🍝 Restaurant Week is Here!

Plus: 📷 Columbia Pike’s Living Story

August 18, 2025

Happy Monday!  
Let's pop into the good stuff.

☕️ Good morning, Arlingtonians! We’re excited to share our new name, The Arlington Scoop. Same great content with a fresh look!

We had a blast at the County Fair. Having grown up going ourselves, it was extra special to take our little one to their first fair. We can’t wait to make even more Arlington memories in these last few weeks of summer.

In today’s ARL Scoop:
📰 Banana Split Day + Ranked Choice Voting
📆 Spelling Bees, Goats, & Summer Nights

📰 News Bites 
Quick local updates

🍝 Dig Into Summer Restaurant Week
From Aug. 18–24, snag fixed-price deals ($25–$65) at 60+ Northern Virginia restaurants. Highlights include Ellie Bird’s three-course menu, Lyon Hall’s oyster spread, Ruthie’s smoked meats, and SER’s Spanish fare. It’s the perfect chance to try Michelin-starred chefs or neighborhood favorites without breaking the bank.

📷 Columbia Pike’s Living Story
For nearly two decades, the Columbia Pike Documentary Project has captured life along one of America’s most diverse streets, home to residents from 125+ countries. Through portraits, festivals, and everyday moments, photographers document change, resilience, and community—preserving Arlington’s “world in a Zip code” for future generations.

🍌 Banana Split Day Returns
On Aug. 25 at 3 p.m., Amazon HQ2 hosts Banana Split Day with free ice cream from Toby’s, a build-your-own banana split bar, live music, and crafts from MoCA Arlington. The family-friendly tradition runs until the ice cream runs out.

🗳️ Board Funds Ranked Choice Outreach
The County Board awarded funding to Challenging Racism and FairVote for Ranked Choice Voting education ahead of November’s election. Challenging Racism will lead in-person outreach with local partners, while FairVote and Ranked Choice Virginia will focus on data, surveys, and support.

🤖 AI Eases ARL 911 Call Burden
Arlington County’s emergency call center is using Amazon Bedrock AI to reroute nonemergency calls, saving operators 9 hours a day. Since launch, AI has handled over 104,000 admin calls—like towing and fire alarms—freeing staff to focus on true emergencies and faster 911 response.

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📆 This Week in Arlington
Weekday Happenings

🐝 Today

🧸 Tuesday

🧘‍♂️ Wednesday

🍿 Thursday

 🫖 Friday

 🐐 Saturday

🎨 Sunday

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Have a great day, Arlingtonians!