The Potomac Overlook Regional Park summer concert series is in full swing, with half of its slate of concerts still on tap through mid-September.
The concert series has been an annual tradition at the 70-acre park in North Arlington just off the GW Parkway, providing free outdoor performances of local and regional acts in a family setting, said Park Manager Roy Geiger.
“It’s a kick-back-and-relax time,” Geiger said. “You’ve got whole families coming down, kids in strollers, all ages up to senior citizens. So along come the blankets, lawn chairs, picnic baskets and even some dogs sitting there quietly.”
The crowds at the outdoor venue — which Geiger describes as a Wolf Trap-like feel but “without the big crowds” — vary depending on the weather, but reach into the hundreds on the nice Saturday evenings. The concerts are all put on from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Below is the schedule for the remainder of the season.
Aug. 3 — Surrender Friday (classic rock)
Aug. 17 — West on 66 (classic rock, pictured above)
The 1994 “epic romantic comedy-drama film” Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks, will be shown as part of the Crystal Screen outdoor film festival. Admission is free.
Tuesday
Film: Blazing Saddles
Columbia Pike Branch Library (816 S. Walter Reed Drive)
Time: 2:00 – 3:45 p.m.
The classic Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles, starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, will be screened. Admission is free.
Wednesday
Blues and Brews
Public Courtyard (2121 Crystal Drive)
Time: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
This free after-work event, held on the last Wednesday of the month through September, features blues music and a beer garden.
A $10 donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Society will entitle you to $3 beers, $4 rail drinks, $5 wins and $6 margaritas on the back patio of Mad Rose Tavern.
Comedienne Natasha Leggero, a judge on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and a regular guest on E!’s Chelsea Lately, performs stand-up comedy.
Saturday
Axe-Throwing Contest
American Legion Post 130 (400 N. Oak Street, Falls Church)
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
American Legion Post 130 hosts the third-annual Lizzie Borden Axe-Throwing Contest. “This event is your chance to hone your hatchet-throwing skills,” organizers said in a press release.
Live Music: Toxic Mouse
Clarendon Grill (1101 N. Highland Street)
Time: 10:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Cover band Toxic Mouse brings their “sleezy-cheese 80’s vibe” to Clarendon Grill. Expect hair rock covers of Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, etc.
(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) Two additional performances have been added to the schedule at Lubber Run Amphitheater.
The Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation (LRAF) credits its cooperation with Arlington Cultural Affairs and donations from supporters for the added shows on August 18 and 25.
LRAF added the shows in response to requests for more children’s programming. The organization hopes to further expand programming next year if this year’s additions are successful.
Below is the schedule for the remaining performances, including the two new shows in August:
Friday, July 26 — The Traveling Players — Performing William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. Selected as a “Summer School in the Arts” by the NEA, Traveling Players Ensemble is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing great theatre into the great outdoors through a thriving summer camp and year-round acting classes and workshops.
Saturday, July 27 — The Tone Rangers — For 25 years, this award-winning D.C.-based vocal group has brought inventive arrangements and keen wit to everything from Gregorian chant to TV theme songs. Nominated for 7 Wammies, they were Best A Cappella Group four consecutive years (2007- 10) and Best A Cappella Recording in 2007. National finalists in the 2002 Harmony Sweepstakes (the Superbowl of a cappella), they are 3-time winners of Mid-Atlantic “Audience Favorite” and “Best Arrangement” awards.
Friday, August 2 — Hexagon Theatre Company — Hexagon is musical, satirical and theatrical. Every year since 1956, this nonprofit has put on Washington’s only all-original, all volunteer revue of its kind—donating more than $3.5 million to 40-plus organizations.
Saturday, August 3 — Rico Amero — He makes music. He tells the truth. Join Rico for a night of hiphop jazz.
Sunday, August 18 — The Great Zucchini — He will delight the youngest members of the community with his popular, comical, magic show. Bring the kids, grandkids, and young neighbors to Lubber Run to this engaging show for children.
Sunday, August 25 — Cantor the Miraculous — The magic continues with Cantor the Miraculous who dazzles audiences through wizardly interaction and artistry to bring “quality prestidigitation from a master crafts person.” The whole family is welcome. This show is at 5:00 p.m.
The amphitheater, which was refurbished in 2011, is located at N. Columbus Street and N. 2nd Street, two blocks north of Route 50. All shows are free and open to the public. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays begin at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday shows begin at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Information about last minute weather cancellations can be obtained by calling 703-228-1850 the day of each show. Picnics are allowed but alcohol is prohibited.
Our latest Arlington Pet of the Week is Napoleon, a former stray cat who now is living it up in Lyon Village.
Here’s what Stephanie and her fiance, Sean, had to say about Napoleon and his curious organizational habits.
Meet Napoleon! A former stray, he wandered into our lives last summer as an underweight, flea-ridden kitten when he began making frequent appearances in my family’s backyard. After he was taken to a veterinarian for treatment and given some TLC, he relocated permanently to his home in Lyon Village.
Since Napoleon was a stray when he was adopted, we don’t know much about his background. We do know that his birthday is around April 20th, and we suspect that he’s part Maine Coon. His name is now ironic; he’s currently over 36-inches long, and he weighs almost 20 pounds! Napoleon is fascinated with water, and he likes to play fetch, steal wine corks and socks, and gaze out of our apartment window. He has a quirky habit of putting his belongings in one pile.
As an expert traveler, Napoleon doesn’t mind taking frequent trips to Pennsylvania to visit his rescuers. He especially enjoys playing with his cousin cats on his visits there.
The Arlington Pet of the Week is sponsored by Dogma Bakery, which has locations at The Village at Shirlington (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) and the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2445 N. Harrison Street).
Want your pet to be considered to be the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and 3-4 photos of your pet. Each week’s winner receives a $25 Dogma gift card.
Renowned percussionist Poncho Sanchez is the headliner for this year’s Rosslyn Jazz Festival.
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District, which puts on the annual event — now in its 23rd year — announced its Sept. 7 lineup this week. It includes Sanchez, a Grammy award winner, joined by saxophonist and clarinetist James Carter, performing a tribute to John Coltrane.
Before Sanchez goes on stage as the headliner at 5:30 p.m., Soul Rebels, featured in the HBO show “Treme,” will perform at 4:00 p.m. Soul Rebels, made up of New Orleans jazz scene veterans Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, fuse a jazz foundation with principles of hip-hop in their music.
Opening the show will be a local band, the Kenny Rittenhouse Septet. Rittenhouse is a professor of jazz trumpet at George Mason University and performs in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
Following Rittenhouse on the stage will be Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, a female gospel quartet that has played, among other places, New York City’s famed Lincoln Center.
The Rosslyn Jazz Festival will be held at Arlington Gateway Park on Sept. 7, starting at 1:00 p.m. and running until 7:00. The concert is free and open to the public, and it will be emceed by on-air personalities from jazz station WPFW 89.3.
Photo courtesy of the Rosslyn BID. Disclosure: Rosslyn BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.
This speaker series offers young professionals a chance to hear from local business leaders, from corporate executives to entrepreneurs. Registration is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
Alternative country band BoxCartel performs in an event sponsored by the pro-streetcar group Streetcar Now. Admission is free.
Friday
Live Music: Footwerk
Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 9:00 p.m. – Midnight
Local hip-hop/neo-soul band Footwerk, which will be opening up for SOJA at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on Sunday, performs with Cosmodrome. Admission is $10.
Twisted Vines is hosting a tasting of 16 unique wines and finger-licking homemade barbeque. The event will include a cornhole tournament and other outdoor games.
The Hollywood blockbuster is adapted for stage. Admission is $10-12 and tickets are available online. Not recommended for children under the age of 10.
The famous Andy Warhol exhibit Silver Clouds will make its first visit to the region in the fall at Rosslyn’s Artisphere.
Silver Clouds will consist of 150 silver balloons suspended in the air after being filled with a careful mix of helium and air, according to Artisphere. Artisphere has started an IndieGogo campaign to try to raise $10,000 to offset the cost of maintaining the balloons’ delicate inflation balance.
The exhibit will open Thursday, Sept. 12 in the Terrace Gallery and will be free to the public. Silver Clouds will be on loan from The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa., and will be open until Sunday, Oct. 20.
Artisphere is located at 1101 Wilson Blvd. Opening night will be from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
“This uplifting installation defies the traditional perceived constrictions of art,” the Artisphere press release announcing the event states, “as the Silver Clouds interact with the viewer and each other, inviting response and igniting a sense of wonder.”
The exhibition will be complemented by a series of public programs, including a commissioned dance piece and interactive workshop by Dance Exchange. Spanish new media artist Sergio Albiac will be creating a commissioned generative portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama inspired by Andy Warhol’s signature portraiture.
Local hip hop cover band Flow in the Dark performs for bar-goers at Whitlow’s. The high-energy show features four singers, musical gadgets, and song mash-ups.
Capitals Development Camp Fan Fest at Kettler Capitals Iceplex (file photo)
The Washington Capitals’ Development Camp Fan Fest took place last Saturday and those in attendance said Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston was the fullest they’d ever seen it.
“The event has multiplied by probably 50 from eight years ago,” said Oksana Zolotar, an employee of the Capitals who attended Fan Fest as a spectator. “You can barely find room to stand anymore.”
A Capitals official said more than 3,500 people came through the doors Saturday morning, and while that number is thought to be a record, no official records have previously been kept for Fan Fest attendance.
Saturday’s fan fest was held in Ballston for the seventh straight year and featured 21 Capitals prospects, including their 2013 first-round draft pick, Andre Burakovsky, competing for the attention of Capitals’ coaches and the chance to make next year’s squad. According to the Washington Post, only one player participating has a legitimate chance to make the Capitals’ 2012-2013 roster: 2012 first-rounder Tom Wilson.
For fans in attendance, most of whom were wearing red, it was a chance to see the future of their beloved Caps, and an opportunity to see some hockey on a sweltering July morning.
“I’ve always liked the prospect side of this event,” Zolotar said.
One Caps fan, a mom from Falls Church, comes to Kettler multiple times a year with her daughter, who enjoyed her time on the other rink during the children’s free skate.
“It’s nice to have something like this so close to us,” the mother said. “It’s really accessible.”
Coming all the way from Manassas, a mother and her college-age son used Fan Fest as a learning experience. He said he’s been trying to get his mother into hockey, and this was as good a chance as any to do it.
“He’s been trying to introduce me to hockey, so we thought we’d step by today to check this out,” she said. “Hockey is easy to get into because it’s never slow.”
From a hockey perspective, those in and around the organization considered Development Camp a success.
Capitals Outsider wrote: “On the whole, comments from both [General Manager George] McPhee and [head coach Adam] Oates were consistently positive regarding the prospects. Oates even went so far as to say that this year’s crop of attendees looked better than last year’s, though the change in camp format may have been a contributing factor. This year saw fewer scrimmages, and all of them held in the latter half of the week.”
Rachel and Tim Burns, Lyon Park residents, will be performing a live “old time” jazz concert. All proceeds will go towards the Lyon Park Community Center rebuild project.
Wednesday
U.S. Army Twilight Tattoo
Whipple Field (Sheridan Avenue, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall)
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Witness the Army’s elite ceremonial units in action in a free hour-long military pageant. This performance is the season’s first at Whipple field.
The Shirlington branch library holds a free matinee screening of the 2012 film Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Sacha Baron Cohen.
The upcoming Arlington County Fair has added a 5K run/walk event to this year’s festivities.
The fair, which will run from Aug. 7-11, already has plenty of competitions — issuing awards for such things as fruit preserves, knitting, bees wax and photography. This is the first time it will host a road race.
The event will take place Sunday, Aug. 11, the last day of the fair, and the starting gun will be at 8:30 a.m. The fair itself is held on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.).
Pre-registration has already begun, and costs $25 per individual runner and $50 for a family of no more than four. The fair will run shuttles to and from the fairgrounds from the race start/finish line, at 701 S. Highlands Street.
The course, which is largely flat, allowing for some low times, loops around the fairgrounds at Thomas Jefferson Community Center twice. Runners who register before July 24 are guaranteed a T-shirt.
The Potomac Overlook Regional Park summer concert series is in full swing, with half of its slate of concerts still on tap through mid-September.
