Summer is on the wane and the kids shows are coming to an end for the Season. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 11:00 A.M through the Summer the area under the Sycamores on the Plaza is transformed into a stage. This Thursday is our final performance for the season.

Here, performances of Jugglers, One-man bands, Clowns, Magicians and more entertain young children, their families and camp groups. It’s a varied and talented group of performers and the crowds of kids have a great time. Favorites include the Unicycle Lady who is very talented at running circles in and around the audience while juggling and joking and Amazing Phil who’s most amazing act is sword swallowing – not to be believed!

These free children’s performances are sponsored by the Lake Anne Merchant’s Committee and have been a tradition on the Lake Anne Plaza for twenty years!

View from inside the CupCake Ladi's Shop

No one at Lake Anne Plaza was surprised that “The CupCake Ladi” swept the very first Reston Rivals Challenge. The friendly competition was put on by Reston Patch. It was initially limited to Reston Town Center cupcake bakers Red Velvet and Edibles Incredible but community pressure persuaded Patch to open it up to include CCL.

With a handicap of two days without being able to collect reviews CCL came from behind in a blaze of lemon zest and blew past the competition with 63 reviews! Red Velvet came in at 42, and Edible Incredible came in with 1.

CCL has been a  wonderful addition to Lake Anne Plaza. Her small shop is located on the Quay down by the high rise at the far end of the Plaza. She has already leased the shop next door and will be expanding her shop to include an on premises bakery. “The CupCake Ladi” is deeply committed to a number of philanthropic pursuits including Reston Interfaith, animal and children related charities, she has a serious soft spot for those that need a hand; a percentage of each cupcake sale goes to support her various causes.

Little boats big fun!

It’s regatta time at Lake Anne, so bust out the yacht and come on down. Those crazy captains of the miniature yachts will be doing battle against the fickle seas of Lake Anne in the 5^th Annual Lake Anne Regatta. Pitted against nature the captains will battle high winds, Canada Geese and the occasional Snapping Turtle as they duke it out for fame and glory.

The Northern Virginia Yacht Club sail regularly at Lake Anne, you can usually find them on the 2^nd Sunday of the month. The 4^th Sunday is a fun day where you will find all different types of radio controlled boats on the water being handled by beginners and veterans alike. On Fun Days feel free to ask questions and don’t be surprised if the Captain turns over the remote to the boat to let you try it for yourself!

1st race is at 10:00 am and will continue until about 3:00 pm.

This Saturday’s sail will include a raffle for a Victoria class model yacht and music by Lucia & Levi.

The 2nd Annual Ukulele Festival will take place on July 9th down on Lake Anne Plaza. This year’s line up includes blues artist Del Rey and features special guests Grammy Award winning Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink. Also in the mix are The Aloha Boys, The Sweater Set & Hoa Mele Wakinekona. For the complete schedule go to the Lake Anne Fan Page! The festival will also include a Beer Garden hosted by local brewery Port City Brewery and a wine bar by Unicorn Winery, so bring a lawn chair and settle in for a great afternoon.

Later that day the Plaza will be host to the Lake Anne Reunion Group—also known as “I grew up on Lake Anne in the 70’s.” LAR as they are affectionately known will be descending on Lake Anne from all over the July 9th weekend. As a part of their entertainment they have a concert featuring the Curb Feelers and Jeff Smith and the band of Steves beginning at 6:00 pm. The beer garden will be open until 8:00 pm.

Saturday’s Schedule:

11:00 – Hoa Mele Wakinekona

11:35 – Sweater Set

12:15 – Bruce Hutton

12:55 – Marcy’s Potted Plants

1:35 – The Aloha Boys

2:15 – Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer

3:25 – Del Rey

4:30 – Open Jam – Participation Welcome!

Lake Anne Reunion Concert

6:00 – Curb Feelers

7:30 – Jeff Smith and the Band of Steves.

Don’t miss this great day of great music!

Setting up for the market

  The 2011 Market Season is only 3 weeks old and things are already jumping! The Farmers are 26 vendors strong and the Crafters are at 40+ and growing. The energy level has been awesome and vendors have been reporting solid sales from new and repeat customers. 

The Open Air Market is sporting wonderful diversity—everything from live Orchids to products made from the silky coats of Alpaca.  We even have cooking  classes being conducted by Big Red Kitchen! Proprietor Robin Joss makes use of the fresh products found in the Farmer’s Market and then teaches you how to turn it into culinary magic—right on the Plaza!

There is all sorts of music happening during the market. The Farmers have “Split String Soup” performing most Saturdays—a great mix of bluegrass and acoustic rock; Bieto our resident pan flute and guitar player can often be heard in front of La Villa Market. Down by the Pharmacy you can hear a variety of musicians at the Lake Anne Open Mic.

If you are a vendor check us out!  We can handle up to 65 vendors so there is room left–we are especially interested in Indie-clothing designers and unique accessories as well as specialty food products. Current vendors that make a referral of a quality vendor to the market will receive one week of free rent. The only catch is that you have to like them well enough to have them as your neighbor.

Visitors–don’t miss this amazing location-Lake Anne is Reston’s original village center and is home to small, locally owned businesses. Come, shop, enjoy the sights, have a great meal, buy a bottle of  VA wine from Lake Anne Florist & Virginia Gourmet, find a treasure in Reston’s Used Book Shop, a handcrafted toy from Small Change Children’s Consignment–a wonderful way to spend a Saturday.

Spring is springing out all over Lake Anne Plaza—the flower boxes are out and ready for planting, and it’s finally been warm enough to dine outside. The Saturday Markets all open May 7^th and on May 8^thwe will have a special event as we join our neighbors the Tzu Chi Foundation in celebrating their 45^th Anniversary Celebration. This year’s celebration will include Buddha’s birthday ceremony which should be fascinating. 

This year the celebration will include Buddha’s birthday ceremony as well as a green/veggie expo that will promote environmental sustainability strategies and healthy lifestyles.  We will also celebrate Mother’s Day with various activities.  Light vegetarian refreshments will be served throughout the celebration.

The Tzu Chi Foundation invites you to attend our 45^thAnniversary Celebration in Lake Anne Village Center (Washington Plaza W, Reston, VA 20190) on Sunday, May 8, 2011 from 10 am to 2 pm.

So grab your mom and come for brunch or lunch, enjoy a Tea Ceremony and stroll the Plaza.

 Happy Mother’s Day!

No fooling, April 1 is FRUB’s birthday and he’s ready to celebrate! Bring the kids in to Reston’s Used Book Shop this weekend for special treats and to help FRUB kick-off his birthday month sale: buy one Humor book and get the second FREE (same or lesser value) all month!

For RUBS and Lake Anne Facebook Fans, be on the look out throughout April for your chance to save 10% on your purchases. FRUB has been wandering around the plaza…guess where he is in the pictures to get your discount.

We love March Madness! The excitement over our favorite tournament is spilling over onto the Plaza. Join us for Hoops for Hope, a benefit for the Embry Rucker Community Shelter—Reston Interfaith. This is going to be fun for the whole family! We’ve got activities, food, and a fantastic raffle!

When: March 26, 2011 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Where: Lake Anne Village Center
Featuring:

• Moon Bounce Basketball
• The South Lakes Girls Basketball Program
• Lake Anne Plaza Raffle
• Hula Hoops Sale & Contests
• Food, fun, prizes and more!

Join the Group Hoop to find out how many people can hula hoop at one time on the Plaza!

Raffle Tickets are On Sale Now!

The Lake Anne Merchants have put together a fantastic gift basket to raise money—valued at more than $300!
Tickets are $3.00 or 4 for $10.00. You can buy them at Lake Anne Florist and Chesapeake Chocolates.

So far, the gift baskets contains:

• Two Prints valued at $45.00 each (Patricia Macintyre)
• 6 Organic CupCakes, 6 Chocolate Decadence Organic Cookies (The CupCake Ladi)
• Gift Certificate valued at $20.00 (Singh Thai)
• Two tickets to your choice Center Stage Event (Reston Community Center)
• One pound of delicious chocolates (Chesapeake Chocolates)
• Champagne and Hubs Peanuts (Lake Anne Florist and Virginia Wine & Gourmet)
• The book A New Town Reston and Mug (Reston Museum)
• Values of the Game by Bill Bradley and $25 Gift Certificate (Reston’s Used Book Shop)
• 3 Kite Kits (smallchange)
• 2 hand painted champagne glasses (Mike and Janice Miller)

Spring is in the air, and it is the perfect time to sample some wonderful Virginia wines! Our March Free Virginia Wine Tasting is hosted by Pearmund Cellars. Pearmund will feature five of their fine Wines: the 2007 Vin de Sol, 2009 Old Vine Chardonnay, 2009 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Ameritage and their 2009 Viognier. Don’t miss this great evening!

Substantial Discounts given for purchases or orders placed for these wines at the Tasting.
Door Prize! Plenty of Parking. Great restaurants at nearby for dining after the tasting.

When:
Thursday March 10, 2011
5:30PM – 7:30PM
Where: Lake Anne Florist, Virginia Wine & Gourmet
Address:
11426 Washington Plaza West Lake Anne Center
Reston, Virginia 20190
Phone: 703-437-8686
E-mail: laflorist@aol.com
Website: www.lakeanneflowerws.com
~Call for directions (GPS will take you in the back way)~

On February 3 at 5:30 come sample some fabulous Virginia wines at our monthly Free Wine Tasting! This month’s tasting is co-hosted by Miracle Valley Vineyards and Casanel Vineyards. We’ll be sampling Casanel Vineyards Viognier and Norton along with Miracle Valley Vineyards’ Cabernet Franc and Symphony – a red dessert wine which will be accompanied by chocolate samples, hand made on site by Chesapeake Chocolates. All of this just in time for Valentine’s Day. Substantial discounts given for purchasing or ordering these wines at the tasting. Surprise door prize. Plenty of Free parking.
When:
February 3, 2011
5:30PM – 7:30PM
Where: Lake Anne Florist, Virginia Wine & Gourmet
Address:
11426 Washington Plaza West Lake Anne Center
Reston, Virginia 20190
Phone: 703-437-8686
E-mail: laflorist@aol.com
Website: www.lakeanneflowerws.com