Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 79 degrees. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Scattered showers and thunderstorms tonight before 2 a.m., then isolated showers after 5 a.m. Patchy fog after 3 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65 degrees. Light south wind. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
🚨 You need to know
Old Town Books is adding a sweet new chapter to its story. The store has launched Fabled Ice Cream, a unique concept that blends ice cream with storytelling, aiming to serve up scoops of literary-inspired flavors.
Allyson Kirkpatrick, the brains behind Fabled Ice Cream, brings over two decades of experience in retail and restaurant management to the table. She’s no stranger to success, having founded Old Town Books (130 S. Royal Street) in 2018 and grown it into a $2 million business with a team of 16.
Since starting earlier this year, Fabled Ice Cream has been operating as a mobile cart and catering service. You can find them scooping at farmers markets, bookstore events, and private functions from their vintage Japanese mini truck, affectionately dubbed the “Cone Mobile.”
Fabled Ice Cream is a small-batch, storytelling-inspired ice cream company founded in 2025. They make hard scoop ice cream by hand, using premium ingredients and imaginative flavor pairings inspired by books, places, and moments of delight. Their motto: A story in every scoop. The brand launched with a mobile cart and catering model, with plans to scale to a brick-and-mortar scoop shop in 2026. They serve customers at farmers markets, bookstore events, and private functions, building a loyal local following by blending culinary creativity with literary charm.
Now, Fabled Ice Cream is looking to write its next chapter. They’re raising funds via Honeycomb Credit, a platform that allows anyone to support and invest in small businesses, to open a brick-and-mortar scoop shop in 2026. The goal is to raise between $25,000 and $30,000 through a debt-based securities offering under Regulation CF.
Most of the funds (approximately 83%) will be allocated towards a high-capacity batch freezer, with the remainder earmarked for working capital.
Here’s what else you need to know
🆕 Virginia Tech is setting up a new Institute for Advanced Computing in Alexandria. The university-wide institute will be based in Academic Building One, focusing on cutting-edge research and education in computing and technology.
🍽️ The owner of a popular local home improvement business is getting into the restaurant game. Michael & Son owner Basim Mansour is asking the city for approval to replace a 1940s-era convenience store with a 1,700-square-foot “fast casual restaurant with Asian foods with a Spanish and American influence.”
🎓 It wasn’t just raining outside yesterday. Tears of happiness streamed from students, parents, educators, and city leaders as 984 Alexandria City High School seniors graduated at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena. That’s the largest graduating class in ACHS history. Photo Gallery
🗓️ Speaking of schools, the ACPS School Board will host a Regular School Board Meeting at 6 p.m. this evening. View the agenda here.
👏 NextStep Pilates, a local nonprofit providing free, individualized Pilates sessions to injured military service members and veterans, has been awarded this year’s Commitment to Disability Award by The Chamber ALX. The organization, operated by the team at Studio Body Logic with locations in Alexandria and Arlington, is being recognized for its significant contributions to community accessibility.
The award will be presented at the City of Alexandria’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities & The Chamber ALX’s Disability Awareness Awards ceremony on June 25 at the American Physical Therapy Association. The event will also honor Diane Monning, Director of Programs at The Arc of Northern Virginia, with the John Duty Collins Award, and Alexandria City High School student Evan Ameer Khanna with the Gerry Bertier Scholarship. The awards presentation and reception, presented by the American Physical Therapy Association, is a free event, with registration available online.
❌ The City of Alexandria’s Community Cookout scheduled for tonight at Mason at Van Dorn has been canceled due to inclement weather.
📈 Wednesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for May 28, 2025.
- PHOTOS: Alexandria City High School’s largest-ever class graduates at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena (1613 views)
- Alexandria’s top 3 ice cream shops, according to ALXnow readers (1371 views)
- Michael & Son owner wants to open an Asian fusion restaurant across from Potomac Yard (768 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 6:00 pm: Sunset Concert at River Farm featuring Soulfire
- 6:00 pm: Introducing new Nepenthe artist Sweta Shah and her dynamic artworks
Things To Do
- 2 p.m.: Film – “Wicked” at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: Old Town North Farmers’ Market at Montgomery Park
- 5:30 p.m.: Alexandria Oddball Cinema – The Great Train Robbery at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 5:30 p.m.: Bad Art Night! – Be adventurous and create something truly terrible at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Introducing new Nepenthe artist Sweta Shah and her dynamic artworks at Nepenthe Gallery
- 6 p.m.: Nerdy Knotters – Knitting and Crochet group at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Coding Game Night at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
Live Music & Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Mike Kelley & Friends at 9 p.m.
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Trivia at 7:30 p.m.
- Aslin ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House: Live music at 5 p.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Summer Cup Pong Tournament at 7 p.m., Justin Suede at 7 p.m.
- Galactic Panther Art Gallery: Rap is Poetry Open Mic Night at 8 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Live music at 6 p.m.
- Lena’s: Gigi MacLaughlin & Isabella Perazzo at 6 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Murphy’s Pub: Rocky Guttmann at 8:30 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- Rosemont Cellar: Sleeper Car at 6 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings
- 5 p.m.: ACPS Anne R. Lipnick Awards Reception
- 6 p.m.: ACPS School Board Meeting
- 6:30 p.m.: ACPS CF and CIP Add/Delete Work Session #2, if needed
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
