Community Updates: Summer 2022
There's been no shortage of activities and bonding this summer at OSG. Read about what we've been up to at each of our communities, even those that have yet to open!
Featured Member
Gilliam Place
Wow! This is our third summer at Gilliam Place, where OSG residents and their neighbors are thriving. We continue with our daily morning and afternoon walks but with the warmer weather, we sometimes wait until after dinner and invite others to join us. These walks are a great opportunity to discover the neighborhood, keep our local environment clean by picking up trash, and make new friends. If you’d like to participate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at donnab@ourstompingground.org so that we can confirm the date and time. Our schedule changes daily.
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Our Eco Arlington and Energy Masters series is winding down. Last month we learned about the importance of water conservation, and everyone went home with a 5-minute timer for the shower. Be sure to let us know if you’d like one for your home.
We had a great Bike with Confidence event with Henry Dunbar and Evelyn Murcia from the Bike Arlington team, who showed us how to check out the bikes and use the apps on our phones. We’re encouraging all friends of OSG to sign up for a $5 annual membership. Email donnab@ourstompingground.org for instructions and your bike code. Our next event will be held in Arlington July 28th. We’ll check out bikes at the Arlington Mill station and go for a short ride on the W&OD bike trail.
As part of our monthly visits to the Columbia Pike Library, we’re on a mission with the Arlington County Library to get all our neighbors signed up for library cards! In addition to this initiative, we recently launched a reading circle for our moms and preschoolers in the community room at Gilliam Place.
Adaptive yoga with Ania Sowińska has been a huge hit. In June we experimented with chair yoga, and everyone was surprised by how much they enjoyed the class and the simple adaptations. We’re delighted that Ania has offered additional classes for our OSG friends this summer. You can view the schedule here. Don’t forget to wear comfortable clothes, bring a mat and some water. We have some extra mats if you don’t have your own.
We’re grateful to our neighbors and friends at the Arlington Presbyterian Church for offering free music lessons to everyone living in the building. In June, we had our first recital and were truly wowed by everyone’s progress. We recently relaunched the very popular Drumming Circle with Abby, the Music Director of Arlington Presbyterian Church. We hope to see new faces join us for some therapeutic drumming.
OSG had another first this year – a wedding! Congratulations to Lisa Good and David Hudges who recently married. It was a beautiful day and we were honored to join the happy couple and celebrate their joy.
Finally, the Gilliam Place Dinner Club recently launched and is already a huge success. Last month we went to Lost Dog Cafe, and in July we’re heading to Rincome Thai Cuisine on Columbia Pike. Be sure to look out for future events on the third Thursday of every month. We meet at Gilliam Place at 5 PM and walk to dinner. We hope you’ll join us!
Queens Court
Our friends are settling into their apartments and have been great hosts for some of our new events.
The first Wednesday of the month we host the Reading Circle, where we enjoy sharing free books from our APAH collection. On August 3rd, the Arlington Library bus will join us with fun craft activities and free books. The Reading Circle is always followed by our Rosslyn Dinner Club at a neighboring restaurant chosen by the group. We check out local dining options and indulge our inner foodies! Stay tuned for our restaurant reviews here.
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Another monthly get-together is our much-loved Movie Night, which typically occurs the last Friday of the month and is open to everyone in the building. Last month we watched Toy Story to a full house and Kynee Brown, one of our neighbors, sold delicious $5 smoothies that were a big hit. July will be a bit different as we’re off to Wolf Trap on the 29th where the National Symphony Orchestra will perform the soundtrack to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. OSG received a limited number of free tickets that are now sold out. If you’d still like to join you can purchase your tickets directly from Wolf Trap here. Our last movie night will take place August 26th where we’ll watch the 2020 live action adaptation of Mulan.
We hope you’ll join us August 9th for the Marine Corps Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial. We’ll meet at Queens Court at 6 PM and walk over to the memorial for the concert, which starts at 7 PM. Please keep checking our website for additional details.
And finally, shout out to Andrew Hay, our Queens Court Ambassador! Andrew has been critical to our success in the building. He’s been busy putting up flyers, welcoming our neighbors, giving tours and helping us manage signups. If you would like to be an ambassador for one of our upcoming buildings, please reach out to Claude Thomas at claudet@ourstompingground.org.
Waypoint
In anticipation of The Waypoint opening late August, we’ve been busy building community in Alexandria. The first Saturday of the month, we meet for a Waypoint Walk with our OSG friends and neighbors at the Fairlington Presbytarian Church. In June, we had our first Waypoint Restaurant Outing at Ramparts Grill and Tavern. We look forward to announcing more events once everyone has moved in.
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Arden
The Arden is expected to open late September. Together with our future residents we’ve been brainstorming a host of great ideas for the Fall. Stay tuned for more announcements soon!
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Cadence
The Cadence, The Cadence, our third property in Arlington, is also set to open in late September. This summer we’ll be attending two free, family-friendly concerts at Lubber Run Park, which is roughly a mile from the Cadence. On July 23rd we danced to the Soul Crackers and on August 11th we’ll listen to the 257th Army Band perform. These are perfect summer evening activities, which you can learn more about here.
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Ovation at Innovation
The Ovation at Innovation is set to open early next year, but our community members are already planning events and building connections! The first Herndon Restaurant Outing is scheduled for July 27th at Sorrento Grill. Sign ups are underway here.
If you’d like to learn more about our upcoming communities, sign up for our Housing Information Webinar on July 28th at 7:30 PM.
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