View as Webpage

September 3, 2025

Neighbors,

You may not realize it, but we live in a museum without walls. There’s public art all around us, beautifying our daily environments, giving our communities a distinct character and identity and creating community pride and connection.

While we may not always think about it consciously, we often identify and associate places by their iconic public artworks — like the Statue of Liberty in New York City, the Arch in St. Louis, “The Bean” in Chicago or the “LOVE” sculpture in Philadelphia (given the fan history of the Phillies/Eagles/etc. that last one still strikes me as ironic and iconic)..

It’s no different here in the Hunter Mill District. Public art has been key to Reston’s identity since its founding. For example, I’m sure many of you know the “Sun Boat” or “The Pulpit” sculptures, along with the fountain, at Lake Anne Plaza. There are many artworks to be found across Vienna too, like the “ViVa Vienna” mural that depicts a train along the W&OD Trail or the newest, privately commissioned mural “The Oaks.”

So, I invite you to take in the public art that surrounds us and participate in Art Fairfax’s Public Art Locator Challenge that runs through Sept. 30. Not only will you enjoy the beautiful artworks, but also you’ll have a chance to win show tickets, gift certificates and other prizes from local arts organizations.

The challenge is easy and fun. Just take a selfie with public art anywhere in Fairfax County. Post it to Facebook or Instagram, tag ArtsFairfax and use the hashtag #PublicArtLocatorChallenge.

To encourage everyone to partcipate I recently took a photo with Arts Fairfax President and CEO Stuart Holt in front of a public sculpture. Can you guess where I am? (Hint.)

I hope you’ll join me in this fun challenge.

Regards,

Walter

• Saturday is the Last Day for Early Voting
• Why You May See More Snakes
• McNair Farms Community Parking District
• Reston Community Center Preference Poll
• Metro Single Tracking on Silver and Orange Lines
• Invasive Japanese Stiltgrass
• Upcoming Land Use Meetings
• What's News in Vienna
• Events and Activities

What’s happening: This Saturday, Sept. 7 is the last day to vote early in the special election for the 11^th Congressional District.

There will be 11 early voting sites open that day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including the North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston (across from the Reston Regional Library).

You may cast your ballot at any of these 11 early voting sites or return your vote-by-mail ballot at any of them while they’re open. Before you go to vote, you can check the estimated wait times at any of these locations.

Who may vote: Only voters who live in the 11th Congressional District may vote in this special election. To confirm your voter registration and district, check the Virginia Department of Elections Citizen Portal, or call the Office of Elections at 703-222-0776, TTY 711.

Election Day: Election Day is Tuesday, Sept. 9, and polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Mail-in ballots may be returned in a drop box at any polling place until 7 p.m. If you choose to return it by mail, your vote-by-mail ballot must be postmarked by Sept. 9 and received by noon on Sept. 12. 

What’s happening: Snake season runs from April to October in Fairfax County. However, you might spot more snakes slithering around starting now as baby serpents seek a meal or search for sanctuary for the winter.

For example, Eastern copperheads (formerly called Northern copperheads) give birth to up to 21 baby snakes from mid-August to early October, and they also have a second mating season from late summer to fall.

You might also spot a juvenile Eastern rat snake (video above) as it looks for a warm place to winter like a house attic, crawlspace or basement, according to the Virginia Herpetological Society.

What to Know: Snakes may evoke fear in some and fascination in others. However, most snakes pose no threat to humans, and they’re often beneficial to the environment, keeping rodent and insect populations in check.

• Of the 18 species of snakes found in Fairfax County only one is venomous — the Eastern copperhead.
• Harmless to humans, the Eastern rat snake, Eastern garter snake, Dekay’s brown snake, Northern water snake and Northern ring-necked snake are among the most frequently observed snakes in the county.
• Learn how to identify copperheads and their harmless look-alikes, including the Eastern rat snake, the species that’s most often misidentified as a copperhead.
• Follow these tips to minimize snakes around your house.

Learn More

• Take a free turtle and snake discovery walk with the Friends of Wolf Trap National Park on Sept. 7. You’ll meet “animal ambassadors,” including an Eastern rat snake and Eastern garter snake.
• Read “Slither: How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World” by science journalist Stephen Hall. (Published this year, the book is available at the Fairfax County Public Library.) He uncoils our love-hate relationship with snakes and each chapter covers an aspect of snake biology.

Thanks to Eileen Kragie of Dark Sky NOVA for hosting a "snake social." She's pictured above with a Burmese python which isn't found in Northern Virginia (unless it's someone's pet).However, these pythons are an invasive species in southern Florida that are now banned as pets there. In Fairfax County, you may keep non-venomous reptiles as pets.

What’s happening: Based on requests from residents, I intend to create a large-area Community Parking District in the McNair Farms neighborhoods in Herndon.

If you didn’t participate in yesterday’s very well attended community meeting, I want to hear from you by early next week if you have any concerns about creating this new parking district. Please contact my office by email or call 703-478-0236, TTY 711.

Why it matters: I’ve heard from many neighbors and homeowners association reps who voiced concerns about the many boats parked — and stored — on the public streets. They cause parking problems for residents who live there, safety concerns for the many school children trying to cross the streets with boats blocking their view, challenges for residents to safely pull out of their neighborhoods onto main roads and difficulties accessing bus stops. At last night’s meeting, neighbors overwhelmingly supported creating a parking district for this area.

Parking restrictions: A community parking district would prevent boats, boat trailers, RVs, campers and other large vehicles from parking on public roads within the parking district. (The restrictions would not apply to private streets, however.)

District boundaries: The new parking district would roughly encompass the roads to the east of Monroe Street, south of Sunrise Valley Drive, west of Centreville Road and north of McLearen Road. (See the map above for the district boundaries.) The district would expand the existing large area parking district that’s already in place for much of Reston.

Next steps: I will bring the proposed parking district forward at a future Board of Supervisors meeting later this year for approval, possibly as soon as November. And a review is underway to address a similar “marina”-type situation between the Town of Vienna boundary and Tysons along Old Courthouse Road.

What’s happening: Voting begins this Friday, September 5 for the Reston Community Center Preference Poll. This annual poll collects community input on candidates seeking appointments to center’s Board of Governors.

Vote now. The last day to vote is Sept. 26 until 5 p.m., and mail-in ballots must be received by Sept. 25 at 5 p.m.

Why it matters: The board establishes the overall policies for the Reston Community Center and priorities for its programs and budget. Board members also represent the organization at various functions and activities in Reston.

The RCC Board appointments are made by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors after voters have made their preferences known in the annual poll.

The candidates: Each year, three seats on the nine-member RCC Board are subject to a community preference poll, and all residents of Small District 5 who are 18 or older are eligible to run for a seat. This year’s candidates are:

• Beverly Cosham
• Paul Thomas
• Shane M. Ziegler

Learn more about these candidates.

Questions? Contact Reston Community Center Deputy Director Brianne Baglini by email.

What’s happening: Be aware Metro will be single-tracking on the Silver and Orange Lines on these weekends this month in order to make repairs:

• Sept. 6-7: Between Cheverly to New Carrolton
• Sept. 8-11: After 10 p.m., trains single track between Ballston and East Falls Church
• Sept. 13-14: Single tracking between Ballston and East Falls Church
• Sept. 27-28: Station closures between Foggy Bottom-GWU to Pentagon and Pentagon to Clarendon.

Get alerts: Sign up for MetroAlerts to stay on top of service delays and disruptions:

• Metrorail and/or Metrobus delays and service disruptions
• Metrobus schedule changes and detours
• MetroAccess alerts

What’s happening: Now is the time to tame Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) before this invasive plant spreads its seeds in the fall.

Act now: Although it’s an annual grass, stiltgrass prodigiously produces seeds, so it is important to remove this invasive before it goes to seed in late summer, according to the Fairfax Invasive Removal Alliance. The seeds remain viable in the ground for up to seven years, although germination rates decline after two to three years.

Identifying this invader: Stiltgrass leaves have a silvery midrib with leaves tapering on both ends, and a poor root system. Learn more about how to identify this aggressive invader by watching this video.

Controlling it: Large areas of infestation can be removed with a string trimmer before stiltgrass goes to seed. If manual removal is impossible, chemical treatment can be used as a last resort. Learn more about controlling stiltgrass with herbicides.

1950 Roland Clarke Place Plan Amendment Sept. 8

Rescheduled for Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., attend this virtual meeting to learn more about the site-specific plan amendment for 1950 Roland Clarke Place. County planning staff and the SSPA nominator will discuss the proposal for predominantly residential use with public parks space on this 3.5-acre site.

For more information, contact county planner Heather Springs by email or call 703-324-4549, TTY 711.

• Meeting Flyer

Reston Planning & Zoning Sept. 15

Attend this virtual meeting on Monday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Use this link to attend and participate. To join by phone, dial 571-429-5982 and use conference ID 693 626 456#. Find the meeting agenda online.

Hunter Mill Land Use Committee Sept. 16

Attend this virtual meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Use this link to attend and participate. To join by phone, dial 571-429-5982 and use conference ID 228 882 966#. The committee will discuss Wolf Trap’s special exception for the construction of an addition to The Barns.

Reston Planning & Zoning Special Meeting Sept. 22

Attend this virtual meeting on Monday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. Use this link to attend and participate. To join by phone, dial 571-429-5982 and use conference ID 870 214 258#. The committee will discuss the Roland Clarke Place Plan amendment.

Meet the Mayor on Sept. 5

Meet Mayor Colbert when she sets up office at the Caboose Tavern, 520 Mill Street, Vienna, on Friday, Sept. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. The mayor is also available to meet in her office on weekdays by appointment. To make an appointment, send an email or call 703-255-6304.

Quarterly Recycling Day on Sept. 6

Cleaning out the garage before the end of summer? Bring your unwanted items to the Quarterly Recycling Day on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Town residents can drop off auto waste, electronics, scrap metal, and rechargeable batteries for recycling at the Northside Property Yard, 600 Mill Street, NE.

Mayor and Chief Discuss e-bikes and Scooters Sept. 9

Want to learn more about e-bikes and scooters? Join Mayor Colbert and Police Chief Morris for a new “Mayor and Chief at Your Service” event on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Vienna Police Department community room (215 Center Street S). They'll discuss safety guidelines, how to ride responsibly, and where e-bikes and e-scooters are permitted.

Sept. 11 Ceremony at the Freeman Store

Join Mayor Colbert, Vienna Town Council and American Legion Post 180 as they remember and honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This year's Vienna Patriot Day ceremony will be held on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m. on the Freeman Store lawn (131 Church Street, NE). In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the Vienna Community Center Auditorium.

🎸 Listen to Bruce in the USA perform The Boss’ best on Sept. 5 at Reston Station.

🐟Attend the ZNA Potmac Koi Club Show, one of the largest in the country, on Sept. 5-6 at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

🎼Enjoy Broadway’s Bad Boys on September 5-7 at Reston Town Square Park

🎀Join me for the ribbon-cutting for Dano’s Granola on Sept. 6 in Reston. Proceeds support Cornerstones.

🎭Watch South Lakes Theatre Arts Troupe #4709 present their first annual One Act Play Festival on Sept. 6.

🌲Relax with a morning of forest bathing led by a certified guide on Sept. 6 at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

🎵Don’t worry about a thing when you attend Reggae on the Lake on Sept. 6 at Lake Anne Plaza.

🏮Enjoy food, music and performances at the US Asian Fest on Sept. 6 at Dulles Town Center.

🙋🏽‍♀️Attend the AAUW Vienna Area Branch open house on Sept. 6 at the Oakton Library.

🏋️Work out with F45 during a free exercise class on Sept. 6 at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

🎶Rock, funk, soul, blues and jazz band Flashback perform on Sept. 6 at Crafthouse Reston.

💃🏽Take a free dance cardio class on Sept. 8 at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

🎻Grammy-winning artists Alison Krauss & Union Station play on Sept. 9 at Wolf Trap.

🚴Ride the Bike MS fundraiser on Sept. 13 starting at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

🍽️Dine at Cooper’s Hawk for their Orchard-Wine Club Dinner on Sept. 14.

🎹Jazz pianist Allyn Johnson performs on Sept. 12 at Reston Town Center Pavillion.

💃🏽Dance like no one’s listening at the Silent Dance Party on Sept. 12 at Reston Station.

🔔Learn about the Korean Bells on Sept. 13 at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

📽️Watch the documentary “My Octopus Teacher” on Sept. 15 at the Reston Community Center.

🏌️‍♂️Participate in the Shepherd Center’s Pickleball and Golf fundraiser on Sept. 16 at Worldgate Athletic Club.

🎵Abba tribute band Mamma Mania! brings the classic hits to Reston Station on Sept. 19.

🎉Enjoy the Reston Multicultural Festival on Sept. 20 at Reston Town Center.



Find all events for these local organizations: Reston Community Center, Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation Programs, Tephra ICA and Arts Fairfax. Find other community events in the Reston Letter.