ViVa! Vienna! offers fun for all ages, though rides are generally for children and teens. Photos by Erin Murphy/The Connection
The annual ViVa! Vienna! festival returned Memorial Day weekend to draw members of the Vienna community together in the historic Church Street area. The event presented 30 amusement rides, live entertainment, and more than 300 vendors catering to locals of all ages.
Performances were divided between the Main Stage, the Children’s Stage and the Lawyers Road stage across the three days of the festival. The main stage hosted performances by local studios including Adrenaline Studio, Velocity Dance and Cuppett Performing Arts Center. Kids, and adults as well, laughed and gasped at the acts of Nerdy Noah, Noland the Magician, and Cantori the Magician on the Children’s Stage. Those yearning for the sounds of Americana folk and jazz music could wander towards the Lawyers Road Stage to hear artists such as Alex Giller, Brian Johnson and Marshall Artz.
A highlight of ViVa! Vienna was the return of the Vienna Idol Competition Semi-Finals sponsored by Caffe Amouri, Whole Foods and The Business Bank. The competition was held in the parking lot of Caffe Amouri on Church Street on Sunday, May 29 during the festival. The first place prize for the competition is $1,000 with all donations given to the Khristin Kyllo Memorial Fund, dedicated to support seizure research/education and provide scholarships to students at James Madison High School. The judges for the first half of the competition were Mayor of Vienna Lauri DiRocco, Claire Rowan, Lauren Haas and Tom Kyllo. For the second half of the competition Mike Terpac, Councilwoman Carrie Sienecki, Lauren Haas and Tom Kyllo were present to judge the semi-finalists.
Semi-finalist David Daly performed “Brandi, You’re a Fine Girl” and received accolades from judge Lauren Haas.
“He’s what this concert is all about. Just a cool dude who can play guitar and really sing, and get people excited and engaged,” said Haas.
The Vienna Rotary Club sponsors festival with net proceeds donated back to the community including schools, nonprofits and service clubs.
The festival takes place annually against a historic backdrop in the heart of Vienna. Rides and food vendors are set around historic Freeman House, Old Vienna Railroad Station, the Caboose, W&OD trail and Church Streets at Dominion and Mill. The setting facilitates not only an exploration of the fun and games offered by the festival, but the history engrained in downtown Vienna.
In addition to the fun and games, the Navy Federal Credit Union provided free recycling services for personal computers and related devices. The sponsored services allow for the diversion of toxic materials from landfills and so reduces environmental contamination.