Great Falls to Mark Memorial Day
On Monday, May 28, at 11 a.m., the Great Falls Freedom Memorial Committee will hold its annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the site of the Freedom Memorial (behind the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike). The speaker at this year’s ceremony will be LCDR John A. "Sandy" Pidgeon, a retired Navy SEAL Officer who served in Somalia, Haiti, and Iraq. Members of Boy Scout Troop 55 will raise the flags at the conclusion of the ceremony.
This ceremony is open to all and ample parking is available in the Library parking lot. In case of rain, the ceremony will move into the Library’s meeting room.
Analemma Society to Present Transit of Venus
The planet Venus passes in front of the sun only on very rare occasions. Seeing this is a once in a lifetime event, the next one after this will not occur for 105 years. On Monday, June 4, at 7 p.m. at the Great Falls Library the Analemma Society will do a presentation on the Transit of Venus. Charles Olin and Jeff Kretsch will lead the discussion. The Transit will occur the following late afternoon/evening.
Members will describe the events to occur the following day, Tuesday, June 5 and plans to observe at Observatory Park and present a general history of the importance of the transit of Venus in history.
In the 18th and 19th centuries great international scientific expeditions were launched across the world to observe the Transit because it provided a means to determine the actual scale of our solar system – how far earth actually is from the sun and other planets that orbit the sun with us. In addition to covering what transits are and the current importance to astronomy, as will cover safe means of viewing the upcoming transit.
Great Falls Essay Contest
The Friends of the Great Falls Freedom Memorial invite rising 5th and 6th grade students in Great Falls to describe "A Virginia Hero!" Contestants must choose three words from the 31 words circling the Great Falls Freedom Memorial and explain how those words describe the characteristics of their hero. Entries may be brought or mailed to the Great Falls Library at 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA 22066-2634 and must be received by close of business Aug. 25, 2012.
A $50 money card will be awarded for the best essay in each of these four student groups – Colvin Run Elementary School, Forestville Elementary School, Great Falls Elementary School, and rising 5th and 6th graders who are home-schooled or enrolled
in a private school. Entry forms are available at the Great Falls Library, 703-757-8560, as well as contest details and rules for those who have not received this information at school.
Winners will be contacted on Sept. 29, 2012 and an Essay Contest awards ceremony will be held on Oct. 6, 2012 at 2 p.m. in the Great Falls Library.
Long & Foster to Celebrate Community Service Day
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. has announced that its Great Falls office will recognize the company’s annual Community Service Day by collecting goods for the Embry Rucker Shelter in Reston. Goods include gas, Target and Metro cards, pantry items and rain gear (coats, umbrellas…).
The Great Falls office will be just one of Long & Foster’s more than 170 sales offices throughout the firm’s seven-state, Mid-Atlantic region, and Washington, D.C., to perform service projects within the communities they serve, according to Christina Macro.
Long & Foster sales associates and employees from throughout the company, including staff from its headquarters located in Chantilly, will participate in a variety of volunteer activities such as working to clean up, refurbish and repair nearby parks, schools, shelters, homes, day care centers and local organizations that provide crucial services to the community.