There was a surprise for a little girl in the fifth grade at Antietam Elementary School in Lake Ridge on Thursday.
Lt. Commander Brian Harper returned home from Afghanistan to greet his 10-year-old daughters Isabella and 4-year old Grace during a school assembly. With her classmates watching, Isabella and her mother Shannon, welcomed the sailor with loving arms following his tour in the foreign country.
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I grew up admiring  Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill. They were amazing Olympic figure skaters!
One Christmas my parents bought the whole family ice skates. When the winter came to our home in Spotsylvania, and the temperatures fell well below freezing for a couple of weeks, the pond in front of my parents’ home would freeze over enough to safely go out on it. Then it was time to hit the ice. Literally. I fell a lot the first year, but after logging on many hours, I had “mastered” a few things. Â By that time my Olympic rink had turned back in to a slushy farm pond.
 Thirty years have gone by.
This past Saturday, Stafford’s 350th Birthday bash included a skating rink, though there was no real ice. So naturally I dawned my skates and took to the rink.
AÂ lot has changed in those 30 years. The ice was synthetic, the surface made of plastic. Most of the other skaters agreed it was very different from skating on real ice.
I’d like to use that as my excuse and not my age. But then I saw a young lady lace up her custom figure skates and hit the ice. Â Celenia Sampson showed the crowd if you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t mater if it’s real or synthetic. Celinia coaches at the Ashburn Ice House. I may just have to get a few refresher lessons in before my parents pond freezes over again.
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Northern Virginia residents woke up to a glaze of ice on sidewalks, cars, and trees. The ice caused tree limbs to snap, making travel treacherous in the area.Â
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NORTH STAFFORD, Va. -- Highway crews in Stafford County spent a portion of their weekend installing new steel beams on a new flyover ramp at Garrisonville.
New steel was hoisted in place as part of a new ramp that will eventually carry traffic from newly paved High Occupancy Toll lanes that will extend from Dumfries in Prince William County to Garrisonville in Stafford County. Several lane closures and a temporary closure of the portion of the highway where work took place were put in place on Friday and Saturday nights.
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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- The Duggars came to Woodbridge on Wednesday.
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WOODBRIDGE, Va. -- Chick-fil-A in Woodbridge held their annual âDaddy- Daughter Date Nightâ on Monday.
Tables in the dining room were decked out with pink tulle flowers, tablecloths, balloons, and twinkling lights. Those who made reservations for the special event were served a free meal and dessert.
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Ginn Park selected to be home for late mayorâs memorial
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STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. -- Robert Hamlett III got a big surprise today when his Dad, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Hamlett met him on the football field at T.Benton Gayle Middle School after returning from a 6-month deployment in Afghanistan.
As the two embraced on the field, the crowd in the bleachers cheered âUSA, USA, USA.â Young Robert said he was excited.
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I recently spent most of the afternoon at our lovely Prince William Forest Park. I saw quite a few other people enjoying it in their own way as well.
There were runners, bikers and trail hikers. I chose to take my cameras, tripod and rubber boots with me. I wanted to take in all the sights of the park before the flora and fauna fall into winters slumber.
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MANASSAS PARK , Va. — With summer vacation now a memory, the dogs had their day at a swimming pool in Manassas Park.
The 4th Annual Doggie Paddle was held at Signal Bay Waterpark over the weekend. Pooches, and their owners, lined up for a day of fun at the pool — which is normally filled with people during summer months.
But, since the summer swimming season ended on Labor Day weekend, and before the water is drained and the pool cleaned and winterized, dogs from all over the area were invited to dive in and cool off.
