A record number of teams competed in the Reston Historic Trust & Museum’s third annual Lake Anne Cardboard Boat Regatta over the weekend.
This year, 56 teams assembled bright, duct-taped boats to compete in the race on Saturday – the largest number of teams to take part in the event Designs ranged from a large pinwheel to Slinky from Toy Story.
In addition to watching the race, attendees had the chance to run on a life-size human hamster wheel to make a snow cone, as well as fun with super. soakers.
Five Fairfax County public schools took part in the race, as well as several nonprofits, businesses, and families.
Lake Anne Brew House won first place in the navigator category with the fastest time of 1 minute and 45 seconds. Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar took the “the titanic award” and the school winner was “Hunters Woods Elementary School.” From the crop of merchants, Lake Anne Brew also took first place in the “merchants” category. The complete results are below:
Skipper:
- Marty Boys
- Ehrlich
- Eighty-Fifty Nine
Cadet:
- Yellow Submarine
- Swim Team Kids
- The Wild Sloth
Navigator:
- Lake Anne Brew House
- RHOA’s Ark
- Hunters Woods Elementary
Registration for the next race is expected to open in early 2020. This year’s title sponsor was Griffin Owens Insurance Group.
Photo courtesy Charlotte Geary Photography
Several restaurants around Reston regularly offer performance venues for DJs, touring artists and local bands.
Reston Now rounded up some spots offering a range of food and live music.
Lake AnneÂ
Kalypso’s Sports Tavern (1617 Washington Plaza N.)
What’s on the menu: Greek, Italian and American fare on the menu. Happy hour is from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays.
Live music: Kalypso’s hosts live bands and DJs from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. on Fridays. Diners on Wednesdays and Saturdays can partake in karaoke from 9:30 p.m.-1:3- p.m. All of the events are free, according to Kalypso’s website.
Cafe Montmartre (1625 Washington Plaza N.)
What’s on the menu: French and Vietnamese cuisine for lunch, brunch and dinner.
Live music: Tom Saputo & Friends perform the second Friday of every month, letting diners enjoy singing and dancing from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Other upcoming shows include The Get Down Band from 5-8 p.m. on March 29 and New Blue Soul Band from 7-10 p.m. with a $10 cover charge on April 5.
Lake Anne Coffee House and Wine Bar (1612 Washington Plaza N.)
What’s on the menu: Locally sourced American fare and coffee.
Live music: The live music usually takes place upstairs by the wine bar Wednesdays-Saturdays. Until May, locals can listen to jazz with half-priced bottles of wine on Thursdays and music ranging from classical guitar to jazz on Saturdays.
Reston Town Center
Crafthouse (1888 Explorer Street)
What’s on the menu: American pub food: burgers, sandwiches, salon, steak. Happy hour is from 3-9 p.m. on weekdays.
Live music: The growing beer-centric restaurant chain usually has a live band or DJ playing at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Karaoke starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.
South Lakes Village Center
Red’s Table (11150 South Lakes Drive)
What’s on the menu: American fare with a focus on meat and seafood. Happy hour is from 3:30-7 p.m. every day, featuring $4 for the daily beer on tap and $5 cocktail of the day.
Live music: Red’s Table hosts weekly live music performances. Upcoming ones include Bad Influence Band on March 30 and singer and musician Ted Garber on April 19.
Did we miss a spot? Let us know in the comments. Check back next week for our roundup for places with live music and food in Herndon.
Photo via Ted Garber/Facebook
In an effort to find more ways to activate Lake Anne Plaza with community programming, a new free harvest is coming to the plaza on Saturday (Oct. 27).
The free festival offers holiday tips, treats, live music, wine and beer and collection of fall-related products from the eleven eateries and shops at Lake Anne Plaza, according to Rachel Piering, who is helping organize the festival.
“The Lake Anne Plaza business[es] are working towards adding more events to the annual calendar – as a collective. We are doing more to make Lake Anne Plaza an anchor for activities in Reston. We wanted to add at least one more event to the lineup before the end of the year,” Piering told Reston Now.
The event will take place at the waterfront of the plaza from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Event organizers offered the following information about specials during the festival:
Café Montmartre: Virginia wine pairing and specials on Vienna Lager and Devils Backbone IPA
Chesapeake Chocolates:Â Free wine tasting featuring Virginia wines from 2pm-4pm. Virginia treats and chocolate apple dipping and first annual Fall for Peeps Display.Â
Kalypso’s Sports Tavern:Â Specials on all Virginia wine and beer plus wine pairing/tasting
Kustard & Co:Â Buy one get one Seasonal Harvest Flavored Pumpkin scoops
Lake Anne Brew House: 20% off growlers refills and special prices on seasonal beers
Lake Anne Coffee House and Wine Bar: Dinner special inspired by Virginia Wines and Beers.
New Trail Cycling Studio:Â Sneak Peak of New Space, Membership Discounts and Bike Trail Maps
Reston Historic Trust & Museum:Â Happy Birthday Museum! Fall refreshments and sale on mugs, t-shirts, and memberships.
Reston Art Gallery and Studio:Â Hosting a fall craft project for kids from 10am-Noon.
Reston’s Used Book Shop:Â Sale on all Virginia Books and books about wine.
Small Change Consignment:Â 80% Off Halloween Costume Sale and extra 20% off toys and books.
The festival is produced by the Lake Anne Merchants Committee.
File photo
Mark your calendars: Chalk on the Water, the fifth annual street-art festival, returns to Lake Anne Village Center in early June.
Hosted by Public Art Reston, the two-day festival challenges artists to create chalk drawings on Lake Anne’s Washington Plaza. This year’s event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 9 and 10.
Artists can register in three categories, including professional artists, amateur artists, and families and kids. Participants have a chance to earn a prize. Face painter Becky Nelson will be on-site to paint faces and snow cones and popcorn will be available for purchase by Reston Association.
Last year’s festival sold-out for the first time. Organizers expect a high turnout this year as well.
“It’s a challenge to come up with a compelling drawing for the event, and a little intimidating to draw in public, but it’s always worth the effort. It’s also fun watching the reactions of people walking by, especially kids, and hearing their comments about the drawings,” said Bruce Wright, last year’s winner in the amateur category.
Online registration is open and closes on June 8 at 5 p.m. Participants can also register on-site on the day of the event. Fees range from $10 to $20 depending on the category.
Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks. For more information, contact [email protected].
Sponsors include Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar and Reston Association Camps.
Photo via Facebook
Lake Anne Plaza will host its annual Halloween event on Saturday, Oct. 28.
According to the Plaza’s website, scheduled activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. and will include a live DJ, a pet costume contest and more. Live music by the Holly Montgomery band will begin at 4 p.m., and live music will follow at 6 p.m. at venues including Lake Anne Brew House, Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, and Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar.
Other fun will include pumpkin painting, pet treats and goody bags. Restaurants in the plaza will also offer beer gardens during the event.
According to a poster for the event, visitors are encouraged to “dress to scare, spook or trick!”
For more information about this and other upcoming events at Lake Anne Plaza, follow it on Facebook.
Reston businesses, services and events were the recipients of nearly two dozen honors in Virginia Living magazine’s 2017 Best of Virginia awards.
According to the Eden Stuart, the magazine’s assistant editor, the awards issue, which is on newsstands today, is a “statewide guide to all that is ‘best’ in Virginia — from dining to shopping to doing.” More than 50,000 ballots were cast in a reader survey to find the honorees in 106 categories, Stuart said.
Lake Anne Plaza was particularly honored, with five businesses selected as being among the best of the best in the Northern Virginia region. Those winners include Lake Anne Brew House (first place, Best Local Craft Brewery); Lake Anne Coffee House and Wine Bar (first place, Best Locally Owned Coffee Shop); Reston’s Used Book Shop (second place, Best Book Store); Small Change Consignments (first place, Best Children’s Clothing Store; second place, Best Consignment Shop); and Chesapeake Chocolates, Wine, Gifts and More (third place, Best Chocolatier).
“Please join us in saying congrats to these awesome Plaza merchants,” reads a post on Lake Anne Plaza’s Facebook page celebrating the honors.
In addition, the Reston Farmers Market at Lake Anne Plaza was honored with a second-place award for Best Farmers Market.
The full list of honorees from Reston in the 2017 Best of Virginia awards are:
FIRST-PLACE HONOREES
Taste of Reston
Best Food FestivalEdibles Incredible Desserts (11917 Freedom Drive)
Best Bakery
Best Chocolatier
Best Dessert MenuBacon N’ Ed’s
Best Food TruckLake Anne Brew House (11424 Washington Plaza W.)
Best Local Craft BreweryLake Anne Coffee House and Wine Bar (1612 Washington Plaza N.)
Best Locally Owned Coffee ShopLife Time Fitness (1757 Business Center Drive)
Best GymCST Group (10740 Parkridge Blvd.)
Best Accounting FirmSmall Change Consignments (1629 Washington Plaza N.)
Best Children’s Clothing StoreAustin-Weston, The Center for Plastic Surgery (1825 Samuel Morse Drive)
Best Cosmetic Surgery PracticeThe Eyewear Gallery at Reston Town Center (11900 Market St.)
Best Eye Care ProviderMiye Wire LLC (1818 Library St.)
Best Financial Planning FirmAKG Design Studio
Best Kitchen Design FirmDavelle Clothiers (11921 Freedom Drive)
Best Men’s Clothing StoreVirginia Therapy & Fitness Center (1831 Wiehle Ave.)
Best Physical Therapy GroupSECOND-PLACE HONOREES
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Best Art EventCornerstones
Best CharityReston Farmers Market
Best Farmers MarketSmall Change Consignments (1629 Washington Plaza N.)
Best Consignment ShopReston’s Used Book Shop (1623 Washington Plaza N.)
Best Book StoreTHIRD-PLACE HONOREES
Chesapeake Chocolates, Wine, Gifts and More (11426 Washington Plaza W.)
Best ChocolatierTrader Joe’s (11958 Killingsworth Ave.)
Best Grocery StoreThe Wine Cabinet (1416 North Point Village Center)
Best Wine Shop
Image courtesy Virginia Living magazine
This is a sponsored post by Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate.
Thanksgiving is upon us, and I have so very much to be grateful for this year.
A little over a year ago, my family purchased the Lake Anne Coffee House and embarked on the adventure of our lives.
When I say adventure, I am not exaggerating. We completely renovated the space, and that was no small task. We encountered problems along the way (as anyone who has ever opened a retail business could have predicted), and that kept pushing our opening date back. And then the day came when we were ready.
In early November, we opened our doors. It’s a soft opening–we’re still playing with the menu and getting the finishing touches in place. But we are open and we are blown away by the support we are receiving from the community. Â Truly, it makes me cry. Â I am blessed to know so many wonderful people, and now to get to see them every day.
Our daughters will be running the operation with us–Erin who is my partner in real estate is also an experienced restaurant manager, and Meagan is an exceptional chef. The Lake Anne Coffee House is in good hands.
My real estate office is located on the second floor (behind the wine bar), and I expect to meet many clients in the coffee shop or the wine bar.
We’ll be launching our website soon. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook.
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving.
The Lake Anne Coffee House will close its doors Friday — but it is just temporary while it gets a new look and new owner.
Ownership of the longtime cafe at Lake Anne Plaza officially changed hands on Friday. New owners Eve and Rick Thompson, who are longtime Lake Anne residents, plan a top-to-bottom renovation, new staff and new menu items.
While the renovations are underway, the coffee house patio will be open during Saturday’s Farmers Market. Tomorrow, there will be free coffee and pastry samples. On following Saturdays, limited items will be available for purchase (for example, brewed coffee only; they will not be making espresso drinks until they are fully reopened, Even Thompson said).
Lake Anne Coffee House will be using coffee blends from Manassas-based Monument Coffee Roasters and pastries from Sterling’s Baguette Republic. Â Thompson said it is the businesses’ goal to use as many locally-sourced products as possible.
The Thompsons hope to complete renovations and be fully open in November.
(Editor’s Note: Eve Thompson’s other business, Reston Real Estate, is a Reston Now sponsor).
Lake Anne Coffee House will change ownership next week and will be mostly closed for renovations into November, new co-owner Eve Thompson said.
Thompson and her husband, Rick, purchased the coffee house in July. The Thompsons are longtime Lake Anne residents.
The coffee house had been on the market for more than a year as the former owners looked toward retirement.
Thompson says that beginning Sept. 12, the coffee house patio will be open on Saturday mornings during the Reston Farmers Market and Craft Market. Residents can try new coffee blends from Manassas-based Monument Coffee Roasters and pastries from Sterling’s Baguette Republic. On Sept. 12, the shop will be giving away free samples.
The Thompsons are working with a Reston-based architect and interior designer to remodel the shop from top to bottom — and also support local businesses. (Editor’s note: Eve Thompson’s other business, Reston Real Estate, is a Reston Now sponsor)
“It is our goal to goal to use as much locally sourced products as possible,” said Eve Thompson. She also hopes to use many organic products.
Follow the new shop’s progress by liking the Lake Anne Coffee House Facebook page.
The Lake Anne Coffee House, a fixture at Reston’s Lake Anne Plaza for decades, is looking for a new owner.
Owners Susan and Jimmy Sohn have run the coffee shop for about eight years and now want to retire, says Susan Sohn.
The Sohns are selling the store by owner.
“People have asked about it,” she said. “But so far no one has made an offer.”
Lake Anne has had a coffee house since its start in the late 1960s, when Common Grounds Coffee House became a popular spot for meetings and just hanging out in the burgeoning community.
Lake Anne Coffee House has had a series of owners. The Sohns bought the businesses from Alfredo Melendez in 2006. Melendez later took over  — for the second time — the food counter inside Lakeside Pharmacy. He closed that counter, Cafe Lakeside, last month as the Lakeside Pharmacy is also getting ready to be sold.
Real estate sources say the lunch counter at Lakeside Pharmacy will be leased separately from the pharmacy space. So far, no deal has been signed for the space.
