How do you like your Beaujolais?
The Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee just announced that it will host a food and wine tasting that will “delight your taste buds and transport you to the heart of France,” according to the city. The event is being held the week before Thanksgiving at Lloyd House (220 N. Washington Street) on Nov. 20 (Thursday), from 7 to 9 p.m.
Alexandria’s “Colored Rosemont” neighborhood will be recognized in September with the dedication of a Virginia State historic marker. The neighborhood was home to the first Black homeowners in the city in the early to mid-20th century.
The marker is a reminder of racial segregation in Alexandria. It will be dedicated at 3 p.m. near the corner of Wythe and N. West Streets — across from the Braddock Road Metro station — on Sept. 13 (Saturday). Mayor Alyia Gaskins, representatives of the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) and former and current residents of the neighborhood will attend the ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.
Hundreds rallied and marched against the Trump administration in Old Town on Thursday night (July 17).
The event at Judy Guse-Noritake Park (600 N. Henry Street) joined hundreds of Good Trouble Lives On rallies across the country, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), with participants holding signs and speaking against the Trump administration. The civil rights icon was renowned for his legacy of nonviolent action in defense of democracy.
Alexandria residents will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s death Thursday with a rally designed to carry forward his legacy of nonviolent action and defend democracy.
The “Good Trouble Lives On” rally, scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will take place at Judy Guse-Noritake Park (600 N. Henry Street) at the corner of Pendleton Street and Henry Street. Indivisible is hosting the event Do Something NCR, a non-partisan community organization whose objective “is to push the country to be kinder and more progressive, ensuring all people are represented and cared for”.
Not long ago, Bruce Anderson and a handful of his boyhood friends from Alexandria decided to give back with a free community cookout.
The event was a bigger hit than the group anticipated, with hundreds of people showing up to the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street). Now in its third year, the Southside Community Fest features free food, live musical performances, a DJ, special guest speakers, and more.
Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison — name a musical icon from the world of rock, soul, and pop, and chances are, Sandy Gibson interviewed them.
Gibson, a longtime Del Ray resident, was also Billy Joel’s first publicist. She was interviewed multiple times for the HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which premieres on Friday (July 18). Music lovers can also hear Gibson talk about her career on Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Stardust Vintage & Gift (1904 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.
A great end-of-summer event is right around the corner in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.
The 5th annual Bands & Brews: Del Ray’s Summer Bar Crawl returns on Saturday, Aug. 16. From 12 to 6:30 p.m., more than 20 venues will host live music throughout the neighborhood. The Del Ray Business Association is expecting up to 2,000 visitors at the event, according to a recent event listing.
It’s been a busy week in Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories.
This week’s top story is on an Inova Alexandria Hospital employee getting fired after allegedly stealing a patient’s credit cards from a room at the hospital and using them at a nearby store.
Rubbing elbows with community leaders and participating in interactive workshops are in store for participants of Alexandria’s upcoming 12th annual Youth Leadership Conference.
Registration for rising 9th to 12th graders closes Aug. 8, and the event will be held Aug. 12-14 (Tuesday to Thursday) at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive). This year’s theme is “Young Voices, Powerful Choices!”
The guest conductor of Alexandria’s upcoming birthday celebration on the waterfront has been announced.
John Devlin, music director of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra in Ohio, will take the baton and lead the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra through its program on Saturday night, July 12. The concert includes Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture during the dazzling fireworks, as well as live cannons from the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery.
The Alexandria Roller Rink in Old Town North was open from 1948 to 1986 (via Office of Historic Alexandria)Next month, the Alexandria Historical Society will host a behind-the-scenes panel to reflect on the legacy of a long-lost landmark: the Alexandria Roller Rink.
With its maple floors and Wurlitzer organ, the Alexandria Roller Rink (807 N. St. Asaph Street) could hold 3,000 skaters at a time. It wasn’t all about skating, though. In the 1970s, the rink was advertised as a “psychedelic ballroom” and the “Alexandria Rock Arena” and hosted concerts with stars like Janis Joplin, Jethro Tull, and Alice Cooper, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria.
