March 2007

Long Branch to Welcome Spring with Communitywide Easter Egg Hunt!!!

The Easter Egg Hunt—a social event that up till now has taken place on Loosestrife Court, has been expanded to include the entire neighborhood.  Jayne Carmona has offered to expand her legendary Easter Egg Hunt and open it up to all the children in the neighborhood.  This year, the First Annual Long Branch Civic Association (LBCA) Easter Egg Hunt will take place in the area around the pool.    What:     Fun Times!  Easter Egg Hunt!  Prizes!  And maybe event a visit by The Easter Bunny! When:   Saturday, March 24th at 1 p.m.              (rain date:  Sunday March 25th) Where:  Long Branch Pool Area (off Burnetta) Cost:     Free, but participants are asked to bring cookies, cupcakes or snacks to share Age:      toddlers-10-year-olds     Please send your older children to assist in hiding the eggs on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.  We will need at least 10 volunteers to work on hiding.

How You Can Help:   Please drop off any plastic Easter Eggs and individually wrapped candy for stuffing (for instance, mini Reese cups, mini Hershey bars, mini kisses, etc.) at 4903 Loosestrife Ct. by Friday, March 23, 5 p.m.

 

The next Long Branch Civic Association meeting is Wednesday, April11 at 7 p.m. in the Canterbury Woods Elementary School cafeteria.  Join us to discuss upcoming events, concerns and issues in our community.

 

The Long Branch Yard Sale will take place May 5.  We will advertise in the Washington Post.  So get those plaid pants out of moth balls and scrub your plastic picnic tables and get that stuff ready to sell!

 

 

 

 

Pool News

 

After the last Civic Association Meeting, we have some good news to report.  While we have been seeking a volunteer to be in charge of organizing social events for the community for some time, we are pleased to announce that a few generous souls—and streets—have stepped up to the plate to take charge of several community events that are planned for this year.  Groups of neighbors have joined together to take on the following events:

 

 

Thanks to Karla Gill, Patty Edmunds and their neighbors on Colt Lane for volunteering to be in charge of the Halloween party and haunted house (in the woods), scheduled to take place on Sunday October 28, at 2 p.m., next to the Long Branch pool. This has always been a favorite activity for children young and not-so-young. Please contact Karla if you can help with a craft, fortune telling, scary stories, or a game. Teenagers can earn community service hours—and scare their siblings and neighbors—by helping create our haunted house in the woods. 

 

 

And the generous folks on Mignonette have offered to spearhead the 2007 Luminary.  Julie Roberts is organizing the event, and with her skills (and maybe some cookies), we may even be able to entice Santa to stop by!  We already have a tentative date—and that is Saturday, December 15.  So, mark this on your calendar now!

 

A very special thanks to Yvette Berry, a Long Branch resident and realtor, who graciously donated and installed a weather-proof container from which community members can pick up a printed copy of this newsletter.  The container can be found at the entrance to the pool.  Spread the word!

 

President’s Pen

 

Thankfully, spring has finally sprung as we leave February and March’s late snow behind us.  We can now start enjoying the warmer weather. We have a number of events to help us enjoy the outdoors and our community.

 

I would like to thank Jayne Carmona for organizing the March 24 Easter Egg Hunt.  There will be plenty of jelly beans, chocolate eggs, and I hear the Easter Bunny may be able to make an appearance. Watch the Long Branch Web site (www.longbranchcommunity.net) for more details this week.  Also, towards the end of March, street representatives will be delivering membership forms and collecting the $15 annual homeowners’ association dues. We appreciate everyone’s timely response since these dollars are used to sponsor various community events, pay for the community directory, and keep our entrances looking great.  For the first time in a while, we plan to update and publish the community directory by the beginning of the summer.

 

We are still looking for volunteers to help run our social calendar for 2007.  We are grateful that several individuals and neighbors have offered to coordinate the events, but we need more volunteers to help run these family events. Additionally, if there are any teenagers who need hours for community service, there are number of projects that will help improve the community and help them earn those hours.  Please contact me and we will get those projects started sooner rather than later.    

 

Please join me for our next community meeting at 7 p.m. on April 11 at Canterbury Woods Elementary School to discuss upcoming events, concerns and issues.   Also, mark your calendars for a meeting in June, now scheduled for June 13. 

 

I appreciate everyone’s help and look forward to working together as we enjoy the warmer weather.

Mark Wiggins, President

teamwiggins@msn.com

 

 

Attention teenagers, boy scouts and girl scouts!  You can earn community service hours by volunteering in your community.  Please contact Mark Wiggins, LBCA president, or one of the coordinators for the listed events to offer to help with one of our fun events.

 

 

If you are interested in helping with the Long Branch neighborhood watch, more volunteers are needed.  Please contact Barbara Mink at barbmink@cox.net. 

 

 

PLEASE BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

 

The bad weather is behind us but please remember that children must use our sidewalks as a path to school and the school bus.  It is the law that you must shovel your sidewalk when it snows.  Neighborhood children are placed at risk when they are forced to walk in the street during high- traffic morning hours as they walk to the bus stops or to school. 

 

Also, remember bushes, shrubs and trees cannot hang over sidewalks and block passage.  Please keep them trimmed so your neighbors can pass safely. Thank you for keeping Long Branch a safe place to live.

 

 

News from your Neighborhood Pool and Tennis Club:

A new swim team leader, a new pool surface, $50K in upkeep, free passes for newcomers – and no increase in dues!

 

The Long Branch Swim & Racquet Club board of directors is pleased to announce that Kathleen Browning, a long-time neighbor and swim team parent, has agreed to serve as official team representative and committee chair for the 2007 Long Branch Dolphins swim team.

 

Kathleen comes to this position at the suggestion of Carolyn Pravlik, who recently retired as team rep after long and dedicated service. Carolyn is working with Kathleen to ensure a smooth transition, and several key members of the swim team leadership will return this year to help. A strong group of volunteers is already busily working to help Kathleen with the many tasks that make our swim team one of the most important and community-building activities in our neighborhood. Anyone who would like to volunteer for the team committee should contact Kathleen at kbrowning3@cox.net or 703-503-1053.

 

Meanwhile, the pool and tennis courts are gearing up for another fun season. We are holding our annual dues at last year’s rate despite authorizing more than $50,000 in repairs and upkeep that will happen this spring, before the pool opens. These include a new surface coat for the bottom of the pool, new tiles around the water line, and a new pump for the water system. The pool is still largely a break-even operation, but the pool board has been smart and careful in setting money aside for these essential repairs and maintenance requirements.

 

Neighborhood residents who want to pay the lowest annual dues should return their membership forms by March 21. Anyone who didn’t receive a form should contact Ken Slattery at pejuem@verizon.net or 703-425-0671. And anyone in the neighborhood or nearby who hasn’t yet joined the pool and would like some free passes to check it out also should contact Ken. We guarantee it will be a fun experience for you and the entire family. The pool opens Memorial Day weekend, and the courts are open year-round.

 

Watch this newsletter, your mailbox, and your email for more exciting news about the swim team, our wonderful pool, and our popular tennis courts. They all help make Long Branch the great neighborhood it is. In fact, the pool and tennis courts are among the top reasons for our area’s popularity, stable property values, and sense of belonging. The pool board will soon invite the entire neighborhood to a pre-season meeting to discuss the pool, the new swim team committee, and some special plans we have for both. Get ready to dive in!

 

—Your Pool Board (Bryon Browning, David Everett, Todd Hartung, Jackie Lluy, Mile Quigley, Tom Schrade, Ken Slattery)

 

 

WEBSITE ALERT!!

 

Don’t forget to check the Long Branch Web site at www.longbranchcommunity.net for updates and all our community information!

 

 

 

Classified

  FOR SALE

 

 

19” Sharp TV with Remote                                                      $50.00

 

AIR Schwin exercise bike with timer. 

Bike Handles rotate to exercise upper body.                        $100.00

 

Little Tykes table set with four chairs in good condition.       $35.00

 

If you are interested in any of these items please call Chris at 703-426-0148.

 

 

Bissell ProHeat Clearview Plus carpet cleaner

Product Features

• Deep-cleans carpets with hot water and cleaning concentrate

• Built-in heater heats hot tap water and maintains temperature for effectiveness

• Powered hand-tool cleans upholstery, stairs, auto interiors

• Included: brush, upholstery tool, bare-floor head, crevice tool, pre-treat wand

• 12-inch cleaning path; 35-foot cord; 1-gallon tank

 

 Will take best offer.  If interested, call 703-321-0186

 

Help Wanted

 

 Long Branch residents seeking full-time nanny to care for a one-year-old son beginning in September 2007.  Hours:  Mon-Fri, 8-4.  Pay commensurate with experience.  If interested, please call Lynn at 571-215-3042

 

Deadlines for Submissions

 

Please send any newsletter submissions to m.malico@verizon.net in Word or PowerPoint (not PDF files).

 

Publication Date	Article Submission Deadline	Classified Submission Deadline
June	May 15	May 22

You are cordially invited to                            

4^th Annual Spring Studio Show

Pottery Porcelain & Stoneware

                                                        ¨

Decorative and Functional

Delightful Designs with Dyed Reeds & Handmade Paper

Serving Pieces ¨ Bowls ¨ Baskets ¨ Vases

Wall Art ¨ Teapots ¨ Mugs ¨ Candleholders

¨ Berry Bowls & Plates

April 28^th & 29th, Saturday-Sunday

 

10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

10% Spring Discount on all Purchases!

Pottery "Wheel Throwing" Demonstrations at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., & 4 p.m. both days!

           4810 Tabard Place Annandale, Virginia 22003 ~ artpottery616@aol.com – 703-978-1480

Susan Fox Hirschmann...Come and Bring a Friend!

                                                   Custom work is a Specialty!

 

 

Spring Pottery Classes

 

Susan Fox Hirschmann is pleased to announce a spring schedule of pottery classes, beginning with the adults' class, starting on April 16th.

 

The list of classes and a registration form is available on the Long Branch Web site at www.longbranchcommunity.net.