Veterans Day is tomorrow, marking the 104th anniversary of the official end of combat in World War I.
Government offices for Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and the towns of Vienna and Herndon will be closed for the federal holiday, which extends to Fairfax County Public Schools students and the court system.
Notably, the COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Fairfax County Government Center will be closed for the day. The county has scaled back its hours of operation, starting this week.
What to do
Commemorative events have been planned throughout the area to recognize those who have served in the military, including a full weekend of activities at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir.
Those looking to attend a ceremony will have several local options:
- Herndon: 11 a.m. on the Town Green, sponsored by American Legion Post 184
- Fairfax City: 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Upper Ballroom of the American Legion (3939 Oak Street)
- Great Falls: 11 a.m. to noon at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial behind Great Falls Library
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon: events throughout the day with free admission for all active, former and retired military service members
For anyone hoping to get outdoors, Veterans Day is one of the National Park Service’s five annual fee-free days, when admission is free for all visitors, including at Great Falls Park.
Trash and recycling
Fairfax County won’t have any changes to its trash and recycling collection schedule, and recycling and disposal centers at the I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex will remain open. Department of Public Works and Environmental Services administrative offices will be closed through the weekend.
The county advises residents served by private haulers are advised to contact those companies directly.
Trash collection in Vienna and Herndon will also happen as usual, but Fairfax City is picking up Thursday and Friday routes today. Curbside yard waste collections in the city could be delayed through Saturday (Nov. 12).
Transportation
Metrorail will follow its standard weekday schedule, with stations operating from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Metrobus, however, will use a Saturday supplemental schedule, meaning that not every route will be operating.
“MetroAccess paratransit service will operate regular service. On the holiday, scheduled recurring ‘subscription trips’ are automatically canceled,” the Metro alert says.
Fairfax Connector will provide holiday weekday service tomorrow.
Fairfax City’s CUE bus system will have modified weekday service.
Community centers
The McLean Community Center will close tomorrow, though its Old Firehouse Center for teens will be open.
The Reston Community Center’s Hunters Woods and Lake Anne facilities will both be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Herndon will close its community center for the holiday, while Vienna’s will follow a modified schedule of 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Libraries, Parks and Recreation
Fairfax County Public Library follows the same holiday schedule as the county government, so all branches will be closed Friday.
The Fairfax County Park Authority’s rec centers will be open, with people who currently or have served in the U.S. armed forces getting free admission for the day.
Park closures include the historic sites at Colvin Run Mill and Sully, Green Spring Gardens, all nature centers, and the visitor center at Riverbend Park. Frying Pan Farm Park’s farm and indoor arena will be open, but not the visitor center.
Editor’s Note — FFXnow is also taking a day off tomorrow for Veterans Day, but we’ll be back to our regular publishing schedule next week.
Tysons residents will have to wait a little longer to bite into Bonchon’s crunchy, double-fried chicken — at least without venturing to Fairfax, Annandale, Reston and beyond.
The Korean fried chicken chain won’t open its upcoming location at 8603 Westwood Center Drive until March, a public relations representative told FFXnow.
Bonchon anticipated a May 2022 opening when it announced plans for a 2,600 square-foot restaurant in Tysons in September 2021. Though the company didn’t provide a reason for the delay, many new businesses have seen their rollouts slowed by supply chain and staffing challenges during the pandemic.
Started in South Korea in 2002, Bonchon expanded to the U.S. in 2006 and now has over 100 American locations, including five sites in Fairfax County and one in Fairfax City. A location on Old Pickett Road in Fairfax never reopened after closing when COVID-19 hit in March 2020.
Located off of Route 7 near the Spring Hill Metro station, the restaurant is on the ground floor of an office complex that will also add Shawaya, a restaurant and cafe that will serve Arabian cuisine.
Shawaya will be located in Suite 140 at 8605 Westwood Center Drive. Attempts to reach the business were unsuccessful.
Live Fairfax is a bi-weekly column exploring Fairfax County. This recurring column is sponsored and written by Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney Associates. Questions? Reach Sharmane at 813-504-4479.
It’s that time of the year, it’s Pie Time!
On the hunt for the perfect pie in Fairfax County, we surveyed several community groups that lead us to these Top Three Pies.
Pie Gourmet (Vienna)
A true fan favorite throughout all the communities. Established in 1987, Pie Gourmet prides itself on using fresh local produce and the perfect mix of herbs and spices.
Whisked! (Always available at Mom’s Organic Market, Mosaic)
These homemade pies are made with fresh ingredients and each one has a special twist that makes it unique yet still traditional. I first experienced Whisked! amazingness at a local fresh market, which just happens to be where it all started.
Mom’s Apple Pie Company (Occoquan)
Since 1982, Mom’s Apple Pie Co. has definitely made a true brand with 3 locations in Virginia. Through a partnership with Lost Corner Farmer, you are guaranteed to fall in love with the true freshness and flavor of each bite.
Make sure to watch the video of the Pie Taste Challenge with these 3 amazing pie spots. Hope you have a chance to taste the goodness for yourself and enjoy this Thanksgiving season.
Explore Fairfax with Sharmane Medaris of McEnearney.
Sharmane Medaris | Live Fairfax | www.soldbysharmane.com | [email protected] | @soldbysharmane | 813-504-4479 | 374 Maple Avenue Suite 202, Vienna, VA 22180
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
It’s going to be a busy Saturday for Settle Down Easy Brewing. In addition to marking its fourth anniversary, the Merrifield area brewery will throw a grand opening party for its new Oakton restaurant and bar from noon to 8 p.m.
Replacing the shuttered Austins Big and Tall store in Hunter Mill Plaza at 2952E Chain Bridge Road, The Oakton Tasting Room is envisioned as not just a place to grab dinner and drinks, but as the kind of hangout spot that Settle Down Easy owner Frank Kuhns says is missing from Oakton — despite nearly 37,o00 people calling it home.
“In Oakton, there’s one zip code — 22184 — and we are going to promote that and the level of how proud you are to be a resident of Oakton,” Kuhns told FFXnow. “We’re going to create this family-friendly, energetic, exciting space for the residents of Oakton, but everyone is welcome of course. We want Oakton to have its own special place to call its own.”
A resident of Oakton himself, Kuhns started looking to expand Settle Down Easy at his wife’s suggestion. As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased, the couple was looking to go out for wine and appetizers but noticed a dearth of happy hour options in the area compared to nearby Vienna and Fairfax.
They hope The Oakton Tasting Room will fill that void, with a still-casual yet more refined ambiance than the industrial feel of Settle Down’s existing brewery at 2822 Fallfax Drive.
Opened in 2018, the Merrifield location serves food from a taco stand run by El Tio Tex-Mex Grill, but it primarily focuses on brewing, manufacturing five barrels of craft beer at a time to serve at a 40-seat bar.
The Oakton Tasting Room will be as much a restaurant as a brewery. Along with beer, it will offer wine, cider, and food for both lunch and dinner in a collaboration with local farmer’s market staple, The Fermented Pig, whose handcrafted meats and charcuterie boards made an impression at earlier events with Settle Down Easy.
An official menu isn’t available online yet, since it will likely evolve as the restaurant figures out what works and what doesn’t. However, all ingredients will be sourced from farms within a 100-mile radius, according to Kuhns.
“We want to be hypersensitive to our carbon footprint, we want to respectful to the environment, and we want to provide something to support other local businesses within 75 to 100 miles of our Oakton Tasting Room,” he said.
At nearly 4,000 square feet in size, the tasting room has the capacity for 150 customers. While there’s no outdoor seating at the moment, Kuhns says they hope to work with their landlord to add that next summer.
Nods to Oakton will range from black-and-white photos in the bathrooms showing the area’s history to a beer exclusively available at the tasting room called 123, after Route 123. Settle Down already serves a 2 Cloud 9 beer in Merrifield, reflecting its location near Route 29.
Expected to draw a sizable crowd, The Oakton Tasting Room’s grand opening will include a ribbon-cutting, cake at 3 p.m., and surveys of food and drink offerings. Merrifield patrons can get in on the excitement too: the first 50 customers who get a beer at both locations that day will receive a free gift and a commemorative coaster.
After inflation, supply chain issues and increased personnel expenses doubled the cost of the Oakton buildout from what was planned, Settle Down has no immediate plans to expand further, but the team is considering ways to help its Merrifield location stand out.
“I think probably in early 2024, we will look for the next venture for Settle Down Easy,” Kuhns said. “…That could be us doing a manufacturing warehouse. That could be a collaborative partnership with The Fermented Pig. We don’t know yet, but I know we want to continue to grow, so our plan in the next two years is to have more growth for our business in Virginia.”
Last Day to Compete for Silver Line Tickets — The deadline to win one of 50 “Silver Tickets” to ride the first train on Metro’s extended Silver Line is 5 p.m. today. The tickets will go to 50 customers who share their favorite Metro story while tagging @wmata and using #YourMetroMemory. [WMATA/Twitter]
McLean Double Murder Conviction Vacated — A judge vacated Megan Hargan’s conviction yesterday after her attorneys alleged a juror “had inappropriately used her own rifle at home to test out evidence.” Hargan was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found her guilty of killing her mother and sister at their McLean home in 2017. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office intends to retry the case. [The Washington Post]
No Injuries in Herndon House Fire — “Lieutenant Adrian Cubbage provided a brief update on the house fire earlier today in the 800 block of Winterhaven Place in the @TownOfHerndon. No reported injuries. Fire Investigators to determine cause of fire.” [FCFRD/Twitter]
Fairfax Man Sentenced in Child Porn Case — “A Fairfax man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for attempted production of and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, Brian Scott McGalem, 24, repeatedly engaged in sexually explicit discussions with at least six minors where he attempted to persuade several of the victims to produce sexually explicit pictures of themselves and send them to him.” [DOJ]
County Board Drafts Legislative Package for General Assembly — “Education is a top priority and supervisors want the state to fully fund its public-education obligations, including ‘costs of competing’ funds in more expensive parts of the commonwealth, such as Fairfax County, Walkinshaw said. Transportation funding also is a key imperative.” [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]
Ribbon Cut on Tysons Pedestrian Bridge — “The Virginia Department of Transportation and Fairfax County celebrated a joint effort today to construct a crucial new link for bicyclists and pedestrians… ‘With the opening of the Tysons/Old Meadow Road Bridge, we are realizing our vision of a walkable and bikeable Tysons,’ said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay.” [VDOT]
Free Rec Center Admission for Veterans — “The Fairfax County Park Authority will join in the national commemoration of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, by offering free admission to the Rec Centers to those who serve and have served in the U.S. Armed Forces…That includes admission to pools, fitness rooms, gyms and racquetball courts at the county’s nine recreational facilities.” [FCPA]
Vienna Homeowner to Fix Collapsing House — The proposed demolition of a dilapidated house on Beulah Road has been indefinitely deferred after Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn shared last week that the property owner is obtaining permits “to remedy the situation.” Vacant since 2016, the house “has been deteriorating” and is “the site of illegal dumping,” county officials said. [Sun Gazette]
It’s Thursday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 65 and low of 47. Sunrise at 6:47 am and sunset at 5:00 pm. [Weather.gov]
The winter holiday season is kicking off in Tysons next week with a holiday tree lighting ceremony, featuring an appearance from Santa.
The event is planned to include Santa lighting the tree, a few musical performances, complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate, and more. The event is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18, from 6-8 p.m. in The Plaza section of Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road).
The event is free and open to the public, with prior registration not required.
According to the mall’s website:
Tysons Corner Center will bring the community together to join Santa in kicking off our 2022 Holiday Season. Programming will include Santa lighting the Holiday tree, community performances, words from our Fairfax County Executives, complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate bar, giant snow globe, pop-up Holiday market featuring our Retailers, custom beverages by Barrel + Bushel, holiday music, giveaways, and more.
With most incumbents running away to victory, it appears that Fairfax County’s voter turnout for the general election this year will fall short of the 2018 midterms.
About 53% of registered, active county voters took part in this year’s midterm elections, per Fairfax County election officials. That’s about 16 percentage points off from the midterms four years ago. It’s also lower than last year’s gubernatorial election, which had a 60% turnout.
In total, 391,361 ballots have been counted so far in Fairfax County, election officials said.
Turnout numbers remain unofficial. Ballots put into drop boxes will be counted today, while additional mail ballots can continue to arrive until noon Monday (Nov. 14).
Absentee mail and in-person voting rose this election cycle compared to 2018, with 130,350 residents voting early this year — just under 18% of active, registered voters in the county. That’s about 44,000 more people than in 2018, when 12% of voters made their decisions early.
Last year, 174,641 county residents, or about 24% of voters, cast ballots by mail or early in person.
With Fairfax County staying reliably blue, the lack of competitive Congressional races on the ballot may have contributed to the lower turnout compared to other recent elections. Based on the preliminary results, all but one local incumbent — Herndon Town Councilmember Signe Friedrichs — appears to have held their job.
Don Beyer (D) secured victory in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District with 73% of the vote with most precincts reporting. The district includes about 282,000 residents of Fairfax County, where Beyer secured 69% of the vote — about three percentage points lower than what he got in 2018.
The re-elected Congressman tweeted out a statement just before 9 p.m. last night, thanking voters for “again putting their confidence in me.”
Grateful to voters in Northern Virginia for again putting their confidence in me to represent them in the House of Representatives. Their trust in me is humbling, and I will continue to do all I can to earn it. My statement: pic.twitter.com/mJCE2SNk03
— Don Beyer (@DonBeyerVA) November 9, 2022
In the 11th Congressional District, Gerry Connolly (D) won his eighth term in office with 66% of the vote overall, with all but two precincts reporting.
The 11th District is almost entirely in Fairfax County, covering about 585,000 residents. That includes Lorton, Burke, Fairfax, Chantilly, Vienna, Tysons, Reston, and most of Springfield and Herndon.
Like Beyer, Connolly didn’t fare quite as well this year in Fairfax County as he did in 2018, with 66% of the vote compared to 70% four years ago.
“Representing Virginia’s 11th congressional district is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Connolly wrote in a statement to FFXnow. “I want to thank Northern Virginians for once again putting their trust in me and I will never stop fighting for our shared progressive values.”
We are Victorious! Thank you to all the voters, committees, supporters, and especially the volunteers for making the campaign this year a tremendous success in the midterms! I’m proud to represent and truly serve the people of Northern VA once again! #2022Midterms #election2022 pic.twitter.com/1qEZotMuzk
— Gerry Connolly (@ElectConnolly) November 9, 2022
The county’s closest Congressional race came in the 10th District, where Jennifer Wexton (D) got re-elected for a second term with 52.9% of the vote compared to Republican challenger Hung Cao’s 46.95%.
Wexton represents about 14,500 Fairfax County residents, mostly around Clifton, which make up only 2.5% of the district. Among that small slice of the electorate, Wexton’s victory was even tighter with her only winning 48 more votes than Cao.
Wexton previously represented more county residents, but redistricting pushed the district further south and changed that.
THANK YOU, #VA10!
Watch my remarks with #TeamWexton supporters in Ashburn here
https://t.co/BjKvmC6qsA pic.twitter.com/vwfipvM9hf
— Jennifer Wexton (@JenniferWexton) November 9, 2022
In a statement to FFXnow, Wexton said she’s “honored” for being re-elected while noting there’s a “fight ahead of us, and it’s a fight we must win.”
I chose public service because I believed I could make a difference in the lives of kids and families in my community, and I’m honored that the people of Virginia-10 have trusted me with another opportunity to continue delivering progress and positive results for our district.
After being stuck in a pandemic, with the burden of rising prices, and in what feels like an increasingly divisive political climate – we’re moving again. I’m proud that we’ve made progress to get the economy back on track and get people back to work, fight inflation and lower prices, and bring our communities together around the issues that matter most. And there’s still work to do.
We have a fight ahead of us, and it’s a fight we must win. From attacks on our fundamental freedoms to undermining our very democracy, there is real fear about the direction of our country. But seeing the passion and determination of Virginians of all backgrounds and walks of life come out during this campaign to fight for the values they believe in — the values that make this country great — I’m more confident than ever that our brightest days are ahead.
An even tighter race came in Herndon, where seven candidates jockeyed for six seats on the town council. Only 101 votes currently separate the highest vote-getter from the lowest, with incumbents Naila Alam, Cesar del Aguila, and Pradip Dhakal appearing to secure re-election.
Challengers Clark Hedrick, Keven LeBlanc Jr, and Donielle Scherff seem to have pushed out Friedrichs, though the margins are close enough that the results could change as outstanding ballots are counted.
Herndon, while results are still coming in, it appears clear that you have entrusted me with a seat on the Herndon Town Council. Thank you, I won’t let you down. Let’s bring #HerndonTogether.
— Clark Hedrick for Herndon Town Council (@HerndonTogether) November 9, 2022
Herndon also gave incumbent Sheila Olem a second term as mayor. She drew 41% of the vote, while challengers Sean Regan and Jasbinder Singh received 38% and 20%, respectively.
The election results won’t be made official and certified until after Monday next week, when all mail-in ballots are counted.
This biweekly column is sponsored by The Mather in Tysons, Virginia, a forward-thinking Life Plan Community for those 62 and better.
How do you Age Well? There are so many avenues for pursuing personal wellness, it can be overwhelming. Yet it’s so fulfilling to try something — whether an exercise class or a new habit — that instantly “rings true” with you.
One option you might not have considered is the growing trend of sound wellness. Sound wellness refers to using audio — including music, acoustic resonance, and/or vibration — to boost our well-being. You might play a specific song to change your mood, take in a crystal singing bowls experience, or use a smartphone app like Endel on the Apple Watch to create a personalized, neuroscience-based playlist of sounds customized to your biofeedback and more, designed to optimize your day. All of these are examples of sound wellness.
Grounded in Science
Science has shown that sound has a profound effect on our physical health, mood, mental health and overall well-being. Much of this has to do with how our brains respond to sound, vibration and rhythm.
Developers and manufacturers are using this science to develop apps, products and programs to harness sound therapies for a variety of uses, including:
- to relieve stress
- to promote creativity or boost productivity
- to trigger rest, recovery or sleep
- to manage pain
Researchers are even studying the effects of sound on cancer cells!
Sounding It Out
Mather is a not-for-profit organization with three senior living communities and plans to open The Mather, a Life Plan Community for those 62 and better, in Tysons in 2024. Over the past year, they’ve incorporated sound wellness into some resident offerings such as workshops on rhythm and percussion. “For Active Aging Week this year, we invited residents and staff in our Life Plan Community in Tucson to try experiences that incorporated sound wellness,” says William Wesley Myers, director of Wellness Strategies for Mather. “We facilitated a nature- and sound-bathing hike in a nearby canyon (see image at top of this article) that incorporated exercise and nature immersion, followed by a guided meditation with a crystal bowl sound-bathing component.” Sound bathing uses tone and vibration to resonate with the body, and may help with stress, fatigue and depression symptoms.
From sound-bathing sessions to smartphone apps, sound wellness and its proven health benefits seem to have a lot to offer.
The Mather, projected to open in Tysons, VA, in 2024 for those 62 and better, is a forward-thinking Life Plan Community that defies expectations of what senior living is supposed to be.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
A 57-year-old contractor from Centreville could face up to two decades in jail for using his custom home building company to defraud McLean homeowners.
Pedro Felipe Valdes Sanchez pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding “several couples” who hired his company to build or remodel their houses in and around McLean, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced.
Unfolding from at least May 2017 through April 2018, the scheme saw Valdes take money from customers who believed he would use it to perform contracted work on their properties, according to the Department of Justice:
In the end, Valdes performed minimal work on these customers’ homes, sometimes only demolishing the existing residence on the customers’ property. Valdes also convinced one customer to lend him money by misrepresenting his company’s financial situation. He sometimes used client funds for personal expenses and routinely used funds from one client to fund another client’s projects.
Valdes’s plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema and announced by U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber and FBI Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs.
Valdes could be given a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
“Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties,” the DOJ said in its news release.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 14, 2023.
Photo via Josh Olalde on Unsplash
ICYMI: Herndon Mayor Wins Reelection — “Mayor Sheila Olem will get a second term as mayor of the Town of Herndon after securing a narrow win against council members Sean Regan and Jasbinder Singh in today’s primary election.” [FFXnow]
Georgia Election Investigation Comes to Fairfax County — “Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican who represented Georgia, is scheduled to appear in a Fairfax County courtroom Wednesday morning to fight a demand that he testify before a Georgia special grand jury investigating possible attempts in that state to manipulate the 2020 presidential election.” [The Washington Post]
Doctor Pleads Guilty to Felony Drug Distribution Charges — “A doctor who was licensed to practice medicine in both D.C. and Virginia pled guilty Tuesday after giving a man in Fairfax County drugs despite neither examining him nor having an established doctor-patient relationship. The man then died days later of an overdose.” [WUSA9]
Fairfax Man Arrested for Reported Machete Assault — City of Fairfax Police responded at 1:35 p.m. on Oct. 29 to Patient First Urgent Care after two individuals allegedly assaulted two acquaintances with machetes, injuring their heads and hands. A 39-year-old man was arrested last week and faces multiple malicious wounding charges. [Fairfax City Police/Twitter]
Dunn Loring Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Seniors — “A man who lives in Dunn Loring and Florida pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud Monday in an elder fraud scam, according to federal prosecutors in Maryland…Prosecutors say Anderson and co-conspirators took at least $842,670 from 49 victims in the scheme.” [Patch]
See Election Day Blood Moon — Photographers captured an “ominous blood moon” over the D.C. area yesterday morning, a first for Election Day. “Photos from around the world showed the moon turning rusty shades of red — a phenomenon that occurs when the moon is in a total eclipse.” [The Washington Post]
Virginia Seeing Exodus of Teachers — “Virginia has more teachers leaving the workforce than newly licensed teachers entering it, according to a report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. Data show that 10,900 teachers left the workforce ahead of the current school year, while only 7,208 teachers with first-time licenses were hired.” [Virginia Mercury/Inside NoVA]
Tysons Library to Host Talk About Domestic Violence — “The first step in fighting domestic violence is getting educated. Visit our Tysons-Pimmit Regional branch on Monday, Nov. 14 to learn about the dynamics of domestic violence and how to support someone in a violent relationship.” [Fairfax County Public Library/Twitter]
Local Holiday Markets Incoming — “The holidays are fast approaching, which also means it’s time to embark on your search for gifts. Luckily, Fairfax County has no shortage of holiday markets this year, from Christmas villages to traditional markets to craft shows. Here’s where to find unique items for those you love — even if they’re the person who already has everything.” [Visit Fairfax]
It’s Wednesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 40. Sunrise at 6:46 am and sunset at 5:01 pm. [Weather.gov]
