OakOak HillHill ❖❖ HerndonHerndon Herndon’s History on Display News, Page 3 Sports, Page 18 ❖ Classifieds, Page 15 Classifieds, ❖ Entertainment, Page 14 ❖ How to Register, Vote and Vote Early News, Page 12 Opinion, Page 6 HerndonHerndon HomeHome toto ManyMany PopularPopular RestaurantsRestaurants News, Page 9 Ann Csonka and Kenny George, volunteers at the Herndon Depot museum, in front of an original mailbox featuring order forms from the early 1900s. Photo by Connection Alex McVeigh/The www.ConnectionNewspapers.comAugust 22-28, 2012 online at Oakwww.connectionnewspapers.com Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ August 22-28, 2012 ❖ 1 Established 1963 Authorized Agents of ORIENTALORIENTAL RUGRUG INVENTORY CLEARANCE SALE TRUETRUE 50%50% OFFOFF Hand-Knotted & Machine-Made Persian, Pakistan and India In a full range of patterns Oriental Rug Cleaning Washed at Our Location Reweaving • New Fringes • All repairs & Rug Types FLOORING IS OUR ONLY BUSINESS! Ice House Old Town Same location for 48 years Hall Elden St. Buren Jimmys St. Spring Eld ROBERTS n ROBERTS Street e 681 Spring St., Herndon Va n St. Across from Fire Station Locust St. Fire Van Buren Station Around the corner from Ice House Cafe Street Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri: 9-6 Parkway Sunset Hills 703-471-7120 Wed: 9-5 • Sat: 9-3 Road Herndon 2 ❖ Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ August 22-28, 2012 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Newcomers & Community Guide 2012~13 Photos by Photos Photos Contributed Photos Alex McVeigh /The Connection Madeleine Steppel, 9, meets White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass Monday, Aug. 20, after winning an online competition. Madeleine Steppel Finds A statue of Commander William Herndon, after whom the town is named, built by Controls and the American flag form the Recipe for Success Herndon High School students in 1980. U.S.S. Herndon, which was used at Omaha The statue is on display at the Herndon Beach in World War II, on display at the Depot museum. Herndon Depot museum. Reston resident dines with president and first lady. Herndon’s History on Display By Alex McVeigh Georgetown for the night, as The Connection well as a tour of the White House and attendance at the Town’s rail history still ne night a few weeks luncheon. major part of downtown. Oago, while she was at “[This contest] has inspired Camp Louise in kids across this country to learn Maryland, Madeleine Steppel, about healthy eating and to get By Alex McVeigh 9, of Reston headed to the ad- in the kitchen [to] start cook- The Connection ministration building to wait for ing,” said Michelle Obama dur- a call. Once she got to the build- ing her address. “You are going ommander William L. Herndon never ing, known around camp as to inspire some students to get actually set foot in the town that bears “the White House,” the call into the kitchen. This is exactly Chis name. The naval commander died 22 came in: she had won a trip to the kind of leadership we need years before the town was founded, go- the real White House for lunch to give our kids the healthy fu- ing down with his ship, the S.S. Central American, with first lady Michelle Obama. ture they deserve.” when it sank in Sept. 1957 off the coast of Cape A Herndon High School diploma from Steppel was one of 54 win- Hatteras, loaded with three tons of gold. 1949 and bicycle frame made out of wood ners in the epicurious.com JUST AFTER SCHOOL let out Herndon, Va. was one of two towns named for by Herndon resident William Kephart, Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, for the summer, Madeleine’s Commander Herndon, along with Herndon, Pa. Two built around 1900, on display at the which earned her a trip to the mother, Debra Steppel, was ships also bore the name U.S.S. Herndon, one of Herndon Depot museum. Kids’ State Dinner Monday, looking for a gazpacho recipe which participated in the invasion at Omaha Beach. Aug. 20. Her recipe was for fish for the family to make for her Around the same time as the death of Commander ety. “Since then, our primary focus has been to pro- chowder and fruity salad. Herndon, the railroad came through what would mote the town’s history in any way we can.” “The president made a sur- See Dining, Page 19 become the town, marking a stop that was 20.9 miles The depot still exists as it did during its use as a prise visit, and it west of Washington, D.C. and 26.8 miles from Round railroad station, with the signal controls, old ledger was amazing to Hill, a popular recreation destination. books and even a segregated waiting room that was see them both to- In 1858, the U.S. Post office decided the town part of the station. gether. I got to would be a good place for a post office, and over the “The upper portion was where most of the heavy- shake hands with next 20 years, the town survived damage to the rail- duty stuff went on, the heavy planks were to sup- him and get a pic- road from the Civil War and built up several build- port the freight that was going on and off,” said Kenny ture with Mrs. ings. George, a volunteer at the museum. Obama,” she said. On Jan. 14, 1879, the Commonwealth of Virginia The upper platform now contains hundreds of ar- “She’s really tall. approved a charter for 4.5 acres of land, with the tifacts from Herndon’s history, all the way from ar- We got to see her railroad station in the center. rowheads discovered during the construction of the inauguration Herndon Centennial Golf Course. gown, which was THE STATION, known as the Herndon Depot, still “Someone found a whole bunch of arrowheads a very tall, and she stands today near the intersection of Lynn Street and few years ago, but they decided to give them to the was even taller in Station street. It is maintained by the Herndon His- Smithsonian, which was a shame, they have storage heels. I had to Fish chowder, whole grain bread torical Society. warehouses full of that stuff,” said Ann Csonka, a look way up.” and fruity salad, the winning entry “The society was founded in the early 80s as the volunteer at the Depot. “That was too bad, we’re short Steppel’s trip from Madeleine Steppel, 9, in the Depot Society, in order to save the depot from being included a stay in Healthy Lunchtime Contest. torn down,“ said Carol Bruce, president of the soci- See History, Page 4 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Oak Hill/Herndon Connection ❖ August 22-28, 2012 ❖ 3 Newcomers 2012~13 LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE, HONEST SHOP? ASK A NEIGHBOR ABOUT US! Herndon History Preserved From Page 3 others, and it’s a world away from where we are now.” on natural history artifacts here.” There’s even an artifact from the ship that ANOTHER SECTION is dedication to Com- Commander Herndon went down with, a mander Herndon. A statue made by students piece of anthracite coal. “They couldn’t get at Herndon High School in 1980, along with us any gold I guess,” George said. a painting and several articles about Com- “It’s amazing how they were able to mander Herndon are posted, including his gather so much from so many eras of his- report on the Valley of the Amazon. Also on tory into that one section,” said Mary Baker display are several of the controls from the of Herndon, who likes to stop by the mu- U.S.S. Herndon, an article about Com- seum during her Sunday bike trips. “They mander Herndon’s daughter, who was mar- have artifacts from even before Herndon, ried to President Chester A. Arthur before but also some interesting stuff from the 50s he was elected, and other town memorabilia. and 60s, which was when I was growing Nearby the museum is the old boxcar, which, up.” while an authentic car, was not one that ran Closer to the control room, the museum on the W and OD Railroad. features a mailbox filled with orders from “The caboose was brought in by George 1912-1917, mostly for milk and other farm Moore, who was a huge train enthusiast products. who almost single-handedly brought it Near the entrance there are a few photo here,” Bruce said. “He got it delivered, albums with historical photos of everything talked to the Department of Public Works from the buildings that were built around to get the track laid and everything.” the stations, to photos of the farmland that The caboose served in the Wheeling and existed where major developments are. Lake Erie Railroad from Aug. 1949, until it “I love the photos, they’re my favorite was donated to the Town of Herndon in No- thing to pore over when I have some time,” vember 1989. It was renumbered to 504 to said Vanessa Boyd of Centreville, whose pay tribute to the W and OD car number 504. parents are Herndon natives. “The funniest The Depot museum is open from noon to 3 thing to me is that the photos of downtown p.m. on Sunday afternoons, and can also be from 100 years ago look sort of the same as opened by special appointments for groups. the downtown does now, a lot of the same More information on the society can be found buildings are there. But then you look at at www.herndonhistoricalsociety.org. Casey’s Automotive is a full service automotive repair shop for almost all makes and models of cars & light trucks.