Southwest Airlines is doing some sort of protest/promotion outside the Rosslyn Metro Station this morning.
A tipster tells us that Southwest reps, armed with ID cards, free peanuts and a bullhorn, are promoting their “bags fly free” campaign.
Our tipster notes: “When asked if they would be flying into DCA, the response was ‘we’re trying.'”
Curiously, Southwest just announced that it’s acquiring AirTran Airways. Unlike Southwest, AirTran currently flies out of Reagan National Airport.
There are plenty of reasons to go on a walk on Sept. 26.
It’s the first Sunday of the fall. It’s the first Sunday after World Car-Free Day. And it’s a great way to discover a neighborhood’s hidden parks and historic landmarks.
To that end, County Board Chairman Jay Fisette will be leading a “Walkabout” around the Yorktown neighborhood from 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on the 26th. The walk will depart from Greenbrier Park (5201 28th Street North) and will take walkers past schools, shopping centers and other local sights. (See a route map here.)
The Walkabout is organized by the county-run WalkArlington organization.
Do you like free stuff? Do you like bloody, gory movies about ancient wars? Do you want to see Dominic West, Detective Jimmy McNulty of The Wire fame, play a character named “General Titus Virilus?”
If you answered “yes” to all three questions, then our friends at the Arlington Athletic and Social League have an offer for you. They’re letting ARLnow.com readers get in on a giveaway of free tickets to a sneak peak screening of the upcoming Roman war flick Centurion.
It’s apparently along the lines of 300 and it’s gotten reached a respectable 53% on the Tomatometer.
Click here to RSVP for the screening.
And yes, we’re going to try to turn “Free Stuff Friday” into a regular feature. If you’re a local business that has a legitimately great free offer for our readers, email arlingtonnews [at] gmail.com with the subject line “Free Stuff Friday.”
It’s the final day for this summer’s free family movie festival at the Regal Cinema in Ballston Common Mall.
The G-rated Space Chimps and the PG-rated Hotel For Dogs will be screened at 10:00 this morning, free of charge. Seating is first come first serve. Doors will open at 9:15 for those hoping to reserve a seat.
You can bank on the free family films coming back next summer. Regal has been running the festival every year since 1991.
Shirlington Village is hosting an outdoor shopping event that will have satisfied customers saying “woof” and “meow.”
On August 28, Shirlington’s “Wags ‘N’ Whiskers” event returns for a second year. The family-friendly festival will feature live music, pet portraits, contests, demonstrations, children’s entertainment and other free activities.
Fifteen vendors — including pet charities, groomers, publications and bakeries — will be in attendance, under tents along Campbell Avenue, near the library.
Shirlington merchants will also have specials and giveaways during the event.
“Wags ‘N’ Whiskers” will run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 28, rain or shine. Of course, your four-legged friends are welcome to attend.
Remember our Arlington’s Cutest Dog Contest? How can you forget the spirited, adorable competition, right?
To honor all the great contestants, we’ve invited them to join us at Wylie Wagg Clarendon (2509 N. Franklin Rd.) at 6:00 tonight for a fun, informal reception. Dog food and people refreshments will be served courtesy of Wagg.
All dog lovers are welcome to come. Feel free to bring your four-legged aspiring contestants (we’re planning on running the contest again next summer).
See you there.
On a humid, 90 degree day, a trip to Ballston to celebrate a sport that’s played on ice could make for a nice diversion. If you agree with that statement, then Saturday’s Caps Fan Fest at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex (627 North Glebe Road) may be for you.
The event will kick off at 8:00 a.m. with a free open skate, followed by a development camp scrimmage at 10:00. There will also be airbrush artists, face painters, moon bounce, obstacle course, street hockey and an equipment sale. Brooks Laich and “select draft picks” will be signing autographs after the scrimmage.
If hockey isn’t your thing, but eating and dancing is, you may want to check out the 22nd Colombia National Day Celebration.The event will feature Colombian folkloric dance and musical groups as well as a variety of Colombian food. Some of the performers will be flown in from Bogota and Miami for the occasion.
The celebration is taking place from noon to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Gunston Arts Center Theater One (2700 S. Lang Street). Tickets cost $15 for anyone over the age of 12.
For more great events this weekend, check out our events calendar.
Now that the National League has broken their 13-year All-Star Game slump, and not a single game is to be played today, what’s a baseball fan to do?
Head to the library.
The authors of Baseball Americana, a comprehensive history of the game chock full of illustrations and memorabilia from the archives of the Library of Congress, will be discussing the book and signing autographs tonight at 7:00 at the Central Library auditorium (1015 North Quincy Street).
There will also be baseball-themed prizes given away during the event, which is free and open to the public.
You heard right. In honor of the Tour de France, Revolution Cycles is holding a French wine tasting at its Crystal City store (220 20th St. S.).
The wines will be grouped by their location along the Tour de France course.
There will also be a contest to see who can predict the winner of tomorrow’s leg of the race. The winner will get a free bike tune-up kit.
Tonight’s event will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. It is free and open to the public (ages 21 and up).
With the kids out of school, parents have to occasionally do something to keep them entertained and out of trouble. Going to the movies is a good, albeit pricey option. Now, the Regal Cinema at Ballston Common Mall is removing the pricey part with the introduction of a “Free Family Film Festival,” which will run through the end of August.
Starting this week, the theater will offer free admission to a G or PG movie every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. and the movie starts at 10:00 a.m. Seating is first come, first serve.
The Regal Cinema chain has hosted free family movie screenings every summer since 1991.
This year’s movie schedule includes Monsters vs. Aliens, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Charlotte’s Web. The full schedule, after the jump.
A Federation? A ghom? Whatever you want to call it, a heck of a lot of Star Trek fans attended the Crystal Screen showing of Star Trek: The Motion Picture last night on Bell Street in Crystal City.
Star Trek, featuring the swashbuckling William Shatner and measured voice-of-reason Leonard Nimoy, was the first film shown as part of Crystal City’s Star Trek-themed, summer-long outdoor film festival.
Each installment of the Star Trek series plays Monday evenings at dusk in chronological order, which means next week will spotlight the 1982 classic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*.
Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and a few snacks. While a few Star Trek fans could be seen in Federation t-shirts, it seemed that most fans left their Spock ears and other costumes at home.
Following yesterday’s boffo Trekkie turnout, Crystal City announced today a new contest for residents who want to vote on which films will be featured during next year’s film film. The series will adopt the theme “By the Numbers” and feature twelve films with numbers in their title (for example: The Whole Nine Yards or The 40 Year Old Virgin).
Visit http://www.crystalcity.org/ to vote for your favorite numbered film (or suggest your own, although the existing list of numbered films is pretty exhaustive). Crystal City will announce the twelve winning films on August 16, before the last film of the season (last year’s Star Trek, the blockbuster J. J. Abrams relaunch of the franchise).
* Speaking of Wrath of Khan (fun fact), did you know that Marc Okrand of the Washington Shakespeare Company is the original inventor of the Klingon language? Furthermore, the Rosslyn Spectrum and Marc Okrand are producing the Shakespeare play By Any Other Name entirely in Klingon this September, and it will feature George Takei in person. Repeat: George Takei reciting Shakespeare in Klingon at the Rosslyn Spectrum this September.
