WEDNESDAY, 2/5: School Substance Abuse Program

January 29, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

The Falls Church Alliance for Youth, in concert with GMHS PTSA, MEHMS PTA and the City of Falls Church Department of Human Services announces a special event for parents/guardians and their middle and high school-age students.

“Protecting Against the Realities of Substance Abuse” will be presented by P.R.O.T.E.C.T, Parents Reaching Out To Educate Communities Together, a task force of the Unified Prevention Council of Fairfax County, on Wednesday, February 5 in the GMHS Auditorium.

The student, parent and professional panelists will provide powerful first-person stories of substance abuse.

It will begin with a resource fair at 6:30 p.m., and the panel begins at 7:00 p.m.

Officials Seek Help Finding Missing Senior Citizen

January 15, 2014 by · 2 Comments 

By City Office of Communications
January 15, 2014

Falls Church City Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a missing senior citizen.

George Nathaniel Moore, age 89, was reported missing from Kaiser Permanente (200 block of N. Washington St./Lee Highway) after a doctor’s visit at noon on Jan. 15. He was last seen wearing an ivory-colored sweater with thin red and black stripes, a black knit skull cap, brown pants, and black shoes. He was possibly carrying a blue sweatshirt. Moore is a black male, about 5’10”, about 140 pounds, and has gray and black short hair.

He suffers from dementia and memory loss. Anyone with information is urged to contact the City of Falls Church Police at 703-241-5050.

Update, Jan. 16: Officials report Mr. Moore has been found safe at his home.

Open House @ Creative Cauldron

January 13, 2014 by · Leave a Comment 

January 13, 2014

FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

On Saturday, January 18th and Sunday, January 19th Creative Cauldron will host an Open House at ArtSpace Falls Church (410 S. Maple Avenue) with family-friendly workshops, demonstrations and free performances. Veteran members of Creative Cauldron’s artistic circle will lead the free workshops along with ethnic performers who are participating in the 2014 Passport to the World Festival. The Open House is presented through funding from the Little City Catch Foundation and the Economic Development Authority of the City of Falls Church.

Creative Cauldron Open House Schedule

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

9 am  Creative Drama Workshop with Producing Director Laura Hull  Parents and children ages 3-6 will jump into the world of imagination as they create characters, environments, and original stories through dramatic play.

10 am – Noon   Learning Theater Workshop Observation   Creative Cauldron teaching artists will begin the process of creating an original production of Alice in Wonderland working with over 30 children who are enrolled in the Learning Theater program.

12 Noon   Meet the Composer Workshop with Matt Conner  Matt is a critically acclaimed musical theater composer whose work has been presented at Signature Theatre and other professional venues, in addition to Creative Cauldron.  Matt will share his process for creating original music and speak about cultural influences that have shaped his work.

1 pm Drumming Circle with Kofi Dennis  Kofi is a Master Teaching Artist with Wolf Trap’s Early Learning Through the Arts, who brings the West African cultural traditions of his native Ghana to life through performances that include “call and response”, songs, games and drum rhythms on authentic instruments.  All ages will be invited to join Kofi’s drumming circle and then play the drums for the 2pm performance of “Tales from West Africa.”

2 pm   FREE PERFORMANCE “Tales from West Africa”  Creative Cauldron’s actors/puppeteers will join Kofi Denis for a fun and interactive afternoon of stories about the mischievous spider Anansi, one of the most famous trickster characters of all time.  This is a show the whole family will enjoy.  FREE tickets MUST BE RESERVED in advance at www.creativecauldron.org

3 pm   Puppet-Making Demonstration with Scenic Artist Margie Jervis   Learn how Margie makes the amazing large-scale puppets used in “Tales from West Africa.”

4 pm   Make a Mural Workshop with Scenic Artist Margie Jervis.  Participants will create a mural backdrop that will be on display for the run of the Passport Festival.

7:30 pm   Performance with Latin Jazz Group “Veronneau”  This is a paid ticketed event, but patrons who attend open house workshops will receive a special discount to attend the show.  Tickets for the Veronneau performance are $20 adults and $18 students/seniors and can be purchased online at  www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 703-436-9948. 

SUNDAY,  JANUARY 19

12 Noon   Polynesian Dance Demonstration and Workshop with Vivian Takafuji   Vivian is a Polynesian dancer and instructor, specializing in the native dances of Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand, and the founder of her own Tahitian dance troupe, Ta’ata Roiroi.  Participants will learn classic hula steps and movements performed to Hawaiian music.

1 pm   Andean Music & Scissors Dance Demonstration  Juan Cayrampoma, from the Andean/Latin fusion group Raymi, introduces our audiences to The Scissors Dance, an ancient dance ritual from the highlands of Peru.  This acrobatic and athletic traditional dance will look a lot like “break-dancing” to modern audiences.

2 pm   FREE PERFORMANCE “Tales from Peru”   Creative Cauldron performing artists will join forces with Juan Cayrampoma from Raymi  for an afternoon of storytelling, bringing to life ancient folktales from the Andes with large scale puppets, choreography and music.  FREE tickets MUST BE RESERVED in advance at www.creativecauldron.org

3 pm & 4 pm    African American Heritage Tour of Falls Church   The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation will conduct the award-winning African American Heritage Tour of Falls Church.  Meet real people from Falls Church’s past, played by costumed interpreters from before the Civil War to the birth of the early Civil Rights struggle.

3:30 pm   Meet the Photographer with Falls Church Arts   Falls Church Arts curates the Gallery at ArtSpace and during the open house their “Focus” photography exhibit will be on display.  Meet amazing local photographers who will share their insights and techniques. 

 

Police Arrest Man in Shooting At Taco Bell

January 5, 2014 by · 1 Comment 

By FALLS CHURCH CITY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS and FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF
January 5, 2014

Falls Church City Police have made an arrest in the Dec. 28 shooting that took place at the Taco Bell parking lot.

James Moore, Jr., who’s 32 and a Falls Church City resident, is charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Attempted Robbery, Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Moore was taken into custody Sunday and will be held without bond pending a court appearance.

Moore and the victim, Carlos Gonzales, 23, of Arlington, were acquaintances. A disagreement escalated into Gonzales being shot four times in the torso outside the restaurant, which is located at Broad and West streets. He is expected to recover.

The 4:30 am shooting awakened neighbors and shocked passing drivers, who saw the parking lot closed with police tape and investigators marking items as evidence. The shooting was the first in the City since a September homicide at the Eden Center.

Police continue to investigate, and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call 703-241-5053.

SATURDAY, 12/14: GMHS Bike Club Donation Drive

December 3, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The George Mason High School Bike Club will hold a bike donation drive on Saturday, December 14th from 10am-3pm in the school’s Junior Parking Lot.  For additional information, contact [email protected].

Final Year for “Christmas Cabin of Carnaween”

December 2, 2013 by · 1 Comment 

By FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF

December 2, 2013

Creative Cauldron will present its holiday classic:  The Christmas Cabin of Carnaween weekends from December 6 through 22 at ArtSpace Falls Church, 410 S. Maple Avenue.

“We are presenting our finest production ever in this final year,” offered Director Laura Connors Hull. “Audiences that have been making it part of their holiday tradition will find some fresh new scenes added and new cast members joining the ensemble.  And for those that are making their first visit, we are sure that this beautiful story will tug at your heart strings and work its fairy magic once again.”

Since it first premiered in 2009, this original adaptation of an Irish folktale has played annually to critical acclaim and full houses.  “Poignant and bracing…. a reminder of the season’s rich ideals,” Washington Post 2009. “This uplifting, engaging and poetic tale celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and reminds of the ‘Christmas within,” Maryland Theatre Guide 2011. “The spirit of selflessness and giving is at the heart of this production, and is shown in a loving way that enchants the entire family!”  DC Metro Theater Arts  2012.  The 2013 production will be the final year for the production that was first conceived and adapted by Hull. 

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Christmas Cabin of Carnaween is set in the time of the great potato famine in Ireland and follows the journey of Oona Hegarty, the abandoned daughter of a family of tinkers.  Oona is taken in by the Donegal village folk who inhabit Carnaween.  She makes her way caring for the young and the sick and the elderly, but as a tinker’s child she is never quite fully accepted.  The years pass and her yearning to have a cabin of her own would go unfulfilled were in not for the intervention of some wee folk on a snowy Christmas eve.

Katie Culligan will play the role of Oona for the fourth time.  Culligan has been seen in Creative Cauldron’s 2010 Helen Hayes Awards Recommended® production of Nevermore and this past summer’s sold out cabaret performances “Voices of Vantage.” Katie will be joined by an ensemble of storytellers and village folk that includes Judy Butler, E. Augustus Knapp, James Lynch, and Laura Quackenbush Steele.  The ensemble also includes members of Creative Cauldron’s young Learning Theater program:  Anna Brotman-Krass, Libby Brooke, Olivia Laurine, Grace Rollins, Sarah Tarpgaard, and  Alex Weinstein. The production is underscored by the live Irish music trio Magh Meall featuring Rosemary Gano on flute and whistle, Mary Wilkerson on fiddle and Katie Boyle on Guitar.

Performances are Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm.  The closing performance will be on Sunday, December 22 at 2 pm.  Tickets for Christmas Cabin of Carnaween are $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors, and can be purchased online at  www.creativecauldron.org or by calling 703-436-9948. 

Creative Cauldron is a non-profit arts organization whose innovative programs in the performing and visual arts embody collaboration, experimentation and community engagement.  Creative Cauldron was founded by Producing Director Laura Connors Hull in 2002.  In June of 2009, Creative Cauldron acquired a permanent home in ArtSpace Falls Church, a 3,000 square foot flexible arts space that provides a venue for year-round classes, live performances of theater, music and dance and visual art exhibits.   Programs are presented in part through grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council of Fairfax County, the City of Falls Church and the Little City CATCH Foundation.

THURSDAY, 11/14: VPIS Meeting on FC Population Growth

November 12, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The Village Preservation & Improvement Society Fall Membership Meeting will be held Thursday, November 14th, 7:30pm, at the American Legion Hall, 400 N. Oak Street. It is open to the public.

The Program is a panel of speakers addressing Falls Church City’s Population Growth: Impact and Issues.

The Panel includes:
Danny Schlitt, Director of FCC Recreation and Parks
Paul Stoddard, FCCity Planner
Addison Heard, Committee member, Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation
Ronald D Anzalone, Chair, Falls Church Historical Commission
Tim Stevens, Chair, Environmental Service Council
Mary McMahon, Director, Mary Riley Styles Library

Questions from the audience will be followed by a social and refreshments.

SATURDAY, 11/2: GMHS, MEH Hockey Clubs Promote “Try Hockey for Free Day”

October 30, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Saturday November 2 is “Try Hockey for Free Day” in Virginia, when kids ages 4-9 can put on the pads and try their hand at ice hockey at no cost.  The George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School Hockey Clubs are joining other area hockey programs to promote the effort at Mt. Vernon Ice Rink, 2017 Belle View Boulevard in Alexandria at 3:15pm Saturday.

“This is a great way for kids to try ice hockey,” said Stan Fendley, coach of the GMHS club team.  “No equipment costs, no team fees – just gear up and chase the puck around.  It’s a lot of fun.”

Certified coaches will be on hand to teach the basics, Fendley said.

Additional information is available at http://www.tryhockeyforfree.com/.

To register for the Saturday session at Mt. Vernon Ice Rink, visit http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=2115157.

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