Events

Bayou Bakery to Hold Annual Crawfish Boil this Weekend

By Anna Merod

Courthouse’s Bayou Bakery (1515 N. Courthouse Road) will host its annual crawfish boil on Saturday (April 28) from 4-6 p.m.

The crawfish boil coincides with the beginning of New Orleans’ Jazz Fest and will feature live music along with traditional Louisiana nibbles. New Orleans native and Bayou Bakery owner and chef David Guas will host the event.

Customers will be able to buy a bundle of food that includes Louisiana crawfish with sweet corn on the cob, new potatoes, coleslaw, “muff-a-lottas,” and cornbread.

Bayou Bakery will offer drink specials, and second plates may be filled if there is additional food available.

The restaurant will hold two more crawfish boils later this spring and summer, on May 26 and June 30.

Photo courtesy of Bayou Bakery

Belly Dancing Classes To Be Held At Rosslyn’s Freedom Park

By Bridget Reed Morawski

A whole lot of shaking will be going on at Rosslyn’s Freedom Park, where a series of belly dancing classes will occur.

The hour-long classes, which run from May 9-30, target beginners looking to learn belly dancing basics. Classes take place on Wednesdays starting at 6 p.m.

A new move will be introduced each week by an instructor with Saffron Dance, and “particular focus is given to developing correct posture alignment, flexibility, arm positions and paths, fundamental shimmies, basic hip accents, introductory undulations, easy to follow traveling steps and combinations.”

The cost is $25 to attend four classes at Freedom Park, a typically quiet, elevated park at 1101 Wilson Boulevard.

This isn’t the first time that Saffron Dance has brought its craft into the community. Back in 2011, the studio organized a belly dancing flash mob in Clarendon.

File photo

Crystal City’s ‘Fridays at the Fountain’ to Open a Month Early

By Anna Merod

Crystal City’s summertime happy hour event series, Fridays at the Fountain, is coming back early this year.

The pop-up beer garden event was so well received by the community last year that organizers decided to open this year’s event series on May 4, which is a month earlier than usual, according to a press release from the Crystal City BID, which organizes the events.

Fridays at the Fountain will be held every Friday from May through October at the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive), and events feature live music from local musicians. Admission is free, and beer and wine will be sold for $5. Attendees can also pay $20 to join the “Mug Club” and receive a branded, reusable mug.

This year’s event features a new partnership with The Stand, a concession stand operated by The Social Restaurant Group. Visitors can purchase beverages provided by Crystal City Wine Shop as well as food options from a rotation of local vendors.

Additional performers will be announced soon, but here’s the current music lineup:

  • May 4 – Revelator Hill
  • May 11 – Whiskey Pull
  • May 18 – Zach Cutler & Friends
  • May 25 – Gordon Sterling 3
  • June 1 – Big Bad Juju
  • June 8 – Mary El Band
  • June 15 – Revelator Hill
  • June 22 – Jonathan Sloane Trio
  • June 29 – Holly Montgomery
  • July 6 – The Jogo Project
  • July 13 – The Jon Miller Band
  • July 20 – Gordon Sterling and the People
  • July 27 – Big Bad Juju

Photo courtesy Crystal City BID

Rosslyn’s Annual Outdoor Film Fest Returns This Summer

By Anna Merod

Rosslyn’s annual outdoor film festival is returning to Gateway Park this June.

All of the screenings will begin at dusk, but moviegoers can attend events at 5 p.m. each screening evening and buy beer, wine, or sangria at a mobile pub. Local food trucks and popcorn will also be available for purchase.

The events at the park, at 1300 Lee Highway, are both kid and pet friendly. There will be kids activities before the movie begins on June 29, July 13, and August 17.

The festival, sponsored by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, will be screening the following dozen movies over the summer, every Friday from June 8-August 24.

  • June 8 – Legally Blonde
  • June 15 – Wonder
  • June 22 – The Fifth Element
  • June 29 – Ratatouille
  • July 6 – Bridesmaids
  • July 13 – Coco
  • July 20 – Amelie
  • July 27 – La La Land
  • August 3 – Argo
  • August 10 – Lethal Weapon
  • August 17 – The Lion King
  • August 24 – Four Weddings and a Funeral

Events will be cancelled if there is a chance of rain, with a Rosslyn website update by 3 p.m that day.

Photo courtesy of the Rosslyn BID

This Week’s Deals & Events In Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Again this week, we highlight select deals and events around Arlington, with help from Tim’s Arlington Directory. Some require a coupon or have more instructions, so be sure to click the link for details and any additional requirements.

This Week’s Deal of the Week:

Head to Tupelo Honey in Courthouse for your next workday lunch – newly debuting a $12 half-sandwich, half-salad, one side combo. Choose between options including new spicy avocado + chopped egg or fried green tomato burrata sandwich, Tupelo wedge salad and creamy tomato soup, among a variety of others. Three items, $12! Lunch begins at 11 and goes until 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 21:

​Sunday, April 22:

(more…)

Barley Mac to Host Second Annual Oyster Festival

By Anna Merod

Barley Mac will be holding its second annual oyster festival on Saturday (April 21) from 1-5 p.m. on its patio, weather permitting.

Festival attendees can dig into unlimited oysters alongside a cigar rolling station, an oyster shucking instructional station, an oyster eating contest, and a live musical performance.

Tickets, ranging in price from $49 online to $59 at the door, will also include two drink tickets and a stemless wine glass.

Barley Mac will be serving raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller, grilled oysters, fried po-boys, oyster stew, fried buffalo batter oysters and oyster ceviche.

The oyster and wine festival will be open for all ages, though those 21 and older will receive a wristband to drink.

Photo courtesy Barley Mac

Legacy of Fire Station No. 8 to Be Discussed Saturday

By Bridget Reed Morawski

The legacy of Arlington’s Fire Station No. 8, and how to honor it, will be the subject of a community discussion this weekend.

The event is scheduled from 3-4:45 p.m. on Saturday (April 14) at the Arlington Central Library auditorium (1015 N. Quincy Street).

During segregation Fire Station No. 8 was the only Arlington station staffed by African Americans.

The Fire Station 8 History and Legacy working group is hosting the discussion, “to share memories, perspectives and ideas on how to recognize, emphasize and honor the history and legacy of the Hall’s Hill/High View Park Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Station No. 8,” according to an Eventbrite page.

The group is due to submit recommendations for ways to honor the fire station’s legacy by late May.

A new, four-bay station is set to be built at 4845 Lee Highway, where the existing Fire Station No. 8 stands. The design process is scheduled to begin this summer.

Photo via Arlington County 

#MeToo Conversation to be Held at Yorktown High School

By Anna Merod

A community conversation regarding sex and violence is set to be held today (Thursday) at Yorktown High School.

The event, scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s Patriot Hall, will kick off Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in Arlington.

Entitled “#MeToo: What Men, Boys, and Everyone Need to Know,” the event will feature nationally recognized scholar and activist Jackson Katz as the keynote speaker. Katz is also the co-founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP), an organization that has been running gender violence, sexual harassment and bullying prevention programs for more than 20 years.

Almost 50 percent of Arlington Public School female students in grades 8, 10 and 12 report that they have been sexually harassed while at school, according to the Arlington 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Other community leaders will also be in attendance, including Arlington Chief of Police Jay Farr, County Board Chair Katie Crisol and Theo Stamos, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington and Falls Church. Middle and high school students as well as adults are encouraged to attend.

Arlington’s Project PEACE is hosting the event in partnership with INOVA Fairfax Hospital and Arlington Public Schools. Project PEACE, which stands for Partnering to End Abuse in the Community for Everyone, is a community educational initiative to end domestic and sexual violence in the county.

Photo via APS

Bluemont Park 5K Slated This Weekend for ‘Opening Day for Trails’

By Anna Merod

A 5K fun run starting in Bluemont Park is scheduled for Saturday (April 7) to celebrate the Opening Day for Trails.

Organized by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, it’s the sixth annual 5K celebration for the trails’ opening day. Registration for the run is free.

The event is meant to encourage people to explore the region’s trails while promoting the Capital Trails Coalition’s goal of creating a trail network throughout the D.C. region.

The 5K will begin at the Bluemont Park Picnic Pavilion and continue along the W&OD and Four Mile Run trails. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the run itself begins an hour later at 10 a.m. After the race, live music and face painting, among other activities, will last through 1 p.m.

Parking will be available in the lots near the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Manchester Street and the intersection of 4th Street N. and N. Manchester Street.

File photo

New Fort C.F. Smith Visitor Center Opens This Weekend

By Bridget Reed Morawski
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A new visitor center is celebrating its grand opening Saturday (March 31) at Woodmont’s Fort C.F. Smith with free activities.

The center will focus on “Civil War life at Fort C.F. Smith and across Arlington County,” according to an county event page.

During the event, park staff will take community members through fort tours and Civil War museum exhibits. Union Army historic reenactors will perform demonstrations and drilling activities.

Activities will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fort C.F. Smith Park (2411 24th Street N.) Kids can don Civil War era uniforms, learn about camp life, and check out archaeological artifacts on display.

The fort is home to the Hendry House event venue, as well as preserved ruins, and ornamental peace garden, wildlife observation points and garden trails.

Photo via Arlington County

Female-Focused Small Business Fair This Weekend

By Bridget Reed Morawski

A small business fair geared toward highlighting Arlington’s female-owned businesses is scheduled for Saturday (March 31).

The event wraps up Arlington Public Library’s Women’s History Month events for this year, and aims to highlight women who “make history every day in the operation of local businesses and nonprofits.”

Local products and services will be showcased and businesses can distribute coupons and free samples. Karen Bate, Awesome Women Entrepreneurs founder, will give the keynote speech, alongside other speakers addressing topics on women and business.

The small business fair will be held at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) from 11 a.m.-2 p.m on Saturday. The event is a partnership between the library and Arlington Economic Development’s Small Business Assistance Network.

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