PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Elkton, MD Great Falls PERMIT #31 Postal Customer ECR WSS Attention Postmaster: Time sensitive material. Requested in home 10-16-08 Chase and his brother Hank Stabolepsza explore the inside of the cab in the fire truck during the Volunteer Fire Department’s open house last Saturday. Great Falls Tour d’Arte News, Page 3 Classifieds, Page 20 Classifieds, ❖ Sports, Page 18 ❖ Making Faith, Page 17 ❖ ‘Green Choice$’ News, Page 4 Opinion, Page 8 ❖ Schools, Page 14 Schools, Station’s Farewell Open House News, Page 3 Photo by Donna Manz/The Connection Photo www.ConnectionNewspapers.comOctober 15-21, 2008, 2008 ❖ Volume XXII, Number 42 Great Falls Connectionwww.connectionnewspapers.com ❖ October 15-21, 2008 ❖ 1 • Wall-to-Wall Carpet • Wool Wall-to-Wall Carpet • Stair & Hall Runners • In-Home Fabrication • Prefinished Hardwood • Custom Sand & Finish • Ceramic • Sisal Rugs • Oriental Rugs • Fabric Border Rugs • Custom Border Rugs Couristan • Fabrica • Masland • Mirage • Stanton SERVING YOU SINCE 1998 EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICE & SUPERIOR CRAFTSMANSHIP Great Falls OPEN Leesburg Floors GREAT FALLS Calico . Rt. 193 SUNDAYS o Georgetown Pike Rte. 7 and Georgetown Pike (Route 193) C . d. y x R McLean w Old Dominion Dr k irfa . Seneca Square (Next to Calico Corners) P Dranesville R a t. 7 F 703-759-9200 1025-N Seneca Road RestonPkwy Monday through Saturday 10-6 • Sunday 12-4 • VISA • Master Card • Discover • AMEX Herndon Reston Tysons Corner 2 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ October 15-21, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com NewsNews Photos by Photos Louise Krafft Photo by Al Reitan Laura Nichols will demonstrate raku firing at her studio, Pig Pen Pottery. /The Connection Tour d’Arte Great Falls Art Stu- dios Tour exhibits 38 Volunteer firefighter Ashraf shakes hands with the children. artists this weekend. reat Falls artists will open their stu Station’s Farewell Open House Gdios to the public this Saturday and Sunday for the fifth annual Great Volunteer Fire Falls Art Studios Tour, with 38 artists show- ing their work in 19 different locations. Department hosted Plenty of painters will be participating, as well as a number of photographers and strong turnout for final potters, some jewelers, and one man who makes modern, wooden wall pieces he calls open house in soon-to- “wood weavings,” Great Falls Studios Presi- be-replaced station. dent Laura Nichols said. She said about half a dozen of the artists would be new to the tour, which is unguided and free. undreds turned out for the New this year will be a kickoff party Fri- Great Falls Volunteer Fire day evening at the Art Atelier in its new HDepartment’s annual open location in the Colvin Run area. Activities house last Saturday. Depart- there will include a raffle for “art bucks” — ment President Jerry Smith said the station good toward the purchase of any art on the had put out especially heavy marketing for tour — and other prizes. The party is also the event, which coincided with National free. A number of artists will be demon- Fire Prevention Week, “because this is go- strating their craft during the tour, Nichols ing to be the last open house we have at said. She will demonstrate raku firing at her this station, hopefully.” The facility is to be studio, Pig Pen Pottery. “I fire the pots in an demolished in the spring, and a new sta- outside grill, and it’s pretty dramatic,” she The crew at the fire station lined up all of their equipment in the drive- tion built in its place. said. In the Old Brogue Irish Pub, painter way for viewing. Smith said it was unlikely there would John McCabe will work on a painting of be an open house next year, as the people eating at the Old Brogue. firefighters will be housed in trailers and The restaurant will offer reduced-cost apparatus will be stored elsewhere. lunches from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. both days, Historic photos of the building were on available with a coupon that can be picked display at the event, as well as the floor up at any tour location. Conveniently, plans for the future fire station. Katie’s Coffee House, an extension of the Also featured were demonstrations of Old Brogue, is one of three businesses par- “EMS packaging” — the way emergency ticipating in the tour and housing exhibits. medical personnel get an injured person The other two are Seneca Hill Animal Hos- onto a stretcher and to the hospital — and pital and RE/MAX Gateway. how a firefighter dons clothes and gear. A Nichols said RE/MAX might make a good “smoke crawl” was set up in the station’s starting point for anyone’s tour, as all of the bunk room, where the room was filled with artists are displayed there, so tourists can fog from a fog machine and children were decide which ones they want to visit. That taught to crawl under smoke to the door, exhibit is already open. Links to many of touching the door to see if it’s hot. the artists’ Web sites are also available on Outside, where the weather was pleas- the Great Falls Studios Web site. ant, children practiced hitting a target with Ten percent of the proceeds from art sales a blast from a fire hose. A children’s fire will be donated to the new Great Falls Foun- engine, as well as the station’s real engines, dation for the Arts. “That’s sort of the fund- were out for children to investigate. raising side of the studio,” Nichols said. “We Smith said the station collected about Ethan and Elizabeth Rowles and Jessica and Max Bolkcom are joined by hope to have an arts center one day in Great $500 in donations that day. more neighbors to watch Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Michael Frames Falls.” — Mike DiCicco through a 70 ft rope. — Mike DiCicco www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Great Falls Connection ❖ October 15-21, 2008 ❖ 3 News Photo by Louise Krafft/Connection State Del. Margaret Vanderhye and Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust listen as McLean Citizens Association President Rob Jackson addresses the group. Making ‘Green Choice$’ Photo by Louise Krafft/The Connection The American Plant’s Haunted House features ghosts, Michelle Coy of McLean. “Even a bats, skeletons, and other Halloween décor, all illumi- Community child can be helping.” Michelle and “Every step that nated with lighting powered by clean, renewable wind forum presents her friend, Renee Wah, both sixth- each of us takes, energy. graders, are in Spring Hill Elemen- resources and tary School’s robotics club and regardless of its were at the green forum to do re- Wind-Powered workshops. search on global warming. size or cost, makes “If I broke a CFL bulb, I’d call By Donna Manz my mom or dad for help,” said a difference in Magic in Great Falls The Connection Renee Spread over two large rooms at achieving energy American Plant presents Haunted aybe it was the the McLean Community Center, bill savings and a presidential de the energy forum presented a di- House using wind energy. bate that kept the versity of programs, services, prod- cleaner, greener M ucts and resources to arm citizens crowd down, but uring October, families House features ghosts, bats, skel- the citizens who did come to the with the tools they need to make environment.” can experience the magic etons, and other Halloween décor, informed energy decisions in their D “Green Choice$” forum on Oct. 7 — Del. Margaret Vanderhye of Halloween and wind all illuminated with lighting pow- at the McLean Community Center homes, workplaces, and lives. power at American Plant, a locally ered by clean, renewable wind were committed to making an en- “Every step that each of us takes, owned garden center with a new energy. prior to Virginia’s energy-effi- vironmental difference. regardless of its size or cost, makes location at 10106 Georgetown “Halloween is the perfect time ciency tax holiday from Oct. 10 – They asked questions, picked up a difference in achieving energy Pike in Great Falls and two loca- to introduce the community to our 13. literature from the tables, and sat bill savings and a cleaner, greener tions in Bethesda, Md. American commitment to eco-friendly prac- Esma Akin Losee of McLean said in on workshops. Many practiced environment,” Del. Margaret Plant uses 100 percent wind tices, including wind energy and she was motivated to come to the environmentally-friendly routines Vanderhye (D-34) said in her wel- power for all of its operations in- our complete line of organic gar- green choices forum because she at home. come address. cluding its magical Halloween at- dening products,” said Mitch wanted to see if she could “be a “Turn off the lights, recycle any Vanderhye said the committee tractions. At its Great Falls loca- Baker, American Plant’s horticul stuff you can,” said 11-year-old chose this date because it was See Forum, Page 6 tion, open since April, a Haunted See Eco-Friendly, Page 6 4 ❖ Great Falls Connection ❖ October 15-21, 2008 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com News 50% TO 75% OFF patios, walls ALL POTS PRICE walkways CUT 25% OFF paver driveways ALL NURSERY STOCK and so much more. 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