The Falls Church Independent

Old School: Electioneering ....what I thought bears repeating is my experiences with people who took their civic responsibility seriously. For over 20 years, I worked the polls at my home precinct in Arlington....

Feeling patriotic at the polls! www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-8/ #civicduty #voting #veterans #volunteering #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #nova #northernvirginia #arlingtonva

F.C. Bulletin: School Board Election Recount?; Library's New Digital Archive; FY '26 Arts & Humanities Grants Despite the Falls Church News-Press's claims yesterday that "Falls Church voters elected five members to the Falls Church City School Board in Tuesday's election," the five candidates on the Nov. 4 ba...

What’s in today’s FC Bulletin? www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-bulletin... #cityoffallschurch #nova #northernvirginia #fallschurchvity #fallschurchva #thelittlecity #schools #library #arts #humanities #digitalarchives #history #dmv #nov4elections

Weekend Buzz: Nov. 5, 2025 So much to do around town! On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the City will hold its annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Community Center. You can try your hand at flower pressing at Cherry Hill Farm House, have yo...

What’s the buzz this weekend? www.fallschurchindependent.com/weekend-buzz... #dmv #nova #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #northernvirginia #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #weekend #events #fun #entertainment #arts

F.C. Bulletin: City's New Finance Director; Social Justice Committee Workshop; Tree Rescuers The City of Falls Church has named David So as the new Director of Finance for the City, per an Oct. 29 press release.... Social Justice Committee of Falls Church and Vicinity Hosting Native American ...

What’s in today’s FC Bulletin? www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-bulletin... #cityoffallschurch #fairfaxva #northernvirginia #nova #fallschurchcity #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #trees #savethetrees #fallschurchva #nativeamerican

Editorial: Is The Washington Post Scrubbing African American Faces from Its Metro Section? ....There were no African American faces appearing in photographs anywhere in the Washington Post’s Metro section on the following dates: October 31, 29, 28, 24, 16, 14, 10, and 4.

Have you noticed this as well? www.fallschurchindependent.com/editorial-is... #blackhistory #journalism #washingtonpost #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #bezos #washingtondc #chocolatecity #africanamerican #northernvirginia

Old School: Costume Changes Flashback to 1950’s Halloween in Southern Indiana. Here were the costume choices, Old School style: Ghost. Your mom took the threadbare sheet or the one that got caught in the wringer washer....

What were some Halloween costumes your folks helped you throw together? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-c... #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchva #fallschurchcity #northernvirginia #halloween #memories #costumes #1950s #nostalgia #thelittlecity

City Council Candidate Brian Pendleton’s Unique Qualifications, Proposals An interview with Brian Pendleton, non-incumbent candidate for Falls Church City Council in the Nov. 4 elections.

What makes this candidate unique? www.fallschurchindependent.com/city-council... #fallschurchcity #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia #fallschurchva #cityhall #nov4elections

F.C. Restaurants, Businesses, City Government Step Up for Furloughed Workers With federal employees constituting nearly 9 percent of its workforce, it's not surprising that the City of Falls Church has been particularly hard hit by the federal government shutdown, now in its 2...

Everyone’s stepping up! www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-restaura... #shutdown #federalworkers #helping #charity #fallschuchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia #fallschurchcity #services #jobs #hunger #federalworkforce

How to Respond to Stressful Emotional Contagions We live in an increasingly “VUCA” (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. It’s easy and common to get swept up in all the feels such an environment can provoke.

Where are you on the Feelings Wheel? www.fallschurchindependent.com/how-to-respo...

Old School: Ounce of Prevention Remember the fire drills during our school days? We had several each year, and one of them was always during Fire Prevention Week, in October. We were told to drop whatever we were doing, take nothing...

What were your school drills like? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-o... #fallschurchcity #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #firesafety #schools #nostalgia #northernvirginia

City Unveils ‘LOVE Letters’ Sculpture Celebrating 75th Anniversary, ‘Diversity & Inclusivity’ ....Yesterday morning, Oct. 22, 2025,  in one of the most prominent community gathering spots in The Little City, the ‘LOVE Letters - ‘Reflection: Diversity and Inclusivity Sculpture‘ was ceremoniousl...

LOVE Unveiled! www.fallschurchindependent.com/city-unveils... #love #LoveCFC #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #publicart #localart #virginiaisforlovers #northernvirginia #fallschurchva #DEI #democracy #hyperlocal

Rare Bird Celebrates Local Arts, Enhances Café Business With all the growth in The Little City these days, it’s hard to keep track of the number of independent coffee shops, cafés, and tea parlors popping up around town. But, to our knowledge, only one – R...

Rare Bird’s breaking news and local arts support! www.fallschurchindependent.com/rare-bird-ce... #cityoffallschurch #rarebirdcoffeeroasters #fallschurchcity #northernvirginia #thelittlecity #fallschurchva #cafe #coffee #localart #painting #arts #ceramics #coffeeshop #landscapes #hyperlocal

No Kings II Rally: Turnout in Falls Church Exceeds June 14 Protest .... Saturday’s No Kings II protests in downtown Falls Church Oct. 18 were hailed as a turnout success by organizers, as perhaps over a thousand local ralliers joined an estimated 7 million protesters...

What did organizers and participants say? www.fallschurchindependent.com/no-kings-ii-... #nokings #protests #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #democracy #rights #northernvirginia

City to Unveil New LOVE Letters Sculpture The City of Falls Church will unveil a new, life-sized LOVE Letters Installation on Wednesday, October 22, at 9:30 a.m. at 300 Park Ave. between...

Will U B there? www.fallschurchindependent.com/city-to-unve... #LOVE #LoveCFC ##LoveVA #DEI #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #fallschurchva #northernvirginia #virginiaisforlovers #sculpture #cityhall

Old School: Food for Thought I should say I enjoy the fresh produce section the best, since that’s where all the healthy food lives. But, for it to make me healthy, I must EAT it first. Actually my favorite browsing area is the B...

How many gizmos and gadgets have you bought there? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-7/ #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #northernvirginia #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #grocerystore #shopping #gadgets #aisles #retail #humor #nostalgia

F.C. Bulletin: No Kings II; Real Estate; Creative Cauldron's Musical Theater Training; Solunaah Dance On Saturday, Oct. 18, Falls Church Indivisible and Democracy Falls Church are asking our community to join the growing national movement saying loudly and peacefully: No Kings. From 9:30 to 11:30 a.m....

What’s in today’s bulletin? www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-bulletin... #nokings #cityoffallschurch #creativecauldron #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #realestate #dance #musicaltheater #northermvirginia #fallschurchva

F.C. Volunteer Fire Department Holds Open House, Celebrates Century of Service For Fire Prevention Week – and in celebration of 100 years of safeguarding Falls Church and Arlington County “with dedication and community pride” – the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department (FCVFD),...

Celebrating a Century of Service! www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-voluntee... #volunteerfire #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #arlingtonva #northernvirginia #fallschurchcity #firefighting #EMS #ambulance #firstresponders #fairfaxcounty #FCVFD

Old School: Banded I recently read an eye-opening article in the 100th Anniversary edition of The New Yorker about high school bands these days. According to the article, the epicenter of band competitions is my home st...

What are your band memories? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-b... #band #marchingband #colorguard #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #indiana #northernvirginia #music

Weekend Buzz: Oct. 8, 2025 Despite the government shutdown, there's so much to do around town! Celebrate Farm Day at Cherry Hill Park, attend our local Volunteer Fire Department's Open House, commemorate Indigenous People's Day...

What’s the buzz? www.fallschurchindependent.com/weekend-buzz...

FCC School Board Candidates Respond to FC Climate Action Network Questions Following is based on a recent press releases from the Falls Church Climate Action Network (FCCAN). See below for links to each of our profiles of the five FCC School Board candidates running for the ...

How do you think the candidates responded? www.fallschurchindependent.com/fcc-school-b... #schoolboard #elections #cityoffallschurch #fallschurchcity #thelittlecity #fccan #climate #schools #education #northernvirginia #meridianhs #maryellenhendersonms #novemberelections #fallschurchva

F.C. Bulletin: Teacher's Prestigious Selection; F.C. Arts' 'Paper'; Virginia Dream's Streak Mount Daniel Elementary School second-grade teacher Gail Bodner has completed the highly competitive White House History Teacher Institute, joining just 60 educators nationwide for the prestigious fiv...

What’s in today’s F.C. Bulletin? www.fallschurchindependent.com/f-c-bulletin... #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia #arts #education #soccer #hyperlocal

Old School: To a Tee By Carol McEwen, Call me crazy, but I like tee-shirts, and judging from what I see when I’m out and about, I’m not alone. They’re light-weight and the all-cotton ones are cool, especially important i...

What’s in your tee collection! www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-scho-5/

FCC School Board Vice Chair Kathleen Tysse’s 2025 Re-Election Campaign Kathleen Tysse – Vice Chair of the Falls Church City School Board, former elementary school teacher with an Education Masters from U.V.A., and mom to four students in the City’s public schools – is ru...

Meet Kathleen Tysse, candidate for re-election to the FCC School Board! www.fallschurchindependent.com/fcc-school-b... #schools #fallschurchcity #teaching #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia #fallschurchva #education #AI #schoolsecurity #hyperlocal

Falls Church Antiques Annex Re-opens Oct. 6 In a surprise retail turnaround, the Falls Church Antiques Annex (FCAA)  – one of the City’s most beloved shops which closed last April – will be re-opening its doors to customers at 250 W. Broad St....

Guess who’s re-opening in Falls Church? www.fallschurchindependent.com/falls-church... #fallschurchcity #cityoffallschurch #northernvirginia #thelittlecity #localretail #antiques #vintage #localbusiness #fallschurchva #shopping

'Grand Opening' Ribbon-Cutting for West Falls, Sept. 25 ....Beneath an expansive tent on the Commons of the West Falls Development, Thursday, Sept. 25, the “Grand Opening” of West Falls, a nearly 10-acre transit-oriented mixed-use neighborhood, marked the ...

Grand Opening of West Falls! www.fallschurchindependent.com/grand-openin... #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #fallschurchcity #fallschurchva #northernvirginia #smartgrowth #mixeduse #walkability #schools #sustainability #development #localretail #localrestaurants #hyperlocal

Old School: Pedal Pusher ....This is about my childhood ticket to freedom: my bike, serving multiple purposes in my life. I rode my green machine every day to school, come rain, shine and even snow sometimes....

Where were you allowed to ride your bike? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-school-p... #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #fallschurchcity #bicycling #kids #school #biking #memories #nostalgia #indianmounds #icecream #oldschool

Weekend Buzz: Sept. 25, 2026 It's the cool autumn season of the Falls Church Arts' Plein Air Festival, plus so many fun activities around town. For local dining, the City has just created an online Dining Guide. Next to HQ2, Amaz...

What’s the buzz this weekend? www.fallschurchindependent.com/weekend-buzz... #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #fallschurchcity #weekend #fun #events #entertainment #arts #hyperlocal #northernvirginia

My Wonder Years .... Co-creator Carol Black grew up in Silver Spring — four miles from where I experienced my own version of those formative “Wonder Years.” The show’s Maryland roots go even deeper.

Reflective piece with a surprisingly local twist! www.fallschurchindependent.com/my-wonder-ye... #childhood #1960s #suburbia #nostalgia #memories #wonderyears #fallschurchva #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia

FCC School Board Member Lori Silverman's 2025 Re-Election Bid Four years ago, Lori K. Silverman – a Democratic Political Consultant with her own LLC, a non-practicing lawyer with a Juris Doctorate from GWU School of Law, and a mom of two Falls Church City public...

Meet Lori Silverman, candidate for re-election to the FCC School Board! www.fallschurchindependent.com/fcc-school-b... #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #fallschurchcity #northernvirginia #schools #education #publicschools #AI #fallschurchva #meridianhs #maryellenhendersonms

Old School: Fall-ing in Place ... in September, my “fancy” turns to the classroom, with happy memories. Call me crazy, but I liked school. It was a reunion with friends I hadn’t seen all summer....

What are your memories of the first days of school? www.fallschurchindependent.com/old-scho-4/ #nostalgia #school #backtoschool #schoolstore #fallschurchcity #cityoffallschurch #thelittlecity #northernvirginia #memories #kids #friends #crayola #fallschurchva