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ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Fairfax County, Va., man from carrying his loaded handgun onto a flight yesterday, Wednesday, Sept. 28. It was the 21st gun detected by TSA officers at the airport so far this year.

The .25 caliber handgun was loaded with six bullets, where it was located among the man’s carry-on items. When TSA officers spotted the firearm, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police were notified, confiscated the weapon and cited the man, a resident of Lorton, Va., on a weapons charge.

“Our TSA officers continue to be focused on our mission by detecting firearms and other prohibited items at security checkpoints as well as in checked baggage,” said John Busch, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “We encourage travelers to have a greater awareness of what they are packing for their flight by using the tools that TSA has made available to help determine if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither. This will reduce the troubling number of passengers bringing weapons to the security checkpoints across the system. Use the ‘Can I bring?’ feature on our homepage, www.tsa.gov. Download the free myTSA app, which has that same feature. Or tweet your questions to our social media team at @AskTSA.”

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared at their airline ticket counter. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Firearms Caught at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport checkpoints, 2017 to 2022

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a handgun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual may lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and passengers should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Nationwide, TSA officers detected 5,972 firearms on passengers or their carry-on bags at checkpoints last year. Of the guns caught by TSA in 2021, about 86 percent were loaded.

Bunnyman Brewing is looking to return to the source of its legendary namesake by conjuring up a second location at Lorton’s Workhouse Arts Campus.

The Fairfax-based brewery is in the midst of negotiating a lease to move into 4,500 square-foot space at the county-owned Workhouse Arts Campus in Lorton, Bunnyman co-owner Sam Gray confirmed to FFXnow.

At yesterday’s meeting, the Board of Supervisors authorized a public hearing for Dec. 6 in regard to the county leasing property to the brewery.

If approved, this would be Bunnyman’s second location and Gray said the hope would be to open at 9514 Workhouse Way prior to Halloween 2023.

Over the summer, construction began on a $6.3 million renovation of two buildings at the Workhouse campus, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Board Chairman Jeff McKay noted at the time that the county hoped a restaurant or brewery would move into those buildings.

Bunnyman is now poised to take over one of the refurbished spaces, known as Building W-13 — a fitting turn of events, since the brewery is named after a local legend that involves the Workhouse Arts Center, which was once the Lorton Reformatory.

As one version of the story goes, Clifton had an asylum in the early 20th century, but the small town’s residents didn’t like the idea of having patients there. So, it was shut down, and all the patients were put on a bus destined for the Lorton prison. However, the bus crashed before reaching its destination.

The authorities were able to reapprehend every inmate — except for one who was never found, leaving only gutted, half-eaten bunnies as clues.

One Halloween night years later, a group of kids hanging out under the Colchester Overpass near Fairfax Station supposedly saw a flash of light. The next morning, police find the kids gutted and half-eaten, like the bunnies left by the inmate.

There is likely no more than a kernel of truth to the story, but Gray — a retired Fairfax County firefighter — grew up with it and thought there was no better name for his brewery.

“It’s the legend we grew up with that was purely Fairfax. Anyone that grew up in the area could relate,” he said. “We are proud of our area and it was the most relevant, fun historical symbol that made sense.”

The Building W-13 renovation is expected to wrap up soon, possibly letting Bunnyman’s ownership move into the space by February. If that happens, Gray says he could have the brewery open by next fall.

The plan is to brew drinks on-site, but on a smaller scale than its main location on Guinea Road in Fairfax. There will also be a “limited fun in-house food selection,” along with cider and possibly wine.

The lease with the county calls for an 18-month rent abatement and is expected to generate about $109,000 on a yearly basis for the public coffers, per a staff report.

As for the other renovated building on campus, dubbed Building W-15, the county continues “to seek a prospective tenant,” according to staff.

Gray is excited that his brewery has the opportunity to move into such a unique and historic space.

“We…believe the corridor and Laurel Hill/Lorton area is set for good future growth,” he said. “Part of the Bunnyman legend is the prison and we look forward to being part of that growth.”

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — The Workhouse Arts Center has brought back Northern Virginia’s outdoor walk-thru haunted trail in Lorton, Virginia.

This year’s Haunt, titled “Nightmare Harvest,” will run on weekends until Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Workhouse Haunt is a long-standing Northern Virginia tradition, which serves not only as Halloween entertainment but also as an extension of the Workhouse Performing Arts Program, allowing local youth to practice their acting skills, set production and overall theatrical skills, with the training of seasoned professionals.

And it’s not just about the haunt and the scares, this year the center is reaching out to the community and those most in need post-pandemic.

SEE ALSO | PHOTOS: Crofton man creates 'battle of cinematic universes' Halloween display

“This year, we have partnered with the Lorton Community Action Center to encourage guests to give back to the community by donating food and other items when they attend the Haunt. We will have a drop off location available on site,” said Leon Scioscia, President and CEO of the Workhouse Arts Center.

The Workhouse Arts Center, a project of the Workhouse Arts Foundation, helps to grow and support a vibrant arts center that offers engaging opportunities and inspiring experiences for all in visual and performing arts, education classes, historical perspective, community engagement and personal enrichment. The Workhouse is housed at a unique historical property -- a 55-acre portion of the DC Correctional Complex’s former campus in Lorton that dates back to 1910.

After the complex’s closure in 2001, Fairfax County and an adaptive reuse task force transformed the site into a community arts center where people could learn about, participate in, and be inspired by the region’s and nation's best visual and performing arts talent, and come together for festivals and community building. Opened in 2008, the Workhouse Arts Center now curates and presents a dozen art exhibitions from local, regional and national artists. It houses nearly 65 resident and associate artists who produce 70-plus annual shows, presents 300 performing arts events and offers over 300 education classes, engaging nearly 100,000 people annually.

The Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC) is a partner this year, seeking to provide low-income individuals, senior citizens, and families residing in Fort Belvoir, Lorton, Newington and other portions of southeast Fairfax County with access to basic needs and the opportunity to empower themselves through LCAC’s self-sufficiency programs.

Haunt: Nightmare Harvest 2022 Schedule:

Food trucks, soft drinks, wine, and themed-specialty drinks will be available for purchase on-site. Bunnyman Brewing will be the exclusive beer vendor for the Haunt.

Tickets are now available for purchase and prices start at $30 per person. Visit here for the schedule and event details.

The doors of the $18 million Lorton Community Center are now open, ahead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for this coming weekend.

The 30,000-square-foot facility on Richmond Highway is combined with a renovated and expanded Lorton Library as well as the new 1.7-acre Lorton Park.

The community center features a gym, a fitness room, a kitchen, an art room, and a sensory room. The facility also includes space for the Lorton Senior Center and the Lorton Community Action Center, a nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to those in need.

The 10,000-square-foot library has been expanded by 6,000 square feet for a larger children’s area, increased seating, and more meeting and study rooms. The new Lorton Park is located behind the parking lot and has open field space, picnic tables, playground, fitness area, and a trail loop.

The facility also has sustainability features like a rain garden, underground stormwater facility, and infrastructure for solar panels.

The full project — the park, community center, and library — cost $27.23 million, with the community center accounting for essentially two thirds of the cost, according to a county spokesperson.

The entire facility opened to the public yesterday (Monday) with a ribbon cutting and “community celebration” scheduled for Saturday (Oct. 15) afternoon, rain or shine.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay and other local officials are expected to attend. There will be tours of the new center and light refreshments.

The facility was initially scheduled to open late last month but was pushed several weeks to allow for “final facility work to be completed,” Storck said.

The Lorton Community Center and Lorton Library facility will open its doors Oct. 10, 2022, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for Oct. 15, 2022. The new opening date was shifted from a previously-announced date of Sept. 26 to allow final facility work to be completed.

— Supervisor Dan Storck (@DanStorck) September 23, 2022

The center is in the Mount Vernon District, which Storck represents. He told FFXnow in a statement that Lorton is a “historically underserved community in need of these services.”

The community and I are so very excited about the opening of the Lorton Community Center, Library and Park! This gorgeous, multigenerational co-located facility and improved park brings together County wellness, education, human development and support services all under one roof, next to a historically underserved community in need of these services. In addition to these comprehensive facilities, the new Center will be home to a new Senior Center, Teen Center, School Aged Child Care (SACC), and the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC) with coordination from Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS). Bringing these services all under one roof improves access to services as well as promoting healthy living by enhancing physical, mental, educational and social wellbeing. Fairfax County’s investment in our South County community continues and I look forward to welcoming everyone to the community celebration and ribbon cutting on October 15 at 1:00 p.m.

The proposal to build a Lorton Community Center near this site on Richmond Highway dates back at least 40 years, according a Fairfax County timeline. Initially, the Lorton Library opened in 1990, but the plan was always to build a community center either adjacent to the library or as an addition to the existing facility.

In 2012, the Board of Supervisors directed staff to look into funding options about turning the library into a “multi service facility.” County voters approved a $85 million bond in 2016 with close to $40 million going towards replacing the Sully Senior Center and combining a new Lorton Community Centert with the Lorton Library.

Designing, zoning, and permitting began, but that process was somewhat contentious, as some residents took issue with the park being reduced to 1.42 acres to accommodate the parking lot and argued that they had been insufficiently consulted.

“Clad in bright green t-shirts and ‘Save Lorton Park’ stickers, neighborhood activists accused the county of failing to hold public meetings early in the process, shutting them out of decision-making, and trying to squeeze a sizable community center into a small area in a way they believe will worsen traffic congestion and take away valued green space,” Covering the Corridor reported.

A compromise was evidently reached, since the park is now 1.7 acres in size. Construction began in July 2020 and the facility was completed just over two years later.

Bunnyman Brewing is hopping on over to Lorton’s Workhouse Arts Center next year.

The Fairfax-based brewery got an official go-ahead from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (Dec. 6) to take over a nearly 4,700-square-foot space at the county-owned Workhouse Arts Campus in Lorton.

This will be the brewery’s second location and is expected to open by fall 2023, co-owner Sam Gray told FFXnow. The brewery will be in Building W-13, one of two buildings on the campus that are currently being refurbished.

“The addition of an on-site food and beverage retailer is expected to assist with placemaking and support the vibrant arts and cultural programming and education that [the Workhouse Arts Foundation] provides throughout the site,” the staff report says.

The county is still seeking a tenant for Building W-15, the other component of the $6.3 million renovation project.

The expansion marks Bunnyman Brewing’s return to the former Lorton Reformatory grounds where the story behind its legendary namesake began.

According to one version of the Bunnyman legend, in the early 20th century, a bus carrying patients from a nearby asylum in Clifton to Lorton crashed. The authorities re-apprehended every inmate, save one who was never found, leaving only a trail of gutted rabbits as clues.

One Halloween night years later, teens hanging out under the Colchester Overpass near Fairfax Station saw a flash of light. The next morning, police found the kids strung up and gutted, just like the bunnies left by the inmate.

While that version of the story is completely untrue, there was a man possibly dressed in a bunny suit who terrorized a few residents in the early 1970s.

Gray told FFXnow last month that the brewery’s name is an homage to his hometown.

“It’s the legend we grew up with that was purely Fairfax. Anyone that grew up in the area could relate,” he said. “We are proud of our area and it was the most relevant, fun historical symbol that made sense.”

At Tuesday’s board meeting, Gray made clear that his team did research before choosing its name, which isn’t intended as a celebration of morbid happenings.

“We are not celebrating a murderer, but the story is one we all grew up with. The name is a lot for us,” he said.

He also noted that, while working as a Fairfax County firefighter, he responded to a number of calls at the Lorton Prison, and it still leaves an impression on him.

“When I go into the Workhouse Arts Center, I still see it as a prison. It’s taken a little while to get the flutters out of my stomach,” he said. “I did respond to the prison quite a few times back in the day and it was a scary situation every single time. There was no getting used to it.”

The lease for Bunnyman Brewery received unanimous approval from supervisors and was “wholeheartedly” endorsed by the head of the nonprofit Workhouse Arts Foundation, which manages the arts center.

“The two Bunnyman co-owners…have already shown the Workhouse Arts Center, by participating in our annual haunt event, that they will be great partners as we collectively work together to ensure the full activation of the campus,” WAF President Leon Scioscia said.

The initial 10-year lease is expected to generate about $109,000 a year for the county, after “the initial 18-month rent abatement period has ended,” per the staff report. Gray says the abatement means the brewery will pay no rent for the first three months and only half its rent for the next 15 months.

The county is expected to hand over the property to Bunnyman Brewing in March. At that time, the brewery will make some of its own improvements with the hope of opening the space to the public about six months later — just in time for the spooky season.

“We hope to be able to host a couple soft openings by September 2023 and fully open the doors by Halloween 2023,” Gray said.