This Saturday (Oct. 6), Vienna will kick off its 11th annual Oktoberfest.
The festival will run from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. along Church St. in Vienna. Admission to the Oktoberfest is free, with a variety of food and alcohol vendors set up along the street.
Beer will be available from the Caboose beer garden, with wine offered at Vienna Vintner. Food will be sold at a German food beer garden and elsewhere.
Three stages will be set up across the Oktoberfest hosting entertainment like live German music and children’s shows.
Leashed dogs are allowed at the Oktoberfest as well, but owners should be aware that the crowds can be large and loud. Average Oktoberfest attendance ranges from 25,000-35,000 people.
There is no festival-specific parking lots. A shuttle will run to the festival from the Vienna Metro station and Madison High School.
Image via Facebook
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Rango’s Fine Tex-Mex, a restaurant coming to Tysons (1934 Old Gallows Road), is the fulfillment of a family dream.
The restaurant will be moving into the space formerly occupied by Paladar Kitchen & Rum Bar. Robert Rosa, one of two owners of the new 200-seat restaurant, says the aim is to open in early November.
The restaurant will focus on quality and generous portions, according to Rosa, with the average meal priced around $25 and the restaurant’s 27-ounce margaritas half off for happy hour.
Tex-Mex food is a family business for the Rosa family, which owns the regional Guapo’s chain. Robert has 15 years of experience working in the food industry while his father and co-owner Ismael Rosa has been working in Tex-Mex food for 30 years.
Though the older Rosa has experience running a restaurant, having opened six Guapo’s Restaurant locations, the younger Rosa said this is his first time opening a restaurant from scratch.
“I’m 27 and I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of Tex-Mex options in the Tysons [area],” said Robert. “So it’s an adventure to try this out for myself.”
Rango’s will inhabit a 6,000 square foot space that seats about 250 people, including patio areas, the Washington Business Journal reports.
Fight to Keep Claude Moore Farm Open — “The National Park Service has said Claude Moore will close Dec. 21, but the Farm is fighting to stay open… The Park Service presented the Friends of Claude Moore Colonial Farm with its standard agreement, but the Friends felt they could not operate under its terms.” [McLean Connection]
County Highlights Opioid Danger — Via a new video, Fairfax County is highlighting the “danger in your medicine cabinet.” Per the county: “An epidemic of addiction to heroin and other opioids has gripped the nation, including here in Fairfax. Protect your community… dispose of your unused prescription drugs safely.” [YouTube]
Church Holding Event on Pornography — Vienna Presbyterian Church is holding an event next month for parents and teens entitled “Pornography, A Public Health Crisis.” The event will include “a workshop to help attendees confidently discuss the real risks or pornography use and an action plan to more effectively block pornography exposure online.” [Patch]
Vienna Town Hall Parking Changes — “The Vienna town government plans to shift some parking spaces in the lot behind Town Hall and install a stormwater-management facility there. The Vienna Town Council on Sept. 17 unanimously approved an up-to-$130,000 contract with LCS Site Services LLC to perform the work.” [InsideNova]
Contribute to Our Flickr Pool — Are you an amateur photographer who wants to share your work with the local community? A professional photog who wants to boost your name recognition via some off-duty snaps? No matter your skill level or background, we would love to show off your photos in our daily Morning Notes post. Want to contribute? Email us or add your shots to our Flickr pool. [Flickr]
Improvements to bicycle routes near the Vienna Metro station may have to wait.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors deferred a vote on an agreement to move forward on the Vienna Metro Bike Connection Improvement Project. The agreement with VDOT was brought forward as an action item at the Sept. 25 Board of Supervisors meeting but was deferred without explanation.
The project aims to enhance bike access to the Vienna Metro station and Metro West Town Center, as well as other roads and bridges in the surrounding area. The project includes bike wayfinding signage and shared lane markings.
The improvements follow a 2016 study of bicycle accessibility to the Vienna Metro station.
The project was first endorsed by the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 24, 2017, as part of a transportation alternatives package. If approved by the board, it will be funded with $800,000 in grants from VDOT, with a local match requirement of $200,000. The funds were identified in the County budget but requires Board of Supervisors approval.
In the era of #MeToo, with advocates seeking to increase the representation of women in positions of power, one local PAC is taking the next step and working to support women running for office.
The Brass Ovaries PAC, founded by Democratic activist Gail Gordon Donegan, is raising money for first-time, female candidates. The PAC is launching with a kick-off fundraiser tomorrow (Friday) evening from 7-10 p.m.
The event will be held in Vienna, with the exact address — a private residence — provided on confirmation at the event’s website.
There’s a variety of donation levels, all of which come with thematic titles.
- $500 – Co-Host
- $300 – Optimal Ovary
- $200 – Vaginal Victor
- $100 – Fallopian Fellow
- $50 – Utopian Uterus
- $25 – Badass
The event will act as a meet and greet for a variety of local candidates, from town and city councils to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Loudoun Chair Phyllis Randall, Del. Jennifer Boysko, Del. Mark Keam, state Sen. Chap Petersen, and Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol are all scheduled to attend as well.
The PAC does not currently endorse candidates, instead focusing on providing seed money for women running for office. How much is distributed is dependent on how much the event raises.
Image via Brass Ovaries PAC
