When the commotion at the U.S. Capitol started on January 6, Tech. Sgt. Amanda Smialek was ordered to report for duty.

Her Air National Guard unit the next day and be ready to jump into her job as a medical technician.

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In the late 1990s, local rocker Eddie Anzueto broke out of his signature rock-n-roll mold and approached early hip-hop band “Salt-N-Pepa” with an idea.

He suggested to the group, known for their smash hits like “Push It” and “Whatta Man,” that they perform together on a song called “The Clock is Ticking.” The single appeared on Salt-N-Pepa’s “Brand New,” the group’s album released in 1997. It would be the group’s final studio album before the group broke up five years later.

“The Clock is Ticking” turned out to be a hit. The album was declared gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Critics hailed the album for its piano and guitar sounds, a departure from the group’s previous albums.

As the clock ticked on Anzueto’s musical career, over time, it evolved, and he focused on other projects.

Now a drummer with the Fringe Benefits Band, his time with Salt-N-Pepa a distant memory, Anzeto played a gig this past New Year’s Eve at the Electric Palm restaurant near Occoquan. While there, he was recognized on stage with a golden record plaque. It was a gift from the Recording Industry Association of America, orchestrated by band manager Bruce Moore.

Months earlier, Moore found out about the Salt-N-Pepa song, and that put the wheels in motion to get him recognized.

“I was able to make it happen,” Moore said.

Anzueto was surprised that night. Doing his best Rocky Balboa imitation, he hoisted the gold record over his head. It was a scene reminiscent of “Rocky” atop the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s stairway.

The crowd at the electric Palm went wild, and when it came to the plaque presentation, they made him crawl out from behind the drums set.

“It was a huge surprise to me,” Anzueto said. The whole place erupted in a chant, “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.” It was all spur of the moment.

“The award was not really something I was thinking about over the past few decades,” he said,

It all started back when Salt-N-Pepa was hammering out their first big hit, “Push It,” in 1987. Over the years, the group sold 15 million records.

There were only three members of the band, Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and Deidra “DJ Spinderella” Roper.

Salt-N-Pepa’s music fell into mixed rap and hip-hop genre, a music-style born after Aerosmith got on stage with Run DMC a few years earlier and collaborated on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

Although the Aerosmith-Run DMC collaboration wasn’t on Anzueto’s mind when he came up with the idea to join Salt-N-Pepa in a song. “That was a similar thing,” said Moore, although the two events were nearly 10 years apart.

He talked over his plan with Salt, aka Cheryl James. She was okay with any shenanigans that Anzueto brought to the song.

“She gave me some musical freedom,” he said. In the music industry, it sometimes takes stepping outside the box, and in this case, it worked. The album went on to sell big and win an award.

Salt-N-Pepa broke up in 2002, went their separate ways for five years before getting back together. They are still performing together from time to time, without DJ Spinderella.

Anzueto now has a place in music history and a plaque to prove it. It sits on the shelf right now, but not for long.

“I’ll find a spot for it,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to hurt the hotel industry in Prince William County.

The county's hotel occupancy spiked a bit in October but has fallen into a slump, exasperated by the lack of traveling this holiday season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors sold a key piece of Real Estate to developers who will develop Innovation Town Center, a mixed-use developments leaders hope will become a new destination.

This town center will consist of office, 80,000 square feet of retail space, 750 homes, 250 hotel rooms, and 333,000 square feet of office space.

The county hopes this purchase will continue to spur development at Innovation Park, an area just outside Manassas that’s home to the George Mason University Science and Technology Campus, the FBI, and the Prince William Science Accelerator that includes nine commercial wet lab spaces, serving an as an incubator for small life-sciences start-up firms.

Innovation Developer LLC and Castlerock Partners LLC based in McLean agreed to purchase 23 acres of land for $5.2 million, and which will develop the town center slated to be built next to the George Mason campus.

A representative from the George Mason University Science and Technology spoke out in favor of the project at the July 14 county board meeting. No residents spoke in opposition to the town center.

Before ground is broken on any projects out there, the zoning has to be changed, which will be done in December or January.

The Innovation Town Center will benefit neighboring Manassas, too.

“This type of development generates economic activity which will be beneficial to the City, especially as it includes housing for our workforce and new customers for our retail and restaurants,” said Manassas City Economic Development Director Patrick Small.

In the late 1990s, Prince William County purchased 500 acres of land that became Innovation Park.

The Prince William Chamber of Commerce started in the summer of 2010 to a world that saw President Barack Obama in office, craft breweries on the rise, and the price of gas at about $2.73 a gallon (it averages $1.96 in Virginia today).

During the past 10 years, the chamber has experienced ebbs and flows with growth, continuing to be an asset for businesses in the area adapting to population growth, express lanes on the area highways, and the transition of the county’s smaller community hospitals into larger regional medical centers.

“We have been constantly growing these past several years and are heading in a great direction and continue to provide for the needs of our membership,” said Ross Snare, the chamber’s director of government relations.

In 2010, the Prince William Chamber of Commerce was born out of the merger of the Prince William Regional Chamber of Commerce (established in 1955) and the Prince William County – Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce (established in 1935) to create the Prince William Chamber, serving the county and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

One way the chamber has grown is through technology. In 2010, about 80 percent of adults had smartphones, but now that’s risen to just about everyone, including children.

Snare is well informed on the “e” side of communications and has seen the digital age impact the chamber with learning and growth. His technological knowledge shined during the recent pandemic and he was recognized during the Chamber’s Diamond Anniversary Meeting, which was held June 26, on Zoom.

Bishop Lyle Dukes, the past chamber chairman who is with Harvest Life Church, recognized all the effort Snare put through online to keep chamber members in the loop.

“He really took the baton,” Dukes said. When he heard his name announced for the “Chairman’s Award,” Snare was surprised, noting that he just sent out the 100^th chamber alert. “It was a challenging year.”

Others on the Zoom meeting talked about the chamber’s past 10 years, the growth they’ve experienced, and the year ahead, where the new chairman, Kathie Johnson, of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, will take on the challenge.

“Building Our Future,” is the buzzword for her plans in the year ahead, she said.

“As our businesses grow and develop, so does the chamber. This organization supports a diverse leadership base and flourishes under the unique backgrounds of its members, ensuring an environment where businesses, people and communities thrive,” she said. “This continuity of our mission creates a foundation of success.”

The Chamber has worked with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors throughout the past decade, and this work was noted from the Supervisors Chairman At-Large Ann Wheeler. During the Diamond Anniversary event, Wheeler called the past 10 years, a “momentous milestone.”

“The chamber leadership continues to facilitate the growth of businesses in our community,” Wheeler said.

The chamber has laid out a strategic plan for the near future, and that starts within the Strategic Plan, covering FY2021-2025. It states that, in the next five years, the Prince William Chamber will be a leading-edge membership organization that provides value to its members through a program of work that matches the work styles of a new generation of business leaders and reflects the diversity of the business community.

Over the next year, Johnson plans to:

• Build a solid foundation to help businesses thrive in the community
• Continue work on establishing a 501(c)3 Chamber Foundation.
• Carry out plans to update the chamber’s infrastructure, to include modernizing the IT infrastructure.
• Continue to work with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Prince William County Department of Economic Development to provide access to free counseling and seminars for business owners.
• And fulfill the mission:  The Prince William Chamber is the voice of the business community and creates powerful connections and resources that give members the courage to thrive.

To commemorate the 10 years, they are offering a special “Diamond Member” Deal for members which includes some extra benefits and new name badge for those who choose to participate.

Johnson ended her speech with a quote from automaker Henry Ford who once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

A group of Betta Sigma Phi sorority sisters in Woodbridge has started their own investment club.

When this group talks about Starbucks, they aren’t discussing the newest latte or their favorite muffin, they talk about their stock in the coffee giant. Their share of stock in Starbucks has risen from $29.28 a share when they first got it in September of 2007, to the current value of about $75 a share.

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Fairfax County officials just launched a tourism plan that could impact commerce in Prince William County in an indirect way, solidifying the global economics theory on a smaller scale.

While there is a river boundary between the two counties, the main elements in Fairfax County’s plan are within easy access to key river crossings, making it an easy trip if taken during the right time of day.

Fairfax County’s plan was launched in late February when Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck created the Tourism Task Force at the National Museum of the U.S. Army.

The museum was scheduled to open June 4, but its timeline has been delayed due to the coronavirus.

“The museum will open when the conditions can ensure the health and safety of the museum visitors and staff, and the museum is ready to begin daily operations,” said a statement on the museum’s website.

The museum built on an 84-acre site right off the Fairfax County Parkway, close to the Richmond Highway intersection, at 1775 Liberty Drive, Suite 400 in Fort Belvoir. The 185,000 square-foot museum facility will use tanks, helicopters, weapons, and technology to tell the 240 years of Army history, similar to the Marine Corps museum in Quantico.

This massive undertaking is led by a joint effort between the U. S. Army and non-profit organization, the Army Historical Foundation (AHF).

“The National Museum of the United States Army will certainly be a tourist highlight of Fairfax County, which has been a great partner on this project. We also expect the entire National Capital Region and Commonwealth of Virginia to also benefit once the Museum opens,” said retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Roger Schultz, President of The Army Historical Foundation.

The new military museum will bring increased interest to existing destinations in Northern Virginia and the Richmond corridor, including Prince William County.

“Prince William County shares a regional vision to elevate the quality of life, by harnessing tourism and economic development opportunities showcasing the many Northern Virginia cultural, recreational and visitor attraction assets. We do this through fostering partnerships including the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, the Northern Virginia Tourism Partnership, NOVA Economic Development Alliance, and other regional collaborations,” stated Ann Marie Maher, Prince William County’s Director of Tourism.

Museum tickets must be reserved in advance, but they are free.

The Workhouse Arts Center recently opened a suffragist museum that will act as another magnet for tourism along with the resident artist attractions, live presentations, and a unique living quarters built in former prison buildings.

In addition, the attractions in southern Fairfax County include George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate, Mason Neck Park, bicycle facilities at Fountainhead Regional Park, and along the GW Parkway, a planned ski slope on a landfill in Lorton, historic Woodlawn, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House.

These are all within close proximity to the Occoquan River and Prince William County.

“It is our vision that this collaboration will accelerate South County economic development and provide new opportunities for residents and visitors alike,” Storck said.

Tourism in Fairfax County has created around 30,000 jobs and brought in nearly $6o million locally, according to a press release.

Hear ye, hear ye, after 40 years Gary West is hanging up his bell and revolutionary war outfit and retiring at the Dumfries town crier.

No more ringing the bell, marching in the Christmas Parade and being the man with the voice around the Town of Dumfries. He’s a long-time resident of the town, and after turning 80, it was time for someone else to take on the duty.

“I thought it was time to give it up,” he said.

His wife Nancy West was the interim Mayor of Dumfries back in 2011 so they have a certain dedication to the town that fit in with his town crier curriculum.

“I love Dumfries, I’m loyal to Dumfries, I love Virginia and I honor the flag, and I love this country,” West said.

He’s done everything from riding in the sheriff’s boat out into the river to greet another boat to recognizing the Potomac Senior High School basketball team when they won the championship.

“I read the proclamation, it was quite a to do,” he said. “I’ve had a varied experience,” he said.

That varied experience is going to be missed by the town, said Keith Rogers, Dumfries town manager.

“He was well known in the community and had an enthusiasm for doing it,” Rogers said.

It all started in the 1970s when he went to the annual parade in Dumfries and noticed there was something missing. He was a school teacher at the time and felt it needed a historical element, so the town crier idea came to mind.

“I volunteered to be the town crier and it stuck with me,” he said.

West got parts of his outfit from another old-timer in Dumfries years ago and then got out a school bell he already had from his days as a teacher. In the past, he taught grade school in the Fairfax County Public School System at Woodlawn and Gunston Elementary Schools, and then Fort Belvoir Elementary School before retiring, and going on to a job with the Fairfax Federation of Teachers.

Off and on, he substituted at a few Prince William County Schools.

As the town crier, he read a proclamation when the Marine Corps museum opened in Quantico, at the Boys and Girls Club dedication in 1997, and again at the Sean Connaughton Plaza ribbon cutting at the Prince William County Government Center in Woodbridge.

He’s also done some things with the Weems Botts Museum in Dumfries and “I’ve done several things with the with the historical society,” he said.
The town knows what level of dedication he provided, and honored him on January 7 with an official proclamation that read:

PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING GARY WEST FOR HIS SERVICE AS TOWN CRIER FOR THE TOWN OF DUMFRIES

WHEREAS, Gary West is a long-time resident of the Town of Dumfries; and

WHEREAS, Mr. West served as the Town Crier for the Dumfries Annual Christmas Parade since 1978; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, after 40 years of distinguished service, Mr. West relinquished the role of Town Crier; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Dumfries desires to honor and commemorate Mr. West for his years of service to the community as Town Crier; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Dumfries hereby recognizes Gary West for his dedicated years of service to the Town.

The Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol stopped for flowers and to fix the balloons at Dillingham Square on Monday before swooping down on the home of Joan Geringer, a Lake Ridge resident who is now the recipient of $2,500 a week for the rest of her life.

“This is amazing,” said Geringer, after she answered the door. It was a complete surprise. There were contractors at her house redoing her bathroom, so Joan couldn’t hesitate. “I can now pay you,” she said, joking with the construction crew, and they told her now she needs to do the kitchen too.

The prize award team of Danielle Lam and Howie Guja were manned with the oversized check, flowers, balloons, and champagne. They smiled, offered congratulations, and took selfies to capture the moment.

Since it was the day before New Year’s Eve, “we’re going to have a big party tomorrow night,” Geringer added.

It was all part of the job for Lam and Guja, who do this all year round in different locations all around the country. They talked of a prize giveaway in Pennsylvania at a nuclear power plant where there were guards with guns, events in California, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi. “We’re on the road every week,” Lam said.

With all this traveling and money at stake, it would seem like a phone call ahead of time would be part of their agenda. But that’s not the way it works.

“Nothing’s staged. This is real reality television,” Lam said.

Everyone’s seen the prize patrol throughout the years on television, but few have experienced it first hand.

At the Dillingham Square shopping center off Old Bridge Road, there were lots of stares and inside Michael’s Flowers, the manager Chris Polychrones “didn’t even know why she was showing up,” he said.

One of their customers was taking in the scene.  “I see you guys, I didn’t even know you were real,” he said.

There were also two cameramen there to capture the surprise moment. Everyone got in their cars and headed out like a caravan to the Geringer’s house.

When they arrived, they made sure to pull up past the house, stopping around the corner to sign the oversized check and get all the pre-event video done. Then it was up to the door for the surprise.
Geringer signed up for the sweepstakes online and had just done it again within the last few days. Her husband was all smiles too. “He retires next year, this will come in handy,” she said.

Ben Benita, who a contractor Wedge Construction working at Geringer’s house that day, was out front when the team arrived. “What are the odds of that?” he asked.

Everyone was taking pictures with cell phones, which included Lam for use on their website.
Publishers Clearing House was founded in 1953 by Harold and LuEsther Mertz as a multi-magazine subscription agency. No purchase is necessary to win the prizes, and the prizes are funded by company revenues.

The winner selection is random and unbiased, the company states, and there is an outside certified public accounting firm keeping an eye on the process. In 1989, they went from having winners notified by telephone to being visited by the prize patrol, and the late Ed McMahon was never part of it – that’s another company.

If the winner is not home, which Lam and Guja have experienced, they use all available methods to contact them, including neighbors and relatives. One time, they said, the winner was on the road and turned around and came all the way home to get the prize. This was a six-hour wait for the team, who went out and had dinner, returned and still had to wait several hours.