Capitals Launch Free Hockey Program for Girls at Alexandria Rink trucc

   

Good morning, Alexandria!

👋 Today is Friday, July 25, the 206th day of 2025. There are 159 days left in the year.

☀️ Today’s weather:

  • Heat Advisory in effect from July 25, 11:00 AM until July 25, 08:00 PM
  • Hazardous Weather Outlook
  • Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. Heat index values as high as 107. Light and variable wind becoming west around six mph in the morning.
  • Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 78. Southwest wind around five mph, becoming calm in the evening.
  • Tomorrow: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. Heat index values as high as 101. North wind around six mph, becoming east in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 40%.

🚨 You need to know

Registration Now Open for DMV Girls Try Hockey for Free Day at 16 Local Hockey Rinks (via Washington Capitals)

The Washington Capitals will bring their third annual DMV Girls Try Hockey for Free Day to 16 regional rinks Sept. 13, including Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Alexandria through the NOVA IceDogs youth hockey organization.

The free program targets girls ages 4-9 and provides equipment and instruction at no cost during one- to two-hour ice sessions. The initiative represents a joint effort between the Capitals, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, the Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association and various youth hockey organizations throughout Maryland and Virginia.

Alexandria’s participation comes as part of a growing regional movement to introduce young girls to hockey. Last year’s event drew 512 participants across 20 rinks, with girls’ participation in the NHL Future Caps Learn to Play Program jumping from 17% to 26% within a week of the event. The program’s inaugural year in 2023 saw more than 300 girls try hockey for the first time, with more than 30% registering to continue playing.

The MSE Foundation donated $50,000 to PVAHA in October 2024 to support programming including the Try Hockey for Free initiative. Select participating rinks will host all-girls Future Caps Learn to Play sessions in the weeks following Sept. 13 to encourage continued participation. Registration is now open at participating rinks, with equipment requirements varying by location.

 

What else you should know

🗓️ On this day in 1811, President James Madison and his wife, Dolley, passed through Alexandria on their way to Montpelier, Madison’s lifelong home in Orange, Virginia. The Madison’s were escorted through the city streets by units of the Alexandria militia.

🗓️ On this day in 1959, the first “Alexandria Days” marketing initiative began as a cooperative effort between local merchants and City leaders to promote shopping in downtown Alexandria during long weeks of stifling summer heat.

According to Historic Alexandria, “once the vibrant retail hub of Northern Virginia, by the late 1950’s Alexandria’s downtown commerce began to see intense competition from newly built shopping centers along major highway corridors surrounding the city that offered air-conditioning, free parking and “one-stop” convenience for motorists. Alexandria Days was created to offer special sales and promotions, special event activities, a salute to the military, and even an evening parade through the downtown area that once featured Joe Namath throwing footballs to the crowd. The summer activity was replicated for several years until the City finally embarked on a major urban renewal project to revitalize the declining King Street corridor”.

🆕 The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday it will vacate its facility at 1320 Braddock Place in Alexandria as part of a sweeping reorganization that will relocate thousands of federal employees from the Washington region to five hub cities across the country.🚨 Three people have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a series of violent armed robberies that targeted electronics stores across Northern Virginia last summer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

🎶 Start planning for the weekend with the help of our comprehensive roundup of all the events, live music, and entertainment happening around Alexandria.

📈 Thursday’s most read

The following were the most-read ALXnow articles on July 24, 2025.

  1. Alexandria City High School Dean of Students Tiffany Barner dies
  2. Woman charged after allegedly using pricey Old Town Airbnb for prostitution
  3. Alexandria woman appears on ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
  4. Notes: Tall Ship Providence returns to Alexandria, shifts to dockside programming
  5. JUST IN: Alexandria Assistant Police Chief Raul Pedroso hired as Chief of Fairfax City Police Department

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s happening today in Alexandria, as per our event calendar.

Things To Do

  • 10:30 a.m.: Mr. Lilo at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
  • 3:30 p.m.: Fun Friday at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
  • 5:30 p.m.: Wine in the Garden: Sip, Plant, & Play at Greenstreet Gardens
  • 6:30 p.m.: Friday Night O’Connell’s Run at Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant
  • 6:30 p.m.: Succulent & Sangria Workshop at PlantHouse
Live Music & Entertainment
  • 219 Restaurant: Chris Timbers at 9 p.m.
  • Alexandria Bier Garden: Starting Early at 9:30 p.m.
  • Blackwall Hitch: Bravenoise at 9 p.m.
  • Daniel O’Connell’s: Rook Richards at 9:30 p.m.
  • Epicure on King: Digikat, Mister Riflley, and Sable Drive at 7 p.m.
  • Flipside Speakeasy: Karaoke at 8 p.m.
  • Galactic Panther Art Gallery: Chilled Out Instrumental Music at 8 p.m.
  • Hops N Shine: Live music at 6 p.m.
  • Laporta’s Restaurant: The Satin Doll Quartet at 7:30 p.m.
  • Lost Boy Cider: Mike Setti at 6:30 p.m.
  • Makeda Restaurant: Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
  • Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rocky Guttmann at 9 p.m.
  • O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Second Sun at 9 p.m.
  • Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
  • The Birchmere Music Hall: The Bacon Brothers with Pernikoff Brothers at 7:30 p.m.
  • The Light Horse: Black Cactus Hotels at 9:30 p.m.
  • The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.

City of Alexandria Events & Public Meetings

  • Nothing scheduled.

Organizing an event? Submit your event to ALXnow’s Event Calendar.