Around Town

The McLean Community Center (MCC) is now old enough to qualify for its own “Seniors in Action” program.

The community center will start celebrating 50 years of providing events, cultural enrichment, classes and other services with a special event tomorrow (Saturday) at 7 p.m. in the Alden Theatre (1234 Ingleside Avenue), kicking off a full year of festivities.


Around Town

With Christmas nearly upon us, FFXnow is signing off for the holiday.

Barring breaking news, we will be taking a break from publishing this afternoon and on Christmas Day. Regular publishing will resume on Thursday, Dec. 26.


Around Town

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (FSO) and Fairfax Ballet will reunite later this month for their annual performances of “The Nutcracker” at George Mason University.

Continuing a tradition that’s now in its eighth year, the two local arts organizations will present two shows of Pytor Tchaikovsky’s holiday staple this Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 21 and 22) at Mason’s Center for the Arts (4373 Mason Pond Drive) in Fairfax.


Around Town

An abundance of holiday-inspired events are being held around Fairfax County in coming weeks.

From music to shopping to visits with Santa, there is plenty to keep all ages embraced in the warmth of the holiday season. Some highlights are below.


Around Town

McLean’s Holiday Homes Tour is coming back.

The previously annual fundraiser organzied by the Women’s Club of McLean will return on Dec. 5, inviting community members to visit local houses decked out for the winter holidays for the first time since 2019.


News

D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival recently branched out to Reston with the planting of six Yoshino cherry trees at South Lakes High School.

Representatives of the festival and the Japanese airline All-Nippon Airways (ANA), which sponsored the trees, joined school officials and students on Nov. 13 for a ceremony to celebrate the plantings, which had taken place on Oct. 23.


Around Town

Tysons Corner Center and Fair Oaks Mall are getting into the winter holiday spirit with Santa Claus gliding into both shopping centers tomorrow (Thursday).

At Fair Oaks, the man in red will set up shop for photo sessions at Santa’s Flight Academy in Center Court, starting around 2 p.m. Tysons Corner Center will greet Santa with a VIP arrival event from 10 a.m. to noon on the mall’s lower level near Wasabi.


Around Town

For a third consecutive winter, Lerner Town Square at Tysons II (8025 Galleria Drive) will be illuminated by a thousand handmade Chinese lanterns.

The Winter Lantern Festival will return to Tysons for an over-two-month run, starting next Thursday, Oct. 31 until Jan. 12, 2025. The event will be open to visitors from 5-9:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays.


Around Town

Preschool students and staff gathered last week at The Gardner School of Herndon to celebrate the school’s 10th anniversary with a snapshot in time.

At the Oct. 16 celebration, students created a time capsule with objects memorializing their time at the school with friends and teachers. The capsule contains gold coins symbolizing a memory or milestone each student gained during the school year so far.


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