Trail Event--March 30

W&OD Trail 5K in memory of Walter L. Mess Sunday, March 30, 2014 4:00 PM W&OD Trail - at Oak Street 400 North Oak Street Falls Church , VA

Trail Event for May 3--Falls Church Family Bike Day

Announcing the 1st Falls Church Family Bike Day – May 3, 2014! At just 2.2 square miles, our Little City is easily navigated by bicycle. Our community has a tremendous asset running right through it in the W&OD trail. Increased bike use by our children has many benefits - more local shopping, less pressure on crowded school busses, a greater sense of community, reduced demand for parking spaces, and of course more exercise. With information booths followed by a family bicycle ride on the W&OD trail and through the city, Falls Church Family Bike Day on Saturday May 3rd will show off these benefits and feature important bike safety and tips (such as trail usage, street crossing, and group riding) aimed at elementary school aged children and their families. How can you help? We would love your support to participate in and publicize the event. The start and end point will feature music, activities, and booths from our sponsors and relevant groups. We are not seeking financial contributions, but we are seeking participation (activities and booths) and donations for raffle prizes. Booths can be used to promote local businesses or community organizations that have an interest in bike safety, education, fitness, or shopping local. Please “like” and share our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FallsChurchFamilyBikeRide If you would like to participate, please email me back and let me know how: ___ Help promote the event (post flyers, share in your newsletter and social media) ___ Have a booth ___ Donate raffle items ___ Volunteer ___ Other??? Thanks, Erik Pelton (erik@erikpelton.com]

Trail Event, Saturday, April 26

Paul's Ride for Life 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Registration open 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Ride (rolling start) 11:30 a.m. Closing ceremony & raffle drawing Folks can also volunteer to marshall or help otherwise by emailing paulsridevolunteers@gmail.com.

Second meeting on proposal for education building and public restrooms

A second meeting will be held tonight to discuss the proposal for Phoenix Bikes to build a new education building and public restrooms on Walter Reed Dr. The meeting is at 7pm at Park Operations Building, 2700 South Taylor St, Arlington. Why not attend to hear more about the project?

Coming to the W&OD near MP 0... just saw this, so it's after the meeting, but still a good thing to have down at that end.

Restoration Complete?

The depot at Old Reston Avenue looks like it is finally restored. For years its foundation was crumbling and the building sagged. It now has a new foundation, floor, door, and paint. The Park Authority has yet to announce their plans for this building. One trail user suggested that it should be open on weekends housing a volunteer historian that would talk about railroad and trail history. Another user suggested that the Friends use it as concession stand to raise money for trail improvements. Perhaps the Park Authority should hear more ideas?

Trail Event - October 12

Title: CATOCTIN Crescent Assoc. 5K Run, 1K Walk Date: Saturday October 12, 2013. Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Location: Douglas School, Market St., Leesburg. Notes: Out to Battlefield Parkway and back on W&OD.

Clearing of invasive plants along trail

"A portion of land along the W&OD Trail near Bon Air Park may look rather rough after having been stripped of plant life over the past few weeks. But it’s actually part of the county’s plan to restore the land." See Arlington Now article at http://www.arlnow.com/2013/10/04/land-restoration-project-along-wod-trail/

Jogger and Cyclist Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries in Trail Crash

Jogger and Cyclist Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries in Trail Crash Posted: 02 Oct 2013 12:14 PM PDT By FALLS CHURCH CITY OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS and FALLS CHURCH TIMES STAFF October 2, 2013 A jogger and a cyclist, both enjoying the Falls Church City section of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, collided on Sunday near Little Falls Street and suffered life-threatening injuries, police say. The incident occurred shortly after noon. It remains under investigation, but initial reports received by police say it happened when the jogger attempted to pass people walking and was hit by a cyclist traveling the opposite direction. Both are still being treated at local hospitals. Falls Church City Police Chief Mary Gavin announced the additional deployment of bicycle and motorcycle officers along the trail to promote education and enforcement of park and traffic laws. Officials say an increase in usage of the trail, from casual walking to commuting via bicycle, has created more risk for hazards and accidents to occur. Another possible reason the risk is rising is the frequent failure of many users to follow the trail rules. Cyclists frequently ride too fast and weave in and out of pedestrians, and some pedestrians walk on the wrong side. "I am deeply worried and afraid for my safety when I am on the trail and users are not following the rules," said Cricket Moore, an avid trail user and City resident. In response to the influx of concerns, Falls Church Police were awarded a $2,400 safety grant from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles specifically to deploy officers for traffic education and enforcement in shared-use areas such as the W&OD Trail. City Police encourage the safe use of the trail and emphasize that traffic control signs, including stop signs, are in place to regulate the trail traffic. Stop signs on the trail are enforced through the Code of Virginia §46.2-924 and Falls Church City Code Section 26-109. The 1.5 mile section of the trail within the City of Falls Church is unique in that it crosses roadways several times, causing cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists to encounter one another far more often that on other stretches of the trail. Police remind trail users that cyclists are required to wear helmets, stop at stop signs, and announce when they are passing. They also suggest users move off the trail if they choose to stop. Additionally, they warn that racing or competitive speed training is not permitted on the trail; that pedestrians have the right of way unless otherwise posted; and that users should ride at speeds appropriate for the trail's congested nature.

Trail Event, Sunday September 29

Teddy BEAR 5K & 1K Fun Walk/RUN Date: Sunday September 29, 2013 Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Location: American Legion Post 130, 400 Oak St., Falls Church

Major trail event on September 15

Green Lizard Cycling of Herndon will be hosting their 1st annual Fun Ride Bike-A-Thon on Sunday September 15th 2013. This ride is to support the Herndon High School’s The Pride of Herndon Marching Band as they prepare for their upcoming appearance in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Waikiki, Hawaii on December 7, 2013. The half century ride will start and finish at Green Lizard Cycling in Historic Downtown Herndon and will follow the Washington & Old Dominion Trail from Herndon to Purcellville and back. Riders may also choose an abbreviated 25 mile ride which will turn around in Leesburg on the same W&OD Trail. The ride is supported with rest stops, water, bike mechanics and medical assistance if necessary.

Trail Lighting in Herndon

The Herndon Town Council will hold a public hearing on the lighting of the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trail in the Town of Herndon on Tuesday, September 24th in the Ingram Council Chambers, 765 Lynn Street. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Following a presentation by the engineering consultants, JMT, Council will be asked to approve the project and direct staff to proceed with procurement and installation. The public is welcome to provide written comments in advance, c/o the Town Clerk, PO Box 427, Herndon, VA 20172 or to town.clerk@herndon-va.gov. In addition, the public may speak that evening for up to three minutes when this item is called. The Council will discuss this item at their work session on Tuesday, September 17th in the Hoover conference room at the same address above. This is an open, public meeting which you are also welcome to attend, however there are no comments from the audience permitted at work sessions. If you have any questions or comments before that date, please feel free to contact: Cindy S. Roeder Director, Parks and Recreation Department 703-435-6800 x2123 fax 703-318-8652

Trail Event for Sunday, Sept 8

Whole Foods Kids 1K & Trail Cleanup. Date: Sunday September 8, 2013. Time: 7:00 am - 11:00 am. Location: Vienna & Reston. Notes: Whole Foods in Reston and Vienna will be doing a Kids 1K run and a trail clean up. Run will start and end in Vienna; cleanup will be along the trail between Vienna and Reston.

Gallows Road crossing light

VDOT is aware of the long cycle time of the trail crossing signal at Gallows and is working on it.

Tail Event--Sunday. September 22

The Herndon Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring its 2nd annual Herndon Kids Triathlon on Sunday 9/22 starting at the Herndon Community Center, 814 Ferndale Ave, at 7am. Contact Thomas Schoenauer (thomas.schoenauer@herndon-va.gov) with any questions. Sign up online at sign-up genius for this event: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4DAEAA2CA46-herndon.

Trail Paving scheduled

Just a heads up that the trail is scheduled to be repaved starting August 19th from Crestview Drive in Herndon to Private Drive in Reston (one block west of Isaac Newton).

Trail Event on Sunday August 25

Reston Bike Club Century Date: Sunday August 25, 2013 Time: 6:30 am - 5:30 pm (GMT-05.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Location: eastbound W&OD Leesburg-Reston Notes: Sunday August 22nd Reston Century Event from 6:30 AM to 5 PM. Approximately 1200 riders start at Reston Town Center. The portion of the W&OD used for this event is from Grace Street in Herndon to Ashburn Road (westbound leg) and returning from Leesburg to Reston Town Center via trail in its entirety (eastbound leg).

Progress being made on Old Reston Ave Station Restoration

Trail Event Saturday, July 27

The WOD Friends 10 k event (for runners and walkers), will be held this Saturday, 27 July, starting at Centennial Park, 131 Church Street in Vienna. After the preliminaries, the event will get under way at about 6:30 pm. The route will run on the trail from Church St west to Clark's Crossing (ca mm 13.3?), where it will leave the trail for a short bit on the road before returning to the trail, then out to Hunter Mill Rd and a turn around and back to the finish at Ayr Hill Rd in Vienna.

Major trail event on September 15

Green Lizard Cycling of Herndon will be hosting their 1st annual Fun Ride Bike-A-Thon on Sunday September 15th 2013. This ride is to support the Herndon High School’s The Pride of Herndon Marching Band as they prepare for their upcoming appearance in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Waikiki, Hawaii on December 7, 2013. The half century ride will start and finish at Green Lizard Cycling in Historic Downtown Herndon and will follow the Washington & Old Dominion Trail from Herndon to Purcellville and back. Riders may also choose an abbreviated 25 mile ride which will turn around in Leesburg on the same W&OD Trail. The ride is supported with rest stops, water, bike mechanics and medical assistance if necessary.