News

Attention Swifties: There are only a few weeks left before Eras, the Taylor Swift-themed pop-up bar, closes in Del Ray.

That’s right — no more lines around the block, friendship bracelet-making, or Taylor Swift trivia nights at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue. After more than six months in operation, Eras will close the first weekend in August, owner Bill Blackburn tells ALXnow.


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The Alexandria City Council and School Board have several big-picture items up for discussion early next month.

On Monday, August 4, the Joint City Council/School Board Subcommittee will discuss a proposal to put Alexandria City High School kids on DASH buses starting in fall 2026, collective bargaining with ACPS staff, and the school system’s Long-Range Educational Facilities Plan.


News

A new restaurant is officially opening its doors on August 11 in Old Town.

HomeGrown: A Daytime Eatery will formally open in the space formerly occupied by BRABO Brasserie in the Archer Hotel Old Town Alexandria. The restaurant, which has more than a dozen locations throughout the country, was announced last November. This is their first Virginia location.


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The Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, July 17, to discuss proposed changes to the Schuyler Hamilton Jones Skateboard Park (3540 Wheeler Avenue) as part of an amendment to the neighborhood park improvement plan.

The hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street). The commission will review design recommendations and consider amendments to the 2015 Neighborhood Park Improvement Plan, specifically recommendation number 5 related to both Luckett Ballfield and the Schuyler Hamilton Jones Skateboard Park.


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Alexandria celebrated its 276th and the U.S.’s 249th birthday in style along the Potomac River at Oronoco Bay Park on Saturday (July 12).

Thousands attended the annual event. For about four hours, the park was turned into a maze of beach blankets, lawn chairs, and barefoot kids with lightsabers and bubble guns. Flanked onstage by City Council and city staff, Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Poet Laureate Maria Cristina Donoso made brief remarks before the program was turned over to the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, which wrapped up in time for a spectacular fireworks show (see video below).


News

It’s been a busy week in Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories.

This week’s top story is on an Inova Alexandria Hospital employee getting fired after allegedly stealing a patient’s credit cards from a room at the hospital and using them at a nearby store.


News

There were no injuries after lightning struck the roof of an Alexandria home on Wednesday night (July 9).

The Alexandria Fire Department was notified at around 6:40 p.m. by the homeowner that the roof of their two-level townhouse was smoking, according to dispatches. Inside, firefighters found and extinguished smoke and fire in the attic.


News

Talking to the MAYSUNS outside at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub in Del Ray feels like you’re sitting in their living room.

Sitting at a table in front of a mural of iconic musicians (Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison), just around the corner from the music school they attended for years, four out of the six bandmates sat with ALXnow to discuss the latest.


News

James ‘David” Bailey, one of the last surviving veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, died at home in Alexandria on July 5. He was 103 years old.

Bailey was awarded two Bronze Stars, the French Legion of Honor, and the Order of St. Maurice for his service in World War II. During the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944, Bailey and his unit were taken prisoner by German soldiers. Bailey escaped and later appeared on the cover of Stars and Stripes.


News

Veteran School Board Members Michelle Rief and Christopher Harris were unanimously chosen Thursday night (July 10) to lead the Alexandria School Board for the 2025-2026 school year.

The unanimous vote at the Board’s organizational meeting means a third one-year term for Rief as chair, and a first term in leadership for Harris. Rief and Harris thanked their colleagues for their support and said that the upcoming year will be challenging.


News

New renderings for the proposed 31-story tower in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood are in, and the developer will soon present them to a local review board for discussion.

So far, the mixed-use development at 2425 Mill Road includes 767 residential units and 40,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The Aldie-based Red Fox Development Co. project could result in the tallest at-grade building in the city, and new development plans will be discussed next Thursday, July 17, at a public hearing with the Carlyle/Eisenhower East Design Review Board (DRB).


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