Fredericksburg’s sister city is Fréjus, France, and the Bastille Day celebration on July 14 was all about this international bond.
“I’ve been there plenty of times,” Mathalie Bullock, a French resident of Fredericksburg, who loves celebrating the sister city recognition. Part of the celebration is a giant omelet that wasn’t on the menu this year, but Bullock remembers seeing it in the past. “Everyone breaks eggs. They did it once here, it was really cool,” she said.
One aging sign in the window reads “We’re Evolving, Paragon Village is now EVO Entertainment,” but above the door, it’s labeled “Hooky Now Open.” It was also called “Muvico,” at one time.
There are a few basketball games along the wall. It’s a perfect place to play hooky from work or school, but there’s no guarantee the school truant officer won’t pop up unexpectedly.
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.
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.
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.
“To continue to expand, we needed to update,” said brewmaster Josh Alley whose been with them a few years as they waded through the ups and downs. With the new equipment, “we’ll be able to put new rotating styles out and possibly get back into canning,” Alley said.
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.
Jonas and a photographer tossed around a couple of ideas before settling on the art for the cover. “We were thinking about it for a couple of months, it was fun,” she said.
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.
“I have heard of people being towed,” said Simon Jones, who called the signs “very unclear.” He had a latte from “Anita’s Café” next door to the lot, and the owner, Anita Crossfield, agrees that the signage needs to be clearer. She’s seen cars being towed from the lot, especially on holidays. “It’s not clear,” she said, and an updated version of the sign needs to be included. The new owners should do that, Anita said.
