OHECA 4th OF JULY PARADE
Orange Hunt Estates Civic Association is again sponsoring its Annual 4th of July Parade followed by an Olde Fashioned Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Winston Knolls Civic Association. The Parade will commence at 1PM on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 from Hunt Valley School, proceed down SYDENSTRICKER Rd, and end at Orange Hunt School. The FREE Ice Cream Social will immediately follow the parade at Orange Hunt School.

Vehicles from the parade will be on display at Orange Hunt during the Social. The McGrath Academy of Irish Dance, with studios in Manassas and Lorton, will be participating in this years parade and will also do a demonstration post parade at Orange Hunt. Assembly for the parade will be between 12:30 and 1 PM at Hunt Valley School.

Civic groups, Boys and Girls Scouts and all children are encouraged to decorate their bikes, big wheels, scooters, wagons, and selves and march in the parade. Past participants in the parade have been the Fairfax County Police, Fairfax County Fire Department, Greater Springfield Volunteer Fire Department, local politicians, scouts, local swim teams, Verizon fios, and the Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO. Some parade floats have featured throws like Frisbees, whistles, candy, and Mardi Gras beads for the parade watchers.

After the parade, everyone gathers at the ending spot to enjoy cold drinks and an Ice Cream Social while touring the parade fire trucks and other vehicles. This year promises to be our best yet.

RADON KITS INFORMATION
The American Lung Association, Health House and the EPA are offering free radon detection kits to homeowners in Northern Virginia over the next two weeks. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can enter homes through soil or well water. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States after cigarette smoking. Fairfax County has been found by the EPA to have a high incidence of radon. Winter is the best time to obtain accurate measures of radon. Homes found to have elevated concentrations of the gas can easily be fixed by a qualified radon mitigation contractor.

You can obtain a kit by calling the ALA at (703) 591-4131 or emailing pmorningstar@lungva.org and providing your name, address and phone number.

There is also information at our website, www.lungusa.org/virginia. After leaving the kit in the home for a few days, it is mailed to a laboratory (postage paid) and a report on radon levels will be sent back to the homeowner. The results will also be available to the American Lung Association.

As Field Director of Training and Education at The ALA office here in Northern Virginia, I'll be happy to provide you with more information if you call me at the above number or email me at my office: pmorningstar@lungva.org.

CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED
The West Springfield District Station is seeking School Crossing Guards for the upcoming school year. The positions are part time and provide full employee benefits for crossing guards working twenty hours per week. The positions are important for the police department and community. School Crossing Guards control traffic to ensure the safe and orderly movement of student pedestrians to and from school. Be apart of this exciting opportunity! (The employee benefits include wages, health care and dental coverage, annual and sick leave, and participation in a retirement system.) To learn more about the need for crossing guards, read the West Springfield Shield a free monthly newsletter produced by the Crime Prevention Unit available HERE.

Any questions may be directed to the West Springfield District Station at (703) 644-7377 x2229 Mrs. Nancy Siegel.

FLAG DISPOSAL LOCATION
There is a flag drop off box at the fire station on Armistead ( Between Lorton Rd and Rt 1- near the lower entrance to the Lorton Station/VRE entrance). It is maintained by the American Legion.

TEENAGE DRINKING AND DRIVING
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE
MEDIA ADVISORY ISSUED 15 APRIL 2005
Contact: Public Information Office (703)-246-2253
Announcing Campaign: "Shut It Down"

In response to feedback from students about what can be done to prevent teenage driving fatalities, Fairfax County Police Traffic Division is providing a powerful tool to teenagers to help prevent underage drinking and driving. From April 15 through the end of June, police will have a special telephone line in operation. Anyone can anonymously leave messages detailing student events where underage drinking is expected to occur. The goal behind this pilot program is to provide concerned students and others a method to anonymously let law enforcement know about underage alcohol parties so that steps can be taken to save lives. The campaign, called Shut-it-Down, will occur during prom and graduation season in the county. The phone number, 703-246-2333, will be checked daily by traffic division staff. Messages may include the date, location and time of the events.
Nationally, over 15,000 teens have died since 1999 as a result of drinking and then driving.

This telephone voice mail system is not meant to take place of citizens calling the emergency dispatch center to report events that are taking place or need immediate police response. This pilot program is for reporting information about these events prior to the event occurring.

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY ALERT NETWORK (CEAN)
The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management and the Office of Public Affairs announce the creation of the Community Emergency Alert Network, or CEAN.

The CEAN will be used by county officials to deliver important emergency alerts, notifications and updates to county residents during a major crisis or emergency. Messages will be delivered to e-mail accounts, cell phones (text messaging costs may apply; check with your service provider), text pagers, satellite phones and wireless PDAs registered on the system.

Persons registered on the CEAN will be provided a personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, protective actions that need to be taken, and other important information.

Alerts may include personal safety, weather, major accidents involving utilities or roadways, or disaster notification such as a terrorist attack. In addition, residents may also register for any or all of the additional CEAN alert categories: county government closings/schedule changes, severe traffic disruptions, severe weather 24/7 and severe weather 8am-5pm, Monday - Friday.

To register for the Community Emergency Alert Network, visit the Fairfax County Web page, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/cean. For additional information on the CEAN, contact the Office of Emergency Management at (703) 324-2362, TTY 711

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
This is a Call To Arms. The OHECA Neighborhood Watch program pool of volunteers has dropped to a record low! Current volunteers are primarily those who have participated for more than ten years and have certainly done their fair share! The viability of our Watch Program is contingent upon volunteers and the program is now in jeopardy for the 2006-07 program year! The annual membership drive is when we solicit for new participants this year we gained only fourteen new members. Statistics show that areas in Fairfax County without Neighborhood Watch Programs have a higher incident rate than those that do.
Anyone who is 18 years and older may join Neighborhood Watch. There is no special training required All we are looking for is neighbors with a willingness to make a difference. It only requires only three hours, 2 to 3 evenings a year and can be done in the comfort of your home (Base Station) or in the confines of your car (listening to books on tape, music or bonding with your teenager). I would suggest that a Civic Association with a Neighborhood Watch program adds an inherent value to the value of our property. I and your Team Captains cannot maintain a viable program without your participation. Get involved Do something for your OHE community - Volunteer today!

Remember, we can all continue to keep Orange Hunt Estates a safe place to live by participating in Neighborhood Watch, keeping our sidewalk lampposts and porch lights lit, and reporting suspected criminal activity to the FCPD.