Saturday, December 24, 2011
Vienna family organizes holiday video game drive for sick children in memory of Sam Savia, 85, and Jack Donaldson, 12, who died this year
When Dan Sieff watches his kids open gifts during the holidays, he realizes how fortunate his family is, he says: They have gifts to open, and, everyone is around to open them. This year, in that spirit, he's hoping a last-minute video game drive will give some local sick children at INOVA a gift for Christmas, and also honor two members of the Vienna Community who will be missed on the holiday for the first time. Sieff is collecting gently used video games, Wii games and electronics over the weekend in honor of Sam Savia, 85, and Jack Donaldson, 12, whose deaths affected the Sieff family, and the Vienna community, in different ways, he said. Sieff first met Savia, who died this month, when he joined the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department …
Track Santa's progress from the North Pole beginning at 1 a.m. on Dec. 24.
For 364 days out of the year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) spends its time tracking airplanes, missiles, space ships—anything flying near the United States and Canada. But on Christmas Eve, a team of volunteers spends the night tracking a very special pilot: Santa Claus. "We are the only organization that has the technology, the qualifications and the people to do it," NORAD said on its website. "NORAD tracks Santa, but only Santa knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house." Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west, NORAD noticed, meaning he moves from the South Pacific to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe …
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
With inaugural event, resident hopes to start annual Christmas tradition
When Laura Goyer was growing up in Massachusetts, community caroling gatherings were a tradition in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Carolers would gather in the center of town, but also in neighborhoods, where friends or perfect strangers would walk from door to door. Goyer, a Vienna resident with three children of her own, decided this season she'd try to create the same kind of tradition in her children's hometown. Though the idea was born in the late part of the Christmas season -- she didn't post the event to Facebook until this past Wednesday -- more than 150 people showed up on the Town Green on Sunday night carrying hot cocoa and eating candy canes. Children, adults and entire families, led by Vienna Elementary School music …
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department brings Mr. Claus to Vienna neighborhoods this season
The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department was selected again this year by the North Pole to escort Santa Claus through Vienna neighborhoods. Santa Claus started his runs on Thursday, riding around Southwestern Vienna in the VVFD's 1946 Maxim antique fire engine. Santa will be in Vienna through Thursday night, though some runs have been canceled due to mechanical issues. View the overall map here and the schedule here; it will be updated as the department reschedules those runs. The trucks head out for neighborhoods around 5:30 to 6 p.m. Listen for the sirens and music and gather with your neighbors at the closest street corner to catch a glimpse of Mr. Claus. Can't make it? View some highlights from Thursday's run in the media player above.
Friday, November 11, 2011
And it's only Veterans Day ...
We're celebrating Veterans Day and already you can see wreaths and colored lights decorating shopping centers. So Patch wants to know if you like these festive trimmings or do you think, bah humbug, this is way too early.
Judy
8:45 am on Thursday, December 29, 2011
Can you use a Nintendo 64? We have the base unit, 4 controllers and several games. If so where should we drop it off? more ›