Events

Pentagon City Mall Hosts Lunar New Year Celebration

By Ethan Rothstein

Crowds of shoppers at Pentagon City mall (file photo)The Lunar New Year celebration in Asia is fully underway, and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City is hosting a lineup of events tomorrow to celebrate.

From noon to 6:00 p.m. at the mall (1100 S. Hayes Street), there will be dancers from a range of Asian countries, an “Asian fashion show” and goodie bags from stores like Aveda and LUSH.

Starting at noon, the first 100 shoppers on the Metro level will get goodie bags. At 1:00 p.m., the Asian American Chamber of Commerce will make a presentation, after which the performances begin.

There will be Chinese and Indian musical performances and forms of traditional Lion Dance and Dragon Dance and dancers organized by Filipino-American group Mabuhay, Inc. All the while, visitors can meet with Miss Vietnam D.C., Loney Nguyen and make a traditional paper lantern and spin a wheel for prizes.

Stores throughout the mall will be offering specials in honor of the holiday, which started on Feb. 19 and will last until March 5.

File photo

African-American Heritage Festival Returns Saturday

By Ethan Rothstein

Drew Community Center (photo via Arlington County)Arlington’s 23rd annual “Feel the Heritage Festival,” celebrating Black History Month, returns on Saturday to the Charles Drew Community Center in Nauck.

From 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at 3500 23rd Street S., attendees can come to the free event to enjoy live music and dancing, a display of Arlington’s black history with photos and artifacts and food from Buck’s BBQ and Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Performing throughout the festival will be an assortment of musical acts: N2N Band, an eight-member R&B and Motown cover group; Anansegromma of Ghana, performing traditional West African drumming, storytelling and dance; and the Ebony Day Dance Company.

There will be children’s activities like face painting, balloon animals and hands-on craft-making for kids to make their own souvenirs. The community will host a bake sale and there will be dozens artisan and nonprofit vendor booths.

For history buffs, the highlight will be the “Hall of History,” with artifacts from nine different black churches and organization, including relics from the Civil War and segregation.

Photo via Arlington County

Arlington Agenda (Feb. 23-March 1)

By Ethan Rothstein

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

Screen-Shot-2015-02-03-at-10.53.07-AMFirst-time Homebuyer Happy Hour*
Samuel Beckett’s (2800 S. Randolph Street)
Time: 7:00-7:45 p.m.

A free happy hour, hosted in Shirlington by Stansford Signature real estate agents. Register here.

Friday

Bobby ThompsonLive Music: Bobby Thompson
IOTA Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:30 p.m.

The Bobby Thompson Project is the brainchild of Blues singer-songwriter Bobby Thompson. Tickets are $10 and sold at the door.

Saturday

cheryl-rtrResolve to Run Training Session*
Bluemont Park (601 N. Manchester Street)
Time: 9:00-10:00 a.m.

All running levels are welcome to train in a group to run a 5K race. Those who want to train, register with [email protected] or call 703-558-0035.

Power-of-Spirituals-PhotoThe Power of Spirituals*
Resurrection Lutheran Church (6201 Washington Blvd)
Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.

Music and readings in observance of Black History Month. Featuring Millicent Scarlett, soprano; Robert Baker, tenor; Eileen Guenther, producer and pianist.

DomFlemons_eventLive Music: Dom Flemons
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:00-10:00 p.m.

Grammy winning founder member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons plays seven instruments and sings his brand of “folk music and Americana.” Tickets are $18.

Sunday

caribbeanbrunchCaribbean Brunch for Charity
Trinity Episcopal Church (2217 Columbia Pike)
Time: noon-2:00 p.m.

Island-inspired, authentically prepared treats, fresh fruits and other brunch favorites are on the menu. Tickets are $15 and proceeds go to a Haitian relief charity.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

Arlington Agenda (Feb. 17-22)

By Ethan Rothstein

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

Logo-step2Millennial Women and the GOP Happy Hour*
Ri Ra Irish Pub (2915 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) leads a trio of speakers discussing “important women’s issues and ways to empower women in the workplace and politics.” Event is free but RSVP is recommended.

Thursday

When Arlington’s Schools Weere Segregated
Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street)
Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

The debut screening of a video oral history with George M. Richardson, the last principal of Arlington’s “colored-only” Hoffman-Boston Junior and Senior High School. Discussion to follow with the filmmakers.

Love146Silent Auction to battle sex trafficking*
Ireland’s Four Courts (2051 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Free appetizers and a cash bar will be available to attendees of Love146‘s silent auction to raise money to help victims of sex trafficking. Admission is $10.

Saturday

PROMO_PHOTO_CLive Music: C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:30-10:30 p.m.

C.J. Chenier, the son of Clifton Chenier, the “King of Zydeco,” performs with the band his father founded. Zydeco dance lessons start at 7:30. Tickets are $20.

Sunday

22Free Chamber Music Concert*
Clarendon United Methodist Church (606 N. Ivy Street)
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.

IBIS Chamber Music presents “A Quartet for the End of Time,” written in a World War II prison camp. The group will also perform a piece from the opera “Gimpel the Fool.”

oscarsparty-2015-300Oscars Watch Party
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: 7:00 p.m.

Watch the 87th annual Academy Awards on the big screen with the D.C. Film Society, with a night including prediction contests, a silent auction and trivia contests. Tickets are $20 at the door.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

County Offices, Schools Closed on Monday

By Ethan Rothstein

George WashingtonArlington County government operations will take the day off on Monday, Feb. 16 for George Washington Day.

The holiday, also known as Presidents Day and Washington’s Birthday, means there will be no parking enforcement in the county on Monday.

Arlington Public Schools will be closed, as will the county’s General District, Circuit and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts. Arlington’s libraries, DMV office, human services department and community centers will also not open their doors.

ART buses 41, 42, 51, 77 and 87 will run on Saturday schedules, while all other ART bus trips are cancelled. STAR transit will only run dialysis trips.

The only government function that will go on without a hitch on Monday is trash and recycling pickup. Those with Monday collection should leave their waste by the curb at the normal time.

Drafthouse Offering ‘Princess Bride,’ Wine Tasting for Valentine’s Day

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington Drafthouse's Valentine's Day event fllyerIf going to see “50 Shades of Grey” seems like an inconceivable way to spend Valentine’s Day, the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse has a throwback movie alternative.

The theater, at 2903 Columbia Pike, is hosting three showings of the 1980s classic film, “The Princess Bride,” at 4:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Before the 7:00 p.m. show — currently listed as sold out on the Drafthouse’s website — there will be an optional wine tasting and standup comedy performance.

There will also be standup comedy performed before the final showing of the day, at 10:20 p.m.

Tickets for the two remaining shows are $10 each. Considering the 7:00 p.m. show sold out, you might have to fight to the pain to get tickets for the other two showings on Saturday.

Image via Arlington Drafthouse

Pub Crawl This Weekend Raising Funds for Animal Charity

By Ethan Rothstein

Disney-themed bar crawl (photo courtesy Dalfa Ahmed) (Updated at 11:20 a.m.) A pub crawl planned for Sunday, Feb. 15, the day before Presidents Day, is about more than getting sloshed at a host of bars in Clarendon and Courthouse.

The Bow Wow Crawl for Charity is the seventh annual crawl on the February holiday for a group of friends. The themed crawls — previously there have been Disney and video game characters — always donate proceeds to charity and this year, the money is going to Arlington-based Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. Participants are encouraged to dress up like animals in the spirit of the event.

According to the bar crawl’s fundraising page, the bar crawl started seven years ago with three people on the day before a federal holiday. It has since grown to more than 100, benefiting charities like Give Kids the World and Child’s Play.

“Now this isn’t your typical bar crawl,” Adam Ross, who co-founded the bar crawl, writes on the page. “It’s not put on by a big promotion company. We are grassroots. We don’t sell wristbands or drink tickets or do any publicizing. It is the same crew that comes each year, only expanded by word of mouth, friends bringing other friends, or whatever strangers we run into along our journey. We aren’t out to make money off this, nor will we ever. After the second year of this bar crawl it was apparent that it was getting popular and that we would have a large number of attendees. We decided two things at that point; we would have a new theme ever year and we would raise money for a charity that corresponded with that theme.”

The crawl’s website has raised $400 of a $900 goal, with two weeks left on its online fundraiser.

The crawl begins on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill (2424 Wilson Blvd). The crawl will then swing into D.C. before finishing up back in Arlington.

It’s unclear if the crawl has applied for or received a bar crawl permit, a new regulation the Arlington County Board instituted last summer. The permits are intended to recoup county costs from the additional police presence the crawls — which have been attended by as many as 5,000 people in the past — necessitate.

Photo courtesy Dalfa Ahmed

Arlington Agenda (Feb. 9-15)

By Ethan Rothstein

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

Highline RXR in Crystal City, opening the first weekend in FebruaryPost-Startup Showcase Mixer
Highline RXR (2010 Crystal Drive)
Time: 6:30-11:30 p.m.

Connect with investors and the best of D.C. tech after The Startup Factory Showcase (held at Disruption Corporation HQ). Register online here. Drink specials offered.

Thursday

Shenandoah-Book-JacketHistorical Society Book Reading
Marymount University (2807 N. Glebe Road, Rowley G127)
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m.

The AHS hosts author Sue Eisenfeld, reading from her book “Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal,” a first-person hiking adventure through the history of the lost communities of Shenandoah National Park.

Friday

Sara SchaeferLive Comedy: Sara Schaefer
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.

Co-host of MTV’s late night show, Nikki and Sara Live, Sara Schaefer won two Emmy Awards as a writer on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Tickets to her shows are $22..

aurelio_eventLive Music: Aurelio
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:00-10:00 p.m.

Artist Aurelio Martinez — a singer, percussionist and guitarist — plays Central American folk music with roots in the 17th Century. Tickets are $18 and available online.

Saturday

thrill_of_tchaikovskyValentine’s Day Tchaikovsky Concert*
Spectrum Theatre (1611 N. Kent Street)
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.

The National Chamber Ensemble is performing a medley of romantic songs from one of classical music’s greatest composers, Peter Iliych Tchaikovsky. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for students.

Sunday

Live Music: Dead Men’s Hollow
IOTA Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 7:00 p.m.

Dead Men’s Hollow performs a combination of bluegrass, country, blues and gospel music with a fiddle, upright bass, mandolin, banjo and guitar. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

‘Love the Run You’re With’ 5K Returns Sunday

By Ethan Rothstein

Love the Run You're With posterThe annual Valentine’s Day-themed 5K in Pentagon City, “Love the Run You’re With,” will return Sunday, six days before the holiday.

The race will start and end on S. Joyce Street at Pentagon Row, and take runners down Army Navy Drive just past 28th Street S. The race also doubles as a matchmaking affair, with bib numbers corresponding to racers’ relationship status.

The course is the same as last year’s race, so the Arlington County Police Department will likely shut down the following roads form 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. for the race, which starts at 9:00 a.m.

  • South Joyce Street between South 15th Street and Army Navy Drive
  • Army Navy Drive between South Joyce Street and South 25th Street

Street parking in the area will be restricted, so motorists should be careful if they plan on parking on Saturday night.

Registration for the race is $40 and includes a commemorative blanket. After the race, runners are invited to Champps at 1201 S. Joyce Street for drinks, a free photo booth and karaoke. All runners — those registered as single (“Cupid Stupid”), it’s complicated (“Love ’em or Leave ’em”) or in a relationship (Co-dependent) — are invited to the bar after the race for mingling.

Image via Pacers Running

Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade Returns Feb. 17

By Ethan Rothstein

2013 Clarendon Mardi Gras paradeThe annual Clarendon-Courthouse Mardi Gras parade is back this year after a snow-induced hiatus in 2014.

The parade is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, on N. Barton Street. About 40 floats and parade participants have already signed up to take part in the hourlong event, which will run up Wilson Blvd to N. Irving Street.

A snowstorm on Mardi Gras forced the Clarendon Alliance — which organizes the event — to push it back to St. Patrick’s Day. Yet another storm that March forced the 16th annual parade to be canceled altogether.

“Normally it’s a rain or shine type deal,” Clarendon Alliance Executive Director Matt Hussmann said. “But the snow banks were so big on the sidewalks, nobody could watch the parade.”

This year, if the weather cooperates, Hussmann said the “family-friendly” parade should continue to be the biggest and best-attended Mardi Gras parade in the D.C. area. The Ballou High School marching band is back, the Louisiana State University alumni group will again have a big presence, and beads and candy will again be flying around.

“The parade’s got a great feel to it,” Hussmann said. “It’s really a local event. The people in the parade are businesses people go to. Everybody’s yelling and waving and dressed up and they’ve got costumes. The floats are really creative. There’s a lot of music, they’re throwing beads and candy. It’s just home-grown fun.”

Before the parade, Courthouse’s Bayou Bakery will be hosting a “Bayou Gras Block Party.” The New Orleans-themed bakery, at 1515 N. Courthouse Road, is offering $30 tickets for three cajun dishes — like jambalaya and chicken and sausage gumbo — $20 tickets for Mardi Gras-themed cocktails and $15 tickets for three pours of Abita Amber Ale. Children under 12 years old will get a free mac and cheese.

The block party will run from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets can be bought online or at Bayou Bakery.

File photo

Crystal City’s Fashion Show Returns This Week

By Ethan Rothstein

Crystal Couture 2014(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) Crystal Couture, the annual fashion show and pop-up fashion boutique, returns this week, starting with a VIP preview Thursday evening.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., 38 area designers will offer deals on their latest fashions, and models will stroll down the runway to show them off. The show will be in the Crystal City Shops at 1750 Crystal Drive and is free to attend.

The designers are offering up to 50 percent off their items, and attendees can drink wine, beer and cocktails from the bar while getting free five-minute makeovers.

DJ Neekola will be spinning tunes and fashion consultants will be on hand to discuss the offerings with guests in attendance.

Those interested in being first in line to see the designers’ 2015 collections can pay $50 to become VIPs. The VIP preview starts at 5:00 p.m. and features an hourlong open bar before the official opening of the show at 6:00 p.m.

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

View More Stories