Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like your event considered, fill out the event submission form to submit it to our event calendar.
Monday, July 12
Beginning Fencing Class*
Nova Fencing and Archery Club (3501 Carlin Springs Road)
Time: 6-7 p.m.
The Nova Fencing & Archery Club is offering an introduction to the Olympic sport of fencing. The class is aimed at ages 7-12 and meets twice a week for four weeks.
Tuesday, July 13
Coffee Breaks at Summer House
National Landing’s Gateway Green (101 12th Street S.)
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Local coffee shops are coming together to serve morning cold brews at Gateway Green in Crystal City. Parking is available at 201 12th Street S.
Thursday, July 15
Arlington Chamber of Commerce Business After Business
WHINO (4238 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 5-7 p.m.
The Chamber of Commerce is hosting a networking event with food, beer, wine and soft drinks. The event will also have an opportunity to win door prizes and a cash jackpot for members only. Member registration is $25, and registration for non-members is $35.
Community Meeting: Crystal City to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Multimodal Connector (CC2DCA) Study
Online Event
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation are hosting a meeting to discuss providing a multimodal connection between Crystal City and National Airport. The connection could help meet the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and people using micro-mobility devices, as well as providing a connection between the airport and the VRE station and the Mount Vernon Trail. Input can be submitted online.
Rosslyn LIVE!
Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway)
Time: 7-10 p.m.
The Rosslyn BID is partnering with American Pops Orchestra to host Rosslyn LIVE! The outdoor performances will focus on over-the-top, campy fun. Tickets are $10 per person. A portion of the ticket sales will be donated to Arlington Public School Choirs and will benefit improvements at Gateway Park.
Friday, July 16
9th Street Chamber Music Launch Party
St. George’s Episcopal Church (915 N. Oakland Street)
Time: 5-9 p.m.
New professional string quartet 9th Street Chamber Music is hosting a launch party on the lawn at St. George’s Episcopal Church. The event is free and open to all, and will include live music by the quartet. Food and drink will be available for purchase.
Saturday, July 17
Tuckahoe Park Invasive Removal
Tuckahoe Park (6550 25th Street N.)
Time: 10 a.m.-Noon
Volunteers are needed to help remove invasive plants from Tuckahoe Park. Helpers are asked to bring sturdy clothes, gloves, hat, sunscreen and bug spray. The group will meet on July 17 and August 21.
* Denotes sponsored listing
Neighborhoods across the county are getting ready for Neighborhood Day, set to take place Saturday and feature a wide range of events and activities.
The day looks to bring together neighbors to strengthen bonds on blocks and across the county.
This year’s events are:
Jennie Dean Park Historical Markers Unveiling Ceremony
At noon, the park’s new historical markers will be unveiled, followed by a tour of Arlington Food Assistance Center’s new office at 2708 S Nelson Street.
Seventh Annual Turtle Trot 5K Race
A chip-timed 5K race at Bluemont Park on a certified course. The race begins at 10 a.m.
International Migratory Bird Day Festival
From 9-11 a.m., celebrate International Migratory Bird Day by learning about migratory birds such as hummingbirds and osprey with hands-on activities, games, crafts, bird walks and more. Meet at Lacey Woods Park Picnic Shelter, 1200 N. George Mason Drive.
Lee Highway Alliance Events
The Lee Highway Alliance is hosting three events to celebrate at Woodstock Park, Big Walnut Park and Langston-Brown Community Center.
Tuckahoe Home and Garden Tour
The self-guided Tuckahoe Home & Garden Tour showcases recently renovated Arlington homes that solve common space and design challenges through creative remodeling.
Fairlington Home and Garden Tour
Tour a variety of renovated homes and gardens in Fairlington Village. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased in advance or on the day.
Remove Invasive Plants
Increase native species diversity by helping with the return of ferns and wildflowers, and the animals that depend on them, in areas once covered in destructive invasive plants. The Gulf Branch Nature Center will host the event from 2-4 p.m.
Zumbathon
Join Enrique and special guest Mimi in a two-hour zumbathon from noon-2 p.m. at Penrose Square.
Tara-Leeway Heights Community Day
From 1-3 p.m. at Big Walnut Park, the Tara-Leeway Heights community will host an event complete with food vendors, games and more.
LBCCA Celebration and Movie Night Series Kick-Off
The Long Branch Creek Civic Association will bring the community together to celebrate from 5-9 p.m. at Troy Park. The event will include a moon bounce, games and activities, potluck dinner, snacks, beverages and an outdoor movie screening.
Ashton Heights Neighborhood Yard Sale
From 8 a.m.-noon, visit the Ashton Heights neighborhood for a community-wide yard sale.
The end of renovations at Tuckahoe Park will be marked Saturday with a ribbon-cutting to mark the completion of a two-year project. The ribbon-cutting is set for 11:15 a.m.
The park at 2400 N. Sycamore Street in East Falls Church has had its bleachers and benches renovated, while the bullpens and batting cages for local baseball players have also had a facelift.
In addition, the grass and dirt in the park’s two diamond fields have been revamped and drainage improved, while a new electronic scoreboard has been added for use by the community and the nearby Bishop O’Connell High School. O’Connell contributed $18,000 towards purchasing the scoreboard.
ADA accessibility has also been added around the park, including from 26th Street N., the school and the existing park trail near N. Sycamore Street.
The park is already being used by Arlington Little League and other community groups. The County Board approved the $1 million renovation project in 2015.
Major renovations are coming to the ballfields at Tuckahoe Park.
At its meeting this Saturday, the Arlington County Board is expected to award a $1 million construction contract to Bennett Group of Washington, D.C. for renovations and improvements at the park.
The Dept. of Parks and Recreation released renovation plans in March, making the two baseball/softball fields their focus. Changes include new players’ benches, dugouts, backstops, bleachers for spectators, fencing, drinking fountains, bullpens and batting cages.
Much of the project’s construction will be focused on a new irrigation and drainage system and new sod.
Other additions to the park in the plans include picnic tables, a portable toilet enclosure, storage, landscaping and a new scoreboard. The scoreboard will be shared between the county and Bishop O’Connell High School, which is contributing $18,000 to its purchase
The plans would also make the park and its fields more accessible per Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
According to a county website dedicated to the project, construction on the park is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2016.
If approved, the contract will authorize $1.06 million for construction. That includes nearly $100,000 as a contingency. The total estimated cost of the project, with design and soft costs factored in, is $1.25 million.
Saturday’s meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the County Board Room at 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Room 307.
The Arlington County is planning renovations at Tuckahoe Park (2400 N. Sycamore Street).
The county’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation has scheduled an open house later this month to discuss the plans and solicit community feedback. The open house will take place from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26 in the Tuckahoe Elementary School library.
The parks department says the renovations, planned for 2016, will focus on the park’s two softball fields.
“Renovations include the spectator and players’ bench areas, bullpens and batting cages, and improved access to the fields for people with disabilities,” the department said in an email. In addition, the renovations will allow the combined natural turf outfields of the two softball diamonds to be used as a soccer field.
A separate, previous improvement project for Tuckahoe Park’s playground was approved by the County Board in 2013.
At its meeting on Saturday (January 26), the County Board is expected to approve the award of a contract for the reconstruction of a playground at Tuckahoe Park (2400 N. Sycamore Street).
County staff recommends awarding the $666,650 contract to Jeffrey Stack, Inc. There would also be more than $66,000 approved for change orders, for a total contract authorization of more than $733,000.
The county received only two bids for the work but both came in above what had been budgeted for the project. County staff negotiated with the lowest bidder, Jeffrey Stack, Inc., to reduce the total cost.
The East Falls Church park was last renovated in 1994, and the Arlington East Falls Church Civic Association has been working with the county since late 2010 on revitalization plans.
Improvements include an accessible entrance, new play equipment, accessible paths, site furnishings, synthetic turf safety surfacing, site drainage, bio-retention gardens and plantings.
A local mother was dismayed to find obscene graffiti in an Arlington County park over the weekend.
Two obscene phrases were painted on a slide in Tuckahoe Park, in the East Falls Church neighborhood. In an email, the mother told ARLnow.com that she was recording a video of her three-year-old daughter playing in the park and only noticed the graffiti when she panned the camera down as her daughter rode down the slide.
Photos courtesy Sandra A.
