SFDC prepares for first community event at Mount Vernon Plaza parklet

The Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC) will officially kick off community gatherings at the parklet at Mount Vernon Plaza with its May 20 “Chalkful of Flowers” event.

The event, according to a May 9 press release from Federal Realty, will enable participants to be creative and “add even more color and vibrancy to the new community space,” which opened last fall. Community members will join local artists in making upcycled flowers for a flower wall and creating chalk murals in designated spaces, while being entertained by music from professional electric violinist Charles “Bliss” Tolbert.

SFDC Executive Director Evan Kaufmann said he expected around 75 to 100 people can comfortably fit in the event space, which will include a closed off street next to the 3,200 square-foot parklet. The parklet itself features a trellis, green space, porch swing benches and soma stones along with café seating, lighting and landscaping.

Elected officials, community/business leaders and local residents attended the parklet's ribbon cutting on a chilly day in October 2022.

The Chalkful of Flowers event was conceived by a group of SFDC Marketing Committee members with backgrounds or interest in art and design. Kaufmann said he views the event as a “pilot” that will help the committee determine appropriate activities for the space and plan for future parklet activations.

The art-focused event has strong backing from Federal Realty’s leadership, which recently had nature-based murals added to the retail shopping center.

“When we were first conceptualizing the potential for a parklet space at Mount Vernon Plaza, we imagined events exactly like this one,” said Deirdre Johnson, senior vice president at Federal Realty.

Chalkful of Flowers will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 20 and is a free, family-friendly event. The parklet is located at 7698 Richmond Highway behind Capital Chicken.