<sh>Canstruction Returns to Northern Virginia
<bt>Teams of architects from Arlington will build eight large structures entirely of canned foods on Friday, April 1 between 5 p.m. and midnight at Ballston Common Mall. Designs will include a baseball stadium, a pyramid and a giant bucket of popcorn, among others. Spectators can gather at the mall, 4238 Wilson Blvd., to watch these eight teams of architects and builders transform piles of canned food into inventive structures that will be on display through April 9, as Canstruction returns for its second year in Northern Virginia.
Organized by the Northern Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Canstruction is both a design/build competition and a community service. Design teams have assembled thousands of cans of food in order to build their structures, and hundreds of Arlington families will eventually benefit as the food is donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.
But before the projects become meals, they will be evaluated by an expert panel and awarded in the categories of Jurors' Favorite, Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, and Best Meal. A final award is bestowed by the public, which can vote for the People's Choice by donating a can of food at their favorite structure. Winning entries will go on to compete in the national Canstruction competition. The judging will take place on Saturday, April 2 at 10 a.m.
<sh>Construction and Street Updates
<bt>For the next seven months, one lane of Columbia Pike is closed to traffic between S. Garfield Street and S. Glebe Road. This is the second phase of undergrounding utilities as part of the ongoing Columbia Pike Revitalizatoin project.
As part of WALKArlington, traffic nubs and at-grade crosswalks are complete at S. Harrison Street and S. 8th Road, and the traffic signal at Old Dominion Boulevard and N. Wakefield Street is now operating.
<sh>Local Organization Recognized
<bt>The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund has awarded a $30,000 one-year grant to the Arlington Free Clinic to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. It is the fourth year that the Clinic has received Avon Foundation funding to support its work on breast cancer, and in recognition of the excellence of the program.
The Women's Health program at Arlington Free Clinic educates low-income, uninsured Arlington County women ages 39 and over. The program provides clinical breast exams and referrals to Virginia Hospital Center, which donates mammograms to the patients of the program. The clinic also refers patients diagnosed with breast cancer to local providers for treatment and support services.