Reston will celebrate its 50th anniversary and Robert E. Simon’s 100th birthday on Founder’s Day April 5. The Reston Community Center and Lake Anne Plaza will host numerous activities for children and adults from 12-3 p.m.

“We wanted a celebration for Founder’s Day that would be inclusive of the whole community and thus gathered people of varied ages and talents to speak and perform,” Reston Historic Trust board member Lynn Lilienthal said.

A documentary on Reston, “The Reston Story,” will premiere at RCC on Founder’s Day. This documentary was produced by Storycatchers, a film group headed by Rebekah Wingert-Jabi.

“Many of the crew members are Restonians, and there has been a strong collective interest in the unique vision of Reston and how growing up here shaped our worldviews,” associate producer Mahrya Hutchinson said. “The hope is that this film will educate future generations of Restonians about our history, but also that it will help us share our story with broader audiences, outside of our community.”

Developments for the film began three years ago, and it required extensive archives provided by the Reston Historic Trust, who partnered with RCC and Storycatchers to create the film. The producers also employed the help of South Lakes students who transcribed interviews for the film.

“I helped transcribe interviews for the film because I saw it as an opportunity to volunteer my time as well as learn something new about Reston’s history,” senior Samyukta Venkat said.

Those involved in the production of the film learned a great deal about Reston’s history that surprised them.

“From a historical standpoint, the most fascinating thing I learned about was how unusual it is for a land developer to build a community with a set of social principles in mind,” Hutchinson said. “Those principles have endured the test of time and continue to give an unparalleled quality of life to the members of this community.”

Simon was inspired by Italian hill towns, which were dense villages surrounding a plaza. He wanted to bring the best aspects of urban life into the suburbs.

Reston was also unique because it was the first community that was fully integrated and welcomed everyone during a time when Virginia was still extremely segregated.

“Bob Simon’s ideas were radical in the 1960s, and it was very hard for him to find financing to keep his development going,” Wingert-Jabi said. “He was turned down by 50 banks but was so passionate about the project that he pushed forward, regardless. If he hadn’t, Reston would be a very different place today.”

Reston was given its name by combining the initials of the founder Robert E. Simon and adjoining it with the English suffix for “town.”

Many people who grew up in Reston agree that it is the sense of community that makes it so special.

“I think the ability to live a life in the American suburbs that has a strong sense of connectedness is very special,” Wingert-Jabi said. “Here I feel connected to nature, art, people, and the history of this place.  It’s also special that one can really take part in shaping their community here. Reston was founded on the idea of building community and as a result we have many different community organizations and a general spirit of participation in community development that makes it easy to plug in and get involved.”

The RCC will hold guided tours throughout the month that will review the history of Reston. Included is a walking tour of Washington Plaza at the Lake Anne Village Center to explain the principles behind the layout of Reston.

There will also be an art exhibit at RCC to showcase the 50/100 theme of Reston’s 50th anniversary and Simon’s 100th birthday from April 1-30.

For more information on the Founder’s Day activities and events happening this weekend, visit http://www.restonmuseum.org/.