Around Town

The giveaway kicked off yesterday and runs through December 23. Each day one entrant will be picked to receive a gift set valued at $150 or more. The various goodies will be from Shirlington merchants, with the grand prize including dinner at Extra Virgin, tickets to see Hairspray at Signature Theatre, and a one night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn.

If you’d like to enter, click here. No purchase is necessary, but participants must be at least 18 years old.


News

Construction Progress in Rosslyn — Progress is being made on two major construction projects in Rosslyn. Despite a partial collapse of a retaining wall over the summer, the shell of one of the future Sedona and Slate apartment buildings (above) is nearing street level. We’re also told that the shell of the future 1812 N. Moore office tower is steadily making its way, floor by floor, toward the top of the construction pit and may be visible from street level in the near future.

Shirlington Lights Up the Village — Shirlington held its “Light Up the Village” holiday event last night, complete with angels on stilts, jesters on unicycles, horse-drawn carriage rides, live music and a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. [Shirlington Village Blog]


Events

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us. Case in point: Shirlington’s 9th annual holiday tree-lighting is only two weeks away.

The ‘Light Up the Village‘ event will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29. In addition to the tree lighting, which will take place at 6:30 p.m., there will also be live music, strolling entertainment, local merchant specials, photos with Santa (inside the UPS Store), horse and carriage rides (cost: a canned food donation to the Arlington Food Assistance Center), face painting, balloon twisting and more.


News

Ben Affleck Flick Filming in N. Arlington? — Local residents are telling us that ‘Argo,’ a new Ben Affleck-directed political thriller, is currently in production in the area near Overlee pool. [Forums]

New Restaurant Coming to Shirlington — A new Mediterranean restaurant called Medi is coming to Shirlington. The eatery will offer “uniquely blended flavors, healthy ingredients, and great value,” according to The Village at Shirlington Facebook page. [Shirlington Village Blog]


News

On Saturday the board unanimously approved a change to the county’s zoning ordinance that will require new “big box” retail stores to seek a Special Exception Use Permit. Before that, a large retailer could have theoretically built a store in certain areas on a “by right” basis, without the need to obtain board approval.

The amendment will apply to retail stores with a gross floor area of 50,000 square feet or more on any level, or stores with 200 more more dedicated parking spaces. Car dealerships were exempted from the rule.


Events

If the answer to all three of those questions is ‘yes,’ then the Arlington Public Library has just the event for you this weekend.

On Sunday evening, the Shirlington Branch Library (4200 Campbell Avenue) will be hosting the library’s first-ever ‘Book Dating’ event. Library officials are billing the event as a “novel” way to help the literary-minded find love.


Around Town

Dogma Bakery (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) is offering a three-course meal for dogs as part of Restaurant Week. The meal consists of a house-made “gar-lick cheese bite” appetizer; a main course of fish, chicken, beef or venison kibble, with a side of vegetables; and a dog ice cream, cookie or muffin dessert.

The meal is available for dine-in or take-out. Owners choosing the sit-down option are invited to order human food from The Bungalow and dine with their dogs.


News

More on Possible Shirlington Walmart — Three months after ARLnow.com reported exclusively that Walmart was eying a site for a possible store in Shirlington, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman is acknowledging that the county is aware of Walmart’s interest in Shirlington. This weekend the County Board is expected to discuss changing the zoning ordinance in order to prevent “big box” stores like Walmart from being constructed without Board approval. When the ordinance change was first advertised, the word “Walmart” was never mentioned. [WTOP]

Fire Station Open Houses This Weekend — Arlington’s 10 fire stations will each be conducting an open house between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The kid-friendly event is organized as part of Fire Prevention Week 2011. [Arlington County]


News

The break happened near the intersection of Walter Reed Drive and Arlington Mill Drive in Shirlington yesterday. Crews have been unable to fully fix the rupture because the size of the water main — 14 inches — is “rare” and the nearest replacement part that the county was able to find was four hours away.

Much of Fairlington and parts of Shirlington are currently experiencing low or no water pressure. Most Shirlington businesses, however, are “in good shape,” according to Arlington County Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Myllisa Kennedy.


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