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Donna Manz

Stories by Donna

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Vienna Egg Hunt Draws Hundreds

Finding, decorating and rolling eggs keep children busy on grounds of Freeman House.

Amid great fanfare, a rather large fuzzy, furry Easter bunny arrived at Freeman House grounds on March 31, kicking off the annual Easter egg hunt and roll sponsored by the Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation and Historic Vienna, Inc.

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Freedom Hill Elementary Hosts International Day

School celebrates the global diversity of its student body.

Freedom Hill Elementary School [FHES] celebrated the diversity of its student population with an enthusiastically-attended International Day on March 30.

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Spring Flings in Vienna

Guide to spring activities from egg hunts to Town Green Concerts.

As "they" say, "spring has sprung." With spring comes mild temperatures, farmers’ rain to nurture the flowers, and the launch of seasonal activities, from egg hunts to the Windover Walk on the Hill. The U.S. Navy’s own "Sea Chanters" kick off the Town Green concert series on May 11.

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Del. Keam Holds Town Meeting

Vienna-area residents voice concerns about issues impacting region.

More than 40 local residents listened to Del. Mark Keam’s overview of the General Assembly session at his March 24 Town Hall Meeting at the Vienna Town Hall, and the questions they posed afterward hit hot-button issues.

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Showing Love for Classmate

Thoreau students donate hair in honor of cancer patient.

Thoreau Middle School students came together in a school-wide benefit on Friday night, girls with long hair having their crowns of glory snipped and donated to be used as wigs for girls undergoing chemotherapy.

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Chamber Honors Local Schools’ Talents

Annual event honors academics, arts and sciences.

The ViennaTysons Regional Chamber of Commerce [VTRCC] honored Vienna-area schools at its annual Youth and Education Luncheon on March 15 at the Westin Tysons Corner.

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Celtic Arts Festival Features Music and More

Vienna Choral Society drew more than 500 guests to four hours of Celtic inspiration.

If the crowds were a indication – and they usually are – the premiere Celtic Arts Festival on March 17 hosted by the Vienna Choral Society [VCS] at Vienna Elementary School was a smash hit. Throughout the four-hour program on St. Patrick’s Day, more than 500 guests listened to music on two stages, ate Cornish pasties sold by The Pure Pasty Company, and browsed through vendors’ stalls.

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Creating a ‘Forever Gift’ for Family

Semi-annual VVFD fundraiser brings together scrapbookers.

"Scrapbooking is the modern-day quilting circle," says Vienna resident and scrapbooker Judy Barto.

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Maverick Mosaics Hosts Student Exhibition

Retrospective included floral and animal compositions.

On March 9, Maverick Mosaics hosted a reception to highlight mosaic art pieces composed by students in 2011.

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Monte Carlo Takes Over Vienna

Chamber of Commerce casino night draws hundreds to Westwood Country Club.

The "glitterati" of the Vienna area and their out-of-town friends came out for Monte Carlo-style fun at Westwood Country Club on March 3.

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Vienna Rotary Continues Weekly Check Presentations

Service club donates to local nonprofits the money it raises for humanitarian purposes.

The Rotary Club of Vienna, Inc. one-ups Bill Gates. While Gates gives away most of his fortune, Rotary gives away all its fortune. Throughout the year, the service club donates to area nonprofits all the money it brings in through fundraising events, most notably, through ViVa! Vienna!, the annual three-day Memorial Day weekend festival.

Scrapbooking Workshops March 9 and 10

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary hosts popular fundraiser.

For generations, women throughout the world saved mementos of family passages in humble scrapbooks. Usually, they were photo albums renamed as "scrapbooks."

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Donatos Comes to Vienna

Vienna franchise first of dozens to open in Northern Virginia.

Evidently, a lot of Vienna people have been watching the build-out of the newly-opened Donatos pizza and sub restaurant in the Danor Shopping Center.

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Monte Carlo Without the Passport

Annual Chamber gala goes for the "chi-chi" look.

he Vienna area gets an opportunity to don its fanciest duds, do some gaming, sample foods from the area’s most popular restaurants, bid on classy auction prizes, listen to party music, drink from lit-up bar glasses and win raffle prizes on Saturday, March 3.

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Colvin Run Mill Turns Sap to Syrup

In February, mill presented two maple syrup boil-downs to public.

Colvin Run Mill is not in Vermont nor are its maple trees "sugar" maple, but the park’s demonstration of a maple syrup boil-down harkens back to the simple ways of country living.

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Vienna’s Animal Tales

Pets: family, therapists, life savers.

All pet-parents think their pets are pretty special. Some pets are just cuddly and lovable, some blindly-devoted, some clever. Some dogs risk their lives as part of their jobs, while others give humans with physical disabilities independence.

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Vienna Optimist Club Awards High School Essay Winners

The Optimist Club of Greater Vienna awarded $600 to three local high school students at its Feb. 15 dinner meeting. The students were winners of the annual Optimists International essay contest, "How My Positive Outlook Benefits My Community."

Vienna’s Historic Love Story

Prominent Vienna couple celebrated 65th wedding anniversary on Feb. 8.

In 1946, World War II was over and men and women in the armed forces were returning home, some to the hugs of spouses and children, others to parents and siblings. Mayo Stuntz, born and raised in Vienna, was one of those young men returning as an eligible bachelor.

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Vienna Resident ‘Plants’ a Church

Johnny Kurcina grew up in Vienna, opened Anglican Christ Church Vienna.

Johnny Kurcina grew up in Vienna, going to local schools, playing local sports. Like many teenage boys, Kurcina wanted to get away from his hometown after graduating from James Madison High School.

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Flint Hill School Fills ‘Empty Bowls’ to Benefit the Hungry

For the second consecutive year, the students of Flint Hill School and their friends and family partnered to raise funds for DC Central Kitchen on Feb. 11.

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‘Find the Fun Fair’ Comes to Vienna

Free activities, raffle prizes.

Hundreds of parents and their children turned out for www.playtodaydc.com’s public launch at Westwood Country Club on Feb. 4, a "Find the Fun Fair." Favorites activities, from inflatable bouncers to modified "t-ball," and business partners promoting their children’s offerings, ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

They’re Making ‘100 Bowls of Soup’

Local entrepreneur wants to change processed food industry one bowl at a time.

Early in Katharine Mardirosian’s post-college life, she considered a career in international relations. A Harvard graduate, Mardirosian traveled and worked in eastern Europe and New York.

She’s Got ‘Stage Presence’

Student placement auditions Feb. 1 and 2.

Stacey Jones has been engaged in dance and theatre pretty much her whole life. She sang in school choruses and performed in musical theatre in high school.

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Opening Doors to Part-time Careers

Flexforce Professionals pairs experienced professional women with local companies.

If it weren’t for three highly-educated, resourceful local moms who wanted to be home when the school bus arrived, there would, probably, be no "Flexforce Professionals" today.

Comedy Club Opens in Vienna

The Back Room really is a back room.

To its list of social events, Vienna has now added "comedy club."

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Finding Winter Fun, Vienna-Style

Cold-weather activities abound if you know where to look.

It’s not just the children who need fun winter activities … grown-ups, families, everyone looks for things to do when it’s dark by 6 p.m. and cold outside.

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Petersen, Keam Discuss Richmond Agenda

State Sen. Chap Petersen and Del. Mark Keam conduct Town Hall meeting at American Legion.

Transportation, transportation, transportation. While other topics, such as education funding, arose at the Jan. 21 Town Hall meeting conducted by Virginia Sen. Chap Petersen [D-34] and Del. Mark Keam [D-35], it was Vienna-area transportation problems – funding and execution of projects – that local residents voiced most concern and frustration over.

Vienna Kitchen Gets Spicy

Scientist turns her skills to blending spices.

Stepping into Deepa Patke’s Vienna kitchen is like walking into a parfumerie for foodies…Indian food foodies.

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Chamber Installs 2012 Board

Lisa Huffman welcomed as new ViennaTysons Regional Chamber president.

On Jan. 19, the ViennaTysons Regional Chamber of Commerce [VTRCC] installed its 2012 Board of Directors in a luncheon program at Maggiano’s at Tysons Galleria.

Playtodaydc.com Launches Vienna Partnership

Website connects moms looking for activities with local groups and businesses.

It really wasn’t much of a leap for Vienna systems engineer and mom Elisa Kepner to apply her capacity planning expertise to creating a website that connects local mothers and businesses to one another.

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Tech Update for Baby Boomers

Town program runs workshops introducing technology to the "sandwich" generation.

Technology permeates the very core of our existence, from computers and phones that think they’re computers to social media.

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Vienna Police Note Common Crimes

Town Police Focus on Prevention

"The most common problem we had in 2011 is theft from unlocked vehicles." -- Public Information Officer Bill Murray

When Iris Eyes Are Smiling

Vienna garden highlights 350 iris hybrids.

In front of a house sitting on a shady road off Vale Road are chairs facing the roadway. Not just any chairs but colorful wood high-backed chairs with holes in the seat. In these holes are planters and in the planters are flowers and greenery. That’s the first sign that this is no ordinary home and an even less than ordinary yard.

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