Winter Lantern Festival Debuts for Holiday Season
Winter Lantern Festival will debut a spectacular holiday light adventure at the Lerner Town Square in Tysons starting December 16 through February 12th. Created by Kaleido Arts & Entertainment Group, Winter Lantern Festival will feature a total of over 10,000 of LED Chinese-inspired artisan lanterns, along with live performances and on-site food vendors.
Winter Lantern Festival comes to the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area for its first immersive DMV Winter Lantern Festival. From New York with 150,000 annual guests, 3 years in a row, this is an experience for the whole family. Running until 2/12/23, the Lerner Town Square at Tysons will be transformed into a dazzling world of light with over 1000 Chinese lanterns; all handmade by artisans with decades of experience. The lanterns and bright displays will light the night and bring warmth this holiday season.
Winter Lantern Festival will feature over ten thousand handmade Chinese lanterns created by over one hundred artists, illuminated by LED lights, that can reach up to 30 feet high across 60 acres. Located in the Lerner Town Square at 8025 Galleria Drive, Tysons.
Barkley Pet Spa Taking Donations for the Holidays
Barkley Square Pet Spa is taking donations for the Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. Starting December 9th through the 23rd they will accept donations in their front lobby. Please come by any day, Monday-Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to drop off donations.
They appreciate in-kind donations of supplies to help with caring for their animals as well as helping with the administrative side of rescue. Animal needs include dog leashes, bath and beach sized towels, training treats, Martingale style collars – all sizes, Frontline for dogs and cats – all sizes, high quality canned cat food, high quality canned dog food, hot dogs, string cheese and tough toys like Kongs and Nylabones.
Office needs include white copy/printer paper, Brother toner cartridges TN-760, Brother toner cartridges TN-221 black and color and postage stamps. Gift cards needed include gas stations, Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway and Home Depot. Cleaning supplies needed include bleach, laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, toilet paper and nitrile gloves – all sizes.
Hanks Williams Tribute Show Hosted by Birchmere Hall
The 25th Annual “Tribute to Hank Williams” plays the Birchmere Music Hall on Friday, December 30 at 7:30pm. This country, honky tonk, swingin’ extravaganza of musical friends collaborating to bring to life classic songs from the real roots of country music.
Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer host the evening with Daryl Davis and Prairie Home Companion stars Robin and Linda Williams (Staunton, VA). The Honky Tonk Band includes Patrick McAvinue on fiddle (Country Current) and Alex Lacquement on bass.
Hank Williams was a consummate country songwriter, with hits that included “So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Your Cheatin Heart,” “The Lovesick Blues” and “Jambalay.” He died at the age of 29, on New Year’s 1953, leaving behind a legacy of songs and performances that will not be forgotten. In the six years of his recording career, Hank Williams songs created the definition of the perfect country song. This popular show brings together an all-star cast of friends who get together just once a year to celebrate the songs of a country music idol.
On Sandy Hook Anniversary, Activists Protest at NRA HQ
On the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 14, the tenth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, survivors, and gun violence prevention activists will gather outside the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) headquarters in Fairfax, Va. Protests have been held outside the NRA headquarters every 14th of the month since the Sandy Hook shooting, 120 in total.
Speakers, including survivors and activists across several gun violence prevention groups, shared their stories of gun violence and urged the U.S. Senate to pass a national assault weapons ban before the end of the current session. The event comes after this year’s mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Highland Park, Ill. and Buffalo, N.Y., where assault weapons were used in the attacks.
The demonstration began at 10 a.m., the time of the start of the Sandy Hook shooting, and an interfaith group of clergy read the names of victims of the shooting. At least several hundred participants attended the event.
City of Falls Church Holiday Closures Happening Soon
City of Falls Church government programs and services will be closed for the upcoming holidays, except for the Farmers Market, as listed below:
City Hall (300 Park Ave.): Closed Friday and Monday, December 23 and 26.Closed Monday, January 2, 2023.
Community Center (223 Little Falls St.): Closed Saturday and Sunday, December 24 and 25. Building available for Farmers Market patrons on Saturday. Closed Saturday, December 31, 2022, and Sunday, January 1, 2023. Building available for Farmers Market patrons on Saturday.
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.): Closed Friday through Monday, December 23 through 26. Closed Sunday and Monday, January 1-2, 2023.
Weekly Farmers Market (City Hall Parking Lot, 300 Park Ave.): Open Saturday, December 24. Open Saturday, December 31.
F.C. Teen Receives YoungArts Award
Sophia Lin of Falls Church, Virginia from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, has received a 2023 YoungArts award in Classic Music. Lin has been recognized for the caliber of her artistic achievement and joins 702 of the most accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists from throughout the county. Selected through the organization’s prestigious competition, YoungArts award winners, all 15–18 years old or in grades 10–12, are chosen for the caliber of their artistic achievement by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists through a rigorous blind adjudication process.
YoungArts award winners join a distinguished community of artists and are offered creative and professional development support throughout their careers. A complete list of the 2023 winners is available online at youngarts.org/winners.
For the duration of her career, Lin is eligible for exclusive creative and professional development support including a wide range of fellowships, residencies and awards; microgrants and financial awards; virtual and in-person presentation opportunities in collaboration with major venues and cultural partners nationwide; and access to YoungArts Post, a free, private online platform for YoungArts artists to connect, collaborate and discover new opportunities.
Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Hiring Soon
The Recreation and Parks Advisory Board of the Falls Church City Council is looking for two Falls Church City adult residents to fill vacancies on the board. The Board meets on the second Wednesday of each month (excluding July and August) at 7:00 pm in the Community Center. Caroline Carmody and Anand Colby, recently joined the Board as youth representatives from Meridian High School and are looking forward to opportunities to provide their ideas to the Board on topics such as Special Events, hobby classes, and youth and adult sports. Joining the Board is an excellent opportunity for one to do the same as well as assist in the development of our newest park, the Fellows Property, and improvements to our existing parks, i.e., Berman Park. People are invited to our next meeting on December 14th to see if they are interested in joining them.
Goodwin Living Centers Receives Highest Ratings
On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, U.S. News & World Report released its annual “Best Nursing Homes” list for 2022-23. Both Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads (GHBC) and Goodwin House Alexandria (GHA) received the highest ratings.
To develop the “Best Nursing Homes” list, U.S. News reviewed more than 15,000 short-term and long-term nursing care centers throughout the country, covering every state and nearly 100 metropolitan areas. Out of all those evaluated, 2,426 (16 percent) centers received the “Best Nursing Home” distinction.
According to the U.S. News website, this year’s ratings were the first to feature measurements on weekend staffing and infection rates that led to hospitalizations. This newly available data provides even more information about how nursing homes rate when it comes to the safety of their residents. For the 2022-23 listings, GHA and GHBC each received the “High-Performing” rating in both the Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care categories. “High-Performing” is the highest level of recognition offered.