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Lake Fairfax Still Open As End of the Year Approaches

Although Reston’s Lake Fairfax park’s outdoor Water Mine Swimmin’ Hole is closed until May 2014, the park remains open to visitors and patrons.

Reston Exhibit Shows Wildlife of Africa

Photo exhibit on display until Nov. 30.

On Nov. 14, there was an evening reception at the Reston Center for photographer Patricia Deege’s exhibit "Africa The Living Wild."

Classical Ballet Theatre Presents Nutcracker

Annual production will run Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

The Classical Ballet Theatre will present their annual production of “The Nutcracker” starting Nov. 30 at the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale campus.

Thrift Shop Gift Ideas in Herndon

The Closet, Bargain Loft, offer gift ideas that support local charities.

While there’s no shortage of standard brick-and-mortar and online places to shop for this holiday season, several thrift shops in Herndon offer special gift opportunities, as well as a chance to help the less fortunate while doing so.

Herndon Cadets Visit Boot Camp

Naval JROTC cadets train at Parris Island, S.C.

Members of the Herndon High School Naval Junior ROTC got a chance to train in the same place as members of the Marine Corps for 48 hours, experiencing life at boot camp firsthand.

Holiday Gift Ideas in Reston

Reston Used Book Shop, Reston Museum offer local gift ideas.

When hunting for presents this holiday season, the Reston Used Book Store offers hard-to-find reads alongside bestsellers at one of the area’s most popular gift destinations.

Unfunded Northern Virginia Transportation Projects Discussed

County seeks feedback on unfunded projects.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation hosted their latest Countywide Conversation on Transportation Meeting in Reston Wednesday, Nov. 13, to solicit opinions on unfunded transportation projects.

A Lesson on Thankfulness

Chanukah and Thanksgiving are deeply connected.

For the first time since 1888, and not for at least another 77,798 years, the festivals of Chanukah and Thanksgiving converge. It is a rarity that invites us to take a closer look at the underlying message of both, the common theme they both share.

Column: Invest in the Young

There is no program or service for which public dollars can be invested that will have a greater return than those invested in the care and education of young children. People who work in early childhood and day care programs have known intuitively and anecdotally for a long time that children in their programs were much more likely to be successful by a number of different measures than were children who did not have access to their programs.

Column: Election Day 2013

Some friends who work on election issues for the Democratic Party have pestered me to stand up and serve as an election officer. The last couple of elections Republican election officers substantially outnumbered Democrats working the polls—not a healthy situation. So, I bit the bullet and signed up.

Getting Ready for Guests at Thanksgiving and Beyond

Ideas for prepping your home so that visitors feel welcome.

When Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season next week, it will mean an onslaught of house guests for some. Local style gurus offer simple ideas for getting your home ready for visits from friends and family.

Learning to Create an Organized Holiday Season

Local pros offer tips for staying on track from Thanksgiving and beyond.

"If you’re organized, you’ll definitely experience less stress this holiday season," said professional organizer Susan Unger, of ClutterSOS in Vienna. "If you figure out what your goal is and map out everything in advance, you won’t find yourself staying up late wrapping presents and other chores and you’ll have more time to spend with family and friends."

Teaching Children to Make Holiday Gifts

Local art experts offer crafty gift ideas.

Gifting your child’s teacher, grandparents or other family members with holiday cheer doesn’t have to add another line item to your budget. Homemade gifts from children are among the most cherished, say experts, and creating them can be as memorable for the child as the recipient.

Tips for Holiday Card Photos

Local photographers offer suggestions for taking great family photos.

Amber Wilson has spent the last week scouring her computer files in search of the perfect pictures for her holiday card. One image missing from her collection is a shot of her entire family.

Column: Cost of Living

As the person primarily responsible for stocking the house with supplies and maintaining miscellaneous inventory, I am frequently in stores (supermarket, drugstore, pet store, etc.) buying the staples (not an office supply reference) our family needs to maintain our lifestyle, such as it is.

Celebrating Thanksgiving Like a Chef

Local chefs and culinary experts share family stories and recipes.

As a teen, Chef Guiseppe Ricciardi’s Thanksgiving dinners were anything but traditional. Ricciardi , the proprietor of Dolce Vita and Dolce Veloce in Fairfax, moved to New York from Italy with his family when he was 14. His family celebrated Thanksgiving in their new country, but they put an Italian twist on the holiday.

Holiday Cooking with Children

Local culinary instructors offer suggestions for bonding in the kitchen.

Maria Kopsidas recalls childhood holidays filled with turkey, sweets and merriment. Because she grew up in a family of professional chefs, cookbook authors and culinary enthusiasts, the stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas always brings fond food recollections.

Editorial: Shop Locally, Shop in McLean

Small business Saturday isn’t enough; don’t wait until then, and don’t stop after that.

An effort to support locally owned businesses has resulted in the recognition of Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year that is Nov. 30. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as a dedicated day of national zeal for shopping. Presumably the next day shoppers can focus on local shopping.

Springfield Home Sales: October, 2013

In October 2013, 114 Springfield homes sold between $1,025,000-$210,000.