Stafford County Government announced a free event for disposing of unwanted, expired or old pesticides, Stafford County Government reported. The 2026 Fredericksburg Area Pesticide Collection Event, organized with Virginia Cooperative Extension-Stafford and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will be held September 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Greenline Service Corp., 11417 Tidewater Trail, Fredericksburg. It is open at no charge to commercial applicators, farmers and homeowners, and accepts large-volume and commercial-scale pesticides.

Pre-registration is encouraged and required for large quantities, unknown pesticides, or more than 5 gallons or 50 pounds. Residents can learn more and pre-register at vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticide-collection.shtml or contact local agent Grace Kunkel at [email protected] or 540-658-8000 during business hours.

The City of Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg Main Street will host the first Quacktoberfest on Oct. 17, 2026, from 2 to 6 p.m. as a free community festival featuring fall activities, vendors, carnival rides, live music, the rescheduled Rubber Ducky Derby and a Movie in the Park screening.

The derby, postponed from the Fourth of July due to extreme heat, starts at 3 p.m., followed by a 25-minute episode of Darkwing Duck and a dusk showing of Hocus Pocus. Residents can still adopt rubber ducks for the race at riverfriends.org/product/fxbg-rubber-ducky-2026, with prizes listed on a related Facebook post; the release notes ducks are selling quickly.