It's my town: A marimbist arrives

A new sound is coming…

Acclaimed marimbist Makoto Nakura will perform at Grace United Methodist Church on May 18 at 7:30 p.m.

This is a rare opportunity to experience a virtuoso artist who has performed around the world, including London, Rome, Tokyo, Hong Kong and cities across the United States.

The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family on which the keys are struck with mallets to produce musical tones.

Nakura was educated on the marimba in Japan, as well as the Royal Academy of Music in London. He has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Opera House and at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, among other venues.

Having recorded three CDs, Nakura was featured on CBS's "Sunday Morning" and has been awarded many honors within the worldwide musical community.

Admission is free and an opportunity to give a freewill offering will be provided.

The church is located at 9750 Wellington Road, Manassas. For more information contact the Rev. Milton Rodgers at 703-361-7800.

The Park-West Lions Charities Inc. will host a spaghetti dinner on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Club's Community Center, 8620 Sunnygate Drive, Manassas.

It will be an all-you-can-eat event and will feature spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs, garden salad, garlic bread, cake, iced tea, coffer or water. Adults is $8 presales and $10 at the door and children under 12 $5 in advance and $4 at the door.

Spaghetti sauce to take out is available for $4 a quart.

In conjunction with various local, county, state and Federal agencies, ECPI College of Technology will stage a truly unique learning experience for area high school seniors interested in a career in criminal justice.

Under the supervision of law enforcement and emergency response experts, local high school students will have an opportunity to gain "real world" experience during a mock disaster scenario that includes all facets of a real life disaster. Side by side with these real world experts, students will act as crime scene investigators, interrogators, perimeter security, staff command and control operations, emergency responders and public information officers.

In addition, dozens of volunteers will act as victims, concerned family members and press. The result will be a completely unique experience for participants and spectators alike.

Admission to the "Criminal Justice Disaster Response Drill" is free. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak directly with faculty and staff about their future education and career goals.

The drill will take place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At 10:10 a.m. an unidentified deadly agent is released at the campus. As students and faculty succumb to the agent, panic takes hold. What happens next is right out of an episode of "24" …

For more information contact Dan McKenna, department head, at 703-330-5300, Ext. 226.

Osbourn Park High School graduate Jennifer Whitten was honored recently by the William and Mary Alumni Association during a ceremony at the Alumni House on the campus.

Whitten was honored for her excellence in the field of geology.

The association has awarded student academic prizes annually to outstanding student for the past 23 years. In all, 19 students were honored this year in the areas of chemistry, physics, geology, history, international relations, literature, drama, poetry, art, art history, business and music.

… Whitten is an '09 graduate