This Week in Historic Alexandria - July 29, 2024

July 29-August 4, 2024

What's New

Friendship Firehouse Festival

Join us on the 100 block of South Alfred Street on Saturday, August 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and celebrate Friendship Fire Company's 250th year! Learn about fire safety today and yesterday, and see Alexandria Fire Department equipment up close. There will be booths by the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff's Office, music performances, face painting, displays by community organizations, local vendors, and food and beverage sales. Join in water play and please-touch artifact activities. Children will receive free toy Friendship firefighting helmets.

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

This family event is presented by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association and the Office of Historic Alexandria. Admission is free.

August 1, 2024 - City of Alexandria Pipes & Drums Concert on Market Square

Celebrate Alexandria's Scottish heritage as bagpipes and drums provide the soundtrack!

The City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums will present a free concert on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Market Square, 300 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. Combining precision marching with innovative musical arrangements, the band has been delighting audiences for over 50 years. Come down to Market Square and enjoy the marching, piping, and drumming. After the concert, meet the band members, snap some selfies, and find out what it takes to become a member of the City of Alexandria Pipes & Drums!

For weather-related updates, check the band's Facebook page -https://www.facebook.com/CityofAlexandriaPipesandDrums.

Disability Pride Month

Remember July is Disability Pride Month. The City of Alexandria is committed to providing programs and resources that allow everyone to fully participate in all the initiatives we have to offer. Learn more about Disability Pride Month and why we recognize it, visit online.

Check out the July 25 edition of "Out of the Attic" titled Alexandria and the Veterans Reserve Corpshere. The column published in the Alexandria Times newspaper focuses on a variety of historic topics. View the archives online.

Upcoming Events

View the Historic Alexandria Calendar

Family Day with Young Historians
Gadsby's Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal Street
Every Sunday, August 4 through Labor Day weekend
2- 5 p.m.
Fees included in regular admission.

Every Sunday through Labor Day weekend, guests can meet our Junior Docents, young historians grade 4 and up, as they share the stories of the tavern. The afternoon includes historic chocolate-making demonstrations. Past visitors have described the student presentations as an "exciting treat" that brings a "fun element" to the tour. Don't miss out!

2024 Benjamin Thomas Remembrance Event
Featuring Speaker Rachel Laser, an educator on racism and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
Shiloh Baptist Church, 1401 Jamieson Ave.
Thursday, August 8
Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Free

Thursday, August 8, 2024, will be the 125th year since the lynching of Benjamin Thomas in Alexandria. To acknowledge this aspect of our history as we work toward creating a more inclusive community, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project has invited Rachel Laser to speak about attempts to stifle the teaching of our shared history, book bans and disinformation that stokes fear about race in our public schools. Please join us for an hour-long program of music, memory and learning.

Trivia Nights at Historic Sites: Star Wars
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Friday, August 9
7-9 p.m.
$12 per person
Tickets can be purchased online.

The Lee-Fendall House Museum and Carlyle House Historic Park have combined their random nerd knowledge to create bi-weekly trivia nights in the beautiful gardens located at Lee-Fendall House. Join us all summer to test your knowledge on all things from pop culture to history! The theme of our August 9th trivia night will be Star Wars.

Trivia nights are $12 a person which includes 1 drink ticket. Additional drinks can be bought at our cash bar. Teams may have up to 6 members on them.

Registration slots are first come, first served, so we recommend paying ahead of time to save your spot. Ages 21 and over only.

Trivia nights started on June 14 and take place every other Friday at 7pm from June-August (June 14 & 28, July 12 & 26, August 9 & 23). For more information visit www.leefendallhouse.org.

Story Time for Little Historians
Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
Saturday, August 10
10 - 10:45 a.m.
Free

Dynamic storytellers use books written by and about African American people and other communities of color to engage with ages 5-8.

The Friendship Fire Company: From Fighting Fires to City Museum - Lecture with Catherine Weinraub
Lee-Fendall House, 614 Oronoco Street
Saturday, August 10
6 p.m.
$10 per person; free for museum members
Tickets can be purchased online.

Join us in celebrating the remarkable 250-year history of the Friendship Fire Company. Discover how they evolved from a firefighting company to a philanthropic group, and learn about their significant contributions to the community. The lecture will cover the involvement of the Downham family, including Robert F. Downham (owner of the Lee-Fendall House in the early to mid-20th century), in the organization. Catherine Weinraub is an expert at leading tours and is currently engrossed in conducting extensive genealogical research to unearth the rich histories of Ivy Hill Cemetery, where she is employed. Catherine, the Historian of the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association, authored a booklet in honor of Friendship Fire Company's 250th Anniversary.

Members, please call the museum to reserve your ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance as there is limited seating. Questions? Please e-mail [email protected] or call the museum at 703-548-1789.

Specialty Tour: A Magical Apothecary-SOLD OUT
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax Street
Sunday, August 11
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
$15 per person, $12 OHA members
Tickets can be purchased online.

Learn about the muggle botanical science that inspired the potions and herbology of Harry Potter's wizarding world on a tour of this 19th century apothecary, and make your own magical potion! Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Specialty Tour: Poisons at the Apothecary Museum
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax Street
Sunday, August 18
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
$15 per person, $12 OHA members
Tickets can be purchased online.

Come explore the sinister side of medicine on the Apothecary Museum's Poisons Tour. This one-hour tour explores several different types of poisons, their historic uses at the Apothecary, and what we know today. Recommended for ages 18 and up.

Please arrive between 10:45-11 a.m. as the museum is not open to the public until 1 p.m. and the doors will be locked when the tour begins at 11 a.m.

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace-Happy Hour
Carlyle House Historic Park, 121 N. Fairfax Street
Last Friday of the month August-September (Aug 30th, & Sept 27th)
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
$20

Join our yoga instructor for an hour long Yoga class on Carlyle's Magnolia Terrace. Afterwards, enjoy a mocktail with yoga participants and staff. Mocktails will change based on the month and will be announced on our social media! Yoga Happy Hours are a fundraiser for new exhibit cases in the museum and sponsored by the Friends of Carlyle House.

For more details, visit the event website here.

Arts Enrichment Programs for Youth Grant Program

The Alexandria Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities' Office of the Arts is collaborating with the Recreation Services Division to create Arts Enrichment Program for Youth - Grant Program (AEPY) which is funded by the American Rescue Fund Program for Alexandria. The AEPY is a program to provide funding for nonprofit organizations and teaching artists to develop high quality summer and afterschool arts programs which could be Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math; art, musical performance, culture, both traditional and nontraditional arts; and other creative projects will be in the City's Recreation Centers.

Arts Enrichment Programs for Youth should:

1. Take place in one of the dedicated neighborhood recreation centers which are inspiring, welcoming spaces for all youth who want to participate and affirm the value of the arts and artists.

2. Focus on hands-on skill building using art supplies.

3. The culmination of the residency could result in a public event with audiences showcasing the work the youth have accomplished.

4. To actively involve youth in the implementation of the program.

The AEPY programs will be offered throughout the city between September 2 - December 15, 2024. Grant awards will be for $5,000 per residency, per location. Applicants can submit up to two applications and will not have a cash match requirement.

The application will be submitted on the SurveyMonkey online grant portal. Online applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2024. Mailed or hand-delivered applications will not be accepted. It is anticipated that funding decisions will occur by Friday, August 23, 2024.

To request a coaching session or language support email: [email protected].

Support Historic Alexandria

Historic Alexandria receives City operational funding to support its mission; however, these resources do not cover the full scope of the department's strategic goals and projects. Donations, special revenue, and grant funding help supplement staff, conservation work, and educational programs. Please consider making a gift today.

Historic Alexandria Museum Hours

Plan your Visit

• Alexandria Archaeology Museum
  Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Alexandria Black History Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Fort Ward Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays, 1-5 p.m.
• Freedom House Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays and Mondays, 1-5 p.m.
• Friendship Firehouse Museum
  August 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Gadsby's Tavern Museum
  Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays through Tuesdays, 1-5 p.m.
• Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
  Wednesdays-Fridays, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays & Mondays 1 - 5 p.m.

Visit our website and follow us on social media to discover new things about your hometown. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic. Admission to City of Alexandria museums is complimentary for city residents.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Nicole Quinn at [email protected] or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.

This Week in Alexandria's History

More from This Day in History

On July 30, 1909, Orville Wright and Benjamin Foulois, a U.S. Army lieutenant, flew a plane to Alexandria in a test flight for the military. The biplane traveled from Fort Myer to Shuter's Hill and back. A tethered balloon flew above Shuter's Hill so the pilot would know when to turn back toward Fort Myer. This successful demonstration flight was required for the Army's purchase of its first military airplane.

Upcoming Commission and Committee Events

Commissions Supporting Historic Alexandria

• July 30 Benjamin Thomas Remembrance Planning Committee
  Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street
  3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

• August 12 Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee
  Sister Cities Conference Room, 1101 City Hall
  7-9 p.m.

• August 19 George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee (GWBCC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.

• August 19 Sister Cities Committee (SCC) - Dundee and Helsingborg
  Sister Cities Conference Room, 1101 City Hall
  7-8 p.m.

• August 20 Historic Alexandria Resources Commission (HARC)
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.

• August 21 Alexandria Archaeological Commission
  Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
  7-9 p.m.

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