A festival filled with fun and entertainment — that’s what’s in store at the fourth annual Chantilly Day celebration. It’s set for Saturday, May 16, at the Sully Place Shopping Center, off Route 50 West in Chantilly.

There’ll be live music and dancing, food, children’s activities and even an astronaut. The extravaganza runs from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine, in the Kmart and Babies R Us parking lots. Admission is free, as are all activities in the Kids Zone.

The Chantilly-Centreville Chamber of Commerce (an offshoot of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce), in partnership with Kaiser Permanente, is putting on the event. Host sponsor is the shopping-center owner, Beatty Management Co. And Western Fairfax Christian Ministries will be on hand all day to accept food donations for local families in need.

“A perfect antidote for our busy, remote-communicator lifestyle is our community gathering that we call Chantilly Day,” said Dulles Regional Chamber President Eileen Curtis. “Here is the web of businesses, residents, nonprofits, schools, cultural and sports organizations that together represent the heartbeat of a community. The Chamber invites you to come on out, meet your neighbors, share new experiences and enjoy the wonderful sounds and tastes of Chantilly.”

The event chairman is Carl Brown, assistant general manager of Staybridge Suites. He, too, is excited about the upcoming festival and says the goal is to create a sense of community here.

“Chantilly Day is a celebration of our business community, civic and educational organizations, local leaders and all things Chantilly,” he said. “It gives everyone an opportunity to gather for a day of free, family fun with lots of activities and great food offerings from the local area.”

OPENING AND AWARDS

Opening ceremonies and the presentation of awards will kick off the day at 11 a.m. at the stage in the Kmart parking lot. Children’s activities, rides and the Taste of Chantilly will begin at 11:15 a.m., with the stage entertainment following at noon.

The Chantilly Academy’s Air Force JROTC Color Guard will present the colors, and then Fulton will recognize and introduce the local dignitaries and guests. Then the Chantilly-Centreville Chamber will give out various awards.

Among the highlights will be a special salute to Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully), along with the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Sully District’s only supervisor, he’s retiring this year after serving 23 years in office. Frey’s actually worked for Fairfax County since 1978 – first for former Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Herrity and then as former Centreville District Supervisor Elaine McConnell’s chief of staff for seven years before becoming Sully District’s supervisor.

This year’s recipient of the Chantilly Business of the Year award, presented by Sandy Spring Bank, will go to the Westfields Business Owners Association. The award for Chantilly Nonprofit of the Year, presented by Western Federal Credit Union, will be given to the Chantilly Youth Association (CYA).

The Dulles Regional Chamber will also continue its long tradition of honoring Educators of the Year from its participating schools. Sponsoring this year’s Educator Awards is Infinity QS.

Awardees include Troy Stevens, Chantilly High; Todd Utter, Westfield High; David McElfresh, Fairfax Christian School; Tammy Jenkins, Centreville High; Lisa Hoy, Goddard School, Chantilly; Jennifer Michael, Goddard School, South Riding; and Cecilia Escobar, Oakcrest School.

DIGNITARIES AND GUESTS

Chantilly Day dignitaries and honored guests will include former NASA Astronaut Daniel Tani, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova; Supervisors Frey, Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and John Foust (D-Dranesville); state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37) and U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-10).

Meet Astronaut Daniel Tani:

Dan Tani obtained a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. After working on the STS-51 mission in September 1993, he became launch operations manager for the Pegasus program at Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Va.

In that capacity, he headed the development of procedures and constraints for the launching of the Pegasus unmanned rocket. He also trained and led the team of engineers who worked in the launch and control room.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in April 1996, Tani completed two years of training and evaluation and qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist in 1998. In 2002, he was a crew member on the Aquarius undersea research habitat as part of NASA’s Extreme Environment Mission Operations. Tani then trained for and qualified as the backup flight engineer for Expedition 11.

After his flight on Expedition 16, he became branch chief of the International Space Station branch. He also served as a capsule communicator for the International Space Station and for Expedition 26.

Tani flew on STS-108 Endeavour (Dec. 5-17, 2001), the 12th shuttle flight to visit the International Space Station. Endeavour’s crew delivered the Expedition 4 crew and returned the Expedition 3 crew to Earth. The crew unloaded more than three tons of supplies and science experiments, and Tani performed a spacewalk. STS-108 did 185 Earth orbits, traveling 4.8 million miles in 283 hours, 36 minutes, including a spacewalk lasting 4 hours, 12 minutes.

On his second spaceflight, Tani served as Expedition-16 flight engineer and spent 120 days living and working aboard the International Space Station. While there, he performed numerous robotic operations in support of the installation, logging 34 hours, 59 minutes during five spacewalks. He left NASA in August 2012 to become vice president of Mission and Cargo Operations in Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Advanced Programs Group.

ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS

This year’s fun-filled attractions include a climbing wall, Space Shuttle moonbounce, a fire-and-rescue obstacle course and 16-person Mindwinder swings. The CYA Fun Zone will offer sports-related games such as basketball and Nerf soccer, plus carnival-type activities.

Kwon’s Champion School and the Northern Virginia Volleyball Association will give exhibitions, and My Gym will have activities for younger children. G & C Automotive is providing an antique fire truck, and Chantilly High is bringing its robotics demonstration. Members of the school’s Hispanic Leadership Club will do face painting.

Besides participating in the festival’s opening ceremonies, astronaut Tani will be on hand to meet Chantilly Day attendees and sign autographs. And once again, pets will be available for adoption.

ENTERTAINMENT

The professional entertainers will be rising-star, singer-songwriter Tommy Gann, who performs original music and popular radio hits, and neoclassical guitarist Matthew Mills, who combines contemporary acoustic music with the influence of Flamenco guitar. And from the local community, there’ll be performances by Creative Dance Center and by Chantilly High’s Jazz Ensemble, Latin Dance Club and Hip Hop Dance Club.

STAGE ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

11 a.m. - Opening Ceremonies - Color Guard

Noon - Creative Dance Center

12:30 p.m. - CHS Jazz Group

2 p.m. - Tommy Gann

3 p.m. - Matthew Mills

4 p.m. - Hip Hop, Bollywood and Napalese dancing

Note: Schedule is subject to change.

TASTE OF CHANTILLY

Offering food for a variety of palates will be the Chantilly National Golf Club, Golly Waffles, Chick-fil-A, Paisano’s, Bungalow Billiards, Tailgator Toby NOVA, and The Similans Thai Eatery.

BUSINESS EXPO

The Westfields Business Owners Association welcomes everyone to this year’s Business Expo. It gives area residents a chance to see what’s available to them in their community. And many will be offering giveaways and prizes to people who visit their tables.

“We have a wonderful array of businesses, ranging from home improvements to health organizations and adventure companies,” said Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Patrice Gerideau. “The new Walmart, due to open in South Riding this July, will be there to hire its staff. Frying Pan Farm Park is bringing some four-legged friends, and Kids Swim First will offer opportunities for summer (and beyond) fun.”

This year’s business expo features a myriad of local businesses, including the food vendors,” she continued. “The chamber extends special thanks to our presenting sponsor Kaiser Permanente, promotional sponsors 110RPM, TriVision Studios, the Chantilly Connection and Centre View newspapers, host sponsor Beatty Management and all our sponsors for making Chantilly Day 2015 possible.”

Below are some of the businesses confirmed to participate at this year’s event:

110RPM

123Junk

Air and Space Self Storage

Ameritech Construction Corporation

Bath Fitter

Blue Collar Objects

Boy Scouts of America

Britto Orthodontics

Burke & Herbert Bank

Cafe Rio

Cellular Sales of VA, LLC

Center for Vein Restoration

Chantilly Chiropractic Center

Chantilly Regional Library

Chantilly Youth Association

Chasing Auras Photography

CMIT Solutions of Centreville

Cox Communications Inc.

Dulles Area Transportation Association (DATA)

Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park, LLC

EagleBank - Reston

Empower Adventure Middleburg, LLC

Fairfax County Republican Committee

Family Hearing of Virginia

Focus Family Martial Arts

Frying Pan Farm Park

Gideon's International

Glory Days Grill

Home Fix Custom Remodel

InTouch Credit Union

ITT Technical Institute

Kids First Swim Schools

Kitchen Saver

Kwon's Champion School

MainStreet Bank

New York Life, Vienna

Northern Virginia Volleyball Association

Oakton Baptist Church

Paradise Smiles of Chantilly

Patient First

PNC Bank - Dulles 28

Quality Chiropractic & Rehab

Red Carpet Remodeling

Residence Inn Marriott Chantilly

Rotary Club of Centreville & Chantilly

Sandy Spring Bank - Chantilly

Service Specialties, Inc.

Sleep Number

Smart Business Options

Sterling Restaurant Supply

The Crossings at Chantilly

The Goddard School in Chantilly

The Writing Academy

TriVision Studios

United Bank - Chantilly

United States Marine Corps

Walmart Store - South Riding

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Western Federal Credit Union

DONATE FOOD TO WFCM

Chantilly Day also includes a food drive for Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM). This Chantilly-based, nonprofit provides food, clothing and emergency financial aid to local families people in need.

But it needs help restocking its food pantry to gear up for summer when the need is greatest. That’s when many children who depend on free and reduced-priced breakfasts and lunches in school no longer have food to eat.

So people attending Chantilly Day are asked to bring with them nonperishable food to donate to WFCM. For each food item they contribute, they’ll receive a raffle ticket for prizes, so those bringing the most items to the table outside the Kmart entrance will have the best chance to win.

Some of the most needed items are:

• Hamburger Helper or Macaroni & Cheese
• Pasta and Pasta Sauce
• Canned Ravioli
• Sugar, Flour, and Oil
• Fruit Juice
• Toothpaste/Toothbrushes
• Toilet Paper
• Soap

For more information, contact Jennie Bush at jbush@wfcmva.org.

OFF-SITE PARKING, SHUTTLE

Staybridge Suites will run a shuttle from the corner of Centreville Road and Skyhawk Drive to and from the festival throughout the day. The satellite parking lot will be at 3900 Skyhawk Drive, with shuttle service available every 15 minutes during the festival.

Attendees may also walk the approximately quarter mile to the festival from the parking lot. Festival visitors are asked to not park in front of Kmart and Babies R Us, since their limited parking is only for the use of store customers.

Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: Kaiser Permanente

Host Sponsor: The Beatty Companies

Business Expo Sponsor: Westfields Business Owners Assn.

Chantilly High Sponsor: Blue Collar Objects

Fun Zone Area Sponsor: Chantilly Youth Assn.

Taste of Chantilly Sponsor: Chantilly National

Welcome Booth Sponsor: Cox Communications

Rock Wall Sponsor: F3 Tactical

Business Award: Sandy Spring Bank

Community Awards: Western Federal Credit Union

Educators the Year Sponsor: Infinity QS

Signage Sponsor: Paisano's

Gold Sponsor: The Crossings at Chantilly

Design Sponsor 110 RPM

Shuttle Sponsor: Staybridge Suites Chantilly

First Aid Sponsor: HCA Reston Hospital Center