What started as Wasters End neighborhood brewery in Lake Ridge has quickly expanded to other areas of the region, like Fredericksburg and now Leesburg.
A new business is brewing in the Village at Leesburg. Chefscape, a food hall and bar featuring a variety of local chefs, will soon become “The Dell: Food & Brew Hall.” Water’s End Brewery, which has two locations in Prince William County and another in Downtown Fredericksburg, will operate the brewery currently being constructed inside the front door, adjacent to the customer seating area.
The inspiration to build a brewery in the food hall was sparked during a conversation between the current operator of Chefscape, Artie Simcox, and Henry Fonvielle, president of Rappaport, which manages Village at Leesburg.
“Artie and the Chefscape team were doing a great job growing the food hall business, and we were brainstorming ways to boost the customer experience even higher,” said Mr. Fonvielle.
Simcox, who has owned and operated scores of restaurants around the country, was part of the Great American Restaurant Group and is the namesake of Artie’s Restaurant in Fairfax, thought a brewery would fit nicely inside the existing space.
Mote, a former Fairfax County police officer who founded Water’s End Brewery in 2016, immediately grasped their vision and realized how much fun he could have to pair his beers with diverse food prepared by various local chefs.
Why the new name? Simcox explains, “As we moved forward in the partnership and began thinking deeper about the experience we were crafting, it became clear that what we’re creating is more than the sum of its parts (a food hall and brewery) and deserved to be branded as such. The Dell refers to a natural gathering place, a haven. To us, The Dell is where food and drink unite. Kick back and relax- you’re at The Dell.”
The new concept is expected to launch in Spring 2023.
Last month, Waters End Brewery held its grand opening in Fredericksburg.
Tim Hughes, an environmental specialist with the Prince William County Public Works Department, recently accepted a Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter.
The association’s 2023 project award in the “Environment Less than $5 Million” category was for installing a trash collection system called a bandalong in Neabsco Creek.
“This was a team effort between Parks and Public Works, and we got lucky and found a private partner in Micron Technology,” Hughes said. “Their corporate team in Manassas was looking for a watershed restoration project because Micron uses a lot of water in their microchip manufacturing process. They donated $300,000 that fully paid for the Bandalong, the installation, and the first year of operations and maintenance.
tThe bandalong floats in the creek during storm events and catches floatable litter that would otherwise scatter into the 300-acre Neabsco estuary, which is part of the Prince William County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism system.
In a just over a year, the bandalong collected 5,565 pieces of foam measuring less than 2.5 centimeters in diameter and 4,214 foam pieces greater than 2.5 centimeters. The Bandalong also captured 3,553 single-use plastic bottles, 647 cigarette butts, and 37 cigarette lighters.
Some other trash that wound up in the bandalong rather than the watershed included plastic bottle caps, glass beverage bottles, cardboard, plastic bags, plastic lids, plastic straws, construction materials, balloons, clothing, shoes, fishing gear and more.
The bandalong collected 16,476 pieces of litter otherwise destined for the estuary.
“All that litter would have polluted the estuary. With big storms, it gets out of the estuary into the Potomac River and beyond, from the river to the Chesapeake Bay and on to the ocean,” Hughes said. “It’s collecting the vast majority of trash.”
The bandalong also helps with volunteer cleanups. Before the Bandalong, volunteers gathered twice a year in the Neabsco Creek estuary to collect trash, often at personal risk.
“Marine debris and trash in our waterways have been a growing environmental issue. People are looking for solutions other than volunteer cleanups,” Hughes said. “It’s much safer and easier. All the trash gets collected in the Bandalong.”
Volunteers who regularly attend cleanups have noticed. Lynda Silverstrand, a long-time volunteer with the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, said that fallen trees once trapped bottles and other trash that floated down the creek, and it looked as if someone had dumped the trash at the choke points.
“The trash used to go down into the wetlands,” Silverstrand said. “The Bandalong collects a lot of tennis balls, footballs, and basketballs. We used to get so many bags of trash. In the last two cleanups, there just hasn’t been that much. It’s very little compared to the past.”
See a video about the Bandalong here.
The APWA Public Works Project of the Year Award was established to promote excellence in the management, administration, and implementation of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant, the architect, the engineer, and the contractor working together to complete public works projects.
Couples looking to take the plunge and say “I do” can register to get married on Valentine’s Day at the 5th Annual Valentine’s Day Wedding Bash at the Prince William County courthouse.
“It’s a happy day for so many people,” said Clerk of Circuit Corut Jacqueline Smith about the Feb. 14 event, to be held at 9329 Main Street in Manassas from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We look forward to Valentine’s Day all year, and the old church is such a charming place for weddings… Being that we’re in a 148-year-old church, it just kind of made sense to me,” said Billy Wiseman, co-founder of Three Monkeys.
“It’s something nice to do for people planning to get married in some room. Instead, they can actually get married in a church. We enjoy giving back to the community. We partnered with the Clerk’s office. I said, ‘We’ve got this space. It’s a church. What do you guys think?’ They were all about it. It snowballed where everybody is doing a little to help make it a big event.”
Several Manassas businesses plan to sponsor surprises for the couples to celebrate their nuptials.
On their sixth anniversary, Katherine and Rene Campos renewed their vows at the old church last year. “We wanted to keep a date that would be memorable. It’s also a holiday, so it’s really cute.” Katherine Campos said.
Larry Bronstone married Samea Whahab during last year’s ceremonies to please his bride. “Valentine’s Day was her first pick,” he said.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office is scheduling appointments for the Valentine’s Day Wedding Bash. Call 703-792-6036 or email [email protected] to get on the schedule.
On Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, the Commonwealth graduated its 137th generation of Virginia State Troopers. The 31 new troopers were presented their diplomas during commencement exercises at 10 a.m. at the State Police Training Academy located at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike in North Chesterfield County.
Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke at the graduation ceremony.
The new troopers have received more than 1,300 hours of classroom and field instruction in more than 100 different subjects, including de-escalation techniques, strategies to assist people in mental health crises, ethics and leadership, fair and impartial policing, constitutional law, emergency medical trauma care, and public and community relations. The members of the 137th Basic Session began their 28 weeks of academic, physical, and practical training at the Academy on June 30, 2022.
The graduates of the 137th Basic Session are from every corner of the Commonwealth, as well as Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and the countries of the Dominican Republic and Egypt.
Upon graduation, the new troopers will report to their duty assignments across Virginia. For their final training phase, each trooper will spend an additional six weeks paired up with a Field Training Officer learning his or her new patrol area.
Mac N’ Cheese is an outgoing and affectionate girl! She loves to be around humans and will cheerfully meow when she runs up to greet you. Mac n’ Cheese gets along with kids but can be a bit bossy with other cats. If you are looking for a cat that loves attention, then look no further!
She is 2 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccines/preventatives, and microchipped!
If you are interested in applying or learning about Mac N’ Cheese, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our “Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
Whitlock Wealth Management in Lake Ridge was named to the list of "Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams" published by Forbes magazine.Â
The Prince William County-based practice ranked 44th of 50 of the best firms in Virginia.
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Stafford County Public Schools congratulated Dr. George Hummer for his selection as the new Superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools, a role he will begin on January 30, 2023. During a Frederick County School Board meeting this week, Hummer was appointed to the position.
"Dr. Hummer has demonstrated a passion for serving students and standardizing practices for students with disabilities," said Stafford Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas W. Taylor. "Frederick County is gaining a student-focused leader that will affect incredible change in his new role. We wish him well in this well-deserved new position."
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Members of the 2023 Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Operations Board Executive Committee were installed Friday in a brief ceremony during which outgoing Chair Margaret Franklin of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors passed the gavel to James Walkinshaw of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Walkinshaw was the VRE board’s vice chair in 2022.
“I’m excited and honored to serve as chair this year,” said Walkinshaw. “VRE is fortunate to have an Operations Board dedicated to the system’s success, talented staff committed to our mission, and loyal riders who recognize the value of the safe, convenient, and reliable service we offer. 2023 will be a pivotal year as riders continue returning to the system and we undertake the critical task of updating our long-term vision through our System Plan 2050 process.”
Members new to the Executive Committee are Vice Chair Meg Bohmke of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and Secretary Ralph Smith of the Manassas City Council. Incoming Treasurer Sarah Bagley of the Alexandria City Council served as board secretary in 2022.
“I am proud of the Operations Board’s accomplishments in 2022 and know the new Executive Committee will build on them,” said Franklin. “From providing $119.2 million through a bond sale to support Transforming Rail in Virginia, to doubling ridership over 2021 levels, to cutting the ribbon on improvements at our Rolling Road station, these accomplishments made VRE’s 30th anniversary year of even greater significance.”
The nation’s 13th largest commuter rail service, VRE connects Central and Northern Virginia with the District of Columbia. VRE is recognized for its provision of safe, reliable, convenient, and comfortable transportation.
Additional information is available at www.vre.org
Luna is a spayed female German Shepherd estimated to be about 1 year and 3 months old. She came into our care through no fault of her own by having an accidental litter. Now that her pups are full-grown, she is ready to find her own home!
Luna would thrive in a home where someone is around most of the day and can give her all the attention she craves. She appears to be housebroken and loves to go for long walks. Luna weighs 72 lbs. and is fully vaccinated, microchipped, and up to date on preventatives.
If you are interested in applying or learning about Luna, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our”Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
