A South Lakes High School teen was among the 21 students from Fairfax County public schools who earned national medals in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program.
Gabrielle Baughman will receive a silver medal for a painted self-portrait, FCPS said in a press release.
In June, an award ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City will honor the national medalists, according to the press release.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards recognize student artists with categories including architecture, ceramics and glass, comic art, design, digital art, drawing, editorial cartoon, fashion and more.
Image via Scholastic Art & Writing Awards/Facebook
Mark your calendar if you want to get a free prom outfit.
Reston-area high school and middle school students can each get a free dress, shoes, jewelry and other accessories at the Reston Community Center’s 17th annual dress giveaway next Saturday (March 30).
The free shopping event will offer dresses in a range of sizes. Volunteers will help teens pick out shoes, jewelry, handbags and other items to help complete their looks.
“The beauty of this event is revealed in the countless special evenings enjoyed by the teens who acquire their dance attire here at no cost and thus are able to thoroughly enjoy this rite of passage,” RCC’s Executive Director Leila Gordon said in a press release.
Back in February, RCC held an accessories drive — the community center already had enough dresses stockpiled away — that collected hundreds of items, according to RCC.
The event takes place from 11 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at RCC Lake Anne (1609-A Washington Plaza).
Photo courtesy Reston Community Center
The Colts Neck Road underpass will soon get its long-awaited makeover.
Public Art Reston recently awarded a contract to Philadelphia-based artist Ben Volta to create permanent public artwork for the underpass.
When selecting the artist, Public Art Reston sought someone who could “address the spirit of the Hunters Woods Neighborhood; respond to the cultural diversity of the community; and develop an artwork that identifies the underpass as a civic facility within the fabric of the surrounding neighborhood,” according to a Public Art Reston press release.
Public Art Reston’s Executive Director Anne Delaney said that Volta stood out because of his previous community engagement coupled with his powerful and colorful art.
“The project is an opportunity for infrastructure beautification, engagement, education and inspiration,” Delaney said. “It will promote active use of the underpass that links residential areas, Hunters Woods Village Center, two schools, two senior facilities and two community centers.”
Known for his public murals and sculptures, Volta will work on the project with the Dogwood and Hunters Woods elementary schools, in addition to partnering with Hunters Woods at Trails Edge, a soon-to-open senior living facility.
Volta, who is familiar with working with students in participatory art creation, told Reston Now that he plans to engage with kids in the classrooms with the hope of brainstorming an idea, color or shape that will then get incorporated into the art.
Right now, he is working to get the design done before summer break starts for the kids.
He has started making several planned site visits, where he also meets with students, teachers and administrators at the two schools. “I like to start with the site,” Volta said about his artistic process.
While the Colts Neck underpass was “dark with lots of mud everywhere” on his first visit, Volta said he’s been thinking about how the tunnel’s purpose as a passageway between the two schools can lead to a transformative experience for people who enter and exit it.
“Really, the site has a lot to say because of the way people experience it,” Volta said.
Volta said he didn’t know much about the Hunters Woods area before he was chosen for the project, but said he was struck on his first visit by the area’s connection to nature. “I really fell in love with Reston.”
The project has an anticipated installation in the summer so that the artwork will be ready for when students return to classes in the fall, he said.
Photo of Ben Volta courtesy of Public Art Reston
A little over a year ago, VY at Reston Heights unveiled a handful of retailers coming to the apartment community. Now, some of those retailers are getting ready for their openings.
At a recent site visit, this Reston Now reporter spotted construction crews working on ground-level retail spots below the 385-unit apartment community (11830 Sunrise Valley Drive).
VY’s website says that its previously announced retailers —Willpower Functional Fitness, Allure Nails, Signature Thai, Super Chicken and Reston Kabob — are “coming soon.”
When Reston Now reached out to JBG Smith earlier this week to find out when the five retailers are set to open, a spokeswoman for the developer said that she wasn’t able to provide updates.
Building permits for 11830 Sunrise Valley Drive, though, provided some insight.
Two carry-out restaurants — My Home Thai and Reston Kabob — have permits for plumbing work. Another restaurant, Chicken Rico, has a building permit for a new tenant layout.
Meanwhile, Men’s Spa and Barber has a permit for an interior alteration for a tenant layout.
Once open, the restaurants and shops will be a quick drive from the Wiehle-Reston East and future Reston Town Center Metro stations.
Last photo via VY website
Painter Trisha Adams is setting up shop in Herndon’s Junction Square.
According to her bio, the Californian started painting at age 44 when she decided to make art to fill an empty frame. Adams is known for her bright and colorful landscapes and still paintings, which often feature flowers, birds, boats or gardens.
This will be Adams’ fourth gallery — she currently has her art showcased in Richmond; Sarasota, Fla. and Watch Hill, R.I.
Her website says that the dates for the grand opening range from last Friday (March 15) to Sunday, March 31. Locals can check out her gallery at 708a Elden Street.
Image via Google Maps
Statewide tornado drill today — Don’t be surprised if your neighbors act there’s a tornado, because there’s a statewide drill starting at 9:45 a.m. [Reston Now]
Reston makes the list — Find out which Reston developments made the Washington Business Journal’s “Best Real Estate Deals” roundup. [Washington Business Journal]
Hudgins interview — Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins might be stepping down from her Fairfax County Board of Supervisor’s role, but locals can still expect to see her around Reston. Hudgins answered some questions about development, One Fairfax and more. [Inside NoVa]
Photo courtesy @thoroughly.adorable.millie/Instagram
Ballet instruction will soon arrive near Plaza America.
Building permits indicate that a new tenant layout for Principal Ballet is coming to 11495 Sunset Hills Road.
The ballet school has signed a lease for a 3,630-square-foot space on the first floor, according to Renaud Consulting, a commercial real estate company.
Currently located in the Hunters Woods Village Center, Principal Ballet provides year-long classes with offerings for preschool, elementary and middle school students; teens; and adults.
Image via Google Maps
Construction crews are busy working on a new townhome community that will turn part of Sunrise Valley Drive into a bustling residential area.
Work started on the project in 2017 when trucks tore down a six-story office building that was on the site at 11720 Sunrise Valley Drive. Now, 54 open-concept townhomes are on the way in Toll Brothers’ Valley and Park development.
The square footage varies for the four different townhome plans, but they all feature three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and three half bathrooms. They are priced in the mid-$800,000s, according to Toll Brothers.
The site is about a 5-minute drive away from both the Wiehle-Reston East and the future Reston Town Center Metro stations. A sign says that the development is “opening early 2019.”
The residential project was added to the Reston Association around this time last year, which means that the owners will have to pay annual assessments.
The site neighbors the new Sekas Homes development that includes 34 townhouses and 10 condos. Up the road, VY at Reston Heights opened its 385-apartments community early last year and includes space for a handful of retailers, which have not opened yet.
Last seven images via Toll Brothers
(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) The Reston Planning and Zoning Committee will start considering a new high-rise residential development along New Dominion Parkway at its meeting tonight (March 18).
NS Reston LLC wants to add a multi-family condominium building on a 36,553-square-foot parcel on the north side of New Dominion Parkway and directly south of the Reston Regional Library.
This will be NS Reston LLC’s first meeting with the committee, according to tonight’s agenda.
The Fairfax County Planning Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposal on May 16.
The committee is also set to vote on the Reston Crescent project — more commonly known as Halley Rise. The Fairfax County Planning Committee will then take up the proposal with a public hearing in May.
The Reston P&Z Committee will also hear an update on the redevelopment plan for Isaac Newton Square that would convert the office buildings into a mixed-use project.
A hearing for the county’s Planning Commission has not been scheduled yet, according to the Reston P&Z Committee agenda.
Tonight’s Reston P&Z Committee meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the North County Government Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive).
Image via Google Maps
Calling all local photographers: Reston Now is looking for your photos of Reston, Herndon and Great Falls.
Whether you’re a photography pro or just love snapping pictures with your smartphone, we are always looking to include seasonal photos in our Morning Notes on weekdays or reshare pictures on our social media accounts.
To send us your photos, email us at [email protected], tag us in your photo on social media or join our Reston Now Flickr page.
You will always receive credit for the photo — either with your username or actual name.
Thank you to photographers who have already sent us photos.
File photo
As the weather continues to slowly warm up, the Herndon 5K Walk/Run is set to place on Saturday (March 23).
The proceeds from the 5K will go toward the Herndon High School’s All-Night Grad, prom and the Paige Saucedo Memorial ESOL Scholarship Fund.
Prospective participants can register online for $35 until 8 p.m. on Thursday (March 21). After that, the price increases to $45.
People can pick up their packets at the Potomac River Running store at 11911 Democracy Drive from 4-7 p.m. on Friday (March 22) or at the Herndon High School (700 Bennett Street) at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
The 5K starts at 9 a.m. starts and ends at the high school. The course makes a loop from Kingstream Circle to Coat Ridge Road and then to Kingstream Drive.
Runners can expect food and prizes by the finish line.
Awards will go to the overall male and female finishers and the top male and female finishers in each of the following age groups: 13 and under, 14-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-65 and finally 66 and older.
Image via Potomac River Running
Fairfax County police recently arrested a Herndon man and charged him with seven larcenies in connection with a stash of guns and drug paraphernalia.
Two weeks ago, an officer smelled marijuana coming from a car, which had been sitting in the 12100 block of Sunset Hills Road for awhile, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
After speaking with the driver, Brandon Hernandez, 19, of Herndon, officers searched the car and discovered more than a pound of marijuana along with a handgun, ammunition, THC cartridges and cash, police say.
Police arrested Hernandez and the two passengers in the car — Kevin Fernandez, 20, of Herndon and Guillermo Alfaro, 20, of Reston.
FCPD then teamed up with the Herndon Police Department to obtain a search warrant for Hernandez’s home. Police say they ended up seizing seven loaded weapons, which have been linked to several burglaries and armed robberies in the area, and more than 450 THC vape pens.
Hernandez is currently being held without bond, and more charges are pending as detectives continue to investigate, according to police.
Images via FCPD/Facebook
Introduction to Facebook — Learn the basics for how to use Facebook during a one-hour session from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Reston Community Center. [AARP]
Nose to toes yoga — Young kids can try out yoga poses while enjoying books and songs with a children’s yoga instructor from 10:30-11:15 a.m. at the Reston Regional Library. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library. [Reston Regional Library]
Crash closed Elden Street — A crash on the 1000 block of Elden Street closed the road for about two hours on St. Patrick’s Day while police conducted an investigation. The road is now open. [Herndon Police/Twitter]
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
Who else is enjoying the 75-degree weather right now?
Before we head off into the weekend with temperatures dipping back into the 50s, let’s take a look back at the biggest stories on Reston Now this week.
- Here’s Why You’re Seeing ‘Store Closed’ Signs at Reston Town Center’s Vapiano
- Victoria’s Secret Gone for Good at Reston Town Center
- Google Starts Renovation Work at Reston Station Office Building
- Herndon Tech Company Serco to Add 200 Jobs
- Wooboi Chicken’s Chef Talks Secret Menu, Spiciest Nashville Hot Chicken Waiver
If you have ideas on stories we should cover, email us at [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip.
Feel free to discuss these topics, your weekend plans or anything else that’s happening locally in the comments below.
What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play — “Come to the Cabaret!” at Lake Anne Plaza.
The performance will be held at the Washington Plaza Baptist Church (1615 N. Washington Plaza). The suggested $10 door donations will go toward the church’s upcoming 2019 annual Christmas concert.
Attendees can also snack on some light refreshments and food.
The show starts at 7 p.m.
Tomorrow (March 16)
- Family Art Day (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) — Join GRACE for a free celebration of Youth Art Month on St. Francis Street. Families can look at student artwork in the exhibit and participate in art-making activities.
- Herndon Library Board Games (1-3 p.m.) — Adults can play classic board games at the Herndon Fortnightly Library.
- Youth Arts Showcase Explosion (6 p.m.) — The Reston Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is set to perform for free at the Kennedy Center.
- Common Ground: Candice Bostwick & Friends (7-9 p.m.) — You can enjoy jazz and pop music at ArtSpace Herndon for $20.
- “Time Stands Still” (8 p.m.) — Saturday is the last evening to watch the Reston Community Players’ production of a play about a couple making a living out of documenting the horrors of war.
Sunday (March 17)
- History of World War II (2-4 p.m.) — Dr. Harry Butowsky from George Mason University will present the first part of his six-part lecture series on “World War II: On Our Way, USA 1939-1942” at the Reston Regional Library.
- Once Upon a Time–Princesses & Lollipops (4 p.m.) — The RCC Hunters Woods’ free annual concert will feature music from Disney movies and theater favorites played by the Reston Community Orchestra. Girls can go dressed up in gowns, crowns and tiaras. The afternoon will include singing, dancing, a parade of princesses, a raffle of two baskets and the presentation of the RCO Community Service award.
Sunday is also St. Patrick’s Day — Reston Now has a separate list of local events in Reston, Great Falls and Herndon.
Photo via vantagehill/Flickr
