Monday, April 19

• Game Design Workshop (5:30 p.m.) — Local nonprofit Game Genius, an organization focused on creating games for social good, is holding their Play Week. Join staff member Peter Williamson for an interactive virtual workshop on designing your own game using accessible tools.
• Owl Prowl (8 p.m.) — Bask in the night and listen for the call of the barred owl, the region’s most frequently observed (and heard) owl. Meet at Potomac Regional Park in Arlington as the sun sets for a hike to find these nocturnal birds.

Tuesday, April 20 

• Become a Community Scientist (6-7 p.m.) — The City Nature Challenge is now ongoing, asking citizens across the world to track biodiversity in their home cities. Join Jackie Raiford, Montgomery Parks naturalist, as she teaches how to participate and helps make you a community scientist in your own backyard.

Wednesday, April 21

• Theater Sports (4 p.m.) — Have a little fun over Zoom with theater sports, which are short improv games. Intended to be quick and funny, theater sports allows all to let their inner actor come out.

Thursday, April 22

• Earth Day Project (1-4 p.m.) — Celebrate Earth Day by beautifying the Walker Nature Center. Help by adding new planting or laying down fresh woodchipped trails at the nature center.

• Meteor Shower (4:07 a.m.) — For the next two weeks, the Lyrid meteor shower is streaking across area skies. The perfect time to see it is at its peak, which happens to be at 4:07 in the morning. So, get up early, look to the sky, and be amazed by meteors.

Friday, April 23

• Fighting Injustice (7 p.m.) — Join this virtual conversation with three young adult authors — Angeline Boulley, Tiffany D. Jackson, Sara Faring — talking about their books, solving mysteries, and fighting injustice with writing. The event is sponsored by Reston’s Scrawl Books.

Saturday, April 24

• Trick the Stick (11:30 a.m.) — Head off to Lake Fairfax to find the perfect walking stick for those spring hikes. Once you find the perfect one, decorate it, take it home, and use it next time hitting any of the county’s 300 hiking trails.

• Rosslyn Flower Market (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) — For the next three weekends, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District is hosting a flower market. Stock up on flowers, seeds, and plants in a socially distanced manner.

Sunday, April 25

• Paw-Paw Prowl (5:30 p.m.) — Take a walk around Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly to learn about the importance of the paw-paw fruit in Virginia’s history. While the paw-paw isn’t in season yet (typically, late summer/early fall), get a head start on knowing where to find these unique fruits.

Photo via Peter K Burian/Wikimedia

Phase 2 of COVID-19 Vaccinations Begins — Fairfax County officially entered Phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout yesterday, making everyone 16 and older eligible. With the county retiring its registration system, appointments can be scheduled directly with providers through VaccineFinder, though limited supplies means they might be initially hard to come by. [Fairfax County Health Department/Twitter]

Fairfax County Gets First Community Vaccination Center — Fairfax County’s first mass COVID-19 vaccination site will open tomorrow in the former Lord & Taylor store at Tysons Corner. The facility can accommodate about 3,000 people per day and will eventually be listed as an available site on VaccineFinder after the county health department finishes getting through its waitlist from Phase 1. [Tysons Reporter]

Former Fairfax County Police Officer’s Cases Under Scrutiny — “A Virginia judge on Friday [April 16] agreed to toss out the 2019 conviction of former D.C. firefighter Elon Wilson on drug and gun charges, agreeing with defense attorneys and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano that racial bias may have been at play in the arresting officer’s initial stop and arrest. Descano…said the case was one of more than 400 stops by a former Fairfax County police officer his office has been investigating.” [DCist]

Virginia Reports First Cases of Brazil COVID-19 Variant — The novel coronavirus variant first detected in Brazil has been found in two samples from Virginia residents. One was an adult resident of the Northwest Region with a history of domestic travel during the exposure period, and the other was an adult resident of the Eastern Region with no history of travel. [Virginia Department of Health]

Celebrate Earth Day at Colvin Mill Run — “Looking for a volunteer opportunity this #EarthDay? On Thurs, April 22, Colvin Run Mill will be hosting a weeding and mulching party from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They’d love to have you spend a little time helping with the effort!” [Supervisor John Foust/Twitter]

Reston Author Publishes Children’s Book — Reston resident Jessica Sizemore turned the story of how her family came to adopt a dog named Rascal into her first published book. A Virginia Tech graduate, she started to write the book in 2016 and began the publishing process in 2019 with Herndon-based publisher Mascot Books. [Fairfax County Times]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Instead of holdings strikes around the globe to advocate for climate change activism, the organization behind Earth Day is urging activists to participate in virtual events.

“On Earth Day, April 22, 2020, we have two crises: One is the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The other is a slowly building disaster for our climate,” according to the Earth Day website.

Earth Day Live today is offering 24 hours of messages, performances and educational components, including appearances from Zac Efron and Al Gore.

While  Fairfax County’s 2020 Earth Day Festival has been canceled, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate virtually:

What on Earth are you doing on today? Make Earth Day special! Small actions by each of us today, and every day, can make a big difference. More on what Fairfax County is doing: https://t.co/kExoBYdyzd #EarthDay2020 #FCFRD @ffxgreen pic.twitter.com/CYudSfXHOE

— Fairfax Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 22, 2020

Let Reston Now know in the poll below if you plan to join Earth Day events:

It looks like it might be a rainy weekend, but the good news is there are plenty of indoor activities scheduled in Reston. And forecasters say the rain isn’t going to hit until later Saturday, so there still should be a good opportunity to enjoy the outdoors too.

Here is just a sampling of what there is to do in Reston and the surrounding area this weekend:

• The Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform “Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play” tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road). Tickets are $25 for Reston residents and $50 for non-residents.
• Reston Association’s Habitat Heroes program will participate in an Earth Day activity Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. They will be removing invasive species and planting native species to help the long-term restoration project at the Wainwright Recreation Area.
• Herndon High School (700 Bennett St.) will present “Guys and Dolls” for three performances this weekend: tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tickets are $15.
• The opening reception for “Radcliffe Bailey: The Great Dismal Swamp” at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) is 5-7 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit will be on display through August.
• Saturday is Record Store Day, and there will be plenty of offers to mark the day at Right On Records (731 Elden St., Herndon).
• The Reston-Herndon Little League Opening Day parade and celebration is Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Reston Town Center. The Washington Nationals’ Racing Presidents will participate as part of the league’s new partnership with the Nats.
• Mayflowers Floral Studio (11959 Market St.) will host classes in tulip selection, arranging and care this Saturday and next, from 2-3:30 p.m. each day.
• Other events at Reston Town Center this weekend will include live music at World of Beer (1888 Explorer St.) tonight and Saturday, Earth Day celebrations Saturday from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. at Greater Reston Arts Center and in Town Square Park, and exercise in the pavilion Sunday from 11 a.m. to noon.
• “First Blooms” by artist Dorothy Donahey remains on exhibit at Reston Art Gallery and Studios (11400 Washington Plaza W.), which is open from noon to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
• The art exhibit “A Respite from Chaos” will remain on display at Reston Community Center’s Jo Ann Rose Gallery (1609 Washington Plaza N.) through the month of April.
• The Reston Tour d’Art, a guided bicycle tour of the community’s outdoor art, is slated for Saturday from 9:30-11:30 a.m., beginning at the Lake Newport tennis courts (11452 Baron Cameron Ave.). The event is free, but registration is required.
• NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon) is performing “Boeing, Boeing,” and the show has been extended through May 7. Performances this weekend are tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m., along with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $35-$55.
• The Blue Street Blues Band will perform tonight from 7-10 p.m. at Café Montemarte (1625 Washington Plaza N.).
• Award-winning author Hena Khan will be reading from her new book, “Amina’s Voice,” from 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday at Scrawl Books (11862 Market St.)
• Kalypso’s (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will have live music tonight, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., from Sista Pat & One Vibe. DJ Kram will play Top 40 hits Saturday night.
• Vinafera Wine Bar and Bistro (11750 Sunrise Valley Drive) has live music from 7-10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night in April. In addition, legendary local DJ Cerphe Colwell will be signing copies of his new book from 3-5 p.m. Saturday.

Volunteer Reston organized work at the Walker Nature Center earlier this week in celebration of Earth Day, and more events are planned for this weekend.

On Monday, volunteers teamed with the Nature Center to plant 100 native wildflowers, ferns and shrubs in the gardens. Volunteers also woodchipped sections of the Nature Center’s main teaching trail. Participating organizations included Starbucks and Sure Secure Solutions.

The Nature House is open Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

On Earth Day itself, Saturday, children ages 5-12 are invited to the Walker Nature Center to take part in an Earth Day Fun program from 11 a.m. to noon. Kids will participate in recycling games, eco-friendly crafts and more. Registration, which must be done by Friday at 5 p.m., can be done through WebTrac, by emailing [email protected] or by calling 703-476-9689.

Reston Association’s Habitat Heroes program will also participate in an Earth Day activity Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon. They will be removing invasive species and planting native species to help the long-term restoration project at the Wainwright Recreation Area.

Photo via Volunteer Reston/Sean Bahrami on Facebook

April 22 is Earth Day. Looking for a few ways to mark the day or recommit you commitment to the environment? Here are a few ideas right here in Reston.

Earth Day Planting at Walker Nature Education Center, 1 to 4 p.m.

Celebrate Earth Day by volunteering at Reston’s Walker Nature Education Center. Plant a variety of native plants in the gardens including shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers. Learn about the value of the native plants and how you can use them around your home.

R4 Day – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reston at Reston Town Center, 1 to 4 p.m.

Keep discarded items out of landfills by bringing them to this recycling event. R4 will take computers, electronics, cell phones, paper for shredding, compact fluorescent bulbs, eyeglasses, and hearing aids. Participating organizations include Secured Shred, Turtle Wings, and more.

Movie — Yert: Your Envrionmental Road Trip, Walker Nature Education Center, 7 p.m.

Free, suggested donation $5. For adults.

Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road, traveling across America with hope, humor and all of their garbage for one year. While exploring the good, the bad and the weird in all 50 states, they encounter extraordinary innovators and courageous citizens who are tackling humanity’s greatest environmental crises. As the team performs outlandish eco-challenges during their quest, an unexpected turn of events throws the project for a loop in this award-winning docu-comedy. (113 min.) Reservations requested. Contact [email protected] or call 703-476-9869.

Planting at Walker Nature Education Center/file photo