Updated at 6:35 p.m. on 12/16/2021 — All performances of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” have been canceled due to illness, per the Town of Vienna.

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

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

Monday, Dec. 13

• Sweet Yonder and guests — 7:30 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) — An all-women bluegrass band brings Southern sounds with speed and flare. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.

Tuesday, Dec. 14

• Simple Lines — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at The McLean Textile Gallery (6819 Elm St.) — A new exhibit tied to the nonprofit Studio Art Quilt Associates features fiber art. It runs through Jan. 14.

Wednesday, Dec. 15

• Falls Church Santamobile — 6:30-9:30 p.m. throughout December (Dec. 15-19, with weather rescheduling if necessary from Dec. 20-23) — Track the Santamobile each night on the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page. Elves will distribute candy canes.
• Street Corner Symphony —  7:30 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) — An acapella group brings the holiday spirit following its NBC debut on the second season of “The Sing-Off” in 2010. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $22.

Thursday, Dec. 16

• “Traveling While Black” — noon-8 p.m. at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — A virtual reality movie shows participants’ part in the struggle for racial justice. One-hour appointments are available for the exhibit, which runs through Feb. 12.

Friday, Dec. 17

• Red Cross Blood Drive — 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the McLean Community Center — The American Red Cross Heart of Gold Foundation is seeking donors of all ethnicities to give blood. All donors will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.
• “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” — 7 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry St. SE) — Performances continue throughout December for this holiday musical from the Vienna Theatre Company, based on a story by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Cost is $15, but shortened, kid-friendly matinees on Saturdays and Sundays are $10.
• Family Trivia Night — 7-9 p.m. at the Old Firehouse (1440 Chain Bridge Road) — Enjoy unlimited popcorn and test your trivia skills. Preregistration is recommended. Cost is $5 for a family of four.

Saturday, Dec. 18

• Holiday Movie Pajama Party — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at ShowPlace ICON Theatre (1667 Silver Hill Drive) — Grab your pajamas and enjoyed holiday-themed music, goodie bags, a photo booth, and more, part of a movie marathon at The Boro’s movie theater. Cost is $8.
• Winter Village — noon to 5 p.m. at The PARC at Tysons (8508 Leesburg Pike) — A new community space is transformed into a winter wonderland, featuring a local holiday market and activities. Free.
• NVMR Holiday Open House — 1-5 p.m. at the Historic Vienna Depot (231 Dominion Rd. NE) — Take a look around Vienna’s historic train depot at the Northern Virginia Model Railroaders’ last open house of the year. Masks are required for everyone 2 and older, but social distancing can’t be guaranteed due to the building’s size.

Sunday, Dec. 19

• Santa at Neiman Marcus — noon to 7 p.m. at Neiman Marcus Tysons Corner (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — After featuring white Santas since its opening in 1988, the Tysons Corner Center department store will have its first Black Santa this weekend. A second event was added from 2-8 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 18), but photo reservations have been filling up fast.

Photo via Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department/Facebook

Let speculation about the future of the Sheraton Tysons Hotel begin, as the conclusion of a tax dispute that ended up in court could allow the property to move forward.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors agreed to accept a settlement agreement following a closed-door meeting on Tuesday (Dec. 7) to resolve lawsuits filed by the owner of the 449-room hotel (8661 Leesburg Pike), which permanently closed in April 2020.

Constructed in the mid-1980s, the Sheraton was one of a handful of union-run hotels in the Commonwealth, which contributed to higher operating costs, including for employee benefits.

Sheraton property owner JBG Smith, a Maryland-based real estate development and investment firm, filed lawsuits against Fairfax County in 2019 and 2020, contesting years-old property tax assessments.

The company’s lawyers argued that the county’s mass appraisal process failed to take the site’s higher operating costs into account. The suits had been headed for trials in 2022.

The county declined to comment on whether it has changed any appraisal policies or procedures due to the error. Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay’s office deferred questions to a county attorney, who cited a tax law, arguing settlement details couldn’t be released due to confidentiality.

The county also said the matter “remains in litigation.” The county suggested yesterday (Thursday) that the property’s assessments in 2016 and 2017 would be modified.

A county property database has stated the owner’s annual real estate taxes were around $252,092 for 2021.

Court records indicate that JBG Smith, identified as JBG Tysons Hotel LLC, sought compensation between $100,000 and $500,000 for each case.

Crescent Hotels & Resorts, which managed the Sheraton, issued a layoff notice for 171 workers, effective April 3, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the U.S. hospitality industry. Later that year, the hotel launched a liquidation sale of furniture and other items.

John Boardman, a representative for Unite Here Local 25, a union for D.C. area hospitality workers, said employees received closing pay as part of their now-expired collective bargaining agreement around six months ago.

“Our contract also provides that if all or part of the property is reopened as a hotel operation, then individuals who were formerly employed have a right to return to work in their previously held jobs,” Boardman said, adding that while the contract is no longer in force, the return-to-work provision runs in perpetuity.

The former Sheraton building occupies 5.8 acres of prime real estate off of Route 7 in Tysons West. JBG Smith has not publicly shared its future plans for the site, but rising property values could make it ripe for redevelopment.

Photo via Google Maps

Town of Vienna leaders agreed to replace dozens of trees on Nutley Street after a citizen raised concerns about several invasive ones there.

The citizen, who wishes to remain anonymous, is giving $20,000 to the town, which agreed yesterday (Monday) to replace 27 Bradford pear trees (also known as Callery pear trees). The trees, which produce white flowers and can reach 60 feet in height, frequently choke out native plants when birds eat and spread their fruit.

“South Carolina…actually offers a bounty on people…bringing Bradford pears in,” Bob Robinson, a member of the town’s Conservation and Sustainability Commission, told the Vienna Town Council during the meeting.

The town will replace the Bradford pear trees with trees native to Virginia, including black gum, honey locust, and willow oak.

Vienna Parks Maintenance Superintendent Jeremy Edwards said the replacement trees will start with a height of around 7 to 9 feet, noting that other smaller trees planted there two years ago are now about 10 feet tall. Once they adapt to the soil, the newcomers will grow much larger, he said.

Town officials also discussed putting up signage when crews replace the trees to help inform the public.

According to Leslie Herman, the town’s parks and recreation director, it will take about a month in between removing and replanting trees. The town will replace the trees by the end of fiscal year 2023.

The money will be used to “dismantle and remove the existing Bradford/Callery Pear trees that are currently located on the Nutley Street median. The donation will then be used for stump grinding, purchase, delivery, and planting the native trees, mulching, and other services,” according to town staff.

If money remains, the town will use it to replace Chinese pistache trees on Nutley Street with Virginia native trees and then Linden trees that are in poor health.

A unique documentary is coming to McLean with a message about the danger and injustice that Black people face in America — in the past and present.

The McLean Community Center is making the virtual reality experience “Traveling While Black” available to visitors for free in its lobby from Dec. 15 through Feb. 12.

“As we near Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month events, we hope our patrons will take the time to come learn with us and become change agents in creating the world that Dr. King envisioned in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” MCC executive director Daniel Singh said in a news release.

Providing 360 degrees of footage, the movie, which debuted in 2019 at the Sundance Film Festival, draws on a half-century of civil rights struggles for justice, framed through a conversation at D.C. mainstay Ben’s Chili Bowl.

“‘Traveling while Black’ is a term people use to illustrate that in America when you are Black and you are going from point A to point B, you are always at risk,” director Roger Ross Williams said in a statement. In 2010, he became the first Black director to win an Oscar, awarded for his short subject documentary, “Music by Prudence.”

“Traveling While Black” features Samaria Rice, who lost her 12-year-old son, Tamir, when police killed him in Cleveland in 2014 while he was playing in a park with a toy gun. The Justice Department said on Dec. 29, 2020 that there was insufficient evidence to file charges against officers.

The movie also includes civil rights leader Courtland Cox. Among his efforts to bring racial equality, he worked to create a political party in Lowndes County, Alabama, and helped people there register to vote in the 1960s. The county eventually elected its first Black sheriff in 1970.

People can sign up online for hour-long appointments at the McLean Community Center from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

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

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

Monday, Dec. 6

• Santa on the Antique Fire Engine — 5:30-6 p.m. daily throughout December — Jolly Old St. Nicholas spreads the holiday cheer, distributing candy canes, on daily runs with the McLean Volunteer Fire Department.

Tuesday, Dec. 7

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage — 7:30 p.m. at Capital One Hall (7750 Capital One Tower Road) — A new touring production featuring actors who sing music and dance comes to Capital One’s new performance venue. Tickets start at $39.50.

Wednesday, Dec. 8

• Holiday Tea & Sweets — 12:30-2 p.m. at St. Mark Catholic Church (9970 Vale Road) — Kick off the holiday season with treats and people ages 55 and up. Cost is $10.
• Virtual Health & Care Job Fair (Online) — 1-4 p.m. — Inova, Sunrise Senior Living, and more than 30 other employers from the health and caregiving industries will participate in this free job fair hosted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and Work in Northern Virginia. Register online in advance.

Thursday, Dec. 9

• Secret Things — 7:30 p.m. at 1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Road) — A journalist investigates mysterious tips in her hometown involving Mexican-Americans and Judaism. Tickets are $50 with steep discounts available. The show runs through Sunday (Dec. 12).

Friday, Dec. 10

• Mayor and Town Council Holiday Reception — 4-6 p.m. at Vienna Town Hall (127 Center Street S) — Enjoy refreshments while engaging with Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert and the town council in an informal, festive setting.
• Disney in December — 7 p.m. at George C. Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike) — The school’s student choir performs songs from Disney movie classics.  Shows also take place on Saturday at 1:30 and 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11

• Story Time with Santa — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Boro Park (8350 Broad St.) — Holiday stories, photos, hot cocoa, and more fill this free event, along with a Toys for Tots donation drive. The nonprofit Turning the Book will have a pop-up book store on the site from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Holiday Market — 12-5 p.m. at The PARC (8508 Leesburg Pike) — Take care of your holiday shopping list at this pop-up market of local artisans and small businesses from Celebrate Fairfax. The event is free, but food, drinks, and the merchandise aren’t. The market is indoors, so masks are required.

Sunday, Dec. 12

• Psychic Connections in Criminal Investigations — 1-2 p.m. at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike) — Meet Noreen Renier, a psychic investigator who has been featured on shows from “Larry King Live” to Court TV’s “Psychic Investigators.” A book signing follows her talk. Masks are required for the free event.

Developers broke ground last week on a project to construct new townhomes on part of Graham Park Plaza.

The project will bring 177 townhomes to the West Falls Church shopping plaza at 7271 Arlington Boulevard. The developer committed to having 22 of those in Fairfax County’s affordable dwelling unit program.

It’ll also redevelop the area with public greenspace, improved sidewalks, and bicycle facilities.

Bethesda-based developer EYA, which is also involved in several other projects in the Falls Church area, has sold 40 townhomes so far, and the next phase of sales will occur early next year, a spokesperson said.

“This project supports one of our key strategic objectives, to provide attainably priced homeownership options in a well-designed, walkable neighborhood,” Evan Goldman, an executive with EYA, said in a news release.

The three-story townhomes with an option for a fourth-story loft start in the mid-$600,000s.

Goldman participated in a groundbreaking ceremony last Wednesday (Dec. 1) with Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, and others, including representatives of property management firm Federal Realty, which has retained part of the plaza.

Federal Realty previously owned the entire plaza but sold 8 acres on the western side for $20.25 million in March to make way for the townhouse project. Several buildings on the eastern half of the plaza, including a Giant grocery store, were slated to remain for retail.

McKay said revitalization projects take a lot of creativity.

“It’s not just another development,” he said. “It’s revitalization and transformation of a part of the county where we need to continue that momentum.”

A volunteer group that describes itself as the “unofficial town council” for the McLean community is getting an encore for its 100-plus years of service.

The McLean Citizens Association celebrated the milestone during a meeting yesterday (Wednesday), highlighting ways the organization has helped make the area what it is today, such as by contributing to the founding of the McLean Community Center.

The organization’s first meeting was on Nov. 2, 1914 as the School and Civic League of McLean, and the group celebrated a century of work in 2014.

But MCA was incorporated on June 25, 1921, giving it another chance to recognize its past.

“It’s been over a 100 years since we’ve been incorporated, and there aren’t a lot of corporations…that last 100 years,” MCA President Rob Jackson said, crediting the organization’s historians, Merrily Pierce and Paul Kohlenberger, for bringing the date to the group’s attention.

MCA has sought to give residents a local voice and minimize the effects of rapid urbanization on the community’s identity, according to a 100-year anniversary booklet, “The Voice of McLean: One Hundred Years of the McLean Citizens Association,” available in the Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room.

The group was reincorporated in 1953 as the McLean Citizens Association with the tagline “the Voice of McLean.” Today, it continues to advocate for various civil, educational, and social interests, from hosting forums with public officials to weighing in on development in the greater McLean area.

According to Kohlenberger, MCA’s founding was driven by school needs.

When the Franklin Sherman School, which consolidated one-room schools in the area, opened in 1914, it lacked basic supplies. The League rallied to raise money to furnish a school auditorium, buy library books, help pave local roads, and further aid the community.

“The school was delivered, but there were no chalkboards, no books, nothing else for the students’ use,” Kohlenberger said. “That led to a tradition that we continue to this day: McLean Day.”

In 1922, the group’s civic leaders also helped launch the McLean Volunteer Fire Department and negotiated with Alexandria Power Co. to bring electricity to McLean, the booklet notes.

The power company brought a line from Falls Church and created a distribution center around a decade later. The station has undergone upgrades since then and can be seen at Chain Bridge Road and Westmoreland Street.

Other notable work by MCA, as detailed in the booklet, include:

• Opposing a 1957 interim Fairfax County plan eyeing McLean for a 60-acre shopping mall and apartment development, instead calling for such proposals to be located in Tysons
• Helping launch the McLean Community Center as the founding benefactor. It provided funding and part of its land to create it, notably in the ’60s and prior to a 1970 bond referendum.
• Helping steer county funds to create McLean Central Park and a former space there called the McLean Green at the apex of Route 123 and Old Dominion Drive
• Advocating for the county to focus on creating a park — instead of facilitating a 1969 residential development — that became the Scotts Run Nature Preserve
• Creating a committee in 1970 to preserve trees that later turned into the nonprofit McLean Trees Foundation in 2004
• Forming the nonprofit McLean Community Foundation in 1978 to provide philanthropic grants for community projects

Fairfax County residents looking for a new Christmas tree should still be able to find an evergreen for the holiday — for now.

Four Seasons Flower Market (6808 Elm Street) in McLean is just one of the local vendors where people can get holiday trees. Its lot was filled with trees as of yesterday (Tuesday), but a worker there expected them to sell out by mid-December.

Sellers across the country say interest in live trees has been high during another Christmas amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Anyone who wants one this holiday should make plans to purchase one very soon,” Michael Wallace, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said in an email.

The National Christmas Tree Association reported that last year, tree buyers tended to be younger than usual, urban areas saw an increase in purchases, and sales occurred earlier than they typically did.

While news outlets have reported a tree shortage, suggesting supply-chain issues are at play, one horticulture expert calls a “Christmas tree apocalypse” unlikely.

“Unlike toilet paper in the spring of 2020, real Christmas trees will not disappear,” Michigan State University horticulture professor Bert Cregg wrote.

The total number of Christmas trees cut has declined from 17.4 million in 2007 to less than 15.1 million in 2017, according to Census of Agriculture data, which was last released in 2019. The U.S. Department of Agriculture survey attributes the drop to fewer farms being in the business, with less acreage overall devoted to growing Christmas trees.

Industry statistics indicate that artificial tree sales have gone up in recent years, providing competition.

Beyond Four Seasons, the Tysons area and Fairfax County in general have several options for buying Christmas trees, including Merrifield Garden Center, DePaul’s Urban Farm in Vienna, and Meadows Farms, which has a nursery in Seven Corners.

The Optimist Club of Greater Vienna opened a tree sale lot in the Giant Foods shopping center on Maple Avenue on Saturday (Nov. 27), and Trinity United Methodist Church (1205 Dolley Madison Blvd.) in McLean will use proceeds from its tree sales to support its Scouts and youth programs.

Curiosity Doughnuts has closed its store located inside Whole Foods Market at The Boro.

The location closed last week due to “unforeseen circumstances” after operating there for years, serving ingredient-conscientious goods with colorful toppings and unique names.

“It’s been a great couple of years at this location and we appreciate all of our staff and customers immensely,” the owners said in a post on Facebook, noting that its locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are still in operation.

The store’s last day was Wednesday (Nov. 24), the day before Thanksgiving.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking to clarify what happened.

Curiosity Doughnuts also said it would close corresponding popups for its Tysons location but didn’t provide further details. It operated popups in a Whole Foods Market in Alexandria on the weekends.

The Boro — the mixed-use development emerging near the Greensboro Metro station — recently added coffee shop Bluestone Lane as its newest tenant. The restaurants Circa Bistro, El Bebe, and Caliburger are expected to open next year.

Meanwhile, an expansion that will extend The Boro to the north side of Westpark Drive is slated to add hundreds of residential units, a senior living facility, public parks, and more.

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

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

Monday, Nov. 29

• Church Street Holiday Stroll — 6-8:30 p.m. at Historic Church Street in Vienna — Check out local businesses in this annual event, which will feature live music and a tree lighting led by Vienna Mayor Linda Colbert.
• Celebrate the Lighting of the Trees — 6-7 p.m. at Mr. Brown’s Park (100 block of West Broad Street) in Falls Church — The City of Falls Church kicks off the holiday season with this annual tradition.

Tuesday, Nov. 30

• Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights — 5:30-10 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court) in Wolf Trap — Enjoy lights and holiday scenes in this annual transformation, which will stick around through Jan. 2. For those ages 2 and over, cost starts at $16.

Wednesday, Dec. 1

• “Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey” — 7 p.m. at The Alden at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — Enjoy twists on Christmas favorites with composer Damien Sneed, who has worked with late Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, and more. Tickets are $30 and discounted to $20 for MCC district residents.

Thursday, Dec. 2

• An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine — 8 p.m. at The Barns (1635 Trap Road) at Wolf Trap — Married duo Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist come together for Americana and holiday tunes. Tickets start at $27, and availability is expected to be limited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 3

• McLean Holiday Art & Crafts Festival — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave.) — Dozens of artisans participate in this juried show with items ranging from pottery to artisanal foods and more. Cost is $5 for the the entire three-day event.
• “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” — 7-8:30 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry St. Southeast) with performances throughout December — Based on the story by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, this musical from the Vienna Theatre Company will prepare you for the holiday season. Cost is $15, but shortened, kids-friendly matinees on Saturdays and Sundays are $10.

Saturday, Dec. 4

• ReinDog Parade — 8-9:30 a.m. at the Langley Shopping Center (1378 Chain Bridge Road) in McLean — Compete in and observe a quirky parade showcasing dogs dressed as reindeer. The annual event also features food and entertainment.
• Holiday Gift and Craft Show — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday at the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls St.) — Over 50 crafters and merchants will sell baked goods, handmade items, and more. Entertainment and raffles will occur on both days, with a Children’s Holiday Shoppe on Saturday. Admission is $1, covering both days.
• Holiday Gifting Event — 1-4 p.m. at Neiman Marcus in Tysons Galleria (2255 International Dr.) — The clothing department store kicks off its in-store holiday gifting season with a live DJ, a hot chocolate bar, an ornament and gift painter, and “passed bites” from its Epicure holiday sections.

Sunday, Dec. 5

• Journey from Afghanistan — 4-5:30 p.m. on Zoom — Tysons Interfaith continues its “Oneness” series with three Afghani women who advocate for peace, development, and women’s rights. They will discuss their journey to the U.S. and their work. Free.