Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected]
ViVA Vienna, the town fair, is my favorite event of the year.
Rides, games, fair food, street vendors and the entire town coming out to have fun. It’s glorious. It’s always hot, but the event takes place rain or shine (lighting is another story). If you’ve never been, please enjoy some of my favorite tips!
ViVa Vienna is made of rides for the kids — some for the smaller crew and some for the older crew who like faster/higher rides, usually games (knock down the clown, pop the balloon, fishing for a duck), vendors (arts, crafts, photos, local businesses), and fair food. Think meat on a stick, turkey legs and fried everything. It’s glorious and fun. They also have shows on the town green in the amphitheater.
You can buy tickets ahead of time (and they’re cheaper through Friday, May 27). This year you can buy an unlimited rider pass for $40 per day or a “mega pass” which is unlimited rides for all 3 days for $100 (if you buy before May 28), but the mega pass isn’t recommended for kids under 36″ tall.
This year they also have a Backstage BrewFest for the 21 and over crowd, held at the Vienna Firehouse. There will be live bands, beer, wine and food on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Here are my tips to make it as fun as possible:
- Bring water! Bring snacks if you don’t want to buy food. The kids (and adults) get hot and hungry and that’ll ruin anyone’s day.
- Saturday is the least crowded day because there are no vendors yet. It’s just food and rides/games. If you’re trying to avoid larger crowds, go on Saturday.
- Sunday/Monday is fun if you want to check out local vendors and companies. Many have fun things to check out, artwork to buy, and freebies to snag.
- Plan to use porta potties — the local businesses on Church Street shouldn’t be inundated by toilet-goers who are not patrons, but they will line the area behind Vienna Inn with bathrooms and likewise over by the Red Caboose.
- Bring cash for the games. Everyone’s going cashless these days, but these fair games still usually take cash and you can avoid the ATM fee.
The preceding sponsored post was also published on FFXnow.com
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Fairfax County is officially under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning this afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued the alert, which will last until 4:45 p.m. today (Monday).
Here’s more from NWS on the alert:
HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and half dollar 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.
The Fairfax Health District could potentially reach 200,000 COVID-19 cases by the end of May, if the ongoing surge in transmission continues at its current rate.
The district, which includes Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, reported another 408 cases today (Monday), bumping its total for the pandemic up to 193,824 cases.
Outdoor dining is here to stay in the Town of Vienna — except at 111 Church Street NW.
The new regulations that the Vienna Town Council agreed to after a public hearing on Wednesday (May 11) are mostly straightforward, simplifying the permitting process for permanent and seasonal outdoor dining while setting clear standards for the number of seats allowed, operating hours, and other considerations.
Fairfax County has gotten a little help from the federal government for its efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing.
The county was awarded a total of $8.9 million in grants and other funds by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced on Friday (May 13).
The funding comes from three different programs:
A centrally located yet awkward intersection in McLean is due for an overhaul, but with no funding identified yet, it’s unclear when work on the project will actually begin.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation shared earlier this month that, after roughly four years of study, it has settled on a final, preferred conceptual design for the intersection of Spring Hill and Lewinsville roads.
Board Chair “Saddened” by Buffalo Mass Shooting — “I am both saddened and angered over the senseless loss of life that took place in Buffalo, NY. The racial hate that reportedly motivated this horrific attack is inexcusable. I am keeping the victims and their families in my prayers.” [Jeff McKay/Twitter]
Nearly Half of Metrorail Operators Lapse Recertification — “Metro management is taking immediate corrective action to remove from service 72 train operators who became out of compliance prior to May 2021. This will result in a temporary reduction in Green and Yellow line service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes due to an operator shortage…Service impacts are expected to continue until the end of May.” [WMATA]
Police Investigate Deaths Near Robinson Secondary School — “Detectives are on the scene in the 10400 blk of Stallworth Ct. in Fairfax after officers discovered two deceased persons following a welfare check. Preliminarily, this appears to be a domestic-related incident. There is no known threat to the public at this time.” [FCPD/Twitter]
FCPS Considers Co-Ed Sex Education Classes — “An advisory committee recently approved a plan to mix boys and girls in grades 4-8 during Family Life Education instruction; a practice that is done in some area school systems but not in others…Board members are expected to discuss mixing-genders in Family Life Education classes as early as June.” [ABC7]
Area Eagles Suffer from Lead Poisoning — “Toxins in the environment, and especially lead, [Jeff Cooper] suspected, were hurting bald eagles in Virginia more than ecologists realized…The findings went beyond Cooper’s fears: Nearly half of bald and golden eagles in the United States, and in the D.C. region, have chronic lead poisoning.” [The Washington Post]
Person Shot in Mount Vernon Near Richmond Highway — Fairfax County police officers responded to Buckman Road and Janna Lee Avenue on Thursday (May 12) after a person was shot in the upper body by someone “seen pointing a silver handgun from an older model black Toyota Highlander.” The victim’s injuries were not considered life threatening, and police don’t believe it was a random act. [FCPD]
Couple Recalls Meet at Clyde’s in Reston — As Clyde’s prepares to close on Saturday (May 21) after 31 years at Reston Town Center, resident Kristin Simons reflects on having her first date with her now-husband at the restaurant. Since then, Clyde’s has become a go-to destination for the family for everything from brunches to work-related celebrations, she says. [Fairfax County Times]
Princess Diana Exhibit Comes to Tysons — “The new experience, called Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition, is said to be the world’s first-ever walk-through documentary by its creators…Tickets to the experience are now on sale…and the event’s first day open to the public will be on May 25 at Tysons Corner Center.” [WUSA9]
Tysons Pedestrian Bridge Falling into Place — “The perfect cure for a gloomy day? Check out the most recent progress pics of our new ped bridge over the Beltway in Tysons, opening this year!” [VDOT/Twitter]
It’s Monday — Rain in the afternoon and evening. High of 74 and low of 62. Sunrise at 5:57 am and sunset at 8:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
The weekend is almost here. Before you hop on a bicycle and hit the nearest trail, or head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on FFXnow this week:
Ideas for potential stories can be sent to [email protected] or submitted as an anonymous tip. Photos of scenes from around the county are welcome too, with credit always given to the photographer.
Fairfax County’s Merrifield Center has a new, slightly more descriptive name.
The Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health was officially christened at a dedication ceremony yesterday (Thursday), taking its name from the former Board of Supervisors chairman who helped develop the Diversion First initiative aimed at shifting people with mental health and substance use challenges to treatment instead of incarceration.
Fairfax County Public Schools didn’t get all the money it wanted, but its next budget still has room to address some key priorities, including staff compensation and efforts to reduce the system’s carbon footprint.
Adopted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (May 10), the county’s new budget for fiscal year 2023, which starts on July 1, trimmed $10 million from the $112.6 million increase in transfer funds sought by FCPS, officials reported to the school board earlier this week.
