughan, Anthony Verdi and Will Wood Falls Church Blue (Ages 9-11) (Managed by Mike Caddy, and

coached by Chris Thompson and David Izawa): Lucas Berthiaume, Max Caddy, Emmett Grenfell, Aidan Izawa, Theo Jones, Charles Longley, Stanley Lu, Franco Perez, Logan Pinkerton, Will Schiffer, Paul Thiede and Finn Thompson Falls Church Red (Ages 8-10) (Managed by Alex Kuczkowski, and coached by Sean Mullin and Chris Talbert): Spencer Allan, Mookie Baltrym, Adam Dunbar, Evan Iweagwu, Gavin Kuczkowski, CJ Mullin, Andrew Quinn, Ryan Richards, Hunter Roy, William Strong, William Talbert and Timmy Verasin

Each of these teams represents the culmination of hard work, talent, dedication, and a passion for the game. They will carry our town’s banner into district, state, and regional tournaments, with the Majors team aiming for the ultimate dream: a chance to compete in Williamsport for the Little League World Series. Go to www.fckll.org for tournament dates and locations.

Little League Select Teams

Alongside our All-Star teams, we’re thrilled to announce the rosters for our AAA and AA Select teams, who will play in an exhibition game to showcase their skills and teamwork.

AAA Select: Coached by Mike Sawyer and Rob Fay

Michael Sawyer, Evelyn Kauke, Shayne Bhavsar, Quinn Caddy, Colin Dailey, Brendan Korves, John Sutton, Brendan Mehm, Will Jenkins, Gabriel Madrid, Andrew Owen, Cole Shorter, Luke Lopes, Neal Ryan, Stevens Portillo, Will Berthiume, Will Thompson, William Southworth, Tommy Ollinger, Harrison Hite, Faris Sarsour, Jude Blanchard, Charles Queler, Austin Iweagwu

AA Select: Coached by Luis Fernandez and Anthony Shetter Ryan Santos, Vincent Knouse, Henry Walton, Collin Smith, Brendan Kirchgraber, Sean Campbell, Remy Nevue, Landon Moore, Tate Chuhay, Michael Christian, Leo White, Ryan Fish,

Andrew Landers, Sam Nowlin, Ryan MacVicar, Miles Shetter, Lleyton LaBeau, Jackson Boyd, Dominic Kurian, Drew Odedra, Jack Previte, Linus Moore, Veer Shetti, Brady Flanigan

These talented young athletes

represent the future of our community and the promise of excellence in sportsmanship and skill. Let us come together to support them as they embark on their journey of competition and camaraderie. Go, Falls Church!

New Tinner Hill Mural Celebrates History and Community

by Alex Russell

Members of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, the Falls Church City Council, the Tinner family, and others gathered at 7139 Lee Highway for a dedication ceremony formally unveiling a towering, staggeringly beautiful mural created by Bryan King on the side of the three-story ACE Tool and Equipment building. With a huge message proudly declaring “Welcome to Tinner Hill,” this mural illustrates, in part, the origins of the first rural branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP.

An event with music, guest speakers, and food served at the nearby Tinner Hill Historic Site at 106 Tinner Hill Road, the ceremony began with an invocation by Rev. James Paige, Jr., of Galloway United Methodist Church, followed by remarks from Vice Mayor Debbie Hiscott.

Wyatt Shields, City Manager, spoke about the mural as another step in “closing the gaps” in the community. “The Tinner Hill Foundation uses the power of art, and that is something we can learn from.”

Nikki Graves-Henderson, Executive Director of the Tinner

Hill Heritage Foundation, and Peter Adriance then reflected on their initial vision for the mural. “This is about American history, it’s not just about one family or two families. It’s not just about the Hendersons, not just about the Tinners. It is about what you put forth for the future [and] remembering the past so that we have a roadmap for the future.”

It took five years for the mural to become a reality.

During his remarks, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation President Rev. Steve Martin noted that, “if you take the permission of a white owner to use his wall, the use of a KoreanAmerican woman-owned company to power wash, prime, and paint the wall, the permission of a JapaneseAmerican owner to provide the work space, a white muralist to paint and digitize the rendering, and an African-American collaborator, isn’t it remarkable what Americans can do when we cooperate and work together?”

“In order to have community, we need to ensure we don’t forget and learn our history, which in turn opens up the opportunity for friendship. Once those two are in place, we can have community because it takes a community to change the world.”

Highlighting the collaboration

between community leadership and local businesses, Rev. Martin also pointed out the support of the Falls Church Police Department, with some of the Department’s officers in attendance at the ceremony. Speaking about the years it took to make the mural a reality, he said, “We dug in, we didn’t give up, and Falls Church didn’t give up, either.”

Phil Christensen of the Social Justice Committee (SJC) reflected that the mural helps carry home the “joy of diversity,” and that true social and cultural diversity “makes living interesting.”

Echoing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s concept of the “moral arc of the universe,” Christensen remarked that this mural helps validate the late Civil Rights leader’s hopes and ideas.

Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation founder Edwin B. Henderson II spoke about the origins of the Foundation. “When we started, there were no signs of the African American presence in Falls Church, at least not much.”

The 30-year path from the organization’s inception to the dedication ceremony for the new mural began “on faith,” representing decades of hard work, planning, and a sense of continuity

important to the City of Falls Church and the surrounding community.

Rich Scott, SJC Music Coordinator, led the attendees in two sing-alongs, starting with “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and ending with “What A Wonderful World.” Mural artist Bryan King and Irene Chambers also gave remarks at the ceremony.

On Monday, June 24, 2024, the City Council will be voting on the Tinner Hill Mural District, a series of murals showcasing local history and the power of art to commemorate, educate, and inspire.

The “Welcome to Tinner Hill” mural is the first of many planned public works of art.

Falls Church Red (pictured) beats Arlington 8-2 . (Photo: Kari Forsee)

THE TINNER FAMILY (pictured) in front of the new mural on Lee Hwy. (Photo: Alex Russell)

Community News & Notes

Mustang Alumni Come to Town This Weekend

Falls Church will extend a warm welcome to graduates of George Mason and Meridian High School who are coming into the City this weekend for the All-Class Reunion. Many classes are having reunion parties Friday night at Falls Church restaurants, (Solace Outpost, Harvey’s, Hilton Garden Inn, Ireland’s Four Provinces, Dogwood Tavern, Northside Social). The All-Class Reunion is part of the 75th Anniversary of FCCPS — a great way to re-connect and celebrate friendships forged in Falls Church.

On Saturday alumni can take tours of the new high school, a bus ride around the City, and an all-class celebration at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack. Sunday will be a family picnic at Cherry Hill Park.

Alumni Association president Will Stewart (class of 2007) is looking forward to a full weekend of reuniting with friends and making connections. “I’m very excited for alumni to come back to Falls Church and see how it has evolved. While most attended the old school building, we now have the new one to show them, and I’m hoping the events we have planned allow us to cherish the Mustang spirit and reconnect with each other.”

F.C. Home Electrify & Efficiency Event This Saturday

The Falls Church Climate Action Network (FCCAN), with Falls Church Forward, will host “Electrify Falls Church,” an open house event to help Falls Church residents shift away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change, save money, and improve the health and comfort of your home.

This “Electrify Falls Church” event will be from 9:00-1:00 on Saturday, June 22. It is an opportunity to learn from neighbors and a few experts about a range of actions you can take. Some topics to be covered at the event include:

• heat pumps

• rooftop solar and battery

back-up

• electric cars and bikes

• induction cooking ranges

• home insulation and air sealing

• electric garden equipment. Pre-registration is required at fccan.net/electrify-rsvp. The location of the event will be provided to those registering. The event will be held shine or rain. Most importantly, free ice cream will be served.

If you have your own experience or expertise to share, please consider volunteering. Volunteer information is available at fccan.net/volunteer-rsvp. For more information about FCCAN, visit fccan.net. For more information about Falls Church Forward, visit fallschurchforward.org.

Award Nominations Open for Disability-Inclusive Employers

In recognition of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, The Arc of Northern Virginia is presenting the “Commitment to Employment of Persons with Disabilities Awards” to recognize companies in Northern Virginia that have demonstrated exceptional dedication to providing employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Arc of Northern Virginia invites nominations for all Northern Virginia-area companies that provide essential employment opportunities for people with IDD, and encourage individuals and companies to nominate these important employers for this award. Nominees should employ people with intellectual or developmental disabilities in Fairfax County, Arlington County, City of Falls Church or City of Alexandria.

Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominations can be made by the employer, job coach or disability service provider, or parent/family of the employee with IDD. Nominations are due by July 19, and honorees will be announced on August 1. All nominees will be recognized at The Arc of Northern Virginia’s

MEMBERS OF THE F.C. Vietnamese Literary & Artistic Club pose at the Falls Church Vietnamese Heritage Day last weekend, which the club planned in parnership with the City. (Photo: Gary Mester)

NEW FALLS CHURCH POLICE officer Devonte Lemons graduated on Monday from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. (Photo: Gary Mester)

“Illuminating Inclusion” Gala on Saturday, November 9.

Nominations may be submitted online at thearcofnova.org/ employer-award.

For questions contact Howard Stregack at howard. stregack@thearcofnova.org

Keegan Announces Cast and Team of Comedy ‘Noises Off’

Keegan Theatre has announced the cast and team of Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” the fanfavorite farce capping Keegan’s 27th season. A sold-out hit when it last played at Keegan in 2010, “Noises Off” is, by audience demand, returning to stage August 1 through September 1.

“‘Noises Off’ is one of my favorite plays of all time, and one that holds a dear place in my heart,” explained Mark A. Rhea, the production’s director and Keegan’s founding director.

“Since our acclaimed 2010 production, audiences have been clamoring for us to produce “Noises Off” again, and I’m absolutely thrilled that the time is finally right. I’m excited to helm this show once again at Keegan — and to revisit the hilarious script with this amazing cast and artistic team. We look forward to bringing laughter and delight to DC audiences this summer!”

“Noises Off” presents a manic menagerie of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called “Nothing’s On.” Slamming doors, on and offstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play.

“Noises Off” runs August 1 through September 1. Details and tickets are available at keegantheatre.com.

Alzheimer’s Assoc. Encourages Taking Charge of Brain Health

This June, during Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging all Americans to take charge of their brain health.

Today, there are nearly seven million people aged 65 and older in the U.S. who are living with Alzheimer’s dementia, including 300,000 in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The lifetime risk for the disease at age 45 is one-in-five for women and one-in-ten for men. The brain changes that cause Alzheimer’s are thought to begin 20 years or more before symptoms start, which suggests that there may be a substantial window of time in which we can intervene in the progression of the disease.

“Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month offers the perfect opportunity for people to take charge of their brain health,” said Sheila Griffith, Vice President of Programs and Services with the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter. “We want people to know there are steps they can take to potentially reduce their risk of cognitive decline. We also want to encourage anyone experiencing memory or thinking problems to talk to their doctor. There are many possible causes — and if it is Alzheimer’s disease, there are numerous benefits to getting a timely diagnosis.”

During June, the Alzheimer’s Association is offering these five suggestions to take charge of your brain health:

1. Incorporate healthy habits that may reduce the risk of cognitive decline: As many as 40 percent of dementia cases worldwide may be attributable to modifiable risk factors.

2. Learn the early warning signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementia, including memory loss as well as altered judgment, mood changes, and challenges in decision-making and planning and carrying out projects.

3. Be proactive in addressing memory and thinking problems: Studies show many individuals experiencing memory and thinking problems often put off discussing them with a doctor.

4. Help accelerate diseaserelated research: Clinical trials hold the key to new and better Alzheimer’s disease treatments. Individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, caregivers and healthy volunteers are needed to participate in clinical trials that help advance Alzheimer’s research.

5. Volunteer with Alzheimer’s Association: Volunteers make a key difference for those facing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Local Students Receive N.Va Community Fdn. Scholarships

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia has awarded $506,600 in scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year to 114 students pursuing higher education, including many from the greater Falls Church and adjacent areas.

Scholarship recipients from Falls Church High School include Ceily Baten (Ashworth Grogan Scholarship Fund, $5,000), Santiago Gomez Diaz (Michell Merhige Scholarship Fund, $1,500), and Victoria

LOCAL

Machado (Michell Merhige Scholarship Fund, $1,500; William J. Foreman Memorial Scholarship Fund, $2,000).

Scholarships were also awarded to James Madison High School (Vienna) student Ethan Morrow (Alex Thomas Effort Award Fund, $1,500), and McLean High School student Jose Requeno (William J. Foreman Memorial Scholarship Fund, $2,000), and Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington) student Katherine Bohli (Kelly Elizabeth Baker & Family Memorial Scholarship Fund, $1,500).

To view all recipients or learn more about the Community Foundation, visit cfnova.org.

Local 6th Grader Receives 2024 Scholastic Achievement Award

Merritt Academy sixth grade student Reed Lewis has earned the title of 2024 American Scholastic Achievement Award Virginia State Champion.

Each year, students across the country take The Scholastic Challenge, a test designed to engage middle school students from 6th to 8th grade to demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving skills in various academic areas including general knowledge, language, literature, geography, history, science and mathematics.

Reed achieved the highest score among sixth grade students in Virginia taking the Scholastic Challenge this year. Since 2016, Merritt Academy has had ten Scholastic Achievement Virginia state champions.

CELEBRATING HIS BIG fifth birthday at Lincoln Park in F.C. last weekend was Cameron Van Steyn (left, sitting on his mom’s lap) with family and friends.. (News-Press Photo)

ACTON LEARNERS built a habitat for small critters with guidance from F.C. Recreation and Parks. (Photo: Acton Academy Falls Church)

MERRITT ACADEMY STUDENT Reed Lewis is the 2024 Scholastic Achievement Award Virginia State Champion. (Photo: Merritt Academy)

JUNE 20 - 26, 2024

CALENDAR

THIS WEEK AROUND F.C.

THURSDAY JUNE 20

Government Ops.

Committee Meeting

Government Operations Committee meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Oak Room, Falls Church), 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

Arts and Humanities Council Meeting

Arts and Humanities Coun-

cil meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Dogwood A-B, Falls Church), 9:30 a.m. — 11:00 a.m.

Electoral Board Meeting

Electoral Board meets. City Hall (300 ParkAve., DogwoodA-B, Falls Church), 2:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m.

PG and The Hot Tips

Enjoy live music by PG and The Hot Tips, with dancing, fun, and signature summer bites. Free and open to the public. The Kensington Falls Church (700 W. Broad St., Falls Church), 4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.

FCCPS-W&OD Connect

Community Meeting

Community meeting to discuss the East/West pedestrian and bicycle connection between the W&OD trail and the FCCPS secondary schools campus. West End Park (1048 W. Broad St., Falls Church), 6:00 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

Founders Groove: Six Pack Rodeo

Free music series, Thursdays through July 25. This week features Six Pack Rodeo. Founders Row (109 Founders Ave., Falls Church), 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.

Human Svcs. Advisory Council Meeting

Human Services Advisory Council meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Dogwood A-B, Falls Church), 6:30 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.

Environmental Sust. Council Meeting

The Environmental Sustainability Council and Energy Transition Subcommittee meet. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Council Chambers/Court Room, Falls Church), 7:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

JUNE 21

Budget and Finance Committee Meeting

Budget and Finance Committee meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Council Chambers/Court Room, Falls Church), 8:30 a.m. — 9:30 a.m.

Electoral Board Meeting

Electoral Board meets. City Hall (300 ParkAve., DogwoodA-B, Falls Church), 12:00 p.m. — 2:00 p.m.

Solstice S'mores

Join F.C. Forward for s'mores, drinks, and socializing. Free to attend. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church), 5:00 p.m.

Providence Players: Twelve Angry Jurors

Providence Players present "Twelve Angry Jurors." Tickets at tinyurl. com/FCNP0624pp. James Lee Community Center (2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church), 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

JUNE 22

Mustang Pride All Class Reunion

An all-class celebration for graduates of George Mason and Meridian. Additional events Friday and Sunday. See Community News & Notes, page 12. Tickets and info at tinyurl.com/mserxpcr. Clare and Don's Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church), 6:00 p.m.

Electrify Falls Church Home Event

The F.C. Climate Action Network (FCCAN)and F.C. Forward host an open house event to help F.C. residents go green at home. Free (register at fccan.net/electrify-rsvp for location). 9:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.

SUNDAY

JUNE 23

Elena Moon Park and Friends

Elena Moon Park and Friends perform music for all-ages. Free to attend. Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA), 4:00 p.m.

MONDAY JUNE 24

City Council Meeting

City Council meets. The public may view the meeting live or on-demand after the meeting at fallschurchva.gov/CouncilMeetings and on FCCTV. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Council Chambers/Court Room, Falls Church), 7:30 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.

TUESDAY JUNE 25

Economic Development Committee Meeting

Economic Development Committee meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Oak Room, Falls Church), 1:00 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.

North West Street Community Meeting Community meeting. N. West St. (near Highland Ave., Falls Church), 6:00 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

School Board Work Session

FCCPS School Board work session. The public is invited to attend in-person or virtually. FCCPS Central Office (150 S. Washington St., Suite 400 Conference Rm., Falls Church), 7:00 p.m. — 10:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 26

Government Operations Committee Meeting

Government Operations Committee meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Oak Room, Falls Church), 9:00 a.m. — 10:00 a.m.

Affordable Living Policy Update Meeting

Affordable Living Policy Update Workgroup meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Dogwood A-B, Falls Church), 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.

Planning Commission Meeting

Planning Commission meets. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Council Chambers/Court Room, Falls Church), 7:30 p.m. — 10:00 p.m.

NEIGHBORS ENJOYED F.C. Forward's 2023 summer event, back Friday with Solstice S'mores at Cherry Hill Park. (Photo: Justine Underhill)

THE CLASS of '93 held their 30-year reunion (2023) at Clare and Don's, the venue for this Saturday's all-class reunion (Photo: Will Stewart)

COMMENT

A Pride Month Sermon

by Rev. Amanda Hundler-Voss First Congregational Church, WDC

When I lived in Asheville, North Carolina, my favorite coffee spot had a delicious drink called “Cesspool of Cinnamon.” A buttery warmth with a tingle of cinnamon and punch of caffeine, the drink’s name was a play on the accusation made by a state senator that gay-friendly Asheville was a “cesspool of sin.” While we chafed at his words, I was grateful for the queer, creative reversal that transfigured his insult into my delight.

I arrived in Asheville having already grappled with issues of gender and sexuality in college. A self-identified evangelical raised in a conservative, pro-life home, I had selected a Christian school aligned with those views. Yet during my college years, I leaned into my feminist sensibilities, survived a natural disaster, and witnessed abject poverty working summers for the Appalachia Service Project. My doctrinal certainty was toppled by lived experience, and I became a seeker — hunting God in afflicted places.

Most of my generation did not grow up in open and affirming families or congregations. We have our own stories of how we got here; that moment when we could no longer justify a God associated with bigotry. It might be a coming out story or personal relationship. For me, it was a biblical studies class. Our feminist professor at this conservative Christian college insisted we read “both sides” of the debate over what the Bible said about being gay. Both sides? No one had bothered to tell me there was any other way of reading the Bible.

So, when I read these rich theological reflections on Jesus as fundamentally inclusive and traversed the wild context behind stories like Sodom and Gomorrah or Paul’s letter opining on the sexual practices of those devoted to fertility goddesses, my whole way of interpreting the Bible was blown open. The way Jesus sums it all up is, “love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” The way God is defined as love and all who love know God. It’s the way scripture tells on itself, providing a liberating corrective to the oppressive texts. I took seriously Howard Thurman’s question, What does our faith have to say to the masses who live constantly with their backs against the wall?

So, I did something inadvisable in evangelical circles. I changed my mind. And it was a good thing, because my roommate came out the very next semester as the only out

person on campus. When I tried to talk to my parents about it, fully equipped with the freshest biblical scholarship on the matter, the conversation did not go well. You see, I could win the argument but still not change their minds. And while I maintained a loving relationship with them, that is not true for many of the people I have pastored over the years. I have encountered stories of conversion therapy, exorcisms, and excommunication. I have listened to beloved people with more integrity than I can convey, debate whether to go home if they couldn’t bring their partner or wrestle with a religion that had excluded them so decisively.

So, I take heart to read that Jesus had some trouble with his family and faith tradition; that he was called delusional and of the devil; that they attempted to intervene so he would abandon his calling; that he was too much for them; too provocative, too radical in his concept of divine love. It brings me some comfort to know that before he overturned the tables of the moneychangers, he overthrew the kinship structure rooted in obedience to patriarchy.

Mark’s gospel text for today begins with Jesus returning home after a mountaintop retreat with the disciples. And the house, that structure so associated with family, is over-run by a voracious crowd, hungry for healing and teaching and belonging. The crowd is so thick, Jesus cannot sit down to eat. His family thinks he’s taken this whole thing a little too far. Perhaps his siblings already resented the humiliating rumors about his paternity. Perhaps his mother recalled the dire words of an old man who prophesied, “A sword will pierce your soul too.” When his family heard of the crowds, they went to the house to restrain Jesus, a word used elsewhere to mean political detainment.

But it was too late. The scribes had already arrived from the capital to press charges. “He’s out of his mind,” said his family. “He’s possessed,” said the scribes. Doubly denounced as deluded and demonic, Jesus decides to respond. One way of reading his parable is that it’s a call to unity, for a house divided cannot stand. Lincoln’s famous use of this phrase notwithstanding, there is another compelling way to read this parable. Perhaps what Jesus is really saying is that the unholy church-state alliance cannot stand. For the community of God does not belong to power structures. It is God’s alone. And therefore, when it is divided, giving a portion of itself to the respectability of the status quo and

a portion to line the pockets of politicians, the entire thing is bound to collapse. It is like a gilded mansion into which God breaks and enters like a thief in the night to plunder, to inaugurate the great reversal.

Jesus’ primary hang-up, however, is not bad theology. Incorrect interpretation can be forgiven. “What is not pardonable,” according to Juan Luis Segundo, “is using theology to turn human liberation into something odious. The real sin against the Holy Spirit is refusing to recognize, with joy, concrete liberation taking place before one’s very eyes.”

I felt this strongly on Day One in North Carolina, when the state legalized marriage equality after a lawsuit brought by the United Church of Christ. I had participated in the “We Do” campaign championed by the Rev. Jasmine Beach Ferrara. In small, southern towns and cities, Rev. Jasmine recruited faith leaders to accompany LGBTQ couples who requested a marriage license at the register of deeds. It was a form of civil disobedience. We knew they would be turned away, and yet we wanted to pressurize the system and to support couples sharing their stories.

On the day the ruling on marriage equality was set to come down, we gathered outside the Register of Deeds. Hours later, having heard nothing, I picked up the boys from school and headed home. My phone rang, and I was told, the court had ruled! When I returned to the register of deeds, I tell you it was like the best party you can imagine. People were weeping and singing, unfurling flags and waving signs. Joy was scrawled on every face. Clergy donned their stoles, couples pulled out wrinkled copies of vows and spoke in earnest, halting voices. Partners who had spent years, even decades together, were pronounced married with the blessing of Christ’s church and the power vested in us by the state. It was so beautiful. I can fathom a deficient theology that gets this issue wrong; what I cannot fathom is refusing to see the joy, the love, the liberation that broke loose on that day.

Our LGBTQ siblings have been teaching us all along about alternative family structures. When your blood kin refuse to accept the most basic aspects of who you are, sometimes, like Jesus, you have to expand your concept of kinship. You have to extend the circle of grace to those who delight in you, who affirm and covenant with you. I believe that’s what we have here at First Church. A family of faith, a people who bind themselves in

God’s redeeming presence to walk together in ways revealed by the Holy Spirit. And this community has its own story — of welcoming the Metropolitan Community church to share our building and ministry in the 1970s. In 1987 we were the 14th congregation in the UCC to declare ourselves open and affirming. We have been home to such saints as John Shepherd, former Music Director, who came out to the congregation in a sermon and showed us how to live tenderly even as he died of AIDS.

Beloved community, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith our ancestors walked. By faith Abraham opened his tent in all four directions to welcome sojourners from every walk of life, knowing that strangers are sometimes angels in disguise. By faith Joseph, despised and sold into slavery by his brothers for his princess coat of many colors, believed in his own wild dreams and saved the nations from famine, even his own brothers. By faith Rahab the sex worker negotiated survival for herself and the women in her household. By faith David loved Jonathan as his own soul and they bound themselves together in a covenant. By faith Ruth told Naomi, where you go, I will go, and your people will be my people and your God my God. By faith an Ethiopian eunuch asked, “what should prevent me from being baptized right here, right now?” and by

faith Philip baptized him immediately with the power of the Holy Spirit.

And what more should we say?

For time would fail us to tell of Priscilla, seller of purple cloth; transgender patron St. Marinos, Pauli Murray, legal scholar and priest, Bayard Rustin, civil rights organizer; James Baldwin, prophet and writer; Harvey Milk, activist and torchbearer; Audre Lorde, poet; Marsha Johnson, revolutionary drag queen; and Sally Ride, who soared to the stars — who through faith in love brought down powers and principalities, administered beauty, obtained promises, shut the mouths of bigots, carried us with their words, escaped the barrel of the gun, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in mercy, put oppression to flight. Others suffered mockery and harassment, even assault and imprisonment. They went about clothed with righteousness though persecuted — of whom the world was not worthy.

Yet all these, though we commend them for their faith in love, did not receive the fullness of the promise, but God provided for them so that, together with us, the seeds of truth might break forth from the soil. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the shame that clings so closely, and let us pluck up hatred and plant with perseverance the seeds of liberation and justice, looking to Jesus, the author of our faith. Amen.

TWO LITTLE CITY churches, Christ Crossman UMC and F.C. Episcopal, display signage welcoming LGBTQ+ members (Photos: Brian Reach)

T h e LGB T Q + R e ach

by Brian Reach Falls Church News-Press

My Comments To The Fairfax Co. Board

Last week I had the honor of accepting the Pride proclamation from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at their June meeting, a tradition I started in 2013 with then Dranesville supervisor John Foust. At the time gay marriage was still illegal in Virginia and nationwide. Only Arlington and Alexandria had (I believe) done this before. That year one supervisor — Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) vacated the room ahead of the proclamation. After doing the same in 2014, a friend shared that one of his staffers explained the supervisor drinks too much Diet Coke during the meetings, and simply had to excuse himself. No further explanation has been provided.

At this year’s meeting, new Dranesville supervisor James “Jimmy” Bierman said he looked forward to another 100 years of pride proclamations, but also to the day that they aren’t necessary. He and Chairman Jeff McKay had many other wonderful things to say, but space is short, so watch at tinyurl. com/FCPM24. Below are my comments.

“Thank you to all of our esteemed supervisors. My name is Brian Reach. I was born in Fairfax Hospital, my mom was born in Alexandria Hospital, my Grandfather was born on the kitchen table in Clifton. I am very much an old Fairfax County boy, and I grew up here knowing that this was a different area than perhaps the rest of the state, at least at the time... this was a friendlier place.

“But there wasn’t a lot of proof of that, and when I started NOVA Pride… 14 years ago, there had never been a pride festival in Northern Virginia, there wasn’t any organization creating a community that was organized and could do stuff. Gay marriage was illegal in Virginia, and it was illegal nationwide.

“When I started this organization, it was because I believed that there was more under the surface supporting us than people could see. And I had faith in that, and I think that that has been — in the last 10, 11, 12 years — really proven correct.

“And we’ve seen this huge pendulum swing. We wanted, when we started NOVA Pride, to have A Pride Festival, and part of doing that was bringing the community together so that people who had common interests could start new organizations, more local organizations. In a county with well over a million people, there needs to be more localization, so we wanted to spawn more, not just here but across Northern Virginia.

“So when I worked with Supervisor Foust to create this proclamation, to make it happen for the first time, we then took it a step further, and I wrote every jurisdiction in Northern Virginia… and it took a while to get everyone to adopt it, to understand the importance of it.

“Understanding that same-sex marriage, sexuality, gender… this isn’t about sex. This is about dignity. This is about not losing your job or your home because of something that has nothing to do with anybody else.

“And I will say that it does take the entire community, because none of us are sharing our sex lives in our day-to-day lives. When everyone goes home, they don’t have the same experiences. What

matters is consent between adults and that’s really all we need to worry about.

“What does matter, that we all do need to enforce, as a community, is treating each other better. To treat each other with respect and to think, when we meet someone, first, ‘how are they treating me right now?’ — not ‘what have I heard about them?’ It doesn’t matter. How we treat each other is all that matters.

“And this matters. It may seem superfluous by some, especially if you’re in a liberal area where you feel the support, and you think this doesn’t matter. It matters to somebody.

“It matters to somebody in Springfield District that their chair is empty for the twelfth year in a row. That silence is deafeningly loud. And if it is still an issue of drinking too much Diet Coke, I hope that supervisor will see a urologist — I have, I’m a cancer survivor and know how important that is — but it is hard after 12 years to maintain that excuse.

“So now we have ten pride festivals in Northern Virginia. Gay marriage is the law of the land. Ten years ago it wasn’t. Ten years ago we were just starting this, here, in the room. This paved the way for a whole lot by breaking the silence, to allow people to speak and to say ‘I’m here. I’ve been here the whole time. I’ve been here working, going to school, being your neighbor. It’s not really that scary, is it?’ And people realize, it really isn’t. And a lot of those things being said about us aren’t true, and objectively now proven false by our visibility.

“So, if I have one request of the community… things have changed, but not everything. For the past five years, every year more bills… are introduced across the country attacking primarily kids — trans kids, queer kids — that have the highest rates of suicide, depression, anxiety we’ve ever seen. They’re the ones being attacked. Not society at-large by them; by them existing. We’ve always been here. We’ve always been here.

“So, thank you for accepting us, but if I have one request of the community, it’s to not be silent. Even if it’s polite discrimination — even if it’s quietly leaving the room — don’t be silent. Stand up for a better community, because it’s not mean to be actively enforcing better behavior.

“Thank you very much for this gesture. Thank you for all of you who stayed in the room for this; it is really important. I hope the people of Springfield will do better, but regardless this is a time for celebration.

“And for those of you who are still on the fence: most people that were around 20 years ago were not in the same place. Our community — just like a far longer history with the African-American community, where it’s been 159 years since Juneteenth.

“It’s been ten years here since gay marriage was very much illegal, on every layer, but what’s important is — when someone comes around — we celebrate that. We don’t attack them for who they used to be — they’re usually the most welcoming people to talk about their past selves and say ‘I was wrong.’

“So we’re always here. The door’s always open. The seats are always there for people to sit down and be part of a better community that includes everyone.

“So thank you for being a part of that, and I look forward to 100 more years.”

Falls Church Business News & Notes

New Feature at Duangrats

The pop-up Thai street food of One Night in Bangkok has landed permanently upstairs at Duangrat’s. Named for the 1984 Murray Head club, Eddie Duangrat created an atmosphere drawing on the vibes and nightlife as a teen in the ‘80s. The menu boasts twenty dim sum dishes, as well as other dishes from tempura to samosas.

Chamber Overview at Fyzical

Tonight

Join the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Board and Membership Committee tonight, 5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m., to learn more about the chamber, its benefits and how your business can grow through membership. This is designed for new and prospective members as well as those re-engaging. Meet Nicole Leppert, the owner of Fyzical Physical Therapy and Balance Center, and tour the beautiful new space. There will be a reception for networking.

Webinar: Small Business Loan Basics

In collaboration with M&T Bank, the Women’s Business Center of Northern Virginia is offering a session open to all on small business loans next Wednesday, June 26, 5:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m. online. Participants will learn how small business loans work, the various types of loans, and how to apply for an SBA loan. The presenter is Dayana Villanueva with M&T Bank. This is offered free, and the meeting link will be shared upon registration at wbcnova.centerdynamics.com/workshop. aspx?ekey=10440061.

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Grants

To help small businesses, Verizon has partnered with LISC to provide $10,000 small business grants. Owners of small businesses can apply, and non-profit business owners are not eligible. Applicants must complete two grant-eligible courses or events between January 1, 2024, and June 28, 2024, to unlock the application, then submit the application by June 28, 2024. digitalready.verizonwireless.com/?utm_ source=awbc&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=digital-ready_national-partner_northern-virginia-wbc_virginia

Nominations Open for Local Students

The Patch and T-Mobile are once again joining to celebrate local students who make a difference. It’s an opportunity to recognize students who make contributions in school clubs, on the stage and in the community that “make life better for all of us.” The online nomination form is found here: tz7z86w5db5.typeform.com/ to/NbLcaXdo.

 Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschurchchamber.org.

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Switch and

Critter Corner

pledged to the letter and spirit of

policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

Continued from Page 8

outstanding warrant for another jurisdiction.

Driving on Suspended License, Roosevelt Blvd, June 14, 9:27 AM, a female, 43, of Fairfax County, was arrested for Driving on Suspended License.

Trespassing, S Washington St,

June 14, 6:40 PM, a male, 66, of no fixed address, was arrested for Trespassing.

Shoplifting, S Washington St, June 15, 1:06 AM, an unknown suspect took merchandise without paying.

The suspect is described as a black male with glasses, wearing a black shirt, gray pants, a tan bucket hat, and tan sandals.

Reckless Driving, N Roosevelt St, June 15, 7:02 PM, a male, 70, of

Fairfax County, was arrested for Reckless Driving.

Fraud – False Pretenses, S Washington St, June 16, 12:02 AM, victim reported sending money as a deposit for a fraudulently listed rental property. Investigation is ongoing.

Simple Assault, W Broad St, June 16, 2:43 AM, victim reported they were assaulted by an identified suspect.

MEET MILLIE, a three year old standard poodle with a whole lot of spunk and a dash of silliness! This certified lap dog loves peanut butter — or whatever’s on your plate. Hobbies include do-sido dancing with mom and playing fetch until sundown. Millie’s favorite hangout spot is Gravelly Point to watch the planes go by! tinyurl.com/tcc624! (Photo: Alyssa Webb)

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Please send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

ARTS

Themes Aplenty in Falls Church Arts’ All Member Show

by Mark Dreisonstok

The intriguing All Member Show is currently displayed at the Falls Church Arts gallery from June 15 to August 18. The exhibit will be held in two parts: submissions from members with last names from A-L are on view from June 15 to July 14, whereas submissions from artists with last names from M-Z will be on view from July 20 to August 18. The show covers works in a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic, pastel, fused glass, oil, photography, and sculpture of various materials.

In such a show, members choose their best works, and sometimes unity between artworks is therefore lacking. What is special about this exhibit, however, is that one need not look far to find themes. One such theme is local scenery, exemplified by Pete Corbino’s oil on canvas “Tallwood,” a large, pleasant Falls Church house which was once owned by Mitton Eisenhower on East Broad St.. Yet many of the artists have journeyed farther afield, from the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i to the Grand Canyon, from the shores of Cape Cod to the Scottish Highlands.

For those who enjoy travel in summer, Jean Barrett’s “Moonrise on Kaua’i” (oil on board, but reminiscent of a photograph) captures

the fluidity and magic of the ocean and the sky by night. This work is a beautiful showcase of a vast and clear blue sky that fades into a cloudy shroud, enveloping the moon as if two great hands had clutched it from below. The colors become almost ethereal and deeply enchanting, especially to the center right where purples and greens enter the mix. Below the gracious bands of clouds meet the great ocean as it rushes up the beach to meet us between the great stone cliffs left and right. For those who have not visited Hawaii, this majestic oil on board painting allows them to enjoy a bit of the islands as the surf and serenity of Hawaii is brought into the West Broad Street gallery. In “Colors of the Cape,” Gretchen Damore has created in acrylic something not unlike the wild colors and flamboyant hues of Gauguin’s Polynesian paintings. Yet the setting is much closer to home—Cape Cod, Massachusetts! The artist explains that during midsummer, the sunset is such that it brings a special color palate to the coast of Cape Cod. The painting features a soft blue sky touched with glimmers of evening pink clouds as a church spire with cross and clock rises to the sky. Below this, rooftops aglow with the magnificent colors the artist has chosen to dapple the rest of the skyline.

In “Sky Meadows” by Anne Goaslind, we espy sets of leading lines. The central fence forms a sweeping “S” off into the distance as does the road in the upper left. In her exhibit card, the artist relates how much she enjoys traveling to places far enough from the hustle and bustle of urban life so that she may see the horizon. Her watercolor offers the viewer a “getaway” to a horizon before which are hills, farmhouses, and fences. Clouds dominate the sky above the horizon. This soft and dreamy work presents something of a children’s fairytale look, while nonetheless remaining dutifully faithful to realistic detail. The quaint barns and buildings bring the warm and inviting countryside to life.

Leaving behind the traveling theme, we go to paintings which play on classical and ancient narrative motifs. In “Flying with the Cranes,” a visual reenactment of Japanese mythology, artist Spoorti Dandridge paints with animated strokes that almost seem to move before the viewer’s eyes. A work rendered in oil with touches of crackled gold, Dandridge explains that the painting tells the story of a maiden who comes to earth from above riding on storks and becomes deeply in love with a man on earth, but conflict arises in the tale when our heroine

confronts the reality that to be with her betrothed she must never return to her world. A fascinating use of “multimedia,” this painting offers the smooth and flowing nature of the cranes to the cracked portions which perhaps lend the maiden’s dress and the birds above.

We leave the world of Japanese mythology for the world of the Bible. Naomi Lipsky’s “Hineni” (The Prism), is a vibrant and skillfully crafted example of lithography. Above a rainbow of colors, we see the words “I am here” in Hebrew, the answer Abraham gave to God as he experienced the realization of monotheism.

Another theme to be found in the exhibit is nature: Gerda Lane’s oil painting “Delaware Marsh” and James Hengst’s photograph “Land of

the Lost” of the Waimangu Volcanic Valley in New Zealand serve as admirable examples. There are also uniquely American themes, such as Jean Lauzon’s acrylic on canvas “Bison II,” which presents elements of the U.S. flag as well as “the diminishing size of the bison [to represent] the near extinction of this American symbol.”

Visitors attending the Falls Church Arts gallery All Members Exhibit would do well to explore these and other themes, prompted by the works of many skillful artists in our region. It is at 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church. Admission is free and the gallery is open Tuesdays-Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are optional.

‘Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds’ Come to Life at Nova Nightsky Theater

by Mark Dreisonstok

Nova Nightsky Theater is currently presenting Paul Zindel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama, “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.” This compelling show is a highly intimate theatrical experience, with particular resonance for those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. Written and set during this period, the play follows the lives of two early-high school age girls, Matilda (“Tillie”) and Ruth as they struggle to come of age while living with their dysfunctional mother, a widowed and financially struggling woman who has not gotten very far in life.

Indeed, the mother, Beatrice, also once attended the very same high school that her daughters do now. Beatrice suffers from a plethora of mental health issues, making life increasingly difficult for the daughters. The socially popular Tillie has a seizure condition that is aggravated by the family stress. Ruth, however, appears less affected by the family circumstances. She is gifted intellectually and displays a passion for

science. However, her giftedness at first causes her to be bullied, and her mother is more interested in trying to woo Tillie’s science teacher than helping either of her daughters succeed. In spite of this, the teacher gives Tillie a set of Manin-the-Moon marigold seeds, which Tillie uses for an important science fair project. The acting in the show is superb. Jaclyn Robertson (who is also a cofounder of and producing director at Nova Nightsky) displays her outstanding acting abilities as Beatrice, a character who is often cruel but, due to the actress’s skill, is never completely out of reach of the audience’s sympathy. She is joined by Clare Shannon, who is excellent as the energetic and outgoing (but secretly sensitive) Ruth. Callie Stapleton is wonderful as Tillie, a character who is sometimes detached from and sometimes engaged with the world around her. Joan Evans is in fine form as Nanny, a lodger in Beatrice’s home; Nanny provides financial support for Beatrice, even as she is forced to suffer from Beatrice and her chronic mood swings. Kinsey

Robertson is first rate as the comedic-yet-creepy Janice, Tillie’s science fair rival.

The direction by Jessie Roberts is superb at bringing out the themes of the play—themes of hope and despair and the mystery of how some people raised in terrible circumstances are crushed by the experiences, while others rise above them to greatness. The show may also be both validating and touching for audience members who have lived through similar events. Indeed, many of the circumstances portrayed in this fifty-year-old show foreshadowed some of the social concerns of today. The sets with 1970s décor, magazines, and ubiquitous cigarettes and ashtrays effectively evoke that bygone era. At the same time, the intimacy of the production, with its small all-female cast preforming close to the audience, helps convey a sense of reality to the show; audience members feel as though they are a part of the story being told. It is a story told with power, one that includes aspects of the claustrophobic intimacy of a Tennessee Williams play, while leavened at times with

sardonic wit.

Excellent use of lighting also helps to further the story as well as illuminate portions of the stage in such as way as to create new settings, effectively expanding the small acting space of NOVA Nightsky’s black box theater.

“The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” is a unique and highly recommended experience. The show runs through June 30 at 1057 West Broad Street, Suite 216, in Falls Church, Virginia. Ticket information can be found at novanightskytheater.com/.

PETE CORBINO’S oil on canvas “Tallwood.” (Photo: Falls Church Arts)

CALLIE STAPLETON as Tillie, Jaclyn Robertson as Beatrice, and Joan Evans as Nanny. (Photo: Chip Gertzog)