The city of Alexandria is partnering with EcoAction Arlington to launch a new volunteer training program aimed at mobilizing residents to take climate action in their neighborhoods.
The EcoAmbassadors program will train environmentally conscious volunteers to help their neighbors undertake personal actions that make homes and communities healthier and more livable, according to a press release issued Monday.
Alexandria residents and visitors have a packed weekend ahead with the city’s annual Sidewalk Sale taking center stage Saturday, transforming Old Town into a shopper’s paradise while farmers markets, live music venues, and cultural attractions offer something for every taste.
Thursday kicks off the festivities with National IPA Day at Port City Brewing and the Alexandria Pipes and Drums Summer Concert at Market Square, while Friday brings the return of Derecho Lager and trivia nights at historic sites. Saturday’s highlights include the all-day sidewalk sale, multiple farmers markets from Old Town to Del Ray, and evening entertainment ranging from improv comedy at The Lyceum to tribute bands at The Birchmere.
Enjoy the return of jazz at Metropolitan Park with a free concert series co-presented by the DC Jazz Festival and National Landing BID. Listen to live stylings from Go-Go to bossa nova across the four-part series, from 5-7PM on select Thursdays: May 7, May 21, June 4, and June 18.
Refresh with onsite vendors including Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream and Taqueria Xochi, plus free samples from Mocktail Club—non-alcoholic beverages inspired by travel destinations. Take part in artist-led Studio Sessions curated by Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington while enjoying the music. Visit businesses around Met Park to pack a picnic or sit down for a meal after the show.
Music kicks off at 5PM and concludes at 7PM, with a set break in the middle.
Featured Performers and MoCA Studio Sessions
May 7: The JoGo Project (Jazz Meets Go-Go)
Art Activity: “Even Colors Dance (Synesthetic Watercolor)” | Led by David Ignacio, current Resident Artist at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington’s main museum
May 21: Joe Brotherton (New Orleans)
Art Activity: “Paper Garden” | Led by Jaqui Falkenheim of Arlington Collage Collective
June 4: Eric Byrd Trio (Acoustic Jazz Piano/Vocals)
Art Activity: “Stitching Systems: Mapping Home” | Led by Lauren Crawford, current Resident Artist at MoCA Arlington’s main museum.
June 18: José Luiz Martins (Brazilian Jazz)
Art Activity: “Day Inking with JD” | Led by JD Deardourff, recent Resident Artist at MoCA Innovation Studio.
For transportation and Met Park information, visit nationallanding.org/met-park/faqs. Met Park is a five-minute walk from the Pentagon City Metro.
Jazz @ Met is presented by DC Jazz Festival and National Landing BID, sponsored by Amazon. Additional support for performances is provided by The Galena-Yorktown Foundation and The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation.
Note: Performance schedule is subject to change.
A new French cafe wants to open in a prominent location in Old Town.
New York City-based Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen has filed a special use permit application to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. That’s the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024, located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets.
Alexandria, VA | Revolutionary Fitness, an Old Town-based coaching studio, has announced the launch of Revolutionary 50+, a 12-week semi-private training program designed specifically for men and women over 50 who want to build strength, energy, and long-term health.
The program addresses what owner Charles Augustine calls “a massive gap” in the fitness industry. “The mainstream either treats people over 50 like they’re 25 and breaks them, or treats them like they’re fragile and does nothing for them,” Augustine said. “There’s almost no middle ground, the smart, age-appropriate strength training that the longevity research actually says works.”
Captain Gregory’s has advanced to the 2025 Virginia Cocktail Games, one of five northern Virginia establishments among 22 bartenders selected statewide for the competition.
The Virginia Spirits Board competition celebrates the state’s bartending community and local distilleries. Competing bartenders created original cocktails that pay tribute to a Virginia “hidden gem” location and feature a Virginia spirit produced in their region.
oin us for our free movie night @ AlexRenew Terrace!
Join us Saturday, May 16th for the Eisenhower Partnership Movie Night, presented by Burke and Herbert Mortgage! We will be showing the Emperors New Groove!
Good morning, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Thursday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2025. There are 146 days left in the year.
☀️ Today’s weather: Increasing clouds, with a high near 83 degrees. East wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 66 degrees. East wind 6 to 8 mph.
Housing Alexandria recently hosted its annual summer garden celebrations at two Alexandria community garden sites, marking four years of community engagement and nearly a decade of urban food production.
The events took place at The Station at Potomac Yard and The Bloom at Braddock, featuring garden tours, family activities, refreshments, mural painting, and a petting zoo. Residents, volunteers, and staff gathered to celebrate the organization’s commitment to urban agriculture and food equity.
A familiar face has left Alexandria. After 25 years with the Alexandria Police Department, Captain Courtney Ballantine retired last month and just started his new job as deputy chief of the Georgetown University Police Department.
“I love Alexandria, but it was time to start my next chapter,” Ballantine told ALXnow. “It was an amazing journey.”
The Washington Wizards will tip off the 2025-2026 school year at William Ramsay Elementary School next Friday (Aug. 15).
Even though school officially starts on Monday, Aug. 18, Washington Wizards rookies Tre Johnson, Will Riley, and Jamir Watkins are joining mascot G-Wiz and the Wizards Dancers in handing out free Wizards backpacks filled with school supplies, water bottles, and more. The event will be held at the school, located at 5700 Sanger Avenue, from 12:00 to 3:30 p.m.
An ABC store in Alexandria’s West End closed to retail customers last month and converted its operations to serve alcohol licensees only.
The store at 4349 Duke Street closed July 15 after nine years of operation, according to Virginia ABC. The agency moved the location’s contents to 901-929 S. Pickett Street, about 2 miles away, where it now serves licensees rather than walk-in customers.
