Relay for Life Closing Ceremony Rescheduled for June 1
May 30, 2010 by Special to the Falls Church Times · Leave a Comment
By SARA FITZGERALD
Special to the Falls Church Times
May 30, 2010
The closing ceremony for the 2010 Falls Church Relay For Life will be held on Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. in the Cafetorium of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. The ceremony had to be postponed after heavy rain and thunderstorms forced organizers to end the May 22 event early. At the ceremony, the teams and individuals who raised the most money for this year’s event will be recognized and the overall success of the event, which raised more than $100,000, will be celebrated.
Click Read More for photos of the 2010 Relay for Life by Gary Mester.
Mason Girls Soccer District Tournament Champs
May 29, 2010 by (see byline) · 1 Comment
By LINDA HAMILL
Special to the Falls Church Times
May 29, 2010
The Madison County Mountaineers battled George Mason High School’s varsity girls soccer team to a draw, 0-0, through four overtime periods Thursday night in the Bull Run District Tournament Championship. But the Mustangs won the game in penalty kicks, 3-0 behind the outstanding performance of their senior keeper, Nicole Mitchell, who stopped the first two Madison PK’s.
Mustang coach Jennifer Parsons was named Bull Run District Coach of the Year and Junior, Violet Miller was named Bull Run District Player of the Year.
After claiming the regular season and tournament Bull Run titles, Mason will begin regional play with a home game on Monday. After the Memorial Day parade, come support both the GMHS Boys’ (5 PM) and Girls’ (7 PM) teams for a double-header of great soccer.
On Memorial Day Weekend: Remembering Our Realtors®
May 29, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · 15 Comments
May 29, 2010
Hundreds of American flags suddenly appeared Friday afternoon in the Winter Hill area of the City — an area, coincidentally, that has experienced extreme demand for housing in the last few months.
Each resident’s front yard received a small plastic flag flying on a little wooden pole. Mounted on each pole was a card with photo.
Were the cards and photos in memory of fallen veterans?
No — the miniature flagpoles displayed advertising for a real estate firm operating out of McLean, including a photo of a sales team. The advertising posted in each resident’s yard was provided, it said, with their “compliments.”
CITY MEETINGS: May 31 – June 4
May 29, 2010 by Falls Church Times Staff · 1 Comment
Monday 5/31: City Council Work Session. Training Center- G Level, 7:30 pm.
Tuesday 6/1: Economic Development Authority. Training Center – G Level, 6:30 pm.
Wednesday 6/2: Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Traffic Calming Project Kickoff. Community Center Art Room, 7:00 pm.
Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. Community Center, 7:00 pm.
Climate Change Task Force. Planning Conference Room, 7:30 pm.
Architectural Advisory Board. Council Chamber, 7:45 pm.
Thursday 6/3: Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee. Administrative Conference Room, 7:30 pm.
Friday 6/4: Electoral Board. Training Center- G Level, 11:30 am.
Meeting notices are obtained from the City and School Board on-line calendars and from the notice board at the east entrance of City Hall. Meetings may be subject to re-scheduling or cancellation.
FOOD: Summertime, and the (Farmers Market) Grilling Is Easy
May 28, 2010 by Kathleen Nixon · 1 Comment
By KATHLEEN NIXON
Falls Church Times Staff
May 28, 2010
There are so many things to love about summertime cooking — especially the ability to take the cooking outdoors. And even though we have had some summer-like weather already, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kick-off to the summer grilling season. Load up on the briquettes and fill up the propane tanks, and let’s see what we can pull together for grilling this weekend!
A tour of our Farmers Market gives us insight to grilling favorites like steaks and hamburgers, but many vendors have other tasty morsels that complement a warm evening quite well.
Smith Mountain has a nice selection of steaks and burger patties, but the true treats are their sausages, including the lamb rosemary. From time to time Smith Mountain has ground lamb, which mixes nicely with ground buffalo from Cibola Farms. The additional fat in the lamb complements the leanness of the buffalo while giving a savory taste to both meats. We tried the buffalo-lamb burgers a few weeks ago and added in a few tidbits of feta cheese from Blue Ridge Dairy. Yum!
Cibola has been a long time vendor at our Farmers Market, and one of their best sellers are the buffalo hot dogs. These lean hot dogs have some added kick to them which makes them wonderful on their own with grilled onions or, later in the year, added to a stew.
For those who like a leaner meat, take a gander at Cibola Farms’ bison steaks, rib eyes, and ribs. Cibola Farms recommends cooking the meat on a lower heat than beef to prevent drying out. They have cooking tips and recipes at their booth.
Wisteria Gardens offers many lovely sauces and vinaigrettes that can by used as a marinade or sauce. Their in-house chef provides recipes at their stand like Serrano Ginger Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Avocado as a lunchtime special.
One of the things I love to do later in the summer is grill corn. No shucking, no boiling, just throw the corn – husk and all – on to the grill and let it roast. As with everything associated with local food, I take this to the extreme, and when there is an abundance of corn in the Farmers Market, I grab as much as I can and roast it. Afterwards I slice the corn off the cob, put it in a sandwich freezer bag and freeze it for soups and stews later on in the winter. The sweetness of roasted corn livens up many a hearty winter stew.
Which brings us to vegetables and fruits: Don’t’ forget these delicacies when planning your grilling fiesta! Onions and peppers are a favorite in our household. Just toss with some oil and seasonings, put in some foil and throw on the grill.
Fruit is also a great accompaniment for the grill. Figs are almost in season, and there are many great recipes with sliced figs grilled and then filled with goat cheese or just by themselves. Later in the season try a grilled peach or nectarine to top your salad or enjoy just by itself.
Happy grilling!
Tennis, Anyone?
George Mason Girls Tennis Are Bull Run District Champs
May 28, 2010 by (see byline) · Leave a Comment
2010 George Mason Girls Varsity Tennis Team seniors.
By CHRIS MADISON
Special to the Falls Church Times
May 28, 2010
The George Mason Girls Varsity Tennis Team is once again Bull Run District Champs, after the most dominant season in George Mason tennis in the past 15 years. The team, which finished 12-1, is led by a group of five very talented and motivated seniors who hunger to finish their Mason careers with a State Championship – a feat that has not been accomplished by George Mason in over 20 years.
Senior Kelsey Kane won the 2010 Region B Singles Championship this Tuesday, qualifying for the State Tournament being held in Radford VA on Thursday, June 10th at 9am. Kelsey cruised through both her semi-final match (6-1,6-0 against Buckingham High School) and the finals (6-3, 6-0 against Stonewall Jackson).
Kelsey is joined on the team by fellow seniors Claire Pribulka, Claire Sedmak, Alexa Shaffer, and Nathalie Lesgourgues amd junior Jessica Lim. These six players have proven to be one of, if not, the deepest top 6 rotations that Coach Chris Madison has had in his 11 years of coaching the girls tennis program. Each one of these girls brings their superior skill sets and combines them with sound conditioning and unflappable mental toughness to produce a line-up that truly has no holes.
The doubles team is equally unbeatable this year. Kelsey Kane and Claire Sedmak are the 2010 Bull Run District Doubles Champions, and favorites to win the Region B title. Claire Pribulka and Alexa Shaffer are unbeaten for the season, with Claire Pribulka’s record of one loss over three years. Rounding out the top 3 doubles is Nathalie Lesgourgues and rising doubles star Christel DeOcampo who’s aggressiveness at the net has provided a spark that really is a welcome addition to the already strong doubles core.
This Saturday, May 29th, the George Mason Girls Varsity Tennis Team will travel down Route 81 to battle Riverheads High School, the Shenandoah County District Champion, in the Region B Team Semi-Finals. After last year’s heart dropping loss in the Region B Semi-finals, this team is ready and motivated to ensure that last year does not happen again. The team is playing their best tennis of the year and they will be tough to beat!
On Tuesday, June 1st at 3pm, George Mason will be hosting the Region B Doubles Championships where Kelsey Kane and Claire Sedmak will be competing for their first Region B Doubles Title together, and Kane’s 2nd consecutive title. Kelsey won the 2009 Region B Doubles title with graduated senior Michelle Repper.
Rainy Relay for Life Raises More than $100,000 for Fight Against Cancer
May 28, 2010 by (see byline) · Leave a Comment
By SARA FITZGERALD
Special to the Falls Church Times
May 28, 2010
More than 60 teams and over 600 participants turned out for the 2010 Falls Church Relay For Life last Saturday night, despite the rainy weather, raising more than $100,000 for the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer.
The severe rain and thunderstorms forced organizers to cut short the event in the early hours of Sunday morning. But the rain did not dim the enthusiasm of those who turned out to cheer on the cancer survivors who walked the opening lap of the Relay, and those who honored cancer victims and survivors during the candlelit Luminaria Ceremony after darkness fell.
As of this writing, the event raised more than $100,880 in donations. That number should continue to rise as last-minute donations are tallied.
Because the storm forced the cancellation of the closing ceremony where teams and individual fund-raisers are recognized, it will be rescheduled at a later date.
For more information, go to http://www.fallschurchrelay.org/.
Photos by Gary Mester
PTA Home & Garden Tour Raises $16,000 for Schools
May 27, 2010 by Stephanie Oppenheimer · Leave a Comment
By STEPHANIE OPPENHEIMER
Falls Church Times Staff
May 27, 2010
It was a gorgeous day on Sunday, May 16, providing the perfect setting for nearly 200 enthusiastic ticket holders to tour seven Falls Church City homes and two gardens during the 3rd biannual Falls Church Elementary PTA Home & Garden Tour.
Thanks to generous donations from major sponsors Home Depot, Don Beyer Volvo, GreenBuilt Homes, Moore Architects, and Pie Tanza; private family donations; ticket sales; and countless volunteer hours donated by PTA members and docents, the event grossed approximately $16,000.
The hefty proceeds will help purchase more SmartBoards (interactive white boards) for classrooms, help fund teacher grants, and support the outdoor classrooms at both Mt. Daniel and Thomas Jefferson elementary schools.
“The Home & Garden Tour has become one of the PTA’s biggest fundraisers, and we could not have done it without the generosity of the homeowners, our sponsors, and the dedication of the Home and Garden Tour Committee,” observed Elementary PTA President Terri Tornell. “We are grateful for the support of so many in our community. The event was a huge success, and we are especially grateful to the eight homeowners who offered up their houses and gardens for this year’s tour and to the City of Falls Church for opening Cherry Hill Farmhouse. It was a great event, and it’s very rewarding to see such hard work and dedication result in thousands of dollars for our schools.”
