iFix, a business that repairs cell phones, shuttered its doors on Wednesday (May 30), an employee confirmed Thursday afternoon.

The business, which also buys, sells and trades cell phones, was located at 1635 Washington Plaza North.

John Kim, the owner, told Reston Now the closure was promoted by failure to negotiate a new lease  Kim said a significant rent increase was proposed.

Nearby, New Trail Cycling Studio is gearing up for a late summer 2018 opening. The old pharmacy building remains vacant.

The store has one other location at 1095 Edwards Ferry Road in Leesburg.

No word yet on what will replace the iFix location.

Photo by Ruth Sievers

Virginia’s “LOVE” letters are making a comeback to the Lake Anne Plaza from May 31 through June 7.

The letters statue is known for photo opportunities. Lake Anne Brew House is encouraging locals to come to the plaza for the statue and to stay for local events on the plaza including a Pride Night event held at the brewery on June 1 from 4-11 p.m.

June is LGBTQ pride month. It was established to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, during which patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn protested to resist the harassment and persecution of LGBT Americans by the police, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Reston has other events in store for the month, including an inaugural Pride Festival, led by the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston.

File photo

(Updated 1:36 p.m. to remove an event that has already passed)

Warming up to solar? – Fairfax County is holding a free information session today, and will be offering real estate tax credits, solar energy systems discounts, and more to home and business owners. (WTOP)

The throwback comments section – A Reston resident had their Letter To The Editor published in The Washington Post. The topic? The split between Reston and the rest of Fairfax County about density and proposed growth. (The Washington Post)

That’s a lot of butts – Reston business Waitbusters hit 50,000 customers seated since launching their software about a year ago. (Restaurant News)

Everyone’s a critic – A theater review of Reston Community Player’s Thoroughly Modern Millie. Sounds like it was a good time. (Maryland Theatre Guide)

We’re taking a hiatus – Our morning newsletter will be taking a break through May 10, as the editor is away. ARLnow’s assistant managing editor, Bridget Reed Morawski, will be stepping in to cover Reston.

The photo in the morning newsletter was provided with a caption that it is a Great Blue Heron. Another reader has chimed in to say that it is actually a Great Green Heron. Additionally, the Reston editor will be returning May 10, not May 8.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user vantagehill.

The Reston Farmers Market opens for its 20th season at Lake Anne Plaza’s parking lot on April 21.

The market will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon from opening day through December. It will be closed on September 22 for a multi-cultural festival.

Virginia Living magazine’s Annual Best of Virginia Awards ranked the market as the second-best farmers market in the state.

SNAP beneficiaries receive a $20 match at the market. No dogs are allowed at the market.

Meanwhile, the farmers market by Community Foodworks, located at St. John Neumann Catholic Church (11900 Lawyers Road), is scheduled to open on April 18.

This year, the market will not include a CSA-option. Fossil Rock Farm, last year’s CSA vendor, plans to remain a vendor.

Community Foodworks is a D.C.-based non-profit that aims to increase access to healthy food while creating opportunities for local farmers.

Reston Farm Market, located at 10800 Baron Cameron Avenue,  opened for the spring and summer season on March 1. It will run through Sept. 12 and offers spring greens, spinach, kale, lettuce, tomatoes and more.

It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

File photo

New Trail Cycling Studio is opening at Lake Anne Plaza in the late summer at 1614 Washington Plaza.

Liz Kamp — a Reston resident of nearly 10 years, an avid indoor cyclist and a mother of three — is behind the venture, which will offer indoor cycling classes for all levels.

Kamp hopes to use the studio to create a welcoming, tight-knit community.

“I’ve always wanted to create a fitness business where community is important. Cycling offers that,” she said.

The studio takes up half of the former location of Lakeside Pharmacy, which closed in 2014 after 44 years of business. Another tenant is expected to take up the other half of the site.

Classes, which blend authentic cycling drills paired to the beat of music, will be offered for adults, teens and individuals age 55 and and up. Riders of all levels are welcome to take classes.

Kamp, who has 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, said the idea for her business has been “a long time coming.”

“I’ve been planning on launching a brick and mortar store for the last six years. There’s a real need for building and capitalizing on this great community,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Liz Kamp

Eric Lundberg, an engineer by training, began dabbling with pretzel recipes in his Reston home. The hobby, which he hoped would build bonding time with his daughter as she went through high school, transformed into something bigger: a locally-owned bakery called Nordic Knot.

His production quickly overwhelmed the countertops of his home, which he had certified for the business. After a temporary stint operating through Lake Anne Brew House, Lundberg has found a permanent production site for his bakery just two doors down from the business that drove his success, the brewhouse.

“This was a complete departure from what I’ve done before,” Lundberg said. “I’ve taken something I enjoy and turned it into a good product.”

The store on 11412 Reston Plaza West operates as a production center since late last year. Lundberg and Melissa Romano, the brewhouse’s co-owner, hope to establish a store in the spring. For now, they’re taking online orders, distributing wholesale and delivering locally.

Their business partnership grew from the moment Lundberg came to Romano with a brown paper bag full of pretzels and a business pitch before the brewhouse opened. Retail sales ran through the brewhouse since it opened in 2016.

“The pretzels were so amazing it was not a hard decision to forward and team up with Eric,” Romano said.

They’re now working on plans to capitalize on the emerging breweries market. Many local breweries lack fully operations kitchens, often leaving a good beer without good food to match, they said. They currently deliver to Black Walnut Brewery in Leesburg, Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn, and local businesses.

“We’re both community-minded individuals and Lake Anne really provides a good canvas for community-oriented businesses,” Romano said.

Nordic Knot also sends out an electric scooter to deliver locally on bike trails in Reston — an effort to embrace the “progressive” and “forward-thinking” feel of the community, Lundberg said.

They hope to open a storefront where customers can walk-in to place orders and take a bite sometime in the spring.

Photos by Studio-M Photos &  Jennifer Heffner Photography

Get your costume and a warm towel ready for the 11th annual Freezin’ for a Reason Virginia Polar Dip on Feb. 3 at Lake Anne Plaza.

Proceeds from the event will help send children with life-threatening illnesses and their families for a retreat in Casco, Maine. Camp Sunshine’s fundraising goal is $100,000 for this year, enough to send 40 families from the area to attend the camp.

The community event draws hundreds of spectators to Lake Anne Plaza to watch “dippers” take plunges into the lake in the middle of the winter.

Eight other Polar Dips will take place nationwide this year. The initiative was founded in 2008 by the Toth family of Oakton, whose daughter, Jennifer, battled cancer. She first attended Camp Sunshine in 1996.

The event in Reston will kick off at noon. The dip will begin at 2 p.m. Participants who raise at least $100 will receive an “I DID IT” event shirt.

For more information, visit the event website. Participants can register online.

File photo by Don Renner

Trick-or-treaters have plenty of options for goodies, fun and scares throughout the area this weekend.

At the BOO-stravaganza at Frying Pan Farm Park (2739 West Ox Road), guests can enjoy themed games, enter a slightly-spooky barn and take a wagon ride through the woods at night. One-hour sessions begins at 6 and 7 p.m. tonight. The cost is $10 per person and reservations are required. Call 703-437-9101 for more information.

Children in costumes can visit participating retailers to trick-or-treat goodies on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m in Reston Town Center. Participating retailers will display a pumpkin flyer in their window.

Lake Anne Plaza (1609 Washington Plaza West) will also hold its annual Boo & Brews event on Saturday. The schedule runs from 12:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. and includes a pet costume contest, a live DJ, pet treats, pumpkin painting and beer gardens.

Children and their parents can trick-or-treat at decorated car trunks in the parking lot of Forest Edge Elementary School (1501 Beacontree Lane) from 3 – 4 p.m. on Saturday. The event, Trunk-or-Treat, is hosted by Reston Church.

Guests can also trick-or-treat in the playgrounds of Lake Fairfax Park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive) and enjoy s’mores and stories. The program runs from 7 – 8:30 p.m. and costs $8 per person. No reservations are necessary. Call 703-471-5414 for more information.

There is plenty else scheduled to take place this weekend in the area as well. Take a look at our list below.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• The Washington West Film Festival continues tonight and Saturday with dozens of screenings and opportunities for conversation with filmmakers. For the complete schedule, visit the festival’s website.
• The United Christian Parish (11508 North Shore Drive) will holds its third annual Fall Art and Craft Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local artists and craftspersons will showcase their work in this juried fair. Admission and parking are free.
• Volunteer to help remove English ivy vines on the path between Sanibel Drive and Dogwood Elementary School (12300 State Route 4721) on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon. Reston Association needs volunteers for its Habitat Heroes initiative to help protect the native mayapple plant. Attendees should wear long sleeves and pants. To volunteer, register online.
• The Reston Community Players’ 2017-18 season continues their presentation of Elton John and Tim Rice’s musical “Aida.” The show, winner of four Tony Awards, will be performed through Nov. 11 at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road). This weekend, the show is being performed at 8 p.m. on tonight and Saturday tonight and at 2;30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $27, with student/senior tickets available for $23.
• A trail of illuminated hand-carved pumpkins is welcoming visitors to “THE GLOW: A Jack O’Lantern Experience,” now through Sunday at Lake Fairfax Park (1400 Lake Fairfax Drive). Presented by Townsquare Live Events, the “enchanting Halloween wonderland” features a third-of-a-mile trail decorated with more than 5,000 pumpkins. Tickets, which are $16 for kids ages 3-12 and $22 for adults, are available online and must be purchased in advance.
• Show off your best superhero costume at Scrawl Books (11862 Market St.) from noon to 6 p.m on Sunday. The book store is hosted a Be Your Own Superhero Day. All ages are welcome.

• The exhibit, Reston: The Art of Community, will continue at the Reston Museum (1639 Washington Plaza) this weekend. Produced by Public Art Reston in collaboration with the Reston Historic Trust & Museum, the display showcases the legacy of public art in Reston. The exhibition will be on display through Nov. 26.

• “Sue Wrbican: Well Past the Echo” will be on view at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) through Nov. 18.
• The Reston Farmers Market will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lake Anne Village Center.
• Many restaurants and bars in Reston will have live music this weekend. These include Crafthouse (1888 Explorer St.) every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; and Tavern64 (1800 Presidents St.) every Friday from 6-10 p.m; and Kalypso’s Sports Tavern (1617 Washington Plaza N.) every Saturday from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Americana music and more will come to Café Montmarte (1625 Washington Plaza N.) next week as the Harried Americans Roadshow takes the stage.

According to the group’s website, Harried Americans roadshows are “smarty-pants, loosey-goosey, Americana FUN – with a D.C. twist.” The group boasts that it offers “topical original songs about politicians and social issues, 1960s sing-alongs, and new takes on old standards from the Great American Songbook.”

The show is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. In addition to the Harried Americans Band, the show is slated to feature Brazilian touring artist Rick Udler, comedian/actress Angela Moore, poetry by the Intellectual Bully and more.

Tickets for the show are $10 and are available online. For more information, call 888-268-8637.

Image via HarriedAmericans.com

In an effort to acquaint newcomers with the area’s history and hidden gems, Reston Association is offering free bus tours to residents who have moved to the community within the last six months.

During the tour, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents will see the Walker Nature Center, Lake Anne Plaza and Reston’s four districts, as well as learning about services provided by RA.

The tour will begin and end at The Lake House (11450 Baron Cameron Ave.). Lunch will be served from 1-2 p.m. there. RA Board members, staff and committee members will be available to answer questions and meet with tour participants.

This year, RA departed from its tradition of holding open houses for newcomers at its main center. The bus tour allows residents to experience Reston in a dynamic way that reveals the area’s hidden gems beyond widely known attractions like Reston Town Center, according to Mike Leone, RA’s director of communications and community engagement.

“People know the main locations but there’s lot of hidden jewels and hidden history,” he said. “We want the community to know more about Bob Simon’s founding principles as well.”

As of Thursday, 17 seats are available for the 40-member bus tour, Leone said.

Bus participants will visit major sights and services like RA’s main facilities, the Reston Farmers Market and the Reston Museum. Ann Delaney from Public Art Reston will give a presentation on the importance of public art in the area.

“It’s kind of like a neighbor-to-neighbor social from start to finish,” Leone said.

To register for the free tour online, visit RA’s website.

Date Announced for 2018 Polar Plunge — The 11th annual Virginia Polar Dip at Lake Anne will take place Saturday, Feb. 3. [Lake Anne Plaza/Facebook]

Boston Properties Residential Project Nears Completion — Designed as a gateway to Reston Town Center, The Signature apartments on Freedom Drive and New Dominion Drive are set to become available in January. The 508-unit project will include two towers, two six-story buildings, a specialty grocer and 4,600 square feet of retail. [Washington Business Journal]

Children Left in Car Rescued by Police — The Fairfax County Police Department says a 26-year-old Falls Church woman brought her three children (ages 5, 6 and 7) to work but left them in the car because she didn’t want to bring them inside. FCPD was called to the scene and got the kids out of the car. They were taken to the hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion, and their mother was hit with three counts of felony child abuse. [Fairfax County Police Department]

Fairfax County Promotes Domestic Violence Awareness Month — On a monthly basis, domestic violence hotlines in Fairfax County receive 200 calls and victims request 75 family abuse protective orders. The county is encouraging residents to help prevent and end domestic violence by volunteering with the county’s Office of Women and Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. Volunteers work on special events, help run a 24-hour hotline, among other duties. [Fairfax County Government/Facebook]

Fairfax County Worker Found Not Guilty in Fatal Stabbing — Kempton Bonds, 20, was found not guilty Wednesday of fatally stabbing 35-year-old Tyonne Johns, a caterer at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly. Bonds was working as a seasonal employee with the Fairfax County Park Authority when the incident occurred last year, according to officials. [FOX 5]

Lake Anne Plaza is going to get colorful this weekend, and you can be a part of it.

Reston Art Gallery & Studios is hosting “Painting on the Plaza” from 4-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. According to an event information on Lake Anne Plaza’s website:

“Experience the beauty and vibrancy of the Lake Anne Community as the Plaza comes alive with artists painting en plein air. Join in the fun by painting or watching the artists as they work. Purchase an original artwork to take home. And while you’re at Lake Anne, don’t forget to vote for your favorite painting and enter the drawings for door prizes. Winners will be announced on Sunday at 5:30. The event will be held rain or shine.”

The event is being produced by the Lake Anne Merchants Association and the Friends of Lake Anne. It is sponsored by Pat and Steve Macintyre along with Reston Art Gallery & Studios. For a full schedule and information about how you can participate, check out the event details.

There is plenty else scheduled to take place this weekend in the area as well. Take a look at our list below.

(Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of all the events taking place in the Reston area this weekend. If you have an event you would like to ensure is listed on the website, be sure to submit it to our Events Calendar.)

• Reston Association’s semi-annual yard sale (8:30 a.m. to noon) and the Reston Expo (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) are both scheduled for Saturday at 1900 Campus Commons Drive.
• The JamBrew series wraps up this weekend in Herndon. Tonight, live music will be offered from Right On Records, Tommy Gann and Todd Wight, and Black Masala. The free event is slated for 6-10 p.m. at the Herndon Town Green (777 Lynn St.). On Saturday, from noon to 10 p.m., the OktoBrewFest will rock the town green. Music will be provided by Bach 2 Rock, Darlingtonia, Unsullied, Dr. Robinson’s Fiasco and Throwing Plates. There will also be cold beverages from Aslin Beer Co., wine, nitro brew coffee from Weird Brothers Coffee, pizza from Brama Italian Cuisine, Nordic Knot Pretzels and much more.
• In celebration of 11 years of service to the community, the Southgate Community Center (12125 Pinecrest Road) will host its annual Family Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. According to information provided by the center, the event will include giveaways, music, moon bounces, refreshments and games.
• Chicano rock band Quetzal will perform Sunday at 3 p.m. at CenterStage (2310 Colts Neck Road) as part of Reston Community Center’s Professional Touring Artist Series. Tickets are $20 for Reston residents and $30 for non-residents.
• Friends of the Reston Regional Library will be continuing their fall book sale through the weekend at the library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive). The fundraiser for the library will be open until 5 p.m. today; from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; and from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
• “Sue Wrbican: Well Past the Echo” will be on view at Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market St.) through Nov. 18.
• The Reston Farmers Market will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lake Anne Village Center.
• The 16th annual TFcon, a convention for fans of the “Transformers” franchise, is taking place this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Reston (1800 Presidents St.). Check out its website for the full schedule and admission prices.
• Pulitzer Prize-winner display “Disgraced,” exploring Muslim assimilation and identity in America, will wrap up this weekend at NextStop Theatre Company (269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon). Performances are tonight at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 8 p.m.; and at a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. Tickets range in price from $17.50 to $55.
• The National Kidney Foundation’s Northern Virginia Kidney Walk is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at Reston Town Center. Proceeds benefit awareness of kidney disease, a top 10 public health problem.
• Many restaurants and bars in Reston will have live music this weekend. These include Crafthouse (1888 Explorer St.) every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; and Tavern64 (1800 Presidents St.) every Friday from 6-10 p.m.
• Kalypso’s Sports Tavern (1617 Washington Plaza N.) will have live music from The Vandalays tonight from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.; and DJ Kram will play Top 40 hits during those hours Saturday night.

The 2017 Reston Multicultural Festival, presented by Reston Community Center and Reston Association, took place Saturday at Lake Anne Plaza.

The event, described as “a celebration that brings together the people of Reston to celebrate our rich medley of cultures,” featured arts and crafts, entertainment, art exhibits, food, and more activities. A naturalization ceremony was also part of the festival.

Photos courtesy Reston Community Center