Halloween

Anti-DUI Campaign to Thank Sober Drivers in Clarendon This Weekend

By Jennifer Currier

This Halloween, patrons at select Arlington restaurants will be praised not for the creativity of their costumes, but for getting home safely.

Anti-DUI superhero "Soberman" in Clarendon (file photo)Designated sober drivers will be publicly recognized this Friday night by Checkpoint Strikeforce and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) as part of an anti-drunk driving campaign.

From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., representatives from the campaign will be outside three Clarendon nightspots to thank designated drivers and those who choose to take public transportation, a taxi or ride sharing service home.

The three restaurants that will be reference points for the “surprise and delight” thanking events are:

  • Clarendon Ballroom at 3185 Wilson Blvd.
  • Spider Kelly’s at 3181 Wilson Blvd.
  • Don Tito at 3165 Wilson Blvd.

This year’s campaign is aimed at stopping people ages 21 to 35 from drinking and driving. According to a release, 36 percent of highway fatalities in Virginia last year were alcohol-related, and more than 40 percent of people killed in alcohol-related crashes were within the campaign’s target age range.

Festive holidays, like this weekend’s Halloween celebration, often see a spike in DUI-related incidents.

WRAP will also offer free taxi rides on Saturday through its SoberRide program.

File photo

Free Taxi Rides to Be Offered on Halloween

By ARLnow.com

Unveiling of a half cab-half police cruiserAs it does on many particularly festive holidays, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program will be offering free taxi rides on Halloween through its SoberRide program.

The free rides will be offered from 10 p.m. on Saturday to 4 a.m. on Sunday. In order to get a free ride, revelers have to book their cab by calling 1-800-200-TAXI.

In its press release (below), WRAP noted that nearly half of all Halloween traffic deaths in the U.S. are caused by drunk drivers.

As a means of making the Washington-metropolitan area’s roadways a little less frightening this Halloween, free cab rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout Arlington County, Virginia on the evening of Saturday, October 31st.

Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the Halloween SoberRide® program will be in operation at 10:00 pm on Saturday, October 31st (Halloween) and operate until 4:00 am on Sunday, November 1st, as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk, holiday period.

During this six-hour period, area residents ages 21 and older celebrating with alcohol  may call the toll-free SoberRide® phone number 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded  a no-cost (up to a $30 fare), safe way home. AT&T wireless customers can dial #WRAP for the same service.

Local taxicab companies throughout the Washington-metropolitan area provide this no-cost service to local residents age 21 and older who otherwise may attempt to drive home after drinking.

SoberRide® is offered in the: District of Columbia; throughout the Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s; and throughout the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, (eastern) Loudoun and Prince William.

“The scary fact is that nearly half (43%*) of all U.S. traffic deaths occurring during Halloween are caused by drunk drivers,”said Kurt Gregory Erickson, WRAP’s President.

Sponsors of this year’s Halloween SoberRide® offering include: AAA Mid-Atlantic, Anheuser-Busch, Constellation Brands, Diageo, District of Columbia Association of Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Giant Food, MillerCoors, Red Top Cab of Arlington, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Volkswagen Group of America and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association.

Participating taxicab companies include: Alexandria Yellow Cab; Barwood; Fairfax Yellow Cab; Loudoun Yellow Cab; Northern Virginia Checker Cab; Red Top Cab; Silver Cab of Prince George’s County; Yellow Cab of D.C.; and Yellow Cab of Prince William County.

Last Halloween’s (2014) SoberRide® program provided nearly 300 (278) free cab rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Washington-metropolitan area.

Since 1993, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 62,773 free cab rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.

Founded in 1982, the nonprofit [501(c)(3)] Washington Regional Alcohol Program (www.wrap.org) is an award-winning public-private partnership working to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking in the Washington-metropolitan area. Through public education, innovative health education programs and advocacy, WRAP is credited with keeping the metro-Washington area’s alcohol-related traffic deaths consistently lower than the national average.

More information about WRAP’s SoberRide® initiative can be found at www.soberride.com.

File photo

TechShop Planning ‘A Very Steampunk Halloween’

By ARLnow.com

Halloween-Graphic-1020x1020(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) TechShop in Crystal City is planning a steampunk-themed Halloween party later this month.

The event is planned for Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6-9 p.m. It will include a jack-o’-lantern contest and a steampunk costume contest.

“Break out your petticoats and top hats, don your driving goggles, and adorn yourself with gears of all shapes and sizes, because the winners of these contests will score awesome prizes!” TechShop said in an event page.

In terms of food and drink, the party will feature a Good Stuff Eatery milkshake bar, a kids candy bar and a “haunted cocktail bar.”

Tickets are $15 for adults who aren’t TechShop members, $10 for members, $5 for those under 21.

A family-friendly “Hack Your Halloween” meetup, featuring a workshop on laser etching a pumpkin, will be held from 4-6 p.m. Tickets for children ages 10-14 attending the meetup are $10 and there are additional charges for the pumpkin etching.

TechShop Arlington is located at 2110 Crystal Drive and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for major holidays.

Halloween Bar Crawl to Return to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Halloween Bar Crawl logo(Updated at 4 p.m.) The Clarendon Halloween Bar Crawl will return this year with an extra hour of revelry.

The bar crawl is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 — Halloween — from 1-9 p.m. The start time is an hour earlier than last year. Just like last year, participants are encouraged to come in costume.

“We recommend wearing your spookiest, scariest or most creative costume!” says the event website. “There will be costume prizes for the most festively dressed participants.”

Tickets currently are available online for $20, and a limited number of tickets will be available at the door for $30. The fee gets participants a souvenir mug, food and drink specials at bars in Clarendon and a raffle entry.

Bars along the crawl include Whitlow’s, Mad Rose, Clarendon Ballroom, Bracket Room, Don Tito, Mister Days, Spider Kelly’s, Hard Time Cafe and Hunan One, among others.

Last year, the Arlington County Police Department live tweeted the Halloween-themed festivities. It was deemed a relatively quiet affair, crime-wise, with thousands of participants and only 9-10 arrests.

Market Common Clarendon to Host Trick-or-Treating for Kids and Dogs

By Heather Mongilio

Dog in costume (Courtesy of Doorways for Women and Families)Halloween is coming a week early at the Market Common Clarendon (2700 Clarendon Blvd), with the return of Falloween and Howl-O-Ween on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Howl-O-Ween, the annual trick-or-treating dog walking event, kicks off the morning at 9:30 a.m.

Dogs and their owners will make their way around the Market Common Clarendon loop, while stopping at local businesses to trick-or-treat. Each year, owners compete to have the best costume for their furry friends.

The event benefits local nonprofits Homeward Trails Animal Rescue and Doorways for Women and Families.

Kelly Spafford, a spokeswoman for Doorways, recommends owners use “originality, creativity and humorous/clever costumes” to win the costume contest.

“Consider combining your dog’s costume with your own (dressing up isn’t mandatory, but there will be prizes!),” Spafford said in an email. “Remember to make sure your dog feels safe and comfortable in their costume.”

In addition to trick-or-treating and the costume contest, dogs will have the ability to show off their skills on an agility course.

Howl-O-Ween is dog and human friendly, Spafford said.

“It’s a way to get your kids involved in charity work, [as] volunteering is typically unavailable to them for confidentiality, insurance or other reasons at most human service nonprofits, so this is a way to get them connected to the importance of helping others early, so bring the whole family,” she said.

Howl-O-Ween is a charity event, and costs $30 for adults and $20 for children. All proceeds go to helping women and dogs that are victims of abuse.

Immediately after Howl-O-Ween, the Market Common Clarendon will host its annual family-oriented Falloween event from noon to 4 p.m.

There will be live music from children’s entertainer Mr. Knick Knack from noon to 2 p.m., followed by Rainbow Rock Band, from 2-4 p.m.

The free event will also have a petting zoo, face painting and pumpkin decorating. Kids will have the opportunity to go trick-or-treating at local businesses from 1-3:30 p.m.

Fairlington Dental Practice to Buy Back Halloween Candy

By Eleanor Greene

Halloween decorations (Filckr pool photo by Ddimick)Fairlington Dental will be buying back candy after Halloween this year.

Kids can bring their Halloween candy to the dental office from Nov. 2-5, where they will be paid $1 per pound.

The candy will be sent to Operation Gratitude in California, a program that sends care packages to troops serving overseas. Dawn Patrick, patient concierge at Fairlington Dental, said that the candy is used as filler in boxes that mostly include personal cards, games, hygiene products and snacks.

This is the 10th year Fairlington Dental has bought back candy, and the office has donated to Operation Gratitude since it started the program.

Fairlington Dental will also donate a portion of the candy to the Mattie Miracle Foundation, Patrick said. The foundation collects candy for a free snack cart for children and families at the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, as well as for other hospitals and cancer wards, according to the website.

The dental practice used to buy candy for $3 per pound but dropped the price to $1 per pound as the program became more popular. The office also pays for the shipping, which can get pricey with such heavy packages.

“Back then, we were getting about 100 pounds,” Patrick said. “Now our biggest year has been around 600 pounds.”

The office asks that the donations are capped at five pounds for the buy back program.

Donors also have the option to donate their candy as an entry in a contest where groups can win an $100 pizza party for selling back the most candy. Patrick said a group Fairlington mothers has won the contest for the past few years, with a group donation of about 35 pounds of candy.

The key for eating candy and other foods high in sugar is to do so in moderation, Patrick said, adding that a one-time pizza party is much better than eating candy for days or weeks after Halloween.

Instead of sugar, Fairlington Dental tries to encourage eating candy with xylitol, a sweetener that breaks down bacteria instead of feeding it.

A full list of local dental practices that buy back candy can be found on the website halloweencandybuyback.com.

Filckr pool photo by Ddimick

Police Department Live Tweets Halloween Bar Crawl

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 5:05 p.m.) The Arlington County Police Department live-tweeted Saturday’s Halloween-themed bar crawl in Clarendon, providing Twitter followers with frequent updates, safety tips and photos.

The bar crawl, billed as “The Rise of the Day Drinkers,” ran from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. It was the first bar crawl approved for a permit under the county’s new bar crawl regulations, which are intended to curb drunken criminal activity by providing a larger police presence, at the expense of crawl organizers.

The stepped-up police presence apparently worked. This past weekend’s Halloween-theme was a relatively quiet affair, with only 9 or 10 arrests, according to initial reports. There were no reports of any bar crawl patrons stripping naked, or any other significant incidents, according to police spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm.

ACPD’s live-tweeting highlighted authorities’ efforts to keep everyone safe — from officers making sure long lines outside of bars did not stretch out onto the street to paramedics having a stretcher ready should medical assistance be needed.

The police department’s running commentary also had some lighter moments, including an officer taking a photo with Muppets characters, a joke about finding Waldo, and a reminder that orange could be the new black for bar crawl patrons who choose to drive home while drunk (see below).

Photos via @ArlingtonVaPD

Clarendon Amputee Innovates for Halloween Costumes

By Ethan Rothstein

Many of us go through the annual struggle of figuring out a creative Halloween costume. For Clarendon resident and amputee Josh Sundquist, his disability presents him an annual showcase for his creativity.

Sundquist is dressing up as a foosball player — the tabletop soccer game — this year after being named to the U.S. Amputee Soccer team. His previous costumes include a lamp, a gingerbread man with a leg bitten off and a brilliant flamingo costume.

Josh Sundquist Halloween costume (photo via Josh Sunquist)The above video is how Sundquist made this year’s costume. Sundquist is a 2006 Paralympian in downhill skiing and, according to his website, the only person in history named to both the Paralympian ski team and the amputee soccer team. He lost his leg after being diagnosed with bone cancer when he was 9 years old.

Sundquist is an also an author and motivational speaker, and his book, Just Don’t Fall is on sale now.

Photo via Josh Sundquist

Photos: Halloween Decorations Around Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/21

It wouldn’t be October if there weren’t some creepy creations crawling onto lawns around Arlington.

We encountered residents who surrendered their yard to frightful grave-dwellers on N. Jackson Street, in Ashton Heights, and in two yards within a block of S. Joyce Street in Aurora Highlands.

Have you seen other ghoulish Halloween decorations around town? If so, snap a photo or two and post it in the comments section.

Halloween takes place on Friday, Oct. 31 this year. There is no official time for trick-or-treating in Arlington County.

A number of Halloween-themed events are taking place over the next two weekends, including the Howl-O-Ween dog walk, the Douglas Park Halloween Trail of Terror, a family-friendly Halloween party at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, and a Halloween bar crawl in Clarendon.

Arlington Top 10 in the Country for Halloween Parties

By Ethan Rothstein

Halloween decorations (Filckr pool photo by Ddimick)Arlington in the ninth-best locality in the country for Halloween parties, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by financial advice company NerdWallet using data from online event platform EventBrite, says Arlington’s “overall score for Halloween parties,” which is a combination of number of RSVPs and affordability, is 83.79 out of 100.

Arlington registered a seven out of 10 for its “party engagement score” and has an average party cost of $12.15, second-lowest in the top 10, behind No. 8 Nashville, Tenn., at $12.11. Washington, D.C., is the 17th-best city in the country for parties with an overall score of 81.73 and an average cost of $25.64.

The engagement score is on a scale of 1-10, according to NerdWallet, with a 10 meaning more than 20,000 people in one city have RSVP-ed to a Halloween party. The only city in the country to achieve a 10 was San Francisco, the top city on the list. Behind San Francisco, which had an overall score of 96.14, on the list are New York City, San Antonio, Texas, and Phoenix.

Flickr pool photo by ddimick

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

A leafy entrance to D.C. on I-66 near Rosslyn

Halloween Bar Crawl Begins Discounting — Tickets for the Nov. 1 Halloween bar crawl in Clarendon are being discounted from $15 to $9 on LivingSocial. So far, 63 tickets have been purchased on the site. A police source tells ARLnow.com that ACPD is planning on having “a number of officers specifically detailed to Clarendon for the crawl and throughout the night until a little after closing time.” [LivingSocial]

APS Finds Ways to Make Kids Want Veggies — The Arlington School Board was flabbergasted to learn that the school system’s food services division has apparently found a way to make kids want to eat their veggies. The secret: creatively pairing veggies with other foods. For instance, while spinach alone had an anemic 8 percent selection rate, a spinach and strawberry salad was selected by 78 percent of elementary students. [InsideNova]

What Foreign Students Like About Arlington — A group of exchange students from Germany and Ukraine recently talked about their experience staying in Arlington. They said they liked Arlington’s Metro access and bike paths, and were impressed by how proud Americans are of their country. However, our food got mixed reviews: “The food, they said, tastes good but is ‘a bit unhealthy.'” [Falls Church News-Press]

Open House for TJ Site Evaluation — The Thomas Jefferson Working Group, which is charged with evaluating the feasibility of a new elementary school near Thomas Jefferson Middle School, will hold an open house Saturday, inviting the community to “learn about the process, review site materials, provide feedback and ask questions.” A vocal group of residents has spoken out against the potential loss of parkland at the site.

Kudos for Crystal City’s Startup Scene — Southern Alpha, a website that writes about startups in the southeastern U.S., is impressed with Crystal City’s recent entrepreneurial push. [Southern Alpha]

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