rhett thomas, 9-1/2, a providence elementary velveteen rabbit.”...

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com November 23-29, 2017

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Walking and Working Against HungerNews, 2

Everyone’s a Suspect, Just Like in ‘Clue’ News, Page 8

Two Classic Holiday PlaysNews, Page 13

Rhett Thomas, 9-1/2, a Providence Elementary

fourth-grader, has the lead role in CFTC’s “The

Velveteen Rabbit.”

2 ❖ Fairfax Connection ❖ November 23-29, 2017 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

Fairfax Connection ❖ November 23-29, 2017 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

By Andrea Worker

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11)says that he and his Democraticcolleagues are more than will-ing to work in a bipartisan ef-

fort on meaningful tax form. “As a leader ofthe New Democrat Coalition, a group of pro-business Democrats, I have written on sev-eral occasions to Speaker Paul Ryan andWays and Means Chairman Kevin Bradyasking them to partner with us … to sim-plify the tax code, create revenue … andprovide middle class tax relief.”

Speaking at a roundtable gathering thatthe congressman hosted at the offices of theNorthern Virginia Association of Realtors(NVAR) on Monday, Nov. 13, to discuss theconsequences of the GOP tax plans,Connolly says those overtures have beenrejected.

“Congress had a real opportunity to pur-sue neutral tax reform that would lowercorporate tax rates and benefit the middleclass.” Connolly expressed “deep disap-pointment” at the House and Senate billsbeing proposed, categorizing both as“shameful, corporate giveaways” that willhave unprecedented and far-reaching nega-tive effects on Northern Virginia, the Com-monwealth of Virginia, and the nation.

Connolly reported that by using “dynamicscoring” – a method of analysis that includesthe potential feedback effect certain tax cutscan have, and that he said Republicans of-ten advocate “because it provides more gen-erous deficit projections for tax cuts” — theproposals actually increase the country’sdeficit to $1.5 trillion over 10 years, “andsomebody has to pay that bill.”

An assessment of the tax plans by Con-gress’ nonpartisan Joint Taxation Commit-tee released on Monday, Nov. 20, seems tosupport the congressman’s concerns. Thecommittee’s analysis projects that some 13.8million moderate-income American house-holds would actually see a tax increase as aresult of the Senate plan by 2019. House-holds earning less than $200,000 per yearwould face increases of $100 to $500. Thetax liability rises even more for earners be-tween $75,000 and $200,000. According tothe analysis, tax increases would be felt by21.4 million households by the year 2025.

Connolly likened the plans to previouslyfailed “trickle-down” attempts at tax reformand economic stimulus.

“1981, 2001, 2003. The Reagan and Bushtax cuts. So disastrous that they had to en-act tax increases in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987and 1990” to raise the needed funds. “Thenin the early 2000s, President George W.

Bush took the record surpluses of theClinton era and created record deficits.”Connolly added that the trickle-downtheory is based on “the hope and the prayerthat such tax cuts will someday pay forthemselves,” but that history has alreadyproven “that assumption to be false.”

TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT of the pro-posed legislation on the Northern Virginiaregion, Connolly convened a group of localbusiness leaders, economists and financialexperts, as well as participants represent-ing social service providers, persons withlong-term medical and care needs, econo-mists, parents of students with significantstudent debt, and seniors.

Connolly set the stage for the discussionwith a few more facts and figures, althoughhe cautioned that “we still haven’t seen thewhole of either proposed legislation.”

* The plans either repeal or limit severaltax breaks that are crucial to Northern Vir-ginians, including medical and dental ex-pense deductions, premiums for long-termcare insurance, in-home and nursing homecare, and mortgage interest deductions.

* The state and local income tax (SALT)deductions would be limited or even re-pealed. In Connolly’s 11th District, 50 per-cent of tax filers claim the SALT deduction,

with 75 percent of the claimants being inmiddle income tax brackets. The numberof SALT claimants throughout FairfaxCounty is as high as 280,000 households.

* The plans call for the repeal of EstateTax, which only applies to about thewealthiest 5,000 decedents each year, whilecutting adoption tax credits and credits forsmall businesses that invest in accessibilityimprovements for persons with disabilities.

* According to the Tax Policy Center, af-ter-tax income for the top 1 percent of earn-ers would rise by about 2.6 percent by 2027,while those at the bottom 80 percent wouldsee after-tax increase of between 0.0 per-cent and 0.6 percent.

After Connolly’s remarks, Bob Adamson,chairman of the board of the Northern Vir-ginia Association of Realtors, was the firstof the gathering to offer comments.

Representing some 12,000 Realtors in theregion, Adamson stated that the NVAR“wants to be part of the solution,” but findsthe proposed legislation to be “unfair tohomeowners,” disproportionately placingthe burden of “filling in the financial gaps”directly on them.

NVAR Chair-elect Lorraine Arora agreed,adding that “real estate bolsters theeconomy” with so many related jobs andservices, and that any plan that suppresses

home buying will cause a “ripple effect ofharm.”

The Realtors at the table also worried thatthe proposed tax reform will actually lowerexisting house values. NVAR CEO RyanConrad said that in the NoVa region, thatdecrease could be as much as $30,000 lostin home equity.

ADDITIONALLY, THE REALTORS fore-see a decrease in housing stock that is al-ready an issue, and even see FairfaxCounty’s successes toward ending and pre-venting homelessness, slip into reverse, asdevelopers are less able than ever to profit-ably build affordable housing.

Continuing the “ripple effect” theme,JoAnne Carter, managing director of PFMFinancial Advisors, LLC, said that the pro-posals threaten the means by which munici-palities, nonprofits and other businessesfund their services and investments in im-provements and expansion.

“Eliminating Private Activity Bonds andcausing cuts to ‘advance refinancing,’” saidCarter is severely hampering the ability tofinance the basics, like “schools, roads, hos-pitals, transportation, airports, sea ports, allof it.” That in turn “increases the burdenon the counties,” said Adamson, while po-tentially depleting their main source of rev-enue. For municipalities like Fairfax County,that are, in essence, only able to raise fundsthrough property taxation, the choices aredauntingly few. Either raise those taxes sig-nificantly, or reduce expenditure on infra-structure and public and social services.

“And if we damage our AAA Bond rating,”added Carter, “it costs more for these mu-nicipalities and service providers to borrow.”According to Carter, Fairfax County couldsave between $3-12 million when re-financ-ing with a Triple A Bond rating. “Losing thatcould mean that public structures just don’tget built.”

Nancy Mercer, a licensed clinical socialworker and the former executive directorof the ARC of Northern Virginia, and RidgeMultop, an economist, former AARP Con-gressional Affairs and former House Bud-get Committee staffer, both discussed theimpact the proposed tax bills could have onseniors, those with long-term care and/ormedical issues, and those most in need andmost vulnerable in the community.

Multop “put a face” on the discussion,speaking about an economist friend. “He’s85 years old, on a fixed income, in assistedliving. He looked at how these bills wouldimpact him based on his 2016 tax filing andsaid it would raise his taxes by more than$3,000. How do people like him cope withthat?”

Eliminating tax deductions for medicalexpenses and long-term care would beharmful to seniors, Multop said, possiblyforcing more into custodial care and plac-ing an additional burden on municipalitiesand nonprofits. “We are cutting our socialsafety network, one strand at a time,” said

‘A Disaster for Northern Virginia’Connolly holdsroundtable oncongressionaltax plan.

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) meets with local leaders to discuss theconsequences of the proposed Senate and House GOP Tax Reform Bills.Connolly admitted from the start that he wasn’t there to “sing theirpraises.”

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Bob Adamson,chairman of theboard of the North-ern Virginia Asso-ciation of Realtors,views the proposedlegislation as “un-fair tohomeowners,” andthat they will have anegative “rippleeffect” on the localeconomy and resi-dents of the com-munity.

See Roundtable, Page 15

Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


See Future Quest, Page 5

News

By Steve Hibbard

The Connection

Future Quest, a free college and ca-reer conference that attracts thou-sands of local middle and high school

students with disabilities, will be held atGeorge Mason University on Saturday, Dec.2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It features morethan 40 workshops and exhibits related tosuccessful life after high school and is or-ganized by GMU and the Northern VirginiaTransition Coalition.

Future Quest is a resource fair and net-working event held every two years wherepeople can interact with representativesfrom different agencies and colleges fromall over the country, as well as organiza-tions that assist young adults. The organizer,the Northern Virginia Transition Coalition,helps youth with disabilities successfullytransition from high school to the next stageof their lives.

The event is spearheaded by DeborahHammer, 47, of Alexandria, an autism spe-cialist with Arlington Public Schools, alongwith co-chairman Leanne Kidwell. “The goalis to help as many students and families andprofessionals as we can to understand theopportunities and resources that are avail-able. We want to provide speakers who caneducate our target population on a varietyof topics related to transition, includingfunding for college, what kind of supportsare available, and careers that don’t requirecollege because not all of our students willgo to college,” said Hammer.

Future Quest specifically targets studentswith any disability. They include the blind

or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hear-ing, learning disabilities, orthopedic dis-abilities, intellectual disabilities, traumaticbrain injuries, or other health impairmentsand emotional disabilities. Students whoattend come from all over Northern Vir-ginia, Maryland, the District, and West Vir-ginia.

“We want all of our students with disabili-ties to know there are many possibilities forthem as they transition into adulthood andwe want them to take advantage of the op-portunities that are available,” said Ham-mer. “Our goal is to help connect our stu-dents to those resources.”

THIS YEAR’S KEYNOTE SPEAKER isJoshua Anton, a self-advocate who has anADHD learning disability. He has a businessdegree from the University of Virginia anddeveloped his own successful app company.

Hammer said they want students andfamilies to start planning as early as pos-sible for their transition into adulthood. “Wehave young adults who have already gradu-ated high school who attend as well,” shesaid.

The event will feature different universi-ties that have programs for students with

The resource fair booths from Future Quest at GMU in 2015.

Future Quest Designed forStudents with DisabilitiesEvent will feature40-plus workshopsand exhibits.

Deborah Ham-mer, co-orga-nizer of FutureQuest 2017.

Future Quest2017 keynotespeaker JoshuaAnton.

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From Page 4

disabilities that might be abridge between high school andcollege that provide additional lev-els of support, said Hammer.

There will be 44 concurrent ses-sions in the resource fair, abouteight at a time, and people canchoose what interests them specifi-cally. There are different strandsrelated to topics to make the eventmeaningful for all individuals,such as autism or self-advocacy.This includes strands specificallyfor youth, like living with a room-mate, or for parents, like financ-ing college.

“We will have agencies and or-ganizations that will assist stu-dents with everything from trans-portation to assistive technologyto financial aide to leisure activi-ties like therapeutic recreation. Sothere will be a wide variety ofvenders,” she said.

Some of the confirmed sessionsinclude the following: SuccessfulTransition from High School toCollege for Students with Learn-ing Disabilities; Finding the Careerthat Matches Me; Organize YourLife with Google; Adulting for Life:Five Tips for Success; and EstatePlanning and Guardianship forIndividuals with Disabilities.

In addition, there will be a BookFair inside the Johnson CenterBook Store with a special displayrelated to transition, careers andcollege. Some of the accommoda-tions if they are required includebraille programs, interpreters orlistening devices for the deaf, anda calming room for sensory breaks.

“Parents may want to go becausethey may be anxious about whathappens when their childrengraduate from high school,” saidHammer. “Students will want toattend so that they can learn whatoptions are available for college,what it’s really like to be an adultwith a disability, to be able to talkto other youth with disabilities,and feel empowered to make de-cisions for themselves.”

Future Quest will be held Satur-day, Dec. 2, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.,at GMU’s Johnson Center, 4400University Drive, Fairfax. It is freeand open to any student with a dis-ability as well as their parents,teachers and other professionals.There is free parking in Lot K, or inthe Mason Pond Parking Garage for$8. Visit ww.futurequestgmu.org toregister. Hammer urges people topre-register early. [email protected].

A team-building exercise from the 2015 Future Questheld at GMU.

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News


Opinion

An effort to support locally ownedbusinesses has resulted in the rec-ognition of Small Business Saturday,the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

This year that is Nov. 25. Black Friday, the dayafter Thanksgiving, is promoted as a day ofnational zeal for shopping. Presumably thenext day shoppers can focus on local shopping.

There is a joy to shopping inlocal stores at the holidays, towalking along a sidewalk withthe streets decked out for the

holidays, to being greeting by someone likelyto be the owner of the store, to finding giftsthat are not mass-produced.

Shop Locally, Give LocallyEvery day is for shopping small and shopping locally.

Editorial

We all benefit when local stores thrive,when local business districts beckon.

Locally owned retail shops, services, restau-rants depend on vibrant local communitiesto thrive. Most small, locally owned busi-nesses invest in community, helping to trans-form our towns and communities with a senseof place.

Supporting small businesses, locally ownedbusinesses, has to be more than a one-dayaffair. And in this area, there doesn’t have tobe anything small about shopping locally.

But still, local families will shop and ex-change gifts during the next month, spend-ing tens of millions of dollars in a variety of

places.One way to be sure holiday shopping comes

with some holiday spirit is to do a portion ofyour shopping in some of the area’s locallyowned stores. There is special holiday ambi-ance available by shopping in the heart of atown that is decked out for the season. Smallretail shops are part of defining any commu-nity. Their livelihood depends on the livabilityand quality of the neighborhoods around them.A small business owner pays attention to ev-ery detail in his or her business in a way thatno chain can.

The small business owner is often the leaderfor fundraising for local charities, for fire andrescue service, for local schools and in orga-nizing holiday events.

Local shoppers should be sure to save someshopping time and dollars for local stores.Spend some time shopping in your own com-munity, and also plan an excursion to a nearbytown to check out the holiday spirit there.

See Connection’s Holiday Calendar for greatcelebrations near you.❖ Fairfax County:

www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/16/holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Arlington:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/arlington-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Potomac:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/15/potomac-almanac-holiday-calendar-2017/

❖ Alexandria:www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/20/alexandria-holiday-calen-dar-2017/

— Mary Kimm

[email protected]

During the last week of each year, thisnewspaper devotes its pages to the creativ-ity of local students and children. The re-sults are always remarkable. It is a keep-sake edition for many families. Even read-ers without children of that age spend timeadmiring and chuckling over the issue. Theannual Children’s Connection (includingChildren’s Gazette, Children’s Almanac andChildren’s Centre View) is a tradition of wellover a decade.

We publish artwork, poetry, essays, cre-ative writing, opinion pieces, short stories,photography, photos of sculpture or othercreative efforts.

We ask that all submissions be digital sothey can be sent via email, dropbox orgoogle drive or delivered on CD or flashdrive. Writing should be submitted in richtext format (.rtf). Artwork should be pho-tographed or scanned and provided in jpeg

Short Deadline for Children’s Editionformat.

We welcome contributions from publicand private schools, individuals andhomeschoolers. To be published, we musthave first and last name of the student.Please include the student’s age and/orgrade, school attended and town of resi-dence, plus the name of the school, nameof teacher and town of school location. Pro-vide submissions by Friday, Dec. 1.

Email submissions for the Children’s Edi-tion to the following editors:

❖ For Burke, Clifton, Fairfax, Fairfax Sta-tion, Great Falls, Herndon, Lorton, McLean,Reston, or Springfield, email to KemalKurspahic at [email protected].

❖ For Alexandria, Arlington, Centreville,Chantilly, Mount Vernon, or Potomac, Md.,email to Steven Mauren at [email protected].

To the Editor:In response to:

www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/nov/08/commentary-i n d e p e n d e n t - p r o g r e s s i v e -doublespeak-imm/

Fairfax County police officers donot conduct immigration enforce-ment sweeps or stop individualssolely to inquire about immigra-tion status. Fairfax County policeofficers follow General Order 601and cannot arrest someone unlessthere is reasonable suspicion thata crime was committed or is be-ing committed.

Operation and policy decisionsregarding the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center fall under theauthority of the Sheriff, an electedconstitutional officer, independent

of the Board of Supervisors. PerCode of Virginia 19.2-83.2, whenindividuals are arrested andbooked into the Fairfax CountyAdult Detention Center, their com-puterized fingerprints are auto-matically transmitted to the Vir-ginia State Police’s Automated Fin-gerprint Identification System(AFIS), regardless of their immi-gration status. The Virginia StatePolice forwards the information toother state and federal databasesper their guidelines. From there,it is up to ICE to determine who isa priority for deportation. Before2016, ICE operated under the Pri-ority Enforcement Program andfocused its efforts on deportingundocumented immigrants withserious criminal records. Under

the Trump Administration, the Pri-ority Enforcement Program nolonger exists, and any immigrantwho is in the country illegally maybe selected by ICE for deportation.

If ICE places an arrest warrantand an order to detain on an in-mate in the Fairfax County AdultDetention Center, the Sheriff’s Of-fice will hold that inmate for upto 48 hours (not counting week-ends and holidays) past his or herscheduled release date. If ICE doesnot take custody of the inmatewithin that time frame, the inmatewill be released.

The Board of Supervisors, thePolice Department, the Sheriff ’sOffice and all Fairfax County gov-ernment agencies comply withstate and federal laws, and immi-

gration is a federal matter. Anychanges regarding deportations orthe focus and direction of ICE mustcome from the federal level. Onthe local level, we continue to fo-cus on community policingthrough positive outreach andbuilding trust with the residentswe serve. All residents of FairfaxCounty should know that FairfaxCounty police officers are here toprotect and serve any and all com-munity members, regardless ofcitizenship. No person should beafraid to call the police out of fearof deportation — our police offic-ers are not in that business.

Sharon BulovaChairman,

Board of Supervisors

Letter to the Editor

Focus on Community Policing, Positive Outreach

www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

@FfxConnection

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NEWS DEPARTMENT:[email protected]

Kemal Kurspahic Editor ❖ 703-778-9414

[email protected]

Bonnie HobbsCommunity Reporter ❖ 703-778-9438

[email protected]

Andrea WorkerReporter

[email protected]

Mike SalmonEditorial Assistant

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ADVERTISING:For advertising information

e-mail:[email protected]

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Debbie FunkDisplay Advertising/National Sales

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David GriffinMarketing Assistant

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Editor & PublisherMary Kimm

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Executive Vice PresidentJerry Vernon

[email protected]

Editor in ChiefSteven Mauren

Managing EditorKemal Kurspahic

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Fairfax


News

For the past 13 years Fairfax CountyFire and Rescue Department hasbeen a partner with the United

States Marines Toys for Tots Program.This year, G&C Express Tire and AutoService at 14008 Willard Road inChantilly will serve as a hub for busi-nesses that want to help collect toys.G&C will also serve as a toy drop off site.Representatives of businesses that wantto be a collection site may stop by G&Cfor a box and poster. The fire stations inFairfax County will start collecting Toysfor Tots on Friday, Nov. 24.

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County

Fire & Rescue Department

U.S. Marines and Battalion ChiefWillie Bailey flank G&C ownersGregg and Christina Caldwell.

Teaming UpTo Benefit ToysFor Tots

The Virginia Manufacturers Association(VMA) awarded this year’s VMA IndustrialStrength Leadership Award to Del. DavidBulova, (D-37) at the Virginia Industry Fo-rum.

The VMA Industrial Strength LeadershipAward was created in 2003 to recognizeVirginia delegates and senators who dem-onstrate exceptional support for a pro-manufacturing agenda by virtue of theirmost recent legislative session votingrecord. The award is not a blanket endorse-ment of any candidate or political party;rather, it is an honored designation for alegislator at a specific point in time for allmanufacturers and allies to recognize.

All members of the Virginia House andSenate are considered. Distinction is givento members of the legislature that carry aVMA priority bill. Further distinction isgiven to members of the legislature whosuccessfully carry VMA priority bills. Adjust-ments are also made for those selectedmembers that may be sponsors of VMA de-fensive priority bills. The delegates andsenators receiving the highest combined

Vote Score earn the award.Winners are presented with a distinctive

award bearing the award icon, an image ofHermes, the Greek god of commerce.Hermes was chosen as the award icon be-cause his duties included the making of trea-ties, promotion of commerce, and mainte-nance of free rights-of-way for travelers. Hewas believed to be responsible for both goodluck and wealth. Finally, his distinguishingqualities were cunning, ingenuity, knowl-edge and creativity. These are all factorsrepresentative of industrial strength lead-ership. “Del. Bulova demonstrated particu-lar ‘industrial strength leadership’ throughthe success of HB1552 involving career andtechnical education and HB1619 involvingVPDES permitting and nutrient manage-ment,” said Brett Vassey, VMA president &CEO. “We look forward to many more op-portunities to work with David and recog-nize his significant legislative achievementsthat make Virginia manufacturing morecompetitive.”

For more information about the VMA, visitwww.vamanufacturers.com.

Del. David Bulova (D-37), middle, receives the Industrial Strength Lead-ership Award from Virginia Manufacturers Association President andCEO Brett Vassey, left, and VMA Vice Chairman Jamie Baisden, right.

Virginia Manufacturers Honor Del. David BulovaPho

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News

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

Featuring a cast and crew of 25,Fairfax High presents “The Musi-cal Comedy Murders of 1940.” It’sa murder mystery that follows the

creative team producing a musical in amansion’s library in 1940s New England.

The mansion is owned by a rich, theater-backer named Elsa, who wants to invest hermoney in a brand-new show. “Unfortu-nately, the creative team is made up of thesame people who produced ‘ManhattanHoliday,’ during which the ‘Stage DoorSlasher’ killed three chorus girls,” explaineddirector Erich DiCenzo. “And now, it seemsas if he’s returned.”

“I’ve wanted to do a murder mystery sinceI started here at Fairfax, five years ago, be-cause my favorite movie is ‘Clue,’” saidDiCenzo. “And this one really spoke to mebecause of the fast-paced humor and over-stylized physicality.”

He said one of the things he’s been mostimpressed by is the actors’ commitment totheir characters. “It’s challenging becauseof the heightened style of the 1940stimeframe,” said DiCenzo. “But they’re ex-ecuting both comedic and dramatic mo-ments brilliantly.”

The scenes take place in the mansion’sinterior, which includes hidden passagesand trap doors. The crew also custom-builtseven bookcases that turn, spin and slideto either hide or reveal truths about the il-lusive slasher. And the costumers workedhard on mastering authenticity, as well asmatching the color and pattern of eachcharacter’s costume to his or her personal-ity.

“I love shows where the audience knowsmore than the actors,” said DiCenzo. “Andin this production, they won’t just be watch-ing it, but will get to ‘play detective,’ too,trying to figure out ‘who dunnit.’”

Senior Thomas Iodice designed the set.“We wanted to make it look less like a setand more like the audience walked intosomeone’s house,” he said. “So we’re fur-nishing it with period pieces, from the tablesand pictures to the smaller details. And ourbookcases in the library don’t have a singlebook. Instead, we had a cereal-box driveand collected about 400 boxes. Then wepainted them different colors, with thenames of books painted on the edges, or‘spines.’”

In the story, people are auditioning forthe musical in Elsa’s house, but they’re alsotrapped because there’s a blizzard outside.“I wanted to pay attention to detail to makethings as realistic as possible,” said Iodice.“So whenever the actors go outside and re-turn, they’ll have snow on their shoes andwill have to brush it off their coats, too. Wealso bought glass doors and will have snowvisibly falling behind them. Everyone’spitching in to help bring the set to life, andwe hope the audience will get lost in the

world we’re creating.”Playing Elsa is senior Bridget Baucum.

“She’s eccentric and extremely flirty withalmost any gentleman who comes into herlife,” said Baucum. “She’s also the typical,‘True Detective’ girl who likes to go on wild-goose chases and investigations to find akiller. So she calls a detective to come toher house and help her set up an elaborateruse of an audition to hopefully catch thatperson. She loves being a hostess and pleas-ing people.”

Baucum said this is one of her favoriteroles. “I’ve always loved murder mysteriesand wanted to act in one,” she said. “Play-ing this older woman who acts muchyounger is perfect for me. And I love to takeon her air and style because it brings outthe 1940s. I wear my great-grandmother’sreal fur coat and a vintage dress that’ssimple, but elegant.”

She said the audience will love “the ex-plosion that is the characters. They’re allfunny because, at its core, this is a comedy.They’ll also like the comedic timing which

will enable them to laugh even more. And Ithink they’ll be absolutely blown away bythe set.”

Senior Parker Stephens portrays EddieMcCuen. “He’s a struggling comedian calledto this house for an audition,” said McCuen.

He’s been out of work for a while, and thisis for a Broadway production from his fa-vorite writing team. He’s excited, even whenhe realizes there’s a killer on the loose. Hewants to work with one of the most famousdirectors in Hollywood.

And he goes from being an anxious wreckto someone who’s brave and has really comeinto his own.”

Stephens says he really relates to thischaracter. “He’s kind of a mess, but has aheart of gold and is pretty likable,” he said.“He’s got some long and complicated linesthat add a big, comedic punch to this dra-matic situation. And he has some fun, physi-cal scenes.”

Calling this play fast and funny, Stephenssaid the audience will love the jokes. “Eventhough it’s set in the 1940s, the punchlinesare still relatable today. And our set has abunch of twists and tricks. The action isnonstop, and it’s just a fun show to see.”

Playing Kelly, the police officer withwhom Elsa is working, is sophomoreSebastian Newlin. “He’s strict and stern,confident, a by-the-book leader, all businessand a hard-headed professional,” saidNewlin. “He takes charge when everybodystarts to freak out after his and Elsa’s planhas failed.”

He’s enjoying his role because “I get toact opposite of me. I’m very friendly, hu-morous and outgoing, and a rule-breaker.And I like taking charge and yelling atpeople. I’m also the youngest cast member,so it feels cool to boss around all these se-niors and juniors.”

Newlin said the audience will appreciatehow hard the students have worked to putforth their best efforts in building the setand portraying these characters. “It’s morethan just a high-school play,” he said. “Italmost feels like a movie, like ‘Clue,’ whereeverybody’s a suspect – and they’ll feel likethey’re part of the action.”

Everyone’s a Suspect, Just Like in ‘Clue’Fairfax High School presents “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.”

Cast members are (top row, from left) Chryne Lillo, Natalie Lambert, IanKirkland, Parker Stephens and Aya Nassif; (middle row, from left) KiraKerr, Bridget Baucum, PJ Pavot and Hannah Runner; and (bottom row,from left) Hayden Giles, Sebastian Newlin and Max Minichiello.

To GoShow times are Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.;

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 1-2, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday,Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door or $10via www.fxplayers.org.

Send notes to the Connection at [email protected] or call 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Dated announcementsshould be submitted at least two weeks prior tothe event.

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax County pub-lic schools have been named to the VirginiaHonors Choir for 2017. Thirty-four FairfaxCounty Public Schools (FCPS) students wereselected for the choir, and five students werenamed as alternates. This select choir is opento the top 125 singers from around the Com-monwealth of Virginia, and is the highest honora choir student can attain during his or her highschool career. FCPS students named to the 2017Virginia Honors Choir include: Kabir Ali andalternates Aya Nassif and Jordan Hicks

from Fairfax High School.

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax County pub-lic schools have been named to the VirginiaHonors Choir for 2017. Thirty-four FairfaxCounty Public Schools (FCPS) students wereselected for the choir, and five students werenamed as alternates. This select choir is opento the top 125 singers from around the Com-monwealth of Virginia, and is the highest honora choir student can attain during his or her highschool career. FCPS students named to the2017 Virginia Honors Choir include: MorganFreeman, Mackenna Gordon, OliviaBrennan, Shelby Kaufman, Mia Peri,Sofie Peri, Jack Hopewell, Paul Hardin,Hunter Browning, and Luke Brennanfrom Woodson High School.

School Notes

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Before the feast and football games,Bring your family and friends to a

THANKSGIVINGCHURCH SERVICE

Hear Bible readings • Sing hymnsShare stories of gratitude & healing

Thursday, November 23 at 11 a.m.Christian Science Church3725 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax

(across from Van Dyck Park)All are welcome!

thinkdifferentlyfairfax.com

Build Your CommunitySupport Your Local

Businesses.

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FINAL WEEKS!Now

40-70% off entire store!

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By Miranda Huffer

Woodgrove High School

Lights, Camera, Action!” The blinding lightsof a movie studio flood the stage as thesleazy, jazzy Leading Players saunter on,

joined by an ensemble of 1930s movie stars, all tell-ing the tale of the son of Charlemagne, Prince Pip-pin. With a unique spin on the world-famous musi-cal, W. T. Woodson’s movie studio-themed “Pippin”has quite a lot of “Magic to Do.”

Written by Stephen Schwartz, “Pippin” is one ofthe most unique and groundbreaking Broadwayshows. Opening with mystery and intrigue, the Lead-ing Players (typically one player, but in W. T.Woodson’s “Pippin” the role is played by both NickDache and Sydney Cluff) draw the audience in, in-troducing the story of Pippin (Jack Hopewell), sonof King Charles (Calvin Osorio). The show followsboth the story of Prince Pippin and his unfulfilledlife as well as the underlying plot of the players andactors themselves.

Typically performed in a circus theme, W. T.Woodson is breaking the mold with an unusual con-cept: movies. Centered around the 1930s and thegolden age of film, this choice of theme transformedthe leading players into movie directors, constantlyobserving and intervening. It also allowed for fasci-nating technical elements, such as movie camerason stage, the usage of work lights to convey a stop-page in filming, and a studio box for the ensembleto sing in.

Central to both the plot and the strength of the

performance was the title character himself, Pippin.Capturing the essence of Pippin’s boyish nature,Hopewell dazzled with both his clear-cut character-ization and his enchanting vocals, to transport theaudience to another world with his hopeful take onthe number, “Corner of the Sky.”

Lurking in the background, the Leading Playersbrought a hint of foreshadowing to every scene,manipulating and leading Pippin around with ease.The pair’s dynamic made the choice to cast the partin two actors an excellent one. The intention of theLeading Players in the plot became clear in the fi-nale, when Pippin denied their offer to perform in atrick that would cause his demise. Nick Dache, themale Leading Player, allowed his character’s compo-sure to crack, erupting at Pippin and the ensemblewith a fury that caught all off-guard.

Perfectly capturing the duality of the show’s na-ture, Karlee Skaggs, playing Catherine, displayed twowell-rounded characters: the actual characterCatherine, a widow who takes Pippin in, and theactress playing her, who has genuine feelings for him.Her diverse range of emotions and skillful vocals wereshown off in her “unplanned” number, “I Guess I’llMiss the Man,” in which the Leading Players attemptto stop her from expressing her true feelings.

Setting the scene was a humongous castle, well-crafted and tall, which moved around the stage withrelative ease. While underutilized, the set piece wasnonetheless impressive, and it added incredible im-pact in the finale, when it was removed to symbolizePippin’s loss of acting and illusions of grandeur. Thelighting was also notable, with diverse colors to rep-resent individual characters and emotions.

Full of magic, wonder, and adventure, W. T.Woodson’s “Pippin” is a joy from start to finish. Thereis “No Time at All” to waste, so catch “Pippin” beforeit’s gone!

From left:Calvin

Osorio, JackHopewell,

Will Ivey in aW. T.

WoodsonHigh produc-

tion of“Pippin.”

Magic, Wonder and AdventureW. T. Woodson’sproduction of “Pippin.”

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Cappies Review

See Faith, Page 11

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] orcall 703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday.Dated announcements should be sub-mitted at least two weeks prior to theevent.

Burke Presbyterian Church,5690 Oak Leather Drive in Burke,worship services are Sundays at 9a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 6 p.m.www.BurkePresChurch.org.

One God Ministry Church,

4280/4282 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax,offers Early Morning Service at 8 a.m.,Sunday School at 10 a.m., Sunday Wor-ship Service at 11 a.m., and WednesdayBible Study at 7 p.m. Women, Men, andYouth Bible Studies are on the thirdTuesday of each month at 7 p.m. A Spiri-tual Gifts Service is the first Friday ofevery month at 7 p.m. One God Minis-try has ministries for youth, men,women, couples, music and singles.703-591-6161 orwww.onegodministry.org.

Faith Communities in Actionmeets the first Wednesday of everyother month from 2-4 p.m. at theFairfax County Government Center,Conference Rooms 2 and 3, 12000Government Center Parkway,Fairfax.

The Bahá’í Community ofFairfax County Southwest offersInterfaith Devotions, Children’sClasses, Junior Youth Groups and

Faith Notes


Entertainment

Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.Photos/artwork encouraged.

ONGOINGSanta’s Flight Academy. Through

Dec. 24, at various times at at FairOaks Mall, 11750 Fair Oaks Mall,Fairfax. Santa surrounded by a spacemotif. Visitwww.santaexpresslane.com.

Toy Collection. Through Dec. 10,Sheehy Auto Stores throughout theWashington, D.C.-metro area willcollect new and unwrapped toys aspart of the company’s annual SheehyCares Toy Collection to benefit theU.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys forTots Program, which will distributethose toys as Christmas gifts to lessfortunate children in the communityin which the campaign is conducted.Sheehy’s Toys for Tots drop-offlocations include:

❖ Sheehy Volkswagen of Springfield,6601 Backlick Road, Springfield

❖ Sheehy Ford of Springfield, 6727Loisdale Road, Springfield

❖ Sheehy Subaru of Springfield, 6571Backlick Road, Springfield

❖ Patriot Harley-Davidson, 9739 FairfaxBoulevard, Fairfax

NOV. 25-26Fairfax Ballet Company’s

Nutcracker. Nov. 25, 2 p.m. and 7p.m., and Nov. 26, 2 p.m. at W.T.Woodson High School, 9525 MainSt., Fairfax. Fairfax Ballet Seniorcompany member Ana Victoria Smithof Clifton, dances the role of Clara.Company members, along withstudents from the Russell School ofBallet and professional guest artists.Email [email protected] orcall 703-665-9427.

NOV. 30-DEC. 2Holiday Book Sale. various times at

the Richard Byrd Library, 7250Commerce St., Springfield. Over10,000 like new books in allcategories both rare and popularmost at $2 or less, plus loads of CDs,DVDs and special gift offerings. Over3,000 children’s books. Funds raisedwill pay for library children’sprograms and more. [email protected] or call 703-451-8055.

FRIDAY/DEC. 1Guitarist Peter Griggs Holiday

Concert. 7 p.m. at GracePresbyterian Church, 7434 Bath St.,Springfield. Show is called “MusicFor An Old English Christmas.” Visitwww.gracepresby.org or call 703-451-2900.

Dinner Theatre. 7 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The Little MatchGirl” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

SATURDAY/DEC. 2Pancake Breakfast with Santa. 8-

11 a.m. at Fire Station # 3, 4081University Drive, Fairfax. $10, ages 3-12 $5; and, under 3 free. Allproceeds benefit the FVFD. Visitfairfaxva.gov.

Christmas Traditions Concert.9:30-11 a.m. at St. Stephens UnitedMethodist Church, 9203 BraddockRoad, Burke. The St. Stephen’sUnited Methodist Women MaranathaSingers will present a morning ofholiday music. Free. Call 703-250-5013.

Holiday Sing-A-Long Luncheon.11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Springfield Golfand Country Club, 8301 Old KeeneMill Road, Springfield. $20. Call 703-

922- 6438 or [email protected].

Velveteen Rabbit. 2 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The VelveteenRabbit.” Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Festival of Lights and Carols. 2-7p.m. at 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Children ages 12 and undercan enjoy lunch with Santa atSherwood Community Center. Lunchseatings will be offered at 11:30a.m., and 12:30 p.m., must pre-register. Listen to live holiday musicand enjoy s’mores and hot cider atOld Town Square from 2-7 p.m.Enjoy caroling and lighting of theChristmas Tree at Old Town Squareat 6 p.m. Visit fairfaxva.gov/about-us/special-events/festival-of-lights-and-carols.

Christmas in Brass. 3 p.m. at

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield.Featuring the Barclay Brass Quintet.This ensemble will present a programof secular and sacred seasonal musicthat will appeal to a broad audienceof all ages. Visitwww.kirkwoodpres.com, or call thechurch office at 703-451-5320.

Little Match Girl. 4 p.m. at TruroAnglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “ Little Match Girl”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Town of Clifton Holiday HomesTour. 4-7 p.m. at 7140 Main St.,Clifton. Five homes in Town and abonus home outside of Town, inaddition to the caboose and twohistoric churches that will be open tothe public. $25 adult pre-sale, $30 onDec. 2; $5 child; credit cards aremore. Visit clifton-va.com or email

[email protected] Theatre. 7 p.m. at Truro

Anglican Church, 10520 Main St.,Fairfax. The City of Fairfax TheatreCompany and the Truro AnglicanChurch present “The Little MatchGirl” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”Visit fairfaxva.gov/.

Art Show and Reception. 7-10 p.m.at Fairfax Art League Village Gallery,3950 University Drive, Fairfax.Stories by Michael Edwards, painter,sculptor and mixed media artist.Enjoy the exhibit, music by Dj MasterRenegade, wine, food, and anoriginal poetry reading by DebWright. [email protected].

DEC. 2-3Arts and Crafts Show. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturday; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Sundayat the Audrey Moore RECenter, 8100

Braddock Road, Annandale. Call 703-321-7081.

SUNDAY/DEC. 3“Hansel and Gretel” Opera. 2 and 5

p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. MasonOpera will present EngelbertHumperdinck’s take on the BrothersGrimm fairytale “Hansel and Gretel.”Tickets: $12, $8, $5. Call 703-385-7858 or visit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

Home for the Holidays Concert. 4-6 p.m. at Lanier Middle School, 3801Jermantown Road, Fairfax. MainStreet Community Band plays a mixof seasonal favorites. Visitwww.fairfaxband.org.

MONDAY/DEC. 4Funday Monday. 10:30 a.m. at Old

Town Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Fun with Mr. Skip. Free. Call703-385-7858 or visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

FRIDAY/DEC. 8B-I-N-G-O. 7 p.m. at Fire Station 3,

4081 University Drive, Fairfax.Smoke free, all proceeds go topurchasing fire and rescueequipment. Visit www.fairfaxvfd.comor call 703-273-3638.

Flutist in Concert. 8 p.m. at OldTown Hall, 3999 University Drive,Fairfax. Celebrate the Sounds of theSeason with the Columbia FluteChoir in the Christmas Concert. Free.Call 703-385-7858 or visitwww.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

SATURDAY/DEC. 9Christmas at George Mason’s

Gunston Hall. 10-7 p.m. at GeorgeMason’s Gunston Hall, 10709Gunston Road, Lorton. A full day ofholiday activities starts with a visitfrom Santa and games and crafts forall ages. Call 703-550- 9220 ext. 240or email [email protected].

Lunch with Santa. 11:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. at Sherwood CommunityCenter, 3740 Old Lee Highway. Call703-385-7858.

Lunch with Santa. 11:30 a.m. and12:30 p.m. at Old Town Hall, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. Childrenages 10 and under can enjoy lunchwith Santa. $6. Call 703-385-7858 orvisit www.fairfaxva.gov/culturalarts.

DEC. 9-10James and the Giant Peach. Shows

at 12:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at theGMU Harris Theatre, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. When James is sent byhis conniving aunts to chop downtheir old fruit tree, he discovers amagic potion that grows atremendous peach that rolls into theocean and launches a journey ofenormous proportions. Visit afyp.org.

SUNDAY/DEC. 10Holiday Ornament Craft Day. 1-4

p.m. at the Fairfax Station RailroadMuseum, 11200 Fairfax StationRoad, Fairfax Station. Museummembers and ages 4 and under, free;5-15, $2; 16 and older, $4. Visitwww.fairfax-station.org.

SATURDAY/DEC. 16James and the Giant Peach. Shows

at 12:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at theGMU Harris Theatre, 4400 UniversityDrive, Fairfax. See Dec. 9-10description. Visit www.afyp.org.

Frosty Follies Show. 6 p.m. atSpringfield Town Center, Spring MallDrive, Springfield. MetropolitanSchool of the Arts will present theirannual Frosty Follies shows in theSpringfield Town Center in the MainCourt. Visit metropolitanarts.org/.

By David Siegel

The Connection

Local playwright Anne M. McCaw has cre-ated her own cheerful, musical vision forthe Christmas season. It is a contemporary

retelling of the Biblical Nativity story titled“Peekaboo! A Nativity Play.” The play is having itsworld premiere at the Hub Theatre

“‘Peekaboo! A Nativity Play’ is hilarious and alsohonest and heartfelt,” said Hub artistic directorHelen Murray. “The Hub is producing the showbecause it is everything Hub is about – hope, love,family, music, comedy and magical moments.

“I want people to feel closer to each other whenthey walk away from Peekaboo!. I want them tohold their families and friends close, to celebratethe season, and to be filled with hope,” addedMurray, who is also directing “Peekaboo! A Nativ-ity Play.”

With its focus on how to protect a newborn thewhole world has been pinning its hopes on,“Peekaboo! A Nativity Play” follows the Bible quiteclosely in its modernized comic tale with musicunder the direction ofJonatan Feuer. A di-verse ensemble willportray Mary, Joseph,the Angel Gabriel,Herod and the WiseMen.

Hub veteran KatieJeffries Zelonka playsMary. “The opportunityto retell the Christmasstory in a way that isfresh, funny, but stillcarrying a powerful message of hope is very ap-pealing to me.

“Mary is a determined, resourceful, funny, hope-ful girl with your typical teenaged flair for thedramatic and a bit of a temper,” added Zelonka.

“At the core of it all, she has a big heart and lovescompletely, which is the driving force behind mostof her actions.”

“We know the story and the characters of theNativity. Or do we?” asked Jacob Yeh, who por-trays Herod. “Have we really ever stepped intothe shoes of Mary, Joseph, or Gabriel? What aboutthe drummer boy? How would they tell or even

sing the story of whathappened?”

When asked aboutthe Herod character,Yeh described him as “aloud, despotic, boorish,vain, misogynistic manwho sends his goonishsons to do the dirtywork in his desperateattempt to hold on topower.”

“Peekaboo! A NativityPlay” is for those especially interested in “a newperspective on the Nativity story without compro-mising the beauty of the story of Christmas,” saidMurray. “It will kindle the sense of hope and won-der of Christmas.” And jolliness is included.

Ring in the Holidays with‘Peekaboo! A Nativity Play’Fairfax’s Hub Theatrebrings cheerful musicalfor Christmas season.

Photo by Helen Murray/The Hub Theatre

Katie Jeffries Zelonka as Mary andAnderson Wells as Gabriel in “Peekaboo!A Nativity Play.”

Where & WhenThe Hub Theatre presents “Peekaboo! A Nativity Play”

at The John Swayze Theatre, New School of Northern Vir-ginia, 9431 Silver King Court, Fairfax. Performances: Dec.1 to Dec. 24, 2017, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m.and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets $32 and $22(students and seniors). Call 703-674-3177 or visitwww.thehubtheatre.org. Note: There is construction oc-curring next to The New School of Northern Virginiaparking lot. There is plenty of parking, but be careful ofchanging lanes.


COMMUNITIES OF WORSHIP

bbWorship Gathering – Sunday 8:45 & 11 AM

Sunday School 10:10 AMSun. Evening – Realtime Worship & Youth 6 PM

Family Night – Wednesday 7:15 PMHome Life Groups, College/Young Adult

Ministries, and Living Free Support GroupsVisit our Website: www.jccag.org

4650 Shirley Gate Road, FairfaxBill Frasnelli, PASTOR 703-383-1170

To Advertise YourCommunity of Worship,

Call 703-778-9418

“Loving People to Life”

This marks the 27th yearLong & Foster is an official sponsor & drop off for the

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve inits TOYS for TOTS campaign.

New, unwrapped toys may be dropped off at the office, located at

6045 Burke Centre ParkwayBurke, VA 22015Daily from 9AM-5PM.

All donations must be made before December 10, 2017.

From Page 9

Faith

Study Cirles, which are open to all. Formore information on these or to knowmore about the Bahá’í Faith, go towww.bahai.us or 571-320-5274.

St. Leo the Great in Fairfax hosts“Night of Praise” the first Saturday ofeach month, featuring praise music andEucharist adoration at 7 p.m. Located at3704 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax.

St. Matthew’s United MethodistChurch, 8617 Little River Turnpike,Annandale, offers a traditional serviceon Sundays at 8:15 and 11:15 a.m. anda contemporary service on Sundays at9:45 a.m. www.stmatthewsumc.org or703-978-3500.

The Immanuel Bible ChurchMOPS group meets on Mondays at 7p.m. at Immanuel Bible Church, 6911Braddock Road, Springfield.

MOPS is for pregnant or parentingmothers of children from infancy to kin-dergarten. 703-922-4295 orwww.MOPS.org.

First Baptist Church of Spring-field, 7300 Gary St., Springfield, hastraditional and contemporary Sundayservices at 10:30 a.m., Sunday school at9:15 a.m.

Special worldwide services offered atspecial times throughout the year inEnglish, Spanish and Ethiopian. Thepastors are Jim Weaver and JasonMitchell. 703-451-1500 orwww.fbcspringfield.org.

The following is a list of events atMount Calvary Baptist Church,4325 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax:

❖Adult Bible Study every Wednesdaystarting at 7 p.m., Youth Bible Study at

7:15 p.m.❖Full Praise and Baptism Service at 7

p.m., the last Wednesday of everymonth

❖Sunday School at 9 a.m.❖Sunday morning service at 10 a.m.,

the 4th Sunday of every month❖Men’s Ministry Bible Class, the Sat-

urday before the 4th Sunday of everymonth

❖Commonwealth Care Center minis-try every first and third Thursday night.703-273-1455.

Beth El Hebrew Congregation,3830 Seminary Road, Alexandria, hasservices on Fridays, 7:30 p.m. with apre-service wine and cheese social at6:30 p.m., and Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.with a pre-service Torah study at 9 a.m.Religious school is on Wednesday eve-nings and Sunday mornings. Adultlearning opportunities take placethroughout the year. Tot Shabbat is onthe first and third Saturdays at 11 a.m.Kolot Shabbat, a musical service, is thefirst Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m.703-370-9400 orwww.bethelhebrew.org.

Fairfax Baptist Temple, at thecorner of Fairfax County Parkway andBurke Lake Roads, holds a bible studyfellowship at 9 a.m. Sundays followedby a 10 a.m. worship service. Nurserycare and children’s church also pro-vided. 6401 Missionary Lane, FairfaxStation, 703-323-8100 orwww.fbtministries.org.

The Cranford United MethodistChurch, located at 9912 Old ColchesterRoad, Lorton, hosts prayer and healingservices on the first Thursday of eachmonth at 6:30 p.m. Worship service is at11 a.m., and fellowship is at 12:30 p.m.

Student-Athletes Sign or Commit to College TeamsPaul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax has announced its first round of NCAAsignees and other senior college commits for 22 student-athletes. Bottom row, leftto right: Katie Coritz (Columbia Soccer), Brigid Sullivan (Manhanttanville Soccer),Emily Dettbarn (Hood Soccer), Chris DeBruyne (West Point Soccer), ZachHosseinian (William & Mary Soccer), Matt Zielezienski (Hamilton Soccer). Secondrow, left to right: Emily Kavanaugh (Illinois Chicago Soccer), Kelsey Shea (BrownLacrosse), Antonella Henson-Vendrell (Monmouth Lacrosse), Raphaella Henson-Vendrell (Hood Lacrosse & XC), Kate Klimkiewicz (Boston College Basketball),Amira Collins (Tennessee Basketball). Third row, left to right: Brandon Slater(Villanova Basketball), Carter Spivey (East Carolina Baseball), Jack Weeks(Georgetown Baseball), Thomas Russell (United States Naval Academy Baseball),Miles Latimer (Stony Brook Basketball). Top row, left to right: Brandon Fisher(Ohio State Lacrosse), Luke Caracciolo (Bryant Lacrosse), Greyson Ergenbright(Dartmouth Lacrosse), Steven Cornwell (University of Maryland Baltimore CountyLacrosse), RJ Barnes (VMI Lacrosse).


News

The 25th annual Burke/FairfaxCROP Hunger Walk took placeon Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, atFairfax Presbyterian Church.

The goal of this year’s walk was to raise$45,000 with the help of about 300 partici-pants from 20 churches, synagogues and amosque, said organizer Janet Smith. Lastyear’s 2.8 mile walk raised $42,000.

“This is very much an interfaith event andit’s wonderful to see so many different faithscoming together with a common purposeto help impoverished people around theworld and in our own community to helpthem survive and to live in better condi-tions,” said Smith.

Seventy-five percent of the money raisedwill go to Church World Service, an organi-zation that works with hunger and disasterrelief around the world as well as refugee

assistance. The remaining 25 percent of thefunds stay in the Burke, Springfield, Fairfax,Fairfax Station, Clifton areas to benefit Ecu-menical Community Helping Others(ECHO) and Western Fairfax Christian Min-istries (WFCM).

“Hunger knows no faith, no language, nogender, no age and we all are part of an

effort to address hunger globally and lo-cally,” said David Meyer, Mayor of the Cityof Fairfax.

“In 1969, the first CROP Walk for Hun-ger occurred in North Dakota and since thenhas grown to be an interfaith initiative

across the country to address the issues ofhunger both in this country and around theworld. There’s a lot of people in this coun-try who quietly struggle to find food everyday. It’s right in our community and we needto get all of the churches and faith commu-nities to address the issue,” said Meyer.

Added State Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37):“Walking and working to relieve hunger inthe Commonwealth is something that theMcAuliffe administration has focused onthrough Dorothy McAuliffe’s work for mak-ing sure that young people have somethingto eat.”

An earlier fundraiser held at SweetFrogBurke, Brion’s Grille, Chipotle Burke, andChipotle Fairfax helped raise $880 for thecause. In the past 24 years, more than 6,200Burke CROP Walkers raised over $450,000to relieve hunger globally through ChurchWorld Service, and over $113,000 to helphungry people in our own community.

Five local churches have participated inthe Burke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walk all25 years. They include: Abiding PresenceLutheran, Burke Presbyterian, Clifton Pres-byterian, Living Savior Lutheran, and St.Andrew’s Episcopal.

— Steve Hibbard

About 300 participantsof the Burke/FairfaxCROP Hunger Walkhelp fundraising goalof $45,000.

Walking and Working Against Hunger

The Delaney Hall Band performs (from left): Steve Delaney, KathyMancini, Mark Hall, Eric Atwell and Steve Keister.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Burke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walkwith City of Fairfax Mayor David Meyer, State Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37),and Henry Brinton, Pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian Church.

Photos by Steve Hibbard/The Connection

The starting line for the Burke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walk at FairfaxPresbyterian Church on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017 in the City of Fairfax.

Burke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walk volunteers (from left): Jean Buffardi,Barbara Enos, Janet Smith, Amy Stidham, Tami Stein, Jane Curtis andMarcy Stennes.

The registration table for theBurke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walk.

Walkers at the beginning of theBurke/Fairfax CROP Hunger Walkat Fairfax Presbyterian Church inthe City of Fairfax on Sunday, Nov.19, 2017.


News

By Bonnie Hobbs

The Connection

The City of Fairfax Theatre Co.(CFTC) and Truro AnglicanChurch will usher in the holi-days by presenting two classic

stories filled with magic and wonder. Onthe playbill are Hans Christian Andersen’s“The Little Match Girl” and “The VelveteenRabbit.” Performances are Dec. 1-3 at thechurch, 10520 Main St. in Fairfax. Seesidebar for details.

“The Little Match Girl” has humor, com-passion and issues still relevant today. “TheVelveteen Rabbit” tells the tale of a boy andhis toy bunny made “real” by unconditionallove. Included are two, dinner-theatre per-formances and a sensory-friendly perfor-mance; and food/hygiene items for SecondStory – which helps teens in crisis – will becollected.

Little Match GirlCity resident Mindy Thomas and son

Rhett, 9-1/2, a Providence Elementaryfourth-grader, also play a mother and sonin “The Little Match Girl.” Thomas describesher character, Arlene, as “a wealthy, narcis-sistic, sassy mom. She’s selfish and divorced,and her priority is her latest, young suitor.Her ex-husband is an alcoholic, so their sonJames has a broken family.”

“James can get anything material from hisfamily, but he has no love,” explained Rhett.“So one day, he runs away and meets Dodge,the Little Match Girl. She lights a match andshows him all the good things in his life.And with her last match, she sees her grand-mother, who gave her the matches.”

Thomas likes playing Arlene because, shesaid, “I feel like she’s everything I’m not.And it’s fun to play someone who behavesbadly, because you don’t get to do that inreal life and get away with it. My husbandRyan – who plays banjo and mandolin – iscomposing and playing the backgroundmusic for both shows.”

The cast ranges from 5-80 years old inboth plays, so Thomas says it’sintergenerational – “all these people pre-tending together. And the audience will besurprised to see a modern, contemporarytake on this classic story. It has elements ofsteampunk, plus great costumes and imagi-native set design.

And I think people will go home feeling agentle reminder that love and human con-nection are more important than anythingmoney can buy.”

Calling it a good, family show for ages10 and up, Thomas said, “This is great, com-munity theater. I feel that CFTC is the artis-tic soul of Fairfax and brings together tal-ented people to act, design sets, do makeupand costumes to pull this all together.”

Portraying Dodge is Addison Chasey, 12.“Her parents have died and she lives on thestreets,” said Addison. “She’s scrappy, out-

going, confident and stands up for herself.She’s a nice girl, but protective of herself.She’s tough on the outside and doesn’t trust

a lot of people. But once she gets to knowyou, she’s a nicer person.”

Chasey loves her role because “Her per-

sonality is right up my alley. I get to lightmatches and hold a pretend knife tosomebody’s throat. I’m onstage at all timesand get to interact with all the characters,even if they’re not talking directly to me. Ilike how tough Dodge is and how ready sheis to stand up for herself. She does what-ever it takes to survive and always has acomeback.”

She says the audience will like “the coolbackdrop where the flashbacks come to life.And they’ll go home thinking how badDodge’s life started out and then how sheended up meeting James, a good friend,enjoying her life and finding her happilyever after with her grandmother.”

Fairfax City’s Jessica Russo Revand playsKatherine, Dodge’s future literary agent.“She’s a glimpse into Dodge’s future as anauthor,” said Revand. “She’s a little into herown power, but she also has a soft side andis using her position to help this child fromthe streets.”

It’s Revand’s first time purely acting, sinceshe’s always sung and danced. “It feels likea family here, so it’s a comfortable place todo that and explore that passion,” she said.“The kids are relatable, and the story istimely in the issues it deals with. It’s seri-ous subject matter, but the children bringout the humor that kids inherently possess.And it’s really touching; because of Addie’ssweetness, there’s hope at the end.”

Velveteen RabbitIn this play, Rhett Thomas plays the lead

role of someone called simply, “The boy.”He says it’s “the loving story of how a boygets lots of new toys for Christmas. He’s aspoiled, little kid and, one day, he loses hisfavorite stuffed animal that he always sleptwith.

Then his nana says, ‘It’s bedtime; here,sleep with your old, stuffed bunny.’”

“So he takes it, plays with it, begins tolove it over time and has adventures withit,” continued Rhett. “One day, he tellspeople his rabbit is real. When he gets scar-let fever, the doctor says all his toys have tobe burned, but he saves his bunny.”

Rhett said his character is sometimes abrat to his nana when he doesn’t get whathe wants.

“But he’s also kindhearted, loves his rab-bit and is creative, imaginative and lovespretending,” said Rhett. “It’s fun to playbecause I go from a brat to an adult, so that’sa nice change. And I’m creative and love topretend, myself, so he’s also like me.”

It’s his first time playing the main char-acter so, he said, “I’m very excited about it.It’s fun to crack out of my shell and per-form for a whole bunch of people; and atone point, I get to be on a balance beam.The story tells how the smallest things canbe important and that you don’t always haveto do what’s expected of you. Sometimes,it’s OK to color outside the lines. This showwill bring out the kid inside everyone.”

The City of Fairfax Theatre Co. isperforming two plays, “TheLittle Match Girl” and “The Vel-

veteen Rabbit.”Shows include two, dinner-theatre per-

formances and a sensory-friendly perfor-mance, plus a chance to give back bysupporting Second Story and its outreachto teens in crisis.

PerformancesFriday, Dec 1, at 7 p.m. | Dinner The-

atre [both shows]Saturday, Dec 2, at 2 p.m. | Velveteen

RabbitSaturday, Dec 2, at 4 p.m. | Little

Match Girl*Saturday, Dec 2, at 7 p.m | Dinner

Theatre [both shows]Sunday, Dec 3, at 2 p.m. | Velveteen

RabbitSunday, Dec 3, at 4 p.m. | Little Match

Girl* Sensory-Friendly Show (open to all)

Tickets are at fairfaxcitytheatre.org.

Family Improv Games - Special

Matinee EventBetween the 2 and 4 p.m. matinee per-

formances will be a free, family improvevent. It’ll be led by CFTC’s SummerDrama Camp counselors and instructorMatt Chapman.

Participants may stay for 30 minutesof theatre improv games and experiencethe magic and power of theatre firsthand.Savory and sweet snacks will be sold.

Second Story (formerly AlternativeHouse)

During this holiday season, CFTC in-vites the community to give back bybringing donations for Second Story, thearea’s only shelter for teens in crisis. Arepresentative will be on hand to explainmore about the work Second Story isdoing in the Northern Virginia/D.C. area.

Needed are: Hygiene products (i.e.shaving cream, deodorant, body wash),food (canned goods, non-perishables,taco shells, pasta sauce) and shoes. Alsoneeded are gift cards in small amountsto grocery stores ($5-10 increments),Metro passes, or home goods stores suchas Walmart, Target or Bed, Bath and Be-yond.

CFTC Show Times, Improv, Donations

CFTC Presents Two, Classic Holiday PlaysWill perform ‘The Little Match Girl’ and ‘The Velveteen Rabbit.’

(From left) Anna Zakreski (Francie), Addison Chasey (Dodge), SamCooper (James) and Mindy Thomas (Arlene) rehearse a scene from“The Little Match Girl.”

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Mercer.Multop donned his economist’s hat once

more to also note that so far he had heardno mention from the GOP plan makers ofthe debt service on the increasing deficit.“That’s another $200 billion in interest coststhat I don’t hear them having accountedfor.” Multop’s concern is that Medicaid,Medicare and Social Security benefits willbecome the targets to shore up the finan-cial levee in the wake of these tax cuts andthe domino effect of their implementation.

Another personalized example of the theproposed reforms was offered by attendeeEdythe Kelleher. The executive director ofSoutheast Fairfax Development Corpora-tion, Kelleher could have spoken about im-pacts to development in that region, butinstead, told how cuts to student loan in-terest deductions and a proposal to taxteacher’s assistant stipends would affect hergraduate-school son.

“He works, he goes to school, he lives fru-gally. We provided him with a cheap car.”Kelleher says that if a tax on the modestteacher’s assistant stipend is adopted, “that’s$6,000 more each year, and he doesn’t knowwhere that money will come from.”

Connolly responded to this story by say-ing the need to educate for competitivenessin the world’s marketplace is greater thanever. The congressman said that makinggetting an education even more difficultmeans “some will have to leave school.That’s hardly ‘making America great again.’”

As the session came to a close, NVAR CEOConrad asked Connolly, “What’s your ad-vice? What do we do next?”

In addition to the rally call to NVAR mem-bership and AARP members, Connolly re-plied, “Run, don’t walk and immediatelyexpress your concerns to your representa-tives” at every level of government, and “telleveryone you know. This plan does not re-flect our values and priorities. We can andshould do better than this.”

From Page 3

RoundtableNews

Send notes to the Connection [email protected] or call703-778-9416. Deadline is Friday. Datedannouncements should be submitted at leasttwo weeks prior to the event.

Students from six Fairfax County publicschools have been named to the 2017 All-Virginia Jazz Band and Ensemble. Studentsnamed to the 2017 All-Virginia Jazz Bandand Ensemble include Luke Mrini, EugeneSong, and Aiden Rodeschin from LakeBraddock Secondary School.

Vocal musicians from 14 Fairfax Countypublic schools have been named to the Vir-ginia Honors Choir for 2017. Thirty-fourFairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) stu-dents were selected for the choir, and fivestudents were named as alternates. This se-lect choir is open to the top 125 singers fromaround the Commonwealth of Virginia, andis the highest honor a choir student can at-tain during his or her high school career.FCPS students named to the 2017 VirginiaHonors Choir include: Beatrice Thurgoodfrom Lake Braddock Secondary School andMorgan Freeman, Mackenna Gordon,Olivia Brennan, Shelby Kaufman, MiaPeri, Sofie Peri, Jack Hopewell, PaulHardin, Hunter Browning, and LukeBrennan from Woodson High School.

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better is expected.

-Thomas Fuller

Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

“Some club,” as my late mother would likelyscoff. And the club to which I refer is, to spin anold Groucho Marx joke: a club you’d rather notjoin especially if they’d have you as a member.This is of course, the cancer club, a club whosemembership continues to grow despite world-wide efforts to the contrary. According toMedscope.com, one in two men and one inthree women will be affected by cancer in theirlifetime. Hardly a statistic to be ignored. Andso, even though I had a rather unevent-ful/healthy upbringing and further on into adult-hood, in late middle age, 54 and five months,Feb. 27, 2009, I was impacted and rudelyawakened with a non-small cell lung cancer,stage IV diagnosis – out of the blue, and given a“13 month to two-year” prognosis to boot. As alife long non-smoker with no immediate familyhistory of cancer, whose parents both lived wellinto their 80s, I was more inclined to worryabout the Boston Red Sox pitching depth than Iwas about cancer.

But cancer, for the past nearly nine years hasbeen my life and amazingly, so far anyway, notthe cause of my premature death (what deathisn’t ‘premature?). And what brightens my dayand lifts my spirits more than anything else(other than a Red Sox World SeriesChampionship) is when I meet a newly-diag-nosed lung cancer patient who exhibits thecan/will do positive-type attitude necessary toendure the inevitable ups and downs to follow.To be selfish, it empowers me and strengthensmy own resolve to live life to the fullest (it’s notas simple as saying it) and damn the torpedoes.

Within the last few months, I have met, overthe phone, two such individuals. The first man,Lee, I met before he even had his first infusion.The second man, Mark, a bit more experi-enced, I met a year and a half after his first infu-sion. Each man was engaging, outgoing, confi-dent, enthusiastic and quite frankly, happy tomake my acquaintance. You see, after beinggiven a less-than-desirable prognosis, it’s help-ful to meet someone who, despite havingreceived a similar diagnosis, has neverthelessmanaged to live almost nine years post diagno-sis. (If he can do it, I can do it kind of feeling.)

As for me, the nearly nine-year survivor,meeting cancer patients who are at the begin-ning of their respective cancer journeys, helpsme to reconnect with my roots, so to speak,and share and share alike some memorableexperiences, both cancer-related and not. In away, we get to live vicariously through oneanother which for me reinforces how lucky I’vebeen to survive for as long as I have.

And not that I need reminding, but it’s easyto take for granted one’s good fortune and for-get – occasionally, the seriousness of my situa-tion and the cloud that hangs over my head.The sword of Damocles has got nothing on me,literally or figuratively. Living with cancer is akinto nothing really. The chance that you’ll survivebeyond your prognosis, maybe even have yourtumors shrink, or see your scans show “no evi-dence of disease,” creates a kind of tease thatcause your emotions to run the gamut. Thepossibility of living after being told you’re dying– and vice versa, perhaps more than once, overyour abbreviated – or not, life expectancy, issimply too much to handle/absorb sometimes.It’s a roller coaster for sure, but one that rarelycomes to a complete stop and never allows youto get off. Moreover, it’s not multiple rides, it’sone long, endless ride with no guaranteesabout what happens next – or where it evenhappens.

Meeting people who are ready, willing andable to confront their cancer future is just asimportant and stimulating as meeting someonelike me who hasn’t succumbed to this terribledisease. It’s a win-win situation. Particularly sig-nificant when at date of diagnosis, it appearedto be a lose-lose. I’m proud to be a member ofthe cancer club, especially so when I meet peo-ple like Lee and Mark.

Welcome tothe Club


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rhett thomas, 9-1/2, a providence elementary velveteen rabbit.”...

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