Veterans Day is tomorrow, marking the 104th anniversary of the official end of combat in World War I.
Government offices for Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and the towns of Vienna and Herndon will be closed for the federal holiday, which extends to Fairfax County Public Schools students and the court system.
Notably, the COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Fairfax County Government Center will be closed for the day. The county has scaled back its hours of operation, starting this week.
What to do
Commemorative events have been planned throughout the area to recognize those who have served in the military, including a full weekend of activities at the National Museum of the United States Army in Fort Belvoir.
Those looking to attend a ceremony will have several local options:
- Herndon: 11 a.m. on the Town Green, sponsored by American Legion Post 184
- Fairfax City: 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Upper Ballroom of the American Legion (3939 Oak Street)
- Great Falls: 11 a.m. to noon at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial behind Great Falls Library
- George Washington’s Mount Vernon: events throughout the day with free admission for all active, former and retired military service members
For anyone hoping to get outdoors, Veterans Day is one of the National Park Service’s five annual fee-free days, when admission is free for all visitors, including at Great Falls Park.
Trash and recycling
Fairfax County won’t have any changes to its trash and recycling collection schedule, and recycling and disposal centers at the I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex will remain open. Department of Public Works and Environmental Services administrative offices will be closed through the weekend.
The county advises residents served by private haulers are advised to contact those companies directly.
Trash collection in Vienna and Herndon will also happen as usual, but Fairfax City is picking up Thursday and Friday routes today. Curbside yard waste collections in the city could be delayed through Saturday (Nov. 12).
Transportation
Metrorail will follow its standard weekday schedule, with stations operating from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Metrobus, however, will use a Saturday supplemental schedule, meaning that not every route will be operating.
“MetroAccess paratransit service will operate regular service. On the holiday, scheduled recurring ‘subscription trips’ are automatically canceled,” the Metro alert says.
Fairfax Connector will provide holiday weekday service tomorrow.
Fairfax City’s CUE bus system will have modified weekday service.
Community centers
The McLean Community Center will close tomorrow, though its Old Firehouse Center for teens will be open.
The Reston Community Center’s Hunters Woods and Lake Anne facilities will both be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Herndon will close its community center for the holiday, while Vienna’s will follow a modified schedule of 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Libraries, Parks and Recreation
Fairfax County Public Library follows the same holiday schedule as the county government, so all branches will be closed Friday.
The Fairfax County Park Authority’s rec centers will be open, with people who currently or have served in the U.S. armed forces getting free admission for the day.
Park closures include the historic sites at Colvin Run Mill and Sully, Green Spring Gardens, all nature centers, and the visitor center at Riverbend Park. Frying Pan Farm Park’s farm and indoor arena will be open, but not the visitor center.
Editor’s Note — FFXnow is also taking a day off tomorrow for Veterans Day, but we’ll be back to our regular publishing schedule next week.
The winter holiday season is kicking off in Tysons next week with a holiday tree lighting ceremony, featuring an appearance from Santa.
The event is planned to include Santa lighting the tree, a few musical performances, complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate, and more. The event is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18, from 6-8 p.m. in The Plaza section of Tysons Corner Center (1961 Chain Bridge Road).
The event is free and open to the public, with prior registration not required.
According to the mall’s website:
Tysons Corner Center will bring the community together to join Santa in kicking off our 2022 Holiday Season. Programming will include Santa lighting the Holiday tree, community performances, words from our Fairfax County Executives, complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate bar, giant snow globe, pop-up Holiday market featuring our Retailers, custom beverages by Barrel + Bushel, holiday music, giveaways, and more.
Santa Claus is coming to Tysons this November, giving kids plenty of time to put in their gift requests for Christmas.
Tysons Corner Center announced Tuesday (Nov. 1) that Santa will arrive on Nov. 11 for photo sessions at the mall’s Fashion Court, located on the first floor of the Nordstrom wing.
Advance scheduling is now open. The mall recommends pre-booking a session “for the best experience” and to get a free, personalized call “from Santa.” Visitors who also purchase a photo package will get a “free, personalized video from the North Pole after the visit.”
Santa will be at the mall on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 24, though his hours will vary. There are pet nights on Mondays from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5, and the 9-10:30 a.m. slot on Sunday, Dec. 4 will be exclusively for children and families who need a sensory-friendly environment, according to the event webpage.
All sessions are free, but the professional photo packages range in cost from $39.99 to $49.99.
St. Nick — presumably played by a different person — will also take up residence at Tysons Galleria from Nov. 18 to Dec. 24, including for pet nights and a Santa Cares Day on Dec. 4 for kids with disabilities.
In addition, Tysons Galleria’s Neiman Marcus will host a “Breakfast with Santa” event at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. Tickets are currently available through Eventbrite, costing $65 for adults and $55 for kids aged 3-12.
The department store made waves last year by inviting its first-ever Black Santa. The event proved so popular that it morphed from a three-hour storytime to two days of photo sessions with hot chocolate and cookies provided to those waiting in line.
In other events, the Town of Vienna will usher in the winter holiday season with its annual Church Street Holiday Stroll at 6-8:30 p.m. on Nov. 28. The festivities will include a tree lighting, music and deals from local businesses, though it’s unclear whether Kris Kringle will be in attendance.
To help ease congestion, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said it will suspend work on many highway projects and lift lane restrictions on interstates and other major roads.
VDOT said in a release that Labor Day is one of the busiest travel days of the year. Past traffic data suggested the congestion is heaviest from noon to 7 p.m. on Friday and intermittently throughout the holiday weekend, Monday included.
“As travelers make their end-of-summer vacation plans before the hustle and bustle of the school season, drivers are encouraged to plan ahead for their holiday road trips,” VDOT said. “To make travel easier this coming Labor Day weekend, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will suspend many highway work zones and lift most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon Friday, Sept. 2 until noon Tuesday, Sept. 6.”
According to the release:
- All HOV restrictions on Interstate 66 and rush-hour tolls on the 66 Express Lanes Inside the Beltway will be lifted on Monday, Sept. 5.
- Find directional schedules for the reversible 95 and 395 express lanes, and information for the 495 Express Lanes at www.expresslanes.com.
This story was first published on ALXnow.
Two Face Drug Charges After Seven Corners Police Shooting — “Two men have been charged after an officer-involved shooting that occurred last night at approximately 10:45 p.m. in the 6100 block of Arlington Boulevard in Seven Corners…The officer involved in the shooting has been identified as an 11-year veteran assigned to the Street Crimes Unit.” [FCPD]
Local LGBTQ+ Student Group Speaks Out — Fairfax County’s Pride Liberation Project released a statement backed by more than 600 students criticizing a proposal from the state Department of Education that they fear will classify any references to LGBTQIA+ people and events as sexually explicit. The guidelines address a new law that requires parents to be notified when school materials include sexually explicit content. [The Washington Post]
Meet Reston Association’s New CEO — “On Thursday, July 28, the Reston Association board of directors voted unanimously to confirm Mac Cummins, AICP* as the next chief executive officer of the non-profit organization…Cummins sat for a Q&A with the Connection Newspapers on Friday, July 29.” [Connection Newspapers]
Police Chief Addresses Staffing Emergency — The Fairfax County Police Department declared a personnel emergency last week, requiring officers to work mandatory overtime to compensate for staff shortages. Chief Kevin Davis says the department’s 189 operational vacancies are exceptionally high, though 51 recruits currently in the academy will eventually join the force. [ABC7]
Back in Nature, Snake Found in Fairfax Is Healing — “K2C Wildlife Encounters, LLC, received a call on June 5 from a Fairfax resident who had a snake in their backyard that they wanted removed…The female, eastern ratsnake had a torn jugular vein, a hole in her trachea, a protruding eye, numerous lacerations, and broken ribs.” [Patch]
New FCPS Teachers Prepare for School Year — “Minutello and Edinborough are among the newest teachers in Virginia’s largest school system, and are starting at a time when staffing challenges are making headlines. The county had hundreds of vacancies at the end of the last school year, but 97% of staffing positions have been filled as of last week, Superintendent Michelle Reid said.” [WTOP]
Centreville’s Ellanor C. Lawrence Park Lot to Temporarily Close — “The parking lot and entrance for Cabell’s Mill will be closed from Aug. 8 through Oct. 7, 2022, for construction. Work related to the new Stewardship Education Center will include a larger parking lot that will include features and a design that will better control and filter water from rain and runoff from the adjacent neighborhood.” [FCPA]
State Sales Tax Holiday Starts Tomorrow — “The 3-day sales tax holiday starts the first Friday in August at 12:01 am and ends the following Sunday at 11:59 pm…During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax.” [Virginia Department of Taxation]
It’s Thursday — Humid throughout the day. High of 95 and low of 76. Sunrise at 6:14 am and sunset at 8:18 pm. [Weather.gov]
Gum Springs, the oldest Black community in Fairfax County, is holding its Juneteenth celebration this weekend as it faces an uncertain future.
The New Gum Springs Civic Association (NGSCA) will celebrate Juneteenth with a community day tomorrow (Saturday), featuring roller skating, food, music, and words from the great-great-great granddaughter of the community’s founder, West Ford.
There will also be a performance by the Caribbean American International Steel Band, NGSCA President Queenie Cox tells FFXnow, along with a special playing of a song written by Dr. Cleve Francis, a cardiologist at Inova Mount Vernon. The doctor/country musician wrote the song in honor of the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting last month.
The event is being held from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park (8115 Fordson Road).
West Ford founded the community of Gum Springs in 1833 on land that he purchased after being freed from slavery at Mount Vernon, where he worked under George Washington. There are also claims that Ford was the son of America’s first president, though Mount Vernon officials have denied that.
In the nearly two centuries since its founding, Gum Springs in the Mount Vernon District has become a well-known historically Black community, but it’s now at risk of disappearing.
“We are constantly being challenged,” said Cox, who grew up in Gum Springs and lives in the house her grandfather built in the 1940s. “This community is [under threat] of being dismantled, eliminated and minimized for its contribution to this [nation’s] history.”
Recently, longtime residents have protested changes they fear could erase the community’s history.
Last year, plans for the Virginia Department of Transportation’s long-gestating widening of Richmond Highway shifted, further encroaching on the borders of Gum Springs. The change left a number of residents feeling like their community is being unfairly targeted.
Another community group, the Holland Court Property Owners Association, has also set up within the borders of Gum Springs, a move that the NGSCA views as intentionally trying to minimize the community’s historical impact.
Cox calls those efforts disrespectful and wrong, noting that other Black communities in the region have experienced similar challenges.
“The steps that certain individuals within the community are taking are contributing to the vanishing Black communities, and it diminishes the contribution that those Black communities have made…to American history,” Cox said.
A Gum Springs Conservation Plan was developed in 2015 as an effort to work with the county to preserve the community. However, Cox says that plan hasn’t fully been reviewed by county staff or adopted by the Board of Supervisors in the seven years since.
Celebrations like the one coming this Saturday are important, because they bring people and awareness to the challenges that Fairfax County’s oldest Black community are facing, Cox says.
“The only way that Gum Springs is going to get the protection it needs is that we have to be very vocal and public about it,” Cox said. “Gum Springs has to fight harder in order to get what other communities in the Mount Vernon District has and continues to achieve.”
In the Town of Vienna, Juneteenth will be just the start of a month of celebrating the halting steps America has taken toward true equality and reflecting on the work that still needs to be done.
The town will kick off its second annual Liberty Amendments Month tomorrow (Saturday) with a Juneteenth Celebration at the First Baptist Church of Vienna (450 Orchard Street NW). The event will unfold from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m.
Commemorating the June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas were declared free under the Emancipation Proclamation, the festivities will include African drumming and dance performances, an Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band, a car show, food trucks, vendors, and a kids’ book giveaway.
The celebration will usher in four weeks of events and activities dedicated to the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, expanded citizenship rights, and granted voting rights to Black people and women.
“These four amendments…helped bring the nation closer to that ideal of a more perfect Union,” Vienna Town Manager Mercury Payton said in a news release. “Liberty Amendments Month is an opportunity for everyone to rededicate themselves to the principles of our nation’s foundational documents and to celebrate the common ground that binds us as one, unified nation.”
Established by the Vienna Town Council in December 2020, Liberty Amendments Month was conceived by Payton in response to racial justice protests spurred by George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer.
The Virginia General Assembly also designated June 19 through the third Monday in July of every year as Liberty Amendments Month statewide in February 2021.
Vienna celebrated its first Liberty Amendments Month last summer. The festivities included 65 different activities that drew more than 21,000 attendees, according to the town.
Events and activities planned for this year’s occasion range from mini festivals and museum exhibits on each of the amendments to a July 14 trip to the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and Lucy Burns Museum in Lorton and a July 6 documentary screening and panel discussion on race at the Vienna Community Center.
A full calendar of events can be found at viennava.gov/Liberty.
Where to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day — “St. Patrick’s Day is always an exciting time in the National Capital Region so find fun St. Patrick’s Day events and things to do in Fairfax County, VA and the rest of Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. Whether you’re looking for a quaint local Irish pub to relax in, or a rowdy Irish party to join, you’re bound to find our list of suggestions below a useful St. Patrick’s Day guide to Irishness!” [Visit Fairfax]
No Charges Against Officer in Lorton Shooting — “The commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County, Virginia, isn’t going to file charges against the police officer who shot a man in a van in Lorton last month. Michael Vaughan, 34, was shot Feb. 15 in a van on Fitt Court while he was holding a rifle.” [WTOP]
Prominent County Developer Dies — Land-use lawyer and developer John T. ‘Til’ Hazel Jr. on Tuesday (March 15) at 91 years of age in Broad Run. Crucial in shaping Fairfax County, including Tysons and George Mason University, Hazel helped clear land for the Capital Beltway and “went on to develop homes now occupied by 1 in every 10 residents of Fairfax County.” [The Washington Post]
FBI HQ Relocation Search Could Restart — “The omnibus fiscal year 2022 spending bill signed by President Joe Biden this week includes language that would advance the FBI’s selection of a new headquarters location — which it, along with the General Services Administration, had previously narrowed down to Greenbelt, Landover, and Springfield.” [Washington Business Journal]
FCPS Offers New Firefighter Training Program — “Thanks Fox 5 DC for highlighting this unique program and partnership between Fairfax County Public Schools and #FCFRD. Ten alums are now FCFRD career members. Two career elsewhere. Several volunteer firefighters. One attending Naval Academy!” [Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department/Facebook]
Herndon Native Stays with NHL Team — “Joe Snively, who grew up and played youth hockey in Herndon, was just re-signed by the Washington Capitals to a two-year, $1.6 million contract. Brian MacLellan, the Caps’ senior vice president and general manager, made the announcement on Wednesday, according to NHL.com.” [Patch]
GMU Reopens Renovated Performing Arts Theater — “After 18 months of renovations, Harris Theatre on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus is once again open for performances…The renovation features an expanded lobby, an updated ticket office, a new entrance near the walking meditation garden and a marquee to announce upcoming performances.” [Sun Gazette]
Tysons Contractor Buys Reston Security Company — “McLean, Virginia-based Booz Allen Hamilton, the largest government IT consulting contractor, continues a recent string of acquisitions by acquiring Reston-based cybersecurity firm EverWatch. Financial terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed.” [WTOP]
McLean Fire Department to Host Blood Drive — The McLean Volunteer Fire Department will host another blood drive by Inova from 1-5:30 p.m. on March 25. This will be the department’s second blood drive of the year, following one in January that ultimately saw all spots fill up. [McLean VFD/Facebook]
It’s Thursday — Rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 58 and low of 49. Sunrise at 7:18 a.m. and sunset at 7:19 p.m. [Weather.gov]
(Updated on Feb. 1) Irene Shin, the first Korean American woman to serve in Virginia’s House of Delegates, believes it’s time the Commonwealth gave kimchi its due.
Shin, who started representing the 86th District this year, has introduced a bill to celebrate Nov. 22 as Kimchi Day, a tribute to the classic Korean fermented vegetable dish.
Del. Marcus Simon, who represents Pimmit Hills, Merrifield, and the City of Falls Church in the 53rd District, has signed onto the legislation as a cosponsor.
California became the first U.S. state to make such a designation last year, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) also celebrates the day each year.
“I think it’s really an incredible opportunity to celebrate the cultural heritage and the contributions they’ve made [through] cultural diversity, especially in the northern Virginia region,” Shin said.
Called H.J. 147, the bill recognizes Korean culture’s influence and reach around the world, from K-pop music to Korean dramas.
It notes that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “recognized Korea’s traditional process of preparation and preservation of kimchi, known as kimjang, as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Item” in 2013.
The proposal also speaks to the region’s changing demographics. The largest Korean population in metropolitan areas in the U.S. is Los Angeles, followed by New York and D.C., according to 2019 data, the Pew Research Center found.
According to the 2020 Census, Fairfax County is now Virginia’s second most racially diverse county, in part due to an increase in its Asian population, though the data was not broken down into more specific ethnicities or nationalities.
Growing up, Shin felt the dish might be unfamiliar to people when they visited her home, but she’s seen its prevalence and popularity rise over the years. She’s eager to help celebrate that diversity like other parts of the country have, even if it means introducing the cuisine to legislators who may not have tried it.
“In Virginia, Korean is the third most spoken language other than English,” she noted. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the Commonwealth.
To mark the occasion of being sworn into office on Jan. 12, Shin wore her family’s hanbok, a traditional Korean dress.
“I hope it will serve to remind us that diversity makes our Commonwealth great,” she said on Twitter.
I wore my family’s hanbok (traditional Korean dress) to honor their sacrifices & legacy, & I hope it will serve to remind us that diversity makes our Commonwealth great. I’m ready to get to work. ✨ pic.twitter.com/HBxGM5L6SL
— irene shin (@ireneshintweets) January 12, 2022
Del. Mark Keam, who serves the 35th District, was the first Korean-American elected to any statewide office in the Commonwealth.
Photo via Portugese Gravity/Unsplash
The Fairfax County School Board is looking at adding more holidays, including Diwali and Yom Kippur, to a proposed calendar for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
The board reviewed a proposed calendar from Fairfax County Public Schools staff during a work session yesterday (Tuesday), with a vote on the matter scheduled for their next regular meeting on Jan. 27.
The proposed 14-holiday schedule would begin July 1 and have a two-week winter break, one-week spring break, and days off for students through professional work days. It would mirror neighboring school districts’ holidays, a staff presentation showed.
FCPS staff recommended adding Diwali and Yom Kippur as full holidays with Rosh Hashanah as a day off for students. Staff would have the option to use it for professional development or also take the day off at their own discretion.
The proposed calendar includes an observance of Eid al-Fitr in 2023, even though it falls outside of school hours. The Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan will begin at sundown on Friday, April 21 to sundown on Saturday, April 22 next year.
FCPS is officially observing those four holidays for the first time this academic year, but the school board stopped short of granting students days off.
Last year’s calendar development proved unusually tense, with numerous residents voicing concerns about the process and local religious leaders expressing disappointment from a diversity standpoint.
Superintendent Scott Brabrand said yesterday that he accepted responsibility for a calendar process last year that was divisive and hurtful but added that he thought the calendar process this year was enhanced.
“It is complex. There’s no perfect calendar process. I think this process was better than the process we had before,” Brabrand said.
This time around, FCPS enlisted a calendar committee, consisting of school staff, students, parents and associations, to weigh in on the changes. FCPS Chief Operating Officer Marty Smith said several faith-based groups were invited, but not all chose to participate.
School board members wondered whether staff assigned different weights for priorities identified through a community input process that included surveying staff, students, and families. Brabrand said the proposal wasn’t a formula, but the staff’s best solution.
Despite a nearly two-hour long work session, school board members called for clearer justification from staff regarding which holidays will be recognized and adding Veterans Day as a day off for students.
“We want for this to not come across as arbitrary to our community, that people can take a look at the same data and kind of come close to the same conclusion,” Mason District Representative Ricardy Anderson said.
School board members suggested that the survey feedback wasn’t incorporated as well as it could have been.
Guided by U.S. Supreme Court rulings throughout the last century, public school holidays for religious occasions must be justified with a secular reason, such as high absence rates.
Mount Vernon District Representative Karen Corbett-Sanders said the proposed calendar was driven by FCPS’ operational needs, not one that reflects community feedback.
“We need to work on this calendar more to ensure that that has that mutual respect and inclusivity of all in it,” she said.
