Press Release:
Stafford offices, departments, facilities, and all courts will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday from Wednesday, November 27, through Friday, November 29, 2024.
Both locations of the R-Board/Regional Landfill (Eskimo Hill and Belman Road) will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2024. They will remain open on November 27 and 29.
The following offices and facilities will remain open:
Fire and Rescue Information: (540) 658-7200
Emergency: 911
Sheriff’s Office Information: (540) 658-4400
Emergency: 911
Magistrate: (540) 659-2968
All outdoor parks are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Press Release:
Gainesville Community Choir (GCC) will perform a collaborative concert this winter entitled “From Darkness to Light” featuring Dan Forrest’s LUX: the Dawn from On High and other songs for the season with Fairfax Choral Society. Performances will take place at Grace United Methodist Church in Manassas on Friday, December 6, and Annandale United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 7, both concerts starting at 7:30 p.m. This highly anticipated concert will feature over 200 musicians, making it the largest group of singers ever amassed by the Gainesville-based group.
Since its formation in 2013, GCC has always been committed to its mission to enrich, educate, and entertain through intentional community-building and developing and supporting musical excellence. Gainesville Community Choir was honored to receive the Seefeldt Award for Outstanding Arts Organization in 2023. In addition to that distinction, conductor and co-founder Jacob Lash recently received the 2024 Seefeldt Award for Outstanding Arts Educator. GCC’s Board of Directors believes that both vocal technique and expression are essential to achieving this mission. Rehearsals incorporate lessons in vocal technique and music literacy, and the choir strives to thoughtfully impact the hearts and souls of audiences and the surrounding communities through their performances.
Conductor Jacob Lash holds a Master’s degree in Conducting and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from George Mason University. He is joined by Associate Conductor Preston Atkins, who recently completed his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Ithaca College. Both Lash and Atkins are music teachers in Prince William County and they carry their passion for music education through to their work with GCC and honors choirs throughout the area. Pam Sottosani serves as the group’s accompanist and plays piano for rehearsals and concerts. They are supported by a strong and talented team of section leaders.
As a non-auditioned choir, GCC enables people from every walk of life to experience the joy of singing with others. The members come from all levels of musical experience, training, and background. In Lash’s words, “we come together to celebrate God’s gift of music, and we find great joy in singing together and sharing our music with the communities of Northern Virginia.” The GCC Spring and Fall seasons culminate in major concerts in May and December. Their professionally recorded album Journey Home is available for purchase on their website and will also be available at their concert for $10.00.
Tickets for “From Darkness to Light” are $20 adults, $15 students age 14 through college, and free for age 13 and under. Tickets are available at the event and can be purchased via cash, check, credit card, Venmo, or PayPal. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the concert and seating is general admission. The concert is approximately 90 minutes long with one intermission. Visit GCC’s website for more information: https://gainesvillecommunitychoir.com/tickets/
Press Release:
Join us for a wonderful holiday tradition in Occoquan on the evening of Saturday, November 23, 2024. This is our popular tree lighting and shop late event that will for the third year in a row include our Holiday Firelight activities.
The tree lighting itself will take place in front of Town Hall (314 Mill Street) at 6:00 p.m. From 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. visitors can also enjoy fire pits, marshmallow roasting, caroling, hot coca, and more by the Mill House Museum (413 Mill Street). Marshmallows for roasting are free, while hot cocoa, hot cider, adult drinks, and s’mores kits will be available for purchase.
And, of course, we would like to encourage everyone to shop in our Occoquan stores and restaurants for your holiday and entertainment needs. By doing so you will be supporting local artists, business owners, and their hardworking staffs. Our shops are busy preparing holiday items for you and a number of them will be open until 8:00 p.m. or later.
Worried about parking? There will be FREE shuttle service from 1:00 – 9:00 p.m. from the Old Bridge Road/Route 123 Commuter lot. Drop off points will be at Mamie Davis Park (200 Washington Street) and Town Hall (314 Mill Street).
Press release:
There’s still time to swing by your library and get ready for the holiday season! Here’s the schedule:
- Wednesday, November 27: Libraries close early at 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, November 28: Closed for Thanksgiving Day.
- Friday, November 29: Closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
- Saturday, November 30: Dale City, Dumfries, Independent Hill, Lake Ridge, and Nokesville Libraries will be closed for the holiday weekend.
Heads-up! Chinn Park Library will be closed from Monday, November 18, through Sunday, December 8. Stop by today to stock up on books and resources!
Press Release:
The Virginia Department of Education has selected Greendale Elementary School in Washington County and Belmont Elementary School in Prince William County as Virginia’s two 2024 ESEA Distinguished Schools.
Recognized for exceptional student performance for two consecutive years, Washington County’s Greendale Elementary School made noteworthy gains in reading and science SOL scores, improving by nine and fourteen points respectively in the last year. The school implemented key literacy initiatives, such as targeted reading interventions, an open library, and ongoing professional development for school staff. The school also focused on data driven instruction such as formative and summative assessments to guide differentiation; explicit teaching with clear demonstrations and guided practice; tailored instruction for personalized interventions; and small group instruction and remediation.
This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.
From The Stafford County Sheriff’s Department:
An 18-year-old Manassas Park man was arrested after an assault and robbery at gunpoint that took place late last week.
On November 14th at approximately 12:56 a.m. Deputy R.A. Kehoe responded to Shasta Place for a previously occurred robbery. It was advised a male and female were robbed at gunpoint and the male victim had to be taken to the hospital due to his injuries during the incident. Deputy Kehoe would make contact with the victims to discover what occurred.
It was advised the day prior, shortly after 6:30 p.m., both victims made plans to meet with a male they only knew as “Semaij”. “Semaij” would arrive with an unknown male and ask if the victims “had anything.” The unknown male would produce a firearm and rob the female victim of her cash as “Semaij” began searching the male victim. Both victims would attempt to flee the area when the unknown male assaulted the female victim. “Semaij” would also produce a firearm and use it to strike the male victim. Both suspects would then flee the area in a red sedan. The female victim did not sustain any injuries while the male victim was treated for facial injuries.
Detectives in the Major Crimes Unit were assigned the case and were able to identify “Semaij” as Semaj Parham. Detectives, with the assistance of the Manassas Park Police Department, were able to take Parham into custody on November 15th. During a search warrant of his residence, detectives located two firearms.
Parham was charged with robbery, using a firearm in commission of a felony, malicious wounding by mob, aggravated malicious wounding, conspiracy, as well as, assault and battery. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.
Detectives are continuing their efforts to identify the second suspect. The second suspect was described as a light skin male who is approximately six feet tall. The investigation is ongoing.
Press Release:
Santa Claus is coming to Potomac Mills! Starting this Friday, Nov. 22, shoppers will be able to partake in the annual Santa Photo Experience. View hours and make your preferred Santa reservations today by clicking here!
Potomac Mills shoppers may also meet Santa and celebrate the holidays this season at various events including:
Santa’s Arrival Party – Nov. 22 from 2- 3 p.m. in the Grand Court (next to TJ Maxx). Enjoy face painting, festive balloon twisting, holiday characters, giveaways and a letter writing station while supplies last. Santa photos are also available for purchase.
Military Kids Santa Party– Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Military families are invited to celebrate the holiday season with Santa. All families will receive one Military Build-A-Bear per child (while supplies last) and will also enjoy face painting, a balloon artist, a Santa letter writing station, coloring and gift bag giveaways. Santa photos will be available for purchase. *Reservations are required to attend this event. Please RSVP to Nadhya…[email protected] and include your name, military branch and how many children will be attending. Reservations are limited and military ID required.
Caring Santa® – Dec. 8 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. in the Grand Court (next to TJ Maxx). Exclusive event for children with special needs and their families. Reservations are required for this private, sensory-friendly experience.
Press Release:
 The FredNats will continue to play 66 regular season home games in 2025. Following the 2024 Carolina League championship season, the Fredericksburg Nationals announce 2025 home game times with several changes from previous seasons. Here’s a summary of what’s to come in 2025 at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. Changes from 2024 are in bold:
The team opens the home schedule on Tuesday, April 8 against the Salem Red Sox after playing the first three games of the year on the road.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday games will now start at 6:35 p.m. with a few exceptions noted below.
The FredNats have three Education Day games scheduled for 2025, all on Wednesdays once again (April 23, May 7 and September 3). These games will now start at 11:05 a.m. instead of 12:05 p.m.
During home stands where there is an Education Day game on Wednesday, the Tuesday game the night before will start at 6:05 p.m.
Friday and Saturday games will remain at 7:05 p.m.
Sunday games in April, May, June and September will continue to be played at 1:35 p.m.
Sunday games in July and August will now start at 6:05 p.m.
The FredNats will announce the 2025 promotions and giveaway schedule at a later date.
Press Release:
On Saturday, December 7, 2024, several streets in downtown Fredericksburg will close for the annual Fredericksburg Christmas Parade. Parking will not be permitted on the streets along the parade route and some adjacent side streets beginning at 2:00 PM and closed to vehicular traffic beginning at 3:30 PM. There will be signs indicating the restrictions and vehicles will be towed at the owners’ expense on Saturday afternoon that have not been removed from the street.
The roads will remain closed until City maintenance crews finish cleaning the route. All streets are expected to be open by 9:00 PM. Expect traffic delays before and after the parade. Please be patient, use caution, and obey traffic signs.
Timeline for streets impacted by the Christmas Parade:2:00 PM – Parking restrictions begin at VRE Lot located at Sophia Street and Frederick Street, towing enforced.
2:00 PM – Parking restrictions begin on the following streets downtown, and towing is enforced where signage is posted.
• 300-1000 blocks of Caroline Street
• 100-200 blocks of Amelia Street
• 500-1300 block of Princess Anne Street
• 100-300 blocks of George Street and William Street
• 100-400 blocks of Wolfe St, Charlotte St and Hanover St
• 800 block of Charles Street3:30 PM – Streets listed above will be closed to through traffic
5:30 PM – Parade begins
9:00 PM – Streets reopen after parade cleanupInformation about where to park and the best places to view the parade is available online at www.FredericksburgChristmasParade.com. The parade is free for the public to attend. Please dress for cold weather and wear walking shoes. Many downtown businesses will reopen immediately after the parade for evening shopping on December 7th!
