SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Spotsylvania resident Barbara Ucman was working in her garden when she heard commotion across the fence. She thought it was a dog, and but then, to her surprise, she saw a bear paw grip the top of her wood fence. 

“I saw one giant black paw gripping the fence top, then another, and then the head,” she said. She knew there was a reason to scream and run. “I don’t think that scared him,” Ucman said.

However, shortly after that, a few dogs in the neighborhood started barking, and the bear headed for the fence gate across the yard. It jumped the neighbor’s fence, ran through the yard, and off to a slightly wooded storage area, and was not seen after that. 

Meanwhile, Ucman grabbed her phone and documented as much as possible.

“He just headed over the fence and went that way,” said Ucman, pointing across a small drainage creek. It was a shock though and Ucman called her immediate neighbors and the homeowners association who put out a warning to all, via phone and social media.

The HOA went into action. “Bear Sighting in the Neighborhood,” the Summerlake message read. They provided the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources phone number and a few tips on what to do if a resident spots a bear in the community.

The VWS said the sighting is not unusual and attributes it to a healthy and growing black bear population. Although a neighborhood in Spotsylvania, relatively close to the urbanized area near Interstate 95, is not the ideal place for a bear, it happens. 

VWS said the highest concentration of bears occurs in other parts of the state, such as the Blue Ridge and Alleghany mountains, and the Great Dismal Swamp. Bears are likely to be seen just about anywhere in Virginia. In a recent DWR field staff survey, bears have occurred in 85 of Virginia’s 95 counties/cities during the last four years. According to DWR:

What to Do If You See a Bear

• Stay calm and do not approach the bear.
• Keep a safe distance, and ensure the bear has an escape route.
• Make noise to alert the bear to your presence, but do not shout or act aggressively.
• Gather family members and pets indoors.

Protecting Your Pets

• Bring pets inside immediately if a bear is nearby.
• Do not allow pets to chase or engage with the bear.
• Keep pets on a leash when outdoors in areas where bears have been sighted.

Preventing Bear Encounters

• Secure garbage bins and avoid leaving food outdoors.
• Clean barbecue grills after use and store them securely.
• Remove bird feeders during bear season.

Reporting Bear Sightings

If you spot a bear in the neighborhood, contact local wildlife authorities immediately. Provide them with the following details:

• Exact location of the sighting
• Time of the sighting
• Bear’s size, color, and behavior

Do not attempt to handle the situation yourself—wildlife professionals are trained to respond appropriately.

To increase the city's bike-ability and promote a “connected communities” concept, officials and residents gathered at the south end of Caroline Street on May 29 in Fredericksburg to discuss creating a Dixon Park Connector trail.

After the maps were set up and the attendees had a chance to look at the city plan, two sides of the issue emerged involving parking, homeless camps, rideability, and traffic.

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When talking about breweries and bike events, Harley-Davidson’s roar is usually involved, but at Red Dragon Brewery in Fredericksburg, their bike day involves pedal power. 

Early Wednesday evening, they gather in the side parking lot and head out for a 90-minute ride on a few routes through the city before coming back to wet their whistle on the wide variety of in-house brews the brew master creates at Red Dragon. 

“The group is open to everyone,” said Red Dragon owner Mark Perry. “Some ride in from Stafford,” he added.

One of the lead riders is Bill Evans, a cyclist who went to high school with Perry. Bill’s brother Tom and another rider, Dan Baker, are part of the core group. Sometimes there are 30 riders, and in cases of rain, some riders come anyway and sit down for a cold one instead of riding. Bike Works and Old Town Bicycle support their rides in Fredericksburg.

The Red Dragon menu has a variety of beers, all brewed on site, and some locally made sodas that are frequently mixed with the beers for particular flavors. The sodas are from Maggie’s, a small business on nearby Caroline Street that features subs, hot dogs, and salads. On Maggie’s soda list, they have root beer, orange dream, cream soda, ginger ale, and ginger ale ‘heat,’ with an extra kick. 

When mixed with Red Dragon’s beers, they become drinks on the menu like “Orange Creamsicle Sour,” “Here Be Dragons,” or “Black Jack,” to name a few. They also serve a beer called the “Road Rash Red,” a name connected with the biking world.

Perry served as a military pilot and owns a stake in the Rail House Brewery in Aberdeen, N.C.

Red Dragon is part of the Fredericksburg Area Beer Trail, an established route beer connoisseurs use while making a beer run into a day trip. There are 11 area breweries on the trail, and there’s a passport all trail users can download to keep abreast of happenings along the trail. At each brewery, the passport can get stamped, and once it’s full, prizes are awarded.

Soon, the Red Dragon cyclists can ride on a new trail portion along Lafayette Boulevard between Twin Lake Drive and St. Paul Street in the City of Fredericksburg. This $2.37 million project includes a new section of path that will connect with an existing shared-use path on Lafayette Boulevard that currently terminates at St. Paul Street.

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. It is expected to be completed this November.

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. – Newly added brewing equipment at Highmark Brewery in Stafford County takes this already-established name in local beer to another level. Moving beyond its menu of eight standards and a few rotating beer types, Highmark is setting a new note on the brew scene with the recent installation of three new fermentation tanks, three extractors, and a modern keg washer.

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Taco lovers along Caroline Street are disappointed as word spreads that Juan More Taco is closing its doors in Fredericksburg.

The locally loved taco shop, tucked in a historic 1825 building at the corner of George and Caroline streets, announced on May 2 that it will close after six years in business. Owner Maria Martin shared that lease negotiations with the landlord fell through, forcing her and her son, Jose, to shut down the popular eatery.

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – On the album cover of Karen Jonas' "The Rise and Fall of American Kitsch," released in August 2024, Karen is depicted holding a drink and a bottle of liquor, sporting a neutral expression and a few tattoos here and there. Throw in a 1960s floor-model television set, an ashtray, a religious statue, and an electric guitar, and it all screams "kitsch," from the day when it was hip to be kitsch.

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – At one time, the Fredericksburg Visitors’ Center at the corner of Charlotte and Caroline Streets and the little parking lot next door were an adequate place for visitors to park. Last year, the Visitor’s Center relocated to a larger space a block away. The parking lot is now under new ownership, and access to the lot has been restricted. However, not everyone received the notice, so parking enforcement rolls in, which some see as unwarranted.

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FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The second annual Fredericksburg Film Festival kicked off last night with a reception at the Courtyard Marriott, where filmmakers, judges, and festival organizers gathered in an informal atmosphere to meet one another. The event was followed by a preview of a few of the entries in a conference room off to the side. Event organizer Dalton Okolo sported two high-powered cameras as he mingled with the crowd. “This is our second year, we have to figure ourselves out,” he said. The festival is supported by the Fredericksburg Office of Economic Development and Tourism, as well as several local businesses. At the opening reception, it was too early to predict the outcome, but Okolo was optimistic. “There are large amounts of enthusiasm online,” he said. Okolo is joined on the management side by Executive Producer & Experience Designer Wa’ad Adam, and producers Carlos Naranjo, Antonella Membreno, and John Heyn. Okolo is a director, writer, and producer based in Fredericksburg, known for his Virginia-based short films, including “She’s Mine Now” (2022) and “Missing You” (2021). He is with 1108 Media, where he encourages Virginia-based filmmakers, strengthening the local film community. After the reception, there was a “Shorts Block,” with films “Dirty Towel,” “How to Feel Fullfilled at Work,” and “Waiting for April,” a film by a couple of Alexandria filmmakers Timothy Parsons and Kyle Schick. In "Waiting for April," they crafted a story that focuses on the challenges of a first date later in life. April is a senior that didn’t date growing up, so now she’s elderly and navigates getting asked out on a date. Parsons has another film called "Memory Project," which will also be featured at this festival on Sunday. The following day, Thursday, films are scheduled at various venues around town. Each session begins with a workshop, and often, the filmmakers attend the showings as well and answer questions afterward. Some of the more interesting films include "Skategoat," where a young boy dreams of being a professional skateboarder while escaping the world of gangs in which he grew up in Venice Beach. Another is "500 Fireflies," which deals with a single father who relocates with his daughter, and then there's "Beacon," which features a shipwrecked survivor and a lighthouse keeper. There are several documentary films as well, including "Calamity and Mercy," about Ukrainian refugees, "Escape from Extinction: Rewilding," about rebuilding ecosystems, and "All Things Metal," which focuses on a family-run iron forge, heavy metal music and a shared disability. Local filmmaker Robert Kendzie has a film in the festival, "The Wychwood Cycle," that explores a fantasy character who lives in the woods. He had to travel to far western Maryland to film in the snow, but was surprised this year when Fredericksburg had several inches of snow, which came in handy in his film. Kendzie supports local filmmakers with various programs and filmed part of his film at Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County.

The Fredericksburg Film Festival runs through Sunday, with screenings and workshops taking place at various venues across the city. Each film block typically begins with a hands-on workshop, followed by a Q&A session with the filmmaker, offering audiences a deeper look into the creative process.

Highlights of this year’s lineup include:

• Skategoat – A young boy dreams of becoming a professional skateboarder while escaping the grip of gang life in Venice Beach.

• 500 Fireflies – A single father and his daughter relocate and rebuild their lives in a new town.