Community

FALL FESTIVALS IN LOUDOUN COUNTY

The first day of Autumn is Wednesday, September 23rd and we cannot wait to celebrate fall at some of these great Festivals in Loudoun County! There truly is something for everyone on this list!

PUMPKIN VILLAGE FALL FEST
Open: Now – November 3^rd
Leesburg Animal Park
19270 James Monroe Hwy
Leesburg, VA
Enjoy lots of fun fall activities including: Hay rides, Moon bounces, Pony rides, Camel rides, Petting zoo, Exotic animals like Lemurs, Zebras, African Serval Cats, Giant Aldabra Tortoises & more!
Admission Fee: Fee Varies depending on date – visit the website.

GREAT COUNTRY FARMS ANNUAL PUMPKIN HARVEST FESTIVAL
Open: Saturday, September 26 thru Saturday, October 31
Great Country Farms
18780 Foggy Bottom Road
Bluemont, VA
Visit the largest u-pick pumpkin patch in Northern Virginia and pick your pumpkin right off the vine! Cheer on the swine at the Infamous Oinkintucky Derby Pig Races. Play on the 2800 sq ft. Pumpkin Jumpin’ Pillow, The Double Barrel 60′ Slide, or Rubber Ridge – a tractor tire mountain.
Admission Fee: weekdays: $8 child, $10 adult, weekends and Columbus Day: $10 child, $12 adult

TEMPLE HALL FARM MAIZE & FALL FESTIVAL
Open: Friday, September 25 – Tuesday, November 3
Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
5855 Limestone School Rd
Leesburg, VA
Loudoun County’s BIGGEST Fall event! Use the Pumpkin Blasters to launch a pumpkin 100 yards through the air! Try your hand at the Paintball Shooting Gallery! And don’t forget about the corn maize!
Admission Fee: Visit website for pricing.

22^nd ANNUAL LOVETTSVILLE OKTOBERFEST
Saturday, September 26 – 10AM to 10PM
Town of Lovettsville
6 East Pennsylvania Ave
Lovettsville, VA
Celebrate Lovettsville’s rich German heritage with authentic German cuisine, live music performances, street performers, beer, wine and more. Take the kids to Kinderfest for FREE games and activities. Over 120 art, crafts, and service vendors lining the streets.
Admission: FREE, parking is FREE, trolleys are FREE, and the all day entertainment is FREE!

BRAMBLETON’S ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 10 – 1PM to 7PM
Brambleton Town Center
42395 Ryan Road
Brambleton, VA
Brambleton’s largest event of the year! Find rides, moon bounces, food vendors, beer, a chili-cook off, cornhole challenge and live music.
Admission: Free to attend, unlimited ride wristbands are $15 per person

FALL FESTIVAL BY JOSHUA’S HANDS
Saturday, October 10 – 10AM to 5PM
Guthrie’s Farm
8327 Charles Town Pike
Waterford, VA
Food, Fun, Kids’ Crafts, Games, Petting Farm, Lunch, and Live Entertainment! A Fall Festival for all!
Admission Fee: Free

FIRST ANNUAL LANSDOWNE FALL BEER FESTIVAL
Sunday, October 11 – 11AM to 4PM
Pavilion at Lansdowne Resort
44050 Woodbridge Pkwy
Leesburg, VA
Lansdowne Resort will be hosting the first ever Lansdowne Fall Beer Festival, featuring 12 brewers and craft beer lovers from Loudoun County and the surrounding area. Jumpin’ Jupiter – a local “rockin” band, will keep your toe tapping all afternoon! Enjoy delicious food from our chefs, several local food trucks, beer, wine, and sweets!
Admission: Purchase tickets through the EventBrite site.

51^st ANNUAL ALDIE HARVEST FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 17 – 9AM to 5PM
Village of Aldie
39401 John Mosby Hwy
Aldie, VA
Vendors will feature antiques, crafts, jewelry, food, and collectibles. Historic and civic organizations will highlight notable events and people in Aldie’s history. Tour the Aldie Mill which will be open for milling! The famous Aldie Duck Race winds up the day at 4:00!
Admission Fee: Free to attendees; $5 parking

OATLANDS HARVEST FESTIVAL
Sunday, October 18 – 1PM to 5PM
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens
20850 Oatlands Plantation Ln
Leesburg, VA
Celebrate Autumn at Oatlands!! Enjoy an exciting day of family fun activities. Music by the Shenandoah Travelers. Food by Pauly’s Rib Shack, Pop Pop’s Kettle Corn, Shenandoah Juice and Java. Bake Sale, Antiques, Hayrides, Crafts, Games and more! Beer, wine, and hard cider available for purchase.
Admission Fee: $20 per family/$10 individual ticket

HARVEST FESTIVAL AT DOUKENIE WINERY
Saturday, October 24 – 10AM to 6PM
Doukenie Winery
14727 Mountain Road
Purcellville, VA
Celebrate the harvest with a barrel tasting event open to the general public. Enjoy delicious BBQ from Monk’s BBQ. Rain or shine!
Admission Fee: $15/person

FIRST ANNUAL LoCo BREW FEST
Saturday, October 24 – 1PM to 6PM
Lost Rhino Brewing Company
21730 Red Rum Drive #142
Ashburn, VA
Head over to the first ever LoCo Brewfest at Lost Rhino Brewing Company, presented in conjunction with Visit Loudoun. This will be the first festival to feature breweries from Loudoun County exclusively!
Admission Fee: $30 VIP Ticket/$20 General Admission

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

TOP GOLF NOW OPEN IN LOUDOUN

If you’ve been driving down Route 7 in Ashburn these past few months, there’s no doubt you have been wondering what those huge, sky-reaching posts were that were installed right next to One Loudoun. Well we finally have an answer for you. Behold… TOP GOLF! This “ultimate venue for fun” is like a driving range on steroids, where experienced and novice golfers can enjoy the game together.

Located at 20356 Commonwealth Center Drive in Ashburn, Top Golf take the driving range concept to a whole new level – 3 levels, in fact! The new location in Loudoun features more than 100 driving range bays over 3 floors, a rooftop terrace and bar, 200+ HDTV’s, and free WiFi.

Top Golf JS Realty — Photo credit: WTOP/Michelle Basch

Gone are the days of driving golf balls out into the distance over and over again. 15 years ago, the Jollifee brothers set out in improve not only their golf swing, but the entire experience as well. Enter Top Golf, with it’s combination of competition and entertainment, complete with high-tech golf balls that can instantly tell you the distance and accuracy of your shot! The invention of these “smart” golf balls lead to the development of several golf ball hitting games. Players compete against each other while enjoying some quality food and drinks (including brunch & gluten free options!), in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

Open 7 days a week, and with over 20 locations across the US & the UK, this ultimate combination of sports & fun is a great place for a date, a guys night out, or even a corporate event. In fact, The JS Realty Team will be having a team function at Top Golf in the very near future, and we cannot wait!

Did you know that there are homes just minutes from this family-friendly sports venue? Contact us today and we can help you find an amazing home in the area.

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

MEET THE STEP SISTERS

Today we’d like to introduce you to The Step Sisters, one of the 4 local charities that the JS Realty Team supports!

The Step Sisters began in 2005, with a small group of women and men who’d been impacted by breast cancer in some way. Now over 100 “members” strong, the Step Sisters recently made a huge shift in their fundraising goals and focused in on a specific mission: to support and provide much needed quality-of-life services for local breast cancer patients.

Based in Loudoun County’s Brambleton community, these breast cancer survivors, mothers, sisters, daughters, brothers, sons, and fathers who have all been touched by this terrible disease have raised more than $500,000 for the breast cancer cause. Wanting to help local patients in a positive way, The Step Sisters partnered with INOVA Loudoun Hospital, INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital and INOVA Fairfax Hospital and now fund four main services for breast cancer patients: fresh food delivery, house cleaning, child care, and transportation to and from appointments.

Interested in helping The Step Sisters and their mission? There are several ways to make a difference – and have some fun!

Kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month by registering for the 2015 Step Sisters Scramble Golf Tournament! The 4-person scramble, followed by a lunch and awards reception will take place on Thursday, October 8th at the The Golf Club of Lansdowne.

Mark your calendar for the 8th annual Brambleton Ribbon Run/Walk on Saturday, April 16, 2016. This certified 5K & 10K race also includes a Kids Fun Run!

Make a Donation. Funds are directed to helping The Step Sisters provide quality-of-life services to local breast cancer patients. As the organization grows, they hope to expand their service offerings.

The Step Sisters is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

GATED COMMUNITIES IN LOUDOUN

Loudoun County offers a wide variety of gated communities. Whether you’re looking for a condo priced around $200,000 or a multi- million dollar home on 6 acres, Loudoun County has you covered. The JS Realty Team @ Samson Properties has the knowledge and experience to help our clients buy or sell in all of these gated communities.

BELMONT in Ashburn is a magnificent gated community offering condos from around $200,000 up to million dollar estate homes. Belmont also offers a wide variety of town homes. Featuring wonderful community amenities such as a championship golf club, clubhouse, pools, dining, tennis, fitness and much more! Learn more about the history and amenities by visiting their website.

CREIGHTON FARMS in Aldie, Virginia is an extraordinary custom home, gated community with a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. Crieghton Farms boasts 184 home sites sitting on 900 breathtaking acres. Owners can choose from 1+ acre custom villas or 3-7 acre custom estates. The wealth of amenities and activities make this a world–class neighborhood. An elegant 34,000 square foot American Vernacular-style Clubhouse houses and hosts many of the community members focused facilities and programs.

PARKSIDE AT ASHBURN offers affordable townhomes in a gated community. Most of the luxury townhomes are 3-level homes with 2-car garages. Parkside offers a considerable amount of private greenspace for recreation areas, basketball court, walking areas and courtyards. In addition, the community offers a resort style pool with a clubhouse, fitness areas and children’s play areas. As an added bonus, Parkside is only a mile away from the future terminus of the Metro’s Silver Line!

RIVER CREEK was the area’s first gated community. Situated near the Potomac River in Leesburg, River Creek also has a championship Golf Course owned by ClubCorp Network – which owns hundreds of golf courses across the United States. River Creek has 1,100 homes spread out through 20 neighborhoods covering 600 acres. About half the homes are single family homes with the other half compromising of town homes and patio homes. A Clubhouse, restaurant, tennis courts, and pools are just a few of the many amenities that River Creek offers. All types of families call River Creek their home, from empty-nesters to families with children, and everything in between.

Loudoun County is also home to 2 active adult retirement communities – Lansdowne Woods in Leesburg and Potomac Green in Ashburn.

Previously known as “Leisure World”, LANSDOWNE WOODS offers prestigious home ownership in one of 4 high-rise condo buildings or in one of their 3 low-rise buildings. Featuring resort-style living with ballrooms, fitness facilities, saunas, indoor swimming pool, hot tub, massages, rooftop tennis courts and much more!

POTOMAC GREEN offers a range of condos with prices ranging from $216,000-$391,000. Plenty of activities abound with 29,000 square foot clubhouse, indoor & outdoor pools, tennis & bocce courts, walking & jogging trails, billards and game rooms, indoor walking track and over 25 clubs and committees to entertain everyone’s needs.

From a small 1 bedroom condo to a multi-million dollar estate, Loudoun County has a gated community to fit your needs! Feel free to contact us for information on available properties in one of the communities listed here. We can help you find the home of your dreams!

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

FRIENDS OF HOMELESS ANIMALS

Why we support the Friends of Homeless Animals

We have recently been discussing some wonderful local charities. Today we are sharing more about one of favorites, Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA). Friends of Homeless Animals is one of the top 4 local charities that the JS Realty Team supports by raising money and volunteering at during their local events. We even attended their dog walking course so we can visit the property and give the dogs some much needed attention and time. We all love our furry friends and they need help too!

FOHA strives to: bring an end to the unnecessary killing of companion animals, provide a safe haven for abused and abandoned animals, provide food, shelter, medical care, rehabilitation, and compassion to homeless animals, find permanent, loving homes for the animals in our care and most importantly, bring about a time when there will be no more homeless pets and every dog and cat can be guaranteed a loving home.

FOHA is located in Aldie, VA and was founded by Judge Anne Lewis in 1973. She was inspired to open a no kill shelter and devoted the next 32 years of her life to homeless animals. Still in operation today, they strive to provide the highest quality medical care possible and have a careful adoption process and a unique lifetime pet return policy.Over the last four decades, FOHA has saved and placed in forever homes tens of thousands of dogs and cats who would otherwise have been abandoned or killed. This is the legacy of Anne Lewis.

To find out more about adopting your next pet, or if you are interested in volunteering or donating, please contact FOHA.

LABOR DAY EVENTS IN VIRGINIA

Labor Day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. This year, Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7th.

Several local, and quite a few “not-so-local” events are sure to have you enjoying some of the last days of the summer.

GREAT COUNTRY FARM’S ANNUAL CIDER FESTIVAL
Every weekend in September, from 9AM – 6PM!
18780 Foggy Bottom Road
Bluemont, VA

Live demonstrations and music, a corn maze, freshly pressed cider, freshly picked apples, and more! It’s a great way to end the summer and get ready for fall. For ticket information, visit the Great Country Farm website.

MICK’S 6TH ANNIVERSARY DISCO PARTY
Saturday, September 5th
9PM – 2AM
Mick’s Restaurant & Sports Lounge
2866 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Stafford, VA

Food, drinks, and fun! Grab your go-go boots and tie-dye shirts, and get to groovin’ & shakin’ at the disco in honor of their 6th Anniversary!

BRAMBLETON’S “DOGGONE WILD POOL PARTY”
Sunday, September 6th
2PM – 6PM
Community Center Pool
42645 Regal Wood Drive
Brambleton, VA
Registration Required

Bring the pups out for a swim! The Community Center Pool will be open for the dogs (sorry humans, you have to sit this one out!) as the last swim session of the season. All dogs are welcome to splash in the water for up to 2 hours. $5 Entrance Fee Per Dog, or donation from the FOHA Wish List.

SULLY PLANTATION 40TH RESTORATION ANNIVERSARY
Sunday, September 6
11AM – 4PM
3650 Historic Sully Way
Chantilly, VA

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the restoration of Sully Historic Site! Enjoy FREE tours, exhibits, activities, and refreshments, along with a ceremony at 1PM.

ANNUAL HERNDON LABOR DAY FESTIVAL
Monday, September 7
11AM – 5PM
Herndon Town Green
777 Lynn Street
Herndon, VA

Labor Day Festival on the Town Green in Historic Downtown Herndon. Presented in collaboration with the Herndon Woman’s Club, the event features nationally and regionally known entertainers on the main stage, unlimited Virginia wine tasting, gourmet food, a Fine Arts show and Virginia microbreweries! For admission and a schedule of events visit their website.

If you don’t mind a bit of travelling, there are a number of events in the Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge region, Coastal Virginia, and more. For a list of events, visit the Virginia is for Lovers website and enjoy some Labor Day fun!

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

GENEROSITY FEEDS

Living in Northern Virginia we all have a lot to be thankful for. Last week we blogged about how we decided to partner with 4 local charities to do our part in giving back to Loudoun County and the surrounding communities. The first organization we highlighted was Serve our Wounded Warriors. The JS Realty Team has learned and grown a lot by researching and selecting charities to work with. This has been a passion we have wanted to implement for a while and we are fortunate to be able to kick off our donations and volunteering to these four special organizations.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Generosity Feeds.

1 in 5 children in America struggle with hunger. In Loudoun County around 13% of our students qualify for reduced or free meals in our schools. Generosity Feeds takes the next step by ensuring that those children have food when they are not at school. Their experienced team works with organizations to mobilize hundreds of volunteers to package 10,000 or more meals in just a couple of hours. These meals are then distributed to local schools and food banks that facilitate the delivery of the meals to the children that need it.

We recently met with the President of Generosity Feeds, Ron Klabunde, and came away from the meeting knowing that we wanted to one day be able to sponsor a packaging event. Ron’s insight into how the process worked and the way they were able to get the free meals to the children in our community was inspiring. Ron and his team are working to “decrease effects of food insecurity on children in your area by packaging and providing nutritious and delicious meals for those children in need”. Their vision is to feed hungry children in every county throughout America. They have already succeeded in our area, as well as many other counties across America.

Ready to get involved? Want to help make a difference? We encourage you to JOIN THE JS REALTY TEAM at the next Generosity Feeds event on Saturday, September 12th in Chantilly, VA and help us make 10,000 meals! This is a family event, and children as young as 3 can participate.

If you’re not able to attend in person, you can still donate! As little as $30 can help feed 30 children. Event registration and additional details can be found here.

We hope to see you there!

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

WILLING WARRIORS CHARITY

The JS Realty Team is committed to giving back to our community through monetary donations and by volunteering our time. After researching local charities we painstakingly narrowed our selections down to four that we are now building a relationship with. Over the next few weeks we will be highlighting each of the organization to raise awareness and show you what it was that made us want to work with them.

Today we point the spotlight at Serve Our Willing Warriors (SOWW).

For over 9 years this organization has been providing “a little taste of home” for wounded, ill, and injured warriors. SOWW started in 2006 with a grassroots campaign with a small group from a local church in Haymarket, VA. They started off sponsoring events such as gift-giving at holidays, summer cookouts, and visitation for lonely service and family members. These volunteers came away with an enormous desire to do more for these incredible service members. The original volunteers were moved by the remarkable sense of community, mutual support and can-do attitudes of the injured service members who faced such daunting challenges. That was when they knew they had to do more. Through their visits they discovered a need for a little piece of a “normal life” for the service members. This lead to their mission to provide our country’s recovering wounded, ill, and injured warriors and their families with encouragement, support and even a vacation from their daily norm. Something like a “home away from home.”

With this in mind, SOWW recently opened The Bull Run Warrior Retreat in Haymarket. The retreat is located on 44 acres on the edge of the Bull Run Mountains. At the moment there is an 11,000 sq. ft. home with plans to add 3 cottages to increase the room for outpatient warriors and their families to spend well needed vacation breaks from the hospital environment. The next stage will be to add additional amenities to the property including gardens, walking trails, a pond, and much more.

SOWW hosts many sponsored events throughout the year to benefit the Bull Run Warrior Retreat. This fall, come out and join the JS Realty Team at the SOWW 3rd Annual Golf Tournament on October 5th! You can download the Golf Tournament flyer for more information. For you serious (and casual) bike riders, the 2nd Annual Cycling Charity Ride will take place on October 17th. Additional details can be found on the Cycling flyer. In December, SOWW will continue their tradition of visiting the troops at Walter Reed Medical Center and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

As you can see, this touched our hearts and is a charity that we wanted to get involved with. For more information on this remarkable charity and to register for their upcoming events visit their website.

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

LIVING KIDNEY DONATION

As of this morning, there are over 122,300 people needing a life-saving organ transplant in the United States. More than 10,000 of those candidates live in “Region 11” (UNOS designated region consisting of KY, TN, VA, NC, and SC). And 8,527 of them need a Kidney.

Mindy Colonna is one of them.

Mindy grew up in Williamsburg, VA, the childhood best friend of Sarah King Taylor. Mindy was the youngest of 4, and has 3 older brothers. She currently lives just outside Williamsburg with her husband Eddie and her son Cody. Mindy was only 19 when she first found out about her kidney disease. Her doctor put her on medication to help slow the process and for 20 years, it seemed to work. In September of 2014, she started feeling sick and extremely fatigued all the time. After checking in with the doctor, they determined her kidneys were functioning at 70%, which was not cause for immediate concern. Unfortunately not much time passed before Mindy’s hands, feet, and legs began swelling and she discovered her kidney function had dropped down to only 15%.

Mindy’s husband, Eddie, volunteered to donate one of his kidneys. He got tested and found out he was a match! Unfortunately, the doctors discovered some of his arteries were in such close proximity to the kidney, that they could not perform the procedure safely. Mindy has been on the transplant list since June 2015. She is currently undergoing the second-half of the surgery needed to prepare her veins for dialysis. She will have to do dialysis 3 times a week, for 4 hours each time, until she receives a transplant.

#BIGASKBIGGIVE
Did you know a healthy person can donate one of their kidney’s while they are still living? Kidneys from living donors offer better outcomes and a life-saving alternative to the long, uncertain wait of a deceased donor. Living donors allow those in need to plan and schedule their transplant when they need it most. Living donor kidney transplants offer a number of superior benefits, from greater success rates to nearly double the years of function. Living donors not only help those in need get a healthy “living” kidney (when they need one); they also prevent those in need from getting sicker (or dying) while they wait.

If you were healthy enough to do so, would you ever consider donating one of your kidneys? Finding out if you’re a match is almost as simple as knowing your blood type (in Mindy’s case, A+ or O would match).

If you would like more information on how you can help Mindy, please email us at Info@JSRealty4U.com.

In the meantime, please forward and share this story and help spread the word to raise awareness about being a living donor. You can help save lives!

LOUDOUN COUNTY SCHOOLS

Last week we blogged about why living in Loudoun County is so great. A small section in that blog discussed how great the schools are. Today we’re going to expand on that topic. With almost 90 public schools, 37 private schools and 7 higher education schools, Loudoun County has a lot to offer in terms of education. If you are looking for an excellent, well rounded education for yourself or your children, look no further!

BRIEF SCHOOL HISTORY
Private schools have been in Loudoun County for over 100 years. From early childhood development to college-prep, and even an all-girls academy, the private schools in Loudoun offer smaller class sizes and place a large focus on not only academic excellence, but fostering a strong sense of community.

Established in 1870 during an era of Reconstruction to fulfill the need for free education after the Civil War, LCPS served mostly a rural county, known primarily for its daily farms. After the construction of Dulles International Airport in the 1960’s, the population in Loudoun skyrocketed, followed by the school system. More than 30 schools were built between 1996 and 2006. Today, several of Loudoun’s public schools are ranked among the best in the nation.

EDUCATION OPTIONS
Nationally recognized and accredited private schools and universities in Loudoun are not hard to find, and the number of Montessori schools is growing steadily as the need for a more hands-on, self-directed classroom environment increases. At the same time, Loudoun County Public Schools is the fastest growing school division in Virginia, and one of the fastest growing public school districts in the United States, having served over 70,000 students in the 2013-2014 school year alone. All 13 high schools in Loudoun have scored above the state average for college readiness and at-or-above the state average in math & reading proficiency. And with expanded educational pathways, such as career and technical training at the Monroe STEM Academy and the Academy of Science, there are options for every child – and adult student!

Download a list of PRIVATE Schools in Loudoun County here.

Download a list of PUBLIC Schools in Loudoun County here.

Download a list of COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES in Loudoun County here.

JS Realty schools Loudoun GW — George Washington University – Loudoun Campus

Interested in owning a home in Loudoun County? Contact us today and find out how we can help you find the best real estate solution near the public, private or higher education schools you prefer!

The JS Realty Team – not only serving Brambleton, serving all of Northern Virginia.

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Why we support the Friends of Homeless Animals

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