Residents and visitors across Northern Virginia have two downtown First Friday celebrations to choose from this evening, Aug. 7, 2026.
“It’s shaping up to be an awesome First Friday (8/7/26) here in Historic Downtown Manassas” with a “Dog Days of Summer” theme, live music, vendors, and dog-friendly amenities including misting tents and water bowls, the City of Manassas reported on Facebook.
The Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is inviting the community to a free Candis King 1.5-Mile Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Memorial Walk and Blood Drive on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School, 13833 Dumfries Road near Dale City. The event will feature the walk, free sickle cell trait screening, education about the disease, and an American Red Cross blood drive, with donations appreciated to support scholarships in Candis King’s honor and sickle cell research.
Candis Gabriella King, a Colgan High School student known for her involvement in choir and color guard, died in October 2025 at age 15 from complications of sickle cell disease. Her story helped inspire Virginia’s first-in-the-nation Queen Candis Sickle Cell Act, signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in June 2026 to improve training, awareness, and coordinated care.
Local police and sheriff’s departments across Northern Virginia are hosting National Night Out gatherings on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, inviting residents to connect with officers, enjoy family activities, and strengthen community partnerships. Details from Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William County, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania follow below; Stafford County’s event is scheduled later in the season.
The Town of Dumfries Police Department is hosting National Night Out for an evening of fun, food, family, and community. Residents can meet local officers, explore police vehicles and equipment, enjoy activities for all ages, and connect with neighbors. More information from the Town of Dumfries Police Department.
The Prince William County Fair opens Friday, July 31, and runs through Saturday, August 8, at the fairgrounds on Dumfries Road in Manassas.
Gates open at 2 p.m. on opening day and most weekends, with weekday hours starting later on several nights. The nine-day event is one of Northern Virginia’s longest-running county fairs and a longtime summer tradition for local families.
I recently spoke with Navya Tuteja, a 17-year-old rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, about the free AI tool she built and launched called Raaha. The platform is designed to help neurodivergent job seekers figure out whether a role will actually fit how they work—before they hit “apply.”
Navya created Raaha after seeing the same problem play out again and again. Job descriptions, she told me, usually explain what employers want but almost never describe what the job will feel like day to day. For neurodivergent people, that gap often leads to applications that go nowhere or jobs that quickly become unsustainable.
Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, the world’s longest-running play, is now on stage at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, bringing Broadway-caliber intrigue, sophisticated humor and surprising twists to the Fredericksburg area through August 23.
A Haymarket author will sign copies of his new book about the St. Louis Cardinals’ first World Series championship from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Aroma II Wine, 14871 Washington St. in Haymarket.
Terry Lemons’ “The Year St. Louis Became a Baseball Town: The Cardinals, Babe Ruth, & The 1926 World Series” was published June 9 by Arcadia Publishing’s The History Press. The 192-page book examines how the Cardinals’ 1926 upset of Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees and the celebrations, radio broadcasts, and fan energy that followed turned St. Louis into a lasting baseball town. Lemons, a St. Louis native who later worked as a White House reporter and spent 25 years leading communications for the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, said the championship created traditions still felt today.
“Burger King has launched a new ‘Whopper Guarantee’ promotion and designated ‘Your Way Champion’ restaurant managers to improve order accuracy and service,” WCYB reported. The moves follow a nationwide Listening Initiative that generated thousands of customer complaints about consistency, accuracy and in-restaurant experience.
Dissatisfied customers can have their Whopper remade on the spot and receive a free classic Whopper on a future visit by scanning a QR code inside the box. The changes will apply at participating Burger King locations across Virginia, including those in Northern Virginia.
A Fredericksburg gem reveals the human side of America’s fifth president — and a lifelong reminder of the fight for independence.
As the nation prepares for its 250th anniversary in 2026, the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library offers more than dusty textbooks. It brings to life the personal sacrifices and bold vision of the fifth U.S. president through artifacts that still carry the weight of the Revolution.
Editor’s Note:
This article is part of our ongoing America 250 series, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Our America 250 reporter, Deen Lateef, will take us to several historical sites across Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Woodbridge and introduce us to treasured places that reflect our community’s history.
