The Town of Vienna celebrated its 100th birthday in 1990 with the ringing of bells and a giant birthday cake — and now its 130th birthday this year, residents are challenged to participate in a virtual race.
Titled “Distance Matters,” the race is inviting all Vienna citizens to walk, run, bike or hike a 130K throughout the month of July. People who complete the 80.8 miles will receive a medal at the end of the month.
People who are interested in participating will receive a log to track their miles over the course of the month. Miles can be achieved by running on a treadmill, cycling around the town or walking down the trail — participants’ choice. Whatever mode of exercise residents choose, the race is an easy way to maintain a feeling of community despite social distancing restrictions.
The town was originally planning a large community event called “Bluez and Brewz” on Saturday, June 20, to commemorate Vienna’s 130th birthday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the idea was changed to something that people could safely participate in — at a distance.
The celebration had included live blues bands, barbecue trucks and more, according to Natalie Duncan, the town’s teen center program coordinator.
“Upon the realization that we had to cancel Bluez and Brewz, we came up with the idea for the 130K,” said Duncan.
The organizers noticed other jurisdictions holding virtual races and decided it would be a fun way to keep the community participating. “The month of July is Parks and Recreation Month… the 130K is a way of keeping residents engaged and involved.”
Local sports and bike merchants, as well as coffee shops, are promoting the event. While running and biking have always been a staple of Vienna with the Washington and Old Dominion Trail running through town, the pandemic has fueled resident interest in the outdoors, according to Duncan.
“Now with the coronavirus, people are more open to using the trail and running around their neighborhoods,” she said.
In the past, Vienna has drawn major crowds for town events including birthday celebrations, Civil War reenactments and celebrating the new millenium, according to the Vienna Recreation Program Manager Amy-Jo Hendrix.
“Vienna is such a close-knit town,” said Hendrix. “Everyone comes together and enjoys whatever activities we have going. It’s a lot of fun to put these on and see the success that we have and how it brings all the neighbors together.”
Celebrate the Town's 130th #Birthday with our 130K #DistanceMatters Challenge for the month of July!
Register by June 29 at https://t.co/4fyEAuMvFd for $10. Receive s log to track your progress and a medal at completion.
Questions? Email [email protected] pic.twitter.com/R90r348NrK
— Town of Vienna, VA (@TownofViennaVA) June 3, 2020
Owners of CrossFit gyms in the Tysons area are distancing themselves from an insensitive tweet by CrossFit’s CEO.
Greg Glassman, the CEO, recently apologized for saying “It’s FLOYD-19” in response to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s tweet calling racism a public health issue, according to BET.
Reebok and several CrossFit athletes have since cut ties with the branded fitness regimen because of the tweet, and hundreds of gyms across the U.S. have disaffiliated from CrossFit over the tweet, according to reports from Forbes and People.
Tysons Reporter reached out to CrossFit gyms located in Vienna, Falls Church and Tysons. Six of them have denounced Glassman’s tweet.
The staff behind the CrossFit Tysons Corner (8453-K Tyco Road) told Tysons Reporter in an email that they do not condone Glassman’s statements. “We are exploring options for de-affiliation,” the email said.
Curtis Blake of CrossFit Falls Church (130 W. Jefferson Street) said that its members are aware of the gym’s stance.
“I was deeply saddened by the insensitivity that was shown and/or the malice in Glassman’s post,” Blake told Tysons Reporter. “I would like to see him step down and a change in leadership before we personally [make] a decision.” Blake declined to comment further.
CrossFit Route 7 (8504-B Tyco R0ad) and CrossFit North Vienna (234 Dominion Road NE) — a.k.a. the Phoenix Athletix Club — both shared on social media that they do not support Glassman’s comments.
“At this point, we do not know exactly what the next steps look like for the gym,” CrossFit Route 7 said in its Facebook post.
Meanwhile, CrossFit Fairfax (2831 Dorr Ave) wrote on Facebook that it will honor the Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday, June 13, but did not include a direct mention of Glassman’s tweet.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our gym, the broader fitness community, or the world at large,” the post said.
Marcus Ford of Tinner Hill CrossFit (336 S. Washington Street) said that the gym took to Facebook yesterday to reaffirm the location’s beliefs.
“I simply wanted to iterate to our extended community that we are steadfast in our beliefs, have always and will always operate without discrimination,” Ford told Tysons Reporter. “We openly welcome ALL people with no concern for race, religion, gender(s), sexualities or otherwise.”
Ford said that the incident “called into question the beliefs of CrossFit affiliates all over the world, and I personally and professionally felt the need to remind our community that no matter what methodology we use for fitness, we are resolute in the principles we’ve been known for by our community.”
The location is still a CrossFit gym, “however only time will tell what the future may hold for us in terms of affiliation,” Ford said.
Photo via CrossFit Tysons Corner/Facebook
The Tysons area will have three blood drives this month via a partnership with local volunteer fire departments and Inova Blood Donor Services.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue announced today (Tuesday) four upcoming blood drives that will take place in the parking lots of the fire stations.
“Due to current events, blood supplies in Fairfax County and the nation are at dangerously low levels and dropping,” according to the fire department.
Here are the Tysons-area ones:
- Thursday (June 18) noon-6 p.m. at Station 13 in Dunn Loring (2148 Gallows Road)
- Wednesday (June 24) 1-7 p.m. at Station 1 in McLean (1455 Laughlin Ave)
- Thursday (June 25) 1-7 p.m. at Station 2 in Vienna (400 Center Street S.)
There will also be a blood drive at Station 5 (6300 Beulah Street) in Alexandria on Thursday (June 18) from 1-7 p.m. People can register on the Inova Blood Donor Services website.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue noted how the blood drives will address safety concerns with COVID-19.
“There will be plenty of space to spread out and use appropriate social distancing,” the post said. “To help protect our firefighters and paramedics, access to the fire station is prohibited.”
Photo via Facebook
(Updated 8/24/2020) Fairfax-based Simply Social Coffee has plans to bring new roasts to Vienna.
The coffee store posted on Facebook yesterday that work is underway at its upcoming location in the Cedar Park Shopping Center.
“We got framed. Just waiting on permits,” the post said. “Vienna here we come.”
The online menu for the Fairfax location includes a long list of drinks: dark and white mochas, hot chocolate, drip coffee, espresso, lattes, frappes, chai, teas and more. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches along with Belgium waffles are also on the menu.
Corrects name of shopping center.
Hat tip to Vienna VA Foodies
Photo via Simply Social Coffee/Facebook
(Updated 6/10/2020) For people looking to support local Black-owned eateries, shops and services in the area, Tysons Reporter and Reston Now are working to compile a list of places open for business.
Since this is a crowdsourced “living document” — it will be updated regularly by one of our reporters or editors.
Several blogs, websites and social media groups have rounded up lists of local Black-owned businesses, including Feed the Malik, Vienna VA Foodies, Reddit and the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.
People can contribute to the list by sending an email [email protected] with the subject line “Black-Owned Eatery and Business List Addition.”
“The best way [to help business owners] is to give directly if you can, look at your black-owned business and order from them if they’re still open,” Sean Perryman, the president of the NAACP Fairfax County, told Tysons Reporter.
Like other local businesses, Black-owned restaurants have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Perryman said.
So far, businesses include:
- Amore Congelato (Reston Farmers Market)
- McLean Pizza (1434 Center Street)
- Caribbean Plate (133 Annandale Road E.)
- Pie Gourmet (507 Maple Ave W.)
- Mienne Beauty Supply (1880 Howard Ave Suite 105)*
- Arthur Christine hair studio (113 Park Street NE)
- Tysons Playground (8502 Tyco Road)*
- Perfect Planning Events (8201 Greensboro Drive)
- Mindstate Wellness Center (1980 Gallows Road)
*temporarily closed due to COVID-19
Photo via Caribbean Plate/Facebook
A Vienna resident told police that someone stomped on the American flags she put along the sidewalk in front of her house.
The incident happened sometime in the morning on Memorial Day (May 25) in the 1000 block of Hillcrest Drive SW, according to Vienna police.
“The resident placed a small section of fencing around the flags to protect them,” police said. “However, the person then broke the fence and pushed over the flag.”
In a separate incident, police said a woman’s two bicycles were reported stolen from outside of the side entrance to Bazin’s On Church (111 Church Street NW) sometime between May 18-24.
Photo via Facebook
Future Offices? — “Before the pandemic shut down businesses, a robust economy had powered a building boom, sending office towers skyward in urban areas across the United States… Developers were confident that the demand would remain strong. But the pandemic darkened the picture.” [Washington Business Journal]
Protest Held in Vienna — “Hundreds showed up to protest racial injustice in Vienna Wednesday evening after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The event on the Town Green remained peaceful, and most attendees wore face masks.” [Vienna Patch]
U.S. Senate OKs Changes to PPP — “The U.S. Senate approved sweeping changes to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program Wednesday evening… The bipartisan bill… extends the eight-week period under which loan recipients can spend the PPP money while also addressing other details that have bedeviled small businesses in the hospitality realm.” [Washington Business Journal]
Movie Theater at Tysons Corner Center May Not Survive — “AMC Theatres said Wednesday it has ‘substantial doubt’ the company can remain in business after the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of all of its locations… All AMC locations are closed through June, and the company said it has enough money to reopen theaters this summer. However, if not allowed to reopen, the company said, it may be unable to borrow the funds needed to continue operating.” [Patch]
How Vienna Will Use CARES Act Funding — “Vienna officials have identified 10 spending categories for the nearly $2.9 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding appropriated June 1 by the Vienna Town Council.” [Inside NoVa]
Reopened Clare and Don’s Beach Shack pic.twitter.com/KUttb0A0l6
— Falls Church Views (@fallschurchview) June 3, 2020
During this difficult time for so many families, it’s so good to see the great work of @secondstoryorg. We’re
happy to partner with them in sharing weekly ArtReach art activities for them to share with their community. #MPAArtReach @MikeQReports @artsfairfax @TysonsReporter https://t.co/2VmfdNqL8J— McLeanProjectForArts (@MP4A) June 4, 2020
Due to the coronavirus, book lovers will have to wait a few more months for the NoVa Bookstore Crawl, which includes two book stores in the Tysons area.
The inaugural NoVa Bookstore Crawl was originally scheduled for Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, but will now take place Aug. 29.
The NoVa Bookstore Crawl was designed to include several different independent bookstores located in Northern Virginia, from Arlington to Vienna. The event includes Bards Alley and Big Planet in Vienna.
Following the design of the well-known “bar crawl”, participants travel from bookstore to bookstore, experiencing the unique celebrations of each stop.
“There are similar passport programs in other cities,” said Anna Thorne, the organizer of the NoVa Book Crawl event. “D.C. has an extremely vibrant bookstore scene.”
Each bookstore involved in the book crawl will have different events. For Bards Alley in Vienna, activities will some fun for Harry Potter fans.
“We have guest booksellers who are local authors… We also have activities for kids on our patio. They are usually Harry Potter-themed,” said Jen Morrow, the owner of Bards Alley in Vienna.
“We were going to have a golden ticket worth a $100 gift card to spend in the store, just to get people out to celebrate all independent businesses,” Morrow added.
The bookstore is known for its community ties. In the past, Bards Alley has had food and wine specials in their cafe and a massive book scavenger hunt throughout the Town of Vienna.
The organization behind Independent Bookstore Day moved the national celebration to August, which provided the new date to reschedule the crawl, according to Thorne.
“Independent Bookstore Day has gone on for five years,” said Thorne. The idea for the crawl came from a similar event that occurred in D.C. last year, which Thorne described as a huge success.
The festivities are only available on Independent Bookstore Day in-person — “Not before, Not after. Not online,” according to Independent Book Store Day’s official website. The website emphasizes that bookstores are not a “dying anachronism,” but a continuously expanding industry.
Participants in the bookstore crawl will carry a map of the participating places with them and will receive a stamp after each stop and a prize for visiting five.
The full list of participating book stores:
- Bards Alley (Vienna)
- Big Planet (Vienna)
- Hooray for Books! (Alexandria)
- Old Town Books (Alexandria)
- One More Page (Arlington)
- Scrawl (Reston)
Although Independent Bookstore Day is postponed for nearly three months, independent bookstores ask readers to continue supporting their businesses by purchasing books from their websites, picking up curbside or ordering delivery. People can also purchase gift cards or donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.
Photo via Bards Alley/Facebook
(Updated 5:40 p.m.) The Town of Vienna is giving $1 million to support Fairfax County’s new grant program to financially help town businesses.
The town announced the news today (Wednesday), saying that it’s giving some of its funds from the CARES Act to the county’s RISE grant program. The town received roughly $2.9 million in CARES Act funding at the end of April, according to the town newsletter.
“While the $1 million being provided by the Town of Vienna is designated specifically for Town businesses only, Vienna businesses also will be eligible for funding through the county grant program beyond the Town’s contribution,” according to the press release.
Natalie Monkou, the town’s economic development manager, said in the press release that the town originally thought about creating its own grant program, but decided that the county had more resources.
“Fairfax County has the infrastructure already in place to execute a grant program for businesses,” Monkou said, adding that the county will give businesses “more immediate access to grant funding.”
At least 30% of the total RISE funding will go to women-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses, she added.
“When we did a business survey a few weeks ago, one of the main things we heard was that businesses need access to capital, and that can be even more true for veteran-, minority-, and women-owned businesses,” she said. “The CARES Act allows us to provide this important assistance to our small businesses.”
The county’s grant program currently has $26 million for small businesses and nonprofits, according to the press release. The grant application will be open from June 8-15.
A Vienna learning center is helping out kids in need by temporarily supplying them with laptops during this era of online learning.
Stemtree of Vienna typically offers four different science, technology and engineering courses for students but decided to loan laptops to students throughout the community who don’t have access to computers for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its Facebook page.
The center’s curriculum director Abdelghani Bellaachia said that the program distributed roughly 10 laptops in the last few weeks and still has availability for students in need. He added that a student doesn’t have to meet any criteria for the free laptop loan besides being in need and a promise to treat the equipment with respect.
Though families might have one or two laptops to share between kids, Bellaachia said he understands this might not meet the demand of online school. “We understand families might need an extra laptop.”
The center has been working with public schools like Westbriar Elementary School in Vienna to ensure the needs are being met, according to Bellaachia.
Anyone interested can register online and then set up a time to pick it up by calling (703) 281-STEM (7836) or sending an email.
All laptops must be returned by June 10 so the center has its equipment to start summer camps on June 15 under the first phase of the reopening plan set forth by Fairfax County and the Virginia Department of Health, Bellaachia said.
Students in the camps will be with peers in groups of 10 or less and have designated equipment for the week, according to Bellaachia, so families and the center can limit risk.
Photo via Stemtree/Facebook
