Old Town

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Today marks anniversary of Old Town’s contentious founding as a ‘historic district’

By Vernon Miles
A cloudy day in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Old Town is no stranger to controversy over historic preservation, and the Office of Historic Alexandria’s superb This Week in Historic Alexandria newsletter documented the intense local controversy around the neighborhood’s historic designation 78 years ago.

Old Town is the third oldest historic district in the United States, after Charleston formed a historic district in 1931 and New Orleans six years later. The first preservation efforts focused on residential buildings and were called the Charleston Ordinance, WETA reported.

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Huge international food festival returns to Oronoco Bay Park next week

By Vernon Miles
Brazilian music at the Around The World Cultural Food Festival (photo via Around The World Cultural Food Festival/Facebook)

A massive outdoor celebration of international food is making its return for its eighth year to Old Town’s Oronoco Bay Park next week.

Around the World Cultural Food Festival, the largest outdoor cultural food festival in the region, is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in Oronoco Bay Park.

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News

Shh! There’s a silent reading party in Old Town North next Saturday

By James Cullum
Reading in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Think about getting comfortable, because there’s a silent reading party happening in Old Town North later this month.

The realm of the imagination is the destination for participants in the latest venture between Old Town Books (130 S. Royal Street) and Hotel AKA Alexandria (625 First Street). From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 24, you can finally get the peace and quiet needed to move the bookmark along and find out who did the deed in that Agatha Christie murder mystery.

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Ceremony next month in Old Town honors monumental part of Black history in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial in Old Town. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The City of Alexandria is celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial (1001 S. Washington Street) next month, a monument commemorating a chapter in Alexandria’s history that’s both harrowing and inspiring.

The memorial honors the hundreds of Black Americans who died in Alexandria during the Civil War.

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News

Iconic Old Town museum gets renovations and new paint scheme with historic roots

By Vernon Miles
Repainted exterior of the Lee Fendall House (photo courtesy Virginia Properties Inc.)

Anybody traveling along N. Washington Street might notice that the historic Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden (614 Oronoco Street) looks different.

The historic 18th-century home, celebrating 50 years as a public museum, has a fresh coat of paint as part of a renovation project to freshen up the building.

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News

D.C. bar Death & Co. reopening as a pop-up at Old Town hotel

By Vernon Miles
Whiskey at Death & Co. (photo via Death & Co./Facebook)

D.C. bar Death & Co. near Mount Vernon Square closed earlier this summer for repairs, but will make a surprise return as a pop-up inside Hotel Heron (699 Prince Street) in Old Town.

The bar is reopening today for a limited run inside what will eventually be Hotel Heron’s own bar, Francis Hall.

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News

The refugee tailor to Afghanistan’s former leaders opens shop in Old Town

By James Cullum
Tailor Reza Mohammadi at his new shop, Barg Garments, at 108 N. Alfred Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

A famous tailor who fled Afghanistan with his wife and five children recently opened a new shop in Old Town.

Business is slow, but the situation is familiar to Reza Mohammadi. He’s started from scratch many times, and is hoping that what’s worked in the past will work again.

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News

10 Questions with Danny Zelsman of Madison Street Tattoo in Old Town

By James Cullum
Madison Street Tattoo owner Danny Zelsman (staff photo by James Cullum)

Danny Zelsman was making a stencil of Jesus Christ with a crown of mushrooms when ALXnow caught up with him at his tattoo shop in Old Town.

Taped to the wall behind him at his work station at Madison Street Tattoo (1012 Madison Street) were hundreds of other stencils, all expressions that clients wanted to bring from the depths of their souls and put on their backs, forearms, legs — anywhere, really.

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News

What’s Up in Alexandria This Weekend: Friendship Firehouse Festival, Tax-Free Weekend, and more

By Ryan Belmore
Friendship Firehouse Festival (photo via Friendship Firehouse Museum/Facebook)

Here’s a roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria this weekend, Friday, August 2, through Sunday, August 4, 2024.

Are you organizing an event? Submit events to ALXnow.

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News

Old Town chili spot Hard Times expansion to include new second-floor porch

By Vernon Miles
Hard Times in Old Town (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Hard Times (1404 King Street) is scheduled to close sometime this year to undergo extensive interior renovations, but a new Special Use Permit said those plans could now include new second-floor outdoor porch seating.

The SUP says the plan is to “add new second floor outdoor porch with seating for 30, located in rear of the existing restaurant.”

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News

Friendship Firehouse Festival is back this weekend!

By Vernon Miles
Friendship Firehouse Festival (photo via Friendship Firehouse Museum/Facebook)

This weekend the city of Alexandria is celebrating the 250th birthday of the Friendship Fire Company, the first volunteer firefighters in the city, with the annual Friendship Firehouse Festival.

The free festival is on the 100 block of South Alfred Street from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. It will feature antique fire equipment on display alongside current equipment, as well as hands-on activities, face painting, live music and more.

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