A large-scale Korean cultural festival is being held in Tysons this weekend.
The 2018 KORUS festival is taking place Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7 in the parking lot outside Bloomingdales at Tysons Corner Center.
The event will feature food, music, cultural performances, vendors and more. It’s billed as “a celebration of the Korean American way of life, Korean heritage and culture, and the beauty of America’s diversity.”
“With close to 30,000 visitors and participation from over 50 vendors, retailers, and community groups; 20 performance artists; and more than 100 volunteers, the festival truly represents the Korean American community nationwide,” says the KORUS website.
More from event web page:
The 2018 KORUS Festival will be held at Tysons Corner Center and will be the perfect showcase for this fantastic journey!
The annual festival will be located in the Bloomingdale’s Parking Lot (by LL Bean, Bloomingdales and Le Pain Quotidien) and invites people of all ages and ethnicities will come together to celebrate the Korean American way of life, Korean heritage and view stunning cultural performances, demonstrations, contests, food offerings, arts & crafts, and so much more.
A new Thai restaurant recently opened in McLean.
Chiang Mai Thai Cookhouse is located at 6813 Elm Street, in the former Italian Deli space. It appears to have opened in August.
Offering Northern Thai cuisine and a frequently-changing menu, the restaurant is somewhat unique in its approach to dining in.
“We are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week,” Chiang Mai’s website says. “We accept walk-ins only; no reservations. We have a tiny dining room and can only seat groups of 4 or fewer.”
“Our dishes are served as family-style and will be sent to your table once they are made, in no particular order,” the website adds.
The listed business hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. on weekdays, and noon-9:30 p.m. on weekends.
So far reviews have been good, with 4.5 stars on Yelp.
“This was some mighty fine tasting Thai food, I actually love that the [desire] of the Chiang Mai Thai Cookhouse is to avoid fusion or American Thai food… and stick to the authentic favors as close as possible,” said one review. “I ordered the Kaosoi, northern Thai sausage, papaya salad and Nam prik oong. Every dish is well prepared, well cooked and well served.”
Photos via Chiang Mai Thai Cookhouse
Columbus Day in Fairfax County — Fairfax County government offices and schools will be closed and the Fairfax Connector will operate on a modified holiday schedule due to the Columbus Day holiday. Vienna Town Hall will also be closed. [Fairfax County, Fairfax Connector, Twitter]
Vienna Fund Raises Quarter Billion — Vienna-based Aldrich Capital Partners “has spent three years proving out its entrepreneur-driven investment thesis — and it just closed a $256 million outside fund to bring it to life.” [Washington Business Journal]
Tysons Company Makes Another Acquisition — “DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), the world’s leading independent, end-to-end IT services company, today announced the acquisition of argodesign, a nationally known product design consultancy based in Austin, TX.” [Business Wire, Fast Company]
New Coworking Space Coming to Tysons — “Short for the Brandywine Experience, the first Bex is set to open soon from ground-floor space at 8260 Greensboro Drive in Tysons, a nondescript, seven-story office building. It’s not big, at about 6,300 square feet, but Brandywine hopes it will have an outsized impact on occupancy rates across its Northern Virginia portfolio.” [Washington Business Journal]
Reminder: Voter Registration Deadline Approaching — “The deadline to update your voter registration information and register to vote is Monday, Oct. 15, for the upcoming Nov. 6 general election. There are 754,493 registered voters in Fairfax County, including 695,925 active registered voters.” [Fairfax County]
The Void, described as a “virtual reality entertainment center,” is opening a location at Tysons Corner Center.
The VR business, which is backed in part by Disney, opened its first location in Utah and has since expanded to cities like Toronto, London and Dubai. The Tysons location will be The Void’s first D.C. area location, and is part of an expansion that includes new locations in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York City and Philadelphia.
The company’s website and a large sign outside of the future Tysons location, on the movie theater wing of the mall, only say that it is “coming soon.”
Among the virtual reality experiences offered by The Void in Tysons will be “Ghostbusters Dimension” — as seen in the video below — and “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire.”
Fast-growing restaurant chain Pokeworks is now hiring for its new location in Tysons Corner Center.
The build-your-own poke bowl eatery will be located on the lower level food court of the mall. Pokeworks touts its “healthy, customizable Hawaiian poke bowls, burritos, and salads” which feature a choice of marinated raw fish or cooked proteins.
Pokeworks is planning a job fair next week in an attempt to staff up for its forthcoming opening, according to one of the co-franchisees.
“We will be conducting a hiring open house at our restaurant on Monday, Oct. 8 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.,” Viengkeo Tzong told Tysons Reporter. “We are actively looking to hire crew members and anticipate a grand opening towards the end of the month.”
“We are very excited to be a part of the Tysons community,” Tzong added.
Virginia is a good place to retire and Fairfax County is the best locality in the state for retirees, according to new rankings from SmartAsset.
The company says Fairfax is No. 1 thanks to a variety of factors, including proximity to parks, medical care, shopping centers and other amenities.
If you’re looking to retire in the great outdoors, Fairfax County may be the perfect place for you. The region houses many national parks, including Great Falls National Park and Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, the nation’s first sanctuary for bald eagles. You can also visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
You’d also have more than 300 miles of hiking trails to tackle as you stay active. In fact, the Fairfax County Park Authority runs more than 400 parks among more than 20,000 acres. Some feature wildlife preserves and working farms. But nature isn’t Fairfax’s only perk. You also have more than 200 regional shopping centers. And don’t worry too much about your wallet. The region’s mid-range 16.7% tax burden falls well below that of major cities. So it would behoove you to invest in tax-advantaged savings vehicles like a 401(k) or individual retirement account (IRA). And where can you use your hard earned savings? At tons of recreation centers, including an ice-skating rink and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. You also have more than 800 playgrounds you can bring the grandkids to. And if you need it, Fairfax has more than 13 medical centers per 1,000 people. Overall, Fairfax County is definitely the place to retire in if you love the outdoors and still want some action in your life.
Also making the list: Falls Church at No. 2 — “perfect for the person who also likes a vibrant city lifestyle” — and Vienna at No. 7 — “those who enjoy the arts or intend to focus on continuing education will feel right at home.”
Claude Moore Farm Oktoberfest — “There’s still time to enjoy special events at Claude Moore Colonial Farm before it’s set to close on Dec. 21. One of these events is Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at The Pavilions of Turkey Run, 6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean.” [Patch]
Customer Flings Burrito at Vienna CVS — “The woman became irate and disorderly when the employee informed her the store does not sell cigarettes, police said. The woman then threw a burrito at the employee, knocked over a display and the register, then fled out the front door, authorities said.” [InsideNova]
Illinois Man Facing Fairfax Child Sex Charges — “An Illinois man is facing four felony charges after detectives from our Child Exploitation Unit caught him soliciting sex online from someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The 13-year-old was actually one of our detectives.” [FCPD]
The Enterprise Rent-a-Car location near the Spring Hill Metro station was the scene of a commercial burglary over the weekend.
Police say someone broke into the business, at 1572 Spring Hill Road, on either Saturday or Sunday by smashing a glass front door. An SUV was then stolen off the lot.
Employees discovered the burglary when they arrived to open the business, according to Fairfax County Police. No suspect description was released.
Photo via Google Maps
Need a Halloween costume? A pop-up store at Tysons Corner Center has you covered.
A Spirit Halloween store is now open on the first level of the mall, near the movie theater end of the shopping center in the former West Elm space. An employee said the temporary storefront has been open for about two weeks now.
Spirit is open at the mall from 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. A sign in the window says the store is still hiring.
For those around Fairfax County who need costumes and decorations for the spooky holiday, Spirit also has locations at 7271 Arlington Blvd in the Falls Church area and at 5718 Columbia Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Looking forward to the next holiday? Retailer A Christmas to Remember opened one floor up from Spirit at Tysons Corner Center on Sept. 28.
A 75-year-old McLean man was struck by a car and killed last night near the intersection of Route 123 and Chain Bridge Road.
Police say Philip Dietz was crossing Route 123 just before 10 p.m. when he was struck by a driver in a BMW heading southbound. He died from his injuries.
All southbound lanes of Route 123 were closed for an extended period of time last night while a crash reconstruction team worked to investigate the collision, according to VDOT.
More from the Fairfax County Police Department:
Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives are investigating a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in the intersection of Dolley Madison Boulevard and Madison McLean Drive. Philip John Dietz, 75, of McLean, was attempting to cross Dolley Madison Boulevard around 9:55 last night. The driver of a 2002 BMW was traveling southbound in the right lane of Dolley Madison Boulevard when he hit Dietz in the intersection. Investigators are working to determine if Dietz used the marked crosswalk with the pedestrian signal at the time of the crash. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors for anyone involved. The driver remained at the scene and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Once the investigation is complete, the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney will review the case and determine if the driver will be charged.
Map via Google Maps
