ViVa! Vienna! Returns Memorial Day Weekend
Rides, food, entertainment, kids’ activities and Memorial Day tribute celebrate community spirit.
Memorial Day is a time to honor America’s fallen and to celebrate life. ViVa! Vienna!, a three-day family-focused festival covering Memorial Day weekend, does both with fun activities and a Memorial Day tribute. ViVa! Vienna!, sponsored and hosted by the Vienna Rotary club, in partnership with the Town of Vienna and Navy Federal Credit Union, opens on Saturday, May 24, with food vendors and amusement rides for all ages. On Sunday and Monday, 350 vendors converge in the historic Church Street corridor and on the Town Green. Church Street closes down and nonstop live entertainment is presented on a children’s stage and a main stage. The Rotary Club returns its profit from the festival back to the community. It is awarding more than $165,000 to local nonprofits and schools in 2014.
Hosting Community on Passover
March 21 reception recognized donation of 100-plus Haggadot from Mike Berger of Vienna.
Passover or Pesach celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The sacred holiday begins sunset of Monday, April 14, and ends nightfall of Tuesday, April 22. The commemoration begins with the Passover ritual, the Seder, in which followers of the Jewish faith read from the family Haggadah, breaking for a traditional feast. At its core, the Haggadah narrates the story of the Exodus from Egypt. On March 21, the Chabad Tysons Jewish Center, in Vienna, recognized a donation of more than 100 Haggadot [Jewish texts] from Mike Berger, a Vienna resident whose father collected the versions throughout his lifetime.
Spring Fun Starts Now
From food to live entertainment, a bit of something for everyone is available.
Daffodils are peeking through ground snow and the days grow a bit longer each day. It must be spring. The Connection offers this diversity of springtime fun to its readers.
Freeman House Celebrates ‘The Country Store’
Exhibit showcases history of bygone era.
For a hundred years, towns and cities across America depended on their "general" stores – or "country" stores – for food provisions, clothing and dry goods, animal feed and seeds, and small equipment to sustain the community.
In Search of ‘Game Changing’ Ideas
Local legislators reflect on social issues addressed by Virginia General Assembly in 2014.
At a presentation hosted by SALT [Social Action Linking Together) on March 22, more than 50 community activists gathered to hear local legislators offer brief comments on social progress in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s 2014 General Assembly session. The presentation was hosted at American Legion 180.
Fire Ball Auction Hottest Ticket in Town
First-responders volunteered to raise funds for Vienna Volunteer Fire Department.
More than 100 friends and citizens came out on March 21 to support the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s fundraiser, the 2nd Annual Fire Ball Auction. Community businesses donated prizes for the silent auction and the raffle, and dedicated firefighters and EMTs donated themselves in a live auction. Bidding for an organized group dinner-date with a first-responder started at $40 and guests sent the bidding in the hundreds of dollars. Twelve firefighters and EMTs volunteered as auction prizes.
Fire Ball Auction Takes Bids on Firefighters and EMTs
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department hosts live and silent auctions on March 21.
Here’s an opportunity to win a group dinner "date" with a Vienna Volunteer Fire Department EMT or firefighter, as well as a diversity of prizes. On Friday, March 21, the VVFD holds a live auction featuring bids on the department’s emergency responders and a silent auction for prizes donated by area businesses, from restaurants, spa treatments and vacation rentals to services and jewelry. Twelve firefighters and EMTs will be auctioned off and bids start at $40. The auctions begin at 7 p.m.
Vienna Arts Society Exhibits the World, Honors Springtime
‘Great Escapes’ gives way to ‘Music to My Ears.’
The Vienna Arts Society does much more than bring local artists together. It reaches out to the community with art classes for adults and children, fine arts competitions, art camps for kids, and gallery exhibitions of quality pieces that change monthly. March’s exhibition of "Great Escapes," runs through March 29.
Healthful Meal Ideas for Seniors
Dietician/chef creates meals that are nutrient-dense and easy to prepare.
Shirley Martin of Vienna has a pacemaker and is on warfarin, a blood thinner, and Vitamin K, found in dark leafy greens, can lessen the effectiveness of warfarin. Martin also has high cholesterol. "I have to be concerned about eating too many greens while I’m on warfarin or too many fats," said Martin. "I also try to keep from gaining weight."
Handcrafters Guild Arts & Crafts Show Comes to Vienna
Thanksgiving weekend tradition draws shoppers from throughout region.
The Northern Virginia Handcrafters Guild Arts & Crafts Show annually takes over the Vienna Community Center for three days of the Thanksgiving weekend.
Holiday Gifting from Toys to Acts of Kindness
The spirit of the season is giving of love.
There’s still plenty of time to buy gifts for family and party hosts. There is even time to buy a gift or two for someone without the means to reciprocate. Here are a few ideas from local shops, restaurants and resources. And, please, remember that gifts do not have to come in wrapping to be welcomed and appreciated.
Holiday Shopping the ‘Small-town’ Way
Local businesses offer personalized service, distinctive and unique gifts
So, you ask, what makes shopping at Vienna’s small businesses a pleasant, rewarding experience. For starters, merchandise and services are likely to be unique and distinctive, and customer service is typically personal and enthusiastic. You can go to the mall and find the same brands, harried employees and temporary staffing at one store or another. Or … you can shop locally where the merchants are your neighbors, your fellow club or church members, and community supporters. From one-of-a-kind hand-knit hats to wood birdhouses and bat condominiums, Vienna-logo gifts, and pumpkin pie liqueur, there’s something for everyone in Vienna’s hometown shops.
Walking for a Burning Reason
Flicker of Hope fundraiser benefits burn survivors.
When David Borowski was 6 weeks old, his mother witnessed his bassinet suddenly burst into flames—with her newborn in it. She grabbed her infant to her chest, trying to smother the fire engulfing his little form. The telephone was enveloped by the fire, and David’s mom ran to the street.
Vienna Halloween Parade Attracts Thousands
Costumed children, bands, floats and vehicles anchor 90-minute parade.
As chilly—and drizzly—as it was, the weather did not deter thousands of local families to line Maple Avenue on Wednesday, Oct. 23 to celebrate the 67th annual Vienna Halloween Parade. Hosted for the first time ever as a partnership between the Town of Vienna and the year-old Vienna Business Association [VBA], the parade featured Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman as its Grand Marshal in 2013. New this year was a concert presented on the Town Green by the School of Rock as an early evening prelude to the parade.
Halloween Parade Steps Off on Oct. 23
Pre-parade entertainment on Town Green new in 2013.
Vienna’s longest-running and most-anticipated annual event—the 67th Vienna Halloween parade—steps off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23. One hundred-plus groups, clubs, bands and floats take over Maple Avenue between Berry and Center streets.
Halloween Parade Steps Off on Oct. 23
Pre-parade entertainment on Town Green new in 2013.
Vienna’s longest-running and most-anticipated annual event—the 67th Vienna Halloween parade—steps off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23. One hundred-plus groups, clubs, bands and floats take over Maple Avenue between Berry and Center streets. With a theme of “Celebrating Music and Theatre Through the Decades,” the parade is led by Grand Marshal Vienna Mayor M. Jane Seeman. The parade was originally founded to give Vienna children an opportunity to dress in costume and march through the town. The tradition holds fast today.
Fire Stations Host Open Houses
Vienna fire department wins best open house for 2nd Battalion for third straight year.
Fairfax County fire stations capped off National Fire Prevention Week with station “open houses” throughout the County on Oct. 12. In Vienna zipcodes 22180 through 22182, there are two fire and rescue departments, Station 2 in the heart of Vienna, and the newly-launched Wolftrap station, number 42. The Wolftrap station celebrated its grand opening with the ceremonial “push-in” of its engine. Fairfax County fire stations capped off National Fire Prevention Week with station “open houses” throughout the County on Oct. 12. In Vienna zipcodes 22180 through 22182, there are two fire and rescue departments, Station 2 in the heart of Vienna, and the newly-launched Wolftrap station, number 42.
Vienna Commemorates ‘A Day to Remember’
Town, American Legion Post 180, pay tribute to lives lost on September 11, 2001.
On a hot and humid September 11, 2013, people in Vienna—as they did in towns and cities across America—reflected on the horrific terrorist attack that altered the lives of Americans from that date forward 12 years ago. More than 3,000 innocent human beings lost their lives when jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Patriot Day pays tribute to lives lost, lives impacted and to the living who put themselves in harm's way to protect the nation.
Koi Bring a Bit of Japan to Vienna
ZNA Potomac Koi Club hosts weekend competition at Meadowlark Gardens.
If Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and glistening other-worldly koi seem to be a perfect fit, that’s because they were harmoniously wed on Sept. 7 and 8, as the ZNA Potomac Koi Club presented its annual koi show and competition. The competition, bringing in nishikigoi [koi] hobbyists from Connecticut to South Carolina, was open and free to the public. Two hundred and sixty two nishikigoi, “living jewels,” entered the competition this year, breaking the Potomac chapter’s record for the show.
Regional Flavors of India Come to Vienna
Curry Mantra 3 offers traditional and signature dishes.
Curry Mantra 3 turned upside-down the adage, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” on Sept. 8. Not only did the new restaurant at Cedar Park Shopping Center serve free lunch to celebrate its grand opening, it served free dinner, as well. Vienna guests and loyal customers from Curry Mantra 1 and 2 lined up at the door in support of Vienna’s newest entry into the town’s burgeoning restaurant scene. A hostess manning the door let people in as guests left—that’s how busy it was.
Viewpoints: What are you looking forward to the most this school year?
“I’m looking forward to sports, football, basketball … looking forward to that. Also the challenge of new classes this year because junior year is typically the most difficult. I’m starting to look at colleges this year.”
Excited to Go Back to School
Fairfax County Public Schools began school year on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
If any of the children waiting at a Westbriar Elementary School bus stop had first-day-of-school jitters, no one showed them. The kids intuitively lined up as the bus approached the stop as parents waved good-bye. The children were excited; parents marked another passage in their children’s lives.
Capturing Vienna’s History
Historic Vienna, Inc. project recorded and filmed residents’ recollections of earlier Vienna.
There was a time when there was no Rt. 66 ramp in Vienna … mainly because there was a time when there was no Rt. 66 anywhere nearby. Nor was there a Capital Beltway. There was, however, a time when a train from Alexandria stopped in Vienna going west. There was a time when there were maple trees on Maple Avenue and churches along Church Street. Before Louise Archer Elementary School was named after the principal who ran the school for many pivotal years, it was a “colored” school.
The Beauty of Vienna Living
From national recognition to local perspective, views on life in Vienna.
What surprised many people living in the Vienna area is not that Vienna was voted by Money magazine as the third best small town to live in in America but that it did not come in first. That’s Vienna pride.
A Fading Craft Thrives in Vienna
Guarantee Shoe Repair blends business with congeniality and nature.
The cream-colored two-story clapboard house at 131 Church St. N.W. could be mostly any one’s home in Vienna. It’s well cared-for with rose bushes and an array of flowers and greenery out front. To the side is a small fish pond and to the back is a gazebo anchored by a fountain. The gazebo’s flooring covers an obsolete well whose pump remains a visual magnet.
School Bells Ring Sept. 3
Local schools gearing up for new critical thinking programs.
It’s that time of the year when school bells across the region begin ringing … families are doing last-minute back-to-school shopping for supplies and clothes, the days are getting shorter, fall sports are at practice and children are playing outside until dusk. It won’t last much longer. Fairfax County Public Schools start the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 3, possibly the last year the county will be required to schedule the school calendar year after Labor Day. Fairfax County Public Schools’ new initiative is to develop 21st century learning skills among its students. Several Vienna-area elementary school administrators shared “what’s new” at their schools.
Packing Healthful Sack Lunches Children Will Eat
Local experts offer lunch suggestions, recipes.
The bigger challenge for mom or dad than building a healthful sack lunch is building a healthful sack lunch that tastes good-enough to eat. If children are not actually eating what you serve them, it makes little difference how healthy the ingredients are. That’s where local food specialists lend a hand. Registered dietician Judy Caplan and professional chef—and mother of two school-aged kids—Christine Wisnewski share suggestions, tips and recipes for planning sack lunches your kids will eat because they enjoy doing so. Healthy and tasty—the ultimate combination.
‘Aida’ Rocks Vienna in Musical Spectacular
Vienna Youth Players presented Elton John’s Broadway blockbuster.
Calling the Vienna Youth Players’ production of Elton John’s “Aida” an “amateur” production is like calling the Concorde an airplane, the Beatles singers and Michelangelo a painter.
Sharing Expertise on Child Development
Kristen Paral of Vienna helps parents master techniques that foster the growth of well-adjusted, confident children.
While feathering your nest may turn your house into a home, occasionally, de-feathering and shifting direction may transform your happy nest into a happy and serene haven for your family.
Culinaria Campers Cook Haute Cuisine
Kids’ camps run one-week sessions, touring the world through food.
Here’s one thing that Culinaria Cooking School’s summer camp has that no other summer camp around has … food … gourmet food. The culinary campers tour the world in food journeys. And if nine one-week-long camps can fill up for the duration of the summer, it says a lot about the palates of area children.
Vienna Hosts Fun-filled 4th of July
Festival, fireworks, highlight small-town celebration.
Traditionally, hundreds of families come out for the Town of Vienna’s annual Independence Day festival and fireworks show. This year was no different.
VVFD Auctions Date With Firefighter
Men and women of Vienna fire department fuel fundraiser.
“The idea, initially, made people [firefighters and EMTs] hesitant, but when they realized it wasn’t a real date, but actually a group dinner, we got a lot more interest and support from them.” - VVFD President Anthony Stancampiano
Elevation Burger Takes the Hamburger Higher
New restaurant features grass-fed, free-range and organic beef.
There are hamburgers and then there are hamburgers freshly-ground from humanely-raised, grass-fed, free-range beef … it’s also USDA-certified organic.
Professional Business Organizations Meet on Softball Field
Vienna Business Association and Vienna Business Networking International inaugurate annual softball game.
The Vienna Business Association [VBA] faced off with challenger Vienna Business Networking International [BNI] on June 23 in a closely-contested softball game at Southside Field. Family and colleagues cheered on their players and BNI edged out VBA for a 20-18 win. The match, bringing in players that belong to either of the two professional business clubs or serving double-duty in both clubs (not counting a few ringers), was a friendly competition supported by a barbeque buffet catered by Red, White and Blue, and a bounce-house to keep the children entertained.
Rotary Club of Vienna Honors Members
2013-2014 Board of Directors installed, outstanding members honored.
The Rotary Club of Vienna, which, during the past year, donated $168,000 to local schools, nonprofits and the Town of Vienna, installed its 2013-2014 slate of officers at a banquet program on June 19. More than 80 guests attended as members of the service club were honored for outstanding participation.
Levey’s Washington Revisited in Vienna
Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna hosts Bob Levey at luncheon.
Bob Levey’s 37-year career with the Washington Post spanned the eras of Watergate, Desert Storm and the rise of Internet news reporting. For 23 years, Levey wrote Bob Levey’s Washington, a personal look at the region he loves. He shared his experiences on June 10 with guests of Shepherd Center of Oakton-Vienna’s Lunch ‘n’ Life, drawing on anecdotes and perspectives.
Volunteering Gives Seniors a Sense of Fulfillment
Shepherd Center network provides opportunities for seniors to help seniors.
Kathy Tugendhat chairs the Adventures in Learning organizing committee at Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV). She teaches conversational ESL at Patrick Henry Library, one-on-one. On Wednesdays in the summer months, Tugendhat tells stories and leads songs for youngsters on the grounds of the Little Library. She sings with the Vienna Choral Society because she loves it. “It keeps me young,” said Tugendhat. She’s also 80 years old.
Book Sale Draws Hundreds to Vienna Community Center
25,000 books and more than 70 volunteers bring two-day Historic Vienna, Inc.’s sale to life.
When the doors opened at the Vienna Community Center on June 8, welcoming buyers to the annual Historic Vienna, Inc. [HVI] book sale, more than 25,000 books awaited them. And this is one well-organized book sale. Books were arranged by genre, from mystery and novels to reference books and cookbooks. “Treasures,” those books that are rare or vintage, have their own nook.
Vienna Idol Raises $14,500
Grace Atiyeh to give her $500 prize to charities.
Six finalists waited through “The Final Countdown” to learn who would become the new Vienna Idol. From six, it came down to three in the June 7 competition.
Maplewood Grill Continues the Fine Dining Tradition
Father and son keep local restaurant part of community.
The years that Chef Paul Kuchler spent at the sides of the classical chefs who worked his father’s kitchen at Le Canard paid off. Kuchler now is co-owner and head chef of Maplewood Grill, designing the menu, perpetuating some of Le Canard’s traditional recipes, refining new signature dishes and overseeing the kitchen details of Maplewood Grill. It was Marcel Kuchler’s idea to reinvent his French restaurant as one with a contemporary American spin and his son Paul took off with the concept.
Animals Blessed in Vienna
Antioch Christian Church holds its third annual blessing for family pets.
Antioch Christian Church, the quaint white clapboard church on Beulah Road, hosted its third annual pet blessing on June 2 and pet parents came from throughout the area to have their pets blessed by Antioch’s pastor, Randy Beeman. Any family pet, of any species, was welcome.
Public Works Day Draws Hundreds to Property Yard
Children climb in heavy equipment and wear hardhats.
Every year, during National Public Works Week, the Town of Vienna opens up its property yard on Mill Street to the public. This is no ordinary “open house,” either. The equipment, from ditch diggers to garbage trucks and front loaders and everything a town needs to maintain its infrastructure, is washed clean and spiffy-ed up. The all-afternoon event on May 23 featured snacks, give-outs that kids like—from blowup balls to hardhats—popcorn, tattooing and the chance to climb into a police car without being hauled off to the police station. Kids look forward to Public Works Day all year.
Summer Fun Abounds in Vienna
Guide to special events and children’s activities.
Every Friday and Sunday evening—and summer Wednesday—free concerts liven up the Vienna Town Green. Sponsored by the Town of Vienna’s Parks and Recreation Department and local businesses and individuals, the concerts feature local musicians and special guests, including the armed forces bands.
Community Comes Together for ViVa! Vienna!
Annual three-day Rotary Club festival featured food, amusement rides, live entertainment and 300-plus vendor marketplace.
Thousands of local families, teens, seniors, preschoolers and friends thronged the historic Church Street corridor over Memorial Day weekend at ViVa! Vienna! The annual festival, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Greater Vienna, featured 30 amusement rides for children of all ages, fried food, fresh food and frozen food, live entertainment on two stages—three if you count Vienna Idol—and more than 300 vendors selling arts, crafts, goods and services.
ViVa! Vienna! Returns Memorial Day Weekend
Three-day festival features live entertainment, carnival food, rides and 300-plus vendors.
ViVa! Vienna! is back: Carnival midway, live entertainment and food vendors kick-off the three-day Memorial Day weekend festival on Saturday, May 25. And that’s just the beginning. On Sunday, more than 300 vendors—selling crafts, goods and services—converge along the historic Church Street corridor, hosting upwards of 50,000 visitors to the festival sponsored by the Rotary Club of Greater Vienna.
Vienna Woman’s Club Awards Scholarships
Madison HS seniors, Vienna elementary schools recipients of club’s generosity.
The Vienna Woman’s Club celebrated 51 years of scholarship awards on May 15 at a program honoring three local high school seniors and four Vienna elementary schools. The scholarship winners each received a $1,000 check from the Woman’s Club. “The scholarships honor exceptional seniors and their families,” said Scholarship and Education Committee co-chair Jo-Lynn Westlund.
Incumbents Retain Town Council Seats
Standing under umbrellas, the four candidates running for three Vienna Town Council seats greeted voters in a rain steady throughout most of the morning and early afternoon. The rain wasn’t torrential but neither was voter turnout throughout much of the day.
Safety and Bike Rodeo Teaches Healthy Habits
Child-centered activities held on Town Green on May 4.
Those children on Mill Street on Saturday, the ones in the parking lot across from the Town Green surrounded by Vienna police officers, were not being charged with a traffic violation. They were, instead, being guided around a training course by Vienna police in Vienna’s 2nd Annual W&OD Safety and Bike Rodeo sponsored by the Town of Vienna Bicycle Advisory Committee, Friends of the W&OD and local civic groups and businesses.
Taste of Vienna Brings Community Together
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser offered restaurant fare, live entertainment and a moonbounce for kids.
Certainly, Saturday’s almost-May weather contributed to the festive mood at the 2nd Annual Taste of Vienna sponsored by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Abundant sunshine and cloudless blue skies lit up Cherry Street on April 27. Throngs of local families, seniors, teens and babies in strollers milled around food and wine tents, under eating tents and along the stage front, where contemporary pop bands performed. It was the kind of community-spirit day Vienna is known for.
Community Center Expansion Discussed
Open forum on April 23 solicited viewpoints and needs from community.
If you had an unlimited budget—or a magic wand—what would you turn the Vienna Community Center into? Most of the more-than 35 attendees at the Department of Parks and Recreation April 23 forum on the proposed expansion of the community center shared a consensus of what they hoped to see an expanded community center look like (from a large indoor swimming pool with retractable walls to a well-equipped fitness center and regulation-sized gym).