Reston residents looking to safely dispose of their prescription drugs can drop them off at the Reston police station (12000 Bowman Towne Drive) on April 28 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The medication drop off is a part of a wider effort by Fairfax County government called “Operation Medicine Cabinet Cleanout.”

Only pills and liquid medication are permitted for the drop off, officials will not accept needles or pressurized canisters.

Properly disposing of unused or expired prescription medication can prevent drug abuse and misuse, accidental poisoning and environmental pollution, Fairfax County officials said.

In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid drug overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Teachers and children alike can attend the Reston Friend Children’s and Educators Book Sale on Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Reston Regional Library in the Reston Meeting Room 1 and 2.
• Looking for live music? Check out Jeff Smith and Tim White perform country, rock, folk and pop classics along with their original songs on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Kalypso’s. The concert is free.
• Learn how the farm animals at Kidwell Farm settle down for the evening during a night tour of the farm on Friday and Saturday from 7-8 p.m. The tour will cost you $10.
• Go to the theatre and watch “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” performed by the Reston Community Players at the CenterStage Friday through Sunday. Friday and Saturday’s shows start at 8 p.m. and Sunday’s show starts at 2 p.m.
• Help remove weeds that target Reston wildlife as a part of the Reston Association’s “Habitat Heroes” program. To help out, meet at the asphalt path near the intersection of Fieldview Drive and Stones Throw Drive at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
• Have your kids learn about how to make more green practices at home with the Reston Association’s “Go Green” nature program. The program on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. costs $6 for RA members and $8 for non-members.
• Create a blanket for children facing trauma or illness as a part of Project Linus’s Make-a-Blanket Day. The event is on Saturday from 1-5 p.m. and you must RSVP to 571-643 -3248 or [email protected].
• Come to Scrawl Books to hear New York Times bestselling author L.M. Elliott discuss her new book Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship. The event is on Saturday from 4-6 p.m.
• Take a stroll through Reston’s most beautiful natural areas while searching for birds with the Reston Association on Sunday starting at 7:30 a.m. The group will meet in the Brown’s Chapel parking lot.
• The Bike Lane is holding a women’s only class on bike maintenance on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The class costs $25, but The Bike Lane will be giving $25 gift cards for the store.
• Need some more balance in your life? Attend a meditation workshop presented by Sahaja Yoga on Sunday at 11 a.m. at 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.
• Spend your day watching the performance of Peter & the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals featuring dancers from the Conservatory Ballet of Reston. The performance is on Sunday from 4-5:30, and tickets are available here.
• The Reston Community Orchestra will be holding a family concert Sunday from 4-5:15 p.m. featuring young musicians at the
• Looking for a holistic approach to addressing an illness, strained relationship, anxiety or other woe? The Dranesville United Methodist Church is holding a healing service on Sunday from 7-8 p.m.

Teens can save money this prom season by attending the Annual Diva Central Prom Dress Giveaway at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne.

The event will be held on March 24 (Saturday) from noon until 6 p.m. The free event is open to all middle and high school students who are in need of a prom or spring formal dress and accessories. There is a limit of one dress per person.

RCC opened up donations for dresses and accessories in February and received hundreds of dresses. Volunteers will be available to help teens select their perfect prom or formal look, and a makeup artist will also be available from 4 to 6 p.m.

“School dances are becoming increasingly expensive experiences for middle and high school students. We hope to lessen that financial burden by giving local teens the opportunity to create their entire prom or dance look for free,” said LaTanja Jones, RCC’s collaboration and outreach director, in a press release.

Photo via Reston Community Center

The Reston Historic Trust & Museum is holding an event highlighting women pioneers in Reston in honor of Women’s History Month.

The free program will begin at 7 p.m. at the RCC Lake Anne Jo Anne Rose Gallery. It will start off with a slide presentation about early women Reston residents followed by a panel discussion covering more recent women’s involvement in Reston.

The list of Reston pioneer women cover all sectors of the community, including education, politics, architecture, art, media and more.

One of the women to be highlighted in the slide presentation is Chloethiel Woodard Smith, an architect and urban planner from the D.C. area and who was one of the original architects in Reston, said Alexandra Campbell, executive director of Reston Historic Trust & Museum.

Another woman to be featured is Priscilla Ames who was the director of the developer’s Community Center in Reston.

“She was incredibly involved. She kind of just knew everybody, tried to know everybody in the community and to let them know what Reston had to offer,” Campbell said.

The museum currently has an ongoing list of Reston pioneer women, which the public can add to at anytime on their website.

Photo via Reston Historic Trust & Museum

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Does your kid want to learn how to fish? Then take them to the Kids Trout Fishing Derby on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. The event will meet at the Herndon Police Station on the Sugarland Run Trail.
• Support your neighbors and the environment by attending the Spring Flea Market on Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the RCC Hunter Woods. Who knows, maybe you’ll find some treasure along the way!
• Need some more books for your kids? Check out the City of Fairfax Library Friends Spring Children’s Book Sale running from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday at the City of Fairfax Regional Library.
• Curious about how 3D printing works? Check out the ongoing demonstrations all day of a MakerBot Replicator Mini 3D Printer at the Centreville Regional Library on Saturday.
• Author Laura Murray will be at Scrawl Books to read and sign her children’s book The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School. The event will be on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Watch the free screening of “How Sweet the Sound – The Blind Boys of Alabama” as a part of the ReelAbilities Film Festival. The screening will be on Sunday at the CenterStage from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Take a run in the 5th annual Ice Breaker 5k race in Herndon on Sunday. The race will start at 8 a.m. at 200 Spring Street.
• Learn about the Jewish holiday Passover over PJ Library stories about the holiday and then braid challah dough at Whole Foods Market on Sunday from 10-11 a.m.
• Attend a lecture series at Frying Pan Park about local farmers and how you can support them. The series is on Sunday from 2-3:30 p.m. and costs $10 for attendees.
• Get your groove on at the Sunday Afternoon Dance at RCC Hunter Woods where you can foxtrot, swing, cha-cha and waltz. The event will be from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and tickets cost $5 for Reston Association members and $10 for non-members.
• Not up for a waltz? Then give Sunday Country Western Dance a shot instead. You will be able to line dance, two-step, shuffle and swing your way through country and Western tunes at the RCC Hunter Woods from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for Reston Association members and $10 for non-members.
• Fan of acoustic music? Then you might want to check out the Sterling/Reston Acoustic Jam on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the Cafe Montmarte.
• Grab your skates and get on the ice rink one last time before the ice skating rink in Reston Town Center closes for the season on Sunday at 7 p.m.
• Come see the Darrell Webb Band as a part of the Bluegrass Barn series at the Frying Pan Park’s Visitor Center. The show is on Sunday at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Flickr pool photo by vantagehill

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Get your fill of books and booze at a happy hour book signing at Mon Ami Gabi (11950 Democracy Drive) on Friday from 5-7 p.m. where local authors Chuck Cascio, Kristina Small Alcorn, Erik MacDicken, and Nathan Leslie will be around to sign their books.
• Need some for mindful practices in your life? Then check out the mindfulness workshop to learn some simple tools to build calm and focus at the Thomas Jefferson Library from 10-11 a.m. on Saturday.
• Grab some used books at the used book sale at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The book sale will continue at the same time on Sunday and that day you can fill up a bag of used books for $10.
• Take an exploratory hike or participate in an indoor Nature House program as a part of the Raptor Exploration at the Walker Nature Center. The event starts at 10:30 a.m. at Saturday and tickets cost $7 for Reston Association members and $9 for non-members.
• Join Better Said than Done, a local storytelling group, share stories of overcoming adversity and celebrating women’s history at the City of Fairfax Regional Library at 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday.
• Mystery novel fan? Then you can meet Libby Klein, Sherry Harris and Maya Corrigan who will be talking about their mystery series for Kensington and sign their latest books. They will be at Scrawl Books (11911 Freedom Drive) starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
• Watch “Fried Green Tomatoes” as a part of Reston Regional Library’s Fantastic Films: Book to Movie series. The screening will be on Saturday from 2-4 p.m.
• The Freedom for Family Wellness Summit is being held from Thursday through Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Reston with this year’s theme being “Align. Connect. Act.” The event connects leaders in family chiropractic lifestyle and the holistic health movement.
• Are you a poet? Then stop by the poetry workshop with the Northern Virginia Poetry Group at the Centreville Regional Library on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. where your work will be shared, critiqued and revised.
• Join the Reston Chorale for their performance “Out of the Shadows” on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the RCC Hunter Woods in the Community Room. The choir will be showcasing contemporary and classical choral works by female composers.
• The Reston Ten Miler presented by Fidelity Investments will be held Sunday at 8 a.m. at South Lakes High School. Online registration closes at 8 p.m. today.
• Meet the candidates for the Reston Association Board of Directors at The Lake House (11450 Baron Cameron Ave.) on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.

Photo via Potomac River Running

This March nine Reston schools will showcase art from students at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne and Hunters Woods locations.

The exhibits are a part of Youth Art Month, a national observance organized by the Council for Art Education, which has been celebrated since 1961.

Works by students from Aldrin, Armstrong, Dogwood, Forest Edge, Hunters Woods, Lake Anne, Terraset and Sunrise Valley Elementary Schools will be showcased at RCC Lake Anne from March 3 to April 2 in the Jo Ann Rose Gallery and 3D Gallery. A reception will be held March 11 from 2-4 p.m.

Works from Langston Hughes Middle School will also be on display at RCC Hunter Woods from March 1-31.

The mediums used by students in kindergarten through eighth grade include watercolor, chalk and oil pastels.

“This is my absolute favorite time in our exhibition schedule,” wrote RCC Arts Education Director Cheri Danaher in a press release. “We are able to celebrate the work of our students and the importance of art education in our schools and community at large.”

Photo by Reston Community Center

The Rise Well-Being Center is holding a three-day grand-opening event starting Thursday.

Rise, a studio for yoga and meditation that offers immersion into natural elements for well-being, will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony starting at 11 a.m. on Thursday at 11130 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 150.

Throughout the three-day opening, Rise is accepting $5 donations to its Well-Being Fund in exchange for unlimited access to classes for one day. The Lunch n’ Learns will cost another $5 as well as the mini One on One sessions. The Well-Being Fund will provide scholarships to those who cannot afford memberships as well as pay for “days of pampering” for those using local shelters and non-profits, saidLisa Goodwin, founder and owner of Rise.

Following the ceremony, classes will be offered in the studio until 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. That same day there will also be a Lunch n’ Learn by James R. Jones entitled “Body Wisdom” where he will discuss quick and easy techniques that help people feel energized throughout the day.

On March 2 (Friday), more classes will be held from 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. and another Lunch n’ Learn will be featured. Friday’s Lunch n’ Learn is entitled “Enhancing Leadership Through Mindfulness” and is held by Moira Lethbridge, an executive coach and former CEO.

The final day on Saturday will feature another full day of classes from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. where guests can also schedule mini one-on-one sessions. Later guests can take part in a “Special Sacred Heart Sound Healing” event starting at 6:30 p.m.

Rise came about because Goodwin saw a need for busy Washingtonians to connect with nature and feel better. The center took three years to come about, Goodwin said.

“I’m most excited about people to come in and experience the environment of the intentionally created space,” she said.

The center will also be holding pre-opening discounts where guests can purchase a one-month membership for $135, a three-month membership for $297 and six-month membership for $699.

Photos courtesy of Lisa Goodwin

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Join Monsters Dance at the Hyatt Regency Reston from Friday through Sunday for a weekend of classes and events. There will also be vendors and auditions.
• Join the Reston Association Friday in a trip to the Ronald Reagan building to watch the Capitol Steps, a parody political musical group, perform live. To go, meet at the Hunters Woods Shopping Center (Ledo Pizza) at 5:45 p.m. or at the Lake Anne Plaza parking lot at 6 p.m.
• Take a dip in the pool with the family for The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center at RCC Hunters Woods. The event is Friday from 7-9 p.m. and entry costs $13 for Reston residents and $23 for non-Reston groups.
• Attend a free screening of the documentary “City of Trees” as part of the Annual Environmental Film Series at the Walker Nature Center from 7-9 p.m. on Friday. The film touches on a community’s fight for equal access to good jobs and safe parks in D.C.
• Love musicals? Then check out the “Back to Broadway” cabaret at Herndon High School starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Musical features include songs from “Hamilton,” “Shrek” and “Tuck Everlasting.” Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens.
• Do your kids love to dance? Then bring them to the Kiddie Academy of Reston’s free DanceParty! starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Children of all ages are welcome to attend.
• Pet Valu in the South Lakes Village Shopping Center  will be holding an adoption event Saturday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. There will be an Alaskan malamute and pet goodies for sale that will go toward donations.
• Check out Reston Association’s newest community building, the Lake House. An open house will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday.
• Martha Washington Library is hosting a free family movie screening Saturday from 2-4 p.m. The movie will be “Wonder” a PG rated movie about a boy with facial differences who attends school for the first time.
• The CenterStage RCC Hunter Woods is showing the musical “Letters from Iraq” by Rahim AlHaj, which reflects on the aftermath and consequences of war. The show starts on Saturday from 8-11 p.m. and tickets cost $20 for Reston residents and $30 for non-residents.
• Tag along as beginner or expert bird finder on a bird walk of Reston Lakes and waterfowl tour. The free bird walk will meet at Lake Newport Tennis and will run from 8-11 a.m. Sunday.
• There’s also Purim Palooza which is being held at Congregation Beth Emeth on Sunday from 12-2 p.m. There will be a moon bounce, crafts, carnival games, lunch, a costume contest and more.
• Need a new birdhouse? You can make one out of a gourd grown at Frying Pan Park. The program runs at the park from 2-3:30 p.m. on Sunday and tickets cost $10 per person.
• Get the chance to meet Dennis Woods, author of “Black Flag Journals” which tells his story of his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Woods will be at Scrawl Books from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday to discuss the memoir.
• Nothin’ Fancy, a bluegrass band, will be performing at the Frying Pan Park Visitor Center. The show is at 7 p.m. Sunday and tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” will be gracing the Reston Community Center’s CenterStage from March 9 through 24.

The play, performed by the Reston Community Players, tells the story of Brick Pollitt, an alcoholic and former high school football player, and his wife Maggie. When the two join the rest of the Pollitt family for Big Daddy’s 65th birthday, a story of survival and family dysfunction emerges at the Southern plantation.

“Cat is one of my favorite stage productions, and it is an honor to bring these characters to life at Reston,” said Sharon Veselic, who directs the show, in a press release. “While the story takes place in the 1950s, many of the dynamics of the personalities portrayed on stage are still relevant today. It’s a true classic.”

The show is presented through an arrangement with Dramatists Play Service on behalf of the Sewanee: The University of the South.

Tickets are $23. To purchase, contact the box office at 703-476-4500 or go online. The play is recommended for ages 16 and older for adult themes and brief nudity.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Watch the Basketball District Finals at South Lakes High School on Friday. The women’s game will feature Langley High School vs. South Lakes at 5:45 p.m. The men’s game will feature Washington Lee High School vs. South Lakes at 7:30 p.m.
• Join Stanley Whitaker for an evening of live guitar music at Tavern64 on Friday from 6-10 p.m.
• Take a dip in the pool with the family for The Terry L. Smith Aquatics Center at RCC Hunters Woods. The event is Friday from 7-9 p.m. and entry costs $13 for Reston residents and $23 for non-Reston groups.
• Learn how to break a board (or five) at Life Champ Martial Arts of Reston. The event is on Friday 7:15-8 p.m. and costs $20.
• Call yourself a punk? Then you might enjoy the local punk coverband Poprocks who are performing at the Crafthouse Friday from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m.
• Jam out and skate during the “Rock N Skate” event at the Ice Skating Pavillion Friday from 8-10 p.m. There will be a live DJ and music, prizes and games.
• Take an exploratory hike, have some outdoor fun or participate in an indoor Nature House program as a part of the “Great Backyard Bird Count: eBird Workshop.” The free program runs on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Walker Nature Center.
• Share the ice with classic, beloved cartoon characters such as Scooby Doo and Cat in the Hat at Ice Skating Pavillion on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Need a little practice reading or just love dogs? Have your child read to a therapy dog at the Kingstowne Library. The event is for ages 5-12 and will run from 12:30-1 p.m. on Saturday.
• Learn more about the opioid crisis in the country in a lecture by a representative of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. The lecture will take place at the Kings Park Library in the Kings Park Meeting Room on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.
• Historian Gregg D. Kimball of the Library of Virginia will trace the Prohibition musical legacy through spoken narrative, period images and live and recorded music. The event is from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chantilly Meeting Room in the Chantilly Regional Library.
• Don’t miss the free Paulina Peavy exhibit at the Greater Reston Arts Center, which ends Saturday at 5 p.m. Peavy’s work reflects her “personal ontology and the meaning of life,” according to Reston Town Center. Her work includes paper, paintings, films, texts and masks.
• Tag along as beginner or expert bird finder on a bird walk of Reston Lakes and waterfowl tour. The free bird walk will meet at Lake Newport Tennis and will run from 8-11 a.m. Sunday.
• Come listen to the Piedmont Bluz Acoustic Duo play traditional African American folk music. The performance will be at the Reston Meeting Room 1 and 2 at the Reston Regional Library from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday.
• Watch the one man show of Mark Brutsché perform Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the CenterStage RCC Hunter Woods at 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5 for Reston residents and $10 for non-Residents.

File photo.

The Reston Historic Trust and Museum will host a panel tonight exploring whether Reston is living up to founder Bob Simon’s goal of being a diverse place.

The panel of speakers will include residents who have lived in Reston for different periods of time. Panelists are Beverly Cosham, Victoria Cosham-Rivera, Omer Gorashi, Gerald Zavala and Anthony Zavala.

The event is free and will run from 7-9 p.m. at the JoAnn Rose Gallery at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne.

One of Simon’s goals was to ensure individual dignity was the focal point of all planning.

“We are interested in not only the experiences of the early pioneers, but also the experiences of those who grew up in Reston, those who came later and their children’s experiences, and the impressions and experiences of those who are the more recent members of our community,” organizers said in an Facebook event page.

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is returning to Reston Town Center for its 27th annual event, and this year the festival is a day longer.

The festival established by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) will run from May 18-20 at 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day and will bring more than 200 artists from across the country to show original works in 16 different categories of fine art and fine craft.

“The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is an event unlike any other. The quality of the fine art is exceptional, and the variety ensures that there is something for everyone, from woodwork to jewelry, ceramics, and painting,” said GRACE Executive Director and Curator Lily Siegel in a press release.

Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market will also be joining the festival as a title sponsor in time for its move to the Reston Town Center this spring. The market will be providing attendees food at multiple locations throughout the festival.

On top of the showings there will be a festival party for artists, sponsors and their guests from 7:30-9 p.m. There will also be an announcement of the 10 winners of the Awards of Excellence who will receive $500 in cash prize, a blue ribbon for their artist booth and admission into next year’s festival.

Donation tickets cost $5 per adult to benefit GRACE. There will also be free parking in all Reston Town Center garages throughout the entire festival.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Get in the mood for Valentine’s Day and check out a free concert with Maya Feygelson and friends singing love songs at the United Christian Parish on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
• Not in the Valentine’s Day mood? Instead, you can see the performance Word Becomes Flesh, a production that “examines masculinity and responsibility within the constructs of hip-hop culture” through a series of letters from a single father to his unborn son. The performance is on Saturday from 8-11 pm at the CenterStage RCC Hunter Woods. Tickets are $20 for Reston residents and $30 for non-Reston residents.
• Learn more about what police are doing to build long-lasting relationships with Reston and nearby communities at the Fairfax County Civilian Police panel and Q&A. The panel and dialogue will be held Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• Get your foxtrot on this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Reston Community Center Hunter Woods for an afternoon dance class. There will be three mini dance lessons, light refreshments and music ranging from golden oldies to a more modern dance selection. Tickets are $5 for Reston residents and $10 for non-Reston residents.
• As Reston is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, learn more about  the bay in the presentation Creatures of the Chesapeake Bay where you can touch and meet live creatures native to the ecosystem. There are two showings Sunday at the Walker Nature Center. The first is at 1:30 p.m. and the second is at 3:00 p.m. Tickets cost $8 for Reston Association members and $12 for non-members.
• Into action-packed novels about uprisings of empires? Then come and meet C.V. Wyk at the ArtInsights Gallery of Film and Contemporary Art and grab a copy of her new novel Blood and Sand on Sunday from 4- 5:30 p.m. The novel tells a story of two daring slaves who decide to take on an empire.
• Celebrate Mardi Gras this Sunday at the United Christian Parish starting at 5 p.m. where you can watch live performances from local artists including the Reston Divas. The event is free and open to all ages.
• Learn more about agriculture in Virginia, the state’s largest industry, in a lecture series by local farmers at the Frying Pan Park Visitor Center. The event is on Sunday from 2 – 3:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10. There will also be a sampling of the local farm’s fruits

Photo via Reston Community Center

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District is holding its annual seedling sale for Northern Virginia residents starting this month.

Two seedling packages are being offered for sale. The shrub and small tree package is on sale for $16.95 with 10 seeds, and the tree package features six seedlings for $11.95.

The native seedling sale helps to clean up the water and air. It also helps to prevent soil erosion by keeping the soil in place, said Lily Whitesell, a watershed specialist.

This year’s seedling packages are deer tolerant. Some of the species featured in the seedling packages are less palatable to deer and are fast growing so they can handle some deer as well.

“Across Fairfax County, we’ve really seen a lot of the understory of wooded areas be decimated by deer. We hope this will also help regenerate that growth,” Whitesell said.

Some of the featured plants include Eastern redbud, pawpaw, shortleaf pine, silky dogwood and witchhazel.

“The redbud is of interest to a lot of people because it has a really beautiful spring blossom. A lot of people this time of year are really thinking about the witchhazel because it has a very cool flower in the winter,” Whitesell said.

To keep the seedlings cheap, they are bought in bulk. If someone were to buy the same seedlings sold by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District at the store, it would cost somewhere between $20 and several hundred dollars, she added.

Customers have until April 11 to order seedlings and can pick them up at the Packard Center in Annandale on April 20 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on April 21 from 9 a.m. to noon.

File photo.