View as Webpage

• Tour de Hunter Mill: Still Time to Register
• In the Community
• OLLI Ideas Festival May 8-9
• Ranked Choice Town Hall May 11
• Seeking Hunter Mill Land Use Committee Members
• Piney Run Tributary Restoration Started
• What's News in Vienna
• Events and Activities

There’s still time to register for Sunday’s Tour de Hunter Mill. I hope you’ll join me on this annual community bike ride — and unlike last year, the weather forecast calls for a beautiful, dry, sunny spring day. Fingers crossed!

We’ll explore Vienna’s scenic, bike-friendly neighborhoods and green spaces. We’ll also wind past local parks, check out the I-66 and Route 7 trails with their seamless transit connections and discover the hidden back roads that lead all the way to the iconic Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center.

In case you missed it, the Reston Farmers Market returned to Lake Anne this past Saturday, and I had the pleasure to help reopen the market for the season. You may shop for local veggies, fruits, baked goods and more every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon through November 21. Kudos to the Fairfax County Park Authority and the whole team who makes this happen every year.

You also may use your SNAP benefits at the market to get up to $40 dollars of additional fruits and vegetables for free each time you visit.

Thanks to Reston Town Center Association, along with Public Art Reston and Tephra ICA, for another art-filled eARTH Day this past Saturday. I checked out some of the amazing environmentally themed chalk drawings on the streets of Reston Town Center.

For first time, Fairfax County's Earth Day Festival was held at Lake Fairfax Park in Hunter Mill District, and I presented a proclamation celebrating this annual county event, as well as Earth Day's 56th anniversary.

I joined Kurt Rose at his recognition as Citizen of the Year which was presented by the Rotary Club of Herndon-Reston. Kurt, who's a Reston resident, was honored for his many contributions, including launching the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Since creating the local chapter in 2005, he's ensured thousands of children in Herndon and Reston receive free monthly books, sparking a lifelong love of reading.

Before the ceremony on Saturday, I had stopped by his booth to visit him — and Dolly— during Celebrate Reston on April 18.

Congratulations Kurt for the well-deserved honor!

OLLI Ideas Festival: A Free Day of

Thought-Provoking Discovery 

What’s happening: Ignite your curiosity and passion for life-long learning at the free OLLI Ideas Festival on May 8-9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at George Mason University. Join this two-day open house for panel discussions, classes, and activities that showcase the rich educational, cultural and social programs offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Tell me more: The festival features a variety of lectures, classes, and activities led by experts, faculty, and community leaders. This includes:

• Anthropology of a Multicultural Nation
• Before the Sound of Music: Captain von Trapp
• Authentic Chinese tea ceremony
• Meet Dina Daniel, founder and chef behind the DMV’s first Egyptian restaurant
• Investment Forum, a gathering to discuss investment topics and recent trades

While the festival is open to everyone, it’s especially geared towards older adults interested in continuing education, civic engagement, and lifelong learning.

RSVPs aren’t required, but they’re encouraged.

What’s happening: Ranked choice voting is becoming more popular both locally and nationally. Arlington County, D.C., and New York City are among the 62-plus cities, counties and states using this voting method.

Come to my town hall to learn more and express your opinion about ranked choice voting — and what it could look like in Fairfax County.

📅Monday, May 11

🕖7 p.m.

📍North County Governmental Center, 1801 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston.

You’ll hear from two experts, one a local election official and the other an advocate for ranked choice voting:

• Gretchen Reinemeyer, Arlington County Director of Elections: Arlington was the first jurisdiction in Virginia to pilot ranked choice voting, and she’ll share how it works, what the voter feedback has been, and the lessons they’ve learned.
• Liz White, Executive Director for Up Vote Virginia: a nonpartisan organization focused on improving election systems, including ranked choice voting and campaign finance reform.

We will also have a Fairfax County election official in attendance.

Background: Virginia’s General Assembly recently made ranked choice voting a permanent option for city and county governing body elections. Localities were first authorized to implement ranked choice voting in 2021, but this original legislation sunsetted this voting method on July 1, 2031. However, state legislators made ranked choice voting permanent — along with expanding it to town council elections — when it passed SB 176 into law on April 22. This new law also specifies the State Board of Elections shall produce voter education materials on ranked choice voting, as well as develop regulations for administering elections using this voting method.

In Virginia, Arlington was the first county to use ranked choice voting in government-administered elections for its board members (first used for its 2023 primaries followed by the 2024 and 2025 general elections.) And, the City of Charlottesville used RCV in its city-administered council primary election last year. 

What’s happening: I’m looking for residents to join the Hunter Mill Land Use Committee. This volunteer group reviews land use proposals in the district and it advises me on land use issues in Hunter Mill outside of Reston and the Town of Vienna.

What you’ll do: As a member of the committee, you’ll review applications for rezonings, development plans, other land use entitlements, and major planning and zoning policy initiatives affecting the Hunter Mill District. You’ll apply your local knowledge of neighborhood conditions and concerns (e.g., traffic circulation, pedestrian safety, stormwater drainage) to help developers mitigate potential issues with their proposals.

When there are applications, plans or initiatives to review, the committee meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings occur virtually on Microsoft Teams.

Who should apply: Any Hunter Mill resident who lives outside Reston and the Town of Vienna may apply (see map). However, I’m especially seeking residents in the McNair, Floris, Oakton, Great Falls Crossing, and Tysons West areas to ensure broad geographic diversity on the committee.

Apply: Please email Mark Goldberg-Foss in my office with your current resume and a brief statement of interest, using the subject line “Hunter Mill Land Use.” For questions or more information, contact him by email or call 703-478-0283.

Piney Run Tributary Restoration Begun:

Pink Trail Closure

What’s happening: Construction on the Piney Run Tributary restoration project has begun. As a result, a nearby connection to the Pink Trail is closed until the project is complete: specifically the spur of the pathway that connects Center Harbor Road to the Pink Trail behind Bright Pond Lane.

Tell me more: The project will restore about 1,200-feet of the stream’s channel on Reston Association land between Woodbrook Lane and Center Harbor Road. This work is expected to take a year to complete.

For more information, contact Charles Smith with Fairfax County’s Stormwater Planning Division by email or call him at (571) 407-6973. For questions about Reston Association’s participation in this project, please email Ben Rhoades.

Native Plant Sale May 2

Spring is here, and there is no better place to find native plants for your garden than during the Spring Native Plant Sale on Saturday, May 2 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. Native plants are a great addition to your green spaces since they require less maintenance, and water, and they also provide food, cover, and habitat for wildlife.

Bowman House Pottery Show May 2

Buy one-of-a-kind art works at the Bowman House Pottery Show and Sale this Saturday, May 2. These unique pieces are handmade by local students and teachers. Stop by anytime from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (but come early for the best selection). The Bowman House is located at 211 Center Street, South.

Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing May 4

Have thoughts on the proposed updates to the Town's Comprehensive Plan? Share them with the Town Council at a public hearing on Monday, May 4 (meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. with the public hearing to follow). You may also provide written comments via email.

‍

🍷Wine and Dine at Wolf Trap on April 29 with multi-course dishes and wine pairings.

🚨Join the Fairfax Scam Jam on April 30 at the Fairfax County Government Center to learn how to avoid romance, cryptocurrency and other scams.

🎻Violinist Miles Stiebel plays popular songs on April 30 at Reston Community Center.

🎭South Lakes High School Theatre Arts presents the musical “9 to 5” with performances starting April 30.

🍰Attend the South Lakes High School Jazz Desserts on May 1 at Reston Community Center.

🎤 Doo Wop Project sings tight harmonies on May 2 at the McLean Community Center.

⚛️ Learn why the Higgs Boson was called the God Particle on May 2 at the Reston Regional Library.

🎪Join the Spring Festival on May 2 at Walker Nature Center.

🚲Ride in the Tour de Hunter Mill on May 3 at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

🎺 Cathedral Brass present “A Night at The Opera” on May 3 at the Vienna Presbyterian Church.

🎸 Rock with George Thorogood & The Destroyers on May 5 at Capital One Hall.

💃 Watch the Heart Beats, an uplifting dance and live music performance, on May 7-8 at Capital One Hall.

♻️Free paper shredding event on May 9 from 9-11 a.m. at Andrew Chapel UMC, Vienna.

🥁 Vienna Jamers present “The Big Jam 2026” on May 9 at Capital One Hall.

🎭 Watch the drama “A Burning Giraffe Looking at Iran” on May 9 at Capital One Hall.

🎼 Handpicked by Renée Fleming, listen to recital by three recent alumni of Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Artist Program on May 10 at The Barns.

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.