The City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums will perform the final concert of their summer series Thursday evening (August 7) at Market Square.
The free performance is scheduled for 7:45-8:30 p.m. in front of Alexandria City Hall (301 King St). The event is open to the public.
Alexandria’s QuinTango will embark on a two-week European tour this month, performing six concerts across the Netherlands and Lithuania as part of their “Northern Nights & Tango Delights” tour.
The five-member tango ensemble will perform two local concerts before departing Aug. 17 for what marks their 12th international tour. QuinTango will play Friday at the Summer Passport Music Festival at Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, followed by a free performance Saturday at Lorton Workhouse Center as part of Fairfax County’s Mount Vernon Nights series.
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.
Good morning, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Wednesday, Aug. 6, the 218th day of 2025. There are 147 days left in the year.
🌥️ Today’s weather: Cloudy, with a high near 81 degrees. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Cloudy tonight, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 67 degrees. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph.
Olivia Troye has lost friends and made powerful enemies since moving to Alexandria.
The former career intelligence officer made national headlines after resigning from a top post at the White House under President Donald Trump in 2020, and then speaking out against the administration. The lifelong conservative Republican went so far as to endorse former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president, even spoke at the Democratic National Convention, and is a frequent anti-Trump commentator on national TV. Now living in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, she makes public appearances at protests, publishes multiple weekly posts to more than 300,000 subscribers on her Substack, and says she’s dedicated to spending the rest of her life fighting President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
Event location
Cherry On Top
1021 Queen street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
A mystery is brewing at Cherry on Top!
Join us for a thrilling Murder Mystery Night filled with secrets, unexpected twists, and a little detective work. Follow the clues, uncover hidden motives, and see if you can solve the mystery before the night is over!
Port City Brewing Company will host its second annual Port to Port Beer Festival on Aug. 16 from 12-4 p.m. at the brewery’s Alexandria location.
The festival will feature 19 breweries from across the United States and Germany, including international participants Radeberger from Radeberg, Germany, and Jackie O’s from Athens, Ohio. Local and regional favorites include The Veil from Richmond, Virginia, and Jailbreak Brewing from Laurel, Maryland.
The Virginia Department of Transportation will conduct overnight maintenance on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Thursday (August 7) that will require multiple bridge openings and cause intermittent traffic delays.
The maintenance operation is scheduled from 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, through 5 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, weather permitting, VDOT announced Tuesday.
A new Vietnamese-Japanese fusion restaurant soft-opened today in Arlandria.
2D Noodles (3823 Mount Vernon Avenue) is testing out its kitchen and menu today (Tuesday, Aug. 5) and plans to fully open once several more staffers are hired, the restaurant’s general manager told ALXnow. The restaurant is located in the Del Ray North shopping center, just two stores down from their sister restaurant, Sake Express Japanese Hibachi.
Atlas Brew Works, which opened a taproom in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood last year, was awarded this year’s RAMMYS Award for Beer Program of the Year on Sunday, August 3.
Atlas Brew Works (2425 Mandeville Lane) was one of three businesses in Alexandria up for regional awards from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), along with Andy’s Pizza (107 N. Fayette Street) and Josephine (109 S. St. Asaph Street).
Local businesses are being praised for their efforts in supporting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA).
AWLA recently thanked several contributors to its Adopt-the-Shelter program, where the names of donors and the amounts donated are displayed at the shelter’s dog yard, community room, visiting rooms, and other areas. The program has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in donations, including $2,500 from Old Town Books, which funded the addition of “Book Buddies shelves” in the Cat Adoption Room, allowing children to read to rabbits, guinea pigs, cats, and other small animals.
