The Barns at Wolf Trap don’t feature as many big names in February as in previous months, but there’s plenty of excitement in next month’s musical lineup.
Most of the biggest performances are tributes to classic rock, folk and classical performances.
On Feb. 2, Dustbowl Revival will be performing a mashup of traditional Americana music with modern dance music in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Band. They will be performing alongside Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown, a jazz and western swing band. Tickets range from $32 for rear orchestra or side balcony seats to $37 for prime orchestra or prime balcony.
While you’ll never get a chance to see The Beatles live, the next best thing might be the cover band 1965 The Tribute, performing on Feb. 14 and 15. The performance starts at 8 p.m. and tickets range from $38-$42.
On Feb. 22, Pianist Wu Han will lead a small ensemble in an “exploration of Schubert’s oeuvre.” Following the performance, attendees will have a chance to meet the artists at a dessert reception. Tickets are $40.
The list of Wolf Trap events in February:
- Feb. 1: St. Lawrence String Quartet
- Feb. 2: The Dustbowl Revival & Hot Club of Cowtown
- Feb. 9 and Feb. 10: Le Vin Herbé
- Feb. 14 and 15: 1964 The Tribute
- Feb. 16 and 17: Masters of Hawaiian Music
- Feb. 19 and 20: Cherish the Ladies
- Feb. 22: Wu Han and Friends
The full Wolf Trap schedule is available online.
Photo via Wolf Trap
Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield and McLean. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Valo Park Blood Drive
Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Dr)
Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Inova Blood Donor Services will be hosting a blood drive at Valo Park. Another blood drive will be hosted at 7900 Westpark Drive in Mclean later this week. To make an appointment, schedule online or call 1-866-BLOODSAVES (1-866-256-6372).
Albert Lee at Jammin Java
Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave E)
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Guitarist Albert Lee will be performing at Jammin Java. Lee, who has been performing with R&B, country, and rock and roll bands since 1959, is renowned for his speed. Doors open at 6 p.m. General admission tickets are $25.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Free Spaghetti Dinner for Furloughed Workers & Their Families
American Legion Dyer-Gunnell Post 180 (330 North Center Street)
Time: 5-8 p.m.
The Vienna American Legion Post is offering a free spaghetti dinner available to all furloughed government employees and their families.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Specialty Beer Release: Resilience
Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike)
Time: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Tysons Biergarten will host a party celebrating the launch of Resilience, a beer brewed by Sierra Nevada to support relief efforts for those affected by the California wildfires. All sales of the beer go to the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund.
Shutdown Lunch
McLean Presbyterian Church (1020 Balls Hill Rd)
Time: 12-1 p.m.
McLean Presbyterian Church will have lunch for employees who are furloughed and not working at all, essential employees who are still on the job but not getting paid, and their families.
John Oates at Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd)
Time: 8-11 p.m.
John Oates, half of the legendary ’80s duo Hall and Oates, will be performing in The Barnes at Wolf Trap on Thursday and Friday. Tickets start at $42.
Admittedly, the new Donburi in Tysons Galleria is a little smaller than the Adams Morgan or Dupont Circle locations.
But, for owner James Jang, this smaller location in the Taste of Urbanspace food hall allows him a special opportunity: he can try something new.
With two established locations in D.C., Jang said he’s hesitant to change the menus too much. But soon, Jang says he plans on trying out adding udon, a type of thick Japanese noodle dish, to the Tysons location.
“We’ve just opened here,” said Jang, “so we can be a little more creative with what we try out.”
Like the nearby Andy’s Pizza, the restaurant has also filed for an ABC permit in hopes of being able to serve Japanese beer and sake.
“We’re looking to get the beer on draft if we can,” said Jang. “We might do cocktails as well.”
Jang has owned and operated Donburi for six years and jumped at the chance to join Taste of Urbanspace, a collection of new locations from regional favorites that filled the void left by the high-profile collapse of Isabella Eatery.
For Jang, the opening in Tysons is also a homecoming, though he also said moving back into the area has been a rediscovery of how much it has changed since he grew up in nearby McLean.
“I used to live here,” Jang said. “I went to McLean High School, so this is more of a hometown than D.C.”
The most popular dishes on Donburi’s menu are the karaage salad, a soy sauce marinated chicken with mixed greens, and sakedon, a salmon sashimi that Jang says is the restaurant’s signature dish.
If you’re a government worker in Fairfax, chances are you might get two Mondays off in a row.
Next Monday (Jan. 21) is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and government offices will be closed.
Also closed:
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- School-Age Child Care
- Fairfax County Libraries
- Fairfax courts
Historic sites managed by Fairfax County Park Authority will also closed, but all RECenters and nature centers will be open.
If you’re looking for activities to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., on Sunday, Jan. 20, local hip hop and arts group B-Fly Entertainment will host “Liner Notes,” a performance that includes the music of the civil rights movement, at the McLean Community Center.
“Collide with music’s past and present through jazz standards, hip hop samples and actual liner notes from musicians of the civil rights movement in this multimedia concert experience,” B-Fly wrote on its Facebook page.
The show will be held in the center’s newly renovated Alden Theater at 1234 Ingleside Ave. Tickets are $25 for the general public or $15 for McLean residents.
Courtesy photo
For the eighth year in a row, Washington, DC History & Culture will host the McLean Chocolate Festival at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue) on Sunday, Jan. 27.
The event is a fundraiser for the McLean Rotary, which provides funds to support other local non-profit groups.
The festival will run from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
In 2018, 2,500 people stopped by the event and the festival was able to raise $14,000 for local groups.
No advance tickets or registration is required. Admission is $2 for adults. Admission for children three or under is free. Credit cards are usually accepted at the event, but cash is recommended.
In addition to chocolate, the event will have a room set aside for live family-friendly entertainment throughout the day. A lecture will also be held on how chocolate was made in colonial America.
Photo via Facebook
For Vienna residents impacted by the government shutdown, not only is free pet food available at a nearby pet store, but the town government is offering water bill payment extensions and limited part-time employment opportunities.
Payment deadlines for Town of Vienna water bills due at the end of the month will be extended for furloughed federal employees until after the federal government reopens. According to the press release:
“Any late fees will be waived. To apply for payment extension, furloughed Town of Vienna water customers must show proof of federal employment (via a badge or pay stub) at the finance counter at Town Hall from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.”
For those seeking part-time employment during the shutdown, in addition to Fairfax County Public Schools offering short-term substitute teacher positions, the town will be offering work in the parks and public works departments over the next four weeks.
According to the press release:
“Using funds available due to job attrition, the Town is offering part-time employment in areas where the Town currently has gaps. Tasks include assisting at the community center front desk, parks maintenance work, and filing and scanning. Furloughed employees living in the Town of Vienna will receive hiring preference. Federal employees interested in these part-time opportunities may apply online at viennava.gov/employment or in person at Town Hall or call Human Resources at 703-255- 6362.”
File photo
If you’re a government employee with a pet at home, you don’t need to worry about affording food for your animal.
Kriser’s Natural Pet, a pet store chain featuring natural food, treats and supplies, is offering free food to furloughed government employees.
“As part of this community, we just couldn’t sit idly by and watch our friends suffer and stretch to make ends meet,” the store said in a press release. “If you have a pet and have been affected by the shutdown, come in. Show us your government employee ID and we’ll give you a comparable bag of food that your pet is eating for free.”
The store has a location in Vienna at 144 Maple Ave W. and in Tysons at 7505 Leesburg Pike inside the Whole Foods shopping center. There are also two locations in Arlington, one at the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center (2501 N. Harrison Street) and another in the Courthouse-Clarendon area (2509 N. Franklin Road).
Kriser’s has a variety of food types available for cats and dogs. While you’re there, if you’re looking for something to keep the pet busy over a snowed-in weekend, the stores also have a variety of toys and treats for cats and dogs.
Image via Kriser’s Natural Pet
Information on where and when is scarce, but Deka Lash, a cosmetic boutique focusing on eyelash extensions, is planning on coming to the Mosaic District sometime this spring.
Meghann Klein, a communications contact for EDENS, Inc, which manages the Mosaic District, said the new “lash bar” will be a boutique beauty experience expected to open later this year. A representative from Deka Lash said other information about the spot, including where in the Mosaic District it would be located, is not yet available.
Deka Lash is a small chain that launched in Pittsburgh in 2011. Options range from “classic lashes” to more dramatic “true volume” sets.
Full eyelash appointments take an average of two hours, or one hour and 15 minutes for a re-lash appointment.
Photo via Facebook
One pint of donated blood can save up to three lives.
Even if you’re squeamish about needles, next Friday (Jan. 18) is a chance to overcome that fear and donate to the Inova Blood Drive.
From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the Inova Blood Drive will be held at the Vienna Community Center at 120 Cherry Street SE.
For those who can’t make it out to the blood drive on Friday, the closest spot to donate is the Woodburn Donor Center at 3289 Woodburn Road.
Appointments can be made online or by calling 866-BLOODSAVES and using the sponsor code 1058.
Donors will receive a pair of “lifesaver” socks. This year’s sock is blue with white snowflakes that include various blood types.
Be sure to check the chart below to ensure that you’re eligible to donate:
Photo via Facebook
As the national chain files for bankruptcy, the Performance Bicycle Shop in Pike 7 Plaza is going out of business.
Like the nearby Pier 1 Imports, the imminent closure of the store also means much of the store’s supply is on steep sales. Helmets and other equipment normally sold for over $100 is priced at around $30.
Items in the store range from bicycles, including specialized recumbent bicycles, to smaller bicycle accessories like bells and chain lube. Yesterday (Thursday) was the first day fixtures in the store were also on sale, from wall racks to the vacuum cleaner.
A manager at the store said the business likely has a week or two before it fully closes. He estimated Jan. 27 will be the store’s final day.
Despite the impending closure, staff at the store still maintained a bit of gallows humor. The manager at the store was directing customers to items with the highest sales and asking if any of the people stopping by for accessories needed a bike-rack capable of storing 12 bicycles.
When one woman walked in with a bike broken into three pieces, staff told her that the store was no longer accepting maintenance work and that the shop’s repair team had been recently laid off.
But when she mentioned one of the staff by name, the discombobulated bicycle was recognized as a “special project” and she was directed to the back of the store where the few remaining employees were still helping Tysonians with their bicycle problems.
