Arlington’s summer days have always consisted of a sweltering combination of high humidity and temperatures. This month has been no exception.

Yet summer is also the season to venture out, try new things, and explore new places.

In the interest of remaining active while cooling down, here are eight tasty, cold goodies in Arlington you can try before summer ends.

1. Nutella ice cream from Nicecream

Nicecream in Clarendon (2831 Clarendon Blvd) uses the process of freezing ice cream with liquid nitrogen. Its selection of ice cream flavors rotates weekly and has flavors spanning from white chocolate peanut butter to grapefruit creamsicle. However, Nutella is a must-try.

2. Nutella açaí bowl from South Block

Similarly, did you know you can get some of that addictive chocolate hazelnut spread in your South Block açaí bowl? We did, so we figured you would want to try that to cool off. Topping off South Block’s Nutella açaí bowl are mixed granola, banana, strawberry, coconut and Nutella.

3. Peanut butter icebox pie from Bakeshop

Bakeshop in Clarendon (1025 N. Fillmore Street) is no ordinary bakery. Offering a slew of flavors of cupcakes, bread, cakes, cookies, pies and macarons, Bakeshop also offers vegan and gluten-free options. Its Peanut Butter Icebox Pie is the perfect pick-me-up for peanut butter lovers.

4. Ice cream cookiewich from Bakeshop

One of the most popular summer treats at Bakeshop that is a must-try is its ice cream Cookiewich. This Cookiewich consists of two mouth-watering chocolate chunk cookies enveloping vanilla ice cream. Bakeshop’s Cookiewich is, in the opinion of this reviewer, beyond any ice cream sandwich you have ever tried.

5. Coffee Oreo + Chocolate Heaven ice cream from Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream

Mimi’s Handmade Ice Cream in Pentagon City (1201 S. Joyce Street) is full of ice creams, sorbets, and sherbets made with locally sourced produce. Offering over 44 flavors, chocolate lovers will “melt” over the Coffee Oreo and Chocolate Heaven.

6. Low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt topped with maraschino cherries + M&M’s from SweetFrog

Frozen yogurt lovers can stop by SweetFrog (2931 S. Glebe Road) for extensive frozen yogurt and toppings options. Offering fresh fruit, candy, nuts and cereals, and sauces, my go-to toppings are maraschino cherries and M&Ms.

7. Cannolis from The Italian Store

The Italian Store (5837 Washington Blvd, 3123 Lee Hwy) is a must-try place at the Westover shops. Not only does each location provide pizza and subs, but they also offer two sizes of cannolis: small and large. Cannolis are the perfect cool treat to transport your taste buds to the Mediterranean island of Sicily.

8. Frozen lemonade from Auntie Anne’s

Okay, it’s a chain, but don’t sleep on the refreshment power of the icy beverages found at this pretzel purveyor. With a location in the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City  (1100 S. Hayes Street), Auntie Anne’s offers the perfect drinks needed for cooling off. Auntie Anne’s has a variety of lemonade drinks ranging from frozen lemonade to lemonade mixers, as well as iced teas. My favorite is the original frozen lemonade.

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) This afternoon, a group of Washington-Liberty High School students are giving their peers more than 100 copies of two politically controversial books.

The books are “Beloved,” Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel following a Black family during the Reconstruction era, and “Maus,” Art Spiegelman’s award-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust and his father’s life during World War II. Both have explicit content that has some parents and politicians questioning their place in schools.

Controversy around “Beloved” is part of the origin story for a bill passed by the state Senate earlier this month, which would require teachers to label classroom materials that have sexually explicit content. “Maus,” meanwhile, rocketed into the national spotlight after a Tennessee school board voted last month to remove the book from its curriculum due to “inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman.

In addition to labeling classroom materials that have sexually explicit content, the new law requires teachers to notify parents if they are going to teach the materials. It gives parents the right to opt their children out of these lessons and request alternative materials.

But some high school students in Arlington and Fairfax counties are calling the law “backdoor censorship” and organized the distribution in response. It began at 3:15 p.m. in Quincy Park, near W-L.

“Great thinkers and proud Virginians like Thomas Jefferson, Maggie Walker, James Madison, George Mason and Oliver Hill — men and women who understood the importance of education and the value of studying difficult and divisive ideas — are rolling over in their graves,” W-L freshman and giveaway organizer Aaron Zevin-Lopez said in a statement.

Zevin-Lopez tells ARLnow he teamed up with George Marshall High School student Matt Savage — who has been facilitating distributions in Northern Virginia schools this month — to host a book giveaway in Arlington.

“Kids at my school understood that the Governor was attempting to limit reading rights within schools, so we thought that handing out the books beforehand could be a great way to spread the message of resistance and making sure the youth understands our past, both good and bad,” Zevin-Lopez said.

The two students are leaders of the Virginia chapter of a Gen-Z political advocacy group called Voters of Tomorrow, which is providing financial support for the giveaway.

“When the government establishes laws to label literature in terms of a single factor like ‘sexually explicit’, regardless of that factor’s significance to the larger world of literary merit or meaning, it edges closer to censorship,” said Savage, president of Voters of Tomorrow Virginia. “It means we are labeling content for the sole purpose of suppressing it.”

Watch out @GlennYoungkin, we’ve been handing out copies of ‘Beloved’ at Virginia high schools. Students deserve access to literature that teaches real history, and we’re proud to provide it. Thanks @nachyomommy and @MrMattSavage for organizing distribution – give them a follow! pic.twitter.com/QO1AWgYyzZ

— Voters of Tomorrow Virginia (@VOTVirginia) February 23, 2022

The students say requiring teachers to define their lessons in terms of how much “sexually explicit” content it contains will dissuade them from using anything that may be considered “objectionable.” They add that the law will force teachers to draft two entire lesson plans for one class on the objection of just one parent.

The bill is similar to one passed in 2016, which became known as the “Beloved” bill because it was inspired by a mother’s attempt to have the novel removed from her son’s English class. It was vetoed, however, by Gov. Terry McAuliffe — and his veto narrowly avoided being overturned by the House of Delegates.

The question of parental involvement in education became a central theme of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial campaign after McAuliffe said during a debate, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

Passing the law was a campaign promise of and priority for Youngkin when he assumed office. The Republican governor unsuccessfully tried to pass other laws, including one rooting out curriculum based on critical race theory, and created a tip line for people to report teaching strategies they object to.

It’s a beautiful November morning among the trees outside of Long Branch Nature Center and Melody Mobley is at peace. She’s remembering how her mom used to take her and her siblings to creeks and collect leaves on weekends.

“To this day, I feel like I’m in more than church any time I’m out in the forest,” Mobley says, sitting on a bench in front of a pond. “This is my sacred space.”

In 1977, Mobley was hired to work at the United States Forest Service, after being recruited at her university’s career day. She was the first Black female professional forester in the agency’s history.

For decades, her life was in forests across the country, including in Washington, California, and Florida. In the late 1980s, she made the move to the D.C. area to help manage state forestry resource plans as well as watershed restoration. She’s lived in Arlington ever since, near N. Carlin Springs Road.

When Mobley started at the Forest Service as a forester, she loved the job.

“Just being in those beautiful, beautiful situations every day, picking your berries and greens from nature,” she tells ARLnow. “Just physically being in that place was wonderful. And seeing bears, porcupines, and everything we would see out there was just a real treat.”

It was the humans that made Mobley’s life hard. In fact, she hadn’t realized that she was the only woman of color at the Forest Service until a year into her job.

“I wasn’t into it,” she says. “When I found out I was the one and only, no one would ever let me forget it.”

As a young woman living in a small town, she felt isolated and constantly the focus all at the same time. It was like living in a fishbowl, Mobley says. Even things that one might think of as small were not available to her.

“I couldn’t get my hair done. I couldn’t find the products,” she says.

There were also far worse situations. She was sexually harassed, the target of racist remarks, and sexually assaulted by a work colleague when she was 20-years-old.

She thought about quitting, but did not want to give others the satisfaction that she was giving up. Plus, it was a full-time job that could help provide for her grandmother, who had cancer.

“I don’t want it to sound all doom and gloom because it wasn’t,” Mobley says.”But it sure was challenging.”

Even during her time working at the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in D.C. in the 1990s, Mobley says she constantly faced gender discrimination, harassment, and was even physically assaulted.

Later, as a leader, she hoped her speaking out would end this for herself as well as others facing similar mistreatment in the agency.

“I really put myself on the line speaking out,” she says. But in 2005 she retired, saying she had “no choice.”

To this day, she still fields calls from others in the Forest Service who are facing circumstances similar to her own. She provides advice, a sounding board, and sometimes even reaches out to leadership on their behalf.

“The Forest Service isn’t very happy with me, but that’s all right,” she says.

Mobley, however, has found her next calling, spending her days inspiring the younger generation by volunteering at Carlin Springs and Barrett Elementary schools. This includes taking students on nature walks, helping with their science assignments, and answering questions about the environment.

“I love, love, love kids so much,” she says. “I want them to see someone who looks like them. That’s so important.”

She helps to lead Black and Latin/Hispanic Birder and Naturalist series in partnership with Nova Parks and the NAACP’s Arlington Branch.

Mobley says those hikes are wonderful, but few people of color actually come on them. She’s not totally sure why, but this challenge isn’t unique to this program.

“Many of the programs around here don’t get people of color coming,” she says. “We really need to open that door and really make sure that they feel welcome… we need to make sure people know there’ll be people of color actually there.”

This is her mission, she says, to show that nature and forest are for all.

“We need to have some leaders of color, so people can see that ‘well, she’s doing that. I could do that too.'”

The sun’s rays shine through the tree branches, illuminating a turtle head that’s popped out of the murky depths of the pond right outside of Long Branch Nature Center.

The big reason she has stayed in Arlington for 30 years, says Mobley, is that there are so many parks, green, and sacred spaces for her.

She doesn’t disencourage young people from joining the Forest Service, but wants them to understand the challenges. Plus, she notes, it will take a “critical mass” of the next generation joining up to create lasting change in the organization.

For her, it’s all about creating a “spark” in them and finding ways to show nature is welcoming.

“It’s about getting out there,” Mobley says. “Over and over again.”

This feature article was funded by the ARLnow Press Club and was previously published in the Press Club’s weekend newsletter.

Say hi to Lily and Daisy, Arlington’s latest Pet of the Week duo. These two fashionable ladies are Pugs who were rescued from the Great Salt Lake and now call Arlington their home.

Here’s what their owner had to say about the sisters:

These sisters have traded their hiking boots for bespoke couture as they enjoy a packed social calendar filled with brunches with “the girls” at various Arlington eateries, play dates at the Pug Meet Up, goat yoga and shopping trips to Dogma Pet Bakery.

A little shy with strangers, Lily needs some time before she jumps in your lap to give some kisses. Daisy has never met a stranger and will eagerly dance around you and offer huge licks from her tongue.

After a busy day sipping pawseccos and browsing Etsy, Lily likes to enjoy a “cigar” (her Petstages Deerhorn bone) with her evening watermelon. Daisy can be found cuddling her elephant stuffy and loves nothing more than curling up in a lap to snooze.

Welcome to these darling western ladies!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Say hello to Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week, Whitlow. This 4-month-old Bernese Mountain puppy loves exploring. If you see Whitlow exploring around town, be sure to say hi — just make sure he sits first.

Here’s what Whitlow had to say about himself:

Hello Arlington! I’m Whitlow. Yes, named after Whitlow’s on Wilson where my mom and dad met on mug night. I’m sad I never went to Whitlow’s before it closed, but I’m still falling in love with Arlington as my new home.

I came home August 28 at 10 weeks old. I was 20 pounds back then. Everyone I meet in Arlington has been so nice to me, and they all tell me I’m going to be a big boy.

I love going to Charles Stewart Park to play with my neighborhood dog friends and watch the kids play soccer. I get very excited for my meals. My mom and dad spoil me with homemade liver treats and bites of steak. I’m a carnivore just like my papa bear.

I like to lay by the freezer after my walks to cool off. I can’t wait for winter! I’m not allowed on the couch yet, but I still try everyday. I’m a little unsure about car rides because I don’t know where I’m going. I’m excited to explore more places in Arlington and try new restaurants with my parents.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Say hi to Arlington’s latest Pet of the Week, Honey. This springer spaniel pup is quite an adventurer. She loves swimming at Donaldson Run and hiking in Rock Creek.

Honey’s mom shared more details about her life here in Arlington.

This is Honey, a 5-month-old springer spaniel who lives in the Courthouse region of Arlington. While originally born on a farm in Pennsylvania, she is loving her urban life here in Arlington and all of her doggie friends in the neighborhood.

She loves swimming at the nearby trail at Donaldson Run and playing in the Glencarlyn Dog Park on Sundays. She loves riding in the car, long hikes through Rock Creek and snacking on Greenies with a spoonful of peanut butter. If other Arlington fur friends see her around she’d love to have a few sniffs and say hi!

Honey is more subdued in the morning and then has the zoomies by 7 p.m. — just in time for dinner! She just recently lost her last puppy tooth and is growing up too quickly.

Honey left ARLnow two paws up!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Arlington officials are asking residents to keep an eye on the Bon Air Rose Garden in Bluemont after a brazen bush burglary.

“Last Thursday, about a dozen rose bushes were removed from Bon Air Rose Garden,” Susan Kalish, the Public Relations Director for the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, told neighborhood leaders in an email yesterday. “It’s sad enough when someone cuts a bloom or two, but this act of vandalism is very disheartening.”

“As you know, Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden is a cherished Arlington institution with more than 120 rose varieties,” Kalish added. “Can you help us by asking everyone to report suspicious activity to the Arlington County Police Department non-emergency number 703-558-2222 or call us at 703-228-6525. This sort of vandalism should not be tolerated in Arlington.”

One civically-involved Arlingtonian who forwarded the email, which was then forwarded to ARLnow, called the caper “more criminal craziness.”

“Probably a good idea to keep an eye out for plants in other Arlington parks,” she wrote. “These looters may not yet be done.”

Give some love to Pancake, a 4-year-old Chihuahua/lab mix and Arlington’s latest Pet of the Week. You’ll often find Pancake curled up in a lap, begging for scratches.

Pancake’s mom sent along some more details about this sweet pup:

Pancake is a 4-year-old rescue I adopted right after some life-altering health issues. He is the absolute sweetest Chihuahua/lab (we think) mix and LOVES to sit in everyone’s lap while demanding butt rubs.

He was named after a children’s show, “Pancake Mountain,” which features punk rock musicians and a dog puppet. (Perfect, right?) Everyone knows him by name, and though he’s not the best guard dog, you can always count on him for extra kisses and snuggles!

Pancake recently became a big brother to my boyfriend’s two cats when we moved in together, and they’re all having the time of their lives! (Mostly, he barks at them, and they chase his tail, but it’s working!)

If you want to be friends or share some love, give Pancake a follow on Instagram!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

Arlington native Neffy has won National Public Radio’s prestigious Tiny Desk Contest for her song “Wait Up,” inspired by her return home to the Green Valley neighborhood.

Neffy, née Mecca Russell, tells ARLnow she drew on her homecoming experience during the pandemic, after living in New York City for about five years.

“Returning had me get in touch with my roots for the first time in half a decade,” she said. “It was almost like, ‘Will this environment accept me in the same that it did when I was younger, after being away for so long?'”

She found that Green Valley not only accepted her, but proved to be a well of inspiration to draw from. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter’s ballad about the meaning of home was chosen from thousands of entries to NPR’s contest, which selects an emerging artist to perform at the vaunted “tiny desk,” joining the likes of some very notable musicians, including Mac Miller, Wu Tang Clan, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber and Lizzo.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was in so much shock and disbelief,” says Neffy about how she felt after hearing she had won. “I’m still kind of in shock and disbelief, to be quite honest.”

She says she has always been musical, known to sing around the house as a child. Neffy wrote her first song at 13 years old and, shortly after, picked up a guitar.

When she got older, went to college and decided to pursue writing and performing professionally, she realized her craft required a lot of sacrifice — and it led to some self-doubt.

But winning the Tiny Desk contest in 2021, after entering submissions in 2018 and 2020, validated her choice to pursue her craft.

“This experience has given me the chance to really feel full and express myself completely as an artist,” Neffy says. “And that alone has taken so much weight off my shoulders because that means I’m allowed to be an artist.”

She said writing and performing “Wait Up” allowed for that self-reflection and gave her an outlet for some of these feelings.

“I wrote this song for myself… because it was almost like a very cathartic therapeutic experience for me to write the song,” she says. “It was something that my soul definitely needed.”

To get herself in the right place, she says she spent a lot of time in her backyard as well as in and around Arlington’s green spaces, including gardens, nature centers and trails.

“Those [places] really are the foundation of who I am,” Neffy says. “[The song] was also a weaving of my mother’s love, my family’s love and us being outside in our backyard and having memories attached to all of those spaces.”

Right now, she’s primarily performing virtually due to the pandemic but plans on taking her talent to venues in the D.C. area soon.

While she’s currently residing in Green Valley, Neffy expects that she will soon head off on a new adventure. Writing “Wait Up” taught her that leaving will be okay, and that her home will always be here in Arlington no matter where her ambition leads her.

“By the time the song gets to the bridge, I am certain that, yes, home will always be there, whether it’s a physical manifestation or a spiritual manifestation that lives inside of me,” she says. “No matter where I go in the world, whether it’s Japan or who knows where, home is going to always live inside of me no matter what.”

Meet Abbie, the latest Pet of the Week. This shy Silken Windhound is 26 pounds of cuddles and fun.

Here’s what her mom had to say about Abbie’s life here in Arlington.

This is Abbie, a 10-month-old Silken Windhound living the dream in Arlington with her Greyhound sister, Aimee. Abbie is 26 pounds of cuddles and fun. She loves playing with toys, hunting for sticks and chasing rabbits outside. Her favorite spot in the house is either of the queen-size beds, surrounded by pillows and blankets (and her favorite stuffed dragon, too)!

Abbie loves exploring at Gulf Branch Nature Center, playing with her canine friends and sleeping. We haven’t met any other Silken Windhounds in the Arlington area, which makes Abbie even more special than she already is! Abbie is very shy, but if you see us out on a walk feel free to try to say hello! Also, follow Abbie on Instagram at @abbiethesilken.

Silken Windhounds are a “newer” breed and are not yet AKC recognized. They are, however, UKC recognized as of 2011. The first litter of Silken Windhounds was born in 1985 to Francie Stull in Texas.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

We are also looking for local pets who look like their owners or like celebrities. Email us photos of your pet and their doppelgänger, explaining the resemblance and whether it has been noticed in your neighborhood.

A comic about smiling.

For this week’s Pet of the Week, we’re featuring two adoptable pups, Myrtle and Martin.

Thanks to the good folks at Homeward Trails Adoption Center, this brother-sister duo was recently evacuated from Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Ida.

Although new to Arlington, here’s what they know about Myrtle and Martin so far:

Myrtle and her brother Martin just arrived after being evacuated from Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Ida.

Myrtle can be a bit shy in new situations but warms up quickly. She enjoys the company of other dogs.

Martin is a a friendly guy who enjoys hanging out with other dogs and people.

These two are Weimaraner mixes estimated to be about 1 year old. Myrtle weighs in at 22 pounds, and Martin is 32 pounds.

If you’re interested in adopting this duo or any other dogs or cats heading to Arlington after Hurricane Ida, stop by the Homeward Trails website to learn more. You can also follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.

Lorton-based RĀKO Coffee Roasters is opening RĀKO, its first brick-and-mortar coffee shop, on Saturday in Courthouse.

And to celebrate the grand opening of the café at 2016 Wilson Blvd, RĀKO will offer $1 coffees from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with specially-priced natural wines available all day Saturday until 9 p.m.

The roasting company, founded by sisters Melissa and Lisa Gerben in late 2019, sources and roasts sustainably farmed, single-origin coffee. They planned to open a café last year, but the pandemic delayed that, and they launched an online store and a D.C. pop up location instead.

Now, the Gerbens have a space, in the former location of The Olive Oil Boom, to sell fresh roasted coffee from around the world, espresso drinks, food, cocktails and natural wines.

“Through its thoughtful offerings like the signature baklava latte made with cinnamon, cardamom, and clove infused honey syrup, RĀKO aims to make specialty coffee approachable,” according to a press release.

The company and shop are named for a mountain in Ethiopia called Rako, which translates to “challenge.”

“The brand’s name underscores its mission to create elevated and exceptional coffees while giving back to the communities it touches, both locally and globally,” the release said.

Weekday happy hours will start at 4 p.m., while brunch begins on weekends at 10 a.m. The drinks menu will center natural wines, a collective term for wines that eschew the chemicals, additives and extra processes found in many commercial wines, from cultivation to harvest to production.

“Much like its coffee program, the natural wine program is both approachable and dynamic, with the opening menu aptly named Summer Crush, boasting a curated selection of refreshing summer wines by women winemakers,” the release said.

Coffee will seep into the cocktail menu, from an espresso martini to a Negroni made with coffee-infused Campari.

To eat, RĀKO will offer seasonal foods, such as cucumber gazpacho and strawberry and manchego salad, meze and cheese boards. It will also serve “pocket foods” such as salteñas, empanadas and sambussas, a nod to the coffee-growing regions of Bolivia, Colombia and Ethiopia, respectively. Breakfast and baked goods will come from local bakeries.

All this will be in a trendy space that can accommodate 55 people and double as a private event space. RĀKO will be decorated with local art, textiles from Guatemala and vibrant paintings of Ethiopian flora.

“Lush and comfortable, the café is designed to be a space where guests can recharge and connect over a specialty coffee or a glass of biodynamic wine,” the release said.

The sisters aim to host a variety of events at the space, including wine tastings and latte art classes.

On Monday, the cafe will adopt its regular hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with happy hour daily from 4-7 p.m.

Meet Arlington’s latest Pet of the Week, Cthulhu. Cthulhu is a 5-year-old gargantuan aloe plant. Some of her favorite activities include lying in the sun and drinking water.

Here’s what Cthulhu had to say about her life here in Arlington:

I am Cthulhu, a 5-year-old gargantuan aloe plant. I was born in a nursery and given to my original mom as a cute, small office decoration for her desk. Little did she know, I would continue to grow and grow and grow into a several foot-wide plant. When my mom moved away to NYC, I sadly could not make the journey with her. I was adopted by my current mom and dad who love me very much because they aren’t allowed to have fur babies in their apartment.

My leaves have continued to point toward the sun like a monster’s tentacles, which is why I was named “Cthulhu.” My favorite activities include lying in the sunshine, sipping up lots of water and outgrowing every single pot my owners have ever placed me in. Last year, I delightedly made my parents grandparents, as I grew little baby plants — called aloe pups!

I miss my first mom in New York, but she gets lots of pictures of me and my children. I have been a great joy to my mom and dad while they are at home social distancing.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo galleries!

We are also looking for local pets who look like their owners or like celebrities. Email us photos of your pet and their doppelgänger, explaining the resemblance and whether it has been noticed in your neighborhood.

Four years ago today, one of the strangest stories in Arlington history played out.

It was a slow Thursday in August when an ARLnow editor was on the phone while walking around Clarendon, where our offices were located at the time. Along Wilson Blvd, next to the Metro station, an odd sight caught his attention: a van with rhythmic blinking lights at the top of the windshield.

As it drove by, there was something missing — a driver.

Quickly the editor apologized to the person on the other end of the phone call, hung up, and took a series of cell phone videos. Published that night, the video would end up making regional and even national news.

“A mysterious, seemingly driverless van was spotted cruising the streets of Arlington’s Courthouse and Clarendon neighborhoods Thursday evening,” we reported that night. “The unmarked gray van with Virginia license plates drove up and down Wilson and Clarendon Blvds more than a half dozen times — with no one in the driver’s seat or passenger seat. The rear windows of the Ford Transit Connect van were darkly tinted.”

“The van appeared to drive cautiously but keep up with traffic. Cameras and a light bar could be seen behind the windshield,” the article continued. “The lack of a driver went mostly unnoticed as Clarendon residents went around their after-work routines near the Metro station, though occasionally people could be seen pointing at the car or asking someone nearby if they saw a driver.”

Arlington County, Arlington County police, VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration told us they had no knowledge of any autonomous vehicle testing in the area. It remained a mystery for several days, with many wondering whether autonomous vehicle technology had advanced to the point where a van could safely drive itself in circles around a densely populated area.

Then, an unexpected revelation and some made-for-TV theatrics helped the story attain even greater fame. NBC 4’s Adam Tuss, after leaving an interview at ARLnow’s offices the following Monday, spotted the van, peered inside and found… arms and legs.

“Brother, who are you? What are you doing? I’m with the news, dude,” Tuss said. “Dude, can you pull over and we can talk for a second?”

Here's me trying to talk to a man in a car seat costume @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/e5humOM7uS

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) August 7, 2017

As it turns out, the “driverless” car was actually an experiment run by Virginia Tech and Ford to see how people reacted when they saw a car with no one in the driver’s seat.

In reality, the driver was disguised as a car seat. The university admitted its role after Tuss’ tweet went viral.

Ford said the light bar in the van was intended as a way to communicate the car’s intentions to pedestrians.

“Anyone who has crossed a busy street likely knows the informal language between pedestrians and drivers,” [Ford researcher John] Shutko wrote. “A driver might wave her hand to indicate to the pedestrian it’s okay to cross, or a pedestrian could throw up his hand like a stop sign to signal he plans to cross first. But what happens in the future, when self-driving vehicles operate without drivers - and in some cases, without anyone even in the vehicle itself?”

After being first reported by ARLnow.com, and famously further investigated by NBC4 reporter Adam Tuss — who was startled to discover a person in a seat costume inside — VT admitted it was behind the driverless car.

Ford said people are put in the cars — and dressed as car seats — for safety reasons, as self-driving technology is still in the early stages of testing and development.

And if not for some meddling reporters, the experiment might have been able to continue to roam Arlington streets and startle pedestrians for a bit longer. Without the mystery and the “news dude” moment, however, the story would not have been nearly as memorable.