Several deserving residents are getting some extra help around the house this week, thanks to the Catholic Diocese of Arlington

In Prince William County, two homes in Dale City are being repaired. One home is having its deck replaced — as the older deck was unsafe and on the verge of collapse — and a new concrete walkway put in, and the other is having gutters replaced and supports added to a carport.


Harry Wilson has been a fixture in the Fredericksburg Jazz scene for the last 30 years and is still going strong.

Wilson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the jazz world as the bandleader of the Harry Wilson Quartet. Wilson is also the vice-president of the Fredericksburg Jazz Collective, which since 2011 has continued to promote the awareness of jazz music and the impact the genre has had on modern culture.

Wilson is also unique as he plays the vibraphone in his quartet which is not a typical lead instrument compared to the piano, the trumpet, or the saxophone when one thinks about Jazz. In going this route, Wilson has forged a very recognizable sound that can be enjoyed by even a novice looking to find their way into the genre.

The current iteration of the quartet includes many promising and upcoming musicians from the area which includes Jazz student Kyle Smith on drums, bass player Luke Gray, a teacher with the Fredericksburg Area Young Musicians group, recent the University of Mary Washington graduate Ben Peters on saxophone as well as more experienced musicians such as Steve Rathson on piano.

Wilson spoke to Potomac Local News about his experiences and how he and his band weathered the recent coronavirus pandemic.

What inspired you to pursue playing Jazz as a professional?

I learned Jazz at an early age playing on the streets ofNorth Philadelphia, I listened to people like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sun Ra. Sun Ra took me under his wing and I played with him on the road for four years and recorded a couple of albums with his band. There's a spirit in Jazz that I've grown up with, it's one of those things you have to dig deep in your soul to see where you're coming from because there's a spirituality whenever I play and I try to draw the cats in with what I do.

What attracted you to the vibraphone?

Milt Jackson, listening to Milt Jackson play the vibraphone on his albums inspired me. I got a set of vibes when I was 21 and I've been self-teaching myself to play the vibes ever since. I did have some teachers like Bill Lewis in Philly and other players. Another person who helped is my friend and mentor Marshall Allen, he's 97 and he's still playing, he's one of the angels of the story.

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your ability to play live as well as any other projects you may have had?

I did some virtual classes for elementary schools, we now have a clubhouse where we'll start having lessons, and I also did some work with the Fredericksburg Jazz Collective honoring some upcoming musicians like Kyle. We also played at the Pig Pitt, they have a nice patio outside and the owner gave us the opportunity to play there and it blew up with other gigs starting out solo and later with the band.

Over the last few years Jazz has had a resurgence with artists from the Hip-Hop world influencing the genre, what do you think of this resurgence?

I think it's good, I think it's very good. Sound Fusion (a group that Ben Peters plays with) just cut an album with the Coltrane song "Impressions" that has those kinds of influences.

Which local Jazz artists should listeners be paying attention to?

Me, and Sound Fusion.

The Harry Wilson Quartet will play their next show at the Pig Pitt at 1017 Sophia Street in Downtown Fredericksburg on Saturday, June 19 at 6 p.m.

Editor's note: This interview was condensed for length and brevity.

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Diners will have some new post-pandemic food options at Spotsylvania Towne Center near Fredericksburg.

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"Scarlett Awakening" is something of an anomaly in the coronavirus pandemic.

While the situation has forced bands and musicians to adapt or die, one would be forgiven if they didn’t believe something in the music world could be born from the situation that birthed the band.

Formed in the Summer of 2020, the band plays a blend of classic rock ‘n roll that is inspired by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chris Isaak, and Fleetwood Mac just to name a few. Pamela Meyer, the band's lead singer, is what makes Scarlett stand out from others.

While John Jewell and Scott Kordella on guitars, Albert Dodson on harmonica, Rigg Wagner on drums, and Jim Scrofani on bass, all have years of experience, the dynamic is a little different since female vocals in rock are rare. Of course, there are examples such as Heart, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, and others that have made their mark, but those examples stand out due to the rareness of a lead female vocalist in the genre.

“We decided to go in a different direction with Pam,” says Jewell. “We’re always updating the setlist, looking for songs in her range that a female could sing.”

The band has been finding success in the shows they’ve played even in a world constricted by the pandemic. This is not a surprise to Meyer. As she put it, “women love watching other women in a band.”

Scarlett Awakening is a dream come true for Meyer, who works as an artist and as a bartender in Fredericksburg. She had never played in a band prior to Scarlett and her entrance into that world was helped by Jewell who discovered Meyer through a video of her singing given to him by a mutual friend. Soon after, Jewell invited Meyer to join him for a rehearsal at Rigg Wagner’s studio.

By July, the band had enough songs under their belt to start playing live, which made the dream for Meyer a reality.

“Meeting these incredible musicians and then letting someone as green as I join in is a dream come true. Before I was just singing in the car, the shower, at school, in choir, in the theater.”

Scarlett has had to make adjustments due to the pandemic, while it’s given them time to learn and gel with each other they’ve also had to adhere to the protocols of the time. Keeping a distance from themselves and from their audience while trying to reach out to them in song.

“Things are a little different, but the masks come off behind the instruments and the people in the audience were ready to get out and hear some live music,” said Wagner.

The future looks bright for Scarlett Awakening, they’re currently working on original songs for which Pam has a vault full of lyrics. The band is also booked solid through October, so as the pandemic begins to wind down the crowds for Scarlett Awakening will continue to grow.

Scarlett Awakening will next play at the Tucked Away Brewery in Manassas on Saturday, June 19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.



A special use permit applied for by Haley's Honey Meadery has been approved by the Fredericksburg City Council.

Haley's, which is located in Hopewell over an hour south of Fredericksburg, will soon open a second location in the city. Haley's will be located at the old Pure Gas Station on Princess Anne Street and is currently under construction to be rebuilt as a tasting room and specialty restaurant.

The conditions of the special use permit will allow Haley's to operate a tasting room that will allow customers to sample ciders, mead, and wine which are made in Virginia. The permits also allow Haley's to sell those types of alcoholic beverages, none of those beverages will be made in the Fredericksburg restaurant but instead will be shipped up from their main location in Hopewell.

Haley's owner Tonya Haley told Potomac Local News that she was attracted to the area because of the upcoming breweries, wineries, and distillers that have come to the city over the last few years. The owners of those establishments and other members of the community brought the growing vibrancy and economic development to Haley's attention which encouraged her decision to open a new location in Fredericksburg.

Haley hopes to have the Fredericksburg location open before August.

Haley's will open in the Canal Quarter of the city which has been rezoned along with several nearby areas as a Creative Maker zone. The goal of the zone is to attract new and innovative businesses and allow them to create an identity that will make them unique and add to the charm and appeal of Fredericksburg.

"I'm looking forward to joining the Fredericksburg community," says Haley.

Haley's Honey Meadery will be located at 1600 Princess Anne Street in Downtown Fredericksburg and plans to operate from noon to 10 p.m. once it's open.

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Prince William County Sheriff Glendell Hill handed out four $1,000 scholarships to four local college students on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

The scholarship presentation was held at the Prince William County Sheriff’s Office. The scholarship recipients, among their close family members, were recognized for their academic achievements and commitment to pursuing a college education in the criminal justice field.


What would you do if someone in your household started yelling in the middle of the night? For [redacted] household, it was a good thing. The Woodbridge man had just discovered he’d won a Virginia Lottery jackpot worth $379,575.

[redacted] matched all five winning numbers in the May 14 Cash 5 with EZ Match drawing. It happened with a ticket he bought at Giant Food, 4309 Dale Boulevard in Dale City.


A soldier and clinical psychologist who practiced in Prince William County killed during a terrorist attack in Texas were honored on Friday in Woodbridge.

Major L. Eduardo Caraveo was preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed in the November 2009 terrorist attack at Fort Hood which took the lives of himself and 12 others.


We have the first entrant to the Baby Contest for the 2021 Prince William County Fair.

Oliver Keith Dobie, who is 12 months old, will be one of the many babies in this year’s competition. Oliver’s family signed him up to be a contestant on using the form on the Prince William County Fair website.


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