Reminder: Car Tax Payments Due Today — “Personal property taxes — better known as car taxes — are due on Thursday, Oct. 5. Bills were mailed this summer, and there are many convenient ways to pay…If you have a question or concern about your tax bill, contact the Department of Tax Administration.” [Fairfax County Government]
Silver Line Phase 2 Ridership Tops 3 Million — “One million people have used the Dulles International Airport Metro station since it opened last fall, Metro and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) announced Wednesday…Ridership passing through the six new stations has surpassed 3 million, with Dulles station accounting for about one-third of riders.” [Washington Post]
Lincolnia Restaurant to Close After 20 Years — “After decades in business, a local restaurant near Alexandria’s West End border will close at the end of the month. Foxfire Grill owner Terri Fox recently announced the closure on the company website and social media.” [ALXnow]
Fairfax City Considers Easing Rules for Social Services — “The proposed changes eliminate language in the existing ordinance that makes it more difficult for some organizations to provide social services as part of their mission.” The amendment before the city council would eliminate requirements related to outdoor space, proximity to alcohol sales and “neighborhood impact mitigation.” [Patch]
Residents Coming to Hybla Valley Affordable Housing — “The Residences at North Hill may soon be getting residents. According to developer Whitney Ellis at Pennrose, tenants will begin moving into the apartment community within the next two weeks, following contractor completion of a short punch list of items.” [On the MoVe]
Virginia Addressing Incorrect Voter Removals — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration said this week, with early voting underway, that it is working to fix an issue that misclassified probation violations as felonies and has led to an unknown number of eligible Virginians being removed from the voter rolls.” [Associated Press/WTOP]
Report Urges Localities to Bolster Security Against Shootings — “Virginia localities should be required to conduct active shooter drills, ensure that police have easy access to their municipal buildings and invest in technology that would allow officials to detect weapons and track the whereabouts of a shooter, a state commission convened after the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting has recommended.” [Washington Post]
Vienna Offers Family Bicycle Tour — “The Vienna town government’s Bicycle Advisory Committee will host a family-friendly bike ride around the town on Sunday, Oct. 22 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Vienna Community Center. The 5.5-mile ride will mostly occur on low-volume streets with hills kept to a minimum, and also will include a brief foray onto the new Interstate 66 Trail.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — The weather will be partly sunny with a high temperature near 78°F and calm wind picking up to southeast 5-9 mph in the morning. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature around 63°F and southeast wind around 6 mph. [Weather.gov]
Six of the 10 best high schools in Northern Virginia belong to Fairfax County Public Schools, as newly declared by Northern Virginia Magazine.
For its recently published October issue, the magazine’s editorial staff ranked the top 25 top public high schools in the region based on graduation and chronic absenteeism rates, Standards of Learning test pass rates, and other data from the 2021-2022 school year.
Unsurprisingly leading the way is Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), the competitive magnet school near Lincolnia that has mostly made headlines in recent years for the political and legal battles over changes to its admissions policies.
Despite the ongoing debate over admissions and the diversity of its student body, TJ “remains the leading high school both in our region, and in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a statement to FFXnow.
In addition to topping Northern Virginia Magazine’s list, TJ was named the fifth best high school, the number-one magnet school and the fourth best science, technology, engineer and math-focused high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report, which released its annual, nationwide public high school rankings in August.
In an interview with Northern Virginia Magazine, TJ principal Ann Bonitatibus said the school has focused increasingly on student wellness since she arrived six years ago. Three-quarters of students reported experiencing a stress-related health issue in a survey conducted in 2018.
“Being mindful of overall wellness has become a natural part of the fabric of TJHSST, so we are now turning our attention to innovative practices,” Bonitatibus said. “TJHSST has been known as a leader in academic and extracurricular arenas, so it’s important we remain contemporary as we equip our students with skills that will be transferable in their future.”
TJ wasn’t the only Fairfax County school to make a splash in the magazine’s rankings.
FCPS swept the top three spots, with Langley High School and McLean High School coming in at no. 2 and 3, respectively. Oakton High School followed close behind at no. 5, though Loudoun County’s Freedom High School prevented FCPS from fully taking over the top five.
Other Fairfax County schools to make the list include:
- Vienna’s Madison High School (no. 6)
- Robinson Secondary School (no. 10)
- Woodson High School (no. 17)
- West Springfield High School (no. 20)
- Chantilly High School (no. 22)
- Lake Braddock Secondary School (no. 23)
- Marshall High School in Idylwood (no. 24)
TJ, Langley, McLean, Oakton, Marshall and Woodson were also ranked among the top 10 public high schools in Virginia for 2023 by the U.S. News and World Report.
Reid said she was “honored to learn that Northern Virginia Magazine ranks our high schools as among the best in Northern Virginia.”
“Overall, the rankings reflect FCPS’ commitment to excellence, equity, and opportunity as we launch our seven-year Strategic Plan, which will ensure every student has the chance to meet their greatest potential from now through 2030,” Reid said. “With this plan, I am confident FCPS will remain Virginia’s education leader for years to come.”
Planning officials in the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia fear proposals to change Virginia’s transportation funding system could significantly reduce state funding for smaller transportation projects for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has been reviewing the state’s transportation funding process, SMART SCALE, which has been in place for the past seven years.
Some of the proposals being considered by the board include favoring larger transportation projects over smaller ones, lowering the number of applications local governments and planning organizations can submit and reducing the weight given to land use in applications.
Significantly, many bike and pedestrian projects could go unfunded under the proposed changes. According to data collected by a working group made up of Virginia’s Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment, which advises state transportation leaders, and several consultants, 75% of the bike and pedestrian projects recently funded through SMART SCALE would have gone unfunded under the new rules.
“We certainly think there’s a lot of focus on highway road expansion statewide and no focus on climate change impacts with this approach,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
Trip Pollard, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center and leader of its Land and Community Program, said he’s concerned the proposed changes to SMART SCALE will harm the state’s ability to meet its goals of reducing air pollution and protecting the environment.
“Staff is doing some great work on this and there are some good reasons for some of these changes, but cumulatively, I definitely don’t agree with them,” Pollard said. “I think it really fundamentally shifts where the money is going to go.”
Other changes attempt to evaluate projects over a longer time scale. For example, the working group is recommending that the Commonwealth Transportation Board consider adding to the application process a project’s congestion benefits 10 years into the future and forecast the economic value of a project.
“What we’re doing here is trying to get at the metrics that better show us the value so that we can apply that in our scoring system,” said Transportation Secretary Shep Miller at the board’s Sept. 20 work session.
Making room for larger projects
One of the most controversial recommendations made by the working group, which has been reviewing the SMART SCALE proposals since March, is for Virginia to expand its definition of “high-priority projects,” or projects that have a regional or statewide significance.
Currently, state law defines high-priority projects as those that “reduce congestion or increase safety, accessibility, environmental quality or economic development.”
The working group is recommending adding to that list projects that include “new capacity highway, managed lanes, new or improved interchanges, new or improved passenger rail stations or service, freight rail improvements, high-capacity fixed guideway transit, transit transfer stations, and new bridge.”
Planning leaders from the Shenandoah Valley and central Virginia, however, worry that expanding the high-priority designation could edge out other, smaller kinds of transportation proposals by weighting decisions against them. That could force local governments to find other sources of funding. Read More
Tysons Corner Center is jumping into the abundant pile of local fall festivals.
The mall announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it will host a fall festival on its plaza from noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 21, declaring that the event will be “one of our biggest” of the year.
The festivities will include pumpkin-carving demonstrations from Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, live entertainment, a “Spookie Poochie” pet costume contest and “bark park,” a beer bar from Barrel & Bushel, crafts, face painting, a fall market, a Candytopia photobooth and more.
Starting at noon, singer Scott Kurt and his Arlington-based band Memphis 59 will take the stage. At that time, attendees will also be able to register their pet for the costume contest.
The top three winners of the costume contest will be announced at 3 p.m.
More music will be provided at 3:15 p.m. by JParis, a cover band that plays rock and pop hits.
The fall festival will be free to attend, but the mall still encourages visitors to RSVP through Eventbrite.
This year, the Tysons area has had no shortage of festivals to celebrate the coming of autumn, though the season’s arrival has felt more theoretical than actual so far with temperatures lingering in the low 80s this week.
Oktoberfest came to The Boro and Shipgarten in Scotts Run last month, and the Mosaic District held its annual fall festival last weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1). The Town of Vienna is expecting thousands of attendees for its Oktoberfest this Saturday (Oct. 7).
(Updated at 3:30 p.m. on 10/6/2023) The Fairfax County Police Department has come out in opposition to the prospect of enhanced powers for the two entities charged with overseeing its handling of community complaints and conflicts.
The department has adopted or is in the process of adopting all but nine reforms proposed by the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and community members in a Police Reform Matrix Working Group (MWG), Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told the Board of Supervisors at a safety and security committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).
However, Davis said the police “do not concur” with the MWG’s recommendations that the county expand the authority of its Police Civilian Review Panel (PCRP) and Independent Police Auditor (IPA), which were both created in 2016 to provide independent oversight of the FCPD.
“The FCPD has engaged in mutually respected dialogue and cooperation with both the civilian review panel and the independent police auditor since the creation of these two entities,” Davis said. “We do not concur that any of these changes are necessary, merited by inefficiency on the part of the FCPD or required for any objective review of the circumstances.”
Convened in June 2020 by Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, who chairs the board’s safety and security committee, the working group recommended in a May 12, 2023 report that the panel and auditor be granted the authority to conduct independent investigations and suggest or impose discipline against officers.
The group also called for an expansion of the PCRP’s scope to include automatic reviews of FCPD administrative investigations involving allegations of bias or profiling, and an option for the IPA to recommend that the commonwealth’s attorney turn over criminal investigations of shootings by police and in-custody deaths to independent investigators.
Currently, the panel is only authorized to review completed police investigations into abuse of authority and serious misconduct allegations, while the auditor reviews use-of-force investigations.
When the Board of Supervisors established the two entities, Virginia had no set model or regulations for civilian oversight of law enforcement, but a state law adopted in 2020 granted broad powers, including the ability to independently investigate complaints and make or recommend disciplinary decisions.
The PCRP pushed for that expanded authority in a review of its first four years released in February 2021, and its stance hasn’t changed, according to current panel chair Todd Cranford.
“The PCRP continues to advocate for increased authority to review certain FCPD activities on behalf of community members in Fairfax County,” Cranford said in a statement. “[In] furtherance of this objective, we have had, and continue to have, constructive discussions with Chief Davis and the Board of Supervisors on this and other issues. Chief Davis has expressed his disagreement previously, but we remain committed to seeking reasonable expansion of the Panel’s authority.”
Cranford noted that the decision on whether to expand the panel’s authority “will ultimately lie with the Board of Supervisors,” as dictated by state law.
Independent Police Auditor Richard Schott, who has served in the position since 2017, says, if the county hires and funds independent investigators, as suggested by the MWG, decisions about when to utilize them should be left to the commonwealth’s attorney.
“I do not think the Auditor should be called upon to decide when to mobilize investigators who are employed by the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office,” Schott told FFXnow.
Lusk says he would be open to looking at adding independent investigators to the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, but the county would have to delve more deeply into the potential costs and how exactly that arrangement would work.
He expressed support for expanding the PCRP’s authority. However, the panel has added “a number of new members” in the past year, and the county is also now searching for a new executive director after Steven Richardson, the first person to ever hold the position, stepped down.
While Lusk doesn’t know all the circumstances around Richardson’s departure, he says it could take a few months for the county to hire a replacement. The Board of Supervisors and human resources department hope to start interviewing candidates “in the next month or so,” he told FFXnow.
“But once we have completed the training for the panel members and hire the new executive director, I think the first step would be for us to go with monitoring authority for the panel and then we could move from there into the investigatory authority,” Lusk said.
In his presentation, Davis noted that the IPA has never disagreed with the police department’s findings on an investigation, and the PCRP has only diverged once, though both groups have made policy and training recommendations in their incident and annual reports.
“This speaks to our commitment to work in alignment with our community groups and demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnership,” the FCPD said in a statement, which can be read in full below.
In a statement released prior to the committee meeting, the Fairfax County NAACP, ACLU People Power Fairfax and faith leaders on the MWG argued that the “lack of disagreement is indeed concerning, but reflects the limited scope of [the PCRP’s] authority rather than the good conduct of the police force.” Read More
Reston Pub Makes Leap to D.C. — “Makers Union, Thompson Restaurants’ 4-year-old tavern in Reston, Virginia, busts out of the suburbs with a shiny new D.C. edition serving tomahawk dinners for two, ‘sea-cuterie’ boards, and lots of brown liquors — plus a neon-lit reminder to ‘get nauti’ in its Southwest Waterfront neighborhood.” The second location opened on Monday (Oct. 2). [DC Eater]
Dranesville District Supervisor Candidates Face Off — “While frequently exchanging unpleasantries at a forum hosted Sept. 27 by the Great Falls Citizens Association (GFCA), candidates seeking to become the next Dranesville District supervisor fielded questions on taxes, the environment, law enforcement, Metro funding and drag-queen shows.” [Gazette Leader]
Fairfax City Officer Helps Snake Stuck in Glue — “Animal Control Officer Carroll responded to a snake stuck in a glue trap. ACO Carroll purchased vegetable oil and was able to free the snake from the trap. ACO Carroll then released the snake back to it’s natural habitat.” [Fairfax City Police/Twitter]
McLean Cybersecurity Firm Shuts Down — “IronNet Inc. has ceased operations and laid off its entire staff after it was unable to secure the capital it needed to remain in business. Following repeated warnings that it was on the verge of insolvency, the company founded by a former director of National Security Agency officially shut down on Sept. 29.” Hit by allegations that it mislead investors, the company went public just over two years ago. [Washington Business Journal]
Silver Line Restaurant Recommendations Wanted — “I’m working on a food story about Metro-accessible establishments along the Silver Line, so tell me about your favorite spots to grab [beer, pizza, salads] and more from McLean to Ashburn! Help me end the stereotype that NoVA is nothing but soulless chains!” [Wyatt Gordon/Twitter]
Providence Community Center Has New Name — “On September 30, 2023, community leaders joined family members of the late Jim Scott to rename the Providence Community Center as the Jim Scott Community Center…Scott, who died in 2017, served as Providence District Supervisor for 14 years and in Virginia’s House of Delegates for 22 years.” [Neighborhood and Community Services]
FCPS Middle Schoolers Sprint Into Sports — “When Fairfax County, Virginia, began offering middle school sports for the first time this school year, eighth-grader Claire Brown didn’t hesitate to sign up. She decided to join the cross-country team, the first organized sport offered at Sandburg Middle School, because she anticipated it might help her with other sports she plays.” [WTOP]
McLean Fire Department Plans Open House — “The McLean Volunteer Fire Department is hosting an open house on Oct. 14, an event that will include activities for the whole family. The open house will feature life-saving, fire-prevention and emergency medical demonstrations.” [Patch]
It’s Wednesday — The weather forecast predicts patchy fog clearing before 10am, followed by sunny skies with a high around 84. Wednesday night, watch for patchy fog returning after 4am, while the rest of the evening remains mostly clear with a low around 58. [Weather.gov]
A walking path into the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking roughly $8 million in funds to support park operations, maintenance, and capital equipment for fiscal year 2025.
The proposed budget includes a little over $1 million to expand Accotink Stream Valley Park, Blake Lane Park in Oakton, the Elklick Preserve, Mount Vernon Woods Park, and the new Woodlands Education and Stewardship Center in Chantilly.
Several items from fiscal year 2024, which began July 1 and lasts until June 30, 2024, also remain unfunded, including a maintenance facility at Riverbend Park and improvements at Chandon’s playground.
Roughly $2.1 million is allocated for funding to restore park operations, $890,000 of which is allocated to remove high-risk trees and forestry management, athletic field mowing, trail maintenance funding, and athletic court maintenance.
Another $400,000 is allocated to remove bamboo on parkland, along with nearly $700,000 to find operating increases for administration and operations.
Major maintenance contracts are driving large increases in staffing especially, according to FCPA.
The budget includes $3.4 million for zero waste trash and recycling — a critical need as many maintenance staff spend almost half of their work week managing trash and recycling. The funds would include eight trucks and eight compactors.
“We need to have dedicated crews in all of our maintenance areas,” Mike Peter, director of the FCPA’s business administration division, said at a Sept. 27 board meeting, where park authority staff presented a final budget proposal.
As part of this year’s budget process, the county executive directed all departments to identify reductions of 7% in general fund appropriations, FCPA staff told the board at a Sept. 13 meeting.
The reductions can’t include existing staff positions, leaving only FCPA’s operating funds open for potential cuts. Suggested items included bathroom closures and reduced mowing and trail and court maintenance.
After soliciting public feedback, the park authority received several comments urging the county not to cut funding for local parks.
FCPA’s board will endorse the final budget proposal on Oct. 25. County Executive Bryan Hill will advertise the fiscal year 2025 budget in February.
An upcoming bar and restaurant hopes to turn the Dunn Loring Metro station into a hopping place.
On track to open in late October next to Quickway, The Casual Pint (2676 Avenir Place, Unit F) is envisioned as a family-friendly gathering spot, where community members of all ages can relax even as adults 21 and older savor a range of craft beers and wine — and yes, the brews will come in pints.
“It’s not a sports bar, but we will have sports. It’s not a music venue, but we’ll have music,” said Derek Adams, co-owner of Casual Pint’s new Dunn Loring franchise. “It’s in the name. It’s a casual place to just come in and hang out and just keep it easy.”
Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, The Casual Pint describes itself as a “craft beerstro” that serves up local, regional and national craft brews in a laidback environment more evocative of a coffee shop than a nightclub.
The company began in 2011 as a family-owned beer market that focused on selling take-home and packaged beer before evolving into more of a restaurant/bar. It has expanded to eight states through independently owned franchises, including one near Seven Corners where Adams and fellow Dunn Loring owner Jenn Longmeyer-Wood worked before deciding to open their own location.
For Longmeyer-Wood, who knows Adams as a longtime friend of her husband, The Casual Pint’s appeal stems in part from nostalgia for a now-shuttered gastropub called Pig & Fiddle that her family frequented when they lived in Minnesota.
“It had local craft beers, small menu, totally family-friendly, and it was the place to just go and hang out, have a good beer or hang out with friends, bring your family,” Longmeyer-Wood said. “When my husband and I moved back here with our kids, we were like, there’s nothing like that here. So, when Derek…started talking to my husband about [The Casual Pint], we were like, yes, this is the thing that we want to invest in and bring here.”
When looking for a site for their franchise, Adams and Longmeyer-Wood were drawn to the Shops at Avenir Place for its proximity to the Metro station, the new I-66 parallel trail and plenty of residences.
They also landed a space previously occupied by the kabob chain Moby Dick that faces directly out onto a courtyard with outdoor seating. The property owner is planning to refresh the space at the end of October with new furniture that will be available to all retail and restaurant patrons, Adams says, though he doesn’t know yet exactly how many seats there will be.
Inside, the 1,753-square-foot pub will have seating for 42 people, including 10 seats at the bar. According to its owners, the Dunn Loring franchise is pioneering a more modern look for The Casual Pint, eschewing the wood paneling that dominates in other locations for painted concrete walls and tiles.
As for what will be on tap, the team plans to bring in craft beers made by small or up-and-coming breweries from Virginia, particularly the central and southern regions, and across the country. When encountering breweries while on the road with her son, who plays travel hockey, Longmeyer-Wood says she would text Adams to see if they distribute in Virginia.
“Being able to bring that in here is really great, that we can expand beyond just the breweries in Northern Virginia,” she said.
In addition to beer, The Casual Pint will serve wine, cider, non-alcoholic beer and soft drinks. For food, the menu will be similar to the one in Seven Corners, featuring burgers, flatbread pizzas, wings, bratwurst, salads and wraps.
Anticipated highlights will include 12-inch, handmade German pretzels from the baker Prop & Preller and regional specialties, such as a crab dip that Longmeyer-Wood is eager to bring over from the Seven Corners franchise.
The bar will also be decked out with four television screens to broadcast sports and movies. As the establishment gets more settled in, Adams says they plan to bring in musicians and work with the landlord to host events in the courtyard.
“The landlord and the property managers have been great working with us,” Longmeyer-Wood said. “They like the concept and the ideas we’re bringing to get people over here, get foot traffic going. It’s a great courtyard, and you want to maximize the use and bring people in here.”
While The Casual Pint doesn’t have any other Northern Virginia franchises in the works at the moment, Adams and Longmeyer-Wood hope to open a second location if the Dunn Loring one is successful — possibly even in their home of McLean.
“Hopefully [there will be] a full bar of people having fun,” Adams said when asked what he’s most looking forward to about the pub’s impending opening. “…I’m actually just looking forward to meeting new people, honestly, and having good beer.”
More than 75,000 workers at health care giant Kaiser Permanente are set to strike on Wednesday.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions’ contract with the health system expired on Saturday night without reaching a new agreement with management. Union workers are bargaining for pay raises and increased protections against strain. Employees say they and patients are feeling the effects of short-staffing.
Kaiser Permanente has more than a dozen medical centers across the Washington, D.C., area with Fairfax County sites in Tysons, Reston, Fair Oaks, Burke and Springfield. The strike will take place over three days at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente facilities across Virginia, D.C, California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, according to the unions.
“Kaiser continues to bargain in bad faith over these issues and, so far, there is no light at the end of the tunnel,” the unions said in a statement on Saturday.
Kaiser Permanente said that in Virginia and the District of Columbia, the strike covers less than 400 optometrists and pharmacists and does not include nurses or physicians. In the case of a strike, the health care provider expects facilities to remain open and operate with minimal disruption.
“We are continuing to bargain with the Coalition to reach a new agreement that protects and improves all the great advantages of working at Kaiser Permanente,” the health care provider said in a statement on Monday. “Our goal is to reach a fair and equitable agreement that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.”
If no contract agreement is reached by midnight, workers with union OPEIU Local 2 intend to picket Kaiser’s Springfield Medical Center at 6551 Loisdale Court tomorrow morning, DCist reported.
This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. It was lightly edited to focus on Fairfax County. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Photo via Google Maps
Vienna Oktoberfest will return this Saturday, Oct. 7 (courtesy Vienna Business Association)
Coming on the heels of celebrations in Tysons, Oktoberfest is set for a raucous return to the Town of Vienna this weekend.
Vienna Oktoberfest will take over Church Street for a 14th year from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 7), bringing food, live music, family-friendly activities and, of course, plenty of brews at a beer and wine garden.
This year’s festival will be the biggest one yet, according to the Vienna Business Association, which organizes the annual event.
“We’re maxed out,” VBA Executive Director Peggy James said, noting that the festival is filled up with over 200 registered vendors and 53 sponsors.
The beer and wine garden will feature more local businesses than previous years, with Hawk & Griffin and Norm’s Beer and Wine joining the Caboose Brewing Company and Vienna Vintner. More food and drink options will be available along Church Street and Mill Street NE.
In addition, the festival’s entertainment offerings can be found on a kid’s stage on the Town Green — where there will also be moon bounces, games and other activities — as well as an acoustic stage on Center Street and the main biergarten stage.
Other Vienna Oktoberfest highlights will include a business expo showcase, a vendor marketplatz along Dominion Road NE and an artisan market.
While parking in town will likely be scarce, a free shuttle bus will travel throughout the festival to the Vienna Metro station and James Madison High School.
A full list of vendors, food and drink offerings and entertainers can be found on the Vienna Oktoberfest website.
Drawing an average of 20,000-30,000 attendees per year, the festival serves as the main fundraiser for the VBA Foundation, the association’s philanthropic arm that supports charity and community servicee organizations in the greater Vienna area.
“We’re really excited about it,” James said. “It’s the same footprint, just bigger.”
