The Traveling Players Ensemble plans to celebrate its new permanent home in Tysons Corner Center with a ribbon-cutting later this week.
Founded 18 years ago, Traveling Players trains young artists in grades 3-12 in classical theater, according to a press release from the mall.
Located adjacent to the former Lord and Taylor spot on level one, the 42,000-square-foot studio opened on Jan. 11, Tysons Reporter previously reported.
The ribbon-cutting is set to take place from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 5).
The theater group has plans for later this year.
In March, Traveling Players will perform “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the mall, along with hosting spring and summer camps.
“These shows will be performed in Tysons Corner Center on March 14, 15, 21 and 22 and open to the public,” the press release said.
Photo courtesy Tysons Corner Center
Fairfax County police have arrested a former Westbriar Elementary School employee for alleged financial crimes.
Police said in a press release today (Monday) that Adebisi Ogun “misappropriated credit card funds and forged the principal’s signature on checks for her personal use over a period of one year while Ogun worked as an administrative assistant” at the Vienna school.
“Detectives began their investigation in August 2018 after school officials became aware of fraudulent credit card activity,” police said. “After a thorough investigation, detectives obtained arrest warrants in Sept. 2018.”
Ogun, 29 from New York, was arrested in New York on Jan. 15 and extradited to Fairfax County, police said. Ogun has been charged with embezzlement, forgery and uttering.
Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
Rango’s Tex-Mex and Grill has party plans this weekend with its first anniversary on Saturday, followed by happy hour specials on Super Bowl Sunday.
The father and son-operated restaurant opened last year at 1934 Old Gallows Road to fill a taco and margarita void in Tysons, the owner told Tysons Reporter.
The restaurant serves up a variety of quesadillas, enchiladas, chimichangas and fajitas, along with margaritas, wine and daiquiris.
For Rango’s birthday celebration on Saturday (Feb. 1), diners can order 27 oz. margaritas for $12 and Mexican bottle beers — Corona, Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial and Pacifico — for $3. The restaurant will also have its regular happy hour specials from 3-7 p.m. at the bar.
For the Super Bowl on Sunday, the restaurant plans to offer several discounts during the game. For food, diners can get discounted chicken wings, BBQ ribs and carnitas. For drinks, the restaurant will have specials on its margaritas, sangria, mojitos, beers, wine and mixed drinks.
The restaurant is open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Saturday and until 10 p.m. on Sundays, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Happy hour is from 3-7 p.m. at the bar every day.
Photo via Rango’s Tex-Mex and Grill/Facebook
Vienna police are investigating a variety of recent crimes — from ice cream cake theft to alleged fraud.
Juan Vazquez, a spokesperson for the Vienna Police Department, told Tysons Reporter that a 10-inch ice cream cake was swiped from Dairy Queen (304 Maple Avenue W.) on Tuesday (Jan. 28).
An employee at the Dairy Queen told police that two men came to the store around 3:30 p.m. that day and fled with the cake they had taken from the freezer, according to the police report.
The cake was white with red icing and cost $24.99, Vazquez said, adding that the suspects are described as “two black males, ages 50-60.” Vazquez said that the men left in a car.
In a separate incident, Vienna police are looking for whoever broke the lock on a shed and damaged property belonging to the Vienna Little League in Yeonas Park (1319 Ross Drive SW).
Police say the unlawful entry happened sometime between 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, and noon on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Vazquez said that green powder was thrown onto the equipment in the shed and contents of trash cans were emptied onto the private property.
“Someone’s got to clean all the stuff,” Vazquez said, adding that he didn’t know if he powder caused permanent damage or not to the equipment.
Vienna police are investigating a report of fraud that happened after a female resident went to pay the family’s mortgage with a check at the PNC Bank (353 Maple Avenue).
“She gave the check to a female at the bank” around 3 p.m. on Dec. 23, the police report said.
An employee from Burke & Herbert, the bank which the couple holds an account with, noticed that the check had been made cashed outside of Virginia and was made payable to a person instead of the mortgage company, the report said.
The Vienna Police Department was contacted on Jan. 10, when the woman and her husband were informed their payment was never received, according to police.
A spokesperson from the Vienna Police Department said no one has been arrested in association with the case yet and declined to provide more information on the incident because it is an active investigation.
Tysons Reporter reached out to PNC Bank but has not received a response yet.
Ashley Hopko and Catherine Douglas Moran contributed reporting
Image (1) via Google Maps, image (2) via Google Maps
BareMinerals is no longer selling mineral makeup and skincare in Tysons Corner Center.
While the Tysons Corner Center website says that the store has upcoming sales, an employee at the bareMinerals store in Arlington said that the Tysons spot closed a few days ago. The store was located on the first level near Macy’s.
The employee wasn’t able to say why the store closed, but did mention that some bareMinerals stores have also closed in New Jersey.
Women’s Wear Daily reported in 2017 that Shiseido Co. planned on closing 100 bareMinerals stores in the U.S. — almost half the brand’s brick and mortar stores that were open then.
Shoppers can find a bareMinerals Boutique in both Arlington (1100 S. Hayes Street) and Dulles (21100 Dulles Town Circle).
Hat tip to Chuck and Polly D.
Del. Mark Keam (D-35hth) and several other Virginia lawmakers are looking to honor the late Clarene Vickery, who founded the Parkwood School in Vienna.
After founding the school in 1956, Vickery served as its director and owner for more than 60 years. Vickery also helped create the Virginia Association of Early Childhood Education and the Providence Baptist Church in Tysons.
For her 100th birthday, several public officials recognized her achievements with a formal resolution during the 2018 session of the Virginia General Assembly.
Vickery died last year at the age of 101.
Now Keam, along with Del. Ken Plum (D-36th), State Sen. J. Chapman Petersen (D-34th), Del. Vivian Watts (D-39th), have a formal resolution for the 2020 General Assembly session to celebrate her life.
“Clarene Vickery impacted her community in meaningful ways outside of education,” the resolutions says, noting she was the president of the Ayr Hill Garden Club in Vienna, grand marshall of the 2006 Vienna Halloween Parade and an active member of the Vienna Baptist Church for 65 years.
Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly have agreed to the resolution, which is expected to be presented to Vickery’s family.
Photo via Mark Keam/Facebook
Happy Friday! Here are the latest stories about the Tysons area that the Tysons Reporter team has been reading:
Answer to Affordable Housing? — “A unique zoning designation permitted a new duplex to spring up in the heart of the City of Falls Church, but the development may not be a one-off if proposed legislation to upzone all single-family lots to accommodate multifamily structures passes down in Richmond.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Art Center Proposed For McLean Park — “‘MPA envisions an all-inclusive art center which provides a creative respite for the community that is integrated into, yet distinct from, Clemyjontri Park,’ county officials said.” [Inside NoVa]
Falls Church Library Project Moves Forward — “By a split 4-3 vote, the Falls Church City Council gave a “first reading” preliminary approval to a $10.9 million project to renovate and expand the Mary Riley Styles Public Library… The vote on final approval for the plan is scheduled for Feb. 10.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Woman Struck in Falls Church — “A woman was struck by a vehicle while crossing the street at the corner of Little Falls Road and West Broad Street in the City of Falls Church Tuesday afternoon, the City reported.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Now that @TBiergarten closed. Where are the best spots to watch the #SuperBowl in and around Tysons?
— Tysons, VA (@TysonsVA) January 29, 2020
Fun Fact: The miniature fighter jet sculpture pictured above in Falls Church was made with 14,000 copper coins, according to Atlas Obscura.
Updated 1/31/2020 — The event will be held on the second level near the Old Navy.
Earlier: Student innovators and entrepreneurs will gather this Saturday (Feb. 1) to showcase their ideas at Tysons Corner Center.
The Junior Achievement Trade Show is set to take place from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on level one of the mall in BrandBox.
Community members are welcome to stop by, ask questions and purchase items sold by the students, according to Gayle Robinson, a spokesperson for the Junior Achievement of Greater Washington.
Students will get the chance to “display, demonstrate and discuss their innovative products and services in the hopes of building brand awareness, selling to new customers and connecting with the local community,” the event page said.
A total of 140 students will be present at the event, Robinson said, adding that they will be broken up into eight teams that will take turns presenting throughout the day.
Tables will be set up “market-style,” according to the event’s Facebook page.
Students tabling their ideas at this event are part of a program that helped them develop a business plan, pitch ideas and build confidence, the website said.
Robinson told Tysons Reporter that the students, who represent the entire D.C. area, have been preparing for this moment since they began the program in September and will be evaluated by judges wandering around the room during the event.
Students who win this competition will be fast-tracked to future competitions later this spring, according to Robinson.
A|X Armani Exchange — the more affordable option for Giorgio Armani products — no longer has a store in Tysons Corner Center.
A reader alerted Tysons Reporter earlier today (Thursday) about a sign at the mall saying that the store is closed and urging customers to head to A|X Armani Exchange’s store in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (1100 South Hayes Street, Suite 501).
The store was located on the second level near Barnes and Noble.
An employee at the Pentagon City store said that the Tysons one closed two days ago. The employee wasn’t sure what prompted the closure.
“A|X appears to be repositioning its portfolio of stores within their organization,” a spokesperson for the mall told Tysons Corner Center.
Tysons Reporter has reached out to A|X Armani Exchange to find out more information about the closure.
While it’s unclear what will fill the A|X Armani Exchange space, several newcomers are expected in the mall later this year, including Australian brand Cotton On.
Photo courtesy (and hat tip to) Raymond Newby
Fairfax County police say a McLean home near the Marie Butler Leven Preserve was burglarized yesterday.
The incident happened in the 1600 block of Maddux Lane around 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 29).
Police say that someone stole property.
A Fairfax County police spokesperson declined to provide more information because it is an active case.
Map via Google Maps
