Visitors at Leesylvania and Mason Neck state parks in Woodbridge and Fairfax, respectively, will see the moon move across the sun at 2:02 p.m. and the moon obstructing nearly 87% of the sun’s surface by 3:20 p.m.

Visitors to Wilderness Road State Park, about seven hours from here, near the Cumberland Gap, will see 90% of the sun covered, more than any other state park.


Ray Manfredi, president of Stage Door Productions, said the group’s 25th season is a milestone. The group was formed in 1999 when a handful of local actors and theater fans wanted to bring new experiences to the community. Manfredi notes that SDP is “one of the first organized community theaters in Fredericksburg and…the longest operating community theater in the …area.”

Manfredi said the heart of the theater is the community of volunteers and performers. Each season features new faces alongside returning actors. Manfredi emphasized that “community theater survives on volunteers:” the set designers, costume designers, and actors are all unpaid volunteers.


Once a teenager singing Poison songs in 1986, Norman Voss now plays bass in Bret Michaels Band (BMB). The band has been nominated for the Country Music Television (CMT) Performance Award for a collaboration between BMB and Chris Janson.

Voss hails from Northern Virginia and lives in Fredericksburg. His Stormin’ Norman band formed in 1997 and traveled the Northern Virginia area for years playing popular songs from the 1960s to today.


Ballywhack Shack Café marked its grand opening with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony this past Saturday, March 9. The café began on the town’s main drag, Mill Street, Ballywhack Shack, and has found its new a second home at 126 Commerce Street, neighboring the Golden Plum (previously known as Mom’s Apple Pie).

In a candid moment during the event, Sherry Mangas, owner of Ballywhack Shack, reminisced about the journey that led to this exciting milestone. Mangas shared her story, tracing back to her tenure at the Blue Arbor Café in 2007, where she discovered her passion for the culinary arts. Following the closure of Blue Arbor, fate intervened as she stumbled upon a humble shed on Mill Street, which she transformed into a thriving sandwich shop and hot dog stand.


In a momentous occasion attended by hundreds of community members and dignitaries, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce inaugurated its new headquarters at 1701 Fall Hill Avenue with a vibrant ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, March 13, 2024.

The event marked a significant milestone in the chamber’s history, symbolizing a new chapter of growth and opportunity for the organization and the community it serves. Susan Spears, the CEO of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, expressed her gratitude to all those who participated in the celebration and acknowledged the importance of their support.


The announcement of the AWS InCommunities Funds coincided with a recent event celebrating AWS’s $35 billion investment in new data centers across the four counties. The event was attended by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System Dr. David Dore, Germanna Community College President Dr. Janet Gullickson, and various state and local officials.

Shannon Kellogg, AWS’s VP of Public Policy for the Americas, emphasized its commitment to supporting local initiatives alongside its economic investments. The community funds, part of a broader series of outreach programs, aim to empower communities through skills development and support for local causes.


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