Reston Association could rename a field to honor a grounds maintenance supervisor, Richie Zeisler, who worked for the organization for over 45 years.
“Among all his duties, building, maintaining, and preparing the RA baseball fields for each season was his passion,” Michael McNamara, director of maintenance and environmental resources for RA, said in a memo signed by workers.
The board of directors is slated to approve the renaming at its Thursday meeting as part of its consent calendar, where items are rolled into a group for expected approval.
Zeisler died in July and spent decades in his final role with the association. He was a “lifelong NY Yankee fan and a true follower of the game,” known for wearing the team’s hat and keeping copies of every single Yankee game box score when he wasn’t scoring the game himself, the memo noted.
“With a rake in his hand and a determination to make each field look like Yankee stadium, Richie would make sure each RA baseball field was in peak condition when the season started,” association staff wrote.
Brown’s Chapel field #1 would be renamed as Richie Zeisler Field.
Photo via Google Maps
Monday, July 26
- Pleibol & Food (6:45 p.m.) — Baseball and food go hand-in-hand. Join the National Museum of American History for an event centered around their new exhibit, highlighting how the Latin diaspora has shaped ballpark snacks.
Tuesday, July 27
- The Night Sky (8 p.m.) — Spend the night at Roll Top Observatory at Turner Farm Park in Great Falls taking a tour of the planets, constellations, stars, nebulas, and galaxies that make up our night sky.
Wednesday, July 28
- The Roadducks (7-8:30 p.m.) — A four-decade staple of the southern rock music scene, the Northern Virginia-based Roadducks are hitting the stage at Burke Lake Park to rock in the summer air.
Thursday, July 29
- Citizen Science (7-8:30 p.m.) — Help biologists count the local dragonfly population by taking this class that will help you identify and do a proper, scientific count. The class is virtual and sponsored by the Reston Association.
- Rosslyn Live (6:30 p.m.) — It’s the last performance of Rosslyn Live, so take a seat, grab a drink, and enjoy a fun-filled night of drag performances.
Friday, July 30
- Block Party Tysons (4-7 p.m.) — Mark the 40th anniversary of the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival with a block party on Leesburg Pike in Tysons. There’ll be food, games, and music from local musician Shane Gamble.
- Summer on the Green (6:30 p.m.) — Throughout the summer, the Town of Vienna is hosting summer concerts every Friday. Bring the family to the Town Green on Maple Avenue for a night of music, dancing, and good times. This week, local dance and rock band Fat Chance will be playing.
Saturday, July 31
- Around the World Cultural Food Festival (11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.) — After a year off, the global food festival is back and now at Oronoco Bay Park in Old Town Alexandria. Enjoy foods, music, and learning about cultures from across the world.
Sunday, August 1
- Natural Dye Workshop (12:30-2:30 p.m.) — Learn how to dye with natural products like a professional in this three-session class from Smithsonian Associates. This workshop is virtual and will take place over three weekends.
- Brick Fair (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) — This mega Lego fair comes to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. There will be building, exploring, and learning from the experts. Masks are required for those who are not vaccinated.
Local Schools Receive “Common Sense Recognition” — Aldrin and Hunters Woods elementary schools in Reston and Clearview and Crossfield elementary schools and Carson Middle School in Herndon are a part of the 23 Fairfax County Public Schools recognized for their digital citizenship. [FCPS]
Fixing Up Reston Ball Field — The Reston Association recently uploaded a video about ball field maintenance. [YouTube]
Lights! Camera! Action! — People can watch “Jumanji” — a movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — at the Reston Community Center Hunters Woods today from 10 a.m.-noon. The movie is about four high school kids who become adult avatars in a video game’s jungle setting. The screening is free to attend and appropriate for all ages. [Reston Community Center]
A new Reston Sports Council, which includes 13 representative organizations, is seeking to becoming a unified voice for the interests of the local sports community.
The council, which grew out of focus group discussions and meetings by Reston Association’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee in 2016 and 2017, held its first meeting in February. Members involved the initiative presented updates to RA’s Board of Directors last week.
At the meeting, Jeremy Lee, the newly appointed chairman of the council and a Reston resident of more than 20 years, said the council is an independent entity and intends to speak as a single voice to RA the Fairfax County Park Authority and the county.
Organizers hope the council will also help sports organization — including those that are not formally organized — coordinate the use of RA facilities, consider bulk purchasing, review industry standards, and collaborate to solve shared challenges, according to Laura Kowalski, RA’s director of recreation and environmental education.
Former RA Board Director Jeff Thomas and current RA Board Director Julie Bitzer, who is also the board’s PRAC liaison, pushed for the formation of the council.
Bitzer, who lauded the initiative, said the council will be a productive way to ensure “all sports have a voice” and prevent one sport from dominating conversations.
Larry Butler, RA’s director of land use and planning, cautioned that only Reston-based organizations are allowed to use RA facilities based on RA’s resolutions and by-laws.
The council is in the process of developing its bylaws, operational procedures and website. It plans to hold monthly meetings that are open to all.
So far, the council serves 6,000 constituents involving in local sports, including Reston, Herndon and Great Falls.
Photo via Reston Association/YouTube
Diners today (March 20) at Honeygrow can support the South Lakes High School baseball teams.
You will need to choose the “cash” option when you order at the kiosk and then either show the flier or mention “giving local” to the cashier to have 20 percent of your order go to the baseball team.
Honeygrow is a chain that serves up locally-sourced salads, stir-fries and fruit-honey desserts.
The spot in RTC West at 12100 Sunset Hills Road is open until 10 p.m. daily.
If you want to catch one of their games, the next games are against Centreville High School on Friday (March 22). The Boys Varsity one is an away game, while the Boys Junior Varsity is on home turf.
The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and Delta Airlines presented South Lakes High School’s food pantry with a “2018 Delta Dream Grant.”
The $7,000 award was given during an on-field ceremony at Nationals Park on August 21. Grants support nonprofits that provide services for children and teens in the Washington, D.C. area. Ten other recipients received awards in the program, including Martha’s Table, Capitol City Little League and Kid Power, Inc.
SLHS Food Pantry receives Delta Dream Grant for $7k at tonight’s Nats game. Love the work of our PTSA and support of our community! @fcpsnews @FCPSRegion1 @foodpantryslhs pic.twitter.com/mbr057TRcc
— southlakesseahawks (@southlakeshs) August 21, 2018
“This year’s grants are dedicated to improving local programming focused on healthful nutrition, as well as the refurbishment of youth baseball fields and/or the purchase of substantial baseball equipment. We are confident that the 2018 Delta Dream Grants will go a long way to improve the lives of children and teens in the Washington, D.C. region,” said Tal Alter, Vice President, Nationals Dream Foundation & Youth Baseball Academy.
The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 2005 to improve the lives of children and teens in the region.
The pantry at SLHS accepts toiletries, canned goods, boxed and dry goods, cooking oil, laundry detergent, and dish soap. Donations can be dropped off at the school’s main office during school hours.
Since March 2017, the pantry has distributed more than 4,500 bags of groceries to about 50 families per week. Students in the South Lakes High School Pyramid can shop for food and toiletries at the pantry.
Bryce Harper, an outfielder for the Nationals, dedicated a baseball complex in Fred Crabtree Park named after him on Monday (July 16).
The Bryce Harper All-Star Complex, located at 2801 Fox Mill Road, includes two renovated fields and is the second baseball facility for youth named after Harper in the area. Another field is located at Takoma Community Center in the District.
“I felt like this not only adds to the community but also achieves my objective of making sure this game continues to grow and is left in a better place than when I entered it,” Harper said at the dedication ceremony.
A video of the complete ceremony is available online.
More from social media:
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1018943099760988160
All-star Bryce Harper is dedicated. And now, so is the Bryce Harper All-Star Complex in Herndon, VA. Great morning celebrating baseball, teamwork and future all-stars! ⚾️⭐️@MLB @Nationals @Bharper3407 @UnderArmour @ScottsLawnCare @RestonHerndonLL #allstarweek #allstargame pic.twitter.com/JhdVDJDaJ8
— Fairfax County Parks (@fairfaxparks) July 16, 2018
A special day for Reston Herndon Little League. Introducing the Bryce Harper All-Star Complex at Fred Crabtree Park — at Fred Crabtree Park https://t.co/Sf5n4S7ewk
— Reston Herndon LL (@RestonHerndonLL) July 16, 2018
Photos via Twitter user @fairfaxparks
As Reston Association’s board of directors finalize the budget for next year, a proposal by a board member to shift nearly $550,000 from the upkeep of baseball, softball and soccer fields to tennis projects is drawing ire from some Restonians.
Mike Sanio, board secretary and at-large board member is seeking to move $551,780 in funds to help fund eight tennis capital projects, including $514,700 in currently proposed funding for baseball, softball and soccer fields. The remaining $37,080 would come from last year’s deferred dollars.
Sanio urged RA to reprogram funds to fully address “the historic shortage of money” to maintain RA’s tennis courts, noting that the program provided a nearly 74 percent recovery rate for operating costs this year. In an Oct. 30 email, he questioned why RA subsidizes programs that it does not operate, including $155,000 for backstops and fencing at Browns Chapel. The current $127,000 two-year capital budget for tennis largely covers color coating.
“Our core recreational responsibilities are to sufficiently fund swimming, tennis, pathways, playgrounds, multipurpose courts, and lakes. It is not to fund sports run by independent organizations that have their own sources of revenue,” he wrote.
Local community groups, including the Reston-Herndon Little League, plan to oppose the recommendation.
“We are very concerned over the potential motion to reprogram funds from baseball, softball and soccer entirely over to tennis. We strongly believe there is enough funds to make sure members of our community can play on safe playing surfaces no matter which activity they choose to partake in. While we have always advocated for baseball fields to be improved, we would never do so at the complete expense of another activity that so many children and members of our community enjoy. We are hopeful that the RA board feels the same way,” said Tim Jones, the league’s president.
The board will meet on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the proposal, which is a fraction of RA’s overall capital and operating budgets. The board is also set to pass those budgets this Thursday.
The board will formally decide on a motion to review each of Sanio’s requests and provide a report to the board about the feasibility of funding prioritized projects to the board by February. Staff noted RA’s capital projects team has not yet reviewed projects suggested by Sanio.
Mike Leone, RA’s director of communications and community engagement, said the board aware of the community’s concerns and noted that final versions of the motions, the draft versions of which are available online, have not been finalized.
By a 3-2 vote in late October, the board approved up to $295,000 in improvements for North Hills tennis courts in response to concerns like limited lightning in the evenings and major cracks that run along the court. White and Bowman voted against the line item.
The board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at RA headquarters (12001 Sunrise Valley Drive). The meeting will also be streamed on Reston Association’s YouTube channel.
Reston-based Federal Contractor Sold to Private Equity Firm — Whitney, Bradley & Brown, Inc., a contractor with ties to defense agencies, was sold to an affiliate of global private equity firm H.I.G. Capital. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but H.I.G. manages $24 billion in equity capital worldwide. [Washington Business Journal]
Parenting Talk Tonight to Focus on Sexuality Education for Children — Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston and Cornerstones are hosting Dr. Debra Haffner for a talk about sexuality education. Haffner will discuss her award-winning book, “From Diapers to Dating: A Parenting Guide to Sexually Healthy Children.” The book is a step-by-step guide on how to provide accurate information to children and convey values about sexuality to children. [UUCR]
Registration for Reston-Herndon Little League Now Open — Interested applicants can submit registration online. Applications are due by January 1. The league is open to children between 4 and 12. [Reston Herndon Little League]
Discussion on Sue Wrbican’s ‘Well Past the Echo’ Exhibition Tomorrow Night — Molly Donovan, curator of contemporary for the National Gallery of Art, will give a talk on the exhibition and the overlap between surrealism and contemporary art. The event will take place from 6 – 7 p.m. at the Greater Reston Arts Center. [Greater Reston Arts Center via Facebook]
File photo.
