The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday, Dec. 28

• Open Mic — 6 p.m. at Settle Down Easy Brewing (2822 Fallfax Drive) — Grab some beer and hear from a mix of musicians.

Wednesday, Dec. 29

• Outdoor Sharpie Tile Art for Kids — 5-6 p.m. at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library (7584 Leesburg Pike) — Create a design with Sharpies in a program for kids ages 5 to 10.

Thursday, Dec. 30

• ‘Make Me Happy’ — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Falls Church Arts Gallery (700-B W. Broad St.) — Check out the works of three dozen artists, centered on works that make people smile. Free. Continues through Jan. 30.

Friday, Dec. 31

• Countdown to None 5K — 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Old Red Caboose (204D Mill St. NE) — A fundraiser for type 1 diabetes research, the virtual 5K concludes with an in-person race and celebration in the Town of Vienna. There will be music, food, and more, with all proceeds going to the organization JDRF.
• NYE ’80s Glow Party with DJ D — 8 p.m. at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. East) — Get your ’80s-inspired neon outfits out to win prizes and enjoy this retro dance environment. Tickets start at $35. Doors open at 7 p.m.
• The 8th Annual Grandiose NYE Gala — 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner (7920 Jones Branch Drive) — Celebrate New Year’s Eve with three ballrooms of entertainment featuring complimentary lite fare, a champagne toast, and more. Cost starts at $80.

Saturday, Jan. 1

• Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights — 5-10 p.m. at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens — Enjoy lights and holiday scenes in this annual transformation, which has its last day on Sunday (Jan. 2). Tickets for those ages 2 and over are $18 each.

Sunday, Jan. 2

• The Gift of Language — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mosaic District (920 District Ave.) — A cultural immersion program shares stories in Spanish, games, and arts and crafts at FRESHFARM’s weekly farmers market.

Photo via Jorgen Kesseler/Flickr

The Town of Vienna has called off its planned New Year’s Eve celebration.

The town’s economic development office had partnered with Cedar Park Shopping Center to host a family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” event to usher in the new year. The party was scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Friday (Dec. 31) with games, a live DJ, a pop-up artisan market, giveaways, and more.

However, the event has now been canceled in response to rapidly rising COVID-19 cases throughout the D.C. area, including Fairfax County.

Fairfax County has reported more than 1,000 new cases for each of the past two days — the first time that has happened in the pandemic, according to Virginia Department of Health data. The only other time the county has seen over 1,000 cases in one day was Jan. 17, at the height of last winter’s surge.

“Due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, we have decided to cancel this event,” the town’s webpage for “Noon Year’s Eve” says. “Please call (571) 235-5705 if you have any questions.

“Noon Year’s Eve” joins a rash of nixed New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout the region.

The City of Falls Church announced on Tuesday (Dec. 21) that organizers had decided to cancel its annual Watch Night, and the City of Alexandria has canceled its First Night Alexandria party, along with its waterskiing Santa.

Man Arrested for Tysons BASE Jumping Incidents — A 70-year-old contractor faces trespassing charges after allegedly parachuting off one of the office towers currently under construction at Capital One Center on Oct. 11. Police believe Chuck Moeser has also jumped from other buildings in Tysons, including the Lumen Apartments building and the Capital One building that houses Wegmans. [The Washington Post]

Metro to Start Returning Some Trains to Service — The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission reported “no technical objections” to Metro’s plan to return up to 336 of its 7000-series railcars to passenger service. The transit agency says it will phase these trains in through the end of this year before pausing for 90 days to assess operations. [WMATA]

Taxicab Demand Declines in Fairfax County — “For a variety of factors — from the popularity of ride-sharing services to more housing being built near Metrorail stations to the ongoing COVID pandemic — the overall fleet of taxicabs in Fairfax County has fallen by more than two-thirds in recent years. The Board of Supervisors…voted unanimously Dec. 6 not to issue any additional taxicab certificates this year and keep the limit at the current 654.” [Sun Gazette]

Vienna Invites Families to Daytime New Year’s Eve Party — “Vienna will get its own New Year’s celebration, albeit 12 hours before the countdown to 2022. Noon Year’s Eve will be hosted on Friday, Dec. 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cedar Park Shopping Center parking lot…There will be a live DJ, pop-up artisan market, games, giveaways, crafts, a noon countdown celebration and more.” [Patch]

As 2020 draws to a close, Tysons Reporter is looking back on the stories that defined the past year.

Unsurprisingly, COVID-19 was at the forefront of people’s minds locally as well as nationally. Readership spiked when the pandemic shut down Fairfax County in the middle of March and again toward the end of May, when Northern Virginia prepared to reopen.

Still, the past 12 months brought plenty of more conventional changes to the Tysons area as well.

The arrival of Wegmans to Capital One Drive in November generated much excitement, as did the introduction of the electric, self-driving Relay shuttle at the Mosaic District in Merrifield.

Fairfax County saw record levels of voter turnout for the Nov. 3 general election, while local officials considered tackling issues from affordable housing to abandoned shopping carts.

McLean residents debated the future of their downtown and the Interstate 495 corridor, and Vienna residents continued to report unusual crimes, as their town moved forward with plans for a new police station.

Overall, it was an eventful, often challenging year. Here are Tysons Reporter’s top 10 most-viewed articles of 2020:

1. Tysons Corner Center reopened stores in May with COVID-19 restrictions in place.
2. A Tysons office worker tested positive for COVID-19.
3. The Sheraton Tysons Hotel permanently closed on Apr. 3 as the hospitality industry reeled from the pandemic.
4. Government and community facilities in Fairfax County, Vienna, and the City of Falls Church closed in mid-March.
5. Tysons Reporter got a preview of Showplace Icon ahead of the movie theater’s grand opening on Mar. 6.
6. Northern Virginia delayed joining the state’s phased reopening plan in May as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Fairfax Health District increased.
7. Brio closed its Tysons Corner Center restaurant in January with no official explanation.
8. A worker at a Fairfax Square office building in Tysons tested positive for COVID-19 in March.
9. Videos captured parachuters jumping off a building under construction on the Capital One campus in early April.
10. Local protests against racism and police brutality led the Walmart in Tysons to close early on June 5.

Photo courtesy Ed Schudel

Using a mobile phone while driving will officially be illegal in Virginia starting on Jan. 1.

Current state law prohibits reading a phone and texting while driving and holding a phone while driving through a work zone, but the Virginia General Assembly adopted legislation barring the use of handheld phones while driving a moving vehicle on state highways in March.

While the law was technically enacted on July 1, its effective date was delayed until the new year so that the public could be educated about its provisions and law enforcement agencies could get training on how to enforce it.

Violations of the new law will be punishable by a fine of $125 for the first offense and $250 fine for any subsequent offenses.

There are a few exceptions to the ban on using a phone while driving, including:

• Emergency vehicle operators who are performing their official duties, including law enforcement and fire and medical responses
• Drivers who are lawfully parked or stopped
• Someone using their phone to report an emergency
• The use of an amateur or citizens’ band radio
• Department of Transportation vehicle operators who are performing traffic incident management services

Virginia’s public information campaign on the new law is being led by Drive Smart Virginia, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting traffic safety.

According to Drive Smart Virginia, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles reported that 15% of all fatal crashes in 2018 were related to distracted driving. Fairfax County has the second-most distracted driving fatalities in the state, surpassed only by Prince William County, and the most injuries that result from distraction-related crashes.

The distracted driving ban is perhaps the most significant legal change coming to Virginia on New Year’s Day, but it is not the only new law that will take effect on Jan. 1.

Here are some other measures to be aware of when the new year arrives:

• HB 264: requires in-person training for concealed handgun permits, removing online or electronic courses as an option for demonstrating competence
• HB 1211: enables undocumented immigrants to apply for new driver privilege cards so they can legally drive
• HB 66: prohibits health insurance companies from charging more than $50 per 30-day supply for prescription insulin
• HB 789: sets a 36% annual rate cap on the interest and fees charged for a short-term loan, which can now go up to $2,500
• SB 172: protects people who receive emergency services from an out-of-network healthcare provider from unexpected medical costs
• HB 1407: prohibits employers from misclassifying employees as independent contractors
• HB 742: gives localities the authority to regulate the takeoff and landing of unmanned aircraft on public property

Photo via Alexandre Boucher on Unsplash

An end to 2020 is almost upon us. If ever a year deserved a send-off of champagne and confetti, it was this one, but as they did with many other traditions, concerns about COVID-19 have curtailed or put on hold many of the usual New Year’s Eve parties.

Still, there remain plenty of options for ringing in the new year.

Many local restaurants are offering special meals to eat in or take home as well as festive cocktails created by local bartenders and mixologists that you can order or try to recreate yourself.

For people who like to close out the year with a song, the Times Square Ball Drop will feature singer Andra Day headlining an evening of live performances. The event is closed to the public this year, but it will still be broadcast on TV and online.

Anyone itching for an in-person concert can stop by Vienna’s Jammin’ Java, which is hosting a “Flashback to the ’80s” party led by DJ D, or the State Theatre in Falls Church, where the Nowhere Men are providing a free outdoor Beatles tribute concert.

The great outdoors also offer a world of possibility.

The Winter Walk of Lights at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna will remain open through Jan. 3, and the Fairfax County Park Authority is turning its annual First Hike Fairfax program into a three-day affair that starts on New Year’s Day. People who send in a photo of their hike by Jan. 3 will be entered into a contest to celebrate the park authority’s 70th anniversary.

How do you plan on ushering in 2021? If you have a special New Year’s tradition that’s not included below, feel free to share in the comments.

Image via Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended traditions left and right this year, and it appears the final day of 2020 will be no exception.

The City of Falls Church’s annual Watch Night New Year’s Eve celebration has been canceled due to public health concerns and “in deference to our front-line health care workers, who are risking all,” the volunteer-run organization responsible for the event announced yesterday (Wednesday) in a message shared by the city.

“With all the hope for the vaccines that are now in the distribution chain, the responsible decision is to not have the Watch Night Celebration this year and have more people healthy for a better year in 2021,” the Little City CATCH Foundation said.

This would have been the 23^rd consecutive year that Falls Church marked the coming of a new year with Watch Night.

First held in 1998 to ring in the city’s tricentennial, Watch Night transforms downtown Falls Church into a walkable plaza of musical performances, refreshment stalls, and various family-friendly activities, culminating in the lowering of a 12-foot star that once stood on the water tower behind the original city hall.

Originally produced by the Falls Church Tricentennial Committee, the celebration was later supported by local nonprofit groups like the Village Society, Tinner Hill Foundation, and the Victorian Society at Falls Church, according to the Watch Night website.

Falls Church City eventually formed the Little City CATCH Foundation in September 2012 to serve as the permanent Watch Night organizer and support other arts, culture, and history events in the city.

Because one of the guiding principles of Watch Night is for it to be free and open to the whole public, the Little City CATCH Foundation says it would have been “very difficult” to adapt the event to the crowd limits and social distancing protocols that mitigate the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.

“A lot of volunteers and dedicated City staff are involved each year with orchestrating the festivities,” the foundation said. “We have deeply appreciated their efforts and we do not want to put them or attendees at risk. We want them all back for future years.”

Image via City of Falls Church

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

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 (Jan. 21)

• W&M Tysons Corner Book Club — 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Tysons Galleria (2001 International Drive) — The William and Mary Book Club invites alumni and friends to read “The Martian” by Andy Weir. People are encouraged to come early and grab food for the meeting.
• Disruption & Innovation Club Happy Hour — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tower Club (8000 Towers Crescent Drive) — This event invites people from around the community to network and meet new people. Tickets are $15 for members and $35 for non-members. RSVP is required.

Friday (Jan. 24)

• Casual Pint Grand Opening — 4 to 11 p.m. at the Casual Pint (6410 Arlington Blvd) –– Throughout the evening of the grand opening, The Casual Pint will be giving prizes away along with free growlers to the first 50 customers.

Saturday (Jan. 25)

• Vienna Theatre Company: “Cinderella”— 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Vienna Community Center (120 SE Cherry Street) — This production is about an adaption of the Grimm Brothers’ classic fairy tale “Cinderella.” All ages are welcome to these matinee performances and tickets are $15 at the door.
• Junior Girl Scout Workshop: Coding for Good –– 3 to 6 p.m. at Code Ninjas (510 S. Washington Street) — This event invites local troops to learn about STEM and computer science while learning badges. Sign-up online is required.

Sunday (Jan. 26)

• Lunar New Year  — noon to 4 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road) — From Visit Fairfax, this event will feature the Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe and the Jow Ga Shaolin Institute. This event is free and open to the public.
• Tysons Corner Comic Book Show 2020 — 10 a.m. at DoubleTree Hotel (1960 Chain Bridge Road) — This event will feature comic books, pokemon and magic cards, toys, original art, vintage and present-day sports cards and sports memorabilia. Admission is $3 for adults and free for kids under 12.
• McLean Chocolate Festival — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave) — Attendees can expect a children’s game room and live entertainment while enjoying sweets from local chocolatiers. Admission is $2, but kids ages 3 and under can attend for free.

Photo via Unsplash