Burke Local

Letter: Delegate Focused on Real Issues

The recent turmoil created by the gridlock in the federal government may tempt many of us to ignore politics all together. However, Virginians shouldn’t allow the circus in Washington to cause us to lose sight of the importance of our state’s gubernatorial and house elections on Nov. 5. Personally I will be heading to the polls first thing that morning to show my support for Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, who works across party lines and stays focused on the real issues that affect us as Virginian citizens.

Robinson Student Stars in Children’s Show

The Alliance Theatre presents “The Little Mermaid Jr.”

Ariel, Prince Eric, Flounder, Sebastian the crab and all the other characters from the popular story and movie are in The Alliance Theatre’s production of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” And a Robinson Secondary student has one of the starring roles. Performances are Nov. 9-24 (see box for details) at Mountain View High School, 5775 Spindle Court (behind Glory Days Grill) in Centreville. The musical features 10 adults and 35 students in grades three through 12, and Director Maggie Swan says they’re all really talented.

Area Roundups

Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 a.m. So before bedtime Saturday night, set back the time on all those clocks, watches and electronic devices one hour.

Letter: The Damage Has Only Just Begun

Congressman Connolly’s recent op-ed [“The Damage Is Already Done,” Connection, Oct. 24] is a diversion from the Democratic-engineered train wreck known as Obamacare and officially referred to as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). While the damage from the shutdown was particularly painful for Virginians, it pales in comparison to the damage being inflicted on millions of hard working middleclass Americans across the country courtesy of the Democrats’ Obamacare.

Democrats Lead in Polls as Voters Head to the Polls for Election Day

Hotly contested race for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Democrats have the wind at their backs heading into Election Day next week, as Republican gubernatorial candidates Ken Cuccinelli struggles to overcome a deficit in the polls.

Burke History Day Revisited

Burke Historical Society President Jon Vrana hopes to make it an annual event once again.

On Saturday, Oct. 12, grey skies and light rain didn’t put a damper on the first Burke History Day since the 1990s. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a steady stream of visitors ventured into the large hall of the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department facility as costumed members of the Burke Historical Society revived a former community event—albeit with a few modifications.

Fastest Growing Virginia Station

Higher “connectivity” and reliability are key factors in Burke Centre station’s ridership growth.

Though the commuter train station at Burke Centre has offered a Virginia Railway Express (VRE) link between Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. since 1992, only in 2009 did Amtrak add Burke as a stop on its new Amtrak Virginia partnership service.

All Smiles at Burke Lake

Kids Sending Smiles organizes 5K run to fight breast cancer.

Kids Sending Smiles (KSS), the 501c3 non-profit established and run by a group of elementary school girls from the Springfield and Alexandria areas, successfully completed their most ambitious charitable event to date on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Burke Lake Park.

Pumpkin Playground at Burke Nursery

Since 1994, Burke Nursery has celebrated the harvest season with their Fall Festival and Pumpkin Playground to the delight of children of all ages. The month-long event draws pumpkin seekers from all over Northern Virginia. The many available activities are designed to be fun and educational for all.

History Recreated

Giving history new life through historical simulations at Robinson Secondary.

Students experienced a blast to the past when they took part in historical simulations of factory work in the 1900s. On Monday, Oct. 21, seventh graders at Robinson Secondary School engaged in an activity created by their history and social studies teachers reflecting their studies of the Industrial Revolution. “The idea of any simulation is to give the students an emotional experience on which we can then connect the content knowledge to develop true understanding of historic events,” says Susan Reade, history and social studies teacher at Robinson Secondary. “For this specific event … we attempt to focus student attention on low pay, long hours doing a repetitive task, and dehumanizing treatment of the employees.”