Vienna recently concluded its annual ViVa! Vienna! festival, a weekend-long event that combined family-friendly entertainment with a solemn observance of Memorial Day. Supervisor Walter Alcorn joined attendees in celebrating the festival, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vienna, which has generated over $3 million for charitable and educational activities in the community over 42 years.
The festival also served as a poignant occasion to honor the more than 1 million Americans who have died in service to the country since 1775. During a Memorial Day ceremony, speakers from the Rotary Club recognized the nation’s 250th anniversary and the 85th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which marked the U.S. entry into World War II. Vienna’s contributions to the Allied victory were highlighted, particularly through the story of local heroine Velta Benn.
Velta Benn, a Vienna native, served with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), flying non-combat missions, testing aircraft, and teaching male pilots instrument flying. She was notably the first woman to qualify to take off and land a military jet on an aircraft carrier and was inducted into the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983. Despite their critical wartime service, WASPs were initially federal civil service employees, not qualifying for military benefits until President Jimmy Carter recognized them as veterans in 1977. Over three decades later, Benn and other surviving WASPs received the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian honors. A forthcoming documentary, "Coming Home: Fight for a Legacy," aims to further illuminate their contributions.
In other local news, Shyamali Hauth, a member of Supervisor Alcorn’s office, has been appointed to the Virginia Council on Women, a state body advising the governor on issues affecting women. Additionally, Fairfax Tree Rescuers PRISM is offering matching "mini grants" of up to $5,000 to nonprofit community and faith communities for invasive plant removal, with applications opening June 1.
Fairfax County is also addressing affordable housing needs, with the initial waitlist for project-based housing vouchers at The Exchange at Spring Hill Station in Tysons opening from June 1-7. This development is set to provide over 500 affordable units by next year, with more rental opportunities becoming available in the coming months. Residents can also register for a free "Stop the Bleed" training class on June 2, aimed at teaching life-saving techniques for severe injuries.