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08.06.2026
Dear Neighbor,
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On Tuesday night, the Braddock office had the pleasure of participating in the National Night Out celebrations. My staff challenged themselves to make it to every celebration, and although it was difficult to leave each neighborhood mid-party, they also got to join the next celebration already in full swing and see the same spirit throughout the greater community.
It is times like these that I feel so proud to be a part of Braddock. Some neighborhoods had big celebrations, others had more intimate gatherings, but each was wonderful in its own way. My office staff returned full of reports about kids (and adults) enjoying hands-on tours of fire trucks, police officers sharing toys and trinkets, and neighbors grilling heaps of delicious food. Everybody enjoyed joining together on a warm summer evening to celebrate their communities and the first responders who support them.
| This is what National Night Out is all about -- it's a chance to meet our emergency responders and local officials in the same stretch of asphalt and share in our love for this district. | |
It was inspiring to see everybody who came out last night, sharing their visions for a brighter Braddock, and letting us know about things we could be doing better. My staff heard about everything from quilting and dangerous intersections to requests for needed modifications to parking restrictions. Having these conversations helps us do our job better, but we can't always be in your neighborhood. So please, reach out to our office if you'd ever like to bring something up. Our contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter, and we are always happy to talk.
Finally, I'd like to extend a thank you to the police officers, fire department, and our favorite crime-fighting dog McGruff, for their excellent work representing our community yesterday. I am especially grateful for the talented and dedicated firefighters and police officers that serve this community.
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As you scroll through this email, you'll see the faces of neighbors. Neighbors enjoying live music. Neighbors shopping alongside you during the tax holiday. Neighbors that volunteer to make this community better. Neighbors that love their home. Please check out the full email for reminders about upcoming events.
We'll be back next week with a new Braddock Beacon. Until then, don't forget -- there's somebody here who cares for you! National Night Out was just a reminder of that.
| Supervisor Rachna Sizemore Heizer | |
In this issue:
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🚨National Night Out Photo Gallery
- 👥Community Happenings
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🚗Land Use and Transportation Updates: Beware of traffic closures
- 📈Professional Growth Survey
- 💻Education Updates: Get ready for the new school year
- 🍎Health and Human Services: Volunteer with the Special Olympics
- 🐶Pet Adoption Corner
| National Night Out Photo Gallery | National Night Out (NNO) in The Oaks community. | Senator Marsden and Officer McGruff engaging in serious discussion at the Long Branch pool. | The Robinson Rams Athletic Boosters are master grillers at Middleridge Park. | | A neighbor defending the gates of the North Springfield NNO. | | |
Our faithful police and fire departments were at every NNO event. Glad to know mustaches are back in style.
Also, we checked! Both departments said that the feud between the fire department and the police department is a product of Hollywood.
| | August 7 - 9: Take Advantage of the Virginia Sales Tax Holiday | |
This weekend is Virginia's Sales Tax holiday!
If you're getting ready for school or preparing for summer storms, this is the holiday for you. Partake in America's great tradition of bargain shopping and stock up on qualifying school supplies, clothing, emergency preparedness supplies, and certain ENERGY STAR™ and WaterSense™ products without paying state sales tax. Savings are available online, in-store, by mail and by phone.
To read more about tax-exempt products, check out this website.
| Braddock Nights Concert: Mother's Little Helpers Brings the Rolling Stones to Braddock | | |
Although The Rolling Stones were the ones who said that "you can't always get what you want," this Friday may prove the opposite. Mother's Little Helpers are bringing the best of rock music to Braddock this Friday at 7:30 p.m. to Royal Lake Park. Mother's Little Helpers are seasoned musicians who provide a musical experience that would even make Mick Jagger proud. So, let's spend the night together in Royal Park reveling in the world's greatest rock and roll band.
To check out all the upcoming Braddock Nights Concerts, check out the Fairfax County Park Authority's Braddock Nights website.
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Find Us at the Saturday Burke Lake Farmers Market! | |
This week is National Farmers Market Week, and our office is celebrating at our local farmers markets. If you missed us at the Wednesday Wakefield Market, be sure to catch us this Saturday between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. at the Burke Farmers Market. Whether you have a question about peppers or pot holes, we'd love to talk to you!
Be sure to check out this link to find farmers markets near you.
| | Arts in the Park: Munit and Z Lovebugs | | |
Come out with your kids on Saturday morning to enjoy the musical stylings of Munit and Z Lovebugs!
Munit and Z Lovebugs believe that music helps us come together, and their songs reflect their heritage. They are an Ethiopian-Haitian-American family band that encourages inclusion, singing, and togetherness at their shows. They will headline this week's Arts in the Park this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in Wakefield Park.
Join the Lovebugs for a morning of joy and community! More information on their performance can be found here.
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Library Events
Come and partake in the diverse offerings happening at the Kings Park and Burke Centre Libraries this week.
A full listing of library activities throughout Fairfax County may be found on the Library Calendar.
| | Burke Centre - Watch the Woodbridge Flute Choir Quartet | | |
Have you ever listened to a concert and thought, "This needs more flute?"
The Woodbridge Flute Choir has answered our prayers with a quartet that is entirely flute-based. The quartet will present a program that includes songs from the classical, American standard, pop, jazz repertoire. They will even include contemporary original compositions. If you're rooting for a fluting, be sure to register here.
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Burke Centre Meeting Room 116 and 117
| | Kings Park - Stress Less, Love More | | |
Deep breaths. If life has been a lot recently, this de-stressing clinic is for you.
This seminar will teach you how to re-energize, how to decompress, and how to lower your stress level so that you can enjoy each moment of your day.
If that sounds like something you need, be sure to snag a spot here, though walk-in attendees are welcome.
Date: Monday, August 10, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Kings Park Meeting Room
| | Transportation and Land Use | ALERT: Ravensworth Road Weekend Closure | |
Ravensworth Road between Braddock Road (Route 620) and John Marr Drive (Route 757) will be continuously closed to traffic from 9 p.m. Friday August 7 until 4 a.m. Monday August 10 for drainage pipe replacement.
Those needing to reach properties along Ravensworth Road will have access but will not be able to go beyond the point of pipe replacement in either direction. The pipe is located on the north side of the Ravensworth Road and St. Michaels Lane intersection; during the closure, drivers will only be able to access St. Michaels Lane via the south side of the intersection.
Through traffic will be detoured via Braddock Road, Backlick Road (Route 617), and John Marr Drive back to Ravensworth Road. Drivers are asked to follow posted detour signs.
You can get traffic, work zone and incident information online at 511.vdot.virginia.gov, via the free mobile 511Virginia app, or by calling 511 in Virginia anywhere anytime.
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When One Store Closes, Another One Opens: Fairfax Connector Announces West Park Store Closure and New Monument Drive Location
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Effective Wednesday, August 19, the West Park Fairfax Connector Store in McLean will permanently close, and a new Fairfax Connector Store will open at the Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center in Fairfax.
Fairfax Connector stores serve as a one-shop stop for transit riders. You can purchase Smart Trip cards, transit fares, E-Z Pass® transponders. These stores are also available to provide trip-planning assistance and other information about transportation resources.
If you're interested, don't hesitate to drop by the new Monument Drive location to learn more. The store hours are between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and then between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. You can read more here!
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The map for everything bike-related is here. This bicycle map, which rates streets based on accessibility, points out points of local interest, and includes nifty bike safety tips, is everything a Fairfax pedestrian could dream of.
Our staff aides Alyssa and Andrea are demonstrating the detail, scope, and size of the unfolded map (and fret not -- the folded map is the size of a brochure!) Look closely and see if you can tell where we outlined the Braddock District in sharpie.
To have your own map, swing by our office to pick up a copy or find a downloadable version here.
| New I-66 "Slugging" Network Launching This Fall to Help Commuters Bypass Tolls | |
Commuting can be terrible. We've all been there: stuck between waiting in long lines or paying high tolls, all the while staring enviously at those lucky HOV drivers.
If you know the feeling, then there now may be a solution for you. The community-organized carpooling practice known as slugging will soon expand to the I-66 Express Lanes. Slugging is the primarily Northern Virginia based practice where drivers pick up passengers at designated locations so that their vehicle can meet HOV lane requirements.
The initiative was led by the I-66 Slugging Network, a coalition of residential groups and public agencies that wanted to advance the practice of slugging a little bit closer to home. Morning slug line locations will be offered at the Monument Drive garage in Fair Oaks and University Boulevard park and ride in Gainesville, with drop-off locations at the Rosslyn, L'Enfant Plaza, Navy Yard and Metro Center transit stations.
More information can be found here, with information about an upcoming opportunity to win up to $1000 in prizes for frequent sluggers.
| Join the Braddock District Land Use and Environment Committee | |
Are you or is someone you know interested in becoming involved with local land use decision-making? The Braddock Land Use and Environment (BLUE) Committee is looking for five Braddock District residents to learn about and shape the district's land development future.
The BLUE Committee, founded in 2012, reviews proposals and provides recommendations to the Braddock District Planning Commissioner and the Braddock District Supervisor on development and redevelopment projects, while focusing on the goals of the County’s Comprehensive Plan, One Fairfax and Active Fairfax Transportation Plans, among others. It is a self-selected, independent, nonpartisan, and volunteer advisory body comprised of interested citizens who live in the Braddock District.
Committee members are asked to commit to at least one year of service and serve on at least one subcommittee. If you are interested in joining BLUE, but want to learn more, attend one of our meetings to observe our work and talk with our current members. The next meeting will be on September 15.
An application may be downloaded here or may be requested by calling (703) 425-9300.
We look forward to hearing from you!
| Be heard: Survey for Early and Mid-Career Professionals | |
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is seeking respondents for their latest leadership survey.
This survey aims to understand whether the cost of living in the Northern Virginia area is impacting the career trajectory of early and mid-career professionals, if you are receiving the development needed for professional growth, and whether you plan to remain in the region.
The survey is anonymous and takes less than five minutes to complete. Results will be published in the State of NextGen Leadership in the DMV report. If interested, the survey link can be found here.
| Get ready for the new school year! | |
The new school year is coming up quickly!
As a parent, I understand how fast the new year can come up, and how important it is that parents and students have the information and support they need to start the new year off right.
Below are reminders and resources to make sure you're prepared.
| Health and Human Services | Interested in Volunteering with the Special Olympics? | |
Special Olympics Virginia Area 26 is hosting an Open House for new volunteers from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, August 13. They are looking for new volunteers aged 16+ and for every season.
Come to the open house to learn about their upcoming season, to meet their athletes and leadership team, and to find out about ways to get involved. Specific sports are listed below, and you can volunteer as a head or assistant coach, team helper, or as an event volunteer.
Sports:
- Fall: Bowling, Flag Football, Pickleball, Soccer, Volleyball
- Winter: Basketball
- Spring: Track & Field, Tennis
Interested in attending? Register for the open house here. The address is in the sign-up link. If you have any further questions, contact the volunteer coordinator at volunteer@novasova.org.
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The Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis and is urgently looking for donors. All blood types are needed, but the Red Cross is particularly searching for type-O blood donors as the nationwide type-O blood supply falls critically low.
Blood donors are a lifeline for trauma victims, patients with sickle cell disease, those undergoing surgery, patients with cancer and others. But without more blood donors, shortages may delay essential care for patients. You can help!
Find blood drives near you on the Red Cross or INOVA website.
| Wash Your Pup For a Good Cause! | |
Washing your dog and helping your community? Yes, please! Fairfax Pets on Wheels has a perfect way to help support their program connecting pets with people living in nursing homes.
Weber's Pet Supermarket in Reston is offering a fantastic donation opportunity with their self-service dog wash. Bring in your dog and wash them using Weber's supplies, and more than half your bill will go to charity. Their regular price is $16 dollars a dog, and between August 3rd and August 22, a whopping $10 dollars from each wash will go to Fairfax Pets on Wheels.
If you have any questions, please call 703-324-5424.
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Though his name is Zeus, this pup's story is more like Odysseus's. He's smart and quick to learn. He's strong. He loves to explore new places and displays a calm confidence. Most importantly, he's come a long way and he's ready to go home.
Zeus is looking for a family that can offer structure, patience, and love. He's ready to socialize with you and with other pets. If Zeus sounds like the pet for you, check out more information on him or the adoption process here.
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