(Updated at 2:25 p.m. to correct photo) Walgreens in Culmore has officially closed its doors.

The location at 6053 Leesburg Pike closed a little over a month ago, a company representative tells FFXnow.

Prescriptions from the pharmacy were automatically transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 3401 Charles Street in Baileys Crossroads.

It’s unclear why this specific store was closed, but Walgreens spokesperson Kris Lathan told FFXnow that the company considers “several factors” when deciding to close a location:

As we expand as a leader in healthcare, we are focused on best meeting the needs of patients and customers in communities we serve by creating the right network of stores in the right locations. When faced with the difficult decision to close a particular location, several factors are taken into account, including our existing footprint of stores and dynamics of the local market, and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers.

With the closure, Walgreens no longer has any locations in Bailey’s Crossroads. The closest store is the one at 6715A Arlington Blvd in West Falls Church.

Good Friday evening! Today we published 7 articles that were read a total of 24842 times on FFXnow alone, so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today (Mar 24, 2023)…

1. Armed robbery of Safeway in Great Falls leads to sprawling police pursuit
2. Police: 75-year-old man shot wife in Reston murder-suicide
3. JUST IN: Fairfax County reverts to old zoning code after Va. Supreme Court nixes 2021 update

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

1. UPDATED: Two people found dead on Reston trail, possibly shot (25457 views)
2. McLean residents sue to stop I-495 widening over environmental impacts (12409 views)
3. BREAKING: Several people hospitalized by Route 1 crash involving fire truck (4191 views)
4. Armed robbery of Safeway in Great Falls leads to sprawling police pursuit (8500 views)
5. Construction nears on condo building that led push to revitalize downtown McLean (3201 views)
6. One of the first office buildings built in Fair Lakes could flip into housing (3021 views)
7. Police: 75-year-old man shot wife in Reston murder-suicide (5108 views)
8. BREAKING: Fairfax County police officer who shot Timothy McCree Johnson in Tysons fired (2192 views)
9. Park Authority seeks funding, staff to clear 250 acres of running bamboo (1674 views)
10. Isaac Newton Square developer shares plan for apartment building with park space (1608 views)
11. Plan to redevelop West Falls Church Metro wins planning commission’s support (1407 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Fairfax County, from our event calendar.

• 7:30 am: You Are Not Alone 5k
• 8:30 am: The Women’s Center 2023 Leadership Conference
• 11:00 am: Mad Hatter Tea Party
• 12:00 pm: Women’s History Month Panel
• 7:30 pm: The McLean Symphony: Inspired by Spring

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

• 1:00 pm: Pajama Glam 2023

☔ Saturday’s forecast

Rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 60 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:06 am and sunset at 7:26 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

The sun will shine into the night this Saturday (March 25), as the McLean Community Center hosts its first-ever Fiesta del Sol.

The inaugural celebration of Latin American and Caribbean cultures will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:45 p.m. before the doors at 1234 Ingleside Avenue open 15 minutes later.

According to a media advisory, anticipated ribbon-cutting attendees include county officials, MCC staff, and representatives of Latin American and Caribbean embassies, businesses and nonprofits in the area.

MCC partnered with Stafford-based VIP Impressions Event Planning to organize the festival, which will have live music, food, drinks, and local business and artisan vendors until 9 p.m.

“We are looking forward to a super fun evening with a Latin beat,” MCC Special Events Manager Catherine Nesbitt said in a press release. “We will celebrate the cultural wonders of Latin American and Caribbean traditions through live music, dancing, great food and art.”

Admission to the festival is free, but tickets will be sold on-site for food and beverages, including alcohol for those 21 and older. Prices will range from $5 to $15 per item.

The tapas menu comes from Pikoteo, a Latin American eatery that recently opened in the former TAV Mediterranean Bistro spot at 6811 Elm Street.

Proceeds from the festival will go to The Institute for Building Agency, a nonprofit that provides civics education and training to people of color. The woman-led organization was chosen as the beneficiary in honor of Women’s History Month, according to MCC.

Here’s more from the community center on the evening’s scheduled performers:

Following a ribbon cutting and official opening of the event at 4:45 p.m., the festival kicks off with Salsa Guy Richmond, who will offer a demonstration of basic bachata, salsa and merengue dance steps. He will present a demonstration 20 minutes before each band performance. D.C.-based DJ Leo will work his magic to keep the party going. Laura Sosa and the Pa’Gozar Latin band will perform bachata, a form of Dominican music, at 5:30 p.m. Originally from Peru, lead singer, Laura Sosa, has created a band that emulates the rich and varied music of South America and the Caribbean. These talented musicians and excellent vocalists are sure to get patrons on the dance floor.

At 6:30 p.m., Izis, La Enfermera de la Salsa performs. Originally from Puerto Rico, Izis is now a nurse in the United States Army, where she has served for 15 years. The band recently released a new Christmas album, “My Favorite Things,” that features a salsa beat. Pablo Antonio and La Firma rounds out the evening with a performance at 8 p.m. Originally from El Salvador, Pablo Antonio began performing at age 10 in Arlington. His band generates a celebration of merengue that has won fans nationally and internationally.

Good Thursday evening! Today we published 9 articles that were read a total of 9600 times on FFXnow alone, so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today (Mar 23, 2023)…

1. BREAKING: Fairfax County police officer who shot Timothy McCree Johnson in Tysons fired
2. Fairfax County initiates turn calming study, following Portland and New York City’s example
3. BREAKING: Several people hospitalized by Route 1 crash involving fire truck

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Fairfax County, from our event calendar.

• No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

☔ Friday’s forecast

Rain throughout the day. High of 71 and low of 43. Sunrise at 7:07 am and sunset at 7:25 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

This past week saw 176 homes sold in Fairfax County.

The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $178,000 while the most expensive was $3,706,813.

Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 807 homes were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold over the past month.

Largest homes sold

1. 524 Innsbruck Avenue — $7,100,000 (6 Beds | Baths | 13,232 SQ FT)
2. 6920 Holsing Lane — $3,706,813 (6 Beds | Baths | 8,600 SQ FT)
3. 6935 Hector Road — $3,100,000 (6 Beds | Baths | 8,479 SQ FT)

Smallest homes sold

1. 9824 Five Oaks Road — $945,000 (6 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 3,080 SQ FT)
2. 1270 S Washington Street — $981,500 (4 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 3,088 SQ FT)
3. 10224 Grovewood Way — $975,000 (4 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 3,100 SQ FT)

Reston’s annual Founder’s Day celebration will return to Lake Anne Plaza on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The celebration, which marks Reston’s founding and founder Bob Simon, Jr., will feature community performances, cake, activities and music.

This year, the celebration kicks off with a community clean up.

“April is earth and volunteer month and what better way to give back to the environment than a community cleanup,” event organizers said.

Volunteers will gather at the Bronze Bob statue to clean up nearby Reston Association paths.

Residents can also contribute to Reston Museum‘s new Free Little Art Gallery by bringing artwork. Public Art Reston, a local nonprofit organization, will also have a free activity availability.

A ribbon cutting ceremony for the gallery is slated for 12:30 p.m. at the steps of the Washington Plaza Baptist Church, after which the gallery will be permanently installed at the museum. It will be Reston’s second Free Little Art Gallery, following an installation outside the Cathy Hudgins Community Center at Southgate.

Performances include a show by the Foley Academy of Irish Dance, Adrenaline Dance Studio, South Lakes High School Theater, Reston Community Players and Langston Hughes Middle School’s choir.

Local food trucks will be on site at the event, which is presented by Reston Museum and Reston Community Center and cosponsored by Public Art Reston. Lake Anne Plaza hosts the event.

Cake will also be served at an event with local authors Rebecca Green, Shelley Mastran and Cheryl Terio-Simon at RCC’s Jo Ann Rose Gallery.

The stage is being set in western Tysons for a battle royale between Nashville-style hot chicken chains.

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken, a rapidly expanding brand that started in the Richmond area, plans to open a new restaurant in Tysons Square (8359-A Leesburg Pike) — next door to Pike 7 Plaza, where a Dave’s Hot Chicken is expected to launch this year.

The competition doesn’t seem to faze Hangry Joe’s.

“We are very confident in our products because our chickens are packed with flavor and prepared in a generous size,” the business told FFXnow. “It is important for us that the customers get what they pay for and can enjoy every bite of it.”

Conceived by Sweet Frog founder Derek Cha and his business partner Mike Kim, Hangry Joe’s has multiplied since the original location opened in Ashland in 2021. There are now 15 franchises in Virginia, including two in Fairfax City and ones in Herndon, Centreville and Oakton.

The company says its goal is “to expand all across the country.” In addition to the Tysons location, it has a franchisee signed to bring a fourth restaurant to the Alexandria area, following sites in Newington, Van Dorn Plaza and Alexandria Commons.

A spokesperson didn’t provide an address, so it’s unclear whether the new restaurant will be in Alexandria City or Fairfax County.

“These areas are important markets for us because they are places of higher traffic and we want to expose our fast food restaurant to as many customers as we can,” Hangry Joe’s said.

In addition to its chicken sandwich, Hangry Joe’s menu features chicken fingers and bites, chicken with waffles, a salad with chicken breast, loaded fries and Korean chicken nuggets.

The company said in a statement that the spiciness of its food distinguishes it from other restaurants:

Being known for our levels of spiciness, our restaurants have fun challenging our brave customers to sign a waiver and eat the most spicy level, “Angry Hot”, if they think they can handle it. Customers that love to eat very spicy tell us they specifically come to our restaurant to meet their needs of spicy food.

Our customers should be receiving their food fresh as possible. That is why we prepare their dish right at the moment of their order. Our chicken is fresh and halal certified so that we can also cater to our Muslim community.

Located next to Capo Deli, the Tysons restaurant will occupy a 1,035-square-foot space previously filled by the juice shop Robeks.

The suite is slightly smaller than Hangry Joe’s typical footprint of about 1,200 to 2,000 square feet, but the business says its menu and design “are generally consistent across all locations.”

Though it hasn’t set an opening date, Hangry Joe’s said construction generally takes about six months. No building permit applications have been filed with Fairfax County yet.

The company advises watching its Instagram page for announcements of upcoming openings.

Good Tuesday evening! Today we published 7 articles that were read a total of 5580 times on FFXnow alone, so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today (Mar 21, 2023)…

1. New bank coming to Spectrum Center in Reston
2. Town of Herndon to end state of emergency trigged by COVID-19 pandemic
3. Park Authority seeks funding, staff to clear 250 acres of running bamboo

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Fairfax County, from our event calendar.

• 7:00 pm: Toast of Oakton Toastmasters Club Aloha Open House

⛅ Wednesday’s forecast

Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 50. Sunrise at 7:10 am and sunset at 7:24 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Spring is here, and despite a cold snap over the weekend, cherry trees around the D.C. area are rapidly approaching full bloom.

The Yoshino cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin remain on track with the National Park Service’s prediction that they will reach peak bloom — meaning that 70% of the flowers will be open — between Wednesday and Saturday (March 22-25).

Accordingly, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is now underway, though the official opening ceremony isn’t until this coming Saturday.

Since launching in the 1920s, the annual festival has expanded beyond D.C.’s borders, including to Fairfax County. For those who’d prefer not to endure the downtown crowds and traffic, there are plenty of events to catch closer to home when not taking in the flowers at local viewing spots like Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

Celebration at the Lab

The Children’s Science Center has “transformed” its lab at Fair Oaks Mall into a scavenger hunt with various experiments to teach kids about the history and science of cherry blossoms.

Tickets are available for two-hour time slots at the lab between 10 a.m. and noon, and 2-4 p.m. from Saturday (March 25) through April 8. They cost $15 each, but there is a $2 discount for registering online.

Art Blooms at Mosaic

The Mosaic District in Merrifield has again partnered with the D.C. festival for a two-day celebration of its own that will feature live music on two different stages, crafts and farmers markets, and family-friendly activities, including a game corner and a “glamor” tent with hair-braiding and face-painting.

We're blooming with excitement for Art Blooms on April 1 and 2, featuring:
🛍️ A market of handmade and vintage vendors from URBN Market
🧺 Fresh produce from local vendors presented by Fresh Farm VA
🎯 Fun activities by Vienna Singing Princesses
🎼 Live music on two stages pic.twitter.com/UAf3KxYxDl

— Mosaic (@mosaicdistrict) March 1, 2023

For adults, some restaurants in the neighborhood allow alcoholic beverages outside. A full list of Sip and Stroll participants and the festival’s performance schedule can be found on the Mosaic District website.

Complimentary shuttle service will be provided from the Dunn Loring Metro station to the festival, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 1 and 2. Read More

A new bank is slated to open soon at The Spectrum Center at Reston Town Center.

PNC Bank plans to open at 11842 Spectrum Center this year, according to the center’s website.

County permits indicate that a permit for electrical work was issued last month. The center has businesses like The Container Store, Harris Teeter and Not Your Average Joe’s. A Barnes and Nobles location is also expected to open soon at the center.

“We are excited to share that this new branch location is anticipated to open at The Spectrum at Reston Town Center during the third quarter. The space occupies approximately 3,600 square feet,” a PNC Bank spokesperson told FFXnow.

There are several other banking options at the center, including United Bank, First National Bank, and Trustar Bank.

The bank has one other location in Reston. An ATM is located at the Giant in North Point Village Center (1450 Northpoint Village Center).

Last year, a PNC Bank location shuttered in Reston Town Center (11932 Democracy Drive).

Hat tip to Adam Rubinstein