Friday Download, 1/3: A pre-snow pool day in Herndon, a Bon Jovi tribute and two vintage markets at Dulles Expo Center
The weekend forecast and things to do, plus the week’s top Fairfax County headlines
The Friday Download is your guide to the week and weekend in Fairfax and around the area. Subscribe today to get the next one in your inbox and support The Machine’s work.
Happy Friday, all, and happy new year, too.
The Machine learned this week that New Year’s Eve hits different once you’ve gone Full Suburbia. I was home and happily in bed by 12:45.
Here are the top local headlines as we open 2025, the snowy forecast for this weekend and 13 ways to spend it around NoVA and D.C. — from a Capitals event for kids in Arlington to a battle of the bands in Vienna to a beachy escape in Herndon.
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Local news I read this week
Animals 🐻
Business and development 📈
NoVA-based Lindsay Automotive Group charged with deceiving and overcharging consumers for years (WTOP)
Fairfax County officially ends unsolicited bid for Lorton indoor ski resort (Washington Business Journal)
ODU study shows NoVA’s economy slowing, while Charlottesville’s and New River’s heat up (Cardinal News)
Criminal justice and public safety 🚓
Culture ✌️
Northern Virginia’s 10 best new restaurants of 2024 (Northern Virginia Mag)
The 10 most expensive homes sold in Northern Virginia in 2024 (also Northern Virginia Mag)
Government and politics 🏛️
History 🏺
Housing 🏠
Low-income renters describe chronic crime, health hazards at Alexandria West End complex (Alexandria Times)
Weekend weather (from the National Weather Service)
The snow-storm emoji makes its Friday Download debut:
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with rain and snow showers starting in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s, lows in the mid-20s. 🌧️
Saturday: Mostly sunny, but with some wind. Highs in the lower 30s, lows around 20. 🌤️
Sunday: Sunny to partly sunny, with snow and a chance of sleet come nighttime. Highs in the mid-30s, lows in the mid-20s. 🌤️🌨️
Things to do
🎸Rock out at a pair of tribute shows at the State Theatre in Falls Church:
Salutes to Neil Young, the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and The Band (Friday, 8 p.m.; tickets $15)
Shot Thru the Heart’s tribute to Bon Jovi (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.; tickets $18 in advance or $22 day of)
🥊 If you make it to Columbia Heights, you can witness the “bizarre annual tradition” of Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club (Friday and Saturday, shows at 7 and 9:30 p.m.)
🎵 At Jammin’ Java, in Vienna, catch …
The opening rounds of Band Battle #28 (Friday through Sunday, 7:30 p.m.; tickets $10 in advance, $15 day of)
Richmond singer-songwriter-jam-bander Pat McGee (Saturday, 2 p.m.; tickets start at $35)
👗 Shop vintage goods at two Dulles Expo Center events:
The latest Big Flea (Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 to 5; tickets $10 for adults, kids under 12 free)
The Winter Euphoria Market (Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; tickets start at $12.50)
⚾ Buy and sell cards and collectibles at the NoVA Sports Card Show, in Ballston (Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $5 early admission, free regular admission)
❄️ Head to the McLean Community Center’s 4th annual Winter Block Party for games, food, crafts and more (Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m.; free)
🏖️ Summon summer at the Herndon Community Center’s Beach Resort with a heated pool, hot tub lounging, frozen mocktails and ice pops (Saturday, 3 to 5 p.m.; $15 registration day of)
📖 Dress up for the 9th annual Longest Night Midwinter Masque in Crystal City, celebrating Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series (Saturday, 8 p.m.; tickets $130, including food and some other perks)
🐦 Celebrate National Bird Day with a flock of county events, including a guided “Winter Bird Walk” in Chantilly’s Ellanor C. Lawrence Park (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.; $8)
🏒 Take your tykes to the Capitals’ Kids Day open practice at Ballston’s Iceplex, featuring giveaways, an appearance by mascot Slapshot and a free skate for kids afterward (Sunday, 10:30 a.m.; free, including skate rentals)
(The Machine couldn’t find a great link for this online, but a Caps spokesperson confirmed those details in an email)
Two ongoing winter events
Leesburg’s Harry Potter-themed “Forbidden Forest Experience” runs through Jan. 26.
Reston Town Center’s ice-skating rink is open through the end of January.
My plans
The Machine may be a vast newsgathering apparatus beyond human understanding, but its steward is a simple man. When the Big Flea is here, I am there.
Our other big plan is a Kurosawa movie night, maybe Seven Samurai or Rashomon. Whichever we choose, it’ll be my first one — but, I’d guess, probably not my last.