Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
☔ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 58 and low of 36.
⛅ Tomorrow: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 58 and low of 36. Sunrise at 6:42 am and sunset at 6:01 pm.
🚨 You need to know
According to the National Park Service, the region might have its earliest cherry blossom season ever.
While slightly overshadowed by D.C.’s cherry blossom festivities, Alexandria tourism also tends to get in on the action every season with cherry blossom tours and themed events.
Activities are planned for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 to April 16, but the National Park Service warned peak bloom could come earlier
Peak bloom is when 70% of the cherry blossoms are open, and the National Park service said the indicator tree has already started budding thanks to a warmer-than-average February.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Feb 27, 2023.
- New milkshake bar coming to Old Town this summer (6964 views)
- Car meetups are happening at night in parking lots in Arlandria and Potomac Yard (5980 views)
- JUST IN: Alexandria man arrested after alleged carjacking of DASH bus in the West End (1755 views)
- Notes: Family of nuclear physicist who died by suicide in Alexandria jail sues government (1089 views)
🗞 Other local coverage
- Alexandria’s Commission on Aging Seeks Nominees for Excellence in Aging Awards
Zebra (Monday @ 7:53 pm)
- Cherry Blossom Season 2023: Tours And More Planned In Alexandria
Patch (Monday @ 4:29 pm)
- Alexandria Library Loaning Chromebooks With Free Internet Access
Zebra (Monday @ 4:14 pm)
- Carjacking Of DASH Vehicle Leads to Arrest In Alexandria
Patch (Monday @ 12:58 pm)
- Adoption Fees Paid! Sweet One-Year Old Pup Named Theo Needs Home in Alexandria Area
Zebra (Monday @ 12:54 pm)
- Longtime Program Manager Justin Carl is New General Manager and CEO at Alexandria Renew
Zebra (Monday @ 11:51 am)
- Milkshake Bar to Open in Old Town Alexandria
Alexandria Living (Monday @ 10:40 am)
- Inmate’s Death In Alexandria Jail Leads To Lawsuit Against Feds
Patch (Monday @ 10:32 am)
- Looking for a Job? Upcoming Career Events Hosted by the City of Alexandria
Zebra (Monday @ 10:09 am)
- Q&A with Chic Weddings + Events
Alexandria Living (Monday @ 9:57 am)
🐦 Tweets of note
Yesterday, we re-opened the Alexandria Black History after 3 years closed. But more importantly than that, the city created a Division of Black History, that will help ensure that Black history is told throughout the city! Congratulations to Audrey Davis! pic.twitter.com/YXXBbeaDXr
— John Taylor Chapman (@j_chapman99) February 27, 2023
BREAKING: After finding https://t.co/88wx7lG9wC less up-to-date than Pitchbot, Pitchbot CEO reverses decision to step down pic.twitter.com/LJlnozMB0C
— ACPS Express Pitchbot (@ACPSPitchBot) February 26, 2023
Tomorrow's the day! Bring your questions to our career workshop at the Lee Center 9am-12pm. Job fair will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Representatives will be onsite to answer any questions you have. View all open positions: https://t.co/c67qvsQTU0 #JobFair #AlexandriaVA pic.twitter.com/0lKTQImqWq
— AlexandriaVAGov (@AlexandriaVAGov) February 26, 2023
Thank you to @RodrigoPRADEL for creating this beautiful mural for our micro Tunnel Boring Machine, Marguerite. Amazing work! pic.twitter.com/ZK82J9abKk
— Alexandria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew) (@AlexandriaRenew) February 27, 2023
https://t.co/H1xNwFCrLy pic.twitter.com/2CcEhkLYmh
— Max Samis (@Max_Samis) February 28, 2023
I am deeply disappointed in AlxNow for posting a whole article on a milkshake shop and not once mentioning how many boys it will bring to the yard.
— so many photos, so little time (@KCadenaPlanner) February 27, 2023
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
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.