SATURDAY, 3/27: Celtic Music at Cherry Hill
March 20, 2010 by Dave Witzel · Leave a Comment
Enjoy a lively evening of Irish music by the band Poirt O’ Call in the intimate atmosphere of the historic Cherry Hill Farmhouse, 312 Park Avenue at 8 p.m. on March 27, 2010.
Advanced purchase tickets are available at the Community Center, 223 Little Falls for $12. Tickets at the door will be $14. Call 703-248-5171 for more information.
GM Girls Basketball State Finals Televised
March 13, 2010 by Dave Witzel · 2 Comments
March 13, 2010
Make sure to watch the Lady Mustangs take on Lancaster today in the Virginia state Group A Division 2 Girls Basketball finals. The George Mason team defeated Chilhowie 54-42 to earn a repeat berth in the finals.
The game will be broadcast on WDCW/DC50 at 3pm today.
Anyone have pictures of the playoff games they can share?
OPINION: Stories I’d Like to See in the Falls Church Times
February 27, 2010 by Dave Witzel · 4 Comments
By DAVE WITZEL
Falls Church Times Staff
February 27, 2010
I’m really proud of the work the all-volunteer Falls Church Times team has done. What started out as a civic experiment has become a thriving, valuable enterprise. During the past two months our volunteers have been posting an average of four articles per day. Sometime this week someone on the team will prepare our 1,000th article. This is remarkable production.
That said, I can’t help but wish we were doing more. It would be great to have more volunteers and contributors to broaden and deepen our coverage.
Here’s a few examples of stories I would love to read in the Falls Church Times.
Business
Big Games in the Little City. We have at least three games/comics stores nearby (Compleat Strategist, Anime Pavilion, and the just-opened Victory Comics). This seems like a lot of comics per-capita. Are we #1 in the nation? Do Falls Churchers really like games? Are we kind of Silicon Valley for gaming?
2nd Hand Falls Church. We have a great set of used-stuff stores in town. We have used CDs (CD Cellar), books (Hole in the Wall Books), clothes (Second Chance, New to You, Rosalin’s Bridal Boutique), and bikes (Bike Club), not to mention antique stores including Falls Church Antique Annex and Olde Habits. What else should be on this list? Any particular treasures the community should know about? How can we make or save money (and waste less)?
Sports
Can GM Ladies Basketball Re-peat? The GM’s Girls Basketball team is in the regional play-offs. How are they doing? Who are they playing and when? And, most of all, can we get some action photos and video!
Falls Church Rec Basketball Celebrates XX Years. The Community Center’s annual recreational basketball leagues is one of the grand traditions of Falls Church. How many kids participate in it? How long has it been going on? Who are the personalities that keep it going?
City Hall
Budget, Budget, Budget. You may have heard that Falls Church is facing some budget difficulties. What’s more, this is a problem that won’t go away any time soon. We’ll be wrestling with budgets for years into the future. So what do we need to know to make intelligent choices about changing services, raising taxes, finding new revenue sources? Our budget has increased a lot over the last 5 years – where did we spend the money? How do other cities our size spend their money? Is our mix dramatically different? What tools should we have to do analysis and decision-making? Can the Falls Church Times help provide any of those tools?
Mass Transit Planning and Falls Church. Okay, while we don’t exactly have a metro stop in the city, we do have two of them named after us. And Metro and other area mass transit matters to us. So what’s going on? What’s going to happen to budgets and fares? What about traffic and business opportunities from the new lines that are planned? Do we have the right bus routes? Should we jump on Arlington’s trolley? What about walkability – are we good and how can we get better?
Around Town
There’s Music in the Air. I enjoyed this week’s focus on music in the Falls Church News Press including the article about Sunday’s Wammies. Falls Church has wonderful music venues including The State, Bangkok Blues, and Claire and Don’s. We host amazing events like the Wammies but also the Tinner Hill Blues Festival and the summer music series at Cherry Hill Park. We have delightful school and community groups. There are great shows in town regularly. But what’s coming up? What did we miss? Where’s the Falls Church Times music reviewer to complement our amazing food reviewer?
Falls Church Makes a Difference. One of the many exciting things about this town is its reach -people in this city have local focus and national and international impact. Opportunities to contribute range from supporting the schools and the library to helping in Haiti. What are they? What have we accomplished? Who is leading the charge?
That’s the beginning of my list. What stories do you want to read? Please make suggestions in the comments below. Which ones are you willing to write? Would you contribute photos or video of events you are attending? How about reporting sports scores and results? If you’d like to pitch-in, please let me know.
Snow Closes Parts of Falls Church City
February 3, 2010 by Dave Witzel · 1 Comment
By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
February 3, 2010
It snowed. Again.
Falls Church City government will be open today with unscheduled leave for employees. The Community Center and library will be open, however Recreation & Parks classes will be cancelled.
Falls Church City schools will be closed today (code green). Day care will open at 9:00 a.m. at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.
Arlington County Government will open on time today, with unscheduled leave policy in effect. Arlington Public Schools are closed.
And more snow is predicted for the weekend!
Author Brings “Wisdom” to Visit in Falls Church
November 6, 2009 by Dave Witzel · Leave a Comment
On November 7 from 7-9PM, Falls Church residents David Witzel and Claudia Williams will be hosting a book party for their longtime friend, author Eileen Flanagan and her newest book, The Wisdom to Know the Difference: When to Make a Change–and When to Let Go.
Filled with the compelling stories of people Eileen interviewed, the book explores how to apply the message of the Serenity Prayer, accepting the things we cannot change, and changing those we can. Published by Tarcher/Penguin, the book has been praised by authors such as the Dalai Lama, Phyllis Tickle, Brent Bill, and Karen Casey.
Eileen will read from and discuss the book during the party. You can read more about the book at http://www.eileenflanagan.com. If you would like to attend the party, please RSVP to David Witzel.
WEDNESDAY 9/16: Help GM Soccer Champs Get Rings
September 16, 2009 by Dave Witzel · Leave a Comment
Join supporters of George Mason High School’s State Champion Soccer teams at Clare & Don’s Beach Shack tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to help the champs get State Championship rings!
Highlights of the evening will include:
- Drawings for great prizes
- Beautiful Silpada jewelry for sale
- Lots of good conversation, food, and drink
A portion of profits and tips from the evening will go to the team towards buying championship rings.
Clare & Don’s is at 130 N. Washington St., next to the State Theater. Tell them the Times sent you.
Business, Community Members Make Graduation Special
June 24, 2009 by Dave Witzel · Leave a Comment
[Ed: Pam Stroup and the other co-chairs for the George Mason All Night Graduation Celebration Committee would like to thank the businesses in Falls Church who gave so generously to the event. Anyone have photos of the event they can share?]
The George Mason High School 2009 All Night Graduation Celebration Committee and the Business in Education Partnership thank the following businesses and community members for their contributions to this year’s celebration. A special thank-you goes to the Skyline Sport & Health Club for hosting the event.
7-Eleven Stores; Applebee’s; Argia’s; Arlington County Bar Foundation; Art & Frame of Falls Church; BB&T; Capitol Hill Dental Group; Clare & Don’s Beach Shack; Clyde’s; Container Store; DC United; Direct Jewelry Outlet; Dogwood Tavern; Dominion Jewelers; Dr. Lawrence Banker, DDS; Dr. Scott Berman. DDS; Dr. James Dryden, DDS; Dr. Irwin Feldman, DDS; Dr. Harold Fleming. DDS; Drs. Melanie Love & Mark Miller. DDS; Dr. Michael Silveus, DDS; Dallas and Deborah Hudgens; Edward Jones Investments; Elevation Burger; Falls Church Animal Hospital; Falls Church Education Foundation; Falls Church City Sunoco; Falls Church Education Association; Falls Church Foot & Ankle Center; Falls Church Police Association; Falls Church Yellow Cab; Family Medicine in Falls Church; Flippin’ Pizza; Foxes Music; Galleria Florist; Great American Restaurants; Idylwood Grill; JR Stockyards Inn; J. Gilbert’s; Korte Realty; La Cote D’Or Café; Ledo Pizza; Let’s Play Music; Lions Club of Falls Church; Metro 29 Diner; Murray, Jonson & White; Nash Hair Design; Old Hickory Grill; O’Hara & O’Hara; Original Pancake House; Panjshir; The Peterson Companies; Point of View Eyewear; Sonic Car Wash; Staples; Washington Nationals Baseball Club; Washington Redskins; Chip Hailey; Total Wine; Anthony’s; Baguette Republic; Shirley Connuck; Domino’s; Giant Food (Falls Plaza); Giant Food (Arlington Blvd); Giant Food LLC; Harris Teeter; Italian Café; Jason’s Deli; Jerry’s Pizza; Kendall’s Cakes; Magruder’s; Maneki Neko; Bland Management (McDonald’s); Milan Bakery; Nancy Peacock; Quizno’s; Red, Hot, and Blue; Safeway/Public Affairs; Safeway (Lee Highway); Shoppers Food & Pharmacy; Stacy’s Coffee Parlor; Subway; Trader Joe’s; Wegman’s; Whole Foods.
* (Photo Credit: Ms. Joy Sulewski)
Mason Girls, Boys Soccer Teams Win State Championships!
June 7, 2009 by Dave Witzel · 3 Comments
The George Mason High School boys and girls soccer teams both won the Class A State Championship today, overcoming the home field advantage enjoyed by opponent Radford High School in games played at Radford University.
The girls team won 3-2 this morning, securing their repeat as State Champs. Falls Church resident Dennis O’Rourke provided this description of the game.
“This was a hard fought game that was only decided in the final two minutes. Mason scored first then Radford scored 2 quick goals and it was 2-1 Radford at Halftime. Mason tied it up 2-2 and the tie continued until Violet Miller scored with 2 minutes left in the game.”
The Mustang boys team won 1-0, dousing the hopes of the Radford High boys team to become the first team in Virginia High School League history to win three state championships in a row.
Our readers are encouraged to provide details and observations of the games through the Comment function at the end of this story or through Twitter.
Congrats to the both Mustang teams!
