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RA News includes information about association and other non-profit community events and programs. The free newsletter is sent to subscribers on Fridays. Items for submission are due on the Monday prior to publication and are subject to revision in order to meet RA standards.
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Neighborhood Watch Conference
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Saturday, Oct. 15
10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.
Free.
Neighborhood Watch Educational Workshops
You will learn:
- How to start a Neighborhood Watch
- Tips on home security and safety
- Keeping a Neighborhood Watch active
- How to recruit volunteers in your community
Brought to you by Fairfax County Police Department and Reston Association.
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Monday, Oct. 177 p.m.-9 p.m. Free. Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive. Is serving on your board stressful? Is it becoming more complicated to conduct business? Are you finding it difficult to attract owners to serve on your board? Perhaps this is a result of the economy, unemployment, tight budgets and 21st-century technology. Community associations and their boards are facing greater challenges. This program will address how these difficulties are affecting you, the likely causes and how to overcome them. The program premiered at the Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Associations Institute 2011 Conference & Expo and was so popular and timely it is being presented to our Neighborhood Association Members. Presented by industry leaders:
- Greg Brooksher, PCAM, General Manager, 22 West, a Condominium.
- Linc Cummings, CAI Founder, President, Cummings & Associates, Inc.
- Ken Ingram, Partner, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP
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Organic Gardening Lecture
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Wednesday, Oct. 197-8 p.m. Walker Nature Education Center, 11450 Glade Drive. Reservations required by Oct. 16, 2011. $5/person RA or RCC members, $8/person Non-members. For adults. Organic gardening uses landscape design and the environment to improve and maximize the health and the development of plants and soil without the use of commercial pesticides and fertilizers.This program is jointly produced by Reston Community Center and Reston Association.
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County Bicycle Open House Meeting
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Thursday, Oct. 206:30-8:30 p.m. Sunrise Valley Elementary School, 10824 Cross School Road, Reston.
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Newcomers' Night Set for Oct. 20
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Thursday, Oct. 20
7-9 p.m. Free.
Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.
New or not so new to Reston? Come learn more about Reston Association (RA) and its many services, amenities and programs. Meet RA Board members and staff and find out how you can get involved in Reston. Light refreshments will be available and door prizes will be awarded. Please RSVP to Ashleigh@reston.org or call 703-435-6577.
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October is NeighborWoods Month Weed Warriors is celebrating NeighborWoods Month. This event is made possible through support from Alliance for Community Trees and Reston Association. Weed Warriors will meet at the Old Trail Drive tot-lot on Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. to remove English Ivy as part of this month-long celebration. See more information below under our Weed Warriors section. |
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Signed Trail Update Walk
Saturday, Oct. 22
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Reston Museum, 1639 Washington Plaza, Reston.
Contact: 703-709-7700; restonmuseum@gmail.com.
Meet at Reston Museum and join Joe Stowers for a 3-mile walk and an update on Reston's signed trails between Lake Anne and Reston Town Center. All are welcome.
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How to Make a Solar Oven
Sunday, Oct. 23
1-4 p.m.
Walker Nature Education Center, 11450 Glade Drive.
Reservations required by Oct. 20.
$5/person RA members, $8/person Non-members
For ages 10 and older (Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.)
Solar ovens use sunlight as an energy source to slow cook or warm foods outdoors without the aid of electricity or other fuel source. They are primarily used in regions where there is no fuel available or a serious threat of a fire already exists. Solar ovens are also used to sterilize water and can be useful on camping trips. Participants will learn how to build a solar oven and will receive a simple recipe to prepare. Supplies will be provided. This program is jointly produced by Reston Community Center and Reston Association. Leader: Diane Blust, Sustainable Reston/Fairfax Coalition for Smarter Growth. |
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 Festival Includes Community Walk
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Sunday, Oct. 23
12-5 p.m. Free.
11790 Sunrise Valley Drive, just off Reston Parkway at The Westin Reston Heights and the Sheraton Reston.
A Help the Homeless Community Walk, which will benefit Reston Interfaith, will begin at 1:30 p.m. Take steps to help raise funds and end homelessness. Reaching a goal of 1,500 registered walkers would allow the organization to receive a $25,000 incentive from Fannie Mae.
Along with the walk, there will be live music and entertainment, food & drink, children's activities and more. Visit www.thefestivalonthesquare.com, contact Ashleigh@reston.org or call 703-435-6577 for more information. For more information on Reston Interfaith, e-mail abby.kimble@restoninterfaith.org.
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Halloween Fun at Reston Association
Tuesday, Oct. 25
10-11 a.m.
3-5 years (Children must be accompanied by an adult)
Reston Association, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive.
Fee: $3/RA Members, $6/Non-members.
Dress up in your favorite costume and join the fun with hands on activities, crafts and go trick-or-treating around the Association office. Registration is required. Payment due at the event. Contact Ashleigh@reston.org or call 703-435-6530 to register.
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Mt. Scenic Railroad Train Ride
Thursday, Oct. 27
8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
55 years and older
Fee: $55/ RA Members, $63/Non-members.
Chartered bus trip up to Cumberland, Md., for a roundtrip excursion on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Experience a mixture of mountain scenery, with the fall leaves changing. Pack a lunch for the train ride. Registration is required. Click here for registration form. Contact Ashleigh@reston.org or call 703-435-6577 for more information.
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Halloween Events Filling Up Fast
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Water Exercise Instructor Classes Wednesdays, Nov. 2, 9 and 16. 5-9 p.m. Attendance required at all sessions. Fee: $180. Location: Audrey Moore RECenter, 8100 Braddock Rd. Annandale, Va. E-mail Willa aquaticsinfo@reston.org for more details. |
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Register for CPR/AED Certification Reston Association will offer community CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), AED (automated external defibrillator) and First Aid classes. All classes are held at the RA headquarters building, 12001 Sunrise Valley Drive. Click here (then go to Aquatics) to register. |
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Fallen leaves and dead wood spread throughout the woods become an essential part of the forest's ecosystem. However, debris from our yards moved into the woods and left in dense piles takes many years to decompose. This prevents the forest from regenerating itself. Debris at the base of some larger trees may kill the trees. Now is the time to plan for composting or for proper disposal with your trash or landscape company. If appropriately located in the backyard, compost bins may not require RA Design Review Board approval. For more information call the Covenants staff at 703-435-6530 or go to the RA website.
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RA's volunteer program consists of members in our community working in a variety of capacities. Volunteers are RA's strongest line of communication with the community. Each year a diverse group of RA members donate thousands of hours to the association. Through their dedication and kindness, we are able to provide a wide range of high-quality programs, services and events that make Reston a great place to Live, Work, Play and Get Involved.
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Our native trees, ferns and wildflowers are under attack by invasive exotic plants like English Ivy, Japanese Honeysuckle and Bamboo. These fast-growing, invasive plants escape from people's yards and seriously threaten local ecosystems, taking away vital food and habitat from already stressed wildlife populations. Please spend a couple hours in our parkland protecting our forests every fourth Saturday of each month from March through November.
Time: 10 a.m.-noon.
Adults and children ages 10 and up are welcome. With young volunteers, adult chaperons are encouraged. Please wear long sleeves and long pants if you are allergic to poison ivy. RA will provide tools, gloves, snacks and water. To volunteer, contact Ha Brock, RA community outreach specialist at habrock@reston.org or by phone at 703-435-7986.
Click here to read about environmental opportunities on the RA website.

Stop the English Ivy Saturday, Oct. 22 We will return to the restoration site inside the Old Trail Drive horseshoe to remove the English Ivy. It creates a monoculture and prevents native plants from thriving. Please help restore the area. Meet at the tot-lot. You can access that natural area from a pathway on the inside of Old Trail Drive between 2368 and 2354 Old Trail Drive. There is poison ivy at this site.
Support Biodiversity
Saturday, Nov. 19
Help protect the trees at Wainwright natural area by removing the English Ivy. English Ivy is a threat to the health of trees by crowding the roots and suffocating the bark. It can break branches and kill a tree. Meet near the corner of Wainwright and North Shore Drives. Look for the RA truck. There is poison ivy at this site.
Volunteer for Fall Stream Cleanup Take part in International Coastal Cleanup Day. Do you want to make a lasting contribution to improving the health of our local streams? Tons of trash ends up in the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. Not only is this litter an eyesore, it threatens the health of the bay. You can make a difference in two ways.
Date: Oct. 22 Time: 9 a.m.- Noon Age: All ages welcome
Locations - Snakeden Branch (upper): Meet at Hunters Woods Village Center. - Snakeden Branch (middle): Meet at Soapstone Road. - Nature House: Meet at the Pavilion. - Colvin Run: Meet at Tall Oaks Pool. - Stevenage Road: Meet at Reston North Park. Volunteer for Site Leader for Fall Stream Cleanup Hours: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Responsibilities
- Pick up supplies at RA Central Services Facility.
- Meet and register volunteers.
- Present a short safety speech, provided by RA. - Hand out supplies. - Ensure volunteers work safely and responsibly. - Return supplies and tally sheets at the end of project. - Must have a cell phone.

Help Monitor Streams
Ages: Must be 16 years old or older.
Fall Session: Oct. 1-Nov. 30.
Become a volunteer stream monitor and help RA assess the health of our streams at several sites. If you are willing to learn, can work with a partner, enjoy data collection, wildlife identification and are interested in the health of Reston's streams, this is the job for you. Volunteering consists of four monitoring sessions of three to four hours each for a total of 12-16 hours per year. Training and practice are required and a two-year commitment is encouraged. For more information join the volunteer monitors' e-mail notification list by sending an e-mail to Brian Petty, Watershed Specialist at bpetty@reston.org with "Add me to the Stream Monitors list" in the message.
Halloween Volunteers Needed
Oct. 28-Oct. 29, rain or shine.
Volunteer hours: 4:30-9:30 p.m
Walker Nature Education Center, 11450 Glade Drive.
Note: There will be a mandatory volunteer orientation at the Nature Center on Friday, Oct. 21 from 6-7 p.m.
Click here for more information or contact Ha Brock, RA community outreach specialist II, at habrock@reston.org or call 703-435-7986. Volunteers must be pre-registered to help with this event.
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