Scenic Award Nominations Begin

Scenic Virginia, a nonprofit organization geared toward preserving, protecting and enhancing Virginia’s scenic beauty, will begin taking nominations for its 2008 Scenic Awards from now until the end of business hours on Oct. 1.

Awards will be given in the following categories: Scenic Viewshed Preservation Award, Scenic Water Corridor Viewshed Preservation Award, Creative Scenic Enhancement Award, Scenic Tourism Award, Local Anti-Litter Practices Award – Organization and Individual – and VDOT Tree-Trimming Award (given to a VDOT district). To access the official nomination form, please visit www.scenicvirginia.org/Awards, and for more information, please call 804-643-8439.

Fall Festival at Cherry Hill Park

The Falls Church Fall Festival will be held from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, in Cherry Hill Park. The Festival will feature amusement rides, pony rides, crafts, children’s events, live entertainment and samples of food from various local eateries. Participating restaurants include: Entrée Vous, Hoangs Grill and Sushi Bar, La Caraquena, Dogwood Tavern and Ledo’s Pizza, among others. This event will be held rain or shine.

Fairfax-Falls Church Budget Meeting

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) will hold a community dialogue meeting to discuss ways to reduce spending in next year’s budget. The government of Fairfax County has awarded the CSB $16.2 million for the 2010 fiscal year. Suggestions from community members will be applied to the Reduction Options document, and this document will be adopted by the CSB on Sept. 24. The meeting will be held at the Fairfax County Government Center from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Sept. 11. There is no need to sign up to speak prior to this event.

Book Signing at Tyson’s Corner

Warren Brown, a former attorney turned bakery owner and entrepreneur, will sign copies of his baking book “Cakelove!” at the Barnes and Noble in Tyson’s Corner at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Brown’s book includes recipes for various cakes, cupcakes, glazes, frostings and fillings, and goes over basic baking techniques, equipment and standard ingredients.

East Coast Premiere of West Coast Artist’s Video

To celebrate the East Coast debut of his new music video, San Diego, Ca. singer Rick Rutti will perform a concert at the State Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 11. His new video, “Take All The Love That Finds Me,” is from his CD, “Dark Corners.” Doors open at 8 p.m., and Rutti’s band will take the stage at 8:30 p.m.

Job Fair at Dulles Airport

From 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a job fair at Dulles Airport. Restaurants and retail vendors will recruit employees for various jobs within the airport. The fair will take place within the ground transportation area at the eastern end of the main terminal.

State Theatre Hosts AC/DC Tribute Band

Live Wire, an AC/DC tribute band, will play a show at State Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 13. The band has played shows in Europe, Canada, the United States and South America. They play over 80 AC/DC songs and continually add songs to their repertoire. For ticket information, please call 703-237-0300.

Artists’ Roundtable Meeting

Photographer James D. Steele will present “The Business of Art – How to Price Your Work” to the Falls Church Arts Artists’ Roundtable meeting 7 p.m. Monday, September 15. The meeting will be held at the Falls Church Arts Gallery (111 Park Ave., Falls Church). As well as creating his own works, Steele teaches at the Art League School, Photoworks at Glen Echo Park and the Smithsonian Institution. He is also a guest lecturer at Georgetown University. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Local Business Owner Honored With Prestigious Recognition

Steve Cassaday, founder and CEO of McLean wealth management firm Cassaday and Company, has been honored with The 2008 Outstanding Financial Advisor Award from Registered Rep Magazine. He was selected as one of 10 from among 242,000 advisors in the nation for his work to aid D.C. area charities through donating money to and managing his foundation, the Cassaday and Company Charitable Fund. For more information about Cassaday and Company, please call 703-506-8200 or visit www.cassaday.com.

Children’s Book Author Events in D.C.

Author Graeme Base will hold two events in the D.C. area to promote his new book “ENIGMA: A Magical Mystery” on Sept. 18. The first event will be at 10:30 a.m. at Politics and Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.), and the second event will be at Hooray for Books (1555 Kings St., Alexandria) bookstore at 7 p.m.

Art Exhibit Opening Reception

Maryse Lortcher’s exhibit “Jeux d’ombres” will open with an art reception at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The reception will be held at the Alliance Française de Washington (2142 Wyoming Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.). The exhibit runs until Nov. 6, and may be viewed between 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Friday, and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday. The event is free; however, reservations are required for the opening reception.

Social Security Disability Income Seminar

Attorney Mitch Lambros will discuss how to apply for social security disability income benefits if you have an illness that is “difficult to diagnose,” such as chronic pain, anxiety or fatigue. The event will be held from 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room of Mason Governmental Center (6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale). For more information, please call 703-968-9818 or visit www.geocities.com/cfsnova.

Area Students Make Academic Gains

The Virginia Department of Education recently released data that students in Fairfax County Public Schools have improved their results on the Virginia Standards of Learning tests from the 2006-07 to 2007-08 periods. The general student population received higher pass rates, and more than 40 percent of all completed tests earned a score of pass advanced.

Local Joins Jockey Person to Person®

Arlington resident Amy Kowalski joined Jockey Person to Person® as a Comfort Specialist® consultant. “It is very exciting to be a part of a company that provides opportunities and has the strength of the Jockey® brand,” said Kowalski. “It is a perfect business to start at any point in life.” Jockey Person to Person® is the direct sales division of Jockey International, Inc., featuring a unique line of women’s apparel and a new collection of “Comfort Extras” in a home party setting sold only by independent Comfort Specialist® consultants.