The Arlington Historical Society is marking the nation’s 250th birthday with a commemorative keepsake highlighting tales of the county’s past.
The 32-page, tabloid-sized Arlington VA250 History Chronicle also marks this year’s commemoration of the society’s 70th anniversary.
When it comes to support of the arts in Arlington, one candidate is thinking big. To his competitors in next month’s Democratic primary, however, it is too big.
Democratic County Board contender James DeVita has been touting support for a major arts center during recent candidate forums and on campaign signage.
Every year, for just a few minutes, one of Arlington’s most iconic works of public art comes to life exactly as its artist intended.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at approximately 9:32 a.m., visitors will gather in Rosslyn to witness the annual shadow alignment at Nancy Holt’s Dark Star Park (1979–84). At that precise moment, the shadows cast by the sculpture’s spheres and poles align with permanent shadow forms embedded in the ground—a phenomenon Holt designed to commemorate the anniversary of Rosslyn’s founding.
The alignment lasts only a few moments, but it has become a beloved Arlington tradition, drawing residents, visitors, artists and architecture enthusiasts alike to experience the intersection of art, astronomy, and history. If the weather cooperates, the park transforms into a striking demonstration of how light, time and place can become part of a work of art.
Created between 1979 and 1984, Dark Star Park was Arlington’s first County-commissioned public artwork and remains one of the nation’s earliest examples of integrated public art—where sculpture, landscape architecture and the surrounding environment function as a single work. Rather than placing an object within a park, Holt made the entire park the artwork, incorporating spheres, pools, steel poles, tunnels, earthworks and carefully positioned plantings into an immersive landscape.
Nancy Holt (1938–2014) was a pioneering artist whose work spanned poetry, film, photography, land art and large-scale public sculpture. Throughout her career, she explored perception, time and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Dark Star Park remains her most significant urban installation and one of the few major works by the artist that can be experienced in an accessible city setting.
Whether you’ve attended for years or have never visited before, Dark Star Park Day offers a rare opportunity to experience a public artwork that changes with the movement of the sun—and reminds us that some of the most memorable moments in art happen not inside a museum, but out in the world around us.
Dark Star Park Day
When: Saturday, Aug. 1, beginning around 9 a.m.; shadow alignment at approximately 9:32 a.m.
Where: Dark Star Park, 1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Rosslyn
Carla de la Pava, who has served as Arlington treasurer for nearly 12 years, announced Wednesday night (July 1) she would be retiring by mid-month.
Her departure is likely to trigger a special election held in conjunction with the Nov. 3 general election.
Despite year-over-year declines, Arlington’s median apartment rent is now up 16% from the immediate pre-Covid era and almost 37% from its pandemic low, according to new data.
The median apartment rent in June was $2,601 — $2,449 for one-bedroom units, $2,959 for two bedrooms — according to data released June 30 by Apartment List.
Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
The Arlington NAACP is being urged to stay engaged as proposals to revamp Arlington’s governance further percolate over the coming year.
“Everyone has ideas,” County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said at the civil-rights organization’s Monday (June 29) meeting.
Potomac Towers Could Triple — “Newly filed plans reveal that owner Caruthers Properties wants to add three new towers to the existing Arlington apartment complex, which sits on about seven acres between Interstate 66 and Langston Boulevard.” The 800 new units would be built in phases alongside the original 1961 building, which has 406 units. [WBJ]
DCA Grounded for Fourth — Reagan National Airport will halt flights for much of July 3 and 4 to accommodate celebrations in D.C., with no departures or arrivals scheduled after noon Saturday. The FAA has set roughly 15 hours of airspace closures across the two days, and terminal services will run at reduced capacity until flights resume July 5. [ARLnow]
Where to Watch Fireworks — With the record-setting Independence Day fireworks now expected to begin around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, ARLnow has rounded up the county’s best viewing spots, from the Marine Corps War Memorial to Marymount University. The 850,000-shell display will launch from 10 sites along the National Mall and the Potomac. [ARLnow]
Declaration Reading Moves Indoors — Due to expected heat advisories, the Arlington Historical Society’s Saturday, July 4 community reading of the Declaration of Independence has been moved from the Ball-Sellers House (which has no air conditioning) to the Arlington Historical Museum. It will begin at 2 p.m. Attendees can also tour the museum and make Revolutionary-themed protest signs. [Arlington Historical Society]
Marlinspike Closes $127M Fund — “Marlinspike Partners, an Arlington venture capital firm backing defense tech startups, has closed a $127 million fund as investors crave new technologies being developed for the Defense Department.” The close on its second fund was well above the firm’s original $70 million target and will fuel larger checks for 20 to 24 companies. [WBJ]
English Manor Hits Market — A six-bedroom, nine-bathroom English manor-style home in the Country Club Hills neighborhood has hit the market for $7,150,000. Built in 2009 at 4614 36th Street N., the 9,850-square-foot house features five fireplaces, a wine cellar, a home theater and a 40-by-20-foot pool. [N. Va. Magazine]
Wakefield’s Javelin Standout — It is not a Virginia High School League-sanctioned event, but that hasn’t stopped rising Wakefield High School senior Olivia Barr from making a name for herself in javelin. A recent success for the multi-sport athlete was a sixth-place finish at the Penn Relays. [RunWashington]
Hidden Art Spreads Joy — After losing her job last year, Rachael Wood began hiding colorful handmade artwork around Arlington for strangers to find, an effort she calls the Joyful Art Project. “My purpose is to spread joy, and I don’t know if I grasped how I was going to do that,” Wood said. “I think I found it.” [WUSA9]
East Potomac Golf Overhaul — “If built as shown, the redesign would reduce East Potomac from its current three-course, 36-hole layout to a single 18-hole championship course. It would also expand golf into roughly 50 acres of parkland now used for picnicking, fishing, cycling and other recreation.” A court hearing on a lawsuit challenging the project is set for this week. [Washington Post]
D.C. a No-Drone Zone — From the FBI Washington Field Office: “Washington, D.C., is a #NoDroneZone, so if you plan to celebrate #America250 in the district, don’t crash the party; leave your drone at home.” Unauthorized drone activity can be reported at 1-800-CALL-FBI. [FBI Washington Field/X]
ICE Mask Ban Blocked — A federal judge blocked Virginia’s new law barring ICE officers from wearing masks less than 12 hours before it was set to take effect, finding the Justice Department likely to succeed in arguing the state cannot regulate the conduct of federal officers. Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) said his office “strongly disagrees” with the ruling and will keep defending the law. [Courthouse News]
Spanberger Signs Energy Package — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed a package of energy bills Tuesday aimed at lowering costs, meeting rising demand and keeping data centers from driving up bills for families, along with legislation directing Virginia to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. “We’re investing in energy that is cleaner, more affordable, more reliable, and homegrown,” Spanberger said. [Press Release]
Data Center Battle Lines — N. Va. is home to more than 300 data centers, but public sentiment has soured: a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll found just 35% of Virginia voters would be comfortable with a new one in their community. “The battle line has been drawn around that question in Virginia,” said Brennan Gilmore of the advocacy group Clean Virginia. “And folks are lining up on either side of it.” [NOTUS]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies with a high near 103 and heat index values as high as 110. Winds will be light out of the northwest around 5 mph. Skies stay clear overnight with a low around 80. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 1, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny and hot conditions with temperatures reaching around 102 degrees and heat index values climbing to 109. A gentle west wind will blow at 3 to 5 mph. Thursday night will be clear with temperatures dropping to about 80 degrees, accompanied by a light southwest wind. See more from Weather.gov.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
Traffic-safety proponents on Tuesday (June 30) hailed a new Virginia law they believe will provide another tool to address reckless “super-speeders” on Virginia roadways.
Legislation adopted by the General Assembly last year goes into effect July 1, permitting judges to enroll those charged or convicted of certain speeding offenses in a new program using technology to limit vehicle speeds.
A new state grant will help the fledgling National Innovation Quarter (“National IQ”) with recruitment of regional, national and possibly international companies while nurturing startups in fast-growing industries.
The $3.9 million grant spread over two years was secured by Arlington Economic Development (AED) as part of the state government’s Growth and Opportunity for Virginia initiative.
