Author Archives: delraybaby

Sep 13, 2012

Alexandria Story Festival

This coming weekend on Sept. 15th is a very special festival!

The 3rd Annual Alexandria Story Festival will be held from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at T.C. Williams High School

 Check the schedule of author presentations to make sure you catch your favorites

In addition to author presentations there will be a puppet show at 12:35 and lots of fun prizes!

New this year is an Author Scavenger Hunt! Go to each location and discover which author they have and write it on your scavenger hunt sheet. Each place you visit will give you a small memento. Visit all 12 locations and you’ll have 12 mementos! Visit this link to download the scavenger hunt.

Stay up to date with all the fun on their Facebook page as well!

Sep 11, 2012

Have You Seen Preschool Palettes?

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Alexandria mom, Kristin Brennan Matheis, who owns Preschool Palettes. I must say, I really loved what she does!

My oldest is now seven and my youngest is five. Every year I struggle with what to do with all of the adorable art work that they bring home. Here’s where Kristin’s business steps in. You collect that work, select the items that you deem to be sentimental or artistically worthy and then you bring it all to Kristin. The next step…she hands you back an excellent, perfect-bound book capturing your child’s year in art! That’s it. It’s really that simple.

Kristin can put a picture of your kid in the front of the album with an age, school name or date. If you’re really ambitious you can include a caption for each image, but it really can be as simple as turning over the artwork and waiting patiently for the outcome!

Kristin uses a combination of scanning and photographing to capture the art work in the best quality possible. She offers different book size options from small books (that would make perfect grandma brag books) to large scale portfolio size (coffee table book anyone?). Kristin says her own two kids love to flip through their books sitting in their home!

You can opt to go with a full color cover, a book jacket or classic linen cover.

Kristin accepts orders by private appointment and during previously scheduled public events (listed on her website). She can also be reach on her website or through her facebook page. She sets up many of her appointments at spaces like St. Elmos Coffee Shop and is available for booking at home parties.

Aug 25, 2012

2nd Annual Emergency Management & Safety Fair

A Petting zoo, Face Painting & Moon Bounce! Does it get any better than that on a Saturday here in Alexandria?

The 2nd Annual Emergency Management & Safety Fair is this Saturday, August 25, from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Inova Alexandria Hospital at 4320 Seminary Road.
Bring the family out to this fun event to learn ways to be ready and safe in the case of emergencies like natural disasters, terrorism and more.

Local and regional agencies will have information, safety kits and giveaways.

Family activities including a petting zoo, moon bounce, video game truck, fire trucks, K-9 Officer show, face painting and an obstacle course.

Free popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones!

Aug 09, 2012

2012 Irish Festival

Enjoy a family friendly day of free fun this coming Saturday in Old Town. The 2012 Irish Festival will take place on August 11, at Waterfront Park, on the Potomac River between King and Prince Streets. The festival will run from 11:00am to 7:00pm, and will be a rain or shine event.

Festival proceeds help cover the cost of staging the annual Alexandria Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Come down to the festival with your family and friends and support the parade by enjoying a frosty beverage.

Come out for a day of fun and music, featuring Pat Garvey, Brook Yoder, Pat Carroll, the City of Alexandria Pipes & Drums, the Washington Scottish Pipes & Drums, and the Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums. There will also be performances by the Boyle School of Irish Dance, the Culkin School of Irish Dance, the O’Neill-James School of Irish Dance, and the Celtic Rhythm School of Irish Dance.

Great vendors will have a variety of Irish items for purchase including arts & crafts, and traditional festival foods.

Festival organizers suggest using Metro (King Street Station) and the King Street Trolley to access the festival. Lawn chairs are welcome. Coolers are prohibited at the festival.

Aug 06, 2012

National Night Out

Del Ray will be celebrating National Night Out this evening August 7, from 5:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M!

City officials have partnered with Alexandria Police to celebrate the 29th Annual National Night Out.  The special celebration is part of a nationwide crime and drug prevention effort sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW).

The Del Ray Citizens Association will be celebrating at 2701 Commonwealth Avenue, Mount Vernon Rec. Center’s playing fields.

Join your neighbors at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center Field on Tuesday, August 7th to Celebrate Del Ray’s National Night Out. Many local businesses have pitched in to help make this a fun and safe event. There will be hotdogs, veggie burgers, chips, cookies, lemonade and water provided! There will be fun games for kids and adults with “cool” prizes! Music performance by 50 Man Machine! So come on out, claim your hay bale and have fun! National Night Out is a wonderful opportunity for our community to meet your local police, fire fighters and emergency respondrers!

There will be celebrations throughout Alexandria for National Night Out. To heighten awareness of crime prevention, residents in more than 30 Alexandria neighborhoods will turn on their porch lights, host neighborhood cook-outs and sponsor block parties in support of National Night Out.  Mayor William D. Euille, City Manager Rashad M. Young, members of City Council and Chief of Police Earl L. Cook will reaffirm the City’s commitment to fighting crime by visiting residents throughout the City. McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog, K-9 Unit, Motor Unit, Bike Patrol, Command Bus, Armored Motor Carrier and the Crime Scene Mobile Lab will tour neighborhoods and offer special demonstrations.

National Night Out, a year-long community building campaign, is designed to:
• Heighten crime prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and law enforcement-community partnerships;
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

“National Night Out is an opportunity for the police department to strengthen our relationship with the community and thank the residents for their vigilance and their dedication to keeping Alexandria a safe place to live, work and visit,” says Chief Cook.

Aug 03, 2012

Friendship Firehouse Festival

The 2012 Friendship Firehouse Festival, celebrating the 238th anniversary of the founding of Friendship Fire Company, will take place Saturday, August 4 from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.

This family friendly event features antique fire apparatus, craft booths, displays by Alexandria merchants, and live music.

In addition to the day’s outdoor events, festival participants will enjoy visiting the Friendship Firehouse Museum, originally built as a firehouse in 1855.

The FVFEA is now a philanthropic organization focusing on fire-fighting history and fire safety.  It remains active in community events, including the annual Festival, and supports historic preservation of the building and its collection.

Food and beverages are available for purchase. Children will receive free fire helmets and are treated to a supervised visit inside the City’s fire trucks. The fire house is located at 107 S Alfred St in Old Town.

Aug 02, 2012

First Thursday- “Art Walk on the Avenue”

Today is First Thursday: “Art Walk on the Avenue”

Come watch artists work their magic along Mount Vernon Avenue. The celebration runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and features art demonstrations and live music. The Del Ray Business Association, which puts on the First Thursday celebrations, hopes to have an artist – or two – on every corner including local celebrity chef Will Artley who plans to show off his culinary art.

Other artists expected to attend the event include:

Choreographers Collaboration Project which will dance outside A Show of Hands at the corner of E. Del Ray and Mount Vernon avenues.

Sediment Press will demonstrate how to make postcards.

Lily Beach – face painting

Tessa Barsic – oil painting

Eric Nelson will demonstrate painting on mylar outside Artfully Chocolate.

Ginny Filer – photography, outside Bean Creative.

William Mansfield – banjo

Matthew Harwood – architect turned artist

Lisa Schumaier – artist

Robin Kuprewicz – jewelry artist

Sally Coler

Mary Jane O’Loughlin will demonstrate how to put together a book.

Mary Exline – watercolors

Maria Teresa Balda – hair bows

Paula H. Wulff

Marcia Toepfer – watercolors

Joyce Wagner – pressed flower cards

Anne Marie Houston – photography

Renee Rutkowski – glass bead making

Sally Fernandez – sewing/embroidery

Art League artists

Two singing groups also will take turns performing at the Del Farmer’s Market starting at 6:30 pm. First up, Venus d Minor, followed by Jubilee Voices at 7 p.m. The groups will trade off every 30 minutes until the final performance ends at 9 p.m.

The Del Ray Montessori will be doing a cute art project for children in front of Bean Creative.

Friends of Karen Graf are sponsoring a celebration of the arts and the Olympics by creating an international flag. This art project will be led by Maury Elementary’s art teacher, Luisa Tio. This is an activity for all ages. Get ready to get messy with paints and markers! Also, face painter Barbara Scheeler from Let’s Make a Face will be there from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and there will be a bouncy house! At the Bean Creative lot (2213 Mt. Vernon Avenue)

This month, First Thursday organizers are spotlighting The Child & Family Network Centers, a local nonprofit that provides education and related services to low-income children. People are encouraged to donate art supplies to the group at a tent set up at the Del Ray Farmer’s Market at the corner of Oxford and Mount Vernon avenues.

Jul 06, 2012

Annual USA & Alexandria City Birthday Celebration

The City of Alexandria will celebrate its 263rd and the USA’s 236th birthday on Saturday, July 7, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Oronoco Bay Park, 100 Madison St., located at the Potomac River between Fairfax, Pendleton, and Madison Streets. Admission is free.

The celebration includes fun for the entire family, including musical entertainment, children’s activities, community exhibits, and birthday cake. The highlight of the evening is a concert by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Kim Allen Kluge presenting an explosive night of fun and fanfare featuring “Stardust on the Potomac.”

Fireworks close out the celebration featuring Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” with cannon support by the United States Marine Corps, Basic Training School, Quantico, VA at 9:30 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, fireworks only will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 8 at 9:30 p.m.

Oronoco Bay Park has lawn seating, and participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Food, such as ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, shaved ice and kettle corn will be available for purchase, but everyone is welcome to pack a picnic supper. No grilling allowed.

Visitors to the historic district are encouraged bike, walk or take the Metrorail Yellow or Blue lines to the King Street Station and take King Street Trolley to the unit block of King St., a short walk to Oronoco Bay Park. The King Street Trolley will operate until midnight for individuals wishing to return to the King Street Metro following the celebration.

For DASH schedule information, call 703.746.DASH or visit www.dashbus.com. For Metrobus schedule information, call 202.637.7000 or visit www.wmata.com.

Parking is available at Simpson Properties Garage, 700 North Fairfax Street; Tishman Speyer, 44 Canal Center Plaza (at a special $5 fee); and Trammell Crow Company, 601 North Fairfax Street.

For additional information, visit alexandriava.gov/recreation or call the Special Events Hotline at 703.746.5592.

Jul 05, 2012

First Thursday

This Thursday, July 5th from 6 pm to 9 pm the Del Ray Business Association (DRBA) will host July’s First Thursday – Main Street 4th of July Staycation.

On Thursday night, at the Farmer’s Market lot at Mt. Vernon & E. Oxford Avenue and all along Mt. Vernon Avenue, we promise the following fun “vacation” type events happening right here in Del Ray:

1) Historical Walking Tour of Del Ray – pick up a map at the Farmer’s Market Lot & take a self-guided tour down Mt. Vernon Avenue where you will learn answers to 6 fun historic questions about Del Ray.  Turn in your answers & be eligible for door prizes. Winning entries will be drawn at 8 pm.

2) Have your “family vacation photo” taken by one of Del Ray’s favorite photographer, Wayne Hulehan.  Check in at the Farmer’s Market for the exact location and then photos will be posted on a link on the DRBA website.

3) What vacation is complete with out cooling off from the heat.  Stop by Del Ray’s “misting tent” located next to the Neighborhood Pharmacy at 2204 Mt. Vernon Avenue to cool off.

4) Participate in one of Del Ray’s “funnest” July First Thursday events – the annual Cake Walk. For those not familiar with it, thanks to dozens of wonderful neighbors that have offered to donate cakes, cup cakes, pies, etc. we hope to be able to have a “cake walk” approximately every 15 minutes from 6:15 pm to about 8:15 or until cakes run out.  Everyone is invited to participate (sort of like musical chairs but there are no chairs) and we usually do it in groups of children, groups of strollers, groups of adults and even in groups of our favorite 4 legged friends (we will have doggie treats for them).  If you have no clue what I’m talking about, come down and see an old fashioned cake walk – we promise you a fun time.

As you walk up and down the Avenue, you will also get to get discover and take advantage of the many other activities our great businesses will be hosting.

And finally, on a serious note, as we celebrate our Nation’s freedom, we would like to do something to thank those troops that are half way around the world defending those freedoms.  We will be collecting the following items and donating them to troops overseas:

Shampoos, Deodorant, Eye Drops, International Phone cards, Gum, Toothpaste, Chapstick, Lifesavers/Hardcandy, Baby wipes, Razors, Dried fruit, Flip-flops for shower, Beef jerky & Girl Scout Cookies 🙂

Please bring items to the Farmer’s Market site on Thursday night – hopefully we will have lots of items to show our troops how much we truly appreciate all the they are doing for us.
Special thanks to Kevin Reilly and Alexandria Hyundai for being this month’s sponsor and to Kate Moran for providing the music for both this month’s First Thursday and for our cake walks.

So, let’s continue our celebration of our Nation’s Independence and come dressed in red, white and blue and plan to vacation in Del Ray.  We look forward to seeing you on the Avenue on Thursday from 6 pm to 9 pm.

And mark your calendars for future First Thursdays–August 2nd for Art Walk on the Avenue & September 6th for Always in Fashion, Del Ray!