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From left, Patricia Stevens, executive director of the Fairfax County Office of Public and
Private Partnerships and Visit Fairfax President and CEO Barry Biggar speak to Reston
residents at the Reston Community Center Lake Anne about ways to increase awareness
of Lake Anne.
Bringing Business, People to Lake Anne
Residents
discuss way to
improve Lake
Anne “brand.”
By Alex McVeigh
The Connection
Members of the Fairfax
County Office of Public
and Private Partnerships
(OP3) and Visit Fairfax held
a discussion on ways to attract
more visitors and businesses to
Lake Anne. During the meeting,
which took place at the Reston
Community Center Lake Anne,
guests discussed things they believe
would make Lake Anne more
of a destination.
“One of the biggest chances Lake
Anne has is to reach people that
might come here for one thing, but
get something else out of it,” said
Patricia Stevens, executive director
of OP3. “For example, there are
dozens of hairdressers and nail
salons in this area, but none where
you can get your nails or hair done
and look out on a lake.
Stevens said they are looking at
opportunities that can start almost
immediately, such as creating
some sort of package that allows
people to come for a day, get nails
done, explore the local area and
then have dinner all while at Lake
Anne.
EVE THOMPSON, head of the
www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Lake Anne Merchants Committee,
says they have strategies in place
to help market and promote businesses
in Lake Anne, but they are
still looking for businesses to fill
the vacancies.
“We’ve got a beautiful vacancy
right on the corner of the ‘J’, and
we have plans to support them
with graphics, designs and
signage,” she said. “We just need
ways to let more people know
about this place.”
Beatrice Shields, a 40-year
Reston resident, said she would
“Reston Town
Center has a brand,
how do we create
that same brand?”
— Ken Knueven, Reston
Association Lake Anne/Tall
Oaks director
like to see Lake Anne to host attractions
that would be closer to
home for many Restonians.
“How about making some sort
of foreign film night? I have passes
for the Fairfax Cinema, but they’re
a year old, because I don’t want
to go that far,” she said. “What
about having something like a foreign
film night, then maybe some
sort of discount deal for dinner at
a restaurant here. That would be
a great way to bring people to Lake
Anne for an entire evening.”
Ken Knueven, Reston Associa-
tion Lake Anne/Tall Oaks director,
said his time working the Reston
Association booth at the Reston
Festival gave him some ideas.
“I spent two days in the RA
booth, and there were a lot of
people from Reston Town Center,
but also a lot from Chantilly, Arlington
and some from as far as
South Carolina. But they were all
together at Reston Town Center at
that time,” he said. “I think Lake
Anne can get the low-hanging
fruit, but we need to know how to
get those people from Chantilly,
Alexandria, Ashburn to come to
Lake Anne. Reston Town Center
has a brand, how do we create that
same brand?”
VISIT FAIRFAX is a nonprofit
organization funded 100 percent
by the hotel tax, whose mission is
to enhance economic and social
growth through marketing and
promotion. According to Visit
Fairfax, Fairfax County brought in
$2.406 billion in tourism in 2006,
which is about 40 percent of
Virginia’s overall tourist income.
Visit Fairfax President and CEO
Barry Biggar says that Lake Anne’s
architecture, history and geography
could make it a destination
within Reston.
“Tourism is an amazing industry
to take advantage of, and Lake
Anne is a compelling destination
for many reasons,” Biggar said.
“But for a lot of people who come
to Reston, especially on business,
they never see anything outside of
Reston Town Center.”
Photo by Alex McVeigh/The Connection
On a warm summer evening, June 22, Officer Austin,
Smokey and their colleague Herndon Police Officer
Mark Fraser do a training exercise in Herndon with
the “bite sleeve” working through several criminal
apprehension scenarios.
Dogs Assist Officers
After a successful training exercise in the international
arrivals section of Dulles Airport, Sheriff, a
Customs and Customs and Border Protection narcotics
detection dog, chews on his reward on June 3.
Sheriff trains with his handler Officer Damina
Notnagle every day.
On June 3, as international passengers are traveling
through Customs at Dulles Airport, Hudson, an
agriculture detector dog with the Customs and Customs
and Border Protection, and his handler Officer
Jennifer Jones inspect luggage to make sure they are
not bringing fruits, vegetables or meats into the
country from abroad.
Reston Connection ❖ July 27- August 2, 2011 ❖ 3
Photos by Deb Cobb/The Connection