Casinopocalypse Never: Developer Denies Interest in Reston, Herndon Casino, Nosiree Bob! (Simon)

 

No one:
Absolutely no one:
Comstock: We never wanted to build a casino in your stupid town anyway.

The fancypants casino bill has been dead (for now) for almost a month, and developer Comstock just issued a public statement saying nosiree, we never thought about building a giant casino entertainment project in Reston or Herndon, why would anyone think that, silly rabbits?

To be fair, Comstock probably felt compelled to issue the statement because an Action McNews teevee story conflated two unrelated events in our neighbor to the west, Herndon. At the same time as town officials were considering tweaking zoning requirements to make it difficult to build a casino there, ultimately deciding to try to simply prohibit them outright, they were dealing with another Comstock-related issue: Herndon is suing the company to get back the land for a fancy downtown development project the company backed out of in 2024. And the teevee people combined the two into one story, as they often do given the limited time between mattress commercials, and hence the public statement.

Give us some good public statement blockquote:

Contrary to what has been reported or speculated, Comstock has never pursued the approvals necessary for a casino development anywhere on the Silver Line outside of Tysons. The reason is straightforward: our concept for what this type of destination development should look like, what it should include, and how it should function is simply not compatible with a residential neighborhood.

Alrighty then! We'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but let's be perfectly clear, as the kids politicians said as recently as a decade ago: While Comstock didn't author it, the language in the original casino bill proposed back in ought-twenty-three by Sen. David Marsden (D-Burke) and Del. Wren Williams (R-Stuart) that Comstock supported included some very specific legalese about the location of any proposed casino that was still somehow nonspecific enough to make both Tysons and Reston possibilities, though that later got narrowed to Tysons (and then expanded back to include just about anywhere) during this year's legislative deliberations. So another company, if not them, could have built it here if that language had held and the bill passed. 

But we're glad that Comstock put their commitment to keep casinos away from residential neighborhoods in writing for all to see. If only some other equine-adjacent developers could do the same thing instead of poking around some moldy sixty-year-old property plats, we'd all be a lot happier, the end.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Herndon is Apparently Big Game Country, Just Barely

It's been a while since we've chronicled the exploits of our friendly neighbor to the west, in large part because we haven't chronicled much of anything of late the arrival of Metro has made the town a less distinctive part of the much larger, more uniform sprawly "Dulles Corridor," whatever that is.

But we digress! Yesterday, we learned that the town, despite its easy access to the Silver Line and some fun artisanal tunnels, is officially bear country! Grab your tranquilizer gun and read some good nature time blockquote from our BFFs at Channel 4:

A black bear who spent hours in a tree on a busy street in Herndon, Virginia, on Monday was safely captured and taken to Shenandoah National Park, wildlife officials said.

The ordeal prompted a crowd of onlookers to gather nearby — even as police told residents to keep their distance.

Herndon police blocked off the 800 block of Elden Street around 3:30 p.m. in both directions after the male bear was spotted in the tree. Earlier in the day, residents saw him roaming their yards in a neighborhood.

The police dubbed the bear "Elden," because why not, it's fun. 

So long, Elden, we hardly knew you!

Update: Turns out it's not just unruly undomesticated mammals who appreciate our neighbor to the west.  HOA-hating posters on the Face Books apparently do too:

Words to Live By

Good advice at all times, but especially now, when there's construction and the possibility of a fancy 97-story casino to ensnare all the GS-17s with honeypots to convince them to divulge critical national security secrets about how exactly we strap bombs to dolphins, and, wedunno, lame slot machines and traffic and midscale retail options in Fairfax County's Emerald City, or Paris, or whatever we're calling it these days, the end.

Your Name Here: Metro Naming Rights Only The Tip of The Earth-Toned Iceberg

We were VERY excited to hear that Metro, in its infinite wisdom, is devoting time and attention to addressing longstanding maintenance and operational issues that have transformed a world-class transit system into an unreliable laughingstock selling the naming rights for the Innovation Center Metro Station in nearby Herndon, if you consider an upside-down building next to a giant gravel pit "Herndon." Give us some sweet meeting minutes blockquote, BFFs at Reston Now:

"A unique and time-sensitive opportunity has arisen where a Fortune Global 500 Company, currently in negotiations to lease headquarters adjacent to the new Innovation Center Metro station has expressed interest in being the corporate sponsor for this new station,” the Metro documents said.

Awesome! We love Brands(tm), so we see no downside to this. But why stop there? After all, Reston's Silver Line Metro stops are named after a corporation too, and a long-defunct one at that. This seems like a golden opportunity to draw in some other Fortune 500 companies to make some sweet cash "revitalize Reston's brand," or whatever.

Here are a few humble suggestions:

WIEHLE-RESTON EAST:
• Comstock-Comstock East
• HQ 0
• Maggie Parker For Supervisor Stop, But Anyone Else Is Welcome To Name This Station Too, Maybe
• McTacoPupatella, Pending Further Redevelopment
• Hidden Creek Golf Course (short-term lease for naming rights)

RESTON TOWN CENTER:
• Boston Not-So-Strong Properties
• TBD - winner of an unmanipulated naming contest which will have NOTHING to do with parking
• Wegmans North
• Nail Salon-Candle Bar South
• Restonian Dot Org World Headquarters*
• Reston National Golf Course (short-term lease for naming rights)

* Assuming they open the eligibility criteria to Fortune 500,000,000 companies

And let's not forget the "Herndon" stop, which is actually right across the street from Reston's Polo Fields neighborhood. But since it's unlikely the Polo Fields HOA will be able to scrape together the cash for the naming rights, there's really only one option here: Jimmy's South, the end.

Update: The Metro board has pulled the discussion on naming rights pending further discussions with Fairfax County. We're reasonably certain they're considering some of the options listed above.

Save the Giant Beige Band-Aid! Fundraiser to Preserve Fossilized Remnants of Early Reston History Underway at Lake Anne Plaza

Reston's earliest settlers were clearly giants. We don't mean that figuratively, even though they took a giant leap of faith moving deep into the Virginia countryside to townhouses nowhere near a town, ultimately supporting a new model of suburban living that had worldwide influence. Judging by the giant bandage, eye dropper, and utensils that were on the wall of the former Lakeside Pharmacy at Lake Anne Plaza, they must have been approximately 25 to 30 feet tall. Pictures don't lie, folks!

Earlier this year, the iconic decorations were taken off the wall of the former pharmacy, which closed in 2014. The space is in the process of being converted into an exercise spot and some sort of beauty salon, neither of which apparently will offer oversized novelty cutlery and eyedroppers.

Our freakishly large forefathers' loss is history's gain, though. The Reston Historic Trust and Museum is currently conducting a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise $15,000 to permanently display the mutant icons near the entrance to the Plaza. Give us some good fundraising blockquote, Reston Museum BFFs:

In order to preserve these loved icons, the Lake Anne Reston Condominium Association donated the icons to the Reston Historic Trust & Museum in July 2018. On July 17, 2018, the icons were removed by Capitol Museum Services, known for quality work in custom exhibit fabrication and installation. Capitol Museum Services has placed the icons in storage until they can be reinstalled in a new location on the Plaza. The installation is being designed by Jeanne Krohn who designed the Reston Historic Trust & Museum’s exhibits.

We think it is imperative that these icons remain on the plaza at Lake Anne. Last year Lake Anne Village Center was named a national historic district and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The icons are an important part of Lake Anne Village Center’s history, representing an original store that conducted business here for nearly 50 years and the public art which was a hallmark of the new community.

The New York graphic design firm of Chermayeff and Geismar (now Chermayeff, Geismar & Haviv), was hired by Whittlesey & Conklin, the architects of the plaza, and together they treated the storefronts on the plaza as a form of public art. While the main purpose of the Lakeside Pharmacy icons was advertising, the icons are characteristic of the 1960s Pop Art aesthetic and reflected Bob Simon’s wish for fun and whimsical artwork on the plaza. Chermayeff and Geismar were also responsible for creating the logos for NBC and PBS.

Lest you think that these oversized novelty items are less historically significant than a teevee network logo seen by hundreds of millions of people over multiple decades, consider this important piece of evidence:

They were such landmarks they were included on the cover of the Official Reston Resident's Handbook, which our plastic fantastic planned community's early settlers presumably had to memorize on pain of excommunication, possibly to (shudder) Herndon.

Beyond Reston, though, the fancypants elite intelligentsia didn't appreciate the intrusion of commerce into the concrete brutalist playground that Bob Simon gave them, as was made perfectly clear by devoting exactly one (1) sentence of a lengthy article on Lake Anne's sculptures to the decorations:

Pretty sick burn for the pre-Twitter era TBH.

But by preserving these items in amber forever, we can own the libs brutaletists. Joke's on you, fancypants art types!

As of Monday, the Reston Museum has raised $400 of its $15,000 goal, so clicky clicky on the GoFundMe link if you're so inclined. Our future, presumably much taller, Reston residents will thank you, the end.

HHS, South Lakes Students Hold Walkouts To Protest Florida Shootings

Several hundred students from both area high schools staged walkouts today, part of a national protest in the wake of last week's shootings at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Fortunately for "web loggers" like us, the kids were on the Twitters, as they do.

From South Lakes High School:

moment of silence for the victims of the florida shooting in our walkout today at South Lakes High School. We will fight to put an end to gun violence. We will not stop until we are heard. #wewantchange @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Sv6uQGAGAh

— Camille (@camidenny) February 21, 2018

Walkout at South Lakes High School https://t.co/tqWSqXdCUp

— Sagal Yusuf (@sagalyusuf1) February 21, 2018

From Herndon High School, whose principal sent out an email following last week's shooting about a threat of its own:

Herndon High School students standing in solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/cxvW1TKeKH

— Cheo (@LegitLevy) February 21, 2018

Herndon High School calls for #GunControlNOW #NEVERAGAIN @schoolwalkoutUS pic.twitter.com/jkoV6QiP4o

— Mac Leong #NEVERAGAIN (@xBlackEnigma) February 21, 2018

Herndon High School - VA

We DID that@studentswalkout #StudentWalkout #schoolwalkout pic.twitter.com/aN7h3fkv0P

— sheesh (@Hehaa19) February 21, 2018

Of course, the usual suspects commentators at Reston Now are treating the walkouts as the democratic exercises of free speech that they are:

Stay classy, Reston. Stay classy.

We're #16! Reston Ranked Top 'Creative-Class City', Herndon Ranked Perfectly Fine Milquetoast Suburb

It was only a matter of time after the food trucks started circling: Reston has been named one of the top "creative class" cities in the country. So says the Washington Post "news paper", which points out that the D.C. region has the largest concentration of annoying hipsters "creative class" workers, which "includes not only artists, but also scientists and other highly educated professionals."

Topping the list is Cupertino, California, where they make those, whazzitcalled, iPods. Tysons (or McLean) ranked #3, probably because of all the cornhole and table tennis. Also on the list are Bethesda, Potomac, Arlington, and North Bethesda.

Our favorite correspondent, The Peasant From Less Sought After South Reston, gloats: "Between all those bomb-strapped dolphins and Reston: The Opera, how could we not have made this list?"

Meanwhile, in our neighbors to the west, they're bragging about being ranked the third-best Virginia suburb -- you know, one of those bland, boring places where nothing ever happens. Also on the list are Falls Church (zzzz), Vienna (zzzz), Leesburg (zzzz), Williamsburg (which was last lively around 1776), Manassas Park (whose charms we've documented before)... and the list goes on, but honestly our eyes glazed over once we got to Chesapeake.

But don't worry: Our neighbors aren't jealous of our creative-class ways. In a recent article about plans for a fancy downtown redevelopment (maybe yet another expansion of Jimmy's Old Town Tavern?), town officials the article flatly declared: "There is no threat of Herndon morphing into another Reston."

Ain't that the truth.

Are You Urban Chic, An Enterprising Professional, Or Top Tier? Depends On Where In Reston You Live

Reston prides itself on its diversity, but in the cold world of marketing analytics, we all fall into one of five demographic segments. YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIMILATED. But are you urban chic? An enterprising professional? Top tier? Depends on what Zip code you call home and what market segment your psychometrics have bound you to, inexorably, with no choice of appeal or mobility. Unless, you know, you move to another Zip code, like maybe in "Great" Falls or something.

"Enterprising Professionals" can be found in all of Reston's Zip codes, and they represent the largest segments of both "the 20190" and "the 20191," as the kids probably never said, not even once, in jest. Trying to find yourself? HERE'S WHO YOU ARE:


MAJOR ERROR. Obviously they meant the Macaroni Grill instead of the Cheesecake Factory. As for gambling, we do that every time we pass the paint section at Home Depot and start looking wistfully at the fuchsia tones. Also, does "web logging" count as a STEM occupation?

Also, apparently all the Olds Golden Years types live in 20190, presumably in houses along Lake Anne that used to have those bead curtains in the place of actual working doors.


20190 is also, annoyingly, home to a third group called "Laptops and Lattes," but we're pretty sure they all live within a two-block radius of the Starbucks in Reston Town Center:


EDGY.

But let's say you live in 20194, aka North Reston, where the sky is bluer, the streets are wider, the people are happier, etc. etc. Then chances are you are Urban Chic:


That "sophisticated lifestyle" obviously doesn't involve mingling at the dog park.

But North and South Reston are also home to the 1 percent Top Tier, presumably in the McMansions that surround Reston proper. What are they like?


Wow, they're just like us. We love opera too!

Herndon's not all that different -- except that its second-largest group is "Savvy Suburbanites," which says that "late-model SUVs, station wagons, and minivans may be in our driveways." Could be worse -- they could have to rock the Ford Foci, like the rest of us, the end.

With Layoffs, Will Patch Wither on the Vine?

Pour one out for our BFFs at Reston Patch and Herndon Patch, both of whom were laid off yesterday in a massive downsizing of the nationwide network of local news websites, after AOL sold a big chunk of the business. No one seems to know exactly how many journalists were eliminated, but both of our local editors confirmed that they were laid off.


While all 900 Patch sites will supposedly remain open, there's a minor detail: There's no one to staff them at the local level. We can look forward to more dubious data-driven maps, some wacky news, but, more likely than not, not much in the way of Reston-specific information. And how will we keep track of our neighbor to the west's continuing debate over allowing farm animals in backyards?

All joking aside, local journalism matters, and after one of our community newspapers went out of business, we were excited that Patch was created to fill a growing void in very local news coverage. We've seen ample examples of the difference between what matters to Reston and what matters to Fairfax County. Fortunately, there's still Reston Now, the site launched by former Patch editor Karen Goff. And, um, there's this filthy "web log," although we've been told by authoritative sources that we're not experienced journalists, and after watching All the President's Men, we've figured out that we'd actually have to leave the house to do some, whazzitcalled, "reporting." And who knows, maybe the folks at Patch will surprise us, and not turn the local sites into what those of us in the "web logging" business like to call zombie sites:

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Down on the Farm

It's been a while since we checked in with our friendly neighbors to the west. What's been doing? Oh, just reckoning whether farm animals make for good pets in suburban neighborhoods, is all:

The Town of Herndon is reviewing its regulations for keeping goats and chickens in backyards at the request of some town residents.

The current rules regarding livestock are somewhat patchwork, existing both in the town code and its zoning ordinance. Goats are currently not allowed, and there is a one-chicken limit. Pet pigs were granted a reprieve in 2007, at the request of a resident who had a pet pig.

We're guessing all such things are strictly verboten by the Reston Association, so Advantage: Herndon, at least if'n you like your livestock close (and your dinner closer).

Given some recent unpleasantness in town that drew national attention, we're wondering if our neighbor is developing a bit of a "prepper" attitude, ready to "live off the land" if the UN, in cahoots with the Obama administration and those liberals at NPR, goes ahead and parachutes in European road crews intent on building traffic circles or something. But no, it's all at the behest of a nice lady who keeps hens and goats whose milk helps treat her rheumatoid arthritis. So it's all good, as the kids no longer say.

There's still the question of whether such animals are appropriate for suburban neighborhoods, though we'd wager that this Herndon structure, currently on the market due to foreclosure, certainly seems barn-like enough to fit the bill. Heck, we'd wager it even has a cement pond, the end.

Reston: Demographics Are Destiny (and Density)

Confidential Restonian Operative "Joel" passed along this fancy website which maps demographics based on U.S. Census Data. Each dot represents a person from the 2010 Census; blue is white, green is black, orange is Hispanic (which strikes us as just a teensy bit racist), and red is Asian. To our eyes, we see a lot of blues and greens living in close proximity, as was The Reston Dream, with greater concentrations of yellows and reds bunched together.

But let's zoom out a bit and look at our neighbors:

Wow. Herndon (at the left) and "Great" Falls (upper right) are definitely two extremes.

Back-to-School Fun: Expensive Playground Areas Vandalized and an Explosive Pop Machine

Oh, it's always so exciting to see the Action McNews tevee news van in town, getting some b-roll footage of adorable kids getting off the bus on the first day of school, and… wait, what's this?



What exactly is an "obscene version of the Seahawks name?" (Hint: Probably not the Saxons.) Missing from this gripping Action McNews coverage is the fact that cross-town rival Herndon High School's equally obscenely expensive turf fields were also vandalized, and Confidential Restonian Operatives tell us that Han shot first the Herndon vandalism happened first.

Could this be the misguided result of the wacky school rivalry that cleaves Reston across Baron Cameron Avenue? Yesterday, both the HHS and SLHS principals issued a statement saying no, and if it is, knock it off already.

South Lakes High School Principal Kim Retzer and Herndon High School Principal William Bates told students at both schools on Tuesday that recent graffiti painted at both schools "were not just innocent pranks."

The administrators say they are working with law enforcement to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable.

It is not yet clear whether one perpetrator hit both schools or one school was defaced and then the other was defaced in retaliation.

"The individuals committing these crimes do not represent our schools or the rich competitive tradition we have between our students, staffs, and communities," the principals said in a joint email to the school communities. "They are instead using our schools’ names in the most cowardly manner possible."

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call Fairfax police or Crime Solvers.

And as if that wasn't enough drama for the first day of school, there was this:

This is why we can't have nice things.

Shocking Photographic Proof: Fanciful Concrete Bollards, Caught In the Wild

Longtime readers of this fancy "web log" know that we latched onto this image of fanciful concrete bollards, submitted as part of the interminable paperwork associated with the proposal for the Reston Station development, and have since run the joke into the ground used it as visual shorthand for all the midrise development a'comin down the pike in our beloved earth-toned community, much as we've been accused of using a beloved carb-intensive eatery as a metaphor for the pervasive midscale chain goodness that's filled our fake downtown gritty urban core. However, on a recent jaunt to a purportedly "transit-oriented" development in neighboring Herndon that happens to be nowhere near any transit but happens to share the annoying naming conventions of our own TOD projects, we stopped dead in our tracks:

ZOMG, as the kids today no longer say text. Fanciful concrete bollards, in vaguely pleasing proportions, as far as the eye can see, keeping harried commuters from driving straight across the one traffic circle that somehow managed to sneak its way into Herndon. The legends are true!

"One way," indeed. Do we even need to point out that prophetic sign is pointing towards Reston? No we do not, the end.

On Twitter, The Unbearable Triteness of Being in Reston, or Herndon

It seems that some police activity in Herndon last night sparked an EPIC TWITTER BATTLE between Restonians and their counterparts on the other side of Fairfax County Parkway. (The horse meatballs are somewhere else. Possibly "horse country," or maybe Woodbridge.) In case you weren't sitting breathless in front of your combination Twitter machine/frozen yogurt maker last night as the tweets kept rolling in, here are some of the "highlights:"

NEVER. Except maybe for this part of Canada.

Point conceded.

WE HAVE A WINNER. Cue the music.
Remind us to unplug the Twitter after high school lets out in the afternoon from now on, the end.

On the YouTubes: The Harlem Shake, Whatever That Is

Please to be enjoying this YouTube video of the crazy kidz at South Lakes High School doing that thing all the crazy kidz are crazy about these days: the "Harlem Shake." We don't know what the "Harlem Shake" is ourselves, because we are old. Is it the same thing as YOLO?

In the interest of equal time, here's the Herndon High School answer to the "Harlem Shake":



If that's too much for you, you can always watch some video of Lake Anne Elementary's principal doing the Gangnam style dance on the roof of the school. That we know about, because it was on the Today show a bunch of times and they use it to advertise pistachios, the end.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Herndon Gets 'Friendliness' Recognition, Actually May Become More Friendly for Some

It's been a while since we've checked in with our neighbors to the west. What's been doing? Besides hanging out at Big Lots, Herndonians have apparently become very friendly parents.

The town of Herndon has received national recognition in two prestigious periodicals for respectively being friendly, and for being a great place to raise children.

Herndon captured the attention of editors at Forbes.com, which ranked Herndon 12th in its listing of “America’s Friendliest Towns.”

Right on the heels of that announcement last week came Herndon’s ranking on Bloomberg/Business Week’s 2013 ranking of the Best Places to Raise Kids.

Editors at Bloomberg/Business Week chose one community in each of the 50 states to compile the list. Herndon was recognized for its kid-friendly events and activities including “Little Nature Inspectors” classes and many performances on the Town Green that are geared toward families and children.

Of course, this comes after Herndon was named the #1 most obscene city in the nation a few years back, so we're not sure what's led to this sudden G-rated transformation. Swear jars at every corner?

At the same time, the town has found out that its participation in the 287(g) program -- which allows local police to enforce immigration laws -- has been discontinued.

The program allowed local law enforcement to question those suspected of crimes about their legal status and detain or arrest those here illegally, potentially leading to their deportation.

The Town of Herndon is one of 57 municipalities in 21 states who entered into agreements with ICE under the law. ICE worked with local law enforcement to train officers in the programs.

ICE told Herndon it would not renew the town’s Memorandum of Agreement authorizing the town’s participation after Dec. 31, according to a statement on the Town of Herndon’s website.

According to an ICE press release from Dec. 21, this restricts the use of detainers against individuals arrested for minor misdemeanor offenses such as traffic offenses and other petty crimes.

Herndon police issued at least 39 detainers through the program last year, according to our BFFs at Patch, so we're guessing those 39 people didn't think of the town as particularly friendly, the end.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Herndon Apparently 'Pulsing on the Edge of Fairfax County'

It's been a while since we've checked in with our neighbors to the west, but it sounds like they've been busy developing a "brand initiative" for Herndon, which includes a description of the town as "pulsing on the edge of Fairfax County."

All together now: EWWWWWWW.

Here's the full "positioning statement" developed for the town council by consultants:

“A next generation small town pulses on the edge of Fairfax County. Turn off the highway and find yourself in a place that welcomes innovators, risk-takers, history seekers and family-keepers. This is where the roots of history help to grow the ideas of tomorrow."

And please to be enjoying the town's new logo "word mark":

Not bad. The line above the "on" in "Herndon" is meant to be reused in other ways, like "lunch is on" or "on point." It's the kind of thing would-be Don Drapers live for.

But here's where you can tell we're not in Reston anymore, Toto:

The main colors for the new logo will be gray and red—colors that struck a cord with Herndon residents, as red is the color of Herndon High and Middle Schools. Alternate colors that may be used in the “on” marketing include purple, fuchsia, blue, green, yellow and orange. (our emphasis)

Can we as Restonians stand by when such affronts to our DRB-approved color palette as "fuchsia" taunt us and our regimented way of life from across Fairfax County Parkway?

We think not.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: Lines, Lines, Everywhere Lines

Twitter user "Alex" shared this fancy photo from the top of the Ferris Wheel at this weekend's Herndon Festival, providing a bird's eye view of the event's most popular draw: waiting in lines to wait to stand in lines. On the plus side, Tilt-a-Whirl!

Summer of Mauve: Reston Entrepreneurs Seek to Swap Smoothies for Startup Costs, Barter Their Way to a New Tortilla Factory

So that whole "exchanging money for goods and services" thing may just be a passing fad. Which is why Restonians trying to start a new business at Lake Anne -- and revitalize an old favorite out yon Herndon way -- are trying fancy variations on fundraising and the age-old approach of bartering. Grab your shiny beads and handmade artisanal leather wallets and keep reading!

First up is New Family Naturals, a Reston Farmers Market regular that has now leased permanent space at Lake Anne Plaza and is hoping to open a "community health food market and juice bar" by August. To cover about half of its estimated $12,000 in opening expenses, the owners are using a website called Indiegogo to help raise startup costs. For $1,000, you can get a juice or smoothie named after you. For $5,000, you get a free juice or smoothie every week for a year. Smaller contributions get you donations, tote bags, and other goodies.

So far, New Family Naturals have raised $1,175 towards their $6,000 goal, which isn't bad. Maybe there's something to this goodwill-and-free-grub thing after all.

Meanwhile, out Herndon way, Reston resident Wally Spencer is trying to revitalize the Tortilla Factory, which closed earlier this year. So far, he has secured the name and recipes from one of the original owners, and is now trying to barter for air conditioning repair. "Anyone who may know a vendor that has loved the Tortilla Factory and would like to see it re-open - please support us," he wrote in a fancy "web log" post. "Bartering is the way to go!!"

Good for both of them -- for small, much-loved businesses like the Tortilla Factory and unique locations like Lake Anne, creative approaches like these make sense in a way that they wouldn't for, say, the 99th franchisee of the Cheesecake Factory or whatever. In the interest of being fair and balanced, however, we'll point out that the long-vacant One Dulles Corridor office building near the intersection of Hunter Mill Road and the Toll Road was just sold for a cool $41.7 million. Details are sketchy, but it appears no smoothies changed hands in the transaction, so maybe this capitalism thing isn't completely washed up, after all.

Meanwhile, in the Anti-Reston: The Times, They Are A Changin' (Sort Of)

They may not cotton to our fancy big city ideas of stacking tall polygons near mass transit and have a sense of entitlement about the name of a Metro station that isn't even in their town, but things appear to be changing in our neighbor to the west, and we don't just mean about the townfolk becoming less obscene.

How much have things changed? The guy who said this didn't get elected mayor.

Security: Yes - and more in some neighborhoods than others. Convincing those who would prey on our residents and businesses to leave will remain tied as my number one issue. We have an excellent police force, an excellent zoning department, and citizens who care. We are a TEAM and together we need to maintain pressure on 'bad performers'.

Six years ago, this subtle rhetoric might have lead to a landslide of Reagan-beats-Mondale-plus-Dukakis-plus-Jimmy-Carter-at-the-same-time-with-one-hand-tied-behind-his-back proportions. So that and some fun letters to the editor about "sanctuary cities" notwithstanding, things appear to be changing for the better next door.

On the other hand, though, Herndon's first (and only) gay bar has apparently shut down. Two steps forward, one step back, etc., etc., the end.