Pentagon Row Concerts Begin Thursday
Pentagon Row (1101 S. Joyce Street) is getting ready to rock out. Tomorrow, June 7, kicks off the beginning of its summer concert series.
Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00 p.m., patrons in the plaza can take in the sounds from one of the bands performing at “Rock at the Row.”
Bands are scheduled for every Thursday evening through August 30. Although the series touts “rock,” there are also bands catering to those who prefer other sounds, like reggae, funk and zydeco.
Tomorrow, the Bon Jovi tribute band “Slippery When Wet” will play. Next week it’s Beach Bumz, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. The full schedule is below.
- June 7 – Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi Tribute
- June 14 — Beach Bumz, Jimmy Buffett Tribute
- June 21 — Just Like Prom Night, 80′s Tribute
- June 28 — MONSOON & STORM, Reggae
- July 5 — The Crawdaddies, Roots Rock, Zydeco
- July 12 — Old Man Brown, Southern Soul
- July 19 — Higher Hands, Funk
- July 26 — Donegal Xpress, Celtic Rock
- August 2 – Bobby Lynch Band, Pop Variety
- August 9 — Crowded Streets, Dave Matthews Tribute
- August 16 — Unity, Reggae
- August 23 — Matt Hutchison, Rock
- August 30 — Gonzo’s Nose, Pop Rock
Crime Report: Would-Be Robbers See the Light
A beating and robbery attempt in Douglas Park last week was stopped after someone drove up and shined their headlights on the attackers.
The incident happened around 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. According to police, a man had just gotten off the bus, on his way back home from work in Georgetown, and was walking up S. Monroe Street when he saw two suspects hanging out in front of abandoned house.
The victim then noticed the suspects following him. He started to run but the suspects caught up with him and demanded money and his backpack. When the victim refused, the suspects started punching him and then kicking him after he was knocked to the ground, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
A car then pulled up to the scene and shined its headlights on the scuffle, which scared off the suspects. Police were called and the victim was taken to the hospital for numerous minor injuries, including lacerations to his forehead.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY BY FORCE/MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY MOB, 05/31/12, 1800 block of S. Monroe Street. At 11:51 pm on May 30, two subjects ran down a victim in an attempted robbery and beat him until fleeing the scene after witnesses came to his assistance. The victim sustained multiple injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Suspect #1 is described as a black male, approximately 25 years old, 6’0” tall, thin build with a goatee. He was wearing a skull cap with shoulder length cornrows, with a white t-shirt and dark colored pants. Suspect #2 is described as a black male, approximately 5’5” tall, with a medium and stocky build. He was also wearing a skull cap and a black shirt at the time of the incident.
The rest of the crime report, after the jump.
Then and Now: Hot Shoppes
The photo on the left shows the Hot Shoppes location at 1325 Lee Highway in Rosslyn, during the 1930s. It was part of the chain started locally by J. Willard Marriott in 1927.
Marriott and his wife, Alice, moved to the D.C. area from Utah. He launched a restaurant based on his affinity for American Southwest foods such as spicy BBQ, chili and tamales. The name came from his desire for a restaurant that would provide hot food to warm the D.C. residents during the wet chill of an Eastern winter.
The couple built their Hot Shoppes brand on the slogans “food for the entire family” and “square meals at a fair price.” Over time, the menu expanded to include all types of fare besides Southwest dishes, but the attention to service remained. Eventually, that commitment to service and hospitality led to success in other areas, most notably the family’s well known hotel brand.
(Marriott’s first hotel, which opened in 1957, was the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel, located near the 14th Street Bridge in Arlington.)
By 1960, there were 70 Hot Shoppes in D.C. and seven states. Jazz musician Duke Ellington and his band recorded seven versions of the Hot Shoppes theme song, which aired in radio ads from 1967-1968.
The last one closed in 1999. However, fans will be pleased to know at least one of the restaurants will be resurrected, as noted in the Washingtonian’s December 2011 interview Marriott’s son, Bill.
The photo on the right shows how the area looks now. It is where the area formerly known as “Rosslyn Circle” used to be, but is now Arlington Gateway Park.
Below is a commercial for Hot Shoppes from 1970.
Historic photo courtesy Arlington Public Library’s Virginia Room
Ah Love Oil & Vinegar to Hold Anniversary Celebration
To celebrate its one year anniversary in Shirlington, Ah Love Oil & Vinegar (4017B Campbell Avenue) is having a celebration this coming Saturday, June 9.
Owner Cary Kelly said the store’s short time in existence has gone well, and customer response has been overwhelming.
“The last year has been, in a word, unbelievable,” Kelly said.
She said there were skeptics who didn’t think the store would work out, both because of the slow economy and because the store was selling such unique, specific products. Kelly credits a couple of factors with the store’s success.
First, the location. Residents and workers in Shirlington have been welcoming and continue to patronize the store, she says. Secondly, Kelly thinks the product quality has won over doubters.
“I think what changes people from being skeptical to hopefully delighted is that they get to taste everything,” Kelly said. “You really taste a difference. Then people are like, ‘Okay I get it now.’”
Kelly got the idea for the store when she visited a similar business in North Carolina. Cooking, particularly Mediterranean foods, is her favorite hobby, so the idea of an oil and vinegar business seemed to make sense.
While unique at the time, the flavored oil trend is quickly spreading. Kelly said that when Ah Love opened a year ago, it was the only store of its kind in the area. Now, she can list five in the metro region.
During Saturday’s event, the shop will officially launch a new olive oil-based skin care line. Kelly said she has sensitive skin and couldn’t find olive oil skin products she liked, so she decided to have some made. The Ah Love All Over line will be made with California extra virgin olive oil.
“I think olive oil is one of nature’s greatest miracles,” said Kelly. “There’s nothing it doesn’t do for us as far as health, both inside and outside.”
Kelly said the business has been more successful than she could have anticipated, and the anniversary party is to thank customers for their support.
“My husband and I feel so grateful how we’ve been supported by this community,” Kelly said. “That’s the real reason for this party.”
The event on Saturday runs from noon to 9:30 p.m. All day, there will be tastings of food made with the oils and vinegars, and a cooking demonstration at 4:00 p.m. From noon until 4:00 p.m., there will also be a jewelry display. Customers will receive 15 percent off the store’s products, and there will be giveaways throughout the day.
Special Olympics Torch Run to Wind through Arlington
An Olympic torch will be making its way through Arlington on Thursday. Not the one that’s going to be lighting up London in a few months, but the Virginia Special Olympics torch.
More than 2,000 law enforcement officers take part in the eight day Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run, when the torch is carried on a 1,900 mile trek across the state. Forty-seven Arlington County Police Department personnel will participate.
Opening ceremonies begin at the Marine Corps Memorial in Rosslyn at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, June 7, and the torch run begins at 9:30 a.m. During the run, officers will head over the Memorial Bridge, past Gravelly Point, past Reagan National Airport and will hand off the torch at the Alexandria line. Full route details can be found online. Spectators are welcome to cheer on the athletes along the route.
Following the run, which originates in seven different parts of the state, the torch will end up at the Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games Opening Ceremony in Richmond. At that point, a Special Olympics athlete will receive the torch and light the new Olympic Cauldron.
A police chief in Kansas spearheaded the first torch run in 1981 to raise awareness and funds for Special Olympics. Virginia’s first torch run took place in 1986.
“Now in its 27th year, the Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run, has raised more than $14 million for Special Olympics Virginia, including a record-breaking $924,000 this year alone,” according to an ACPD press release.
All 50 states as well as 40 countries hold similar torch run events.
Crystal City Launches ‘Food Truck Thursdays’
Amid the continued debate in Rosslyn and across the county about how to balance the interests of restaurants and food trucks, Crystal City is moving forward this week with a plan that attempts to find a “win-win” solution.
The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) announced this morning that it is launching a pilot program called “Food Truck Thursdays.”
The lunchtime event — kicking off tomorrow, June 7 — will draw food trucks to a parking lot near the Crystal City Metro station for what BID president Angela Fox describes as “a fun and energetic dining option that will enhance the food truck and overall lunchtime experience.”
From a press release:
Beginning June 7th, the first Thursday in June and then happening weekly, the event will host local Food Trucks in the surface parking lot at the corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Streets (in the same location as Crystal City’s successful weekly farmers market on Tuesdays). Food Trucks that sign up get free reserved parking and patrons get one convenient location with ample options and old favorites. The following Food Trucks have already signed up to participate with many others expressing interest:
Hot People Food
Red Hook Lobster
Willie’s Po’Boy
In launching the program, the BID “hopes to balance existing business concerns while ensuring that area workers, residents, and visitors continue to enjoy from the diversity of food truck offerings,” according to the press release.
Trucks participating in the program agree to make Thursdays the only day of the week they come to Crystal City. In exchange, the truck operators get a free, reserved parking space and free marketing from the BID.
“We have enjoyed working with property owners and food truck vendors to create what we hope is a win-win Food Truck solution and are excited to launch this pilot,” Fox said.
Update at 4:00 p.m. — The Doug the Food Dude truck has also signed up for Food Truck Thursdays, according to Crystal City BID.
Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser
Morning Notes
Public Streetcar Meeting Tonight — A public meeting will be held tonight to gather resident input on an alternatives analysis and environmental assessment conducted for the planned Columbia Pike streetcar project. The meeting is being held at Patrick Henry Elementary School’s gymnasium (701 S. Highland Street) from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. [Pike Transit Initiative]
Op-Ed: Streetcar Will Spur Development — While the Columbia Pike streetcar has many vocal critics, at least one resident has penned an op-ed supporting the project. Real estate developer David DeCamp says the streetcar will spur development and attract ridership in a way that the alternatives — including an articulated bus system — cannot. [Sun Gazette]
Car Break-Ins Near Ballston — Overnight, between Monday, June 4, and Tuesday, June 5, four Honda sedans were broken into on the 5000 block of N. 10th Street, in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood near Ballston. The windows were smashed and airbags in each of the vehicles were stolen. GPS devices were also stolen from two vehicles. All of the vehicles were parked in an area away from residences, with little street lighting, according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
County Gets Low Rate on Bonds — Arlington County sold $108 million in bonds yesterday, June 5, and received what it’s calling “one of the lowest overall rates Arlington has seen.” The General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds sold to investors at an average interest rate of 2.77 percent. [Arlington County]
Flickr pool photo by MrFochs
