Clarendon

Music Abounds in Arlington Tonight

By ARLnow.com

If you’re a music lover, chances are there’s a concert tonight that will pique your interest.

At 6:30, the Village at Shirlington holds its second outdoor concert of the summer. Local group the JazzKnights will perform in the plaza in front of the Shirlington library.

At 7:00, retro rock ‘n’ roll band King Cadillac performs at Pentagon Row’s Rock the Row outdoor concert series. Like the Shirlington performance, this concert is free.

Lovers of musicals are in for a treat at 8:00 tonight. The American Century Theater is presenting the first of five performances of Babes in Arms, featuring some of the most popular compositions from songwriting duo Rodgers and Hart. Among the songs to be performed are “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” and “My Funny Valentine.” Tickets are $15. The concert will take place at Gunston Theatre Two (2700 South Lang Street).

Finally, at 8:30, Illinois duo Common Loon brings their dreamy psych-pop to Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon. Mississippi-based “Cosmic R&B” act Junk Culture will open the show. Tickets are $12.

Farmers Market Looks to Move On After Controversy

By ARLnow.com

The organizers of the Clarendon Farmers Market are hoping to move on from a pricing dispute that exploded into a full-blown, televised controversy last week.

The market decided to prohibit a vendor, C&T Fruits and Vegetables, from returning this week after other vendors complained about C&T’s low prices and questionable product sourcing. They said C&T’s ability to sell off-season produce proves that they broke market rules that require all produce be locally-grown by the seller.

The dispute became public when a TV reporter showed up with camera in tow and began asking people if they thought a vendor should be expelled for having low prices (spoiler: most people said they did not have a problem with the low prices).

In a press release that didn’t explicitly address the controversy, the Clarendon Alliance, which runs the market, noted that “All production locations must be within a 125-mile radius of Washington, D.C. A producer may not sell items purchased from another farm or supplier… The Clarendon Alliance reserves the right to reject applications from operations where the applicant’s participation in production is unclear.”

The market is held outside the Clarendon Metro every Wednesday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Cava Meets Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

The parade of new restaurants coming to Clarendon continues. Missy Frederick at the Washington Business Journal has today’s scoop that Cava, a popular upscale Greek eatery, will be coming has leased a nearly 4,000 square foot space in the new Station Square development on Clarendon Boulevard.

This will be Cava’s third location, with the other two located in Rockville, Md. and on Capitol Hill. Owner Ted Xenohristos told WBJ that Clarendon offers “a perfect demographic.”

“It’s like a little city over there,” he said.

We’ve been told — strictly off the record — that Cava isn’t the only popular Capitol Hill restaurant that’s eying Clarendon as an area for expansion. This restaurant (which we’ll name after getting confirmation) is in the process of looking for the right space to lease, we hear.

Controversy at the Clarendon Farmers Market

By ARLnow.com

A seemingly minor dispute over food prices at the Clarendon Farmers Market has taken on a life of its own, prompting threats to expel a vendor and a visit from a local TV news reporter.

It started when farmers market vendors started complaining about C&T Fruits and Vegetables, which was selling produce at prices that other growers could not match.

The Clarendon Alliance, which runs the market, tried to convince C&T owner Tracy Debernard to raise her prices so that long-time vendors would not be squeezed out. When Debernard refused, she was told that this would be her last week at the market.

Meanwhile, someone apparently pitched the story to WJLA (ABC 7). Reporter Stephen Tschida showed up yesterday afternoon and reported live from the market. His story included soundbites from plenty of people who like the low prices, but did not include comments from any of the other market vendors.

For her part, Debernard told Tschida that she is considering legal action to force her way back into the market.

American Flatbread Fights For Right to Open Patio

By ARLnow.com

American Flatbread, the wood-fired pizza restaurant that opened on North Fillmore Street in Clarendon last year, is fighting county officials and community associations for the right to open an outdoor patio.

In an exasperated email sent to customers this morning, restaurant management claims they were misled by building owners about the ease with which they would be able to obtain an outdoor seating permit. The email bemoans the “mixed signals, confusion and thousands in lost revenue” caused by the year-long, fruitless effort to get a permit.

The homeowner’s association president for the townhouses across the street from the restaurant “has made it his personal goal to use his new position of HOA president to attack all of our seating,” the email says. The Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association has also joined the effort to block outdoor seating, despite efforts to find a compromise, according to the email.

“I have gone to meetings of these associations and offered many compromises (close by 9pm, no music, the idea that our patrons aren’t the rowdy ones doing shots and vomiting on the sidewalk on the weekends),” a restaurant representative writes. “But the HOA president and his cohorts don’t want to compromise, they just want to flat out say no and deny you the pleasure and right to enjoy what every other restaurant in the County can offer.”

The Arlington County Board is set to take up the issue at its meeting on July 10. The Planning Commission will discuss the request on Monday. Public hearings may also be held, according to county documents.

American Flatbread has started an online petition to boost its case for outdoor seating. So far, 277 people have signed.

Despite the online support, the restaurant — which specializes in organic and locally-sourced ingredients — seems to think it will lose the fight unless it can mobilize a sufficient number of people to show up in person. From the email:

We have received “off the record” information that the Arlington County Planning Division will recommend that the County Board DISALLOW our application for outdoor seating at their meeting to take place on June 28, 2010 in Room 307, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. at 7:00 P.M.  Why? Because [community association opponents] spent the day last Friday leading key Planning officials around by the nose, parading around our space and characterizing you, our beloved guests and patrons as, “loud, partying, drunkards” that would disrupt their privacy. The only way to defeat these folks is to turn out enmasse on Saturday, July 10 (8:30AM) at the Board Meeting and show your support. Appreciation Party to follow at the restaurant. Thank you for your support!

Long Lines at Clarendon Apple Store for iPhone 4 Debut

By ARLnow.com

There were long lines outside the Clarendon Apple Store from the early morning to the late afternoon today, as the tech-obsessed made their almost yearly pilgrimage to the local branch of the Church of Steve Jobs. After conquering the queue, happy customers emerged from the store with the brand new iPhone 4, the latest iteration of the beloved smartphone.

Throughout the day, disbelieving reports from Twitter kept the socially-networked apprised of the line length.

At 5:30 a.m. one person reported there were 200 people in line. At 8:00, that swelled to 400. At 4:00 p.m., as the skies grew darker and rain seemed imminent (it only actually sprinkled for a few minutes), Apple store employees handed out umbrellas to many of the 100 people in line.

Finally, around 6:00 p.m., people started reporting that the line was dying down.

During the event, people with cameras could only get one or two shots off before being told forcefully by security guards that photography was not allowed inside or outside the store.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Flickr pool photo by mennyj. See more photos from Saturday’s Columbia Pike Blues Festival here.

Aftermath of Fight Outside Clarendon Grill Caught on Video — A late night fight outside Clarendon Grill left a man battered and unconscious in the middle of North Highland Street early Sunday morning. The aftermath of the fight was captured on video. Metro Transit Police, who were the first on scene, could be seen handcuffing two men as a crowd gathered around the victim. The victim eventually regained consciousness and was loaded into an ambulance.

Arlington Tops Parenting Magazine “Best Cities” List — Arlington County was named the country’s “Best City for Families” by Parenting Magazine last week. The methodology of the rankings seems dubious, but hey, we’ll take all the praise Parenting wants to send our way, right? Among the qualities the magazine found appealing: “Fabulous schools, great home values, and an attractive unemployment rate.” Plus “very few registered sex offenders.”

Delegates Ebbin and Hope to Hold Prison Reform Town Hall — Two members of Arlington’s delegation to the Virginia General Assembly will be holding a town hall meeting on prison reform Thursday night. Delegates Adam Ebbin and Patrick Hope, along with Alexandria Delegate Charniele Herring, will discuss the “state of incarceration” with a panel that includes representatives from two non-profit groups and from the offices of Gov. Bob McDonnell and Sen. Jim Webb. The two-hour event will start at 7:00 p.m. at the Walter Reed Community Center (2909 16th Street South).

Australian Wins Clarendon Cup After Local Favorite Crashes Late

By Barry Skidmore

Words by Barry Skidmore of People-Powered Arlington. Photos by Mark Blacknell.

Australian sprinter Hilton Clarke overcame blazing temperatures, rough roads, and a challenging field to win the 13th annual Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup men’s pro race on Saturday. Clarke, racing for the first time with the United Healthcare team, outpaced a group of five other cyclists to take the win.

Brooke Miller of Team Tibco won the women’s elite race, sprinting to a dramatic finish that saw her one of her competitors flip her bike and crash 50 meters from the finish line.

Dozens of teams and hundreds of cyclists competed on the one-kilometer course in the heart of Clarendon, billed as one of the most challenging cycling courses in the United States.

Hundreds turned out to watch some of the best cycling teams in the world, despite temperatures that reached well into the 90s. Many spectators stood near the course wall, while others set up folding chairs or sat at nearby sidewalk cafes.

The men’s 100k race began at 12:15 p.m. and a minor crash in the first few laps proved a prelude to what would be a brutal and hard-fought competition. There were several crashes throughout the race and many cyclists would end the day bloodied and bruised.

In the early laps, many teams jockeyed for position with no single group of cyclists able to establish dominance. There were multiple attacks but the breakaways were all eventually reabsorbed and served mostly as “probing attacks” allowing the teams to assess both their competition and the course.

(more…)

Photos From Clarendon Cup Men’s Pro Race

By ARLnow.com

The Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup, one of the premiere events in U.S. professional cycling, was held right here in Arlington yesterday afternoon.

Hundreds of spectators braved sweltering heat to watch cyclists whiz by on the short, circular course.

A longer write-up will follow. For now, here are a few photos from the men’s pro race.

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A second day of racing is taking place in Crystal City today.

To Do This Weekend: Air Force Cycling Classic

By ARLnow.com

It will be a weekend full of bicycle racing and major street closures in Arlington, thanks to the Air Force Cycling Classic.

On Saturday, the 13th annual Clarendon Cup will feature races by amateur and professional cyclists. The amateur races will take place between 8:oo and 10:00 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race follows, with the Men’s Pro Race taking place between noon and 2:15 p.m.

On Sunday the action moves to Crystal City. There will be a non-competitive Crystal Ride for cycling enthusiasts of all abilities, from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. The Men’s Pro Race will depart from the Air Force Memorial at 11:30 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race and a Amateur race will follow. A bike expo will be held in Crystal City throughout the festivities.

See the full 2010 Cycling Classic schedule here, and a list of street closures here.

For the rest of what’s going on this weekend, check out our events calendar.

Flickr pool photo by afagen.

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