The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.
We’ve scoured the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!
Tuesday (Aug. 13)
- Stray Cats 40th Anniversary Tour — 8-11 p.m. at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Road) — The band will celebrate its 40-year anniversary with a performance. Tickets start at $35.
Wednesday (Aug. 14)
- Wednesday West Coast Swing Lessons and Dance — 8 p.m. at Latin Dancer Studio (1057 W. Broad Street, Suite 221) — This event invites newbies and seasoned dancers alike to join lessons and an open dance floor later in the evening. Tickets are $15 for a lesson or just $10 after 10 p.m. for the social dance.
Thursday (Aug. 15)
- Karaoke Thursday! — 8-11 p.m. at Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street) — This locally owned distillery opens their doors for patrons to come to sing and enjoy some spirits.
Friday (Aug. 16)
- The Slambovian Circus of Dreams and Lumen Jingos — 8 p.m. at the Jammin Java (227 E. Maple Avenue) — The bands take to the stage for an evening of live music. Both bands have been described as “psychedelic.” Tickets are $25.
- McLean Famers Market — 8 a.m. at Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bride Road) — This event will feature fresh veggies and food from local vendors.
Saturday (Aug. 17)
- Family Bingo Party With Food for Others — noon-3 p.m. at Brandbox Lounge at Tysons Corner Center — Food for Others will host an event to raise awareness for their cause while attendees play games and win prizes.
Photo via The Slambovian Circus of Dreams/Facebook
The history room at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in the City of Falls Church will temporarily close beginning Sunday, Aug. 18.
The closure comes after the city’s decision to revamp the room, which officials said is not in a position to meet the growing demand, into a “larger, more prominent” space at the aging library (120 N. Virginia Avenue).
The renovation includes adding 3,174 square feet, along with new features that will ensure a quieter and more comfortable experience for visitors.
“The new room will also again have regular weekly hours to encourage drop-ins and generally increase access,” the website said.
While the renovations are taking place, the files and documentation will be placed in storage and won’t be available for public access until the renovation is completed in late 2020 or early 2021. However, people can still search for photos, death notices and obituaries online.
By 2033, the library’s website said it expects more than 35,000 people to take advantage of the sources available in the history room.
FYI: the @mrsplfc Local History Room is closing to the public on Aug. 18 in preparation for the Expansion & Renovation project. The Local History Digital Collection will still be online. Details: https://t.co/8IP1W8Gd9F pic.twitter.com/5fjJG22Zhi
— City of Falls Church (@FallsChurchGov) August 6, 2019
Image via City of Falls Church
The Falls Church City Council will hold public hearings tonight (Monday) on proposed housing and demographics guidelines as the city looks to offer more affordable housing.
The Comprehensive Plan’s chapters for both areas haven’t been updated since 2005, according to city staff.
The new demographics chapter would focus on three areas: trends, projections and how changes relate to community needs, especially for housing, economic development and public facilities.
“Demographics are a critical base of information for city planning; the city’s housing, transportation, economy, parks and recreation, and social framework rely on current and future population trends and need,” according to city documents.
Meanwhile, the revamped housing chapter would outline a vision for how the city can address diverse housing needs through nine focus points.
The city’s Planning Commission voted in favor of both updates at its meeting last Monday, Aug. 5.
The city council meeting is set to start at 7:30 p.m. at 300 Park Avenue.
The Fairfax County Board of Zoning Appeals is set to determine this fall whether or not a contentious for-profit therapy program for teens can open in McLean.
Newport Academy’s plans to turn its three purchased homes (1620, 1622, and 1624 Davidson Road) into a treatment facility got derailed after the county’s zoning administrator said the facility is not a by-right use.
While the zoning administrator added that the facility would require approval from the Board of Supervisors, Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust has previously said that he would oppose the facility if it was brought to the county board for a vote.
Newport Academy is looking to appeal the ruling, and now the zoning issue is set to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 30, BZA staff told Tysons Reporter, adding that people interested in the case should check a week or two before that date to confirm it will still take place.
“These dates do sometimes change, although I do not believe that will be the case for this hearing,” staff wrote.
It is unclear what will happen to Newport Academy’s proposed group home at 1318 Kurtz Road, which was not addressed in the zoning administrator’s ruling.
A woman reported a man masturbating in public by Wildwood Park to the Vienna Police Department.
The incident took place shortly after 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, by Alma Street SE and Delano Drive SE.
From from the Vienna Police Department:
A resident reported that she observed a suspicious man on the bike path. The resident decided to follow
the man and saw him near a metal bridge. The subject had his pants to his ankles and was masturbating in public. The resident quickly left the area and called the police.
Police said that they searched the surrounding areas but couldn’t find the man.
In a separate incident, an employee reported that another employee embezzled money in the last few months from Patron Insurance Services (301 W. Maple Avenue), police said. The case is being investigated.
Photo via Facebook
McLean Firefighters Save Hawk — “Recently, Tower 401, McLean, A-Shift was called to assist [Fairfax County Animal Protection Police]. Hawk was entangled in netting. Lt. Roose and Tech Crabtree took MAPPO Lugo up in tower bucket to access hawk who was able to free hawk and transport to vet. Hawk is back in wild!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue/Twitter]
Becoming a City — “While the end date for Tysons’ transformation plan may be 2050, cities are dynamic things.” Greater Greater Washington dives into the challenges Tysons will face as it continues to grow. [Greater Greater Washington]
McLean Crash Kills Driver — “A person is dead after a single-car crash that has closed a section of the GW Parkway on Sunday morning. The crash happened around 5:45 a.m. in McLean. The driver, who was the only occupant in the vehicle, died at the scene.” [Fox5]
Falls Church Book Store Closing — “Hole in the Wall Books, the cozy used book shop located within a faded blue house on Broad Street, will be closing up shop for good at the end of the month, concluding a 40-year run in the City of Falls Church that brought the right amount of reliability and eccentricity to make the store into an institution.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Filling Mad Fox’s Void — “The City of Falls Church’s economic development team confirmed [last week] that finding a replacement for the recently-closed Mad Fox Brewing Company is ‘an absolute strategic priority for the City’ and… another brewpub operation, a small chain, is showing a keen interest.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Unfinished McLean Mansion for Sale — “Greater Washington’s second most expensive house on the market isn’t even a house yet.” [Washington Business Journal]
Training for Mass Shooting Scenarios — ABC7’s Tim Barber has details on how Fairfax County’s police and fire train together for mass shooting scenarios. “The training starts with a radio call, with lights and sounds are added for effects.” [ABC7]
McLean Bank Teams Up With Another Bank — “Founders of VisionBank (In Organization) have agreed to join Old Dominion National Bank to help bolster the bank’s mission to provide a true community banking experience to growing numbers of businesses and individuals throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area.” [Cision]
(Updated at 10:35 a.m. 8/12/19) 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.
Be sure to take a close look at the paintings if you dine at Randy’s Prime Seafood and Steaks— one of three new restaurants by Great American Restaurants at 8051 Leesburg Pike.
The restaurant’s five paintings not only feature some well-known faces, but also have some Easter eggs and surprising twists.
One shows Michelle Obama hugging former President George W. Bush. Another features “Margaritaville” singer Jimmy Buffet strolling along the beach with billionaire Warren Buffet.
Jack Gable, the painter for all five pieces of art, is no stranger to Great American Restaurants (GAR). Diners can find his art at all but Mike’s American in Springfield and Best Buns — the second option at the Tysons spot.
An architect introduced Gable, a Maine-based gallery painter, to GAR CEO Randy Norton about 20 years ago.
“I’m willing to do different styles,” he said, adding that he’s painted everything from rowing to sports, from historical figures to cars.
While some artists stick to a particular style, Gable said that he enjoys the challenge of different techniques and methods. “The real joy is the physical act of creating the painting,” he said.
Norton said that he and his wife Patsy choose the subjects for the paintings in Randy’s, which include Patsy with her two favorite actresses — Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Norton said he calls that one “The Three Iconic Women.”
Norton said that the painting of Washington Capital’s Captain Alex Ovechkin “was the easiest one to pick.”
“I wanted to convey the message that we do not want the restaurant to be too serious,” Norton said, adding that the paintings are meant to add a lighthearted tone to the green mohair booths and mahogany carving at the restaurant.
The fifth painting shows Bruce Springsteen performing with Clarence Clemons. “It’s not a painting you would normally see in a ‘nice’ restaurant,” Norton said.
Meanwhile at Patsy’s — the final one in the Leesburg Pike trifecta — diners can find two murals by Gable and Christopher Cart that feature about 30 individuals in as slight caricatures in carnival scenes.
Randy’s is open from 4-9 p.m. on Sundays, 4-9 on Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fridays.
An MS-13 gang member from Falls Church was sentenced today for his role and participation in a violent assault of a victim with multiple baseball bats.
Last October, Jose Ochoa Del-Cid, 21, of Falls Church, conspired with other MS-13 gang members to lure the victim under false pretenses to James Lee Park in Falls Church, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Del-Cid and roughly a dozen other MS-13 members then “beat the victim with bats, fists, and feet for approximately three minutes.”
Del-Cid was sentenced to more than five and a half years in prison.
The FBI’s WFO’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force for Northern Virginia, which is tasked with dismantling violent gangs in the D.C.-area, investigated the case.
More from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia:
An MS-13 gang member was sentenced today to more than five and a half years in prison for his leadership role and participation in a violent gang-related assault of a victim with multiple baseball bats.
“The hallmark of MS-13 is extreme violence,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The sole purpose of this brutal and senseless assault was to instill fear in communities here in Northern Virginia and dissuade cooperation with law enforcement. Our investigation and prosecution of this case should send a clear message that the violent acts of MS-13 in our community will be prosecuted at every opportunity.”
According to court documents, in October 2018, Jose Ochoa Del-Cid, 21, of Falls Church, an admitted MS-13 gang member, conspired with several other members and associates of MS-13 to lure the victim to James Lee Park, in Falls Church, so that they could assault the victim. Del-Cid and other members and associates of MS-13 believed the victim was cooperating with law enforcement, falsely representing himself as a member of MS-13, and disparaging the local Silvas clique of MS-13.
After luring the victim to the park under false pretenses, Del-Cid and approximately a dozen other members and associates of MS-13 beat the victim with bats, fists, and feet for approximately three minutes. As a result of the beating, the victim suffered multiple broken limbs and was hospitalized for several days.
“The FBI Washington Field Office remains aggressive in investigating and dismantling gang activity, to ultimately bring justice to the victims of the horrific violence of MS-13,” said Timothy Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office. “Our goal is take these violent offenders off the street, which should send a message to others that this violence will not be tolerated in our community.”
This matter was investigated by the FBI WFO’s Safe Streets/HIDTA Task Force – Northern Virginia which is composed of FBI Agents along with Task Force Officers from the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department, the Alexandria City Police, Fairfax City Police, Vienna Police Department, Herndon Police Department, and the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, along with Agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and ATF.
The mission of this task force is to identify, investigate, disrupt and dismantle the most egregious and violent gangs operating in the Capital Region to include members of MS-13, a transnational street gang, known for its acts of violence.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas U. Murphy II and Morris Parker prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-88.
Photo by Joe Gratz/Flickr
New shops, restaurants and entertainment will start opening at The Boro development in Tysons this fall.
The development by The Meridian Group includes a 70,000 square-foot flagship Whole Foods set to open this fall, a 14-screen ShowPlace ICON Theatre and an onsite food hall and brewery.
The Boro recently announced that City National Bank will join The Boro’s line up.
Pick your favorite below and tell us in the comments which other ones you are ready for.
Image courtesy The Meridian Group
After almost 10 years of sweet service, the founder of Danielle’s Desserts has decided to close the bakery so that she can focus on her family and health.
Founded in 2010 by Danielle Poux, the bakery will serve up Southern-style desserts in Tysons Galleria until next Friday, Aug. 16.
“The business, as much as I’ve enjoyed it, has taken a physical toll on me,” Poux said.
Now that she is almost 60 years old, she said spending 14 hours each day on her feet isn’t healthy for her anymore.
After meeting with a few of her managers a couple of months ago, they decided that a closing date would allow current employees enough time to arrange other career opportunities while also adequately wrapping everything up on the business end.
When Danielle’s Desserts announced that it was going to close, Poux said that the shop received hundreds of phone calls from customers expressing their dismay.
Looking back over the last nine years, Poux said that she took requests from customers and made adjustments to her menu based on feedback.
Poux recalled when she received several requests from a man who wanted a basic yellow cake with chocolate frosting — an option she hadn’t thought to offer at first because she thought it might be boring. When she gave the cake a trial period, she said it “flew out of the shop” and became a bestseller.
“I think the important thing that I’ve learned, it has come to my attention, that we have had an impact on people,” Poux said. “It’s like being a part of their important family events — and that’s an honor to me.”
Photo courtesy Danielle Poux
