New interpretative signs are headed to Riverbend Park in Great Falls and Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly next month as part of an initiative to promote poetry in Fairfax County’s park system.
Set to be unveiled next Friday, Nov. 1, the signs will showcase poems selected by outgoing Fairfax County Poet Laureate Danielle Badra for both of the locations.
When Peter F. Murphy joined the Fairfax County Planning Commission, Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Marie Travesky was Springfield District supervisor and the county was home to about 640,000 people — half a million fewer than today.
The year was 1982, and when Murphy was appointed as the commission’s Springfield District representative that December, few might have anticipated the changes he would witness and, in many cases, help shape across Fairfax over the course of two generations.
SAVE THE DATE!
December 4-6, 2026
Experience the magic of the holiday season at this beloved event that has offered truly unique, handcrafted treasures for more than four decades. Find pottery, glass, jewelry, fashion accessories, woodwork, artisanal foods, and more from eighty exceptional regional artisans. Come discover the perfect gifts, treat yourself to lunch at the onsite café, and celebrate the spirit of the season with us! A juried show since 1982.
• FREE parking | 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, VA 22101
• Proceeds support the NVHG Scholarship Program for college art students
• Tote bags will be given to the first 200 attendees each day
• MCC has accessible entrances and restrooms
For additional information please visit:
www.nvhg.org
www.mcleancenter.org
Poplar Heights is officially getting a new water storage tank with a capacity of 1.25 million gallons, despite continued objections from many residents of the single-family Idylwood neighborhood.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday (Oct. 22) — with Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn absent — to approve Fairfax Water’s request for a special exception allowing the facility to replace an existing standpipe tank at 7407 Tower Street that can hold 700,000 gallons of water.
Fairfax County may need to invoke eminent domain to secure more than a dozen properties along Richmond Highway for its new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to move ahead with acquiring land rights to 13 commercial and residential properties — including a Wells Fargo bank, a pet hospital, and a hotel — by early December for the new bus route, known as “The One,” regardless of whether settlement agreements are in place.
*Mamistad Groups meet IN PERSON-only the introductory Zoom call is virtual. 🙂
Pregnancy and new mom groups are a lifesaver when it comes to normalizing those feelings we just can't be prepared for.
Officials Celebrate Woodson HS Renaming — “Wednesday’s rededication, school officials said, served as a reminder of the previous namesake’s troubling past and an opportunity to acknowledge it and move forward.” The Fairfax County School Board voted last Nov. 9 to name the Fairfax school after historian Carter G. Woodson instead of former superintendent W.T. Woodson. [WTOP]
NASA Robot Added to Smithsonian Museum — “NASA’s retired space shuttle Discovery has been reunited with one of its last crew members. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum debuted Robonaut-2 (R2), NASA’s first dexterous humanoid robot flown into space, on Thursday (Oct. 24)… R2 is now on exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center” in Chantilly. [Collect Space]
Vienna Halloween Paradegoers Share Election Thoughts — “Wednesday night WUSA9 went to the annual Vienna Halloween parade to find a cross section of voters. As the local clubs and civic groups paraded down Maple Avenue, we found families parading around in costumes. We also found some strong political opinions.” [WUSA9]
Tennis Court Renovation Complete — “The newly renovated tennis courts at Woodley Hills Park in Mount Vernon are ‘open and ready for business,’ in the words of the Fairfax County Park Authority. The repair work to the two courts, which began this past summer, wrapped up in mid-October, according to Park Authority spokesperson Ben Boxer.” [On the MoVe]
Annandale Dunkin’ Offers Free Donuts — “The new Dunkin’ in Annandale is celebrating its Grand Opening on Saturday, Oct. 26, by offering a free donut with a beverage purchase. The shop, at 8205 Columbia Pike, is along the route of the Annandale Parade, which starts Saturday at 10 a.m.” [Annandale Today]
Pumpkin Display to Light Up Local Business — Set to return to Franconia this November, Nalls Produce & Garden Center’s annual Pumpkin IllumiNIGHT “invites pumpkin lovers and families to help light up Beulah Street following Halloween by adding their own carved pumpkins to its jack-o-lantern display. The drive-by display is expected to feature over 100 pumpkins.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Woodlawn Park Welcomes New Playground — “Join the Fairfax County Park Authority and Supervisor Rodney Lusk for an afternoon of free outdoor fun on Monday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Muddy Hole Farm Park located at 7941 Kidd St.” Activities will include the mobile Wonder Wagon and a ribbon-cutting ceremony “for the new playground at the park.” [FCPA]
It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature around 68 degrees alongside light and variable winds turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows near 54 degrees. South winds at 5 to 7 mph will shift to the west after midnight. [NWS]
Good Thursday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 24, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Friday throughout the county, from our event calendar.
Expect sunshine and a high near 67, with calm winds picking up to around 6 mph from the southwest in the afternoon. As the evening approaches, skies will be partly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 52. The south wind will continue at 6 mph, shifting to westward after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
There are no permanent lights on the football fields at either Flint Hill School in Oakton and the Potomac School in McLean.
Yet, because temporary lights have been installed on each gridiron at the private schools, the football teams will host separate Friday-night games on Oct. 25.
Three decades later, and appropriately at a homecoming game, a standout football season recorded by the Potomac School Panthers was celebrated.
During halftime of Potomac School’s home Oct. 19 high-school contest against the Maret Frogs, eight members (players and coaches) for the groundbreaking 1993 campaign gathered at midfield and listened to game announcer Glenn Adamac read the many first accomplishments amassed by that McLean private-school squad.
Democratic candidates maintain cash-on-hand advantages in two of three significant Northern Virginia races for the U.S. House of Representatives.
With Election Day looming on Nov. 5, the financial margin is closest in the 10th District, where Democrat and current state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam held a robust but not overwhelming cash-on-hand lead at the start of October over Republican Mike Clancy, a lawyer, according to the latest figures from the Federal Election Commission as reported by the Virginia Public Access Project.
