The Town of Vienna has put out a quick guide on what’s open, what’s closed, and what’s still planned for the next month.

The Town Hall is still open to the public for those who need to make the trip to drop off or pick up forms. In general, however, citizens are discouraged from making unnecessary trips and should utilize online services whenever possible.

The Community Center has also reopened, but with adjusted hours and strict social distancing, reduced occupancy, and enhanced cleaning. The center’s hours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday. The center is closed from 12-1 p.m. daily for cleaning.

Other openings include:

• Playgrounds
• Restrooms at parks
• The Community Garden
• Tennis courts
• Basketball courts
• The Vienna Dog Park

However, the Teen Center, Bowman House, Freeman Store & Museum and Town Green rentals remain closed.

Many of the year’s planned events have been cancelled, but the annual Halloween parade has been modified. According to the Town of Vienna:

This year, the Town’s annual Halloween Parade will come to residents’ neighborhoods. A wave parade consisting of 10-15 floats will visit all four quadrants of Town – but not every street – beginning at 10 am Saturday, October 31. The route will be released to the public after 3 pm Thursday, October 29. Don your costumes and wave from sidewalks near your home as the parade passes by.

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (Sept. 29)

• Preschool Story Time (Online) — 10:30-11 a.m. — Mary Riley Styles Public Library will go live with virtual songs, stories, and rhythms on its Facebook page.

Thursday (Oct. 1)

• Preschool Story Time (Online) — 10:30-11 a.m. — Mary Riley Styles Public Library will go live with virtual songs, stories, and rhythms on its Facebook page.
• New Yorker Discussion Group (Online) — 2-3 p.m. — The New Yorker Discussion Group meets on the first Thursday of every month. Discussing The Legal Fight Awaiting Us After the Election by Jeffrey Toobin from The New Yorker magazine. Email Pete Sullivan, [email protected], to request the Zoom link.

Friday (Oct. 2)

• Meet the Mayor — 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Glyndon Park (300 Glyndon Street NE) — Meet and chat with Mayor Linda Colbert on the topic of your choosing, the website said.
• Sunset Cinema: Remember the Titans (Reservation Required) — 7:45 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Avenue) — Sunset Cinema returns with the showing of “Remember the Titans.” This event is limited to 20 families in a reservation system, the website said. To register, use this website.

Saturday (Oct. 3)

• Falls Church Farmers Market — 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at City Hall Parking Lot (300 Park Avenue) — Enjoy fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music, and so much more at the Falls Church Farmers Market, the website said.
• Vienna Farmers Market — 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at Vienna Community Center Parking Lot (120 Cherry Street SE ) — Sponsored by the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna, the Vienna Farmers Market features approximately 30 vendors from across the region offering locally sourced fruits, vegetables, and homemade eats, the website said.
• Recycling Extravaganza (City of Falls Church residents only) — 9 a.m to 2 p.m. at Recycling Center (217 Gordon Road) — Recycle electronics, computers, eye glasses, bikes, clothing, textiles, batteries and more. Shred up to three boxes of documents. And, properly dispose of consumer products that are either toxic, ignitable, corrosive, or reactive, the website said. A list of recyclables that will be accepted can be found on this website.
• McLeans 5K (Online) — Hosted by McLean Community Center with the support of event sponsors Century 21 New Millennium and The Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce, this year’s McLean 5k is going virtual, the website said. Registration ends Saturday (Oct. 3). To register use this website.

Photo via McLean Community Center 

Amid national protests over police violence, the Fairfax County Police Department highlighted a few recent incidents in the McLean district that exemplified how encounters with the police should go.

The Fairfax County Police Department is no stranger to questionable use of force, but in the video, Sgt. Scott Shafer discussed details of two cases in the McLean Police District and one in the Fair Oaks district where a violent confrontation was resolved peacefully.

The first was at the intersection of Wild Blue Indigo Court and Wood Violet Court just south of Fairlee.

“In August, officers responded to a report of a naked man acting disorderly,” Shafer said. “Suspect was destroying items and shattered the front glass door of a home. It was determined there was a victim on scene who had been assaulted and needed stitches.”

Police said the naked man was peacefully taken into custody.

The other incident was outside of a Giant in McLean.

“Officers responded to this Giant for a weapon’s call,” Shafer said. “An argument occurred after an employee told a customer to wear a mask. The customer threatened the employee with a knife, stole an item, and ran away. Officers located the man who was holding a metal pipe and refused commands to stop. The man turned and threw a knife at the officers, thankfully missing them. Twelves knives were recovered from the man after he was arrested.”

Captain Dalton Becker, commander of McLean station, said the incidents just described are just a small piece of what officers see on a daily basis.

“I’m very proud of the McLean officers,” Becker said, “as well as all Fairfax County officers.”

The only officer-involved shooting of 2020 was in the McLean Police District. Police say that shooting occurred in January when a Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) entered a house while serving a narcotics search warrant.

Photo via Fairfax County Police Department/Facebook

With road fixtures, building renovations, and other uncertain town repairs and purchases, Town of Vienna leadership met to discuss future capital improvement projects.

Town Manager Mercury Payton, hosted a forum with several directors to discuss what major projects Vienna can expect to see in the near-future.

“Basically, our CIP [Capital Improvement Plan] is a long-range plan that talks about how we look at scoping out and planning for our long-range projects… everything from our road projects, to structures and buildings and everything in between,” Payton said. “We like to plan those out years in advance and make sure that we’re thoughtful about those projects.”

Payton outlines a few capital improvement projects that the Town of Vienna can expect over the next few years, including:

• Police Department Project — a project for the construction of a new police department facility at 215 Center St. S.
• Water and Sewer Projects — $5.4 million dedicated to improving water and sewer infrastructure including water main replacements and sewer relining
• Stream Restoration for Piney Branch — a project to reduce sedimentation and improve water quality
• Multimodal Study — a project to improve local roadways and transportation
• Faith Baptist Church Property Acquisition — a project to transform the property into a space for community use
• Public Parking — a project to provide more public parking spaces in Vienna

The panel of directors consisted of Vienna’s Directors of Finance, Public Works, Recreation, and Economic Development Manager. The town attorney and police chief were also present.

Marion Serfass, the director of finance, described recent capital improvement projects as, “projects like road improvements, sidewalk improvements, storm-water improvements, the town green, the community center renovation and other buildings. Generally, to be a capital project or to be considered for a capital project, it’s a big long-term project like that and has to cost at least $5,000 and many of those projects cost a lot more than that.”

The process of choosing which projects to fund also consists of a budget committee and strategic planning.

“We do the CIP every fall and every spring,” Serfass said. “We put out a call to directors… what sort of projects do they think they need to help improve the delivery of town services and help with the infrastructure of the town. And then we take in all those, the budget committee gets to look through those, department heads make their case about why this project is important, how it fits into the strategic plan. In the meantime, the finance department is forecasting the meals tax revenues because we borrow money for capital projects, we pay it back with our meals taxes, so we don’t want to exceed what we can comfortably pay back in our meals taxes, plus leave a cash reserve.”

Residents of the Town of Vienna were also asked to provide insight about possible repairs or construction their communities may need.

“I would encourage them to reach out to their council people,” Serfass said. “Our website is www.viennava.gov and our council members’ emails are there, under ‘town council’.”

Photo via Town of Vienna/Facebook

This October, beer fans and animal lovers can head over to Lost Dog Cafe to sip Solace Brewing Company’s Rescue Ale and support rescue efforts for dogs and cats.

The charity brew, which benefits the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, will hit shelves at Solace Brewery on Oct. 8 and will start being poured at all Lost Dog Cafe locations on Oct. 9. A portion of all sales of Rescue Ale will be donated to LDCRF.

There are five Lost Dog Cafe locations, with one in Dunn Loring (2729A Merrilee Drive) and one in McLean (1690A Anderson Road).

The brewery will host a distanced adoption event, and an online auction will offer winners a tour of the brewery as well as  pooch and beer-themed merchandise.

Lost Dog Cafe is a long-time supporter of the rescue and donates a portion of its revenue to support the care of animals rescued by LDCRF. Local breweries have brewed a Rescue Ale in support of LDCRF for the last four years, and this is Solace’s second year making the charity beer. Read More

Tysons-based Credit Union Raises $585,000 for Military Veterans — “The PenFed Foundation joined over 75 community and business leaders to raise over $585,000 to support veterans and the military community at the 17th annual Military Heroes Golf Classic on Monday, September 21st.” [PenFed]

How Substantial Park Requirements May Challenge Walkability Goals in Tysons — “Parks can create what urban theorist Jane Jacobs called “border vacuums.” Border vacuums are long stretches of monotonous space separating potential destinations.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Behind the Scenes of Library Book Selection — “Have you ever imagined what goes into the library’s decision to buy a book? Collection Services is the department at Fairfax County Public Library that selects and orders library materials.” [Fairfax County]

Staff photo by Jay Westcott

Police say a Fredericksburg man was arrested last Saturday night after a an alleged home burglary.

The burglary took place on the 8100 block of Larkin Lane in the Dunn Loring neighborhood at around 11:48 p.m. According to police:

A homeowner was awakened by the sound of glass breaking on the lower level of the house. The homeowner investigated further and was confronted by an unknown man inside the house.

A 32 year old man was arrested at the scene and charged with unlawful entry.

Also in local crime, yesterday morning (Thursday) police say they located a 1998 Honda Accord in the 2800 block of Lee Landing Court in Falls Church that had been reported stolen. The police report said the juvenile fled the vehicle and led officers on a brief foot chase before he was caught, arrested, and charged with grand larceny, possession of burglarious tools, and obstruction of justice.

With the weather turning and more locals looking to take their workouts indoors, the Park Authority has announced a series of changes to the reservation system as the RECenter continues to reopen.

“As we move forward with our phased approach to RECenter operations, we need your help to assure that we can continue to operate safely in an ongoing pandemic,” the Park Authority said. “Beginning this fall, our RECenters will begin to offer a modified class program schedule and swim team pool rentals. Balancing these additional member needs with the requirements to assure appropriate COVID-19 safety measures will be more important than ever. Please help us ensure that we can make the most of our limited space so that all members have the greatest access possible to our facilities.”

The Park Authority asked that people only place reservations for times they will be in the facility, and call ahead to cancel if they can’t make it.

“We ask that you cancel at least 24 hours in advance so we can remove your reservation and make it available to other members,” the Park Authority said.

Starting on Monday, Oct. 5, the online reservation page is going through some changes to reflect an increase in capacity.

New reservation titles will be available for:

• Fitness Center Tickets
• Lap Swim/Water Walking Tickets
• Recreation Swim Ticket
• Aqua Flex Ticket

Under the new system, the reservation will be held for 30 minutes, after which it will be made available to others on a walk-in basis. Two no-shows result in a call from the Park Authority.

“Our primary goal remains the safe accommodation of as many current members, class participants and contracted swim organizations as possible under current COVID-19 standards,” the Park Authority said.

Reservations can be made online.

Photo via Google Maps

With a public hearing next month, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is hosting a pair of meetings to discuss a plan to extend the I-495 Express Lanes.

The change would extend the existing express lanes from the interchange of I-495 and the Dulles Toll Road up to the American Legion Bridge, already a notorious regional bottleneck for traffic.

The express lanes have tolls that range from 20 cents per mile to $1.25 per mile during rush hour with no official cap. Cars with three or more people do not have to pay the toll.

The goal of the project is to add capacity to the roads and reduce congestion on the Virginia side of the bridge, as well as reducing cut-through traffic

VDOT is hosting meetings from 7-9 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, and on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Each meeting is designed as a Q&A with staff following a presentation about the upcoming plans.

The meetings precede a presentation of findings from the environmental assessment and preliminary design plans in a virtual public hearing on Monday, Oct. 5 from 7-9:30 p.m. and an in-person (by appointment) hearing at the McLean Community Center on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 4-8 p.m.

Six years after the band retired for good, could The Allman Brothers Band be staging a comeback at Vienna venue Jammin Java tonight?

No. But the next best thing is here: DC cover band The Allman Others Band is performing a limited-capacity outdoor show tonight at 7 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Avenue E.)

“Comprising a super-group of Washington’s best local musicians, The Allman Others Band shows are full of familiar faces, classic tunes and many surprises, driven by the irresistible groove and funky extended jams that have been hard to find since the ‘Brothers’ played their final show at NYC’s venerable Beacon Theater,” Jammin Java said on the Facebook page. “Don’t miss The Allman Others Band as they energize the vast songbook of the Allman Brothers, bringing the music alive and taking you back to the Fillmore, one more time.”

The outdoor event is all-ages, with a limited seating capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served, so those wanting to get in the groove are advised to show up a little early.

Photo via Jammin Java/Facebook