Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
⛅ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 47 and low of 35.
☔ Tomorrow: Rain throughout the day. High of 51 and low of 36. Sunrise at 7:21 am and sunset at 5:21 pm.
🚨 You need to know
Gary Oelze, longtime owner of legendary music venue The Birchmere, has died at 80 years old, Zebra first reported.
Oelze was hired as a manager at a restaurant in Shirlington that would reopen as The Birchmere in 1966. It was a successful lunch business, Zebra wrote, but Oelze added the music focus to boost nighttime business. Oelze even played in the restaurant’s first band.
Over time, the venue would grow to become legendary in the music world and continues to be Alexandria’s most prominent musical venue.
REST IN PEACE GARY OELZE FOUNDER, LEADER, FRIEND 1943-2023
OBITUARY: Gary Oelze, 80, Visionary Owner of The Birchmere Music Hall, Dies https://t.co/eRA0MoCVUj
— The Birchmere (@thebirchmere) January 23, 2023
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Jan 23, 2023.
- Notes: Widening planned for Alexandria and Arlington portion of Mount Vernon Trail (975 views)
- With Alexandria seeing more residential development conversions, city leaders discuss pushing for greater ‘voluntary’ contributions (595 views)
- Alexandria teachers want smaller classes and bigger raises (534 views)
- Bonaventure puts former Del Ray gas station and office space on market for $3.3 million | ALXnow (364 views)
🗞 Other local coverage
- New Deli to Open on King Street in February
Alexandria Living (Monday @ 10:28 pm)
- Dr. Vivek Sinha Informs Public About Prevalent Winter Respiratory Illnesses
Zebra (Monday @ 9:51 pm)
- Birchmere owner Gary Oelze dies at 80
Alexandria Times (Monday @ 9:37 pm)
- Local Surrealism Tattoo Artist Welcomes Miami Guest Artist to Studio February 18-25
Zebra (Monday @ 8:50 pm)
- In Need of Special Education Teachers, ACPS Partners With GWU for New Program
Zebra (Monday @ 4:40 pm)
- Why Does History Matter? Send Historic Alexandria Your Thoughts in Annual Survey
Zebra (Monday @ 3:29 pm)
- OBITUARY: Gary Oelze, 80, Visionary Owner of The Birchmere Music Hall, Dies
Zebra (Monday @ 3:07 pm)
- Some Alexandria Services Moving To New Mark Center Facility
Patch (Monday @ 3:01 pm)
- Collective Bargaining Agreement Funds Up For City Council Approval
Patch (Monday @ 10:50 am)
🐦 Tweets of note
Ting is authorized to place their infrastructure in the City's public right-of-way. Equipment cannot be installed on private property without expressed consent from the owner. For concerns regarding Ting Internet, please submit an Alex311 Service Request; https://t.co/Wbj5WSsowA pic.twitter.com/4vnJU6B3Lf
— Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services (@AlexandriaVATES) January 23, 2023
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
Recent Stories
It’s been a busy week in Alexandria. There were multiple mayoral and city council forums and debates this week as the city gets closer and closer to the June 18…
The Cinco de Mayo fiesta is starting early this Sunday in Carlyle. From 9 to 10 a.m., Tequila & Taco (540 John Carlyle Street) will be selling six-ounce margaritas for…
After missing an important mayoral debate this week due to a “freak accident” while canvassing that led to his hospitalization, Steven Peterson says that he’s done sitting on the sidelines….
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We offer a discount when you set up recurring cleans — and the discounts just increased this week!
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Potomac Harmony is Back! Following a gap year of competing, then virtual rehearsals during the pandemic, followed by the well-earned retirement of our long-term director, a year of a director search, Potomac Harmony hit the regional contest stage in Concord, North Carolina in March for the first time since 2018! It was exhilarating, reaffirming, and rewarding!
The chorus hit all of its goals, the biggest of which was to have fun and sing our best on contest stage — we did both! Because we earned a score over 400 points, our new Director, Allison Lynskey, was awarded the Novice Director award, photo above. Additionally, one of our charter members, Jackie Bottash, was nominated for and honored with the Leadership Excellence award. It was a celebratory weekend!
What’s next? So much! We now look forward to upcoming performances, growing our membership, and expanding our musical product with new arrangements and an education component each week. It’s an exciting time to be part of this ever-growing ensemble!
Alexandria NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, DPC to hold City Council…
The Alexandria Branch of the NAACP, Shiloh Baptist Church, and The Departmental Progressive Club to hold the City Council Candidate Forum for ALL Candidates in the City of Alexandria Virginia. The event is Free of Charge and Open to The
