Shirlington | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published June 19, 2014 at 9:05AM | Updated June 19, 2014 at 2:34PM

Park Activists Taking It Too Far? — Residents pushing for the Arlington School Board to scrap a plan to build a new elementary school on parkland next to Thomas Jefferson Middle School might have taken their effort to preserve parkland too far. Activists reportedly placed “Save TJ Park” signs in the yards of some school board members overnight before the vote on a new Arlington Public Schools Capital Improvement Plan. School-related activism “seems to be getting out of hand,” writes Sun Gazette editor Scott McCaffrey. [InsideNova]

HOV Enforcement Today — Virginia State Police, Arlington County Police and other D.C. area law enforcement agencies are conducting an HOV enforcement campaign today on I-395, I-66 and other local highways. The enforcement took place during the morning rush hour and will take place again during the evening rush hour. [Associated Press]

Events

Shirlington Running Club Celebrates Five Years

By Ethan Rothstein

Published June 10, 2014 at 12:00PM | Updated June 10, 2014 at 1:59PM

This evening, the running club is throwing its fifth anniversary party at its usual post-run watering hole, Bungalow Sports Grill (2766 S. Arlington Mill Drive). The club’s runners participate in its 5K runs on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., then heads to the restaurant for happy hour.

Mirentxu Meyer and Shirley Santos founded the running club when Santos was training for a triathlon, and, seeing as how they “hated to run,” they figured they would start a community group to make it a little more fun.

Events

Shirlington Outdoor Concert Series Returns for June

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 20, 2014 at 11:00AM

The Shirlala Music Festival begins June 12 with urban folk rock artist Justin Trawick, performing in the plaza in front of Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Avenue) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The concerts will take place every Thursday through August 21.

The festival will also include a weekly $5 wine tasting, with the proceeds going to benefit the Arlington Food Assistance Center. The concerts themselves are free for the public.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2014 at 9:05AM

JetBlue Adding Service from DCA — JetBlue Airlines will begin direct service from Reagan National Airport to Charleston, S.C.; Hartford, Conn.; and Nassau, Bahamas on June 19. On July 2 the airline will add a second daily flight between DCA and Tampa. [InsideNova]

Beyer Accused of Using Car Dealership Ads to Boost Campaign — Del. Patrick Hope is accusing fellow Democratic congressional candidate Don Beyer of trying to “buy an election” and increase his name recognition by increasing ad buys for his eponymous Don Beyer Volvo dealership. Hope’s campaign says radio station WAMU has pulled ads for Don Beyer Volvo until after the June 10 primary. [Blue Virginia]

Around Town

Peet’s Coffee Expected to Open in Shirlington Next Month

By ARLnow.com

Published May 7, 2014 at 4:45PM

Construction was being performed on the interior of the store today. That construction is expected to wrap up and the new Peet’s coffee shop is expected to open “in approximately 6 weeks,” according to Molly Hippolitus, a spokeswoman for the Village at Shirlington shopping center.

Minneapolis-based Caribou announced last year that it would be closing about half of its stores and converting the others to the California-based Peet’s brand.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 25, 2014 at 9:05AM

‘Most Clarendon Craigslist Ad Ever’ — Is this listing for rooms in a house in the Clarendon-Courthouse area, which starts out with the greeting “Whasup Craiglist,” the “most Clarendon Craigslist ad ever,” as our tipster puts it? According to the listing, two people are leaving the four-person house and the remaining residents “are looking for new members [to add] to our wolfpack.” [Craigslist, Twitter]

Arlington Is 2nd Most Affordable for Car Insurance — A website says Arlington has the second most-affordable car insurance in the country. The ranking is based on the average insurance rate for a Ford F-150 as a percentage of the county’s median income. [Nerd Wallet]

Around Town

Cajun Seafood Restaurant Opens in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Published April 10, 2014 at 4:30PM

A new cajun seafood restaurant has opened in Shirlington Village at 4251 Campbell Avenue.

The restaurant is called Blue Sea Seafood and Bar, and it’s located in the former Bear Rock Cafe space. The concept behind it is “to make sure people were getting a great portion, great price and great food,” general manager Jonathan Theriault told ARLnow.com.

News

Land Eyed for Shirlington Walmart Could Become Storage Facility

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 8, 2014 at 3:30PM

The site, at 2631 Shirlington Road, is currently occupied by Redman Fleet Services, a towing and truck service company that has a contract with the Arlington County Police Department. Big box retailer Walmart was thinking about building a store there in 2011, which prompted the County Board to change its zoning ordinance so it could regulate the design and plans for Walmart or other “big box” retailers.

The plans for the Walmart ultimately fell through, and the run-down two-story warehouse and large car storage lot on 2631 Shirlington Road remain. The building, however, has been approved for demolition and, in its place, a five-story facility referred to as “Shirlington Self Storage” has been proposed to take its place.

Events

Sheryl Crow Musical to Debut at Signature Theatre

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 20, 2014 at 9:30AM

Crow penned the music and lyrics while the movie’s writer and director, Barry Levinson, wrote the book (musicals’ version of a script), according to Variety. The entertainment publication reports that the musical will debut at Signature (4200 Campbell Ave.) from Dec. 9 to Jan. 25.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show was scheduled to open on Broadway twice before delays and may still end up there, depending on the show’s performance at Signature. The show will be directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall (“Anything Goes,” “The Pajama Game,” “Wonderful Town”).

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 17, 2014 at 10:45AM

Irish PM Visits Shirlington — Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny visited Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub (2800 S. Randolph Street) in Shirlington over the weekend to watch an Irish rugby game. The Taoiseach, as the position of Irish prime minister is also called, is in the U.S. celebrating the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. [Facebook, The Independent]

County Board Approves Ashlawn Addition Revision — The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a revised plan for an addition to Ashlawn Elementary School but not before making Arlington Public Schools officials explain how the project went wrong. Local residents have complained about several aspects of the plan, including tree removal the building of a parking lot. [InsideNoVa]

Events

Shirlington to Host Spring Beer Festival

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 12, 2014 at 10:45AM | Updated March 13, 2014 at 12:29PM

The event, the inaugural Springfest, is planned for Saturday, April 26 from noon to 7:00 p.m. Forty-five breweries, almost exclusively from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, are expected to pour their brews at booths. According to Capitol City Director of Brewing Operations Kristi Griner, the format will be the same as Capitol City’s annual Octoberfest, but the event will be smaller.

Partygoers can pay $30, which will give them a wristband and 10 tasting tickets. Additional tickets are $1 apiece, but must be bought at least five at a time. The event will likely shut down Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village, although specifics about road closures have not been determined.

News

UPDATED: Bank Robbery in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Published February 5, 2014 at 12:25PM | Updated February 5, 2014 at 7:42PM

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Arlington County Police are on the scene of a bank robbery in Shirlington.

The robbery occurred around 12:15 p.m. at the BB&T Bank branch at 2700 S. Quincy Street. Two men in ski masks robbed the bank while armed with at least one handgun.