Mini Golf in Ballston?

As reported in the Buckingham Triblog, Arlington is considering putting in a mini-golf course outside the Ballston Commons Mall parking garage on N. Glebe Road at the intersection of N. Randolph Street.

Personally, I'm kind of like the idea - kind of not. Putt putt is fun and all - about once a year and combined with another activity. It's like the beach. I don't know why but putt putt just fits at the beach. But, I do like it, and it would be something else to do in an already very cool place.

What do you think?

Saturday: Check Out Clarendon Day!

This Saturday Arlington hosts Clarendon Day! It runs from noon to 7pm along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.

The event features lots of music, tons of food and drink vendors, and dozens of community groups. The weather is shaping up to be picture-perfect, currently forecast to be 78 and sunny.

Come check it out!

Photo courtesy Flickr's Adam Comerford

Why I Don't Want You to Know About Shirlington Oktoberfest & Vintage Crystal

One of the things I most enjoy about this blog is that I get to tell you about cool things I've gotten to check out. The downside is that you might actually come and make the beer lines longer.

Arguably the coolest event I went to in all of 2006 was the Shirlington Oktoberfest. For just $20 you got unlimited refills of an 8-ounce tasting glass. I had my first taste of Shenandoah Brewing's Mountain Beast Ale and Old Rag Mountain Ale, now two of my favorites. And the food was both tasty and reasonably priced. What more could you ask for?

So I was very excited to see the announcement of this year's event:

Oktoberfest
October 6th (12pm - 7pm) The Village at Shirlington

Capitol City Brewing Co. presents the 8th annual Oktoberfest. The outdoor
festival will combine craft beers, a variety of foods, fun exhibits and lively
German entertainment. For more information, please call 301-998-8395.

Unfortunately the website has no information about this year's admission price. My advice -- get there early to beat the lines and make sure you can taste lots of beers before they start running out.

Thanks to reader James for alerting me to the next event:

Vintage Crystal
Sunday, September 30, 2007, 2:00-6:00PM
2121 Crystal Drive (between 20th & 23rd Street)
$10 - Includes wine sips, food tastes, music & commemorative wine glass
Rain or Shine!

If wine is your livelihood or just a hobby, Crystal City is the place to be on Sunday, September 30. Come spend a Sunday afternoon in Crystal City tasting some of the world's finest wines. Sample pleasurable eats from noteworthy restaurants and gourmet eateries. The afternoon will feature talented jazz artists from the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.

All tickets are purchased at the event gate on event day
Designated drivers and kids are FREE

If you go, email us and let us know how it was!

West Nile Detected in Lyon Park (Near Clarendon)

Got this alert from Arlington County:

West Nile virus-infected Asian Tiger mosquitoes, which are human-biting mosquitoes, have been detected in the Lyon Park neighborhood. Because of the type of mosquito involved, Arlington County Health officials are taking steps to reduce the population of West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes on public property.

The Environmental Health Bureau of Arlington County will conduct backpack spraying on public property in parts of the Lyon Park neighborhood as early as Thursday, September 13; the exact date and time of the spraying will be determined by the weather. The spray dries within an hour after application and poses little risk to humans. Spraying will take place within the following boundaries: Arlington Blvd, N. Fillmore St., 3rd St., Washington Blvd. Corner of Arlington Blvd and N. Irving St. If it rains, or threatens to rain, staff will delay spraying until clear weather.

Take precautions to reduce mosquito exposure and mosquito breeding. Use mosquito repellent when outdoors in areas where mosquitoes are active. Use products registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) such as products containing DEET, Picaridin, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. [...]

Note: To date, one human case of West Nile virus has been identified in Arlington County this year.

If you're not registered to receive these messages, sign up on the Arlington Alert website!

Next Week: ACE Organic Beer Tasting

I've been volunteering with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment for several years now, and my favorite event of the year is coming up next week! We're hosting our 2nd Annual Organic Beer Tasting on Thursday September 20th at 7pm at Potomac Overlook Regional Park.

You'll be able to sample around half a dozen varieties of Wolaver's, which has generously agreed to donate the beer for the tasting. You can find Wolaver's for sale in local Whole Foods and My Organic Markets. Organic beer is surprisingly hard to come by in Arlington bars, but you can get several varieties at Lost Dog Cafe. In addition, Sam Smith Organic Lager is available at Tallula's EatBar.

The Organic Beer Tasting will also feature a special guest host, Chris O'Brien, author of Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World. Chris also writes one of my favorite blogs, Beer Activist.

Tickets are $25 for ACE members, $30 for nonmembers. You can reserve your spot online here.

Great Setting, Great Music - Planet Arlington

Imagine sitting on a hill and a beatiful day overlooking the cities monuments, having a picnic and listening to some fabulous music. Can you picture it? Were you there?

The Planet Arlington World Music Festival this past weekend was just that. What a fabulous setting that is! It was fun to just sit there. The music was great - my personal favorite was Cyro Baptista, but I also enjoyed Hugh Masekela especially when he performed his anthem Bring Him Back Home - the anthem for the movement to free Nelson Mandela. Lila Downs was great - great energy, great voice - not totally my style, but she was really good.

If I have a complaint, it's that the crowd was a little too "wine and cheese" and not as in to the music as I would have liked. That improved through the night, but I would have liked to have seen more crowd energy earlier, but hey, it was still a great festival.

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See you out!

Broomball at the IcePlex

Got this from the folks at the IcePlex and it sounded pretty cool so I thought I would pass it on:

Broomball!
September 5th, 2007
9:15pm – 10:15pm
$7 per person
Kettler Capitals Iceplex

Get a group together and come play or come as an individual and find a group! Up to 3 lanes of games going at once.

Space is limited, so advanced RSVP is required.

The IcePlex has sticks and some helmets. A helmet is required – you may want to bring one in case they run out or if theirs don’t fit you.

This is for one night only. Contact Tom Minnuto at 571-224-0575 or tminnuto@kettlercapitalsiceplex.com to sign-up.

--Eric

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