Whether you want to stay cozy indoors or venture outside, there’s plenty to do around Reston this weekend ahead of Christmas.

Tomorrow (Dec. 22)

Teen Maker Boxes (all day event) — Head to the Herndon Fortnightly Library for some arts and crafts time. Locals can try out origami, 3D pen and sewing to make handmade ornaments. Participants can also try their hand at watercolor painting, Sharpie art, poetry boxes and Duct Tape creations.

Shrek The Musical (1-2:30 p.m., 5-6:30 p.m.) — Tomorrow is the last day to catch the last two shows for Nextstop Theatre Company’s (269 Sunset Park Drive) production of Shrek The Musical. Tickets are available online.

Zee performance (1-3 p.m.) — Enjoy the final performance for Reston Town Center’s holiday entertainment lineup for December. Zee will sing and play the keyboard between Market Street and Democracy Drive across from the Starbucks.

“You’ve Got Mail” (2-4 p.m.) — Warm up with hot cocoa while watching the 1998 movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The movie screening is a part of Reston Regional Library’s Fantastic Film series.

Tour de Lights (5-7 p.m.) — Join the Reston Bicycle Club for a slower paced, 10-mile ride to enjoy the holiday scenery. Bicyclists will meet at Lake Anne Plaza at 4:45 p.m. The first ride with the club is free and the membership costs $25 per year. Riders are encouraged to “light up” their bikes with holiday lights and anything else that is festive and increases visibility. In case of rain, the makeup date will be at the same time and place on Dec. 23.

Sunday (Dec. 23)

Reston Runners (8 a.m.) — Join the running and walking group for either a 3-mile walk or a 5-mile run starting at the Lake Newport Tennis Courts.

Sleigh Bells (12:30-2:30 p.m.) — Join Belgian draft horses Jeff and Charlie for a decorated wagon ride around the woodland and rolling farmland at Frying Pan Farm Park. All ages are welcome. Tickets cost $6 per person.

Horse-drawn Carriage Rides (3-8 p.m.) — The Reston Town Center is holding festive horse-drawn carriage rides departing at Market Street near Clyde’s to benefit local nonprofit organizations. Rides cost $5 per person and are free for kids under the age of 5. Proceeds will go to The Reston Chorale.

Photo via Reston Town Center

As the year comes to a close, the Reston Bicycle Club topped $5,100 in donations to community projects that support bicycling.

“The Reston Bike club is proud to provide financial and member volunteer support to community initiatives that promote cycling for fun, exercise, and as a commuting alternative,” Club President Chip Magrogan said in a press release.

The club’s executive committee voted last week to donate to local bicycling organizations. Kelley Westenhoff, the vice-chairman of the Reston Bicycle Club, said the checks are in the mail.

TrailsforYouth.org, the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts and the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling will receive $1000 each, while $500 was donated to NOVA Cycling. Earlier this year, the club donated to the Be AMYazing Reston Youth Triathlon as well as the Reston Sprint Triathlon.

“2018 was our first year of formalizing donations with a grant application, etc. thus donations for past years are hard to track as they were on a more ‘as needed’ basis,” Westenhoff told Reston Now via email.

“That said, I’ve been on the board for two years, and was involved with some of the past donations, so I can say that this year’s total so far is the highest we’ve gone in a year — with the exception of some big projects we funded such as bike racks in Reston and the bike counter for [Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling],” Westenhoff added.

The club, founded in 1982, aims to promote bicycling around Reston and other nearby communities. Funding for philanthropy comes from club member dues and the club’s annual Century Ride, held in August.

Club membership includes social rides and training rides every day of the week from April through September and on weekends year-round. Membership costs $25 annually.

Photo via Facebook

The Reston Bicycle Club’s annual century ride is gearing up for a strong start. Nearly 1,000 people have registered for the 36th annual ride, which will take place on August 26 from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Registration is limited to 1,500 riders. Early registration ended yesterday (August 6), general registration is open through August 18 for $60. Check-in at the beginning of the ride is not required and a wristband will be mailed to registrants. On the day of the event, registration is open for $75 only between 6:30 and 10 a.m.

A map of the routes is available online. In addition the 100-mile “Century” ride, participants can take part in the “Metric” (62 miles) or “Half-Metric (31 miles). The event will be held rain or shine.

For more information about the event, email [email protected] or follow the Reston Bicycle Club on Facebook.

It’s the last weekend in August, and school starts Monday.

It’s not even Labor Day yet, but it’s an unofficial end of summer.

With that comes the end of many of the events that have defined the season in Reston. Reston Station’s “Summerbration” series ends this weekend, as does Reston Town Center’s summer concert series.

This also marks the end of the season for much of Reston Association’s swimming pool schedule. North Shore and Ridge Heights pools are the only locations where daily hours will continue after this weekend, though Lake Audubon and Lake Newport pools will open for Labor Day Weekend.

Kids and families, take advantage of these last two days before the school bell rings Monday.

Below are many of the fun events that are going on this weekend, for the young ones and the adults alike.

(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 “Summerbration” comes to a close this weekend at Reston Station. Tonight from 7-9 p.m., The Swingin’ Swamis will perform. Saturday night from 8:30-10:30 p.m., there will be a free screening of “The Little Mermaid.” The Summerbration events are in the plaza outside the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station. (Note: To receive free parking for these events, parking tickets need to be validated by personnel on the plaza. Find the sign that reads “Parking Validation Here.”)
• Saturday night, Reston Town Center’s summer concert series wraps up with a show from David Akers and the Soul Shakers from 7:30-10 p.m. at the pavilion (11900 Market St.). Parking at RTC is free on the weekends.
• Hours for humans at Dogwood and North Hills pools may have ended, but there’s still fun to be had there for their four-legged friends. Reston Association will host two “Dog Paddle” events this weekend, at Dogwood Pool (2460 Green Range Road) on Saturday and at North Hills Pool (1325 North Village Road) on Sunday. Each day, the events will go from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost to register is $4 for dogs of Reston Association members and $6 for dogs of non-members.
• Potomac River Running will put on the sixth-annual South Lakes 10K on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., beginning at SLHS (11400 South Lakes Drive).
• Reston Bicycle Club’s 35th annual Century ride will roll off at 6:30 a.m. Sunday from the pavilion at Reston Town Center. Three hundred slots are being held of same-day walk-ups. In addition to the 100-mile ride, there are 31- and 62-mile routes available.
• The Reston Farmers Market will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Lake Anne Village Center.
• Lake Anne is also hosting Sunday Yoga on the Plaza each week, at 9:30 a.m.
• Interested in stand-up paddleboarding? Surf Reston is offering sessions this weekend on Lake Anne. Advance registration is required. In addition, there will be SUP yoga from 9-11 a.m. Saturday.
• Many restaurants and bars in Reston will have live music this weekend. These include: Vinifera Wine Bar and Bistro (11750 Sunrise Valley Drive) from 7-10 p.m every Friday and Saturday night; 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 Revelator Hill tonight from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Saturday night, DJ Kram will play Top 40 hits.
• Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor square off Saturday night in one of the most anticipated professional fights in history. Many sports bars in Herndon, Tysons, Sterling and elsewhere in the area will be showing it on the big screen.

With a little over two weeks left before the Reston Bicycle Club Century ride, the number of registrants is nearing 1,000.

A total of 1,500 spaces are available for the event, which is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27. Early registration has ended, but pre-ride discounted registration of $60 is still available through Aug. 18. Registration the day of the ride will be $75.

The 35th annual event will take riders through portions of Fairfax and Loudoun counties, start and finishing at Reston Town Center. Start times will be from 6:30-10 a.m., with all riders who plan to complete the full Century needing to be off by 9.

In addition to the 100-mile “Century” ride, participants can also choose the “Metric” (100 kilometers — about 62 miles) or “Half-Metric” (50 kilometers — about 31 miles) routes. The rides will be held rain or shine.

Volunteers are also being sought to help with rest stops, T-shirts, route marking and more.

For more information about the event, email [email protected] or follow the Reston Bicycle Club on Facebook.

Graphic design students at South Lakes High School have once again used their talents to create a new jersey design for members of the Reston Bicycle Club.

Bike Club member Ken Thompson said the annual design contest has been taking place for the past several years. Each year, the Bicycle Club selects a winning design through a member vote, and it is produced by a jersey manufacturer. The winning student receives a jersey, as does the school, and they are also made available for sale to club members.

This year’s winning design is by SLHS student Clark Bautista. In addition to the jersey, he will receive a $500 prize. Bautista took second place in the contest last year.

Other honored students this year were:

• Sierra Schuman, second place, $300
• Seiji Urano, third place, $200
• Maggie Mark, Ashley Wallace and Joycee Zhiyi, honorable mention, $100 each

The students’ teacher at SLHS is Amy Saylor.

Thompson said the awards presentation will take place around late May.

Jersey designs courtesy Reston Bicycle Club