The birds are chirping and the umbrellas are up- Spring has arrived on Lake Anne Plaza! The patios are open and diners are enjoying lake breezes as they eat great food and take in the ambiance that can only be found in our funky little corner of Reston.

This Saturday marks Bob Simon’s 99th birthday!  Be sure to come out and join us for our Annual Founder’s Day event. The Reston Museum has put together a great Reston site hunt with great prizes to a few lucky participants.

The markets open on May 4th and this year promises to be our biggest yet! The Farmer’s Market will include a Chesapeake Bay Waterman who will be selling fresh sea food and the Craft Market has some 70 applications on hand! It’s hard to park but worth the struggle! Hope to see you all soon.

The waters of Lake Anne is freezing up nicely in preparation for the annual Freezin for Reason Polar Plunge held Feb 2^nd  at 2:00 PM. So don those crazy costumes and join your friends and neighbors to assist in raising money for a super worthy cause; Camp Sunshine the beneficiary of this event sends families with seriously ill children to camp for a week of fun family time away from stress and strain and anxiety of  life threatening illness.

It’s cold outside but there’s still plenty going on at Lake Anne. Drop in to any of the restaurants for a meal to ward off the chill; watch Hockey at Kalypsos’ drop in for music on Saturday night at Jasmine Café, or Open Mic on Tuesdays at Café Montmartre. Don’t be a stranger!

Don’t miss a great chance to get the perfect unique gifts for friends and family at the Jingle on Lake Anne this Saturday December 8^th from 11:00 – 2:00. The artist and crafters will be out in full force and we might even have a Farmer or two for this final Saturday of the Market season.

We’ll be decorating Ginger Bread Cookies and making Christmas & Chanukah ornaments. Santa sails in by barge at 12:00 so be ready to share your holiday wishes our very own Lake Anne Santa.

Fall is upon us at Lake Anne Plaza. The Open Air Craft Market and a group of  8 -10 Farmers will be staying for the extended market the extended market runs from Nov 10 – Dec 8. There’s plenty of produce and baked goods, great crafts the extended market culminates on December 8^th when we hold the Jingle on Lake Anne.

The restaurants and merchants are serving up some great Fall fare with Wine tastings at Lake Anne Florist, and great savory specials at Jasmine Cafe.

Cafe Montmartre is dusting things up with a little interior work, it looks like it’s going to very pretty; come in to see the new look.

It’s amazing how fast the Summer has flown by. It’s been a lovely, albeit, HOT Summer on Lake Anne. The lake has been low but the flowers are blooming and the boats are still paddling– though we’d love some rain to fill our lake! There’s still lots of fun to be had. The Farmer’s & Craft Market are going strong, with a great mix of vendors. We have a few more musical guests that will be performing on Saturday in front of Reston’s Used Book Shop.

This September 22 is the Multi-Cultural Festival, a great event that includes a Naturalization  Ceremony; if you’ve never seen someone become a citizen we recommend seeing this very moving event. The first Saturday of October is the Lake Anne Jazz Festival. This year we are featuring vocalist from around the region. Our headliner is Rashida Jolley- amazing jazz harpist and vocalist from Washington DC. Check our facebook page for more details on both events.

In the interim drop in and say hi to our newest merchant New Family Naturals, purveyor of a manner of healthy, organic juices in amazing flavorful combinations. You can also buy a few basic staples like eggs and butter. Welcome New Family Naturals!

We admit that our first Ukulele Festival was held with more than a little tongue in check campy fun. We were surprised by the turnout especially given the pouring rain. But once the music started we understood. This was way more than novelty- this was some serious craftsmanship. Since then we’ve been proud to serve as a venue for those that play and those that appreciate this charming 4 string pixie.

This year’s Ukulele Festival has a great lineup of artists. Victoria Vox returns as the headliner with great supporting acts that range from the traditional Hawaiian to Swing and Jazz. Bruce Hutton, Kathy & Marv Reitz, Lelehunna, Pat Quinn & Gina DeSimone, Sweater Set, Aloha Boys and the Paul Hemmings Uketet round out a great day of music.

The music starts at11:00. We’ll have a beer garden with brews by local brew master Lost Rhino. Arts & Craft vendors and of course the shops and restaurants of your hosts, LakeAnnePlaza. Come by for a full day of good music, good food, beer and fun.

SaturdayJuly 14, 201211:00 – 5:30

Performance Schedule

11: 00  - Bruce Hutton

11: 40 - Kathy & Marv Reitz

12:20 - Lelehuna

1:00 - Pat Quinn & Gina DeSimone

1:40 - Sweater Set

2:20 – Aloha  Boys

3:00 - Paul Hemmings Uketet

3:55 - Victoria Vox

5: 00 Open Jam lead by Gordon Velasco

Everyone welcome to join in!

It makes perfect sense that Lake Anne would be the location of a fabulous piece of site-situated art that includes a performance-art piece! Art has been at the heart of Lake Anne’s origins, it was built into our design from the beginning. Sculptures by James Rossant and Gonzola Fonceca were designed in place rather than being added later.

The Installation of the temporary art exhibit called Out of Place will begin on Saturday April 21st and will officially open on April 23rd with the performance component taking place at 7:30 on April 28th. The performance on the 28th will include a talk-back with the performers and designer following the performance. Come down to see the this glowing specter floating on the lake, it’s going to be lovely.

Wow! It’s only early March and we’re thinking about busting out the umbrellas on Lake Anne. Today all the restaurants had their patios open for out door dining. There’s also lots going on around the Plaza.

March is Virginia Wine Month. Lake Anne Florist Virginia Gourmet is holding all manner of wine tastings and has some great deals on some wonderful VA Vino. The Reston Museum is preparing for Founder’s Day. It’s hard to imagine that Robert E. Simon will be 98 years old this April.

The Friday Night Jazz Series at Café Montmartre has been extended. We’ve had a great range of music from Brazilian to straight ahead Jazz.

All of the Plaza restaurants have something going on—from Tuesday Trivia at Kalypso’s, music at Café Montmartre, a Saturday serenade at Jasmine Café and great heat all week from Singh Thai.

The umbrellas will be up and out on the Plaza beginning April 1 and not long after that the Saturday Markets will open the first Saturday in May. Check the calendar and our Lake Anne Fan page for the most current information!

Reston, Virginia is for lovers, (Four Square and our tourist bureau says so.) Tomorrow is Valentines Day and we think that Lake Anne is the perfect place to take your sweetheart for a little wooing and we hope swooning.

Our little burg by the lake has so many charms. Dinners by candle light, soft music, great food. What could be better for setting the mood? Jasmine Cafe for intimate murmurs, Singh Thai for the Spice, Cafe Montmartre for Jazz, and Kalypsos for dancing; so many choices, so much to adore.

Need a gift for your sweetheart? The Reston Museum has something to ward off the chill. There’s ware-able art, beautiful shawls and capes to snuggle and thrill. Maybe poetry from the Book Shop, sonnets and verse to convince and to lure. We have hand crafted chocolates  and flowers galore, and cupcakes and cookies and oh so much more!  Craft beer for him, a fine Viognier for her?

Should your evening end with a tender embrace, we have Small Change and Baby Blossoms to attend to your tiny addition; inspired and assisted by this great gathering place.

Well it finally happen—Winter did  get here. There’s still  fun stuff happening on Lake Anne Plaza. Here’s a quick run down of what’s up.

On February 4^th from1:00 – 3:00 those crazy jumpers will be plunging once again into the frigid waters of Lake Anne in their quest to raise money for Camp Sunshine; an organization that sends kids with life threatening illness and their families to camp for a week. It’s worth the trip to see the crazy costumes. Even if you aren’t plunging come out and support the Virginia Polar Plunge and those that are making the jump. Afterwards, or before warm up with a good meal at any of our wonderful restaurants. Jasmine Cafe will have a variety of  Brunch specials. Also a special thanks to Jasmine Cafe  & Chef Eduardo Faubert who will be providing warm up meals for all of the jumpers.

Every day & night of the week there is something to do and bargains to be had; Small Change Consignment Shop is running their Winter Sale with many items 50% off! A sure sign that Spring is one the way.

Kalypso’s Sports Bar has something going on every night of the week.

• Monday – Service Industry Night – Do you work in the restaurant business?  We’ve got specials for you!
• Tuesday – Team Trivia – come and play even if you’re no good. It’s lot of fun.
• Wednesday – Karaoke Night
• Thursday – International Night – DJ dance the night away
• Friday – Live music night!
• Saturday – more dancing!
• Sunday – all Sports all the time.

Café Montmartre is running a wonderful Friday Night Jazz series through March and maybe beyond if it continues to be successful; so far so good!

The Reston Museum has a program full of great exhibits and speakers on a number of topics.

I can’t cover everything, but I have to mention the sweets, I have heard that from time to time “The CupCake Ladi” has something called a cannoli cupcake; rumor has it that they are amazing. If chocolate is your thing: Chesapeake Chocolates, amazing handcrafted treats that are perfect for soothing a chocolate desire.

Finally- for those of you that cannot stand to leave the house on these cold winter nights. Just call Singh Thai because they will deliver right to your door!