The county-organized event, held annually for the past 27 years in Arlington, will take place at the Charles Drew Community Center (3500 23rd Street S.) from 1-6 p.m.
Entrance to the festival — which includes live music and dance, food vendors, and activities for children — is free. The event will also feature vendors selling a variety of goods, from jewelry to homemade hot sauce.
For the cooks in attendance, there will be a chance to show off their skills at the festival’s third annual soul food cook-off competition. The festival will also include a Hall of History, where photos and artifacts from Arlington’s historically African-American neighborhoods and organizations will be on display.
On-site parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The community center is accessible via Metrobus 10B and ART bus 77, according to the Arlington Parks and Recreation website.
Heavy Seas Alehouse to Close — “Heavy Seas Alehouse, the restaurant affiliated with the Baltimore-area brewery, will close its doors in Rosslyn by the end of October, one of its principals said Thursday. The restaurant plans to close Oct. 27, said Mike Morris, a partner in Monogram Hospitality, which operates Heavy Seas Alehouse.” [Washington Business Journal]
Real Estate Costs Going Down? — “In every major jurisdiction of the local area, the median per-square-foot price for housing for the January-through-September period declined, in many cases by double digits, according to new figures reported Oct. 11… Arlington led all local jurisdictions for the nine-month period, but its median per-square-foot cost of $436 was down 6.8 percent from $468.” [InsideNova]
Kaine to Talk Vaping at Arlington School — “On Friday, October 18, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine will hold a roundtable discussion on efforts to address the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. The discussion at Montessori Public School of Arlington will include students, teachers, counselors, parents, health experts, and Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni.” [Press Release]
Road Closures for Festival in Shirlington — “The Shirlington Shucktoberfest, sponsored by the Copperwood Tavern, will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Set up will begin at approximately 6:00 a.m. and cleanup should be completed by 7:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures…” [Arlington County]
Arlington Woman’s Alleged Killer Charged — “The killer of Pamela Butler, a Washington, D.C., federal worker who disappeared before Valentine’s Day in 2009, has been charged in the 1989 death of his wife. Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz disappeared from Arlington, Virginia, in 1989. Her remains were found along Interstate 95 in Stafford County in 1991 but weren’t positively identified until 2018. Her husband, Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz, also dated Butler for a time.” [NBC 4]
Arlington Man Convicted in Child Sex Sting — “An Arlington man is among more than 300 people arrested worldwide in connection with a website that authorities describe as the largest child sexual exploitation operation of its kind ever discovered in terms of the volume of content. Ammar Atef H. Alahdali, 22, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.” [Patch]
Nearby: Birding Store Near Fairlington Closing — “After 33 years, birding and nature store One Good Tern (1710 Fern Street) near Fairlington is closing as longtime owner Charles Studholme faces a grim kidney failure diagnosis.” [ALXnow]
Following a successful debut last year, an oyster-focused Oktoberfest celebration is returning to Shirlington next week.
“Shucktoberfest” will be hosted in and around Copperwood Tavern (4021 Campbell Avenue) on Saturday, October 19 from 11 a.m-5 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Northern Neck’s Waverly Point Oyster Company, attendees can expect over forty craft beers and four oyster vendors. Local breweries expected to attend include Lost Boy Cider and Fair Winds Brewery.
“Last year we underestimated how serious the oyster enthusiasm was going to be, we couldn’t shuck them fast enough,” said a spokeswoman for the event. “So we’ve doubled the number of oysters we’re ordering to 20 to 25 thousand.”
A $35 ticket includes a 5 oz beer tasting mug and 10 tickets. One ticket is redeemable for either one beer sample or two oysters.
In addition to plenty of shellfish, at least twenty merchant and food tents expected as part of the festival.
The event is also dog-friendly and open to families, with a “massive kids zone” planned with face painting and a DJ. Outdoor games include corn hole and Connect Four.
Tickets are available for the event on its website.
(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) On Thursday, a new music, food, and drinks festival will take over a street in Ballston.
Hosted by the Ballston BID, the Ballston Street Bash and Mega Market is scheduled to run from 3-8 p.m. at Welburn Square, along N. Stuart Street. It will include live music, a beer and wine pavillion, and the regularly-scheduled Thursday farmers market.
Admission is free, while drink tickets are $5.
The festival incorporates the weekly Ballston FreshFarm Market, which includes vendors selling fresh produce and food stands from DMV Empanadas and Timber Pizza Company.
Earlier: Would you pay forty bucks for a beer and and ten samples of macaroni and cheese from “top chefs?”
Apparently hundreds, if not thousands, of people are answering “yes” to that question. The Nova Mac and Cheese Festival is coming to the area around the Ballston Metro station next weekend, and some 1,200 people say they’re going and another 25,000 people say they’re “interested” in the event on Facebook.
Tickets to the festival are not cheap. It’s $20 just to attend, watch others eat, and listen to the live bands — more to buy individual food and drink tickets. $40 will get you 10 food tickets and 1 drink ticket for beer, cider, wine or soda. For $55, you can be a mac and cheese VIP with two drinks and access to a “private VIP area with private bathrooms.”
Organizers argue that the mac and cheese at the festival — held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 — will be extra delicious. Also, there will be entertainment.
More from an event description:
VIP TICKETS NEARLY SOLD OUT…
It’s Here – The Cheesiesst Event Northern Virginia Has Ever Seen…
NoVA Mac and Cheese Festival –
We’re Taking Over the Street – N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA!
Top Chefs, Food Trucks and Food Vendors Serving up the World’s Most Amazing (and Cheesiest!) Dish – America’s Own Mac and Cheese! More than just a Food Festival, we’ll also have an amazing selection of Craft Beers, wines and ciders to sample. You’ll get
Over 30 Kinds of Mac and Cheese to sample from top chefs and food vendors
Great craft beers, wines and ciders to sample
Live Bands and Entertainment
Get to Vote for Northern VA’s Best Mac and Cheese!
We expect this event to Sell Out fast, so get your tickets and get ready to taste the most fantastic thing ever created on this Great Earth. Cheesey, Gooey, Over-the-top Macaroni presentations… As Ben Franklin once said “Macaroni is what makes this Nation Great!” – well, we’re not sure about the quote – but do you really want to miss this??
You Must be 21 or older to consume alcohol and must bring a valid ID – Children 9 years old and under get Free Admission.
Entrance to the event free, though attendees can purchase a $20 “Beer Package” that includes a Valley Fest pint glass and three beer tickets. The festival will feature a selection of New District’s beers, including their new Oktoberfest brew.
The festival will also prompt several road and parking area closures from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. According to Arlington County Police:
S. Oakland Street, from S. Four Mile Run Drive to the Shirlington Dog Park
2700 Block of S. Nelson Street
The parking lot for the Shirlington Dog Park between S. Nelson St. and S. Oakland St. will not be available
“The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) and part of the StorQuest Self-Storage facility will be accessible,” ACPD noted.
Pet owners will still have access to the Shirlington Dog Park during the event, but are encouraged to park elsewhere. Those looking to use the park should use S. Oxford Street or the Four Mile Run footbridge.
Street parking will be restricted and there will be temporary “no parking” signs posted. Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation or ride-hailing apps to get to the event.
“The public can expect to see a visible police presence in the area,” ACPD said in a press release. “Motorists should follow law enforcement direction, be mindful of the road closures, and remain alert for increased pedestrian traffic in the area.”
This year, the live music and entertainment includes performances from The Washington Ballet and the Educational Theatre Company. The full lineup is:
Autumn-lovers rejoice: a hard cider fest is coming to Rosslyn next month.
Multiple cider breweries are expected to set up stations in Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway) on Thursday, October 17 so attendees can wander and sip at will. Festival goers will also be able to prove their mettle in a pie-eating contest later that afternoon.
Pie eating champions will compete for “a basket of Rosslyn goodies,” and will have one minute to eat a whole pie, according to the event description on the Rosslyn Business Improvement District’s website.
“We’re sure you’ve done your share of wine and beer tastings, but do you know how to taste cider and distinguish between varieties?” event organizers wrote. “Well, now’s your chance to learn more about this delicious alcoholic beverage that’s favored by many who don’t like beer.”
The festival will start at 4 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. that day. Attendees are encouraged to purchase tickets online — which cost $15 and cover the cost of sampling eight different brews — before they sell out.
Celebrating its 29th year, the free festival is anticipating nearly 10,000 attendees. It will feature jazz music, food trucks, and crafting from 1-7 p.m in Rosslyn’s Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway).
The festival will also prompt several street closures. According to Arlington County Police:
10 a.m.-8 p.m. — Eastbound lanes of Lee Highway between Fort Myer Drive and Lynn Street closed
10 a.m.- 8 p.m. — Fort Myer Drive will be closed at westbound Lee Highway
12-8 p.m. — I-66 Exit 73 to Rosslyn closed
“Local traffic within the closure zone wishing to access Route 66 or the Key Bridge by way of Eastbound Lee Highway should exit Lee Highway at either Veitch Street, Rhodes Street, Quinn Street, or Fort Myer Drive and use Wilson Boulevard to reach Lynn Street,” ACPD said in a press release. “Once on Lynn Street, drivers can travel north across the Key Bridge or take the ramp from Lynn Street onto Route 66 East and enter the District of Columbia.”
Street parking will be restricted and there will be temporary “no parking” signs posted. Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation or ride-hailing apps to get to the festival. Drivers are encouraged to “be alert and prepare for delays” due to road closures and heavy pedestrian traffic.
This year, performers include Grammy-nominated New Orleans brass band Cha Wa, and an eight-piece headlining band The Suffers.
To preview the event, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District put together a Spotify playlist of the performing artists.
Food trucks in attendance include Swizzler — a hot dog truck — and Ben & Jerry’s. There will also be two beer and wine bars along with a sangria bar.
Additionally, the Arlington Art Truck is expected to set up shop at the festival, presenting a craft series titled Ties That Bind. Multimedia artist Lorenzo Cardim will teach visitors how to sew colorful buttons onto fabrics shaped like Arlington neighborhoods.
The annual Buckingham Festival returns this weekend, bringing food, dancing, and a road closure to Arlington.
This year marks the 19thyear that tenant association BU-GATA has organized the daylong festival, which returns this Sunday, August 25, from 2-8 p.m.
The Arlington County Police Department announced today (Friday) that officers will a section of N. Pershing Drive between N. Glebe Road and N. Thomas Street from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. to block traffic from festival goers.
In the past, the street event has celebrated the heritage of the neighborhood’s Latino residents with food and folk dances — both of which are expected to return this year. In addition, children will be able to play games and enjoy a bounce house.
Falls Church-based Latin band Grupo Quimbao is also scheduled to perform live during the event.
One of Arlington County’s signature events, the 29thannual Rosslyn Jazz Festival draws thousands to hear internationally-renowned musical artists.
The Artists on this year’s roster are all rooted in the unique synthesis of sounds from the Gulf Coast that evoke jazz, blues, soul, funk and Caribbean genres: the Houston-based band The Suffers, Grammy-nominated New Orleans brass band Cha Wa, singer/cellist Leyla McCalla (formerly of the Grammy award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops), and D.C.’s go-go/jazz ensemble JoGo Project.
Presented by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID) and co-sponsored with Arlington’s Cultural Affairs Division/Arlington Arts, the partnership harnesses the respective strengths of the locally-focused non-profit and Arlington County Government to maximum effect.
“Creating a vibrant arts and cultural scene is a core part of our work to make Rosslyn a more attractive place for both businesses and residents,” said Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn BID. “The Rosslyn Jazz Fest brings community together to enjoy music and culture in a way (and at a scale) that no other event in Arlington does; it has brought vitality and energy to Rosslyn for 29 years and we look forward to many more.”
Most of the on-the-ground logistics, such as permitting, promotion and vendor area coordination, are led by the BID. Using their formidable network of staff, volunteers and community connections, the BID transforms the three-acre Gateway Park and the surrounding thoroughfares into a safe, smooth-running festival-site, stocked with some of the area’s top food trucks with options to engage the entire family.
While the County had always provided production and marketing support, since 2001 the experienced programming team at Arlington Arts expanded their role to oversee all elements of the on-stage production and curating the musical line-up.
Re-envisioning the festival to highlight more national and international touring artists, attendance quickly rose from 1,200 to an average 7,000 annually.
“Like jazz itself the festival has evolved,” says Josh Stoltzfus, who programs the Festival, as Director of Cultural Development for Arlington Arts. “During the past several years, we’ve been incorporating a more diverse array of music to feature critically acclaimed global music, soul, funk and all manner of jazz-related expression.”
Now drawing upwards of 10,000 attendees when the weather cooperates, it’s not unusual to see audience members who travel from as far away as Philadelphia, Raleigh or Chicago for the event, all of which benefits Arlington’s restaurant and hotel industry as well.
Free and open to the public, this year’s Rosslyn Jazz Festival takes place on Saturday, September 7 from 1-7 p.m. at Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway (2 blocks from Rosslyn Metro, at the foot of Key Bridge).
Shirlington’s annual pet-friendly street festival “Wags n’ Whiskers” is returning next week.
The 12th annual pet expo is popping back up on Campbell Avenue next Saturday, August 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., outside the Village at Shirlington, and usually draws hundreds of attendees. This year’s festival will feature adoptable pets, live music, and activities like face-painting and balloon art.
About 65 local businesses and organizations will host booths along the street advertising pet wares and offering “treats and gift bags,” according to a recent press release. Veterinarians and dog trainers will also be attending to answer practice advice questions.
Singer songwriter Taylor Carson and pop rock cover band Dan Haas Trio will both perform during the weekend event.
During the event, attendees can get pictures taken of their pets (for $5) or get a caricature drawn of them and their pet. Attendees will also have a chance to enter to win a $100 gift certificate to the nearby Dogma Bakery.
Event organizers noted in the press release that water stations will be stationed throughout the street to keep pets hydrated and cool.
