The 1960s are making a comeback at Historic Vienna’s upcoming time-traveling exhibit.

People can check out the exhibit starting Sunday (March 1). Historic Vienna is set to host a grand opening celebration a week later, on March 8 from 2-4 p.m., according to the website.

The exhibit will be located at the Freeman Store & Museum (131 Church Street NE) and will include a U-2 pilot suit worn by Lt. Col. Sam Crouse, vintage toys and movie posters from films such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” the event page said.

More serious topics such as segregation, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement will also be addressed at the museum, according to the website.

“HVI encourages visitors to add a personal — and local — touch to the exhibit by sharing their story,” the webpage said, adding that people will be able to post on a message board about their own experiences surrounding the decade.

Typically, the Freeman Store & Museum is open from noon to 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday.

Photo via Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Today (Feb. 27) is National Chili Day, and the Vienna Inn has several reasons to celebrate.

The locally owned business, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, opened at 6:30 a.m. this morning and will serve chili and chili dogs all day long — including for breakfast, according to Nancy Green, the eatery’s spokesperson.

For people over the age of 21 who want to enjoy a beer, the eatery will also have deals on all domestic bottles until 9 p.m., Green said.

Though it is unclear when National Chili Day began, chili originated as a Spanish dish served with meat and has been the state food of Texas since 1977. Sausages are one of the world’s oldest processed foods, according to Newsweek, and can be traced back to the 9th century B.C.

The event today is the latest of several celebrations in February where the Vienna Inn invited people to support the local business and socialize with other community members.

As always, the eatery will also be serving a variety of other chili-based foods, such as chili macs, chili bowls and chili cheese fries.

Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic candidate for president and senator from Minnesota, is coming to Falls Church tomorrow.

Klobuchar will be at a rally supporting her campaign ahead of the March 3 Super Tuesday primary in Virginia.

The event is set to take place at noon at the State Theatre (220 N. Washington Street). Doors will open at 11:15 a.m.

After stopping in Falls Church, Klobuchar will then head to Nashville, according to a press release from her campaign.

Photo via Amy Klobuchar/Facebook

Cranes and crews are busy working on a new office tower near the Greensboro Metro station in Tysons.

Tysons Biergarten’s former site will soon become a 383,000-square-foot office tower with 20 floors and a penthouse, according to the project’s website.

Named Tysons Central, the tower is set to open in the first quarter of 2022, according to signs along Leesburg Pike.

The building will include 365,000 square feet of office space and 19,000 square feet of retail space, the signs say.

The plans show that the office space will be atop parking decks, which will be above the retail and plaza area, according to the project’s website.

The building will also have a sky lobby with an outdoor terrace on the eighth floor and a private terrace on the 12th floor.

“Additionally, the exclusive 6,362 sf Penthouse floor offers a unique opportunity to create a private C-Suite, conference center or tenant lounge for a lead tenant,” according to the website.

At full build-out, the office tower will be a part of a mixed-use development that was approved in 2014 with 1,100 residential units, 200 hotel rooms and 135,000 square feet of retail, according to the website.

Here are renderings of what Tysons Central plans to look like when it’s finished:

Renderings and map via Tysons Central 

Stationery and gift company Paper Source is set to open its doors in The Boro tomorrow (Thursday).

An employee at the store told Tysons Reporter about the store’s planned opening at 1643 Boro Place.

Paper Source has nearby locations in Reston, the Mosaic District and D.C. At the store, shoppers can expect to find stationery, cards, crafts supplies, decorations and gift wrap.

The store will be the latest newcomer in the Tysons development near the Greensboro Metro station — North Italia and Fish Taco opened a few weeks ago.

The store will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays, the employee said.

A new apprenticeship program in Tysons will allow a wide range of job seekers in the technology industry to get a foothold in the workforce.

The initiative welcomed 10 apprentices at a signing event last Friday (Feb. 21) at the Alarm.com headquarters, where the apprentices will be working for a year, according to a press release.

The 10 chosen participants were selected from over 600 applicants, according to Megan Johns, the apprenticeship program manager. “It was a pretty rigorous process,” she said.

Applicants went through an aptitude test, which consisted of computer skills, a phone call and an in-person panel interview, Johns said.

Apprentices range in age and background according to Johns, who added that the participants are roughly 20-40 years old. 

The Tysons-based company helps clients with home and business security, according to its website. Founded in 2000, the website said Alarm.com lets people secure their homes remotely using technology that coordinates with personal devices.

As a state-funded initiative created in partnership with the Northern Virginia Community College and GO Virginia‘s economic development initiative, the program will include three members from the military community, the press release said.

One program participant spent more than 20 years serving in the army and National Guard, while another is a marine and the third is a military spouse, Johns said.

“There are more than 100,000 job openings right now in Northern Virginia, half of them in technical fields, so the need for connecting companies with talent is obvious,” Fairfax County Economic Development Authority CEO Victor Hoskins said.

At the signing event, speakers discussed talent acquisition efforts, the growing demand for on-the-job learning experiences and technical education, according to the press release.

After their initial year at the company, program participants will be able to apply for long-term positions within the company, according to Johns, who said Alarm.com is “rapidly growing” and looking for talent.

Photo courtesy Alarm.com

The Vienna Town Council recently revisited the idea of installing new sidewalks within three neighborhoods.

After a former councilmember Maud Robinson donated a chunk of money in her will for the town to build sidewalks, the Town Council is now evaluating how they can respect her wishes and improve town infrastructure.

During the meeting on Monday (Feb. 24), the Town Council discussed proposed sidewalks would be installed on:

• Plum Street SW between Cottage Street SW to Tapawingo Road,
• Cabin Road SE between Branch Road SE and Glyndon Street SE
• Holmes Drive NW between John Marshall Drive and Upham Place NW

Currently, only 50% of the homeowners on Homes Drive and Plum Street have responded to a request for input on the subject, but councilmembers said they would like at least a 75% response rate.

“I feel better knowing the majority of people are in favor of the decision,” Mayor Laurie DiRocco said, adding that before things move forward, it would be best for town staffers to try new methods to get feedback from homeowners along the proposed routes.

From the feedback received so far from residents, some are concerned over disruption to foliage and trees that would be in the way of the sidewalks.

Councilmember Douglas Noble mentioned that homeowners don’t have control over town-owned easement property on the outskirts of a lot, but added it was determined that the public works department has ways of building the sidewalks without disrupting or killing the trees in the direct path.

During public comment at the meeting, two parents expressed support for the sidewalks and voiced concerns about their kids’ safety.

“A tree can be replanted… I wanna put that in perspective,” a father of two young daughters said. “You can’t replace a child if she gets hit by a car. A 62- year-old maple tree doesn’t matter — my kids matter.”

The man also shared the importance of this project for several families who have recently moved into the neighborhood around Cabin Road.

“I cannot believe we are spending this much time talking about sidewalks, but it’s a democracy at its finest,” he said.

A mother also came up to the podium and shared how she makes her kids FaceTime her after they get off the school bus to ensure their walk home goes smoothly.

She said that she often sees cars speeding down Cabin Road — coming too close to her kids on an unprotected road shoulder for comfort.

After public feedback, the Town Council passed a motion at the meeting to prepare design sidewalk plans on Plum Street, Cabin Road and John Marshall Drive.

Going forward, town representatives will begin preparing sidewalk designs and finish gathering feedback from homeowners in the area. Councilmembers also passed a motion saying design plans shouldn’t cost more than $500,000.

Image via Google Maps

Editor’s Note — This is a guest post written by Saira Uttamchandani, an eighth-grader and Falls Church resident, that was submitted by her mom Komal Mohindra. The story has been lightly edited.  

My dad has never been an overly emotional type. But the day that he found he’d be on the trivia show “Jeopardy!,” he let out an uncharacteristic whoop of joy.

My dad, Mahesh Uttamchandani, was introduced to the trivia show in 10th grade when his teacher didn’t feel like instructing one day and had no lesson plans, so he played an episode of “Jeopardy!” instead. That day, he fell in love and he has held that torch ever since.

In December, my dad received a thrilling call that invited him to Los Angeles for the taping of the show. He went through a rigorous testing process in the lead up.

Our family flew out to L.A. on a Saturday, so we had a few days before my dad was scheduled to tape his show on Tuesday to do some sightseeing. I had never been to L.A. before, so I enjoyed eating In-N-Out and seeing the Walk of Fame and the Santa Monica Pier.

Then, Tuesday arrived, and we could not have been more excited. My dad had to get up at 5 a.m. to get to the studio on time, to get his makeup done, fill out paperwork and be prepped on the rules and protocol. My mom, sister, uncle and I instead got to sleep in and be there at 10:15 a.m. instead.

The guides led us into the studio and my breath caught in my throat. The studio smelled and was very cold. There are two sections — one for the audience — and one for production guests and friends and family of the contestants.

During the commercial break between the first round of questions and Double Jeopardy!, Alex Trebeck, the host of the show, let the audience ask him questions, which was amazing. For example, we got to ask about his favorite pizza toppings, his back up career plans and his most memorable contestants.

One interesting thing about “Jeopardy!” is that they tape all of their episodes for a week in one day. The contestant match-ups for each episode are completely random, so some contestants, like my dad, were at the studio all day.

Each episode takes around 30 minutes to film, provided there are no malfunctions or retakes needed — like if Alex reads a question incorrectly. In addition, the episodes are filmed months in advance, so my dad’s show will air on March 6, but was shot on Jan. 7.

There was a small break for lunch after the third episode and the contestants were taken to the Sony cafeteria on set, but we were not allowed to dine there because the contestants had to stay sequestered in case we somehow got the answers to the questions.

My dad was in the last episode filming that day. One thing I noticed was that there is a very tiny window where contestants can buzz in and have a chance to be called on. You’re supposed to buzz in during that perfect window after Alex finishes reading a clue, but before lights on the side of the game board flash — otherwise, you miss your chance.

My dad struggled with the buzzer in the first round but managed to answer a few questions correctly.

I won’t spoil the ending for you but I invite you to watch on the episode on Friday, March 6, and cheer on one of your Tysons neighbors!

Hei Hei Tiger is now serving up Cantonese cuisine in Tysons Galleria’s Urbanspace.

The new eatery is from the team behind Tiger Fork in D.C. and opened yesterday (Tuesday) in the mall, according to a press release.

“Hei Hei Tiger (pronounced ‘hey hey tiger’) means ‘Happy Happy Tiger’ in Chinese,” according to the press release. “The double happiness characters are significant in Chinese culture, symbolizing a union and joy.”

The restaurant is serving up Chinese barbecue, Hong Kong-style noodle bowls, soft serve and will soon offer boba milk tea, the press release said. The octagon-shaped bar offers “Traditional Chinese Medicine” cocktails, teas, tonics, sake, beer, wine and more.

More from the press release:

The culinary program is led by co-owner Will Fung, who has been part of Tiger Fork’s operating team since day one, in collaboration with the group’s corporate chef/co-owner Nathan Beauchamp and co-owner Greg Algie.

A Hong Kong native, Fung has more than 20 years of industry experience, both back-of-house as a former sushi chef at Sushiko and founder of the Dirty South Deli food truck, and front-of-house as former general manager at Ted’s Bulletin and Matchbox. Most recently, Fung spent his entire 2018 in Kyoto, cooking and training in 3-Michelin star Kaiseki restaurants Kikunoi and Takesh igero under the guidance of chef Yoshihiro Murata.

Inspired by the styles of Hong Kong dining, Fung draws on his childhood and familial cooking heritage, plus the techniques learned from his Japanese training, such as the fine art of dashi and intricate broths and sauces, and modernizing the recipes for today at Hei Hei Tiger…

A private dining room will follow, eventually serving dim sum brunches and hosting private events.

“Before we opened Tiger Fork, we always had this idea to open a hybrid service, casual-style concept offering Chinese BBQ and Hong Kong noodle soups,” Algie said in the press release. “After seeing the success and positive response to Tiger Fork, and with Will at the helm, we’re excited to make our first expansion outside of D.C.”

The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays.