Real Estate and Reston, VA: Virginia: Herndon

If you haven't had the opportunity to attend one of the concerts in downtown Herndon, VA that make up Friday Night Live, why not go tonight?

Tonight's concert features  Love Seed Mama Jump, a six-piece rock band from Dewey Beach, Delaware. Their music is described as guitar-driven pop rock -- a blend of modern beats and melodic hooks delivered with powerful, impassioned vocals.  

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and get there early for best seats. It is a great place to bring the kids, but you cannot bring any alcohol into the venue, although it is for sale inside. We tried to bring water bottles last week and were told that we could only bring them in if they were unopened. Food is available for sale.

The concert starts at around 6:30 and ends around 10:30 pm.  The concert takes place behind the Herndon Government Center and the entrance to the concert area is located between the Caboose and the W&OD trail. Parking is available close by, but wear good shoes for getting up and down the hill. For specific Directions, check out the website.

This is a great local tradition and well worth adding in to your summer schedule.  Have fun and enjoy the music!

My daughter walked across the stage at the George Mason Patriot Center today and accepted her high school diploma from Herndon High School. The grads were made up of students from both Herndon and Reston, Virginia. It was a special moment for our family and all of the other families who had a graduate cross the stage.

We spent the weekend going from party to party celebrating these young people and the completion of this phase of their lives. An astounding number of these graduates will go on to College, so this is not about celebrating the 'glory days' of their youth. It is truly about gathering these kids, and their families, who have been so interwoven in each others lives for  4 years  and enjoying each others company.

I was thinking about why, at least in this community, the high school graduation party seems to be so prevalent. After all, most of these kids will graduate from college and you don't see nearly the number of college graduation parties.  I think it has to do with access--everyone is close by and easy to include. Once you get to college it is harder to gather them from different States and even countries.

Another thought is that at this point in time, they all have the future spread out in front of them and anything is possible. No one has yet had to deal with the difficulties of getting through college; there are no academic probations, financial issues, motivation problems or lack of direction. By this time next year, some of the graduates may have stepped off of their  rosy college path and be headed in a different direction--or even worse, no direction at all. But for now, all is good and everyone is successful.

So Congratulations to all of the Graduates of Herndon High Class of 2010! We are all so proud of your accomplishments and wish you great success as you move on to the next phase of your life.

To paraphrase a song (badly, I might add), 'The future's so bright, you have to wear shades...'

Last night was the kick-off of the annual Herndon Festival in Herndon, Virginia. Although the evening started out with a thunderstorm, all was not lost as the clouds, thunder and lightning made it through by about 6:00 pm.

It is a great way to reconnect with your community through a good, old fashioned family festival. Rides, games, prizes, vendors, food, entertainment...what more could you want? There are three stages with entertainment, Fireworks on Thursday night (if you heard banging last night, now you know what it was) and Saturday night, 10K and 5K races and much, much more!

In past years I have found very easy to park at Herndon High School and take the shuttle to the festival. The parking in downtown Herndon can be fairly limited, so I recommend this option. There is also shuttle service from the Worldgate Center, just off of the Dulles Toll Road (Rt. 267).

To learn more about the festival, go to the Herndon Festival Home Page.

I hope to see you at the Herndon Festival!

On Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. plan to be at the Herndon High School Auditorium in Herndon, VA for the 1st annual 'Funny Mind Games.' 

'Funny Mind Games'  is a family-oriented comedy show which will feature James Munsey, a comedic hypnotist, and the first-ever Herndon High School 'Family Feud'--featuring competition between different school organizations.  Some of the groups scheduled to compete include: Seniors vs. Faculty, Softball vs. Baseball, Football vs. Band.

All Night Grad Party is celebrating its 23rd year of keeping Graduates and the local community safe by providing an all night party free of drugs and alcohol.   It is a community effort to throw a party that is 'good enough' to get a majority of the kids to attend. Fund raisers like this one allow us to throw a party honoring all that our graduates have accomplished and that the kids will remember for years to come.

Families with Students at HHS can purchase tickets this week during lunch. Tickets purchased in advance are $5 for students and faculty. All other adults and all tickets purchased at the door will be $10.

If you cannot attend 'Funny Mind Games,' but would like to support the All Night Grad Party, donations are gratefully accepted. More information about donating and purchasing tickets to the event can be found at our website: http://www.herndonang.org/

You can also get more information about Herndon High School and the many opportunities and events available through the school at: http://www.fcps.edu/HerndonHS

Great "Beach House" on large 1/2 acre private lot in Historic Downtown Herndon

3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, 1986, 2,088 sq feet, $1,850 per month

A great alternative to a townhouse! This 'beach house' style home is located at the end of a quiet street in historic Downtown Herndon. Enjoy warm afternoons on large wraparound deck. Two large sliding glass doors from the bright main living area provide access to the deck. Open floor plan provides flexibility for your lifestyle and large private 1/2 acre yard  gives you room to spread out. Master bedroom has a private bathroom with shower. Additional full bath on BR level. Full finished basement with washer and dryer. Plentiful off-street parking. Location convenient to Reston Towncenter, Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Airport, Route 28, Route 7 and Wiehle and Monroe Park and Rides. Pets welcomed with approval and security deposit. FX7202841. Available immediately upon approval of rental application.

For More Information about this property (and to see more photos): 1026 Tyler Street, Herndon, VA 20170

Offered by Holly Weatherwax, Associate Broker, Momentum Realty, (Agent has financial interest in property)

I still remember the skeptical looks my children gave me the first time I announced we were going out for Indian food. Always adventurous eaters, somehow my husband and I had overlooked introducing our children to this wonderful cuisine earlier in their lives.  We have now made up for lost time!

I have a friend who immigrated here from India and figured she would be my best source to find a close-by, high quality Indian restaurant.  She told me of a couple, but said her favorite was Angeethi, located on Elden Street in Herndon, Virginia.

Fast forward a couple of years and I would say this restaurant is the number one most requested in our family.

If you have not had a chance to try it, I would highly recommend it. The atmosphere is casual and comfortable, the food is wonderful and the staff is attentive.  The clientele is a mix of couples out on dates and extended families meeting for dinner.  The restaurant can accommodate fairly large parties.

My husband and I also hosted a dinner party that, unfortunately, fell on a weekend when my daughter had a soccer tournament. Rather than miss her games, we had the dinner catered by Angeethi. It was a big success!

I was recently told by my son that they have opened a restaurant in Leesburg,VA and I just saw on their website that they have one in Bethesda, MD, too.

So if you are looking for something a little different to do for dinner, head over to downtown Herndon and give Angeethi a try--I don't think you will be disappointed!

BTW, they deliver, too!

This is the weekend of the Herndon Festival in Herndon, Virginia. Despite some weather challenges on Thursday and Friday, beautiful weather is expected for the rest of the weekend. Get out and enjoy the music, entertainment, rides, food and more!

For more information about the festival, go to my post: Herndon Festival.

I hope that you get a chance to stop by!

One of my favorite local events is the annual Herndon Festival in Herndon, Virginia.  This year the festival runs from Thursday, May 28th at 6:00 pm  through Sunday, May 31st at 6:00 pm.

If you have never had an opportunity to go to the festival, you are in for a real treat. This is a community festival like the kind you remember from your childhood. Featuring 3 stages with performances going on all the time, everyone should be able to find a band or entertainer that piques their interest. The full schedule of performances can be found at: Herndon Festival Entertainment Schedule.

One of my children's favorite things about the festival is the full Carnival in the center of it all!  The carnival features games and rides and over 20 food vendors. There is a minimum ticket purchase to enter the carnival. More information about that can be found on-line or at the entrance.

The festival also includes a 10K/5K Race, Hands-On art activities for the kids, a Business Expo and more.

Many of the local community groups do fund-raising at the Festival by running booths or stands, so in addition to having a great time, it is an easy way to help out in the community.

I hope to see you there!

On Saturday, tired of having my kids inside after a lot of snow, ice and frigid temperatures, I took my son and his friends over the the Herndon Community Center to spend some time swimming in their indoor pool.

The Herndon Community Center is open to everyone. The amount you pay for entrance depends on whether or not you are a resident of the town of Herndon.  I paid $3.50 for each boy (the same for either town or a non-town resident).  I was allowed to go in and watch the boys swim without paying. There were bleachers where I was able to sit and read a book. Admission for adults is $4.75 for town residents and $6 dollars for non-residents. They sell monthly, semi-annual and annual  passes and also offer Senior discounts.

The pool had a large float that the kids could climb on. It has a water basketball net and a shallow area that can be reached by a ramp. The pool also has lap lanes and a diving board area. It was large, warm and well guarded.

The Community Center has a fitness room (with personal trainers available for hire), 3 racquetball courts, a full sized gymnasium for basketball, meeting spaces and classrooms, an Arts & Crafts Studio a Teen room, a game room, 6 lighted tennis courts (and a seasonal tennis center created by erecting a 'bubble').

There are camps, programs, classes, personal training and they even offer drop-off babysitting services (for a fee)!

I was very favorably impressed. I have not been there since they underwent a big remodel, but it is definitely worth checking out.

There is more information avaialble at www.herndon-va.gov (under Parks & Recreation) or by calling 703-787-7300