ALIVE! Emergency Food Distribution This Saturday — “The nonprofit will next distribute emergency groceries at a ‘Truck-to-Trunk’ on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. There will be two locations for the event: the Cora Kelly Elementary School parking lot at 3600 Commonwealth Ave. and the Northern Virginia Community College-Alexandria Campus B-1 parking lot.” [Zebra]
Lena’s Converts Rooftop to Winter Lodge — “Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap is expanding its dining experiences by announcing the debut of The Loft at Lena’s — Winter Lodge.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Waterskiing Santa Goes Virtual This Year — “One of Alexandria’s unique holiday traditions is the annual Waterskiing Santa show. The show won’t be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there won’t be a live show with spectators unlike past years.” [Patch]
New Alexandria Affordable Housing Given Awards — “The @ULIWashington has awarded 2 Alexandria affordable housing projects a 2020 “Trends” Award. The @AHCInc St. James Plaza development was recognized for “Excellence in Housing Affordability” and the @AHDCHousing Parkstone project was “Juror’s Choice.” [Twitter]
Holiday Inn Express to Open at Site of Towne Motel in North Old Town — “A representative of Reston-based Architecture Incorporated confirmed that the new five-story, 50,000-square foot hotel being built at the site will open as a Holiday Inn Express. Renderings of the new hotel were also provided courtesy of the architecture firm.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Staff photo by Jay Westcott
Recent Stories

If you had a chance to enhance a child’s future with a time commitment of less than 2 hours a week, how would you respond? You have that opportunity right now to join over 200 Alexandrians as a reading tutor volunteer with the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC).
ATC tutors work with one child in kindergarten, first, or second grade in Alexandria public schools who need extra help with reading. Tutors meet with their Book Buddy 1-2 times each week for 30 minutes October-May at school, during school hours. Many struggling readers only receive one-on-one instruction through this program, and it makes all the difference. Last year, ATC served 195 children, of whom 82% ended the year reading on grade level and 96% made substantial reading gains. But the need is great, and we are still seeing learning lags from the pandemic.
This year, ATC plans to significantly increase the size of the program to reach over 250 students and to serve every elementary school in Alexandria. This is very exciting news, but we will only succeed if we can recruit more tutors. ATC trains you, matches you with a child, and provides ongoing lesson materials and support.

If you have been thinking about buying your first home or haven’t owned one in the last three years, THIS IS FOR YOU!
In the DMV area, it can be difficult to save the downpayment necessary for you to get into your own home. We have a solution. The Funder’s Summit!
We have assembled a summit with different municipalities to tell you how to access their funds for your home purchase.
Family Fun Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and join us for the Family Fun Fall Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 11am – 2pm!
This FREE in-person event will be held at the Shoppes at Foxchase, located at 4641 Duke St, Alexandria, VA
2023 Alexandria Fall Festival
Food trucks, bounce houses, pony rides, magic shows and more at the 2023 Alexandria Fall Festival, an Alexandria Living event presented by The Patterson Group. Join us at River Farm on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.