BLACKSBURG, Va. — I am beyond proud of these talented young musicians who participated in the Virginia Tech Honor String Orchestra Festival this weekend. Matthias, Ryan, and Miya represented Annandale High School and Falls Church High School with exceptional skill and technique.

This year marked the inaugural Virginia Tech Honor String Orchestra Festival, hosted by the School of Performing Arts. The event showcased more than 100 high school students, who were recommended by their directors. Participants attended masterclasses led by Virginia Tech’s string faculty. They performed in a combined concert with the Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Mathias Elmer, the university’s director of orchestral activities.

📸: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/593

📹: absolonkent.net/AHS_Peforming_Arts/VT_Honor_Strings_Festival_2024/

📹: Ride of the Rangers by Kirt Mosier (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=qv6muRtR5Gs

📹: Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=en0DkyCUbN0

📹: Finlandia, op. 26 by Jean Sibelius (YouTube Video via Virginia Tech Philharmonic Orchestra) — youtube.com/watch?v=OeuslnCmzls

#PreciousFatherMoments #ProudDad #KENTCANDO #TeamKent #GoAtoms #AnnandaleAtoms #AtomsOrchestra

ANNANDALE, Va., and VIENNA, Va. — The family had another busy weekend, starting Friday night as we joined Little Kent 2 for Senior Night activities and attended the Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival, and the Annandale High School Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday.

On Friday night, Little Kent 2 was one of the students honored during Senior Night at Annandale High School’s football game against Rock Ridge High School. He also performed with the performing arts department, playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the pregame ceremony.

On Saturday morning, the family attended the 21st annual Alfred Street Baptist Church Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Festival. The event, designed to connect students and their families with HBCUs, provided scholarship opportunities, on-the-spot admission decisions, and music auditions. Additionally, seminars and exhibitor presentations offered guidance on the college application and financial aid processes.

Saturday evening concluded with the Annandale Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner, where nine individuals and two teams were inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

📸 AHS Senior Night - absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/588

📹 AHS Senior Night - absolonkent.net/AHS_Peforming_Arts/AHS_Football_Game_Pregame-8-November-2024/

📸 2024 AHS Athletics Hall of Fame - absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/590

#PreciousFatherMoments #ProudDad #KENTCANDO #TeamKent #GoAtoms #AnnandaleAtoms

ANNANDALE, Va. — Food, inflatables, a petting zoo, games – and lots of candy were the order of the day at the Capital Baptist Church's Trunk Or Treat event.

ANNANDALE, Va. — Sponsored by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce, this 74-year-old tradition is a beloved annual community event. Thousands of participants, including costumed characters, marching bands, antique and military vehicles, fire trucks, civic organizations, scouting units, and beautifully dressed international dancers, take part in the festivities. The parade route stretches along Columbia Pike, starting at the historic Annandale United Methodist Church, passing the Annandale Shopping Center, and continuing to Gallows Road.

📸: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/585

#MyAnnandale #Annandale

MANASSAS, Va. — The Manassas National Battlefield Park features several sites that chronicle the events and actions of the Civil War in and around the Manassas area.

Portici was the plantation house of Francis Lewis and served as the Confederate headquarters during the First Battle of Manassas. The surrounding grounds were the site of the 1861-1862 winter encampment for a brigade of Confederate troops. On Aug. 30, 1862, during the Second Battle of Manassas, Union cavalry stopped the Confederate cavalry as they sought to cut off the Union army's line of retreat.

Located on "Hazel Plain," the two-and-a-half-story frame farmhouse of Benjamin Chinn and his family overlooked the Warrenton Turnpike and Young's Branch. During both battles of Manassas, the plantation was engulfed by war and witnessed some of the heaviest fighting.

In 1860, the crossroads hamlet of Sudley Springs consisted of fewer than a dozen households but featured a prosperous mill, a prominent church, and a hotel for visitors attracted to the mineral waters of a nearby spring. During the Second Battle of Manassas, on Aug. 29, 1862, Federal troops repeatedly attacked Stonewall Jackson's left flank in this area, and only darkness prevented a fatal collapse of the Confederates. Today, only the Sudley Church remains as a testament to times past.

: absolonkent.net/photogallery/index.php?/category/17