Arlington Public Library

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Discover New Grab & Go Titles, and Read-Alike Lists

Have you borrowed a popular book or eBook from our Grab & Go express book collection?

Did you love what you read?

Browse our Grab & Go Read-Alike Book Lists to find more great books!

The Library's new Grab & Go collection, which launched last year, gives you quick access to the most popular books and eBooks without having to wait. The express book collection consists of over 900 items, with more on the way.

These New York Times bestselling titles will soon be included: “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid, “Say Nothing” by Patrick Radden Keefe, “The Topeka School” by Ben Lerner, and “Long Bright River” by Liz Moore.

“Six months later, this initiative has been a tremendous success story,” said Peter Petruski, Division Chief for Materials and Technology Management. "Grab & Go books have been flying off our cyber and branch shelves."

Look for the Grab & Go express book collection on designated shelves at Central Library and the Branch Libraries. Grab & Go titles do not display in the online catalog, so the only way to know if a book is on the shelf is the visit the Library!

The First Arlington County Fair

For over 40 years the Arlington County Fair has been an important community event in both the County and Northern Virginia.

Arlington held its first County Fair in 1977, led by a nonprofit, all-volunteer group, which organized and operated the event.

Floyd Hawkins, who at the age of 81 helped start the Arlington County Fair, and served as the Fair’s treasurer for 10 years, from 1977 to 1987.
The Center for Local History conducted an oral history interview with Hawkins in 1986.

Harvest Day

The idea for the Fair emerged from the County’s community gardens program. Resident gardeners had been planning a Harvest Day to display the produce from the program’s 10 community garden plots. One thing led to another, and the idea expanded to involve more members of the Arlington community.

The First Arlington County Fair

The inaugural Arlington County Fair began on Friday, August 26, 1977, at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center. It started with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon and ended at 6 p.m. on Sunday, August 28.

It was noted at the time that Arlington's fair was the only event of this type held between Gaithersburg, MD, and Manassas, VA. It was also billed as one of the country's rare “urban fairs” – combining the elements of a traditional county fair in an urban setting. Anticipation for the Fair brewed around this melding of the new and old, as one reporter noted in an August 25, 1977 Washington Post preview:

“Where can an exceptional chrysanthemum raised on the tenth-floor balcony of the Crystal House apartment complex in Arlington receive its just due? Until this week, nowhere. However, if entered before 9 a.m. Friday it could be a blue-ribbon winner in the First Annual Arlington County Fair.”

Among the activities at the first Arlington County Fair were ribbon competitions in home arts, preserving, crafts, cake decorating, produce, flower arranging, individual flowers, paints, photography, sculpture, clothing, and baked goods. Also featured were exhibits and demonstrations of arts and crafts, as well as booths from groups such as the Arlington Office of Consumer Affairs and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The Arlington County Fair, according to Ware Page - the first chairman and a local freelancer in consulting and advertising - was designed to appeal to the diversity of Arlington’s population:

“Our fair is unique. It will reflect Arlington’s pluralistic nature. There will be religious groups, business interests, local gardeners, charity and community groups all under one roof.”

While there was a limited livestock showing at the event – two pigs, two sheep, and two goats imported from the 4-H club in Loudoun county – there was plenty of flora and fauna to go around. About 270 families were farming loaned plots established by the community garden program, and many of them participated in activities.

Like today, entrance to the first Arlington County Fair was free, and a variety of items were available for purchase among the many booths and vendors. But another important element of the typical rural fair (and today's County Fair) was missing in 1977 - a midway.

Excerpts from the compilation of winning recipes from the baked goods competition, 1981 Arlington County Fair.

Arlington County Fair "premium booklets" from 1983 and 1988 include information about shuttle buses, competitions and schedules.

Rapid Growth in the 1980s

By 1983, only five years after the Arlington County Fair began, more than 200 booths and exhibitors were registered to exhibit over the Fair weekend. By 1984, the live entertainment boasted a diverse range of performers including a ventriloquist, the Old Dominion Cloggers, barbershop quartet music by the Arlingtones, bluegrass, jazz, big band music, and Hungarian folk songs. Karate demonstrations and aerobic dancing were also performed.

Livestock Out, Thrill Rides In

Livestock mostly ceased making any appearances after 1977, with a few exceptions (such as pony rides and racing piglets). Midway rides were added in later years.

The Thomas Jefferson Community Center, where the Arlington County Fair has taken place since 1977.

"Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow"

The Arlington County Fair has become one of the largest free events on the East Coast, with attendance reaching over 84,000.

After the first few years, each County Fair has had a theme: “Arlington – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” (1986); “The Many Faces of Arlington” (2003); “Groovy Since 1977” (2016), which payed tribute to the County Fair’s origins, are just a few.

What will this year's theme be? We'll find out this summer when we see you at the County Fair!

To learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? 

Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.

Center For Local History - Blog Post Message Form

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.

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Free AARP Tax Preparation Help at the Library Starts January 31

For People with Low or Moderate Income

Ayuda para la Preparación de Impuestos para Personas de Bajos Recursos

How does it work?

Please note: the IRS no longer supplies the Library with tax forms.

Betina Margolis: Paintings

On exhibit at Shirlington Branch Library from Jan. 7th – February 18th, 2020.

Betina Margolis is an artist who has lived in the Washington metro area for many years.  After graduating from George Washington University with a BFA she joined a studio of talented artists on K Street and displayed her work at the Foxhall Gallery and Torpedo factory gallery.  She was accepted as a member of the Knickerbocker Artists of New York after winning the still life award in their annual invitational exhibit. She was an illustrator and graphic designer for local magazines and newspapers.  Betina has traveled extensively and her work has been influenced by the cultures she encountered in Asia and the Middle East.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am inspired by interpreting challenging, complex images.  I love to paint outdoors on a perfect day with the sun sparkling on the world.  There I find an appealing scene made complex by light and shadow to untangle.  Or in my studio where I can create a still life with ornate objects that I have collected in my worldwide travels.  I love to add seasonal flowers to my compositions to capture their fleeting beauty. My work is very realistic because I am so intrigued by rendering details. Most of the paintings in the exhibit are from Virginia parks and Gardens.

Magic Monday Series: “I Have a Dream” on January 13

Be inspired with us.

Join Synetic Theater for an awe-inspiring performance inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Synetic’s Teaching Artists will work with the audience, using the physical and performance technique they use in their own shows, to create a brand new piece of theater inspired by MLK’s words.

RSVP for an event reminder. Attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event is part of the Arlington Public Library’s Magic Monday Series. Learn about more performances here.

Art from the Guild of American Papercutters

Places in Paper

On exhibit at the Westover Branch Library, December 17, 2019 - February 18, 2020.

GAP members continue traditions from many cultures, passed down through generations. We are rural and urban, North and South, coast and mountain. the 34 artists of Places in Paper use papercutting to explore where we live, where we come from, and where our dreams take place.

Curated by Melanie Kehoss, Co-Vice President of Membership of GAP and juried by Anne Burton, Gallery Director of BlackRock Center for the Arts and Tamar Shadur, owner of Shadur Arts.

Places in Paper will be on exhibit at Westover Branch Library from December 17, 2019 - February 18, 2020.

2020 Winter Reading Challenge

Wednesday, Jan. 1 – Sunday, March 1

How to Participate

  • Pick up a Winter Reading 2019 bookmark at any Library location.
  • Read 3 books of your choosing.
  • Track your reading on the Winter Reading 2019 bookmark.
  • Return your completed Winter Reading 2019 bookmark to any Library location to claim a prize.

Prizes

  • Kids – Dover activity book
  • Teens – Choice of a blank journal OR the adult prize
  • Adults – Coupon for a free book from any of the ongoing Friend’s of the Arlington Public Library book sales, at Central Library or any of the Branches. Coupon must be redeemed by March 15; when coupon is redeemed, you will be entered into a raffle to win a set of books by our spring 2020 Arlington Reads authors.

Hot Chocolate Party – Saturday, March 14, 2-4 p.m.

Celebrate Winter Reading with hot chocolate, snacks, crafts, door prizes and more!

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