Arlington County, Virginia

WELCOME


TO THE ARLINGTON FOREST
NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT WEBSITE.

Our community is located about a mile or so west of the Ballston Common Mall, bordering Carlin Springs Road and divided by Arlington Boulevard. The Northside and Greenbrier sections lie north of the Boulevard and Southside section to the south. Construction of Arlington Forest began in 1939, the first homes occupied were in the Southside. Our Citizens Association was founded in 1940.

SPECIAL NOTE:   Elections/Voting information for Foresters.

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2008 ELECTIONS

Information Source:  Arlington County General Registrar Office.

A General Election is a regularly-scheduled election for a particular office. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, a General Election will be held for the offices President and Vice President of the United States, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives (8th District), County Board, and School Board (two seats).

A Special Election is an election held for a special purpose that is not regularly scheduled, such as to fill a vacancy in an office or for ballot questions. In Virginia all Special Elections are held on Tuesdays, and they are often held at the same time as a General Election. The ballot on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 will also include a Special Election for state and county questions.

A Primary Election is an election held to assist the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) in selecting their nominees for offices on the General Election Ballot. We are expecting both parties to hold primaries for U.S. House of Representatives (8th District) on Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

On the Ballot: June 10, 2008 Primary Election

Democratic Primary
U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District
James P. "Jim" Moran, Jr.
Matthew T. Famiglietti

Republican Primary
U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District
Mark W. Ellmore
Amit Kumar Singh

Since voters in Virginia do not register by political party, any registered voter may choose to vote in any party primary. When both parties hold a primary at the same time, however, voters must select whether they wish to vote the Democratic or Republican ballot.

On the Ballot: November 4, 2008 General and Special Election

President and Vice President of the United States
To be determined by party conventions later this summer (Democrats - August 25-28; Republicans - September 1-4). Independent third-parties also have until late August to nominate candidates.

U.S. Senate
Mark R. Warner (D)
Republican nominee to be determined by state convention May 30-31. Independent candidates have until June 10 to qualify.

U.S. House of Representatives, 8th District
Democratic and Republican nominees to be determined by primaries on June 10. Independent candidates have until June 10 to qualify.

County Board
Barbara A. Favola (D)
Tibo Van Der Does (IG)
John Reeder (G)

The Arlington County Republican Committee has until June 10 to nominate a candidate. Independent candidates have until June 10 to qualify.

School Board
Candidates have until June 10 to qualify for the ballot.

Ballot Questions
Expect to see several local ballot questions on the November 4 ballot, including bond referenda.

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Voter Registration Deadlines

Monday, May 12:  Deadline to register to vote or update your address for the June 10 primaries.

Monday, October 6:  Deadline to register to vote or update your address for the November 4, 2008 General Election (Presidential).

Any qualified U.S. citizen resident who will be 18 on or before Nov. 4 may register and vote in June 10 Congressional Primary. If you are already registered to vote at your current address, you do not need to register again.

Please call 703.228.3456 for more information.

NOTE: We have installed a new Memories Page. Click on the link and check it out.

2008 Calendar of Events

Event Date
   
Program
May
and
June
2008
  
"THE PRESIDENT'S OWN"
PUBLIC PERFORMANCES
Playing America's Music Since 1798
For details go to:
U. S. Marine Performance  page.
June
July
and
August
2008
  
ARLINGTON COUNTY's
Arts al Fresco 2008 Summer Playbill
LUBBER RUN PARK — AMPHITHEATRE
For details visit our:
Summer Playbill.  page.
May 10
2008
  
Arlington's Twelveth Annual Neighborhood Day

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

From colorful Latin dancers to lively music, Neighborhood Day will have something for everyone. A hometown tradition, Neighborhood Day features a variety of events and activities:

What to do?
  • Invite your neighbors to Walk for the Animals. Find out how at the Walk for Animals web site.
  • Get a team to run in the Battle of the Boulevard 10K. The neighborhood with the most participants will get $500 to be given to their nonprofit of choice. Learn more at the Boulevard Battle web site.
  • Nominate someone for Community Hero Awards. Learn more at the Sun Gazette web site.
  • Have a neighborhood float in the Neighborhood Day parade. Register it at the Arlington County web site, keyword 2008 Neighborhood Day.
  • Put on an event and Arlington County will help you promote it in advertising and on the web. Register it at the Arlington County web site, keyword 2008 Neighborhood Day.
SAVE THE DATE
May 16
2008
  
BARRETT KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION

Give your children a jumpstart for a successful school year! On Friday, May 16 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., you and your child are cordially invited to Barrett's spring orientation for parents of children entering Kindergarten in September 2008.
Parents will meet with Principal Terry Bratt and Barrett reading, science, and math specialists to learn about the kindergarten curriculum, the daily schedule, school supplies, and other details that will help your child make a smooth transition to kindergarten.
While parents are meeting, rising kindergartners will meet the kindergarten and Montessori teachers, join in classroom activities, and have recess with this year's classes.
Parents and children are also invited to stay and have lunch in the school cafeteria.
For more information and to R.S.V.P., please call 703-228-6288.
May 17
2008
  
Arlington Forest's Annual Neighborhood Yard Sale
May 17, 2008

It's another Arlington Forest spring bringing sunshine, warmth and thoughts of spring cleaning.
Seller participation is key to the yard sale's success. Last year's sale was one of the best ever, with more than 55 sales listed on the yard sale map.
To get your sale on the map, call or e-mail Chris Scheer with your name and address at 703-276-9725 or contact your webmaster at enieweg@capaccess.org.
In addition to the map, AFCA supports the sale by placing classified ads in the Washington Post and other community newspapers the week prior to the sale.

There are few formal rules.
  • The hours, content and "style" of your sale are your call. There is no rain date, but if the weather chooses not to cooperate, there is nothing keeping you from coming back strong on Sunday.
  • Sellers are encouraged to post signs at key intersections leading potential buyers into the neighborhood and to their sales. They are also asked to remove the signs when their sales end.
  • If you're serious about selling, begin setting up at 7 a.m.
  • At the end of a long and (we hope) profitable sale day, consider leaving some of those bargains that didn't sell and that you don't want to see again out front with a "take me" or "for free" sign.
Yard sale day is also a great day for kids. Want to get that room, closet and toy trunk cleaned up? Allow your children to select toys, games, etc. for their own "kids' table" at your yard sale. Remember, though, the sellers also become buyers when they find they have some extra money to spend.

In addition to starting early, here are a few tips from yard sale veterans:
  • Have plenty of change on hand. Lot's of dollar bills and coins makes it easy for you to set your prices and respond to offers. Stay away from checks unless you personally know the buyer.
  • Take time in advance to organize your merchandise. It will pay off! Sort clothes by size, toys by age, and similar items by quality and asking price. Price items reasonably but pricing helps both you and the buyer. Many times, a displayed price will get negotiation started.
  • If you are selling electrical equipment, try to have an extension cord set up at sale site so you can demonstrate that it is in working order.
  • Keep your money with you in a wallet or some sort of bag or box. Don't leave it unattended; and don't leave your sale unattended until you are through selling.
  • Signage is important. If you can, put up a sign or two pointing the way to your sale location. This is particularly important at key intersections leading into Arlington Forest.
  • Just as important, please dispose of the signs the evening after the sale.
May 21
2008
  
MEETING (PICNIC) AT CULPEPPER SENIOR CENTER
at 6:30 p.m.
The Senior Center is located
in the lower level of the Culpepper Garden building.
    Agenda:
  • Election of officers
  • Review of the 2009 budget
  • Plans for celebrating Arlington Forest's 70th anniversary
  • Annual Picnic
You are encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert; AFCA will provide a main course, drinks and snacks.
Parking is available on Henderson and Pershing.
You can enter the Senior Center directly by following a sidewalk from Henderson "behind" the main building. This is the entrance used for precinct voting. You can also use Culpepper Garden's main entrance and take the elevator down one floor.

BOWRING CARTOGRAPHIC — METRO SYSTEM LINK

If you're looking to get help in navigating the DC Metropolitan area, remember Larry Bowring!

It's a link to Metro System information which Foresters, old timers and new timers alike, should find eases their getting around the Washington, D.C. area. Go to: StationMasters Online. A little homework at home with the site can lessen "top-of-the-escalator" confusion.

Bowring's site offers concise maps of the immediate neighborhoods around Metro stations, panoramic photos of the surroundings and links to fare, timetables, connecting-bus information and links to sign up for a monthly calendar newsletter showing events that take place near the Metrorail stations.

FOREST BABYSITTING COOP MEETS PARENT NEEDS
Looking for safe and affordable child care? Join Us!

A true institution in our neighborhood, the Arlington Forest Babysitting Co-op has been going strong for 46 years, ever since it was founded in 1961 by six Forest families.

Though the numbers have fluctuated over the years, the co-op currently has 17 families as members, representing the Northside, the Southside and the Greenbrier sections of the Forest. New families in our neighborhood are always welcome to join.

The babysitting co-op is a safe, comfortable and convenient way to arrange child care, both during the day and at night. The parents in the co-op earn hours by babysitting and then trade those hours to receive babysitting. Careful records are kept, no money changes hands, and members are confident that their children are cared for by experienced parents right in the neighborhood.

In addition, two or three activities are planned every year when all the families in the co-op can get together and socialize. It's a great way to get to know other Arlington Forest neighbors, and play groups for the little ones often develop from these new friendships.

To become a member, a family must be sponsored by a current co-op member and must be interviewed by the co-op president. New members complete an application, pay the annual $5 dues, and the sitting begins.

For more information, contact our webmaster enieweg@capaccess.org.

Arlington Forest Memories

We welcome memories of early Arlington Foresters at all times!   We promise to publish them in The Forester, on the web site and to save them for future historians.  Please read the memories of our former Foresters. They are the last item on our Neighborhood page.

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ARLINGTON FOREST HOMEOWNER'S MANUAL

You may enjoy reading the nearly twenty-year-old manual, plus the 1939/1940 Sales Brochure. Click on the Arlington Forest Homeowner's Manual link to see what the manual looks like!

NOTE:   This web site edition of the manual was prepared jointly by Erin and John Clougherty (Southside) and the Webmaster.  We stayed with the text first produced in 1986/1987 without updating phone numbers or other information contemporary to that period.   Pages 56, 57 and 58 are not included in this web edition because of technical scanning problems.  The Webmaster is responsible for other errors in this edition of the manual.

NOTE TWO: We would like to update this manual. If you have completed a renovation/repair or added a story/space (either with a contractor or solo) contact an AFCA officer and we'll help you write your story.

ARLINGTON COUNTY OFFERING
REAL-TIME EMERGENCY
AND PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTS

County Upgrades Alert System — Sign Up Now
It has been just over three years since Arlington County incorporated the Arlington Alert System into its multi-layered approach to public notification strategies. Anyone who lives or works in Arlington can go to the Arlington Alert web site to sign up for free Arlington Alerts.

During an emergency, the Arlington County Office of Emergency Management will send real-time text messages with timely, important information.

You can choose to receive the messages by: Electronic mail account (work, home, other), Cellular phone (must accept text messages), Text pager or Blackberry, Wireless Personal Digital Assistant (Palm, iPAQ, etc.), and XM Satellite Radio Channel 214 (in certain circumstances).

The Arlington Alert System is set up so that a notification can be sent to "All Users" if the situation dictates. The Office of Emergency Management has also created several additional groups so that notifications can be made in a more customized way, to those subscribers that have signed up for the event specific notifications. The groups that have been established, in addition to "All Users": Weather Group 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (notifications received only between those hours), Weather Group 24 hours (notifications received at all times of the day/night), Traffic Group, Crime Information Group, and Cyber Attack Group.

You can visit the Arlington County web site and go to the Office of Emergency Management's page to find new Emergency Alert Guidelines, which will provide more details on the various decision matrixes used to add consistency to our public notifications. Subscribes can assist in making these updates more complete by doing the following: Check the devices that you have registered in the system to make sure they are still accurate; review the voluntary groups and add them to your account if you would like the specific information provided; and continue to spread the word to family, friends and co-workers who might benefit from the Arlington Alert System.

If you need support, you can contact tech support at 703-228-4357 or casupport@arlingtonva.us .

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SMOKE ALARMS FOR SAFETY ANY TIME

Smoke alarms are the most important safety features of your home. Properly installed, working smoke alarms will give you the early warning you need to safely escape from a fire.

When choosing an alarm know that:

  • Smoke alarms carry the label of an independent testing lab.
  • Smoke alarms can run on batteries or on household currents.
  • Smoke alarms have different sensor technologies:

Ionization Smoke Alarms
more effective against fast-flaming fires (fire which consume materials rapidly and spread quickly). Sources of these fires may be paper fires or kitchen fires.
Photoelectric Smoke Alarms
more effective against slow smoldering fires (fires which smolder for hours before bursting into flame). Sources of these fires include cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.
Combo Units
Ionization/Photoelectric are available and provide early warning of both types of fires.

INSTALLATION
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including the basement and in/near every sleeping area. Ensure that all members of your family can hear it.

Mount alarms high on a wall or on top of the ceiling. Position wall-mounted alarms with the top of the alarm 4-12 inches from the ceiling. Position ceiling-mounted alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.

Don't install smoke alarms near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with its operation. The moving air can blow smoke away from the alarm's sensor.

To avoid false alarms, keep smoke alarms at least ten feet from stoves and steamy showers.

When installing the alarm:

  • Follow the manufacturer's instructions using a drill and screwdriver.
  • Plug-in alarms must have restraining devises so they cannot be unplugged by mistake.
  • Hard-wire alarms need to be installed by a qualified electrician.
  • Never connect a smoke alarm to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch.

MAINTENANCE TIPS
Test smoke alarms once a month by pushing the "test button." Install new batteries when you change your clocks or at least once a year. Clean smoke alarms using a vacuum cleaner without removing the alarm's cover. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. Smoke alarms for the hearing impaired have a built in strobe light. The alarm has both an audible and visible signal and can be mounted in ceilings and walls.

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ARLINGTON COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION

The County Police Department has upgraded its Web site. check it out at Arlington County Police. It now includes a wide variety of publications and information, along with crime prevention tips. The new site features easy-to-find contact information, news releases and online forms for officer commendation and misconduct reporting.

The Arlington County Police also provides a daily list of crime incidents in the county. To receive the daily message, sign up at the special page: Arlington County Crime Reports. Do not use the Emergency Number 911 to request routine information from the police. Use the routine police telephone number: 703-558-2222 for inquiries and to report suspicious activity.

Top

Memories Page.
WalkAbout Text Page.
Arlington Forester, County News
Arlington Forester, Neighborhood News
Arlington Forester, Schools News

Photograph by Michael Pendergrass/U. S. Navy.



"… [S]oldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry render honors, as firefighters and rescue personnel unfurl a 20-foot by 38-foot American flag sent from the U.S. Army Band at Fort Myer to the Pentagon the day after the attack. The garrison flag is the largest authorized flag for the U.S. Military, and the image reflected the resillience of the Pentagon and honored the first responders."
(Text from Cover of Sun Gazette, September 7, 2006)

Page under continuous construction.
Reviewed/updated 7 May 2008

© 2008 Arlington Forest Citizens Association