Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
🌥️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers, mainly after 5 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71 degrees. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Showers tonight. Low around 56 degrees. South wind around 8 mph, becoming east after midnight. The chance of precipitation is 80%—new precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch are possible.
🚨 You need to know
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is gearing up for its yearly calendar contest and fundraiser. Pet owners can now submit photos of their furry, feathered, or scaly friends for a chance to be featured in the AWLA’s 2026 calendar.
The contest kicks off on June 1 and runs through June 30. Entry fees start at $35, with votes costing $1 each. It’s open to all animals, no matter where they live or whether they’re adopted.
The top prize is pretty impressive. The winning animal will grace the front and back covers of the calendar, get a professional photo shoot, and be crowned “Alexandria’s 2026 Animal of the Year.” Other prizes include invites to AWLA events, a photo feature on Northern Virginia buses, and even a city proclamation dedicating a day in their honor.
Every photo submitted will appear in the printed 2026 calendar. Participants who raise $250 or more get an invite to the annual Calendar Yappy Hour & Launch Paw-ty in October. Those who hit the $500 mark will receive a special AWLA swag bag.
Want to enter your pet? Check out the contest rules and submit your entry starting June 1 at www.AlexandriaAnimals.org/calendar.
How to Enter and Win
Simply submit your pets’ photo and ask your friends and family to vote for your pet! Starting at 8 a.m. on June 1, visit the AWLA Calendar Contest homepage here. Upload your pet’s photo and information, and make your $35 donation to the AWLA. Next, encourage your friends and family to go to the homepage and vote ($1 per vote) for your pet to be the big winner! The contest runs the entire month of June. All submitted pictures will make an appearance in the printed 2026 calendar, but the animals with the most votes win some cool prizes.
There will be weekly bonus vote challenges to help your animal score more votes and get them closer to winning the top prizes.
Prizes
The top dog (or cat, or bird, or bunny) with the most votes at 8 p.m. on June 30 with be our GRAND PRIZE WINNER and will grace the front and back cover of our 2026 calendar, receive a professional pet photo shoot, receive year-round invitations to AWLA events as “Alexandria’s 2026 Animal of the Year,” have their photo featured on buses throughout Northern Virginia, be in a full page advertisement in the Zebra, receive a city proclamation naming a day in their honor, be a guest of honor at the annual Calendar Yappy Hour & Launch Paw-ty, and more.
The next three top vote recipients will receive a professional pet photo shoot and a full-page photo in the 2026 calendar, be featured in a full page advertisement, be a guest of honor at the annual Calendar Yappy Hour & Launch Paw-ty, and more. Entries receiving the 5th through 13th-highest vote tallies will receive a quarter-page photo placement on one calendar page.
Entrants raising $250+ (the equivalent of 250 votes) will be invited to our annual Calendar Yappy Hour & Launch Paw-ty in October (date TBD). Entrants raising $500+ will also receive a curated AWLA swag bag at the event.
All entrants will have their photo in the 2026 calendar, receive a free mailed calendar, and have the wonderful feeling of helping make Alexandria an even better home for animals!
The contest is open to everyone – animals do not have to live in Alexandria or have been adopted from the AWLA. Each entry also includes a mailed calendar.
Find a list of all the cool prizes, see contest rules, and enter your pet (starting June 1) here. (URL www.AlexandriaAnimals.org/
calendar)
Here’s what else you need to know
🚨 Four people are now in stable condition after a shooting in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood early Monday. One of the men, who was injured in the shooting, has been charged.
⚠️ The City of Alexandria wants to hear from you about proposed safety improvements near Alexandria City High School on King Street.
👉 The Alexandria City Council will address a wide range of issues at its legislative meeting tonight, including transportation funding requests, financial support for Inova Alexandria Hospital, and lease extensions for artists at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Here’s a look at what’s on the docket.
🗓️ Here’s a reminder via the City of Alexandria’s website on how things are operating this week around the city, due to the Memorial Day holiday.
- City Government: Open
- Holiday Schedule: Memorial Day
- Flag Status: Half Staff
- Trash Collection: 1-Day Slide
- Recycling Collection: 1-Day Slide
- Yard Waste Collection: 1-Day Slide
🎓 Alexandria City Public Schools will celebrate the Alexandria City High School Class of 2025 with a commencement ceremony tomorrow morning at the George Mason University Eagle Bank Arena.
🍨 Today’s the last day to vote in our Readers’ Choice Poll – The best ice cream shop in Alexandria.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for May 26, 2025.
- Notes: Alexandria to welcome Tall Ships for America’s 250th birthday (4148 views)
- Four stable after early morning shooting in Arlandria (2801 views)
- City seeks public input on proposed King Street changes near Alexandria City High School (852 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s happening today in Alexandria.
Things To Do
- 1:30 p.m.: Medicare 101 – Helping you navigate Medicare with VA Insurance Counseling at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 5 p.m.: One-On-One Computer Help at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace at Carlyle House
- 6:30 p.m.: Tipsy Tuesday Workshop at PlantHouse
- 6:45 p.m.: Eco:mmunion – Conversations to Sustain People and Planet at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
Live Music & Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Justin Gillen Trio at 9 p.m.
- Augie’s Mussel House: Live music at 5 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Antonio James at 6 p.m.
- Lena’s: The Walkaways at 6 p.m.
- Lost Dog Cafe: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Trivia at 8:15 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Trivia Night at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings
- 8 a.m.: Voter Registration Deadline
- 5:30 p.m.: City Council Legislative Meeting
- 5:30 p.m.: Landmark Community Development Authority Board Mtg
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
