Reston’s roots and its future were celebrated Saturday during Founder’s Day, marking the 53rd anniversary of the community.
From the art walk to the crafts, food and music, there is a lot to like about Founder’s Day, said Raba Letteri.
“This is like a tradition for us,” said Letteri, who was attending along with her husband, Paul, and sons Joseph and Aaron. “Every year, we go do the 5K and then we come here for the event … and to support the businesses.”
Those who were at Lake Anne Plaza on Saturday had a lot of activities from which to choose. The opening of Kiln & Co. was a big hit with many children and adults, all of whom were able to enjoy free custard. Kids including little Leila (pictured) and her brother Emory enjoyed painting their very own ice cream bowls — after their faces had been painted by the artist outside on the plaza.
Kiln & Co. wasn’t the only business with special goings-on Saturday, as all of the plaza’s storefronts were bustling with activity and special offers for visitors. Grown-ups also were able to enjoy a public art tour, films, book signings and more as they learned more about Reston during the day.
Joseph Letteri, a senior at South Lakes High School, said he’s been coming to Founder’s Day with his parents as long as he could remember and he’s always had a good time. He said he respects what Reston’s founder, Bob Simon, had in mind when he created the community.
“[Reston] is very unique,” Joseph said. “From the very start, Reston accepted all different types of backgrounds.”
The annual Founder’s Day celebration is presented by the Reston Historic Trust with support from Reston Community Center, and it is co-sponsored by Reston Association and Public Art Reston.
Between Founder’s Day on Saturday and the Runners Marathon of Reston on Sunday, this is a big weekend for major events in Reston.
But even if you want to stay away from the big Founder’s Day crowd and long-distance running doesn’t sound like a fun time for you, there are plenty of other ways you can enjoy yourself this weekend.
Here is just a sampling of what’s going on in the Reston area in the next couple days.
- Saturday at Lake Anne Plaza, Founder’s Day will mark Reston’s 53rd anniversary. The festivities will take place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and will include fun for the whole family. Make sure to check out the full schedule.
- The Runners Marathon of Reston will have runners all over South Reston from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. There are still a few slots open for registration, and volunteers are also still needed.
- Benefitting the Friends of Reston, the Nature House 5K run/walk will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive). The course mostly consists of paved walkways in neighborhoods as well as pathways at the Nature Center and through Glade Stream Valley Park.
- Two concerts are scheduled for Sunday at CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road) at Reston Community Center. Trout Fishing in America will be performing at 3 p.m., with Dana and the Glorious Birds going on stage at 7. Tickets for the first show are $5 for Reston residents and $10 for non-residents; tickets for the evening show are $15 for Reston residents and $20 for non-residents.
- NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon) is performing “Boeing, Boeing” through April 30. Performances this weekend are tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m., along with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday. Tickets are $35-$55.
- Events at Reston Town Center this weekend include wine tasting at Il Fornaio (11990 Market St.) on Saturday and Zumba in the pavilion on Sunday.
- The opening reception for “First Blooms” by artist Dorothy Donahey at Reston Art Gallery and Studios (11400 Washington Plaza W.) will be Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
- The drama department at Herndon Middle School (901 Locust St.) will present “Romeo & Juliet” tonight at 7 p.m., and at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10.
- At Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive), there will be a showing of kids’ movie “Open Season” and a young-adult writing workshop on Saturday.
- A bird walk is scheduled for the Twin Branches Nature Trail from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Sunday. No pre-registration is required for the free activity.
- “There’s No Place Like Home” will end its exhibit at ArtSpace Herndon (750 Center St.) on Saturday.
- Kalypso’s (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will have live music tonight, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., from Revelator Hill featuring Bobby Thompson. DJ Kram will play Top 40 hits Saturday night.
- There will be a dance from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday at Reston Community Center (2310 Colts Neck Road). Dancers of all skill levels are welcome to foxtrot, swing, cha-cha and waltz. Cost is $5 for Reston residents and $10 for non-residents.
Inspired by springtime, the works of local artist Dorothy Donahey are currently on display at Reston Art Gallery and Studios (11400 Washington Plaza W.) on Lake Anne.
“First Blooms” showcases acrylic and oil paintings from the artist, an expert in commercial color printing who has traveled the nation lecturing on colorimetry for Reston’s HunterLab.
Donahey’s paintings are in the realms of representational abstraction and realism. She is known for her “Awareness Donkey,” which was featured on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. and is now part of the permanent collection at American University.
According to a press release about the exhibit:
The self-explanatory title of Donahey’s new show is inspired by the spring landscape, and a goal to “give people a little sunshine,” born out of the news, the cold and the loss of cherry blossoms at the tidal basin. The season can be enjoyed throughout the year through the paintings in this show.
The “First Blooms” exhibit will be on display at Reston Art Gallery throughout the month of April, including during Founder’s Day festivities at Lake Anne Plaza on Saturday. The official opening reception for the show is Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
Image: “Pastoral” — courtesy Dorothy Donahey/Reston Art Gallery and Studios
After a successful pop-up venture at Lake Anne Plaza, a shop combining the worlds of pottery and custard will open a permanent location there.
Kiln & Co. set up at the former home of Lakeside Pharmacy last summer. According to a press release, it “immediately became a community favorite.” It plans to open for good Saturday, in conjunction with Founder’s Day festivities at the plaza, at 1631 Washington Plaza N., next to Small Change Consignment.
The new location of Kiln & Co. is the former home of children’s store Baby Blossom, which closed last year. Company owner Sarah Selvaraj has purchased the space.
The Vienna-based business offers paint-your-own pottery, sculpture, wheel and handbuilding work through a variety of classes, workshops and summer camps. And in addition to its “Kustard & Co.” custard, it sells cakes, shakes and other treats.
To celebrate, the first 50 people in line at 10 a.m. Saturday will receive a free “Krazy Kustard Shake” and a chance to win free shakes for a year. All kids 12 and under will receive an ice cream scoop bowl they can paint on site, which they will be able to later bring back for $2 refills. And any kids who are painting pottery Saturday will receive a free kid’s scoop.
For more information, visit Kiln & Co.’s Facebook page.
Reston’s annual Founder’s Day festivities will take place Saturday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza.
This year’s event, celebrating the 53rd anniversary of Reston’s founding, will feature a full day of arts, history and family-friendly activities. Free activities will include a moon bounce and face painting. There will also be a 50-foot Ferris wheel, sponsored by Reston Association, the cost of rides on which will benefit the Reston Historic Trust and the Friends of Reston.
Musical entertainment will be provided by the Langston Hughes Middle School Jazz Ensemble, the Lake Anne Drumming Ensemble, the Lake Anne Choral Ensemble, the Reston Chorale, the Reston Encore Chorale and Catchin’ Toads.
There will also be a public art walk around Lake Anne, sponsored by Public Art Reston, as well as screenings of the films “Another Way of Living: The Story of Reston, VA” and “Fun, Beauty, Fantasy: Reston’s Public Art.” Local authors will also be present for an afternoon book-signing event.
The day will also include comments from local elected officials and the commemoration of bricks at the plaza.
Founder’s Day is presented by the Reston Historic Trust with support from Reston Community Center, and it is co-sponsored by Reston Association and Public Art Reston. A full schedule of activities can be found at the Reston Historic Trust and Museum website. For more information, contact the Reston Historic Trust and Museum at 703-709-7700 or [email protected].
Photos courtesy Reston Historic Trust and Museum
Looking for something to do this weekend? Here is a sampling of what’s available in Reston:
- At the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Road), children can learn about gourmet treats for birds on Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon. For the grown-ups, a “Wine and Design” painting event is slated for Saturday night, 6:30-9.
- Events at Reston Town Center this weekend include Girl Scout cookie sales, a cooking class at Il Fornaio (11990 Market St.) and special skating events at the ice pavilion.
- At the Reston Community Center’s Jo Ann Rose Gallery (1609A Washington Plaza N.), “For the Love of Color” remains on display.
- At CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road), Irish musicians Lúnasa return to the stage tonight at 8. This show is sold out, but patrons are invited to the box office after 7 p.m. to get on the waiting list.
- Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive) will host events for kids including a “Minute to Win It” game show event (Saturday, 11 a.m.), chess club (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.) and YA book club (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.). For adults, cinema classic “Il Postino” will be shown Saturday (2 p.m.) and the lecture series on World War I continues Sunday (2 p.m.).
- Reston Community Center (2310 Colts Neck Road) will have the reception for its February art exhibit, “From the Heart,” on Saturday from noon-1 p.m.
- Kalypso’s (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will have music from the Holly Montgomery Band tonight and DJ Kram on Saturday night.
- Spectrum will be performing tonight at World of Beer (1888 Explorer St.) beginning at 10 p.m.
- Dewey Animals is planning an animal adoption event at Pet Valu (11160 South Lakes Drive) Saturday from 1-3 pm.
Another Capital Bikeshare location recently opened in Reston, this one at the intersection of North Shore Drive and Village Road at Lake Anne.
Announcing…our newest @bikeshare location at Lake Anne! Find us at North Shore Drive and Village Road. pic.twitter.com/jn7fMi5ksn
— Fairfax Connector (@ffxconnector) February 23, 2017
The first nine Capital Bikeshare sites in Reston were unveiled in October. Fifteen in total are planned for the community, with 132 bicycles among them. Along with 14 sites in Tysons, these are the first Bikeshare locations in Fairfax County. There are more than 400 in the entire network.
“We are pleased to have Capital Bikeshare arrive to Lake Anne Plaza,” said Maurisa Potts, public relations representative, on behalf of the Lake Anne Plaza Merchants. “With Lake Anne being the original birthplace of Reston surrounded by so many wonderful trails, it’s great to have this amenity available to Restonians, commuters and local tourists to explore our communities.”
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in January 2016 approved a $1.7 million plan to bring the bikeshare network to the county.
Bikeshare users can rent the bikes for $2 for 30 minutes or $8 for a day. Three-day, 30-day and annual passes can also be purchased.
Local nanobrewery Lake Anne Brew House is partnering with beer historians to offer the frosty mugs of our ancestors.
Praize the Maize, which will be tapped Thursday evening at the pub (11424 Washington Plaza West), has been brewed using the 1912 recipe of a German immigrant brewer — with ingredients that have been sourced from the locations called for in the recipe as well.
“We’re just really excited about it,” said Melissa Romano, the brew house’s co-owner. “We’re going to be doing a whole series of these recipes over the coming year — or years, who knows?”
The Heritage Lager series is a partnership between Lake Anne Brew House and Lost Lagers, the team of beer historians Michael Stein and Peter Jones, whose mission is to recreate the beers of days gone by.
“[They were] able to take this recipe, translate it into English, and then we were able to work on sourcing period-accurate ingredients,” Romano said. According to information provided by Lost Lagers, that involved tracking down appropriate hops from New York and California.
Romano said the recipe for Praize the Maize, as well as the other beers that will be brewed as the series continues, came from the notebooks of a brewer who arrived in the U.S. around the turn of the 20th century. A distant relative of the brewer is a friend of Romano and has done graphic design work for the brewpub. The recipe books, family heirlooms, have been loaned to the brew house for the project.
According to Lost Lagers’ research, Praize the Maize was likely — in its past life — a beer called Erlanger Light by Philadelphia’s Weger Brothers Brewery. Romano said it is “light” and “fresh,” with “a little bit of sweetness” and “some nice herbal qualities.”
“I think [customers] are going to really like it,” Romano said. “I think it’s going to be a very approachable and easy-drinking beer.”
The beer will be tapped and ready for consumption at 7 p.m. Thursday. Stein and Jones from Lost Lagers will be present, along with the family that provided the recipes, to answer any questions from visitors and to discuss the process.
“It’s a really unique recipe,” Romano said. “It’s just going to be kind of a cool thing, I think.”
The water in Lake Anne was 38 degrees Saturday, but that didn’t stop nearly 200 people from making a “splash” for charity.
The 10th annual Virginia Polar Dip at Lake Anne raised $75,000 for Camp Sunshine, organizers announced at the conclusion of the day’s festivities. A total of 198 people, many dressed in colorful costumes, leapt from the dock to show their support of the cause.
The dry onlookers cheered from the plaza as plungers — some solo, some in groups; some tentatively, some with backflips and cannonballs — took the chilly dive.
Curtis Ellor of Reston had participated in the event every year since its inception, but was forced to miss it last year after an operation. He was excited to get back into the water, continuing the tradition of diving along with his guitar.
“It’s wonderful,” Ellor said. “[It’s] for the kids.”
One of those kids was Mathias, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was 11 and died at the age of 13. Team Mathias, represented by a large group of jumpers from around Loudoun and Fairfax counties, has participated in the event for four years and has raised thousands of dollars for Camp Sunshine.
“Team Mathias’s mission is to support cancer families, siblings and parents — we do care packages for them,” said Emily Kelly of Herndon. “This year we raised almost $5,000 [for the plunge].”
Kelly said the event is a special chance to help kids and families who need a pick-me-up while battling a life-threatening illness.
“It’s special, it really is,” she said. “This is why we do this.”
Lake Anne Plaza merchants banded together during the event. Some, including Lake Anne Brew House and Kalypso’s, participated in the plunge itself. They and many others also offered specials throughout the day and donated a portion of the proceeds to the cause.
Organizers said the money raised from this year’s event will support an entire week of services at Camp Sunshine, which is located in Casco, Maine. It is the only year-round program in the nation designed to serve the entire family.
The $75,000 raised this year brings the total amount raised during the event’s 10 years to nearly $700,000.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Here is a sampling of what’s available in Reston:
- The Virginia Polar Dip is Saturday at Lake Anne Plaza. Registration starts at noon, with the event itself scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. All proceeds will benefit Camp Sunshine.
- Events at Reston Town Center this weekend include a handmade Valentine card workshop, a pre-Valentine cooking class at Il Fornaio, a wine tasting and more.
- A pub crawl is slated for 2-6 p.m. Saturday, beginning at World of Beer (1888 Explorer St.). The event is to support the Fairfax Boxing Club.
- An open house is scheduled for The Lake House (11450 Baron Cameron Ave.) from noon-2 p.m. Sunday.
- Reston Community Center Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road) has a Sunday Afternoon Dance and a Sunday Country Western Dance both slated for this weekend.
- Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) will offer a workshop, Career in the Arts: Opportunities for Visually Creative People, Saturday evening.
- The Reston Chorale will present Camerata: Inside Out at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road) on Sunday afternoon.
- Art exhibitions “CUT” and “Springtime in Winter” remain on display at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) and Reston Art Gallery & Studios (11400 Washington Plaza W.), respectively.
- Tom Saputo and Friends will play at Café Montmarte tonight.
- Kalypso’s will have musical guests New Dominion Band tonight and DJ Kram on Saturday.
- Wuayra Peruvian Silver Jewelry will have a pop-up shop in collaboration with Scrawl Books (11862 Market St.) this weekend.
Thousands of Jobs Added in County — The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority says 160 U.S.-based and 34 foreign-based companies worked with them to add about 7,500 jobs in 2016. [Fairfax County EDA]
Reston Association Committees Meet Next Week — The calendar for Reston Association next week includes meetings of the Board Operations Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee and Community Engagement Advisory Committee, as well as the Design Review Board panel. [Reston Association]
Seniors Invited to See ‘Age of Love’ — Reston Community Center will host a showing of “Age of Love” for people 55 and up next Friday. The film is described as “comic and poignant.” Dessert and a discussion will follow. [Reston Community Center]
Polar Plunge is Next Weekend — Don’t forget, the 10th annual “Freezin’ for a Reason” Virginia Polar Dip is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 11 at Lake Anne Plaza. There is still time to get involved, or to just make plans to attend. [Lake Anne Plaza]
Local painters and poets have collaborated to help each other’s work come to life in an exhibit set to open this weekend at Reston Art Gallery & Studios.
“Springtime in Winter: An Ekphrastic Study in Art, Poetry and Music” will be on display starting Friday at the gallery (11400 Washington Plaza W., on Lake Anne). Pat Macintyre, the gallery’s director and an active painter, said artists and poets worked in close partnerships to create the linked pieces.
“As the poems were being written, we communicated mainly by email, but some people got together in person,” she said.
The Poetry Society of Virginia worked together with the artists at Reston Art Gallery to create the pieces. Mike Maggio, the group’s Northern Regional vice president, developed the concept.
“This is the first collaboration between PSV and RAGS,” he said in a news release. “We also have Herndon Middle School, Herndon High School and a music professor from George Mason involved, so this collaboration has grown quite a bit.”
Macintyre said music students from the schools will be performing during the exhibit’s opening reception, scheduled for 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Live readings by participating poets are also planned for the event.
Macintyre and poet Steve Bucher partnered for their work.
“The poets applied to join us, and they came in en masse,” Macintyre said. “I was honored [Bucher] picked me. His words are so powerful.”
After the exhibit closes at Reston Art Gallery on Feb. 18, it will move on to ArtSpace Herndon (Feb. 20-26) and Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling (March 25).
Poets featured in the exhibit are Don Carlson, Stanley Galloway, Claudia Gary, Cathy Hailey, Bennie Herron, Susana Notar and Jack Underhill, as well as Bucher. Artists are Gail Axtell-Erwin, Dorothy Donahey, Ronni Jolles, Joan Kelly, Maggie Stewart, Roberta Thole and Wayne Schiffelbein, along with Macintyre.
The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, or by appointment.
For more information, visit the gallery’s website or Facebook page, or call 703-481-8156.
Melissa Romano, the co-owner of Lake Anne Brew House, said she has had interesting experiences with women coming into the pub.
They didn’t want beer, and she wanted to change that.
“Guys would come in with their girlfriends on their arm, and the girlfriends wanted wine,” she said. “When we were able to actually bring them into the bar and let them taste our local, hand-crafted beers, we were typically able to find a beer they liked as much as the wine that they claimed was the only thing they were going to drink.”
Romano owns the brewery along with her husband, Jason. She has made educating women about beer her mission, and part of that goal is the implementation of women’s-only nights at the pub, dubbed “She’s Crafty” nights. The first one took place in December, and the next is scheduled for Sunday night.
“I’ve always been very interested in making sure women are comfortable around craft beer,” she said. “It’s kind of a male-dominated field, and we want to make sure the women get their time to shine in the brewery, to ask questions and learn.”
Lake Anne Brew House, which opened in April, also has a female assistant brewer, Tracy Converse. Romano said with so much female influence on the beer, it is important to the brewery to keep women engaged in their process.
“We wanted to make sure that we made special time for women,” Romano said.
Romano said the women who frequent Lake Anne Brew House have organized as an affiliate of Barley’s Angels, an international organization dedicated to helping women explore and appreciate craft beer.
“Girls can really enjoy this experience too,” she said.
Romano said the first “She’s Crafty” event was very successful and she is hopeful this weekend’s will be as well.
“We just want to give women a little bit of a foothold, so they can walk in [to a brewery] and say, ‘This is what I like,'” she said. “We give them a knowledge base to work from, as it relates to beer.”
This weekend’s event will include pairings of three specialty beers with different plates of food, Romano said.
“We’re going to talk about beer and food pairings and educate the women about not only the styles of beers they’re drinking, but why they taste good with a particular style of food,” she said.
The brew house plans to continue hosting the events monthly, Romano said.
Sunday’s event is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the pub, located at 11424 Washington Plaza West in Lake Anne Plaza. There is no cost, other than the accrued tab. Romano said the event is “come as you are,” with no RSVP required.
Four-legged friends in Reston may soon have a new favorite place to visit.
Arlington-based pet store Dogma Bakery announced earlier this week that it plans to open a Reston location in the space formerly housed by PetMAC Pet Nutrition Center, which recently closed due to an illness suffered by the owner.
PetMAC had been in the location about two years. Dogma says it plans to keep all three of PetMAC’s employees to work at its new store.
The company’s website advertises the new Reston location as a “grooming salon,” but they have responded to customers on Facebook by saying they plan to offer some of their house-made treats for dogs as well.
“We will have ice cream and some treats. Maybe not the entire selection, but we can always make sure to have your favorites ready for you when you come by.”
Dogma said earlier this week in its post that it is “[k]ind of unofficially open,” but that it would have an official opening soon. No operating hours for the store are being provided quite yet.
The shop is located at 11412 Washington Plaza West, in Lake Anne Plaza.
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Reston is set to lose a pet supply store and adoption center in Lake Anne Plaza in the coming weeks.
PetMAC at 11412 Washington Plaza West is slated to close within the next month, an employee told Reston Now today. The shop opened two years ago.
Owner Cindy Williams said in an email that she is no longer able to manage the store due to illness. Her landlord is helping her look for a new business to take over the space, allowing her to get out of her lease early.
Williams left a corporate career to open her first PetMAC location in Arlington more than 11 years ago. That store closed at the end of 2014. A PetMAC under different ownership remains in D.C. on Wisconsin Avenue NW.
Williams told Reston Now in 2014 that the lake-front location within walking distance of hundreds of dog owners was ideal for her.
At PetMAC, customers can buy pet food, toys and accessories, in addition to adopting pets. A portion of the store’s proceeds go to animal rescue groups.
Before PetMAC closes, the shop is having a clearance sale of up to 50 percent off everything, according to its Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of PetMAC
