While a large percentage of Fairfax County residents have received their COVID-19 vaccine, there are still ongoing efforts to help — and convince — those who have not yet gotten the vaccine.
Nearly three quarters — 73.7% to be exact — of all Fairfax County Health District residents over the age of 18 have had at least their first shot, which is actually above Virginia as a whole.
About 65% of residents are considered fully vaccinated, meaning at least two weeks have passed since they received their final shot.
However, those statistics do not take in account those who got their vaccine through federal sources, such as the defense and veterans’ affairs departments, notes Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
“We remain committed to making vaccine as easily as possible to obtain for those in our community who want it,” he wrote in a statement.
While the days of supply scarcity long gone, some people still remain reluctant or hesitant to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons.
About 7.5% of county residents answered that they were “unsure,” “probably not,” or “definitely not” going to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a federal survey distributed in late May and early June.
To help address hesitancy, public officials and businesses have developed several incentive programs, like free baseball tickets and Krispy Kreme donuts, though Virginia is not offering cash or lottery incentives like other states.
Now that a majority of county residents are vaccinated overall, McKay says the county’s goal is to vaccinate at least 70% of adults in every neighborhood, and it has turned to a variety of methods, from a regional, multimedia awareness campaign to partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits, in its effort to hit that target.
“Community partners continue to offer up space for vaccination clinic sites, with community leaders urging the importance of getting vaccinated,” McKay said. “I have always said that we would only get through the COVID-19 pandemic together and am proud that our Fairfax County community continues to get us closer to that goal.”
For many residents, getting vaccinated is more a question of access than desire.
In recent months, the county and state health departments have set up several community vaccine centers, including one in an abandoned Lord & Taylor, and equity clinics. The county is even offering free transportation to some via the Fairfax Connector. Fairfax County Public Schools also hosted a series of vaccine clinics over several weeks.
Child care can be another barrier to access, so a number of companies are offering free child care to those getting the vaccine or recovering from it.
In total, the Fairfax County Health Department says it has held 307 vaccine equity clinics since February with an additional 23 clinics scheduled for the remainder of this month.
Mobile clinics are also still occuring and ongoing in partnership with George Mason University’s Mason and Partners mobile vaccination unit.
However, some clinics and access points are shutting down in the coming weeks as the vaccine becomes more widely available. For example, the Tysons mass vaccination site is slated to close on Saturday (June 26) and the FCPS clinics ended on June 10.
“Our outreach team and community health workers continue to work with community partners to provide vaccine education, identify potential vaccination clinic sites and help residents navigate the vaccination process,” an FCHD official wrote. “While the Tysons Community Vaccination Center is closing June 26, the Government Center remains open and will continue to offer walk-in service.”
The spokesperson also highlighted that vaccine supplies remain high and available through a number of expanding options, including private health care providers, pharmacies, and grocery stores.
Of course, getting the remaining portion of the population vaccinated isn’t only a county challenge, but a nationwide one as well.
Just today (Tuesday), U.S. officials admitted that the country is not going to hit the White House-stated goal of at least 70% of American adults having received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Paul Olsen opened a second location of Weird Brothers Coffee at Worldgate Metro Plaza in October 2019.
The shopping center on Worldgate Drive was specifically marketed and named in anticipation of the Herndon Metro Station opening less than a quarter of a mile away as part of the Silver Line’s second phase.
Two years later, the Herndon station and the other Silver Line Phase II stops still won’t be operational for at least another eight months.
“At the time, we weren’t even considering expansion,” Olsen tells Reston Now. “We saw the Metro and…figured this is a great situation. But, then, obviously things changed. COVID hit a few months later. Then, we saw more Metro line delays.”
Olsen’s situation isn’t unique. Many businesses specifically set up shop near a future Silver Line Phase II Metro station thinking it would provide a boost, only for Metro’s opening to be continuously delayed.
“We initially thought that the Metro would open, at the latest, early 2020,” said Don Lee, co-owner of Alo Vietnam Restaurant in Herndon.
The restaurant is about a five-minute walk from the not-yet-opened Innovation Center Metro station. Alo Vietnam is also expected to start a location in Reston at Faraday Park.
“We did invest in 2019…thinking that we will carry the load the first year until the Metro opens,” Lee said. “Then, we will have a good location with a lot of foot traffic with tourists and from all the businesses around.”
Seven years ago this July, the most expensive transportation project in the D.C. region’s history began operations. The opening of the Silver Line and its five new stops brought Metro into Tysons and up to the Wiehle-Reston East station.
However, the intention was always to extend the transit system further into D.C.’s growing Northern Virginia suburbs. Construction on five additional stations, including one at Reston Town Center and two in Herndon, began even before Phase I opened and originally had a completion date of 2018.
However, issues proliferated, from design changes and defective panels to flawed rail ties and bad concrete. Soon, the opening got pushed to early 2020, but the problems kept coming and coming. Read More
Monday, June 21
- Paint Your Lost Dog (5-9 p.m.) — Grab a drink at Lost Dog Cafe in Dunn Loring and paint your favorite canine onto ceramic. All materials are provided, but bring a photo of your pup to transfer to the ceramic. Afterwards, staff will put it in a kiln and your work of animal art will be available a week later for pick-up.
Tuesday, June 22
- Storytime for Little Historians (11 a.m.) — Sit criss-cross applesauce at Lake Anne Plaza for a story about the Reston community. Every Tuesday this summer, Reston Museum hosts a morning storytime where little ones learn about the community they live in.
Wednesday, June 23
- Rainbows, Haloes, and Glories (7:30 p.m.) — Join the Analemma Society at Turner Farm in Great Falls to learn about sky phenomenons. How are rainbows created? What’s a halo? Why do green lights suddenly appear sometimes? Get the answers. This event is for all ages.
Thursday, June 24
- Boy Erased (7 p.m.) — Virtually meet Garrard Conley, author of the critically acclaimed book “Boy Erased” (now, a movie). In an event sponsored by the Fairfax County Public Library, Conley will talk about radical compassion and answer audience questions.
Friday, June 25
- Making Matters (6 p.m.) — This year’s Smithsonian Folk Festival is going virtual and will highlight maker culture from across the world. Learn Senegalese metalsmithing, Peruvian basket weaving, and much more.
- Campfire Summer (7 p.m.) — Celebrate summer with a campfire at the Walker Nature Center. There’ll be stories, s’mores, and fireflies. This is a family event, but make sure to bring a flashlight.
Saturday, June 26
- Inferno (8 p.m.) — Experience this walk-through artistic journey inspired by Dante’s “Inferno.” Held at Workhouse Art Center in Lorton, this walkable 45-minute interactive performance will mimic Dante’s walk through the afterlife.
Sunday, June 27
- Freedom 5k (8 a.m.) — Kick start the summer and the July 4th holiday with a 5k run and a 1k fun run starting from Fairfax Corner. The course runs past the Fairfax County Government Center and has been certified by USA Track & Field.
- Summer Sunday Concert (5 p.m.) — Head over to the McLean Community Center for a Sunday evening outdoor concert featuring the jazzy New York-based JoJo & The Pinecones. This concert is family-friendly and is definitely music everyone will love to dance too.
- Growing Pride (2-7 p.m.) — Head to the Garden on Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria to celebrate pride and shop from more than a dozen LGBTQ+ makers and allies. There’ll also be food, live music, and workshops.
Matchbox at Reston Station is targeting a mid-summer date for opening.
The wood-fired pizza restaurant, now owned by Reston-based Thompson Hospitality, is looking to start serving in mid-July, a restaurant representative confirmed to Reston Now.
Matchbox has delayed the opening of its new venue at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro Station a number of times.
The lease was signed in June 2019, and the company announced then that it would open its doors in early 2020. But it was postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry hard.
Then, representatives said this past February that it would open sometime in May, but that also didn’t happen.
A Matchbox spokesperson didn’t comment on why the opening was pushed back another two months.
When it does open, it will be located in 5,500-square-foot space within a building designed by famed German architect Helmut Jahn. Once called the “Flash Gordon of American architecture,” Jahn’s work includes the United Terminal at O’Hare Airport and the J. Edgar Hoover building (FBI headquarters) in D.C.
He was killed in a bike accident just last month.
Google will anchor the complex at 1900 Reston Metro Plaza Drive, taking up about five floors of the 16-story building. Matchbox will also be near Big Buns Damn Good Burger Co, which did open this spring.
Matchbox went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year before reorganizing and being bought by Thompson Hospitality. The Reston-based food service provider, which previously managed a number of Matchboxes, stated that they were planning on opening new locations.
Matchbox is currently hiring for a number of positions at the Reston Station restaurant, including a assistant general manager, servers, bartenders, hosts, bussers, and dishwashers.
Fairfax County police and a local supervisor are asking residents to slow down and be more careful, especially at two Reston crosswalks often used by pedestrians and bicyclists.
In a new traffic safety campaign, the Fairfax County Police Department and Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn are bringing attention to the crosswalk at Glade Drive and Charthouse Circle in South Reston as well as the crosswalk at New Dominion Parkway and Fountain Drive near Reston Town Center.
Alcorn noted in videos shot for the campaign that his office have received “many complaints” about speeding on these particular roads.
Pfc. Katy Defoe, a crime prevention officer at the Reston District Station, confirms to Reston Now that they have also received a number of complaints from neighbors about not only speed, but also several other safety issues.
At the Glade Drive and Charthouse Circle intersection, Defoe says complaints are often related to people driving their cars too fast while also not stopping at the crosswalk. A new law that went into effect about a year ago now requires drivers to fully stop their vehicles, as opposed to yielding, at all crosswalks.
The crosswalk at New Dominion Parkway and Fountain Drive is often busy with pedestrians making their way to Reston Town Center. However, that hasn’t stopped drivers from speeding along those roads which can make it harder to stop. Additionally, pedestrians and bicyclists often note that the crosswalk light is too short, Defoe says.
Pedestrian and bicyclist safety has continued to be a major issue in Reston and Fairfax County. Last month, the county’s planning commission called on the county, state, and Metro to improve pedestrian and bicycle access at transit stations.
In recent years, there have also been repeated incidents of pedestrians being struck by fast-moving vehicles — sometimes fatally.
There have already been seven pedestrian and two bicyclist fatalities in the county this year, according to statistics provided by the FCPD.
Officials fear that these incidents could become more frequent as the warm weather and eased public health restrictions bring more people will be outside.
“During the summer months, you can expect to see an increase in pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles sharing the road to enjoy our community’s amenities,” Captain Thea Pirnat, commander of the Reston District Police Station, wrote in Alcorn’s latest newsletter promoting the safety campaign. “Please pay attention to your surroundings, follow all the rules of the road, and arrive at your destination happy and safe.”
Alcorn, in the videos, asks drivers to pay attention to speed limits and to give themselves enough to get to the destination.
“I struggle with this myself, but it is important,” Alcorn added.
Distracted driving is also an issue that Alcorn addresses in the videos. A state law barring drivers from holding mobile devices while on the road went into effect at the beginning of this year. As of early April, FCPD had given out more than 415 tickets in violation of this new law.
He also asks pedestrians and bicyclists to remove earbuds or headphones in order to remain alert and to cross at crosswalks whenever possible.
Alcorn notes in the newsletter that he’s working with the state and county transportation departments to improve infrastructure. Additionally, the Board of Supervisors is developing a countywide Active Fairfax transportation plan that combines the county’s existing bicycle master plan and trails plan.
via Google Maps
A couple of days a week, Mary Achi gets up around three in the morning to bake tartes, baguettes, croissants, and other assorted pastries.
She’s the baker and owner of the French-inspired cafe and bakery Le Vingt-Trois that opened at the end of February at 311 Sunset Park Drive in Herndon.
“I’m an interior designer…and I renovated the whole place,” Achi told Reston Now. “Baking [has been] my hobby since a very young age. I merged these two things together and created my dream.”
Everything is baked in-house, and all the recipes are her own, from the sandwiches to the croissants to the tartes. A lot of the freshly-baked goodies can be found on the cafe’s Instagram.
“I’ve always loved French food,” Achi said. “I think it’s a very classical food, very simple but tasty at the same time.”
She’s completely self-taught, she says, and often had her husband try her new recipes.
“I tested all the food on my husband. He’s gained weight because of me,” Achi said, laughing.
The bakery’s name is also connected to Achi’s relationship with her spouse. “Le Vingt-Trois” translates to “The Twenty-Three” in French.
“That’s me and my husband’s lucky number,” she said.
Achi is from Australia but moved to Herndon in September. She had visited the town often because her husband’s family lives here, and Herndon’s charm drew her in.
“Every time I came here, I just fell in love more and more with this area and all of Virginia,” she said. “The people are very nice and supportive. That’s why I love it here.”
Le Vingt-Trois opened in the late winter, when COVID-19 restrictions were still in effect.
While it was a risky move, business has been going “pretty well.” Achi anticipates it will tick up even further with the bakery opening on Saturdays starting this week.
Achi says people thought she was “crazy” for opening during the pandemic, but now, with vaccinations on the rise and restrictions relaxed, both customers and even other businesses are thanking her.
“Once I opened, people started coming to thank me…for helping things get back to normal,” Achi said. “Also, other businesses that closed during the pandemic thanked me because I influenced them to reopen again.”
The cafe is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and afternoon coffee.
When coming in for the first time, Achi recommends a few menu items but highly vouches for one in particular.
“Our apricot tarte is the top seller. Also, croissants and the chicken avocado sandwich [sell] well,” she said. “But the Jambon Beurre is to die for.”
While the days can be very early and the work hard, for Achi, it’s all a hundred percent worth it.
“I’ve always dreamed of opening my own cafe and having it where people can sit down, chat, listen to very calm music, and feel relaxed,” Achi said. “And sell my own recipes….this is that exactly.”
Photo via Le Vingt-Trois Cafe & Bakery/Instagram
Three individuals stole cash from people in a car last night (June 15) at the 2200 block of Winterthur Court, approximately the same location as a fatal shooting in March.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, three people ranging in ages from 20 to 37 years old approached the victims’ car near the Hunters Woods area around 11:04 p.m. and demanded money. One person entered the car and took cash before all three people ran away.
Officers found the three individuals, all of them Reston residents, in an adjacent neighborhood with the assistance of a police helicopter, FCPD confirms to Reston Now. They were detained and charged with robbery.
The 2200 block of Winterthur Court is the same location as where Santos Antonio Trejo Lemus, 40, of Reston, was shot and killed in March while walking near his home. Police have yet to identify the man who shot Lemus beyond saying that the person was male.
FCPD has offered a cash reward of $2,000 for tips and information related to the homicide.
The FCPD says it does not have any new information to release at the moment about the murder, and the department is still asking anyone who has information to call police or submit tips anonymously.
A reader who alerted Reston Now about last night’s police activity said that they were driving up Reston Parkway at around 11:20 p.m. when they saw parked police cars with their lights flashing at several intersections, including Glade Drive, South Lakes Drive, and Colts Neck Road.
They also noted that a helicopter was circling overhead in the Hunters Woods and Reston National Golf Course areas.
(Updated, 12:20 p.m.) The Fairfax County Government Center, where county policy is created and official functions take place, is an imposing, modern-looking building. Above the main doors is the county seal: a royal-looking crest with lions, a horse, and the date “1742.”
Unlike the building, the seal is of a different time. Adopted seven decades ago, it bears a version of the coat of arms belonging to Thomas Fairfax, the sixth Lord Fairfax and a slaveholding British loyalist who once owned much of the land that makes up Fairfax County today.
As neighboring counties and cities reexamine their logos and symbols, it seems like only a matter of time before Fairfax County faces its own questions.
When asked if there’s been discussion about further research into the county logo, representatives of the Fairfax County History Commission said it’s not on the agenda or a priority right now.
The commission is currently undertaking an inventory of local African American history after completing one about Confederate names on public places.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay wrote in a statement to Reston Now that officials are listening to the community but have yet to hear about any issues with the county seal.
America was unfortunately built in part through the oppression of people of color. We cannot separate this history from Fairfax County, but we can listen to the community on what symbols are continuing to create divisiveness and inequity. Symbols of the Confederacy, for example, do not speak to the County’s values today, so we are working to remove these through the proper processes. Currently, there are ongoing efforts to change road names as well as other Confederate symbols and the Board previously took action to remove the monument of John Quincy Marr from the courthouse. We have not heard from our community members that these same messages are felt from the County seal. We continue to invest significant resources into our historically underserved communities to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in Fairfax County.
The county selected the seal as its logo in 1949 ahead of an impending visit from the then-Lord Fairfax. It won over a dozen other seals belonging to the Fairfax family due to “its clarity when reproduced,” according to historical documents from Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room.
A county flag with the seal was unveiled on June 13, 1968, the day before Flag Day, in response to repeated requests for a flag from county schools.
“We probably ought to have a Betsy Ross here to get the flag ready for Flag Day,” said Gil Shaw, the flag’s creator and the county’s director of information services at the time. “But the coat of arms of Thomas Lord Fairfax will soon fly over the lands he once owned and which became Fairfax County in 1742.”
Early colonial Virginia land history is admittingly a bit confusing due to the limited availability of written records and a lack of variety in names.
“The famous one, for our purposes, was the sixth Lord Fairfax,” explains Steve Harris-Scott, an assistant professor in George Mason University’s history department and an expert on colonial Virginia history.
“The nobles generally passed on their names to their first-born son, so when they took over the title, they were all the same names,” he said. “There was a Thomas Fairfax, first Lord Fairfax, then there was Thomas Fairfax, the second Lord Fairfax, etcetera.”
The sixth Lord Fairfax was born in England in 1693 to the fifth Lord Fairfax and Catherine Culpepper.
Through his mother’s side, he inherited about 5 million acres of land in 1710 known as the “Northern Neck,” which encompassed today’s Fairfax County. Taken from the indigenous people who had lived there for centuries, the land was a gift to Catherine’s father, Thomas Culpepper, from the restored King Charles II for his support during the English Civil War.
“[This land] is essentially bordered by the Rappahannock [River] on the south and the Potomac on the north,” Harris-Scott said.
However, Fairfax spent most of his life in England and didn’t move to Virginia until 1742, the date on the county’s logo. He also may never have resided in what is now Fairfax County, according to Harris-Scott. Read More
Metro service changes announced last week — including increased services, late night hours, and reduced fares — are being praised by many in the community.
On Thursday (June 10), the Metro Board approved a host of improvements with the intention of luring back riders after more than a year of reduced services and free-falling ridership.
The changes include more frequent service during both peak and non-peak times, extending operating hours until 1 a.m. on weekends, a flat $2 weekend rate, and free transfers between bus and rail.
The changes will take effect starting Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of the summer.
“These are all very positive changes,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn told Reston Now. “The only thing that made these service improvements possible is the money from our federal partners. Because Congress stepped up and delivered, we’re able to make these service improvements and, frankly, do what needs to be done to help build back ridership.”
Metro received nearly $723 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, including $193 million from the American Rescue Plan enacted in March. These funds not only prevented severe cuts, but allowed Metro to increase services while cutting fares.
Local labor unions are also pleased with the changes, including ATU Local 689, which represents more than 10,000 regional transit workers and said it “strongly supports” the service increases.
“We know that public transit is a safe and effective way for riders to get where they need to go, but we have to do the work to rebuild rider confidence,” ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson wrote in an email to Reston Now. “The first step to this is making sure that passengers know there will always be a bus or train there for them when they need it. That requires full service. We’re proud that WMATA took this step.”
Alcorn says that, during the pandemic, cuts to service were a “significant hardship” for those who couldn’t work from home, like hospitality workers, who often need rail and bus service at different times than those in other industries.
“We realized that, in the middle of the pandemic, that there’s still a lot of folks that depend on transit to get to work and to do what they need to do to get around,” Alcorn said.
John Boardman is executive secretary and treasurer for Local 25, a union that represents about 7,000 people who work in hotels, casinos, and restaurants in the D.C. metro region. He says expanding services is inherently beneficial to their members.
“Our jobs are not 9 to 5 jobs. They start early in the morning and can go late into night,” Boardman said. “More transportation and longer hours helps our workforce. Reliable transportation is one of the issues that affects people’s ability to get back to work.”
Increased service and fare cuts will also greatly benefit those most vulnerable in the community, such as the clients the D.C. Reentry Action Network, a regional organization that assists people being released from prison.
“Any reduction in the cost of transportation would contribute greatly to reducing the already tremendous hurdles one faces when returning home,” founder Paula Thompson told The Washington Post.
Metro admits it could still take years for ridership to return to pre-pandemic levels. A graph presented at the transit agency’s June 10 board of directors meeting estimates that even by the end of 2024, ridership may still be off by as much as 25% from late 2019 levels.
But it’s hoped that these changes could at least spur gradual growth. Read More
The Friends of Reston is raising $15,000 to help send kids to camp.
The nonprofit arm of the Reston Association has commenced its annual fundraiser to give “economically disadvantaged children” a chance to attend Reston Camps this summer.
The goal is to raise $15,000. That covers the cost for about 27 children to experience a full two-week session of camp, including transportation and a camp t-shirt, a Friends of Reston spokesperson tells Reston Now.
For a two-week session, it can cost upwards of $510 per camper.
“This year, more than ever, children need the opportunity to meet new friends, explore their community, and have fun while learning new skills — Reston Camps provides this, and more,” Friends of Reston Executive Director Kia Cole-Hines writes in a press release. “FOR is grateful for all the donors who make this possible for children whose families are unable to afford this experience.”
Parents who wish to potentially take advantage of the scholarships for their kids can do so by applying through Reston Association’s camp registration process. Eligibility is determined during the application process.
Those that qualify for school lunch assistance are potentially eligible for the camp scholarship program, FOR spokesperson confirmed.
The Friends of Reston Camp Scholarship Fund was first established in 2001. Each year, individuals and businesses from across Reston provide contributions between $10 to $2,000 to the fund.
This year, Red’s Table in South Lakes Village Center is helping by asking diners to round up their payments for meals to the nearest dollar, with the extra change going to the camp scholarship fund.
“We are proud to support this campaign and hope Red’s Table can provide a significant contribution with the help of our customers,” Red’s Table owner Ryan Tracy stated in the press release. “As native Restonians, we’re very aware of the benefits of RA’s Reston Camps and want to help with making it possible for children in need through the Friends of Reston Scholarship Fund.”
Contributions can be made by donating online and by writing “Camp Scholarships” in the payment notes. Contributions can also be sent via mail.
While this fundraiser will be taking place through July, donations for the scholarship can be accepted all year round.
Monday, June 14
- Fairy Houses (1:30-4:30 p.m.) — Kids can join this four-day summer workshop at Herndon’s Monroe Street Studio to build eco-friendly fairy houses. Using recycled materials like egg cartons and empty glass containers, design a home for magical, little flying creatures.
Tuesday, June 15
- In the Heights (8-9 p.m.) – Before “Hamilton,” there was “In the Heights.” Virtually join Scrawl Books in Reston or other participating local bookstores for a book talk with Lin-Manuel Miranda about how he made his first Broadway hit, which is now a major motion picture.
Wednesday, June 16
- LGBTQ Icons at Congressional Cemetery (8 a.m.-8 p.m.) — D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery is believed to be the only cemetery in the world with a dedicated LGBTQ section. Take a self-guided tour to pay respects to some of the most important gay rights activists in history, some of who are buried here.
Thursday, June 17
- Summer Garden Tour and Tea (1 p.m.) — Take a tour of Green Spring Gardens in Lincolnia with a master docent and enjoy its beautiful summer flowers. Afterward, pick up a box filled with sandwiches, pastries, and cookies for an afternoon tea in the gardens.
- Juneteenth Musical Celebration (5:30 and 7 p.m.) — Pay a visit to a secret garden in Alexandria for a Juneteenth celebration, featuring music, dance, and spoken word. This event is presented by the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts.
Friday, June 18
- The Biggest Little Farm (8-9:30 p.m.) — Catch a screening of the 2018 Sundance-selected film “The Biggest Little Farm” as part of the annual Environmental Film Series presented by the Friends of Reston. The screening will be outdoors but could be moved inside Walker Nature Center due to the weather.
Saturday, June 19
- Reston Pride (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) — Celebrate Pride Month and Juneteenth in-person at Lake Anne Plaza. There’ll be music, dancing, and drag performances, complete with recognitions of last year’s Reston Pride Award winners.
- Juneteenth at Frying Pan Park (12-2 p.m.) — The Herndon park hosts a family-friendly celebration that will allow all to hear, see, sample, and create crafts commemorating this day. Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz will talk about her book “Bound to the Fire: How Virginia’s Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine” with food vendors highlighting African American cuisine.
Sunday, June 20
- Mount Vernon Craft Beer Festival (6-9 p.m.) — Taste beers from across the region while experiencing Mount Vernon after hours. This annual festival will feature 32 craft beers, beer-making demonstrations, and live music.
On Tuesday night (June 8), the Reston Association Board of Directors talked about their program and services ‘wish lists,’ while deferring a detailed discussion about increasing member assessments in 2022.
The board was supposed to suggest an assessment range to CEO Hank Lynch during the work session, according to the meeting’s agenda.
But an agreement was struck to delay that decision after RA Fiscal Committee Chairman David Kerr recommended that the board start working through its budget plans by focusing on priorities, the cost of them, and operating expenses.
Once those are agreed upon, Kerr recommended figuring out what it will cost and, then, moving to how it could impact member assessments.
“Let’s think about what revenue could be and then see how much we can afford to spend,” Kerr said. “I think a better approach [is] what do we need to deliver and what that’s going to cost…and that way you are focused on what we have to spend as opposed to what we can’t spend.”
This led to more process discussion before giving RA board members a chance to pitch their “wish lists” of programs and services they’d like to see funded.
Among the items suggested were: planting of more trees, further investment in maintaining Reston’s lakes, expanded sidewalks, adding more ADA features to facilities, the hiring of a senior environment officer, and year-around indoor tennis courts.
One board member also requested assistance for members who can’t afford to pay member assessment dues.
“There are members who don’t necessarily qualify for [county] assistance, but are definitely struggling,” noted RA board member Sarah Selvaraj-D’Souza. “We do have assistance programs available, but there’s a gap between those that are eligible and ones that can afford [assessment dues] comfortably.”
Lynch acknowledged that he’s received a number of hardship letters over the last year from members and recommended working with RA’s nonprofit arm Friends of Reston on that.
According to RA by-laws, the association has no authority to assist with membership assessments.
“We cannot remove someone’s obligation who is a member here to pay the membership assessment,” Lynch said. “Do I have authority to give or reduce or do anything to help individuals? The way the bylaws are written, we cannot.”
There was also a brief discussion of an “events barn” that could host arts, music, and food festivals. It would be a good way to increase non-assessment revenue, RA board member John Mooney said.
Member assessments were a hot topic of conversation at the RA Board of Directors meeting last week. A general conclusion was reached that an assessment increase is likely needed due to rising operational expenses as well as the plethora of capital improvement projects that need to be planned for over the next few years.
The assessment currently sits at $718, but additional expenses could mean a 6% increase — or nearly $40 — in 2022.
In a poll earlier this week, Reston Now asked readers if they support an RA assessment increase. 63% of respondents voted for keeping the assessment rate at its current level.
At the end of the meeting, the board deferred any further discussion about member assessments to the next budget work season, possibly in July.
(Updated at 9:05 a.m. on 6/11/21) Yesterday’s Democratic primary for the 86th House District proved to be, by percentage points, one of the closest races in the entire Commonwealth.
When all the votes were tallied, including absentee ballots, challenger Irene Shin had beaten the incumbent Ibraheem Samirah by only 230 votes, or 3.48 percentage points. Shin is now set to face Republican and high school history teacher Julie Perry in November’s general election.
In Fairfax County, which shares the district with a small portion of Loudoun County, the result was even tighter with Shin winning by fewer than 200 votes and 3.22 percentage points, according to the county office of elections’ unofficial returns.
Samirah’s ascension to the General Assembly in 2019 was part of a blue wave that solidified Virginia’s political transformation from reliably conservative to left-leaning. He conceded the primary via social media at 11:15 p.m. yesterday, saying that it was an honor to represent the 86th District and how proud he was of his campaign.
To the voters: We didn’t get the election result we wanted. I am still immensely proud of the campaign we ran. We stayed positive, highlighted our accomplishments and pushed healthcare as a human right, housing for all, and the need for a healthy democracy.
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— Ibraheem Samirah (@IbraheemSamirah) June 9, 2021
Shin declared victory via social media shortly thereafter, stating that “we made history tonight,” while thanking supporters and everyone who had endorsed her campaign.
We made history tonight! I am so grateful to be the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 86th District. Thank you for everyone who had faith in me and supported me in this campaign.
— irene shin 🐰 (@ireneshintweets) June 9, 2021
In a letter that also went out to supporters last night, Shin wrote that the victory left her “completely overwhelmed.”
“Entering this race was not an easy decision. I knew that challenging an incumbent in a Delegate race would be difficult,” she wrote. “Together, we knocked over 12,000 doors and made tens of thousands of phone calls. We built a grassroots movement with support from across the district. From Reston to Herndon to Chantilly, we ran the whole district.”
Neither Samirah nor Shin thanked the other candidate.
Samirah was one of five incumbent candidates to lose last night, a record dating back to 2001.
First elected in February 2019, Samirah gained some level of fame later that year for disrupting a Trump speech in Jamestown by yelling, “Mr. President, you can’t send us back, Virginia is our home!”
While he found some support for touting progressive policies, his occasionally confrontational approach ruffled some feathers, and a number of prominent Virginia Democrats supported Shin in this election, including state Sens. Jennifer Boysko and Janet Howell as well as Herndon Mayor Sheila Olem.
“I look forward to working at my dental practice in Reston, spending time with family, and finding ways to unify the progressive movement in Northern Virginia,” Samirah told Reston Now by email.
Next door, in the 36th House District that encompasses Reston, Del. Ken Plum — the incumbent and the longest-serving member of the Virginia House of Delegates — won a decisive victory in the primary over challenger Mary Barthelson with more than 77% of the vote. Read More
(Updated at 11:25 a.m. on 6/9/2021) “Reston Baby,” a new bilingual board book about life in the community, is being gifted to all Reston newborns.
Starting next week, every baby born at Reston Hospital Center will receive the picture book prior to leaving the hospital. For babies not born at that hospital, they (or their parents) can pick up a free copy at the Reston Historic Trust & Museum at Lake Anne Plaza.
Developed by a retired Sunrise Valley Elementary School principal, the book tells the story of Reston through illustrations, words, and bright colors.
“Our biggest goal…was for parents to really understand the value and importance of reading to their children from birth,” said former principal and project founder Dr. Beth English, who is also a literacy educator. “The second purpose was to give Reston families a sense of the uniqueness of the community in which they live.”
The book is primarily comprised of illustrations drawn by Molly Bergin that highlight Reston’s well-known history and landmarks. This includes information about founder Robert E. Simon, nature trails, the Reston Community Center, and the farmers markets.
English says the book was written in both English and Spanish to reflect the community’s values of diversity as well as appreciating art.
The book additionally features Reston’s mascot, Walker Woodpecker.
Reston Museum & Historic Trust is helping shepherd the project and distribute the book.
Alex Campbell, the museum’s executive director, says “Reston Baby” fits well into the museum’s mission.
“It’s a really wonderful community project…Our mission is to inform the present, but also influence the future,” Campbell said. “This is one way we can do that.”
The museum also now hosts an outdoor program called “Storytime for Little Historians” every Tuesday, and “Reston Baby” will be part of that series too.
Over the past year, the Reston Museum has continued to experiment with different ways to fulfill its mission within the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re continually looking for ways to engage the community of all ages in a variety of different ways,” Campbell said.
English says she got the idea for the book last year toward the beginning of the pandemic.
While attending a virtual, statewide literacy conference, she learned about Roanoke’s baby board book. She consulted with the head of the library services there, who gave her a blueprint for her own project, including publisher recommendations, the cost, and thoughts on funding it.
English took the idea back to friends and fellow educators, who all agreed it was a great idea.
She started working on it April 10, 2020, and now, 14 months later, Reston Baby is written, illustrated, published, and ready for distribution.
A number of notable Reston organizations helped fund the $15,000 needed for the book’s first printing, including Reston Association, Reston Community Center, Reston Town Center Association, Friends of the Reston Regional Library, and Friends of Reston.
With that money, English was able to publish 4,200 books.
About 200 babies are born at Reston Hospital Center a month, a spokesperson for the hospital confirmed to Reston Now. Even adding in Reston babies born at other hospitals or in other areas, English expects this printing will be enough to provide every newborn a free book for at least the next year.
The book will also be available for sale online and at the Reston Museum.
Once all the books are distributed, English anticipates raising more money for a second printing.
English says she’s already given away a few copies of the book, including to a Reston Hospital nurse who just had her own baby and to her soon-to-be-born granddaughter.
“I’m going to be a grandmother at the end of this month. It’s my first,” English said. “And I sent [a book] to my son and daughter-in-law in Boston because I want my baby granddaughter to know where her grandmother lives.”
Photo courtesy Reston Museum & Historic Trust
The Reston Association Board of Directors appeared to come to a general agreement during a recent meeting that member assessments need to be raised in 2022.
The question, of course, is exactly how much.
According to a table presented by RA CEO Hank Lynch, additional operating expenses are set to be added to the 2022 budget to the tune of about $850,000. These expenses include staff pay increases, insurance costs, and additional positions.
By Lynch and RA treasurer Bob Petrine’s estimates, this could mean assessments will need to increase by approximately 6%, or about $40 per member. The assessment currently sits at $718.
However, the exact increase may vary depending on RA’s non-assessment revenue (like facility rentals, camps, and garden plots) and budget cuts.
There’s also a host of capital improvement projects that are ongoing or upcoming. While nothing new is currently expected to be added to the budget, Petrine cautioned the board to consider what could come in the future.
There’s also a potential option of deferring some of these projects, something RA has done before.
Over the course of several budget meetings planned for the coming weeks, the board will discuss exact finances, potential cuts (including the potential “repurposing” of some pools), and what an increase could look like.
The first of these meetings is set for tonight (June 8). The plan for this evening is for the RA Board to provide Lynch with a percentage range for an increase that the RA board would be comfortable with.
Assessment increases are nothing new for RA members. Last year, it went up by $10, or close to 1.4%. In 2019, it went up by 2.2%. Overall, between 2010 and 2018, the assessment went up by a combined 34%.
However, this potential 6% raise would be the highest in a number of years.
Taking the rising costs of personnel and facility maintenance and improvement projects, how would you feel about Reston Association raising assessments again?
