Pet care service Woofie’s announced plans for franchise expansion in the Vienna, McLean and Great Falls areas. 

Though they don’t have set locations or opening dates yet, Vice President of Marketing Renee Ventrice said that once the company finds owners to run the franchises, locations are usually open for business within six months. 

When the new locations finally open, Ventrice said that it will bring new jobs to the area as well. The company chose the three areas for expansion because they recognized an increased need for reliable pet care services. With a working median-income population, the locations fit their target market.

As a previous startup, the venture began in Ashburn under owners Amy Reed and Leslie Barron. Woofie’s slowly transformed their business into the multi-market company it is today. The company offers customers grooming, pet-sitting and walking services catering to many species of animals with varying dispositions. 

Woofie’s also offers mobile dog wash stations.

“Our focus on mobile services ensures a relatively low barrier to entry when compared to other pet care franchise systems,” said Ventrice.

At their established location in Ashburn, they currently employ around 60-80 dog-walkers, 11 groomers, four to five full-time administrative employees, and other part-time seasonal employees. 

For people looking into franchise opportunities, Ventrice said the company is seeking driven individuals who are passionate about pets and have a strong work ethic. Franchisees with Woofie’s have the flexibility to work with the company on important decisions. They are also guaranteed a protected territory so they don’t have to worry about competition with other locations.

Anyone interested in opening a franchise with the company can visit their website for more information or email [email protected]. 

Photos via Woofie’s

Dominion Energy is making repairs and installing equipment in the Town of Vienna to prevent a power surge like the one that affected several neighborhoods shortly after midnight last Tuesday (July 2).

“According to our information from Dominion, the surge was caused when, shortly after midnight on July 2, an old cross-arm broke causing a high voltage line to dip into a low voltage line,” Lynne Coan, a spokeswoman for the Town of Vienna, told Tysons Reporter.

When the cross-arm broke, the high voltage line dipped into a low voltage line.

Dominion Energy crews repaired the cross-arm and have plans to install “overvoltage arresters” to prevent similar events in the future, she said.

In a Facebook post on Friday (July 5), the Town of Vienna wrote that the southwest area of town experienced “overvoltage or an extreme electrical surge similar to a lightning strike.”

Coan said that the surge affected more than 100 homes, including the King Crest, Vienna Woods and Willow Estates neighborhoods.

Several people claiming to be victims of the power surge wrote under the town’s Facebook post about how the surge impacted them.

“We lost one of our A/C units, our refrigerator/freezer, humidifier, a TV, about four outlets and our washer,” one person wrote. “We were out on vacation last week and came back to this mess.”

Another wrote that the surge “blew a breaker fuse and my $100 Keurig wouldn’t work.”

Tysons Reporter has not heard back from Dominion Energy about questions including how strong the surge was.

Residents who wish to file a claim for damaged electrical appliances can call 1-866-366-4357.

It might not be the national holiday from the week before, but National Free Slurpee Day is coming up on Thursday, July 11.

The event is 7-Eleven’s celebration of its unofficial birthday. Stopping by a 7-Eleven between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. will allow the visitor to receive a free 12 oz Slurpee while supplies last.

Below, Tysons Reporter has put together a map of 7-Elevens around the Tysons area to stop by for a free Slurpee. Also, stay tuned for more information on the new 7-Eleven planned at Tysons Corner Center this fall.

If you get a brain freeze from your Slurpee, National Day Calendar advises you to press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, cover your nose and mouth with your hand, and breathe through your nose — allowing warmer air to circulate through your sinus passages.

Tysons:

• 1931 Old Gallows Road
• 8391 Leesburg Pike
• 2242 Gallows Road
• 7451 Patterson Road

McLean:

• 8110 Old Dominion Drive
• 6720 Old Dominion Drive
• 1357 Chain Bridge Road
• 1436 Chain Bridge Road

Vienna:

• 427 Maple Ave
• 537 Maple Ave
• 8616 Park Street

Merrifield:

• 2915 Cedar Lane

The Vienna Police Department is looking for whoever stole wallets from the Westwood Country Club.

“Two teens reported that someone took money from their wallets while they were inside at the pool,” police said.

The incident occurred between 2-6 p.m. last Monday (July 1) at 800 E. Maple Avenue.

Photo via Facebook

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

There’s a small brown “house” located on Dominion Road NE (parallel to the W&OD trail), which is a great disguise for the world of tiny trains hidden inside.

The Northern Virginia Model Railroaders club is over 65 years old and has been in this spot for over 30 years. The club built a “large and permanent model railroad layout” and they have open houses 12 times a year. (Pro tip: It’s air conditioned in there!)

You’ll find many cool trains at this exhibit, but if you have little ones who are Thomas & Friends fans, make sure you stop by. Their next open house is Saturday, July 13 from 1-5 p.m. and admission is free. Consider leaving a donation during your visit.

You can read more about the club and see the full list of open house dates here.

If you’re looking to join, they’re currently accepting new members. Find the information here.

The Vienna Town Council rejected the rezoning for the Sunrise Senior Living Facility proposed for downtown Vienna.

The senior facility had previously faced a myriad of concerns around its parking, retail space and location at the corner of Maple Avenue and Center Street — although a staff presentation prior to the vote on June 17 demonstrated new changes meant to quell some of the issues.

According to a staff presentation, Sunrise reduced the maximum number of residents from 115 to 108, plans to determine the final locations for the bike racks during the site plan approval and added a proffer to secure at least 12 off-site parking spaces for employees — a move meant to address concerns about the project lacking enough parking.

“The intention is not to take from street parking,” Jerry Liang, the senior vice president of development for Sunrise, told the Town Council. “Rather this is Sunrise proffering to enter into an agreement with a property owner somewhere in the area for 12 spaces that employees will be able to utilize… and to handle overflow situations.”

Liang said that they would look away from the center of town that could be reached via a shuttle.

The new proffer seemed to satisfy Councilmember Linda Colbert’s and outgoing Councilmember Tara Bloch’s concerns about parking, leading Bloch to put forward a motion to approve the project.

Before the vote, several other councilmembers voiced issues with the project, and Councilmember Pasha Majdi noted that because of a protest petition, the motion would require five “yes” votes in order to pass.

“I’d hate to see it fail tonight,” Majdi said before the vote. “I’d like to see it be successful. I don’t know how it’s going to go.”

Despite Majdi’s suggestion that the council table the project, Bloch pushed forward the vote to approve the rezoning, which ultimately failed with a 3-4 vote.

Mayor Laurie DiRocco, Majdi, Howard Springsteen and Douglas Noble voted no. Bloch, Colbert and outgoing councilmember Carey Sienicki voted yes.

Rendering via Town of Vienna

Local musician Ricky Parrell plans to celebrate the debut of his first album in August at Jammin’ Java.  

Inspired by a prompt that asks creative writers to craft short stories about items on their keychains, Parrell decided to shift the idea toward another medium — an album he ended up calling “Keys to My Life.” 

Parrell said that his talents as a musician with the United States Air Force Band and experience as an adjunct professor for the Northern Virginia Community College allow him to transcend different musical genres. Listeners can expect to hear six to eight tracks on the album each featuring a different genre or style of jazz.

Despite the variance, Parrell said the album is still meant to flow cohesively. 

“It has been the most challenging thing I’ve done musically, to get everything together and off the ground,” Parrell said.  

One of the largest roadblocks during the creation of his album was a problem with the licensing for one of his tracks when he wanted to cover a song from a Canadian artist. “Getting to that point was like six months of frustration because I couldn’t find the right person to talk to,” he said.

Once he was able to track down the artist, they were excited about the idea of his cover, he said, adding that most artists are excited to get their work out into the world.

Before the big album release, fans can expect two singles accompanied by music videos. Parrell said “My Bike Lock” should appear on his Facebook page before the end of July, while “Man Like You” will be released in early August.

“Keys to My Life” features well-known musicians such as Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy and Grammy Award Winning trumpet player, Randy Brecker. Stanton and Parrell attended school together and will both perform at the album debut event on Aug. 25. 

Parrell considered hosting the debut in New York City, but decided to keep it local, since he grew up in Vienna. He hopes to help put the city on the map while helping local businesses and foster the music scene.

“Places like Jammin’ Java are rare,” he said. “Big names go through there and you wouldn’t even know it.”

Tickets start at $10 for the debut performance of his album. For an extra $10, attendees can walk away with an album CD. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Second photo courtesy Ricky Parrell

As thunderstorms roll through northeastern Fairfax County today (Tuesday), more than 1,000 residents in the Town of Vienna are without power.

The Dominion Energy map shows about a dozen power outages in the Town of Vienna spanning from Maple Avenue to I-66 as of 4:50 p.m. today (July 2) totaling 1,148 affected customers.

Dominion expects that power will be restored later tonight between 6-11 p.m.

Map via Dominion Energy

(Updated at 1 p.m.) Independence Day is coming up on Thursday (July 4). Check this list in case you are planning to visit government facilities around Fairfax County later this week — they might be closed.

Photo by Warren Tobias on Unsplash

Years ago, there was a stinkbug invasion at a farm in Vienna. They were a source of concern for everyone on the farm except Clarene Vickery, who turned catching and collecting the bugs into a game for her children.

Ray Vickery Jr. remembered his mother, who died last Wednesday (June 26) at the age of 101, as a woman who could turn challenges into fun opportunities.

“She was a real life force,” Ray said. “She was able to meet and overcome problems.”

Clarene founded the Parkwood School in Vienna in 1956 and — over her 64 years as director and owner — helped teach more than 10,000 students. Ray said his mother founded the school at a time when there was no public kindergarten in Virginia and education for young children wasn’t seen as a priority.

“She started Parkwood in our living room,” he said. “She was still running the school months before her passing.”

Ray said his mother loved working with children and was able to communicate with them on a personal level.

In addition to her time running Parkwood School, Clarene was a founder of the Virginia Association of Early Childhood Education and a founding member of Providence Baptist Church in Tysons. In recent years, Clarene received recognition from a variety of public officials and a formal resolution commending her life work from the Virginia General Assembly, where her son Ray was once a member.

“She taught us it’s really important to value people for themselves, not for status or money,” said Ray.

When she wasn’t teaching, Ray said his mother liked to drive. She would take long solo trips back to Mississippi, where she was born. When she was too old to drive safely, Ray said she would take the car to the church parking lot and drive around “just to keep her hand on the wheel.”

A service will be held at Vienna Baptist Church (541 Marshall Road SW) at noon today (Tuesday). Clarene will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with her husband.

“She appreciated that there was still a small town atmosphere [in Vienna],” Ray said. “She wanted to maintain that person to person connection.”

Photo via Mark Keam/Facebook