(Updated at 10:55 a.m.) Thanksgiving is just two days away, and much of the city government will be shutting down for the holiday.

On Thursday (Nov. 28), all city facilities and the Torpedo Factory will be closed. DASH bus service will not operate, but the King Street Trolley will still be running. The Vola Lawson Animal Shelter will be closed on Thursday except for its Kongs-giving event to make treat packages for animals in the shelter.

Also Thursday, parking meters will not be enforced. However, trash and recycling will still be collected.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the Chinquapin Park Recreation Center will be open from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. The Charles Houston and Patrick Henry recreation centers will be open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The Torpedo Factory will also be open but all other city facilities will be closed.

Several grocery stores around Alexandria will be open on Thanksgiving Day until the afternoon.

• Giant grocery stores throughout the D.C. region will be open until 5 p.m.
• Harris Teeter stores, even the 24-hour locations, will close at 2 p.m.
• Safeway stores will close at 7 p.m.

Other grocery stores, like Trader Joe’s, MOM’s Organic Market, Aldi, BJ’s, and Costco will be closed, according to WTOP.

If you’re looking to pick up a turkey at the last minute, local restaurant group Alexandria Restaurant Partners is offering Thanksgiving meal bundles to take home at various locations.

More on the planned closures, from a City of Alexandria press release, is below (after the jump).

Read More

Carpenter’s Shelter Getting Amazon Donation — “A nonprofit that is building a $2 million facility for the homeless in Old Town Alexandria says it has reached its fundraising goal after receiving $300,000 from Amazon, Inc… The donation from Amazon is the latest example of how the retail giant is trying to be a good corporate citizen in Northern Virginia.” [Washington Post, Patch]

Digital Plaudits for City — “Alexandria has been ranked the fourth top digital city of its size in the United States, according to the 2019 Digital Cities Survey… This is the 15th consecutive year Alexandria has been ranked in the top 10, including two years in first place.” [City of Alexandria]

MacArthur Students to Relocate to Henry — “Alexandria City Council has given the green light to Alexandria City Public Schools to use the old Patrick Henry Elementary School facility as temporary swing space for Douglas MacArthur Elementary School students, potentially reallocating $60 million dollars and speeding up the delivery of the new school.” [ACPS]

Closures Planned for Thanksgiving — “All City of Alexandria government offices will be closed on Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.” [City of Alexandria]

Weekend Flooding in Old Town — “There are several road closures in the old town area due to coastal flooding. The unit block of Prince Street, The Strand and Unit block of King Street High Tide are temporarily closed. Avoid the area.” [WJLA, Capital Weather Gang, Twitter, Twitter]

City Offices Closed for Holiday — Numerous Alexandria city government offices and facilities are closed today for the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday. ALXnow will not be publishing additional news articles today, except in the event of breaking news.

Fire in Old Town North — “Engine 204 arriving with smoke showing in the 1100 Block of North Pitt Street. Crews have located and knocked down a fire on the second floor. Battalion 211 with the command.” [Twitter]

Va. Tech Launches Major Fundraiser — “Virginia Tech has embarked on a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign, the largest in the university’s history, in part to help fund its $1 billion planned innovation campus in Alexandria.” [Washington Business Journal, Virginia Tech]

Reflections on Old Alexandria — “‘In those days Alexandria was very different from what it is now,’ Robinson added. ‘Landmark Mall was a municipal airport and Duke Street was a two-lane asphalt road.’ But he said that the physical layout has not changed as much as what Alexandria has become. Robinson said change was gradual until, one day, it was as if someone ‘stomped their foot on the gas’ and it became a major metropolitan city.” [Zebra]

This coming Monday, Oct. 14 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Alexandria and a number of city government offices and facilities will be closed.

Thanks to a recent Alexandria City Council vote, the second Monday in October is now known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the city, though it is still a state and federal holiday known as Columbus Day.

“Alexandria joins more than 130 cities across the country that have recognized this day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day since 1994,” the city noted in a press release on Sept. 10. D.C. voted this week to also rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

A separate city press release listed some of the closures and other changes planned on Monday:

All Alexandria City government offices will be closed on Monday, October 14, in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The following list includes schedule information for other City facilities and partner agencies.

Resource Recovery: Residential refuse and recycling will not be collected on October 14. Collection services will be delayed by one day during the week of October 14. The Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Recycling Center (3224 Colvin St.) will be closed on October 14.

Animal Shelter: On October 14, the Vola Lawson Animal Shelter will observe holiday hours and will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Animal visiting hours will begin at noon.

Health Facilities: The Alexandria Health Department (4480 King St.), the Flora Krause Casey Health Center (1200 N. Howard St.), and the Teen Wellness Center at T.C. Williams High School (3330 King St.) will be closed on October 14.

Historic Alexandria: On October 14, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum will be open from 1 to 5 p.m., and Alexandria’s History Museum at the Lyceum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Alexandria Black History Museum, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, the Fort Ward Museum and the Friendship Firehouse Museum will be closed on October 14. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic or call 703.746.4554.

Hotlines: All emergency hotlines operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including the child protective services hotline at 703.746.5800; the domestic violence hotline at 703.746.4911; the emergency services for mental health or substance abuse crisis hotline at 703.746.3401; the adult protective services hotline at 703.746.5778; and the sexual assault hotline at 703.683.7273.

Libraries: All Alexandria Library branches will be closed on October 14. The Alexandria Law Library (520 King St.) will also be closed on October 14.

Parking: On October 14, the Alexandria Police Department will suspend enforcement of parking restrictions at metered spaces, residential permit parking districts and other areas with posted parking time limits. This suspension of enforcement applies only to the restrictions at legal parking spaces, and does not permit parking in any location normally prohibited (for example, no-parking zones, loading zones, or spaces for persons with disabilities). Temporary no-parking signs will be enforced on October 14.

Impound Lot: The City’s Impound Facility (5249 Eisenhower Ave.) will be closed October 14.

Recreation and Arts Centers: On October 14, Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Charles Houston and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and the Torpedo Factory Art Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All other City recreation and arts centers will be closed on October 14.

Schools: All Alexandria City Public Schools and administrative offices will be closed on October 14.

State Offices: The following Commonwealth of Virginia offices in Alexandria will be closed on October 14: the Circuit Court, Clerk of Circuit Court, General District Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, and the Court Service Unit located in the Alexandria Courthouse (520 King St.); and the Department of Motor Vehicles office (2681 Mill Road).

Transit: On Monday, October 14, Alexandria Transit Company’s DASH bus service will operate on a Saturday schedule. The free King Street Trolley will operate on its Saturday schedule, every 10 to 15 minutes, between the King Street Metro Station and the Potomac River waterfront, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 midnight. For more information, visit dashbus.com.