talent show

Arlington Pride kicks off tomorrow with a drag pageant

By Hallie LeTendre
1/4

Tomorrow, the spotlight will fall on local drag entertainers in Crystal City.

The inaugural Miss Arlington Pride Drag Pageant on Friday will kick start Arlington’s second-ever Pride festival.

“Hosted by the incomparable Shi-Queeta Lee, the Miss Arlington Pride Drag Pageant is going to be one of the most anticipated local events of the summer,” an event page says. “This event will be full of charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent from our contestant, and an abundance of drag entertainment as we determine who takes the crown for 2023.”

Contestants can compete in four categories: presentation, talent, evening dress and a Q&A. The event runs from 8-9:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City (2799 Richmond Hwy), located near Reagan National Airport. Doors will open for entry at 7 p.m.

Attendees will need a ticket, which can be bought online. Regular admission costs $20 but a VIP package is available for $160. This ticket reserves a table for up to 10 guests and comes with a free drink and a gift bag.

The proceeds from sales will be donated to an undisclosed nonprofit.

After the drag pageant, Pride festivities will continue all weekend long in Crystal City and Rosslyn. Details are available online.

Arlington’s Got Talent Returns Tonight

By Jackie Friedman

Arlington's Got Talent

Talented local entertainers will participate in the fourth annual Arlington’s Got Talent competition tonight.

The event, organized by Leadership Arlington, is being held at the Salsa Room (2619 Columbia Pike) starting at 6:30 p.m. After a social hour, the performers will take the stage starting at 7:30.

“Arlington’s Got Talent offers exciting and fresh performances from some of the most vibrant and dynamic performers from the D.C. metropolitan area,” said Leadership Arlington.

Tickets to the event are $30 in advance, $40 at the door, and benefit the Leadership Center for Excellence’s Young Professionals Program scholarship fund.

Tonight’s seven scheduled performers are:

The performers will be judged by Susan Anderson of the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office; MTFA Architecture owner Michael Foster, Nate Robertson of Datapipe and Marymount University President Matt Shank. Audience members will act as the fifth judge by voting for their favorite act.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Aerial view of Arlington from a Delta flight (Photo courtesy @dcaman)

Election Day in Arlington — Voting started at 6:00 a.m. this morning and will continue through 7:00 p.m. There are 52 voting precincts in Arlington. Virginia voters must provide a photo ID when they go to the polls. [Arlington County]

State Honors for Pike Affordable Housing — Arlington County has won two state awards for its plan to preserve affordable housing along Columbia Pike. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe lauded the county’s affordable housing and transit plan for the Pike. “Arlington’s Columbia Pike Planning Initiative provides a vision for transforming the Pike by improving transit, preserving affordable housing and creating great public spaces,” McAuliffe said in a press release. “At the heart of this plan is a modern streetcar that will spur high-quality development along this vital corridor and generate new tax revenues for Arlington, Fairfax and the Commonwealth.” [Arlington County]

Local Singer Wins ‘Arlington’s Got Talent’ — Teague del la Plaine, a local singer, won the annual Arlington’s Got Talent competition last week. Travis Tucker, a pop-funk and R&B singer, placed second and Euphonism, an a cappella group, placed third. [Leadership Arlington, InsideNova]

Growing Season Is Over — There will be no more frost advisories and freeze warnings this year. The National Weather Service has officially declared the growing season over for the D.C. area. [National Weather Service]

Photo courtesy @dcaman

Arlington’s Got Talent Returns Next Week

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington's Got Talent flyerArlington’s Got Talent, the annual talent show for D.C.-area performers hosted by Leadership Arlington, is back for another year on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

The show is $30 in advance and $40 at the door at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd). It all starts at 6:30 p.m. with a social hour before the eight performers who were chosen take the stage.

The performers on Wednesday night, selected from 23 submissions, will be:

  • Maryland-based rapper Nik Martin
  • Pop, funk and R&B singer Travis Tucker
  • Singer Alyssa Gurley
  • A capella group Euphonism
  • Yorktown High School student Aastha Paneru, performing Nepalese dance
  • Former U.S. Marine and standup comedian Cerrome Russell
  • Crooner and Marine Corps reservist Teague
  • Guitarist Bau Bau

The winner of the talent show gets $500, and the rest of the proceeds from the night go to Leadership Arlington’s scholarship fund

Arlington’s Got Talent Accepting Audition Tapes

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington's Got Talent flyerArlington’s Got Talent, the annual talent show hosted by Leadership Arlington, is now accepting applications to perform.

Applicants need to “like” the event’s Facebook page, fill out an online application and submit a video link along with it. Competitors have to be at least 13 years old, audition videos must be no more than three minutes long — performances during the competition can be up to five minutes — and be free of “nudity or obscene language/gestures.” The deadline for applying is Sept. 11.

The competition itself will be on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd), with a social starting at 6:30 p.m. before the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Last year’s show had more than 200 people in attendance, Leadership Arlington said in a press release. Tickets for the show are $30 online and $40 at the door. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar.

This is the third annual Arlington’s Got Talent, and competitors across the D.C. area are allowed to participate. The first ever winner, Margot McDonald, toured Europe and played at Artisphere and the Lubber Run Amphiteatre this summer.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Ginkgo leaves in north Arlington

Rosslyn Apartment Building to Sell for $220 Million — The JBG Cos. has reached a deal to sell its new Sedona Slate apartments in Rosslyn for $220 million. The company spent about $150 million to develop the two-building apartment project, which had a ribbon cutting ceremony in June. [Washington Business Journal]

APS Competition to Reduce Dropout Rate — Arlington Public Schools (APS) announced a competition for data analysts to help the school system prevent students from dropping out. Analysts will help APS identify trends and hopefully will find ways to flag students who could use more one-on-one time with counselors. Assistant Superintendent for Information Services Raj Adusumilli told ARLnow.com the winning team of analysts likely will be announced by the end of this winter. Although no firm date is in place for finishing the data analysis, the school system anticipates being able to use the gathered information by about February 2014 in order to help students make class choices for next year. [Washington Post, Arlington Public Schools]

Opera Singer Wins Talent Competition — Opera singer Garrick Jordan won first place in the second annual “Arlington’s Got Talent” competition. Jordan beat out six other competitors on Sunday (November 18) at Clarendon Ballroom. [Sun Gazette]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

The normally busy parking lot at Gravelly Point is closed and empty, due to the government shutdown

Library Sets Another Summer Reading Record — Arlington Public Library has set another summer youth reading record. This summer, 8,079 students participated and read more than 32,000 books, up from 7,415 participants and 30,000 books in 2012. [Arlington Public Library]

‘Arlington’s Got Talent’ Seeks Contestants — Leadership Arlington is seeking local acts for its annual “Arlington’s Got Talent” show. The event will take place on Nov. 18. Video submissions from performers are due by Oct. 28. [Leadership Arlington]

Neighbors Peeved With Turf Choice — Some residents around Williamsburg Middle School are upset with the choice of turf on the fields that are being built along with a new elementary school. The fields will have artificial turf instead of Bermuda grass. “Not since Custer, have people been ambushed this badly,” one resident told the County Board, about the choice. [Falls Church News-Press]

Arlington is #3 County to Work In — Arlington has been named the No. 3 county in the U.S. in which to work. The rating is based on Arlington’s low unemployment rate, low commute time and high median income. Loudoun County ranked No. 2 and Williams County, North Dakota, which is in the midst of an oil boom, ranked No. 1. [Nerd Wallet]

Whitlow’s Filled With ‘Old Stuff’ — If you recently sat at a table at Whitlow’s on Wilson (2854 Wilson Blvd), chances are you either sat on a pew from St. Patrick’s Cathedral or in a chair from the old Arlington courthouse. If you sat at the bar, you likely rested your beer on a former bowling lane. Much of the interior is recycled from various places around the D.C. area and beyond. [Preservation Arlington]

Audition Tapes Sought for ‘Arlington’s Got Talent’

By ARLnow.com

Arlington is getting its very own talent show.

The Young Professionals Program of Leadership Arlington is currently accepting audition videos for “Arlington’s Got Talent,” a talent show scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27.

The event will showcase Arlingtonians who can sing, dance, play a musical instrument, do stand-up comedy or show off any other type of entertaining, family-friendly talent. Links to audition videos can be sent to [email protected] or mailed to the address listed on this Facebook page. The submission deadline is Friday, Nov. 2. Participants must be at least 21 years old.

The talent show will take place at the Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd) starting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Tickets are on sale online for $30. Proceeds will benefit the Leadership Arlington Young Professionals Program Scholarship Fund.