SATURDAY 3/20: Open House Fundraiser at the Scout House
March 20, 2010 by (see byline) · 1 Comment
By BARRY BUSCHOW
Special to the Falls Church Times
The Falls Church Scout Building Association (FCSBA) will host an open house March 20 from 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. to acquaint neighbors and the community with its function and to raise money for maintenance and repair of the Scout House located at 128 South Spring Street.
The Scout House is an historic log cabin, built in the early 1940s, and home to generations of Falls Church Boy and Girl Scouts and youth activities. It currently serves several scout troops and is the Ward 3 polling place for Falls Church voters on election days. Other community service activities also take place in the building.
Scouting has enjoyed popularity in Falls Church almost since the movements were founded by Lord Baden-Powell and Juliette Lowe. In 1939, local Scout leaders recognized the need for a place for growing Scout groups to meet. By March 1939, a well-publicized fundraising drive was underway to raise the $4,500 needed to construct the log building that stands on Spring Street. The property was purchased for $600 in June 1939. A.J. Webb, assisted by Kenton Hamaker and George W. Carlton, designed the building. All men donated their architectural services to the project. Walter Johnson, chairman of the Falls Church Scout Committee, secured pledges, building materials, and labor from businesses and groups throughout the community. The logs for the complete building and stones for the fireplace and chimney were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Turner of Fairfax County.
When the initial fundraising effort fell short of its goal, 15 local residents personally guaranteed a loan from the Falls Church Bank to obtain the balance necessary for the construction of the Scout House. Construction began in late 1939 and was completed in early 1940. By 1942 the Scout House was headquarters to more than 200 Scouts from 9 different troops. Scouts collected discarded paper, toothpaste and shaving cream tubes, and old license plates to help reduce the building indebtedness. The Scouts’ persistence in fundraising paid off. On June 17, 1945, just five years after construction, the Scout Building Association held a mortgage burning to celebrate the final payment on the mortgage.
In addition to the Scouts, other civic groups used the house for social functions, including square dances. During World War II, the building was made available for the American defense effort as an air-raid shelter and a hospital or first-aid center. However, its primary purpose has always been to further the objectives of Scouting and youth activities, which the building has served for over 60 years.
The FCSBA is a non-profit organization that maintains the house. The FCSBA is sponsoring its open house in a tradition harkening back to the days of collecting toothpaste and shaving cream tubes, etc. Previous fundraisers have funded several needed repairs. The latest repairs have included a new roof, insulation and dormer windows. More work needs to be done. Immediate future needs are preservation of the logs, and the replacement of the windows and doors.
For more information, call Kevin Coleman at 703-241-1617or Barry Buschow at 703-533-8610.
Change Smoke Alarm Batteries with Time Change
March 11, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · Leave a Comment
March 11, 2010
The Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department (FCVFD) reminds all residents that with the time change, this weekend is a good time to change the batteries in smoke alarms and CO detectors.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), more than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have no working smoke alarm.
“The two times a year that we change time is good reminder to change batteries in all home smoke alarms and CO detectors,” said FCVFD Chief Paul Schomburg. “It is also a good time to just make sure that alarms and detectors are working properly.”
The USFA offers a few helpful tips on smoke alarms:
- Place properly installed and maintained smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
- Interconnected smoke alarms are best, because if one sounds, they all sound.
- The U.S. Fire Administration recommends that every residence and place where people sleep be equipped with both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.
- Test smoke alarms monthly and change alkaline batteries at least once every year, or as instructed by the manufacturer. You can use a date you already know, like your birthday or when you change your clocks as a reminder.
For members of the community who do not have working smoke alarms and cannot afford one, Arlington County’s Operation Firesafe provides free smoke alarms to Arlington and the City of Falls Church families in need. If a resident does not have a working smoke alarm, call 703-228-4646 (TTY 703-228-4610) or complete the online form. A representative of the Fire Department will follow up and make an appointment to install your smoke alarm.
For more information, contact Frank Bellavia at 703-798-7313.
FRIDAY 3/12: Falls Church Military History Forum
March 9, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · Leave a Comment
Ed Murphy will speak at the Falls Church Community Center at 10 a.m. March 12 on the topic “Tte Irish in the American Civil War.”
Revised schedule for the current lecture series
March 26 Jim Michaels — “Turnaround in Anbar”
April 9 Paul Sullivan — “Adventures of a Juvenile Aircraft Spotter”
April 23 Peter and Frank Garahan –- “The Liberation of Bitche” (tentative title)
May 7 Marilyn Moll — “General George Thomas: Virginia Yankee”
Prior Lectures in the 2009-10 series
September 25 Marilyn Moll — “U. S. Grant: The Right Commander”
October 9 Barry Tindall — “Letters from My Uncle: A WWII Odyssey”
October 23 Bill Toti — “In Defense of Captain McVay of the U.S.S. Indianapolis”
November 6 Walter Mess — “Special Forces and Secret Missions”
November 20 Tom Gudiness — “Doolittle’s Tokyo Raid, Part 3″
December 4 Wolfgang Samuel –”The Berlin Airlift”
December 18 David Klaus — “Ploesti, 1943″
January 15 Ed Murphy – “The Spanish Civil War”
January 29 Nancy Jordan — “Letters From A Union Private”
WEDNESDAY 3/10: Critical Thinking Presentation
March 8, 2010 by Gina Caceci · Leave a Comment
Jean Sausele Knodt, Falls Church City resident, artist, educator and author of “Nine Thousand Straws” will be making a presentation on “Critical Thinking” on Wednesday, March 10, from 5-7 p.m. at the Virginia Tech/University of Virginia Northern Virginia Academic Center, 7054 Haycock Road, Room 214.
Sponsored by the Virginia Tech/UVA Northern VA Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International, the presentation is free and designed for anyone who wants to learn how to lead others through the open-inquiry process. Knodt will also discuss how to establish a multi-generational, multi-discipline community and culture of creative and innovation.
For more information, contact Kathy Mallard at kmallard@virginia.edu or (703) 536-1114.
SATURDAY 3/6: Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala
March 4, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · Leave a Comment
The 2010 Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala is Saturday Mar. 6 at the Arlington Hilton, beginning at 6 p.m. For more information, please visit www.fallschurchchamber.org.
TUESDAY 2/23: League of Women Voters Lunch Forum on Census
February 20, 2010 by Special to the Falls Church Times · Leave a Comment
“Let Falls Church Be Counted: The Upcoming 2010 Census” will be the focus of a lunchtime discussion Tuesday February 23, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Falls Church.
Featured speaker will be Isabel Almendarez, a partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Argia’s Restaurant, 124 N. Washington Street , Falls Church . Cost is $15, which covers the price of the luncheon. Advance reservations are necessary and should be made to Pam Spofford at paspofford@yahoo.com.
This is the second in a series of “Lunch and Learn” sessions organized this year by the Falls Church League. Alemdarez will review plans for this year’s Census, and discuss how important it is for local governments and local economic development.
More information on the Census is available at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/.
For more information on the League, go to http://www.lwvfallschurch.org/.
THURSDAY 2/25: Celebrate Library Lovers’ Month at the Pancake House
February 20, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · Leave a Comment
February 19, 2010
Library Lovers’ Month is a month-long celebration of libraries of all types. This is a time for everyone to recognize the value of libraries and to work to assure that the nation’s libraries will continue to serve everyone. In recognition of this celebration the Original Pancake House located at 370 West Broad Street, Falls Church has designated Thursday, February 25, 2010 as Charity Day for the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in the City of Falls Church. On that day 15% of their gross sales will be donated to the library to help fund additional books, DVDs, audio-books and other items that will be used by the public. So, enjoy a delicious meal and support one of the City’s cultural and educational institutions.
FRIDAY 2/26: Falls Church Military History Forum
February 20, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · Leave a Comment
John Bullach will speak at the Falls Church Community Center at 10 a.m. February 26 on ”One Battle, Three Blunders: Naval Operations at Leyte, October 1944.”
Revised schedule for the current lecture series
March 12 Ed Murphy — “The Irish in the American Civil War”
March 26 Jim Michaels — “Turnaround in Anbar”
April 9 Paul Sullivan — “Adventures of a Juvenile Aircraft Spotter”
April 23 Peter and Frank Garahan –- “The Liberation of Bitche” (tentative title)
May 7 Marilyn Moll — “General George Thomas: Virginia Yankee”
Prior Lectures in the 2009-10 series
September 25 Marilyn Moll — “U. S. Grant: The Right Commander”
October 9 Barry Tindall — “Letters from My Uncle: A WWII Odyssey”
October 23 Bill Toti — “In Defense of Captain McVay of the U.S.S. Indianapolis”
November 6 Walter Mess — “Special Forces and Secret Missions”
November 20 Tom Gudiness — “Doolittle’s Tokyo Raid, Part 3″
December 4 Wolfgang Samuel –”The Berlin Airlift”
December 18 David Klaus — “Ploesti, 1943″
January 15 Ed Murphy – “The Spanish Civil War”
January 29 Nancy Jordan — “Letters From A Union Private”
