It’s a season of duets and intimate conversations for The Barns at Wolf Trap.

First up is Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti and her mother, former Broadway star Linda Benanti, for a musical performance about the relationship between mothers and daughters. Laura Benanti performed in several Broadway productions like “Gypsy”, for which she won Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Linda starred in the 1981 revival of Brigadoon. The show will have two performances on March 9. Tickets start at $40.

Comedy troupe The Second City will also have five improvised comedy shows from March 20-23. Alumni of the group include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and Bill Murray. Tickets start at $30.

Finally, the venue will host “An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories with Graham Nash” on March 25, 27 and 28. Nash is a singer-songwriter and a founding member of Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Hollies. Among his many accolades, Nash is a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award winner, New York Times bestselling author and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Tickets start at $85.

Here’s the full list of Wolf Trap events in March:

• March 8: The Montrose Trio
• March 9: Laura and Linda Benanti: The Story Goes On
• March 13 and 14: Habib Koité and Bassekou Kouyate
• March 15: Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams
• March 16: Seamus Egan
• March 20-23: The Second City
• March 24: Sitkovetsky Trio
• March 25-28: An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories with Graham Nash
• March 29: Mountain Man

The full Wolf Trap schedule is available online.

Photo via Wolf Trap

McLean, like nearby Great Falls and Wolf Trap, are all still in the Top 50 for Bloomberg’s 2019 Richest Places ranking, but the elite suburban communities took a dip in this year’s rankings.

McLean’s average household income is $283,992, a slight increase over 2016’s $280,225 and 2015’s $268,997, which was what the 2018 rankings were based on.

But that wasn’t enough to keep the locality from falling five spots in this year’s ranking. It was surpassed by newcomers like Rumson, a wealthy corner of Monmouth County in New Jersey.

Great Falls ranked higher than McLean, at number 16 in the rankings. It too took a hit, falling from a lofty 14th place with its $309,599 average household income.

Wolf Trap, currently ranked 42nd, fell three places. The neighborhood’s average household income is $251,610.

Overall, Fairfax County was ranked second in U.S. News & World Report’s richest counties, with a median household income of $117,515, between Loudoun County in first place and Howard County, Maryland in third place.

After years of petitioning and planning, it looks like Wolftrap Elementary will finally be getting some long-requested sidewalk upgrades.

The school was included on a list of transportation alternatives project submissions from the county to receive state grants. The Wolftrap Elementary School Crosswalk Improvement Project was awarded a $200,000 grant, with a local cash match of $50,000 approved at yesterday’s (Tuesday) Board of Supervisors meeting.

According to the staff report:

The extreme width of the roadway encourages illegal passing of vehicles stopped for children in the crosswalk, whether manned by the School Crossing Guard or not. The project consists of 7-foot to 15-foot bump outs and an 8-foot median refuge for the crosswalk (including evaluation for potential pedestrian beacon device), and creation of a channelized southbound right turn lane, on-road bike lanes, and transitional median striping as road diet treatments.

Wolftrap Elementary is at the heart of the residential network between Vienna and its namesake Wolf Trap National Park to the north, but despite this prime location for walkability, the school can be a challenge.

There is currently only one crosswalk to the school across the busy Beulah Road and only one narrow, cracked sidewalk. The other side of the road drops off into a ditch or undergrowth.

According to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association website, traffic on Beulah Road has increased over the last few years as GPS applications have increasingly directed drivers onto the once-quiet street into a shortcut from the Dulles Toll Road to Route 123 as part of an unofficial mini-beltway around Tysons. As county staff stated in their report, the PTA website indicates local parents witnessed the same issue.

“It is safest to cross if our crossing guard is present, but unsafe before and after her approximately 15-20 minute shift in the mornings and afternoons,” the PTA said. “Some drivers even ignore her, driving through the crosswalk when she directs cars to stop.”

The PTA website also indicated that cars frequently speed around the site, empowered by unclear speed limit signage.

“Cars are driving very fast, and the speed limit is ambiguous, either 25 or 35 mph,” the PTA said. “The speed limit is only definitively 25 mph when the lights are flashing around the time of morning arrival and afternoon dismissal from school.”

The PTA said the heavy traffic and unsafe crossing conditions currently confines traffic across the intersection to the few hours where it is monitored by a crossing guard.

Under the agreement, the county will manage the construction and maintenance of the improvements.

Photo via Google Maps

Miss your chance to see Marvel mega-hit and Best Picture-nominated Black Panther? It’s coming back to AMC theaters this weekend, including the theater in Tysons Corner Center, for free.

Screenings are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Feb. 1-7.

Today (Friday) also marks the start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. TenPenh Tysons is offering a special Chinese New Year meal from today until Tuesday (Feb. 5). The offer includes four dishes — like lion’s head soup and vegetable lo mein noodles —  representing different virtues. The meals are $36.68 per person.

Several local bars are also hosting Super Bowl parties, including Blackfinn Ameripub, Greenhouse Bistro, Caboose Tavern, and the Tysons Biergarten.

Saturday (Feb. 2)

• Deer Management Strategies (10 a.m.-12 p.m.) — Roger Zinn, Merrifield plant specialist, will host a discussion at the Merrifield Garden Center (8132 Lee Highway) on how to handle deer in your gardens, from water resistant plants and deer repellents.
• The Princess Bride – Family Flashback (10 a.m.-12 p.m.) — The Angelika Film Center in the Mosaic District (2911 District Ave) will hold a screening of The Princess Bride. Tickets are $12.50 and seating is reserved.
• Lunar New Year Celebration (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) — The Tysons Corner Center will host a cultural performance and celebration of the Year of the Pig in the court outside the Nordstrom. Arts and crafts will be available, with family-friendly activities.
• The Wizard of Oz (1 p.m.) — The Alden Theater in the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave) will host a production of The Wizard of Oz by Vital Theatre. The one-hour is a family-friendly musical. Tickets are $15 or $10 for McLean residents.
• Vienna’s African American History (2-3:30 p.m.) — Gloria Runyon and Sylvia Taylor from Historic Vienna Inc. will share insights on the African-American historic presence and contributions to Vienna and surrounding areas at the Patrick Henry Library (101 Maple Ave E).

Sunday

• Post Office Passport Fair (9 a.m.-12 p.m.) — The Merrifield Post Office (8409 Lee Highway) will host a passport photo to help locals obtain or renew a passport. Appointments are not required. A full list of necessary documents is available online
• Winter Forest Trail Walk at Wolf Trap National Park (1-3 p.m.) — Friends of Wolf Trap will host a winter hike through the park. Tickets are free but RSVP is required. The two-mile hike is open to families and leashed dogs. Sturdy shoes are recommended. The Hike starts at the Filene Center Box Office (1551 Trap Rd).

If you’re one of the commuters who likes to rush along the twists and turns of Bellview Road, your joyriding days may be numbered.

Bellview Road is a two-lane street running through a neighborhood north of Wolf Trap littered with mansions, but it also has the distinction of being a favored route of various map applications connecting Old Dominion Drive to Leesburg Pike.

“It’s a windy, narrow road and one that deals with a significant amount of cut-through traffic,” said Supervisor John Foust.

A series of traffic calming measures approved at yesterday’s (Tuesday) Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting will add seven new speed humps along Bellview Road and one on Ingleside Avenue, closer to downtown McLean.

As VDOT was planning its restrictions of cut-throughs in McLean, Ingleside Avenue was considered but was ruled ineligible for some of the larger restrictions but was considered qualified for other traffic calming.

In November, the Dranesville District Supervisor confirmed that the local community was in support of the traffic calming measures. Foust said there’s no specific date determined for when the speed humps will be installed, but said they would be installed “as soon as possible.”

Photo via Google Maps

The Barns at Wolf Trap don’t feature as many big names in February as in previous months, but there’s plenty of excitement in next month’s musical lineup.

Most of the biggest performances are tributes to classic rock, folk and classical performances.

On Feb. 2, Dustbowl Revival will be performing a mashup of traditional Americana music with modern dance music in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Band. They will be performing alongside Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown, a jazz and western swing band. Tickets range from $32 for rear orchestra or side balcony seats to $37 for prime orchestra or prime balcony.

While you’ll never get a chance to see The Beatles live, the next best thing might be the cover band 1965 The Tribute, performing on Feb. 14 and 15. The performance starts at 8 p.m. and tickets range from $38-$42.

On Feb. 22, Pianist Wu Han will lead a small ensemble in an “exploration of Schubert’s oeuvre.” Following the performance, attendees will have a chance to meet the artists at a dessert reception. Tickets are $40.

The list of Wolf Trap events in February:

• Feb. 1: St. Lawrence String Quartet
• Feb. 2: The Dustbowl Revival & Hot Club of Cowtown
• Feb. 9 and Feb. 10: Le Vin Herbé
• Feb. 14 and 15: 1964 The Tribute
• Feb. 16 and 17: Masters of Hawaiian Music
• Feb. 19 and 20: Cherish the Ladies
• Feb. 22: Wu Han and Friends

The full Wolf Trap schedule is available online.

Photo via Wolf Trap

Tysons Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Tysons area.

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

Tuesday, Jan. 15

Valo Park Blood Drive
Valo Park (7950 Jones Branch Dr)
Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Inova Blood Donor Services will be hosting a blood drive at Valo Park. Another blood drive will be hosted at 7900 Westpark Drive in Mclean later this week. To make an appointment, schedule online or call 1-866-BLOODSAVES (1-866-256-6372).

Albert Lee at Jammin Java
Jammin’ Java  (227 Maple Ave E)
Time: 7:30 p.m.

Guitarist Albert Lee will be performing at Jammin Java. Lee, who has been performing with R&B, country, and rock and roll bands since 1959, is renowned for his speed. Doors open at 6 p.m. General admission tickets are $25.

Wednesday, Jan. 16

Free Spaghetti Dinner for Furloughed Workers & Their Families
American Legion Dyer-Gunnell Post 180 (330 North Center Street)
Time: 5-8 p.m.

The Vienna American Legion Post is offering a free spaghetti dinner available to all furloughed government employees and their families.

Thursday, Jan. 17

Specialty Beer Release: Resilience
Tysons Biergarten (8346 Leesburg Pike)
Time: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Tysons Biergarten will host a party celebrating the launch of Resilience, a beer brewed by Sierra Nevada to support relief efforts for those affected by the California wildfires. All sales of the beer go to the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund.

Shutdown Lunch
McLean Presbyterian Church (1020 Balls Hill Rd)
Time: 12-1 p.m.

McLean Presbyterian Church will have lunch for employees who are furloughed and not working at all, essential employees who are still on the job but not getting paid, and their families.

John Oates at Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd)
Time: 8-11 p.m.

John Oates, half of the legendary ’80s duo Hall and Oates, will be performing in The Barnes at Wolf Trap on Thursday and Friday. Tickets start at $42.

If you’re looking to start the year off with a new job, there’s plenty of options around the Tysons area: from major corporate positions to openings in local gyms.

One of the most high profile offerings is a regional manager opening for the Charles Schwab Corporation, a banking and brokerage firm. The regional manager would help shape business development in the area and build working relationships in the area. The position requires a BA/BS, with an MBA preferred. Ideal applicants should have a minimum of 10 years in the financial services industry with over five years experience in investment management or sales management.

Other listings around the area include:

• Zoning Enforcement Officer for the Town of Vienna — Vienna is looking for a person to enforce the town’s zoning regulations by inspecting new construction for compliance, responding to complaints, and identifying and resolving zoning and other property violations. The job pays between $50,474 and $65,868 depending on qualifications.
• Automotive Sales at Priority Nissan Tysons — Advertised as a no-experience-required position, anyone with an enthusiasm and willingness to learn can apply to work at Priority Nissan in Tysons.
• Front Desk Associate at Sport & Health Tysons — The newly renovated Tysons Sport & Health is looking for a front desk associate to manage the desk and greet members and guests. High school diploma, six months experience in customer service, and first aid certifications preferred.
• CrossFit Coach at Phoenix Athletix Club — The Vienna CrossFit location is looking for a Level 1 CrossFit coach to teach 3-4 classes on Thursday and Friday mornings and two classes every other Saturday. Three years of coaching experience is required, and the position earns $20 to $25 per hour.
• Montessori Floater and Office Assistant — The Fiore Montessori School in Vienna is looking for a teachers assistant and office assistant to help in classrooms and in the office. The ideal candidate would be trained in Montessori Education or be interested in training. The job is full-time and offers between $25,000 to $38,000 per year.
• Assistant for Wolf Trap Institute of Early Learning Through Arts — The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts needs an assistant to provide institute and administrative support for the Wolf Trap Institute’s educational programs. The position would last from Jan. 7 through March. 1, with a pay rate of $10 per hour. Wolf Trap is also seeking interns for the Annual Giving program to assist with fundraising efforts.

Photo via Facebook

It’s been nine years since Hazleton Laboratories, later Covance, closed the doors of its facility near Wolf Trap, infamous for its testing on monkeys and beagles — but life could soon be returning to the site.

Toll Brothers, a real estate developer, has plans to build 102 single-family homes northeast of the intersection of Route 7 and Towlston Road. The new project, called Grantstone, is a by-right development that has generated concern among neighbors who say the new development could overburden the nearby roads.

“Despite the fact that it is by-right, they’ve been cooperative,” said Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust. “We’ve had two well-attended community meetings to identify issues of concern. They’ve been willing to work with us. There’s not a lot of things we can do as long as they stick to subdivision ordinance.”

One of the biggest items of concern has been the new development’s impacts on Towlston Road, a two-lane street to the west of the property. The Great Falls Citizens Association passed a resolution last summer calling on the Virginia and Fairfax County departments of transportation to reexamine the issue of how much traffic will be generated on the surrounding streets.

Foust said the new housing development aligns fortuitously with a plan to widen Route 7 from four lanes to six lanes, as well as make new intersection improvements.

“The Department of Transportation will not grant access onto Route 7, so they’ll have to access the site from Towlston,” said Foust. “Eventually, that’s going to work very well since we’re widening Route 7 and the plan is to dramatically improve the intersection at Towlston. [That will mean] adding a couple lanes to the dedicated right and left turning lanes. But that’s a couple years down the road.”

While construction of 102 new homes was planned to start in early 2019, as of yesterday (Wednesday) most of the 113,000 square-foot property visible from outside the “do-not-enter” signs remains overgrown, with cracked roads the only sign of the former facilities. Foust said the development is currently in the site plan review process, and county records show the review was approved on Dec. 21.

Foust said the Grantstone development is being done across two phases, and the first home sales are unlikely to start for another two or three years.

“It’s a long process to go through,” said Foust. “That’s another reason the traffic issue is a little less concerning. We are concurrently making progress on Route 7 widening. By the time they’re fully built, I’m confident Route 7 will be widened.”

The Route 7 widening project hit a snag last summer when the costs came in at $95 million more than was originally estimated. In June, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve $40 million to help close the project’s funding gap.

Map via Fairfax County

It’s a new week with a new crop of job opportunities opening up in Tysons, with management positions available in everything from cybersecurity to opera.

The Taste of UrbanSpace food hall that opened last week in the Tysons Galleria is searching for an assistant food hall manager. According to the job posting:

We are looking for passionate and operations-savvy Assistant Manager to oversee A Taste of Urbanspace. You will be the [general manager’s] right hand, liaising with vendors and the rest of the in-house team to ensure a superior guest experience through smooth daily operation and quality facilities maintenance.

Applicants should have experience in food management, but most of the other requirements are along the lines of “a strong instinct for hospitality” and “a strong communicator and team player.”

For those looking for a different sort of management position, Capital One is looking for a manager in the Transformation and Optimization Team. This work would primarily involve handling security operations, engaging vendors, and working closely with the intelligence and security operations teams.

Applicants should have experience working in cybersecurity technology with either a bachelor’s degree or military experience and several years of experience in various IT or system analysis fields. An MBA or Master’s degree are preferred.

For those looking for a more artistic type of management, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is looking for an assistant director for artistic operations, particularly for opera and classical programming. The assistant director would help manage classical programming activities at the Filene Center as well as managing the opera operations, from auditions to managing artistic housing.

There’s several job openings related to animal care. PETCO in Vienna is looking for a dog trainer or dog trainer apprentice for those interested in enhancing communication and teamwork between dogs and their owners. An aquatics specialist is also needed to provide care and aquatic life education to prospective owners and to care for the animals.

Meanwhile Dogtopia in Tysons is looking for a general manager, a front desk coordinator, sales manager and canine coach. Among the job benefits are that dogs are always allowed to come to work.

Other jobs around the area this week include:

• Babysitter — A sitter is needed for morning work in Vienna from 6-9:15 a.m., Monday through Friday with every other Friday off. The job would include getting a 2 and 8 year old dressed and ready for school, making breakfast, cleaning dishes, light room cleaning and driving the children to school. The job would pay $15 per hour and starts in early January.
• Pilates Coordinator — Equinox is looking for applicants to help manage pilates sessions at their studio in Tysons Corner. Applicants must be certified in Pilates training and have experience in customer service.
• After School Chess Instructor — Chess Wizards in Vienna is looking for tutors to teach elementary school students the fundamentals of the game. The work is part time, paying $60-65 per hour with between 1-5 one-hour classes per week. Instructors will need experience in maintaining an organized and ordered classroom and an ability to make chess fun.
• After School Minecraft Instructor — Fairfax Collegiate is offering courses teaching students basic engineering and programming, either through Lego robotics or Minecraft. Instructors in these classes should have at least one year of college experience, experience in the course material, and ideally experience in handling younger students. The job is part-time and pays $45-50 per hour.

Additionally, several of the Alarm.com jobs from last week remain open to applicants.