The Arlington County Fair will kick off on Wednesday, August 16 at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road).
For the 41st year, the county will host a variety of events for the community, including live outdoor music, a parade, fairground rides and game, food, floral and craft competitions, pig races and more.
New Elementary School Approved — After a years-long process that included neighborhood opposition and lots of community discussion, the Arlington County Board has approved a use permit and ground lease for a new elementary school on the Thomas Jefferson middle school and community center site. [Arlington County]
Rosslyn Farmers Market Approved — Also at its Saturday meeting, the County Board gave the go-ahead to a new FreshFarm Markets-operated farmers market that will be held at the new Central Place public plaza in Rosslyn. The market will be open on Wednesday evenings from April to November. [Arlington County]
The 40th Arlington County Fair is coming to town with pig races, rides, concerts and chicken teriyaki on a stick in roughly two weeks.
The fair, billed as “Groovy Since 1977,” is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 17, to Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.)
Update at 4:30 p.m. on June 9 — The match has been moved to Fairfax County. It will now be taking place Saturday, June 11 from 3-6 p.m. at Phillips Programs (7010 Braddock Road) in Annandale, according to the league.
Update at 1 p.m. on June 9 — It seems that Major League Quidditch may need a magic wand to make its Arlington match happen this weekend. Originally set to take place at Tuckahoe Park, organizers then switched the venue to Thomas Jefferson Middle School. But that location is also in doubt.
(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) The working group charged by the county to help decide the fate of the green space next to Thomas Jefferson Middle School says it was unable reach a final consensus.
Arlington Public Schools is eyeing land surrounding the middle school as the site for a new $50 million, 725-seat elementary school for south Arlington. Those funds were adopted by the School Board as part of the 2015-2024 Capital Improvement Plan last June, and approved as part of the schools bond referendum by Arlington voters in November.
The free event takes place at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street South). Tonight and Thursday, activities are outdoors, including rides, racing piglets, pony rides, the Cows-N-Corn milking demo and lots of fair food vendors. Additional indoor activities, such as bingo and clog dancing, begin on Friday. Spots are still open for the 5K run/walk on Saturday. The full schedule of events can be found online.
Fair goers have access to a new shuttle stop in Pentagon City this year. A shuttle bus will pick up passengers at the Pentagon City Metro and take them directly to the fair. Shuttles will also run from the three other locations at Arlington Career Center, Ballston Metro and the I-66 parking garage. Parking is free at shuttle locations and shuttles cost $2 round trip.
The fair will again be held on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (3501 2nd Street S.). The fair starts at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday and at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. As always, the fair is free to attend.
Just like last year, the fair will have a 5k run/walk, for which registration is still open, at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9. There will be multiple piglet races every day — including five on Friday — making sure no visitor will be in the park for more than a few hours without getting a chance to see one of the fair’s most popular attractions.
Chuck Engle, 43, won the indoor marathon in 2:43:49, setting an unofficial world record for fastest indoor marathon time ever by someone older than 40, according to Arlington running guru Jay Jacob Wind, who organized the event.
Wind broke his own record for fastest indoor 50-kilometer race by a runner 60 or older, completing the distance in 4:23:45. The 64-year-old Wind ran the same race, and set the same record, last year in 4:34:14.
The Wizards will play against the Arlington Elite, an assortment of school teachers and administrators, parks and recreation staff, police and firefighters, and other community leaders, Friday, Sept. 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
During halftime, kids are invited out onto the court to interact with the Wizards players. After the game, Wizards players will be available to sign autographs.
The event on Saturday attracted 1,239 residents who dropped off 41.5 tons of hazardous household materials and 11.5 tons of electronics for recycling.
The next E-CARE event will be held next spring. This past spring, E-CARE collected 35.5 tons of hazardous household materials and some 20 tons of electronics.
Arlington Latin-American Festival Planned — Arlington County is hosting a Latin-American festival on Sunday in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. “Savor the best of Latino culture at this annual festival with fellow Arlingtonians of all backgrounds in this diverse community,” the county said of the event, which is being held outdoors from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road). [Arlington County]
Lawmakers to Tour Housing Site — Four state legislators and three county board members are scheduled to tour permanent supportive housing facilities at the Gates of Ballston apatment complex (4108 N. 4th Street) today. “The tour will demonstrate how the increase in Permanent Support Housing is necessary to meet the Governor’s plan to reduce homelessness by 15% by 2013,” according to the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness, a tour organizer.
This video of a 13-year-old soccer player making an incredible bicycle kick goal at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center soccer field is making the rounds on the internet today.
