The Taste of Falls Church and Fall Festival, featuring F.C.’s finest dining establishments, is taking place this Saturday at Cherry Hill Park. See page 5
For the second consecutive year, in conjunction with the Taste of Falls Church, the News-Press publishes a special food and dining issue, with food news, recipes, features and more. See pages 23 - 34
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the Arctic plain... I hope John McCain doesn’t throw his slippers at Sarah Palin’s head or get as acerbic as Henry Higgins did with Eliza Doolittle when she did not learn quickly enough. See page 11
Fresh from polishing their “No Country” Oscars, the Coen Brothers return to the comedic genre with the comedy-thriller “Burn After Reading.” The film, featuring an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton, opens this Friday. See page 42
Following on the City of Falls Church’s flurry of activity approving an array of large-scale mixed use projects in its commercially-zoned corridors, the board of directors of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce took action at its monthly meeting Tuesday to spur the City to launch and fund a robust marketing effort to bring outside dollars into the new retail and housing products here. Noting that while marketing approaches have been “studied to death,” and with lots of accumulated market and demographic data sitting on City Hall shelves, board members noted that it was time for action, and a commitment to substantial funding for a sustained effort. “There has never been a line item in the City budget for marketing,” one member noted at the early-morning meeting held in the conference room at the back of the Original Pancake House. “City officials are simply not tuned into the world of marketing. It’s time for this to change.” It was noted that the City could benefit from three major marketing firms located within its limits, including one, Smith Gifford, led by Falls Church resident and Chamber member Matt Smith who has earned a reputation of donating his marketing talents to the City school system and the Chamber, among others. In unanimously voting on a petition to the City Council, the Chamber board called for the formation of a task force tasked with preparing an action plan Continued on Page 4