August 8, 2007

COMMENTARY

        If you are still looking for vacation or getaway opportunities for this summer or fall, let me suggest three possibilities that could be fun and educational for you and your family. The first is the Virginia Indian Heritage Trail. The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the English settlement at Jamestown reminds us that there was an advanced civilization in what we now call Virginia for as long as 15,000 years before the English arrived. These were people who had learned to live in harmony with nature and with a respect for the environment. The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (www.virginiafoundation.org) has published an excellent book, The Virginia Heritage Trail, which provides a history of Indians in Virginia as well as information on the eight remaining tribes in the state. A guide to tribal and interpretive sites will assist you with your trip planning.
        Another visit that is fun and educational is the Wilderness Road, known as Virginia's heritage migration route (www.WildernessRoadVA.org). Essentially the Wilderness Road is the path early settlers took to get around the Appalachian Mountains and go west. They traveled down the Shenandoah Valley to what is Southwest Virginia where they came to the Daniel Boone Trail which led through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky or south along the Great Warrior Path into Georgia. A great deal of natural beauty as well as historic sites can be seen along the trail.
        Another adventure is to retrace Captain John Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake Bay region in 1608. The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail that is America's first all-water National Historic Trail follows Smith's adventure and provides an opportunity to learn about the Chesapeake Bay as well as the history of the region. Go to www.friendsofthejohnsmithtrail.org for more information.
        There is always a great deal one can learn about the Commonwealth of Virginia as I have spent my life discovering. Please share your adventures with me at kenplum@aol.com or write to me if you need assistance in planning your trip. You can request a copy of Virginia's official highway map from my office. Have fun with your family while you get to know the Commonwealth of Virginia better.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
on Reston Comcast Channel 28

Tonight – Wednesday, August 8 at 10:30 p.m. – Douglas Koelemay, Commonwealth Transportation Board, "Traffic Relief in Sight?"
 
Tuesday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, August 15 at 10:30 p.m. – Delegate Ken Plum's "State of the Commonwealth 2007" Report

Re-Election Campaign

Ken is a candidate for re-election to the House of Delegates on November 6, 2007. To ask Ken a question about the issues, e-mail kenplum@aol.com. To contribute electronically to his campaign, go to www.kenplum.com. 

Announcements

As major transportation projects unfold in Northern Virginia, significant subcontracting opportunities will arrive for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) and Small, Women-owned and Minority-owned (SWAM) businesses to provide products and services to the construction industry. Projects such as the Woodrow Wilson Bridge expansion, I-495 HOT lanes, Dulles Corridor rail, and the Base Realignment and Closure effort generates many opportunities for all sorts of business owners. A special outreach event is planned by VDOT to assist companies in learning about opportunities for subcontracting on these mega projects. There will be an open house event on Friday, August 24, 8:30 to 3;30 at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield at 6550 Loisdale Road. Specially targeted to attend are companies certified as DBE or SWAM vendors. Other companies are welcome that may be eligible to certify as DBE or SWAM firms. Representatives from the Department of Minority Business Enterprise will be available to help eligible companies gain these certifications.  Exhibits will be staffed by representatives who can answer questions. Formal presentations on each project will be made twice, at 9:30 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. Registration for this event is available online at www.wilsonbridge.com/cr-outreach.htm or by calling 703.329.3433. For more information about the event, call VDOT at 703.383.2345 (TTY/TDD users, call 711).

FISH Family Assistance Volunteers are needed. Herndon-Reston FISH, Inc. operates an Answering and Referral Service every weekday. This service provides callers with information about sources of long and short-term assistance available in Fairfax County through public and private agencies and/or programs. Volunteers are trained by the Assistance Coordinator and have a set of guidelines to help with their decision making. To Volunteer, call 703.391.0105 for more information.

The fall term of the Natural History Field Studies Program, the area's premier program for learning about the natural world, will begin September 15. Nine courses are being offered; most of the 10-week classes consist of one 2-hour evening class each week and two or three Saturday field trips taught by experts in their field. Courses are offered in the District of Columbia, Chevy Chase, and Leesburg. details are at www.audubonnaturalist.org and at www.grad.usda.gov/evening.

VDOT has upgraded its 511 system to reflect improvements suggested by users. 511 Virginia is a one-stop traffic information center where motorists can find out the latest information about road conditions, construction delays, and other incidents that will impact their travels. Motorists can dial 5-1-1 from any landline or cell phone in Virginia. The same traveler information, along with additional features such as maps and trip-planning resources, is available at www.511Virginia.org.

Volunteer Fairfax is looking for help. Applications are now available to participate in VolunteerFest 2007, held in conjunction with National Make a Difference Day on October 27. Qualifying projects must be within Fairfax County borders and require a minimum of ten volunteers. This is a great opportunity to engage new volunteers, increase visibility in the community and accomplish a project that would otherwise take up staff resources. Visit www.volunteerfairfax.org to download an application. Contact Erin Caplin at ecaplin@volunteerfairfax.org for information.

Calendar of Events

Governor Timothy M. Kaine will host a Campus Security Conference on Monday, August 13 at Virginia Commonwealth University's Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond. Participants will share information on campus security strategies, participate in panel discussions on security issues, and examine the latest products and services to improve campus security from a wide variety of venders. For more information, contact the Office of Commonwealth Preparedness at 804.692.2597.

Learn how to build and certify an EarthCraft House by attending EarthCraft House Builder Training on August 14 and 15 in Chantilly. The EarthCraft House designation verifies that the homes will perform 30% better than code built homes in the area of energy efficiency and include elements of durability and indoor health as well. Contact the Virginia Sustainable Building Network at 703.486.2966 or email pam@vsbn.org for information.

Bring the kids out to see all the vehicles that Reston Association uses, including a dump truck, trash truck, back hoe, bobcat, mowing tractor and more on Friday, August 17, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Reston Association's Central Services Facility, 12250 Sunset Hills Road (next to the YMCA). No reservations are required, and this opportunity is free. Call 703.435.6530 for more information.

The 12th Annual Works Sunday sponsored by the churches and synagogues in Reston is August 19. There will be 15 action projects and 5 donation projects to help those in need. Visit www.workssunday.org to find a way you can be of service.

Intelligent Transportation Society (ITS) of Virginia and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, along with ITS America, will be having a Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Technology Showcase and a VTTI/Smart Roads Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, 2007. If you would like to attend, RSVP by August 3 to ITS Virginia by calling 434.977.3716 or email amy.shaw@easterassociates.com.

On August 25, renowned Civil War Artist John Paul Strain will be releasing and signing his new print about Col. John S. Mosby's "Rose Hill Raid" that occurred in Fairfax County in 1863. John Paul Strain will be appearing and signing his prints at the Franconia Museum from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Franconia Museum is located in the Franconia Government Center, 6121 Franconia Road. To reserve a print contact Gregg Dudding at 703.971.4860 or wdudding@cox.net. Reservations for prints must be made prior to August 22, 2007.

SIDS Mid-Atlantic, The CJ Foundation for SIDS, and Wawa Food Corporation will sponsor the 11th annual Walk to Fight SIDS at Locust State Park in Triangle, Virginia, and at Buddy Attick Park in Greenbelt, Maryland on Sunday, September 9, 8:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The mission of SIDS Mid-Atlantic is to support family members and others who have been affected by the sudden, unexpected death of an infant and to provide education and outreach to help prevent SIDS. For more information about this event and about SIDS, visit www.sidsma.org.

Attend the Sully Quilt Show and Sale, "Stitches of Friendship - Quilts from the Quaker Community," on Sunday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Show and Sale will be held at the Sully Historic Site, 3601 Sully Road, Chantilly. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully or call 703.437.1794 for more information.

The 2007 International Children's Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. There will be entertainment on four stages featuring over 20 performing groups form near and far including interactive art experiences. This event is fun for the kid in all of us!

The Aaron Burr Association (www.aaronburrassociation.org) will meet in Richmond on October 5 and 6 for the 200th Anniversary of Burr's trial. On Friday night, October 5, members of the association will return to the "scene of the crime," the Old House Chamber in the Virginia State Capitol, to witness a dramatization of the 1807 trial that pitted the most brilliant legal minds of their day against each other and against President Thomas Jefferson. On October 6 they will convene at Sam Miller's Warehouse Restaurant for lunch and a lecture by historian Charles Hobson, noted for his work as the editor of the papers of John Marshall. Contact association president Stuart Johnson at 301.641.0494 for more information about events and cost.

This year's Commonwealth of Virginia Energy & Sustainability (COVES) Conference will be held on October 16-18 at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. Visit www.covesva.org for registration and conference details.

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191