There are plenty of activities coming up at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave) throughout April, mostly involving day-trips to unique spots across the region.
The events are open to the public, though some age restrictions may apply, and McLean residents are eligible for discounts on any program involving tickets.
- April 5: Shazam Day — 8 a.m.-6 p.m. — Teens are invited to bounce at the Launch Indoor Trampoline Park before catching a screening of the new superhero film Shazam. Tickets are $55 or $45 for McLean residents.
- April 13: Spring Garage Sale and Kids’ Corner — 9 a.m.-1 p.m. — Locals are invited out to McLean’s largest spring garage sale to peruse a selection of household items, furniture, sporting goods and electronics. A special kids-themed garage sale will also be set up at the site.
- April 15: Maryland Zoo trip — 8 a.m.-6 p.m. — The Old Firehouse in McLean is hosting a trip up to the Maryland Zoo to feed giraffes, groom goats and see a variety of animals. Tickets are $55 or $45 for McLean residents.
- April 16: Hershey’s Chocolate World — 8 a.m.-7 p.m. — A trip is leaving from the MCC to Hershey’s Chocolate World, where participants will create their own Hershey Bars and explore the factory via trolley. Tickets are $65 or $55 for McLean residents.
- April 17: Dave & Buster’s — 8 a.m.-6 p.m. — The MCC is hosting a trip to Dave and Buster’s for a game day. A buffet lunch and a $25 game card with unlimited arcade play are included in the trip’s $70 fee, or $60 for McLean residents.
- April 18: Indoor go-carting — 8 a.m.-6 p.m. — Part of the Old Firehouse’s “spring break trip” will include a trip to an indoor go-carting arena. Tickets are $80 or $70 for McLean residents.
- April 19: Skyline Paintball and Laser Tag — 8 a.m.-6 p.m. — The last part of the Old Firehouse events is a trip to a paintball and laser tag facility. Tickets are $75 or $65 for McLean residents.
- April 20: Spring Fest — 10 a.m.-12 p.m. — A program aimed for children ages 3-8, participants will engage with self-guided arts and crafts and get a chance to take a photo with a bunny mascot.
- April 30: Lynchburg Garden Tour — The MCC is hosting a day-trip to Lynchburg, Virginia for view the gardens and historic homes around town.
Photo via Maryland Zoo/Facebook
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) An accident on the Beltway just north of Tysons has northbound traffic cut down to just 1-2 lanes as crews work to contain a large diesel spill.
The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. just north of the Dulles Toll Road.
Fairfax Fire and Rescue says the spill came from a saddle tank of an 18-wheeler box truck. Hazmat crews have contained the spill, but three lanes remain closed.
Traffic along the northbound HOT lanes is not affected. Video from the overhead (below) shows heavy traffic building prior to the accident scene. Congestion is backed up for northbound I-495 at least to Leesburg Pike.
The incident conjures fresh memories of last week’s tanker crash that shut down traffic on the Beltway for hours, though so far traffic has been able to squeeze by on the lefthand side of the highway’s main lanes.
UPDATE I-495 NB Prior to Georgetown Pike: Leak contained. Fuel does not appear to have entered nearby creek. Units are going back in service. Will be opening up the one lane still closed shortly. #FCFRD #FairfaxCounty #traffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/EgGkg5SUSt
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) April 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/EstherYuHsiLee/status/1113500726653857795
The emerald ash borer has wiped out Vienna’s ash tree population, but Fairfax County has a new guide to help locals fight back against the bug where the trees are still standing.
“While the trees are waking up from dormancy in the spring, the tiny emerald ash borer (EAB) beetles are beginning to emerge, primed to create a new generation of tree-killers,” the guide says. “Spring is the perfect time, right after the trees have leafed out, to protect any ash trees that are of value while the beetles are out and flying.”
EABs strike fear in the hearts of arborists nationwide, with sightings putting entire towns under emergency quarantines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the EAB is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees across 30 states.
Signs of EAB infestation include winding “galleries” — maze-like patterns on the surface of the tree where the larvae burrow. An increased presence of woodpeckers at the tree can also be a warning sign.
The Fairfax County guide recommends pesticide use in yards with 30-50 percent of their canopy intact. Pesticides may need to be applied every year or every three years, depending on the brand.
The Virginia Department of Forestry adopted an EAB cost-share program that allows residents to apply for 50 percent assistance for pesticide costs.
Photo via Flickr/Chesapeake Bay Program
The thieves behind a series of wheel larcenies seem to have struck again.
According to a police recap from yesterday (Tuesday), the tires and rims were stolen from a vehicle parked at the 1500 block of West Branch Drive.
This is the sixth car to have its wheels stolen in Tysons since February. It’s the third vehicle hit in the 1500 block of West Branch Drive.
All but one of the robberies has taken place within the Mile, 40-acre stretch of buildings northeast of Tysons Galleria currently under consideration for redevelopment.
The recap also notes that a bird was stolen from a business on the 7200 block of Lee Highway, but despite repeated phone calls to confused business owners, Tysons Reporter has been unable to find more details.
After the Beltway was paralyzed by a tanker crash near the American Legion Bridge last Thursday, questions have again surfaced about the possibility of a new connection between Northern Virginia and Maryland.
Potential solutions have included expanding the proposed “Purple Line” from Maryland down to Tysons. But this type of connection doesn’t come without a share of difficulties, and Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust says Virginia can’t afford to take its eye off the more attainable prize of fixing the American Legion Bridge first.
“The first priority has to be fixing the issues at the American Legion Bridge,” Foust said. “We have the cooperation of Maryland on that. But based on what just happened with the shutdown, it’s critical that we consider building a parallel bridge as opposed to just widening the one we have. That gives us some redundancy in the event of a crash like this or a terrorist attack, so we don’t shut down Northern Virginia.”
But an expansion of the American Legion Bridge, much less an entirely new one, has raised concerns that another crossing would add new roads through the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve on the Maryland side, though some have said this impact is likely overblown.
“It raises serious environmental issues that have to be addressed, but it takes both sides of the river to cooperate and agree,” Foust said. “Historically, Virginia has been more inclined to do it than Maryland, who has been more insistent that they do not want another bridge.”
Frank Shafroth, director of the Center for State and Local Leadership at George Mason University, said there’s political momentum to push for the new connection despite the obstacles.
“Foust is correct about the challenge — not a challenge all that different from the initial challenge of the Beltway itself,” Shafroth said. “But leaders in this region have demonstrated, over the years, a practical ability to be creative in resolving these kinds of governance challenges: they tend to be far more practical than many federal elected officials, and much more accountable to constituents.”
Foust is far from alone in pushing for a new route over the Potomac. Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity expressed frustrations at the crash’s impact on regional traffic on Twitter.
Yesterday was yet another reminder of the critical need of the region to build a northern crossing over the Potomac River. It is past time to build the crossing. pic.twitter.com/r26JqQx0xp
— Supervisor Pat Herrity (@PatHerrity) March 29, 2019
In an ideal world, Foust said he would like to see more transit options on the Beltway, like dedicated bus lanes. However, transit options like a new Metro line are too far off to consider in transportation plans, Foust argues.
“I don’t think we can wait to get light or heavy rail to make that route from Maryland to Virginia,” Foust said. “We have to move forward with the bridge if possible, and provide the ability to add rail at a later date.”
Virginia recently approved new express lanes that will extend to the American Legion Bridge. Though unlikely to do much to relieve the crush of rush hour traffic, Foust says the lanes should offer some relief by giving Beltway drivers headed to the George Washington Parkway rather than the American Legion Bridge another option to get around traffic.
“But nobody thinks we’re going to solve the problem until Maryland does what they need to do with regards to that bridge and the capacity for the Beltway on the Maryland side,” Foust said. “Virginia is prepared to move forward. Maryland I think is talking as early as 2022 to begin construction, but realistically they have a lot of issues to resolve first. But I think [this crash] put an exclamation point on the fact that we need a solution.”
In January, Maryland’s highway administrator Greg Slater told WUSA9 that a new bridge should be built within the next few years and that it was a top priority of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
If you were thinking of getting your head shaved, doing so tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Boro will net $5,000 to be donated to the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Granite Telecommunications, a communications provider based in Boston with an office in Tysons, will set up a shaving booth for the company’s Shave to Save campaign. The fundraiser will be held in the Boro’s tenant lounge on the first floor of 8255 Greensboro Drive.
The fundraiser will run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
“Granite will donate $5,000 for every head shaved,” according to a flyer for the event. “Hair grows back! Make a difference in someone’s life on April 3! No experience necessary!”
This isn’t the first time the company has hosted this kind of fundraiser. The “Saving by Shaving” event dates back to 2014 after Granite CEO Rob Hale jokingly dared a colleague to shave their beard.
Photo via Twitter
There’s a suite of new restaurants planned for Capital One, but the previously announced Taco Bamba won’t be among them.
A Taco Bamba Taqueria was originally announced along with City Works Eatery and Pour House and a Starbucks. A Wegmans is currently under construction nearby with a planned opening in 2020.
A representative of Capital One said the City Works — a 12,000 square foot restaurant with 90 beers on tap — is on track to open in May, and the Starbucks recently opened, but that there will be no Taco Bamba on the Capital One campus.
The building went so far as to wrap the storefront that would have housed Taco Bamba with artwork that included a photo of a taco. But the celebration of the planned Taco Bamba may have been premature from the start.
Jennifer Williams from Know Public Relations, which represents Taco Bamba, said in an email that the restaurant and the landlord never reached an agreement or executed a lease for the space.
Taco Bamba was founded in Falls Church and has recently been spreading throughout the region. The restaurant was also recently nominated for “Favorite Fast Bites of the Year” and “Restaurateur of the Year” at the 2019 RAMMY Awards.
After a pilot phase last fall, battery-powered e-bikes are now a permanent fixture of the Capital Bikeshare fleet in Tysons.
As of 12:30 p.m., there were two e-bikes in Tysons: one at Westpark and Jones Branch Drive, east of Tysons Galleria, and one at Greensboro and Pinnacle Drive east of the Galleria, near The Boro development.
The e-bikes can be tracked on the Capital Bikeshare’s map, with lightning bolt icons showing the presence of an e-bike.
The new bikes can go up to 18 mph and are designed to help with hills. The e-bikes are typically an additional $1 to ride, but the extra fare is being waived for all riders until April 15.
Tysons is now up to 13 stations, with new stations added just north of Tysons Galleria and at the McLean Metro station in the last few months.
Image via Capital Bikeshare
Christian Aliferis, a senior at James Madison High School and a saxophonist, has scored $2,000 in scholarships and is scheduled to solo at the City of Fairfax Band’s May 4 concert.
The City of Fairfax Band Association hosts an annual Young Artist Competition to encourage high school musicians to pursue a musical career. Three finalists competed in a recital in March, and the winner was chosen by a panel of judges.
“I’m thrilled to be performing with the band! This is my first time ever performing a concerto with an ensemble, and I’m super excited,” Aliferis said in a press release from the City of Fairfax Band. “My first solo was in sixth grade when I played the ‘Mario Brothers Theme’ with the band.”
Aliferis not only studies saxophone, but also clarinet and recorder.
At the concert in May, Aliferis is scheduled to perform ‘Tableaux de Provence” by Paule Maurice. The concert is themed around music evocative of various parts of rural America.
The concert is planned to take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Ernst Cultural Center at Northern Virginia Community College (8333 Little River Turnpike). Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, of free for students.
Photos courtesy City of Fairfax Band
Dr. Arnold Willis, a urologist in Maryland, is bringing Hello Kitty wine to Merrifield with his Napoleonic Cavalry-themed distribution service, thanks in part to Chicago gangster Al Capone.
It’s a lot to unpack. The ABC permit is still pending, but Chasseur Wine LLC is planning on opening a wholesale distribution facility at 2995 Gallows Road, as a staging ground for moving into Northern Virginia.
The brand is already active in Maryland and D.C., and Willis said Merrifield was right at the epicenter of the planned distribution network.
So where does the beloved Sanrio feline fit into all of this? Buckle in, it’s sort of a long story.
A few years ago, to celebrate their 40th anniversary, Willis said Sanrio was looking for a wine to put their label onto — the logic being that girls who had grown up with Hello Kitty were now likely of drinking age. In a tour of European vineyards in 2016, they settled on Torti Winery in Italy.
When they were looking to distribute that wine in the United States, they turned to a restauranteur in California who was an old family friend. Willis was friends with the restauranteur and was asked if he wanted to be involved in the distribution.
Willis said he had no experience of first-hand knowledge of Hello Kitty before that moment, but said it sounded like a fun thing to try out.
“We got unbelievable PR and in August,” said Willis. “I was completely caught off guard. It started as a fun thing with friends, but it’s completely exploded.”
Willis said after the initial explosion of interest, they began to take the wine distribution more seriously. Branding as Kitty Wines International, the group started moving into nation-wide distribution. The brand is currently available in 27 states.
“It surprises people as a legit wine,” Willis said. What has happened — it’s something very kitschy, it catches you off guard. Everybody buys one bottle to say ‘look what I got’ but the irony of this is: it’s quite good wine.”
But there was a catch.
“Ever since the Al Capone days, the federal government has cut it up so you can’t have wholesale distributorship to more than 15 states,” Willis said.
So the distributorship needed to be split up. Willis lived in the D.C. area, so he worked with his son on setting up their own distribution service in the area. Thus, Chasseur Wine — named for the son’s interest in the French cavalry unit from the Napoleonic War — was born. There are other wines involved, but Willis said the main feature is still the Hello Kitty wine, which typically sells in the $17 to $30 range.
Chasseur Wine currently distributes in Maryland and D.C., but is still waiting on a license in Virginia to start selling.
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” Willis said. “Chasseur Wines is my baby.”
Photo via Facebook
