OLD TOWN NORTH SEPTEMBER EVENTS ROUND-UP
September is poised to be another busy month in and around Old Town North with plenty of arts & cultural and community events to fill your calendar!
**Mark your calendars for Chalk-A-Block - Sunday September 29th, 11am - 4pm!!**
Saturday, September 14th - Made in ALX Fall Market at Port City
The Made in ALX Fall Market returns to Port City Brewing this Saturday, September 14th. This is a free event that is both kid-friendly and pet-friendly. Beer, crafts, food, prizes and more!
TIME: Noon - 5:00pm
LOCATION: Port City Brewing, 3950 Wheeler Ave. Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, visit:
Thursday, September 19th - Taste of Old Town North
Please click on flyer above to download or print.
You won’t want to miss the Taste of Old Town North in Montgomery Park on Thursday, September 19th. Enjoy all that Old Town North has to offer - sample delicious food from Hotel AKA’s a.lounge+bar, Jula’s on the Potomac, Royal Restaurant, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Perfect Pita, MacMillan Spirit House, and St. Elmo’s Old Town North; listen to live music, and more! Mayor Justin Wilson will be in attendance to open the event.
TIME: 4:00pm - 8:00pm
LOCATION: Montgomery Park (901 N. Royal St.), Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, visit:
Saturday, September 21st - Autumnal Equinox Celebration/Wellness Fair
Free dog and family-friendly event celebrating the Autumnal Equinox with yoga, wellness demonstrations, live music from Janna and Rob, and more!
TIME: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Montgomery Park (901 N. Royal St.), Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, visit:
Saturday, September 21st - A Vintage Affair
Sip on craft cider, enjoy live jazz music, and explore vintage and thrift finds from over 30 vendors at Canal Center Plaza.
TIME: 11:00am - 4:00pm
LOCATION: 44 Canal Center Plaza, Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, visit:
https://www.canalcenterevents.com/event/a-vintage-affair-on-the-plaza-2
Saturday, September 28th - Bark in the Park
Dog-friendly event in Montgomery Park hosted by Old Town North Community Partnership.
TIME: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
LOCATION: Montgomery Park (901 N. Royal St.), Alexandria, VA 22314
For more information, visit:
September 28th/29th - Alexandria Symphony Orchestra - Romeo & Juliet Ablaze
Alexandra Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 2024-25 Season (and 81st Season overall) with suites from Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, and thrilling new compositions. These performances will highlight soloists and ASO musicians Marlisa Woods, Aaron Clay, and Chris Franke.
TIME: 7:30pm on September 28th; 3:00pm on September 29th
LOCATION: Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center,
4915 East Campus Dr., Alexandria, VA 22311
To purchase tickets, visit:
https://alexsym.org/performances/
Sunday, September 29th - Chalk-A-Block
(Old Town North Alliance’s New Art Event)
Please click on flyer above to download or print.
On Sunday, September 29th, the Old Town North Arts & Cultural District will be brought to life by the chalk artists, live music, and local artists/makers of “Chalk-A-Block.”
Follow the Old Town North Tern’s chalk footprints from site to site throughout the neighborhood to complete the scavenger hunt and be entered to win prizes! (Pick up your scavenger hunt form at any location and turn it in at Made in ALX at 533 Montgomery St.).
Chalk artists will transform the sidewalks and parking lots of Old Town North into their canvases. Live music will fill the air from a variety of artists including Mars Rodeo, Yellow Door Jazz, The Frontier, Maddie Cantrell, Alex Alavi, and Alejandro Villareal. Local artists and makers will be on hand to showcase their works. From ceramics to jewelry to apparel to spices to bath products to books and more, there will be something for everyone!
“Chalk-A-Block” will offer fun for all ages and will give you a chance to be an artist! Chalk artists will designate areas at most locations where kids can join in and make chalk art of their own. Alexandria’s own Mobile Art Lab 2.0 (introduced at the ALX 275th birthday celebration in July) will be parked at First St. & N. Fairfax St. to help make rubbings of the artist-designed stormwater covers installed in Old Town North last fall.
Old Town North Alliance thanks our wonderful partners in helping to host “Chalk-A-Block”: Hotel AKA, Made in ALX, Royal Restaurant, The Art League, Canal Center Events, Alexandria House, Simpson Development, Venue, Oak Steakhouse, Old Town North Community Partnership, and the City of Alexandria.
This event is free and open to the public - we hope to see you there!
TIME: 11:00am - 4:00pm
LOCATION: Made in ALX (533 Montgomery St.) and various sites throughout Old Town North (see map on flyer).
For more information, visit:
https://www.oldtownnorthalliance.com/upcoming-events/chalk-a-block
Monday, September 30th - MetroStage at the Lyceum: Citizen James or the Young Man Without a Country
Written by Kyle Bass, this play tells the story of a young James Baldwin as he leaves America for Europe in 1948 to escape “the violent reality of racist America in 1948.” Baldwin’s decision to seek refuge in Paris as a 24 year old aspiring writer sets him on a journey to become “one of the world’s most brilliant writers and a powerful and prophetic voice of the Civil Rights era and beyond.”
Featuring Jeremy Keith Hunter as James Baldwin.
TIME: 7:00pm
LOCATION: The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Limited street parking. The closest parking is 111 S. Pitt St. (2 ½ blocks away).
Tickets are $20. To purchase tickets visit:
Don’t miss these ongoing events in Old Town North:
Free Yoga on the Plaza at Canal Center (Tuesdays at 6:00pm through October)
Weekly Farmers Market in Montgomery Park (Thursdays from 3:00pm - 7:00pm and Sundays from 9:00am - 1:00pm through the fall).
Free Yoga in the Fresh Air in the Montgomery Park Gazebo (Sundays from 10:00am - 11:00am through the first Sunday in October weather permitting).
Made in ALX classes (https://www.madeinalx.com/shop/classes-and-events/68)
Various events at Lee-Fendall House
Neighborhood Notes
Congratulations to Jula’s on the Potomac for winning a 2024 Open Table Diner’s Choice Award!
In late August, AEDP hosted an event in Old Town North to release their Annual Report and preview what’s ahead for Alexandria in economic development. Attendees got a sneak peek at the beautiful new Art League space at Muse, which is set to open later this month. The Art League, which celebrates its 70th Anniversary this year, still needs help to get the new Muse and Slaters Lane facilities up and running. If you would like to help support The Art League reach their fundraising goals, check out one of the fun events they have set up this month:
Ice Cream Bowl 2024 - September 14-15 at John Carlyle Square
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ice-cream-bowl-fundraiser-2024-tickets-991463613357?aff=oddtdtcreator
or
Art on the Rocks 2024 - September 26th at Hotel Heron
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-on-the-rocks-2024-tickets-947434230287?aff=oddtdtcreator
On Monday, September 16th, RiverRenew will hold a Community Listening Session near the Pendleton St. site to share what is ahead as the project nears completion. The session will take place from 5:30pm to 7:00pm at 501 N. Union St. (Meet at the NE corner of Oronoco St. and N. Union St.
For more information, visit:
https://www.riverrenew.com/community/community-listening-sessions
The property formerly known as 901 N. Pitt St. has been renamed 425 Montgomery St. Demolition has begun and the sidewalk on the north side of Montgomery St. between N. Pitt St. and N. Royal St. is currently closed.
Plans for an Italian restaurant to open up in the former Sunday in Saigon space at 682 N. St. Asaph St. appear to have changed. Instead, Narman Restaurant, which will feature Turkish food, is preparing to open in the space. The patio will be pet-friendly and the menu will include items for dogs. Opening date not yet available.
Longtime Montgomery Center businesses Thanida Thai and Salon Kate & Spa have announced plans to reopen at new locations on N. Fayette St. (1200 N. Fayette St. and 1064 N. Fayette St., respectively). Salon Kate will hold a grand re-opening party on Saturday September 14th from 1pm to 3pm. The opening date for Thanida Thai’s new location has not yet been announced.