Today’s the First Day of School for ACPS — “Let’s focus on getting connected this week! Make sure you have access to technology and have completed your back-to-school forms.” [ACPS]
West End Development Could Add Hundreds of Affordable Housing Units — “Wesley Housing is requesting a pre-development loan of $400,000 to start the development process on ParcView II, a new affordable rental project on Holmes Run Parkway in Alexandria’s West End.” [Alexandria Living]
Hundreds of captivated Alexandrians watched a T-Rex scream on the big screen on Eisenhower Avenue on Saturday night, as a sold-out viewing of Jurassic Park kicked off the first show of the Alexandria Drive-In Theatre.
“We are over the moon,” Kelly Grant, Chief Operating Officer for ALX Community, told ALXnow on Saturday night. “The movie is playing, we’ve got over 215 cars all going and the food trucks are running.”
Alexandria has put another summer work week to rest.
As the City Council enjoys a legislative break, the School Board conducted a virtual meeting to discuss the renaming process for T.C. Williams High School. Superintendent Gregory Hutchings, Jr., and the board advocate a public engagement process that could result in the board voting to change the name this December, followed by a vote on a specific name next spring. A group of community activists, however, believe that the name should be taken off immediately, since ACPS acknowledged Williams was an avowed racist and segregationist.
Just four days after announcing the launch of the Alexandria Drive-In Theatre, all six shows are sold out.
Now, with a waitlist of sponsors wanting to get involved, organizers are thinking about expanding the offerings, but only after they’ve ironed out the wrinkles from these first shows.
These summer weeks are flying by, and another one is in the books in Alexandria.
This week, readers responded to a number of issues in the city, including the tragic story behind the city’s first murder, crime in Arlandria and another protest outside of the acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s home.
Want some entertainment away from home? Local business owners from ALX Community and The Garden are launching the Alexandria Drive-In Theatre, and starting August 29, one of six classic films will run every Saturday through the beginning of October in the parking lot of the Victory Center on Eisenhower Avenue.
The parking lot can hold up to 215 cars per screening, and the movies are:
Beyer Says Unemployment Lapse Inevitable — “We are out of time to extend enhanced unemployment benefits that tens of millions of Americans are depending on. Senate Republicans and the White House still can’t even start negotiating a compromise because they’re arguing with each other. A lapse looks unavoidable now. Ugh.” [Twitter]
COVID-19 Cases Increase by 21 — “The latest update from the City on COVID-19: Positive tests up 21 to 2,639 in the City; 7-day Positivity Rate is 6.7%; 0 new hospitalizations. Still safer at home, wash hands, wear masks and support our essential workers.” [Twitter]
The last movie Arch Campbell saw in the theater was Emma, and that was back in March. The last time the eight-time Emmy award-winning movie critic stayed away from a movie theater for so long was at least 60 years ago, Campbell told ALXnow in a recent interview.
With Alexandria’s movie theaters dramatically adjusted to the pandemic, audiences are forced to watch movies and shows on their phones and at home. With the recent shuttering of the Regal Potomac Yard and the AMC Hoffman Center 22 remaining temporarily closed, pickings are slim for Alexandria movie lovers.
Regal Potomac Yard Movie Theater Closed for Good — “Regal Cinemas has scrubbed the 16-theater multiplex at 3575 Potomac Ave. from its list of Virginia locations on its website. Couple that with the fact Virginia Tech and JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS) plan to redevelop the North Potomac Yard site on an accelerated timeline, it’s likely the theater showed its last film months ago — when Disney’s “Onward” was No. 1 at the box office.” [Washington Business Journal]
Governor Releases ‘Forward Virginia’ Phase Two Guidelines — “Most of the state will enter phase two on Friday, June 5. Northern Virginia, including the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County, might enter about a week later — but only if local coronavirus and health metrics indicate it is safe to do so. The governor has not given Northern Virginia a projected date for entering the second phase.” [Alexandria Living]
Local Donut Shop Donating to Charity — “Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee of Alexandria, 804 N. Henry Street, is celebrating five years of yummy donuts, smiles and positive community engagement in January by donating five cents for every donut sold to ACT for Alexandria, the community foundation.” [Zebra]
History Museum Hosting Documentary Screening — “On Sunday, January 12, 2020, the Alexandria Black History Museum will premiere a free screening at 3 p.m. of the new documentary exploring Alexandria segregation. A very special collection of dollhouses depict Alexandria segregation in ‘Our Alexandria’ the new documentary by Emmy award-winning local filmmaker, Robin Hamilton.” [Zebra]
Landmark Mall may be all but dead, but a trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 revives the Alexandria landmark to its full ’80s glory.
Wonder Woman filmed in Alexandria and D.C. in 2018. The film will see Gal Gadot as Diana Prince — aka Wonder Woman — face off against Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal).
