The streets of Reston Town Center will turn into a beer garden and carnival Oct. 11 and 12 as the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce’s Oktoberfest Reston returns.

Here is what you need to know:

Oktoberfest runs noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12.

The carnival rides only will be open Friday, Oct. 10 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Admission is free, but you need tickets for beer, wine, food and carnival rides. Visit the Chamber website to purchase tickets in advance or buy them on site.

Saturday will also feature the Guns ‘n Hoses Chili Cookoff, where firefighter and police officers from all over Northern Virginia show off their cooking skills and compete for bragging rights and prizes.

Beer

The pavilion beer garden opens at noon both days, as does the craft beer area located on Library Street. Here is what is on tap:

• Pavilion Beer Garden — Blue Moon, Miller Lite, Samuel Adams, Yuengling Traditional Lager
• Craft Beer Garden — Old Ox, Old Busthead Brewing Co., New Belgium, Flying Dog, D.C. Brau

Food

Vendors will be located on Market Street, including:

• Buffalo Wing Factory
• Clyde’s
• Milwaukee Custard
• Naked Pizza
• Paisano’s Pizza
• Tailgater by Toby NOVA
• The Melting Pot

Entertainment

There will be live, traditional German music during the day, and pop dance tunes at night at stages in the pavilion and in Library Street.

Full entertainment lineup here.

Photo Courtesy of Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce

Traffic. Parking woes. Drinking. A direct disregard for the principles of Reston and infringing on green space.

Those were some of the comments from residents of Reston clusters close to Cabots Point Recreation Area at Reston Association’s regular board meeting on Thursday night. Nearly two dozen residents of South Bay, Cedar Cove and Cabots Point spoke to or sent in comments to the board in opposition of the bocce court that the RA Board approved last winter.

The plan calls for a 60-x-12 foot court, with the projected $2,500 cost to be paid for by Friends of Reston. The court would be built in the open lawn area of the park, which is used for a variety of activities such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball and simple running around. The remainder of the park contains benches and playground equipment.

In July, RA CEO Cate Fulkerson proposed taking bocce off the table and starting over because “proper notification and opportunity for public input or a hearing was not made regarding the proposed project and change in use of the recreation area.”

But after explanation from South Lakes Director Richard Chew that proper procedures were followed, Fulkerson’s proposal was voted to be taken off the agenda prior to the July 31 RA meeting.

The residents of the nearby clusters are not at all pleased with Chew, who lives in Cedar Cove. Many speakers at the meeting say the director reached out to one of the clusters but not the other, and that the project was pushed forward without the clusters’ knowledge.

“I object to this project for many reasons, including that the approval processes were blatantly ignored,” said Chuck Cascio, a longtime South Bay resident. “This was an appallingly self-centered breach of trust.” Read More

Fairfax County Election Day Officers Needed — The county needs nearly 3,000 people to work Election Day Nov. 4. Qualifications include being a registered voter in Virginia and available to work on Election Day. Each election officer is required to complete documentation for employment eligibility in-person at the Fairfax County Office of Elections and attend a training class prior to Election Day. They will be compensated $175 for the full day.  [Fairfax County]

Paintball Time — Fairfax County may be getting its own paintball course after a county staff report recommends approval of a proposal for one in Clifton. [Washington Business Journal]

Good Neighbors — Woodworkers from Reston Community Center’s Age 55+ woodworking group recently donated 50 handmade toys to the kids at Laurel Learning Center. [RCC]

Drop Off Drugs Saturday — Saturday is DEA Prescription Dug Take Back Day, where citizens can safely turn in unwanted and unused drugs so they will be safely disposed. Locations nearby include Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station and the Herndon Police Department. Drop-off is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. [DEA]

Art And Bikes — Reston Association is sponsoring the Tour d’Art, a bike ride past Reston’s public art works. The ride begins at 9:45 a.m. at Brown’s Chapel and will take participants past 13 works. [Reston Association]

Photo: SLHS Band at Bands of America Championships Sept. 20/Credit: Melissa Gifford via Facebook

Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova has been appointed by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to serve on a new commission on ethics in state government.

McAuliffe on Thursday signed signed Executive Order 28, which establishes the Commission to Ensure Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government.

The order comes in the wake of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and wife Maureen’s convictions for corruption.

Says the governor’s office: “The executive order identifies the broad priorities of the governor in his pursuit of a better state government, including meaningful rules for the ethical conduct of state officials, procedures for ensuring accountability to the electorate, and policies guiding the selection and service of high quality public servants.”

The 10-member commission will provide the governor with recommendations in December 2014 on ethics laws and policies with the goal of pursuing legislation during the Virginia General Assembly’s 2015 session, which begins in January, a release from the governor’s office said.

The commission will continue to meet in 2015 in order to study and make recommendations on other good government topics, including campaign finance, the selection and service of judges and other public officials, and gubernatorial terms.

“I am creating this commission because it is imperative that we foster a culture of professionalism in state government that attracts future leaders of the highest caliber,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “I want to guarantee superior service to the next generation of Virginians. And I want to establish an enduring culture of integrity on which this state can prosper. These are not merely my values. They are the essential covenant of democracy.”

McAuliffe, a Democrat, pointed out that the commission is bipartisan. It will be co-chaired by former state senator and U.S. Congressman Rick Boucher (D), of Abingdon and former Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling (R).

Other members of the commission:

• Viola Baskerville, of Richmond, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia and former House of Delegates member
• John T. Casteen III, of Keswick, President Emeritus at the University of Virginia and former Virginia Secretary of Education
• Christopher Howard, of Hampden Sydney, President of Hampden-Sydney College
• Susan A. Magill, of Alexandria, Vice President for Advancement at George Washington’s Mount Vernon
• Courtney M. Malveaux, of Henrico County, a business attorney at ThompsonMcMullan and former Commissioner of Virginia’s Department of Labor and Industry
• Joe T. May, of Loudoun County,  former Virginia House of Delegates member and chairman of its transportation committee
• John Sherman, Jr., of Richmond, former President and CEO of BB&T Scott & Stringfellow, Inc.

Photo: Fairfax County Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova/ file photo

South Lakes High School students are mourning the death of senior Emma Clark, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday.

Students were told of the news at school this morning. Grief counselors will be available to any student who needs help.

No further details of the cause of death have been released.

Principal Kim Retzer also reached out to SLHS families in an email:

Dear South Lakes Families,

It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of senior Emma Clark’s unexpected death yesterday.  Emma was well liked by all who knew her. She was an excellent student and active in a number of school activities. She will be truly missed and lovingly remembered by the South Lakes community.

Understanding death, especially the death of a peer, can be a very difficult experience. For that reason, we hope that you will listen to your son or daughter as well as discuss with them their feelings and reactions to this tragedy.  We are taking every step we can to be responsive to the needs of our students and their families. A crisis team has been set up to support our students and staff over the next two days. Keep us informed if there are ways we can support you.

On behalf of all members of the school staff, our deepest condolences are with Emma’s family and friends during this difficult time. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to call the school office 703-715-4500.

 Photo: Emma Clark, 2014 South Lakes yearbook

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) visited Reston’s Lake Anne Elementary School on Wednesday, where he discussed with administrators issues such as the need for more mental health services and early childhood education resources.

Kaine visited the school, which has a large Spanish-speaking population as well as a Spanish Immersion program, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

After the meeting, Kaine joined three classes — a first grade, a Spanish immersion, and a Head Start class — where he talked to students read to them in English and Spanish. Kaine is fluent in Spanish after spending time doing mission work in Honduras in the early 1980s.

Photo by Sarah Peck/Office of Tim Kaine

Now that Metro’s Silver Line is open, what else will open around it at Wiehle-Reston East? That will be the subject of a program at Reston Community Center Lake Anne Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Reston Museum and Historic Trust is sponsoring a panel discussion on the future of the Reston Station neighborhood. Panelists include Chuck Veatch (the Charles A. Veatch Co.); Maggie Parker (Comstock Partners); Matt Valentini (The JBG Companies); and Heidi Merkel (Fairfax County Planning & Zoning).

While there are several residential buildings in the works, no retail has yet opened at or close to Wiehle-Reston East.

Comstock is planning to eventually have about 1 million square feet of residential, office, hotel and retail space at Reston Station, which sits on top of the 3,000-space parking garage at Wiehle-Reston East.

So far, only the 10,000-square-foot retail space is completed at Reston Station. No tenants have yet signed to open there, Parker says. Eventually, that space will the lobby of the hotel.

The BLVD Apartments at Reston Station are under construction. The 22-story, 450-unit building is expected to be completed next year.

Later this year or early next year, construction will begin on Veatch’s project, a 421-unit residential building to be constructed on the site of Reston Mini-Storage.

Reston Mini-Storage, at 11405 Sunset Hills Rd., as well as an adjacent commercial strip will close this fall to make way for the new building.

The Reston Station neighborhood is essentially being built from scratch. Up until 2011, the corridor along the Dulles Toll Road was zoned for industrial and commercial use, so no people lived in the neighborhood.

Those restrictions were lifted in order to ensure future development along Sunset Hills Road near Wiehle-Reston East was mixed use, high density and transit oriented.

Photo: BLVD Apartments at Reston Station under construction

Big Book Sale — Reston Friends fall book sale at the Reston Regional Library begins today and will run through Sunday. Thousands of books start at 50 cents. This sale will not include children’s books. Children’s books will be sold at an upcoming event. Proceeds support the Reston Regional Library and the Fairfax County Public Library system. [Reston Friends]

Metro Chief To Resign — Metro General Manager Richard Sarles announced on Wednesday he will step down in January. Sarles has led the agency since 2011. [NBC Washington]

Free E-Z Passes —  The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages and operates the Dulles Toll road, will be giving away preloaded E-Z Pass transponders as part of its 30th birthday celebration. MWAA iwill hold a drawing for 30 E-Z Pass transponders preloaded with $15 in toll credits. Winners of the Oct. 1 drawing who register their transponder online will get an additional $20 in toll credits. Current E-ZPass holders can enter  a bonus drawing for a $30 credit to their accounts. [Washington Post]

Photo: Reston Association workers install new swings in meadow area near Lake Thoreau.

Lakeside Gallery/Fastframe will close its doors at South Lakes Village Center on Sept. 30. The store has been there for more than 25 years.

Owner Leslie Hemsworth says the store will reopen on Oct. 1 at 11529 Sunrise Valley Dr. The new store, located on the second floor at the Sunrise Valley Convenience Center, will be smaller, but will feature a bright studio space for art classes, painting birthday parties and other special events, she said.

The new store will be renamed Art Frame Solutions. In addition to classes, the store offers custom framing, art restoration, and memorabilia and flag framing

Looking for a bargain? Most of the inventory at the current store has been moved over to the new location, but some prints and smaller picture frames are deeply discounted through Sept. 30 at the current store.

Fairfax County and most of the D.C. area will be under a flood watch Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS says heavy, drenching rain is moving up from the south and may cause localized flooding in low-lying areas through early Thursday.

From the National Weather Service:

… FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT…

THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR

* PORTIONS OF MARYLAND… THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA… INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS… IN MARYLAND… ANNE ARUNDEL… HARFORD… BALTIMORE… HOWARD… MONTGOMERY… AND PRINCE GEORGES. THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA AND FAIRFAX.

* FROM 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

* LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHERN ATLANTIC STATES WILL BRING PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED BY EARLY THURSDAY.

* PERSISTENT MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS… ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS AND LOCATIONS PRONE TO FRESHWATER FLOODING. NEVER CROSS ROADS THAT ARE FLOODED. TURN AROUND DON’T DROWN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.

Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.

Jews in Northern Virginia and all over the world will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Wednesday night and Thursday.

The holiday, welcoming the year 5775 on the Jewish calendar, is typically marked with a festive meal featuring apples and honey for a sweet new year, as well as synagogue services featuring the blowing of the shofar.

Another Rosh Hashanah tradition is tashlich, or casting off the old sins of the last year.

This is often marked by throwing bread into a body of water — which Reston has plenty of in its lakes.

Looking for a Rosh Hashanah activity? Here are some to check out nearby:

Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston has a full schedule of High Holiday services for all ages. Some are by ticket only or for members only, but some are open to the public. Call 703-437-7733 for information.

Congregation Beth Emeth in Herndon welcomes non members to purchase tickets to High Holiday services.

Chabad of Reston Herndon has free community services at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Coomber Hall, 1521 Dranesville Rd., Herndon.

Shoreshim of Reston will hold free community services at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday. Call (571) 445-0563 for location and more information.

Photo: Apples and honey/slgckgc via Flickr

Two months after opening, Metro’s Wiehle-Reston East Silver Line station has already surpassed first-year ridership projections, Metro officials said on Wednesday.

Wiehle-Reston East has 8,400 boardings (or 16,800 weekday entries and exits), Metro says. When planning the Silver Line, 8,244 boardings were expected after one-year of service, a Metro spokesman said.

The station — which will be the end of the Silver Line until at least 2018, when Phase II stations are scheduled to open — accounts for about half of the Silver Line’s ridership.

Wiehe-Reston East also the only Silver Line station with significant parking. There are 2,300 spots in the Fairfax County-owned garage, as well as 1,000 more in the Comstock-owned part of the garage. Additionally, there is a 200-space bike room.

The Wiehle-Reston East numbers have been up around 17,000 daily trips since it opened July 26.

In total, the Silver Line is already performing at 60 percent of its projected ridership for the end of the first full year of service. As of last week, an average of 15,000 riders are entering the system at the five new Silver Line stations on weekdays for a combined 30,000 trips to or from the new stations. Metro said.

Before the line opened, Metro had estimated that Silver Line ridership was expected to reach 25,000 boardings at the five new stations after the first full year of service.

Metro estimates that the Silver Line is currently adding about 6,000 new riders — making roughly 12,000 trips — to the Metro system each weekday. The rest, about 9,000 riders, are primarily former Orange Line riders who have switched to the Silver Line.

Tysons Corner Station is one of the few stations on the Metrorail system where ridership is higher on Saturday than weekdays. The station is the second-busiest new station on weekdays with about 5,300 entries and exits, but Saturday’s ridership is higher — partly due to people riding to Tysons Corner Center for weekend entertainment and shopping. Last Saturday, there were 7,449 entries and exits at the station.

A 69-year-old woman on a bicycle was injured when she was struck by a motorist at Wiehle Avenue near Center Harbor Road on Tuesday morning, Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said.

Fairfax County Police said the 17-year-old driver of the car was traveling north on Wiehle Ave approaching the intersection of Center Harbor about 8:40 a.m.

The bicyclist was crossing Wiehle Ave at Center Harbor. The driver had a solid green light and was proceeding through the intersection when the bicyclist entered the intersection and was struck by the driver’s vehicle, the police report said.

The bicyclist suffered serious injuries. Fairfax County’s medical helicopter arrived and flew the cyclist to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where her condition, originally determined to be life-threatening injuries, was upgraded to non-life threatening after a CT scan.

Members of the Crash Reconstruction Unit assisted police patrol with the investigation. They determined that the bicyclist was at fault, police said.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Hunter Mill Supervisors office say they have asked the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) “about the pedestrian, bicycle and motorist issues in the northern area of Reston specifically on Wiehle Avenue, Reston Parkway, Center Harbor Road, and Lake Newport Road.”

VDOT staff will evaluate the information to help formulate recommendations for future safety improvements.

Earlier this year, a teen was killed while riding a minibike at Wiehle Avenue and Reston Parkway.