If you’re still looking for something to do as the night cools down, maybe taking in some live music would warm your spirits. Urban folk musician Justin Trawick, who lives in Arlington, is holding a CD release show.
He’s performing at Artisphere’s Dome Theater along with pop-rock act Andy Zipf and opening act Amanda Lee. Trawick is promoting his new album “You and I,” which will be on sale at the event.
The concert begins at 7:30 and tickets are $12.
There’s going to be plenty of Christmas cheer to go around in Arlington this weekend. A sleigh-ful of holiday events are planned around the county. Among them:
Bands, karaoke, DJs and other forms of live entertainment may soon be coming to two Clarendon restaurants.
Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) and Mexicali Blues (2933 Wilson Blvd) both have live entertainment permit applications that are scheduled to be considered by the County Board this weekend. County staff has recommended that both applications be approved.
Mad Rose Tavern is asking for permission to host bands and karaoke between 9:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and between 9:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday. The restaurant is also asking for permission to erect an additional street-facing sign — but the Board is expected to defer that request until its December meeting.
Mexicali Blue is similarly asking for permission to host bands, karaoke and DJs. Since the restaurant is located on the corner of a residential street, however, its managers have agreed to additional time restrictions. Mexicali is asking for amplified music between 10:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturday, and acoustic music from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.
While staff is recommending that Mexicali’s request be approved, it’s not without a bit of controversy. The Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association complained in an email to the county that representatives from the restaurant declined to meet with the civic association. CCCA also expressed concern about the proposed live entertainment hours — ultimately expressing opposition to the permit request.
Numerous Garfield Street neighbors, however, signed on to a petition in support of the request.
Mexicali Blues held a live entertainment permit from 2003 to 2010, but it was discontinued due to lack of use. The permit restricted live entertainment to three nights per week, for no more than two hours at a time, and limited it to “primarily acoustic” music.
“The applicant’s current request would expand the intensity of live entertainment at the site by allowing acoustic music during ‘happy hour’ on weekdays, and by allowing amplified music on weekends for slightly longer than two hours,” county staff noted. “Staff believes that with the proposed conditions, there will be no undue impact to adjacent neighborhoods. Staff is recommending a short adadministrative review to monitor the operation of live entertainment.”
Arlington Wages High, Growth Low — Arlington residents earn some of the highest weekly wages in the nation ($1,549/week), but the county’s wage growth is slowing. [Sun Gazette]
Songwriters Come to Iota Club — A group of 9 singer-songwriters from around the region will be performing at Iota Club in Clarendon (2832 Wilson Blvd) tonight. Among the musicians scheduled to take the stage are Brittany Jean and Justin Trawick. [Facebook, Clarendon Nights]
Health Care Company Signs Clarendon Lease — A behavioral health care company called ValueOptions has signed a lease for 37,250 square feet of office space in the heart of Clarendon. [CityBiz Real Estate]
Flickr pool by Reid Kasprowicz
Performances at the Lubber Run Amphitheater this summer attracted sizable crowds and some community donations, the Arlington County Board was told this afternoon.
Thanks to much-needed renovations, the amphitheater sprung back to life in July, following a two year hiatus. Two teen talent and movie nights, and nine musical performances, were scheduled at the amphitheater this summer.
The performances attracted 2,400 attendees, Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation co-president Esther Bowring told the County Board. In addition, $2,400 was donated to a “wishing well” near the amphitheater parking lot.
Bowring said her group of amphitheater boosters will continue working with county staff to make the venue a success in 2012.
“We’re going to be continuing to work with the staff to figure out what we need to do to help with the performances for next year,” Bowring said.
The foundation will work to recruit more volunteers and more private donations for next year’s performances, Bowring added. She said the group would like to see upgrades made to dressing rooms at the amphitheater, to allow additional types of performances to be held. In addition, they’re pushing for more local groups to be added to the performance schedule; such performances could be staged at little or no cost.
“We have a very talented community,” Bowring said.
County Board members expressed support for the amphitheater.
“It’s one of the best things we have going in Arlington,” said board member Walter Tejada.
“We look forward to even better things in the summers to come,” board chairman Chris Zimmerman said.
Around 8:00 last night, an a cappella group showed up outside the Clarendon Metro station and began singing for a small crowd of bystanders.
We don’t know who they are or why they were there, but the above video shows them performing a pretty impressive rendition of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. If you’re familiar with the group, please let us know in the comments.
Update at 2:20 p.m. — The group has been identified by commenters as the “Noctonals.”
Hat tip to @anuckols
Beer lovers will gather at IOTA Club and Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon tonight for the official Arlington launch of draught beers from New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colo.
The launch party, which is being held from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., will feature brewery representatives and five New Belgium beer varieties on tap. Among the planned draught offerings: the brewery’s popular Fat Tire Amber Ale, the Hoptober Golden Ale, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, Ranger Indian Pale Ale and Clutch Dark Sour Ale. Numerous New Belgium bottled varieties will also be offered.
Up until very recently, New Belgium beers were not available in the D.C. area. Tonight’s event will celebrate the arrival of New Belgium to D.C. and Arlington. Admission is free, but attendees must be 21 or over.
New Belgium fans will be able to buy beer for consumption on or off premises. Draught beer can be brought home in IOTA’s “Clarendon Growlers,” which are available for purchase.
In addition to the launch party, IOTA is hosting a number of musical performances tonight, including blues-rocker Jason Ager and the usual Wednesday open mic night.
The annual wine and food festival known as Vintage Crystal: A Taste of Wine and Jazz was held Sunday afternoon in Crystal City.
The event featured tastings of more than 30 types of Spanish and South American wines, as well as free food samples from local eateries like Jaleo, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Kora. There was also live performances of Latin jazz, rumba, salsa, and samba music — complete with dancing.
Here are a few of our photos from the event.
Car Runs Into Apartment Building — A car ran into an apartment building on Lee Highway over the weekend. The impact punched a big hole in the side of the brick building, located at 4343 Lee Highway in Waverly Hills. [WUSA9]
Chorus Performances Relocated — The Potomac Harmony Chorus has announced that its 35th anniversary show, Melodies, Memories and Magic, will be relocated to the Washington-Lee High School Auditorium from the earthquake-damaged Thomas Jefferson Community Theater. The all-woman chorus is also seeking a new venue for its December holiday concert and sing-along. [Potomac Harmony Chorus]
Merrick Holds Cash Advantage — As of Aug. 31, Republican state Senate candidate had a nearly 9-to-1 campaign cash advantage over Democrat Barbara Favola, who had just emerged victorious from a bruising primary. [Sun Gazette]
Julia’s Empanadas Now Served at Boccato — Clarendon’s Boccato Gelato (2719 Wilson Blvd) started serving D.C.’s famous Julia’s Empanadas over the weekend. The expanding eatery is planning to start serving baguettes and pastries from Arlington bread delivery service LeoNora Bakery on Oct. 1. [Clarendon Culture, Twitter]
Photo courtesy David Johnson
Two family-friendly, Latino-oriented neighborhood events are planned for Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, the Smithsonian Latino Center and Arlington County’s Tell Arlington’s Story initiative are sponsoring a “family afternoon” at the Walter Reed Community Center (2909 16th Street S.).
The afternoon will feature “hands-on activities inspired by Central American ceramis, Mayan dance presentations, live music, storytelling and talks by archeologist Favio Amador about Central America’s indigenous civilization.” The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, a Buckingham community street festival will be held from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. on N. Pershing Drive between Glebe Road and Thomas Street.
The festival will feature music, food, games, raffles, kids activities. Scheduled performers include Amla Boliviana and Luz De Luna.
The event is being organized by the community group BU-GATA, along with various county agencies including the Arlington County Police Department.
The newly-reopened Lubber Run Amphitheater will host two very different musical performances this weekend: Arlington native singer-songwriter Margot MacDonald and Russian folk ensemble Russkie Musikanti.
Here’s how organizers describe both.
Arlington’s renovated Lubber Run Amphitheater (N. Columbus and 2nd St. between Arlington Blvd and George Mason Drive) keeps packing them in. This weekend’s free programs feature a home-grown Arlington talent and current Washington Area Music Award winner Friday (Aug 12) at 8 pm and an acclaimed ensemble from the Washington Balalaika Society on Saturday (Aug 13).
Arlington native Margot MacDonald is a unique talent whose classically-trained voice covers four octaves and brings new perspective to pop music – a textbook case of “classically trained soprano and pianist captivated by Led Zeppelin”. MacDonald started her singing career with the Washington National Opera at age 10, and by 15 she was releasing a second album and packing regional venues. She has appeared at 9:30 Club, Kennedy Center, Wolftrap, Birchmere, and the Bitter End in NYC.
Saturday evening brings Ruski Musikante to the Lubber Run Amphitheater. Composed of members of the renowned Washington Balalaika Society, the group brings the music of Mother Russia and the unique instruments that make it to the intimate outdoor setting at Lubber Run Park.
Amphitheater programs begin at 8 pm. For more information, call 703-228-1850, visit the County Website or search “Lubber Run Amphitheater” on Facebook. The amphitheater is nestled in a forest setting near the cool-running Lubber Run stream – an ideal place for picnics and families.
