Weird News: Prom Date on a Horse, Cicadas for a Snack and Beds Racing in the Street

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that something weird isn't happening in at least one of them. Here's a look back at some weird goings on over the past week. Weird Virginia/DC usually runs on Patch sites every Saturday.  

A West Potomac High School student wanted to ask his date to the prom in grand style.

That's why he rode in on a horse. Senior Ian Thompson  rented a horse, and with a bouquet of red roses, rode to sophomore Nikki Amico's house and asked her to the prom.

Thompson said he had a few ideas on how to ask Amico but they were quite expensive. The "prom-posal" was the first time he had ever ridden a horse.

She said yes, by the way.

In other animal news, check out this sweet story from Del Ray Patch. A group of children saved a young sparrow thanks to lessons learned during a class trip to the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter.

On May 5, an Animal Control officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Wolfe Street to assist a bird that had fallen out of a nest. Upon arrival, the officer was flagged by a group of children who had placed the nestling in a plastic ice cream container filled with dry grass clippings.

The young bird was chirping away.

Here is something you may have been wondering as we prepare for the Brood II cicadas: Are Cicadas Safe to Eat? 

If you're brave enough to eat them, cicadas are apparently a surprisingly good source of protein, according to nutritionists, and they can be tasty.

With the arrival of the 17-year Brood II cicadas, some adventurous chefs are offering a variety of bug-based appetizers, snacks and even desserts. According to the Cicada Invasion blog, the bugs are crunchy and have a “nutty, almond-like flavor.”

Young, female cicadas have more “meat” in them than males and make for a better snack or meal, and several recipe sites recommend catching cicadas early in the day when temperatures are cooler.

What say you: Yum or yuck?

Over in Falls Church, a car crashed into a home on Monday.

 The driver of a small car escaped with minor injuries after she drove her vehicle through the front of a home in the 2800 block of Great Oak Court in Falls Church Monday.

Fairfax County Police are investigating why the woman drove her car into the home. When they got to the home around 11 a.m., authorities foundthe blue four-door car sitting partially inside the home, said Capt. William Moreland.

In Reston, a woman told police she was assaulted by a door-to-door meat salesman.

The woman told police she was assaulted by a salesman selling meat products last week on Cedar Cove Court. The victim said she let the man into her home when he asked to use the bathroom. He touched her inappropriately, she told police. The suspect left and the woman was not injured.

In Woodbridge, more weird crime as a burglar cut a hole in a bathroom ceiling to enter a closed Mobil Station.

A burglar entered a closed Mobil service station by locking themselves in the bathroom and cutting a hole in the ceiling, Prince William County Police said. 

Police responded on Sunday at 3:33 p.m. to the service station on Gideon Drive in the Woodbridge area, where an employee reported the burglary.

In Ashburn, it is a case of changing street names for  Steve Jobs Way and Ashburn Center Drive

A new light expected to begin operating soon along Waxpool Road – which will provide much-needed access to the Ashburn Restaurant Park and Embassy Suites – caught the eye of some motorists because of the road names posted to it: Ashburn Center Drive and Steve Jobs Way.

Turns out, neither name is correct for that particular intersection and the signs were removed Thursday afternoon. DuPont Fabros, which is working on an expansion of its nearby data center complex, proffered the light. It's contractor, B&B Signal posted the signs.

In

More than 15 teams raced hospital beds, which are donated for the event and decorated by the residents and the businesses prior to the beginning of the event, up and down John Marr Drive in heats.

The race is sponsored by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce and benefits the Virginia Special Olympics.

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