Events

Crystal City 5K Fridays to Start This Week

By ARLnow.com

An annual springtime athletic tradition is coming back to Crystal City this week.

Crystal City’s 5K Fridays will start this coming Friday, April 6 — the first of four Friday races that will run through April 27. The race, organized by Pacers Events, will take runners on a looped course up and down Crystal Drive, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Registration is $20 per race or $60 for all four races. Runners can register online or in person, before the race.

Arlington County Police will be blocking off lanes of several Crystal City-area roads between 6:15 and 7:45 p.m. on race days. Among them:

  • Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 12th Street (one northbound lane of Crystal Drive will remain open between 15th and 12th Street)
  • Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 26th Street and Potomac Avenue/27th Street
  • Northbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between 27th Street and 33rd Street
  • One southbound lane of Potomac Avenue between 27th and 33rd Street
  • Two westbound lanes (one lane to remain open) of 12th Street between Crystal Drive and Old Jefferson Davis Highway/Clark Street
  • One northbound lane of Old Jefferson Davis Highway will be closed for approximately 100 feet (one lane to remain open)

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

This Saturday: Arlington E-CARE Recycling Event

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is holding its bi-annual Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) this coming weekend.

E-CARE gives Arlington residents an opportunity to safely get rid of hazardous materials like paint, solvents, garden chemicals and items containing mercury. It is also is an opportunity to recycle items that usually aren’t accepted during the weekly residential recycling collection, like electronics, bikes, small metal items, shoes, eyeglasses, and durable medical equipment.

Anybody who drops off household devices that contain mercury, like thermometers and barometers, is eligible to receive a $5 gift card courtesy of trash-to-electricity company Covanta Energy. Fluorescent lights are excluded from the gift card offer.

The event is being held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 7 at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road). E-CARE is open to Arlington residents only — not to businesses or to residents of other jurisdictions.

More than 1,000 residents disposed of 36.8 tons of hazardous material and recycled some 16 tons of electronics at the Fall 2011 E-CARE event, according to the Arlington County Department of Environmental Services.

Photo via Arlington County DES

Young Professionals Holding AFAC Fundraiser Tonight

By ARLnow.com

The Young Professionals fundraising branch of the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is holding their second annual “Hunger Is No Joke” benefit at Cafe Asia (1550 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn tonight.

Local party band Over the Line will perform at the event, which starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 for one or $60 for a pair. There will also be food and “plentiful” drinks, provided by Cafe Asia, and a raffle for signed Capitals pucks, D.C. United tickets, and gift cards to local restaurants, boutiques, salons and spas. All proceeds will benefit AFAC.

“This event promises to be our best of the year,” said Carrington Blencowe, chairwoman of the AFAC-Young Professionals Executive Committee. “Where else can you enjoy a night on the town while also helping your neighbors in need?”

AFAC provides groceries and other necessities to more than 1,600 families each week.

Fundraiser Offers Chance to Rappel Down Crystal City Hotel

By ARLnow.com

If you’ve ever dreamed of rappelling down a tall building, here’s your chance to actually do it, legally.

The Special Olympics of Virginia is holding a fundraising challenge called “Over the Edge,” and the prize for raising at least $1,000 is the opportunity to rappel off the roof of the Hilton Crystal City hotel on Friday, June 22.

Fundraisers can either sign up to repel down the 15-story building themselves, or nominate someone else to be “tossed” off the building — a boss, for instance. Registration is limited to the first 75 rappellers.

In addition to the fundraisers, several media personalities and VIPs will be rappelling down the side of the hotel on Thursday, June 21, in an effort to bring additional attention to the cause. The rappelling is being supervised by a company that specializes in running such fundraisers.

Arlington to Host Adult Singing Competition

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:05 a.m.) Last year Arlington Public Schools hosted an “Arlington Idol” singing competition for high school students. This year, adults are getting a chance to compete in their own contest.

As part of its adult education program, APS is hosting the “2012 Arlington Sing-Off Competition” for those 18 and over.

Auditions for the contest are taking place on Friday, May 11 and Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. The May 11 audition is being held at Washington-Lee High School, while the May 17 audition is being held at Kenmore Middle School. There is a $10 registration fee for all participants.

Entrants must sing as a soloist — no groups are allowed — and they must do so acapella, at least during the audition phase. Songs must be memorized, and profanity is not allowed.

Three judges will help narrow down the field. The judges are Bolormaa Judgersuren, an opera singer originally from Mongolia; Dawn Frederick, a professional singer and vocal coach; and Adelaide Ruble, a recording artist and vocalist for a local swing dance band.

After the auditions, a semi-final competition will be held at Jefferson Middle School on May 21. The finalists will compete at Jefferson Middle School on June 5.

Anyone interested in competing can register online or call 703-228-7200. The grand prize for the competition is a $100 gift card and an opportunity to perform at Arlington’s first annual “Night of Concert Music,” which is being held on June 15 at Jefferson Middle School.

AWLA to Offer Low-Cost Microchips, Rabies Shots

By ARLnow.com

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington will be holding a low-cost microchip and rabies clinic tomorrow (Thursday).

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the AWLA offices (2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive), the organization will be offering $30 microchipping and $10 rabies shots.

AWLA recommends microchips for dogs and cats to help with identification should they ever become lost.

“Each year thousands of lost and abandoned animals are taken in by shelters and humane societies across the country. Some of these animals never make it home because they can’t be identified,” the AWLA notes. “Microchipping offers pet owners the only truly permanent method of identifying your pet and linking the animal back to you, the owner.”

Six other rabies and microchip clinics are planned through the end of 2012.

File photo

Half Off Tickets to Taste of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Like last year, early birds are getting a steep discount on tickets to Taste of Arlington.

This year the annual food festival, Arlington’s biggest, will take place between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. More than 35 restaurants are expected to participate and serve about 15,000 attendees. As always, the event will be held on Wilson Boulevard in front of Ballston Common Mall.

KGB Deals is offering half off tickets to the event — $15 instead of $30 — through next Tuesday. As of 12:30 p.m., the website had sold just shy of 100 tickets.

Proceeds from Taste of Arlington will be donated to three nonprofits: the Arlington Community Foundation, Virginia Hospital Center and Phoenix Houses of the Mid-Atlantic.

Disabled Vets Job Fair Coming to Arlington Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Employers are joining with the Wounded Warrior Project to hold a job fair for disabled veterans in Arlington tomorrow (Wednesday).

The daylong event is being held at the Sheraton National Hotel (900 S. Orme Street), near the intersection of Columbia Pike and Washington Boulevard. About 60 unemployed or underemployed disabled vets will have the opportunity to network with local employers while receiving job placement training.

In addition to helping to find employment for the disabled attendees, the event is also intended to bring attention to unemployment among U.S. combat veterans. As of 2010, the unemployment rate for those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since Sept. 2001 was 11.5 percent.

“Despite their unwavering courage, many of these men and women return home from duty only to become part of a growing group of unemployed veteran,” said Gen. Richard B. Myers, retired chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, in a statement. “The Wounded Warriors Project provides these individuals with a tremendous opportunity to make a successful transition into the private sector and have a chance for economic prosperity.”

The event — the “Aon Salute to America’s Wounded Warriors” — has also been held in cities like New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh.

New Location for Artomatic 2012

By Katie Pyzyk

Artomatic is changing locations. It’s still going to be in Crystal City, as announced in January, but the location will be a few blocks away from the originally named venue.

Instead of taking place at 2511 S. Clark St, the event will be held at 1851 S. Bell St. Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox explained that while the agreement to use the Clark Street location was being finalized, Vornado announced plans to replace the Bell Street venue with a new building. Vornado then put forth an offer to hold Artomatic at the old building before it’s torn down.

“This presented an amazing opportunity to showcase the transformation of Crystal City,” Fox said in a press release.

The new location is closer to the Crystal City metro and has an extra 50,000 square feet of space compared to the original venue.

Artomatic is a free event and starts on May 18.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Giada De Laurentiis Holding a Local Book Signing

By Katie Pyzyk

Popular television chef Giada De Laurentiis will soon bring her culinary skills to Arlington.

She’ll be at Sur La Table (1101 S. Joyce St) in Pentagon Row on March 31 to promote her upcoming cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada.” The recipes in the book are touted as home cooked dishes that come together quickly, many in half an hour or less.

De Laurentiis will sign copies of the book starting at noon. Fans who want to attend the book signing must purchase a copy of the cookbook from Sur la Table in Pentagon Row. The purchase will grant the customer one ticket to attend the signing event.

The book goes on sale on March 27.

Program to Wax Nostalgic About Historic Businesses

By Katie Pyzyk

In Arlington, where it seems like something new is always being built, sometimes it’s difficult to remember which businesses used to exist. A history program taking place tonight is hoping to jog your memory.

“Do You Remember?” is being billed as an interactive journey through Arlington’s commercial history. Charlie Clark, a longtime contributor to the Arlington Historical Magazine, will lead the program.

The program will look at now defunct businesses such as Herbert’s Youth Fashions and McCrory’s Five and Dime. Attendees can also share their memories of beloved businesses from decades past.

“Do You Remember?” is free and takes place tonight from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the Central Library.

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