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Arlington County Fair to Kick Off in Two Weeks

Published August 5, 2016 at 10:00AM

The 40th Arlington County Fair is coming to town with pig races, rides, concerts and chicken teriyaki on a stick in roughly two weeks.

The fair, billed as “Groovy Since 1977,” is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 17, to Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.)

Locals can grab their chicken teriyaki sticks from Yummy Food Corner and Grill, milkshakes from Royal Creamery and Coffee or food from more than a dozen other vendors as they check out the indoor and outdoor attractions.

The entertainment includes a parade, the Hollywood Hogs All-Star Racing Team, pony rides and live music. The fair’s outdoor stage will host DJ Funkhouse (Thursday, Aug. 18), rock group Sub-Radio Standard (Friday, Aug. 19), country singer Wesley Spangler (Saturday, Aug. 20) and R&B group The 5-1-2 Experience (Sunday, Aug. 21), among others.

The Zipper, Heart Flip and more spinning and flipping rides are are slated to return to the midway, too.

The fair will have cooking, art and vegetable-growing contests — and other competitions as well.

In celebration of the groovy theme, fairgoers can hunt for a disco ball hidden in the indoor vendor area each day and win free ride tickets if they’re the first to find it.

The fair also will have T-shirts and ride tickets for the best photograph of the festivities each day.

The grounds are open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Public parking isn’t available at the fair, but shuttle buses will run from the Arlington Career Center (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) and I-66 parking garage (N. Quincy and 15th Street N.), as well as the Ballston and Pentagon City Metro stations.

Image via Twitter/Arlington County Fair

County Fair Closes Early Friday After Fights Break Out

By ARLnow.com

Published August 10, 2015 at 11:35AM

The Arlington County Fair is generally a fun, family-friendly event, but violence prompted police to close it early Friday night.

Officers assigned to provide security at the fair called for backup around 10:15 p.m. Friday after several fights involving groups of teenagers broke out.

Police arrived, detained several teens and made the decision to shut it down before the 11 p.m. closing time.

“Due to the fights and the threat to the public, the fair was closed about half an hour early,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “Officers escorted patrons off the fairgrounds. The crowd was dispersed and there were no additional incidents.”

The teens who were detained by police were banned from the fair and turned over to their parents, Sternbeck said.

Police continued to maintain “a visible presence at the fair” over the weekend as planned. No other incidents of note occurred Saturday or Sunday, according to Sternbeck.

File photo

Arlington County Fair Kicks Off With Parade

By Mariah Joyce

Published August 6, 2015 at 3:30PM

This year, the Arlington County Fair had something new to offer: an opening day parade.

The 39th annual fair, themed “Summer Nights and Lights,” opened yesterday. An hour after opening, the parade processed down S. Highland and 2nd Streets. Participants included local Boy and Girl Scout troops, local businesses and several local dancing groups.

Arlington dance group Alma Boliviana, founded in 1991, performed a Bolivian folkloric dance in the 90 degree heat as part of the opening procession.

Group member Gabriela Grajeda said Alma Boliviana, which marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2011, was excited when Arlington County invited them to be part of the fair’s festivities.

“It was great — we definitely want to come back next year,” Grajeda said. “And now we’re going to go enjoy the fair!”

The fair will continue through Sunday (Aug. 9). Notable upcoming events include performances by The Harlem Wizards and outdoor concerts on Saturday and Sunday, as well as daily pony rides, milking demos and piglet races, where four week-old piglets run around a small dirt track to receive a treat.

Piglet racing proprietors Rick Signor and James Caruso were enthusiastic about the fair.

“This is a great one,” Caruso said. “Everyone’s been so receptive, and the crowds are great — not just the kids, the adults are having fun too.”

A full schedule of events and list of vendors can be found on the fair’s website.

New Parade to Kick Off Arlington County Fair

By Heather Mongilio

Published July 8, 2015 at 10:30AM

The Arlington County Fair will bring “Summer Nights and Lights” and a parade when it returns next month.

The fair kicks off with a parade at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

The route will run from the Arlington Career Center (816 S. Walter Reed Dr.), down S. Highlands Street, down 2nd Street S. and to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center entrance at 125 S. Old Glebe Road.

Local groups are encouraged to participate and can register on the fair’s website.

The fair will also hold a 5K run/walk on Saturday, Aug. 8 at 8 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults and $10 for kids ages 12 and younger.

At the fair itself, visitors will get to experience the popular pig races, rides, live performances and indoor and outdoor exhibitions. The fair will hold multiple competitive exhibits including competitions for honey, beeswax, breads, cakes, pies, needlework, fine arts, photography and flower arrangements.

Fair visitors are encouraged to go car-free to the fair, but there will be shuttle service from the Ballston and Pentagon City Metro station, and from the the I-66 parking garage and Arlington Career Center lot, for a $2 round-trip fee.

The fair runs from 5-10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 5 and 6), from 2-11 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. The fair also features indoor hours starting Friday.

The free annual fair, now in its 39th year, will again be held at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center grounds (3501 2nd Street S.).

#county fair

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 14, 2014 at 9:00AM

Traffic Impacts Due to Military Funeral — Military officials are warning of possible traffic impacts in Arlington due to a full honors funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene will be laid to rest today beginning at 2:00 p.m. A Falls Church resident, Greene was killed on Aug. 5 in Afghanistan; he’s the highest-ranking U.S. military casualty since Vietnam. Officials say Greene’s funeral could impact traffic on Washington Blvd at the Fort Myer exit and on Route 110 at Marshall Drive.

Partisans Support Nonpartisan Redistricting — Democrat Rip Sullivan and Republican Dave Foster, candidates for the 48th District House of Delegates seat, agree on at least one thing: that Virginia’s redistricting process should be nonpartisan. While support for nonpartisan redistricting may be growing, it is unclear if it could pass the General Assembly. [InsideNova]

Capriotti’s Opening Nears — Originally slated to open on July 29, the new Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop at 1500 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn now has a new opening date. A spokeswoman says the shop — the Delaware-based chain’s first in Virginia — will first open to the general public on Monday, Aug. 25.

County Fair Carnies Profiled — Who are those smiling carnival workers working the rides and games at the Arlington County Fair? They’re fun-loving nomads who sleep in bunkhouses and travel throughout the East Coast and the South during fair season. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Photos: Arlington County Fair 2014

By Ethan Rothstein

Published August 8, 2014 at 3:45PM

The Arlington County Fair is going on now and continues through this weekend, giving residents plenty of chances to ride ponies, catch some racing piglets and check out hundreds of locally produced goods.

Friday afternoon, thousands of people piled into the fairgrounds next to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (125 S. Old Glebe Road), taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Arlington’s annual reminder that the county wasn’t always an urban center.

The fairgrounds are covered in rides, arcade games and food vendors, with demonstrations happening all day and all night for the rest of the weekend. Activities include tomorrow’s 5k, performances by the Harlem Wizards and “Cows-N-Corn milking demos.”

The fair runs through Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

County Fair Begins Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2014 at 10:30AM | Updated August 6, 2014 at 11:22PM

It’s time to get ready to scream on the big slide and listen to squeals from the racing piglets. The Arlington County Fair starts at 5:00 tonight and runs through Sunday, August 10.

The free event takes place at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street South). Tonight and Thursday, activities are outdoors, including rides, racing piglets, pony rides, the Cows-N-Corn milking demo and lots of fair food vendors. Additional indoor activities, such as bingo and clog dancing, begin on Friday. Spots are still open for the 5K run/walk on Saturday. The full schedule of events can be found online.

Fair goers have access to a new shuttle stop in Pentagon City this year. A shuttle bus will pick up passengers at the Pentagon City Metro and take them directly to the fair. Shuttles will also run from the three other locations at Arlington Career Center, Ballston Metro and the I-66 parking garage. Parking is free at shuttle locations and shuttles cost $2 round trip.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 31, 2014 at 9:15AM

Att’y General to Consider Streetcar Referendum — Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) will be asked by Del. Patrick Hope (D) to weigh in on whether Arlington County has the legal authority to hold an advisory referendum on the Columbia Pike streetcar project. County officials say they don’t have the authority, and without General Assembly approval can only use a referendum for a general obligation bond issue. [InsideNova]

County Fair Adds Pentagon City Shuttle — The Arlington County Fair this year is adding a new shuttle option. In addition to shuttles from the Arlington Career Center, Ballston Metro and the I-66 parking garage, a shuttle will now run every 30 minutes from the Pentagon City Metro station. The fair runs from Aug. 6-10. [Arlington County Fair]

Falls Church, Arlington Treasurers Are Friends — Carla de la Pava and Jody Acosta, the new interim treasurers of Arlington County and Falls Church, are lifelong friends who grew up together in Alexandria. [Falls Church News-Press]

Rand Paul Makes News at Arlington Event — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made some headlines after speaking at the Young Americans for Liberty convention in Rosslyn last night. Paul told the libertarian group that he will no longer appear on MSNBC until the network apologizes for “lousy lies” about his position on the Civil Rights Act. [CNN]

Half-Priced Cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory — The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Clarendon (and others around the country) are offering half-priced slices of cheesecake for the second day in a row today in honor of National Cheesecake Day. The restaurant chain this week got some unwelcome attention with several “Xtreme Eating awards” for its calorie-laden meals. One slice of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake alone has 1,500 calories. [Cheesecake Factory, Fox News]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Arlington County Fair Returns in Two Weeks

By Ethan Rothstein

Published July 23, 2014 at 3:55PM | Updated July 23, 2014 at 4:19PM

The Arlington County Fair will kick off its 38th year in two weeks, starting Wednesday, Aug. 6 until Sunday, Aug. 10.

The fair will again be held on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.). The fair starts at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. As always, the fair is free to attend.

Just like last year, the fair will have a 5k run/walk, for which registration is still open, at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9. There will be multiple piglet races every day — including five on Friday — making sure no visitor will be in the park for more than a few hours without getting a chance to see one of the fair’s most popular attractions.

There will be “Cows-N-Corn milking demonstrations,” more than a dozen live bands, exhibitions by the Harlem Wizards basketball troupe, pony rides, an outdoor showing of “Frozen” and plenty of other outdoor activities. There will be rides, face painting and a Miss Virginia Senior America pageant.

No county fair would be complete without a full agenda of exhibition competitions, with categories ranging from extracted honey and preserves, baked goods (there are 14 categories just for cakes), needlework and textiles, ceramics and fine arts, photography, and herb, fruit and vegetable growing.

There are 13 food vendors signed up already and dozens of crafts and art vendors will be plying their wares next to booths from Arlington businesses and nonprofits.

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Photos: Arlington County Fair 2013

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2013 at 10:00AM

(Updated at 10:15 a.m.) Racing piglets, carnival games and food galore have people flocking to the Arlington County Fair.

Visitors can expect to see some new additions, such as a recycling initiative and the the fair’s first 5K Run/Walk since 1984. This year’s outdoor stage offerings have been expanded as well, with performances by local bands all weekend instead of just on Saturday. More of the popular Harlem Wizards shows have been added, plus D.C. United players will be taking to the turf field every day for practice and to host giveaways.

“We’re excited to have more people playing this year and more hours,” said Arlington County Fair Chairperson Tiffany Kudravetz

Anyone heading to the fair tonight can take in an outdoor showing of the family friendly movie “Brave.” Saturday’s outdoor movie is “Here Comes the Boom.”

The fair runs through Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 7, 2013 at 8:45AM

Brother Attacked Outside Library Dies — One of the 26-year-old twins who was stabbed outside Arlington Central Library in June has died. Tim Kern died at a homeless shelter on Saturday. Police do not suspect foul play and say his injuries from the attack did not contribute directly to his death. [Washington Post]

Wes Anderson Movies at Eat Bar — Eat Bar, at 2761 Washington Blvd near Clarendon, is hosting a mini Wes Anderson film fest. Each Sunday night in August the restaurant will show a different movie from the director. This Sunday, the movie is Rushmore. [Clarendon Nights]

County Fair Starts Tonight — The Arlington County Fair kicks off tonight. The fairgrounds at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.) will be open from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. The fair’s indoor exhibits will open starting Friday at 4:00 p.m.