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Remembering Bonnie Huneke - Virginia Run Turkey Trot To Be Run in Huneke’s Honor

Time doesn’t heal — you just call it the new normal.” - Stephen Huneke, widower

Each year, the Virginia Run Turkey Trot is run in honor of a community resident who’s died of cancer, and this year’s Thanksgiving Day event is in memory of Bonnie Huneke. She died Oct. 27, 2011 of breast cancer at age 50. Sixteen-year residents of Centreville’s Virginia Run community, she and her husband Stephen, a government contractor and retired Army major, were married 21 years; their children are Elizabeth, 31, Craig, 26 and Mary, 19. Bonnie’s first husband, Army CWO3 Billy Bolin, preceded her in death. “She was one of those super-friendly people who never met someone she didn’t like,” said Stephen Huneke. “Every day, she’d be out walking our golden retriever and met a lot of neighbors that way.” Bonnie also loved planting flowers and gardening; and as the children grew, she and Stephen enjoyed attending their athletic events in SYA and in high school. She also volunteered at Virginia Run Elementary, Stone Middle and Westfield High and worked at Westfield’s blood drives, too. An active person, she used to be an avid runner until a bone tumor on her right knee, 18 years ago, forced her to have a prosthetic knee. Because of that, several times over the last 15 years, doctors had to remove scar tissue on her knee.

Entertainment

Nov. 21 through Jan. 6, 2013 Bull Run Festival of Lights. This event features more than two miles of holiday light displays, food, fire pits for marshmallow roasting, carnival rides, hay rides and Santa's Enchanted Lights. The light show is open Monday through Thursday, 5:30-9:30 p.m. and Friday through Sunday and holidays, 5:30-10 p.m. Admission is $15 per car Monday through Thursday; $20 per car Friday through Sunday and holidays. At Bull Run Regional Park located at 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville. Visitwww.bullrunfestivaloflights.com or call 703-359-4633.

ASL Signing Santa and Mrs. Claus

BOX

In celebration of the Ice Age: Continental Drift Blu-ray featuring first-time sign-language interpretation of a feature film, Fair Oaks will host ASL Signing Santa Day on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 10-11 a.m. Special-guest children who are deaf and/or hard-of-hearing will be welcomed for a walk through the multi-sensory Ice Palace, Ice Age treats and souvenirs, signed dance performances by Hulala, performances by members of the Washington, D.C. deaf community, a visit with Signing Santa and Signing Mrs. Claus and complimentary Santa photos. The event will be signed by a guest interpreter.


Ice Palace

Fair Oaks Enchanted Ice Palace Holiday Tradition

Sugarloaf Craft Festival in Chantilly

Sugarloaf Crafts Festival Friday, December 7 through Sunday, December 9, 2012 Dulles Expo Center 4368 Chantilly Shopping Center Chantilly, VA 20151 Show Hours: -Friday, December 7: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -Saturday, December 8: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. -Sunday, December 9: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission (valid all three days): -Adults $8 online; $10 at the door -Children under 12 free

Festival of Lights

The Bull Run Festival of Lights is open Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Jan. 6. Featuring more than two and a half miles of holiday light displays, the Bull Run Festival of Lights at Bull Run Regional Park has drawn thousands of visitors from hundreds of miles away.


Festival of Lights

The Bull Run Festival of Lights is open Wednesday, Nov. 21 through Jan. 6. Featuring more than two and a half miles of holiday light displays, the Bull Run Festival of Lights at Bull Run Regional Park has drawn thousands of visitors from hundreds of miles away.

Santa Paws’ at Fair Oaks Mall

Fair Oaks Mall will offer guests five opportunities during the holidays to have their pets’ pictures taken with Santa at the Ice Palace, locally presented by Cox Communications. The annual Fair Oaks Mall “Santa Paws” will be offered on Sunday, Nov. 25 from 8-9 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 2 from 7:30-9 a.m. and 8-9 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 9 from 8-9:30 p.m. Set against the enchanted Ice Palace, the 1,200-square foot centerpiece of the Fair Oaks Mall holiday celebrations, dogs and cats with their owners and families will have the opportunity to pose for commemorative professional photos with Santa.

Centreville Home Sales: October, 2012

In October 2012, 70 Centreville homes sold between $935,000-$132,500.

Centreville Home Sales in October, 2012


Bulletin Board

The Chantilly Academy Auto Technology and Auto Collision Repair classes are looking for used cars as donations to the program. Contact Ann Booker at 703-227-3041 or Kenny Brown at 703-222-7466. Northern Virginia Neighbors Club. A non-profit organization offering an opportunity to meet new friends. Activities include book clubs, card games, crafts, fitness, gardening, mah jong, needleworks, rummoli, theater and more. Meet members at one of the monthly luncheons, coffees or mixers. Email nvn156@yahoo.com.

Chantilly Home Sales: October, 2012

In October 2012, 13 homes sold between $700,000-$65,000 in the Chantilly area.

Chantilly Home Sales in October, 2012

Gingerbread Activities at Deer Park Elementary

The Gingerbread Man will help K-2 students at Deer Park Elementary learn about school geography and the staff members when local author Laura Murray comes to share her book, “The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School,” Dec. 12, at 9 a.m.


School Notes

Wednesday/Nov. 28 CVHS Safe Teen Driving Seminars. Registration will begin at 6:15 p.m. and doors will be locked at 7 p.m. No one will be admitted after the doors are locked. All parents and students need to attend one of these sessions before the student will be issued a driver's license. It is preferred that your student attend during the quarter they have Driver's Education with Ferrick. Thursday/Nov. 29 ”Paying for College." 7 p.m. The "Paying for College" presentation that was cancelled on Oct. 29 has been rescheduled for Thursday, Nov. 29. The program will begin in the Centreville high School theater. This overview of how to pay for a college education is for families of students from Middle School through High School who are looking to educate themselves about all sources of funding including the Federal Student Loan and Work study Programs, college/university merit aid including scholarships and grants, state tuition assistance programs, private scholarships and much more. Contact Leftwich at caleftwich@fcps.edu. Centreville High School Wind Ensemble was awarded a State Level Recognition by the Foundation for Music Education in the “Mark of Excellence/National Wind Band Honors Project.” The award is based on the Wind Ensemble’s playing at the 2012 Performance Assessment, which was held in March. The performance was considered to be of high quality and worthy of recognition. Nationwide, 184 bands, orchestras and choirs entered their performances this year so it is a true honor for CVHS Wind Ensemble to be recognized. Amanda Karstetter, from Centreville, will join the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Ambassador Program. Students are selected to join the team each spring through a competitive application process. Karstetter, a junior majoring in humanities, science and enviornment and English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, volunteers with a faculty member for a minimum of two hours a week and volunteers for other various events hosted by the college. Ambassadors work closely with faculty, staff, parents, and alumni to expand the college’s outreach. Walter Ambrose III, of Centreville, recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Ambrose earned a BFA degree in Film.

CVHS Students Named Top Achievers

CVHS Students Named Top Achievers

The following Centreville High School students have been recognized as top achievers in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Be Part of Children's Centre View

During the last week of each year, the Centre View devotes its entire issue to the creativity of local students and children. The results are always remarkable. It is a keepsake edition for many families. We publish artwork, poetry, essays, creative writing, opinion pieces, short stories, photography, photos of sculpture or gardens or other creative efforts. We ask that all submissions be digital so they can be sent through email or delivered on CD or flash drive. Writing should be submitted in rich text format (.rtf). Artwork should be photographed or scanned and provided in jpeg format. Identify each piece of writing or art, including the student's full name, age, grade and town of residence, plus the name of the school, name of teacher and town of school location. Please provide the submissions by Monday, Dec. 3.


Diversity Growing

Tune in to our series on immigration.

More than 28 percent of Fairfax County's population is foreign born; that's 317,000 residents. Consider Yesuf Beshir from Ethiopia, who two years ago settled in Springfield and now works for a government contractor. In May, he became an American citizen. “The main thing here is democracy, the right to vote,” Beshir said. These residents include nearly 20,000 who are self-employed business owners, truly job creators, large and small. One of these is Shami Walia who emigrated from India in 1982, and now owns Burke Cigar Shop, a popular cigar lounge that's become a neighborhood fixture. One part of our series will look at the business impacts of the foreign-born population.

Handling ‘Everything under the Sun’

Animal Control officer talks about his job.

Although Fairfax County is a bustling, suburban area with lots businesses, homes and concrete, it still has its share of animals — many of them wild. And both they and people’s pets keeps the police department’s animal control officers busy. Andy Sanderson has been a police officer for 20 years and an animal control officer for 15, and he recently shared his knowledge and expertise with members of the Sully District Station’s Citizens Advisory Committee. He said residents may call 703-691-2131 to report an incident and that animal-control officers are on call from 6-12:30 a.m. for emergencies.

Buy Now, Pay Later

Meaning: If I’m terminal, why deprive myself because of cost? If, in fact, I’m only living once – as the old saying goes, and somewhat less of a life than I had anticipated, shouldn’t I, at the very least, “Pull my pants down and slide on the ice,” as prescribed by Dr. Sidney Freedman in an episode of M*A*S*H, way back when?


Tease photo

Opinion: Embracing Our Diversity

If you can ever find the time to attend a federal naturalization ceremony in Fairfax County for new citizens, do it. It reinvigorates one’s patriotism and reminds us all how lucky we are to be Americans.

Opinion: Celebrating Diversity Through Culture

So, when people from different countries, diverse cultures, and dissimilar values migrate to United States, they try to adjust and adapt to the new culture. But the onus should also be on American people to welcome them, to make them comfortable and feel at home. What do we do to create awareness about different cultures? Unfortunately, I have not seen much effort on the part of the government.