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

Big Changes Coming to Metro — “Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld said Wednesday that without more federal help, big cuts will be needed for a COVID-19 related budget shortfall. As of January, Wiedefeld is proposing closing rail stations at 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, having trains arrive every 12 minutes weekdays, and pushing the Silver Line phase two start to July.” [WJLA]

Reston Contractor Buys Maryland Company — “Reston-based government contractor Acclaim Technical Services Inc. announced Sept. 1 it has acquired Rockville, Maryland-based software and systems engineering company Global Consulting Services Inc.” [Virginia Business Monthly]

Remembering 9/11 Amid Coronavirus in Reston — “Reston is one of many communities not planning ceremonies amid the pandemic. Fairfax County public safety personnel, however, will be marking the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Friday morning. Members of the Fairfax County Police Department and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue will be gathering outside the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters for a brief ceremony at 10:15 a.m.”  [Reston Patch]

Never Forget — Today is the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Be sure to take a moment to reflect on those lost that day in Arlington, New York and western Pennsylvania.

Virginia Task Force Goes to Virgin Islands — After staging in Puerto Rico, responders from Fairfax County are in the Caribbean conducting search and rescue activities on the island of St. Thomas following Hurricanes Irma and Jose. [Fairfax Fire and Rescue]

Community Center Board Preference Poll Voting Open — Voting in the poll for three seats on the Reston Community Center Board of Governors is open through Sept. 29. All residents of Tax District 5 can vote. Three incumbents are all seeking re-appointment. Board seats are filled by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, with guidance from the results of the poll. Voting can be done by mail, in person or online. [Reston Community Center]

Political Protester Gets Married in Reston — In 2013, Mohammed Soltan was jailed in Cairo for political dissidence and went on a 16-month hunger strike while he was psychologically tortured. On Aug. 19, he and his bride were married at the Hyatt Regency in Reston. It wasn’t all happiness, though: Soltan’s still-jailed father could not attend, nor could a longtime friend who was recently released after two years in prison. [New York Times]

Dogs Splash at Water Mine — Check out photos and videos from the “Dog Daze” event Sunday at The Water Mine at Lake Fairfax Park. [Aimee Cho/Facebook]

Herndon Woman’s Photo Hangs in JFK Library — Yvonne Kauffman, 84, met soon-to-be President John F. Kennedy in 1960 while he was on the campaign trail in her hometown of York, Pennsylvania. She recently learned a picture of that encounter, taken by a Life magazine photographer, is on display at the Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. [Fairfax Times]

Flags in Virginia, as well as D.C. and Maryland, will fly at half staff today at the nation remembers Sept. 11, 2001.

It has been 13 years since the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania, where an passengers brought down a hijacked airliner headed back to Washington.

Area commemorations began early this morning, with the unfurling of an American flag down the side of the Pentagon. The tradition began when firefighters did the same from the building’s roof on Sept. 12, 2001. The draped flag on the damaged building became a sign of America’s resolve.

There is not a formal remembrance here in Reston, but the Freedom Grove at Brown’s Chapel Park is always open for reflection.

Two Reston residents, Leonard Taylor and Norma Cruz Kahn, were passengers on American Airlines Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

The Reston community felt there was great need for a public space to remember, respect, and memorialize Taylor, Kahn, and the thousands of other victims of the 9/11 attacks. The Reston Association commissioned the project, and chose artist Kathy Walden Kaplan’s bronze sculptural relief as a marker for the spot.

Kaplan’s 8 x 11 inch sculpture is attached to a boulder at the park. It was dedicated in 2002.

Photo: Freedom Grove marker at Brown’s Chapel Park/file photo