Want to judge a pie-eating contest? A popular art festival coming to Del Ray next month is seeking volunteers and donations.
The 30th annual Art on the Avenue is coming to Mount Vernon Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 4, and the event brings thousands to the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The event features sellable art from hundreds of artists, live music, family-friendly events, and more. The Del Ray Business Association hosts it.
Here’s a rundown of our top stories.
Our top story this week is on the Thursday, Sept. 11, announcement that Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) will expand its Alexandria headquarters and create 1,200 new jobs over the next five years as part of a $46.9 million investment across Northern Virginia. The defense contractor bought, and will renovate, a 239,000-square-foot office building at 2001 N. Beauregard Street. Attendees at the announcement included Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
A Del Ray musician will premiere his latest musical next month in Bethesda, Maryland.
Neal Learner’s “French Cupcakes” will be performed Oct 10-12 and 17-19 at the Bethesda Writers’ Center (4508 Walsh Street). The Bethesda Little Theater is producing the play, which features a cast of 15 actors who tell the story of a legendary cafe similar to one in Learner’s college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Bah! Humbug! The Little Theatre of Alexandria will be holding auditions for its upcoming performances of A Christmas Carol.
The play will be performed at the venue (600 Wolfe Street) from Dec. 6 to 20, and auditions will be held next month. Young actors ages 8 to 16, and adults aged 35+ are asked to apply, as are men 55 years old and older to play the cold-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge.
The Alexandria City Council, on Saturday (Sept. 14), will consider loosening its citywide mural requirements.
Following the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval on Sept. 4, the City Council will conduct a public hearing on whether to allow entire walls to be taken up by murals, provided that “distracting elements” such as “any text, numbers, symbols, logos, or trademarks” are limited to one per multi-unit property.
After years in development, The Art League will celebrate the opening of two new locations for art classes in Old Town North with a block party.
The free, family-friendly event will be held at the new Slaters Lane Annex (800 Slaters Lane) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, featuring art demonstrations, food, and ice cream bowls created by local artists, among other activities.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held next month for the construction of a memorial recognizing slave laborers who built Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS).
Black slave laborers built the seminary in the early 19th century, and for the last five years, the VTS Reparations Program has awarded millions to direct descendants of those workers. At 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5, VTS will host a free gala at Coffield Refectory (3720 Bishop Walker Circle) celebrating the descendants with dinner, dancing, and a display of genealogical research compiled to date. The memorial groundbreaking ceremony will be held the following day, Sept. 6, at 12:30 p.m.
Trash, treasure, or art? Recycled materials will be featured at Del Ray Artisans (2704 Mount Vernon Avenue) next month.
The Second Time Around exhibit will open with a complimentary reception on Friday, Sept. 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. and will run until Saturday, Sept. 27.
Get your tickets now, because the Alexandria Choral Society just announced its 2025-26 season.
It’s the 55th season for the ACS, and the five performances in this year’s program are being held at venues across the city. Season tickets cost $125, and individual event tickets are suggested $30 apiece.
Get ready to create, because Made in ALX‘s third annual Fall Maker’s Market is returning to Port City Brewing Company (3950 Wheeler Avenue).
The free family-and-pet-friendly event will feature more than 20 Alexandria makers/artists, and multiple make-and-take stations. The event is from 12 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6.
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.
