The Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum will host a free classic car show Sept. 20 featuring dozens of vintage vehicles, including rare models from defunct manufacturers.
The show runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the museum’s parking lot at 201 S. Washington St. in Old Town.
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Alexandria police are conducting a death investigation Saturday morning in the 3500 block of West Braddock Road.
The Alexandria Police Department announced the investigation in a social media post at 8:10 a.m., noting there is a “heavy police presence” in the area.
Gabrielle Berg, Northern Virginia Tennis for Fun Chapter Founder, 2026 Youth Leader of the Year Awardee
Khoi Truong, Lake Braddock Boys Tennis Coach, 2026 Coach of the Year Awardee
Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 2026 Tennis Creates Impact Honoree
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.
Image: Figure 9 from the 2019 Landmark/Van Dorn Small Area Plan Chapter of the Master Plan, Chapter 10 indicating proposed location of Transit Center. (Credit: City of Alexandria)
The City of Alexandria is asking for public feedback on a proposed transit center that will serve as a key transportation hub in the city’s West End.
The new West Alexandria Transit Center will be located on the site of the redeveloped Landmark Mall, which is being transformed into a mixed-use community called WestEnd. The Department of Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) is seeking input on conceptual designs for the new facility, according to a press release sent to ALXnow.
Alexandria is set to have a bustling weekend with a variety of events for all ages, though you might want to bring an umbrella.
According to the National Weather Service, isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day Saturday, with some storms capable of producing heavy rainfall. The high will be near 89 degrees with a chance of precipitation at 80%. One of the day’s key events is the third annual Alexandria Library Black Family Reunion at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free community event aims to preserve the city’s African American history by encouraging attendees to bring family photos and documents to be digitized for the library’s archives. The reunion will also feature food trucks, music, dancing, games, and opportunities to record mini oral histories.
Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria. Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV. Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.
(Left to right) Jacob Sunny, owner Chef Samuel Darlo, and Kelvin Sone at Bar 86, a speakeasy, is opening in October at Café du Soleil at 215 S. Union Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)
We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at our most-read stories this week.
Our top story is on a new speakeasy Bar 86 opening next month at Café du Soleil (215 S. Union Street) in Old Town. The Tiki bar has been in development for a year, and is the work of owner Chef Samuel Darlo and consultants Jacob Sunny and Kelvin Sone.
Tour gathers outside the GenOn power plant in Old Town North (staff photo by Vernon Miles)
The owner of the dilapidated former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North will conduct guided tours of the property next month.
HRP Group bought the former power plant in 2020, and plans to convert the 18-acre site at 1300 N. Royal Street into a mixed-use development. The guided tours will be held Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, and “will give community members the chance to meet the project team and visit the site, which has been inaccessible to Old Town North for decades,” according to HRP Group.
Students staging a walkout at Alexandria City High School's King Street campus, Sept. 5, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Hundreds of Alexandria City High School students held a walkout on Friday, Sept. 5, demonstrating against gun violence in schools.
The walkout at ACHS’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses started at 11:30 a.m., and lasted for less than a half hour. The demonstrations are part of a national walkout, were organized by Titans Demand Action and held on school grounds. Media was not permitted to observe, except from the public sidewalk. Students held signs, threw water bottles and chanted, “End the violence!”
Federal agents parked at The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) in the city's Arlandria neighborhood, Sept. 5, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Federal agents were spotted in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 5.
There were no reports of arrests. Footage taken by ALXnow at around 9:30 a.m. shows multiple vehicles with Texas license plates in the parking lot of The Birchmere at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue. A photo submitted to ALXnow also shows federal officers speaking to people at Four Mile Run Park near Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mount Vernon Avenue).
The community event, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 717 Queen Street, aims to bring neighborhoods together and help fill gaps in the documented history of Alexandria’s African American community.