What were you this year for Halloween? A Muppet? A chef? Were you perhaps particularly clever with your costume? Did you join in on the fun at Chipotle and dress up as a "horrifying processed food?" Did you perhaps dress up for a work costume contest? Did your kids follow the current rise in Star Wars and insect-themed costumes? Or did they buck trends with entirely innovative ideas they came up with on their own? Does your dog just look precious in their Halloween costume? We've got a few of our own Halloween pictures in here to start the album off, but this gallery needs your contributions …
It's nearly Halloween and the pumpkins are out, the television specials are on and ghosts and other spooky creatures from books, lore and movies are on the mind—but are they really that far from reality? Not in Burke, Virginia at least. With Virginia's long history of battles from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War, and millions of people settling, or just passing through here it makes sense that the area has a proclivity for events of the supernatural kind. A Few Burke Ghosties: According to stories passed through the Internet, a woman named Eva was murdered in the early 1900s. She is …
Celebrate the season with Halloween themed treats in shops around town. Local stores are offering seasonal drinks and scary treats for a limited time. The best part about seasonal items is we look forward to them all year long and it's so gratifying once we get them. Check out the list below of items featured at local establishments and get them while you can. These are a great find for a Halloween party or just for you to enjoy. Great Harvest Bread Company6030-G Burke Commons Road (In Wal-mart Center) Pumpkin SconePumpkin and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Bread:Shape of Spiders, Pumpkins…
This Halloween, we're checking out a few handsome "mutts" from the area in need of a home. This new Fairfax-based rescue can be found sometimes with available dogs hanging out at the Burke Post Office on Burke Road. They also run adoptive events out of several locations of Weber's Pet Supermarket and Pro Feed, Inc. in Vienna and foster animals throughout the Washington, DC Metro area. Potential adoptive families go through an interview process and a home visit before a dog is placed. The adoptive fee is $250 for adult dogs and $300 for puppies under 6 months.
Be on the lookout for an increased presence of insects this Halloween. No, the stinkbugs finally seem to be retreating, but two of the most popular costumes this year are ladybugs and butterflies, as girls continue to trade scary for cute and cuddly. Boys tend to turn to their favorite superheroes and "Star Wars" characters. As girls get older, the costumes tend to be a little more risqué. Theresa Sawchuck manages the Party Depot in Springfield on Old Keene Mill Road, and she has noticed some parents questioning why trick or treating has turned into a fashion show. "A lot of the costumes are …
How much do YOU know about how big Halloween is in the United States? Check out these fun facts on the spooky holiday. Based on 2009 population estimates, it's believed that around 36 million children ages 5 to 13 potentially went trick-or-treating in the United States in 2009. The number is 190,000 more than the 2008 number. Let's not forget though, that many children younger than five or older than 13 also go trick-or-treating. These children have about 111.3 million doors to knock on for candy. This number corresponds to the number of occupied housing units across the nation in 2009. Based…
Kick off your holiday with these three Halloween coloring pages featuring places around Burke. Once you color them in, we'd love to see them and display them on the site! You can mail completed pages to Rachael@patch.com. Or stop by Editor Rachael Dickson's open office hours at the Burke Centre Parkway/Burke Commons Starbucks this week -- 3-6 Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. She'd love to talk to you and give you some free Patch swag! To print, follow these easy steps: LEFT click on the word "Print" written in blue above the enlarged image. An information box will appear. Left click on the …
Throwing a Halloween party and want to make something a little off the beaten path? How about eyeballs? These aren't your old-school skinless grapes hidden behind a curtain posing as eyeballs -- No, these are edible eyeballs made with pudding and a few pieces of candy. They're a piece of cake to make too. Put a jelly bean through a Lifesavers Gummi, than place the candy concoction into the bottom of a plastic egg shell carton. Fill up all dozen egg holes this way. Then pour vanilla pudding over the top of the candy to make the whites of the eye. Toss the carton into the freezer for a few …
The Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue, based out of Springfield, fosters guinea pigs all over the DC area. Check out the beautiful "pigtures" provided to Burke Patch of all the piggies dressed up in their Halloween finery. Burke Pet Patch did a great feature on MGPR recently looking at what exactly makes this group so special. Check it out! If you're interested in adopting a guinea pig, fill out the online application. The cost of adoption ranges from $55 for a neutered male, $70 for a spayed female, and $100 for bonded pairs.
As the proud owner of three spoiled and beloved rats, I clearly do not ascribe to traditional values of what animals are scary or not. However, my rats themselves might disagree and turn tail to run if they ever met some of the animals we're featuring today in need of a home on Burke Pumpkin Patch. These beautiful snakes need a home. If you're interested in adopting one of them, call the Fairfax County Animal Shelter at 703-830-1100 and give them their ID number. Pets are available for adoption at the Animal Shelter from 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday - Friday and 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday. Rosie …
Dirt and Worms is such a classic Halloween treat. The yummy pudding, Cool Whip and Oreo crumbs mixed together with gummy worms make me think back to my preschool days. There are lots of other things you can do with Dirt and Worms than just....dirt and worms. Ghostly Dirt and Worms: I added a little ghost made out of Cool Whip to one scene, with little black eyes made with a squeezy tube of decorative icing. Little bits of candy corn stuck in the ground before it add a nice little graveyard feel. Dirt and Worms Pumpkin Patch: I bought a mixed bag of candy corn that included some of those cool …
October may be best known for Halloween, but it's also "Adopt a Shelter Dog" month. In Burke Patch however, we love all furry, scaly, feathery and fishy creatures, thus, we're declaring this "Adopt an Animal in Need" month. We'll be featuring animals from several area animal charities dressed up for the spookiest holiday of the year. You may recognize a few of these fine felines - Our Burke Pet Patch featured Home Alone Feline Rescue in an article not too long ago. Now, you can see Brooklyn dressed up as an owl, Edison doing his best impression of a flower, Einstein ready for his new job at …
I'm so excited about having a house in Burke this year, for several reasons. The really big one has to be that my roommates and I get to have Trick-or-Treaters! We're still figuring out what candy we're getting, but believe me, we're going to be one of the houses on the block the kids talk about having the BEST treats. I just love getting to see all the children in costume though - all the princesses, cats, ghosts, zombies, and tiny little Bill Clintons walking around (maybe that was just when I was little!). The adults getting into it are fun to watch too- my Dad used to always dress up as a…
Everyone is partial to a different type of candy on Halloween. I attended a friend's Trick-or-Treating party at one point and ended up trading with all the other kids to get more than 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I even had a t-shirt at one point declaring my love for those little chocolate covered peanut butter cups of awesome. What's your favorite? Do you like the candy corn that your mom used to leave out in candy dishes when guests came over? Or are you more partial to the Tootsie Roll Pops and all the contests you had with your friends to see how many licks it really did take to get to…
Say hello to Burke Pumpkin Patch -- our month-long Halloween extravaganza! You'll find lots of tips, advice, recipes and pictures of costumes and decorations in celebration of our favorite excuse to dress up. We'd love to get you involved in the Pumpkin Patch - send us your favorite scary cookie recipes, decorations, party ideas, and pictures of your kids in costume at Rachael@patch.com. We can't wait to see them! I don't know about you, but one of the first things I like to do to get into the Halloween mood is carve a pumpkin. This year, I got a really large one from the grocery store so I …
