Events

Pentagon Row Concert Series Moves to Alley, Starts June 6

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Row Summer Concert SeriesThe 11th annual “Rock the Row” summer concert series at Pentagon Row will start June 6, but in a different location than years past.

Thanks to major renovations at the shopping center’s plaza, this year the concerts will be held in the alley between Pentagon Row and the Pentagon City mall parking garage. The alley will be closed to traffic during the concerts. As before, the concerts will take place on Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

This year’s Rock the Row schedule is as follows:

The concerts are free and open to the public.

The renovations at the Pentagon Row plaza include an expanded ice rink during the winter, a turf lawn during the summer, revamped outdoor dining areas, 1,500 square feet of new retail and dining space, lighted water fountains and a stone fire pit. Construction on the project is expected to wrap up this fall.

File photo

Events Around Arlington for Neighborhood Day

By ARLnow.com

saturday-4Saturday, May 11 is Neighborhood Day in Arlington, and the county and community groups are organizing a slew of events to help get residents out and about.

The day’s events include family festivals, pet walks, 5K races and community service opportunities.

“There’s something happening for everyone in Arlington on Neighborhood Day,” says the county’s Neighborhood Day web page. “Neighborhood Day’s goal has always been to help Arlingtonians make connections with neighbors. ”

Nearly a dozen events are planned on Saturday, including:

Saturday’s weather is expected to be warm with possible scattered showers.

Changes to Tonight’s ‘Twilight Tattoo’

By ARLnow.com

Twilight Tattoo performanceThe Twilight Tattoo performance at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall tonight will be moved indoors and expanded due to rain and large expected crowds

There will now be two performances — one at 6:00 p.m., and one at 7:30 p.m. — and those performances will take place inside Conmy Hall. The latter will be held in honor of Arlington Neighborhood Day.

Twilight Tattoo is described as “an hour-long military pageant featuring soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and the U.S. Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own.'”

From JBMHH Community Relations Officer Leah Rubalcaba:

Please be advised of a change in tonight’s (May 8) performance of the Military District of Washington’s Twilight Tattoo at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, being hosted in honor of Arlington Neighborhood Day. It will be moved indoors to Conmy Hall due to [rain] and the fact the Summerall Field grounds are saturated. Also, due to the large number of groups expected at tonight’s performance, the Military District of Washington will have two performances of the Twilight Tattoo — one at 6:00 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. The Twilight Tattoo performance being held in honor of Arlington Neighborhood Day will be the 7:30 p.m. performance. The show is one hour in length — so it will end at 8:30 p.m. We hope to see many of our Arlington Neighbors at tonight’s 7:30 p.m. show. Please plan to arrive at Conmy Hall shortly after 7:00 p.m.

Arlington Agenda (May 6-12)

By ARLnow.com

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. Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Wednesday

wednesday-1US Army’s Twilight Tattoo
Summerall Field (Sheridan Avenue, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall)
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Twilight Tattoo is an hour-long military pageant featuring Soldiers from The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.”

Thursday

thursday-1Divas and Desserts*
Whole Foods Market (2700 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Join Whole Foods Market, Arlington and celebrate moms everywhere with wine, decadent desserts and spa essentials. Enjoy 5 different desserts, 5 sips of wine, plus a wine glass for only $5.

Friday

friday-2Art Gallery Opening Reception
Gallery Underground (2100 Crystal Drive)
Time: 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Gallery Underground will host the Opening Receptions for both Sharing of Spirit, a group show by the Gallery Artists, and A Visual Feast, a solo exhibit by well known artist Jane McElvany Coonce

2009 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage FestivalLive Music: Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:30 – 10:30 p.m.

New Orleans native Big Sam Williams entertains with his exhilarating call-and-response MC-style and brand of high-voltage “Noladelic Powerfunk.”

Saturday

saturday-1AWLA Walk for the Animals
Bluemont Park (329 N. Manchester Street)
Time: 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Leash-up Fido, strap on your walking shoes and join hundreds of animal enthusiasts for a three-mile walk or one-mile stroll through the park followed by a festival of entertainment.

saturday-2Live It Up on the Loop*
Market Common Clarendon (2700 Clarendon Blvd)
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

A family event encouraging everyone to ‘live it up’ with a healthy lifestyle with free activities and entertainment for all ages ‘on the loop’ at Market Common Clarendon.

saturday-3Democratic School Board Endorsement Caucus*
Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford Street)
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Help the Arlington Democrats select their nominee for the School Board. The election is open to all Democrats in Arlington who are registered to vote.

saturday-4Arlington Neighborhood Day
Various Locations
Various Times

Arlington Neighborhood Day encourages Arlingtonians to make connections with neighbors by participating in various community events around the county. 

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

Wednesday is Bike and Walk to School Day

By ARLnow.com

Walk and Bike to School Day 2012 at Oakridge Elementary School in October 2012Tomorrow, May 8, is Bike and Walk to School Day in Arlington.

Not to be confused with Walk and Bike to School Day in October, which has a similar name and a similar mission, Bike and Walk to School Day “encourages students to bike or walk to school while teaching them about the health and environmental benefits of biking and walking.”

“Bike and Walk to School Day also helps to raise community awareness about the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety education, safe routes to schools, well-maintained walkways, and traffic calming in our neighborhoods and around our schools,” says Bike Arlington, on its website.

The event, held in conjunction with National Bike and Walk to School Day, is a partnership between Arlington Public Schools, Bike Arlington and Walk Arlington.

“APS encourages all families and staff to participate in this event,” said a school system press release. “This energizing event reminds parents and students alike of the simple joy of biking and walking to school while focusing attention on the importance of physical activity, air quality, safety, and bike-able, walkable communities.”

The event will be held in the morning. Students and parents will be greeted at their elementary, middle and high schools by county and school officials and staff. At the schools, giveaways will conducted and “healthy refreshments” will be distributed, according to Bike Arlington.

Update at 3:50 p.m. — “Based on weather forecasts, some schools have opted to postpone their celebrations until Friday, May 10,” according to APS spokesman Frank Bellavia.

File photo

Lubber Run Amphitheater Schedule Set

By ARLnow.com

Performance at Lubber Run Amphitheater (photo courtesy Arlington County)Arlington County has released the performance schedule for the upcoming summer season at the Lubber Run Amphitheater.

Opening night at the amphitheater is scheduled for Friday, June 14, with soul and R&B artist Marry Ann Redmond performing. The season will close on Saturday, Aug. 3 with hip hop and jazz artist Rico Amero.

The amphitheater, which underwent a round of critical repairs in 2011, is located at N. Columbus Street and 2nd Street N., two blocks north of Route 50.

The full schedule can be found below. All shows are free and open to the public, and start at 8:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

  • Friday, June 14 — Mary Ann Redmond (soul/R&B)
  • Saturday, June 15 — Halau O’Aulani and the Aloha Boys (Hawaiian dance)
  • Monday, June 17 — Metropolitan Chorus (choral)
  • Wednesday, June 19 — Potomac Harmony Chorus (a cappella)
  • Friday, June 21 — The U.S. Army Blues (jazz)
  • Saturday, June 22 — King Teddy (big band/swing)
  • Sunday, June 23 at 6:00 p.m. — The Constituents (acoustic/Caribbean)
  • Friday, June 28 — Margot MacDonald (singer-songwriter)
  • Saturday, June 29 — Eric Scott (pop/neo-soul)
  • Sunday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. — Black Muddy River Band (acoustic)
  • Friday, July 5 — Colleen Shanley and Grand Junction (bluegrass/folk rock)
  • Saturday, July 6 — Mystic Warriors (New Age/jazz)
  • Sunday, July 7 at 6:00 p.m. — Bob Gibson Big Band (big band/swing)
  • Friday, July 12 — Juniper Lane (pop/rock)
  • Saturday, July 13 — Andrew Acosta and the New Old Time String Band (acoustic/traditional)
  • Friday, July 19 — Ted Garber (blues/rocsc
  • Saturday, July 20 — The Grandsons (rock)
  • Sunday, July 21 at 6:00 p.m. — Russkie Musikanti (Russian folk)
  • Friday, July 26 — “Much Ado About Nothing” (Shakespeare play)
  • Saturday, July 27 — The Tone Rangers (a cappella/comedy)
  • Friday, August 2 — Hexagon (political satire)
  • August 3 — Rico Amero (hip hop/jazz)

Moran to Host Immigration Forum

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Jim Moran's panel discussion on gun violence at Washington-Lee high schoolTwo months after holding a raucous forum on gun violence, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) is planning a public forum on another hot-button topic.

On Tuesday, May 14, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road), Moran will host a forum entitled “Building a Stronger Nation: Reforming Our Broken Immigration System.”

Just as the gun violence forum featured panelists that largely shared Moran’s gun control views, the immigration forum will feature panelists who favor liberal immigration policies: County Board Chair Walter Tejada, plus representatives from the Center for American Progress, the National Immigration Law Center and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“The panel discussion will outline systemic problems in our current immigration system and layout the comprehensive reform plans that are currently under consideration in Congress,” said a press release for the event.

“There are an estimated 10 – 11 million undocumented immigrants living in America, the majority having settled here more than a decade ago,” the press release said. “Reforming the broken immigration system to resolve the status for these individuals has the potential to boost the entire U.S. economy, adding over $800 billion to the national GDP over the next decade and creating over 100,000 more jobs per year.”

This Year’s Testicle Festival Theme: ‘A Royal Ball’

By ARLnow.com

2013 Testicle Festival logoThe annual Montana State Society Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival, better known as the Testicle Festival, has a regal new theme this year.

The event’s 2013 moniker: “A Royal Ball.”

Now in its 9th year, the Testicle Festival will again be held at the Arlington American Legion Post in Virginia Square (3445 N. Washington Blvd), from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. Tickets are $25 online or $30 at the door. Attendees must be at least 21 year of age.

The price of admission will buy you “all the Rocky Mountain Oysters, beer and Crown Royal you can handle,” organizers say. Entertainment will be provided by the Will Gravatt Band, while the testicles will be fried by Frank McGraw, who’s billed as “Montana’s most famous ball chef.”

“Coming to us straight from the original Rocky Mountain Testy Fest at Rock Creek Lodge outside of Missoula, Frank’s tasty recipe has an authentic zest that helped set a record last year for most pounds consumed,” according to the Montana State Society website.

Last year festival-goers in Arlington consumed 110 pounds of bull and bison testicles, 84 liters of Crown Royal and 1,500 cans of beer. The 2012 theme was “Legends of the Ball.”

Jewish Musicians to Perform at Artisphere

By ARLnow.com

Ladino music and Yiddish punk will be coming to Arlington this week.

Two Jewish-American musicians, Sarah Aroeste (see music video here) and Daniel Kahn (see music video, above), will be playing at Artisphere on Thursday as part of the two-week-long Washington Jewish Music Festival.

“Sarah Aroeste will open with the premiere of an unplugged version of her album ‘Gracia,’ which fuses the Judeo-Spanish sounds of Ladino music with rock, pop, jazz and funk,” said a festival press release. “Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird employ an inimitable mixture of radical Yiddish song, punk sensibility and re-worked klezmer melodies.”

“Bringing together punk-infused Yiddish from Daniel Kahn and Judeo-Spanish sounds of Sarah Aroeste will create an exhilarating and unique experience for our community,” said festival director Lili Kalish Gersch. “This will be a festival that appeals to music lovers of all stripes and all ages and should not be missed.”

The performances will take place at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20.

Tickets and the festival schedule are available online.

Arlington Agenda (April 29-May 5)

By ARLnow.com

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. Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Monday

mondayAuthor Event: Junot Díaz
Arlington Central Library (1015)
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Díaz discusses his book, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Admission is free but seating is first-come, first-serve.

Thursday

Staying Involved in Your Child’s Life*
Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road)
Time: 7:00 – 8:45 p.m.

Mission Possible: Staying Involved In Your Child’s Life in Middle School & Beyond will teach parents to deal with the transition from middle to high school.

Friday

fridayHow to Make It a Great Speech*
Bloomberg BNA Conference Room (1801 S. Bell Street)
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

World Champion of Public Speaking Ryan Avery trains clients on how to write and deliver a great speech.

compressed_SwanSwan Lake Act II*
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road)
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

BalletNova Artistic Director Nancie Woods is presenting her re-staging of Tchaikovsky’s classical favorite, “Swan Lake – Act II”.

Saturday

Swan Lake Act II*
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road)
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

BalletNova Artistic Director Nancie Woods is presenting her re-staging of Tchaikovsky’s classical favorite, “Swan Lake – Act II”.

Sunday

FOME-LogoFriends of Montessori Education 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run*
Marymount University Ballston Campus (1000 N. Glebe Road)
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.

A 5K race and one mile “fun run” is held to benefit Friend of Montessori Education, which helps lower-income children attend Montessori schools.

sundayCinco de Mayo Party*
Mad Rose Tavern, et al (3100 Clarendon Blvd)
Time: 12:00 – 8:00 p.m.

A Cinco de Mayo block party with food and drink specials and a raffle giveaway, featuring jugglers, a mariachi band and 8 DJs at five Clarendon area bars.

compressed_SwanSwan Lake Act II*
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road)
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

BalletNova Artistic Director Nancie Woods is presenting her re-staging of Tchaikovsky’s classical favorite, “Swan Lake – Act II”.

sunday-2Special Screening: Stacker
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: 4:30 p.m.

Screening of an inspirational documentary that follows several of the world’s fastest sport stackers, including Arlington’s own William Polly.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

Marine Corps Memorial to Host Movie Screening

By ARLnow.com

The Marine Corps War Memorial will host a movie screening on Friday and a ranger-guided history lesson on Sunday.

On Friday, May 3, the memorial will host a screening of the 1949 film Sands of Iwo Jima, starring John Wayne (see movie trailer, above). The public is invited to bring a lawn chair to the reviewing stand to watch the film, which will start at 8:00 p.m.

On Sunday, May 5, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., park rangers will give talks about little-known secrets of the statue.

A school group at the Iwo Jima memorialAccording to a press release: “Rangers will host activities and offer short talks on the contents of the memorial’s cornerstone, graffiti inside the memorial’s base, and the amazing process by which workers climbed inside the memorial’s figures to piece them together in 1954.”

The events are part of the “Partners in Preservation Open House Weekend.” Partners in Preservation, a partnership between American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is currently hosting a contest that lets members of the public vote to direct $1 million worth of preservation funding to  historic places in the D.C. area.

The Marine Corps War Memorial and Arlington House are both in the running. At the moment, however, they’re in 21st and 20th place respectively, out of a total of 24 entrants. The Memorial is seeking funding for a thorough cleaning and waxing.

“The Marine Corps War Memorial will compete for funds to carefully clean, wax, and re-gild the large outdoor sculpture at its center,” said a press release. “Each of the six giant bronze figures accumulates dirt, pollution, bird droppings, pollen, and natural weathering residues that must be removed with specialized pressure washing equipment. Because the statue is depicted with photographic realism, workers will need scaffolding and lifts to reach every angle and crevice of clothing and muscle, from the base of the memorial to its top 60 feet above the ground.”

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