ANNANDALE
   The Crossroads of Northern Virginia TMRead Annandale's News Magazine,
ENDEAVOR

Annandale News & Latest Articles
Annandale News:  Your Field Guide to Mosquitoes
Annandale News: Neighbors Serving Neighbors
Annandale Business:  Smart Technology is More Affordable
Annandale Real Estate: Penny Wise Property Management
Annandale Schools: Teachers to Receive Payraise in '18 Budget
VIEW ON NATURE: The Web of Life
VIEW ON NATURE: Bear in Mind
Local History:  What a Difference a Century Makes:  1917
Local History: The History of Commercial Aviation in Washington
Annandale Shopping:  Lambros Goldsmith & Fine Jewelry
Annandale Shopping: AnnSandra Gifts and Savings

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

 ANNANDALE News,
Events & Networking

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The Final Braddock Road Improvement Project
After more than two years of study and significant community input, this is the final plan for the Braddock Road Improvement Project. Seventeen intersections and corridor improvements will be constructed between Guinea Road and Ravensworth Road.(See list of improvements in the PDF below from Supervisor John Cook's office.)

For Details of the Final Plan.....

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Welcome to a New Member
Foundation Fitness is a private gym in Annandale where a wide variety of health and fitness related services are offered. These services include One-on-One Training, Group Training, Nutritional Counseling and Massage Therapy customized to each and every client's individual needs.

Foundation Fitness also offers fitness training for children and seniors tailored specifically to their needs. 

The Virginia Indian Festival will be held at Riverbend Park in Great Falls on Saturday, September 9, 2017. This popular day-long, annual event begins at 10 a.m. and includes a variety of activities appropriate for the entire family.  The festival features performances by members of eight Native American tribes from Virginia, including Rappahannock dancers and drummers.  Arrows will fly, drums will beat, and dancers will stomp and twirl at Riverbend Park’s annual Virginia Indian Festival.  

Activities include hands-on activities and live demonstrations such as American Indian storytelling, shooting bow and arrows, throwing spears and making stone tools. Additional activities include building a dugout canoe, and a visit to a marketplace of American Indian crafts, pottery and jewelry.

Tickets are $7 per person if purchased in advance or $8 per person at the gate.  For more information contact the site at 703-759-9018 or visit online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend-park  

Riverbend Park is located at 8700 Potomac Hills Street in Great Falls, VA.

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Columbia Crossroads Development Will Help to Revitalize Bailey's Crossroads
Congratulations Bailey's, What an Exciting Plan!

About a year ago, it looked likely that Bailey’s Crossroads would see a 375-unit apartment complex erected at Columbia Pike and Moncure Avenue.

However, developer Avalon Bay withdrew its application last year, leaving the site’s revitalization uncertain. The vision became a reality   when similar plans by the site’s new developer Weissberg Corporation were approved.  READ MORE        

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August Family Golf for Annandale 
Tee off with Fairfax Family Golf Month at Pinecrest

Spend time with family and enjoy nine holes of golf at three Fairfax County golf courses. Have fun at Jefferson, Oak Marr and Pinecrest facilities.  In August, parents pay for their 9-hole round of golf and accompanying kids and teens (ages 8-17) will receive their round at no charge. An optional pull cart is also buy one get one free! Just mention Family Golf Month to receive this offer which is valid Monday through Friday all day; and weekends after 1p.m.  This offer is limited to one child per paying adult.

From just starting out to competitive play Golf Fairfax is committed to the development of youth in the game of golf and offers a variety of opportunities for parents and youth to learn, practice and play golf, including classes, clinics, programs, tournaments and leagues.

Instruction includes Starting New at Golf (ages 5-8), Junior Golf, Parent/Child Get Golf Ready classes, camps and private lessons.

Need more reasons to hit the links? Golf is an awesome family sport that encourages good manners, builds friendships, embraces nature and the outdoors, offers scholarship opportunities and can be enjoyed for a lifetime!

All three courses offer a clubhouse, pro shop and concession stands. Jefferson District Golf Course is located at 7900 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA, Oak Marr Golf Complex is located at 3136 Jermantown Road, Oakton, and Pinecrest Golf Course is located at 6600 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria.

For more info or questions about Family Golf Month and all of programs and offerings, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/golf.   

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VIEW ON NATURE:  The Web of Life

What comes to mind when we think of “Nature”? Being outdoors? A walk in the woods or mountains? Autumn foliage, flowers, maybe a spotted fawn? To each of us, Nature can mean many things, often pleasant, welcoming environments as seen on those wonderful Nature television channels. But for Nature to function, there are constant give and takes. Think food chain, survival of the fittest, predators and prey.  

All of Nature is linked together through food chains. A food chain is the sequence of who eats whom in a biological community (an ecosystem). Almost every food chain starts with our primary energy source, the sun, and photosynthetic plants that are eaten by “consumers” (like rabbits and deer), who are eaten by predators (foxes, wolves, hawks), and end with detritus feeders like earthworms and slugs, or decomposers like mushrooms or bacteria. All species, big and small -- plant, animal, fungi, invertebrates, bacteria and humans -- are in the food chain and will be eaten by someone else.   READ MORE

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Park Foundation Presents More Than $700K
to Park Authority

At the June 28, 2017 joint board meeting between the Fairfax County Park Authority Board and the Fairfax County Park Foundation Board of Directors, representatives of the Park Foundation presented a check in the amount of $721,468 to Park Authority leadership. 

This check represents generous support from individuals, businesses and foundations transferred in Fiscal Year 2017 to enrich Fairfax County parks and outreach programs. The Foundation supports the Fairfax County Park Authority and their impressive volunteers raise private funds, obtain grants and create partnerships that supplement tax dollars to meet the community's needs for park land, facilities and services. 

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Annandale REAL ESTATE
Penny Wise Property Management

Part of the real estate market involves investors that hold one or more properties for rent. In this area the practice is quite common as families move to other parts of the country, even if only for a temporary job relocation. In this area government workers and military are often moving in and out due to orders.

Additionally, with the tightening of credit markets that we have experienced, many couples are renting longer because of the need to save money for a down payment on their first house. And renting is viewed by many people as simply preferable to owning for a variety of reasons.

Managing rental properties is something that we do for investors or families that need to move out of the area for a time. Absentee ownership is quite difficult and we assist people who presently live, for example, on the West Coast or overseas. So why hire a property manager to assist you in managing your property?

First, professional property managers have the ability to market the property to a much wider audience of potential renters.  READ MORE

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Smart Technology Makes Saving Energy Easier & More Affordable

Today it seems technology is advancing faster than we could have imagined just a decade ago. In January 2007, Apple unveiled the first iPhone, dramatically altering our society by placing the power of a computer and the internet on a device that fit in our pockets. We can do things on smart phones today that we couldn’t do on desktop computers 10 years ago.

In the late 1990s, BlackBerry introduced its first email device, with a black and white liquid crystal display. And a decade before that cell phones were large fixtures installed in our cars that used large trunk or window mounted antennae. This rapid advancement of technology has been astounding. Fortunately for us, it’s occurring in a host of other sectors beyond the mobile phone and computer industries.

Advancements in energy technology have also been astounding. Over the last decade or so, advancements have been dramatic and have significantly altered the energy saving landscape for businesses and individual consumers. Advancements in thermostats, energy management systems, smart power strips and light bulbs are a few examples. 
READ MORE                   

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Farmers Markets in Annandale- Begin in May

 

 

 

 

 

Organized by the Fairfax County Park Authority, these Farmers' Markets offer a wide variety of freshly picked fruits, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.  There are also fresh eggs, baked goods, fresh pasta, honey, jam, teas and cider to purchase.  Milk and cheese products, and homemade ice cream, along with a wide array of meat products, round out the edible delights offered.  If gardening is an interest, many vendors have small plants at the beginning of the season, while other vendors have larger landscape plants for those ambitious projects. Master Gardener Plant Clinic on site, at both Mason District and Wakefield Park, to answer questions about plants in your landscape.

Growing Old with the Kindness of Strangers

The Shepherd’s Center of Annandale Springfield (SCAS) is a non-profit interfaith organization sponsored by area congregations and community groups to serve seniors aged 50+ in the Annandale, Springfield, and a few areas in Alexandria, Virginia. Our primary purpose is to provide services to assist senior adults aged 50 and above to continue to live independently in their homes and to offer programs which supply opportunities for enrichment, learning and socialization.

The majority of Board members and volunteers are seniors and have been helping seniors in our community since 2003.  Consequently our motto is quite appropriately, Seniors Helping Seniors. We are fortunate to be one of five Shepherd Centers in the Northern Virginia area helping our senior citizens in so many ways.

Our primary service is to provide transportation to those seniors who no longer drive or have no transportation support. In 2015 the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) joined SCAS to make it a joint program. (see p. 30) Our drivers, who are community volunteers, generously give their time and effort to provide services such as transportation to and from medical appointments during the week, and to shopping and banking on weekends.  In 2016, the drivers provided 816 rides averaging over 11,000 miles.  We currently have 164 riders and 43 drivers.

We receive ride referrals from Fairfax County, local doctor and dentist offices, dialysis centers, and friends and relatives of people that no longer drive. Since new senior riders are signing up every week, a growing demand for additional drivers exists as well.

READ MORE

 

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Round and Round You'll Go
Traffic Roundabout Planned for Summer Installation

The Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation reported in a recent press release that they are planning to install a traffic roundabout at Ravensworth Road and Jayhawk Street in Annandale. The public is invited to a meeting on the project June 5, 7-8:30 p.m., at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 4801 Ravensworth Road in Annandale. Staff from the two agencies will answer questions and share displays at 7; the presentation will begin at 7:30. The roundabout would be an alternative to a traffic signal, says Terry Yates of VDOT. Roundabouts improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety. They also reduce fuel consumption and are more cost-effective than traffic signals. The roundabout, to be installed this summer, will be a temporary, modular structure using recycled composite materials. It would be evaluated by the two agencies for installation, function, and maintenance, such as how snowplows will be able to negotiate the structure next winter. If there are no problems, it could remain as a permanent structure, Yates says. VDOT identified the Ravensworth/Jayhawk intersection as a candidate for the pilot project because it meets the thresholds for a traffic signal and a roundabout can be installed there without the need for new pavement, right-of-way approvals, utility relocation, or drainage work. The roundabout at that location would be similar in scale to a mini-roundabout recently installed by the Town of Vienna at Park and Locust Streets.

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Neighbors Serving Neighbors 
ACCA Celebrates Fifty Years of Service to Annandale 

It all started in March of 1967 when federal regulations deemed that 13 children — 4 of whom were African American — were no longer eligible to receive subsidized day care because their parents’ income exceeded the federal poverty level.

Distressed about the children’s plight, community activist Fred Ruffing, president of the Higher Horizon Day Care Center (housed at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church), vowed to do something to help these families. His first stop, with his wife Emily, was a meeting at Peace Lutheran Church with ministers and laypersons from eight Annandale area churches. These churches pledged money to help place the children in new day care centers and appointed a day care action committee to find places for the children.

However, despite the funding support, they were not able to place all the children, since only two of the centers contacted would accept African American children, and they were full. In addition, the fees at many of the centers were too high for the group’s limited resources.

READ MORE

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The History of Commercial Aviation in DC
Hoover Field, Washington Airport, and Washington National                        

 

Commercial Aviation’s first home in the Washington area was Hoover Field located just west of the current intersection of the George Washington Parkway and the 14th Street Bridge. A private airfield, construction began in 1925, followed two years later with the construction of Washington Airport & Terminal along with their own runways, literally across the road from Hoover. Both airfields suffered from short and unpaved runways, numerous life-threatening obstructions around the field such as radio towers and a large Ferris wheel and high roller coaster at the Arlington Amusement Park, poor visibility (due to a burning garbage dump adjacent to each field), and poor drainage. 

Washington Airport was dramatically enlarged (and the coastline of the Potomac River altered) in April 1928 when WA contracted to receive tens of thousands of cubic yards of earth, dug during the construction of the Federal Triangle complex of buildings in the District of Columbia. This dirt was used to fill in the sides and ends of the field. An airport office was also constructed at Military Road. The expansion and land reclamation increased the size of the airport six times. (1) The improvements at Washington Airport were so significant that in April 1932 the night airmail flight was transferred from Bolling Field (2) (located across the Potomac) to Washington Airport.

READ MORE

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VIEW ON NATURE:  Our Delicate Beauties

Virginia is blessed with three of America’s most beautiful native wildflowers, the pink, the yellow, and the magnificent showy lady’s slippers, all also known as moccasin flowers. These unique orchid flowers look just like a puffy lady’s slipper with a small opening in the front.  Their genus, (Cypripedium) is derived from the Greek word referring to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and sandal.

The Pink Lady’s Slipper with its single, light to deep pink colored, slightly sweet smelling, 3-inch flower grows from 6 to 15 inches tall and can live up to 20 years.  The single flower stands out on a leafless erect stalk bracketed by two opposing basal leaves with pronounced parallel veins.  It blooms from late June into July in mixed hardwood/coniferous forests, often in longstanding beds of pine needles, and definitely in and around a few undisturbed spots in Annandale.

The Yellow Lady’s Slipper comes in the lesser and the greater varieties, with the latter growing up to two feet tall with flower petals 6 inches across.  The yellows grow in shady, damp understories of mixed deciduous and coniferous forests to meadows and streambeds. Both varieties grow in multi-stemmed clumps with one to three flowers and two long, thin side petals twisted into spirals (the slipper “laces”). The third, bright yellow petal takes the shape of a light to bright yellow slipper with reddish spots in their interior.  I usually spot the first blooms around Mother’s Day in May, mostly in southwest Virginia. 

The Showy Lady’s Slipper, is the tallest of these orchids (up to 35” in length)  and  probably the most stunning. Its Latin species name (reginae) means "queen"; its sturdy, leafy, stalk sports one to three 2-inch long, spherical slipper flowers with inward-rolled edges in a deep rose to magenta color. Petals and sepals are white, oblong and flat. These beauties often grow like ferns in clumps in open wooded swamps or mossy areas with loose soils, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest.  This orchid lives to be 50 years old and takes 16 years for its first bloom.  Although the U.S. Forest Service lists this queen of slippers a Virginia native, I’ve never seen one in the wild (yet).  Incidentally, the Showy Lady’s Slipper has been the state flower of Minnesota since 1902.    READ MORE

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Annandale REAL ESTATE:  It’s the Economy (mostly) 

The Annandale housing and commercial property market is obviously affected by the economy, including consumer confidence, local employment and economic development via revitalization. Pearson Realty keeps a close eye on what is happening and maintains a supply of tea leaves to read the future.

What is presently occurring is a period of a flat or restricted housing market. Although houses coming onto the market are being snapped up in shorter periods of time, the number of houses coming onto the market is relatively small. Therefore, demand remains steady but supply is still weak.

The result is that we have not seen The a year-over increase in home sale values. Across the County, the average price of a home only increased 1.5 percent following previous years that saw healthier numbers. However, the tax assessment value averaged an increased of 1.64% . Around Annandale, the county tax office claims the percentage of change in assessed value was 1.32%. Nonetheless, many Annandale single family homeowners are experiencing a 5% increase with whopping additional real estate taxes to pay at now the highest rate the county has ever levied.

The market has experienced great uncertainty due to the Presidential election and the ensuing observation of change coming from the White House and Congress. That uncertainty may increase further if (and likely when) Congress starts implementing reduction in force (RIF) that may threaten the jobs of some federal workers.    READ MORE

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BEAR IN MIND
There are more black bears in the world
than all other bears combined.                                                

To me, the American black bear is the most interesting yet secretive big American animal.  There are more black bears in the world than all other bears combined. They have the largest distribution of any of our big mammals, and occur in 92 of Virginia's 98 counties/county-cities.  They eat most anything, can run 35 mph, are fantastic swimmers and tree climbers, and amazingly strong!  They are very intelligent, have remarkable long-term memories and navigational skills, and can tolerate any weather.  No wonder these bears figure prominently in most Native American tribes’ mythologies, often representing medicinal or magical powers, a protector or enforcer spirit, wisdom, motherhood, confidence, and/or strength. 

Based on the number of scent receptors, bears have the best sense of smell of any land mammal, and seven times that of a bloodhound.  They also have a Jacobson's organ in the roof of their mouths like snakes that further enhance their sense of “tasting” the scent particles in the air to locate mates and cubs, avoid danger, and find food up to many miles away. 

Bears can see fairly well — at least as well as humans — with color and binocular vision for good depth perception, and nearsightedness to seek close-up and colored foods. Cubs are born with blue eyes which change to brown in year one. READ MORE

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Multi-Round Golf Pass Now Available

Fairfax County Park Authority golf courses offer great savings as springtime approaches. Get ready for the greatest golf savings of the year with the Golf Fairfax Spring Pass savings spectacular. From March 27, 2017 until May 17 you can save up to 25 percent when you purchase multi-round passes at Burke Lake, Greendale, Jefferson, Oak Marr, Pinecrest and Twin Lakes golf courses.

The best news is yet to come, with savings offered just in time for the opening of the new Burke Lake Golf Center! This spring, warm up with a new double-decker, 64-station driving range with 24 covered and heated stations. Later this year enjoy the brand new 4,000-square-foot clubhouse.

Visit the golf course pro shops to buy your spring passes and jump start your golf season and stock up for social or league play. Other savings include discounts for juniors and seniors – purchase a 14-round junior or senior pass and get a free round.

For more info about local municipal golf course offerings, visit Fairfax County Park Authority Golf Course

 

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What a Difference a Century Makes:  1917

President: Woodrow Wilson
Vice President: Thomas R. Marshall
Sect. of State:  Robert Lansing

HISTORICAL EVENTS

• Pres. Woodrow Wilson appeared before a joint session of Congress on April 2nd at 8:30 pm to declare war on Germany citing (1) German renewal of their policy of unrestricted submarine warfare on all ships trading with Britain including the US. (Germany had temporarily suspended the practice after the sinking of the Lusitania, which met with massive public outcry.)   (2) Discovery of German ploy to ally with Mexico against the USA.  In part, he remarked, “Tyrants could not be allowed to destroy the bonds of civilization by engaging in inhumane and immoral actions that oppressed their own people and threatened their neighbors.  The world had to be made safe for democracy.”
  READ MORE
  

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 High Winds and Power Outages
If you should experience a loss of electricity or downed trees from high winds and storms, these are useful contacts. 

Downed Trees

Snow Plows & Road Information

Loss of Utilities & Emergency Numbers

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PNC Financial Services

For more than 160 years, PNC has been committed to providing their clients with great service and powerful financial expertise to help them meet their financial goals. PNC is proud of their longstanding history of supporting not only their customers but also their communities, employees and shareholders.

PNC offers a wide range of services for all their customers, from individuals and small businesses, to corporations and government entities.  No matter how simple or complicated your needs, they're sure to have the products, knowledge and resources necessary for financial success.

Retail Banking
PNC provides deposit, lending, cash management and investment services to more than 6 million consumer and small business customers across 19 state and the District of Columbia.  Customers can bank whenever and wherever they want via more than 2,600 branches, online and mobile services along with 9,000 ATM machines, many of which can be used to make deposits and cash checks.     READ MORE

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Trust Properties:  A Proud New Chamber Partner

Trust Properties was founded in 1994 and is committed to providing a broad range of Commercial Real Estate Services throughout the Greater Washington Metropolitan area.  Staffed by knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated career professionals, Trust Properties takes pride in delivering impeccable levels of service and exceptional results to their clients and customers. 

Greg McGillicuddy is a Vice President and Principal Broker at Trust Properties.  Greg grew up in Arlington and returned here after completing his studies at Harvard.  Greg is one of the most knowledgeable brokers in local real estate, with more than 27 years of experience in the sales and leasing of office, retail and industrial properties and has managed more than two million square feet of properties in the Greater Metro area, including numerous properties here in Annandale.        READ MORE

 

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BB & T Bank:  Community Banking since 1872    

Building on a tradition of excellence in community banking that stretches back to 1872, BB&T continues to offer clients a complete range of financial services including banking, lending, insurance, trust and wealth management solutions.

In a rapidly changing and unpredictable world, individuals and organizations need a clear set of fundamental principles to guide their actions. BB&T is a mission-driven organization with a clearly defined set of values.

Simple Beginnings

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Eastern North Carolina lay tattered, battered and torn ... an easy mark for profiteers and politicians bent on destroying what little remained. There was no money, no law and precious little trust or faith in the once-proud institutions of the South.

Alpheus Branch, the son of a wealthy planter in Halifax County, first came to Wilson, NC to attend Deems Military Academy.   Branch later established a small mercantile business called Branch and Company. Through his business and community involvement, he came to know Thomas Jefferson Hadley, a Wilson county native who was trying to organize the first system of public schools. They joined forces in 1872 to create a banking institution people could believe in, Branch and Hadley.

As private bankers, Branch and Hadley accepted time deposits, paid interest and loaned money to help rebuild the farms and small businesses in the community. With a place to borrow money at reasonable interest to buy seed and fertilizer, area farmers planted their fields in cotton and in the early 1880s, experimented with tobacco.  READ MORE

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LAMBROS GOLDSMITH AND FINE JEWELRY

Sparkling, even inspiring are the jewelry designs exhibited in abundance at this charming retailer. Lambros and Jayne Magiafas, goldsmith and geologist, are a team made in Jewelers Heaven. Lambros began his goldsmith apprenticeship at the age of 12 in his native Greece while Jayne started her career in the US at the age of 16.

Lambros Goldsmiths is a family owned and operated, full service Fine Jewelry retailer.  Founded in 1987, Lambros Goldsmiths has been serving the Fine Jewelry needs of people from around the country. Nestled in our friendly town of Annandale, Lambros Goldsmiths offers uniquely handcrafted Fine Jewelry at competitive prices. READ MORE

 

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Chamber Membership is an Effective Business Strategy

According to a recent study conducted by the Shapiro Group: 

“When consumers know a small business is a member of the chamber of commerce, they are 49% more likely to think favorably of that business, and 80% more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.”   For more information on benefits when joining the Annandale Chamber of Commerce please see......
Membership Information.

More News and Local Issues

(Copyright © 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.  (Photographs & images, on this page, and on this website, are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, websites, or social media sites.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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The Annandale American Legion Post 1976 is recruiting new members.  Veterans and family members welcome to join.  Party hall rental is free for all members.  Call 703-408-9123 and ask for Diane Ramsey.

4206 Daniels Ave, Annandale, VA 22003
(behind the Bank of America building on Columbia Pike)

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The Annandale Volunteer Fire Dept. host BINGO every Monday and Thursday with doors opening at 4:30pm – Early Birds start at 6:45pm – Regular Sessions starts 7:45pm.

• 42” LCD TV monitors display next ball to be called.
• Must be 14 yrs of age to play bingo at AVFD.
• ATM machine available.
• Bingo Hotline is 703-941-1328
•  Non-smoking inside format

 7128 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA  22003
Ample parking on site. www.avfd.org

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Youth Sports in Annandale
is best represented by:

Annandale Boys & Girls Club

Lee's Hapmudo Martial Arts Studio

 

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Local Web Links:

ACCA

Annandale Acres

Annandale Boys & Girls Club Blog

Annandale:  Comprehensive Plan Amendment

Annandale Revitalization Committee

Annandale Shopping Center

Braddock District Supervisor

Broyhill Park

Danbury Forrest

Elan Mews/Royal Court

Edsall Park

ENDEAVOR News Magazine

Fairfax County Government

Fairfax County Schools

Falls Church News Press

Holmes Run Acres

Lafayette Village

Lake Barcroft

Leewoods

Long Branch

Mason District Supervisor

Mosaic District (Merrifield)

Oak Hill

Ravensworth-Bristow

Raymondale

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow Woods

Tysons Corner

Washington Post

Woodburn Homes