President's Report

Thanks to all who came and celebrated the holidays with us at our December meeting. Thanks especially to Santa for making a surprise appearance. The music was great, the entertainment festive (if I do say so myself) and the cookies, cakes, and other goodies were delicious.

Please mark your calendars: because the first Thursday of January will be New Year’s Day, our normal meeting date has been switched to the next Thursday (January 8). The meeting will start at 7:30 pm as usual. We have a relatively light program, but included on the list will be a developer who wants to discuss plans for the house at 701 S. Wakefield (right next to the school). Anybody who is interested in what is planned for that house should attend.

I hope you all have had a happy and safe holiday season, and wish you the best of New Years. See you all on January 8.

Casting Call!

We urge everyone to come join us for our first meeting and give in to that inner actor just waiting for a chance to get on stage. Of course, we also need behind the scenes help as well. No prior experience is necessary.

The meeting will be held on January 11, 2004 at 7:30 PM at 4611 S. 7th Street. If you can’t make the meeting, but want to participate in any capacity, please call Barbara Swart at (703) 521-2080 or send an email to barbara@helmets.org.

Don’t miss the review of the most recent Barcroft Players show on page 2!

January BSCL Meeting

Next Meeting: Thursday, January 8, at 7:30 pm.

Tentatively on the agenda is a discussion on the recent changes to the County bus routes and schedules. We have invited County representatives to update us on recent changes as well as to field any questions or comments on the new system. Watch your email for updates as we finalize the program agenda.

LOOKING FOR SOME FRESH VOICES…..

Have anything for the Barcroft News? Submissions are due by the 15th of each month. Contact Christina at 271-0631 or editor@bscl.org or 618 S. Stafford St. Ads are due by the 10th of each month; contact Jim Kerr at Jim@bscl.org

Barcroft Players Turn on the Drama

This past November 15th, the Barcroft Players presented a dramatic reading of "An Actor's Nightmare" and "Variations On The Death of Trotsky."

Now the casual reader might be hard pressed to imagine what a "dramatic reading" is, perhaps envisioning a bunch of folks standing as stiff as boards, flailing a free hand while holding the script in the other, emoting all the time like Captain Kirk's rendition of "Mr. Tambourine Man".”.

Well, if that's what comes to mind, we can add that we had wonderful lighting for the Barcroft Stage, provided by our fledgling Technical Director and Best Boy, Randy Swart, and that the whole affair was guided by our able Producer, Barbara Swart.

For those feeling a bit more optimistic, we can tell you that the audience was treated to two comedies. "Variations on The Death of Trotsky" starts with the barren fact that Mr. T met his end in Mexico City in August 21, 1940. Such a dry statistic might be enough to make you close that encyclopedia and reshelf it. Or, if you are feeling diabolical, you might just start making up what ever story comes to mind, and if the story becomes boring, stop dead in your tracks and try a different story that branches off in a better direction. The audience witnessed such a tale, with Mr. T (played by Danny Cackley) dropping to the floor again and again while his wife (played by Sera Junker) presided, reminding him in each variation that the pickaxe that did him in wasn't "buried" in his skull, just smashed....

If that didn't tickle the audience's fancy, the second reading was "An Actor's Nightmare." We've all had nightmares. They usually involve ourselves exposed in various, inexplicable ways to derision of our peers, usually over ridiculous shortcomings that we are somehow unable to repair, in shifting circumstances that are out of our control.

If you are an actor, the nightmare is forgetting your lines, of course. In this comedy, the actor (played by Phil Twomey) is constantly being cued by the Stage Manager (played by Phil Cackley), but sadly our actor is further impaired by having forgotten what play he is to perform, to which of the two ranting divas (played by Cecilia Cackley and Sera Junker) his character is to profess his undying love, and how exactly he ends up being the principal character in a segment of "A Man for All Seasons," in which the executioner (played by Dan Junker) has every intention of cutting off his head whether or not he gets his lines right. If only he could remember whether he was really an actor, when he seems to recall just being an accountant...

When the lights came up, we discovered that all of our light refreshments (baked in part by Teresa Saunders) were gone, gone, gone and the audience had enjoyed a happy evening of entertainment that was enjoyed by all.

Neighborhood Book Club Invites Readers

DATE: Sunday, January 18, 2004

TIME: 1:00 p.m. - refreshments and socializing 1:30 02:30 p.m. - book discussion

LOCATION/ HOST: to be determined

BOOK: "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown

RSVP: to Jacqueline by Thursday, January 15 (920-8886)

PLEASE BRING: Your calendar for scheduling our next meeting; book recommendations for our next selection; 1 or 2 friends if you know anyone else interested in joining.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO: Bring drinks, snacks and refreshments; Research the author to provide a brief biography; Research book reviews to share.

Announcements

The Arlington Arts Center is located on Wilson Boulevard along the busy Ballston-Rosslyn corridor one block from the Virginia Square-GMU Metrorail station.

Deadline for applying for studio space is January 1, 2004 at which time the selection panel, comprised of local artists, art professionals, and community representatives will select the resident artists. For more info, call 703-797-4573, or send an e-mail to artscenter@starpower.net.


Arlington Red Cross Launches Spanish Desk designed to facilitate Red Cross services to Arlington's Spanish-speaking population and provide a Spanish language translation service to the Arlington community. The Spanish Desk, located at the Arlington Chapter, 4333 Arlington Blvd, is manned by Spanish-speaking Red Cross volunteers hailing from some five different countries.

The Spanish Desk will provide translations of documents from Spanish to English or English to Spanish, and will assist Spanish speakers with accessing the Red Cross programs and services available to them like health & safety training, disaster relief, eldercare transportation, and international messaging and tracing.

The Spanish Desk will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. All volunteers are bilingual professionals who have committed at least one hour a week to this initiative. Those interested in volunteering or using this service should contact the Spanish Desk by calling (703) 527-3010 ext. 790, or emailing spanishdesk@arlingtonredcross.org.


Keep Kids alive--Drive 25 signs available: As part of a safe neighborhood driving campaign, Arlington County is having 500 signs made up saying "Keep Kids Alive - - Drive 25"

The signs are for your yard, and look like durable versions of the real estate signs you see at intersections: a plastic sign with metal stakes that jam in the ground. They are intended for neighborhood streets where the speed limit is 25 mph, not arterials like George Mason Drive. There is no charge for a sign, it has already been paid for by your taxes.

Please email randy@bscl.org if you would like one of these signs to put in your yard. I will deliver it to you, probably in about two weeks.


St. Charles Open House: St. Charles Catholic School - located in the heart of Clarendon - is having its annual Open House for anyone interested in learning about the school. On Sunday, January 25th from 9:30am - 12:30pm, all classrooms will be open and all teachers will be available for discussions. St. Charles is a small, traditional school, open to all faiths, with a strong emphasis on academics, values, and community. If you have ever considered a private-school education for your child, mark the date on your calendar and make plans to visit on the 25th. St. Charles is located at 3299 N. Fairfax Drive, in Clarendon - across from the George Mason Law School. For more information contact the school office at 703-527-0608 or visit the St. Charles Web site at: www.stcharles.k12.va.us.

Barcroft School's Holiday Shop and Book Fair

The Barcroft Exchange

For Sale: Changing Table. Wood. $25 OBO. 271-0631.

Keep up with events by joining the Barcroft chat group and news list. Go to: www.bscl.org.

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"Low interest rates, rising home values and strong home sales are definitely contributing to the remodeling fervor among homeowners," said NAHB Remodelors’ Council Chairman Mike Weiss, CGR, a remodeler from Carmel, Ind. "In addition, the rebounding economy and rising consumer confidence are fueling substantial optimism among remodelers.

How much of the cost of a remodeling project can be recovered at resale? The 2003 Cost vs. Value report identifies how much the cost of a remodeling project can be recovered at resale, using report samples from 35 markets across the country. View the report online at: www.realtor.org/rmomag.nsf/pages/costvaluedec03

Are you looking to add to your home’s value? Check out the 2003 cost versus value report on the web link in this article, or contact me for a free copy.

Schedule of Events

Please check our calendar page on the Web for updates.

Submissions to the Barcroft News

If you are interested in ad space, contact our ad manager Jim Kerr at Jim@bscl.org

Check out our Barcroft Website for the latest news! www.bscl.org

All Barcroft News phone numbers are area code 703 unless indicated.

Barcroft News Staff

Editor - Christina Cavoli, 703-271-0631 editor@BSCL.org
Publisher/Mailing - Susan Hunn, 703-892-6179 auntsuebh@aol.com
Contributions - Mark Wigfield, 703-979-0339 mark@BSCL.org
Advertising Manager - Jim Kerr, 703-892-6458 jim@BSCL.org
Neighborhood News - Could be you!

BSCL Officers for 2002-2003

President - - Eric Harold - 703-486-0879, eric@BSCL.org
Vice President - - Annette Osso - 703-553-3953, annette@BSCL.org
Recording Secretary -- Eric Parker - 703-486-3649, ericP@BSCL.org
Treasurer - - Gary LeFebvre - 703-521-0184 gary@BSCL.org
Corresponding Secretary -- Sue Tennenbaum
Membership Secretary -- Peg LeFebvre - 703-521-0184 peg@BSCL.org

Board Members

Jim Kerr jim@BSCL.org
David Michaelson david@BSCL.org
Mike Behringer
Shirley Gay

Facility Managers - Steve Reiss, 703-553-0909 and Lori Fitchett 703-979-3920 email: rentals@BSCL.org
Restoration - David Michaelson david@BSCL.org
Fundraising - JoAnne Barnhart, 703-920-0821
Landscaping - Scott Brinitzer, 703-892-0308 scott@BSCL.org

Arlington Mill Community Center -- Bill Lykes, 703-892-4422
Columbia Pike - Bryant Monroe, 703-271-0944 - bryant@BSCL.org
Crime - vacant
Demeter House Liaison Committee - Darlene Mickey
Parade -- Andrew Hunter, 703-979-8247
Parking -- Tom Palance - tom@BSCL.org
Parks -- Shelley Fichtner, 703-486-0856 shelley@BSCL.org
Traffic - Elaine Squeri 703-920-7014, elaine@BSCL.org
Volunteers - Scott Royal 703-553-0909 volunteers@BSCL.org
Webmaster - Randy Swart 703-521-2080 randy@BSCL.org

Here is our original, Volume 1, the 1903 Barcroft News.

The paper version of the Barcroft News is printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink by the Stanley Adams Printing Company. This Web page uses recycled bits and bytes, and it is not absolutely identical to the paper one.

Barcroft School and Civic League
800 South Buchanan Street
Arlington, VA 22204

Neighborline: (24 hr. announcements, Community House rentals) 703-521-1116
Email: info@bscl.org
Web: www.bscl.org

This page was last revised on: January 9, 2004.