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.
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.”
Game, set, Gala! On Saturday, Nov. 14, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s annual Tennis Creates Gala, presented by QTS, comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, celebrating the transformative power of tennis.
The evening raises critical funds to make the sport accessible to all across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and eastern/southern West Virginia.
Every dollar goes back into local communities through programs like Girls Rule the Court™, which has served more than 2,000 girls, along with Junior Player Scholarships and Tennis in Schools. Gala funds also help restore public courts. Over the last three years, the Foundation has invested $505,000 across 17 public facilities.
Emceeing the evening is Emmy Award-winning ESPN journalist Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, who joined ESPN’s tennis coverage this year for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Andrews has pointed to the electric moment American tennis is having, with stars like the DMV’s own Frances Tiafoe reaching the 2026 US Open men’s semifinals, and says she’s grateful for the chance to support the sport at the local level.
Joining the celebration is new USTA CEO Craig Tiley, who took the helm of the national governing body in July after over 20 years at Tennis Australia. As he leads the USTA toward its goal of 35 million players by 2035, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation drives the grassroots work to grow the sport right here in the region.
The Foundation will present its Tennis Creates Impact Award to Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, recognizing his leadership in fostering character, community, and well-being through tennis.
The heart of the night is the 2026 Tennis Creates Awards, honoring local changemakers. Alexandria’s Leigh Ann Jackson receives the Adult Leader Award for coaching Girls Rule the Court at Groveton Elementary, where she has served 130 students over five seasons and championed the program’s expansion to Hybla Valley.
Arlington’s Gabrielle Berg earns the Youth Leader Award for founding a Northern Virginia chapter of Tennis For Fun, which runs free year-round clinics for people with special needs in partnership with the Arlington YMCA. Burke’s Khoi Truong, head coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the 2026 Coach of the Year.
They’ll be joined by fellow honorees Dr. Ellen Markowitz (Community Champion), James Skinner (Provider Champion), and Janelle Nichols (Tennis in the Classroom Awardee).
Tickets and tables are now available. Can’t make it? Make a gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation or bid in the silent auction to help put a racquet in the hands of the next generation of players.
The Tennis Creates Gala takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA 22102.
For more information, visit TennisCreatesGala.com.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says the 16-day government shutdown can only be resolved if President Trump becomes directly involved in negotiations, arguing that Republican congressional leadership lacks the independence to act without White House direction.
“Donald Trump rules the Republican Party with an iron fist, and he has to be in the negotiations to get this dispute resolved,” Warner said during a media availability with Virginia media on Thursday. “The idea that there would be any kind of independent acting Republicans, and I’ve been proud to work on all of those gangs in the past, at least at this moment in time, would be simply a fantasy.”
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.
Join us for our second annual CatRad Halloween Eve! A night of ghoulish fun, spooky treats, and a wicked good time!
It's time for CatRads 2nd Annual Halloween Eve! Join us at St. Elmo's Old Town North for an evening of Halloween fun. Join us for:
Discover all that’s happening for events, entertainment, and live music happening around Alexandria this weekend, Thursday, October 16, through Sunday, October 19.
Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.
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).
A new Northern Virginia chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library announced Thursday it is launching a fundraising campaign to provide free books to young children, with Alexandria the first city in the region to host the program.
The Northern Virginia Imagination Library aims to begin registering Alexandria children by summer 2026, with plans to expand throughout Northern Virginia eventually. The program will mail one age-appropriate book per month to enrolled children from birth to age five at no cost to families.
Meet Nova, a delightful dog in search of her forever home.
Nova is a big girl with a soft white coat, adorable brown ears, and large soulful eyes. At four years old and 56 pounds, this playful pup is well past the puppy stage but still full of life and always up for an outdoor adventure.
The Institute for Defense Analyses has selected retired Adm. Charles “Chas” Richard to serve as the Alexandria-based organization’s next president, effective March 14, 2026.
Richard brings more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Navy, culminating in his role as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from 2019 to 2022. In that capacity, he was responsible for the global command and control of all strategic U.S. nuclear forces, overseeing a workforce of more than 150,000 personnel focused on strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, and missile defense.
