PechaKucha night Lake Ridge

We're excited to present the first PKN Lake Ridge! Lake Ridge joins the conversation February 20th. We have some great presenters including:

Joe Malinowski - "Ultrarunning - taking it beyond the marathon!"
For many years there has been a sub-culture of runners who have taken their sport beyond the marathon to further test themselves, to take advantage of the beautiful mountains, trails and National Parks, and just because they can! A few quotes from ultrarunners are: "Any idiot can run a marathon, but it takes a special idiot to run an ultra... Alan Cabelly; "If I can't go faster, I'll go longer!"; and "Find your limits then exceed them!"

Joy Ocetnik, Recreation Director, ARC of Greater Prince William - Joy read a children's book “Friends: Making Them & Keeping Them by Patti Kelley Criswell” to her daughter because she had a difficult time making friends and Joy wanted to help her. As she read the book she knew that the participants with developmental disabilities also had a difficult time making friends, keeping friends, and knowing where to look for a friend. Joy also realized that everyone could use a little help in the area of building friendships. For her Pecha Kucha presentation she decided to present the ideas from this book and create the title, "Building Friendships". Joy has presented her PowerPoint to a group of adults with developmental disabilities and they really enjoyed the helpful hints and it helped them to realize just how much we all value a good friend.

Sterling Harris: Self Hypnosis--Your Key to Inner Power
Using the power of your mind you can learn to manage stress, change unwanted habits, re-enforce wanted habits, increase self confidence and take control of your life in new and exciting ways.

Alex diGiovanni: " The Smithsonian Institution: More than the Museums on the Mall"
Most people think of the Star-Spangled banner or Dorothy's ruby slippers when they think of the Smithsonian Institution. But many who have enjoyed visiting the Smithsonian's museums may not realize that it also is one of the leading scientific and research institutions in the world. Alex di Giovanni will take you on a whirlwind tour of the Smithsonian's museums and research centers and show how this national treasure is contributing to our understanding of the origins of the universe and life on our planet.

Dennis Pogue: Restoring George Washington's Home
This year is the 150th anniversary of when the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association acquired Mount Vernon from the Washington family, in order to preserve the house and the associated buildings and grounds, and open them to the public. Over that period, the Association has undertaken a myriad of projects to protect the historic resources and to return the property as much as possible to its appearance when George Washington knew it. As the Associate Director for Preservation it is my job to oversee that work. I plan on highlighting some of the projects that we've carried out over the years, including restoring the original paint colors in the Mansion, studying the lives of the enslaved workers, restoring one of the outbuildings to its 18th-century appearance, and excavating the site of Washington's still house and reconstructing it as an operating whiskey distillery.

Additional presenters include Melissa Hopkins, reporter and web designer; Old Bridge Observer Publisher Randi Reid, and Caren Hearne of the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.

If you would like to be a presenter, choose a theme, create your images, practice your patter then contact Shirley Couteau at 703-491-2154 to take part in PKN Lake Ridge 1.

Presenters

• Alex diGiovanni: The Smithsonian Institution: More than the Museums on the Mall
• Caren Hearne: Performing Arts Director, Workhouse Arts Center
• Melissa Hopkins: Woodbridge Living dot com
• Joe Malinowski: Ultrarunning - taking it beyond the marathon!
• Joy Ocetnik: Building Friendships
• Randi Reid: Publisher, Old Bridge Observer
• Dennis Pogue: Restoring George Washington's Home
• Sterling Harris: Self Hypnosis--Your Key to Inner Power