Tuesday, Sept. 7

• An Evening with Martin Taylor (7:30 p.m.) — Vienna’s Jammin’ Java will open its doors at 6 p.m. for a concert featuring British jazz guitarist Martin Taylor, who has been recognized globally for his unique “fingerstyle” way of playing. General admission tickets cost $25, and seating is first come, first served.

Thursday, Sept. 9

• The Future of Workspace (4-6 p.m.) — Learn about what work will look like once the pandemic is behind us at the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce’s first hybrid networking event. In-person spots at Office Evolution (205 Van Buren Street, Suite 120) in Herndon are limited, so advance registration is encouraged.
• Fair Oaks Mall Carnival (5-10 p.m.) — Dreamland Amusements will roll into town with its traveling carnival of rides, games, and food for a 10-day stay at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. Admission and parking are free, but ride tickets range from $1.50 for a single ticket to a $99 pre-sale for four unlimited-ride wristbands.

Friday, Sept. 10

• Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) — The Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art’s (Tephra ICA) 30th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is back at Reston Town Center for a weekend of art sales, hands-on crafts, and live dance performances.
• Stuffed Animal Sleepover (5 p.m.) — For $20, get your kid’s favorite stuffie into a night of games, books, and dancing at Scrawl Books. Local author Debra Kempf Shumaker will read her book “Freaky Funky Fish” as the animals get tucked in for the night, and they’ll be ready for pick-up with some goodies at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
• Movie in the Park (7:45 p.m.) — Doors open at 7 p.m. for “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the latest film to screen at the Hunters Woods pavilion (2501 Reston Parkway) as part of Reston Association’s summer movie series. Bring chairs or blankets and a picnic dinner to enjoy while taking in Steven Spielberg’s adventure classic.

Saturday, Sept. 11

• 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony (2 p.m.) — Fairfax County will commemorate 20 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks at the Bailey’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department (3601 Firehouse Lane) in Falls Church, which deployed many first responders to help at the Pentagon. The county will also support community service efforts with the 25th annual VolunteerFest.
• Candlelight Remembrance Vigil (8:30 p.m.) — St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church (432 Van Buren Street) in Herndon will hold an outdoor vigil in its parking lot to honor 9/11 victims and their loved ones.

Sunday, Sept. 12

• Dog Daze 2021 (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) — The Water Mine finishes the season by opening the water park up to all pups for swimming and a canine resource fair. Proceeds from the $10 tickets go to the Fairfax County Park Foundation.
• Twilight Yoga on the Dock (7:30 p.m.) — New Trail Cycling & Strength Coach Kimberly will lead patrons in a sunset flow on the dock along Lake Anne. To book your spot and get a class credit, go to the New Trail website.

Photo via Fairfax County Park Authority/Facebook

COVID-19 Vaccine Recommended for Pregnant People — “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone 12 years and older, including those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or would like to get pregnant. The rise in COVID-19 cases, low vaccine uptake among pregnant people, and the increased risk of severe illness during pregnancy make vaccination more urgent than ever.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Local Cycling Studio Announces Vaccine Requirement — Starting Sept. 1, New Trail Cycling in Lake Anne Plaza will require patrons to provide proof that they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to take an indoor class. Owner Liz Camp says she’s not aware of any other businesses in the Reston and Herndon area with a similar policy but felt it’s a necessary extra step to keep people safe and healthy as cases rise. [New Trail Cycling]

Police Union Supports Eliminating Ticket-Writing Quotas — The Virginia Police Benevolent Association, which represents 750 state troopers, says it’s working with the General Assembly on a law that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from imposing quotas on officers, saying that approach is outdated and leads to more negative interactions with the public. Virginia State Police officials deny using quotas, but emails suggest troopers are evaluated in part by how many tickets they write. [WTOP]

Photo via vantagehill/Flickr

Several local gyms and fitness studios are now offering outdoor classes as Northern Virginia begins reopening.

Although New Trail Cycling Studio (1614 Washington Plaza-N) is closed, outdoor classes limited to nine people are being offered. All staff and participants will have contactless temperature checks before beginning workouts. Attendees should bring water, use the restroom, and change before taking part.

The studio is also following a number of other safety protocols. Participants must wear masks until they are in place and when class begins. Physical distance of at least 10 feet must be maintained before, throughout, and after class.

Crunch Fitness (11951 Freedom Drive) also resumed classes on Monday. Staff has “dramatically increased the number of sanitation stations” for members. Capacity will be monitored to maintain the 30 percent occupancy restriction put in place by Gov. Ralph Northam. Onelife Fitness, which is part of the same company, is also open at 11445 Isaac Newton Square.

So far, the location has not experienced waiting lines due to the size of the club. The Reston location is open on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Gold’s Gym (11674 Plaza America Drive) also opened this week. Weekly class schedules are available online. The gym is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. on weekends. But UFC Gym, which is also located in Plaza America, remains temporarily closed.

Life Time Reston, a fitness club located at 1757 Business Center Drive, plans to open on June 19.

CrossFit North Reston (11503 Sunset Hills Road) remains closed.

This story will be updated as more information is available.

Fitness studios in Reston and Herndon are among the locally-owned businesses struggling with the loss of revenue after they were forced to shut down because of the pandemic.

Several studio owners told Reston Now that they saw a dramatic decrease in revenue after they decided to offer a membership service payment freeze — even though they also began offering classes that can be streamed from someone’s living room.

For example, take New Trail Cycling Studio owned by Liz Kamp. Opening in late 2018, the studio is a somewhat recent addition to the Reston area.

One of her biggest challenges so far has been managing to keep her staffers on payroll so she can reopen when this is all over, she said.

“The revenue isn’t there,” Kamp said, adding that larger companies like Peloton are taking away their business by offering free classes.

Though she said she understands the benefit of the free classes, especially for people who have been laid off or had pay cuts, she admitted it is detrimental to her business in the long-run.

For preexisting New Trail Cycling members, Kamp said the studio froze in-person memberships or packages until non-essential businesses are able to reopen.

New Trail Cycling does offer a few free classes on Zoom as well as a new paid digital membership, but Kamp said she will never be able to compete with companies like Peloton when it comes to the production value of the videos.

For $15 per week, people can sign up online for unlimited classes through Zoom. The studio also offers a digital nutritional coaching session for $10, which is led by medical professionals. People can rent equipment from the studio depending on the circumstances, the website said.

“I have to hold onto the hope that the community values what we do here and understand that their support now is what will help me open my doors again,” Kamp said.

She said she understands it will be a difficult path forward, hearing from her members and receiving positive feedback on the new digital classes keeps her afloat personally.

“Right now it’s about trying to keep people connected and supporting our participants however we can from a distance,” Kamp said. “We are all missing the in-person connection and community.”

New Trail Fitness decided to start a Facebook group for members who missed seeing each other at the studio, according to Kamp. The group features daily challenges that include things like meditation and self-care tips.

Meanwhile, Homegrown Power Yoga in Herndon is yet another small fitness studio affected by the pandemic.

Owner Alison Adams told Reston Now in an email that the yoga studio was quick to adapt after the mandate to close non-essential businesses. Within 12 hours, they were able to offer online Zoom yoga classes, she said.

“As incredibly hard as it has been to close our doors, and work with the unpredictability of the sustainability of our business,” she said. “This is nothing compared to what each person who is working the frontline is contributing during this crisis.”

The studio is also offering free classes to medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Adams.

Photo courtesy Liz Kamp/Charlotte Geary Photography

Fairfax County Park Authority Seeks Comment on Fee Increases — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will hold its annual public comment meeting on the agency’s proposed fee adjustments. The public is invited to share their perspectives on the proposals with the Park Authority Board either at the meeting, via correspondence or by email.” [Fairfax County Government]

New Trail Cycling Teen Ride Kicks Off with Free Class — “New Trail Cycling Studio, located at Lake Anne in Reston, is launching its teen program on January 22. Classes will be offered every Wednesday at 4pm for teens ages 12-17. ” [Patch]

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the completion of the Georgetown Pike Trail next week.

The new 4.2-mile-long pedestrian trail will allow passers-by to travel from River Bend Road westward to Seneca Road in Great Falls.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust and other Fairfax County officials will be on-site at the intersection of Georgetown Pike and Falls Bridge Lane at 11 a.m. to announce the completion of the project, according to a press release.

All community members are welcome to attend the free event.

The project began in 2001 and was completed in four parts, according to Fairfax County.

Image via Fairfax County

Fairfax County has officially completed improvements to a trail at Sugarland Run Stream Valley Park in Herndon.

Last week, local and county officials held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of improvements and trail maintenance.

The $400,000 project aimed to address general wear and tear, as well as trail damage due to severe flooding.

More than 12,000 linear feet of trail was milled and repaired. New culverts and riprap were also installed.

Photo via Fairfax County Government/website

New Trail Cycling Studio is hosting a charity ride to celebrate six months of business at Lake Anne Plaza.

On Saturday, May 18, the business will host its “Ride for a Cause” from 7:30 a.m. to noon. All proceeds from rides will go to local non-profit organizations.

“New Trail is about community and helping other people,” owner Liz Kamp said. “Whether we’re helping someone get healthy or we’re improving a local organization, I want to make sure that New Trail is improving the lives of people around us.”

The event kicks off with six 30-minute rides in the morning. New Trail’s coaches will choose a different organization to benefit from each ride. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase leading up to the event in order to raise funds for each organization.

Riders of all levels are welcome to join for all or one of the rides, but bikes must be booked in advance. Fundraising credits are available online.

As a bonus, any individual or business sponsoring a ride with a mile-to-dollar match will earn a free private ride for up to 20 people.

Giveaways and refreshments are also planned for riders. So far, the lineup is as follows:

• 7:30 a.m. – Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts
• 8:15 a.m. – Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area
• 9 a.m. – Cornerstones
• 9:45 a.m. – Shelter House
• 10:30 a.m. – CORE Foundation
• 11:15 a.m.  – Heeling House

Photo courtesy Liz Kamp