Friday Download, 10/4: A Nerf-gun war, lobster and Greek festivals, and clearer skies
The weekend forecast and things to do, plus the week’s top Fairfax County headlines
Happy Friday, Fairfax County.
Looking for something to do this weekend? A sunny Saturday is going to be packed with options around Northern Virginia, including Oktoberfest celebrations that even a dog could love.
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Local news I read this week
Business and development 📈
Amazon plans to occupy massive data center campus near Dulles (Northern Virginia Mag)
Criminal justice and public safety 🚓
Great Falls FAA contractor indicted for working as a secret agent for Iran (WJLA)
Alleged lottery ticket thief stole thousands in scratch-offs from stores across Fairfax County (FOX5)
Culture ✌️
Education 📖
Government and politics 🏛️
10th District candidates for Congress clash over abortion, schools, immigration during heated debate (WJLA)
Health 🩺
Sports 🏈
Weekend weather (from the National Weather Service)
All (mostly) clear.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with isolated storms in the afternoon and evening. Highs in the mid-70s, lows in the low 60s. 🌥️
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid-70s, lows in the low 50s. 🌤️
Sunday: Sunny to partly cloudy. Highs in the mid-70s, lows around 60. 🌤️
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Things to do
Win glory at a nighttime Nerf-gun war at Leesburg’s Segra Field (Friday) 🔫
Dance and scream-sing (I would) at an Elton John tribute show at the State Theatre, in Falls Church (Friday) 🕺
See comedian Kanan Gill as his world tour rolls through the Kennedy Center (Friday) 🎤
Sip fall drinks by a fire pit at the Winery at Bull Run’s Fall Festival (Friday), then go back for lobster tacos and mac and cheese at Lobster Fest (Saturday) 🍂 🦞
Adopt a pet at the county animal shelter’s fall Empty the Shelters event (Friday through Sunday) 🐕
Seize more chances to Oktoberfest: at Aslin’s three local locations (Friday through Sunday), at Vienna’s 15th annual celebration (Saturday), at the county’s Parktoberfest event in Chantilly (Saturday) and at Port City Brewing Company’s Dogtoberfest (Sunday) 🍻
Explore the work of more than 350 local and regional artists at Del Ray’s 29th annual Art on the Avenue (Saturday) 🖼️
Attend Fiesta Fairfax, the county’s annual Hispanic heritage celebration, in Falls Church (Saturday) 🎉
At Dulles Expo Center, watch top trading-card-game players compete at SCG Con (Friday through Sunday) or check out the new Anime Fairfax convention (Saturday) 💥
Join community leaders for a Providence Community Day Celebration, with food trucks, games and other family activities (Saturday) 🚚
Try unlimited samples from Virginia wineries at Mount Vernon’s Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour (tickets still available for Sunday only) 🍷
Play Goblin Golf at Burke Lake Park (weekends through Oct. 20) ⛳
My plans
I’ll be celebrating a friend’s birthday Friday at Unconventional Diner in D.C., then rallying to watch the rain-postponed Simon Cup tennis finals in Reston early Saturday.
At some point, I’m also hoping to make it over to the Greek Festival at Saint Katherine’s in Falls Church, which runs through Sunday.