Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinets — Fairfax County and the United Prevention Coalition are sponsoring Operation Medicine Cabinet on April 3o. Bring your unused and unwanted medication to Fairfax County Police’s Reston District Station, 12000 Bowman Towne Dr., between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day and it will be properly destroyed.

Save The Date: HHS’ “Legally Blonde” is April 22-24 — Tickets are now available to Herndon High’s spring musical. [Herndon Drama]

Spring Book Sale — Friends of the Reston Regional Library will hold its semi-annual Book Sale Thursday, April 21 through Sunday, April 24. There will be thousands of great books for sale. Proceeds benefit Reston Regional Library programs.  Start at 50 cents fro paperbacks and $1.50 for hardbacks. Hours: Th-Fri, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sat., 10 to 4 p.m.; Sun., noon to 3 p.m.

Marathon Runs Through Reston — Matt Bender, 31, was the first finisher in Sunday’s Runner’s Marathon of Reston, finishing in 2:58:50. Full results are now available. [Amazing Race Timing]

Photo: Ferris wheel at Lake Anne for Founders Day 2016/Credit: Reston Museum

April showers bring May flowers, right?  What do the forecasters have to say about spring snow showers?

Yes, it’s nearly mid April and it may snow a little this weekend. It will certainly be cold enough.

The Capital Weather Gang says “a  lobe of the polar vortex will dive into the Northeast by Saturday and push temperatures 20 to 25 degrees below average. On Friday night, overnight lows will fall into the mid to upper 30s as a clipper low pressure system surges down from the Midwest. Snow showers and flurries are possible early Saturday morning.”

Saturday may also see winds from 40 to 55 mph, forecasters say.

CWG says the cold front will bring even colder temps, falling to the mid 20s in Fairfax County late Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a freeze watch from late Saturday night to Sunday morning. It is reminding Northern Virginia to protect tender plants from the cold.

“For many, these temperatures could rank among the coldest on record so late in the season,” reports the CWG.

If Dulles International Airport drops to 23 degrees or lower it will be one of the top-5 coldest mornings there so late in the season. Below 25 degreeswould rank in the top 10, says the CWG.

The coldest temperature on record this late in the month was 19 degrees on April 10, 1985.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors said it will provide initial funding for restoration of the eroding hill — which has left eight sewage pipes exposed — behind Wakerobin and Cedar Cove clusters.

A broken sewer line in the eroding channel leaked into Lake Audubon last summer. Since then, RA directors and residents of those neighborhoods have been asking the supervisors for several months to find the money for the repairs, which have left sewer lines exposed.

On Thursday, RA CEO Cate Fulkerson testified at the county’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget hearings, asking the supervisors to please find the money to help solve the problem.

She recapped the erosion situation, adding that years of sediment in Lake Audubon is also adding to algae bloom and poor water quality.

The pipes are on RA land but are owned by the county. RA has said the county should also take some responsibility because much of the erosion has been caused by water running downhill from South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School.

Adding concern is a planned 40,000-square-foot addition for South Lakes High School. Fairfax County Public School officials have said the addition does not have to follow updated environmental rules and is grandfathered in under older ones.

Repairs to the outfall channel are estimated to total about $1 million, RA officials estimated at a January meeting.

Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova said at the hearing that design and permit dollars to restore the Wakerobin/Cedar Cove stream reach will remain in the proposed FY 2017 Budget. She did not elaborate on how much was available, but said it was part of the stormwater management allocation.

The Board of Supervisors will vote on its $3.99 billion budget on April 26.

“This is excellent news, and I thank all that took the opportunity to send letters of support for the budget matter and/or provided testimony,” Fulkerson wrote to residents. “In the next couple of months we will setup a meeting with County staff from the [Departments of Public Works and Environmental Services] to discuss design parameters for the restoration project.”

The RA board has also authorized allocating up to $20,000 from its operating reserves fund to conduct an independent audit of the waterflow and mitigation measures and to use the results to research the validity of FCPS’ waiver of stormwater management/ best management practices.

“I think it’s safe to say that all the residents of Wakerobin and Cedar Cove Court appreciate RA’s and Supervisor Hudgins’ initiative to put this unsightly environmental hazard on the track to remediation,” said Wakerobin resident Terry Maynard.

“As neighborhoods, we are committed to seeing the remediation project through to completion as quickly as possible even if its completion requires some neighborhood disruption for construction.”

Exposed sewer pipe near Cedar Cove/file photo

Founders Week 2016 is working towards its big finish this weekend. Here’s what is on tap as Reston continues celebrating the life of its late founder Robert E. Simon Jr.:

Friday, April 8

The Rhythmic Circus at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods, 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 9

Founders Day Celebration, Lake Anne Plaza, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join the Reston Historic Trust and Museum to celebrate Robert E. Simon and the community. Founder’s Day will feature a 50-foot Ferris wheel sponsored by Reston Association (RA); children’s activities; children’s art projects in cooperation with the Initiative for Public Art – Reston (IPAR); musical entertainment for all ages provided by local artists and schools; guided walks around Lake Anne Plaza in cooperation with IPAR and RA; and remarks by local elected officials.  Read More

Reston resident Bill Bouie will be honored with The Katherine K. Hanley Public Service Award the 2016 Board of Supervisors’ Breakfast on April 22.

The award, sponsored by Leadership Fairfax, is given annually to a member of the community who exemplifies service above self and has had a positive impact on Fairfax County. The award is named for former Board Supervisor and current Secretary of the Commonwealth, Katherine K. Hanley.

Bouie, a telecommunications executive, serves as the current chairman of the Fairfax County Park Authority Board. He has also been involved in numerous Reston and county organizations, including Reston Little League, Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, Public Links, Inc., the Reston Community Center Board of Governors, Reston Hospital Center Board of Trustees and the Initiative for Public Art Reston.

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church and will feature a networking breakfast; a state of the county address by Supervisor Chair Sharon Bulova; and a panel discussion with the supervisors and the presentation of the Hanley Award.

Tickets and sponsorships may be purchased through Leadership Fairfax’s website.

Leadership Fairfax’s Board of Supervisors Breakfast brings together over 300 community and business leaders annually, and helps citizens learn about issues impacting the county and the Board of Supervisors, says CEO and President Karen Cleveland.

Bill Bouie/file photo

Kwame Stops By — Newbery Award-winning author Kwame Alexander, a Reston resident, visited Terraset Elementary and Lake Anne ES on Wednesday. His new book, Booked, is now available.

Science at Hughes — The fourth annual Science Innovation and Inspiration Youth Conference (ScI2YC) is Saturdayat Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston. The conference’s purpose is to create and encourage middle school students’ curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills. [Project Best]

Nearby: Innovation Station Construction — Heads up if you work at the other end of Sunrise Valley Drive, close to Route 28. Beginning Monday, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project crews will begin constructing foundations for the pavilion that will provide pedestrian access to the Silver Line’s Innovation Center Station from the south side of the Dulles Toll Road. Work will continue there through the summer.

Photo: Newbery Award-winning author Kwame Alexander at Terraset ES in Reston/Courtesy Terraset ES.

Two more restaurants have signed on to join Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant at JBG Companies’ RTC West development.

RTC West announced on Thursday that Nando’s Peri-Peri and Mezeh Mediterranean Grill will open Reston locations at the mixed-use development on Sunset Hills Road.

Nando’s, a flame-grilled chicken restaurant that began in South Africa but has several DC-area locations, has signed for 3,400 square feet of the converted retail space. Mezeh, which JBG calls “an all fresh and natural take on Mediterranean fare,” has signed for 2,124 square feet of space.

JBG is in the process of redeveloping several floors of existing office buildings to add more than 40,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space in walking distance of the future Reston Town Center Metro station (set to open in 2020). There is the potential of up to 1.4 million square feet of development for RTC West, which is expected to open the first phase in 2017, JBG reps said in a release.

“Within easy walking distance to the future Reston Town Center Metro station, RTC West is ideally positioned to be a walkable and active mixed-use neighborhood,” Greg Trimmer, a JBG principal, said in a release.”JBG has a strong presence in Reston, and we believe it’s an excellent submarket for further investment and a wonderful community for enhanced placemaking.”

The first phase of development converts 15,000 square feet of office space into street-level retail and adds 25,000 square feet of new retail on the southwest corner of the nearly 14-acre campus.

Attention south Reston residents: The Runners Marathon (and Half Marathon) of Reston takes place Sunday, April 10. The course will affect certain streets early Sunday.

Here is what you need to know:

Both races begin at South Lakes High School at 7:30 a.m.

The race starts and ends on the SLHS track and will utilize some Reston Association trails.

Affected streets:

• South Lakes Drive
• Ridge Heights Road
• Sunrise Valley Drive
• Twin Branches Drive
• Soapstone Drive
• Lawyers Road
• Colts Neck Road
• Steeplechase Drive

Note: There are already signs warning there is no parking on Ridge Heights from Sunday at 1 a.m. to Sunday at 1 p.m. You could be ticketed or towed.

Streets will not be completely closed, but lanes will be blocked and traffic could be slowed.

All roads will reopen by 1:30 p.m., race officials said.

For more race information, visit the Runners Marathon website.

Photo: Runners Marathon 2015/file photo

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins has scheduled a community open house titled “Reston…Blueprint for the Future,” for April 20.

Hudgins’ office says “the Open House will provide an opportunity for the Reston community to gather information on proposed, planned and anticipated development activity within the Transit Station Areas.”

“In addition, Fairfax County Government agencies will also present other area projects at this event,” Hudgins’ office says. “The overall goal is for property owners and/or developers to share with the community a comprehensive vision of what is being considered for the future of Reston.”

A request for more information has not been returned, so no word if the blueprint includes any information about a new redevelopment plan for the Lake Anne area.

After years of meetings, Republic Land Development’s plan for the Fairfax County-owned Crescent Apartments was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in March 2015. Republic pulled out of the deal at the end of 2015.

It is anticipated that the county will open up another Request for Proposals or formulate a new vision for redevelopment in the area, but nothing has been announced yet.

The open house is at South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Drive, in the cafeteria, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins/File photo

There are great deals to be had as several merchants at Herndon’s Sunset Park industrial and retail area are teaming up for a sidewalk sale Thursday through Saturday.

Among the items for sale: floor samples and other bargains from Urban Retreat furniture store; Outdoor living items from Home Escapes; Women’s clothing at N’Used (all items in the tent are $5); $10 floral arrangements from Joy & Co.; handmade candy by The  Candy Drawer Confectionary; and linens from Valerianne.

Urban Retreat, which moved into the space at 290 Sunset Park last year, will also hold a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting with Herndon Mayor Lisa Merkel Saturday at noon.

Sunset Park is located off Sunset Hills Road/Spring Street, between the Fairfax County Parkway and Herndon Parkway.

The sidewalk sale runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days.

Fairfax County Public Schools are seeking opinions on when the school year should begin. The FCPS School Board says it is seriously considering starting school before Labor Day in 2017-18, a change from the traditional September start here.

Parents can access and take the quick online survey to provide their feedback.

The board will vote on the calendar change April 28. If FCPS makes any changes, they would not go into effect until the 2017-18 school year.

The 2016-17 calendar has already been adopted, and school will begin on Sept. 6, 2016.

In Fairfax County, school has for decades started the day after Labor Day in accordance with the Virginia “Kings Dominion” law.

The law is a 1986 Virginia statute that mandates school start in September. When the law was passed, it was helped along by the tourism industry, which said it needed students as staffers (and families to keep on vacationing) through Labor Day. Thus, the amusement park moniker.

Recent attempts to change the law in the Virginia General Assembly have failed.

But the  Code of Virginia (22.1-79.1), allows local Boards of Education to waive the state requirement to begin schools after Labor Day if a district is closed an average of 8 days per year during five of the past 10 years due to weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergencies.

FCPS qualifies for the waiver because, during five of the past 10 years, the district has averaged 8.4 days missed due to weather conditions and other events.

Based upon this current average of missed days, the waiver option will continue at least through the 2019-20 school year, FCPS said in a release.

It’s Food Truck Thursday — Food Truck Thursday has returned to Reston Town Center. The monthly food truck visit is today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reston Town Square Park. The vendors will return the first Thursday of the month through the summer and early fall.

Sign of Spring — Reston-Herndon Little League’s Opening Day Baseball Parade is this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Reston Town Center. [Facebook]

Nearby Crime — A Herndon man was charged with abduction and assault after he tried to prevent a woman from leaving their location. [Patch]

Herndon History — The town of Herndon is in the process of deciding where historic markers should be located. [Fairfax Times]

Winter Not Over Yet — It may snow a little on Saturday. [Capital Weather Gang]

Friday Night Live returns to the Herndon Town Green in less than a month.

The series has booked a variety of acts for its 22nd season.

The Friday Night Live series is one of the most popular free tickets in the area.

Fridays from 6:30 to 10 p.m., live music plays on the town green stage while people picnic. FNL usually happens rain or shine. Beer and food are available for sale.

For more band info and a printable schedule, visit herndonrocks.com.

Here is the schedule for 2016.

• May 6 – Go Go Gadjet
• May 13 – The Rockets
• May 27 – The Reagan Years
• June 3 – No show (Herndon Festival)
• June 10 – Gonzo’s Nose
• June 17 – Burnt Sienna
• June 24 – Fish Out of Water + The Jerx
• July 1 – Turtle Recall + Southbay
• July 8 – Kristen & the Noise
• July 15 – Crazy in Stereo + Six to Midnight
• July 22 – The Reflex
• July 29 – Herr Metal + Dr FU
• August 5 – Sam Grow + Delta Spur
• August 12 – Love Seed Mama Jump
• August 19 – For the Win
• August 26 – The Vigilantes