Just in time for school, AT&T gave away 115 free refurbished laptops to students and families at its Potomac Yard location in Alexandria on Thursday (Aug. 20).
With a waitlist of more than 7,000 people, the 115 recipients were pre-selected via lottery. The event was the last of 10 distributions across the country this summer.
In a developed city like Alexandria, residents may soon be surprised to find four-legged landscapers wandering a West End park.
Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is launching a pilot program to bring 35 to 40 goats to All Veterans Park (4725 Duke Street). Starting Sept. 8, the herd of goats will be brought to graze on invasive plants on the slopes of the park. The invasive plants being targeted in the pilot program are kudzu, garlic mustard and multiflora rose.
Something wicked — and delightfully funny — this way comes! The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s 2026–27 season continues with Blithe Spirit, Noël Coward’s sparkling supernatural comedy, running August 29 – September 19, 2026.
Show Details
Thursday through Saturday evening performances at 8:00 PM. Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria (LTA), 600 Wolfe Street in Old Town Alexandria. Street parking available. LTA is wheelchair accessible at the main entrance.
Tickets: $26 (plus $4 service fee)
When novelist Charles Condomine invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati to conduct a séance — purely as research for his next book — he gets far more than he bargained for. The ritual accidentally summons the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, who has no intention of letting a little thing like death keep her from meddling in his marriage to his very-much-alive second wife, Ruth. Caught between one wife who won’t stay dead and one who won’t stand for it, Charles finds himself at the center of Coward’s most deliciously wicked farce.
This classic comedy from the master of British wit brings crackling dialogue, ghostly hijinks and razor-sharp timing to the LTA stage.
Directed by Ward Kay and produced by Meredith Ludwig, and featuring a cast of eight: Caroline J. Berger, Sarah Cusenza, Liz Isbell, Eric Kennedy, Raeanna Nicole Larson, Cameron McBride, Eleanore Tapscott, and Katie Weigl.
Reserve your tickets before they vanish into thin air.
Bagel Uprising is on a roll.
This Nov. 15, the Del Ray-based bagel shop will be participating with more than 25 of the top bagel shops around the country in the coveted New York BagelFest, the world’s premier bagel-making competition. After Bagel Uprising’s application last year to participate in the international festival and competition was denied, co-owner Chad Breckinridge says it’s an honor to be featured in the competition alongside Dallas-based Starship Bagel, New York City’s Utopia Bagels and Spain’s Si Si Bagels.
Between full venues that can accommodate larger audiences and neighborhood outposts that serve up food and drinks with performances, Alexandria residents have a range of live music options they can check out without leaving the city.
Here are the nominees for “Best Live Music Venue in Alexandria” as part of our returning ALXnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your go-to music venue? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Dog Park in Alexandria is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Taco Spot in Alexandria. The results are now official:
1. La Tingeria
2. Taqueria Poblano
3. Taqueria Picoso
Run for a Cause. Win a 2026 Toyota Corolla. Meet Olympic Legends.
Join us for the 8th Grand African Run on Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Alexandria, Virginia!
The Mount Vernon Trail has secured a place in Rails to Trails Conservancy’s catalog of the nation’s best trails.
Trails advocacy organization Rails to Trails Conservancy announced that the Mount Vernon Trail received 58% of public votes to win the Hall of Fame accolade. The other nominees were National Battlefield Trail in Texas and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Ohio. Public voting was open from Aug. 5 to 16.
Meet Batman, who’s looking for his own Robin.
Don’t expect Batman to fight supervillains or give you a peek inside the Batcave. Instead, he will be a willing companion on a quiet night in watching TV on the couch or an outdoor excursion.
On This Day in Alexandria History — Becoming the trademark tactic of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, the first sit-in occurred well before the era of social unrest that would characterize the decade of the 1960s. Prior to the famous Woolworth counter sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina, five courageous African-American youths staged the first deliberate and planned sit-in at the Alexandria “public” Library on August 21, 1939 … Although this first act of defiance against the system of Jim Crow did not garner the media attention, this was the first step towards the City of Alexandria seriously considering a colored branch for its African-American citizens and facing the issue of accessibility, however unequal, for all of its citizens.” [Historic Alexandria]
Testing of Speed Cameras Happening Today — “The City of Alexandria will test school zone flashers and camera systems on Friday, August 21 ahead of the first day of school for ACPS next week. Residents may see the flashers in operation during normal weekday hours as part of the test. No citations will be issued during the testing period … School zone speed camera enforcement will resume on Monday, August 24, the first day of school for the majority of Alexandria City Public Schools.” [Alexandria T&ES]
Good Thursday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Aug 20, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
It will be mostly sunny with a high of 82°F, with a north wind turning east in the afternoon at about 6 mph. Friday night brings increasing clouds and a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms, especially after 2 a.m., with a low around 69°F and light east winds. Rainfall could range from a tenth to a quarter of an inch, with possibly more during thunderstorms. See more from Weather.gov.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Nelson Mandela
Thanks for reading!
Alexandria intends to open a long-awaited spray park in Del Ray early next month.
The Del Ray Gateway/Colasanto Interactive Fountain will open the week of Sept. 7, with operations continuing through October, the city told ALXnow in an email. The park is located at the triangle-shaped park at the corners of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues.
