The event is being held as part PARK(ing) Day, “an annual, worldwide event that invites citizens everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good.”
In addition to the lounge itself, Rosslynites will be treated to a performance by dance artist Sarah Levitt between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. See the press release about the event, after the jump.
Arlington’s Biggest Redskins Fanatic — Charlie Clark has tracked down perhaps the biggest Redskins fan of them all. North Arlington resident Mary Holt, age 87, owns about “1,500 team knickknacks ranging from napkin holders to clocks to team photos to Redskins Wheaties cereal boxes.” The tchotchkes are displayed across “every inch of her ‘woman cave'” — where she watches the burgundy and gold every game day. [Falls Church News Press]
Lyon Village Park Ribbon Cutting — Residents and county officials will celebrate the completion of improvements to Lyon Village Park (1800 N. Highland Street) over the weekend. Park upgrades include new tennis and basketball courts, backboards and a living green picnic shelter canopy. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 11:00 Sunday morning.
The meeting is being held following a number of recent bicycle/vehicle collisions at the intersection, which serves vehicles exiting I-66 and approaching Key Bridge, as well as cyclists and pedestrians on the Custis Trail.
“Arlington County staff will be on hand to explain and discuss future plans to improve the intersection,” according to organizers.
Wild Animals Rescued During Hurricane — Given this week’s weather, Hurricane Irene is increasingly looking like a brief summer rain shower. Nonetheless, the hurricane created a dangerous situation for humans and animals alike. Animal control officers from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington rescued more than 20 wild animals during the storm, mostly baby squirrels. [Washington Post]
Defense Contractor Moving HQ to Arlington — Defense contractor ATK is moving its headquarters from Minneapolis to Rosslyn. The move will only affect the top brass at the company, however. Fewer than 10 employees, mostly executives, are expected to make the move. [DefenseNews]
TBD reported that the escalator outage lasted about an hour.
According to the Washington Post, Metro is planning to hire an outside contractor to help with preventative escalator and elevator maintenance at Orange Line stations in Virginia. One in six escalators are under repair systemwide.
The markings were removed from the Custis Trail by Arlington’s Transportation Engineering and Operations Administration last week, according to spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel. On Friday, ARLnow.com reported that a cyclist struck and injured at the intersection last month said he was issued a warning for failing to stop at the marker.
“The markings were removed because they provided a restriction to bicyclists that conflicted with the traffic signal at this intersection,” Whalen McDaniel said today. “This was recommended as part of a comprehensive trail traffic control study over a year ago. All users of the streets and sidewalks should exercise care at intersections and obey all regulations, signals, and signage.”
Businesses Encouraged By Action on Sign Ordinance — Business owners are hopeful that the new, proposed changes to the sign ordinance will dramatically “streamline” the time-consuming, costly process for getting signs approved in Arlington. [Washington Examiner]
DJO Student’s Dry-Cleaning Research Makes Headlines — It’s not everyday that a high school sophomore’s science project makes it into an peer-reviewed academic research journal, but that’s exactly what happened to Bishop O’Connell High School student Alexa Dantzler. The 15-year-old’s research on chemicals that remain on clothing after dry-cleaning, conducted with the help of the Georgetown University chemistry department, was formally published last week. [Washington Post]
The accident happened on the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 10. The cyclist said he was heading eastbound on the Custis Trail, crossing Lynn Street in Rosslyn with the green light, when a car quickly turned in front of him as he was traveling across the intersection. He slammed on the brakes but still hit the vehicle’s rear driver’s side quarter panel.
The cyclist, who did not want to be named, said that police followed his ambulance to the hospital, asked him to write a written statement, and then handed him a warning as soon as he had finished the statement. The warning was for failing to “obey a highway sign.”
The first major event after Labor Day is the Rosslyn Jazz Festival on Saturday, Sept. 10. Jazz luminaries Dee Dee Bridgewater, Henry Butler and Grace Kelly will perform at the annual event, which is held in Rossslyn’s Gateway Park.
The annual Vintage Crystal wine and jazz festival is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18. The event, held in a Crystal City parking lot, features wine tastings and food samples, as well as jazz and dance performances, all with a “Latin twist.”
Aurora Hills Babysitter Co-Op — While the District has been ranked as the most expensive place in the country for childcare, parents in the Aurora Hills neighborhood, near Crystal City, have banded together to save money by taking care of each other’s kids. The Aurora Hills babysitting co-op is “just a group of moms helping each other out,” according to one of the members. [MyFoxDC]
Seasonal Green Chiles Arrive in Arlington — A shipment of green chiles, fresh from the famous growing region of Hatch, N.M., has arrived at Santa Fe Cafe (1500 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn. The restaurant is expecting to receive about 100 pounds of Hatch green chiles throughout September. Owner Kip Laramie says he’ll be using the flavorful, spicy ingredient to serve dishes like locally smoked pork chop with green chile peach chutney, grilled spinach with green chile quesadilla, and red snapper with artichokes, mushrooms and green chiles. [Rosslyn Blog]
What started on Aug. 7 as a construction site mishap — the failed retaining wall, the muddy landslide, the threat that the apartment building might collapse — has gone from bad to worse for the Swansen residents, who say they were being told as late as Aug. 23 that they would be able to move back in to their Rosslyn-area apartment building.
That all changed on Aug. 26, residents say, with an email from landlord Mark Swansen.
The crimes took place near the Rosslyn and Courthouse areas.
Police say the man is first suspected of running up to a woman on the 1700 block of N. Quinn Street, near the 7-Eleven store, and grabbing her buttocks. That happened around 11:20 Friday night.
