Tall Ship Providence Happy Hour Cruises Friday evenings throughout the Fall 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission: $45 per person Tall ship Providence 1 Cameron Street 703-772-8483 tallshipprovidence.org Take up your Friday night happy hour game a notch higher. The historic tall ship Providence is now hosting Friday evening happy hours on the Potomac. Our two-hour cruises allow you to take in sweeping views of the unique D.C. skyline while sipping a seasonal adult beverage. Reserve your place now, as space is limited. Alexandria Ghost Tour Pub Crawl with Nightly Spirits Wednesdays through Sundays throughout the Fall 7:30 p.m. Admission: $25 per person Various locations throughout Old Town 844-678-8687 nightlyspirits.com Experience a haunting mixture of ghostly sights and pub crawling on this walking tour of historic Old Town Alexandria. Listen to creepy stories of ghosts and local history. Your costumed guide will take you in and out of several haunted pubs and other locations in Old Town. Hear about murder, death and tragic love stories as you walk along historical streets. Tours last about two hours, cover approximately one mile, and include plenty of time to calm your nerves with a few strong spirits along the way. Must be 21+ for this tour. 11th – 14th The 15th Annual Alexandria Film Festival Admission: $12 per showcase or $75 per All-Festival Pass alexfilmfest.com The Alexandria Film Festival will take place as a hybrid event—virtual, with some in person events. The festival footprint is expanding this year to include a partnership with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, which will feature six original films and will be presented with a “live to picture” performance of the orchestra on November 6 and 7. This performance will be in person but will observe current safety protocols such as social distancing. To get the latest information, the website. 13th Discovering Alexandria Architecture Tour 10:00 a.m. Admission:…
Special Events – October 26th Annual Art on the Avenue October 2nd 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission: Free Between Bellefonte and Hume Avenues artontheavenue.org Art on the Avenue is a multicultural arts festival held the first Saturday in October, rain or shine. Stroll down Del Ray’s Mount Vernon Avenue between Bellefonte and Hume Avenues and discover more than 300 artists, from jewelers to glass makers to painters, while enjoying a variety of musicians and food vendors. Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour October 8th to 10th 6 to 9 p.m. Admission: Friday: $49 for members, $59 for general public; Saturday: $53 for members, $63 for general public; Sunday: $43 for members, $53 for general public George Washington’s Mount Vernon 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. 703-780-2000 mountvernon.org Taste unlimited samples from Virginia wineries after hours at George Washington’s estate. Bring a blanket and relax on the east lawn overlooking the Potomac River and meet General Washington. Del Ray Halloween Parade October 24th 2 p.m. Admission: Free Begins at Mount Vernon Ave. south of E. Bellefonte Ave. visitdelray.com/halloween Del Ray’s annual Halloween Parade begins at Mount Vernon Ave., south of E. Bellefonte, and continues down to the Mount Vernon Recreation Center play fields. Children, pets and strollers in costumes are invited to march and show off their finest and scariest Halloween garb; awards are given for Best Pet Costume, Best Decorated Business, Best Decorated Home and Best Decorated Stroller. More Fall Events & Tours Alexandria Ghost Tour Pub Crawl with Nightly Spirits Wednesdays through Sundays throughout the fall 7:30 p.m. Admission: $25 per person Various locations throughout Old Town Alexandria 844-678-8687 nightlyspirits.com Experience a haunting mixture of ghostly sights and pub crawling on this walking tour of historic Old Town Alexandria. Listen to creepy stories of ghosts and local history. Your costumed guide will take…
Earth Day 2021 -“Restore Our Earth!” We believe that most of you who are reading this will agree with us here at the Old Town Crier that EVERY day should be Earth Day, however, April 22nd of each year since 1970 has been the designated day to pay extra homage to our beautiful planet. We thought you might enjoy a bit of insight to the designation so we contacted EARTHDAY.ORG to get just that. ORIGINS OF EARTH DAY Earth Day 1970 gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet. In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health. However, the stage was set for change with the publication of Rachel Carson’s earth bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries as it raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and the inextricable links between pollution and public health. Earth Day 1970 would come to provide a voice to this emerging environmental consciousness, and putting environmental concerns on the front page. EARTH DAY TODAY Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes. Now, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change…
November 21st Tree Lighting Ceremony 2020 Market Square Corner of King and Fairfax Streets Old Town Alexandria On King Street in the heart of Old Town, the City of Alexandria’s 40-foot tree rises tall on Market Square in front of City Hall featuring nearly 40,000 twinkling white lights. With the absence of the Scottish Christmas Walk and Boat Parade, this year’s tree lighting takes on a special meaning. It is something familiar to look forward to going into this holiday season. November 28th Small Business Saturday Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N Union Street Support local artists businesses and join us for in-person shopping over all 3 floors of the Art Center. Find additional specials online by browsing artist pages via the Torpedo Factory Art Center web site. Torpedofactory.org At the time of this writing there was no additional information about other activities highlighting Small Business Saturday but please check the Visit Alexandria site at VisitAlexandriaVA.com for updated information.
By Harold Heisness Sentinel of the City By day, the George Washington National Masonic Memorial stands as a stately sentinel, overlooking all of Alexandria. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night – wait – that’s the Postal Service motto! However, that part applies well to the memorial. And, like the Postal Service delivering late evenings during this pandemic, the folks at the memorial also do something about that “gloom of night” part.” At night things on the outside bring new interest. Often featured on local television news broadcasts in “around the region” shots, the memorial is usually bathed in soft white lighting. But during a year’s course, you will see it lighted in a variety of colors, sometimes singly and sometimes in combination, such as red, white, and blue, and even changing colors throughout the night. Sometimes the memorial seems bathed in an almost ethereal light. What gives? Do gargoyles come to life and change the lighting? No, because the memorial has no gargoyles (that we can see, at least!). The completed exterior of the memorial has stood atop Shuter’s Hill since 1932, the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth and, though there has been white lighting on the outside of some sort since its early days, the colored nocturnal lights are a more recent inspiration, probably starting in the 1980s, with the more widespread use of LED-based illumination. These days, that lighting comes courtesy of the memorial’s electrician to work his magic (and no, he does not work from behind a curtain, as in “The Wizard of Oz,” but at a lighting board. From there, according to Shawn Eyer, Director of Communications and Development at the memorial, the colors and overall lighting can be adjusted at several levels of the memorial. In addition, as the memorial continues…
Alexandria Farmers Market Listings Old Town Farmers Market Market Square 301 King Street Saturdays, 7 am – 12 Noon Year Round The Old Town Market is thought to be the one of nation’s oldest continuing markets operating since 1753. It is said that George Washington sent his products from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today the plaza is a mecca for farmers and artists to sell their wares. The Market is a primary source for meats, dairy, fish, fruits, vegetables and flowers for all those who visit. Del Ray Farmers Market Corner of Mt. Vernon and Oxford Avenues Saturdays, 8 am to Noon Year Round This market is strictly a producer grown market. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and salmon, fresh mushrooms, baked goods, hard cider. Farmers are within a 150 mile radius of Alexandria. A non-profit is featured each weekend. Old Town North Farmers & Artisans Market Montgomery Park 901 North Royal Street Thursdays, 3 pm – 7 pm Year Round Alexandria’s favorite dog friendly market! The Old Town North Thursday Market is a growers only market with a focus on produce from small family farms and local artisans. Products sold at the market include fresh fruits and veggies from Virginia’s Northern Neck, Micro Greens from an urban farm, Empanadas, Fresh baked pastries with a European flair and much more. Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue Sundays, 9 am – 1 pm Year Round This market offers fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels and strives to reflect the diversity of Alexandria’s community. Local artisans display their arts and crafts as well West End Farmers Market 4800 Ben Brenaman Park Sundays, 8:30 am – 1 pm We love our market, our vendors and our customers in the community. Please come…
“Keep Your Distance and Wash Those Hands!” By Lani Gering This is the first time since I started “helping” David and Bob with the Old Town Crier in November of 1994 that I have felt the need to editorially contribute something other than my normal assignments – ie Profiles, the Harbor section, etc. I have gone from donating my time and “expertise”, whatever that is, to being the force behind getting this publication pulled together each month. While we have been through some rough times over these past 32 plus years, we have still maintained a pretty darn good publication both in print and online. Never before this “virus” situation had we ever contemplated not publishing an issue. So much of our ad revenue is dependent on the hospitality/food service business and we lost close to ½ of our monthly income basically overnight. We haven’t missed publishing an issue since the first one hit the streets in January of 1988 and we are doing everything we can to continue the trend. That includes reducing the number of pages (due to the loss of ads) and lowering the print run (due to the fact that a major portion of our distribution outlets are closed) in order to save some money. We have had to make some tough decisions and you will notice that this issue doesn’t have the glossy cover wrap that you are accustomed to – we have had that pretty wrap for over 20 years! On the upside, however, you might notice that the entire publication feels a little heftier. That is because we were able to upgrade the quality of the paper for the entire issue as a trade-off and still save a chunk of change at the same time. Who knows what the “New Normal” will be…
Cherry Blossom Festival 2020 March 20th – April 12th The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s great celebrations of spring. The 2020 Festival includes four weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or call 877.44.BLOOM for more information, check out Facebook (CherryBlossomFestival), Twitter (@CherryBlossFest), and Instagram (@CherryBlossFest). The Festival has expanded its roster of sports programming, including the return of the Blossoms and Baseball game with the Washington Nationals, a Blossom Night with DC United, and a new partnership with the Washington Wizards. Cherry Blossom Festival 2020 signature events include: • Friday, March 20: Pink Tie Party fundraiser presented by ANA at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (early-bird tickets available now) • Saturday, March 21: Opening Ceremony at the Warner Theatre • Saturday, March 28: Blossom Kite Festival presented by Otsuka on the Washington Monument grounds • Saturday, April 4: National Cherry Blossom Festival Paradeâ presented by Events DC (grandstand tickets on sale now) • Saturday, April 13: Petalpalooza at Capitol Riverfront presented by CHASE • Dates TBD: Tidal Basin Welcome Area and ANA Performance Stage Festival Partners 2020 Premier Events include: • Saturday, March 21: SAAM Cherry Blossom Celebration produced by Smithsonian American Art Museum • Saturday, April 4: Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, produced by the Japan-America Society of Washington DC • Sunday, April 5: Anacostia River Festival produced by the 11th Street Bridge Park
39th Annual Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Fun Dog Show – March 7th WHAT: 39th Annual Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Fun Dog Show Visitors and residents are invited to don their green and line King Street in Old Town Alexandria, VA to kick off the region’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at the 39th Annual Alexandria St. Patrick’s Day Parade, presented by the Ballyshaners, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote and preserve Irish heritage. More than 2,000 participants will march in this year’s parade, including the Notre Dame Alumni Band, dog rescue groups, pipe and drum bands, historical re-enactors, Shriners and Kena cars, and Irish dancers. Parade-goers come early at 10:30 a.m. for the Fun Dog Show on Market Square, which benefits the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. More than 30 costumed dogs will compete in a range of categories, including Best Human/Canine Look-Alike, Most Talented and Most St. Paddy’s Spirit. The dogs will then kick off the parade at 12:15 p.m. TIME: Fun Dog Show – 10:30 am – 12 pm Parade – 12:30 pm – 2 pm WHERE: Parade starts at King and Alfred Streets and ends at Lee and Cameron Streets; the Fun Dog Show is on Market Square in front of City Hall at 301 King Street, Alexandria, VA WEBSITE: www.ballyshaners.org
by Meg Mullery Leap Year 2020 – Pause. Reflect. Reset. An Irish legend identifies St. Brigid as an early feminist by her successful negotiation of a deal with St. Patrick allowing women to propose to men every four years. St. Brigid, weary of dudes making the life-altering decisions and then mansplaining them, attempted to introduce a balance to the traditional male-female roles. The best she could be was every four years. Whatever. St. Patrick, equally weary of St. Brigid’s incessant eye-rolling, acquiesced. He also was dealing with a pesky snake problem that perhaps weakened his resolve. Julius Caesar introduced Leap Year more than 2000 years ago. The Julian (now Gregorian) calendar added an extra day every four years to the common 365 day calendar to synchronize it with the solar year. The extra day keeps our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolution around the sun. Ever since the introduction of Leap Year, Leap Day on February 29 has been a day of traditions, folklore and superstitions. A google search of these reflects the pathetic status of women and marriage throughout the centuries. To be clear, men looked forward to the dreaded Leap Day much like Mitch McConnell would look forward to slow-dancing with Nancy Pelosi to the music of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.” In 1288, Scotland passed a law that allowed women to propose to the man of their choice. Any man who declined a leap year proposal had to pay a fine ranging from payment for a silk dress to a pair of gloves. Gloves were a popular form of payment for rebuffing a proposal. In European countries, tradition dictated that any man who refuses a woman’s proposal had to buy her 12 pairs of gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring….
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