After a successful turnout at its inaugural event in a local church last year, the second annual Reston Pride Festival returns tomorrow (June 1) with a new location at Lake Anne Plaza.

The event, which aims to celebrate and support Reston’s LGBTQ community, is co-chaired by the Unitarian Universalist Church, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, and United Christian Parish.

Building on last year’s event, the festival will feature entertainment, music, food, education and celebration, according to event organizers.

“The Lake Anne Plaza venue offers not only more space but greater visibility and access — and brings the festival into the heart of Reston, which is fitting as Reston since its founding in the 1960s has been committed to the principles of equality and inclusion.”

The schedule for the event is below:

• 2 p.m.: Welcome note by Reston Pride co-chairs
• 2:05 p.m.: Remarks by Hunter Mill District Supervisor Cathy Hudgins, Del. Ken Plum, and Sen. Janet Howell
• 2:30 p.m.: Performance by choir from sponsoring churches
• 2:40 p.m.: Vocal performance by Reston Community Players
• 3:15 p.m.: Remarks by faith leader speakers
• 3:35 p.m.: Drag show performance by Delta B. Knyght
• 4:05 p.m.: Vocal performance by Rev. Michelle Nickens
• 4:25 p.m.: Remarks by official speaker Danica Roem
• 4:40 p.m.: Vocal performance by Jeff Young
• 5:05 p.m.: Indian Bollywood dance performance
• 5:20 p.m.: United Christian Parish Total Praise ensemble
• 5:40 p.m.: Voices of Howard University
• 6:10: Vocal performance by Laura Tsaggaris
• 6:55 p.m.: Closing remarks

Tomorrow (June 1)

• Gardens of Note Tour (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)  — Take a self-guided tour of Reston’s gardens and pop-up musical entertainment. Registration is open online. A garden party at Hidden Lane Residential Landscapes will follow the tour.
• Wildlife Counts and Classes (6:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.) — Adult volunteers will explore Reston’s natural areas in this class, which meets at the Walker Nature Center.
• Summerbration Fun Brunch (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) — A stilt walker, juggler and face painter performs onstage at Reston Station Plaza atop Wiehle-Reston East Metro. The event is free and open to all. Parking is free in the Metro Parking garage.
• Summer Reading Kickoff (11 a.m.) — Young readers are invited to join authors Erica Perl and Laura Gehl to read some of their favorite titles at Scrawl Books.
• ArtSplash for Adults (2-4 p.m.) — Adults are invited to create their own masterpieces in this workshop led by artists from Abrakadoodle Northern Virginia.
• Lake House Open House (1-3 p.m.) — Enjoy light refreshments and mingle with neighbors during community-drop in time.

Sunday (June 2)

• Nova Tour de Cure (6 a.m. to 4 p.m.) — The event, which is the American Diabetes Association’s signature fundraiser, raises funds for research, advocacy, programs, and education. It will take place at Reston Town Center.
• Sunday Art in the Park (7-8 p.m.) — Hear the voice of the cello in favorites with assistant profess or cello Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki at Reston Town Square Park. The event is free and open to all.

Photo by Debra Haffner

The Reston Chorale is presenting a self-guided tour of private gardens on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The third annual event, which is called Gardens of Note, will also feature pop-up performances by members and friends of The Reston Chorale and a Hidden Lane Garden Party at the end of the day.

Tickets, which are $22, can be purchased online in advance or in-person at the following locations:

• Mayflowers (11959 Market Street)
• Chesapeake Chocolates, Wine, Gifts & More (11426 Washington Plaza W)
• The Wine Cabinet (1416 North Point Village Center)
• Reston Farm Market (10800 Baron Cameron Avenue)

Prices rise to $25 on tour day. All proceeds benefit The Reston Chorale.

Visitors will pick their first stop after receiving a list of the gardens on this year’s tour. Tickets will then be exchanged for a program guide with a tour map and more information.

The event concludes with a Hidden Lane Garden Party at 4 p.m., which features light refreshments, guided tours of the property, and ensemble performances by The Reston Chorale. The party is hosted by Hidden Lane Residential Landscapes on their grounds.

This year’s gardens of note were selected by tour organizers and garden specialists:

• The Agnew garden in North Point
• The Over and Vongsavat gardens at Lake Anne
• The Horr garden and West Market
• Pond in Reston Town Center
• Fannie Mae gardens and ponds
• Reston Association Garden Plots in Hunters Woods

Attendees can also purchase the perennial of the year — wood betony — at the event.

Photo via Carol Nahorniak

A handful of Reston’s private residential gardens will be on display for one day during the Reston Chorale’s second “Gardens of Note” tour on June 2.

Ticket-holders will be able to visit five gardens in Reston neighborhoods from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A garden party will follow from 4 to 6 p.m. All proceeds benefit Reston Chorale.

“Early June is the perfect time of the year to enjoy beautiful gardens, and the tour is also an ideal opportunity to connect with our wonderful community,” says tour chair, Kathleen Driscoll. “We received so much positive feedback about the first Gardens of Note tour last year. Visitors were enthused by the landscapes, the music, and spending time with old and new friends while exploring Reston’s neighborhoods.”

As described by organizers, the tour includes the following gardens:

• The Guilfoyle garden in Uplands – Filled with the owner’s well-chosen plantings, seating, and art, the garden has been a magnet for friends, family, and neighbors over the years.
• The Bitzer garden in South Lakes – Designed by its owner to encircle the home with perennials, shrubs, and trees that enhance the enviable views beyond.
• The Gohn garden in Hunters Woods – Swaths of shrubs and perennials and new plantings of native varieties in an established, treed landscape.
• The Mansfield garden in Hunters Woods – A garden of new hardscapes and plantings installed in 2017, curving around the home and complementing a woodland backdrop.
• The Rhoads garden in North Point – Featuring a professionally installed sloping stream and pond, plus a new hardscape to address run-off, along with a multitude of spreading perennials.

Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 on tour day. They can be purchased online or in-person at Mayflowers in Reston Town Center, Long and Foster (2100 Reston Parkway) or Chesapeake Chocolates, Wines Gifts & More in Lake Anne Village Center.

Tours are self-guided and visitors can decide which tour to start with using a map provided by organizers. The garden party following tours will include ensemble performances by members of The Reston Chorale, guided tours of the property and remarks from landscape designers.

Organizers are seeking volunteers for two-hour shifts as garden greeters. Volunteers receive a free ticket for the tour and garden party. Those interested can email [email protected].

Photo via Reston Chorale

Some of Reston’s most beautiful private gardens will be on display for one day only when the Reston Chorale’s “Gardens of Note” tour kicks off on June 3.

The event benefits the Reston Chorale.

Five gardens spread out over three Reston neighborhoods will be part of the tour.

“Selected with the help of the Reston Garden Club, the five private gardens feature intriguing plantings, hardscapes, water features, and surprises.  All of these properties have successfully faced the challenges of gardening in Reston such as slopes, erosion, clay soil, shade and deer,” organizers said in a press release.

The gardens featured on the tour will include, as described by organizers:

• The O’Connor garden in the North Point neighborhood, a newly created design and installation completed in October 2016 by Hidden Lane Landscaping.
• The Haukness garden in North Point, ideally framing their waterfront location with a design created by Hidden Lane Landscaping in 2003.
• The Carson garden, established with the owner’s dedication, replete with plantings and features, in the Dogwood neighborhood.
• The Wulff garden, with unique structures and plantings on the front grade of their custom-built home near the lake in the South Lakes neighborhood.
• The Bond garden in the South Lakes neighborhood, a sanctuary created over time with the homeowners’ talented touch and gardening skills.  

Tours are self-conducted and can be taken at one’s own pace between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. A map will be given at the visitor’s first stop, and visitors must transport themselves between the five stops. Those who purchase their tickets before June 2 can have a map mailed to them in advance of the event.

Following the tours, an open house will be conducted by Hidden Lane Landscaping in Herndon from 4 to 6 p.m., with light refreshments and music by the Reston Chorale.

Tickets are $20 and benefit the Reston Chorale.