This combination of musicians is called "Big Fat Doug Belford Experience," they rocked out a healthy list of covers for the appreciative crowd. The band was a combo of three members of a band called âBig Fat Daddy,â featuring Meri Schaefer, Brian Curtiss, John David Coppola on bass, and three others from Doug Belford Experience, which featured Doug Belford, Meri Schaefer, and Brian Curtiss. Meri Schaefer and Brian Curtiss play in both bands.
Sure, some of the songs are well-known covers from the heyday of rock and roll, but people dig those songs anyway. A beer or two feeds that love the staples in their rock list, including âManeaterâ from Hall and Oates, âPsycho Killerâ by the Talking Heads, and âCinnamon Girlâ by Neil Young. The tempo of the night stretched far and wide.
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Fredericksburg is taking another step forward to become a more walkable community with the recent start of construction off LaFayette Boulevard, which is part of the cityâs Twin Lake Drive and Kensington Pedestrian Connector project.
This $2.4 million project includes extending a 10-foot wide paved shared-use path along the north side of Lafayette Boulevard between Twin Lake Drive and St. Paul Street in the City of Fredericksburg. The path will be accessible, with ramps and crosswalks built where the route intersects with Twin Lakes Drive, Springwood Drive, Kensington Place, and St. Paul Street.
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Officials gathered on Thursday, January 30, 2025, to cut the ribbon on the new Westwood Center office just east of I-95.
âWhen we started Mr. Rooter here in Fredericksburg, we set out to create not just another plumbing service, but a local business that our community can trust â whether it is for routine plumbing repair, an emergency fix, or a major installation,â said Gilbert Mwenedata, owner of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Fredericksburg. âWeâre proud to be part of this wonderful community, and we look forward to building lasting relationships with our neighbors, customers, and other local businesses,â he said.
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âI saw on the Ring doorbell, a guy with a big check and flowers,â said Shellyâs daughter Vicky. They are now $10,000 richer.
Shelly entered the Publishers Clearing House a few times before and won small prizes but continued to enter their drawing. This time it paid off â hefty, $10,000. However, PCH has given away bigger prizes in the past and continues to have drawings in the millions.Â
At the doorstep, there were many smiles and some tears as Guja explained how they drew her name, all while a cameraman hired by the sweepstakes filmed the excitement.
Since the temperature was nearly freezing, everyone migrated inside, as Guja explained further, and got some paperwork out of the way. Included with the check, champagne, and flowers were a few PCH tee shirts, which also brought on smiles. âIâm going to wear this to bowling tonight,â said Shelly.
The check couldnât have come at a better time. Shellyâs husband, Joe, died on New Yearâs Eve, and Vicky has a child due in April, so the money will be handy. Vicky had doubts about the contest.
The commercials on TV and the past promotions didnât convince her, but now they have pictures, a full bank account, and an oversized check to show their friends. âI always thought it was a scam,â Vicky said.
âGood job, Mom,â Vicky added.
Publishers Clearing House was founded in 1953 as a magazine subscription agency but has now branched out as an âinteractive media company,â a description on its website states. They were known as the company the late Ed McMahon was affiliated with, but that was American Family Publishers, which is no longer in business. They said company revenues fund PCH prizes, and no purchase is required to enter.
Guja lives in New York City, and he flew to Richmond with his cameraman, rented an SUV, and drove to the Fredericksburg area for the presentation. First, they stopped to pick up some flowers from Giant Food, where Christina Milstead, the florist, helped them with a bouquet.Â
They werenât roses, though. âWe try to mix them up,â Guja said. Milstead had a brush with fame before working at the Giant floral section in Woodbridge. âDan Akroyd came in the store,â she said. After the event, they jumped back in the SUV, went to Richmond Airport, and returned to New York. Itâs all part of the job, he said.
At Thursdayâs check presentation, the WFLS radio station van was also on-site with their morning show host, Grayson Williams, helping the Hansens celebrate the day.Â
âDonât give up,â Shelly advises people who have played in the past.
For 11 years, Fredericksburg marked the new year by dropping a six-foot paper mùché pear from a spot above Caroline Street.
The drop-off platform was a building or the raised ladders of a fire truck. Still, it was a celebratory moment that the partiers in Fredericksburg celebrated at midnight on December 31.
âIt was a big event,â said Amena Thornton, the artist at Amena Art at 810 Caroline Street. That building at 810 Caroline Street is several stories, so some drops went off that roof. A few were dropped off an extended fire truck ladder as well.
âI think there was an apple for some time, but then they switched to the pear,â she added.
Fellow artist Ken Crampton was the creator of the pear at his studio in that building, and there was some disagreement about the procedure, so this was discontinued. Crampton looked back on his six-foot pear. âWe would lower it at midnight,â he said.
It was a pear because there used to be unique pear trees up and down Caroline Street, but the fruits caused a mess, so they took them down. The pear drop was part of the âFirst Night Americaâ festivities that used to occur in Fredericksburg. âI was one of the artists involved,â Crampton said. He thought this was around 1991 but he wasnât sure of that year.
The pear became known as “Ken’s Pear,” but its whereabouts are unknown. One thing is for sure, though: it is not being dropped on New Year’s Eve 2024.
Crampton has an art studio called âEyeclops Studio,â where he practices his art in an artsy spot off the beaten path on Charlotte Street. There, he specializes in fine art, photography, parade puppetry, lessons, paint parties, graphic design, and branding. Drum circles are part of that. “Ken Cramptonâs multifaceted approach has undeniably left a lasting imprint on the cultural landscape, fostering creativity and connection within the community,” read the description on his website.
Drumming does have positive elements to it, says Crampton, who maintains a webpage called “Everybody Drum.” It says that drumming transcends its role as a mere musical activity, extending its impact on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
During the school year, Crampton worked as a nutrition specialist managing the Walker Grant Middle School CafĂ© with Fredericksburg schools. First, heâs an artist, though, with drum circles attracting about 10 to 30 people, including families.
This year, the City of Fredericksburg is officially not part of any activity on New Yearâs Eve. However, several restaurants are having specials to ring up and down Caroline Street in the new year.
Brockâs Riverside Grill
503 Sophia Street
540-370-1820
Two parties, upstairs and downstairs
Live music and dancing
$20 cover charge
Champagne Toast
Rehanaâs
104 Wolfe Street
540-491-9227
8 pm 4-course dinner with wine
11 pm-1 am After party
Alpine Chef
200 Lafayette Boulevard
540-656-2101
Live classical guitarist Chris Ladd, 5-9 pm
Reclaim Arcade
2324 Plank Road
Turn Back Time party
The Wavos, â80s sounds
75 pinball games
âWe have gotten concerns about the speed,â said Thomas Ruff, a traffic engineer with Timmons Group, working with city officials to look at the one-way streets in neighborhoods right outside the business district.
The study intended to evaluate the feasibility and potential impacts of converting select one-way streets to two-way streets in a downtown area, as described in their description. Bike lanes, traffic calming measures intended to slow drivers, and proposed pedestrian improvements were part of the discussion.
Their traffic studies showed that 80 to 90 percent of the city drivers follow the 20 or 25 mph speed limits downtown, but that still leaves many drivers who donât. This issue could be solved by moving away from the one-way configurations on Caroline, Princess Anne, William, and Amelia streets. This is the crux of their study, and on the surface, it sounds like a big change, but drilling down, the actual business blocks on Caroline remain unchanged. The two-way switch will be out of that busy area.
Other possible changes include going from signalized intersections to stop signs, implementing new bike lanes, and using more truck-loading zones. Now, the tucks stop in the travel lanes on Caroline, and cars just go around them.
âWeâre all very excited about this,â said Camille Hill, who lives in the section of Caroline Street called Darbytown. The streets into Darbytown are currently one-way but could be switched for two-way traffic. She mentioned recent police counts in Darbytown. âThere are 3000 cars a day,â she said.
Jay Harrison was born and raised in Fredericksburg and thought they should look in a different direction. âWe need police downtown,â he said.
âSight lines are a problem all over the city,â said another attendee. Others agreed, describing the problem when the drivers poke out into the traffic because they canât see around parked cars. Having a bike lane could make the situation worse.
One of the mothers was walking her children recently and there was a near-miss so slower traffic and tighter lanes might be an answer. âWe almost got ran over on Princess Anne,â she said.
In the lobby of the cityâs new visitorâs center, where the meeting occurred, there were diagrams and post-its all around the room so people could comment on the corresponding diagram. Camille Hill posted a few. âItâs my area,â she said, pointing to the map.
Over on Fall Hill Avenue and Washington avenues, a similar plan was implemented with the input from the residents, and this worked, the engineers said. âIdeally, weâll have considerations done by this spring,â said the city community planning engineer, Mike Craig.
Eliminating the one-way streets in downtown Fredericksburg was first looked at in 1981. With this latest attempt, they said there may be a few street changes in place by late 2025 or 2026.
âFredericksburg Toylandâ was the theme of this yearâs parade, and this paved the way for creativity in the form of lighted floats and energetic teens. Some may have been staying active just to keep warm on this frigid night. Just about every family gathered on the curbside had a few blankets draped over everyone.
âMy face is frozen,â said one man on Caroline Street, but it seemed there were lots of vendors handing out hot chocolate, including the Christian Motorcyclists Association who were up on Princess Anne Street handing out free hot chocolate. This year wasnât their first parade. âWeâve been doing this for a whole lot of years,â said one of the members.
There was a wide variety of participants in this yearâs parade. Of the 83 total entries registered with the city, the city said there were four marching bands, three animal rescue groups, four dancing-cheer-majorette groups, two roller skating organizations, and 30 assorted commercial-corporate groups.
For those who couldnât make it, Fredericksburg live-streamed it and posted pictures on its social media. Ella Weaver was one of the streaming sources who sat amongst the crowd on Caroline Street with her camera, streaming it for the city. She is an independent contractor the city temporarily hired for this parade.
Everyone seemed to have a favorite part, too. âI like seeing the people and the smiles,â said one of the park employees. âEveryoneâs joy on their face,â said a member of the Lighthouse Pond. âThe creativity thatâs put into the floats,â added another.
The School of Rock had a band on its trailer, playing âJingle Bell Rock,â âHoliday Road,â âRun Run Rudolph,â and âRock Around the Christmas Treeâ over and over again.
In the music world, the influences and power donât seem to come from the female side of the industry, so Ionna World is taking a step to change that. She totes her guitar and songs around locally, but World seems to have her sights on the whole world when it comes to women in music.
Behind that message, she formed RVA Broads, a group that she is organizing to support women in music. Right now, itâs through word of mouth and social media, but it may get more organized as her career gets established. She'd like to address the number of women at the top in the music-producing industry.
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Fredericksburg officials used map boards and statistics to present potential plans for another bridge across the Rappahannock River at a public meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The meeting was held in the party room at the Fredericksburg Nationalsâ stadium, near the bridge that could someday connect Gordon Shelton Boulevard in Fredericksburg to Route 17 in Stafford County, not far from I-95 and Central Park.
