This past weekend was spring forward for time. This week as been spring open for cherry blossoms.
Thanks to warm and sunny weather, tree blossoms have been opening at a rapid clip, and that includes those on Arlington’s cherry blossom trees.
Blossom seekers can enjoy the bloom by visiting some of the local sites with cherry tree clusters, including:
- Cherrydale Baptist Church (3910 Lorcom Lane)
- Arlington National Cemetery (1 Memorial Ave)
- Long Bridge Park in Crystal City (475 Long Bridge Drive)
- Quincy Park in Virginia Square (1021 N. Quincy Street)
- Welburn Square in Ballston (901 N. Taylor Street)
Arlington has a few events and activities planned coinciding with blossom season, including a pop-up market with local vendors at Metropolitan Park in Pentagon City and live music at the Crystal City Water Park.
The more famous Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in D.C., meanwhile, have reached the final stage before peak bloom. The National Park Service made the announcement this morning.
Here are some more pictures of the blossoms in stage 5: puffy white. Learn more about the blossom cycle & plan your visit at https://t.co/h04Gu0ksc1
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸/🌸#Cherryblossom #BloomWatch #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/phjKOaZXYF— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 15, 2024
It’s March and the month to come is packed with holidays, events and the arrival of spring.
There’s warmer weather, cherry blossoms, Daylight Saving Time, March Madness and St. Paddy’s Day, just to name a few.
Given all that’s to come over the next few weeks, it might be hard to pick just one thing you’re looking forward to — so we’re letting you pick up to three.
Of the following dozen options, what are most looking forward to?
From witty retellings to hyperlocal stories, Shakespeare to contemporary musicals, a wide range of shows is set to hit Arlington theaters this spring and summer.
Next Thursday is the opening night for the musical “Private Jones” (Feb. 6-March 10) at Signature Theatre. The audience will be taken on a journey, based on a true story, of a deaf Welsh sniper during World War I.
Also this spring, Signature will put on “Penelope” (March 5-April 21), which retells Homer’s epic about Odysseus from the perspective of his wife, Penelope, and “Where the Mountain Meets the Sea” (May 21-July 7), which follows a young man who tries to bond with his deceased father by retracing his steps through a journey across America.
Other upcoming Signature shows will let attendees relive the ’60s or experience for the first time and get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Broadway musical “Hair” came to be, leading up to the theater’s performance of the musical from April 16 to July 7.
Shakespeare lovers, meanwhile, can rejoice in a trio of plays this spring.
First up, from this coming Friday to Sunday, theater-goers can see a playwright reckon with Shakespeare’s legacy in “Historic Doubts” by Avant Bard Theatre. The show is being held at Mason Exhibitions Arlington, at 3601 Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square.
Next is Synetic Theater‘s rendition of “Romeo and Juliet” (Feb. 9-March 24), followed by an interactive adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” (Feb. 29-March 23), also by Avant Bard Theatre. In it, the audience becomes “directly involved and implicated in the conditioning of a man” who has been groomed into thinking antisocial brutality is normal.
The Arlington Players (TAP) will reprise the plays-about-plays genre in its two shows this spring. First up, starting this weekend, is “Anton in Show Business” (Feb. 3-18), about the “joys, pains and absurdities of putting on a play.”
Stories about acting continue in the “The Prom” (March 23-April 7) in which four struggling Broadway stars looking for their next break find it in small-town Indiana, where they help a young gay girl best a PTA set on not allowing her to bring her girlfriend to the high school dance. Both TAP productions will be held at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road).
Meanwhile, local children’s theater Encore Stage and Studio will start the year with an adaptation of the “Adventures of Swiss Family Robinson” (March 1-10). Director of Marketing and Design Aileen Christian says this show — also held at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center — “is full of humor with talking animals, silly characters, and the beloved treehouse.”
Next, Encore will revisit original theater pieces focused on Arlington’s African-American voices in a double feature of “The Day Nothing Happened” and “Nauck to Green Valley, Transforming a Community” (April 26-28).
Christian says she believes that these stories “share a special meaning right here in Arlington.” The show will take place at Theatre on the Run (3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive).
We’re now into the back third of meteorological spring and it’s feeling more like… the beginning?
It has been a notably cool (and wet) end to April and start of May, right around when one might have been expecting some warmer weather to move in.
As this post is being written, the thermometer is sitting at 48 degrees, which sounds more like May in Manitoba than Arlington. (In fact, it’s currently a touch warmer in Winnipeg.)
A relatively modesty warm up is on the way, however. Near-average temperatures are expected to return next week, according to the Capital Weather Gang’s outlook.
With low temperatures frequently dipping into the 40s and highs mostly in the 50s and 60s this week, it will feel more like March than May. But highs should leap into the 70s or warmer next week…
For the second half of May, longer term models project near to slightly below normal temperatures.
What best describes your reaction to the current cool stretch?
The CDC’s elevated “Community Level” for Arlington may not tell the full story, county health officials say.
Yesterday ARLnow reported that Arlington was the only jurisdiction in the immediate D.C. area to have risen to a “medium” Community Level, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While hospitalizations here remain relatively low, the county has been above 200 new cases per week per 100,000 residents for a few days, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data, prompting the CDC’s designation.
But local officials argue that there are factors in play that may explain why the case rate is higher than elsewhere in the region, including a rise in testing leading up to the current Arlington Public Schools spring break.
“Ongoing transmission and recent increased testing contributed to the rise in cases as well as the delayed reporting of cases that are over 10 days old,” said county spokesman Ryan Hudson.
Arlington County Public Health released the following statement to ARLnow.
The increase above the 200 cases per 100,000 persons threshold is likely attributable to 3 factors First, there has been continued transmission in Arlington, and since March the northern Virginia region – including Arlington – has seen increases in weekly case rates. Second, there has been a 16% increase in the number of Arlington residents getting tested compared to the previous week, which is likely related to the good preparation by residents before beginning travel for Spring Break and the approaching religious holidays. Finally, we know that there has been delayed reporting of test results from before March which keeps being reported. […]
Fortunately, our Washington, DC metropolitan area hospital systems have the capacity to respond should there be a need due to COVID-19, especially because our area enjoys high rates of vaccination among those 5 and older.
With the start of Spring Break and the religious holidays, we remind residents of the actions you can take to reduce a Spring surge in cases using layered prevention strategies including testing, vaccination, choosing to wear a mask when appropriate, following CDC isolation and quarantine guidance, and getting treatments if and when necessary.
Regarding testing, consider testing to detect infection before and after traveling or when gathering with people at high risk for severe disease. Get tested at one of our five Curative testing kiosks, find other testing sites through the VDH Testing Locator, or order your second set of free at-home tests at COVID.gov/tests.
With respect to vaccines, everyone 5 years and older should get fully vaccinated and everyone 12 years and older should get a booster to strengthen protection against Omicron and other variants. To find a vaccine location near you visit vaccines.gov, walk-in to one of the County’s clinics, or call our COVID-19 hotline at 703-228-7999.
Our individual and collective actions are the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones, to keep children well to attend school, and to keep society functioning by limiting a potential surge.
As of Tuesday, VDH was reporting a seven-day moving average of about 90 daily cases in Arlington, up from 24 cases per day a month ago. Local wastewater data similarly shows a sharp uptick in detected Covid levels.
Rent on the Rise — “Living in Arlington, Virginia has its perks. ‘Young. It’s vibrant,’ said Arlington resident Robert Buck. ‘That’s why I moved here.’ However, those perks come at a price and for many, that price comes with a roommate… Arlington isn’t getting any cheaper according to a new study from Apartment List that says while rents are getting higher across the DMV they have gone up the most in Arlington by 16% over last year, compared to 10% in D.C.” [WUSA 9]
New Subdivision Gets New Name — “Toll Brothers has chosen a name for the luxury subdivision it is building on the site of the historic Febrey-Lothrop House, demolished one year ago. The winner? The Grove at Dominion Hills. The company was considering suggestions to name the new streets its 40 new homes will require off McKinley Rd. and Wilson Blvd. for the former landowners Febrey and Rouse. But on learning of Arlington’s street grid (new streets would have to be three-syllable “M’s” and N. 9th St.), the firm opted not to seek an exception from the county board, I’m told.” [Falls Church News-Press]
APS on Spring Break — “Arlington Public Schools wishes you a wonderful, relaxing and safe Spring Break! APS schools and offices will be closed for the break, April 11-15, and Mon, April 18 for Grade Prep. We will see you back on Tue, April 19!” [Twitter]
Safety Push for S. Carlin Springs Road — “A dangerous stretch of road in Arlington is prompting community advocates, civic groups, and neighbors to request the county implement new safety measures. Arlington County Public Schools Parent, Gillian Burgess, says there are three schools along South Carlin Springs Road, and the traffic, as well as the congestion, makes her worried about children’s safety.” [Fox 5]
GMU Hosting ‘Yappy Hour’ Tonight — “Bring your pup and get to know the Arlington community at Mason Square! Bring your furry friends and get your paws on some doggie treats, puppachinos, toys, belly rubs, and more! It’s time to paw-ty!” [George Mason University]
Blood Drive This Afternoon — “Fire Works American Pizzeria and Bar is partnering with Inova Blood Donor Services to host an Arlington Community Blood Drive on Monday, April 11. An Inova Bloodmobile will be parked in front of Fire Works, near the intersection of Clarendon Boulevard and North Adams Street, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on April 11.” [Patch]
Lt. Gov. Sears Coming to Arlington GOP Dinner — “The Arlington and Alexandria Republican committees yesterday announced that the lieutenant governor would be the guest of honor at their joint Lincoln/Reagan Dinner, to take place May 19 in Alexandria. Tickets are $100 to $250. No doubt Sears will guarantee a sold-out event. People like a celebrity, and with no offense to the other two statewide officeholders in Virginia, it is Sears that has that status at the moment.” [Sun Gazette]
This Place Is for the Birds — From the Twitter account Bunnies of Arlington County: “Not a bunny, but birds appear to have nested in the A of the Oracle building in Court House.” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 67 and low of 40. Sunrise at 6:38 am and sunset at 7:42 pm. [Weather.gov]
The weather may be windy and cold today, but it was sunny and more spring-like on Friday for the opening of a local retirement community’s famed daffodil garden.
A number of local officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Culpepper Garden community for low-income seniors, located in the Buckingham neighborhood at 4435 N. Pershing Drive.
Among the officials were County Board Chair Katie Cristol, County Board member Libby Garvey, County Manager Mark Schwartz, and state Senator Barbara Favola. They were joined by Arlington first responders, who helped to cut the ribbon on the spring garden, which features some 33,000 flowers in bloom, according to Culpepper Garden.
The garden was renovated and expanded during the pandemic and is tended to by a mix of volunteers, professional gardeners and staff.
A press release about the event is below.
(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Locals can go fly a kite this weekend at Virginia Highlands Park in the Pentagon City area, for the Blossom Kite Festival.
Held in conjunction with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the kite festival is one of a dozen taking place at D.C.-area parks this coming Saturday, March 26.
The event will feature live entertainment, food trucks, origami, art projects, and, of course, kites. It will take place on the diamond fields at the corner of S. Joyce Street and 15th Street S. from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
This is the Pentagon City park’s second year holding the festival. Upwards of 750 people are expected to attend, organizers tell ARLnow, with the first hundred attendees receiving a kite kit.
“It’s been such a difficult couple of years. This is the first big event Arlington Parks and Recreation has been able to hold outside in a long time,” says Laura Barragan, special events manager at the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation. ” Our community has been so resilient and resourceful during the pandemic. We should celebrate ourselves and our community. The Blossom Kite Festival is a way we can bring the magic of the Cherry Blossom Festival to Arlington.”
Live entertainment will include a flamenco artist, rock and roll cover band, kid-friendly street performers, and gypsy-rock group the 19th Street Band. There will also be local food trucks like the Big Cheese, BBQ At Its Best, El Encanto Latino and Kona Ice.
Attendees additionally have an opportunity to learn about Japanese culture, including demonstrations on making origami cherry trees and how to play the wooden ball skill game kendama.
Dogs are welcome and the festival is rain or shine, though in case of severe weather it will be rescheduled for Sunday. The event is being sponsored by Amazon, according to the website.
The event will be taking place after peak bloom has been reached at the Tidal Basin.
BREAKING: The National Park Service declares the cherry blossoms have reached peak bloom! pic.twitter.com/WGqwzsTG0o
— Tom Roussey (@tomroussey7news) March 21, 2022
Waitlists, error messages and a call line 90 people deep thwarted Arlington residents’ attempts to enroll in spring classes through the parks department this morning (Wednesday).
The Department of Parks and Recreation offers a variety of classes in the spring, fall and winter that range from gymnastics and swimming to ceramics and jewelry making. The classes for kids are particularly popular with local parents. And registration day system failures — like those from opening day of summer camp registration — are not new for these classes, either.
Some compared the registration process to “getting front row Bruce Springsteen tickets” — to wit, “stressful and horrible.” Others likened it to the summer camp sign-up drama three weeks ago.
This happens every time. It just happened with summer camps. It is truly inequitable that parents are expected to spend 60-90 minutes while the system times out to access these classes. You have to fix this.
— Nicki (@oryelle) March 16, 2022
After summer camp registration crashed immediately upon opening the morning of Feb. 23 — despite attempts to beef up the platform in advance — parks department spokeswoman Susan Kalish said the platform vendor conducted “tests and improvements that should have resulted in a smooth registration” on Wednesday morning.
That did not happen.
“This morning, Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation saw slower than desired response times for the spring ENJOY Arlington class registration,” she said. “Even though we staggered class registration start times and limited user search capabilities, our vendor’s registration system could not handle the high registration volume.”
While the number of people competing for spots was high, it was still on par with prior first-day enrollments, she said.
Registration opened for gymnastics classes at 7 a.m., aquatics classes at 7:30 a.m., and all other classes at 8 a.m. Residents reported struggling to get their preferences despite having their fingers poised over their keyboards ahead of time.
After 90 minutes, I have successfully registered two kids for swim classes on two different nights of the week, and my third child is waitlisted. 90 minutes. I was sitting in front of my computer, class numbers in hand, at 7:25am.
— Brooke Oberwetter (@brookeOB1) March 16, 2022
DPR encouraged people to call the office for assistance with registration. The line was quickly swamped with callers, and while they waited, the online platform timed people out.
The line had 79 people on hold when I tried & I was booted out of the online system at least a dozen times before I gave up. Friends report the same. This system is failing working parents and all but ensures those most in need of affordable options for their kids won’t get it.
— Maggie Bush (@dcmaggieb) March 16, 2022
Those looking to enroll in just one class said even that was impossible.
Tried to register exactly at 8 am. Only wanted 1 class. Constant error messages. Called help line. 90th in line. 40 minutes later was told over the phone we were waitlisted. System thought we were non-arlington residents even though our account address was in arlington. Very mad
— Kevin Muse (@KevinMu39953916) March 16, 2022
Following today’s issues, some repeated their calls on the parks department to fix the system, or change it to a lottery process. Under that system, parents would not have to wake up early and register at lightning speed, but it would add uncertainty to their kids’ schedules.
An unscientific ARLnow poll found 41% of respondents support a lottery system, while 58% said DPR ought to keep the current process but get better technology or a new vendor. At least one resident suggested Arlington look to the tech giant Amazon, currently building its second headquarters in Pentagon City.
Perhaps our new neighbor @amazon can do something for @ArlingtonVA taxpayers and residents by providing a registration system that is performant under high load @awscloud @amazonnews
— verycaroline (@verycaroline) March 16, 2022
Last month, Board Chair Katie Cristol issued a statement responding to and echoing parent frustrations with the process for getting into camp. She said the Board told County Manager Mark Schwartz and department leaders it expects a “full reform of registration.”
She reiterated those sentiments in a statement to ARLnow Wednesday morning.
“We’re disappointed and frustrated, and this highlights the need for the total redesign of the registration process to which DPR has committed,” she said of today’s issues.
DPR will start reviewing its processes and solutions this spring, Kalish said.
A plan for improvements to next year’s registration process could be ready by September, DPR’s Director Jane Rudolph told the County Board yesterday (Tuesday) during a work session on the upcoming 2022-23 budget.
She told the Board that preventing future breakdowns “is our highest department-wide priority.”
“As we know, the issue goes beyond just a technology solution,” she said. “We have a high demand and not enough supply for certain camps and for certain age groups.”
DPR is looking into increasing slots where demand is greatest: options for older toddlers and elementary school-aged kids, as well as sports and robotics programs, Rudolph said.
Blossoms are beginning to bloom in Arlington and the temperature is expected to climb above 60 this afternoon. Sounds like a good time for a bike ride.
Luckily, local bike boosters have made some handy maps for seeing the blossoms on two wheels.
The cherry blossom bike maps from BikeArlington are aimed at helping residents catch full bloom without leaving the county and fighting crowds across the Potomac.
BikeArlington, the county-sponsored bike education program, has released long and short bike routes to assist cyclists in finding blossoms across the county.
Our friends at @BikeArlington have a couple maps! https://t.co/yi3dciiitg https://t.co/zW4qza40Yk
— Arlington County (@ArlingtonVA) March 10, 2022
Cherry blossom season is one of the most-anticipated times of the year in the D.C. area with the delicate, pink flowers attracting locals and tourists alike. Peak bloom is expected to happen between March 23 and 25 this year, according to the National Park Service, though this weekend’s cold and (likely) snowy weather could change that.
BikeArlington’s long bike route covers a 17 mile loop estimated to take under two hours and hits seven locations. Those stops include checking out trees at the Shirlington Branch Library, Ballston’s Welburn Square, Quincy Park in Virginia Square, and Cherrydale.
“Bike along the streets between Route 29, N. Quincy St, and I-66,” reads the map. “There’s a reason this neighborhood is named Cherrydale!”
The short route covers 2.5 miles and is estimated to take under 20 minutes, without stopping. It takes riders through Arlington National Cemetery, Gravelly Point, and to the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial.
“Stop and sit at benches that overlook the cherry blossom trees on the other side of the river,” the map reads.
While the Tidal Basin blossoms in D.C. are the “official” trees that were gifted by the Japanese government, there are plenty of blooms to behold in Arlington. At Arlington National Cemetery, there are more than 400 cherry trees. Just last year, dozens of new cherry blossom trees were planted in National Landing.
A number of cherry blossom-related events will be happening over the next month in Arlington, including a kite festival at Virginia Highlands Park, a petal porch parade, and public art installations.
(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) After a pandemic winter, the region’s annual rite of spring is finally here: The cherry blossoms have bloomed.
A string of warm weather days got the famed Tidal Basin cherry blossoms to hit peak bloom a few days earlier than initially predicted. While there were fears that peak bloom would result in crowded conditions that would prompt the National Park Service to shut down access, that has yet to materialize.
As of now, the Tidal Basin remains open with peak bloom expected to last about a week.
If blossom peeping is what you’re after, then Arlington National Cemetery is another possible destination, with numerous cherry blossom trees. However, it’s currently only open to the public on a limited basis.
Here in Arlington, our cherry blossoms aren’t as famous as those across the river, but there are still plenty to see elsewhere around the county. Clusters of cherry trees and blossoms can be seen in various Arlington neighborhoods, heralding the arrival of spring without the fanfare of their Tidal Basin brethren.
ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott traveled around Arlington over the past week to capture some of the blooms, as seen in the gallery above.
There are other ways to participate in the cherry blossom festivities that don’t require venturing across the Potomac.
In National Landing, where dozens of cherry trees are being planted, two “Art in Bloom” sculptures are now on display. Relatedly, Amazon is now a top-level sponsor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Arlington restaurants are included in the annual “Cherry Picks” program, which highlights cherry blossom-inspired dishes.
A new addition to the festival is the “Porch Parade and Pedal Procession,” in which area residents and businesses decorate their porches, yards, and windows with a cherry blossom theme. Arlington is home to numerous such displays, according to a map.
Some Arlington neighborhoods, including the Aurora Highlands community near National Landing, are even organizing their own cherry blossom activities this year.
Check-out some very enjoyable
citizen-organized neighborhood activities too #cherryblossoms https://t.co/HeenQ1Q8u9— Takis Karantonis (@TakisKarantonis) March 30, 2021