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Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 22, 2012

'At Least I Know Where I'll Sleep Tonight' — Homeless Vet Gets Apartment

Ernie Maas, 61, has been homeless in Arlington County for at least the past two years.

A 61-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who has survived on the streets of Arlington for at least the past two years has a lot to be thankful for today. With the help of the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network and others, Ernie Maas now has a home. "It's great to know there are so many good people in the world," Maas said in his new bedroom Wednesday. "Since I served my country, I feel good about that — I was serving for good people." Volunteers and staff with A-SPAN and others had just finished moving in donated furniture and other items, along with a few bags of clothes and personal effects Maas had managed to collect and keep with him over the years — an old high school yearbook and boot camp book among them, he said. Maas said he'd …

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Day Closures for Arlington County

Most county government services are closed Thanksgiving Day and Friday.

Arlington County released the following information on closures of county services for Thanksgiving Day and Friday unless otherwise indicated:  Courts Close at noon on Wednesday DMV select Closed Human services Closed Libraries Closed Parks, community centers and nature centers Public Schools Closed Swimming Pools See Pool Schedule Transportation and Parking Trash pickup and recycling

What Are The Best Times to Travel for Thanksgiving?

Try traveling early in the morning to avoid traffic on Thanksgiving Day.

About 43.6 million people are planning to travel 50 miles or more for their Thanksgiving meal this year, according to AAA — and 90 percent of those people are traveling by car. While Northern Virginia is traffic-heavy throughout the holiday period, the day before Thanksgiving is the heaviest travel day. To help you plan your travel, the Virginia Department of Transportation created this set of maps showing Thanksgiving traffic congestion from Wednesday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011. Unlike last year, the Beltway Express Lanes will be open for Thanksgiving, which may alleviate some of the Thanksgiving travel congestion on Wednesday. The 2011 maps show the heaviest travel in Northern Virginia last year, particularly around the …

Arlington 'Turkey Trot' Road Closures for Thanksgiving Morning

Arlington's Turkey Trot 5K expected to draw 3,000 people.

Arlington’s Turkey Trot race will bring about several road closures on Thanksgiving morning. The event is expected to draw 3,000 people. North Pershing Drive between North Filmore Street and North Glebe Road will be closed from approximately 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., the Arlington County Police Department announced. Neighborhood roads north and south of North Pershing Drive will be affected briefly as the runners move through the course. Additionally, the following areas will be designated as “no parking zones” along the route between midnight through 10 a.m. Thursday, the county announced:

Firefighters Urge Caution with Turkey Fryers

Nationally, firefighters respond to some 155,000 cooking fires each year.

Frying a turkey may result in a juicier bird, but firefighters remind cooks not to let safety fly away in favor of taste. More than 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires are reported each year, causing an average of $21 million in property damage and five deaths, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Thankfully, no fryer-turkey related accidents have occurred in Arlington in the last two years or so, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Gregg Karl. If you are planning on frying a turkey, here are some things to keep in mind:

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Volunteering on Thanksgiving Day in Arlington

Where to help this Thanksgiving in Arlington.

Looking to do some good on Thanksgiving Day in Arlington? View some volunteer opportunities below:   Thanksgiving Turkey Thanksgiving Day Friendly Visitors Arlington Turkey Trot Know of other organizations looking for volunteers on Thanksgiving? Add them to the comments below or to our events page.

Metro Service on Thanksgiving Day

What is in store on the Metro for the Thanksgiving holiday?

Taking the Metro on Turkey Day? WMATA has announced its holiday schedule: On Friday, Metro will operate on a normal weekday schedule. No track work is scheduled until Sunday evening on the Red and Blue lines.

Start a New Thanksgiving Tradition with Bayou Bakery's Pecan Pie Recipe

Chef David Guas shares this Southern treat in advance of Thanksgiving.

Chef David Guas, of Arlington's own Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar, & Eatery, is offering up his Southern pecan pie recipe just in time for Thanksgiving. The bakery, fast on its way to becoming an Arlington staple, is located in the Courthouse neighborhood near the county's justice complex. If you try the recipe, let us know what you think of it in the comments below! Classic Southern Pecan Pie Chef David Guas Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery Yield: 9-inch Pie Pie Crust Ingredients 1½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons butter, unsalted and cut into small cubes 5 to 7 tablespoons water, ice cold   Directions Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter…

yjnedc

10:07 am on Friday, November 30, 2012

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Monday, November 19, 2012

Clarendon Cycles

Thanks for Moving Cycling Forward, Arlington

Taking a moment to thank those who make Arlington a better place for cycling

I'm not much of a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I do think it's good to stop and appreciate what we've got from time to time. A recent outside view of what makes Arlington good for cycling reminded me that we've got a lot to be thankful for here. I wrote a bit last year about some of the people making Arlington a great place to ride, and now's a good time to update that. A lot has happened in the past year. Capital Bikeshare's long-anticipated expansion really took off, with stations now saturating the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Arlington also developed a very smart analysis and plan for Capital Bikeshare's future. There was also progress on infrastructure. Some of it was standard bike lane striping, completing gaps in …

Peter

2:18 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012

We are trying to have the County Public Works Dept. repaint the crosswalk stripes at the W O & D bike trail crossing at Walter Reed Drive, ASAP. Please help. The crossing stripes have completely worn off the pavement. This is a busy and dangerous crosswalk. Thanks in advance   more ›

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving Recipes: Traditional & Not-So-Traditional Ways to Cook a Turkey

If you're looking to try something new this year, give one of these twists a try.

Everyone has their own special technique for cooking a turkey, whether it's using an old family recipe, adding a secret ingredient or shopping at a certain store in town that helps make the bird taste all the better. If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year at home in Arlington, you can try any of the recipes below to add a twist to your feast. If you're attending someone else’s dinner, we hope their turkey will taste as good as one of these! An Allrecipes.com user contributes this Greek take on turkey, which combines ground beef and pork with tangerine juice, rice and other ingredients for an in-bird stuffing. This one requires no pre-made brine. Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for a Cajun-spiced turkey is not for those looking for a simple roast…

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