The waterfront will sparkle tomorrow (Saturday) as dozens of ships decked out in Christmas lights cruise along the shoreline.
This year is the 20th annual Holiday Boat Parade of Lights. Festivities are planned throughout the afternoon and early evening, from 2-8 p.m. Planned activities include a pop-up beer garden from Port City Brewing Company, a bookmark-making station from Old Town Books and holiday music from 97.1 WASH-FM.
Next Saturday, the Old Town trolly will run from the Metro to the Waterfront by way of the North Pole.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Santa is scheduled to make an appearance at a King Street Trolly parked outside City Hall (301 King Street). The trolly is a free, year-round shuttle along King Street operated by the DASH bus service.
If you waited, unlike the City of Alexandria, to put up your Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving, there are plenty of places to get your tree.
For one, the Alexandria Police Department is hosting its annual Christmas tree sale, a yearly fundraiser that helps cover the cost of sending over 50 children to Camp Kekoka in the summer. The program specifically aims to help Alexandria children who would otherwise be unable to afford summer camp.
Get the kilts and bagpipes ready, this weekend is the Scottish Christmas Walk.
Scotland-themed events are scheduled throughout the weekend, kicking off with Taste of Scotland, an annual Scotch tasting on Friday, Nov. 6 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at The Atrium (277 S. Washington Street). The event also includes Scottish beer, wine and food. Individual tickets are sold out, but sponsorship tickets are still available.
Big Tree Falls Hard on Russell Road — “Tracey Cain was in Ohio visiting family when her husband Patrick McLaughlin called from their home at 2912 Russell Road this morning at 3 am. ‘The big tree in the front yard just fell down. It’s blocking the whole road. It’s pulled down a power line, and now it looks like no Thanksgiving for Russell Road,’ was the news.” [Zebra]
School Board Shrinking? — “The Alexandria City School Board is considering decreasing the number of members on the board and increasing the length of the terms they serve. A majority of school board members said they were in favor of these changes at a school board work session on Nov. 14.” [Alexandria Times]
Alexandria Keeps High Bond Rating — “S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service have reaffirmed the City of Alexandria’s top bond ratings of ‘AAA’ and ‘Aaa,’ respectively, in advance of the City’s planned sale of $205 million in general obligation tax-exempt bonds to fund the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station and school facility capital projects.” [City of Alexandria]
More Phone Problems for City — A week after an issue with a fiber optic line knocked out incoming calls for most Alexandria non-emergency phone lines last week, the same issue with incoming calls cropped up yesterday. It was reported to be resolved later Tuesday afternoon. [Twitter/@AlexandriaVAGov]
The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will perform its holiday concert series “Nutcracker Potpourri” next month.
On Saturday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m., ASO Music Director Maestro James Ross will lead the orchestra in a hybrid version of The Nutcracker, with excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s ballet suite and a Duke Ellington swing series.
Old Town Alexandria is widely renowned for it’s Christmas atmosphere, but it’s local inmates who do much of the work to get those decorations up.
In addition to the lights in trees on King Street, there are garlands and ribbons around poles and lamp posts throughout Old Town.
Four historical sites around Old Town and beyond will participate in this year’s Yuletide by Candlelight event.
The holiday event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, from 5-9 p.m.
T.C. Wins First Playoff Game Since 1990 — “T.C. Williams’ varsity football team won its first playoff game in almost 30 years [on Friday, Nov. 15], defeating West Springfield 21-20 and advancing to the district semifinals. While the Titans have gone to the playoffs as recently as 2017, this was the team’s first playoff win since 1990, according to athletic director James Parker.” [Alexandria Times]
T.C. Falls to South County — This past Friday, T.C. Williams’ playoff run ended with a 34-0 loss to South County High School. Mayor Justin Williams congratulated the team: “Congrats @TCTitanFootball on an amazing season… Well done.” [Twitter/@justindotnet]
The summer waterpark season at Cameron Run Regional Park (4001 Eisenhower Avenue) is over, but winter festivities are scheduled to kick off tomorrow (Friday) for the new Ice & Lights Winter Village.
The centerpiece of the park is a 55-by-80-foot ice rink, but there are activities throughout the park, like a lighted tunnel, heated igloos, and fire pits.
