DATA’s 4th Annual “party with a purpose” included plenty to enjoy and to inform! The 2018 Live More Block Party was held October 3 at the Reston Town Center Pavilion, in partnership with METRO. With in-kind and promotional support from the Reston Town Center, the event drew 
approximately 200 attendees over a 3 hour period, continuing the pattern of attendance growth experienced the past several years.
The Block Party featured 16 exhibitors and organizations showcasing commuting choices from vanpooling to ridesharing to biking…plus activities to enjoy with the time gained by making those smarter choices. Exhibitors included METRO, LINK, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, Potomac and Rappahannock Transit, Transform 66, One-to-One Fitness, Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, NeoNiche Strategies/Bus Transformation Project, Virginia DMV, The Bike Lane, Reston Bike Club, Commuter Connections, Clean Air Partners, The Commuter Store, Enterprise Rideshare, and Vanpool Alliance. DATA also had tables providing information on its Vanpool!VA grant as well as its Live More Commute Less® brand.
New this year was “DMV2Go,” a mobile DMV office which allowed participants a convenient way to access services such as driver’s license renewal, registration, and titles and tags. The Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter was another first time participant, providing information on how to give a needy animal its forever home. This year also saw the implementation of a Block Party Passport, which allowed participants to “check off” exhibits they visited. Completion of the passport entered the attendee into a drawing for a $250 Reston Town Center Shopping Spree. For kids and the young-at-heart, the ever-popular Faces by Arla and Company returned to decorate hands, arms, and yes, faces! AV support, including music, was provided by Optimum Audio and there were free homemade ice cream from Scoops 2U.
As always, DATA and its partners and exhibitors will analyze this year’s experience and suggest ways to make the 2019 Live More Block Party an even more effective way to showcase the benefits of leaving that single occupant vehicle in the driveway and exploring commuting options. And that’s the real purpose of our party!