Events

Shirlington Oktoberfest Among Slew of Events This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

What are you doing tonight? Nothing? Good. That will give you plenty of time to rest up for a Saturday and Sunday chock full of events around Arlington.

From noon to 6:00 on Saturday, thousands of beer drinkers will jam Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village for the 10th annual Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest. Wear your best lederhosen and bring extra cash for bratwurst. Oh, and bring a non-drinking friend who can help you get home safely AND provide a few extra sample tickets to your group (for $25, each attendee gets 10 tickets good for one 4 oz. beer sample each).

Dog lovers skipping the Oktoberfest may want to check out Dogtober Day and Barker’s Bash, a dog show and festival full of fun and games. It’s taking place at Lacey Woods Park (1200 N. George Mason Dr.)  from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.

On Sunday, Arlington will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Thomas Jefferson Theater (125 S. Old Glebe Rd.). Community members of all ages and backgrounds are invited to enjoy Latin music, food and dancing from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

In addition to those events, there’s also a pair of fundraisers going on, which we wrote about earlier. See our events calendar for even more options.

Library to Screen Film About Violence in Lesbian Relationships

By ARLnow.com

Domestic violence against women isn’t always committed by men. One in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetime regardless of the sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, age or educational background.

To help mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Arlington Central Library will be screening three films that explore the subject.

“My Girlfriend Did It” was first released in 1995, but its message is still as relevant and powerful now as it was back then. The documentary by Casa de Esperanza will be screened on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2:00 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library Auditorium.

Also on the film agenda is “Telling Amy’s Story,” which explores the events leading up to a domestic violence murder. That will be screened this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Next Sunday “Sin by Silence,” about female prison inmates learning to stop the cycle of domestic abuse, will also be shown at 2:00.

Have Fun at Weekend Fundraisers

By ARLnow.com

Want to have fun, learn something new, get some exercise, meet cool people and raise money for a good cause? If so, there are three great events to attend this weekend, starting tonight. (Is it wishful thinking to consider Thursday night the weekend?)

Tonight, the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is partnering with the Colon Cancer Alliance, Harry’s Tap Room and socialite/blogger Pamela Sorensen to throw a happy hour fundraiser, part of the DC Goes Blue Week for Colon Cancer. It’s taking place from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Harry’s Tap Room (2800 Clarendon Blvd). The happy hour will include a silent auction, raffle prizes, a signature “Blue Life” cocktail specially created for DC Goes Blue week, as well as special guest celebrities. A portion of all sales from the event will go to benefit Chris4Life and the Colon Cancer Alliance.

On Saturday, the Friends of the David M. Brown Planetarium will hold another “Night at the Planetarium” fundraiser, consisting of shows and outdoor stargazing. See more details from our post earlier this week.

Finally on Sunday, the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund will hold a 5K run/walk at Bluemont Park (601 North Manchester Street). All fees collected for this event will go to help prevent and treat cancer. All participants receive a race T-shirt, and children under 13 will also receive a blue ribbon. See more information here.

There’s a lot more going on this weekend. Check out our events calendar for more.

To Do Tonight: Entrepreneurship and the Environment

By ARLnow.com

What does entrepreneurship have to do with saving the environment? Martin Ogle, the chief naturalist for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, says the same entrepreneurial spirit that leads people to take risks and find creative solutions to business problems is needed to address today’s environmental challenges.

Ogle and author/business professor Larry Robertson will present their case for melding entrepreneurship and the earth systems science in a presentation entitled An Entrepreneurial Look at Earth and its People. The presentation will begin at 7:00 tonight at the Arlington Central Library auditorium (1015 North Quincy Street).

Ogle says he hopes the presentation can be “a catalyst” for opening communication between the environmental and business communities.

Planetarium Boosters Plan Another Night of Shows

By ARLnow.com

Astronomy buffs of all ages will get another chance to enjoy a night of stargazing at the David M. Brown Planetarium (1426 North Quincy Street).  After the success of July’s first “Night at the Planetarium,” the Friends of the Planetarium will be hosting “Night at the Planetarium 2” on Saturday.

The program will start at 3:00 p.m. with a “Solar System Tour” for ages 3 and up, followed by a show called “Hubble Vision II” for ages 8 and up.

From 5:00 to 9:30 p.m., space fans will be able to look at real stars thanks to a collection of telescopes that will be set up outside the planetarium.

The Friends suggest a donation of $5 per individual or $10 per family, which will go toward the group’s effort to renovate the 40-year-old planetarium.

Lots of Events This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

We’ve talked a lot about Clarendon Day, but there are a bunch of other fun and interesting events happening around Arlington this weekend.

Among them: the Arlington Kids Stuff Sale, the Great American Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength, An Evening of Shakespeare in Klingon starring George Takei, the AMEN 35th anniversary celebration and WalkArlington’s Yorktown Walkabout.

See our events calendar for more details.

Preview: Food, Music and Fun at Clarendon Day

By ARLnow.com

The start of Clarendon Day 2010 is less than 24 hours away, and already the excitement is brewing. This year’s event will include a performance by “Arlington Rap guy” Remy Munasifi, a burrito eating contest and 20 different food vendors.

Things will kick off Saturday at 8:20 a.m. with a 5K race, followed by a 10K and a Kids Dash.

Then at 11:00 a.m., the main festivities get underway.

Ten bands are set to perform on two different stages. Acts scheduled to perform on the main IOTA Club & Cafe Stage include:

  • Milkshake — Kid-oriented rock music
  • Love Canon — A “power 80’s glam bluegrass” band (perhaps an ironic selection to follow a children-oriented group)
  • Sons of Bill — Rock/alt-country
  • Honor By August — Rock/pop
  • GoRemy — The aforementioned Arlington Rap guy, whose new album includes The Metro Song and the Falafel Song

Clarendon Day also features dozens of art, retail and community booths. Among the organizations setting up shop will be WJFK (“106.7 The Fan”) and WJLA/TBD (ABC 7).

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Road in Crystal City to Get Tattooed

By ARLnow.com

Update on 10/15/10: The road tattoo has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 17, TBD reports.

Weather permitting, New York artist Steed Taylor and a team of volunteers will “tattoo” a street in Crystal City on Sunday.

Taylor has painted his road tattoos on streets and paths in the District, New York City, North Carolina, Arizona, and even China. Now, he’s coming to Crystal City to create a tattoo on 18th Street between Bell Street and Crystal Drive.

The tattooing is expected to begin at 7:00 Sunday morning and last several hours. However, the forecast is currently calling for rain on Sunday, which could delay the tattoo creation until next week.

Digital Bookmobile to Roll Into Arlington Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Did you know you can download eBooks and digital audiobooks from the Arlington Public Library web site? As long as you have a library card, you can access a big collection of eBooks and audiobooks from your home, 24/7.

If you want to learn more about the offerings and how the system works, an 18-wheel “Digital Bookmobile” will be rolling into Arlington next week. The 75-foot tractor trailer will be parked outside Central Library from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 29. Inside, experts will be available to discuss the download process.

The bookmobile is sponsored by the company that provides the library’s digital offerings.

New to Arlington, Artist Holding Exhibition in Rosslyn Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Much the way a homeowner may introduce themselves to neighbors after moving into a new house, artist Marcelo Novo is introducing himself to the local arts scene tonight with an exhibition in Rosslyn.

Novo was a fixture of the arts scene in Columbia, S.C. up until earlier this month, when he packed up and moved to Arlington. Novo, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, left Columbia after 18 years to allow his wife, a chemist, to take a new job in the Washington area. As newspapers mourned his departure, Novo prepared himself for his new life in D.C.

The first act in his D.C. story comes tonight, when a selection of his works entitled “Sueños de Insomnio” (Dreams of Insomnia) will go on display at Piola restaurant (1550 Wilson Blvd). Novo hopes the exhibition, which runs through November 27, will serve as an “informal introduction… to the local audience.”

An opening reception will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 tonight.

After the jump, we ask Novo about his plan for joining the local arts scene.

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