Events Search and Views Navigation
March 2016
Highland County Maple Festival Trip
Join us Saturday, March 12th at 7:00 am to take a step back in time to Highland County. Travel the back roads and mountain byways to the annual Highland Maple Festival.
Each year, thousands of visitors are drawn to this unspoiled, rural region of Virginia to celebrate the “opening” of the trees and observe the process of maple syrup-making. This will be a unique and educational experience that portrays a rapidly vanishing way of American life.
5K Run/Walk Fundraiser for Culpeper Food Closet
Culpeper High School hosts a 5K Run/Walk to benefit the Culpeper Food Closet. Register at the lower level parking lot by the gym at 8 a.m. The cost is $10. (cash/check) per person. Race starts at 9 a.m. Awards will be presented. Forms are available in the CCHS front office. Please contact CCHS at 540-825-8310 for more information.
APPALACHIAN TRAIL HISTORY HIKE
Join PEC and Tom Johnson, Archivist for the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, for a scenic one and a half mile walk along the Appalachian Trail above Ashby Gap. Learn about the local history of this section of the AT, along with the Civil War and natural history of the area. The hike will begin at PEC’s Piedmont Memorial Overlook property in Boyce, and participants will have the chance to experience the spectacular view and learn about PEC’s efforts to restore native habitat on the property and protect the region’s historic landscape. http://www.pecva.org/events/appalachian-trail-history-hike
http://www.pecva.org/events/appalachian-trail-history-hikeApril 2016
Park Day: Help Clean Up Historic Rector’s Crossroads
Learn about the famed Mosby Rendezvous site, J.E.B. Stuart encampment, and June 21, 1863 cavalry battle at Rector’s Crossroads while helping us clean up the terrain. Refreshments will be served. Dress for outside work with good boots and gloves. Bring a rake if you can. Please call 540-687-6681 to RSVP.
1461 Atoka Road, Marshall, VA 20115
https://www.facebook.com/events/501390180032759/8th Annual Kite Flight Festival
Dust your kites off after a long winter and join in the fun in the skies above Three Fox Vineyards at our 8th Annual Kite Flight Festival from 1:00 – 3:00 pm! The vineyard always has great breezes in the Spring for kite flying and we’re going to take advantage of them for some early springtime fun. We’ll have prizes for the following categories: Best in Show, Most Time Aloft, Most Creative Kite, Youngest Kite Flyer, and Youngest at Heart. Judging begins at 3:00. Enjoy live music with Richard Giersch who will be playing classics from the 60s-90s from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Black Fig Pizza Company will be selling their artisan wood-fired pizzas.
www.threefoxvineyards.comPark Day: A Program and Clean-up at Rector’s Crossroads Battlefield and Mosby Rendezvous Site
Learn about the famed Mosby Rendezvous Site, J.E.B. Stuart encampment, and June 21, 1863 cavalry battle at Rector’s Crossroads while helping us clean up the terrain. Refreshments will be served. Dress for outside work with good boots and gloves. Bring a rake if you can. Reservations–(540) 687-6681. Meeting at Caleb Rector House, 1461 Atoka Road, opposite the Atoka Store. [NOTE: 1461 Atoka Road has a navigation unit address of “Marshall VA” although it is 10 miles away!] This is a program of the Mosby Heritage Area Association.
http://www.mosbyheritagearea.org
Live Well Festival
In honor of Earth Day, Historic Downtown Manassas announces the 10th Annual Live Well Festival (formerly Spring Cleaning Day) to be held on Saturday, April 16th.
Head over to the Harris Pavilion for free health screenings, fitness classes, kid activities, entertainment, and more. Recycle those gently used household items or clothes to a worthy cause, visit with the recycling and environmental exhibitors, and help the kids make earth friendly art projects. The day includes exhibitors from non-profit and civic organizations providing recycling and environmental information.
The Shredding Truck will be back again this year at a new location. Bring those documents to be shredded to the parking lot in front of the Train Depot!
This year, there will also be the option to purchase tickets for a farm to table brunch prepared with fresh goods straight from the Farmer’s Market. Stay tuned for details.
Go to www.visitmanassas.org for more details as they become available.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1677741415818420/Spring Oyster Festival with music by the Bennie Dodd Band
Premium steamed and raw oysters and delicious crabcakes provided by the Rappahannock River Oyster Company will get your mouth watering just enough to enjoy a nice bottle of DuCard wine to wash it all down with! 12-5pm. Advance tickets online at http://www.ducardvineyards.com. DuCard Vineyards: 40 Gibson Hollow Lane, Etlan, VA 22719; 540-923-4206; http://www.ducardvineyards.com
http://www.ducardvineyards.comHunter’s Island Hike
Captain John Smith, exploring the Rappahannock River in 1608, met at its fall line a hail of arrows from native fishermen. Explore the legacy of Hunter’s Island with its owner, local architect and history enthusiast Mary Ellen Wheeler. Bring a bag lunch for a picnic. Minimum age is 8 years. Meet at Friends of the Rappahannock home office, 3219 Fall Hill Avenue, Fredericksburg. Event is 10 am – 3 pm. Backup date: next day. $30 indiv/$90 family ($24/$72 for members). For more information visit riverfriends.org or call 540-373-3448.
www.riverfriends.orgMADISON’S MOUNTAIN HERITAGE: AN OPEN HOUSE AT GRAVES CHAPEL
Join The Piedmont Environmental Council for a trip back in time to learn about the mountain culture of Virginia’s Blue Ridge. On the land of Graves Chapel, which was organized in 1885, this event will include tours of the Chapel building, family photo displays, memorabilia, oral histories, and a historical overview of the Graves Mill area.
Members of the Graves, Aylor, Berry, Creel, Estes, Fitzhugh, Hawkins, Kendall, Kite, Knighting, Lillard, McDaniel, McMullen, Melone, Slaughter, Shotwell, Sims, Smith, and many other families will be present to discuss their memories of the mountain life in Madison. Archival materials, including early film footage of the area and historic maps, will also be on display.
Want to visit home sites of some of your descendants or just interested in looking at the remains of homesteads in the Park? Graves Chapel is not far from some of the area’s best hiking trails, many of which pass by historic features that are partially hidden in the forest. With a little closer look, you can often see old home sites, rock walls, garden terraces, and cemeteries – particularly before the plants begin to bloom. PEC is in the process of securing shuttles to the nearby trailheads to access these sites. If you are interested, please contact Kristie Kendall below.
The DnA Band will share their musical talents. Enjoy light refreshments and conversation at the Chapel throughout the day.
The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Driving directions to the event parking area will be emailed prior to the event. Elderly or disabled visitors can be dropped off at the church. Check in with parking staff upon arrival.
Take a moment to check out the webpage for Graves Chapel at gravesmillchapel.com. Donations to Graves Chapel are appreciated.
http://pecva.org/events/madison-s-mountain-heritage-an-open-house-at-the-graves-chapel