A thief is on the loose in Vienna after one of the town’s painted benches went missing.

Earlier this year, the Vienna Arts Society commissioned local artists to paint benches, gifted by donors, that would eventually be sold at a charity auction. But around July 7, one of the benches was mysteriously snatched and is still missing over a month later.

According to a police report, the painted bench was first reported missing by a Vienna Arts Society member when they noticed it disappeared from outside Grass Roots Fitness (512 W. Maple Avenue).

Deborah Kennedy, an artist and spokesperson for the Vienna Arts Society, told Tysons Reporter that the arts group knew there was a small risk that the benches would be stolen, but no one really thought it would happen.

“It’s a small town and we thought people would be looking out for them,” she said.

The police have not informed the group about any potential leads, she said, adding that there was not any video of the thief that she knows of nor were the benches bolted down to the ground.

Juan Vazquez, a spokesperson for the Vienna Police Department, said that the department cannot comment on the case since it is an ongoing investigation.

Mary Ellyn Perkowski painted the floral bench with pink and purple flowers against a black background. Named “Spring,” the bench “was inspired by a bed of tulips she had photographed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna,” according to a Vienna Arts Society newsletter.

It is one of 42 other benches placed around the Town of Vienna.

Kennedy said that Perkowski plans to paint another bench similar in design to the stolen one. It is unclear when the replacement will be finished or where they will place it.

Kenneth Britz, the artist of another bench, published an open letter in the Sun-Gazette on behalf of the organization condemning the theft.

“It is also an affront to the town and a show of blatant disrespect to its residents and visitors,” Britz wrote.

Photo via Susan Scanlon

The annual Cops & Kids Fun Run will soon return to the Town of Vienna.

Scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 22, this free athletic event gives community members the chance to get to know members of the Vienna Police Department while enjoying various festivities.

The police department has arranged for family-friendly activities including police motorcycle and helicopter tours, a dunk-a-cop dunk tank, food, an obstacle course and a mile-long run.

The event will be held at the Vienna Elementary School (128 S. Center Street). Registration is now open, and the first 300 kids to register will receive a t-shirt and goody bag.

This community outreach tradition began in the ’90s but was recently revitalized.

“After a break of more than a decade, in 2016 Chief Morris assembled a team to revive the beloved community event with hopes of making it bigger and better than ever,” according to the event website.

The 2019 COPS AND KIDS FUN RUN registration is now open. Go to the website https://t.co/EO4QkelEk1 for more information. pic.twitter.com/cdDFtIXTVm

— Town of Vienna Police (@VPDVA) August 12, 2019

Photo via Vienna Police Department

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Aug. 13)

• Stray Cats 40th Anniversary Tour — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — The band will celebrate its 40-year anniversary with a performance. Tickets start at $35.

Wednesday (Aug. 14)

• Wednesday West Coast Swing Lessons and Dance — 8 p.m. at Latin Dancer Studio (1057 W. Broad Street, Suite 221) — This event invites newbies and seasoned dancers alike to join lessons and an open dance floor later in the evening. Tickets are $15 for a lesson or just $10 after 10 p.m. for the social dance.

Thursday (Aug. 15)

• Karaoke Thursday! — 8-11 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) — This locally owned distillery opens their doors for patrons to come to sing and enjoy some spirits.

Friday (Aug. 16)

• The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and Lumen Jingos — 8 p.m. at the Jammin Java (227 E. Maple Avenue) — The bands take to the stage for an evening of live music. Both bands have been described as “psychedelic.” Tickets are $25.
• McLean Famers Market — 8 a.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bride Road) — This event will feature fresh veggies and food from local vendors.

Saturday (Aug. 17)

• Family Bingo Party With Food for Others — noon-3 p.m. at Brandbox Lounge at Tysons Corner Center — Food for Others will host an event to raise awareness for their cause while attendees play games and win prizes.

Photo via The Slambovian Circus of Dreams/Facebook

The history room at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in the City of Falls Church will temporarily close beginning Sunday, Aug. 18.

The closure comes after the city’s decision to revamp the room, which officials said is not in a position to meet the growing demand, into a “larger, more prominent” space at the aging library (120 N. Virginia Avenue).

The renovation includes adding 3,174 square feet, along with new features that will ensure a quieter and more comfortable experience for visitors.

“The new room will also again have regular weekly hours to encourage drop-ins and generally increase access,” the website said.

While the renovations are taking place, the files and documentation will be placed in storage and won’t be available for public access until the renovation is completed in late 2020 or early 2021. However, people can still search for photos, death notices and obituaries online.

By 2033, the library’s website said it expects more than 35,000 people to take advantage of the sources available in the history room.

FYI: the @mrsplfc Local History Room is closing to the public on Aug. 18 in preparation for the Expansion & Renovation project. The Local History Digital Collection will still be online. Details: https://t.co/8IP1W8Gd9F pic.twitter.com/5fjJG22Zhi

— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) August 6, 2019

Image via City of Falls Church

After almost 10 years of sweet service, the founder of Danielle’s Desserts has decided to close the bakery so that she can focus on her family and health.

Founded in 2010 by Danielle Poux, the bakery will serve up Southern-style desserts in Tysons Galleria until next Friday, Aug. 16.

“The business, as much as I’ve enjoyed it, has taken a physical toll on me,” Poux said.

Now that she is almost 60 years old, she said spending 14 hours each day on her feet isn’t healthy for her anymore.

After meeting with a few of her managers a couple of months ago, they decided that a closing date would allow current employees enough time to arrange other career opportunities while also adequately wrapping everything up on the business end.

When Danielle’s Desserts announced that it was going to close, Poux said that the shop received hundreds of phone calls from customers expressing their dismay.

Looking back over the last nine years, Poux said that she took requests from customers and made adjustments to her menu based on feedback.

Poux recalled when she received several requests from a man who wanted a basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting — an option she hadn’t thought to offer at first because she thought it might be boring. When she gave the cake a trial period, she said it “flew out of the shop” and became a bestseller.

“I think the important thing that I’ve learned, it has come to my attention, that we have had an impact on people,” Poux said. “It’s like being a part of their important family events — and that’s an honor to me.”

Photo courtesy Danielle Poux

A new tavern coming to Vienna will cater to beer lovers and W&OD Railroad Regional Park visitors.

Construction on the upcoming Bear Branch Tavern, owned by Chris Lefbom and Adam Lubar, began last week after city officials gave the green light on June 20. The faculty will serve a full restaurant menu, cocktails and more than 20 draft beers, Lefbom said.

Located at 133 E. Maple Avenue, the tavern will offer a large variety of amenities for patrons including two bars, a patio, indoor and outdoor fire pits, an oyster bar, frozen drink machines, bike racks as well as water coolers for people along the nearby W&OD trail.

“We took over an old bank so we decided to keep the framed drive-thru area and turn it into a three season-enclosed porch area with operable windows,” co-owner Chris Lefbom said.

The owners hope to open the tavern for operation in February 2020. Lefbom said that they will have “a little more clarity on the menu” once they hire a chef, which they are still in the interview process for.

“Adam and I have lived in Northern Virginia since we were toddlers and have always loved the small-town feel of Vienna,” Lefbom said. “We feel the area could use the addition of a neighborhood tavern and we love being next to the W&OD trail in the heart of Vienna.”

Image via Google Maps, second image via Vienna Planning Commission

Distilleries across the county are fighting a looming tax raise they say threatens their existence — and one Falls Church distillery is joining the fray.

Michael Paluzzi owns Falls Church Distillers and is currently petitioning Congressmembers to pass a bill that would freeze current tax rates in place before they expire at the end of the year.

If the tax rates expire, distilleries across the nation could see a spike in liquor production costs, possibly causing some local distilleries to nix plans for expansion or even close.

In an attempt to prevent that, Paluzzi gathered with more than 160 other distillery owners for a conference in D.C. last month to discuss dilemmas in the industry, set up congressional visits with senators and find a way to stop the federal tax increase.

Legislation and Numbers

The conference was held in conjunction with the American Craft Spirits Association, a non-profit organization consisting of distillery owners and stakeholders, along with the Distilled Spirits Council.

The association is one of the interest groups spearheading legislation to keep the current Federal Excise Tax.

Currently, the Federal Excise Tax rate for liquor is $2.70 per gallon. But, it will rise to $13.50 on Dec. 31 if no one acts.

It may be too late to get the law passed as an individual piece of legislation before the deadline, the association’s CEO Margie Lehrman told Tysons Reporter.

To work around this problem, the group hopes to instead piggy-back it onto other legislation set to be voted on, as a rider bill. She said because of support from over 272 cosponsors, the group is fairly confident this idea will work.

Impact on Local Business

“It is not a Republican bill. It’s not a Democrat bill. The entire alcohol industry is united,” Lehrman said.

Lehrman said she is fairly optimistic about the legislation passing as a “tax vehicle,” since the legislation has traction from over 70 senators around the country. However, Paluzzi worries that legislators will misunderstand the impact of the taxes on small companies.

Paluzzi said that legislators don’t want to be seen giving tax breaks to large distillery companies like Jack Daniels. “This [tax break] means nothing to them and everything to us,” Paluzzi said.

With the tax breaks from the federal government, Paluzzi was able to reinvest in his own business by hiring two new team members. “Any tax relief I was given was more than made up for in the local economy.”

As of 2010, there were fewer than 50 craft spirit producers in the U.S., Lehrman said. Now in 2019, there are over 2,000 — many of them still young companies.

Paluzzi said that it takes three to five years for distilleries to start making even a small profit because of high startup costs.

“This tax relief, for many, was a type of lifeline,”  Lehrman said.

Cultural Importance 

Both Lehrman and Paluzzi spoke to the cultural and historical value of distilleries.

Since the founding of Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) in 2017, Paluzzi and his son, Lorenzo, make various types of craft vodka, whiskey, gin, rum and brandy.

Rooted in their love for liquor, they are also proud of the history behind the distillery. Not only is it the only privately owned distillery in Fairfax County, but it was also the first to open in the area since prohibition ended in 1933.

Lehrman told Tysons Reporter that craft distilleries are becoming increasingly popular among millennials.

“If we wanna think about a product that’s made in America, there is nothing more demonstrative of innovation,” Lehrman said.

Next Steps

Currently, the bill is in the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Though no-one can say for certainty what the outcome will be, Paluzzi said he and other distillers will continue to network with other distillers and politicians while spreading awareness for this issue.

Paluzzi said that liquor has a “historical disadvantage” when it comes to the federal tax rate, and he wants to see “permanence and parity” with that of wine and beer.

“Virginia is the birthplace of distilleries,” Paluzzi said.

Image courtesy Michael E. Paluzzi

A new program for older adults offers the opportunity to try out various forms of art and expression.

ArtsFairfax paired with Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) to design a series of tutorial classes led by artists. Though these classes are spread out through the Northern Virginia region, the Lewinsville Senior Center (1613 Great Falls Street) will host a series of improvisation classes for onstage performance.

“The new program is an off-shoot program from the annual Creative Aging Festival, which celebrates the positive effects the arts and creative engagement have on older adults,” the ArtsFarifax website said.

The improv classes will be led by Heidi Fortune Picker on Wednesdays from 12:45-1:45 p.m. starting on Aug. 15. The program will conclude on Oct. 30.

These classes are available to anyone who is 50 or older and a member at the center.

If someone does not hold a membership, they can apply for one. Memberships can costs $24 to $48 a year, depending on household income.

Other classes throughout the region will be held at the Sully Senior Center (14426 Albemarle Point Place), South County Senior Center (8350 Richmond Hwy, Suite 325) and Lincolnia Senior Center (4710 N. Chambliss Street).

Update at 3:25 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has just been issued and is in effect through 4:15 p.m.

More from the National Weather Service:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING…

* UNTIL 415 PM EDT.

* AT 324 PM EDT, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BULL RUN, OR NEAR CENTREVILLE, MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD…60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.

IMPACT…DAMAGING WINDS WILL CAUSE SOME TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES TO FALL. THIS COULD INJURE THOSE OUTDOORS, AS WELL AS DAMAGE HOMES AND VEHICLES. ROADWAYS MAY BECOME BLOCKED BY DOWNED TREES. LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. UNSECURED LIGHT OBJECTS MAY BECOME PROJECTILES.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… ARLINGTON, ALEXANDRIA, CENTREVILLE, RESTON, ANNANDALE, SPRINGFIELD, SOUTH RIDING, HERNDON, FAIRFAX, VIENNA, FALLS CHURCH, MANTUA, PIMMIT HILLS, AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE, MCLEAN, POTOMAC, BURKE, LINTON HALL, OAKTON AND CHANTILLY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BUILDING.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Centreville VA, Reston VA, McLean VA until 4:15 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/lK3sIwKTX3

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 7, 2019

Earlier: Fairfax County is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 8 p.m. this evening (Wednesday).

The watch went into effect around 2 p.m. today and the National Weather Service warns of heavy rain, hail and potentially damaging winds.

According to the National Weather Service:

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE, WITH DAMAGING  WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN COULD ALSO CAUSE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT OF FLOODING, MAINLY IN THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA AND LOCATIONS THAT HAVE RECENTLY RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for areas in red (including the Baltimore and Washington metro areas) until 8 PM today. Storms may produce damaging winds and large hail. Find shelter if warnings are issued or threatening weather approaches. pic.twitter.com/8elR0p5k1o

— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) August 7, 2019

File photo

This Saturday, there will be a puppy party at Tysons Corner Center.

Attendees will get to play with puppies from two different litters. Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (WTAR) will host the event in coordination with BrandBox on Saturday, Aug. 10, from noon-3 p.m.

“Come by and meet some of the adorable faces that have been rescued, hear their story, and you’ll be sure to get quite a few licks in exchange,” a WTAR press release said.

The event will take place in BrandBox’s community lounge on the first level of Tysons Corner Center. Admission is $5 and will act as a donation to WTAR.

WTAR helps to find reliable and safe homes for shelter animals in the Northern Virginia region.

The puppies at this event will be available for adoption at WTAR’s “Clear the Shelters” event on Saturday, Aug. 17.

“This nationwide event has assisted in finding homes for more than 250,000 pets since 2015,” the press release said.