Author: Ethan Rothstein

Courthouse Beer Garden Opening This Month

By Ethan Rothstein

Courthaus Social logo from Facebook

(Updated on 4/10/15) Velocity 5 in Courthouse has been closed for weeks, but this month it will be reborn as Courthaus Social.

The “American beer garden” concept at the sports bar space at 2300 Clarendon Blvd has been in the works for years, but owners Fito Garcia and Nema Sayadian are completing the final buildout now, preparing to open by the end of April.

“Courthaus Social is the perfect spot for a happy hour, a pit stop en route to the city or a final destination to spend an entire evening,” Garcia said in a press release. “Our beer garden is dedicated to remaining an establishment that delivers unforgettable experiences to every guest. Whether you live in Arlington or are here for a few days… Grab a boot and sip, savor, and share in the spirit of beer and great food.”

Velocity 5 in CourthouseThe opening has been pushed back from its original April 13 date, but the owners hope that by the end of the month Courthaus Social will be ready to go, serving two-liter boots and steins of 30 beers on tap, with long benches for social seating.

Sayadian told ARLnow.com that the interior will look wildly different from the Velocity 5 the area has come to know.

“It’s night and day, a 180-degree difference,” he said.

Garcia said the beer garden will have “life-size games” and will be community-focused, focusing on Virginia breweries and “humanely raised, free range” meats. It will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.

Photo (top) via Facebook

Volunteers Needed to Help Clean Potomac Watershed

By Ethan Rothstein

Stuck truck on Chain Bridge (photo courtesy Rob Laybourn)Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment are organizing their annual Potomac River watershed cleanup next weekend, and are looking for a few extra pairs of hands.

This is the 27th year of the annual watershed cleanup. It’s coordinated all along the river, from West Virginia to the Chesapeake, by the Alice Ferguson Foundation. Last year, the cleanup day recovered 576,000 pounds of trash at 671 different sites. More than 14,000 volunteers participated.

Arlington’s contingent will meet Saturday, April 11 at 9:00 a.m. at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road. The area is steep and rocky in spots, so ACE advises children younger than 10 years old to be left at home, and children younger than 16 to be accompanied by a parent.

Interested volunteers can sign up here. Next Saturday, they should wear long sleeves and pants, sturdy shoes that can get wet, work gloves, sunscreen and bottled water. All cleanup materials will be provided.

File photo courtesy Rob Laybourn

Rosslyn Summer Movie Theme: ‘LOL Fridays’

By Ethan Rothstein

Wedding Crashers poster(Updated at 5:40 p.m.) The Rosslyn Business Improvement District has announced the lineup for its weekly outdoor movie, returning this summer: quotable comedies.

Last year’s theme was “Office Space,” a chance for the thousands of workers in Rosslyn to laugh at movies’ depictions of their daily lives. This year, the comedies will be more farcical than ever, with modern classics “Wedding Crashers,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Zoolander” all lined up.

Each movie will start at dusk — generally between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. at Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway) — and is free to attend. Viewers are encouraged to bring picnics, or enjoy dinner and drinks beforehand; the Continental Pool Lounge‘s happy hour nearby ends at 8:00 p.m.

The weekly showings begin on Friday, June 5. The lineup is as follow:

  • June 5: Wedding Crashers
  • June 12: Mean Girls
  • June 19: Happy Gilmore
  • June 26: Tommy Boy
  • July 3: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  • July 10: When Harry Met Sally
  • July 17: Anchorman
  • July 24: Clueless
  • July 31: The Big Lebowski
  • Aug. 7: Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery
  • Aug. 14: The Hangover
  • Aug. 21: Despicable Me
  • Aug. 28: Zoolander

Disclosure: Rosslyn BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Marymount University Launching New 5K This Month

By Ethan Rothstein

Marymount-5KMarymount University’s physical therapy department is hosting its first 5K as a fundraiser to send its students on service trips to orphanages in Costa Rica.

On Saturday, April 18, the race will kick off and end at the university at 2807 N. Glebe Road. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. and runners will wind through the Donaldson Run neighborhood, along 26th Street N. and Military Road.

It costs $35 for registration — $10 if you’re a Marymount student — which includes a T-shirt, a pint glass and admission to the post-race party on Marymount’s campus. Runners will get a drink ticket, good for a draft beer or a drink from the mimosa bar, as well as free food.

Each runner’s registration will go to fund the school’s efforts in Costa Rica.

“Funds will provide rehabilitative services to the underprivileged and help defray the costs of purchasing and shipping medical equipment and supplies,” Danielle Gross of the Ace Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute said in an email. Ace is co-sponsoring the race with Marymount. “This experience is not only a once in a life time of opportunity and experience for the students, but the orphanages in Costa Rica greatly benefit from the care provided. I myself have seen first hand from my classmates when I was in school how valuable programs like this are.”

At the same time as the race, Marymount will observe Marymount Remembrance Day, which honors two students killed in a car crash when they were freshmen at the school. This year, Gross said, the students would have been seniors.

Photo via Facebook

Fairlington Farmers Market Opening April 19

By Ethan Rothstein

Tomatoes at the Clarendon farmers market by MichaelTRuhl(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Arlington’s ninth and newest farmers market, at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street), will debut this month.

On Sunday, April 19, the Fairlington farmers market will debut at 9:00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. returning every Sunday through November.

There are 11 confirmed venders, according to the Fairlington Citizens Association’s April newsletter, selling vegetables, fruit, eggs, meats, breads, flowers and coffee among others.

“This is Fairlington’s market,” FCA President Guy Land wrote in the newsletter. “It’s not intended to draw in customers from DC or the far suburbs of Northern Virginia. It was developed by Fairlington residents for Fairlington residents, and they will shepherd its operation.”

Every item sold will have been grown or made within 125 miles of Fairlington, the FCA wrote, and all of the vendors will be the producers themselves. Some of the vendors will accept SNAP benefits and senior checks. The market is still looking for volunteers from the community, and is hosting open houses at the community center on Tuesday, April 7 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 2, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Now that April is here, the other eight farmers markets are beginning to arise from their winter slumbers. The Columbia Pike Farmers Market is year-round on Sundays at the Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive and Wednesdays at Arlington Mill Community Center. Here are the other farmers markets in the county.

Morning Poll: Pulling a Prank for April Fool’s?

By Ethan Rothstein

Stapler in JelloIt’s April Fool’s Day, when the world’s latent tricksters have free rein to terrorize their friends, family and colleagues with deceit, dishonesty and deception.

Some people abstain from the holiday altogether, while other April Fool’s Day pranks have become legend. Some pranks have disastrous results.

If your friends, family and coworkers are gullible, it may be too good of an opportunity, but some of you will rise above the fray. So what will you do?

Morning Notes

By Ethan Rothstein

Central Place construction site

Public Defender Decries Pay Gap — Arlington’s deputy public defenders can make up to $33,000 less than their counterparts at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Chief Public Defender Matthew Foley said the gap creates an unfair balance, one that allows the deputy Commonwealth’s attorney to grow their salaries on the job and talented public defenders — whose wages are locked in — are leaving the office. He called it “an unfair game going on with people whose liberties are at stake” at the Arlington County Board’s budget public hearing. [Connection Newspapers]

Fairfax Car Chase Result of Arlington Warrants — Updated at 1:05 p.m. — A car chase that broke out at the same time as yesterday’s manhunt was also the end result of Arlington police work. Lakisha Tracy was apprehended in Fairfax County yesterday morning after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended on Fairfax County Parkway in Lorton. Tracy was arrested on outstanding warrants for credit card and identity theft in Arlington County. [Washington Post]

Behind Arlington’s Meals on Wheels Program — Our Man in Arlington columnist Charlie Clarks goes behind the volunteers and beneficiaries of the Meals on Wheels charity, which was started in the county 44 years ago. Those receiving the meals, which are prepared by inmates at the Arlington County Detention Center, can range from the poor to, as one volunteer put it, “one four-star general dressed in a tie.” [Falls Church News-Press]

AFAC Sets 100,000 Meal Goal in April — With continuing record demand, the Arlington Food Assistance Center is hoping to receive 100,000 donated meals this month to distribute to Arlington families in need. AFAC expects to exceed its food budget by $150,000 for the second straight year, and Executive Director Charles Meng has said the nonprofit serves 100 new families a month. [InsideNova]

New Sushi Restaurant Coming to Rosslyn?

By Ethan Rothstein

Rolls By U in the Colonial Village Shopping Center Rolls By U in the Colonial Village Shopping Center

A new sushi restaurant appears to be moving in to the Colonial Village Shopping Center, next to the IceBerry frozen yogurt shop, at 1713 Wilson Blvd.

Rolls By U has put construction paper in the windows and simple signs on the door, with the business’ name, plus “where u create,” typed out on its logo.

The restaurant’s Twitter account has tweeted just twice, but its bio says “coming to Arlington this spring” and its second tweet includes the hashtag “#createyourown,” implying a do-it-yourself sushi concept.

When Rolls By U, does open, it figures to have some competition, with Kona Grill and Sushi coming in across the street and Cafe Asia and Kanpai serving sushi just a few blocks down Wilson Blvd.

New Arlington TEDx Conference Looking for Speakers

By Ethan Rothstein

TEDx-Arlington-white-e1425054398860Another TEDx conference is coming to Arlington this year, with a theme of “Connectedness.”

TEDxArlington is planned for Oct. 3, organized by a of Arlington residents hoping to think about connectedness “in broad terms.” That could mean how people are connected to or by “technology, science, nature, art, music, athletics, vocation, passion” or with “our families, neighbors, schools, community, strangers, country, world,” event organizer Laura Novak said in an email.

“We are seeking unique stories, ideas and concepts with some connection to Arlington,” Novak said. “Speakers need not be recognized experts, but rather people who can inspire with their passion, their story and their ideas .. The goal is a unique group of people with a wide, thought-provoking set of ideas.”

Novak and co-organizer Joey Skoloda are accepting nominations for speakers until May 1. Nominees do not have to be polished public speakers, Novak said, just passionate about their topics. Coaches will be provided to help the chosen speakers refine their presentations.

There is not yet a location or time set for the event, although Novak said it could be at Rosslyn’s Spectrum Theatre. TEDx is an offshoot of the popular TEDtalks, which allows communities to organize their own events for sharing ideas about a central theme. TEDxArlington follows the 2013 TEDxRosslyn conference with the theme of “Imagining the Future.”

The theme of “Connectedness” is intended to bring people together to have an honest conversation about the community, Novak said.

“The reason for it is to promote a conversation that is unbiased, nonpolitical about not just the things that are happening in Arlington, but the things that can bring us together,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that we’re divided, but I think there’s a lot of conversation going on. TED and TEDx are just great forums and formats for beginning a conversation and doing it in such a way that’s open and honest.”

Arlington Resident Representing U.S. in Maccabi Games

By Ethan Rothstein

Ori HofferCherrydale resident Ori Hoffer will fulfill every athlete’s dream this winter: representing his country in international competition.

Unlike many of the athletes sports fans typically associate with the honor — in their 20s, playing in the Olympics, already recognized worldwide for their prowess — Hoffer had to wait decades longer to don the red, white and blue. Hoffer is 45 years old and will play soccer in his first international tournament, the Maccabi Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Hoffer has played soccer since he was 3 years old, but didn’t even qualify for the varsity team at his high school in Michigan. At the time, he was 5-foot-7 and “120 pounds soaking wet.” But he continued to play, and “grew into [his] body.” As his peers gave up the sport, Hoffer only improved.

“My game is all about speed and endurance, but I’m generally faster than most, so wherever they need a burst of energy, I come in,” Hoffer told ARLnow.com. He sees himself as a slower, Jewish version of DeAndre Yedlin, the young speedster from the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Hoffer was named to the U.S. Maccabi Masters team, which is restricted to players 45 and over of Jewish heritage. Hoffer’s grandfather was a professional soccer player in Israel, and he’s keeping the sport in the family — he coaches his daughter’s second-grade team in the Arlington Soccer Association.

“For many Jews, we don’t have a lot of sports heroes to look up to,” Hoffer said. “Providing examples like this to be able to show my daughter and other kids in the community that you can be Jewish and an athlete and meet Jewish athletes from around the world is a pretty powerful thing to provide.”

The Maccabi Pan Am Games draw Jewish competitors from all over the Western Hemisphere, and the U.S. squad will have to compete against world soccer powers like Brazil and Argentina. But it is not the Olympics — athletes must help pay their own way. Hoffer and his teammates each have to raise $6,600 to be allowed to participate.

Hoffer has set up an online fundraising page, where he has raised $4,194 so far. If he raises the money, he’ll have a chance to compete with many of the players that led the 2013 U.S. Masters team to the bronze medal in the world wide Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Multiple Lockers Broken Into at Crystal City L.A. Fitness

By Ethan Rothstein

Police car lightsAt least four lockers were broken into on Saturday at the L.A. Fitness south of Crystal City (3550 S. Clark Street).

According to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the lockers in the men’s locker room were all locked with digital locks, and it’s unclear how the suspect was able to open them.

“We’re not sure if the suspect watched people in the locker room put in their codes, or if there’s a way of getting around the digital locks,” Sternbeck said.

One of the larceny victims said the robbery happened over the course of just a few minutes.

“I was working out for about 15 minutes, went back to my locker to change into my swimsuit and it was gone,” Mark Slobodien told ARLnow.com this morning. His wallet, ID and some jewelry were also stolen. “It feels like [the gym] was responsible, at least partly. I was using their locks to secure my property.”

Sternbeck said the department doesn’t keep statistics for thefts from gym lockers — they’re usually reported as larcenies — so he couldn’t say how frequent locker room thefts are. He did say, however, that most of the thefts are from lockers that were not secured by a lock.

There is no suspect description. All of the items stolen, Sternbeck said, appeared to be wallets, cash and other valuables that can easily be concealed.

Slobodien said L.A. Fitness staff told him similar larcenies had happened “once or twice” in the last couple of years. L.A. Fitness management did not return a request for comment.

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