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PAGE 8 | SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2021

LOCAL

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Fall Festival’s Return Marks 1st Major F.C. City Event in 2 Years

It’s been a long time coming but people finally got to gather in a way they are used to for Falls Church’s Festival. The Taste of Falls Church competition was in full swing as well with Rare Bird Coffee Roasters and Thompson Italian winning Best Taste, Hot N’ Juicy Crawfish winning Best Menu, and Preservation Biscuit Company win-

ning the People’s Choice Award. (Photos by J. Michael Whalein and Gary Mester)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Falls Church NEWS BRIEFS

F.C. Chamber Announces Hire of New Chief Executive

Elise Neil Bengtson has joined the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce as its new Executive Director starting this week, although Sally Cole will remain with the Chamber until Sept. 30, concluding her 14 years there.

Elise is a professional and volunteer leader with years of experience in the federal government and nonprofits. She has a strong record of nonprofit management, community outreach, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising. She is currently the Vice President of the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and a reviewer for the Catalogue for Philanthropy.

She comes with years of experience in the federal government and nonprofits. She has resided in the Washington, D.C. area for over 25 years. She worked on the National Security Council at the White House for 15 years and has served as a nonprofit executive since that time.

She served as the President of the Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of the Fairfax Partnership for Youth, CEO of Volunteer Fairfax and Manager of Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra.

As a consultant, she worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on the Hillsborough County Public Schools $100 million grant, while living in Tampa, Florida. She has remained personally committed to volunteerism, especially to the arts, youth, and education.

She began volunteering in her youth and continues to do so. A native of Charlotte, NC, she graduated from Converse College — now Converse University.

Noonan’s Contract Extended By F.C. School Board

At its meeting Tuesday night, the Falls Church School Board emerged from a closed session to approve a new four-year contract with Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan, running from July 2021 to the end of June 2025.

Noonan thanked the board, and noted that he and his family officially moved into the City of F.C. over the summer. He began serving as superintendent here just over four years ago.

Having foregone any salary increase the last two years, he is receiving a four percent raise comparable to what all school staff received this time, with his new contract being for a salary of $234,688 annually.

Taste of Falls Church Winners Announced

The City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department announced the winners of the 2021 Taste of Falls Church, held last Saturday at the Falls Church Festival: Best Overall Menu: Hot N Juicy; Best Overall Taste: (Tie) Rare Bird Coffee and Thompson Italian; People’s Choice Award: Preservation Biscuit

The judges chose Hot N Juicy for Best Menu because of their diversified options and generous portions of seafood, snacks, and sweets.

Best Taste was a tie between Rare Bird Coffee Roasters and Thompson Italian. Rare Bird’s gooey cinnamon buns and fresh-baked scones were crowd favorites, while the judges thought Thompson Italian’s meatballs over polenta showcased an impressive mix of textures, flavors, and spices.

Preservation Biscuit won the People’s Choice Award. The recently opened restaurant’s mini biscuits with pulled pork had many tasters coming back for seconds and thirds.

F.C. Race for Schools Winners Announced

At the annual Race for the Schools hosted by the Falls Church Education Foundation, winners were announced for the spirited competition that saw over 850 total participants. Rachel Antigua, age 18, won for the women and Caughnery Freese, age 14, for the men.

Among Falls Church entrants, Molly Hughes, age 11, finished third among the women and Ryan Buchholz, 47, sixth among the men.

Local celebrities finishing strong included F.C. Councilmember Letty Hardi ninth overall among the women, and Del. Marcus Simon, 21st among the men. Former School Board member and Citizens for a Better City (CBC) head Hal Lippman came in first among competitors in the 70-99 age range.

F.C. Mayor David Tarter, School Superintendent Peter Noonan and prominent F.C. resident Michael Curtin also finished strong.

Charlie Clark Publishes Two books

The News-Press’ “Our Man in Arlington” columnist Charlie Clark has published two books recently, one being a biography of George Washington Parke Custis and the other focusing on some of the forgotten aspects of Arlington’s history.

In “George Washington Parke Custis: A Rarefied Life in America’s First Family,” Clark covers the richness of his life -- how he grew up at Mount Vernon and was the builder of the prominent Arlington House that overlooks the Potomac River, as well as his advocacy for war veterans and his fortune that allowed him to own more than 200 slaves. The biography was released on Aug. 27 and can be purchased on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.

Clark’s second book, “Lost Arlington County,” delves into the once-agricultural section of Alexandria County transformed into a vibrant suburb of the nation’s capital in the 20th century. Major moments in that evolution came with the creation and expansion of the Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon, along with becoming the home for marquee employers such as PBS and Amazon. At the same time, residents are increasingly at odds over rising housing costs and the demolition of long-valued homes and businesses, complicating the pace of change. “Lost Arlington County” was published on Sept. 13 and can be purchased on Amazon and at Target. SEPTEMBER 16 - 22, 2021 | PAGE 9

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LOCAL

SEPTEMBER 16 — 22, 2021 | PAGE 10

New Trail to Off er Environmentally Friendly Mode of Transportati on

Continued from Page 3

revamping Falls Church’s section of the W&OD became all the more important.

“The trail has exploded in use during the pandemic since people are getting on their bikes or trying to get new ones, to get around,” Gilbert said. “I know last summer the wait to purchase a bike was long — I know some people had to wait three or four months to get theirs. So people are rediscovering how much they want to get outdoors.”

The W&OD has been overdue for a major facelift. Gilbert said this dual trail redesign is the biggest change it’s undergone since it opened 50 years ago, when it was previously a rail bed for a now defunct train line into Wasington, D.C.

The stormwater improvements that come with the new trail is also an effort to help the City of Falls Church with its own effort on that front.

Gilbert said they studied how all the stormwater falls onto the trail property, which is sheeted over to a swale where a French drain is located underneath.

In sum, the dual trails should capture, slow down and move all the stormwater that comes onto the path in an effective way.

The construction crews also added stormwater pipes underground adjacent to the trail property, and worked with the City to make sure it seamlessly aligns with their own vision for stormwater projects.

Gilbert said it’s one way to address a “big issue,” since he’s seen some significant flooding around the trail before.

One of the main selling points of using the trail is it’s an alternative mode of transportation that produces zero carbon emissions (and as a side benefit, is good for your physical health, too). Gilbert sees it as a national — and potentially even global — leader in trail design because of that.

“The big story is what this new approach to the trail design is going to do in how it really helps improve the environment on a micro level in terms of the immediate area, but on a macro level, in terms of this is part of the solution to global climate change,” Gilbert said. “This is part of the solution to getting people around the region in new ways, so it’s very exciting when you think about the larger implications of what’s happening here.”

NOVA PARKS is eyeing for trail to be open by late September or early October once it finishes laying the rest of the median down. (P���� N��� P����)

Fall Real Estate Guide