Elvis, Ice Skating to Rink in Stafford County’s 350th Birthday at ‘Party of the Centuries’

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — Stafford County turns 350 years old in 2014 and they’ll kick off the special birthday in North Stafford with the “party of the centuries.”

The daylong “Celebrate Stafford 350” event will take place in the Stafford Marketplace shopping center on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. The party will be held in the parking lot in front of the Target store, much like the annual National Night Out celebration held in the same lot each August.

This event is one of several planned during 2014 to help the county commemorate its anniversary. Special activities at the event include:

• A special (temporary) skating rink is being installed for the occasion and will be open all day for visitors to test their skills. There is no cost to use the rink and skates will be provided for free.

• A “History Tent” will also be set up in which representatives from various community organizations in Stafford will showcase the historic artifacts that they’ve collected over the years. The next few hours will focus on Stafford’s history with appearances and talks by representatives of the Patawomeck Tribe as well as a “live” history timeline featuring elementary students from Stafford’s schools who will represent a specific historical period.

• A Time Capsule ceremony will allow each of the local schools to have an opportunity to place their selected item(s) in a cylinder and tuck it away for the next 50 years, only to be opened at Stafford’s 400th anniversary.

• A talent show will follow the historical programs and feature more Stafford talent. Rounding out the day’s events will be concerts by the Fabulous Hubcaps, a nationally known rock oldies band, and a special concert by Elvis Presley, portrayed by Michael Hoover, a famous Elvis impersonator who lives in Stafford.

The county has partnered with the Lions Clubs of Stafford to put on the  “Party of the Centuries.”

Following this event, a “Founders Day Parade” is being organized for May 4, 2014. Organizers say the plan is to feature bands from all five high schools in Stafford County dressed up to represent a different historical period in the county (Pre-Colonial/Colonial; Revolutionary/Post-Revolution Era; Civil War Era; Turn of the Twentieth Century through the World Wars; and Modern Day Stafford).

The parade will end at “History Square” in the parking lot of Brooke Point High School. There will be feature reenactment camps, a Native American longhouse,  JROTC drill competition,  Historical Society Display, as well as other pictorial displays of Stafford history. More information and applications to be featured in the parade can be found on the county’s celebration website.