For the third year in a row, the Town of Vienna will host a competition encouraging local businesses to put up holiday decorations.
The Town/Business Liaison Committee wants businesses within Vienna to decorate their storefronts with the theme “Home for the Holidays” and participate in the upcoming decoration competition.
Winners will receive special social media shoutouts and Mayor Laurie DiRocco will volunteer her time as a guest employee for business with the best decorations, according to a press release.
All decorations must be put out by Friday (Nov. 29). Competition winners will be announced at the Church Street Holiday Stroll on Monday (Dec. 2).
“The TBLC is hosting this third annual competition to draw attention to local businesses, foster a festive atmosphere that attracts visitors and encourage residents to discover local gems as they tackle their holiday shopping in person,” a press release said.
Any business wishing to participate must register online by Friday, Nov. 22.
Photos courtesy Town of Vienna
(Updated at 8:30 p.m.) As plans move forward on the Vienna Police Department’s new police station, Vienna officials are now figuring out where the police station will relocate.
The town has been reviewing designs for the new police station at 215 S. Center Street for the last few months.
Town Attorney Steven Briglia told the town’s Planning Commission at the end of October that the police department has a spot in mind for the temporary relocation.
Briglia said that the town fortuitously acquired a piece of property at 440 Beulah Road that has a house in spring 2018.
“We acquired that piece of property because it makes sense. It’s right next to the entrance there. It squares up the lot and it makes a prime piece of public property even better,” Briglia said.
While the police detectives are working in the basement of Town Hall and plan to stay there until the new station is finished, Briglia said that the Beulah Street house is a good spot to relocate the police department.
“It turns out it might be — the chief thinks it’s a good spot for a temporary relocation of the police department — at least some of the operations there,” Briglia said.
Construction on the new station is expected to last two years, Briglia said.
While there’s a “zoning snag” that would complicate the Planning Commission approving the relocation to the site, Briglia said that the town “doesn’t really have any other facility” for the police department to use.
The Planning Commission gets to decide if it wants to recommend approval of the temporary site use to the Board of Zoning Appeals, Briglia told Tysons Reporter.
“We have to have a police department headquarters somewhere,” Briglia said.
Map via Google Maps, images via Town of Vienna
The Vienna Police Department received a call last week about a man who allegedly threw a martini glass that cracked one of Ristorante Bonaroti’s windows.
“An employee reported that a customer was sitting outside of the restaurant when he became irate and threw a martini glass,” according to the police report. “The glass cracked an exterior window of the restaurant.”
The incident occurred around noon on Sunday (Oct. 27) at 428 E. Maple Avenue.
“When employees began to call the police, the customer became more upset, making vague threats regarding the police,” the report said.
The man was gone before officers arrived.
Image via Google Maps
Absentee Ballots Rushed to Voters — “Roughly 1,300 new ballots were sent out Oct. 16 and 17 to accommodate the new Republican candidate, Eric Anthony Jones, on the ballot, Fairfax County’s general registrar Gary Scott told the News-Press.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Advisory Firm Moves to Tysons — Capstone Strategic, Inc. announced Friday that it has moved to 8521 Leesburg Pike, Suite 230. [Benzinga]
Facebook Considered Tysons For New Spot — “Social media giant Facebook Inc. has reached a deal to take a large block of office space in Reston Town Center after weighing other potential locations, including Tysons.” [Washington Business Journal]
Calling All Volunteers — “The City Council is looking for seven volunteers to join the newly-created Stormwater Task Force, which will update the list of stormwater improvement projects in the City’s Watershed Management Plan.” [City of Falls Church]
New Glass Recycling Container in Vienna — “We worked with Fairfax County to get our very own exclusively glass purple recycling container that is hungry and waiting at its location on Mill Street NE in the gravel shoulder next to Capitol Building Supply.” [Town of Vienna]
Car Crash Closed McLean Road — The 1800 block of Great Falls Street in McLean was closed due to a car crash on Sunday. The road has now reopened. [Fairfax County Police Department]
A Vienna family is raising a furry friend before he moves to New York — in search of a larger purpose.
Jennifer and Ellie Butler, a mother and daughter pair, volunteered to foster a dog under Guiding Eyes, a New York-based organization that pairs guide dogs with people who need them.
Percy, a black labrador, arrived at their doorstep in May when he was just a little over 12-weeks-old and now is in the midst of by-weekly general training, the Butlers said.
The family decided to participate in the program after a suggestion from 18-year-old Ellie, who offered to take on the primary responsibility for Percy. Ellie was inspired by the documentary “Pick of the Litter,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer said the pair splits up the work. Jennifer brings Percy to work and Ellie takes care of him after she gets off from Flint Hill High School at 3 p.m.
Once a week, Percy will attend doggie school and has the chance to play with about a dozen other local guide dogs in training, Jennifer said. Percy is a “very good boy” because he listens to commands, stays in his crate at night, doesn’t eat before he is given permission and doesn’t bark, she added.
“You could tell people already worked with him by the time we got him,” Jennifer said.
Guiding Eyes provides guide dogs to those in need — free of charge, according to their website. They also cover all of the costs for foster families except for the food, Jennifer said.
Going forward, Percy will move to New York sometime this summer for specialized training.
He will take an aptitude test to determine what his path will be, Jennifer said, adding that she could see him helping law enforcement because of his strong nose or assisting children because of his calm personality.
“I think he’d do well with just about anyone as long as they love him,” Ellie said.
The love given to Percy from the Butlers has been reciprocal, the family said.
“I’ve always been a little shy until I got this dog. You have to speak out for the dog since they don’t have a voice,” Ellie said. “I learned to speak up and be more outgoing.”
Ellie hopes to foster another Guiding Eyes dog in the future, she said.
“With Percy leaving, I thought at the beginning, ‘Oh it’s going to be fine,'” Jennifer said. “But we’ve grown to love him.”
Photo courtesy Guiding Eyes
Nearly 900 Dominion Energy customers are without power right in the Vienna area today (Thursday).
The outage is affecting 896 customers, spanning from Kemper Park to Malcolm Road NW.
Dominion expects the power to be back on between 7-10 p.m., according to the Dominion Energy power outage map.
The cause of the power outage is pending investigation.
Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to swoop in tonight.
Map via Dominion Energy
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!
Earlier this month, Tysons Reporter also compiled a Halloween roundup.
Tuesday (Oct. 29)
- Penny University Yoga Class — 7 p.m. at Caffe Amouri Coffee Roaster (107 Church Street NE) — This event invites all talent levels to a free community yoga class. More information can be found online.
Wednesday (Oct. 30)
- Caboose Tavern Nationals Watch Party — 8 to 10:30 p.m. at Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) — People can watch the World Series and enjoy drink discounts at the Vienna spot.
- Local Candidates Debate — 7:30 p.m. at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave) — Several candidates will be in attendance including House of Delegates (D-34th) candidates Kathleen Murphy and Gary Pan, Dranesville District Supervisor candidates John Foust and Ed Martin and Dranesville District School Board candidates Anastasia Karloutsos, Elaine Tholen and Ardavan Mobasheri. This event is free and open to the public.
Thursday (Oct. 31)
- Wayfair Popup Final Sale — 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Tysons Corner Center — This is the last day for the Wayfair popup at Tysons Corner. Everything will be 30% off.
Friday (Nov. 1)
- Free F45 Training — noon to 12:45 p.m. at The Boro Park (1640 Boro Place) — People can try a 45-minute HIIT session for free at the new F45’s location in The Boro in Tysons.
- Eaglemania — 7 to 9 p.m. at The State Theatre (220 N. Washington Street) — This Eagles cover band will perform the rock band’s classic hits. Tickets are $25.
Saturday (Nov. 2)
- Wine and Cheese Festival — 2 to 5 p.m. at Whole Foods Market (1635 Boro Place) — This event allows community members to gather for an afternoon of wine and cheese tasting. All are welcome but attendees must be 21+ if they wish to drink wine.
- Vienna Arts Society Live Bench Auction — 6 p.m. at Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE) — The Vienna Arts Society is auctioning off benches painted by artists. Proceeds will go to the Vienna Arts Society.
Photo via Susan Scanlon
This week, two public hearings in the Town of Vienna aim to get public input on a proposed motorized scooter program and extending the moratorium on new development applications for Maple Avenue.
The Transportation Safety Commission is set to unveil the proposed shared mobility devices pilot program and solicit feedback from the community on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
People can also email comments to [email protected].
Then on Wednesday, Oct. 30, the town’s Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on extending the suspension of the Maple Avenue Commercial (MAC) zone.
The proposal would extend the moratorium to June 30.
The Vienna Town Council first put the moratorium in place last September to allow the town staff time to redesign the town’s guidelines.
Both public hearings are set to start at 8 p.m. at Town Hall (127 S. Center Street).
Tysons may not have the liveliest nightlife at the moment, but that could soon change as more late-night restaurants and places to hang out open. “Tysons After Dark” will highlight a different spot every week.
The Washington Nationals are back in D.C. for the third game tonight in the World Series.
As D.C.’s baseball team prepares face the Houston Astros at 8 p.m., Tysons Reporter has found some places around the Tysons area offering specials or hosting watch parties for the World Series — including new ones since last week’s roundup.
Here’s where to bring the “Natitude” tonight (Friday).
The Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike) plans to have a watch party tonight with $8 food specials. The watering hole was four projectors — two outside and two indoor inside — for people to watch the game, along with 17 TVs.
The Town of Vienna is hosting a “Big Game Watch Party” starting at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Oct. 25) in the main gym at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE). Chairs will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs, blankets, food and non-alcoholic drinks.
Taco Bamba spots in Falls Church (2190 Pimmit Drive) and Vienna (164 W. Maple Avenue) has the “Baby Shark Taco” for $4.50, according to a press release. The taco will include Venezuelan spiced fish “cazón” style with guacamole, green goddess-dressed cilantro and cabbage.
Meanwhile, pizza chain Matchbox will give diners wearing Nats gear on game days food and drinks at happy hour prices. Matchbox has a local spot in the Mosaic District at 2911 District Avenue, Suite 120.
Caboose Tavern (520 Mill Street NE) is offering $2 off of growler fills on game days and plans to hold watch parties from 8-10:30 p.m.
Settle Down Easy Brewing (2822 Fallfax Drive) in the Falls Church area plans to have a watch party with free pizza and $1 pints anytime a Nats player hits a home run. “We will extend our hours until the end of the game,” according to the Facebook event.
#StayintheFight
Photo via Caboose Tavern/Facebook
Vienna police arrested a 37-year-old man for allegedly trying to unlawfully enter a Vienna home while “extremely intoxicated.”
The incident occured around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, in the 100 block of Saint Andrews Drive NE.
More from the police report:
A resident reported that a man attempted to enter their home by pulling on a glass sliding door and telling the homeowner to come outside. The resident refused, and the subject got belligerent and started to yell profanities. The subject left the scene prior to police arrival but was quickly located in the area by an officer. During the interaction with officers, it was obvious that the man was extremely intoxicated.
Police charged the man with being drunk in public and attempted unlawful entry. He was transported him to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
The man was given a $2,000 unsecured bond and remanded into the custody of the Fairfax Deputies, police said.
Photo via Facebook
