county fair

County Fair to Host New Recycling Program

By Ethan Rothstein

Keep America Beautiful recycling campaignThis week’s Arlington County Fair will include a new recycling initiative.

The Keep America Beautiful recycling campaign and the Alcoa Foundation will place 30 new, well-marked recycling bins throughout the fairgrounds.

Arlington is one of only three fairs in the country to host the campaign, which will also feature a booth at the fair where a team of “recycling ambassadors” will answer visitors’ questions, according to a program spokeswoman.

The Arlington County Fair starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, (3501 2nd Street S).

Photo courtesy of Keep America Beautiful

Arlington County Fair Kicks Off Next Week

By ARLnow.com

2012 Arlington County FairThis article was written by Maddy Berner

The Arlington County Fair returns next week for its 37th year of family-friendly entertainment.

The fair will kick off starting on Wednesday, Aug. 7, and will run through Sunday, Aug. 11. If recent years are any indication, some 50,000 people can be expected to flock to the fair from around Arlington and Northern Virginia.

The fair takes place at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.). Parking is prohibited at the fairgrounds, but shuttle buses will run from the Ballston Metro station, the I-66 parking garage and the Arlington Career Center.

Below are the hours for the indoor and outdoor entertainment:

Indoor
Friday, Aug. 9: 4:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 10: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday. Aug. 11: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Outdoor
Wednesday, Aug. 7: 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 8: 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 9: 2:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 10: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 11: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Some of the highlights on this year’s schedule:

Racing piglets and pony rides

The racing piglets and pony rides are back. On Wednesday and Thursday, pony rides will be open from 5:00-10:00 p.m.; Friday, 2:00-11:00 p.m; Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. The piglet-racing events occur roughly every two hours throughout the day, every day. Read the full schedule.

The WalkArlington Scavenger Hunt

Kids can get a thorough experience of the fair through the WalkArlington Scavenger Hunt. At any point in the day, participants can pick up a pamphlet with instructions at the fair’s information desk and wander around the fairgrounds. Once completed, kids can return the pamphlet to the Mobile Commuter Store/Car-Free Diet exhibit next to the playground and collect a prize.

Carnival rides, games and food

The carnival rides Arlingtonians have come to know and love — The Zipper, Rainbow and Heart Flip — are also returning. Riders can buy tickets at various kiosks around the grounds and ride their favorites. They can also enjoy classic fair food and win prizes at the slew of carnival games offered this year. Carnival rides will follow the fair’s opening and closing hours. Single tickets cost $1, 24 tickets cost $20 and 48 tickets cost $40.

Arlington County Fair 5K Run/Walk

Newly implemented this year, the Arlington County Fair 5K Run/Walk allows adults and families to take a morning jog before taking part in other fair festivities. Register online for the Aug. 11 event ($25 alone, $50 for families) and report to Patrick Henry Elementary School at 7:00 a.m.

Honey, Bees Wax and Food Preservation Competition

One of many competitive exhibits, participants in this specialty contest will be judged on the density, consistency and color of their honey or beeswax, among other criteria. Registration for all the exhibits will occur Aug. 7 from 4:00-9:00 p.m. and Aug. 8 from 7:00-9:00 a.m. Entries will be observed by judges and fair attendees, culminating in an awards ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Ms. Senior Virginia performace

Ms. Senior Virginia 2013 Debbi Miller, an accomplished singer, will perform (with the Cameo Jewels) inside the community center on Sunday, Aug. 11, from 1:00-2:30 p.m.

A complete list of this year’s activities and vendors is available on the fair’s website.

County Fair Adds 5K Run/Walk To Event Schedule

By Ethan Rothstein

County Fair 5K route mapThe upcoming Arlington County Fair has added a 5K run/walk event to this year’s festivities.

The fair, which will run from Aug. 7-11, already has plenty of competitions — issuing awards for such things as fruit preserves, knitting, bees wax and photography. This is the first time it will host a road race.

The event will take place Sunday, Aug. 11, the last day of the fair, and the starting gun will be at 8:30 a.m. The fair itself is held on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.).

Pre-registration has already begun, and costs $25 per individual runner and $50 for a family of no more than four. The fair will run shuttles to and from the fairgrounds from the race start/finish line, at 701 S. Highlands Street.

The course, which is largely flat, allowing for some low times, loops around the fairgrounds at Thomas Jefferson Community Center twice. Runners who register before July 24 are guaranteed a T-shirt.

Photo via Arlington County Fair

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Fair Ends — The Arlington County Fair ended Sunday night. The weekend’s highlights included free concerts, cloggers, choruses, the racing piglets, the Harlem Wizards basketball show, a lacrosse speed and skills contest, and a really big pumpkin.

Arlington Senior Wins Spelling Bee — Arlington resident Michael Petrina, 67, has won the annual AARP spelling bee. The bee, which is open to adults 50+, was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming this year. [Washington Post]

Office Vacancies Could Mean Higher Taxes — Office vacancies are on the rise in Arlington, and that’s raising questions about the county’s tax revenues. If the trend continues, taxes may need to be raised in Arlington County and the tax burden may increasingly fall on homeowners. [Sun Gazette]

Photo courtesy John Annand

Video: Senior Citizen Flash Mob at the County Fair

By ARLnow.com

A large group of senior citizens, organized by the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation’s Office of Senior Adult Programs, participated in a “flash mob” at the Arlington County Fair this afternoon.

The seniors — who were later joined by fair-goers during a reprise — performed a choreographed dance to the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling.”

A video of the performance, and an interview with dance leader, choreographer and Ms. Senior Virginia 2012 Kathy Fanelli, is below.

Organizers Kick ‘Senior Village’ Development Into High Gear

By Aaron Kraut

Civic association leaders, with an assist from the county’s Wisdom Works group, are hoping to establish a county-wide “Senior Village” to help Arlington’s sizeable population of seniors remain independent and in their own homes.

The project is based on a concept that has taken root in a number of communities across the country. A network of volunteers band together to provide services to older residents who wish to remain in their neighborhoods and out of retirement homes or senior living communities.

Services can include daily check-ins, home maintenance, social events or tasks as minor as help opening email or a ride to the supermarket.

“As people get older, there are some things they just can’t do,” said Pete Olivere, a longtime Glencarlyn Citizens Association member who last October started talking to other neighborhood groups about forming an Arlington village. “We wanted to build on the very active civic association type bases that Arlington has and use those as building blocks toward delivering volunteers.”

There are about 25,000 over-60 residents in Arlington, reflective of the expected nationwide surge in the senior population as members of the “baby boomer” generation age into retirement.

Wisdom Works, organized by the county’s community engagement program, came up with much of the design of the village, which Olivere said is likely a year or two away from launching. The group will be promoting the concept and looking for volunteers today (Friday) through Sunday at the Arlington County Fair.

A Wisdom Works “project team” of mostly retired residents came up with a hub-and-spoke model for the village, with volunteers assigned to senior residents in, or close to, their own neighborhoods.

The team also deals with non-senior issues. Program Manager Barbara Karro said they’ll likely take on childhood obesity soon.

“We were able to go county-wide, and that enabled Pete to have a group outside of a civic organization to work with,” Karro said. “Particularly in Arlington, we have just an amazing resource in terms of their skills and lifetime experience. As this group of seniors gets larger, that would be a shame to waste.”

The hub would provide record-keeping and liability insurance (a major hurdle to some village set-ups) for volunteers. Villages come in a variety of forms. Some are funded by private donations. Others require  monthly membership fees.

The Arlington senior village, which will be set up as a nonprofit agency independent of the county, will require “a modest membership fee.”

Olivere, 64, said the group has about 30 willing volunteers after a couple of presentations to civic and senior groups. He hopes the fair will open up the concept to more.

“A lot of these things foster a neighbor helping neighbor type environment, just to make sure an older person isn’t struggling” Olivere said. “These are things that can make a difference.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Fair Moves on From Embezzlement Case — All seems to be going well with the Arlington County Fair (photos, above) this year, despite the arrest and subsequent guilty plea of the fair’s now-former event manager on embezzlement charges several months ago. [Falls Church News-Press]

Rumsfeld to Attend Murray Fundraiser — Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is slated to be the special guest at a private fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Patrick Murray next month. Murray is a retired U.S. Army colonel. [Patrick Murray for Congress]

Bike Trip Planner Released — Those wanting to plan bike trips around Arlington and D.C. can now do so via a new online bike routing tool. BikeArlington contributed knowledge of local bike routes to the free tool, which was developed by the nonprofit group OpenPlans. [Mobility Lab]

Photos: 2012 Arlington County Fair

By ARLnow.com

The 2012 Arlington County Fair enters its second day today.

The fair — at the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.) — will continue outdoor festivities from 5:00 to 10:00 tonight (Thursday). On Friday, the fair’s indoor exhibits start. (A schedule is available here.)

Last night, we snapped some photos of families, kids and couples out enjoying the rides, food, games and entertainment at the fair.

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Morning Poll: Will You Be Attending the County Fair?

By ARLnow.com

For many, a trip to the Arlington County Fair is a special experience —  a fun, family-friendly summer evening activity that instills a sense of community and nostalgia.

For others, it’s something to be avoided — an event that’s inconvenient to get to and expensive to try to enjoy.

Depending on whether you’re a fair fan or not, the food there — fried Oreos, etc. — is either a delicious treat or unhealthy and of questionable origin.

So which end of the spectrum do you fall along? Will you be attending the fair this year? Feel free to explain why or why not in the comments.


Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Fair Starts Today — The Arlington County Fair officially kicks off today at 5:00 p.m. The first racing piglet competition will take place at 5:30 p.m. The fair will run through Sunday at 10:00 p.m. [Arlington County Fair]

‘Pike Hike’ Scheduled for Sunday — WalkArlington is sponsoring a new community “walkabout” timed to coincide with the county fair. Pike Hike II Junior Walkabout will take participants on a family-friendly stroll of the Columbia Pike town center area from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12. Sights along the way include the Pike farmers market and the Columbia Pike Branch Library. Participants will also get a free ticket to take the shuttle from the Arlington Career Center (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) to the fair. [CommuterPage Blog]

Libertarian Tries to Make Ballot — An independent candidate who has the support of the Libertarian Party is trying to make it on the Sept. 4 ballot for the 45th District House of Delegates seat. So far only Democrat Rob Krupicka and Republican Tim McGhee has been confirmed for the ballot in the race to succeed Del. David Englin. [Sun Gazette]

Large Crowd for BBQ Bike Ride — There was a large turnout last night for a barbeque and group ride from the Freshbikes store in Virginia Square. With the assistance of Arlington County police, the weekly ride takes cyclists from the store, up Military Road to the intersection with Glebe Road, and back. [Ode Street Tribune]

Flickr pool by Damiec

Arlington County Fair Kicks Off Next Week

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) Hold on to your stomach, because rides and fried foods galore await you at the Arlington County Fair next week.

The fair begins on Wednesday, August 8, and runs through Sunday, August 12. The theme for this year is “Live Green, Learn Green.”

Official opening ceremonies for the fair take place on Thursday, August 9th, at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment begins at 6:00 p.m. with a performance by the U.S. Army Brass Quintet, followed by the program at 6:30 p.m., with a joint presentation of Colors by the U.S. Army Color Guard and Arlington County Color Guard. The program will include remarks from a County Board member and the Arlington County Fair’s Board of Directors.

Other events include the crowd favorite racing piglets, pony rides for the kids and performances by the Harlem Wizards basketball players. Friday night (August 10) there will be an outdoor showing of the family friendly movie “The Muppets.” Another outdoor movie aimed at teens will be shown on Saturday night (August 10), but that movie has yet to be announced.

There will be a new outdoor stage this year, showcasing local entertainers such as a magician and performers from the Synetic Theater. As always, there will be plenty of fair food, games and rides outdoors and exhibitors indoors.

The fair will be held at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 S. 2nd Street). There is no parking on site, except for handicapped spaces, and nearby streets will be closed to non-local traffic. There will be shuttles running every 30 minutes from the Ballston Metro, the Arlington Career Center (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) and the I-66 parking garage (near Washington-Lee High School). The shuttle fee is $2 round trip, and free for anyone 12 and under or 65 and older.

Volunteers are still needed for helping with various tasks at the fair. Applications can be filled out online.

More information is available on the fair website.

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