Local Animal Rescue Takes Pets Affected by Hurricane
While Southern states brace for the impact of Hurricane Ian, Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF), a pet rescue organization, has been preparing their Rescue Care Center for an emergency intake. In partnership with BISSELL Pet Foundation, LDCRF has committed to taking in 60 dogs and cats from southern partners to allow for the critical sheltering of homeless pets from the storm.
It takes a village. BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization, is facilitating the evacuation from two Florida shelters, Citrus County Animal Services and Suncoast Humane Society. The rescued pets are being sheltered at Greater Birmingham Humane Society before being transported by Charleston Animal Society to partner facilities including the LDCRF Rescue Care Center.
The Rescue Care Center, located in Falls Church, Va., was built as a dedicated resource to provide extra capacity in the face of pressing challenges like Hurricane Ian. Volunteers are quickly mobilizing to ensure that the necessary supplies and care are ready for the pets’ arrival. There are multiple ways for people to be involved including fostering, adopting, shopping various wishlists, and volunteering at the Rescue Care Center.
Virtual Candidate Forum Coming Soon
The Falls Church League of Women Voters, in association with the Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria Leagues, invites the public to meet the candidates for the 8th Congressional District of Virginia at a virtual forum on Thursday, October 13 at 7 pm. All three candidates for office will be attending: Donald S. Beyer, Jr (D), Karina A. Lipsman (R), and Teddy Fikre (I). This will be an opportunity for the public to hear from each candidate and get ready to vote in the election. Attendees will be able to submit questions for the candidates. In order to receive a link to attend the forum, please register on Eventbrite at https://LWV8thdistrictforum.eventbrite.com.
‘Scapes’ Opens at Falls Church Arts
Fifty-one artists will be featured in the ‘Scapes’ exhibit at the Falls Church Arts gallery from October 8 through November 12. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 8, at 7:30 pm. Artists will be on hand to share their processes and inspirations. Juror and internationally renowned landscape artist Bryan Jernigan will speak about the jurying process. This event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit theme, “landscapes, memoryscapes, seascapes, dreamscapes,” challenged artists to contemplate the “‘scapes” that inhabit their world—inner or outer, real or imagined, representational or abstract, macro- or microscopic—in this all-media show.
The Falls Church Arts gallery is located at 700-B West Broad St. (Route 7), Falls Church. It is open Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Masks are optional and guests are asked to postpone their visit if they are not well.
Artworks can also be viewed online at www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.
A $150 Juror’s Choice Award and a $50 People’s Choice Award were made possible by a donation from DuBro Architects + Builders, 429 S. Maple Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046. Jernigan will announce the Juror’s Choice Award at the opening. The People’s Choice Award will be announced on October 30, based on votes from visitors to the gallery.
Tysons Interfaith Sponsors Art and Essay Contest
For the second year running, Tysons Interfaith is sponsoring an art and essay contest to celebrate the community. Under the theme “Out of Many, One,” this year welcomes entries exploring one of the following topics: “How My Heritage Has Impacted My Life,” “My Family’s Journey to/in America,” or “Welcoming People Who Are Different From Me.” Cash prizes are offered for youth (12 and under) and teens (13-18).
Stephen Wickman, president of Tysons Interfaith, explained: “Last year we received many wonderful entries demonstrating positive lessons learned during the pandemic. This year, under our theme of the ‘Oneness of Humanity;’ we encourage our future generations to look at how we have far more similarities than differences and how a mindset of love and objectivity helps us look beyond our labels, exterior appearances or first impressions.” The contest runs through midnight October 17, 2022. Winners will be announced November 1.
Fire Prevention Week Spotlights Fire Escape
During the week of October 9, 2022, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) will observe the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week, the longest-running public health observance in the United States. The timing of the annual event commemorates the date of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871, and killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres of land.
In support of this year’s theme for Fire Prevention Week — “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape” — the fire and water cleanup and restoration specialists with SERVPRO in the Falls Church area remind home and business owners that the single most important thing to do when fire breaks out is to get out of the building. “This is especially true in a home fire,” says Rick Isaacson, CEO of Servpro Industries, LLC. “The NFPA warns that today’s homes burn faster than ever, leaving residents two minutes or less to safely escape a home fire after the smoke alarm sounds.”
Bike F.C. Has Large Turnout at City Council
At the Falls Church City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 27, over 35 members of Bike Falls Church turned out to advocate in support of making the City safer and more welcoming for people to use bicycles for transportation.
During the first hour of the Council meeting, 26 people shared their stories. The consistent theme was that Falls Church could be an extraordinary place for people to choose bikes for getting around but a lack of safe infrastructure is a major barrier today. Bike Falls Church leaders emphasized that they want to help the City accomplish the goals that are already established in the City’s Vision, Comprehensive Plan, Small Area Plans, and Bike Master Plan. Washington Area Bicyclist Association representatives emphasized that the City had the potential to set a new standard that neighboring jurisdictions and the county could aspire to.
At the conclusion of the public comments, Mayor Tarter expressed the full Council’s support of Bike Falls Church’s mission. He and the City Manager noted that while the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) has some bicycle-related projects in it, most are several years out. Vice Mayor Hardi and Councilperson Snyder spoke of the need to examine how to include bicycle infrastructure in the upcoming budget and how to make progress more quickly than in the large CIP projects.
Over the coming months, Bike Falls Church plans to build on this meeting with several actions: Advocacy with the City to build “low hanging fruit”, low-cost bike lanes in FY23 and get more permanent funding for FY24 and beyond. Bike Falls Church meetings involving rides, building pop-up bike lanes with chalk and tape, and W&OD Trail cleanups. Continued engagement on longer-term public projects like Park Avenue Great Streets – a critical central area for getting around the City on a bike or scooter. Outreach and education of other community groups to build common ground, e.g., businesses, the Library, VPIS, Coalition for Smart Growth, the Police Department, and others. And finally, planning for larger civic bicycling events, such as supporting the Holiday Lights Ride or connecting downtown to the W&OD with a continuous pop-up bike lane during Bike to Work Day weekend.