Reston’s original triathlon returns to the streets, lakes and paths on Sunday. Since 1984, it has grown from a field of 165 local racers to an important fixture on the regional triathlon circuit. The field includes more than 600 participants and depends on hundreds of volunteers to make it run smoothly.

The race begins at 7 a.m. at Lake Audubon and ends at South Lakes High School. The first finishers will start coming in about 9 a.m.

Here are four things to know:

1. The 2015 World Police and Fire Games are having an impact in 2014.

The biennial World Police and Fire Games will take place in Fairfax County next year. The Reston Triathlon will be the organizing group for the triathlon, which will be held here in Reston.

In preparation for the games, the existing Reston Triathlon course is modified to bring it into conformity with the standard international distances, race officials said. Changes include:

• The swim course is shortened to 1,500 meters. The start of the swim will also be moved farther into Lake Audubon to allow for an in-water start (treading water).
• The bike course is changed to the 40km international standard. The new course, which begins atLake Audubon Pool,  takes riders down Twin Branches Drive , Glade Drive, Colts Neck Drive, Lawyers Road, Soapstone Drive, South Lakes Drive three times. Consult the bike course map to see if streets near you are affected.
• The 10K run course takes place on Reston Association paths starting and ending at South Lakes High School.

2. The Sunday forecast calls for morning showers with a high of 81.

Race time temperatures will be more like the low 60s, with water temperatures in the high 70s-low 80s. That is a pretty good outlook for a race that has seen its swim portion canceled some years due to storm damage and other hazards.

Here is the rule on wet suits in the Reston Tri: Each age group participant shall be permitted to wear a wet suit without penalty in any event sanctioned by USA Triathlon up to and including a water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees, but less than 84 degrees Fahrenheit, age group participants may wear a wet suit at their own discretion, provided however that participants who wear a wet suit within this temperature range shall not be eligible for prizes or awards.

3. Park carefully.

There will be no parking at Lake Audubon on race day. Race officials say any vehicles parked on Twin Branches near the Lake Audubon Pool will be towed. The best plan for racers is drive to and park at South Lakes High School/Langston Hughes Middle School and drop off  bike/run transition gear at South Lakes High School and ride your bike to the lake. All athletes should plan to be at the lake and ready to swim no later than 6:30 am.

Spectators should also park at the schools. It is also possible to park at South Lakes Village Center and then walk the three blocks down Twin Branches to watch the swim portion.

4. Who will win?

Eric Sorenson was the top finisher in 2013 (2:00:59). Sorenson also holds the course record: in 1995 (at age 26), he finished in 1:51:42. Christine Nichols was the top woman finisher (sixth overall) in 2013 (2:07:39).

Reston’s Neil Medoff is one of several competitors who have competed all 30 previous years. At age 70 in 2013, he finished in 3:09:40.

To see much more triathlon information, history and records, visit Reston Triathlon’s website.

Plans to redevelop Lake Anne Fellowship House have been put on hold indefinitely — and it looks as though some current residents of the affordable housing for seniors may have to pay higher rents in order to stay in the building.

Fellowship Square and Novus Residences had been working for more than a year on plans to tear down the senior housing in need of remodeling and rebuild on the site 140 affordable housing units as well as 285 market-rate housing units.

The plan was organized separately from Republic Land Development’s large revitalization project at Crescent Apartments and the area near Lake Anne Plaza. An initial Fairfax County Planning Commission hearing had been scheduled for later this month.

Lake Anne Fellowship House currently has 240 units for seniors, 114 of which are subsidized. The building, which was built in the early 1970s and does not meet all Americans With Disability Act standards, also has a 20 percent vacancy rate.

The Fellowship House Foundation notified Fairfax County zoning officials last week that the application was deferred “due to our inability to advance our land use proposal in a manner that will produce the best possible outcome for our residents.”

From the start, the proposed project had an obstacle in that there are two different mortgage holders for the six-acre property: The Department of Housing and Urban Development for the west side and the Virginia Housing Development Authority for the eastern half.  Both would have to agree to consolidate and retitle, and Fellowship House board member John Thillman predicted last year that that could prove a long — and possibly fruitless — process.

Edward Byrnes, a member of the Fellowship House Foundation board and chair of its Lake Anne Redevelopment Committee, wrote in a letter to county officials that he still believed that foundation’s plan was a good one in spite of criticism that many low-income seniors would be displaced.

“We still believe that our proposal for 140 permanently affordable senior housing units and 285 market-rate units is the best available means for replacing our aging residential complex and retaining affordable housing for seniors in Reston for the next 40 years,” Byrnes wrote. “We arrived at this proposal after several years of reviewing alternate solutions … In the end, we concluded that a self-help strategy of using the increased value of our land at Lake Anne Fellowship House to finance the rebuilding of our complex provided the most dependable and achievable solution. ” Read More

What’s In A Name: Buzz Aldrin — How did the famous astronaut get a Reston elementary school named for him? This video from Fairfax County Public School explains. [YouTube]

Want To Be A Citizen Firefighter? — Fairfax County Fire & Rescue is forming fall classes for its Citizen Fire & Rescue Academy. Classes meet Thursdays for nine weeks. [Fairfax County]

The Band Will Be By — Saturday is the South Lakes Marching Band’s annual Tag Day. This is the band’s major fundraiser, so if they stop by your home, think about offering a donation. Donations go to help purchase uniforms and equipment.

Justice for John Geer — Maura Harrington, longtime domestic partner of John Geer, a Fairfax County man who was shot and killed by police on Aug. 29, 2013, has sued the Fairfax County police department, the chief and officers John Doe 1, 2 and 3 for gross negligence. She seeks $12 million, but also they wants to get answers. [Washington Post]

Photo: Terraset ES kindergartners ready on first day of school/Credit: Terraset PTA

Kids and their families can learn about sustainability while having fun on the farm at the annual Northern Virginia Sustainability Fair on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Frying Pan Park in Herndon.

The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fair is sponsored by the The Three Birds Foundation, a nonprofit that “develops renewable energy initiatives that engage and inspire students, thus creating a culture of curiosity and environmental stewardship.” The fair is part of the Green Apple Day of Service, a worldwide initiative that  is dedicated to growing the green schools movement, says the Three Birds Foundation.

Bring a picnic lunch or purchase food from Gordon’s Grill. There will be free wagon and carousel rides all day.

Linda Fuller, owner of Lake Anne Florist, Virginia Wine & Gourmet, says her shop at Lake Anne Plaza is for sale.

Fuller is 65, and she says that after selling flowers and other gift products in Reston for 40 years, it is time to go.

Fuller started her business in 1974, selling flowers from a van in the Lake Anne Plaza parking lot. She opened her first Lake Anne store in 1976, and eventually moved to a larger space in Herndon and a kiosk at Hunters Woods Village Center.

Lake Anne Florist returned to the plaza in 1996, and in 2007 moved into its current space at 11426 Washington Plaza, where Fuller stocks local food products and wine, and Chesapeake Chocolates leases space.

The business has morphed from flowers into gift baskets, wine pairings and gourmet foods. The store is the site of many special events, including wine tastings and food samplings.

“I need to find someone that has the energy to do the marketing to move the business forward,” Fuller said. “I’m not going to wait around for the redevelopment. I have been waiting for 15 years.”

Fuller is speaking of the Lake Anne revitalization project, which will bring more density to the area around Lake Anne, as well as hopefully revitalize the retail area in the historic area of the plaza. Fairfax County chose Lake Anne Development Corporation, a division of Republic Lane Development, last summer to redevelop the aging, 181-unit Crescent Apartments nearby.

LADC plans more than 1,000 housing units, as well as nearly 200,000 square feet of retail and office space, but work has not yet begun on the project.

But meanwhile, it is a period of transition for the existing businesses. In the last six weeks, Lake Anne Florist neighbors The Cupcake Ladi and New Family Naturals have closed up shop.

Earlier in the year, Lake Anne Pharmacy, the oldest continuously operating business at Lake Anne, was sold. If a tenant cannot be found by the end of this month, that store will close. Earlier in the year, Cafe Lakeside, the lunch counter operation within the drugstore, closed.

Also this year, Jasmine Cafe, a longtime Lake Anne restaurant, was shut down after failing to pay the rent. And the Lake Anne Coffee House remains for sale.

Fuller says someone with vision could come in and create a larger and especially viable business that would be well established by the time redevelopment occurs. She added she will stay open at least until the end of the year or until a buyer is found.

The asking price Lake Anne Florist, Virginia Wine & Gourmet is $24,995.

Some Fairfax County Public School cafeterias are going to get healthier this school year.

Following the success of a pilot program at Marshall High last year, the system plans to have fresh fruit and vegetable stations in all middle and high schools by the end of 2014-15, and eventually in all elementary schools, says school board at-large member Ryan McElveen.

Marshall was the test market for “The Statesman Station” after the school board voted in 2012 to fund the changes. On the menu at Marshall, at least during an unveiling to local officials: Mixed Green Salad with Spinach and Chopped Kale; Waldorf and Cranberry Salad; Falafel Flatbread Sandwich with Tzatziki Sauce; Kung Pao Chicken and Lo Mein Noodles; and Yogurt Parfaits and Naked Juice Smoothies. 

Those changes came in part from the national Let’s Move campaign founded by First Lady Michelle Obama and a grassroots effort by local parents, Real Food For Kids, to improve the quality of school lunch. The school board also commissioned a study by Prismatics Inc., which made recommendations on how to improve FCPS meals.

While FCPS was meeting national U.S. Department of Agriculture standards in its offerings, Real Food For Kids challenged the system to take it a step further.

“While FCPS adheres to USDA guidelines for school lunches, we know that we can do so much better,” reads the Real Food For Kids mission statement. “We want all children to eat in schools the way our grandmothers taught us to eat. Pure and simple. It’s not rocket science and it’s not radical —  it’s simply right.”

“We desire an open, positive dialogue between FCPS Administrators, Food Nutrition Services, and FCPS PTAs / Parents. Teamwork! The RFFK Resolution has already been adopted by the Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA) and a growing number of the school PTAs/PTOs.”

Among the Reston-area schools adopting the resolution: Armstrong ES, Aldrin ES, Forest Edge ES, Herndon ES, Herndon HS, Lake Anne ES, South Lakes HS, Sunrise Valley ES and Terraset ES.

“In only two years the school board, in collaboration with the Fairfax community, has stimulated a marked improvement in school food, and it remains committed to raising children to live healthier and more vibrant lives,” McElveen recently wrote on his blog.

Find out how your school can adopt the RFFK Resolution by visiting Real Food For Kids.

What do you think about the quality of FCPS food? Take our poll.

Photo: Test salad bar at Marshall High School/Credit: FCPS

It’s the first day of school for Fairfax County Public School students, who may follow new educational goals in the future under a new “portrait of a graduate” proposal from Superintendent Karen Garza.

Garza will make a presentation to the school board later this week, and the board could vote on the new standards later in September.

The “portrait of a graduate” will serve as a foundation “on which to build a long-range strategic plan for the school system that will lessen the focus on standardized, high-stakes testing,” Garza said in a FCPS video (attached to this article) announcing the plan.

See the entire outline of the portrait of a graduate on the FCPS website.

According to Garza’s proposal, the ideal Fairfax graduate will engage in the lifelong pursuit of academic knowledge. Desired goals for students include: effective written and oral communication skills; open-minded collaboration with peers to examine a full range of viewpoints; and for graduates to be global citizens; and promote environmental stewardship.

Graduates should also be creative and critical thinkers who demonstrate “divergent and ingenious thought to enhance the design/build process,” and express thoughts and ideas through the arts.  They will show persistence in accomplishing difficult tasks and overcome academic and personal barriers to meet goals, the proposal materials state.

Garza said in the FCPS video that students are the most important aspect of the organization and they need a variety of skills to compete in today’s society.

“How should we create success and opportunities for every child every student to be successful in life beyond high school, whether that is going into the workforce or going into college?.” Garza said of the proposal. “We know they are graduating into a world that is rapidly changing. Many of them will have 11 different jobs in many different industries. That has caused us to take stock and really ask ourselves — are we teaching the skills necessary for success in that rapidly changing world?”

The concept of “portrait of a graduate” was designed by a 70-member task force of parents, teachers, principals and local business leaders.

Free Parking Near Wiehle-Reston East A Hot Commodity — There are more than 300 free parking spots in the former Reston North Park and Ride across from the Wiehle-Reston East Silver Line station. But every weekday morning is a battle at dawn. [WTOP]

Seahawks Open With A Loss — South Lakes High School football lost 33-22 to Madison at home on Friday in its first game under new coach Trey Taylor. Herndon opens its season Friday at Mount Vernon. [South Lakes Athletics]

New Art Exhibit At Lake Anne — New works by Ronni Jolles will be featured in a September show, “Painting with Paper”, at Reston Art Gallery & Studios (RAGS), 11400 Washington Plaza, (Lake Anne).  All are welcome to attend the opening reception on Sunday, Sept. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be a “Meet the Artist” event on on Sunday, Sept. 28 from noon to 5  p.m. The exhibit will run from Sept. 4 to Oct. 2. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Photo: “Before I Die” mural at Lake Anne Jazz & Blues Festival/Credit: Eve Thompson

It’s Labor Day. Reston Now is off, and hopefully you are too. Enjoy the de facto last day of summer.

Here is a list of what is open and what is closed today.

Federal — No mail delivery. Post offices are closed. Courts are closed.

Reston Association Pools — Late season pools are open on a weekend schedule. Check RA’s pool schedule.

Fairfax County:

County Government – Closed.

Animal Shelter – Closed

Courts – Closed.

Public Schools and School Offices – Closed.

Library – Closed Sunday, Aug. 31 and Monday, Sept. 1.

Fairfax Connector – Operating Sunday schedule on Sept. 1. Routes with Sunday service operate according to the Sunday schedule. Routes without Sunday service will not operate.

Fastran – Not in service.

Park Authority – RECenters are open to 6 p.m., except George Washington RECenter, which is closed. Historic sites are open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Nature centers are open noon to 5 p.m. Frying Pan Farm Park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; visitor center is closed. Green Spring Gardens is open noon to 4:30 p.m.; historic house is closed.

Teen and Senior Centers – Closed.

Community Centers – Closed.

Reston Community Center Hunters Woods – Closed.

Reston Community Center Lake Anne – Closed.

County Trash and Recycling Collection:

• Private Collection Service Providers – Residents should contact their trash and recycling collector directly for service schedule changes due to the holiday.
• Fairfax County Collection Customers: Trash and recyclables will be collected as scheduled on Monday, Sept. 1.  Please have your materials to the curb no later than 6 a.m. to ensure collection. Any questions may be directed to the Customer Service Center at 703-802-3322, TTY 711.

Recycling and Disposal Facilities:

• I-66 Transfer Station – Open
• I-95 Landfill Complex – Open

House hunters will have plenty to see this weekend in Reston. Start with these open houses.

2408 Cloudcroft Square
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$300,000
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

2046 Golf Course Drive
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$384,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

12190 Abington Hall Place
2 BR, 2 BA Condo
$450,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

2328 Hunters Square Court
3 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$379,900
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

1547 Inlet Court
4 BR, 2.5 BA TH
$525,000
Open Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.

1506 Twisted Oak Court
3 BR, 2 FB, 2 HB TH
$405,000
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

12147 Purple Sage Court
2 BR, 2 BA TH
$334,900
Open Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m.

For more open houses and complete real estate information, visit Reston Now’s Real Estate section.

Officers from Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station are investigating two burglaries that took place earlier this week.

Both incidents were on Tuesday. One was at North Point Village Center, where a store employee said someone entered the business and took property.

The other was in the 11700 block of North Shore Drive, where a resident reported someone entered the residence and took property.

Earlier in the week, several other break-ins were reported.

Police do not yet know if the incidents are related.

It’s Labor Day weekend, which means many Restonians are on the move.

Fourteen percent of the D.C. area’s population will be going out of town for Labor Day this weekend, says AAA Mid-Atlantic.

That’s 842,100 local residents on the local roads, rails and airways. Nine out of 10 of those traveling — 735,000 residents — will doing so by automobile, says AAA.

That number is up 0.8 percent from 2013. The lowest Labor Day weekend gas prices in four years are helping to drive the increase, an AAA spokesman said.

“It remains the preferred and cheapest mode of transportation for a couple traveling with children trying to squeeze in a memorable family getaway before the school year goes into high gear,” John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs said in a press release.

Air travel this weekend is expected to dip slightly, down 0.3 percent to 64,200 residents who will be flying out of the D.C. area. Other forms of transportation, like rail, are predicted to dip 0.5 percent to 43,100 travelers.

Are you hitting the road or staying put this weekend?

Summer is about to end, and so is the the Pyramid of Light.

The public art project built by South Lakes High School art students is slated to be dismantled on Friday.

The project — a pyramid on the base of the concrete spilllway that features brightly painted plexiglass panels — was constructed on the Lake Thoreau spillway in early May.

It was originally supposed to remain in place for half the summer. But the pyramid proved to be a crowd favorite, and the students got permission to leave it up through the end of August.

They even returned to the site in July to repair the structure, which had seen many of its plexiglass panels blow away during storms. The repairs worked and the pyramid has been standing intact since.

The student artists worked on the project for more than year, taking it from sketches to construction. The students had to go through the Reston Association’s Design Review Board process.

Turning the spillway into public art was the idea of James Pan, a Reston resident who suggested the concrete square that can be seen from South Lakes Drive would be a great space for art. He offered financial support if the students would work on a project, said Anne Delaney, executive director of Initiative for Public Art Reston, which sponsored the project.

South Lakes High School art teacher Marco Rando, the advisor for the project, has said he would like to see more projects constructed on the spillway in the future.

Cops Say Slow Down — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Police Department and dozens of homeowner association and Neighborhood Watch residents kicked off a new community-wide speed initiative at the FCPD driver training track in Chantilly on Thursday. New signs will be added to remind drivers to “Slow Down, We Live Here; You Live Here.” [Fairfax County Police]

SOL Scores Stay Flat — Fairfax County Public Schools’ Standards of Learning scores showed minimal improvement this year, state data shows. While county schools fared better than peers across the state on the 2013-14 Standards of Learning exams, they struggled to bounce back from the large scoring drops of the previous year, when new tests were introduced. [Fairfax Times]

Kudos to LHMS’ Threlkeld — Timothy Threlkeld, who has taught technology and engineering education at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston for eight years, was named Virginia Technology and Engineering Education Association Middle School Teacher of the Year. Threlkeld is known for teaching technological skills to his students while helping them understand the challenges of their use. His students learn problem solving skills; participate in project design, testing, and evaluation; build prototypes; and learn workplace readiness, the school system says. [FCPS]

 Photo: RA Community Garden Lake Anne