<hd>Indian Festival at Riverbend Park
<bt>The Fairfax County Park Authority will be holding its seventh annual Virginia Indian Festival from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Riverbend Park.
"This is an opportunity for us to help people explore what Native Americans saw when they first arrived here," said Judy Pedersen, a public information officer with the Fairfax County Park Authority. "It's living history, but the people who participate are not actors, they're members of the tribes they're representing."
Demonstrations of Native American crafts, activities and traditions will be given throughout the day by members of the Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Pamunkey and Chickahominey tribes, all native to the Northern Virginia area, Pedersen said.
Author Jan Fleet Umbra will be on hand to discuss her children's book, Potomac Captive, The Adventures of Henry Fleet, Pedersen added.
Admission for the Festival is $5 per person and children ages two and under are free. More information is available by calling Riverbend Park at 703-759-9018 or on the Park Authority Web site, www.fairfaxounty.gov/parks.
<hd>Gas Leak on Old Dominion
<bt>A HAZMAT team and the McLean Fire and Rescue Department were notified of a gas leak near Balducci's on Old Dominion Drive around 8 a.m. Friday morning, according to Lt. Raul Castillo, public information officer for the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
A renovation project at 6633 Old Dominion Drive hit a two-inch gas pipeline, Castillo said, which prompted the emergency call. The damage was repaired by 9:40 a.m., Castillo said, and no injuries were reported.
<sh>National Assisted Living Week
<bt>Sept. 12-16 is National Assisted Living Week. Beginning on Grandparent's Day, the week spotlights the role assisted living residences play in helping the nation's elderly to live as independently as possible while enjoying a meaningful quality of life. It also provides an opportunity to celebrate the involvement of families, staff, volunteers and individuals from the community in the lives of assisted living residents.
Two Vinson Hall Retirement Community locations, The Sylvestery, 1728 Kirby Road, and Arleigh Burke Pavilion, 1739 Kirby Road, will host a series of events. Special events at The Sylvestery include Grandparent's Day Tea Social for residents and families on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.; "A Fair To Remember," featuring a Fair Bake-Off, on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 2:30 p.m.; and a Facility Barbecue for residents and families on Thursday, Sept. 15 at noon.
Special events at Arleigh Burke Pavilion include "A Fair To Remember" celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 3 p.m.; an Honoring Our Veterans Social Thursday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m.; and the "Best of the Best" Bake-Off! with resident judges on Friday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.
Sylvestry residents will be brought to Arleigh on a bus for two combined special events, to which Chesterbrook Elementary School is also invited: "Leesburg Animal Zoo To You" will be on Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. - noon. "Carnival Extravaganza" will be Thursday, Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m.
<sh>Langley Fork Park Planning Meeting
<bt>The Fairfax County Park Authority has initiated a public planning process to re-examine the master plan for Langley Fork Park, 6250 Georgetown Pike, McLean. Langley Fork Park is situated on land owned by the National Park Service and is operated and maintained by the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA). A 25-year special use permit granted by the National Park Service to FCPA for the park will expire in July 2006 and requires that a new master plan for the park be developed.
The planning process will begin with a public information meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Langley High School cafeteria, 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean. The meeting agenda includes a review of the site, as well as area park and recreation needs, and a brief period for questions after the presentation. Additional public meetings will be held over the next six months. Sign language interpreter services are available upon request. Call 703-324-8563 or 703-324-3988 TTY at least one week before the meeting. Comments can be mailed to Andrea Dorlester, project manager for the Planning & Development Division of FCPA, at 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 421, Fairfax, VA 22035. E-mail comments should be sent to parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.