(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Monday, August 16

• Miniature Ceramics (7-8 p.m.) — Head to the Centreville Regional Library to design and create your own mini ceramic. This workshop is in-person and designed for teenagers.

Tuesday. August 17

• Kids on the Green (10 a.m.) — Get the morning started right by heading to Vienna’s Town Green for some music and fun with the kids. This week, Bill Wellington will bring his unique brand of kid-centric folk music and storytelling to the town green.

• Bollywood Fitness (6-7 p.m.) — Dance, dance at this virtual Bollywood dance fitness class through the Fairfax County Public Library. Taught by local instructor Aparna Rao, this class is guaranteed to be fun and to get you sweaty.

Wednesday, August 18

• Dairy Days (12 p.m.) — Churn butter, crank ice cream, and milk a (fake) cow at Sully Historic Site. This hour-long program will teach kids about what it’s like to work on a dairy farm, which were once common in this region.

Thursday, August 19

• Arlington County Fair (5-10 p.m.) — After a year off due to the pandemic, the Arlington County Fair is back with a full slate of events, activities, and fun. Throw an ax, compete in a pie-eating contest, and be thrilled on a ride. The fair starts Wednesday night and lasts through Sunday evening.

Friday. August 20

• Movies in the Park (7:30 p.m.) — Grab a blanket, chair, and head to the Hook Road Recreation Area for an evening under the stars to watch the Disney classic “Wreck it Ralph.” While the last “Movie in the Park” was cancelled due to rain, the weather for Friday night currently looks promising.

Saturday, August 21

• Making Opera Soup (11 a.m. & 3 p.m.) — Join award-winning opera singer Mirabal at Boro Park in Tysons for a one-woman opera. This performance is intended for both children and adults.

• Tinner Hill Music Festival (11 a.m.-9 p.m.) — The 27th annual version of this music festival in Falls Church City will feature some pretty big headliners this year, including B.B. King Blues Band featuring Michael Lee of “The Voice” and the Legendary Wailers. There will also be food trucks, a kids’ village, and art.

Sunday, August 22

• Alexandria Restaurant Week — Alexandria’s restaurant week starts this weekend, featuring more than 70 businesses offering both in-person and to-go deals.

Photo via Harry Dona/Pixabay

Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa is getting a multi-million-dollar facelift that will include a full interior redesign and the addition of new equipment, property owner Rappaport announced this morning (Tuesday).

The renovation of the 110,000 square-foot fitness facility in Herndon’s Worldgate Centre shopping complex is currently underway, according to the club’s website.

According to Rappaport, the work is expected to be completed by October. The facility will remain open throughout the renovation process, and Worldgate will offer “special packages” to new members who join while construction is ongoing, including an $80 discount on new memberships this July.

“As the anchor of our Worldgate Centre property, this fitness facility will continue to be a hub for the community and focal point for the overall retail, entertainment, and lifestyle experience of this premier destination,” Rappaport CEO Gary D. Rappaport said in a press release.

Overseen by WTS International, which took over management of the fitness center in February, the renovation will update the interior and flooring while introducing new weight and cardio equipment, including treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bicycles, an interactive rower, and a golf simulator.

Planned new facilities include a boxing studio and a recovery zone. The existing turf training space will be expanded, and the indoor track will get an upgrade.

Under the new management team, Rappaport says in its press release that the renovation will also enable the fitness center to expand its program offerings with “new classes and digital support will be offered to better serve the club members around the clock”:

Designed to complement the wide range of existing services, club members and guests will enjoy enhanced programming features such as virtual fitness solutions, including an on-demand workout library, a member app with class registration, and various virtual events. In addition, Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa will also offer wellness packages, updated spa services, signature fitness programs, and nutritional coaching to boost performance — taking a holistic approach to health and wellness.

Opened in 1988, Worldgate Athletic Club & Spa currently houses an indoor track, a 25-yard swimming pool with six lap lanes, and courts for tennis, squash, racketball, basketball, and volleyball.

“Worldgate is an amazing fitness facility that will be even more special once the renovation is complete,” WTS Senior Vice President of Fitness Chris Griebe said. “The enhancements will draw more clients but just as importantly will strengthen the greater Herndon community. With our deep experience, we are excited to help lead these exciting changes.”

It was a year ago when business owner Liz Kamp made the decision to shut down her cycling, strength, and fitness studio New Trail.

New Trail, located at Lake Anne in Reston, was thriving after opening in November 2018. The customer base was growing, nine employees had been hired, and Kamp, 36 and a mother of three, was proud of the community she had built. There was even talk about opening a second studio.

That all changed on March 14 last year.

“We had a St. Paddy’s [cycling] event and I had set up a million safety precautions that I felt pretty good about,” Kamp says. “Then we had it and I just felt like I didn’t have full control of this.”

Immediately after that event, she made a very difficult decision.

Seeing people getting too close to one another after class and realizing she could do little to spread COVID-19 by establishing precautions, she closed New Trail.

“It was too stressful and too risky, ” she says. “It was my social responsibility to shut it down.”

Exactly a year later, on March 14, 2021, Kamp is re-opening her studio and allowing people to exercise indoors for the first time.

Classes will remain very limited, with only six people inside at a time and spread out by at least 10 feet. Doors will remain open for fresh air, a new HVAC system will be running, and masks are required.

Participants can also exercise outside for those who are not comfortable being inside yet.

But it’s a return to something resembling normalcy for the fitness studio and for Kamp’s ambitions. She hopes to create a space for those like her looking for a good workout.

Kamp has been a fitness instructor for nearly her whole career, including a stint as a fitness specialist for the Herndon Parks and Recreation Department.

Then, in 2009, she moved to Reston and within walking distance of Lake Anne.

“It was sort of an underutilized space at the time,” Kamp says about Lake Anne.

It took nearly a decade — she’s a mom to three kids —  but Kamp eventually made her dream happen — opening up New Trail in part of the space that used to be Lake Anne Pharmacy (which closed in 2014).

“Such a deep part of my mission is to create the space where it’s a hangout,” she says. “You’re not anonymous. They know me. I know them. That small town appeal was strong for me.”

Her goal was also to create a studio for folks like her.

“I think a lot of times when people see what we call boutique studios, it’s 20-year-old models teaching and it sort of sets people up for intimidation,” she says. “I wanted to take that all out of the game and focus on just creating a real community where the focus is not how we look, but working out and moving for wellness. Mind, body and soul.”

Everything was going great until March 2020. In the intervening year, she received a Payment Protection Program loan while pivoting to some outdoor (in the summer) and virtual classes but admits it wasn’t the same.

“Our value in the marketplace is the in-person experience, so when you take that away, it’s just different and it takes away our uniqueness,” she says.

Competing with Pelotons of the world was also very tough since they can provide top-notch production at lower costs.

“That was defeating at times… feeling like ‘how can I compete?'” Kamp says.

But this shift back to indoors and, maybe, normalcy is leaving her hopeful. She misses seeing her customers and thinks people will flock back.

“Places like New Trail are going to mean much more to people now,” she says. “We’ve missed that human connection.”

As for that second studio, she remains optimistic about it but is waiting to see what 2021 and beyond – brings.

“We will keep pushing our mission forward,” Kamp says.

Photo courtesy of New Trail/Kim Chevez Photography

Herndon Community Center plans to expand its operating hours beginning next week.

The center, which was closed for months due to COVID-19, opened on August 20 to the public. Starting Tuesday (Sept. 8), the center will be open on from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. The center will remain closed over the weekend.

Currently, the pool is opening for lap swimming and water walking, while the fitness area is limited to a maximum of 10 people for a one-hour timeslot. Reservations are required.

Locker rooms, the spa, the sauna, racquetball courts, and drop-in fitness classes are not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s more from the center on the limited number of fall classes being offered at the center:

A limited number of fall classes will be offered starting in mid-September. We are exercising precautions to ensure the health and safety of all students by following the CDC and industry guidelines related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. Outdoor Tennis Lessons and new Family Tennis lessons are being offered in Bready Park. Small Group Fitness classes will be held indoors and outdoors in Bready Park, new sessions start each month. Visit herndonwebtrac.com to learn more and to register. To learn more about the Town of Herndon Parks and Recreation Department, please visit us at herndon-va.gov/recreation, or call 703-787-7300.

Image via Google Maps

After a months-long closure, Herndon Community Center is opening its doors to the community once again.

The center will reopen on Thursday, August 20 at 7 a.m. Although the pool and fitness area will be open, locker rooms, spa, sauna and racquetball courts will remain closed. Family changing rooms and restrooms will be open.

One-on-one personal training sessions are also available, along with online personal training. Costs vary from $36 to $349 for Town of Herndon residents and $48 to $464 for all others. Costs vary based on the duration and number of sessions requested.

Reservations are required to use the fitness and pool areas. Outdoor sessions will take place at the turf field of Bready park.

The center will be open on weekdays only from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. HCC has no immediate plans to reopen the center on weekends.

The town will reassess its hours after a two-week period following reopening.

Facemasks must be worn in HCC, but can be removed when patrons are ready to exercise or swim.

HCC is instituting a number of safety measures in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. Patrons will be asked to complete a health screening when entering the facility. Hand sanitizer will be available at the center’s entrance and in the fitness room.

Image via Google Maps

People who have missed hitting the gym for the last few months are seeing options reopen.

Fitness centers are allowed to open indoor spaces at 30% occupancy under Phase Two, which Northern Virginia entered June 12. Several studios in the Reston area started offering outdoor classes earlier this month.

Fairfax County offers indoor and outdoor public swimming only for lap swimming, diving, exercise and instruction. Public pools, including community pools, are not allowed to open for recreational use.

When Virginia enters Phase Three, Gov. Ralph Northam said that pools and gyms may open at 75% capacity. The date for when Virginia will enter that phase has not been announced yet.

Just because pools and gyms can open in limited capacities doesn’t mean that they will. Some gyms, like 24 Hour Fitness in Tysons, won’t reopen at all.

We want to know how you feel about going back to the gym during the pandemic. Let us know in the poll below.

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

Several local gyms and fitness studios are now offering outdoor classes as Northern Virginia begins reopening.

Although New Trail Cycling Studio (1614 Washington Plaza-N) is closed, outdoor classes limited to nine people are being offered. All staff and participants will have contactless temperature checks before beginning workouts. Attendees should bring water, use the restroom, and change before taking part.

The studio is also following a number of other safety protocols. Participants must wear masks until they are in place and when class begins. Physical distance of at least 10 feet must be maintained before, throughout, and after class.

Crunch Fitness (11951 Freedom Drive) also resumed classes on Monday. Staff has “dramatically increased the number of sanitation stations” for members. Capacity will be monitored to maintain the 30 percent occupancy restriction put in place by Gov. Ralph Northam. Onelife Fitness, which is part of the same company, is also open at 11445 Isaac Newton Square.

So far, the location has not experienced waiting lines due to the size of the club. The Reston location is open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Gold’s Gym (11674 Plaza America Drive) also opened this week. Weekly class schedules are available online. The gym is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. on weekends. But UFC Gym, which is also located in Plaza America, remains temporarily closed.

Life Time Reston, a fitness club located at 1757 Business Center Drive, plans to open on June 19.

CrossFit North Reston (11503 Sunset Hills Road) remains closed.

This story will be updated as more information is available.

People looking for group exercise without being in close proximity to fellow athletes can take part in an upcoming “virtual race.”

Organized by the Reston Association and Reston Camps, the event encourages people to stay fit on their own time. Anyone from around the area can participate — not just Restonians.

Participants are expected to pick a distance goal and complete their challenge either on a treadmill at home or around their neighborhood.

“The gyms are closed but the sidewalks and trails are open and there is no better way to get some exercise than by using your own in-home equipment or by walking, running, or jogging,” the event page said.

People can track their distance using a walk-run distance tracking log, which can be found online. Runners, walkers or joggers must submit their log for April 24-May 22, the Facebook page said.

The challenge is free and open to people of all ages and abilities, the event page said.

People who want to support the cause can post on social media accounts using the hashtag #FlattenTheCurve, while wearing their own printable race bib.

Photo via Reston Association/Facebook

Fitness studios in Reston and Herndon are among the locally-owned businesses struggling with the loss of revenue after they were forced to shut down because of the pandemic.

Several studio owners told Reston Now that they saw a dramatic decrease in revenue after they decided to offer a membership service payment freeze — even though they also began offering classes that can be streamed from someone’s living room.

For example, take New Trail Cycling Studio owned by Liz Kamp. Opening in late 2018, the studio is a somewhat recent addition to the Reston area.

One of her biggest challenges so far has been managing to keep her staffers on payroll so she can reopen when this is all over, she said.

“The revenue isn’t there,” Kamp said, adding that larger companies like Peloton are taking away their business by offering free classes.

Though she said she understands the benefit of the free classes, especially for people who have been laid off or had pay cuts, she admitted it is detrimental to her business in the long-run.

For preexisting New Trail Cycling members, Kamp said the studio froze in-person memberships or packages until non-essential businesses are able to reopen.

New Trail Cycling does offer a few free classes on Zoom as well as a new paid digital membership, but Kamp said she will never be able to compete with companies like Peloton when it comes to the production value of the videos.

For $15 per week, people can sign up online for unlimited classes through Zoom. The studio also offers a digital nutritional coaching session for $10, which is led by medical professionals. People can rent equipment from the studio depending on the circumstances, the website said.

“I have to hold onto the hope that the community values what we do here and understand that their support now is what will help me open my doors again,” Kamp said.

She said she understands it will be a difficult path forward, hearing from her members and receiving positive feedback on the new digital classes keeps her afloat personally.

“Right now it’s about trying to keep people connected and supporting our participants however we can from a distance,” Kamp said. “We are all missing the in-person connection and community.”

New Trail Fitness decided to start a Facebook group for members who missed seeing each other at the studio, according to Kamp. The group features daily challenges that include things like meditation and self-care tips.

Meanwhile, Homegrown Power Yoga in Herndon is yet another small fitness studio affected by the pandemic.

Owner Alison Adams told Reston Now in an email that the yoga studio was quick to adapt after the mandate to close non-essential businesses. Within 12 hours, they were able to offer online Zoom yoga classes, she said.

“As incredibly hard as it has been to close our doors, and work with the unpredictability of the sustainability of our business,” she said. “This is nothing compared to what each person who is working the frontline is contributing during this crisis.”

The studio is also offering free classes to medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Adams.

Photo courtesy Liz Kamp/Charlotte Geary Photography

The opening of LA Fitness in Herndon Centre has been delayed to March.

This is not the first time the opening date of the fitness gym, which will open in Herndon Centre (494 Elden Street), has been pushed back.

Last year, the business was expected to open Jan. 16, a few weeks earlier than originally anticipated. Then, the gym announced it would open sometime in early 2020.

Now, the Kristhian Reyes, the general manager of the location, says the “best-case scenario” is that the gym will open by the beginning of March. In any case, he hopes the gym will be up and running by the end of next month.

“We understand everyone’s concerns on our opening date, but some things have been out of our hands,” Reyes said.

The delay was caused by delays in the permitting and inspection process, according to the general manager.

“We have people working 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week trying to make sure the gym gets finished as quickly as possible now,” Reyes said.

Anyone who already signed up to use the facility will have access to other LA Fitness locations in the area.

Editor’s note: A press release from the company previously misstated a location was planned at Reston Station.

Australian fitness company F45 Training will open a location in Reston Town Center, according to a company news release.

F45 Training plans to open at 11840 Freedom Drive in Reston Town Center by May this year.

Here’s more from the company about the expansion in Reston:

The rapid growth of F45 Training indicates that F45 is filling the gap left in the fitness industry by traditional gyms, where members commit to a cheap membership fee to work out individually, but pay for high-cost personal training sessions.

“We are very excited to have F45 Training as a part of Reston,” says Tariq Mojadidi, Studio Manager of F45 Reston Town Center and F45 Reston Station. “What we will bring to the Reston community is very unique and unlike anything else that is offered in terms of boutique fitness. F45 offers a unique concept, where personal training is offered in a group team environment, and trainers will work with you to correct your form, prevent injuries and offer nutritional support. The concept is a perfect fit for the Reston community.”

F45 Training combines elements of three separate cutting-edge fitness training styles: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Circuit Training, and Functional Training. The blend of these three training concepts offers a variety of different 45 minute workout experiences, keeping F45 members challenged, eager to grow and set to have fun. This combination of cardiovascular, strength and resistance training has been proven to be most effective in burning fat and building lean muscle.

The business will begin offering limited memberships on March 1. Membership reservations — which include discounted month-to-month rates — are available online.

F45 also plans to open a location in South Riding in April.

Photo courtesy F45/Facebook

A new fitness center devoted to children’s health is setting its eyes for a location in Reston.

My Gym, which offers programs that help children six weeks through 10 years of age to develop physically, plans to open in Reston within the next year, according to the owner of the company’s Vienna location.

The business, which has locations in more than 30 countries, celebrated its grand opening this week. It has another location in Tysons and also plans to expand to Ashburn.

Here’s more from the company:

Our programs focus on growth in all three categories because we view each step of development in these areas as an essential “building block” toward becoming a happy, healthy, well-adjusted human being.

My Gym Vienna owner Guillermo Herboza said a location has not been finalized yet in Reston.

Photo via My Gym Vienna/Facebook

The LA Fitness coming to Herndon is going to open earlier than previously expected.

The center at 494 Elden Street is now expected to open on Jan. 16 at the recently remodeled Herndon shopping center, according to a company representative.

Kristhian Reyes, the general manager of the location, originally thought the fitness studio was going to open around early February.

“Our Herndon location will be the biggest location in the state of VA,” Reyes said on Facebook.

Those interested in membership can preregister online. Memberships cost roughly $45 per month and personal training will be available on-site for an extra charge.

Photo by Jay Westcott

Thursday Takeover with Lululemon — Enjoy a 45-minute sweat session at the Reston Town Center’s pavilion with Lululemon ambassador Cameron. Class is free and begins at 6 p.m. [Reston Town Center]

New Exhibit Comes to Signature — Maremi Andreozzi’s work will be on display at the Greater Reston Arts Center’s satellite gallery at the apartment building in Reston Town Center. The exhibition, “Hidden Histories,” begins today and runs through January 7. [Greater Reston Arts Center]

Voting Now Open for Reston Community Center Preference Poll — Voting is now open for this year’s preference poll, which offers five candidates for three, three-year positions on RCC’s Board of Governors. [Reston Community Center]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr