Mid-July was traditionally time for the Reston Festival. Lack of money, vendors and community organization support means it's now a thing of the past.
On and off for 47 years, the Reston Festival was an annual event.
Not this year. After Reston Association and Reston Community Center, two of the major sponsors, declined to participate in 2012, the festival committee decided not to hold the event in this year.
The Reston Festival had been scheduled for July 14 and 15, 2012. Organizers have not said whether the event is dead or may be resurrected in the future, but without its two major sponsors, it looks like the Reston Festival may be a thing of the past.
RA CEO Milton Matthews said last winter that the deficit in overall vendors, sponsors and fundraising led to RA's decision to decline participation in 2012.
The Reston Festival is as old as Reston itself. For many years, the event was held in mid-May at Lake Anne Plaza. It moved to Reston Town Center in 2003.
There were several years in the early 1990s when the festival did not occur due to funding and neighbor issues. The festival came back to life briefly in honor of Reston's 30th birthday and then, after another dormant period, came back again and moved to Reston Town Center and the mid-July date.
As Reston has grown, so have the number of summer events competing with the Reston Festival. Among them:the Taste of Reston, Oktoberfest, Reston Multicultural Festival and the nearby Herndon Festival
There is still a festival this weekend, though. Check out the music and food at the third annual Ukulele Festival at Lake Anne on Saturday.
JoAnne Norton
10:38 am on Friday, July 13, 2012
I miss the festival but we have a great Farmer;s Market and Craft Fair every week. And, let us face it, our greatest display of what Reston really is came last week when we had such a great response to the needs of the Embry Rucker Shelter and Fellowship House.
Craig Evers
11:41 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
You're right as rain joanne! !! Long live The embryo rucker fest!!!!