Find It In Ashburn! - News, events, sports and more in Ashburn, VA

Thank You Ashburn

Big news from the Find It In Ashburn headquarters!

After much reflection on 9+ years, I relinquish the title of “Ms. Ashburn.” 🙂

Publisher/Editor Lisa Karl (2011)

Find It In Ashburn grew from an idea to gather answers to the questions my new neighbors were asking. The same questions I asked when moving here — about kids sports leagues, grocery stores, a nice place for date night. Its been over 9 years since I began publishing FIIA and, boy, what changes we’ve seen! We’ve added a ton of great businesses, neighborhoods and schools.

The last three advertisers on FIIA are mainstays here and in the community, believing in the venture and the journey. They made it possible to bring you all the up-to-date information about Ashburn each week.

Diane King of Keller Williams offered not only advertising support since 2013, but since the very beginning gave enthusiastic encouragement of my dream to bring FIIA to a reality. Turn to Diane for the true Royal Treatment when buying or selling a home. Thank you Diane!

The team of Long & Foster One Loudoun brought you the best in Ashburn for three years. Managing Broker Dan Freire and his team offer the best in consumer education, and a full team to make your home buying and selling a smooth process. A very special thanks to Shirley Vestal and Nanci Dwyer!

The folks at Blend Coffee Bar are very special to me, and I couldn’t be prouder of their success! Far beyond dispensing delicious coffee, Blend is truly a neighborhood gathering place. Thank you Tracey & Mimi!

And thank you — my neighbors, friends and fellow Ashburn residents. You are what makes Ashburn such a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Your support of Find It In Ashburn is the reason it continued so strongly for so many years, and it means the world! I’m grateful to each and every one of you — for your wonderful emails and the kind words.

I’ll post on the FIIA Facebook from time to time. Come talk to me there!

Peace Out!
Lisa

Lisa Karl
publisher/editor, Find It In Ashburn

By Lisa Karl|September 6th, 2018|Categories: Celebrations|0 Comments

Fourth of July Celebrations in Ashburn!

We spread out our fourth of July celebrations in Ashburn, from Brambleton to Ashburn Village!

The annual Red, White & Bram celebration at the Brambelton Town Center featured tons of games, raffles, booths and tailgating! Plus live music and a laser show.

July 4th itself brings the annual celebration at the Ashburn Village Pavilion. A parade, food, fun, music and games!

And the grand finale, the 5th of July fireworks from the lake at Ashburn Village!

By Lisa Karl|July 11th, 2018|Categories: Community Event|0 Comments

Swimming Pools Opening in Ashburn!

Swimming pools in our Ashburn communities open for the season this Saturday, May 26.Get prepared for the summer season (coming, we promise!):

Get your pool pass, find your old one, update photos as necessary/mandated by your community.
Dig out “floaties”, inner tubes and noodles, throwing out the old and replacing as needed.
Check sunscreen for expiration dates and make sure the SPF matches what your family needs. Not sure? Here’s Consumer Reports Guide to Sunscreen.
Read — or reread — your community’s rules and regulations for the swimming pools. Some communities have more than one swimming pool, so check to see if different rules apply to the different swimming pools.
Know what age children can go to the swimming pool by themselves and what, if any, test they need to pass. (See your community rules.)

And finally, make sure everyone in your family understands what drowning truly looks like, so they can get help when someone is in distress. Please read this very important article, “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning” and see the video below.

By Lisa Karl|May 21st, 2018|Categories: Community Information|0 Comments

Toys for Tots 2017

It’s that time of year — time to make a difference and spread joy to children who otherwise wouldn’t receive a visit from Santa.
Please remember to bring new, unwrapped toys!

Here are the Toys for Tots collection sites in Ashburn:

Long & Foster Ashburn

Ashburn Farm Association
Ashburn Village Pavilion
Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue
Arcola Volunteer Fire Department
Loudoun Water
Security Public Storage

Ashbrook Commons Shopping Plaza

AC Moore

Ashburn Technology Park

Burn Boot Camp Ashburn
Fitwize 4 Kids

Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza

Ashburn Service & Tire Center
Huntington Learning Center
Lans Family Dentistry

Beaumeade

Old Ox Brewery

Brambelton Town Center

Go Bananas
Chesterbrook Academy Brambleton at Northstar
Onelife Fitness

Broadlands Village Shopping Plaza

Painting With A Twist

Cameron Chase Shopping Plaza

Ford’s Fish Shack
Navy Federal Credit Union Ashburn Branch Office

Junction Plaza

Edward Jones

One Loudoun

Advanced Corrective Chiropractic
Long & Foster Ashburn

Pipeline Plaza

Ashburn Children’s Dentistry
Century 21 Redwood
Keyser Thompson Insurance Agency
Redwood Realty

Premier Plaza

Loudoun Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

University Commerce Center

Value Blinds and Heirloom Drapery

By Lisa Karl|November 14th, 2017|Categories: Community Support, Holiday Event|0 Comments

Loudoun County Stickers

Yes! You do need to display your green Loudoun County sticker for 2018. The deadline to affix your 2018 Loudoun County sticker is November 15, 2017. Don’t get a ticket, put it on your windshield!

From Loudoun.gov:

Taxpayers should be aware that the 2018 green vehicle decal is still necessary and should be displayed through June 30, 2018. The Board of Supervisors has eliminated the decal requirement effective July 1, 2018, at which time a license fee of $25.00 will be assessed thereafter each tax year.

Remember, if you have more than one vehicle to match the correct sticker to the vehicle. 🙂

By Lisa Karl|November 9th, 2017|Categories: Community Information|0 Comments

Shred It!

Courtesy of our friends at Long & Foster Ashburn.

By Lisa Karl|October 23rd, 2017|Categories: Community Event|0 Comments

Celebrating 7 Years in Ashburn

We are thrilled to be celebrating 7 years in Ashburn, as THE information source for events, sporting news, business updates, and even nightlife!

The Find It In Ashburn project came about as more and more people were attracted to this area, seeing the potential for raising their families in an area with great schools and great people. But these newcomers needed the info — what kinds of activities are available for the kids? Where are the schools? What are the new restaurants in town? What shopping is near me?

The First Website

The first incarnation of Find It In Ashburn included pages and pages and pages in the website, including categorizing restaurants by shopping plaza and cuisine. There was so much information is was confusing! In 2013 we undertook an ambitious project of revamping the website, including research, surveys, and input from the community. The result is the website you see today, unveiled in 2014. The elegant design is simple to navigate and includes Ashburn’s Calendar where anyone can post an event to share with the wider Ashburn community.

The Ashburn Insider

Almost as soon as the website debuted in March 2010, a newsletter was sent to Ashburn residents, the Ashburn Insider. That newsletter continues to grow enormously each year, and the average open rate of the newsletter grew from 28% to 38% today (industry average is 17%). Find It In Ashburn and the Ashburn Insider attracts advertisers from the Ashburn community, eager to connect with Ashburn residents.

Accolades

Find It In Ashburn regularly receives praise from the community, such as:

“I LOVE receiving these “Insider” newsletters and all about happenings in Ashburn.” ~Kelly T.

“I enjoy your column & writing style. It’s always upbeat, fun, & full of great info I usually don’t see anywhere else.” ~Marge C.

“I like finding out about events near home that I may not have otherwise heard about, as well as about new businesses opening.” ~Paul M.

“Thanks for all the great info your newsletter provides!” ~Lisa S.

THANK YOU ASHBURN for your continued support of Ashburn’s original community, Find It In Ashburn!

By Lisa Karl|March 9th, 2017|Categories: Celebrations|0 Comments

Ashburn Football Stars

We’ve always been ready for some football here in Ashburn, and this Bowl season brought us the chance to see our Ashburn football stars in action on the big screen! Event hose who aren’t college football fans, turned on the TV, gathered at local watering holes, and even in some cases, made the trip to see the games.

First up, with a Tuesday afternoon kickoff, was the Military Bowl, with Wake Forest up against Temple. Redshirt junior TE Cam Serigne, of Briar Woods fame, had three catches for 68 yards, including a catch for the first score for the Deacon Demons. Final score: Temple 26, Wake Forest 34. With the game Annapolis, MD, most of Ashburn was deserted, as Ashburn football fans and friends made the little over an hour journey to watch and exciting game. Cam announced he’ll return to Wake Forest for his senior year.

Touchdown in the first quarter. Photo credit: Brian Westerholt/Sports On Film

Celebrating the first WF TD in the Military Bowl. Photo credit: Brian Westerholt/Sports On Film

Next up, the Stanford Cardinal took on North Carolina in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX on Friday. When Stanford’s QB was injured late in the second quarter, senior Ryan Burns, former Stone Bridge Bulldog, stepped up to lead the team to victory, going 6-12 for 86 yards. Final score: Stanford 25, North Carolina 23.

Ryan Burns gets a pass off at the Sun Bowl. Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark Lambie

We had just enough time to grab some sleep before turning on the Peach Bowl to see Stone Bridge’s own Jonathan Allen play for Alabama as they took on Washington. Game Captain Allen, a senior DE, had two tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery for a defense that only allowed 7 points, as the Crimson Tide won 24-7. Alabama advances tot he National Championship, against Clemson, in Tampa on Monday, January 9. Roll Tide!

Jonathan’a awards include the Chuck Bednarik Award (national defensive player of the year), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (national defensive player of the year), Ted Hendricks Award (nation’s top defensive end) and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Ashburn football fans look forward to cheering Jonathan on in the National Championship game next week, and NFL next year!

Jonathan Allen makes a tackle during the first half of the Peach Bowl. Photo credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Jonathan Allen recovers fumble at the Peach Bowl. Photo credit: Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

We rounded up bowl week with the Rose Bowl, where Penn State took on USC on Monday. Those who watched got to see an very exciting game, with Penn State’s QB, redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley, former Briar Woods Falcon, leading the team to reel off 24 straight points after falling behind early. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough, and USC won 52-49 on a FG as time expired in the game. We look forward to watching McSorley again next year, confident he’ll lead the Nittany Lions to another Bowl bid.

Trace scrambling during the Rose Bowl. Photo credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Trace runs for a touchdown in the Rose Bowl. Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

By Lisa Karl|January 5th, 2017|Categories: LCPS|Tags: briar woods high school, Cam Serigne, football, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Burns, stone bridge high school, Trace McSorley|0 Comments

Fundraiser for Smashing Walnuts

Neese from Current Salon was the host for “Cocktails for a Cause,” a fundraiser for Smashing Walnuts. We headed to Blackfinn Ameripub at Loudoun Station on Tuesday, November 29, and while we didn’t win any raffles, we certainly enjoyed the Smashing Martini. 🙂

Fundraiser for Smashing Walnuts

I’m not happy that I know Ellen or ever met Gabriella, because then I wouldn’t be sharing this. Remember…it’s NOT OK. We need to do all we can to ensure that funds go towards research, treatments and CURES for childhood cancers.

By Lisa Karl|December 1st, 2016|Categories: Fundraiser|Tags: Blackfinn Ameripub, Smashing Walnuts|0 Comments

Ashburn Event of the Week

Ashburn Pub holds occasional fundraisers on Mondays for local charities/nonprofits. We’ve been to many, but the one on Monday, November 21 was one one of the best!

Ashburn Event of the Week

The Ashburn Event of the Week honored the volunteers of Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue! A ton of giveaways, including a ride to school or work in a firetruck! We soooo wanted to win that, to embarrass a certain high school senior we know. 🙂 Alas, it wasn’t us, but we had a ton of fun, getting served by firefighters and chatting with folks.

Keep up the good work and thanks to Kevin of Ashburn Pub for hosting!