A race through Old Town this weekend will cause some road closures on Saturday and Sunday.
The PNC Parkway Classic is scheduled for Sunday, April 28. The city said in a release that there will also be a couple of closures on Saturday — we’re told that’s for race setup near Oronoco Bay Park.
According to the release:
For the safety of those involved, there will be numerous road closures in Old Town beginning Saturday, April 27
at 8 a.m. through Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m.Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m. – Sunday at 2 p.m.
N. Union between Oronoco Street and Pendleton Street
Pendleton Street between Fairfax Street and UnionSunday, April 28
5 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.
Fairfax Street will be closed to through traffic between Canal Center and Pendleton Street for buses to shuttle race participants.6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
S. Washington Street closed from the city limit on the south side of the city to Washington and Gibbon7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Franklin Street between Washington and Union Street
Union Street between Franklin and Oronoco StreetThe start line for the 5k is at Oronoco Bay Park, the 10-mile run starts at Mount Vernon. There will be no parking on Mount Vernon and towing will be enforced.
Photo via PNC Parkway Classic/Facebook
Vermilion at 1120 King Street has some pretty prestigious fans.
Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema shared a list of his five favorite spots around the area with an emphasis on international cuisine.
The last location on the list was Vermiilion, an Americana restaurant in Old Town known for its wine pairings.
Sietsema particularly praised the work of head chef Tony Chittum:
Seemingly overnight, Chittum jump-started the Old Town stalwart with dishes that marry local bounty with practiced creativity.
Fried oysters? Been there, done that, but never where the crisp oysters are staged atop shells filled with what tastes like Waldorf salad. Chittum’s salads are beautiful haystacks, one night speckled radicchio with sheeps’ milk cheese, chips of fried Jerusalem artichokes and folds of country ham. Sweet scallops share their plate with fritters that mimic scrapple, and even steak — straightforward steak — is elevated when the beef comes with a bright salsa and blue cheese suspended in tempura.
Sietsema also praised the aesthetics of the restaurant, from the brick walls to flickering lanterns.
The restaurant is open nightly for dinner starting at 5 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m. Weekend brunch runs from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Photo via Vermilion Restaurant & Bar/Facebook
A Hyattsville man suspected of stealing thousands worth of cosmetic items from multiple CVS stores in Alexandria was arrested with two others in Maryland earlier this month.
The three Maryland men are suspected of stealing more than $100,000 in merchandise from Target and other stores throughout the region and were arrested on April 19 by a deputy from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. They were charged with grand larceny, possession of stolen goods with the intent to sell and conspiracy to commit retail theft of more than $50,000 in five days.
“Amazing work to the quick acting deputies to prevent further retail larcenies in not only Stafford, but the DMV area,” the Stafford Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
In Alexandria, there were at least six incidents at six different CVS stores during February and March, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. The incidents are all similar — two Black males wearing ski or surgical masks walk into the store and then place items in the cosmetic section into large bags, then walk out the store and into a car that’s waiting with the engine running.
Thefts were reported at the following CVS stores:
- 1462 N. Beauregard Street, Feb. 24 — The suspects were seen fleeing in a blue Subaru Crosstrek with Maryland plates
- 5101 Duke Street, Feb. 24 — The suspects were seen fleeing in the blue Subaru
- 3120 Duke Street, Feb. 29 — The suspects were seen fleeing in the blue Subaru
- 4515 Duke Street, Feb. 29 — The suspects were seen fleeing in the blue Subaru
- 2601 Richmond Highway, March 4 — No suspect vehicle seen
- 501 King Street, March 8 — The suspects were seen fleeing in a black Hyundai with Maryland plates
- 433 S. Washington Street, March 8 — The suspects were seen fleeing in a black Hyundai
On March 8, the manager of the CVS at 433 S. Washington Street in Old Town told police that the three suspects walked in wearing black clothing, and black ski masks or surgical masks, according to the search warrant affidavit. The manager said the suspects placed cosmetic items in large bags and that they walked out of the store and into an awaiting vehicle.
The black Hyundai with Maryland license plates fled southbound, and during their investigation police received a license plate reader alert, “showing a stolen black Hyundai Elantra with Maryland tags in the area of Braddock Road and Mount Vernon Avenue,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.
Police located the stolen Hyundai near the CVS on S. Washington Street and were involved in a brief chase, but lost sight of the suspects when they crossed from the city into Fairfax County by driving onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
“(T)he vehicle operated by an unknown driver fled from them at a high rate of speed from S. Washington Street southbound towards Fairfax County,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “APD officers attempted to deploy a global positioning systems device on the fleeing vehicle before losing sight of (it) southbound on the George Washington Parkway.”
The Hyundai was recovered in Hyattsville near on March 9 by the Prince George’s County Police Department. It was released to its owner, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Another car was also seen fleeing the scene of multiple incidents in February — a blue Subaru Crosstrek with a Maryland license plate. Police contacted the owner of the license plate, who said it stolen from his daughter’s car.
The Bowie Police Department also found that there was a similar theft from a CVS store on Feb. 21, with two Black males allegedly stealing cosmetics and fleeing in a blue Subaru, according to the search warrant affidavit.
On March 12, CVS’s regional investigation officer provided APD with two internal case files identifying one of the suspects that was arrested in Stafford County on April 18. APD determined that the Hyattsville suspect lived on the same street from where the stolen Hyundai was recovered. Additionally, a video camera captured the stolen Subaru driving along that same street, according to the search warrant affidavit.
No charges have been made in the Alexandria incidents.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office put out a press release after making the arrests:
On April 18th at approximately 11:45 a.m. deputies responded to Target, located at 1090 Stafford Market Place, for a larceny in progress. Staff advised a group of males, who they had seen stealing before, were currently concealing skin care items into a large bin. As deputies arrived, the suspects fled out a fire exit with the stolen items.
Due to law enforcement agencies having stronger communication skills than a teenage couple, deputies were already well aware of this group. It was reported they were involved in an organized retail theft ring that involved numerous Target stores stretching all the way to Maryland. It was also reported these three musketeers traveled in a black Nissan Rogue with a Maryland license plate. With this information, it did not take Deputy J.E. Alford long to locate the Nissan with all three suspects inside at the traffic light for Stafford Market Place and Garrisonville Road. A high-risk stop was conducted and all three were taken into custody without incident. Not surprisingly, stolen Target items were located within the vehicle.
…All three were charged with four counts of grand larceny, two counts of possession of stolen goods with intent to sell, and conspiracy to commit retail theft greater than $5,000 within 90 days. All three were held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. The investigation is still ongoing.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the theft of more than $50,000 worth of luxury handbags and other merchandise from two consignment shops in the city.
On Jan. 26, the owner of Encore Consignment Boutique (119 S. Fairfax Street) reported just after midnight that the front glass door was smashed and that approximately $8,600 worth of luxury handbags and other merchandise was stolen, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. The business was broken into again on Feb. 28 at around 5 a.m., and approximately $6,300 worth of luxury handbags were stolen.
On Feb. 29 at around 4 a.m., the glass door of Vida Style at 210 N. Lee Street was smashed and the owner reported that $50,000 in luxury handbags and other items were stolen.
Vida Style owner Alicia Valencia told us that the store’s top-shelf bags and jewelry were stolen, and that she had to get a front glass door replaced.
“I don’t think I ever felt more of a spirit of community than after this happened,” Valencia said. “My team and everyone jumped in to help. There was fingerprint dust everywhere, and we cleaned that up and I called Del Ray Hardware and they helped me with their glass guy and the glass in the front door was replaced within an hour.”
The suspect(s) were videotaped driving a black Toyota Sienna minivan with Virginia plates, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Anyone with information on these incidents can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
A little over two years after it opened, Foxtrot in Old Town is closed — swept up in a series of closures affecting all locations in the Washington D.C. area.
The shop was a more upscale version of the typical corner store and cafe. The first D.C. location opened in 2021 and it quickly spread around the region before imploding today.
“It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of a difficult decision we have had to make,” the company said on Facebook. “After much consideration and evaluation, we regret to announce that Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market will be closing their doors starting on April 23, 2024.”
The closure affects all 33 Foxtrot locations in D.C. as well as Chicago, Austin and Dallas.
“We explored many avenues to continue the business but found no viable option despite good faith and exhaustive efforts,” the company said.
Photo via Foxtrot/Facebook
It was another busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top stories focused on development projects all over the city, from Old Town North to Carlyle and in the West End. News of the mixed-use projects comes as affordable housing advocates are protesting against being priced out and are asking for greater assistance from the city.
Politics-wise, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins celebrated two recent victories in her Democratic primary race for mayor. Gaskins is leading with fundraising, having raised $149,107 with $69,425 on-hand, according to quarterly campaign finance reports released Monday. Her opponent Vice Mayor Amy Jackson has raised $59,984 and has $22,682 on-hand, while former real estate developer Steven Peterson has raised $44,700 with $14,019 on-hand.
Gaskins also handily won the recent Alexandria Democratic Committee’s Straw Poll by 81%, followed by 16% for Jackson and 3% for Peterson. The primary is on June 18.
On Tuesday, we reported on a new movement to return Alexandria’s City Council to ward/district representation. While the nine-member Alexandria School Board is divided into three districts, the seven members of City Council are at-large, representing the entire city. The Communities for Accountable City Council is a self-described non-partisan group of city residents “exasperated with the intransigent Alexandria City Council that is unaccountable to communities and neighborhoods because of Alexandria’s At-Large election system.”
In our poll this week we asked whether City Council should return to a ward system. Out of the more than 500 votes, 57% voted yes and 43% voted no.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Notes: Old Town North building sold for $15.4 million to be turned into mixed-use apartment building (8413 views)
- Alexandria considering big plans for properties next to Eisenhower Avenue Metro station (4987 views)
- Alexandria City Council approves new ‘neighborhood’ at former Vulcan Materials site (4603 views)
- CVS set to close in Taylor Run neighborhood on Duke Street (3611 views)
- Affordable housing advocates rally outside Alexandria City Hall (3559 views)
- No arrest after fistfight leads to gunfire in Lincolnia (3351 views)
- Notes: Fundraiser for motorcyclist killed on Duke Street raises thousands (2390 views)
- Local organization forms to push Alexandria back to district/ward elections (2303 views)
- Mystic BBQ & Grill opens on Lee Street in Old Town (2235 views)
Have a safe weekend!
Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend. Enjoy!
Are you organizing an event? Submit events to ALXnow.
Friday, April 19
Things To Do
- 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Character Building Workshop at Military Children’s Six Foundation
- 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Fun Friday at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Degas Art Bingo at Nepenthe Gallery
- 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: In My Cookie Era! Cookie Decorating at Lost Boy Cider
- 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Guided Meditation With Cats at Mount Purrnon Cate Cafe & Wine Bar
Live Music & Entertainment
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Hall Pass from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Ryan Forrester from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Johnny Artis Band from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Fish Market: DJ at 9 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: The Dead Queens W/ Folking Tunes and Tennessee Frisky from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: The Satin Doll Trio from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: Game Night from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Poehemia & Pat Carroll at 9 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Crushing Diamonds from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse: Broken Ground at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live piano music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Rich Russman Band from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Parents Night Out at Mount Vernon Recreation Center
Saturday, April 20
Things To Do
- 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.: ALX Dog Walk at Oronoco Bay Park
- 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Old Town Farmers’ Market at Market Square Plaza
- 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Del Ray Farmers Market at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square
- 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Pop Up Spring Marketplace Boutique at the Athenaeum
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Del Ray Kitchen Confidential Design Tour at Del Ray Design Tour
- 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Animal Family Day at Mount Vernon
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Old Town Alexandria Historic Home and Garden Tour Kicks Off Spring Tradition in Old Town Alexandria
- 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.: Saturday Pop Up, Pop In Story Time at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Exploring Watercolor Takes Courage – A painting class by artists Teresa Brunson and Lynn Martin at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Garden Day Tours at Carlyle House Historic Park
- 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Board Game Cafe at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Embroidered Tapestry Workshop with Beta White at Fibre Space
- 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: 10th Anniversary Party at Sweet Fire Donna’s
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: ReFashion Show at The Garden ALX
- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Brews & Booze Motor Cruise with Tall ship Providence Foundation
- 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Gadsby’s Tavern Museum Society Spring Fling at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
- 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.: To The Sea | Pro Coro Alexandria Concert at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Live Music & Entertainment
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Small Town 7 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Larry Thomas Duo from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Practically Einstein from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- Galactic Panther: RedHorizon, The Backbeat Collective & Zawadi Live Music @ Galactic Panther from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Karaoke from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Sharon Clark Trio from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Poehemia & Pat Carroll at 9 p.m.
- Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center: ASO Presents: On the Town & Shostakovich 5 – Shuffle and Deal at 7:30 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere Music Hall: Steep Canyon Rangers at 7:30 p.m.
- The Light Horse: Black Cactus Hotels at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live piano music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Charles Houston Health & Fitness Expo at Charles Houston Recreation Center
- 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Annual Invitational Cheer Competition at Alexandria City High School Gymnasium
Sunday, April 21
Things To Do
- 8 a.m.: Dyke Marsh Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market
- 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Art of Manual Coffee Brewing at Galactic Panther
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Old Town North Farmers Market
- 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Animal Family Day at Mount Vernon
- 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Burpees and Brews at Port City Brewing Company
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Girl Scout Garden Day at Carlyle House
- 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Writers Group at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Kids Arts & Crafts at Hops N Shine
- 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Oddball Cinema – Barry Landon at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Jazz at Meade featuring the Vaughn Ambrose Quartet at Meade Memorial Episcopal Church
Live Music & Entertainment
- Blackwall Hitch: Jazz Brunch with Black Coffee from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Daniel O’Connell’s: Conor Malone from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: ESP’s InterGalactic Open Mic from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: The Office Trivia Night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Steve Zubrick from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Walt Johnson Trio from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Meade Memorial Episcopal Church: Jazz at Meade featuring the Vaughn Ambrose Quartet from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rook Richards at 8:30 p.m.
- Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center: ASO Presents: On the Town & Shostakovich 5 – Shuffle and Deal at 3 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere Music Hall: SGGL (Speidel, Goodrich, Goggin, & Lille) at 7:30 pm
- Two Nineteen Restaurant: Kev Powe Thang from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
City of Alexandria
- 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award at Del Ray GardenFest
Ryan Belmore is an award-winning news publisher, editor, and journalist. Born and raised in Rhode Island, he now resides in Alexandria with his wife and two rescue dogs. He was recently appointed to the City of Alexandria’s Board of Zoning Appeals and previously served on the City’s Commission For The Arts. Email listings and events to Ryan at [email protected]. Follow Ryan on Instagram at whatsupalexandria.
The Old Town Festival of Speed and Style is set to cruise back into Alexandria next month.
The annual festival is returning for the fifth year in a row on Sunday, May 19, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The festival fills up lower King Street and surrounding side streets near the waterfront with rare and exotic cars. This year the event is focusing on “pre-war exotic cars.”
“The Festival has garnered tens of thousands of spectators to the lower King Street area, doubling foot traffic to local businesses, generating widespread media coverage, and raising money for Alexandria-based nonprofits,” a release said. “The event is a high-sensory spectacle for participants, spectators and car enthusiasts, allowing them to experience the ‘Speed & Style’ variety of exotic supercars and vintage motorcycles rarely seen sitting still for up-close viewing.”
This year the festival is raising funding for local nonprofits ALIVE! and Community Lodgings.
The event is sponsored by the Burke & Herbert Bank.
A formal, pre-festival High-Octane Ball is also scheduled for Saturday, May 18, from 6-10 p.m. at the Belle Haven Country Club.
“This incredible event continues to grow in so many amazing ways — more cars, more people, more fun, more impact for Alexandria, and more funds for our local charities,” Rick Myllenbeck, founder and chairman of the Old Town Festival of Speed & Style, said in the release. “If you haven’t seen a fast, exotic, wicked-cool car like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, or Cobra up close and in-person, this is the event for you!”
There’s a new barbecue restaurant in an Old Town space that was previously home to… You guessed it — a barbecue restaurant.
Mystic BBQ & Grill formally opened this month at 220 N. Lee Street in the space previously occupied by Myron Mixon’s Pitmaster Barbeque, the Zebra first reported. Myron Mixon’s closed last Christmas Eve.
RT’s Restaurant (3804 Mount Vernon Avenue) owners Ralph Davis and Matthew Davis took over the restaurant, after their special use permit was approved. The menu has undergone a visual and branding overhaul and the “southern-centric menu” also features fresh seafood, “including our signature spicy she crab soup, low country shrimp & grits & creole bouillabaisse,” according to the restaurant.
According to Mystic BBQ & Grill:
Opened in April 2024 by a family that has been operating restaurants in and around Old Town for almost 50 years. Located in the heart of Old Town, Mystic has a diverse menu featuring Texas style smoked brisket, baby rack ribs & Carolina pulled pork. Meats are smoked low & slow in BBQ champion Myron Mixon’s signature smoker that is front and center in our open kitchen.
BBQ is just one part of this southern centric menu that also features fresh seafood including our signature spicy she crab soup, low country shrimp & grits & creole bouillabaisse. Not to be missed is the jumbo lump crab cake sandwich, which sets the standard for all of Old Town. Specialty sandwiches & unique salads are available all day in a casual setting that features upscale but moderately priced food. Great little wine list & large selection of draft beers are also available. Don’t forget about the “bananas foster” bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream & brown sugar rum sauce.
The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Expect a mostly sunny day with a high temperature near 75 degrees and a light northeast wind shifting to the south at around 6 mph in the afternoon. On Tuesday night, there’s a 40% chance of showers after 2 am, with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 57 degrees accompanied by a south wind of approximately 6 mph.
🚨 You need to know
The wait is over for ice cream lovers, because it’s Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s.
There’s no strings attached. Since 1979, the ice cream shop has handed out free ice cream cones one day a year, and that day has come.
The Old Town shop is located at 103 S. Union Street, and staff said that it’ll be busy today.
More than a million scoops will be handed out today around the world, according to Ben and Jerry’s.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 15, 2024.
- CVS set to close in Taylor Run off Duke Street (2021 views)
- Notes: Fundraiser for motorcyclist killed on Duke Street raises thousands (1258 views)
- No arrest after fistfight leads to gunfire in Lincolnia (1055 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 👉 7:00 pm: Celtic Corridor in Concert at the Lyceum
