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Photos: Fairlington Halloween Parade

By ARLnow.com
1/14

The Arlington neighborhood tradition of Halloween parades continued today on a picture-perfect fall day.

Among the neighborhoods and schools hosting parades was Abingdon Elementary in Fairlington. Led by the Wakefield High School marching band, with rolling road closures courtesy of the Arlington County Police Department, hundreds of students and teachers marched down local streets as parents and residents snapped smartphone photos and cheered them on.

Among the crowd were ghouls, goblins and even raccoons.

One costume standout were small, paper mache versions of the Washington Nationals racing presidents. It took parent Catherine Ladd five weeks to custom-make the costumes for her sons and their Little League friends.

“It required the coordination of other parents… and taking over her first floor for over a month with the multiple figures in various stages of the design process,” Ladd said of the effort.

Dressed as George, Tom, Abe, Bill, Herbie and Teddy, the “petite” presidents batted cleanup near the end of the parade.

Photos of the Eclipse From Around Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Around 2:40 p.m. this afternoon, workers and residents around Arlington flocked to rooftops and sidewalks as the sky darkened and a rare solar eclipse swept through the area.

Those with protective eclipse viewing glasses were able to safely watch as the moon hid just over 80 percent of the sun.

While some watched on TV or streaming video, plenty of our readers were outside to capture the moment. Even some clouds floating around could not spoil the view.

We compiled photos of the eclipse in Arlington as shared on Twitter, below. Did you take any photos around Arlington during the eclipse? Show them off in the comments.

And some good news: there were no emergency calls in Arlington reporting eye issues from looking directly at the eclipse, based on scanner traffic this afternoon.

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Photos: A Rainy Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade

By ARLnow.com
1/15

(Updated at 9 a.m.) As feared, it was pouring rain during last night’s Clarendon Mardi Gras parade.

But the raindrops did not dampen the spirits of those in the parade, who made their way up Wilson Blvd to the delight of thin but enthusiastic crowds.

From a dancing monkey to a guy on a penny-farthing to a bunch of people pedaling on the Trolley Pub, the parade hearkened back to a bygone era when “Keep Clarendon Weird” was the neighborhood’s motto.

Photos: Crystal Couture in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/24

Crystal Couture is back for another year.

The annual fashion show and sale in Crystal City kicked off last night on the sixth floor of 2200 Crystal Drive. The event features models walking the catwalk, showing off the work of local designers. There is a bar, a DJ, numerous boutiques and free make-up and hair makeovers.

Thursday night’s event was hosted by media personality Sarah Fraser. Friday’s show will run from 5-10 p.m. and will be hosted by television personality Paul Wharton, while Saturday’s event will run from 2-10 p.m. and will be emceed by radio host Tommy McFly.

Crystal Couture is free to attend.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

"Red-shouldered hawk" by Erinn Shirley

Williamsburg to Implement Block Scheduling — Williamsburg Middle School will, in fact, be implementing a block schedule for classes next year, an Arlington Public Schools spokeswoman tells ARLnow.com. While Kenmore has a modified block schedule for sixth grade, and Gunston is “exploring moving to a flexible schedule for next year,” Jefferson and Swanson are not considering moving to a block schedule, we’re told.

Home Prices Decline in Arlington in 2016 — Per WTOP’s Jeff Clabaugh and listing service MRIS: “The median price in Arlington County last year was down 1.8 percent from 2015. Arlington and Alexandria were the only local jurisdictions to see declines in 2016 prices versus 2015.” [WTOP]

Grand Opening for Pamplona — New Clarendon restaurant Pamplona is holding its grand opening celebration tonight. The Spanish tapas restaurant is set in a self-described “sultry and sophisticated space, featuring colorful Spanish tiled floors, unique murals… and of course, an arsenal of bullheads.” [Facebook]

H-B Photography in Richmond — Work by H-B Woodlawn photography students is on display in the Richmond offices of Del. Patrick Hope. Hope plans to highlight one piece a day during the legislative session. [Twitter]

Multi-Generational Housing Construction — A 1950s ranch home near Bishop O’Connell High School is being torn down to make way for a new multi-generation house for a couple, their daughter and husband, and their grandchildren. [Falls Church News-Press]

When You Don’t Want Someone to Take Your Parking Cone — South Arlington is “so rough you have to lock up your cones,” as a photo apparently taken yesterday demonstrates. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Photos: Elaborate Halloween Decorations in Arlington

By Samantha Moore
1/20

If there’s one thing true about Arlington County, it’s that we have an abundance of hard working, creative residents.

That’s particularly on display at the end of October, as elaborate Halloween displays start popping up in front yards throughout the county.

Above are just a few of the Halloween decorations we found while walking and driving around Arlington earlier this week.

Photos: Construction Sites in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Two major development projects are underway in Courthouse, but more progress has been made on one than the other.

Carr Properties is in the process of redeveloping two sites: 2311 Wilson Blvd, which will be the new headquarters of local tech firm Opower, and 2025 Clarendon Blvd, which will be a new 12-story office building.

Construction is well underway at 2311 Wilson, with sheeting and shoring work in place. At last check the new building was expected to be ready for move-in by 2018.

(A Carr Properties representative has thus far not responded to ARLnow.com’s request for an update on the construction timeline.)

The 2025 Clarendon Blvd project, meanwhile, has only cleared the demolition phase, which saw the former Wendy’s and Wells Fargo bank torn down. The site is currently a vacant lot with little activity of note. No word on when construction might start on the new building.

Photos: ‘Girls’ Star Lena Dunham Campaigns for Hillary in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) “Girls” star Lena Dunham campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Rosslyn Tuesday afternoon.

The actress, writer, producer and director attended a lunch with Arlington young professionals at Barley Mac (1600 Wilson Blvd) around 12:30 p.m. She spoke of the importance of electing Mrs. Clinton and defeating GOP candidate Donald Trump.

“The message I just wanted to share with millennials, with people my age… is just to say that voting isn’t the only way that you engage civically, but it’s one of the most important ways,” Dunham said. “So many people don’t [vote] and it’s so important that we take advantage of that power. None of us wants to see a country that Trump is imagining… and the only way we can prevent that is getting out on November 8th.”

“Something that I say a lot is that I’m not voting for Hillary Clinton because she is the lesser of two evils, I’m voting for her because she’s the president that I’ve wanted since I was six years old,” she said. “I know so many women and men who feel that way and it’s so heartening to see a room full of people who I know are ready to advocate for that.”

After the Rosslyn event, Dunham was scheduled to attend subsequent events at George Mason University and in Falls Church, where she was to encourage Northern Virginia residents to check their voter registration status and register to vote by the Oct. 17 registration deadline.

“Dunham will lay out the stakes of this election, discuss with voters why Donald Trump’s pattern of disrespecting and demeaning women makes him unfit to hold our nation’s highest office, and share her support for Clinton’s agenda to make us stronger together and raise the minimum wage, fight LGBT discrimination, ensure women have access to reproductive health care, and tackle climate change,” according to a Clinton campaign press release.

A rush transcript of Dunham’s remarks at the restaurant, after the jump.

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Photos: Arlington County Fair 2016

By ARLnow.com
1/10

The Arlington County Fair wrapped up its five days of annual summer fun on Sunday.

The fun was interrupted by a couple of rainstorms this year, but otherwise went off without a (reported) hitch.

Two of our Flickr pool’s best photographers, Kevin Wolf and Dennis Dimick, contributed some great shots from this year’s fair, above. Enjoy!

Photos: Saturday’s ARLBBQ in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com
1/24

Despite threatening skies, more than 160 people came out for our first-ever ARLBBQ event in Pentagon City on Saturday evening.

The free event was held at The Bartlett, the new apartment building at 520 12th Street S. in Pentagon City. Guests took advantage of a selection of local beer; platters of beef brisket, pulled pork, pork bell, and wings; and a selection of games from fussball to cornhole to giant Jenga and chess sets.

Luckily, the rain held off for the entire three-hour event, and the clouds helped to make the outdoor patio an especially comfortable option for hanging out.

We learned some things about ARLnow readers during the ARLBBQ. First, they can get really loud if the fussball competition heats up. Second, there are very few who would opt for Budweiser or Bud Light if there’s a locally-brewed pale ale or wheat beer available. Third, they can house a hundred pounds of meat like it’s nobody’s business.

Thank you to Vornado Residential for sponsoring the event, providing the space and subsidizing our food and drink. If you’re in the market for a really nice new apartment with an equally nice view, and if you want to be able to pop over to the area’s newest Whole Foods without even having to go outside, be sure to check out their current offer of up to two months free rent.

Thank you to the catering department of the new Pentagon City Whole Foods for supplying the delicious barbecue and other bites. Thank you to Omar DeBrew for our fiery logo. Finally, thank you to the Washington Wine Academy for tending bar and to Sehkraft Brewing in Clarendon for supplying a keg of their NoVa IPA, which was such a hit that it was unfortunately empty before the halfway point of the event.

If you weren’t able to attend and were really jonesing for an ARLnow t-shirt, be sure to keep an eye out for an announcement about our next event this fall. If you’d like to learn more about The Bartlett, call (844) 807-9317 to schedule a personalized tour.

Photos by John Robinson Photography

Photos: Flags Across Arlington

By Jackie Friedman
1/15

In preparation for the Fourth of July holiday, flags have been placed on homes, vehicles and local businesses throughout Arlington.

And the abundance of flags isn’t the only sign of the Independence Day holiday. There are also the fireworks stands now open along Lee Highway and Columbia Pike.

Photos by Jackie Friedman

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