On April 10, 2023, the Manassas City Council praised the event.
Councilmember Theresa Coates Ellis said the 150th birthday celebration was a success. She also gave thanks to those who helped.
Council member Sonia Vasquez Luna and Vice Mayor Pamela J. Sebesky agreed that it was successful.
This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!
Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.
Manassas celebrated its 150th anniversary on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Boys and Girls Club, 9501 Dean Park Lane.
The celebration showcased local government services, with several departments, such as parks and recreation and public works displaying information and wares to residents. Multiple non-profits, such as Keep Manassas Beautiful, which advertised its upcoming Bee Festival, and UVA Prince William Medical Center, were on and had to speak with residents.
At 3 p.m., city leaders and business owners gathered inside the Boys and Girls to fill a time capsule with artifacts, such as newspapers from Insidenova Prince William and Prince Willaim Times and a bottle of whiskey from KO Distilling, which was placed into a time capsule to be buried under a rock at City Hall (currently undergoing a $12 million renovation), not to be exhumed for 50 years.
Also inside, organizers showed videos of residents telling their stories about living and working in Manassas. Outside, guides provided tours of the Manassas Industrial School site, where a bronze statue of founder Jennie Dean stands, a freed slave who founded the school for blacks in 1893.
Fire trucks, police cars, and heavy equipment gathered in the parking lot outside the Boys and Girls Club, allowing children to see them up close. Children could also have their faces painted and climb a rock wall.
Multiple food trucks sold food and drink to festivalgoers. Attendees were told to park in the city’s downtown, about a mile away, and board an OmniRide shuttle bus, which dropped off and picked up riders at the Boys and Girls Club front entrance.
A firework show was scheduled to cap off the event in the evening. Also, during the event, city leaders broke ground on a project to add new tennis and pickleball courts and a new baseball field to Dean Park.
The city also unveiled a painting of Mayor Michelle Davis Younger, whose four-year term began in 2021.
The city, and the nearby Manassas National Battlefield, are the site of two major Civil War battles, 1861 and 1862. However, the festival was devoid of Civil War history or the reactors which, in years past, have attended city events to tell the story of the war that reshaped the U.S., where 2.5% of the country’s population was killed (it would be about 7 million people if the war were fought today).
The city’s communication officer and police chief planned the event. Initially, all of the events had been planned to take place outdoors. However, a high-wind warning into effect at noon prompted organizers to move the formal program and exhibits indoors.
Manassas rail junction was completed in 1852, linking Washington, D.C., with the Shenandoah Valley. After the Civil War, the settlement grew, and the town was chartered in 1873.
The town became a city independent of Prince William County in 1975.
Manassas will celebrate its 150th Anniversary on Saturday, April 1, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Jennie Dean Park, 9501 Dean Park Lane.
There will be a ceremony at 3 p.m., games, food, a hayride, games, and fireworks at the end of the celebration. Residents who attend the event in person from 2 to 6 p.m., and bring a stamped envelope or postcard, can also get a commemorative stamp from the USPS.
City spokeswoman Patty Prince explains:
Bryan Foster, Deputy City Manager, had worked with the USPS in another community he worked in prior to coming to the city of Manassas. The USPS provided this service at an event there. He reached out to the Manassas Postmaster and worked with her to make this happen. This is free to the City. My department created the cancellation stamp and sent it to the USPS. The only qualification is that people will need to bring a stamped envelope or postcard to get the cancellation. Echoes, the Manassas Museum Store will be at the event and will be selling stamped postcards if attendees forget theirs or just wish to purchase one.
Drop by the 150th Birthday Celebration on April 1 from 2 – 8 p.m. at Dean Park. Bring a stamped envelope or buy a postcard on-site to get your 150th cancellation. This will be the only day to get the stamp. USPS will be there from 2 – 6 p.m. pic.twitter.com/kcL62WZWHK
— Manassas VA (@CityofManassas) March 3, 2023
To celebrate, the city has planned a yearlong string of events and festivities, including a 150th birthday party, a historic walking tour, burying a time capsule, and workshops and speaker events.
Most notably, the birthday celebration will include a firework show on April 1, 2023, at Dean Park. The Boys and Girls Club at Dean Park will be reserved to support the event, and city staff will help with the festivities.
Other anniversary initiatives include “Telling Your Story,” a chance for Manassas residents to either submit a written or recorded recall of their favorite memories of Manassas. The city will produce a video to capture the stories.
The 150th-anniversary time capsule buried later this year is collecting submissions until March 1. Those selected can place their items in the capsule during the 150th birthday party.
You can submit your item for consideration on the city website. The contest is limited to Manassas residents and is open to all ages. The city suggests the items be small, around the size of a golf ball or a flat sheet of paper/ photograph.
