The Connection

Daffodils are peeking through ground snow and the days grow a bit longer each day. It must be spring. The Connection offers this diversity of springtime fun to its readers.

• Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary spring craft show and bazaar, Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, 400 Center Street S. Crafts, baked good and lunch will be for sale. Door prize raffles, too. Auxiliary cookbooks and VVFD cups will be available for purchase, as well. Admission is free. Queries may be sent to Auxiliary@vvfd.org.
• The History of the Country Store," Historic Vienna, Inc.’s new exhibit, opened on March 1. Artifacts and reproductions from a bygone era are on display on both levels of Freeman House, built in 1859. The community is invited to its opening reception scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Freeman Store, 131 Church Street NE. For information, go to www.historicviennainc.org or call 703-938-5187.
• Old-fashioned Egg Roll, Saturday, April 12; 10:30 a.m. start-time, ends 11:30 a.m., grounds of Freeman house. Free for ages 12 and under and their parents.

Historic Vienna, Inc. and the Town of Vienna Department of Parks and Recreations hosts an Old Fashioned Egg Roll on the grounds of the Historic Freeman House, 131 Church Street NE. Kids are divided into age groups for the egg "hunt." After the egg hunt, kids can participate in an egg roll, visit with Easter Bunny and listen to tales from a storyteller. There are hard-cooked eggs for decorating, too. Kids should bring their own baskets for egg-gathering. For more information call 703-938-5187.

• Caboose and train station open, April 12; 1 to 5 p.m. at W & OD trail. Northern Virginia Model Railroaders operate and maintain the train layout at the old Vienna station, and the Optimists of Greater Vienna maintain the red caboose sitting alongside the W & OD trail at historic Church Street and Dominion Road.
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Fridays and Saturdays, April 18 through May 3, 8p.m.; Sundays, April 27 and May 4, 2 p.m. Performances are in the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE.

This multi-generational, family-friendly musical is presented by the Vienna Theatre Company in partnership with the town’s Department of Parks and Recreation. In Dahl’s book, some pretty horrible things happen to the "bratty" children so parents might want to consider the ages of their own kids when buying tickets.

Tickets are on sale now at the reception desk of the Vienna Community Center. Visit www.viennatheatrecompany.org for details.

• Taste of Vienna, Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; grounds of Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, Cherry and Center streets.

The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department hosts the 3rd Annual Taste of Vienna on Saturday, April 26. More than 20 vendors from the greater Vienna area will be on-site selling their restaurants’ signature dishes and beverages throughout the event. Proceeds benefit the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. The event will be held rain or shine. Admission is free. Visit www.tasteofvienna.org for details and list of participating restaurants.

• 40th Annual Walk On the Hill, Sunday, April 27; 2 to 5 p.m. Windover Heights Historic District. Free.

The Windover Heights stroll is timed to nature’s explosion of azaleas throughout the neighborhood. The public is invited to walk through any yard with a "Yard Open" sign and tour the grounds of the Historic district.

Concert by Vienna Community Band at 3 p.m. During the walk, Ayr Hill Garden Club will present a small standard flower show at 307 Windover Ave NW. Roads close to vehicles at 2 Rain Date: May 4

• Vienna Idol Auditions, ongoing through April and May.

Vienna Idol, sponsored by Caffe Amouri and Whole Foods, supports the Khristin Kyllo scholarship and research fund. Auditions run Tuesday and Thursday for six weeks beginning on April 8, alternating location between Caffe Amouri and Whole Foods. Semi-finals take place on Sunday, May 25, during ViVa! Vienna!, Caffe Amouri parking lot. It’s a lot of fun. In 2013, Vienna Idol raised over $5,000 for the fund.

Public Works Day, May 15; 2 to 6 p.m. Town of Vienna Mill Street property yard

Once a year, the town’s Public Works department opens its property and equipment to the community’s kids and their parents. It’s an opportunity to climb on and into construction equipment and police vehicles, win prizes and take home Town of Vienna mementos and nibble on snacks and freshly-made popcorn. Public Works staff man the equipment to keep kids safe and boost them into cabs. It’s one of the community’s most popular kids’ event.

• Town Green Concerts kick off in early May. Schedule and line-up to-be-announced.

The Vienna Parks and Recreation Department sponsors the free Summer on the Green concert series at the Town Green. Held on Fridays and Sundays from early May through early September, the series features a genre for every taste and interest. It’s a nod toward Vienna’s small-town feel when friends and family anchor a spot of the lawn with supper picnics. Concerts begin at 6:30p.m. and run for approximately an hour and a half. Family Wednesdays on the Green hosts family concert nights geared toward young children. The Green is border-to-border blankets when kiddie-rock favorite Rocknoceros performs.

Concerts on the Green are sponsored by local businesses and organizations and are free of charge.

• ViVa! Vienna! Annual Memorial Day weekend family festival, May 24-26, 2014; historic Church Street district.

Church Street closes down between Mill and Center Streets for Vienna’s biggest, most family-centric festival, ViVa! Vienna!, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vienna and the Town of Vienna.

There’s amusement rides for young kids and for older kids, carnival food – if you fry it, they will come – live entertainment on the main stage and children’s stage, hundreds of street vendors selling goods and services, kids’ activities, and more food.

Visit http://vivavienna.org/ for schedule of events, list of vendors and map.