Freedom High School Girls Basketball Team Wins State Title

Congratulations to the Freedom High School girls basketball team on their huge victory today! They kept their opponent under control and won handily 58-33 to become the Division III Virginia State champions!

Solar shed used to house and heat water in Round Hill home

Homeowner Bruce Lawton of Round Hill installed a solar shed that looks like any other garden shed. It looks like a garden shed because it really is a garden shed.

And the government will help the homeowner pay for it. The 8-by-8-foot shed in Lawton’s yard cost just less than $7,000 after the 30% ($2,000) tax credit from the federal government.

The shed circulates water in small pipes under the roof covering to pick up the heat energy from the sun. When the water is about 8 degrees hotter than the setting on the water heater in the basement 64 feet away, the water drains down from the roof and into a 10-gallon tank next to the water heater. It transfers its heat to the water heater, and – when the sun is out and the pump kicks in – heads back to the roof for another sunbath.

Hmmm… an interesting idea.

Helping Hungry Neighbors

As layoffs continue and the economy slows down more of our neighbors will find themselves in a tough spot. If you’re fortunate enough to have a steady job and a financial cushion you might consider donating to a local food bank. What I like about food banks is the money goes directly towards helping someone in our area deal with the most basic need there is… food.

To locate a food bank visit Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest). You can search for local food banks by entering in your zip code. The nearest one to us is the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank which serves some of the poorest families in Virginia. I was a little surprised to find that Loudoun County was already on their coverage map prior to the recent economic crunch. When all is said and done there very well could be more counties added to the list needing food banks.

A large percentage of American families live paycheck to paycheck and when a job is lost they need help with the most basic of needs. Please consider lending a helping hand.

Note: If you’re aware if any other local food related charities in our local area please send me a message and I’ll be sure to help spread the word.

Mike Rayburn Rocked the House!

Mike Rayburn’s performance at Freedom High School was fantastic! He is one of the most talented guitarists I’ve even seen perform and his skills as a comedian are equally impressive. His performance was truly a special treat for us locals.

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In the scene below Mike becomes Michael Jackson. He won’t appreciate this pic, but it was hilarious!

As if the show wasn’t enough of a treat I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Mike’s dad as we left the performance. He’s a former teacher from this area and knew the teachers I had back in high school. He made it clear how proud he is of his son and I’m certain the feeling is mutual!

You can learn more about Mike and his extraordinary performances at this previous post on the performance last night at Freedom high school or at his Website: Mike Rayburn

I definitely recommend you catch his performance next time he performs in our area!

Family Fest Loudoun August 23rd Dulles Town Center

Saturday August 23rd from 10 - 4pm at the Dulles Town Center

This full day event, features hands-on interactive stations, exhibits, demonstrations and live entertainment. The event focuses on family health & safety, nutrition, education, community awareness. It’s perfect for a family day of FUN!

Be one of the first 100 families and you’ll receive a free “goodie bag”.

For more information visit their site: Family Fest Loudoun

The Lansdowne Wine Chick

Just a couple months ago I had the pleasure of being treated to some of the best wine I’ve ever had at a function being held at the Lansdowne Resort. One of the speakers gave serious praise to the resident sommelier, Mary Watson Delauder, and the wines we were treated to were absolutely spectacular. That experience made finding this video all the more rewarding.

Mary is a Virginia gal that knows her wine and thrives on getting other people more enthusiastic about their wine experiences. Equally unique is her herb garden. She grows organic herbs right there at her home… er, her place of “employment”.

Check out her video and plan a visit one Friday evening with your guy or gal. It’ll be a good time.

See you there!

Annual Prince William County Fair

Prince William County Fair
10624 Dumfries Road, Manassas
Tel.: 703-368-0173
Web site: http://www.pwcfair.com/
The 59th Annual Prince William County Fair returns with fun-for-all including; concerts, rides, games, and for the whole family. Tickets get you admission, halftime entertainment, unique exhibits and interesting displays, barn shows, and grandstand events. Ride tickets must be purchased separately.

Admission: $7 for ages 7-59; $5 for ages 3-6; $5 for 60+; children under 2 free.
Dollar Day will be Wednesday, Aug. 13. Admission and rides are only $1 each!

Young Students Benefit from Storytime Reading

This article starts off innocently enough talking about how important teaching kids how to read is, but then the author, Tri-Ed Tutoring, rolls out a list of many of the reading programs available at nearby libraries. It’s a great resource listing days and times programs are available. Nice work and thanks Tri-Ed!
Pre-School and Young Elementary Students benefit from Storytime Reading

Route 29 South in Prince William County to Close Aug 8-11

Southbound Route 29 in western Prince William County will be closed to traffic on three separate weekends over the next six weeks while the Virginia Department of Transportation installs a new deck on the bridge over Broad Run at Buckland. The bridge is located about a half-mile south of Route 15, near the Fauquier County border.  Motorists can expect the detour to add 20 to 30 minutes to their travel time. Traffic on northbound Route 29 is not affected by the bridge work.

The first closure will be from 9 pm Friday, Aug 8 until 5 am Monday Aug 11th.  Weekend detours are also scheduled for Aug 22-25 and Sept 5-8.

For more details and maps visit this DOT page: Route 29 Closed

Free Physicals for New Loudoun School Children

The Loudoun Community Health Center will be offering free school physicals Aug 9-16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., for children entering Pre-K and Kindergarten, as well as students who are newly entering the Loudoun County School System for the first time. The physicals will be given at the Loudoun Community Health Center, 3rd floor, 224A Cornwall Street, NW, in Leesburg. Children will be seen on a first-come-first-served basis. No appointments are necessary. Volunteers from the Junior League will be giving away free backpacks filled with new school supplies to the children.

The Loudoun Community Health Center is a nonprofit, charitable clinic that provides primary health care to anyone in need, regardless of your ability to pay, whether you have insurance or not. Services are typically provided on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size.

To make a charitable donation online, go to www.LoudounCHC.org. For more information, call 703-443-2000.

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