Author: Adrian Cruz

After 28 Years, Columbia Pike Preschool Prepares to Move

By Adrian Cruz
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Since 1988, the Funshine Preschool has operated at the same location — the Arlington Presbyterian Church at 3507 Columbia Pike — serving generations of Arlington’s children. Now, with the church slated for demolition, the school is preparing to move and raising money to help with its expenses.

Funshine’s current building is the Arlington Presbyterian Church. The church held its final worship service in the building on Sunday, after the property was sold for $8.5 million to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. The building is now slated to be demolished and replaced by a 173-unit apartment complex for low-income residents.

The preschool’s new location will be in a former YMCA building, at 3440 22nd Street S., in the Nauck neighborhood. The building is owned by Macedonia Baptist Church and the move is planned for September or as soon as the renovations are complete. As a backup option, the school has extended their lease in the church until December 2016, just prior to the planned demolition.

To offset the cost of the move, owners Beth McMichael and Paige Neal have launched a GoFundMe page with the goal of keeping tuition at current rates. The school usually enrolls between 60-65 kids, ages 3 months to 5 years, and tuition is between $348 and $418 per week depending on enrollment and teacher-student ratio.

The money gathered via GoFundMe will go towards building renovations and other improvements including building classrooms, making bathrooms child-accessible and the purchase of playground equipment. As of today, it has have raised over $3,000, with the ultimate goal set at $15,000.

Along with education in the classroom, the school participates in a number of activities intended to benefit the community, including diaper drives, Halloween candy donations and knitting scarves for Operation Gratitude, and planting seeds for the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

“We try to teach that giving is more of a lifestyle, not just something you do at Christmas or Thanksgiving,” said Neal.

After spending as much time as they did at the old location, school staff members are emotional about the change but optimistic about the new location.

“There’s a lot of us that have been here for a very long time, we can walk through the halls with our eyes closed. We love it here and we’ll always love this area,” said Neal. “This has been the place where we’ve done most of our serving of the community, we’re going to miss it. We’re also really excited to start something new and fresh.”

Arlington Lawyer Competes To Be American Ninja Warrior

By Adrian Cruz

AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR -- "Atlanta Qualifying" -- Pictured: Mike Chick -- (Photo by: Quantrell Colbert/NBC)

Arlington resident Mike Chick is a 39-year-old husband and father of two and one of the area’s top defense attorneys. He’s also an American Ninja Warrior.

Chick had been a fan of the NBC show for years and, to the loving skepticism of his wife, he would claim that some day he was going to try out for and compete on the show.

It wasn’t until a near-death experience that Chick ended up trying out for the show. Chick was visiting a client in jail when his heart stopped beating for 30 seconds. After being evaluated by doctors, it was discovered that he has a medical condition that causes his heart to stop whenever he passes out. He says that made him realize life was short.

“It didn’t necessarily have anything to do with my health,” he said. “But I think its kind of like — look, you have to take advantage of life while you have it and take advantage of the moments you have.”

Along with the health scare, Chick received inspiration from an unlikely source: “I was definitely in the worst shape of my life at the time that I started training for this and I remember right before I started to do it, I saw a meme on Facebook that said something like: ‘A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today,'” he said. “As silly as it sounds, its something else that told me that it’s time.”

Out of the 70,000-80,000 applicants who applied for the show, only 100 are invited to each regional qualifier. After months of grueling training, Chick was invited to attend the qualifier in Atlanta.

“I think that the most important thing that I see with these competitions is having adaptability and good body awareness,” he said of his training. “I think that makes a difference between the people who do consistently well and those who don’t. Adaptability and being able to change on the fly or being able to adjust to a situation that you might not have preferred to find yourself in is a big part of it.”

Chick also credits his five-year-old son as an inspiration. At his young age, he is already competing in ninja competitions and practicing parkour and other athletic pursuits.

“I try to look at the world through the eyes of my five-year old son,” he said. “To him, everything is something to play on, everything is an obstacle or a challenge. You look silly and ridiculous jumping over things outside of the federal courthouse. The U.S. Marshals are a little skeptical and may take their Tasers out but looking at the world this way is helpful.”

After the five qualifying rounds are shown, the top 15 contestants in each city make it to the finals in Las Vegas. Along with the first 75 finalists, 25 wild cards will be given out to other contestants, allowing for 100 contestants to try and win the $1 million prize.

Chick’s Atlanta qualifier will be shown tomorrow, June 8, at 8 p.m. on NBC, with an encore being shown at the same time the following day on the Esquire network. If he advances — Chick couldn’t reveal the outcome of the competition, which was taped several months ago — he will appear in subsequent episodes.

Chick can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @TheNinjaLawyer.

Photo Courtesy Quantrell Colbert/NBC

Arlington Outdoor Lab Celebrates 50th Anniversary

By Adrian Cruz
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For 50 years, Arlington County students have been able to experience the outdoors thanks to Arlington Outdoor Education Association’s Outdoor Lab.

The Outdoor Lab is a 225-acre facility in Fauquier County, about 40 miles from Arlington, that serves as an outdoors classroom for students to learn about science and outdoor skills in a natural setting. Four classes a week visit the facility, including one overnight class. There are also three week-long summer camps.

In all, the facility serves over 9,000 students from elementary through high school.

The Outdoor Lab features a spring-fed stream, a pond, nature hiking trails, plant and animal identification areas. It also houses an observatory with a 10-inch reflecting telescope for astronomy studies.

The experiences differ depending on grade level, ranging from third-graders learning about simple machines and animals to high schoolers studying biology and earth science.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Arlington Outdoor Education Association’s Outdoor Lab is holding an fundraising gala this weekend

The gala will take place Saturday from 7-10 p.m at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Ballston. Tickets are $50 and the proceeds will go to ensuring the lab’s continued operation. The lab’s goal is to raise $50,000 for its 50th anniversary — as of Friday it had raised $28,145.

“[We] will use this milestone to raise funds for our capital needs, such as replacing one of our buildings and land acquisition to buffer the property from encroaching development,” said Mike Nardolilli, president of the AOEA board. “Generations of Arlingtonians have contributed to making the Arlington Outdoor Lab a very special place and all of us have a duty to continue this tradition so that future generations of Arlington students continue to enjoy this unique, wonderful resource.”

Photos courtesy Karen Bate

WERA Goes Retro With Radio Drama

By Adrian Cruz

press-release-photo2

In a throwback to the times of serial radio dramas, Arlington’s new low-power radio station, WERA 96.7 FM, has signed a deal to begin airing The Hawk Chronicles starting Sunday, June 5.

The Hawk Chronicles is a science-fiction radio drama produced on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. It tells the story of a Baltimore detective who finds herself involved in intergalactic travel to solve crimes in space.

“We are excited about including The Hawk Chronicles in our weekly programming here at WERA-LP 96.7 FM,” said Paul LeValley, executive director of Arlington Independent Media. “It is in keeping with our mission to offer artistically diverse and quality programming to the Arlington community, and we’re excited to have it.”

Steve Long, writer and producer of The Hawk Chronicles, commented on the process of making the show.

“We borrow from the art form of old time radio drama but use today’s production technology to create the series,” he said. “The show is science-fiction complete with sound effects, and we have technical consultants who read each script to verify continuity and scientific feasibility. This, along with exciting storylines and interesting characters, make for great listening entertainment for people of all ages.”

WERA-LP 96.7 has a broadcast area that includes all of Arlington and parts of Washington, D.C. It features local-centric programming and is Arlington’s only local radio station.

The Hawk Chronicles is in its third season and has been airing for the last year and a half on Maryland station WCEM 1240 AM.

“It’s been amazing to witness the evolution of the show,” said Kirsten Strohmer, voice actor for lead female character Detective Kate Hawk. “Our local Eastern Shore listeners, who have been very supportive, still will have access to continuing episodes of the third season, but now we additionally can broadcast the show with a completely different audience from the beginning of season one.”

Photo courtesy Kirsten Strohmer

Columbia Pike Movie Nights Return This Summer

By Adrian Cruz

Columbia Pike outdoor movie (photo via CPRO)Starting Saturday, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) will begin its annual showing of outdoor movies.

From June 4 until September 17, movies will be shown every Saturday in Penrose Square and movies will also be shown on Thursdays from August 11 to September 15 at the Arlington Mill Community Center.

All movies will begin around 8 p.m. or when it gets dark. Seating is limited, with patrons encouraged to bring their own chairs. In the event of inclement weather, updates will be posted on the CPRO website along with its Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Penrose Square schedule is as follows.

  • June 4: Spongebob Squarepants: A Sponge Out of Water
  • June 11: The Martian
  • June 18: Belle
  • June 25: The Fault In Our Stars
  • July 2: Juno
  • July 9: Fantastic Four
  • July 16: The Book Thief
  • July 23: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
  • July 30: Moulin Rouge
  • August 6: Joy
  • August 13: All That Jazz
  • August 20: The Devil Wears Prada
  • August 27: The Princess Bride
  • September 3: Spotlight
  • September 10: That Sugar Film
  • September 17: Water

The Arlington Mill schedule is as follows.

  • August 11: Kung Fu Panda 3
  • August 18: Maze Runner: Scorch Trials
  • August 25: The Sandlot
  • September 1: The Peanuts Movie
  • September 8: Brooklyn
  • September 15: He Named Me Malala

Pentagon City Mall Starts Valet Parking Service

By Adrian Cruz

Expansion of the Pentagon City mall

Starting Friday, visitors to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City will be able to use the mall’s new valet parking service.

“A valet service has been something we’ve wanted to implement for many years now,” said Todd Jerscheid, the mall’a director of marketing and business development. “As we prepare for the renovation completion later this summer, we couldn’t think of a better time to launch the program. We know this will be a huge hit for our shoppers, especially around the busy holiday season and as they begin to really experience all of our new features and services!”

The service will cost five dollars on top of the garage’s usual parking rate and it will be available from 10 a.m.-midnight from Friday to Saturday and from 11 a.m.-9 p.m on Sunday.

The Fashion Centre, which is starting to wrap up an expansion project, will hold a launch event on Friday. The first 50 customers to use the service will receive complimentary “swag bags” and two randomly selected shoppers will also win a $150 Simon gift card. Valet shoppers will also receive special promotions throughout the month of June.

County Plans Transportation Changes During Metro SafeTrack Work

By Adrian Cruz

SafeTrack logo (image via Metro)With Metro’s SafeTrack plan beginning June 4, Arlington County has released its response to the planned service cuts.

The first stage of SafeTrack involves single tracking on the Orange and Silver lines between Ballston and East Falls Church. Trains will run every 18 minutes, with additional Orange Line trains running from Ballston to New Carrolton.

In response, Arlington County will supplement WMATA’s efforts to assist travelers with its own. ART routes 55 (Rosslyn-East Falls Church) and 52 (Virginia Hospital-Ballston-East Falls Church) will use 40-foot buses instead of the usual 35-foot buses to add capacity during the surge. The county is also considering adding a bus lane on Lee Highway to speed up 55 buses during rush hour.

Capital Bikeshare will also be expanded, with capacity increases at the Ballston and Rosslyn stations along with a new Bikeshare station being installed at the East Falls Church station. For new or inexperienced riders, “bike trains” — bicyclists riding as a group — will be run between Rosslyn and East Falls Church, stopping at each Metro station along the route.

Along with the transportation additions, the county will make changes on the streets around the main Metro hubs, removing some street parking and converting streets to bus-only during rush hours.

Metro has released the following YouTube video to explain the SafeTrack surge.

Memorial Day Closures in Arlington

By Adrian Cruz
Rolling Thunder (Flickr pool photo by Michelle Dupray)

Rolling Thunder (Flickr pool photo by Michelle Dupray)Arlington County offices and schools will be closed Monday for the observation of Memorial Day.

All county offices, courts, libraries, and other facilities will be closed for the holiday. Metered parking will not be enforced.

ART buses will operate on a Sunday schedule as will Metrorail and Metrobus. Metrorail will charge off-peak fares all day and parking will be free at all Metro facilities.

Trash and recycling collection, however, will operate on a regular schedule.

Traffic on I-66 eastbound on Saturday is expected to be severely impacted from 10-11:30 a.m. to allow honor groups of Vietnam veterans to travel to Arlington National Cemetery.

On Sunday the Arlington County Police Department will close off Washington Boulevard between I-395 and the Memorial Bridge from 7 a.m.-4 p.m for the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally. During this time, Arlington National Cemetery will only be accessible from southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway or northbound Route 110.

Nearly 1 Million D.C. Area Residents Expected to Travel This Weekend

By Adrian Cruz

Traffic on I-66

If you’re planning on leaving home this Memorial Day weekend, you’re not alone.

According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, nearly 966,000 D.C. area residents will travel at least 50 miles for the holiday.

This is the highest travel estimate in the last 11 years and it represents a nearly two percent increase over the 951,000 residents who traveled at this time last year, according to AAA.

The heaviest congestion on area roads is predicted to occur Thursday afternoon between 5-6 p.m.

“The great American road trip is back due to cheaper gas prices. We’re seeing this play out for Memorial Day, with a projected 869,600 people in the Washington metro planning to drive to their Memorial Day destinations,” said AAA’s John Townsend, in a press release.

Gas prices this year are noticeably lower compared to previous years with the national average at $2.29 a gallon, 45 cents cheaper than a year ago. Prices in the D.C. area are also down, averaging $2.28 a gallon, 41 cents cheaper.

Along with the roads, air travel is also expected to increase with a predicted number of 69,100 people expected to fly, a 1.7 percent increase from last year’s numbers.

Gulf Branch Nature Center Celebrates 50th Anniversary

By Adrian Cruz

Gulf Branch Nature Center (Flickr pool photo by Cameron Manuel)The Gulf Branch Nature Center at 3608 North Military Road will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with two events in June.

Both events will be free, with the first one taking place on Thursday, June 2 at Arlington Central Library and the second taking place at on Sunday, June 12 at the nature center.

The nature center released the following press release about the events:

On Thursday, June 2, starting at 7:00 p.m., a one-hour symposium will be held at the Arlington County Central Library on “Gulf Branch Nature Center: The Birth and Future of Arlington Parks.” Three speakers will be featured: Local author Charlie Clark, on how the creation of Gulf Branch in 1966 in response to the construction of Metro and I-66 sparked the move to protect parkland in Arlington; Jane Rudolph, director of Arlington County Parks and Recreation Department, who will review the status of park and green space in Arlington, and what they have on the drawing board; and Peter Harnik, Trust for Public Lands, on creating new parks in heavily urbanized areas.

On Sunday, June 12, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., a birthday party open to the public will be held at Gulf Branch Nature Center, 3608 North Military Rd.; Arlington, VA 22207. The party will include live music, food and beverages, a special visit (in an antique car) by silent-movie icon Pola Negri (who once lived at the Gulf Branch house), live demonstrations of ironsmithing by the Blacksmith Guild of the Potomac, tours of the nature center’s Native American Room and log cabin, live raptors, and (of course) a birthday cake. This family-friendly event is sure to be a hit with kids!

These events are being sponsored with the assistance of the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Arlington County Central Library.

For more information, visit the county’s website for Gulf Branch Nature Center and the Friends of Gulf Branch Nature Center website.

Arlington Teen Raises $45,000 for Juvenile Diabetes Research

By Adrian Cruz
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Since being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes almost five years ago, Alex Simmons has worked to raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) — and like in basketball, he has succeeded in a major way.

Alex, a freshman at Washington-Lee High School, has raised over $45,000 for the foundation. Every year, Alex along with his family, friends and basketball teammates join “Alex’s Terminators” for the JDRF walk in D.C.  This year’s JDRF walk will be held on Sunday, June 5.

Over the past five years, about 100 people have helped Alex raise funds, participating in donation parties, 3-v-3 basketball tournaments, a silent auction and other events.

“The basketball community in Arlington has been happy to support Alex and his family,” said Bill Maddox, a family friend and Alex’s former coach. “He is a special kid and talented athlete who does not let the challenges of diabetes keep him from working hard on and off the court.”

Aside from his prolific fundraising, Alex spends much of his time on the basketball court, playing on Arlington Travel Basketball and AAU teams along with his school teams — previously at Gunston Middle School, now at Washington-Lee. In 2014, he received the travel basketball program’s Russell Quinn MVP award for his athleticism, sportsmanship and skill.

“When I found out I had diabetes, what I most worried about was if I could play basketball. I really enjoy basketball and it has helped me go through this process with diabetes because the activity required to play the game helps me maintain a stable blood sugar level,” said Alex.

Because of his diabetes, Alex has to check his blood sugar levels regularly and he also needs to inject himself with insulin six to eight times a day. Along with the constant shots and finger pricks, he also finds it difficult to maintain stable blood sugar levels due to growth and his love of food.

Throughout it all, however, Alex has maintained a positive attitude.

“I am not on this journey alone, and my close friends, family and relatives make this process much easier for me,” he said. “I know that people donate money to JDRF not only for me, but for all the children throughout the country who don’t have it as easy as I do.”

Photos courtesy Kathy Mimberg

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