(Updated at 9:05 a.m.) Inova Comes to McLean for Blood Drive — The McLean Volunteer Fire Department has teamed up with Inova Blood Donor Services for a blood drive in its lower parking lot at 1455 Laughlin Avenue. Staff will set up the bloodmobile before noon, and the drive will officially run from 1-5:30 p.m. [McLean VFD/Facebook]

FCPS Leads Public School Student Exodus — “For the second straight year, enrollment in Virginia public schools has dropped, with 46,000 fewer students enrolled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the Virginia Department of Education, the largest school district in the commonwealth, Fairfax County, saw the largest enrollment dip — more than 10,000 students, or a 5.4% difference between fall 2019 and fall 2021.” [WTOP]

Merrifield Wendy’s to Give Away Free Food — “The first 100 customers at the newly remodeled Wendy’s restaurant in Gate House Plaza in Merrifield on Dec. 4 will get a chance to win free food for a year. Wend American Group…is in the final stages of completing the remodeling of its Wendy’s restaurant at 3040 Gate House Plaza, near the intersection of Gallows Road and Route 50.” [Patch]

FCPS Appoints New Chief Equity Officer — Dr. Nardos King will take over as Fairfax County Public Schools’ interim chief equity officer on Dec. 6, replacing Dr. Lisa Williams until a new superintendent makes a permanent hire. Williams, who has overseen the division’s equity and diversity work since July 2019, is leaving for personal reasons not related to work, FCPS told Tysons Reporter. [FCPS]

Vienna Police Doubles Fundraising Goal for Prostate Cancer Awareness — “The last picture of the no shave November! 30 days ago our officers put down their razors until we reach our $3K goal. Today we can happily report that their efforts generated $6,594 in donations for @ZEROCancer THANK YOU to everyone that donate! Time to shave!” [Vienna Police Department/Twitter]

(Updated at 9:30 a.m. on 8/24/2021) The Perch is ready for its close-up.

Capital One Center will formally introduce its 2.5-acre urban park in the sky with a three-day family friendly music festival next month that will serve as a grand opening event.

Perchfest, which will run from Sept. 17-19, will feature local bands, activities, games, a sneak peek at The Watermark Hotel, and a new beer release from Starr Hill Biergarten, which officially opened to the public on Saturday (Aug. 21).

The free event is limited to guests, who must register online to reserve a ticket. Located at 1803 Capital One Drive in Tysons, the event runs from 4-10 p.m. on Sept. 17 (Friday), noon to 11 p.m. on Sept. 18 (Saturday), and 12-5 p.m. on Sept. 19 (Sunday).

The festival will benefit Northern Virginia and D.C. chapters of Best Buddies, an international nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Organizers are encouraging people to donate directly to the organization through its website.

“Capital One Center is excited to present Perchfest, the first of many diverse and dynamic events planned for ‘The Perch,’ a rooftop experience like no other,” Capital One Center managing director Jonathan Griffith said in a news release.

Construction work is continuing for the mixed-use development by the Capital Beltway in Tysons, but The Perch is complete. It sits atop Capital One Hall and features a Sky Bark dog park, an 18-hole mini golf course, a sculpture garden, an amphitheater, and more.

“To mark the occasion and celebrate the grand opening of the newest community gathering place, Starr Hill Biergarten will release a bespoke beer, Perchfest Session IPA,” a news release said. “The distinctly versatile brew features a refreshing citrus hop combined with grapefruit zest.”

The biergarten is currently open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Kids-centric offerings will include face painting, superheroes, and games. My Gym Vienna/Tysons will also facilitate a children’s music and movement program throughout Sept. 18 (Saturday) on the half-hour from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The boutique nail salon and spa Nothing in Between, the newest business to open at Capital One Center, will offer complimentary chair massages for guests from 4-7 p.m. on Sept. 17.

When fully built out, Capital One Center will encompass 6 million square feet of development. The Watermark is scheduled to open on Sept. 21, followed by Capital One Hall — a new performing arts venue — on Oct. 2.

Falls Church’s parks and recreation department is hosting a scavenger hunt that will take people to parks and historic landmarks throughout the city.

The “Historic Scavenger Hunt” will have clues participants will have to solve about parks and landmarks.

“At each stop, you’ll find a kiosk or sign with a corresponding letter. Unscramble the letters from the nine clues and you’ll crack the code word and win a Historic Scavenger Hunt t-shirt!” the city said in a newsletter.

People can download the form to track the code work. Once the form is complete, people can email it to [email protected] by Sunday, July 5, for the chance to win a t-shirt.

Falls Church isn’t the only Tysons-area place holding a scavenger hunt — the McLean Community Center is also hosting one.

For people seeking a summer activity, the McLean Community Center has organized an all-ages scavenger hunt.

The MCC Super Summer Scavenger Hunt promises participants the chance to complete 100 challenges with a team of four to 10 people, according to the website.

Each challenge consists of taking photos, geocaching, finding specific items and other such activities, the page said, adding that each task will be worth a variety of points.

“Teams earning at least 30,000 points will be entered into a grand prize drawing,” the website said.

Participation is free but only 125 teams can participate. The first 50 teams to register will receive a goodie bag, according to the page.

The challenge will run from July 1-Aug. 17. Group captains, who must be 16 or older, can register the teams online.

Team members will need a cell phone to document their findings.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

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!

Though many in-person events are canceled, organizations and businesses are setting up digital events to keep people occupied.

Year-round, the McLean Community Center offers courses for adults hoping to pick up other workplace skills. People can take courses on things including digital marketing, computer science, education and even leadership. These online courses range in price but are available online.

Tuesday (May 12)

• Virtual Happy Hour Trivia — Providence Players of Fairfax in Falls Church is hosting its first-ever virtual happy hour. This free event allows people to gather and test their knowledge from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The attendance link will be shared on Facebook closer to the event time.
• The Mather, Life Plan Community Coming to Tysons — A new retirement community is hosting an online event so people can become familiar with its offerings. People can attend this free seminar by going to the meeting web address and entering the web ID, which is 900-136-155. This event will be held from 1-2 p.m.
• Preparing for our New World: Proactively Steer Your Business During COVID 19 — The Tysons Chamber of Commerce is offering this free workshop for business owners to overcome challenges brought on by COVID-19. It will take place from noon until 1 p.m. and people can register online.
• Virtual Town Hall: Strategies for Survival in the Arts — The  McLean Project for the Arts is co-hosting a town hall about how the arts will survive from 6-7:30 p.m. “Following the event, organizers will host an ‘After Hours: Drinking About Art’ virtual social gathering and digital salon party with live audio-visuals and chat conversations,” a press release said.

Thursday (May 14)

• Limited Beer Release + Virtual Happy Hour — Caboose Brewing Company is offering a free evening of trivia while people enjoy a new beer that they can pick up and drink at home. People can find the event link on Zoom and log in using the meeting ID: 211 500 5344 and password: 2DdDa4.

Saturday (May 16)

• Fermenting Foods with Craig Ulsh — From 1:30-3:30 p.m. people can take a class from East Meets West Yoga Center, learning how to ferment their favorite foods. The class cost is donation only.

Photo courtesy Caboose Brewing 

Nightlife is zilch in Tysons at the moment due to the pandemic. After a brief hiatus, the “Tysons After Dark” series is back to highlight different online activities from local organizations and offerings from eateries that keep people busy once the sun goes down. 

Crafty souls can now join kindred spirits on project adventures thanks to a weekly event hosted by TINT.

Every Wednesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m., the “maker space” in Falls Church will host Zoom meetings where people can gather to work on their own projects while hanging out with others, according to the event page.

Though the meetings used to be in-person, Carissa Englert, the shop’s owner, began hosting them remotely to abide by social distancing measures.

“They started when I opened the shop back in the Fall of 2019 and became a quick favorite with customers who liked to come “stitch ‘n’ b*tch” with their fellow crafters (knitters, stitchers, crocheters, weavers, etc.) each week,” Englert said.  “When COVID started happening, I started getting requests to host them online instead of in person.”

This event is free and open to the public. Participants can find the link on the Facebook event page.

TINT opened in September and offers people a place to learn and practice textile and fiber arts, according to its website.

Photo via TINT/Facebook

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!

Though many in-person events are canceled, organizations and businesses are setting up digital events to keep people occupied.

For people interested in on-demand activities, the Fairfax County Park Authority is offering digital classes, scavenger hunts and activities for people of all ages. The Virtual Exploration Center lets people stream workout classes, and each week staffers will introduce a featured activity.

Tuesday (May 5)

• Ladies’ Night — Victory Comics is hosting a virtual Ladies’ Night book club at 7 p.m. for people interested in reading “Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of Women’s Fight for Their Rights.” This free event invites people from around town to join the conversation.

Thursday (May 7)

• The New Yorker Discussion Group — The Mary Styles Public Library is hosting a free Zoom conversation from 2-3 p.m. for people who are fans of The New Yorker. This week’s article of discussion will be “Why Americans are Dying from Despair” by Atul Gawande from the March 23 issue.
• Online Trivia with The Boro — The Boro, DC Fray and District Fray Magazine will team up to offer people a free trivia session on cities, 2000 music and Disney from 7:30-9:30 p.m. People need a computer and phone to participate. Participants have the chance to win a $50 e-gift card to Whole Foods.
• Virtual Romance Book Club — One More Page Books is hosting a free book club at 7 p.m. for people reading “An Extraordinary Union: An Epic Love Story of the Civil War.” Anyone interested can sign up online and receive a link via email, the page said.

Friday (May 8)

• Food Truck Friday Pickup Dinner — From 5-8 p.m. at Avalon Tysons Corner (1569 Onyx Drive), Curbside Kitchen is going to offer ready-made meals with no-contact pickup. Foodies who want a change of pace have the opportunity to try a new locally made dish.
• Adult Game Night on Zoom — The Emmanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a digital game night for the community from 7-8 p.m. People can RSVP and receive a link to play trivia and Jeopardy, the event page said.

Saturday (May 9)

• Theatrical Teens! Virtual Improv Workshop — From 2-3:30 p.m., kids ages 11-15 can take part in a virtual workshop. Registration is $18, and the event signup can be found online.
• Virtual UUAM Social Gathering and Farm Tour — The Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry in Vienna is offering people a chance to connect with animals digitally from 6:30-8 p.m. thanks to an organization out of Colorado. People might have the chance to e-meet cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, horses, a chukar partridge and a llama, the page said. This event is free but participants must register to receive a Zoom invite.

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!

Though many in-person events are canceled, organizations and businesses are setting up digital events to keep people occupied.

Tuesday (April 28)

• How to Market When Nothing is Business as Usual — noon to 1 p.m. — This free webinar will help business owners attract clients despite the economic concerns with COVID-19. Hosted by the Tysons Chamber of Commerce, people can connect with other entrepreneurs in the area. Susan Trivers will be the primary speaker for this event.
• Sweatworking — 5 to 7 p.m. — People have the chance to combine networking with their daily exercise schedule with a Vinyasa Flow Yoga class led by Candace Harding and the Tysons Chamber of Commerce followed by an hour of networking with other participants, the event page said. This event is free. Registration is optional.

Wednesday (April 29)

• Playwriting Workshop — 7 to 8:30 p.m. — This adult workshop is part of an eight-week course beginning this week. People will learn about character development, plot and best practices for emotional impact, according to the event description. It is taught through Creative Cauldron in Falls Church and the price is $240.
• An Evening With Local Poets — 7 p.m. — One More Page Books is hosting a free poetry event with Katherine Gekker and others who will be sharing their works. The event is free and open to the public, the event page said, adding it will be hosted on Facebook Live.

Thursday (April 30)

• Virtual Tasting With Tröegs — 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. — Black Dog Beer Shop will be doing a virtual tasting on Facebook Live for anyone who wishes to watch, according to the event page. People can order prearranged four-packs beforehand and get them delivered or just pick them up with curbside drop, the event page said.

Sunday (May 2)

• Traveling Players Auditions — time slots vary — The Tysons-based theater group is still hosting auditions for its summer series. Kids ages 4-12 are invited to audition through Zoom for their spot in an upcoming performance, according to the website. Parents can sign their kids up online for a spot.

Photo via Carl Barcelo/Unsplash

For people looking to pick up a few new culinary skills while staying home, Inca Social is offering free digital cooking classes.

Every week, the Merrifield-based eatery plans to release a new video on its Facebook page that walks viewers through the steps to prepare a specialty Peruvian dish or drink.

“We wanted to provide something for our guests and for everyone to be able to do at home,” a spokesperson said. “During these times we need to do more positive things.”

Yesterday, a bartender demonstrated how to make a “Passion Chilcano,” which contains pisco Peruvian liquor, limes, passionfruit syrup and ginger ale.

In another video, the eatery’s chefs tossed up a few servings of chaufa mixto, which is a type of fried rice.

The eatery said that the next video will likely be released either next Tuesday or Saturday.

For guests who don’t feel like cooking themselves, the restaurant is also offering free delivery and curbside pickup, according to the website.

To encourage takeout orders, the restaurant is offering 25% off its entire menu, the Facebook page said, adding that any meal can be customized. A menu can be found online.

Photo via Inca Social/Facebook

StarNut Gourmet in McLean will be offering free coffee, breakfast and lunch this weekend to local first responders, healthcare workers and essential employees.

With the help of Tential IT, the eatery at 1445 Laughlin Ave has extended this offer to be from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday and from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, a press release said.

Though the dining room is closed, according to the press release, the coffee shop and eatery is offering curbside pickup, take out and delivery through UberEats.

People wishing to order off of the menu can call 703-749-9090. Items available include sandwiches, lattes, pastries, crepes and similar fare, according to StarNut’s website.

“StarNut Gourmet is a family-owned business established in 2002 as a Specialty Food Gift Store and an International Café,” the press release said. “Owners Hozaifa Almaleh and Samira Ardalan very much look forward to welcoming everyone back once it’s safe.”