F.C. Bulletin: Aug. 20, 2026
1) City Announces Selection of Hendler-Voss as New City Manager, Upcoming Council Vote to Confirm
2) Bailey's Crossroads ICE Incident Draws Scrutiny from Congressman Beyer and Local Democrats
3) Starting Tomorrow: Falls Church's First-Ever Summer Restaurant Week, Aug. 21-30
4) Creative Cauldron Stage Receives FY27 ArtsFairfax Operating Support Grant
5) Falls Church Arts: Jose Quinonez Wins People’s Choice Award in All-Member M-Z Show
6) Notices & Announcements
City Announces Selection of Hendler-Voss as New City Manager, Upcoming Council Vote to Confirm
Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 — Today, the City Council announced their selection of Seth Hendler-Voss as the next City Manager of the City of Falls Church, Va. The announcement precedes the Council’s official vote on Monday, Aug. 24.
Seth Hendler-Voss was selected following a five-month national search and recruitment process which began on Tuesday, March 24, when current City Manager Wyatt Shields announced his intention to retire after 23 years of service as City Manager for the City of Falls Church government. City Council hired Raftelis to manage the recruitment process which included job description input from focus groups and feedback from City staff and the community.
More than eighty candidates applied and ultimately the Council, community, and staff representatives selected Hendler–Voss as their finalist for the role.
“Seth Hendler–Voss brings a remarkable depth of local government experience and a real passion for community to the City of Falls Church. We conducted a thorough search and had the privilege of considering a strong field of candidates,” said Mayor Letty Hardi. “Seth stood out for his ability to embrace growth while building on a sense of place that makes a city special. His collaborative leadership and proven record of turning ideas into results make him an excellent fit for The Little City. We’re delighted to welcome Seth and his family to Falls Church.”
Hendler-Voss has twenty years of public service in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. Notable roles include Town Manager of Canton, N.C., Director of Parks and Recreation for Prince William County, Va., Planning Manager and Principal Landscape Architect for the City of Asheville, N.C., and the Principal Landscape Architect for the City of Atlanta, Ga.
In other public and private sector roles Hendler-Voss worked on core municipal issues including traffic calming, streetscape revitalization, deferred infrastructure maintenance, utility modernization, climate resiliency and low-impact development, urban home repair for low-income seniors, organized programs in underserved neighborhoods, advocacy for anti-predatory lending legislation, and management of a rural home repair program.
According to the Prince William Times, Hendler-Voss said during his tenure as Director of the county's Parks & Recreation Department, his department “reshaped the public perception of parks and recreation from a value-added service to an essential driver of the county’s economic, environmental and social vitality.” During his tenure, Hendler-Voss also helped grow the department to a "combined operating and capital budget of $147 million annually with 1,400 employees across seven divisions."
Hendler-Voss holds degrees from Penn State University and Western Carolina University. He's also a graduate of the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center’s Senior Executive Institute (SEI).
The community is invited to the Council’s vote during a special session at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, in Council Chambers, followed by a reception in the City Hall foyer. The special session precedes the regular Council Work Session at 7:30 p.m.
Bailey's Crossroads ICE Incident Draws Scrutiny from Congressman Beyer and Local Democrats
Another vocal U.S. Citizen – this time, licensed Professional Counselor, Carolyna Molina of Northern Virginia – threatened at gunpoint in her car Aug. 10 by an Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officer. Recorded on both Molina's dashcam and personal cellphone, the frightening encounter took place in a parking lot at Bailey's Crossroads where Molina claims she was dropping off business cards to local immigration lawyers.
"Last week, ICE agents threatened Carolyn Molina with a gun and lied about her following them and trying to run them over," Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA-8) said on Capitol Hill Aug. 12. "This dangerous and dishonest nonsense unfortunately matches what we've seen from ICE, not just in Virginia, but across the country. There have been other recent ICE encounters in Northern Virginia in addition to this one, where agents hurt people without justification or disappeared people without warrants. We want these agents off our streets and out of our communities."
"So, after meeting with Carolyn Molina this afternoon, we're announcing an investigation into ICE's misconduct in partnership with Representative Subramanyam and Walkinshaw, but also with the Democratic leaders of the Judiciary Committee, the Oversight Committee, and the Homeland Security Committee. That's Jamie Raskin, Robert Garcia, and Bennie Thompson," Beyer continued. "We're also demanding that the agents involved be removed from duty while they're being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the review of what actually happened here."
"There's too much attention on me, but I have to speak out because many other people don't get the opportunity and I feel like I'm the voice of those who have been silenced," Molina said, according to 13 News Now. "I feel like there's a lot of anxiety and fear now, because I've spoken out about this injustice," Molina said.
Of the incident, Va. Delegate Marcus Simon (13th) said, "I share the outrage of many members of our Falls Church community over the video of a masked federal immigration agent pointing a firearm at a woman sitting in her car here in the Falls Church area. As Chairman of the Virginia House Public Safety Committee, a former Army JAG officer, and someone familiar with and responsible for firearm safety regulation in the Commonwealth, I find this especially disturbing. While the agent appears to have maintained basic trigger discipline by keeping his finger indexed along the frame of the weapon, that only underscores a more fundamental concern: he should have known better than to point his weapon at someone unless he reasonably believed the circumstances justified the potential use of deadly force."
"A firearm is not a prop. It is not a tool for intimidation. You don't point it at someone to make a point, win an argument, or establish your authority," Simon continued. "Whatever words were exchanged before this video began, what we see here is a dangerous and completely unnecessary escalation by a masked federal immigration agent. If there is additional evidence that justified this use of force, DHS should produce it. If there isn't, there need to be consequences."
In an Aug. 12 press release, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) said they are "deeply troubled by video footage showing an ICE agent drawing and pointing a firearm at Carolina Molina, a Northern Virginia mother, during an encounter at Bailey’s Crossroads in Fairfax County. Ms. Molina’s dash cam footage contradicts federal agents’ claims that she endangered them. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. This encounter reflects a broader pattern of escalation, intimidation, and questionable accounts surrounding immigration enforcement operations that communities in Northern Virginia and across the country have witnessed. When federal agents can point a loaded weapon at a U.S. citizen following a verbal exchange, and then make allegations about her conduct inconsistent with available video, our community’s safety and trust in federal law enforcement are both at risk."
"FCDC stands with Ms. Molina and with every Fairfax County resident who has been affected by these operations. Our elected officials who represent Fairfax County, in Congress, Richmond and local government, have repeatedly raised concerns about immigration enforcement and been dogged in their oversight responsibilities," the FCDC statement continued. "We thank Congressman Beyer, whose district includes Bailey’s Crossroads, for immediately standing with Ms. Molina and demanding 'answers and consequences' for what has occurred. We join that call for accountability and urge federal authorities to conduct a full and transparent investigation into this incident, including the agent’s use of a firearm and the discrepancy between the government’s account and the available video. We also urge our neighbors to know their rights and document these encounters whenever it is safe to do so."
"A DHS spokesperson told WUSA9 that Molina was driving her car in circles around the officers and tried to 'weaponize her vehicle against' them," 13 News Now reported. "DHS also told WUSA9 that Molina could face criminal prosecution as a result of her actions."
Despite supporting the Virginia Republican Creed championing Jeffersonian precepts of government such as, "individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice, and opportunities...." and that, "the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing Constitutional limitations," the Virginia Republican Party has issued no press release about the Aug. 10 Bailey's Crossroads ICE incident.
Starting Tomorrow: Falls Church's First-Ever Summer Restaurant Week, Aug. 21-30
For the first time ever, Falls Church will be hosting a Summer Restaurant Week, from Friday, Aug. 21 through Sunday, Aug. 30.
Here's a pitch from Mayor Letty Hardi for Falls Church's very first Summer Restaurant week!
This year's event features 80 participating restaurants offering prix-fixe menus, exclusive specials, and unique dining experiences.
While Falls Church spans just 2.2 square miles, it's home to one of the region's most diverse culinary scenes, with restaurants serving everything from Afghan and Bolivian to Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Salvadoran, Ethiopian, and more.
Check out Ellie Bird's recent guest appearance on ABC News 7's Good Morning Washington, teasing their special Summer Restaurant Week menu:
Good Morning Washington
Guests can also take part in the Restaurant Week Passport, visiting at least eight participating restaurants for a chance to win one of three $100 restaurant gift cards.
You can find participating restaurants, specials, and event details at fallschurchrw.com.
In more local food news, there's a new cupcake and ice cream shop opening at Founders Row!
Ryan Cole
Creative Cauldron Stage Receives FY27 ArtsFairfax Operating Support Grant
Fairfax, VA - Creative Cauldron Stage is one of 65 local arts nonprofits to receive a 2027 ArtsFairfax Operating Support Grant. Creative Cauldron Stage is dedicated to providing affordable, enriching, and diverse experiences in the performing and visual arts to Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, D.C. community. Creative Cauldron Stage gives people of all ages, incomes and backgrounds opportunities to connect and grow through these experiences. We produce innovative works of theater, including original premieres, present a broad array of musical artists, and offer transformative educational programs in an intimate and collaborative atmosphere.
“Arts Fairfax is a critical part of our organization's support each year. With this generous grant from Arts Fairfax, Creative Cauldron Stage can ensure that our mission to make quality arts experiences available and affordable to our community is fulfilled,” says Laura Connors Hull, founding artistic director of Creative Cauldron Stage.
Operating Support Grants are foundational to the stability of local nonprofit arts and culture organizations. In the year ahead, this critical funding will sustain programming for Artes Para Todos, launch compelling original theater through Bold New Works for Intimate Stages, and broaden our reach to underserved audiences across the community.
What's Up Next in Creative Cauldron's Summer Passport Music Festival?
Friday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m.: Marcel Penzes, Mardis Gras in August - New to the Passport Festival, get ready for some fun! Strathmore Artist in Residence, trombonist Marcel Penzes leads an astounding traditional New Orleans jazz band. horns and tuba all the way as the band leads us through the classic repertoire of New Orleans. We smiled ear-to-ear when we saw them, and knew the Passport Music Fest audience would love this band. Too good to miss! Here's the band's page: www.marcelpenzes.com.
For ticket info go here.
Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.: VERONNEAU - Passport Music Festival favorites are excited to return to the Cauldron following their Canadian Summer tour of Quebec, with new songs, and old favorites. Quebecoise award-winning vocalist Lynn Veronneau and her British guitarist partner Ken Avis bring warmth, musicianship and a beautiful voice, performing their multilingual mix of music with mojo, from an eclectic repertoire of world, folk, jazz, blues and chamber pop influences. Here's the group's page: www.veronneaumusic.com.
About Creative Cauldron Stage:
Creative Cauldron Stage is a non-profit regional professional theater and arts organization dedicated to making the performing arts accessible to all ages and backgrounds. Through innovative theatrical productions, concerts, and educational programs, Creative Cauldron serves as a vibrant cultural hub for the Falls Church and greater D.C. communities.
About ArtsFairfax:
Driven by the belief that the arts are essential to our lives and strengthened by a diversity of perspectives, experiences, and audiences, ArtsFairfax is the nonprofit designated as Fairfax County’s local arts agency. Their mission is to invest in and amplify the arts for all of the 1.2 million residents across Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church. By offering vital funding, advocacy, and professional opportunities to the local arts sector, ArtsFairfax promotes the arts' capacity to cultivate community and fuel social and economic growth. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1964, ArtsFairfax is funded in part by the County, Virginia.
Falls Church Arts: Jose Quinonez Wins People’s Choice Award in All-Member M-Z Show
Visitors to Falls Church Arts's All-Member M–Z Show at 700-B W. Broad St. selected Jose Quinonez's acrylic-on-board work, “Seeking Asylum” for the two-part show's People's Choice Award. Quinonez's award-winning work and the full exhibition will be on view at the gallery through Aug. 23! The show is free.
"Born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Guatemala City. I had the opportunity to grow up among indigenous artists who reflected the colors and patterns of everyday Guatemala," Quinones writes on his artist bio on the Falls Church Arts website. "Trained as an environmental engineer and indigenous sociologist, I had the opportunity to work with many indigenous communities around many countries in Latin America. I worked for over 40 years in international humanitarian relief and development with emphasis on poverty alleviation programs. This gave me the opportunity to travel the world and explore the colors and patterns of many other indigenous communities."
"With no formal training in art, I started my creations as a therapy to recover from an accident that required eleven surgeries to rebuild my left jawbone," Quinones continues. "Getting immersed in these creations kept my mind free of the pain and gave joy to continue my journey."
"I only use acrylic as my medium for expressing my creations. I paint for myself, for those who enjoy my paintings, I paint to give expression to the joys, rhythms, and meanings I find in life, in community, and in nature. I weave in the colors, patterns, textures, and symbols of Latin American indigenous communities to honor their of connection and of fragmentation, of exploitation and of belonging."
"Proud father of two wonderful adult children. Married to my partner of over 33 years, we call Arlington our home, I thoroughly enjoy my home studio, bicycling around Northern Virginia, and playing with my beloved rescue dog, Jake."
Quinonez's studio is at: www.studiobyjoseq.com. He will next be showing in the Just Neighbors exhibition @idylwoodstudios, opening with a reception Sept. 12.
Falls Church Arts's Next Show: Geometrix
Running Aug. 29 through Oct. 24, the all-media show will spotlight: Works that explore the power of shape, structure, and form. From bold abstractions to delicate patterns, this exhibit celebrates geometry in all its dimensions. Artists are invited to explore how lines, angles, and curves shape both our art and our world.
Juror: Sherry Trachtman
Mark Your Calendars! ~ Meet the Artists Reception: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29.
Notices & Announcements
Little City Sips
The second Little City Sips event kicks off the first weekend of Falls Church Summer Restaurant Week on Aug. 22, 5:00-10:00 p.m. Adults ages 21 and older can sip, stroll, shop and dine throughout downtown Falls Church. Buy a drink from any of eight participating restaurants and head out to enjoy live music at several spots, including Mr. Brown’s Park (6:00-10:00 p.m.), Dogwood Tavern (9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.)
“We’ve gotten a lot more people interested than we had last time — let’s all hope for a sunny, sunny, warm, spectacular day,” said Sarah Swinton-Nussbaum, a marketing specialist for the city government:
Scott McCaffrey
Virginia Village Proposals Evaluation Committee Meetings, Wed. Aug. 26, Thurs. Aug. 27
Wed., Aug. 26, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: City Hall, Oak Room, 300 Park Ave., East Wing, Second Floor.
This meeting will start in open session. A portion of the Committee’s meeting will be spent in closed session pursuant to VA Code § 2.2-3711.29. Discussion of the award of a public contract involving the expenditure of public funds, including interviews of bidders or offerors, and discussion of the terms or scope of such contract, where discussion in an open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body specifically for consultation with the City’s real estate consultant, JLL, regarding guidelines and process for reviewing the Virginia Village RFP responses, including discussion of terms or scope of possible contract.
Join open meeting online via Microsoft Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/296850031947236?p=My5SgdYwFWa7Stjfs7.
Virginia Village Proposals Evaluation Committee Meeting
Thursday, Aug. 27, 5:30-7:00 p.m., City Hall, Lower Level, Laurel Room, 300 Park Ave.
This meeting will start in open session. A portion of the Committee’s meeting will be spent in closed session pursuant to VA Code § 2.2-3711.29. Discussion of the award of a public contract involving the expenditure of public funds, including interviews of bidders or offerors, and discussion of the terms or scope of such contract, where discussion in an open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body specifically for consultation with the City’s real estate consultant, JLL, regarding guidelines and process for reviewing the Virginia Village RFP responses, including discussion of terms or scope of possible contract.
Join open meeting online via Microsoft Teams: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/251812871961696?p=HoO1EalY9nDT7ySzp5.
For recent reporting on Virginia Village, see our stories below:
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones
Christopher Jones
Sunset Cinema ~ Lilo & Stitch
Friday, Aug. 21
The Annual Sunset Cinema Series brings monthly outdoor films to Cherry Hill Park from August to October at dusk (between 6:45–7:45 p.m.) Pack a blanket, bug spray, and a picnic. Drinks, popcorn, and snacks available for purchase (cash or card) from the Recreation and Parks Department. Additional food vendors will be onsite selling treats and food starting one hour before each movie begins.
Arrive early to secure a good spot! Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome — please be courteous of others while enjoying the movie with your furry friend.
Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation Celebrates 25 Year Anniversary
Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month with more than 50,000 homeless dogs and cats rescued since the organization was founded in 2001. It began as a grassroots effort by Pam McAlwee and Ross Underwood, owners of Arlington’s Lost Dog Café, with a 63-acre property in Sumerduck, Virginia. In 2018, LDCRF expanded its operations by opening the Rescue Care Center in Falls Church. The facility now serves as a central hub for the organization’s rescue efforts, providing temporary housing, daily care, medical support and enrichment for dogs and cats awaiting adoption.
Here's a story we recently published concerning Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation:
Christopher Jones
'Shop the Native Plant Sale' Ordering Is Open!
Give your garden a fall refresh while supporting local birds and pollinators! Shop a selection of native plants, shrubs and trees suited for sun, shade, and even deer-resistant gardens. The sale is pre-order only, and ordering is open through Saturday, Sept. 19, while supplies last.
Pick up your plants at Fort C.F. Smith on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Shop the Native Plant Sale.
Lecture: 20th- and 21st-Century Virginia Politics
Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this is an opportunity to learn about the evolution of Virginia politics and demographics from the first half of the 20th century to today’s robust multi-cultural economy and politics. The non-partisan lecture is presented by John Milliken, Senior Fellow in Residence at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. Registration required for this event.
Click above link to register.
2026 Providence Fall Fest
Courtesy Providence Supervisor Dalia Palchik:
Mark Your Calendars! ~ We’ve partnered with Neighborhood and Community Services to host the 2026 Providence Fall Fest. This year's event will be taking place Saturday, Oct. 10, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. at the Jim Scott Community Center. There will be performances, games, and activities for all ages. Staff from various County departments will also be on-site to answer questions and provide resources.
Reserve a spot here.
Compiled by Christopher Jones
Member discussion