Summer is here and we kicked it off last weekend with our first Arts in the Parks children's concert! More than 100 kids, parents, and grandparents joined us to enjoy Mr. Lilo. Now it's time to do it again!

Join us in front of the Audrey Moore RECenter at Wakefield Park at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, June 25. This week's featured performer is Ms. Niki, a singer-songwriter whose purpose is to reach children outside the four walls of a classroom with music and arts education.

The full schedule for this year's Summer Entertainment Series concerts is below. Check it out and plan to join us for free, family-friendly performances at Lake Accotink, Royal Lake, and Wakefield Parks!

The FDA and Virginia Department of Health have approved the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for emergency use authorization in children aged 6 months and older.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are available from the Fairfax County Health Department. While there are walk-in opportunities, demand has been high and some sites have experienced long wait times. To avoid a long wait, you can schedule an appointment. Please visit this site to find walk-in opportunities or schedule an appointment with the Health Department.

In addition to the Fairfax County Health Department, pharmacies and private health care providers are also offering the vaccine. You can find a vaccine location and make an appointment here.

This weekend will be hot and humid. With that in mind, please help us spread the word about the grave danger of leaving a child in the car.

Leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for even a minute is extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, every year, young children are left alone in a vehicle that quickly heats up with the end result being injury or even death.

Just this week, a 5-year-old in Texas passed away after suffering heat exhaustion in his parents' driveway. To see just how quickly a car heats up in the summer sun, watch and share this video timeline.

Supervisor James Walkinshaw

The start of service for new customers and the change in collection scheduling for existing customers begins July 1 and the week of July 4. If you live in the Canterbury Woods neighborhood, this change affects you. If you are newly included in Fairfax County Solid Waste Collection Areas, sign up to receive a collection area update from Solid Waste Management when your new collection cycle begins.

The ramp from I-66 West to Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metrorail Station (Country Creek Road and Virginia Center Boulevard) closed on Monday, June 13 for three weeks as VDOT continues construction of the new westbound I-66 express and general-purpose lanes. This work is part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project.

Drivers will be detoured around the closure via Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) and I-66 East. As an alternate work around, drivers may exit prior to the closure at Nutley Street.

The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) hosted a virtual community input meeting on June 15 regarding Fairfax Connector's proposed service changes for January 2023. The presentation and route profiles are available on the FCDOT website. Feedback on the proposed changes is encouraged via the online survey and by email, mail and phone through Friday, July 6, 2022.

View the Route Sheets with proposed service changes.

Take charge of your financial future with AARP Virginia volunteer Community Ambassador, Pamela Sams on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. Retirement planning doesn’t have to be daunting. Learn tips for determining if you are on track and learn practical strategies to help you achieve retirement peace of mind. It’s never too late to take charge of your financial future.

Webinar Wednesdays are back for the Summer! Attend a 30-minute lesson on how to use PLUS, the new Planning and Land Use System from the comfort of your home or office on July 13, 20, and 27! The one stop shop online portal unites multiple agency online applications into one customer service platform. Using PLUS, residents and businesses can conduct online transactions under the Health Department, Land Development Services, Fire and Rescue, Code Compliance, and Planning and Development. Bring your questions and learn how this centralized platform helps streamline the customer experience.

This review is taking place in two phases, with the first phase already complete. To help with the second phase of the review, two surveys are now available for you to help assess the county’s response across the entire government (not just health) and for specific business-related interactions.

National Night Out is back! This will be an in-person event on August 2 and the Fairfax County Police Department is looking forward to meeting with everyone again, and maybe some new people too!

Whether your community hosts a simple ice cream party or an all-out festival, National Night Out is an opportunity to gather with your neighbors, get better acquainted, and talk about issues of common concern.

It’s an opportunity:

• for fun, food and fellowship in your community

• to get to know your Police and Public Safety Team

• to heighten crime prevention awareness

• to send the message that your neighborhood is organized against crime

Complete this form to register for the event (if you registered with the NNO organization directly, you still need to register with this form. They do not share your personal information). If there are any questions, feel free to reach out to the Crime Prevention Officer of your local police station.

If you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, effective treatment is now available that can prevent illness from becoming worse leading to hospitalization and death.

If you tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed , it is important to take the steps recommended by the Fairfax County Health Department to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in your family and in our community.

Check the most up-to-date COVID figures at the Virginia Department of Health website.

Please be sure to check the Fairfax County Health Department’s vaccine page and the Emergency Information Blog frequently, as information will be updated there regularly.