Around Town

A holiday tradition is around the corner in Del Ray, and some festive helpers are needed.

The 15th annual Del Ray Holiday Season Kick-Off starts at 5 p.m. this Sunday at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square on 2311 Mount Vernon Avenue. The event features holiday songs performed by the Alexandria Children’s Chorus, appearances by city leaders and even Santa Claus himself.


News

A pet store from Del Ray opened its newest location over the weekend at the Belle View Shopping Center.

The Dog Store is now open at 1612 Belle View Blvd, replacing a vacancy left by the Pampered Pet Boutique & Bakery earlier this year. Owner Paul Haire founded the shop’s first location in Del Ray in 2014, after opening Your Dog’s Best Friends daycare in 2003.


News

Several roads in Del Ray will close tomorrow (Thursday) to accommodate the neighborhood’s 50th annual Turkey Trot.

Closures will be in effect from approximately 6-11:30 a.m., starting at Mount Vernon Avenue between Braddock Road and Glendale Avenue, according to an announcement from the Alexandria Police Department.


Around Town

The Department of Beer and Wine finally has a new home in Del Ray.

The gourmet beer and wine shop held a soft opening over the weekend at its new location at 2805 Mount Vernon Avenue. The location was formerly occupied by the ASAP Printing and Mailing Company and shares the building with a Truist bank.


Around Town

Why is love so hard? Does ketamine-assisted therapy actually work? How can you tap into your “inner healer”? A new podcast hosted by two Del Ray-based clinical psychologists hopes to answer these questions and more.

Earlier this month, Doctors Eleni Boosalis and Lauren Fisher of Del Ray Psych & Wellness launched the premiere episode of Shrinks On Tap. Aiming to raise mental health awareness and normalize counseling, the pair hosts informal conversations from a podcast studio set-up inside their practice, while sipping on non-alcoholic beverages.


News

The staff of Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer, D-Va., are hosting an event tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss his office’s constituent services.

Beyer’s staff will host the “Congress in our Community” from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the James M. Duncan Branch Library at 2501 Commonwealth Avenue. No appointment is necessary to attend, Beyer said in a note to the Del Ray Citizens Association.


News

Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which opened in Del Ray in February 2024, has been served with a legal notice barring access to its Mount Vernon Avenue location, according to signage posted on the restaurant’s door.

The notice of no trespass, dated Oct. 26, was filed by a petitioner and is addressed to “Benny’s, its agents, owners, employees” at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue.


Around Town

A local entrepreneur is kicking off preparations to launch a new Del Ray event space with a “Wicked”-themed Halloween party and fundraiser this week.

Lee Raynes, the former owner of Bellies & Babies consignment shop, is hosting the party to preview her next business model, an event space called Together Creative Studio. The party starts at 4 p.m. on Friday at 2603 E. Randolph Avenue.


News

Thousands of superheroes, witches, princesses, and other costumed revelers attended the 29th annual Del Ray Halloween Parade along Mount Vernon Avenue Sunday afternoon.

The grand marshal of the parade was Mount Vernon Community School 5th grader Linci Campos Cifuentes, who rode with her principal along the parade route. The event is one of the best Halloween parades in the country, according to USA Today.


News

Fright and fun is returning to Del Ray, as the James M. Duncan Branch Library (2501 Commonwealth Avenue) has been transformed into a haunted house.

On Oct. 24 (Friday) and 25 (Saturday), the annual Duncan Haunted Library will feature spooky tours, spine-tingling ghost stories and more. Tickets cost $10 and proceeds go toward new books, community programs and other special library events.


News

More details have been released on the alleged arrest of a Washington, D.C. man facing multiple charges of simulated masturbation and indecent exposure in Del Ray and Old Town.

Marc Christopher Westbrooks, 40, has been held without bond since his August arrest on four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and six counts of simulated masturbation with the intent to be seen. He’s being represented by the public defender and goes to court for a jury trial starting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. More on the incidents from a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit are below.


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