Events

Red, Red Wine at EatBar

By Uriah Kiser

Wintertime temperatures for wine drinkers mean red wine, and EatBar will have plenty of it available Saturday.

The popular gastropub will present its Viva Le Rouge! Red, Red Wine tasting from 1 to 4 p.m., offering those who may be new to drinking wine to the most experienced wine drinkers the chance to try something new, and to buy their favorites at reduced prices.

“Over the years, we’ve learned people love to taste new things and they like to stock up for Valentine’s Day,” said EatBar spokeswoman Jennifer Eberline.

Nearly 20 wines will be offered during the tasting and the obvious catch for the Red, Red Wine Tasting: they’re all the same rougey color. (more…)

Eden Center Ringing In Chinese New Year With Illegal Fireworks

By ARLnow.com

Update at 12:30 p.m. — The situation is apparently still not resolved. More firefighters and police officers are on their way to Eden Center.

The Arlington County Fire Marshal’s office is calling for backup at the Eden Center in Fall Church, which is apparently going in a bit overboard in celebrating the Chinese New Year.

“They’re shooting fireworks all around this area,” a fire official radioed to dispatchers a few minutes ago, while requesting that Fall Church Police respond to the shopping center.

Arlington firefighters initially responded to the center for an activated fire alarm. They quickly determined that the fire alarm was set off by fireworks and called in the fire marshal.

Today marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Rabbit is supposed to be quiet and peaceful, but given the ruckus at Eden Center that doesn’t seem to be the case so far.

Eden Center, which is primarily a Vietnamese shopping center, is actually celebrating the Year of the Cat, as the above poster illustrates. The Chinese character for rabbit translates to cat in Vietnamese, according to Wikipedia.

Arlington provides fire department services to Falls Church under contract.

Taste of Arlington Tickets Go on Sale Today

By ARLnow.com

Tickets go on sale today for the 24th annual Taste of Arlington.

The ever-popular event will be little-changed from years prior. It will be held on Wilson Boulevard, in front of Ballston Common Mall. There will be food from 40 Arlington restaurants, beer and wine, arts and crafts, children’s activities and live entertainment.

About 12,000 people are expected to attend.

The event will be held from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. Admission is free but tickets are required to sample the food and drinks.

Eight advance tickets purchased online cost $20, versus $25 on the day of the event. Food samples cost one ticket, while beer and wine cost two.

Proceeds from the event will benefit several local charities and non-profits.

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade Date Set

By ARLnow.com

Last year, the Clarendon Mardi Gras parade became a St. Patrick’s Day parade due to a snow-related postponement.

This year, the two holidays are close enough together that organizers are planning to make the parade a joint Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day affair.

The Clarendon Mardi Gras/St. Pat’s parade will place take this year on Fat Tuesday, March 8. Further details are still in the works.

(St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, March 17.)

Cinema Drafthouse Saves the Day For Soccer Club

By ARLnow.com

News of the recent neighborhood fracas over rap music being played at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) didn’t sit well with David Goodwin, Outreach Director of the Screaming Eagles soccer club.

The Arlington Brigade of the Screaming Eagles will be hosting a charity event at the Drafthouse Saturday night, and Goodwin wanted to let us know how accommodating  the theater was to his organization.

I was saddened to see the story the other day of a customer having an issue with the Drafthouse and their staff.

Here is a quick one that shows how customer-friendly the folks over there are:

The Arlington Brigade of the Screaming Eagles, a non-profit soccer club, were in a bind on where to show an international match this Saturday night (due to the delay by the USSF in releasing their TV deal for the event). Yet, the staff of the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse were extremely helpful in allowing us to take over one of their busiest nights of the week for a fundraiser for two soccer charities – love.futbol and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

As a result we hope to pack the place with soccer fans decked out in red, white and blue on Saturday night at 10pm for the USA vs. Chile match and raise funds to help create safe places for children to play both at home and abroad.

See more information on the USA vs. Chile viewing party here.

MLK Day Celebrations, Closures

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is gearing up for its tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Arlington is holding its 42nd annual tribute to Dr. King at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center auditorium (3501 Second St. S.). The event will feature keynote speaker Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a local civil rights leader who worked with Dr. King, as well as performance by the World Children’s Choir and the Washington-Lee High School Jazz Band.

ABC 7 reporter Horace Holmes will emcee the event, which is taking place from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16.

On Monday, Arlington’s AmeriCorps team will hold a Martin Luther King Day of Service. From 10:00 a.m. to noon, volunteers will meet at the Arlington Mill Community Center (4975 Columbia Pike) then go forth to help clean up a section of the Pike and the nearby Four Mile Run stream. Anyone interested in participating is asked to register by emailing volunteer[at]arlingtonenvironment.org.

There will also be a “Save a Tree on MLK Day” event from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Gulf Branch Nature Center (3608 Military Road). Volunteers will help save trees by pulling invasive species from the ground. Call 703-228-3403 for more information.

Arlington government offices, schools and libraries will be closed on Monday. The Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center will be open, but every other community center will be closed. Parking won’t be enforced, but trash will be collected.

Metro and ART will be running on a holiday schedule, but Blue and Orange Line work will make commuting into the District tricky.

Sean Lennon to Perform at Iota Club Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Encountering musician Sean Lennon is a bit like encountering Jesus. He performs miracles, like dating smoking hot model Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and his gentle mannerisms and humble outward appearance belie the fact that he’s the son of a deity.

(It goes without saying, of course, that John Lennon and the Beatles were considerably more popular than Jesus.)

Lennon and Kemp Muhl will be performing at Iota Club in Clarendon (2832 Wilson Blvd) tonight with their band, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.

The GOASTT, as the group is known, has been touring Europe and the U.S. They performed on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last Wednesday.

The band’s latest CD, Acoustic Sessions, was released in October.

Tickets for tonight’s show are $15. Brooklyn-based experimental vocalist Julianna Barwick is the opening act.

Whole Foods Cooking Classes Back for 2011

By ARLnow.com

The Whole Foods Market in Clarendon (2700 Wilson Blvd) is gearing up for another year of free cooking classes with in-house chef Michael Kiss.

On the menu for January are two vegetarian classes and a how-to for curried lamb. The classes are held from 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Seating is limited. Interested cooks are asked to reserve a spot by emailing michael.kiss[at]wholefoods.com with the subject line “Cooking Class.”

See the list of January classes after the jump.

Flickr pool photo by Erin Johnson

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Reminder: Taco Eating Contest Tonight at District Taco

By ARLnow.com

District Taco (5723 Lee Highway) will be holding a taco eating contest starting at 6:00 tonight.

Ten contestants will compete to see who can eat the most tacos, without vomiting, in 15 minutes. They will have to consume four different varieties of tacos, in the following rotating order: breakfast taco, pollo asado, carnitas, carne asada.

According to District Taco’s contest web page, the winner of the contest will receive a number of prizes and honors, including free tacos and apparel.

Their picture will be taken and placed on the Wall of Fame with much fanfare and celebration. The champion and runner-ups will also receive District Taco awards such as t-shirts, hats, stickers and best of all–free tacos.

History will shine upon the grand taco-eating champions of District Taco!

Editor’s Note: If any photographers are going to be in attendance, we would love to use a couple of your photos tomorrow (with credit, of course). Send them to arlingtonnews [at] gmail.com as soon as possible.

Crystal Couture Schedule and Details

By ARLnow.com

Now in its third year, Crystal Couture can pretty safely be called Arlington’s premiere annual fashion event. (Due partially to a lack of competition for the title.)

Couture will be held from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. every night from Feb. 1 to 5. Organizers released additional details today about the event’s schedule and the designers and boutiques that will be participating (see below).

In keeping with Crystal City’s use of vacant space as an event venue, Couture is relocating this year from an formerly unleased retail space (which is now a Buffalo Wild Wings) to the abandoned Crystal City Food Court at 1750 Crystal Drive.

Event Schedule:

  • February 1 – Host, Philippa Hughes, Pinkline Project – T-Shirt Design Contest
  • February 2 – Host, Bianca Chardei, America’s Next Top Model Contestant
  • February 3 – Host, Karen Sommer Shallett, DC Modern Luxury
  • February 4 – Host DJ Sarah Fraser from HOT 99.5 – Go Red for Women
  • February 5 – Closing bash hosted by Bisnow – The Scene

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Volunteer Opp: Work at Arlington’s MLK Day Celebration

By ARLnow.com

Arlington will be holding its 42nd annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. next weekend.

The event is being held at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center Auditorium (3501 Second St. S.) on Sunday, Jan. 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. It will feature a keynote address from Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a local civil rights leader who worked with Dr. King, as well as musical performances and other entertainment.

The organizers need volunteers to help make the event a success. They’re looking for greeters, green room monitors and an artist to assist with the production. Contact Milada Weaver at 703-228-4730 if you’re interested in volunteering, or see more information about the opportunity here.

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