celebrating fall at lake accotink...

online at www.connectionnewspapers.com October 25-31, 2018

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Herring Calls for Criminal Justice ReformNews, Page 3

Horror at the Workhouse

News, Page 8

Celebrating Fall At Lake Accotink Park

News, 0

Calvin and Andrew Ko of Springfield roast marshmal-

lows during Lake Accotink Park’s

Annual Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct.

20, 2018.

2 ❖ Springfield Connection ❖ October 25-31, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

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“Loving People to Life”

News

By David Siegel

The Connection

Continuing its specialpartnerships withpreeminent musicians and adding to

its reputation, the Fairfax Sym-phony Orchestra is providing an-other “innovativeºartistic and edu-cational experience” when guestartist Amit Peled joins the FSO foran evening of “Tchaikovsky &Beethoven,” said Jonathan Kerr,Executive Director, FSO.

Peled is a renowned cellist re-turning to the FSO to continue hisrelationships with the FSO and au-diences who asked the FSO tobring him back to perform, notedKerr. Born in Israel, Peled is aGrammy Award nominated cellistwho performs around the world.When he performs, he will be play-ing a cello once used by andhanded to him by Pablo Casals.

The FSO evening of “Tchaikovsky& Beethoven” will includeTchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Ro-coco Theme,” written for cello andorchestra in a style inspired by andas a homage to Mozart. The 20-minute Tchaikovsky piece consistsof eight variations on a theme. Itwill spotlight Peled’s skills as cel-list. Following the Tchaikovsky willbe composer Max Bruch’s sumptu-ous ”Kol Nidrei” written for celloand orchestra.

After intermission the FSO willpresent Beethoven’s SymphonyNo. 4.

Asked about “Variations,” Peledsaid “the music has a theme thatany child can whistle.” He wenton to say “if Spotify had existedwhen Tchaikovsky ‘Variations’were new, they would have been

very popular on Spotify.”Peled called “Variations” a very

communicative piece with feel-ings; “full of fireworks that the au-dience can relate to … festive, lushand vibrant.”

For Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei,” Peledindicated it a musical piece that alistener need not be Jewish to haveit enter one’s soul.

Peled will be in Center for theArts (CFA) foyer during intermis-sion to meet with audience mem-bers.

Allison Bailey, FSO AssociateConcertmaster and Orchestra Di-rector at Thomas Jefferson HighSchool for Science and Technologydescribed her position as the FSOAssociate Concertmaster; “to pro-vide leadership along with theConcertmaster.”

A symphony concertmaster is likean athletic team’s player-coach butfor the FSO that means, striking upthe symphony, greeting the conduc-tor, then playing as violinist. Baileywill serve as the Concertmaster atthe “Tchaikovsky & Beethoven”concert.

Fairfax Symphony Orchestrapresents “Tchaikovsky &Beethoven” Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018at 8 p.m. Visit www.cfa.gmu.eduor call: 888-945-2468.

Exciting Fairfax Symphony programwith guest soloist Amit Peled

‘Tchaikovsky andBeethoven’ at Mason Stage

Where and WhenFairfax Symphony Orchestra

presents “Tchaikovsky & Beethoven”with special guest soloist Amit Peledat George Mason University, Centerfor the Arts Concert Hall, 4400University Drive, Fairfax. Perfor-mance: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 at 8p.m. Tickets $25, $39, $50, $53 and$65. Student discount tickets areavailable for full time students under25 with ID. Visit www.cfa.gmu.edu orcall: 888-945-2468. Note: ADAAccessible seating available

Amit Peled, Guest Soloist with Fairfax SymphonyOrchestra for “Tchaikovsky & Beethoven.”

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Springfield Connection ❖ October 25-31, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

News

Andrea Worker

The Connection

Attorney General Mark Herring announced his support and latestefforts to secure reforms to theCommonwealth’s cash bail sys-

tem before 1,400 people gathered at FairfaxHigh School on Sunday, Oct. 21,for the an-nual summit of VOICE – Virginians Orga-nized for Interfaith Community Engage-ment.

At the event, Herring gave the attendeesa preview of a statement released on Mon-day, Oct. 22, announcing the letter and le-gal memo he had submitted to the VirginiaState Crime Commission outlining poten-tial policy and constitutional concerns withthe state’s current system, and providingprinciples for consideration toward reformthat would “ensure public safety withoutunnecessarily jailing low-income Virgin-ians.”

The commission is currently studyingVirginia’s pre-trial process, including thecash bail system, and is scheduled to maketheir presentation to lawmakers on Nov. 18.

While Herring cannot set bail policy inVirginia, as attorney general he wields in-fluence on all criminal justice issues. In hisletter, addressed to Commission Chair stateSen. Mark Obenshain, Herring points outseveral concerns, asking that they be givenfull attention by the commission and offer-ing to assist the commission and the legis-lature in their efforts.

In reviewing the current cash bail system,referring to numerous studies, and compar-ing the state of the system in Virginia toother jurisdictions and to federal law, Her-ring sees potential violations of the EighthAmendment to the United States Constitu-tion and Article 1 of the Virginia Constitu-tion that both prohibit “excessive bail.”

In his statement, Herring writes thatVirginia’s current system “too often deter-mines who has money, not who is danger-ous, and we can’t have a justice system thatdetermines fairness and freedom based onwealth and means … I want to keep dan-gerous people in jail, I want people to showup for court … it doesn’t make sense, nordoes it make our communities safer, to makea low-risk, non-violent person sit in jail,while more violent or dangerous people cango free because of their wealth.”

In 2005, Virginia took the nation-widelead by instituting the Virginia Pretrial As-sessment Instrument (VPRAI) to help cal-culate a defendant’s likelihood of failure toappear and level of danger to the society,but ultimately pretrial release is set by ajudicial officer, usually a magistrate, andaccording to a 2017 study the magistratestypically do not receive any informationfrom pretrial service agencies that couldbetter inform their decision.

Herring expressed concern that underVirginia law judicial officers are grantedbroad discretion to set the term under which

defendants can obtain pretrial release.“Alternatives to cash bail bonds are rarely

used. Therefore, many people who are eli-gible for [pretrial release] face incarcera-tion while awaiting trial merely becausethey cannot afford to pay the bond.”

The negative impacts of unnecessary in-carceration are widespread. Low-risk, non-violent defendants who must remain in jailpending trial often lose their jobs, theirhomes, their cars, and even their families,as a result. “This is not the answer,” saidHerring. “Continuing on this path only in-creases the problems we face.”

Studies support his assertions. A 2016report by the Prison Policy Initiative foundthat Virginia’s pretrial detainees increasedfrom less than 3,000 in 1978, to almost9,000 in 2013. By 2015, Virginia’s incar-ceration rate was approximately 150 per-

cent of the national average.In his arguments for reform, Herring

noted that last year about 28,000 Virgin-ians were released under pretrial supervi-sion – and 94 percent of them showed upfor their court appearance and stayed outof trouble.

Holding the non-violent, low-risk accusedbecause they cannot pay bail also has anegative effect on the state’s economy.

Herring reports that it costs about $3 aday to maintain someone on pretrial ser-vices versus about $85 per day if they re-main in jail. “So if we make smart reformswe could be talking about millions in sav-ings while still meeting our public safetygoals.”

Treating defendants differently depend-ing on their ability to afford bail may alsoraise equal protection concerns in violationof several federal and state laws and stat-utes. Herring also questions the frequentabsence of counsel or representation fromthe prosecution at many bail hearings, asituation that may violate the Sixth Amend-ment, upheld in a case before the UnitedStates Supreme Court in 2008, that makesit a right to counsel when a person has beenplaced under arrest and makes an initialappearance before a magistrate for the de-termination on probably cause and the set-ting of bail. It is not clear under Virginialaw whether a bail hearing alone constitutesa “critical stage,” requiring the presence ofcounsel for the defendant.

VOICE is a non-partisan coalition of some55 faith communities and civic organiza-tions from Fairfax County and surroundingareas, Alexandria City, Arlington Countyand Prince Williams County and neighbor-ing areas. While involved in a variety ofcommunity improvement actions, “Restor-ative Criminal Justice,” sits high on thegroup’s target list of initiatives that its mem-bership works to see enacted.

Marjorie Green, a lay leader at St. Mary’sEpiscopal Church in Arlington and a spokes-person for VOICE, praised the announce-ment of Herring’s initiative as a testamentto the impact that citizens united canachieve. Green noted in a statement that“this newest effort grew out of conversa-tions between VOICE and the attorney gen-eral in recent months.” VOICE reported theresults of listening sessions held with morethan 7,000 residents of Northern Virginiaabout their chief concerns. “It’s one morestep in the right direction.”

Rev. Keith Savage, pastor at First BaptistChurch in Manassas and a member ofVOICE’s key leadership team, added “Pureand simple, cash bail is a tax on being poor… we spend millions warehousing peoplein jail for the sole reason that they cannotafford bail … yet our community was notmade any safer.”

VOICE membership committed to actionsto “hold our lawmakers to account” on thisand other civic issues.

The full contents of Herring’s letter and themedia release providing additional back-ground information is available on the Attor-ney General’s website www.oag.state.va.us.

Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement gather.

Herring Calls for Criminal Justice Reform at Summit

Expecting about 1,200 to attend, about 1,400 area citizens turned up forthe 2018 VOICE summit.

VOICE members take to the stage at the 2018 summit with pledge post-ers, showing how many of their group had signed up to help Get Out theVote and to attend the next Legislative session in Richmond. “We willhave at least 10 people per day calling for action in Richmond,” saidVOICE leadership, who also noted that the the GOTV goal of 450 volun-teers had already been exceeded by 150 persons.

Attorney General Mark Herringannounces his support and latestefforts to reform the cash bailsystem in Virginia before theattendees to the 2018 VOICE –Virginians for Organized InterfaithCommunity Engagement – summit.

“It’s one more step inthe right direction.”— Marjorie Green, a lay leader at St.

Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arling-ton and a spokesperson for VOICE

Burke Connection Editor Kemal Kurspahic

703-778-9414 or [email protected]


Opinion

By Supervisor

John C. Cook

R-Braddock District

Domestic Vio-lence harmseveryone in afamily, di-

rectly and indirectly. Whenchildren are exposed to domestic violence, thetrauma they experience can have damagingeffects. That is why the Domestic Violence Pre-vention, Policy, and Coordinating Council isexpanding its efforts to serve children whowitness this crime in their own homes.

The County’s Step Up 4 Kids initiative willwork to improve the short-term and long-termoutcomes in the lives of children who havewitnessed domestic violence by improving thegovernment and community response, enhanc-ing clinical intervention services, and provid-ing opportunities for individual impact.

Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men willexperience severe intimate partner violence intheir lifetime. These sobering numbers are fol-lowed by the reports that 1 in 4 children wit-ness domestic violence in their homes. It is easyto think that because a child does not see aparent assaulted that they are not aware of theviolence. The reality is that children are muchmore aware of the violence, fear, and manipu-lation that occurs in an abusive relationshipbetween their parents than we realize.

Following a violent or scary incident, or evendays and months after, children may experi-

ence anxiety, fear of their parent being hurt,increased aggression, or symptoms of Posttrau-matic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The long termeffects are even more damaging.

Children who witness domestic violence aremore likely to experience mental health prob-lems like depression, anxiety, and the increasedchance of suicidal ideation, and substance use.Worst of all, these children are much morelikely to be involved in abusive relationships.Boys who witnessed domestic violence are 10time more likely to abuse a partner as an adult,which girls who witnessed it are 6 times morelikely to enter an abusive relationship.

Step Up 4 Kids seeks to break the cycle ofabuse and address the unique needs of chil-dren by engaging individuals, systems, andmental health professionals. This three-pronged approach is only possible with an en-hanced response and coordination from gov-ernment and the community. Step Up 4 Kidswill work to improve coordination betweenFairfax County Public Schools, County agen-cies, and nonprofit partners. This will facili-tate communication and information sharingamong all parties involved in assisting childwitnesses and will improve practices across thesystem. The community will also play an im-portant part in Step Up 4 Kids. The initiativewill enact campaigns and programs to teachgroups in the community about how childrenare impacted by domestic violence.

The final, and perhaps most important, pieceof the Step Up 4 Kids puzzle is you, the indi-vidual. One of the most important messages

of the Step Up 4 Kids Initiative is that you canmake the difference in the life a child who haswitnessed or experienced domestic violence,regardless of your role in a child’s life. You maybe a teacher, daycare provider, sports coach,neighbor, extended family member, or friend.You can make a difference by letting a childknow it is okay to talk about the scary thingsthat might be happening in their home, youcan encourage a child in something they aregood at, and remind a child that violence isnever their fault or their problem to fix. TheStep Up 4 Kids Initiative will work with orga-nizations and community groups across thecounty to recognize ways they can make a dif-ference for some of our most vulnerable chil-dren.

The good news is that while children can bevery vulnerable, they can also be incrediblyresilient, and their ability to grow in their re-siliency is dependent on the adults in their life.The presence of a safe, caring, adult in a child’slife, whether a parent, teacher, friend, or coach,is the most significant factor in a child’s abilityto overcome any type of adversity. And themore adults surround and support a child, themore those chances increase.

If you have questions or concerns about howto help a child or possible survivor you areconcerned about, or you are a survivor your-self, please call the Fairfax County 24-HourDomestic and Sexual Violence Hotline at 703-360-7273 to speak to a trained hotline volun-teer who can provide support, crisis interven-tion, and resources for services.

If you would like to learn more about theStep Up 4 Kids Initiative and how you can getinvolved, please visit fairfaxcounty.gov andsearch “Step Up 4 Kids.”

Helping Child Witnesses of Domestic ViolenceStep Up 4 Kids seeks to break the cycleof abuse and address the needs of children.

By Kenneth

R. “Ken” Plum

State Delegate (D-36)

Last week I wroteabout the direwarning of the lat-

est report from the Inter-governmental Panel on Cli-mate Change about the more immediate con-sequences of climate change than had origi-nally been predicted. Avoiding the damages toour planet and to our way of life would re-quire “transforming the world economy at a

speed and scale that has nodocumented precedent,”according to the report.

The greatest economiesin the world must lead the changes necessaryto preserve our planet and the quality of lifefor our families rather than dismissing or de-bating its findings. The time for action is nowwith the report describing a world of worsen-ing food shortages and wildfires and a massdie-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040, a littlemore than two decades away.

What we have instead are politicians at thehighest level of the federal government mak-ing promises at political rallies in West Virginiato bring back coal, the greatest offender of cli-

mate change, and in Iowa to increase corn pro-duction for ethanol that when added to gaso-line may release more carbon from the landsthan it saves. Scores of regulations intendedto reduce climate change have been rescindedto gain favor of those who see them as inter-ference in their quest to make more bucks orto gain more votes from a political constitu-ency. Absent little or no help on this concernat the federal level for the next couple of years,what can be done in the meantime? At the statelevel I will be pushing for a strengthening of acommitment by state government to increaseits efforts at energy conservation, eliminatingany subsidies for coal production, intensiveeconomic development in green jobs for areaspreviously dependent on coal, a tax on car-bon, accelerating the use of renewable energy,and establishing Virginia as a green state in itspolicies as well as reforestation. There aremany reasons to take this immediate action inVirginia if for no other motive than that westand to be among the first states to lose a sig-nificant chunk of our land mass with climatechange and sea level rise.

I am pleased that Fairfax County has made anod in the direction of concern about sea levelrise, but there is reason to believe that one ofthe wealthiest counties in the country can findthe will and the resources to do even more.

We have been planting trees, but we need toplant many more. We have been working toget people out of their individual cars, and wemust incentivize more people to use cleanertransit. Thanks to School Board Member PatHynes for her resolution calling for state andfederal action on climate change. It is a begin-ning, but the locality must budget as a socialcost for the county and not for the school dis-trict the addition of solar panels on the mil-lions of square feet of roof space on our schools.Also, our school lots should be forested andnot lawns. Small actions taken by many canproduce significant results. We have our warn-ing. No time for hand wringing. We need toget to work.

Responding to Climate Change Warnings

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News

Volunteering at Mental Health NonprofitVolunteers from Regency Centers — Jessica Hayes, Brian Greene, Greg Van Dyke, andBrian Dawson — completed their Day of Service project at mental health nonprofitPRS’ Fairfax Recovery Academy Day Program. PRS is a local nonprofit that helpsindividuals living with serious mental health issues and facing life crises. RegencyCenters volunteers created a garden with fresh flowers and herbs that clients will usefor cooking. Volunteers also landscaped, power-washed, and organized activities withthe clients including making bird feeders and decorating mini-pots of herbs for clientsto take home.

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Calendar

See Calendar, Page 7

THURSDAY/OCT. 25Paintings & Pairings. 5:30-9 p.m. at

Fairview Park Marriott, 3111Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church.Enjoy paired hors d’oeuvres andwines, a three-course dinner, andauctions and artwork for sale. Allproceeds from the event benefitInsight Memory Care Center. $125.Visit www.insightmcc.org/ for more.

Hitchcocktober: 39 Steps (1935). 7p.m. at Angelika Film Center –Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax.Every Thursday night in October aclassic film by Sir Alfred Hitchcockwill be featured with a bonusscreening of PSYCHO on Halloween.Tickets are $10. Visitangelikafilmcenter.com.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 25-28The Adventures of Huckleberry

Finn. 8 p.m. at George MasonUniversity Center for the Arts-Concert Hall, 4373 Mason PondDrive, Fairfax. Mark Twain’s timelessclassic sweeps us down the mightyMississippi in this musical adaptationof Huck Finn. Our irrepressible herohelps his friend Jim escape tofreedom while sharing hilarious,suspenseful and heartwarmingadventures, all told withunforgettable, classically Americanmusic. Professional Artist inResidence, Thomas W. Jones II helmsthis journey. $15 for students andseniors, $30 for adults. Call 703-901-5941 or visit cfa.calendar.gmu.edu/big-river-the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn for more.

FRIDAY/OCT. 26Lorton Workhouse Ceramics

Workshop. 10:30 a.m. at LortonSenior Center, 7722 Gunston Plaza,Lorton. Travel to the LortonWorkhouse Arts Center Visitlortonseniorcenter.org or call 703-550-7195 for more.

2018 Arts Awards. Noon-2 p.m. atFalls Church Marriott Fairview Park,3111 Fairview Park Drive, FallsChurch. The Arts Awards bringtogether the arts community,business community, civic andelected leaders to celebrate theextraordinary contributions of artists,arts organizations, and the privatesector for supporting the arts inFairfax County, the City of Fairfax,and the City of Falls Church. $250.Email [email protected] orcall 571-395-4619.

Rock the Block: Supervixen. 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Old Town Square, 3999University Drive, Fairfax. Family-friendly free concert series, whichfeatures live bands, beer garden, andcity restaurant vendor booths. Bringyour own lawn chairs or blankets tosit on. Free. Call 703-385-7858 orvisit www.fairfaxva.gov/rocktheblockfor more.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 26-28Madhaunter’s Madhouse. Friday-

Saturday, 7-11 p.m.; Sunday, 7-10p.m. at The Workhouse Arts Center,9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton.Madhaunter’s Madhouse hauntedtrail of terror returns to theWorkhouse for a third year of scares.In 2018, screams will echo across the55-acre historic Workhouse campus,built on the grounds of the once-abandoned and notorious DCDepartment of Corrections LortonReformatory. More information,tickets ($20), and volunteeropportunities are available atworkhousearts.org/madhaunter.

SATURDAY/OCT. 27ECHO Yard Sale. 8 a.m.-noon. At St.

Bernadette Catholic Church in thegym, 7600 Old Keene Mill Road,Springfield. Hundreds of items —toys, dishes, collectibles, small

affordable housing, emergencyfinancial services, budget counselingand case management to workinghouseholds in Fairfax County. $175-$250. Visit goodhousing.org/gala formore.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY/OCT. 27-28Fall Fun Days. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at

Whitehall Farms, 6080 ColchesterRoad, Fairfax. Fourth annual Fall FunDays, featuring a pumpkin patch,corn maze, nature trails, inflatablebounce houses, lawn games, wagonrides, and more. Meet farm animals(like Henry the cow) and learn moreabout sustainable farming. A farm-to-table lunch option will be available,featuring farm fresh ingredients fromWhitehall’s farm store. $12 for adultsand children over 3. Visitwww.whitehall.farm for more.

Ghost Train. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at BurkeLake Park, 7315 Ox Road, FairfaxStation. Take little goblins for afamily-friendly ride on the GhostTrain at Burke Lake Park thisHalloween season. Also enjoy a moonbounce, carousel and pumpkinpainting. Food and drink will beavailable for purchase. Dress for theoccasion with your favoriteHalloween costume. $6 per personage two and older; younger childrenride for free. Last ticket sold at 4 p.m.Call 703-323-6600 or visitwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelakepark/.

SUNDAY/OCT. 28Organ Recital. 3 p.m. At Historic

Pohick Church, 9301 RichmondHighway, Lorton. Free organ recitalby Linda Wilberger Egan, Minister ofMusic. The recital celebrates the 50thAnniversary of the church’s NoackPipe Organ with 16 stops, 18 ranks,and 948 pipes. Selections will includeworks by Pachelbel, Buxtehude andBach, which were composed duringthe musical Baroque period. Call703-339-6572 or visit the PohickChurch website at www.pohick.org.

WEDNESDAY/OCT. 31Halloween Costume Contest. 11

a.m. at Lorton Senior Center, 7722Gunston Plaza, Lorton. Visitlortonseniorcenter.org or call 703-550-7195 for more.

Trunk or Treat. 6:30-8:30 p.m. AtJubilee Christian Center, 4650Shirley Gate Road, Fairfax. There willbe free candy and refreshments, andprizes for best decorated vehicle &costumes. Call 703-383-1170, or visitwww.jccag.org.

Hitchcocktober: Psycho (1954). 7p.m. at Angelika Film Center –Mosaic, 2911 District Ave., Fairfax.

The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn

Mark Twain’s timeless classicsweeps us down the mighty Missis-sippi in this musical adaptation ofHuck Finn. Our irrepressible herohelps his friend Jim escape tofreedom while sharing hilarious,suspenseful and heartwarmingadventures, all told with unforget-table, classically American music.Professional Artist in Residence,Thomas W. Jones II helms thisjourney. Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 25-28, 8 p.m. at George MasonUniversity Center for the Arts-ConcertHall, 4373 Mason Pond Drive,Fairfax. $15 for students and seniors,$30 for adults. Call 703-901-5941 orvisit cfa.calendar.gmu.edu/big-river-the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finnfor more.

Submit entertainment announcements at www.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/.The deadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artwork encouraged.

electronics, home decorations andfashion accessories will be available.Proceeds go to support ECHO(Ecumenical Community HelpingOthers.) Visit the website www.echo-inc.org.

Saturday Community Farmers’Market. Through Oct. 27, 8 a.m.-1p.m. at 10500 Page Ave., Fairfax —one block from West and Mainstreets behind the Wells Fargo Bankand adjacent to the Historic FairfaxCounty Courthouse. Visitwww.fairfaxsaturdaymarket.com.

Farmers Market. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2p.m. at Springfield Town Center,6699 Spring Mall Drive, Springfield.Visit www.facebook.com/SpringfieldFoodworks/.

Both Sides Tour XXI. 8:15 a.m. Leavefrom Franconia Museum at theFranconia Governmental Center,6121 Franconia Road. Elijah Whitegrew up in Maryland and moved toVirginia before the Civil War. Hebuilt his famed Thirty-Fifth Battalion,Virginia Cavalry with troops fromboth sides of the Potomac River.$100, includes bus, lunch, and acontribution to the FranconiaMuseum. Bottled water will beprovided on the bus. Contact DonHakenson at 703-971-4984 [email protected].

Genealogy in the Digital Age. 9a.m.-2 p.m. At Dunn LoringVolunteer Fire Station, Oct. 312148Gallows Road, Vienna. FairfaxGenealogical Society’s Fall GenealogyFair, “Genealogy in the Digital Age”with James M. Beidler. Plus vendors.Registration online at https://2018fxgsfallfair.eventbrite.com. Costafter October 15: FxGS member, $45, non-member $55. Visit the websitewww.fxgs.org

Trunk or Treat. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at TheMott Community Center, 12111Braddock Road, Fairfax. Come out tocelebrate the community andHalloween at Trunk or TreatCommunity Day. Join friends andneighbors for food, music, vendors,moon bounce, trunk or treating, andmore. Free. Call 703-278-8605 orvisit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services.

“Real vs Reel: A Closer Look atthe Medicine of Mercy Street.”2 p.m. at Historic Blenheim, 3610Old Lee Highway, Fairfax. Jake Wynnfrom the National Museum of CivilWar Medicine in Frederick, Md., willexplore and compare “real” medicalpractices from the Civil War versusthe medical treatments shown in“Mercy Street,” the PBS mini-series.Free. Call 703-591-0560.

Transforming Lives Gala. 6:30-11p.m. at The Westin Alexandria, 400Courthouse Square, Alexandria. Since1974, Good Shepherd Housing &Family Services has been reducinghomelessness and enabling self-sufficiency by providing permanent


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Calendar

Every Thursday night in October aclassic film by Sir Alfred Hitchcockwill be featured with a bonusscreening of PSYCHO on Halloween.Tickets are $10. Visitangelikafilmcenter.com.

Madhaunter’s Madhouse. 7-11 p.m.at The Workhouse Arts Center, 9518Workhouse Way, Lorton.Madhaunter’s Madhouse hauntedtrail of terror returns to theWorkhouse for a third year of scares.In 2018, screams will echo across the55-acre historic Workhouse campus,built on the grounds of the once-abandoned and notorious DCDepartment of Corrections LortonReformatory. More information,tickets ($20), and volunteeropportunities are available atworkhousearts.org/madhaunter.

THURSDAY/NOV. 1“Frequent, Certain, and Regular

Elections” A Symposium. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. At Gunston Hall, 10709Gunston Road, Mason Neck. GeorgeMason wrote in the VirginiaDeclaration of Rights thatrepresentatives of the people shouldbe chosen in “frequent, certain, andelections.” With all of the talk aboutmid-terms, it’s the perfect time tostep back and look at the history ofelections and voting in America. Costis $85 Registration, $70 for Friendsof Gunston Hall. Online Registrationis open until 4 p.m. on Oct. 31,registration may be completed at thedoor after that time. Visitwww.eventbrite.com.

Accessibility Workshop. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. At 1st Stage Theater, 3007,1524 Spring Hill Road, McLean, inTysons Corner. ARTSFAIRFAX willhost a free workshop on accessibilitydesigned to be practical in terms ofthe barriers people with disabilities

face in experiencing the arts, but alsoinspirational in how some artsorganizations are re-framing theirapproach to these audiences withnew programs and services.Participants will hear from thefollowing speakers: Niyati Dhokai,Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor,George Mason University, College ofVisual and Performing Arts; MaritMajeske, Front of House andCommunity Inclusion Manager,Hylton Center for the PerformingArts; Shanna Sorrells, 1st StageAccessibility and Education Fellow;and Katrina Clark, CreativeCaptioning. RSVP [email protected]. VisitARTSFAIRFAX.org.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY/NOV. 2-3Wild Horse and Burro Event. Friday

9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.At Meadowood Recreation Area,10406 Gunston Road, Lorton. Bureauof Land Management-Eastern States(BLM-ES) Northeastern StatesDistrict will hold a wild horse andburro event providing wild horsesand possibly a few yearling andburros. The event will potentiallyinclude sale-eligible animals.Purchasers receive immediateownership of the animal on the dayof the event. Call 1-866-4MUSTANGS(1-866-468-7826) or visitwww.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov.

”The Story of Hansel and Gretel.”Friday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. andSaturday, Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. and 7:30p.m. At The Stage at Holy TrinityChurch, 850 Balls Hill Road, McLean.Cost is $10. Delight over this sweetand charming musical adaptation.Sent into the woods, Hansel andGretel meet up with a number ofpeculiar characters. Purchase ticketsat bit.ly/oshanselgretel. Visit thewebsite www.oakcrest.org.


News

See Horror, Page 9

By Mike Salmon

The Connection

When Casey Fero is out onstage singing “Sweet Transvestite,” he gets in character to become Dr. Frank N.

Furter, one of the stars in The Rocky Hor-ror Picture Show, at the Workhouse The-ater in Lorton. The Doctor is not like Feroat all, but when you’re an actor, that’s whatyou do.

“I just kind of let it all go, be that per-son,” he said.

Fero is an actor from Fredericksburg whois part of the cast that is putting on the the-atrical performance of Rocky Horror for thesecond run at the Workhouse Theater. Hedidn’t have to memorize the song or the partthough, he’d seen the original movie a fewtimes and knew the part of Furter fromwhen Tim Curry played it in 1975.

Local talent, up and coming performersmake the horror classic.


Hayfield theater students Sarah Sherrill, left, Carlee Maben and MadalynMcQuillan will try to learn from the live show.

West Springfieldgraduate ClarePfeifer runs thesound and stage.

Mary Payne doesone of her manywigs for the show.

Photos by

Mike Salmon/

The Connection


*These meetings will be held in conjunction with planned I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan meetings. Fall meeting materials will be available at http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/planning/fallmeetings/ beginning October 15, 2018.

Comments will be accepted until December 13, 2018.

The Commonwealth is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, its services on the basis of race, color, or national origin, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need further information on these policies or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, please contact the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Title VI Compliance Officer at 804-786-2730 or the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Title VI Compliance Officer at 804-786-4440 (TTY users call 711).

Monday, October 15, 2018at 4 p.m.

Culpeper District Office1601 Orange RoadCulpeper, VA 22701

Wednesday, October 17, 2018* at 4 p.m.

Blue Ridge Community CollegePlecker Center for Continuing Education

One College LaneWeyers Cave, VA 24486

Monday, October 22, 2018*at 4 p.m.

Southwest Higher Education CenterOne Partnership Circle

Abingdon, VA 24210

Thursday, October 25, 2018*at 2 p.m.

(Note: Start time has changed)Holiday Inn - Valley View3315 Ordway Drive NW

Roanoke, VA 24017

Tuesday, November 13, 2018at 4 p.m.

Hampton Roads District Office7511 Burbage DriveSuffolk, VA 23435

Thursday, November 15, 2018at 4 p.m.

Homewood Suites–Chester12810 Old Stage Road

Chester, VA 23836

Monday, November 19, 2018at 4 p.m.

Lynchburg District ComplexRamey Memorial Auditorium

4303 Campbell AvenueLynchburg, VA 24501

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 4 p.m.

Fredericksburg DistrictOffice Auditorium86 Deacon Road

Fredericksburg, VA 22405

Thursday, November 29, 2018at 5:30 p.m.

NOVA District OfficePotomac Conference Room

4975 Alliance DriveFairfax, VA 22030

If you cannot attend a meeting, you may send your comments on highway projects to Infrastructure Investment Director, VDOT, 1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia 23219, or [email protected].

You may send comments on rail, public transportation, and transportation demand management to Public Information Officer, DRPT, 600 E. Main St., Suite 2102, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or [email protected].

Public MeetingsFall Transportation Meeting

You are invited to participate in public meetings held by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The meetings will begin with an open house followed by a public comment period. At the open house you can learn about various transportation initiatives, as well as Virginia’s project prioritization process (SMART SCALE), Virginia’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, and the VTrans Multimodal Transportation Plan. Representatives from the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment and Departments of Transportation and Rail and Public Transportation will be in attendance to highlight their transportation programs and discuss your ideas and concerns about Virginia’s transportation network. The open house will be followed by a public comment period, where you can provide comments about the various initiatives. Comments will be accepted at the meeting and may also be submitted via email or online at www.CTB.Virginia.gov.

Public Meetings* to be held at the dates, locations and times listed below:

From Page 8

News

“I’ve been watching this moviesince I was 16 so I knew it,” hesaid.

All the cast has seen it before onthe silver screen and knows theparts, but it is still fun for every-one, especially around Halloween.

“We’re here to give you a goodtime,” said Giorgio Mazzarelli, anArlington resident that plays “RiffRaff,” one of the odd charactersalong with Magenta, aka MaryPayne, and Dr. Scott, played byMary’s husband Michael, and oth-ers that are putting on the perfor-mance that is playing at the Work-house for the second time.

“Live performance is somethinglive TV just can’t give you,” saidMazzarelli. It’s the perfect combi-nation around October. “The closerit gets to Halloween, people wantto see something crazy like that,”said Payne.

The Rocky Horror Picture Showoriginally came out on stage in1973 but was made into a cultclassic movie in 1975 where theaudience became involved. Theplot is of a typical horror genrewhere a couple’s car breaks downduring the night and they go to Dr,Frank N. Furter’s house to use thephone. He’s a mad scientist andthe musical mayhem ensues, withcharacters originally played bySusan Sarandon, Tim Curry andBarry Bostwick. The costumeswere of the punk rock fashion, andseveral hit songs came out of it,including “Time Warp Brigade.”

It became the “midnight movie,”of choice in Georgetown, and didhave a run at the Springfield “rock-ing chair,” theater in the 1980swhich was once across from theSpringfield Plaza.

Hayfield Secondary studentsSarah Sherrill, Carlee Maben andMadalyn McQuillan were at the

Workhouse to see the show, andtake some notes since they all aregoing to be on stage at Hayfieldfor a future showing of “AmericanIdiot.” Being right there in thesmall theater, “we can see how wecan portray a better character,”said Maben.

West Springfield graduate ClarePfeifer is one of the stage manag-ers and sound technicians. Al-though there’s no dangling micro-phones or booms, there are chal-lenges in the sound booth. Every-one has wireless microphones, but“one of the challenges is to makesure they have their mikes on,”Pfeifer said. But it pays off in theend. “When they do well, I dowell,” she said.

“She’s the sound goddess,”added Michael Omohundro, akaDr. Eddy Scott.

Tucked away in a few off-stagealcoves are the band, consisting ofa drummer, organ and saxophone.

Through Oct. 28, 2018, Fridaysand Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundaysat 5 p.m.

Tickets: $20-$35, 703-584-2900, Website: workhousearts.org


It’s elbow toelbow in thedressing room.Casey Fero doeshis ownmakeup as hebecomes Dr.Frank N. Furter.

Photos by

Mike Salmon/

The Connection

Horror movie props comein all sizes.


News

Children search for buried treasures in the sand pit.

Lake Accotink ParkFall Festival a HitA

bout 250-300 people attended the Lake AccotinkPark’s Annual Fall Festival

on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Usinga Halloween-theme, the day con-sisted of fun for children, carnival-style games, haunted tractor rides,miniature golf, and carnival-stylefood.Lake Accotink is part of the FairfaxCounty Park Authority.

According to Joshua Smith,Lakefront Park Manager at LakeAccotink Park: “We do this everyfall around Halloween — so it’s aHalloween-themed event. Weopen up our mini-golf; we havedifferent carnival-style games thekids participate in. We also dohaunted hayrides, which are fam-ily-friendly and dog-friendly aswell. But it’s a great family eventthat people can come out and justhave a great day out at the localpark.”

He continued: “We’re just tryingto bring the community in and letthem know what we have to offerhere at Lake Accotink.

This is kind of the last event thatwe do for the season. So, we hopeto spark interest in what we’regoing to be doing when the Springcomes back around next year. It’sa great fun day.”

—Steve Hibbard

Allison Zwirner, 6, and Katie Campillo, 7, of Springfieldenjoy cotton candy.

Mila Rumiantsev, 4, ofFairfax shows off her facepainting.

Ellie Readman, 4 � , ofAsheville, NC, plays theSpider Web Splat gameduring Lake Accotink Park’sAnnual Fall Festival onSaturday, Oct. 20, 2018.

Photos by

Steve Hibbard

The Connection


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

By KENNETH B. LOURIE

There I was, Wednesday evening, Oct. 17, around 6:30, sitting on my living room couch, club sandwich in hand, preparing for the League Championship Series game 5 between my Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros when as I’ve done a thousand times before, grabbed the remote to turn on the television. Pressing the usual button, I was distressed to see no picture and hear no sound. Having experienced this kind of disappointment numerous times before, I didn’t panic yet. I went about the diagnostic

I checked my remote to see if the batteries

pointed the remote back at the television, but still no response.. Next, as I have been prompted previously under similar circumstances (“Your X-1 platform ... .”), I pulled the plug and waited 30-plus seconds before reconnecting. Thirty seconds later, I re-plugged and still my television

check the status of my computer since they’re “cableized” together. The lights on my modem

one of my desk top icons and was met with the

my worst suspicion. For the moment, 90 minutes before game time, I was out of service (heck, I was out of luck). Finally, I called my cable pro-

I was met with the equally dreaded pre-recorded message: “There has been a service interruption in your area. Service is expected to be restored tomorrow afternoon.” “TOMORROW AFTER-NOON? THE GAME IS TONIGHT!” That was the exclamation I can print. What came next was not particularly complimentary.

For the next hour or so I puttered and mut-tered and did nothing to improve my circum-stances. At 9:30 pm I called my brother to get a score. (He lives in Washington, DC and has a

phone, a k a “stupid phone”). Unfortunately, he had left his cell phone in another room and didn’t hear my call. Frustrated, I swore yet again and trudged upstairs to go to bed. After getting into my “jammies,” I laid down in bed and rolled onto my left side to set the alarm on my clock radio when it hit me (not the clock radio); the baseball game is being broadcast on the radio! And so I scrolled the dial on the clock radio until I heard ESPN radio broadcasters John Shambee and Jessica Mendoza calling the game. If I can’t watch the game, I can certainly listen to it. And so I did, just like I did as a “little-leaguer” all those many years ago listening to Ken Coleman and Ned Martin of the “Boston Red Sox radio network” while living on Athelstane Road in Newton Centre, Ma. Except this time, I wasn’t clutching a transistor radio. I was hands free, listening.

For the next nearly three hours, I laid in bed and listened. Most of the broadcast I heard and some of it I missed as occasionally I fell asleep. But for a time I was transported back in time sort of, before cable television proliferated when the games were broadcast almost exclusively on radio and baseball was seen through the eyes of those sitting in the “Catbird seat,” to quote the legendary Red Barber. Listening to how they described what they saw during the game was how many of my generation - and the preceding generation, fell in love with baseball: “How about that!” to quote the late, great, Mel Allen.

It was a late night, but happily, for me and Red Sox Nation, the Sox won and will now be

since 2013. Game one will be Tuesday night, Oct. 23. I can’t imagine that there will be a repeat non-performance from my cable provider, but if there is, and I am forced to go to plan “B”, radio, I will do so. The circumstances got us a

wouldn’t get us a win in game one, too. After all, it’s not only the ballplayers that are superstitious.

Resorting to RadioSubmit civic/community announcements at

ConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Photos andartwork welcome. Deadline is Thursday at noon, atleast two weeks before event.

WEDNESDAYSFinancial Literacy Classes. 7:30 p.m. At 2751

Prosperity Ave., Suite 310, Fairfax. DiMaViRealtors will be offering free courses onfinancial literacy with topics ranging fromretirement planning, investment, navigating themortgage and loan industries, and taxing issues.Call 571-322-1884 to register.

VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED.The Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke

needs volunteer drivers for trips to medicalappointments (Monday - Friday) and companionshopping (Tuesday, Friday) within the Fairfax-Burke area and in the South County area (westof Route 1, Alexandria). Office volunteers arealso needed to work in the SCFB (Olley Glen)office to schedule rides. Bilingual volunteers(English and Spanish) are needed as drivers andoffice volunteers. Email Shavaun Wall [email protected] or call 703-323-4788.

SOBER-RIDE FOR HALLOWEENFree Sober Rides. Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 p.m.

through Sunday, Oct. 28, 4 a.m. Area residents,21 and older, may download Lyft to theirphones, then enter a code in the app’s “Promo”section to receive a no cost (up to $15) safe ridehome. WRAP’s Halloween SoberRide promocode will be posted at 5 p.m. on Oct. 27 onwww.SoberRide.com. The SoberRide code isvalid for the first 1,500 Lyft users who enter thecode.

THURSDAY/OCT. 25Public Comment Deadline. The Virginia

Department of Rail and Public Transportation(DRPT) announces a 45-day public commentperiod for it’s proposed policy and guidelines fortransit capital prioritization and urban transitagency strategic plans. The proposed plans areavailable online at drpt.virginia.gov/transit/tsdac/public-comment. Comments on the planscan be sent to Jen DeBruhl [email protected] or DRPT, 600 EastMain St., Suite 2012, Richmond, VA 23219.

Gentle Yoga. 12:30-2 p.m. at Sentara SurgerySpecialists Comprehensive Breast Center, 8988Lorton Station Blvd., Suite 103, Lorton. Thisyoga protocol is facilitated by Pat FitzsimmonsRN, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, an instructorspecifically trained to work with cancer patientswho will adapt traditional yoga practices tomeet the physiological and psychological needsof cancer patients. No registration required. It isrecommended that participants dresscomfortably and bring a yoga mat, towel(s), andwater. Visit www.sentara.com for more.

SATURDAY/OCT. 27Caregiver Bootcamp. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at

Insight Memory Care Center, 3953 Pender Drive,Suite 100, Fairfax. It can be hard as a busycaregiver to find all the information to best carefor a loved one with dementia. Insight offers theCaregiver Bootcamp to share essentialcaregiving topics, all in one place. A continentalbreakfast and lunch will be provided free ofcharge. Register online at insightmcc.org, orcontact Lindsey Vajpeyi at 703-204-4664 [email protected].

VolunteerFest. A region-wide day of communityservice helps nonprofits accomplish tasks theywould not have time or resources to do on theirown. Visit www.volunteerfairfax.org/individuals/volunteerfest.php for more.

MONDAY/OCT. 29Richmond Highway Widening Public

Information Meeting. 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Mt.Vernon High School Cafeteria & Auditorium(Enter at Door #8), 8515 Old Mt. Vernon Road,Alexandria. The Virginia Department ofTransportation (VDOT) will host a publicinformation meeting on the Richmond HighwayWidening project to provide an update as well asan opportunity for the public to comment on theproject. The meeting will include an openhouse, a formal presentation and a question andanswer period. Individual questions will also beaddressed during the open house. Thepresentation begins at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.Visit www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/richmond_highway.asp formore.

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FOR YOUR TOYOTA

WELCOME TO ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA’SPERSONALIZED CAR CARE EXPERIENCE

SPECIAL SAVINGS

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celebrating fall at lake accotink...

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