The McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) is looking for students to submit entries for the upcoming Children’s Art Walk.

In previous years, the Children’s Art Walk was an open-air gallery, but due to the pandemic, the juried show will take place virtually. The New Dominion Women’s Club of McLean is sponsoring the exhibit, which is a part of MPAartfest.

Students in the Langley and McLean public school pyramid, as well as students at private and parochial schools, can participate, Bethany Nguyen, MPA’s marketing consultant, told Tysons Reporter.

Entries will be accepted between Aug. 24-Sept. 6. MPA asks students to submit art related to one of three themes: “Abundance,” “Small Stories” and “Natural Inclinations.”

MPAartfest is scheduled to take place Oct. 4-18. People will be able to view the exhibit, which will also include art made by kids during MPA’s summer art camps, online during the duration of the festival.

Last year’s Children’s Art Walk featured work from more than 150 students, according to MPA.

Photo via McLean Project for the Arts/Facebook

(Updated 9:30 a.m.) The Vienna Business Association’s Oktoberfest and several Town of Vienna events are no longer happening due to the pandemic.

The town announced today (Tuesday) that events through Oct. 3 are canceled and alternative Halloween celebrations are under consideration.

The canceled events include:

• Quarterly Recycling Day (September)
• Chillin’ on Church
• Teens on the Green (September)
• Oktoberfest (October)

Kathy Georgen, who chairs the Oktoberfest planning committee, said in the town’s announcement that Oktoberfest had to get axed because it depends on hundreds of vendors and thousands of attendees.

“We could not in good conscience move forward in this current climate,” Georgen said.

Instead, the VBA plans to promote Distanz Oktoberfest, which is described in a press release as “an initiative that encourages VBA-member and other Town businesses to host in early October German-themed events and promotions at their own location.”

Nearby, the City of Falls Church took similar precautions, canceling its Falls Church Festival in September and Farm Day in October. The rest of the city’s events for 2020 “will take place if a safe event format can be created.”

Due to COVID-19 precautions, the annual Falls Church Festival and Farm Day events are canceled.

The City of Falls Church announced the change of plans today, saying that public health concerns prompted the decisions.

The 45th Falls Church Festival was originally set to offer live entertainment, amusement rides, food from local eateries and pony rides on Sept. 12. Last year’s event attracted roughly 12,000 visitors, according to the city’s website.

Meanwhile, the 27th annual Farm Day would have featured horsedrawn hay-rides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow making and other fall activities in October.

“We are committed to helping our resident, visitor, and business community stay safe,” Danny Schlitt, the city’s recreation and parks director, said. “We don’t see a way to safely hold large crowd events like the Falls Church Festival and Farm Day.”

The announcement said that the rest of the city’s events for 2020, including Sunset Cinema, Halloween Carnival and Holiday Craft Show, “will take place if a safe event format can be created.”

“We are looking into ways to create a safe Sunset Cinema, Halloween Carnival, and Holiday Craft Show,” Schlitt said. “We also want to build on the success of the wildly popular Springtime Bunny car parade and the Independence Day Scavenger Hunt — we are continuously looking for ways to bring fun and togetherness (if socially distant) to the community!”

People looking for virtual events can check out the Virtual Community Center newsletter.

The McLean Project for the Arts is looking for artist submissions for its upcoming festival in October.

MPAartfest is a free one-day festival in McLean that features a juried fine art show and sale. Attendees can enjoy the work of visual artists, along with mini art galleries, live music, food from local restaurants and activities.

The McLean Project for the Arts wants interested artists throughout the mid-Atlantic region to apply by June 15. Artists will keep 100% of the sales, according to a press release.

To apply, artists will need to submit an application with a $35 fee. If selected, the artists will pay a $350 participation fee.

While the festival is free, donations and funds raised during the event support MPA exhibitions and programs.

The festival returns to McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd) on Sunday, Oct. 4.

Photo via McLean Project for the Arts/Facebook

The annual Taste of Vienna has been canceled to curb the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

In past years, the festival has brought community members together to try bites of food from various local restaurants, chains and food trucks. The event helps raise money for the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, which hosts the event.

Taste of Vienna announced the cancellation on Facebook on Monday (March 23).

“Our top priority is the safety of all of our participants and attendees, so based on the recommendations of health authorities, it is with a heavy heart that the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department has canceled the Taste of Vienna,” the Facebook post said.

Depending on how long the coronavirus pandemic lasts, the festival might get rescheduled to the fall, the Facebook post added.

Now, the Facebook page is showcasing every day different vendors who had signed up for the festival.

Photo via Taste of Vienna/Facebook

Updated 3/10/2020 — The NoVa TEEN Book Festival was canceled Tuesday (March 10) due to the recent spread of the coronavirus in the D.C. area. 

The NoVa TEEN Book Festival Committee said in a statement the festival will come to Marshall High School on March 20, 2021. 

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 (March 10)

• Fairfax County’s Chronic Pain Self-Management Program — 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Falls Church Senior Center (223 Little Falls Street) — At this workshop, people will learn how to manage pain, get better sleep, relieve stress and improve their lifestyles. This program is free and open to the public.

Wednesday (March 11)

• Haycock Heritage Night 2020 — 6 to 8 p.m. Haycock Elementary School (6616 Haycock Road) — This event allows kids and their families to celebrate heritage with traditional clothing, dance, tell stories and eat favorite cuisine. This event will feature programming throughout the evening.
• Food Truck Fundraiser — 6:45 to 8 p.m. at McLean High School (1633 Davidson Road) — The McLean High School Crew Team is raising funds for its team. The Rocklands Food Truck will be located near rower drop off, according to the event page.

Friday (March 13)

• 5th and 6th Grader Glow Party — 7 to 9 p.m. at Old Firehouse Center (1440 Chain Bridge Road) — Kids can join for a glow stick party featuring a DJ, drinks and food. Tickets are $35 each or $25 McLean Community Center district residents.

Saturday (March 14)

• Stuff the Truck — 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Giant (1454 Chain Bridge Road) — The New Dominion Women’s Club is calling for volunteers to assist with its donation center collecting food and clothing for people in the 22101 and 22102 zip codes.
• NoVA Teen Book Festival — 9 a.m. until 5 p.m at George C. Marshall High School (7731 Leesburg Pike) — For the 7th year, this festival invites teens to read, interact with authors and hear from keynote speakers. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Sunday (March 15)

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream — 7 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — This production by the Traveling Players will tell the story of young lovers who escape into the forest, according to the event description. Tickets are $10.
• 2020 Nowruz Festival — 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (8100 Tysons Corner Center) — This event celebrates the Persian New Year and will feature live performances all-day and booths selling traditional food and drink. Entry to this event is free.

Photo courtesy New Dominion Women’s Club/Lee’s Photography 

The 9th annual Nowruz Festival plans to return to Tysons Corner Center this weekend.

The event will celebrate the Persian New Year with live performances and costumed characters.

Admission is free, and people can expect a bazaar selling Persian food, art and more.

“The Nowruz Festival is the largest event for the Iranian-American community that celebrates the Persian New Year,” according to the Facebook event.

More than 10,000 people usually go to the festival, according to the post.

“It draws people from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries who celebrate Nowruz as well as Americans who are interested in knowing more about Iranian culture, traditions, arts, crafts and foods,” the post said.

The festival is set to take place on Sunday (March 15) from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Attendees can park on the outside lot between Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, according to the mall.

Photo via Facebook

(Updated 3/10/2020) The annual NoVa TEEN Book Festival has been canceled due to the recent spread of the coronavirus in the D.C. area.

The free festival was originally set to feature 35 bestselling and new young adult authors, like Alechia Dow and Kristen Simmons, and Brigid Kemmerer, the author of “A Heart So Fierce and Broken,” will provide as the keynote speaker on Pi Day (March 14).

The NoVa TEEN Book Festival Committee said in a statement today (Tuesday) that the festival will return to Marshall High School on March 20, 2021.

“With the recent spread of COVID-19 to the Northern Virginia, Maryland and DC Metro areas, we are unable to ensure that all of our authors, volunteers, exhibitors, staff and attendees will be safe at the festival this weekend,” the statement said.

The committee said that the cancellation of this year’s festival will “have a significant impact on all of our amazing authors” and urged people to connect with authors online and “share their books as widely as you can.”

The committee also encouraged people to buy books from Arlington-based One More Page Books, which was set to sell signed books at the festival.

“The NoVa TEEN book festival ordering pages will stay up to help you to discover new authors and explore their fantastic books,” the statement said. “One More Page will be giving away free [advance reading copies] and swag with NoVa TEEN orders as long as supplies last!”

Photo via Kimberly Farmer/Unsplash

For the ninth year in a row, people can taste chocolate from local chocolatiers at an annual festival in McLean.

The McLean Chocolate Festival is a fundraiser for the Rotary Club of McLean — proceeds go to local organizations.

Last year, the festival raised more than $21,000 people and had more than 3,100 attendees, according to the website.

The festival is set to take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 26 at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue).

Attendees can expect a children’s game room and live entertainment. Admission is $2, but kids ages 3 and under can attend for free.

Photo via Burke & Herbert Bank/Facebook

The City of Falls Church is pitching in to help Creative Cauldron launch its “Bold New Voices Musical Theater Festival” later this year.

The festival is set to run from April 27-May 6. “The goal of the festival is aimed at supporting musical theater works by women and women-identifying writers and composers,” according to the website.

Creative Cauldron received $2,500 in city funding with a $2,500 match from the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) for the festival, along with $13,437 in city funding for an operational grant, according to a press release from the city.

Creative Cauldron was one of six local groups that received grants for arts-related activities and support.

“The Falls Church City Council recently approved a recommendation from the Arts and Humanities Grant committee to allocate $45,000 in funding for arts and cultural grants for fiscal year 2019-2020,” the press release said. “An additional $4,500 was funded through a grant from the [VCA].”

Of the 12 total grants, five are operational ones, while seven are for projects, including:

Recipients include Creative Cauldron, Falls Church Arts, The Little City CATCH Foundation, Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, Washington Sinfonietta, and Welcoming Falls Church. Details on their projects and operational needs are listed below:

• Falls Church Arts: $2,016 in city funds with a $500 VCA match to improve event capacity outside the studio
• Falls Church Arts: $2,000 in city funds with a $1,500 VCA match to support increased capacity for studio classes
• The Little City CATCH Foundation: $4,784 in city funds for Watch Night
• Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation: $5,000 in city funds for promoting the 2019 Tinner Hill Blues Festival
• Washington Sinfonietta: $416 in city funds to support a free holiday concert at the Falls Church Episcopal Church
• Welcoming Falls Church: $2,284 in city funds for the Welcoming Week initiative about the contemporary immigrant experience

Currently, Creative Cauldron has a call for submissions through Friday (Jan. 10) for the festival and plans to select three to five new works, along with several finalists.

“One final musical will be chosen by our resident artistic team at the end of the festival to have a fully funded production staged as part of Creative Cauldron’s 2020-2021 season,” according to Creative Cauldron.

Image via Creative Cauldron/Facebook