While other parts of the country are already seeing the white stuff fall from the sky, we seem to be having a warm spell around here. Enjoy it while it lasts and get out there to see some great homes this weekend.
Kids can bring their Halloween candy to the dental office from Nov. 2-5, where they will be paid $1 per pound.
The candy will be sent to Operation Gratitude in California, a program that sends care packages to troops serving overseas. Dawn Patrick, patient concierge at Fairlington Dental, said that the candy is used as filler in boxes that mostly include personal cards, games, hygiene products and snacks.
This is the 10th year Fairlington Dental has bought back candy, and the office has donated to Operation Gratitude since it started the program.
Fairlington Dental will also donate a portion of the candy to the Mattie Miracle Foundation, Patrick said. The foundation collects candy for a free snack cart for children and families at the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, as well as for other hospitals and cancer wards, according to the website.
The dental practice used to buy candy for $3 per pound but dropped the price to $1 per pound as the program became more popular. The office also pays for the shipping, which can get pricey with such heavy packages.
“Back then, we were getting about 100 pounds,” Patrick said. “Now our biggest year has been around 600 pounds.”
The office asks that the donations are capped at five pounds for the buy back program.
Donors also have the option to donate their candy as an entry in a contest where groups can win an $100 pizza party for selling back the most candy. Patrick said a group Fairlington mothers has won the contest for the past few years, with a group donation of about 35 pounds of candy.
The key for eating candy and other foods high in sugar is to do so in moderation, Patrick said, adding that a one-time pizza party is much better than eating candy for days or weeks after Halloween.
Instead of sugar, Fairlington Dental tries to encourage eating candy with xylitol, a sweetener that breaks down bacteria instead of feeding it.
A full list of local dental practices that buy back candy can be found on the website halloweencandybuyback.com.
When you first step into the neighborhood of Madison Homes at Eleven Oaks, you can’t help but feel like it’s a movie set. The houses are beautiful, all in a row, and each with its own unique style — like the families you can imagine living in them.
I was curious first to visit The Beaumont, which is one of the “City Homes” models. Since Eleven Oaks is in Fairfax, a sunny suburb, I was wondering what the take on city living would be. This is a four-bedroom detached home that is modern and full of light. I particularly loved the cozy breakfast nook at the back of the first level. Upstairs, the crown molding and luxury bathroom made a big impression. This model shows off the optional elevator, a great way to get more from a new home
Next was The Collier, a larger city homes model, model with four bedrooms, plus a bedroom and bath in the finished lower level. It has a lovely open-plan ground floor and felt very spacious overall. The formal dining room, family room and deck made this home perfect for entertaining family and friends. Whether you plan to relax in the spacious den or have a family dinner, The Collier seemed like a good place to come home to.
There’s a special going on the Collier model now, so it’s priced starting at $989,900 and includes a complimentary elevator. There’s definitely something to be said for the convenience of an elevator in your home, and they are available in most Eleven Oaks residences.
Finally, I headed over to one of the single-family homes, the Evesham. It wowed right away with the long kitchen, which felt warm with its hardwood floors and curved center island. Upstairs, the master bedroom was dramatic with the best walk in closet ever. I loved the tray ceiling and soaking tub in he attached bathroom — it felt almost like a hotel, but with all the bedrooms and touches like the fireplace, it was clearly meant for a family.
Overall, Madison Homes at Eleven Oaks was a great time. The neighborhood was well-groomed and accessible to Fairfax, and especially convenient to the George Mason campus. The staff was friendly and helpful and I loved the luxurious components to the homes of every size and shape. It was clear that special attention was given to natural light and outdoor spaces, as well as the little details that can make a home so special.
The Eleven Oaks sales center and models are open daily at:
4411 George Mason Blvd
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 865-4165
The preceding post was sponsored by Madison Homes at Eleven Oaks.
It’s supposed to be a rainy one this weekend, so why not get inside and look at some homes? Lots of Sunday open houses in both North and South Arlington, so now’s a great time to get out there.
1530 Key Boulevard
1 BD / 1 BA Condominium
Agent: Raymond Zakka, Weichert Realtors
Listed: $385,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
5037 12th Street S.
2 BD / 2 BA Single Family Detached
Agent: Anthony Cammarota, Re/max Distinctive Real Estate
Listed: $499,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
1810 21st Street N.
2 BD / 2 Full, 2 Half BA Condominium
Agent: Robin Cale, Mcenearney Associates
Listed: $754,900
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
3219 5th Street S.
4 BD / 2 Full, 2 Half BA Single Family Detached
Agent: Sean Judge, Keller Williams Capital Properties
Listed: $874,900
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
4300 4th Court N.
4 BD / 4 Full, 1 Half BA Townhouse
Agent: Jayson Wingfield, Real Living at Home
Listed: $929,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.
2528 Tacoma Street
5 BD / 4 Full, 1 Half BA Single Family Detached
Agent: Susan Forest, Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Penfed Realty
Listed: $1,574,900
Open: Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
Tacos from Tacos El Chilango Food Truck (file photo)
There are two D.C.-area eateries that made Yelp’s Top 100 List in 2014. One is a restaurant in Dupont Circle marked on Yelp with “$$$$.” The other is a taco truck in Arlington.
Tacos El Chilango parks at the corner of 14th Street N. and N. Quinn Street nearly every day. From the truck, people can see drivers whiz by on Route 50. Before customers get a $2.50 taco (or five), they might stand in a line that goes down the block. The menu is limited to only six kinds of meat tacos and a small selection of drinks. But no one is complaining.
Making Yelp’s Top 100 List in 2014 was no easy feat. Engineers from Yelp took into account number of reviews and star ratings to reveal the most popular spots in the country, over the past 10 years that Yelp had been up and running. Tacos El Chilango made number 58.
Jesus and Juan Antonio Santacruz opened the truck together in Arlington in 2007. Juan Antonio now runs El Chilango’s D.C. location (1119 V. Street NW), which opened in 2012. It has a somewhat larger menu including veggie options and indoor and outdoor seating space.
When the two first opened shop, they were inspired by their parents, who moved from Central Mexico to Mexico City in the 1950s and opened their first taco business.
“My parents had the house, and in the front they had the business, so we practically lived there. We are eight siblings and we all have taco shops,” Juan Antonio said.
Five taco stores are in Mexico, and three are in the U.S.– the two El Chilango locations, and Tacos El Papi, another truck, owned by their eldest brother, is parked on Columbia Pike in Arlington.
Juan Antonio and Jesus established their space because Jesus lives nearby, and one winter they got snowed into the spot. People started noticing the truck because there aren’t really other businesses around. And so they stayed.
What makes these tacos special? People could look to the 349 Yelp reviews (only five of which are under three stars) or ask someone who took to the street at lunchtime today.
Maurice Dayton calls himself a “religious patron” of El Chilango. He said he comes to get his lunch at the truck at least twice a week. He’s not the only super fan — 55 Yelp reviews used the word “love” to describe their feelings for the fresh tacos.
“I’m not lying, I’m from Texas and I know a thing about tacos, this is the closest I’ve come to being back home with tacos, and I have to say, it’s even better,” Dayton said.
Jesus says the secret to the tacos is never changing the recipe — and keeping ingredients fresh every day.
“A lot of people ask for sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and we say ‘no.’ We like to keep them authentic, the way we grew up with them, the way we make them in Mexico. We make everything pretty much every day,” Santacruz said.
Dayton lives in Maryland but works in a nearby State Department office, where he says everyone makes the walk down to the truck. He mentioned a few other spots he said had good tacos, but they didn’t compare.
“I just absolutely love coming here. You have to try the El Mixto. They’re some of the absolute best tacos anywhere. I wish I could franchise this place,” Dayton said, laughing.
Matt Evans is a longtime patron of the truck who just moved in Arlington, just blocks away from El Chilango’s parking spot — a move he’s very excited about.
“I have a lot of coworkers who are super into District Taco, and hands-down this is way better than District Taco. It’s that authentic, it’s like California tacos,” Evans said.
It makes sense that they would be authentic, as “Chilango” is a Mexican slang word meaning the people who live in or come from Mexico City. And Juan Antonio says even though there is the most business on Fridays and Saturdays, the truck is busy year-round.
“Even when it’s so hot or so cold, people want tacos,” he said.
The event will feature more than 60 local breweries, food from local vendors and authentic German music and food. As usual, Oktoberfest will be held along Campbell Avenue at The Village at Shirlington.
“We have about 90 vendors, 65 breweries, thousands of people come out, it’s just a whole lot of fun,” said Sean Carney, a manager at the brewery’s Shirlington location. Carney says he expects two to three thousand people to come to the event, “Maybe even more… it’s one of the bigger festivals in the fall around here, that’s what gets people so excited.”
Tickets are $30 for the the beer tasting, which includes 10 four-ounce pours, wristband and tasting glass. For non-drinkers, the event is free to attend.
Arlington County has made a video publicizing ways to get there without using a car, both as part of Arlington’s Car-Free Diet, as well as to encourage responsible drinking.
Abingdon Elementary School in Fairlington will be undergoing a renovation and adding a 30,000 square-foot expansion, after receiving unanimous County Board approval for a use permit on Monday.
The addition includes 12 classrooms, as well as a new gymnasium, entrance plaza and outdoor instructional area. With this, the total building capacity will be brought from 589 to 725 students. The school’s enrollment is currently 630 students, with some of the excess student population served by four classroom trailers, according to a press release.
There will be a new bus loop and changes to the site’s existing parking configuration. The Board approved also approved a use permit that will allow school staff to park at the nearby Farlington Villages Community Center.
The approved plan includes extensive stormwater runoff management, which is aimed to reduce impact on the school’s neighbors. The existing building requires major building system upgrades, as well, including an updated HVAC system, electrical and plumbing improvements and new interior furnishings.
“This expansion breathes new life into an elementary school that opened its doors in Fairlington in 1950,” said Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes. “Back then, Abingdon helped relieve overcrowding at Fairlington Elementary. Now, so many decades later, we are partnering with Arlington Public Schools to expand Abingdon to once again serve burgeoning enrollment in this part of the County. There has been robust community conversation about this latest expansion of Abingdon. When completed in 2017, it will serve the community well for years to come.”
The school’s expansion comes as part of the School Board’s FY2015-FY 2024 Capital Improvement Plan, which was adopted in 2014. The plan includes funding for over 1,000 elementary school seats, including the 136 seats that will be added at Abingdon, as well as others at McKinley Elementary School, and a new elementary school to be determined in South Arlington by FY 2019, in order to accommodate increased enrollment.
Abingdon Elementary was completed in 1950 and expanded in 1964, 1970 and 1990. The public review for the addition has taken place over the last 11 months, and included review by the Public Facilities Review Committee (PFRC), Environmental and Energy Conservation Commission (E2C2), Transportation Commission, and Planning Commission.
Not all neighbors support the plan, however. Some have expressed concerns about the loss of trees and potential for noisy construction traffic as a result of the project.
Arlington’s PreK-12 student population has risen by more than 3,000 since the start of school in 2013. At the beginning of this school year, APS counted 25,307 enrolled students.
Work has begun on a second edition of a booklet that once gave insight to the African American history of Arlington.
The 20-page booklet, “African American History in Arlington, Virginia: A Guide to the Historic Sites of a Long and Proud Heritage,” was first published in 2001. It was a joint project between the Arlington Convention and Visitors Service, the Chamber of Commerce and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington.
The funding for the booklet comes from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, in the form of a $3,000 grant that was accepted by the County Board.
Print copies of the guide ran out several years ago, but the booklet is still available online in a PDF.
According to a press release, the booklet was popular among Arlington residents and visitors who wanted to explore memorials such as Arlington House, the historic neighborhoods of Nauck, Hall’s Hill and Butler Holmes and various celebrated churches and historical homes.
Cynthia Liccese-Torres, Arlington County historic preservation planner, said that her office has found “quite a bit of new additional research” that will enhance the guide.
The still-operating Green Valley Pharmacy in Nauck will be featured in the new edition. It was opened in 1952 and served African Americans who were refused service in Arlington’s segregated drug stores.
Also included will be dozens of graves previously considered “lost” that have been identified in the cemetery at Calloway United Methodist Church.
Liccese-Torres estimates that the guide will be completed and ready for distribution in spring 2016.
The two and a half acre of land where the Reevesland farmhouse sits was divided into two parcels — one which will contain the farmhouse and one that will become a public park.
The County Board’s decision allows the county to preserve the view of the farmhouse while still being able to sell it to a private party, Chair Mary Hynes said. The county also approved a permit to make the farmhouse a “unified residential development,” which makes it easier to sell, possibly as a single-family home.
Under the decision, the county manager cannot divide the land until directed by the Board, which extends the time for the county to hear proposals and decide what exactly to do with the farmhouse. The entire two and a half acre property will remain a local historic district, preventing major changes.
“The creation of a separate lot that includes the farmhouse would enable the County to market the house for sale to a private buyer willing to restore and maintain it,’ the county said in a press release. “The newly created lot is meant to give a potential owner privacy and the flexibility to expand the house with oversight by the county’s Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board.”
Board member Walter Tejada was the only vote against the division of the property. He also voted against the sale of the Reevesland farmhouse in May.
Tejada made a motion to include a direction to the county manager that the land could not be divided until a path to the “historic milk shed,” which would sit on the piece of land made into a park, was made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. County staff said it might not be possible to have an ADA compliant path within the three years, and the motion failed.
The Board voted to sell the Reevesland farmhouse property after deciding it could not put up the $2-2.5 million it would cost to renovate the building for public use. In order to keep the building as county property, Arlington would have to rebuild parts of the farmhouse to make it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and modern safety codes, including strengthening the floors and updating the buildings utilities, Board Chair Mary Hynes said at a June board meeting.
Board member Jay Fisette voted against selling the parcel in May, saying he wanted more time to find a solution for the farmhouse.
“I will say that was primarily because I wanted more time to explore a nonprofit partnership that would allow continued public use. I have always been attracted to that idea and continue to be at that time,” Fisette said. “The proposal that we’re about to do today allows for that additional time, in fact, by not recording this subdivision plat until a later date.”
Separating the farmhouse and potentially allowing it to become a private residence allows the County Board to have a fall back plan, Hynes said.
“Here is this really unique [farmhouse], and we need to find a way to preserve that,” she said. “The view shed, the experience of seeing this farmhouse on the hill, to me, is the most important thing.”
Several citizens and neighbors spoke about their disapproval of the Board’s previous vote to sell the historic property, during the public comment portion of the Board meeting. They protested that the decision was too quickly made, and that before the land can be subdivided, the Board should return to that issue.
Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.
Crafting a LinkedIn profile for the 2015-2016 job market can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. Get started with personal branding for the job search, including LinkedIn and other social platforms. Email [email protected] to register.
Join Arlington Thrive’s Young Professionals group for a happy hour with food and drink specials. Entry and the first bingo card are free. Network with other workers and learn about an organization working to end homelessness. RSVP on Eventbrite.
Enjoy wine and live music in the Crystal City Water Park to kick off a relaxing weekend. Experts from Washington Wine Academy will help you pick out a wine just for your tastes. ArtJamz is also offering a free painting session from 6 p.m. while supplies last.
Standup Compedy: Deon Cole
Arlington Cinema and Draft House (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: Shows starting at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
You’ve seen him on Conan, now you can see him in Arlington. The hilarious star of Black-ish will be doing standup at Arlington Draft House on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $25.
For the first time ever, Arlington will be hosting hours of unlimited beer tasting overlooking D.C. Taste craft beers, try out local food trucks and play favorite lawn games. Tickets are $35 for 3 hours of tasting and $45 for 4 hours of tasting.
The first event was cancelled due to thunder, so Players and Pets is back! Joining Wilson Ramos (and surprise guests) are members of the local news community. The local celebrities will be walking dogs that are up for adoption as well as some of their own pets.
When Nathaniel Valenti, 20, missed his first day of classes at Marymount University this year, he had a good excuse — he was fighting wildfires.
The junior criminal justice major from Dover, Delaware, spent 14 days as a part-time federal employee, getting close to the big fires that have been raging in the west all summer. One fire he helped to contain had burned 8,700 acres near Toston, Montana.
“The first night we were holding the line and there were trees torching 20 or 30 feet away from me,” Valenti said. “That’s when the entire tree just goes up in flames, with really high flames and intense heat.”
That became a normal sight for him.
After completing a 40-hour firefighting course at West Virginia University last summer, Valenti spent the end of this summer enduring thick smoke and 90-degree weather while in firefighting gear, including a helmet, goggles and fire-retardant clothing.
Valenti had no firefighting experience before this summer, but he did have a role model in the profession. His father, Michael Valenti, is the state forester of Delaware and has been fighting fires in the western states most summers since 1998. This summer, the younger Valenti went with his dad, who was the chief of their 20-man crew.
“I was very happy the planets aligned so that we could do this together,” the elder Valenti said.
The group slept in tents as far as 15 miles from the flames, to avoid the smoke. Each morning they drove as close as they could before hiking to the fire lines. They didn’t leave the fireground all day, so everyone, including rookie Valenti, carried 25-pound packs that included an emergency fire shelter, food and more than a gallon of water.
“Once you go out for the day, you can’t get water anywhere else,” Valenti said. “So in addition to what you carry, you drink a lot in the morning and in the evening.”
Although he was new to firefighting, Valenti is not new to camping and being outdoors. He has gone on extended 14-day backpacking and trips with his Boy Scout troops. Valenti, his three brothers and father are all Eagle Scouts.
Michael Valenti said this has been an exceptionally bad year for wildfires and the need for firefighters is high. He urged anyone who is interested to go to their state’s department of forestry for more information on how to get involved.
One person he doesn’t have to convince is his son.
“Growing up on the East Coast I never really understood the impact these fires can have on communities and towns — even entire states,” Nathaniel Valenti said. “I was glad to be able to go out there and make a difference. Whenever we had a reason to be in towns, people would come out and thank us. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do it again next year.”
3600 Glebe Road
2109 Brandywine Street N.
1501 23rd Road S.
1511 Rolfe Street
1700 Kirkwood Road
3501 Kensington Street
