Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City (courtesy of Megan Hia)
Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City (courtesy of Megan Hia)
Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City (courtesy of Megan Hia)
The Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City will be bringing to life the movie-musical “The Greatest Showman” this Saturday.
The event at 1660 Crystal Drive includes an interactive circus, from 5:30-7 p.m., between two screenings of the film at 3:30 and 7 p.m., which will both have a sing-along portion.
During the circus, people will have the opportunity to try out juggling, balancing, spinning plates and other circus skills. A stilt walker will also be walking around. The interactive circus is free but guests will need to purchase tickets to the screenings, which can be done in advance on the Alamo Drafthouse website.
The event is led by Omnium Circus, which a Drafthouse marketing manager said is the “real-life” version of “The Greatest Showman.”
“Their goal is to promote inclusivity and accessibility for all individuals,” Megan Hia told ARLnow. “We are extremely fortunate to be able to work with them for this event.”
This is the first time the cinema and circus have partnered but this isn’t the first time the Drafthouse has hosted an interactive event. Last year, Alamo Drafthouse hosted a “Princess Meet and Greet” for Ariel fans with a showing of “The Little Mermaid” and a “Barbie”-themed adult slumber party.
“We’re always looking for new ways to host fun events like this in order to connect with our guests and enhance the movie-going experience for them,” said Hia.
Alamo Drafthouse has a variety of other events that are scheduled for the coming month, including:
“Clueless” movie party this upcoming Sunday, Jan. 28
This little fluff-nugget is Rocky! Weighing just 9lbs, Rocky may be small but he’s packed with personality — he loves stuffed toys, long walks, making new dog friends, and above all, snuggling up with his people.
He can be nervous about new people, but it doesn’t take long for him to warm up and hop into your lap. Once you’re friends, you’re friends for life — Rocky will want to be close to you as often as he can!
And we always give in to his requests for cuddles, especially since he’s been through a rough few months.
When Rocky came to AWLA, we noticed he had a significant heart murmur, so he was sent to a cardiologist who diagnosed him with a condition called congenital pulmonic stenosis (a narrowing of the heart valve). This is a life-threatening condition and very unusual for his age.
Thankfully, we were able to take Rocky to the Virginia Tech College of Veterinary Medicine for surgery and it went very well! The veterinary team at VT has given him a very good prognosis! Rocky will need daily medication and a three-month check-up with a cardiologist (AWLA will assist with the cost of this appointment).
Our team will go over the details of this information when you meet Rocky and answer any questions you may have.
Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.
Looking to refresh your home or business with a vibrant new look? My Painter, Arlington’s trusted residential and commercial painting experts, is making it easier — and more affordable — than ever to transform your space.
In honor of America’s 249th birthday, My Painter is offering $249 off your painting project!
What sets My Painter apart? It’s simple: quality and reliability. Unlike typical painting services, My Painter’s skilled professionals are full-time employees, not subcontractors, ensuring you receive consistent quality and attention to detail with every brushstroke. With My Painter, you can count on meticulous craftsmanship, dependable timelines, and unmatched customer service.
My Painter also exclusively uses premium-quality paints and materials, ensuring a beautiful finish that lasts. Whether you’re updating interiors, refreshing exteriors, or enhancing your business’s curb appeal, My Painter brings expertise and excellence to every project. That’s how it earned 4.9 stars on Google.
Claiming your $249 discount is quick and easy. Just enter your email address in the form below to lock in this exclusive offer.
Offer Details:
$249 off your project
Minimum job size of $1,500
New clients only
Don’t miss this chance to upgrade your home or business with Arlington’s painting professionals. Celebrate America’s birthday in style and save while doing it!
A new bill in the Virginia General Assembly would give the Arlington County Board the authority to change its structure without seeking further approval from state lawmakers.
Del. Patrick Hope’s HB 1225 would allow the Board to decide if it should retain its 5-member, at-large form of government or consider altering the size, to between three and 11 members, and changing to a district-based representation model. It would also allow the County Board Chair to be elected by popular vote for a 4-year term where currently, the practice is to rotate the chairship among members yearly.
Hope tells ARLnow he wants the County Board to have the same powers currently enjoyed by governing bodies of neighboring jurisdiction. As Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, local governments only have the powers conferred on them by the state legislature.
“The Arlington County Board is one of the weakest localities in Virginia. It is certainly the weakest of a locality of our size,” he said. “If the Board, this year, or the Board five years from now, wants to make these changes, they shouldn’t have to go to General Assembly and figure out who’s in control. They should have the power to make the decision how they want to run their government.”
The Board is not yet on board, however.
Members directed legislators last fall to “oppose any efforts that make changes to Arlington County’s form of government without the County Board’s explicit policy support.” Now, the Board is looking to punt on it until these questions can be put to the community as part of the year-long 2050 Visioning Process — where community members can envision what Arlington should look like in 26 years.
The visioning process is set to launch on Feb. 5.
“We are hopeful those who support such changes will engage more fully with the community during this process,” Board Chair Libby Garvey said in a statement. “Board members have connected with Delegate Hope to discuss our visioning process and the opportunities it offers to engage more fully with the community on H.B. 1225, to consider its implications, what it proposes to solve, and what the community thinks about it.”
“We believe continuing this bill to 2025 will provide the time needed to do that, and we offer the Arlington 2050 Initiative to help create the space for that discussion,” Garvey added.
Some of suggested changes in the bill are not new. Longtime former Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette said in 2017 that Arlington County should have an elected mayor and city council. Before that, in 2010, an attempt to enact district-based representation failed to gather enough valid petition signatures.
More recently, the Arlington County Civic Federation recommended making the Board bigger, among other changes, to improve diversity and competition.
Hope said the impetus now was the unexpected outcome of a 2022 bill, vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, that would have allowed the County Board to hire an independent policing auditor to oversee Arlington’s police oversight board — something other jurisdictions could have done without going to the state.
Arlington’s independent policing auditor now reports to County Manager Mark Schwartz, who also oversees the Arlington County Police Department. Hope and the Arlington branch of the NAACP, concerned about conflicts of interest, chafed at this decision.
“It’s not the Governor’s business, nor the House or the Senate, who Arlington County hires,” said Hope. He previously championed a 2015 bill, which passed, allowing the County Board to hire an independent auditor tasked with conducting performance reviews and finding inefficiencies in county government.
Azi Flowers, a small business owned by an immigrant woman, extends heartfelt thanks to the vibrant Columbia Pike community as Thanksgiving approaches. Embracing the spirit of gratitude, we offer an exclusive 10% discount on our captivating floral arrangements.
Olympic-regulation diving boards at the Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center (staff photo)
(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) The 50-meter pool at the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center will have shorter hours for several months for needed repairs.
The pool area will close at 8 p.m., about two hours early, on weekdays starting next Monday, Jan. 29 to replace leaky pipes and water-damaged ceiling tiles caused by a corroded sprinkler hose, the Arlington County Dept. Parks and Recreation said in a press release. Weekend hours will not be affected.
The faulty sprinkler and the damage it caused were discovered by the contracting company given the $60 million contract to design and build the facility in 2017, Coakley Williams Construction, the county says. Coakley Williams will handle all the maintenance work and pay for the repair costs.
After attending to the 50-meter pool, repairs to the leisure pool will begin in early April. Its temporary operating hours will be available at a later date.
All repairs should be complete by this summer, the county said.
Some classes held at the pool have shifted their schedules because of the repairs. Affected participants will receive emails with more details.
It’s not the first time infrastructure issues have troubled the $70.7 million recreation complex. Delays in installing electrical power caused a $1.2 million increase in construction costs for the facility, which opened in 2021. An electrical emergency then caused the center to close briefly last April.
More information from the press release is below.
Repair Schedule
The repair schedule will begin with the 50-meter pool area on January 29. For the duration of the 50-meter pool repairs, it will be closed to the public by 8 p.m.— two hours early on weekdays, and the current closing time on weekends. Crews will work at night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to allow for a maximum number of operating hours. Through the duration of each phase, the work area will be sectioned off to allow programming to take place in other parts of the pool. During the daytime, scaffolding equipment will remain in the areas being addressed to allow for quick transition to maintenance work once the pool is closed. The leisure pool will operate as normal until repairs begin in early April. Details of this schedule will be shared at a later date. All repairs to both pools are estimated to be complete by summer, 2024.
As repair work begins at 8 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, the fitness rooms will also continue to operate on a normal schedule.
Adjusted Programming and Operating Hours
Most Winter ENJOY and 55+ classes will continue this season. To accommodate as many programs as possible, some classes have been shifted to either a different time or pool area. Class cancellations have been limited and are only being instituted for those that cannot be moved. Participants who have signed up for Winter ENJOY and 55+ programs at LBAFC will receive direct emails that detail adjustments to their program and refund options if they choose to use them. Program adjustments for these classes will not begin until the first day of repair work on January 29.
All LBAFC membership and passholders, as well as daily passholders, may use open sections of the pool during the adjusted operating hours. To see when lanes are open for drop-in use, please refer to the pool hours and lane schedules page. The schedule is updated with the week’s programming schedule every Sunday.
We look forward to a speedy and efficient repair process and want to make sure you stay in the know! To get the latest information, sign up for updates at the bottom of the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center webpage.
