‘Poppins’ Pops — Thinking of catching Reston Community Players’ production of Mary Poppins? Check out this review from DC Metro Theatre Arts. [DC Metro Theatre Arts]
Where Reston Donates — Here is a list of which candidates have seen the biggest donations from Restonians thus far in the 2016 campaign. [Patch]
Advocating For Schools — Reston Del. Ken Plum advocated for funding for schools on the floor of the Virginia House last week. [YouTube]
New County Diversion Program Off To Good Start — Fairfax County say the first month of a new program that emphasizes treatment, rather than jail time, for people with mental illnesses, has had a promising beginning. [Fairfax Times]
Going Green — Fairfax County Public Schools has joined a national movement to support environmental sustainability. Joining the Green Schools Alliance District Collaborative with New York City, Chicago and other large school districts will help Fairfax obtain favorable prices for materials that advance conservation and environmental sustainability, school officials said. [Washington Post]
Transportation Solutions — Fairfax County officials are looking to citizens for solutions to alleviating traffic over the next 40 years. [WTOP]
Summit Saturday — Reminder, the annual Hunter Mill Community Summit is Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Vienna Fire Station, 400 Center St. Sw in Vienna. Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins will be on hand to discuss the county and Fairfax County Public Schools’ 2017 budgets. [Fairfax County]
TEDx Tomorrow — TEDxYouth@Herndon, an independently organized TED event targeted at an audience that is young at heart, takes place Saturday at Herndon Middle School. [Reston Now]
Talking Racial Equity — Join civil rights leader and University of California-Berkeley professor john a. powell for “Racing to Justice: Achieving Social Equity in Our Community, discussion at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. Explore where we are today and how we can continue to live the values of our community’s ideals. Free tickets are required. Call 703-476-4500 or visit restoncommunitycenter.
Simon Post Office’s Grand Opening — Take a closer look at the new Bob Simon Post Office that recently opened inside of Chesapeake Chocolates. [Reston Connection]
VDOT Route 7 Meeting March 1 — The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will hold a community meeting for more details on a Route 7 widening project. The project, which will include a bridge over the Dulles Toll Road, will begin next month and will take more than two years to complete. [VDOT]
Garza’s Listening Tour Rescheduled — Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza has rescheduled her listening tour stop for the Reston area. Garza’s Hunter Mill visit was supposed to take place last week, but was canceled due to snow. The new date is March 29, 6:30 p.m. at James Madison High School in Vienna. [FCPS]
Paint And Sip For Rescue Reston — Rescue Reston, battling for open space in Reston, is hosting a fundraiser March 10. [Rescue Reston]
Charter School Bill Dies — Bill that would have allowed charter schools in Virginia surprisingly defeated in state senate. [Washington Post]
Herndon High Fundraiser — Herndon High’s All Night Grad Party is holding a Casino Night fundraiser March 5 at The Breeze in Herndon. Advance tickets to this adults-only event are $40. The night includes casino games, raffles, and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit HHS’s 30th annual All-Night Grad Party, which offers a safe and inclusive graduation night for everyone. [Herndon High]
Speeding May Not Be Reckless Driving — A bill in the Virginia Senate may do away with reckless driving charges for drivers going only 11 miles over the speed limit on some Virginia highways. [WTOP]
Citizens Fire Academy Sign Up — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue is holding a spring Citizens Fire & Rescue Academy. Registration open until March 7. [Fairfax County]
Hunter Mill Community Summit Saturday — Hunter Mill Supervisor Cathy Hudgins is hosting the annual Hunter Mill Community Summit Saturday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m. at the Vienna Fire Station (120 Center St. South, Vienna). Local leaders will be on hand to look at the county’s Proposed FY2017 County Budget and the FCPS budget.
Photo: Lake Fairfax in snow/Credit Robbie Nolan via Twitter
Petition to Fully Fund Schools — The Fairfax Education Association has an online petition for county supervisors to fully fund the Fairfax County Schools Budget. [Actionnetwork.org]
Love In the Afternoon — The Reston Community Center is one of 50 locations nationwide that will be screening the movie “Age of Love,” which explores love in your later years. The movie follows a group of 70- to 90-somethings as they try speed dating. The free screening is today at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by a discussion moderated by Steve Gurney from Reston for a Lifetime.
It Will Be Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious — Reston Community Players’ “Mary Poppins” opens next weekend at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. [Reston Connection]
Trout Season Soon — Trout fishing season in Fairfax County begins Feb. 20. Lake Fairfax will be stocked and ready for fishing, but make sure you get passes and permits. [Fairfax County]
New Park Authority Officers — Reston’s Bill Bouie (Hunter Mill) has been elected by the Fairfax County Park Authority Board to serve his eighth term as chair. Other Park Authority officers elected to a one-year term: Providence District Representative Ken Quincy (Vice Chairman); Springfield District Representative Michael W. Thompson, Jr. (Secretary); and At-large Member Mary D. Cortina (Treasurer). [Fairfax County]
Photo: Bald Eagle on Lake Thoreau/Credit: Dave Prochnow
Metro Ridership Way Down — Even with recent expansion with the Silver Line, shoddy Metro service contributing to ridership levels seen more than a decade ago. [Washington Post]
In Virginia, It’s George Washington’s Day, Not President’s Day — Fairfax County explains why. [Fairfax County]
Race For Hughes MS — Langston Hughes Middle School is holding the Panther Pride 5K on Feb. 27, 8 a.m. [PR Races]
A Taste of the Middle East — Reston Community Center is hosting “A Taste of the Arab World” Friday at 6 p.m. Come and enjoy Middle Eastern foods, belly dancing, henna art and baklava baking at this free event. [Reston Now]
Buy A Brick — There are only two weeks left to order a commemorative brick for installation at Lake Anne Plaza on Founder’s Day, April 9. Brick orders must be in by Monday, Feb. 22. [Reston Museum]
Romantic Ride — Valentine’s Day horse-drawn carriage rides are back at Reston Town Center on Sunday, Feb. 14. The rides meet in front of Talbots and are $5 per rider. Proceeds go to Leadership Fairfax [Reston Town Center]
Cinderella At HHS — The Herndon High Drama Department is presenting “Cinderella: The Oldest Story Ever Told” Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.) at the school. [Herndon High]
Getting Tough On Heroin — Virginia law enforcement officials say they are cracking down on drug dealers as the commonwealth has seen a rise in heroin deaths. The message at a news conference on Tuesday: If you are selling heroin and one of your customers overdoses and dies, the feds are probably going to come after you. [Washington Post]
Photo: Light snow in Reston on Feb. 9, 2016/Credit: Robbie Nolan via Twitter
Former SLHS Athletic Director Earns Hall Of Fame Honors — David Morgan, who served as an athletics administrator at three Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) high schools, has been named to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame. Morgan worked at South Lakes High from 1989 to 2001. During his 20 years as an active athletic director, teams at Morgan’s schools won 52 district titles, 10 regional titles, and six state championships.
FCPS Begins After Labor Day, But Will Look Into Change For 2017-18 – Fairfax County Public Schools has used enough snow days to qualify for a state waiver of the “Kings Dominion Law” to start the 2016-17 school year prior to Labor Day. The school board voted 12-0 to not not change the ’16-17 calendar, but will look into it for 2017-18.
“Our Town” in Our “Town” — Reston Community Players are holding auditions for the drama “Our Town” Monday, Feb. 22 and Tuesday Feb. 23. The production will run weekends, April 22 to May 7, at CenterStage at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods. [Reston Players]
Best Tacos Right Here? — bartaco, a national chain with a location at Reston Town Center, makes this list of “19 of the Best Tacos in America.” [BuzzFeed]
Loudoun Runner Breaks Webb’s Record — Drew Hunter of Loudoun Valley High School broke the longstanding high school indoor mile held by Reston’s Alan Webb on Saturday. Hunter ran a the mile in 3:58.25 at New York’s Armory Track Invitational. Webb became the first American high school student in indoor history to turn in a sub-4 minute mile with a 3:59.86 at the same meet in 2001.
No Chiptole For Lunch — Today’s the day all Chipotle stores, including the three in Reston, will close for part of the day for a “national team meeting” after recent outbreaks of foodborne illness at the chain. Stores will open at 3 p.m. [News 4 Washington]
Laptop Drive at Supervisors Office — Help America’s Adopt a Soldier program reach its goal of collecting 500 donated working computer laptops/pads/tablets for homeless youth in Fairfax County. You can drop off your unwanted hardware at the Hunter Mill District Supervisor’s Office at 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston, through Feb. 29.
Dippers Raise $95K — The ninth annual Freezin’ for a Reason Virginia Polar Dip raised $95,000 to help children with life-threatening illnesses attend Camp Sunshine in Maine. There were 204 jumper who paid to jump into Frigid Lake Anne, organizers said.
Photo: Heron at Lake Audubon/Credit: Laura Noll
Remain Calm, Connolly Asks — Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va 11th) has asked for that Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Karen Garza ” tone down the rhetoric and the hyperbole so that we can actually get something done instead of making a point,” as the school system and the county Board of Supervisors head for a budget showdown. [WTOP]
Date Night — Reston Association is hosting “Parents’ Night Out” Friday, Feb. 12, 7-9:30 p.m. Get a head start on your Valentine’s Day celebration while your kids (ages 5 to 12) have a fun-filled night. with us. Children will go on a night hike (weather permitting), play games and make a red treat. $15/child RA members, $20/child non-members. Email [email protected] or call 703-476-9689.
Election Season — Restonian breaks down the upcoming Reston Association elections. [Restonian]
Book Signing With Kwame Alexander — Newbery Award winning author Kwame Alexander, a Reston resident, will hold a book signing for his new childrens’ book, “Surf’s Up,” Monday, Feb. 8, 5 p.m. at Green Lizard Cycling in Herndon. The event is hosted by Reston’s Scrawl Books. [Facebook]
Ribbon Cutting For Real Estate Office — Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage will have a ceremonial ribbon cutting with the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce at its new office (11911 Freedom Drive Suite 520) at 5:30 p.m. tonight. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the new office space, and meet the broker and affiliated agents.
Broadway Night Preview — Check out this video of kids in the South Lakes High School pyramid as they prepare for rescheduled Broadway Night Saturday and Sunday at SLHS. [YouTube]
Youth Art Month At GRACE — The Greater Reston Arts Center has special events honoring youth art month in February. [Reston Connection]
Suburbs Still Strong — Don’t count out suburban office parks yet, especially in the Dulles Tech Corridor. [Bisnow]
Kudos, HHS Markswoman — Herndon High senior Allison Maxwell, a Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) cadet, has been invited for the second consecutive year to compete in national marksmanship events at the annual NJROTC Service Championship Feb. 18-20 in Ohio. Maxwell, who serves as the executive officer of the Corps of Cadets and captain of the HHS rifle team, set a new school record while placing in the top three in every NJROTC Area 5 (Va., Md., and Washington, D.C.) meet that she competed in this season.
Reston Museum Docents Wanted — The Reston Historic Trust is seeking volunteer docents to welcome visitors and help with daily operations of the Reston Museum at Lake Anne Plaza. Weekend volunteers are particularly welcome. If you are interested, please call 703-709-7700, or e-mail [email protected].
Snow Budget Spent — The recent blizzard used up all of Northern Virginia’s snow removal budget for the winter. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says more can be spent, but another project might have to wait in order to cover more removal. [WTOP]
Happy Lunar New Year — All Nippon Airlines will sponsor Lunar New Year festivities at Dulles International Airport’s main terminal this morning. [Fly Dulles]
Photo: Slushy Lake Audubon/Credit: Joy Every
Looking Into The Future — The Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce is hosting a forum “The Changing Future of Reston” Feb. 11 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston. Local developers and government officials will give an overview of changes to transportation and development coming to Reston and how it will transform the Dulles Toll Road corridor. [GRCC]
Geico’s Lake Anne Commercial — Remember the Geico commercial filmed at Lake Anne last May? It’s finally airing on TV. Sadly, the second version featuring late Reston founder Bob Simon is not being used. [YouTube]
New Reston Location For IT Company –Vectrus Systems Corporation, a global government services company, has opened a new office in Reston. The office at 11730 Plaza America Dr. will serve as the company’s IT & Network Communication Operations Center and will support the company’s pursuit of additional business in this market. [Reuters]
That’s Cold — Capital Weather Gang explains the pros and cons of living in one of the DC-area’s “colder” suburbs, which includes Reston. [Capital Weather Gang]
Photo: Snowy Sunset in Reston/Credit: Douglas H. Errett
Pirates In The Park — Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 2 for Pirate Fest April 16 at Lake Fairfax Park, including separate tickets for the pirate boat ride and Pirate Feast (catered by O’Sullivan’s). If you have missed out on the pirate ship sailing before because it sells out fast, now is the time to mark your calendars and plan a ride. [Fairfax County Park Authority]
No Loyalty Pledge At Primary — The Virginia GOP has dropped its planned loyalty pledge for the March 1 Presidential Primary. [Washington Post]
New Reston Committee Will Look Toward Transportation Future — Reston Association has a new Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee, which will look at ways to lead sustainable transportation change. [Reston Association]
