(Editor's Note: In case you missed it, Lorton's Pohick Church is deeply rooted in history, and we highlighted a certain part of it for you earlier in the week. Here's that story again. Enjoy!) Too few are aware of Lorton's significance in the world of secrets and intelligence aviation. On March 5, 1862, Professor Thaddeus Lowe, the father of aerial reconnaissance, stood 2,000 feet from the green grounds of Lorton's Pohick Church courtyard, and reported Confederate troops retreating to Yorktown and Hampton Roads. Here is what Lowe reported in a dispatch to Brigadier General Samuel P. …
Is your emotional baggage holding you back from reaching your full potential? Local hypnotherapist Dr. Judy Pearson claims to hold the keys to let you walk through the gates of possibility. Pearson recently spoke with Patch about her practice, and the results that come from neuro-linguistic programming and hypnotherapy. Pearson employs various methods, including hypnotic language patterns, desensitization techniques and guided imagery, which elicit reliably trance-inducing responses from her clients. She treats people suffering from weight problems, phobias, stress, anxiety, addictions, …
Take it from us — the weekly farmer's market at the Workhouse Arts Center features some of the best coffee you've ever tasted. There, you'll find Arka Chaudhuri of Kustomcoffee.com, a small business that he runs from his Oakton basement. Chaudhuri, 39, is a native of Calcutta, India, and moved to Chicago in 1999 and Northern Virginia three years ago. During the day he's the director of technology for the American Clean Skies Foundation, but at night he's roasting small batches of specialized coffees from Burundi and Colombia. "Two years ago I was a customer at Starbucks, and it wasn't until…
Have you heard about NIA (Neuromuscular Integrative Action)? If not, then imagine what it would be like to dance to smooth music in a flowy outfit at the beach. Your hands and arms are above your head, and all of your movements are gracefully aligned with the wind. Now, forget about the beach and enter the Workhouse Arts Center's building 11 in your gym clothes with those same moves fixed in your mind. "NIA is what makes me happy," said Workhouse instructor Cami St. Germain to Patch after the 7 p.m. class on Monday. "It's inspired by dance and martial arts and healing arts like yoga." More …
Looking for one of the best burgers in town? Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which is headquartered in Lorton, opened their first location to little fanfare in 1986 -and now, the company, which has more than 1,000 restaurants nationwide, reports that 1,500 locations are in development. The recipe for their success is not complicated: The chain only sells fresh burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs and fries. Want a salad? You'll have to go somewhere else. "Find something you love to do and just do it. Make sure your heart's in it," said Five Guys CEO Jerry Murrell in a recent interview with USA Today…
How can Lorton's Workhouse Arts Center compete with the D.C. art scene? There's definitely an art to presenting, selling and comprehending art, and for Scott Habes, the Workhouse director of visual arts, the challenge is doing more with less and still increase visitation, sales and buzz. Habes, 45, sat down with Patch for a few minutes this week and talked about the job he started four months ago. He's a native of Rochester, N.Y., and lives in Chevy Chase, Md., with wife Vera and their 5-year-old son, Leonardo. After graduating with a dual degree in arts administration and business at the …
When Anna Gonzalez was laid off as the manager of a local rental car agency, she gained the freedom to pursue her dream—buying a food truck and making tacos and burgers. After raising four children and working in offices for 25 years, she made the decision at 50-years-old to start over. It's been a year, and now that the kinks are worked out, Anna's Healthy Homestyle Kitchen is making a move from the Lorton/Newington area to Tysons Corner. Gonzalez, who lives in Woodbridge, spoke with Patch about her business on Wednesday along Fullerton Road. She serves "food for the soul," which comes in …
Get ready for some frozen yogurt, Lorton! International frozen yogurt chain Tutti Frutti has signed a long-term lease with Gunston Plaza landlord Madison Marquette. The 2,400 square-foot storefront, at 7756-D Gunston Plaza, is next door to Papa John's Pizza, and will "hopefully" open at the end of August, according to Madison Marquette director Christina Davies. "Madison Marquette is very excited to have Tutti Frutti join Gunston Plaza," Davies told Patch. "We look forward to their grand opening." The frozen yogurt chain offers every flavor imaginable, from old favorites like chocolate …
After 28 years as a librarian, Gari Plehal is finally managing her own branch - the Lorton Library. Plehal, who started the job last month, is having the time of her life. "I love the work in a way that's almost crazy. I love to read and I get great joy from helping somebody else find the perfect book," Plehal recently told Patch from the library. "One of the things about this branch is that the two service desks are right by the door, so I get to meet everyone who comes in. It has a very neighborly feel to it." Computers The job of a librarian isn't what it used to be. "Fifteen years ago, …
Expect to see the red, white and blue of a barber's pole along Lorton Station Boulevard this month. After 15 years, The Barbershop & Co. will soon close their Springfield Mall store and make a new home at 8998-D Lorton Station Boulevard. The shop will open at the end of June. The full-service barbershop caters to men and will have 10 chairs and 12 full-time and part-time barbers. Men will be able to get a straight razor shave and a haircut for $36.99 ($16.99 for the head/ $20 for the beard). The Dingus family opened the first Barbershop & Co. store in Dale City in 1987. There are now 18 …
The act of speaking well can determine the fate of the world, and Jessica Schwab is making it a better place - one child at a time. Schwab is the owner of Milestone Speech Therapy, a new Lorton practice that provides in-home therapy for children and young adults with speech, language and eating disorders. Schwab received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Virginia, and lives in Lorton with her husband and two children. She's the recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ACE Award, and, for the last ten years has worked …
Dr. Kostas Daskalakis recently sat down and had lunch with Patch at his office - a window table at the Fireside Grill. The Lorton restaurant opened five years ago and business is steadily increasing, Daskalakis told Patch over a bowl of fettuccine and meatballs. In fact, Daskalakis, who was born in Athens, Greece, also owns Hopsfrog Grille in Burke. He is currently scouting locations for a second Fireside Grill. He is married, has two children and lives in Fairfax. Patch: How's business? Daskalakis: Business is not bad. Things have slowed down in the last couple of weeks and I believe it's a…
If you've ever wondered what Sharon Bulova, chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is scribbling under the microphone during those incredibly long public hearings, it turns out that she's a lifelong doodler. In addition to her duties as a public official for 25 years, Bulova has run more than a few pens dry by making cartoon likenesses of her colleagues. The drawings tell a sort of truth — from a certain point of view. Once you see them, you'll never mistake the mustache of U.S. Rep Gerry Connolly (D-11th) for another, or the familiar dome of Mount Vernon Supervisor Gerry Hyland…
