Vienna Resident Completes New Zealand Expedition
Lara Sagatov, 20, of Vienna, recently completed a 77-day expedition in New Zealand with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).

Fairfax Field Hockey Clinches Regional Berth
Rebels beat Statesmen for undefeated district record.
Fairfax concluded the regular season with a 2-0 victory against Marshall on Oct. 11.
Vienna/McLean/Great Falls Events Calendar, Oct. 17 - Nov. 28
Get out and about with these great events in Vienna, McLean, and Great Falls.

Children’s Pumpkin Carving Class at Wildfire Supports Food for Others
Get ready for Halloween and join Wildfire at Tysons Galleria for a Kid’s Pumpkin Carving Class on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 3 to 4 p.m.

Big-Band Floor Show Comes to Vienna
Benefit fundraiser for SCOV is next-best thing to the Copacabana nightclub.
If you know who Glenn Miller was, what drugstore soda fountains were, or if you have ever watched a Thin Man film, the Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna [SCOV] is returning you to those times.

Captain Chaos Makes Appearance in Halloween Parade
66th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade hits town on Oct. 24.
When the 66th annual Vienna Halloween Parade steps off at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24, a very special 12-year-old will parade down Maple Avenue for the first time in his life. Riding in a custom-designed, custom-handcrafted “boat” attached to his wheelchair, Sean Fennelly, aka Captain Chaos, will watch spectators waving to him in the event that he himself has watched from the curb every year.

Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Holds Annual Open House
Equipment, activities, draw hundreds of families to Saturday’s award-winning event.
What little child—or grownup child—doesn’t like fire engines and ambulances? Vienna youngsters got their chance to climb aboard emergency equipment, learn about fire safety, jump in a bounce house, get tattooed and nibble on free hot dogs and popcorn, all while at the Fire Prevention Week Open House presented by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department on Oct. 13.
Editor's Note
In the article “Church Street Garage Discussed” [Vienna and Oakton Connection, October 10-16, 2002] it should have been stated that the town would purchase the land for $1, not the garage.

Dreaming in Chinese
Brothers Robbie and Brad Fried, of Vienna, run Chinese Language Institute.
Three years ago, with a loan from their father, two brothers from Fairfax County founded the Chinese Language Institute (CLI), an educational services company, in Beijing. Today, it’s one of the leading Mandarin language schools in China.

HOV Ramp from I-66 East to I-495 North Closing
After morning rush hour on or about Friday, Oct. 12, the left-lane HOV (high occupancy vehicle) ramp from eastbound I-66 to northbound I-495 will close to traffic until the 495 Express Lanes open to traffic later this year and the ramp reopens as a new, dedicated 495 Express Lanes ramp. During the closure, carpools will use the ramp from the right lane of I-66 East to I-495 North (Capital Beltway’s Inner Loop).
Lighting the Night for a Cause
This is the APL Dumpling Gang’s second year walking in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Light the Night Walk.
Editorial: Cancer Awareness
Success with breast cancer awareness should help other cancers.
October is breast cancer awareness month. Anyone connected to media of any variety already knows this. A massive marketing success, we all know that pink shows support for breast cancer prevention, especially in October.

Citizens Urged to Speak Up On Transportation Funding
County looks for public’s opinions and suggestions on funding options.
What issue could be so important that the mayors and chairs of 38 jurisdictions within Virginia’s “Urban Crescent,” the area stretching from Northern Virginia to Richmond and Hampton Roads, could set aside political affiliations and sometimes conflicting agendas to sign off on a letter sent collectively to the governor, lieutenant governor and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia? Long question, short answer: transportation.
Week in Vienna
Vienna family brings library to Meadow Lane Park, High tech workforce to be discussed, Vienna Halloween Parade to be held on Oct. 24, and Vienna participates in 'Hail the Trail'

MPO Jeffrey Randall ‘Randy’ Burchfield Retires
On Oct. 1, MPO Jeffrey Randall “Randy” Burchfield retired from the Town of Vienna Police Department after 27 years of service to the citizens of Vienna.