Caffe Amouri and the Vienna Business Association are hosting a social distance 5K benefiting community members facing food insecurity.

Beginning Friday (May 15), people can take part in the Feeding Families 5K by preregistering and then tracking their distance and time as they follow the arranged route.

To maintain social distancing, participants can run anytime through the end of the month, according to the event page. When complete, people can turn in their results through email.

Registration is $25 for individuals or $50 for a family, according to the event page, which added that all proceeds go to charity.

Winners in several categories including “best time running” and “best time walking” will receive prizes from Caffe Amouri and local sponsors.

People interesting in just donating to the cause can do so online.

Image via Caffe Amouri/Facebook

Grab the shakers, mixers and some ice because today (May 13) is World Cocktail Day.

The holiday was popularized by Drinkaware, a United Kingdom-based charity that raises awareness of alcohol abuse and encourages responsible drinking practices.

Though there is no “official” way to celebrate the holiday, people around Tysons can get creative in a variety of ways. Options include picking up a to-go cocktail from dozens of different eateries and bars, supporting Virginia distilleries or even crafting their own cocktails from ingredients at home.

The term “cocktail” originated in the early 1800s and was defined as “stimulating liquor with a wide variety of sweets, waters, and bitters,” according to The Balance, and Columbian Repository. The drink type only reached peak popularity after prohibition when people didn’t have easy access to high-quality alcohol and wanted to make drinks more palatable, the Days of the Year website said.

“The ‘Bee’s Knees’ cocktail was actually created to mask and sweeten the taste of illegally brewed bathtub gin,” Days of the Year said. “The roaring twenties took the cocktail and shook it up into some of our most popular modern-day cocktails.”

Tysons Reporter previously did a roundup of local places offering to-go cocktails.

Falls Church Distillers sells bottles of whiskey, rum, vodka and brandy.

Peruvian restaurant Inca Social regularly posts bartending and cooking classes on Facebook. In past weeks, the staff taught viewers how to make things like “Passion Chilcano,” which contains pisco Peruvian liquor, limes, passionfruit syrup and ginger ale.

For anyone who doesn’t drink or is underage, there are also a myriad of mocktail options online too.

Happy #WorldCocktailDay https://t.co/I4qNr2Prpg

— Condé Nast Traveller (@cntraveller) May 13, 2020

Photo via Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

(Updated 3 p.m.) Fairfax County police arrested a 51-year-old D.C. man and charged him with aggravated malicious wounding for allegedly stabbing a man.

Police tweeted that they responded to the stabbing in the 2700 block of Dorr Avenue, which is near the Prosperity Flats Apartments and the Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station, last night (Tuesday) around 9 p.m.

“Two men known to each other were arguing in a parking lot when one man stabbed the other man,” police said.

The victim was taken the hospital with life-threatening injuries,” police said.

“There is no threat to public safety,” police tweeted.

Map via Google Maps

While seniors at public schools in Fairfax County may have to wait until the fall for ceremonies, they will have opportunities this spring to celebrate finishing high school.

In a message to families yesterday, Superintendent Scott Brabrand shared that the school board has agreed to his proposals on how to recognize graduating seniors.

“We are committed to celebrating our seniors in the safest and most personalized manner possible,” Brabrand said. “We share the disappointment that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closure placed on our senior class.”

Instead of in-person ceremonies this spring, the high schools will schedule individual graduate photo opportunities starting in June where the student and a small group of family members can watch the student get their diploma and have their photo taken.

Fairfax County Public Schools also plans to produce a celebration video with videos submitted by students. Brabrand said that the video will be available for free to everyone in the class of 2020.

If COVID-19 does not pose a health risk in the fall, each school may schedule an in-person ceremony, Brabrand said.

He noted that state health department data indicates that summer ceremonies would “pose too many health risks and too much uncertainty with regard to social distancing requirements and restrictions on large gatherings.” More details will be announced around Labor Day.

“If a fall in-person ceremony cannot be held for health and safety reasons, then we will consider scheduling the face to face ceremony in the winter or next spring,” Brabrand said.

Photo via Tai’s Captures/Unsplash

Battle of the Books — “The Cunningham Park Elementary seventh annual (and first virtual) Battle of the Books took place on Friday, May 8, on Google Meet.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Student Turns Home Into Mask Factory — “13-year-old Sasha used her sewing skills to transform fabric, elastic, and lots of passion into 225 face masks for 911 first responders in Fairfax County. As the self-appointed project foreman, Sasha, a Cooper Middle School student, manned the sewing machine while her parents mostly helped cut and pin fabric.” [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Cha-ching for the Cleaners — “In Tysons, Bearfoot Ventures has branched out from mostly health care facilities to a broader base of buildings, ranging from foreign embassies to senior living facilities and commercial office spaces, said CEO Jeb Byrne… Byrne estimates Bearfoot is on a trajectory to boost annual revenue from about $1 million in 2019 to top $5 million over the next eight to 12 months.” [Washington Business Journal]

New Grant Program for Small Businesses — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted [yesterday] to create the Fairfax Relief Initiative to Support Employers (Fairfax RISE). Fairfax RISE is a new $25 million grant program to assist small businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID-19. The program will be funded using federal CARES Act funds provided to the county.” [Fairfax County]

Scavenger Hunt in Vienna — “In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Eric Monday Foundation collaborated with the Town of Vienna to create a #TakeDownTheStigma Scavenger Hunt to encourage families to walk on the trails.” [Eric Monday Foundation]

Officers from our McLean District station and Motor Carrier Safety had the privilege of hosting a parade along with @ffxfirerescue at Iliff Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. This was a fun and joyful way of showing support for the patients and staff at the center! #FCPD pic.twitter.com/zv6fYwiUGo

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) May 12, 2020

This afternoon, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning for two developments near the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons.

Georgelas LLC’s two mixed-use projects — West Spring Hill Station and North Spring Hill Station — would redevelop car dealerships along the north side of Tyco Road.

The projects include eight buildings, four parks, a new connection to the Dulles Toll Road and a sports deck that will include entertainment atop a building.

Elizabeth Baker, a senior land use planner who is representing the developer, told the county board that the companion developments move forward the vision to turn Tysons into a city.

“It’s really becoming a unified, urban environment,” Baker said about the area around the Metro station.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the developments back in September, but delayed the vote until this year to give staff and the developer time to work out issues with West Spring Hill Station.

Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said that the two projects “substantially improved” since when they were first proposed, praising the Dulles Toll Road Connection and “prominent parks.”

Images via Fairfax County 

Tysons-based company hatchIT launched a new site in February to connect independent engineers, developers and entrepreneurs in the D.C. area.

Called Hatchpad, the site allows users to create a social media-type account to talk with people working on new projects, seeking jobs, hiring or simply wishing to network in their field, according to the website.

People can sort through posts and project collaborations based on tech stack (a.k.a. coding language), region or work location — at home, part-time or in an office.

Hatchpad founder Tim Winkler said that the idea came to the team after realizing talent recruitment in the area was difficult for startups and product designers. “It’s often hard to cut through the noise of government contracting,” he told Tysons Reporter.

The site only caters to people in the D.C., Virginia, Maryland and Baltimore areas, but Winkler said there are plans in the works to expand the site’s capabilities — both geographically and feature-wise.

Though there isn’t a way for people to chat on the site just yet, startups and engineers are encouraged to post a blog or video interview showcasing their projects, according to Winkler. From there, people can get in contact with one another by finding contact information online.

Roughly 450 people have accounts on the site, Winkler said, adding that more than 1500 people are on their listserv for a weekly email update.

For example, Reston-based startup Hawkeye360 uses the site to advertise job listings and talk about its product.

Like almost every other company, Hatchpad adapted to changing norms prompted by COVID-19 within the last few months.

“There is a push for us to bring a new line of virtual events during this time,” Winkler said, adding that engagement with digital events can be more difficult than with in-person events.   

Before the pandemic hit, according to Winkler, people were more likely to attend in-person events since it was easier to gather and organically network over food and drink.

“Folks seek that social interaction and that’s why they enjoy physical events,” he said. 

To solve this problem, hatchIT and Hatchpad are considering putting together invite-only, “round table” digital events where roughly 10 industry professionals would come together over a specific topic.

These events, potentially called “Hatchpad Huddles,” would be around 30-45 minutes in length and give people the opportunity to speak up and stay engaged, according to Winkler.

Though a lot of companies are experiencing hiring freezes, Hatchpad is encouraging the use of its platform by offering fun ambassador perks for current members.

People who bring new users onboard may score prizes like Hatchpad socks or free tuition to certain online workshops, much like the podcast Morning Brew does, Winkler said. “We really want the site to grow organically.” 

Photo courtesy hatchIT

Wee Chic, a kids’ clothing boutique with stores in Maryland and the Mosaic District, is now offering custom boxes as it navigates e-commerce in the time of coronavirus.

Wee Chic opened its doors at 2905 District Ave, Suite 120 last spring, offering taco-printed onesies, a sushi-printed bib and much more as one of the few small clothing retailers in the Mosaic District.

Since the stores are closed, owner Bridget Quinn Stickline said she’s pivoted to selling items online and via FaceTime appointments with customers while she or an employee is at one of the stores.

“We have a lot of inventory we have to sell,” she said.

Now, Wee Chic has rolled out a “Shop Box” to entice clients to keep shopping.

Employees will talk to shoppers over the phone before building a custom box with 10, 15 or 20 pieces for each child at the low price of $10, $15 or $20.

“It’s kind of like a Stitch Fix model, but not a subscription,” she said.

Once the box arrives, kids try the clothes on, keep what they like and send back what they don’t before Wee Chic charges the family for the clothing they keep.

“Kids still need clothes,” Stickline said, adding that her store caters to shoppers who want to buy quality items.

Each box will include a return label and the shipping fee will be credited to future purchases, according to the website, which says that shoppers who keep eight or more styles will get 30% off their entire order.

Boxes that get returned will sit for a period of time before employees open them up, Stickline said.

The boxes can include multiple sizes, Stickline said, adding that she’s noticed something interesting from the test cases for Shop Box: “Kids are picking out things they would never have picked out if they were in the store.”

Stickline said she expects most of the orders to be for comfortable clothing — “definitely more around the house kind of stuff” — along with pajamas, birthday gifts and Wee Chic’s exclusive skort — a skirt combined with shorts underneath.

“It’s a good time to be a customer,” she said. “We anticipate there will be some really good deals [when we reopen.]”

When Wee Chic does reopen its stores, Stickline said she’s turning to her customers for guidance.

“I want to get a sense for where the customer is most comfortable,” she said, adding that she’s flexible with opening later in the day for parents homeschooling and other ideas to meet clients’ needs.

To keep customers and employees safe, she said everyone will need to wear masks and follow directional signs on the floor — “Can we do something more fun like dinosaur tracks?” — and everything that they will need to do to follow legal guidelines.

Ultimately, Stickline hopes that shoppers continue to support small businesses like hers as the coronavirus pandemic continues and once it’s over.

“Amazon is going to be fine. Jeff [Bezos] isn’t going to need any more of your money. Hopefully, people will be able to tolerate the extra effort it takes to shop with small businesses,” she said.

“We don’t want an environment where everything is big box and all the small businesses are gone.”

The McLean Community Center won’t have fireworks for the Fourth of July due to public health concerns.

The community center recently announced that it plans on canceling almost all of its summer events and activities. These cancellations include McLean Day, which was set to be held this Saturday (May 16), all summer camps and the Independence Day fireworks and corresponding celebration at Langley High School, according to a press release.

“MCC has chosen to announce this decision now to allow patrons and their families the opportunity to make alternative summer plans,” the press release said.

Still, the community center plans to have things to keep people busy during this time of social distancing and staying inside.

“We will be offering, at no-cost, two- or three-day virtual activities during the time when we would have been holding camps,” George Sachs, MCC’s executive director, said in the press release.

Depending on what happens later in the summer, Sachs said that staff may reconsider hosting modified in-person camps once it is safe.

(Updated 12:45 p.m.) Gov. Ralph Northam is allowing Northern Virginia localities two extra weeks to start reopening as the rest of the state readies for the first reopening phase this Friday.

Northam’s order that was announced today (Tuesday) delays the reopening, which is outlined in phases, for Fairfax County and other localities in Northern Virginia until midnight on May 28.

Following pressure from county officials to stall their reopening deadlines, Northam said that the decision is “to allow those localities more time to meet the health metrics.”

“While the data show Virginia as a whole is are ready to slowly and deliberately ease some restrictions, it is too soon for Northern Virginia,” Northam said. “I support the request from localities in this region to delay implementation of Phase One to protect public health.”

Fairfax County chairman Jeff McKay said in a statement that “Northern Virginia is a united front, we will continue to track the statistics because we all want to reopen our economy as soon as possible based on public safety and data.”

“I appreciate the governor’s decision to rely on professional data and metrics provided by our health directors and delay Phase I of his Forward Virginia plan in Northern Virginia,” McKay said. “Our county and region are actively working to meet the health criteria laid out by the governor which are needed in order to reopen the economy and we are hoping that is in the next couple of weeks.”

The localities included are:

• Arlington County
• Fairfax County
• Loudoun County
• Prince William County
• City of Alexandria
• City of Fairfax
• City of Falls Church
• City of Manassas
• City of Manassas Park
• Town of Dumfries
• Town of Herndon
• Town of Leesburg
• Town of Vienna

More from Northam’s announcement:

Data show that Northern Virginia is substantially higher than the rest of the Commonwealth in percentage of positive tests for COVID-19, for example. The Northern Virginia Region has about a 25 percent positivity rate, while the rest of the Commonwealth is closer to 10 percent.  Further, in the last 24 hours, the Northern Virginia Region reported over 700 cases, while the rest of the Commonwealth reported approximately 270. On any given day, 70 percent of the Commonwealth’s positive cases are attributable to the Northern Virginia Region.

Northam has said he plans to provide more information on how the reopening will work for Northern Virginia on Wednesday.

Image via Gov. Ralph Northam/Twitter