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Good morning, Alexandria.
Two things start today and both run the weekend: the Alexandria Sidewalk Sale, one of the region's longest-running summer shopping events, with dozens of independent boutiques moving discounted merchandise onto the sidewalk, and Restaurant Week, with prix fixe menus at more than 75 restaurants through Aug. 23.
Saturday is the day to plan around. It's the only dry one — mostly sunny and 88 — with a 40% chance of storms after 2 p.m. today and a 70% chance Sunday. That's also when the Bands & Brews Bar Crawl fills Mount Vernon Avenue starting at 12:30 p.m.
Also today: Gov. Abigail Spanberger visited a Neighborhood Health clinic on Richmond Highway on Thursday to promote the $35 insulin cap and new limits on pharmacy benefit managers, then stopped for custard in Old Town. And the Sheriff's Office is taking applications for its fall Community Academy, four Saturdays starting Sept. 19.
Here's what you need to know for Friday, Aug. 14.
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1️⃣ Spanberger touts insulin cap and drug pricing laws at Richmond Highway clinic, then stops for custard in Old Town
Gov. Abigail Spanberger promoted new state laws capping insulin costs and regulating prescription drug middlemen during a visit to a Neighborhood Health clinic on Richmond Highway Thursday, and later stopped for frozen custard in Old Town.
Spanberger highlighted legislation she signed capping monthly out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 and restricting pharmacy benefit managers, the intermediaries her office blames for driving up drug prices. She said the cost of healthcare is a leading concern for families across the state.
She also pointed to state spending meant to blunt federal healthcare cuts under H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation law President Trump signed in 2025. Virginia's biennial budget includes roughly $1 billion in related investments, according to the governor's office, among them $150 million for premium assistance on the health insurance marketplace and $350 million for a Medicaid Reserve Fund to prepare for potential federal Medicaid cuts.
2️⃣ Sheriff's Community Academy taking applications for fall session
The Alexandria Sheriff's Office is accepting applications for the fall session of its Community Academy, a free program that walks residents through how the office operates within the local justice system.
The academy meets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on four consecutive Saturdays — Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10 — ending with a graduation ceremony. Classes are held at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center, 2003 Mill Road.
Sessions mix presentations with hands-on activities. Topics include jail operations, judicial and special operations, civil process and warrant service, and inmate services and programs. Participants tour the detention center and the Alexandria Courthouse, where deputies explain the work of a bailiff and how the building is secured.
3️⃣ Things to do in Alexandria this weekend: Aug. 14-16
The Alexandria Sidewalk Sale runs Friday through Sunday across Old Town and the rest of the city. Restaurant Week starts the same day and keeps going through Aug. 23, with prix fixe menus at more than 75 restaurants.
Saturday is the busiest day, and the forecast is on its side — mostly sunny and 87 degrees. The 6th annual Bands & Brews Bar Crawl starts at 12:30 p.m. along Mount Vernon Avenue, with live music at more than 20 Del Ray restaurants and proceeds going to The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.
Here's everything on the calendar this weekend in Alexandria.
In brief
The Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee and Old Town Books meet Aug. 21 to discuss Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's "The Most Secret Memory of Men." (The Brief)
Reminder: The Mount Vernon Trail is one of three finalists for the Rails to Trails Conservancy's 2026 Trail Hall of Fame, and the winner will be decided by an online public vote that closes Aug. 16. (The Brief)
A listening session has been scheduled for Virginia Tech's Presidential Search Committee to receive input from faculty, A/P faculty, staff, and students in Alexandria. (Virginia Tech)
The Seasonal Farmers Market scheduled for today at Claridge House II (301 N. Ripley Street) has been canceled, according to the City of Alexandria.
Region
The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was vandalized Thursday, with bubbles filling a fountain and “Clean hands dirty $" written in red paint. (The Brief)
The battle over the Kennedy Center's future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump's allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order. (The Brief)
President Donald Trump’s botched repairs at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have landed the National Park Service in a tight spot, forced to serve the public while managing controversial demands by the Republican president. (The Brief)
Sports
Jackie Young had a season-high 32 points and five 3-pointers, A’ja Wilson added 15 points and the Las Vegas Aces secured a playoff spot with an 83-76 victory over the Washington Mystics on Thursday night. (The Brief)
Cade Cavalli took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 on Thursday to avoid a three-game sweep. (The Brief)
Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Today: A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88 degrees. Light north wind. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72 degrees. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:21 a.m., sunset at 8:03 p.m. 13 hours & 41 minutes of sun.
High tide at 10:08 a.m. & 10:35 p.m. Low tide at 4:19 a.m. & 4:49 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.
🗓️ Things To Do
- All Day: Alexandria Sidewalk Sale throughout Old Town and Alexandria
- All Day: Alexandria Restaurant Week throughout Alexandria
- 6:30 p.m.: Friday Night Run Club at Daniel O'Connell's
- 7 p.m.: 2nd Friday: Dog Days of Summer at Torpedo Factory Art Center
🎶 Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Myles Deep at 9 p.m.
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Cuates Grill: Karaoke at 10:15 p.m.
- Del Ray Public House: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: The Laterals featuring Red40 at 8 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Live music at 6 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Live music at 7:30 p.m.
- Makeda Restaurant: Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
- Murphy’s Pub: The Wavos and O'McPub Band at 9 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Sugar Coat at 9 p.m.
- Port City Brewing Company: Loading Dock Rock featuring Sprinting Turtles at 6 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: Who's Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience at 7:30 p.m.
- The Garden Del Ray: Franklin Music at 5 p.m.
- The Light Horse: NoVa Buckshot at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6:30 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
- 6 a.m.: Chinquapin Pool open
- 7 a.m.: Minnie Howard Pool open
- 10 a.m.: Memorial Pool open
- 11 a.m.: Warwick Pool open
- Noon: Old Town Pool open
📚 Alexandria Library
- All day: Alexandria Library: A Legacy of Service Since 1937 at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 10:15 a.m.: Baby Storytime at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: Medicare 101 at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
⚾ Sports
- 7 p.m.: Miami Dolphins at Washington Commanders
- 7:10 p.m.: Washington Nationals at New York Mets
On this day in Alexandria's history
Four notable things happened in Alexandria on Aug. 14.
In 1814, with British ships moving up the Potomac, banks in Alexandria, Georgetown and Washington agreed to lend the federal government $200,000 to defend the district. The Alexandria town and county militia were called out en masse and sent across the river, taking nearly all the town's arms and artillery with them. Alexandria was left defenseless — and when Capt. Dyson blew up Fort Washington, the city's fate was sealed.
In 1852, Burke & Herbert Bank opened at Prince and Water — now Lee — streets. It moved to King and South Fairfax in 1871 and remains the oldest bank in Virginia.
In 1918, an Alexandria jury convicted a man of murder in the killing of a state prohibition agent. Inspector J.C. Shelhorse had been shot that summer while searching a train at Union Station for illegal whiskey.
And in 1946, the City Council created the nation's third-oldest historic district, covering the downtown swath now called Old Town. Charleston was first in 1931, New Orleans six years later. Downtown businesses fought the designation; residents pushed for it. The National Park Service weighed in too, arguing that a new Hot Shoppes with neon signage and an adjacent custard stand shaped like an igloo — complete with a cement polar bear out front — did not suit the character of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Ryan Belmore is the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send questions, news tips, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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