Plan or program · on the record since 2025 · discussed in 2 transcribed meetings

Fall for the Book

Fall for the Book is a local nonprofit literary festival founded in 1997 as a partnership among the City of Fairfax, George Mason University, and the Fairfax County Public Library, with the City holding a one-third ownership stake since 1998. 2 separate matters touch this plan or program; each has its own status.

City Project

Pickett Road Connector Trail

in progress

The Pickett Road Connector Trail is a City of Fairfax trail project with a $6.5 million funding allocation, proposed on the eastern side of Pickett Road. The project drew public opposition from its earliest appearance on Council agendas in January 2025.

Mar 25, 2025City Council · item 7b
Public hearing on the proposed FY26 budget
Multiple speakers requested that the City Council maintain funding for the Fall for the Book festival in the FY26 budget.
Watch this moment minutes agenda

Project

Asian Festival on Main

The Asian Festival on Main is an annual outdoor festival in historic downtown Fairfax City celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander cultures through cuisine, art, music, and dance. It was founded in 2021 when Wendy Wong, co-owner of the Standard Barbershop, approached the Old Town Fairfax Business Association (OTFBA); attendance has grown each year, making it one of the largest Asian festivals in the DMV region.

Mar 13, 2025Parks and Recreation Advisory Board · item 9
Stakeholder Updates
Fall for the Book is hosting Adam Nimoy on March 27 at 7:00 p.m. at SCSCC.
minutes agenda

In full

The City provides an annual $25,000 grant, which represents approximately 15% of the organization's budget and less than 0.1% of the City's total budget; representatives have cited economic studies suggesting festival attendees generate roughly a seven-times return on that investment for local businesses. The festival runs year-round programming including author talks and youth literacy programs, and draws approximately 10,000 attendees annually. In early 2025, Fall for the Book hosted Adam Nimoy on March 27 at the Sherwood Community Center.

During the FY26 budget public hearing process (opened March 25, 2025 and extended through at least April 8, 2025), the proposed budget included a potential zeroing-out of the $25,000 city grant, prompting multiple public speakers to urge the Council to maintain funding. Speakers noted that potential cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts compounded the stakes, warning that eliminating the city grant could end the festival entirely. As of the March 2026 dated record, Fall for the Book continued to partner with the City on events, suggesting the festival remained operational.

Status

Still open

Whether the $25,000 City of Fairfax grant to Fall for the Book was maintained, reduced, or eliminated in the adopted FY26 budget.
What the final outcome of the FY26 budget public hearing process (open through at least April 8, 2025) was with respect to arts funding generally.

What members have said

Alice Magelson-Green (public speaker, Fall for the Book representative)
Speaking at the April 8, 2025 budget hearing, Magelson-Green identified Fall for the Book as a nonprofit founded in 1997 serving the City of Fairfax and others. She warned that the proposed cut would zero out the $25,000 grant, and that combined with potential NEA cuts, this could end the festival and its year-round programming. She argued the cut represented 100% of the Parks and Rec contribution while other budget areas could absorb reductions with less impact.
Ann Lauer (public speaker, GMU instructor and Fall for the Book board member)
At the April 8, 2025 budget hearing, Lauer described the $25,000 annual grant as a 'lifeline' representing 15% of the organization's budget, and noted the City has been a one-third partner since 1998. She cited economic studies showing 10,000 annual attendees generate significant returns for the city and emphasized the grant's outsized importance to the organization's survival.
David Geller (public speaker)
At the April 8, 2025 budget hearing, Geller identified himself as a musician and Fall for the Book attendee who loves the festival, and urged the Council to look carefully at the budget while acknowledging the difficulty of the decisions involved.

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.

Discussion timecouncilcommission

Apr ’25

Mar ’26

Discussed alongside

Topics that come up in the same meetings.

George Snyder Trail2 meetings FY 2026 Budget2 meetings