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Falls Church has released “Pride in Our Community,” the sixth installment of its “Reflections at 250” documentary series, featuring LGBTQ+ residents and community figures discussing identity, acceptance, public service and the city’s changing culture.

The roughly 10-minute episode debuted in the city’s June 26 newsletter as part of its Pride Month observance. It includes former School Board and City Council member Lawrence Webb; drag artist Ethan Siegrist, also known as Evita Peroxide; Neighborhood Barbershop barber Dmitri Lake; newspaper founder Nicholas Benton; and Dark, Unbound bookstore founders Margaret Ngin and Annette Gumm.

The city said the film cannot represent every LGBTQ+ experience but offers stories illustrating the community’s diversity, resilience and search for belonging.

Siegrist describes discovering a love of makeup, hair and character-building through theater before exploring drag around 2020. Evita Peroxide became an outlet for the colorful, creative expression that was harder to pursue in everyday life.

Siegrist later brought family-friendly drag performances to Falls Church in an effort to counter hostile portrayals of drag artists. Those events drew bomb threats and doxxing from protesters, eventually prompting Siegrist to retire the Evita character. Throughout the ordeal, Siegrist said the Falls Church community supported the story times and helped protect performers and audience members.

Despite that experience, Siegrist remains hopeful that LGBTQ+ residents and allies can continue exchanging their perspectives in a respectful environment. The message offered at many performances was simple: Be kind, be yourself and do not diminish the qualities that allow others to see and hear you.

Lake, a transgender barber who uses he/they pronouns, recalls recognizing at 17 that he was not cisgender. As the first transgender student encountered by many teachers and classmates, Lake found understanding his identity to be a gradual process.

Moving from a more conservative community to Northern Virginia gave Lake more space to accept and discuss that identity. Falls Church’s LGBTQ-owned businesses, arts events and supportive employers also made it easier to live and work openly.

Lake entered barbering after repeatedly receiving haircuts that did not match the presentation he wanted. Hair, they explained, can be an enduring form of identity and self-expression, particularly for transgender customers.

That experience now helps Lake reassure transgender children and their parents. They praised families supporting LGBTQ+ children amid hostile political rhetoric and said parents often express relief and gratitude after seeing their children treated with understanding.

Webb discusses running for office as a Black gay man after growing up in rural Virginia, where that combination of identities was rarely discussed. Although he did not make his sexuality the centerpiece of his campaign, he answered honestly when asked.

Webb said he embraces having been the first openly gay African American to serve locally because it may encourage others to seek office without believing their sexuality prevents public service. He also pointed to Falls Church’s Pride events and proclamations as important signals that residents are welcome.

Benton describes a substantial change in local attitudes since he moved to Falls Church in 1985 and launched his print newspaper around 1990.

One formative dispute involved The Lasso, a student newspaper that published an advertisement for the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League. The decision caused an uproar in a community then heavily influenced by two conservative churches. Benton supported the students editorially and concluded that defending gay rights also required greater openness about his own identity.

He credited Falls Church’s residents and leaders with creating a far more supportive environment over the ensuing decades. However, he argued that the city still needs explicitly LGBTQ+ spaces, particularly as organized opposition grows more intense.

Ngin and Gumm discuss their plans for Dark, Unbound, a queer and feminist bookstore that could open soon at 112 W. Broad St. The shop is intended to feature stories and authors representing women, nonbinary people, LGBTQ+ people and other gender minorities.

Ngin said encountering unfamiliar perspectives through books can help readers understand that others experience the world differently. Gumm described a safe space as one where people can be fully themselves without facing judgment or hatred.

“Reflections at 250” is a monthly city video project created for the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Its episodes examine Falls Church’s people, history and evolving identity through contributions from residents and community leaders.

Earlier installments covered local democracy, the city’s civil-rights legacy, women in historic preservation, enslavement at The Falls Church and Vietnamese resilience.

Falls Church Plans a Fireworks-Free Holiday Weekend

Falls Church is preparing several events and schedule changes around Independence Day and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

City Hall and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library will be closed Friday, July 3. The library will remain closed Saturday, July 4, before reopening Sunday, July 5.

The Kenneth R. Burnett Community Center will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 3, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 4 and during its normal 2-to-6 p.m. hours July 5.

The city’s new Civic Jam will run from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, at Cherry Hill Park, 312 Park Ave. The rain-or-shine celebration will include live music, food, local beer, community organizations, games and a Civic Cup competition.

Fireworks, sparklers and other flammable devices will not be part of the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and insect repellent.

Community booths, food vendors, a beer garden, cotton candy, a photo booth and yard games will open at 6 p.m. Inflatable attractions will include a mechanical bull, axe throwing and a bounce house.

Falls Church veteran rock band Villains and Saints will perform from 6 to 7 p.m. Washington-based pop group Historically Close Friends will follow from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. DMV Latin pop-rock band Ocho De Bastos will close the evening from 9 to 10 p.m.

The Civic Cup will feature four scheduled contests:

• Watermelon Roll from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m.
• Water Balloon Toss from 6:55 to 7:25 p.m.
• Sack Race from 7:35 to 8:05 p.m.
• Three-Legged Race from 8:15 to 8:45 p.m.

Teams can also earn bonus points for costumes and spirit.

The League of Women Voters of Falls Church will host civic trivia near the Cherry Hill Park picnic shelter from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The Civic Cup trophy ceremony will begin at 8:45 p.m.

A Glow Jam featuring free VA250 light-up items and glow sticks starts at 9 p.m. Last call at the beer garden is scheduled for 9:45 p.m., with the festivities ending at 10 p.m.

A separate 250th-anniversary gathering will begin at noon Saturday, July 4, at The Falls Church, 115 E. Fairfax St.

For more than three decades, the Village Preservation and Improvement Society has organized a community reading of the country’s founding documents. Participants may read passages from the Declaration of Independence, Virginia Declaration of Rights, Bill of Rights, Reconstruction and voting-rights amendments, and selected historic speeches. Additional readings will debut for the anniversary program.

Falls Church prohibits the possession, use or display of fireworks within city limits. The only exceptions are displays approved in advance by the city fire official.

Palchik Marks a Shared Birthday With the Nation

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik says the Fourth of July has always carried a personal connection: It is also her birthday.

The holiday holds added significance in 2026 as the United States observes 250 years since its founding. Palchik, whose family came to the country from Argentina when she was young, said she values the idea that people from different backgrounds can build a community together.

She extended anniversary and Independence Day wishes to residents celebrating across Oakton, Merrifield, Tysons, Fairfax and Falls Church.

Palchik has represented the Providence District on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2020. A Fairfax County Public Schools graduate, she attended Mantua Elementary School and Frost Middle School before graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and French from Tufts University and completed a post-baccalaureate premedical program at Johns Hopkins University. Before joining the Board of Supervisors, she represented Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board.

Her previous work includes teaching world languages, providing medical interpretation and serving in microfinance and communications roles.

Palchik chairs the board’s Environmental Committee and serves as vice chair of its Budget Policy and Older Adults committees. She also represents Fairfax County on several regional bodies dealing with transportation, children and youth, food policy, climate and energy.

She lives with her husband, Jeffrey, and their daughter, Sivan.

Virginia Dream Wins in Richmond but Falls in UPSL Shootout

Virginia Dream FC strengthened its unbeaten NPSL record with a 3-1 road victory over Grove FC in Richmond on Wednesday, June 20.

The Falls Church-based club entered the Mid-Atlantic Conference match at 4-0-1, holding second place with a game in hand. Goals from Diarra Zoumana, Liam Emson and Christian Rodriguez improved the Dream’s record to 5-0-1.

Zoumana, the UPSL Golden Boot winner, is also competing for the NPSL scoring title and moved into third place in the conference standings.

The result followed a successful UPSL Virginia North regular season in which Virginia Dream finished first at 5-1-2 and secured home-field advantage for its playoff semifinal.

That spring campaign ended with a penalty-kick defeat to Los Toros at Meridian’s “The Cloud.” Virginia Dream took the lead twice, but Los Toros equalized both times and forced the match into a shootout. Los Toros prevailed 5-4 on penalties.

Founded in 2022, Virginia Dream is a semiprofessional club that covers player expenses as part of its effort to remove financial barriers. It competes in national leagues and has gained wider attention through its U.S. Open Cup appearances and online following.

Community Notices

The League of Women Voters of Falls Church will hold a public book-club discussion from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30.

The selection is Lindsey Cormack’s “How to Raise a Citizen,” which examines how parents and other family members can teach children about government, political issues and informed civic participation. Membership in the league is not required, and light snacks and refreshments will be served.

Movies in Strawberry Park will return to the Mosaic District, 2911 District Ave. in Fairfax, for a summer of blockbusters and family films. Screenings are scheduled for Thursdays at 7 p.m. from July 18 through Aug. 20. Movies will generally be shown rain or shine, and visitors should bring chairs or blankets.

Mosaic’s Summer Music Series will also bring performances to Strawberry Park from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 15, with no program during the July Fourth weekend.