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An audience of thousands held signs and cheered as Alexandria leaders decried the Trump administration at the second No Kings rally outside City Hall on Saturday.

The first No Kings rally was held in June, albeit against a different backdrop of issues. Today’s event was held amid a shuttered federal government, increased crackdowns from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, and federal troops occupying cities across the country. The speakers today in Alexandria included U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th), Mayor Alyia Gaskins, retired general Randy Mannor and Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3rd), all of whom railed against the administration, joining more than 2,700 similar demonstrations around the country.


News

It’s been quite a week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories.

The top story this week was on the resignation of all the commissioners overseeing the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board. The crisis began in August when ALXnow first reported that then-ARHA CEO Erik Johnson was living in an ARHA-managed public housing unit. The ARHA board published a statement acknowledging the situation, demanded that he vacate the property, and then terminated his employment in September. In a special meeting on Wednesday, the City Council appointed six new ARHA board members.


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Yelyzaveta Pyvovarova is looking for happiness in her portraits. It’s a feeling she’s been trying to recapture in Alexandria since leaving Ukraine after the outbreak of the ongoing war with Russia.

Lyza, as she’s formally known, escaped from Oleksandriya, Ukraine, with her two daughters shortly after the war broke out, and moved to the Alexandria area of Fairfax County in July of 2022. Her husband later joined the family, and since then she launched her own portrait photography business and manages events for ALX Community in Old Town.


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Alexandria has set a deadline of Oct. 23 (Thursday) to give feedback on the Duke Street Land Use Plan.

When finished, the document will guide city officials in the development of the Duke Street Corridor from the former Landmark Mall to Alexandria Union Station. Last month, residents weighed in on draft principles for the document.


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There’s a free family-friendly Halloween-themed bike ride in Del Ray on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Riders will be able to see all of the spectacularly spooky decorations throughout the neighborhood. The six-to-seven-mile ride goes from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and is hosted by the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. More details are below.


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A new spa just had a ribbon-cutting at the Archer Hotel (1600 King Street) in Old Town.

JoyLife Spa held its grand opening and ribbon cutting today (Oct. 16), offering customized facials, therapeutic massages, and nail care. The business was founded by massage therapist and esthetician Roshelle Veney, and its opening marks the only hotel in Alexandria with a full spa, according to the Chamber ALX.


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An annual Alexandria City High School alumni fundraiser at Chadwicks (203 Strand Street) on Oct. 22 (Wednesday) will benefit the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, and will feature some special guests.

Starting at 6 p.m., former ACHS Executive Principal Pete Balas will act as bartender, along with current teachers Andrew Orzel and Matt Zahn. The event, which includes raffles, is a great way to reconnect with former classmates, according to the online event announcement.


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The music of Amadeus Mozart, Scott Joplin, and Felix Mendelssohn is coming to Alexandria next month.

On Nov. 8 and 9, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will play its second concert of the season with special guest Michael Rusinek, principal clarinetist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who will play Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. The concert includes Joplin’s Overture to Treemonisha and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 “Italian.”


News

Georgetown Olive Oil Co. is opening at the end of this month at 1314 King Street in Old Town, its owner tells ALXnow.

Emil Merdzhanov and his team have been working on the interior of the space since July, and said he’s excited to reopen a brick and mortar location since his Georgetown location closed on M. Street four years ago. The company was founded in 2016, and bottles and sells dozens of olive oil and balsamic vinegar flavors, among other items, in their warehouse, distribution center and showroom at 4719 Eisenhower Avenue.


News

There are 76 items up for bid in the Animal Welfare League’s Paws in the Park silent auction. The final day to make a bid is 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.

The cancelation of the Paws in the Park fundraiser at Oronoco Bay Park due to weather on Oct. 12 was a blow to the AWLA, as it’s the biggest moneymaker for the nonprofit every year. Consequently, the silent auction deadline was extended, and items include second-row seats for the Washington Capitals game against the New York Rangers on Dec. 23, a week-long vacation in the Outer Banks, a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol, and lunch with U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th).


News

A popular beer garden in Del Ray will remain open in the winter as its owners fight a legal battle with their landlords, who are seeking to evict them.

For the last five years, Jeremy Barber and Justis Frank, the owners of The Garden (1503-1505 Mount Vernon Avenue), shut down during the winter and reopened in the spring. Their landlord, Twenty-Third Street Corridor LLC, is seeking to evict them, and previously deferred their rent during those months, but no longer. With all parties returning to the General District Court on January 8, Barber and Frank will pay monthly rent and plan to keep a heated area in the back of the property open.


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