Shirlington

Earth Day Events

By ARLnow.com

There are a number of ways to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in Arlington tomorrow. Below are some that don’t require access to the Pentagon.

From 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., a new rain garden and public plaza will be unveiled in Rosslyn. The temporary park was built on the site of a stalled skyscraper project at North Moore Street and Wilson Boulevard. Learn more about the project from the press release, after the jump.

Big Wheel Bikes in Lyon Village (3119 Lee Highway) is holding an unveiling for a new line of electric bikes from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. There will be free food, drinks and live entertainment, and attendees will be able to test-ride the bikes on the nearby Custis Trail.

Disney’s new nature documentary “Oceans” will be playing tomorrow at the AMC Courthouse theater starting at 10:00 a.m.

Bus Boys and Poets in Shirlington (4251 Campbell Avenue), together with the Earth Day Network, is celebrating the occasion with an extended happy hour featuring earth-friendly cocktails. The “Green Hour” is taking place from 5:00 to 11:00 p.m.

There are also a couple of Earth Day events this weekend. See our events calendar for more.

Pool photo by GlitrVamp

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Afternoon Notes: Home Prices Up In Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Home Prices on the Rise — The average sale price of a single family home in Arlington rose 17 percent in March, compared to the same period in 2009, local Realtor Laura Rubinchuk reports. “Inventory is way down as we’ve sold through many of the properties for sale,” Rubinchuk writes. She notes, however, that the average price of condos and co-ops fell 6 percent from 2009. More from the Arlington Real Estate News blog.

Colorful New Signs for Shirlington Village — “The old ones looked like they were in an 80s business park,” a commenter quips on the Shirlington Village Blog.

In Case You Missed It — Did you miss Arlington’s Outstanding Volunteer Award reception or Columbia Pike’s bicentennial birthday bash? Don’t worry, the county government’s Arlington Virginia Network has you covered. Check out video recaps of each event, after the jump.

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Washington Golf Center Closes Amid Questions

By ARLnow.com

Update on 4/23: A liquidation sale is being held at the Shirlington store.

Washington Golf Center, its sign easily recognizable by I-395 commuters, has abruptly closed. The 30,000 square foot warehouse-style store, founded in 1978, was located at 2625 Shirlington Road. The store’s web site, washingtongolf.com, has apparently been taken down, and the store’s phone number has been disconnected.

There was no immediate explanation for the closure. A commenter at Shirlington Village Blogspot said employees denied the store was going out of business until it closed this weekend.

There’s some evidence, however, that the store was facing financial difficulties.

In January, Acushnet, the manufacturer of the Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra golf equipment brands, sued Washington Golf Centers and its owner, Charles Chay, for breach of contract. Acushnet alleged that Washington Golf Centers owed it nearly $120,000 for merchandise the store had received but had not paid for since April 1, 2009.

In May 2009 Washington Golf Centers launched an ambitious e-commerce project, the Washington Golf Outlet Mall at washingtongolf.com.

In a press release dated June 23, 2009, the web site promoted a deal where customers buying a set of Callaway irons would be eligible for free upgrades to Callaway’s newest irons in 2010 or 2011. It’s not known whether any customers were able to take advantage of the offer before the store closed.

About two months after the promotion was announced, Washington Golf Centers owner Charles Chay sold his home in Potomac, Md. for $1,250,000, more than a half million dollars less than the asking price, according to an item in Washington Life Magazine. The Acushnet lawsuit lists Chay’s latest address as a condominium in Reston, Va.

Afternoon Notes: Green Party Drama, Never-Ending Construction

By ARLnow.com

Green Party Meeting Tonight — The Arlington Green Party is holding its monthly meeting tonight, and it promises to be an especially interesting gathering. Green Party leader Josh Ruebner suddenly resigned amid “internal squabbling” last week. Assumedly, the Greens will discuss new leadership tonight. See more community happenings in our events calendar.

Unfinished Construction Prompts Complaint — The county is trying to figure out why construction in front of Carlyle Restaurant in Shirlington has remained unfinished for six months, according to Shirlington Village Blogspot. A resident complained that there has been no work done since last fall.

Arlington’s Hometown Baseball Team

By ARLnow.com

You may not know it, but Arlington is the defacto home of a college baseball team that’s currently in first place in its conference.

For the past 20 years or so, the George Washington University baseball team has played their home games at Barcroft Park.

Situated on Four Mile Run, just up the road from Shirlington, the quiet park seems a world away from GW’s Foggy Bottom campus. But about ten times a month in the spring, the park’s humble baseball diamond plays host to two NCAA Division I baseball teams and, occasionally, some pro scouts.

Under an agreement with the parks department, the team is responsible for much of the field’s game day maintenance. Hosing off the infield dirt, dragging nets and swinging rakes — the players and coaches are their own groundskeepers. It’s a notion that other teams scoff at.

As reported by the GW Hatchet newspaper this week, the team and the university has been in negotiations with Arlington County to renovate the park. But, the Hatchet’s Dan Greene notes, there’s been little progress in the talks. Unsurprising, considering the state of the county’s budget.

At 3:00 this afternoon, the GW team will face cross-town rival George Mason at Barcroft Park. They’ll be looking to avenge a close, extra-inning loss to Mason just two weeks ago.

GW is in first place in the Atlantic 10, with a conference record of 6-0 and an overall record of 16-11.

Alexander Chamandy contributed to this post.

Small Shirlington Magazine Forced to Change Name

By ARLnow.com

Adrian Urias’ biggest mistake probably was sending an email to promote his small monthly magazine, “Your Shirlington Connection,” to the offices of Alexandria-based Connection Newspapers, publishers of the Arlington Connection. To be fair, Urias, who has lived in Shirlington for two and a half years, to this day has never seen a printed copy of the newspaper being distributed in the neighborhood.

“I personally have never seen one,” said Urias, who launched Your Shirlington Connection six months ago. Alas, Urias says he eventually received a note back from Connection Newspapers, asserting the company’s legal right to exclusively use the “Connection” name in Virginia.

“I thought I did enough to find out it was okay,” Urias said. “When I registered our company name in [Virgina], the name wasn’t flagged as a potential issue.”

Urias quickly agreed to change the name, and this past weekend asked readers to suggest a new name. He’s also looking for someone to come up with a new logo, once the new name is chosen. He has not sought the advice of a lawyer.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” Urias said, but “they have been very understanding and cooperative.”

The soon-to-be-renamed magazine, which Urias says he started to build a greater sense of community in Shirlington, claims a circulation of 1,750.