Mount Vernon’s Hometown Newspaper • A Connection Newspaper April 26, 2012 Debutante Historic Huntley Ball To Open at Last n Saturday, Hybla Valley villa to become OApril 21, the Fairfax County’s newest public park. first Power of Pink Debutante Ball was held in the Gunston Gym By Michael Lee Pope at West Potomac High The Gazette Ribbon Cutting School. The Power of On Saturday, May 19, officials from Pink is a young women’s the Fairfax County Park Authority will fter decades of waiting, conduct a ribbon cutting for Historic mentoring program. Historic Huntley will fi- Huntley at 2:30 p.m. The site will be Anally open its doors to open for tours from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. the public next month. Photos by Officials with the Fairfax County dusk every day. County officials Louise Krafft/ From right: West Potomac High School seniors Rebecca Park Authority are planning a May will also make the property avail- The Gazette Adams, Morgan Ramsay, Angelica Lewis and Brianna Boyd. 19 launch, a long-awaited open- able for rent, as long as the use is ing for a historic property built in determined appropriate. Educa- the 1820s by Alexandria Mayor tional programs will be offered Thomson Mason. The old house throughout the year to schools, has been boarded up since being scouts and other groups. purchased by the Fairfax County “Buildings do talk,” said Hunt- Park Authority in 1989, when ley Meadows Park site manager county leaders set out to restore Carolyn Gamble in a 2005 inter- Rebecca the villa overlooking Hybla Valley. view. “When the Fairfax County Adams gets Since then, county voters have ap- Park Authority started investigat- some help proved two bond referendum bal- ing it, this house had a lot to say.” with her lot items worth $3 million. dress from “We are very excited,” said Judy RESTORATION of the property her mom, Pedersen, public information for included demolition of additions Aisha, and the park authority. “It’s been a re- that were not part of the original classmates. ally long time coming.” structure, presenting the house as The house will be open for pub- it appeared in the 1820s. The in- lic tours every Saturday through terior was renovated to provide November, and the grounds of the property will be open dawn to See Hybla Valley, Page 7 Photo by Louise Krafft/The Gazette Historic Huntley was constructed in the 1820s. 4/27/12 Requested in home in Requested material. Time-sensitive From right: Elhan Abdurahman, Endurance Duah, Gifty Adjei, Postmaster: Antaianette Acevero, Kisanat Asfaha, Kaya Hampton, Genesis Taylor and Attention Permit #482 Permit Shakira Richards look at cell phone pictures before being presented at VA Alexandria, PAID the first Power of Pink Debutante Ball. Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ April 26- May 2, 2012 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Mount Vernon Gazette ❖ April 26- May 2, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Mount Vernon Gazette Editor Steven Mauren News 703-778-9415 or [email protected] Photo by Sylvain Richard Ian Roberts, back left, chairman of this year’s Mount Vernon/VIC CROP Hunger Walk on May 6, checks out this year’s CROP T-shirts with young people from St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 8531 Riverside Road, Alexan- dria, site of this year’s walk. Wynne Kelch, back right, a St. Aidan’s Walk The Stratford Landing Elementary School’s 5th grade Odyssey of the captain and pictured with her husband Greg, helps rally all of the Mount Mind team members are Nicholas Greve, Rhys Shallbetter, Lukas Vernon walkers for major fundraising support. Brokamp, Lindsay Johnson, Jenna Mulvihill, Mary Bell, and Lily Penn. Join Mount Vernon CROP Walk On Their Way to Iowa ecause they walk, we walk” is the local hunger-fighting initiatives. “The rest theme of the 32nd annual Church goes to countries where people have to walk tratford Landing Elementary The World Finals will be held at Iowa BWorld Services CROP Hunger miles a day to get their food, water, fuel or S School’s 5th grade Odyssey of State University from May 23-26. The team Walk on May 6. Sponsored by medical care,” said Stewart. the Mind team, coached by Terri will be one of hundreds of teams from area churches through Ven- Walkers on May 6 will return to Bell, has qualified to go to the World Fi- across the United States and from over 25 tures in Community (VIC) and St. Aidan’s for a celebration with nals in Ames, Iowa. Odyssey of the Mind countries throughout the world. It will cost starting at St. Aidan’s Episco- music, snacks and juices available is a creative problem-solving competition over $9,000 to finance the team’s registra- pal Church, 8531 Riverside for a donation, and T-shirts, hats, for students ages Kindergarten through tion costs, travel expenses and room and Road, Alexandria, the CROP and plants for sale. Last year’s college. The team worked on their prob- board over the 4-day competition. Walk winds through the local Mount Vernon CROP Walk lem in the category of Weird Science. The team members are Nicholas Greve, community for 1.5 miles. Regis- gleaned $18,000 for the cause. They came in first in their division at the Rhys Shallbetter, Lukas Brokamp, Lind- tration begins at 12:30 at St. Sponsor forms for walkers are regional competition, which was held at say Johnson, Jenna Mulvihill, Mary Bell, Aidan’s, and the Walk begins at available at local churches. West Potomac High School, and also and Lily Penn. They are in the process of 1:30. Funds can be raised by walk- came in first at the state finals in New- raising funds to help get them to Iowa. “Everyone is invited to partici- ing with sponsors, by sponsor- port News on April 14. The team was also If interested in donating, send checks, pate in the CROP Walk which ing someone else, by sponsor- the only team, out of 108 competing at made out to Stratford Landing PTA (with raises funds to end hunger at home ing work on-site on May 6, or by on-line the state level, that was given the Ranatra OM noted on the check), to Stratford and around the world,” according to St. gift giving at www.cropwalkonline.org , ref: Fusca award, which is presented to a Landing PTA, attn: Terri Bell (OM), 8484 Aidan’s Walk captains Eric Stewart and Mt. Vernon Walk. team that demonstrates exceptional cre- Riverside Road, Alexandria, VA 22308. Wynne Kelch. Twenty-five percent of the The CROP Walk is a program of Church ativity at the competition. All donations are tax deductible. funds raised stay in this community, assist- World Services, an interfaith response to di- ing UCM and New Hope Housing and other sasters around the world since 1947. Hybla Valley Villa To Become County’s Newest Public Park From Page 1 interested in taking up the cause through the National Park Service’s where he could escape the hot sum- of restoring it. In 1998, they joined Save America’s Treasures program. mer days in Old Town. public access for cultural program- forces and created Friends of His- Huntley’s hilltop location takes ming. Three learning lab spaces toric Huntley. THE HOME MAY have been used advantage of cooling breezes and and public restrooms are now lo- “The place was being held to- as a summer vacation home by by Photo its subterranean icehouse — a cated in the basement. The main gether with fairy dust and chew- Mason, who was a grandson of “for- brick dome under the ground — level includes an exhibit room, two ing gum,” said Barbara Ballentine, gotten founder” George Mason. is naturally chilly. The terraced interpretive rooms and a period- president of the friends group. Thomson Mason served on the Louise Krafft gardens must have offered a pic- of-significance room. “That’s why we are so excited to town council in Alexandria and his turesque environment to spend a “It’s a beautiful example of the see it now looking so spectacular.” involvement in local politics in- warm summer day. federal style because of its symme- In 1998, voters approved a park cluded five terms as mayor and No one is certain how Huntley try,” said J.G. Harrington, a mem- bond that funded the preservation three terms as justice of the peace. was used. Mason acquired the ber of Friends of Historic Huntley and redevelopment of the property, An 1807 graduate of Princeton, /The Gazette property circa 1825. But the archi- during a recent open house at the which had been abandoned and Mason was a lawyer by profession. tectural evidence suggests that site. “The design could have come was falling apart. A master plan He was also a strong advocate in part of the house may have been from a pattern book or Mason was approved by the park author- the fight to separate Alexandria built before he acquired the prop- could have designed it himself.” ity board in 2002, when $1.2 mil- from the District of Columbia. Six erty. lion was appropriated for architec- months before his death in 1838, The surrounding farmland used BY THE 1990S, the house was tural and landscape reports, stud- he was named as the first judge of The ice well at Historic to grow corn, rye, wheat and oats falling apart. Vagrants were stop- ies and design. A 2008 park bond the new Criminal Court in the Dis- Huntley is much larger on the land which is now Huntley ping at the historic house and leav- funded $1.8 million to complete trict of Columbia.