Frank V. Gardner - Vienna Civic Pride

The Old Dominion's largest town,
In Fairfax County lies:
One-half-hour's drive from Washington,
Due west through open skies.
The 'Beltway' takes you close to it,
And 'Sixty Six' does, too;
'One Twenty Three' is its 'main drag.'
Yes, Maple Avenue.

The place is called Vienna,
And they tell us it was named
To match Vienna, Austria,
Whose beauty is so famed.
To check the beauty of our town,
One looks around and sees
How homes, and lawns, and flowers blend
With all our lovely trees.

Vienna really started growing
Some twelve years ago;
And judging from the outcome,
One could say it's not been slow.
The count is sixteen thousand now,
With near twice that ahead;
But zoning's not for 'high rise, '
It's 'low density' instead.

Yes, that's the pattern we have set
For our community,
To give our citizens the setting
For tranquillity.

This town began in eighteen ninety
With four hundred souls;
So, let's commemorate one of
Our more important goals..
Three quarters of a century,
Incorporated now;
And in some special ways our town
Has shown the others how.

Vienna Town is ours to have,
To build, to shape.... and guide:
Such things which give us reason for
Vienna civic pride.


(Written in Vienna, Virginia, to honor the Town's
75th Anniversary on June 2,1965)

Frank V. Gardner

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/vienna-civic-pride/