free stuff

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

D.C. and the Capitol building at night, as seen from Skyline Towers

Arlington’s ‘Bicycle Man’ Dies — Arlington resident Randy Lokke, 62, died late last month. Lokke was known as a prolific follower of local high school sports, riding his bike to games in and around the District. Lokke was a graduate of Wakefield High School. [Georgetowner]

Ovie Returns to Arlington — Alexander Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals teammates are back on the practice ice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston. The Capitals and other NHL teams are expected to begin a 48-game regular season on Jan. 19. [Washington Post]

Chick-fil-A Offers Free Breakfast — D.C. area Chick-fil-A restaurants, including the locations in Ballston and Crystal City, are offering free breakfast entrees through Jan. 30 to those who make “reservations” online. [Chick-fil-A]

Catalog Opt-Out Service Saves Paper — Arlington County says Arlington residents have saved 35,855 lbs of waste by participating in the county-sponsored “Catalog Choice” service. The free service allows residents to opt out of unwanted mail, catalogs and phone books. [Twitter, Arlington County]

Arlington Couple Promoting Phone Holder — An Arlington couple who spent several years and $25,000 to design “DashIT,” a car dashboard hold for smart phones, is selling and promoting the gadget at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. [Washington Business Journal]

Flickr pool photo by GmdVT. Hat tip to Brendan Lilly.

Free Tree Distribution on Saturday

By Katie Pyzyk

The leaves may already be falling, but there’s an opportunity for you to green up your neighborhood this weekend. The county is giving away free trees to Arlington residents.

All of the trees, referred to as whips, are native to Virginia. They’re distributed in one, two or three gallon containers and typically range in height from two to four feet.

Representatives from the Arlington County Landscape staff and from TreeStewards will be on hand to offer planting guidelines and tree care tips. They can also explain characteristics of each tree species.

Distribution will take place from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on Saturday (October 13) at the Arlington County nursery facility. It is located behind the baseball field at S. George Mason Drive and Four Mile Run. Parking is available in the lot in front of the field.

Each residential property is allotted one free tree; multi-family properties should email [email protected] to obtain extra trees. Those interested in picking up a tree on Saturday should register online for a particular species. The spice bushes are sold out, but the remaining species are as follows:

  • American beech
  • American holly
  • Red oak
  • American basswood
  • Hophornbeam
  • Hornbeam
  • Sassafras
  • Persimmon

For questions, email Environmental Landscape Supervisor Patrick Wegeng at [email protected].

Free Burritos at Crystal City California Tortilla

By Katie Pyzyk

California Tortilla (2450 Crystal Drive) in Crystal City may be making your decision about what to have for lunch a little easier. The restaurant is celebrating its opening by giving away free burritos today.

Earlier this week, the chain tweeted about the deal, which will run from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Customers receive one free burrito and drink, and the first 20 people in line get free burritos for a year.

Work has been ongoing all summer to ready the Bethesda chain’s newest restaurant. The Crystal City location is the third in Arlington.

If you’re thinking of showing up to quickly grab a burrito and run, be warned that you’re not alone. According to California Tortilla’s Twitter account, the first person to start camping out for a free burrito got there at 1:00 a.m.

Photo via @caltort on Twitter

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Englin Admits to Affair — Del. David Englin (D), who represents parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax, admitted Monday night that he had been “unfaithful” in his marriage and that he’s currently separated from his wife, political consultant Shayna Englin. The four-term House of Delegates member announced he will not seek reelection in 2013. [Sun Gazette]

Va. Residents Are 60 Percent of Nats Attendance — About 60 percent of those attending Nationals baseball games are from Virginia, compared to about 25 percent from Maryland and 15 percent from the District, according to internal team numbers. Eight years ago a group tried to bring the Nationals and the team’s new stadium to Pentagon City, but ultimately objections from Arlington residents helped to sink the plan after concerns were raised about crowds and traffic. A large cluster of office buildings is now proposed for what could have been the site of the baseball stadium. [Washington Post]

Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day — From 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. today, Ben & Jerry’s locations will be celebrating the company’s 34 years in business by giving away a free scoop of ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt. Unfortunately, local ice cream lovers will need to get their free scoops in D.C. or Alexandria — there are no participating Ben & Jerry’s locations in Arlington County. [Ben & Jerry’s]

New Legal Programs in Ballston — The Ballston-based Court Reporting Institute is offering four new court reporting programs for those seeking a legal career. The programs include Legal Assistant, Voice Writing, Electronic Evidence Discovery and Certified Shorthand Reporter. The accelerated 120-hour Certified Shorthand Reporter course trains students to record notes and dialogue at a rate of 225 words per minute.

Photo courtesy Andrew Clegg

Coupon in Mail for Free Bike Helmet, CaBi Membership

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) If the lack of owning a helmet has been holding you back from riding a bike, you’re about to lose an excuse. An offer for a free helmet is in your mail.

Check your pile of mail for last week’s edition of The Citizen, which contained a BikeArlington pamphlet. It offers a plethora of information, including a large map highlighting local biking routes, tips for safe cycling and information about Capital Bikeshare.

Attached to the front is a coupon for a free helmet and reflective clip-on light.  There’s also a coupon for one free 24-hour membership to Capital Bikeshare. The Bikeshare membership can be redeemed online using the individual code on each coupon. The bike helmet coupon can be redeemed at any Commuter Store around Arlington, while supplies last.

Right now, there are 550 helmets and 1,100 lights available. If there is a high demand, the county says it plans to purchase additional helmets.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

W-L Softball Field Improvements in the Works — At last night’s Arlington County School Board meeting, officials said they were moving forward “at quite a good pace” with plans to improve the softball facilities at Quincy Park used by Washington-Lee High School. Parents loudly complained over the summer about what they felt were inferior, dangerous playing conditions at the team’s home field. [Sun Gazette]

County Offers Free Leadership Course — From a County press release: “Want to learn more about how to make change happen in your neighborhood and County? County government’s Neighborhood College is offering a free, eight-week course — open to all residents — aimed at giving you the inside scoop on how County government works and helping you hone your civic leadership skills.” [Arlington County]

Alexandria Brewery Visits Crystal City — Staff from Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company will be holding an event at a Crystal City hotel bar over the weekend. On Saturday, starting at 6:00 p.m., Port City will “take over the taps” at BELL20 at the Crystal City Marriott (1999 Jefferson Davis Hwy). The brewery’s IPA, pale ale, wheat bear and porter will be available on draft for $4.20, and will include free take-home pint glasses.

Flickr pool photo by Maryva2

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Free Coffee Today — 7-Eleven stores are offering a free medium coffee, any flavor, from 7:00 to 11:00 this morning. [Facebook]

Marshals Service Sheds Staff Cars — The free ride is over for dozens of employees at U.S. Marshals Service headquarters in Crystal City, the Wall Street Journal reports. The law enforcement agency is sending more than 100 take-home vehicles, including SUVs and high-powered sedans, from its headquarters to its field offices. Since the cars were law enforcement vehicles with emergency lights, they allowed Marshals Service employees to use HOV lanes on their commutes to work. Now, only about 30 headquarters employees will have that privilege. [Wall Street Journal]

Lackluster Fundraising for Arlington GOP — The Arlington County Republican Committee has been running a fiscal deficit since the beginning of the year. Even with the November election approaching, the organization was only able to raise $4 during the first 28 days of September. [Sun Gazette]

Grand Opening for Yoga Studio — The new Little River Yoga studio at 6025 Wilson Blvd will be celebrating its grand opening on Friday with a weekend of free classes, massages, and giveaways, according to owner Stair Calhoun. [Little River Yoga]

Flickr pool photo by Clio1789

Arlington: Come Get Your Free Trees

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Parks and Natural Resources Division is offering free saplings to any resident interested in planting a tree in his or her yard.

The county is offering one tree per household and up to five trees for groups like condo/homeowner’s associations, churches, civic associations or other neighborhood organizations. Among the available species are large trees like American sycamores, black oaks, black gum/tupelos, cherrybark oaks, red maples, yellow poplars and Virginia pines. Smaller tree offerings include serviceberries, staghorn sumacs, winterberry hollies and American witch hazels.

A PDF list of tree species, their growth requirements, estimated measurements and other attributes is available on the county’s web site.

Offering a variety of species “will increase the resistance of our tree canopy to disease and pests, as well as increasing the habitat available for birds, butterflies, and wildlife,” according to the parks department.

Anyone interested in planting a tree is asked to reserve it online.

Saplings will be available for pickup between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16, at the county nursery — located behind the Barcroft Recreation Center at 4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive. TreeStewards and county staff will be on hand with information about tree care. They will also help load the saplings — some of which are up to 6 feet tall — into vehicles.

Reminder: Free Froyo at Pinkberry Tonight

By ARLnow.com

With a brand new sign outside the store, and a freshly-constructed interior, California-based frozen yogurt seller Pinkberry (1220 N. Fillmore St.) is ready to start serving customers in Clarendon.

Pinkberry will open its doors from 6:00 to 8:00 tonight to offer free frozen yogurt samples. Among the expected flavors are sweet and tangy Original, Chocolate, Mango, Pomegranate, Watermelon, and Salted Caramel.

The store will have its first full day tomorrow, with doors expected to open at 11:00 a.m. and close at 1:00 a.m.

Pinkberry Plans Froyo Giveaway in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

The new Pinkberry frozen yogurt store in Clarendon (pictured) is planning a post-work froyo giveaway on Thursday, one day before its planned opening.

Pinkberry will give out free samples from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. The store then plans to open to the public at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Offerings include 6 different flavors of frozen yogurt and numerous toppings.

The Clarendon Pinkberry will be the California-based chain’s third D.C.-area location.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Hot Diggity Dog — In honor of National Chili Dog Day, Hard Times Cafe is giving away a free chili dog to everyone with every purchase from opening until closing. Yes, simply buying a soda counts as a purchase.

Rabbit Food — Salad and sandwich restaurant Rabbit holds its grand opening in Clarendon today.  After filling up on your free chili dog, stop by 3035 Clarendon Blvd for a free cupcake from 4-8pm.  One per person.

What Next? — First planking took the internet by storm, then owling.  Now, apparently all the cool kids are batting. And of course, some guys in Arlington claim to have started it. [WTOP]

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