Between the “Take a Break” concert series at Lake Anne Plaza and “Summerbration” at Reston Station Plaza, there are several options for outdoor summer entertainment. “Sunday Art in the Park” will return to Reston Town Square Park on Sundays.

This Sunday, Schwarz and Stokes, who play Bach, Mozart and Brahms, will perform from 7-8 p.m. The event, located at the corner of Market Street and St. Francis Street, is open for all ages.

The complete lineup of the program, which runs through August 19, is below. All concerts run from 7-8 p.m. The series is presented by Reston Community Center and hosted by Reston Town Center Association. Garage parking is free on weekends.

• June 17: Jazz Trio Conversations
• June 24: Shenandoah Conservatory String Ensembles
• July 1: Two Bass Hit
• July 8: A Little Charm from Across the Pond
• July 15: Luis Hernandez and Friends
• July 22: Galestro-Smith Duo
• July 29: R2DUO
• August 5: MLO Fusion Project
• August 12: Amor e Saudade
• August 19: Shenandoah Conservatory Saxophone Quartet

During July, Greater Reston Arts Center is also offering free art activities for all ages from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The “Take a Break” summer concert series at Lake Anne plaza will feature shows every Thursday night through Aug. 30.

The concert series is presented by Reston Community Center in cooperated with MSE Productions, Inc. Four of the nights are designated as “dance nights” that will feature dance demonstrations and instruction to match the music.

The complete line-up is below. 

• June 7: Dance Night: Radio King Orchestra
• June 14: Mystic Warriors
• June 21: The Crawdaddies
• June 28: Dance Night – Cheick Hamala Diabate
• July 5: Squeeze Bayou
• July 12: Bad Influence
• July 19: Part Harmony
• July 26: Dance Night – Fresh Air
• August 2: IONA
• August 9: Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet
• August 16: Dance Night – Mambo Combo
• August 23: Texas Chainsaw Horns
• August 30: New Line Brass Band

Each concert is scheduled for 7-9 p.m.

Medicare experts from the Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program will discuss Medicare plan options tomorrow for the coming year.

The event will take place at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods (2310 Colts Neck Road).

To receive one-on-one Medicare advice, participants are encouraged to call Fairfax County’s VICAP at 703-324-5851. The event is free.

For more information, visit VICAP’s website.

File photo

Robert Krulwich, NPR’s Radiolab co-host, will explore complex science in a special presentation on Saturday (June 2) at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage.

During the show, “Saddam Hussein’s Secret Octopus and Other Stories,” Krulwich will play TV and radio stories based on different subjects ranging from an octopus and Saddam Hussein to a bird that invents an anti-gravity device. The performance will begin at 8 p.m.

“Krulwich exemplifies compelling storytelling for TV and radio. He is a master weaver of tales who can transform complicated scientific curiosities into fascinating illustrations of discovery that delight, amuse and enlighten his audiences,” wrote RCC’s arts and events director Paul Douglas Michnewicz in a statement.

Krulwich’s show is the final professional touring artist performance of the season.

Tickets are $20 for Restonians and $30 for all others.

Photo via Reston Community Center

Robot night at Reston Hospital Center tonight — Meet and mingle with surgeons trained in using various surgical robots. Attendees can check out the latest technology in person and learn more about how they’re used. [Reston Hospital Center]

Reston Community Center to resume full service — After the internet and phone lines went down yesterday, RCC Hunters Woods is expected to resume full-service today. [Reston Community Center]

Stateside: Putting off the budget — “Virginia senators are putting off debate on the state budget and whether to expand Medicaid. The Senate did not take up budget discussions Tuesday, but instead scheduled a meeting next week for the Senate Finance Committee to take up a newly proposed budget plan.” [WTOP]

Photo by Melinda Purnhagen

Watch the butts — Recent fires in Fairfax County have highlighted the danger of improperly discarded cigarette butts and smoking materials. [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department]

Mark your calendars — The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will take place this weekend at Reston Town Center. Remember, this year’s event includes three days of back-to-back festivities, musical performances and wine tastings. [Connect Northern Virginia]

A peek into Reston Community Center — In this interview with RCC’s artistic director, Paul Michnewicz, we learn more how programs and events are selected, attendance, race and diversity. [Fairfax County Times]

Submitted photo by Linda Stanley

Sean Dorsey, a transgender contemporary dance choreographer, will bring a dance performance to Reston Community Center as part of a 20-city tour on Wednesday, May 16.

The show, Boys in Trouble, investigates modern masculine identity from the perspective of transgender and queer perspectives. The score includes excerpts from recorded interviews, original music and narration by Dorsey.

Dorsey created the show after visiting communities across the country to host forums on masculinity and to teach workshops for transgender, gender non-conforming, cisgender, gay, bi and queer individuals in the masculine spectrum.

Reston Community Center’s CenterStage is one of the first stops for the national tour. According to organizers, the dances will “move audiences to examine their own assumptions and experiences of gender.”

Tickets are $15 for Restonians and $20 for all others. The performance contains profanity and some themes of violence.

Travel back in time next Thursday evening, May 17 as professional impersonator Elaine Flynn transforms into one of history’s most famous presidential offspring for “Tea With Alice Roosevelt Longworth” at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods.

“If the headlines of today’s political scandals make you shake your head in disbelief, wait until you witness impersonator Elaine Flynn dish the dirt on scandals of yesteryear,” describe event organizers.

Roosevelt Longworth was the eldest child of former President Theodore Roosevelt, and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. As a controversial writer and prominent socialite, Roosevelt Longworth is widely considered by many to be history’s first true “celebrity,” in every sense of the word.

As such, it’s no surprise that Roosevelt Longworth would have some very good gossip indeed, about the lives of the rich and famous around New York City and Washington, D.C. In fact, it’s rumored she first coined the phrase, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”

Therefore, the theme of this event is “Scandals in the City.”

“Alice starts with her own scandals,” describe event organizers. “She then continues relating the scandals that led to the death of a Congressman; President Harding and his mistresses; the love affairs involving Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt; the person (other than Mamie) who REALLY liked Ike; the women linked to JFK; the Capitol Hill employee who couldn’t file, type or even answer the phone; and the story of the Congressman, Fannie Foxe and the Tidal Basin, and more.”

Registration for this special event in honor of Older Americans Month is $15 for Reston residents and $23 for non-residents. Tickets include afternoon tea and the performance.

The event is co-sponsored by Reston Community Center and the Reston Association and takes place from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, May 17 at RCC-Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road. Register online.

Photo: Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980), C0urtesy of the National Archives / Public Domain

An event to honor the life of 17-year-old Muslim teen Nabra Hassanen almost a year following her murder will be held Saturday, April 28 at the Reston Community Center.

The event, which will run from 1:30-3:30 p.m., is organized by with Reston community members and the non-profit organization Pious Projects.

During the event, Hassanen’s classmates and teachers will speak and one or two of her friends will sing a song, said Jumana, one of the event’s Pious Projects organizers.

About a year ago, Pious Projects set up an online campaign where the community could raise enough money to build seven wells and a mosque in Hassanen’s name in Mali in Africa.

To honor Hassanen’s life, Pious Projects also made a documentary to commemorate her, which the non-profit will screen at the event.

Jumana, who asked that her last name remain private, said she has found comfort working with Hassanen’s father and helping other families work through similar losses at the Pious Projects.

“I do enjoy basically speaking with the families and trying to guide them through their heartbreak and bring them something positive in the end,” she said..

Two friends of Hassanen, Afnan Abdel and Amina Siddiqui, said they plan to share memories of Hassanen at the event that highlight her personality so more people will know what she was like.

Sibbiqui fondly remembers when she attended a Islamic spring camp with Hassanen and while riding a canoe with Hassanen, she would shake the boat to scare her in a joking way.

“We all just kept joking around with her, and shaking the boat and scaring her and she was just laughing and we were all just having a really fun time,” Sibbiqui said.

Hassanen was a great dancer and danced to lots of silly songs, Siddiqui added. Abdel said she wants to people remember Hassanen as a caring and funny person.

“If you ever felt insecure, she was always there for you to remind you that you’re beautiful,” Siddiqui said. “Even people she doesn’t know.”

Hassanen, a South Lakes High School student, was killed near the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) mosque in Sterling.

Darwin Martinez-Torres, 22, has been charged with capital murder and rape after police say he followed Hassanen and a group of teenagers at 3:40 a.m. Sunday, June 18 after a Ramadan service at ADAMS.

The group split up, but Martinez-Torres returned with a baseball bat, striking Hassanen and taking her in his car. Hassanen’s body was later found that day in a Sterling pond, police said.

While community members have said Hassanen’s death was fueled by a bias against Muslims, police say Martinez-Torres’ rampage was just an extension of his road rage at the time.

PROJECT Trio is bringing its classical training blended with an eclectic music taste to the Reston Community Center on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The trio includes Greg Pattillo on the flute, Eric Stephenson on the cello and Peter Seymour on the double bass.

The group has been described by Gramophone Magazine as “an ensemble willing and able to touch on the gamut of musical bases ranging from Baroque to nu-Metal and taking in pretty much every stylism in between.”

On top of that, The New York Times has called beatboxing flutist Pattillo “the best in the world at what he does.”

Tickets for the show cost $15 for Reston Association members and costs $20 for non-members.

Photo via RCC

The jobs forecast — Unemployment remains below three percent in Fairfax County. [Fairfax County Government]

Thoroughly Modern Millie — Dive into the height of the jazz age in New York City with “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” Reston Community Players’ next play. The performance, based on the 1967 award-winning film, will run from April 20 through May 12 at Reston Community Center’s CenterStage. [Reston Community Center]

Pet sitting galore — Pooch Pros officially celebrating its grand opening yesterday. The business offers pet sitting services in the local area, including in Reston. [Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce]

No kidding — Registration for the 8th annual Reston Kids Triathlon is now open. The event is set for August 5 at 8 a.m.. [Reston Kids Triathlon]

Photo by Gail Crockett

Reston-based Appian to move headquarters — Software company Appian is moving from its current headquarters in Reston Town Center to Gannett’s former home at 7950 Jones Branch Drive in Tysons. [WTOP] 

Diva Central — Three marketing students from South Lakes High School are featured in Reston magazine for their involvement in Diva Central, which offers free, gently used formalwear to students for prom. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Active violence in the workplace — The local police department is offering a workshop on how to deal with active violence in the workplace on April 23 in Reston. [Fairfax County Government]

Flickr pool photo via Courtlyn McHale

Reston Community Center has added some new summer camps to its roster including some on filmmaking, jewelry making, engineering and environmental justice.

The camp, Documentary Filmmaking: Summer Studio for Teens, will be taught by Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rebekah Wingert-Jabi. Wingert-Jabi will teach documentary filmmaking for the four-week full-day camp, targeted for ages 13-16. The camp runs from July 9 through Aug. 3.

Another new offering is a sensory-friendly camp called “We Rock the Spectrum,” a half-day camp for ages 6-11 that encourages strength, sensory processing, movement and positive social interactions through activities that include a zip line, rock wall, trampoline and obstacle course. The camp runs from June 25-29.

The other offerings include “Trendy Jewelry Making” where campers will create up to five pieces in this weeklong session. There will be two sessions one from July 2-6 and the other from July 9-13.

“STEAM I” is a half-day, weeklong introductory engineering camp where campers will create structures such as rollercoasters and catapults as well as Rube Goldberg machines. The camp will be from June 18-22 for ages 8 to 12.

“Green Earth Rangers” teaches campers how to work toward solving environmental issues in Northern Virginia. This full-day camp runs from July 30 through Aug. 3 for ages 11 to 14.

Registration for all camps is open at the community center’s website.

Photo courtesy of Fairfax County

Last day to vote in Reston Association elections — Voting for the Board of Directors election closes at 5 p.m.. Ballots must be cast online or received in paper by the deadline. [Reston Association]

Get a little “Overboard” today — Enjoy the film “Overboard,” which follows the story of an heiress who hires a carpenter to build a closet on her yacht for her wardrobe. A free continent breakfast will begin at 9:30 a.m. today. [Reston Community Center]

Taking a toll — A $23.4 million upgrade to the equipment of Dulles Toll Road’s toll system could charge variable tolls based on the time of day or the volume of traffic. [The Washington Post]

Co-founder of Reston’s Used Bookstore dies — Susan Schram, a long-time Restonian, died in late March. She opened the bookstore with her best friend in 1977. [Legacy]

Photo by Gail Freiday Crockett

Editor’s Note: This is just a limited list of  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. Know of other events in the area? Comment below.

• Getting hitched in the near future? Then you might want to check out the Spring Bridal Show going on at Midtown Jewelers all weekend. The show runs from 12-8 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m – 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday.
• Attend the free screening of The Babushkas of Chernobyl, which details the lives of a small community of women who live in the radioactive Dead Zone around Chernobyl’s Reactor No. 4. The screening will be at the Walker Nature Center on Friday from 7-8:30 p.m.
• Does your child want to learn how to fish? Then take them to the free program of Kids Trout Fishing Day on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Check-in will be near the 7-11 on Soapstone Drive. Registration is encouraged.
• Celebrate Easter a week early and bring your kids to the EGGnormous Egg Hunt at the Sunrise Valley Elementary School on Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m. The free event is for infants through children 8 years old.
• Hunt for some eggs with your kids and pet some animals at the Frying Pan Park Visitor Center for the Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. Registration is required and the event costs $8.
• The Diva Central Event will be offering free formal and prom dresses for teens in middle and high school this Saturday at the RCC Lake Anne from 12-6 p.m.
• Want to attend the March for Our Lives in DC? The Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston is organizing a group to take the Metro together into DC to participate in the march demanding more gun control on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Make sure to contact the church if you want to join.
• Looking for an aquatic twist on Easter Egg hunts? Then let your kid take a dive for eggs on Saturday at the Herndon Community Center pool between 1-4:30 p.m. Registration is suggested and entry for one adult and child together is $10.
• Learn about the life of “Angel of the Battlefield” Clara Barton from a park ranger of the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo at the Reston Regional Library Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m.
• Immerse yourself in the sounds of 7-12 metal rings in a sound bath meditation from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bikram Yoga Reston.
• For $20, you can see the vintage country/western band Billy & Bob Country Classic Show perform at the ArtSpace Herndon on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. Tickets include free food and drink.
• Award-winning journalist, author of three non-fiction books and former South Lakes High School teacher Chuck Cascio will be reading from his latest novel “The Fire Escape Belongs in Brooklyn” at Scrawl Books Sunday at 2 p.m.
• It’s crime fiction evening with Josh Pachter, Meg Opperman and Barb Goffman for Reston Readings’ night at Reston’s Used Book Shop on Sunday from 5:30-7 p.m.
• Fan of the blues? Check out the blues/rock-n-roll/Americana band By & By at Frying Pan Park’s Visitor Center on Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Photo via Reston Community Center