Bike to Work Day tomorrow (Friday) wants locals in the D.C. area to hop on a bike for their commute — even if it’s just for one day.

People interested in the free event can register online to access 115 pit stops throughout the region — seven are in the Tysons area — and link up to commuter convoys.

Participants can expect a warm and overcast Friday with the chance of stray rain or thunderstorms.

So what do you think? Is this something you would want to do or not?

Photo via Facebook and map via Bike to Work Day

New legislation could allow Fairfax County to establish exceptions to no-turn restrictions for local residents.

Last year, McLean residents shot down a plan to eliminate cut-through traffic because it would also limit street access for residents, but new legislation could allow a middle-ground option.

At a Fairfax County Board Transportation Committee meeting today (Tuesday), staff discussed a proposal that would give local residents permits to exempt them from cut-through restrictions either currently in place or to be established.

Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust said the idea came from a local citizen and was presented by Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34th District) to the Virginia legislature, who sponsored HB 2033. The legislation allows Fairfax County to “develop a program to issue permits or stickers to residents of a designated area that will allow such residents to make turns into or out of the designated area during certain times of day where such turns would otherwise be restricted.”

Neil Freschman, section chief of traffic engineering at Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT), said the program would be jointly administered by FCDOT and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to specifically handle traffic that has neither origin nor destination on the road in question.

“This is only relevant for cut-through turns,” Freschman said, “not safety restrictions.”

Once a cut-through restriction is put into place, Freschman said a letter would be sent out to local residents letting them know how to file for a permit.

Currently, staff said there are only two areas that have relevant cut-through restrictions: both of them in the Mason District, but Foust noted that there are places in the Dranesville District where this kind of permit could be a solution to transit woes.

“We don’t want to enforce it against residents, but they say it’s all or nothing: we enforce it against everybody or we don’t enforce it against anybody,” Foust said. “[This idea] allows residents to make the turn onto their own streets if there was a cut-through restriction.”

Staff estimated that developing the new ordinance could take six months, followed by seven months of updating agreements with partner agencies and designing the new permits, and a year to work with a contractor to develop new software. Part of that process would be determining permit-eligible areas and determining if a fee should be charged to residents for the permits, which staff currently does not recommend.

Staff also noted that permits would be issued to vehicles registered at permit-eligible addresses and would not be available to visitors, caregivers, service providers, relatives or others. After questioning from the committee, staff said they would look into seeing about easing that limitation.

Enforcement of the policy would be conducted on a complaint basis, staff said, rather than as a daily activity. Difficulties like low-light conditions and potentially confusing factors, such as unclear signage, were also noted in a report on the project.

The committee approved of staff moving forward with the plan to build guidance and to work with Fairfax County Police to ensure the program is enforceable. The project is expected to return for public hearing and consideration in early 2020.

“This is a breakthrough,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Sharon Bulova. “We’ve never been able to use a tool like this, but the state legislation allows us to do that.”

Photo via Flickr/Mike Goad

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 (May 14)

• FCPS Budget Public Hearing — 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School (3020 Gallows Road) — The Fairfax County Federation of Teachers is planning a rally at the budget hearing to demand better pay, staffing, professional development support and more. The organization is asking members of the public to speak up and support local teachers.

Thursday (May 16)

• DekaLash Grand Opening — 5-7 p.m. at the Mosaic District (2910 District Avenue) — The eyelash studio opening in the Mosaic District is hosting a grand opening celebration. Door prizes include free lash sets, hand massages, snacks and more.
• Game of Thrones Trivia Night — 5-7:30 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — In celebration of the upcoming “Game of Thrones” finale, the Tysons Corner Center is hosting a “Game of Thrones” trivia night in BrandBox. The competition will include “Game of Thrones”-themed prizes for the top two teams and light fare with a cash bar available. Teams are limited to up to four people with a $25 entry fee per team. Space is limited to the first 32 people.
• MPA Spring Benefit — 6-10 p.m. at The Falls — The McLean Project for the Arts’ fundraiser is being hosted in the most expensive home in D.C., which includes a property designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The event will feature food from Windows Catering Company, live painting and more. A raffle will also be held for two pieces of jewelry priced at $2,200.

Saturday (May 18)

• 5th Annual Fundraiser for Colour Bar Studio — 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Colour Bar Studio (8100 Boone Blvd) — The hair salon Colour Bar Studio is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a fundraiser to combat Lyme disease. The event will include product specials, raffles, special treats and prizes.
• McLean Day — 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Lewinsville Park (1659 Chain Bridge Road) — The McLean Community Center’s annual McLean Day festival returns with a day of free live entertainment, food trucks, carnival rides and more. The event is set to include laser tag, a rock climbing wall, balloon animals and a free petting zoo. Tickets for carnival rides can be purchased on sight. The event will be held rain or shine.
• Annual Korean Bell Garden Celebration — 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court) — The free festive celebration, sponsored by the Korean American Cultural Committee, features traditional Korean drum performances, music, TaeKwonDo demonstrations and an array of Korean clothing, games and food. The events culminate with the ringing of the 6,000 pound Korean Bell of Peace and Harmony. Admission to the gardens is also free from 10 a.m.-noon
• Beats and Brunch — 12-5 p.m. at Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) — The Biergarten is hosting a brunch event with a DJ and specials. Rose and Mimosa specials are planned, along with a la carte food and spiked snow cones.

Photo via Facebook

Tysons Companies on “50 Great Places to Work in Washington” List — Washingtonian’s roundup of great places to work focused on flexibility, including these Tysons companies: Cassaday & Company, Insignia Federal Group and Splunk. Novetta in McLean and Glassman Wealth Services in Vienna also made the list. [Washingtonian]

McLean Students Win National Merit Scholarships — “Six students from McLean have been named winners of the 2019 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The merit scholar winners, announced Wednesday, were among 2,500 winners nationwide and were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists.” [McLean Patch]

Fallen Tree Briefly Closed McLean Road Today — The Fairfax County Police Department tweeted that a fallen tree closed Old Dominion Drive between Balls Hill and Swinks Mill roads in McLean for about two hours earlier this morning. The road reopened shortly after 8 a.m. [FCPD/Twitter]

Where Providence District Candidates Stand on Walkability, Growth — Four of the five candidates running for the Providence District Supervisor seat answered a questionnaire from Greater Greater Washington about affordable housing, walkability and transportation. [Greater Greater Washington]

Kids’ Entertainer Faces Child Pornography Charges — “Police believe Steven Rossi, who goes by the stage name ‘Mr. Knick Knack,’ had numerous files containing illicit images. He was arrested on April 30 and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11… Investigators do not believe that Rossi had contact with the children in the images.” Rossi performed at the Silver Diner Tysons Corner in February. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800. [Reston Now]

A Peek Inside The Boro Development — A reporter is sharing what a recent tour around the Boro Tower, the 20-story building at 8350 Broad Street. [Washington Business Journal]

Falls Church Hospice Care Provider Moving — “Hospice services provider Capital Caring will relocate its headquarters later this year to a 50,000-square-foot space in Falls Church as part of an organizational expansion. The nonprofit Capital Caring plans to sell its current 31,000-square-foot space at 2900 Telestar Court… The organization has signed a 15-year lease for its new space at 3180 Fairview Park Drive.” [Washington Business Journal]

LoKL Gourmet, a gourmet food market and eatery, appears to have some planned changes in the works in McLean.

A recent building permit indicates that LoKL Gourmet is looking to expand at 8100 Old Dominion Drive, Suite E.

Located near the intersection of Spring Hill Road and Old Dominion Drive, LoKL Gourmet offers a juice bar, deli and gourmet market. Its menu includes breakfast sandwiches and burritos, lunch sandwiches, salads, juice and smoothies.

LoKL Gourmet also does school lunches for private schools in Northern Virginia, according to its website.

Image via Google Maps

(Updated 11:20 p.m.) Tomorrow (Wednesday), Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is planning the 8th annual “Bike to School Day” to help foster healthy habits in local students.

The activity is part of a series of events throughout the area focused around promoting bicycling.

Students are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work, with parents encouraged to accompany their children to school and organize bike trains or walking groups.

FCPS also has a list of safe routes to and from each school in the county.

Tysons area schools with Bike to School Day activities include:

• Churchhill Road Elementary
• Colvin Run Elementary
• Cunningham Park Elementary
• Fairhill Elementary
• Graham Road Elementary
• Haycock Elementary
• Kilmer Middle
• Lemon Road Elementary
• Marshall Road Elementary
• Spring Hill Elementary
• Timber Lane Elementary
• Vienna Elementary
• Westbriar Elementary
• Wolf Trap Elementary

For those without kids in the schools, Bike to Work Day is May 17. Locals are encouraged to bike to work, even if it’s just for one day, to try out the healthy commute.

Participants in Bike to Work Day can register online to access 115 pit stops throughout the region and link up to commuter convoys.

Photo via Facebook

The McLean Farmers Market came back to Lewinsville Park today (May 3), selling local fruits, vegetables, baked goods and drinks for the spring, summer and fall.

The farmers market, which features 20 vendors, will take place at 1659 Chain Bridge Road every Friday from 8 a.m.-noon. until November 15. The farmers market will be closed on May 17 due to set-up for McLean Day.

Some of the vendors include Dawn & Dusk Craft Coffee Bar, Grace’s Pastries, Lyn Phipps Plants and Westmoreland Berry Farm. The Master Gardener Plant Clinic at the farmers market will help answer questions about plants.

Shoppers will need to leave their pets at home.

The McLean one is one of several farmers markets in the area. Vienna’s starts tomorrow. FRESHFARM in the Mosaic District started in April.

Fairfax County is looking for election officers for the June 11 Democratic primary election.

The Fairfax County Office of Elections needs officers to serve in parts of Falls Church, Vienna and McLean.

Officers will be paid $175 for a full day or they can volunteer their time.

Registered Virginia voters can sign up online, call 703-324-4735, TTY 711 or email [email protected]. Before they can work at polling locations, election officers must complete a three-hour training. Training classes will be offered through late May.

Bilingual election officers who can speak Korean or Vietnamese, in addition to English, are also needed, especially in Falls Church.

On election day, officers will arrive at the polling place at 5 a.m. before the polls open at 6 a.m. and stay about an hour after polls close at 7 p.m. to help tally votes and pack up equipment.

Some of the officers’ responsibilities throughout the day might include helping voters with voting machines, monitoring phone lines, putting up signs, answering questions and checking in voters, according to a Fairfax County Government video. “Experienced election officers will be on hand to help or handle tricky situations,” the video says.

Flickr pool photo by Mrs. Gemstone

As a storm moves through the area, some residents in McLean are impacted by fallen trees and power outages.

A preliminary local storm report from the National Weather Service says that there is a “tree down with power lines down on Spring Vale Avenue.” ABC 7 meteorologist Alex Liggitt tweeted that trees are down in McLean.

Another NWS report says wind damage was reported in Tysons.

The Dominion Energy map shows two power outages currently in McLean as of 4:50 p.m. today (May 2) — one affecting 30 customers by the Old Dominion School Site Park and another one affecting 61 customers in between Scott’s Run Nature Preserve and I-495.

Dominion expects that power will be restored later tonight for both outages — between 7-10 p.m. for the Old Dominion area and between 8-11 p.m. for the one by the American Legion Bridge.

53 mph wind gust right by the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Trees down in McLean, VA and Rockville, MD so far. Let me know if you have any reports!

— Alex Liggitt (@AlexLiggittWX) May 2, 2019

First map via Google Maps and second map via Dominion Energy

McLean Day, an annual outdoor festival, will soon return to Lewinsville Park on Saturday, May 18.

Started in 1915, the McLean School and Civic League and the McLean Volunteer Fire Department created McLean Day as a fundraiser for the Franklin Sherman School. The festival changed over the years and is now produced by the McLean Community Center.

This year’s free festival will include the following activities:

• large amusement rides
• costumed superhero characters available for photos
• Bubble Ball
• a rock-climbing wall
• a petting zoo
• Riverbend Park animal presentations from noon-3 p.m.
• laser tag

People who want a sneak peek at the amusement rides can come to a preview on Friday, May 17, from 2-7 p.m.

In addition to the rides, McLean Day will offer food and performances, including dancers in MCC’s Joy of Dance classes, children’s music group Big Bang Boom, Brazilian martial arts group Abada-Capoeira D.C. and local teen singer and songwriter Mia Rocks. A stage for jugglers located by the children’s ride area will be new this year.

For the smartphone savvy, the Whova McLean Day App — available for free from The App Store or Google Play — has information about the festival.

Residents of the McLean Community Center tax district will be able to vote for the MCC Governing Board from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Eleven candidates are running for seats on the board on this with five adults vying for three seats and six teens vying for two student seats — one for the Langley High School boundary area and another for the McLean High School boundary area.

While parking is prohibited at Lewinsville Park all day on McLean Day, attendees can use three satellite parking lots and free ADA-accessible shuttle buses from 10:25 a.m.-6 p.m. at:

• McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Avenue)
• Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (1545 Chain Bridge Road)
• McLean Baptist Church (1367 Chain Bridge Road)

The free festival, which is looking for volunteers, runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1659 Chain Bridge Road. (A note to attendees: cigarettes, balloons and alcohol are not allowed.)

Photos courtesy McLean Community Center