It’s happening the first weekend in December — Friday, Dec. 1 through Sunday, Dec. 3 — at the park (1400 S. Eads Street) next to Amazon’s HQ2.
“Guests can savor peppermint mochas and holiday-themed bites from local restaurants, shop for holiday gifts from local artists and adults can stop by Summit Bar for Aprés Ski,” a press release from the BID says.
There are three distinct activity zones named after different ski slope ratings, catering to families, pets and adults.
For the kiddos, “Bunny Hill” offers face painting, photos with Santa, train rides and crafts.
Dog owners can visit the “Blue Run” section, which will have a dog bone bar and pet caricatures. Additionally, there is a holiday market and a pop-up Christmas tree farm. For those needing last-minute holiday cards, a photo booth is also available.
Adults in the mood for some grown-up fun can swing by the DC Fray Summit Bar in the “Black Diamond” section, sporting an ugly sweater, for an après ski spiked hot chocolate or mulled wine. The adults can also try their hand at axe throwing.
The park is accessible on foot or by bike and is a 10-minute walk from the Crystal City Metro Station. For those driving, parking is available along Crystal Drive, according to the release.
A woman looks at X-rays of her teeth in a dentist’s office (via Caroline LM/Unsplash)
It’s the ARLnow Five and Five, where nonprofit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook provides five top-rated local businesses and five tips for getting great service and prices. ARLnow readers can access all of Checkbook’s ratings of local dentists until Dec. 5 at Checkbook.org/ARLnow/dentists.
These dental practices are best bets for Arlingtonians.
They all received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality and price, meaning they deliver great service (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys) and charge reasonable fees, per undercover price shopping conducted by Checkbook’s research team.
Gruntz, Richard D.
1600 Crystal Square Arcade #L
Arlington, VA 22202
703-412-1122
McIntire, Michael K.
1515 Wilson Blvd #103
Arlington, VA 22209
703-524-0221
Ozturk, Serdar Cavit
2522 Langston Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
703-243-1166
Roca, Adam J.
3138 10th Street N. #301
Arlington, VA 22201
703-522-2600
Checkbook’s Top Five Tips for Getting Great Dental Care
Keep in mind that you don’t have to forsake quality to use a dentist who charges low fees. Checkbook found many dentists who receive high ratings for patient care also charge below-average fees.
Be sure your dentist fully describes the condition of your mouth and any corrections needed. It’s good practice for the dentist to provide a written treatment plan (though there may be a fee). If the proposed treatment is extensive, consider getting a second opinion from a specialist.
If a dentist recommends a treatment, always ask for alternatives. The dentist should be willing to describe the pros and cons of all of them, so you can make your decision based on cost, discomfort, and inconvenience.
Be aware that because various treatments require more or less of the dentist’s time — and therefore higher or lower charges — the advice may be colored by self-interest. Be suspicious if a new dentist recommends far more treatment than your previous one did.
Check your health plan for dental benefits, especially for dependents younger than 19; the Affordable Care Act mandates pediatric dental coverage on individual and small-group medical plans. Some Medicare Advantage plans include dental coverage, and many “consumer-driven” and “high-deductible” health plans let you set aside funds for dental work.
Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. We are supported by consumers and take no money from the service providers we evaluate.
The Arlington Travel Baseball (ATB) Arsenal 12-Under Blue Team had a very successful run in this year’s Cove Creek Classic tournament in Covesville, Virginia.
The ATB 12U Blue team were champions of the 8-team field going 5-0 on the weekend. They are the first ATB team to win the Cove Creek Classic. The team finished 2-0 in pool play defeating the Baltimore Baseball Club Black 17-3 and Winchester Cavaliers 16-4 to earn the #1 seed in the elimination rounds. In the championship game, ATB won in come from behind fashion 9-6 over the BCC Big Train, tying the game in the bottom of the 6th and then winning on a walk-off home run in extra innings.
Donkeys and Rep. Don Beyer (via Jacques Bopp/Unsplash and Wikipedia)
Rep. Don Beyer is standing up for donkeys everywhere and trying to save their hides.
Last Tuesday, the Congressman re-introduced legislation that would effectively ban the sale and trade of donkey-hide gelatin, otherwise known as ejiao.
Beyer initially introduced the Ejiao Act in 2021, claiming that “the international trade in donkey-hide gelatin products is leading to the mass slaughter of donkeys and widespread harm to impoverished communities around the world,” per a press release.
Ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skin, is found in various types of Chinese medicine and cosmetic products and is used to treat anemia, stop bleeding, improve the immune system, prevent cancer and treat insomnia and dizziness, according to a 2023 report from the Congressional Research Service.
The report notes the sale of ejiao is low in the United States compared to other countries. However, the Animal Welfare Institute argues in a press release that such a law “would have a tangible impact domestically while also setting a strong precedent for other nations to shut down ejiao sales.”
The U.S. should “act immediately” to shut down the illicit trade of donkey hide, said Emily Dulin, chief executive officer of Brooke USA, the lead animal welfare organization working with Beyer’s office to build support for the bill, in a statement.
“The international trade in donkey-hide gelatin products is leading to the mass slaughter of donkeys, resulting in widespread harm to impoverished communities around the world. Congress is taking action to halt all importation of those products into this country,” she said. “More and more people in poorer countries are seeing the animals they depend on stolen and killed to meet the demand for the ejiao trade.”
The trade is “senseless and poses grave risks to donkeys around the world,” added Joanna Grossman, equine program director and senior policy advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute farmed animal program.
“There is no need for these products that entail substantial cruelty and confer no real health benefits,” she said in the press release.
In February, the nonprofit Center for Contemporary Equine Studies filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that selling products containing ejiao on its website breaches California’s animal welfare statutes.
When asked about the likelihood of the bill passing, Aaron Fritschner, a spokesman for Rep. Beyer’s office, said Beyer is pursuing a Republican sponsor but has some more urgent priorities to attend to.
“Right now Rep. Beyer is focused on international conflicts and funding the government ahead of the November 17th deadline,” he said. These areas are urgent and will command much of his time and attention in the coming weeks, but as his bandwidth allows he will work to secure bipartisan support for the recently reintroduced Ejiao Act.”
This isn’t the first time Beyer has sponsored legislation on behalf of the animal kingdom.
In 2015, Rep. Beyer introduced the Humane Cosmetics Act, aimed at curbing animal testing for cosmetics across the U.S. He reintroduced the same bill again in September.
Photo (1) via Jacques Bopp/Unsplash and (2) via Wikipedia
Monumental Theatre Company will return to in-person performance this July with Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM!. The story follows an aspiring composer, Jon, in New York City in 1990 who worries he made the wrong career choice as he approaches his 30th birthday. The semi-autobiographical musical is an homage to the making of musical theatre, the reasons artists choose this life, and an admission of why we almost give up.
.jpg){kind=link}