Our family loves Dolly Parton. We’ve been to Dollywood. So on Friday morning, on the way to taking my 5-year-old granddaughter to Hazelwild Farm, I stopped by Paul’s Bakery on Lafayette Boulevard and bought two dozen Dolly Parton donuts — some for family, some for the staff at Hazelwild’s Country Day Preschool.
I was not the only one making the trip.
A modest frame house built for George Washington’s brother offers visitors an intimate window into the taverns that helped spark American independence.
As America celebrates its 250th birthday in 2026, the Rising Sun Tavern in historic Fredericksburg stands as a tangible link to the conversations and connections that helped forge a nation. Once the private home of Charles Washington, the site now welcomes guests to experience 18th-century life through costumed interpreters and preserved spaces that buzz with stories of rebellion.
After a hearing that ran past midnight, members kept data centers inside the Technology Overlay District — and left a $23.4 million tax projection on the table.
City Council voted 7–0 early Wednesday to deny a rezoning that would have put two data center buildings on the Hylton tract along Interstate 95, then voted 7–0 again to deny a special use permit that would have raised those buildings from 50 feet to 75 feet.
Dog Krazy marked 20 years in business on Saturday, Aug. 22.
We stopped by the downtown Fredericksburg location at 307 William St. to check in on the celebration.
The Fredericksburg City School Board on Monday appointed Dr. Stan Jones to fill the vacant at-large seat, with the longtime educator and nonprofit leader sworn in during a special meeting.Jones, CEO of Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) in Prince William County, will serve as an interim member through the end of 2026. Voters will elect a permanent representative in November to complete the remainder of the term left open by Jarvis Bailey’s resignation, which runs through December 2027.
The appointment followed a competitive process. According to reporting by the Fredericksburg Free Press, Jones was one of five applicants who interviewed with the board. The others were Justin Carter, Beth Flanagan, Jacob Parcell, and Anthony Watkins. The Free Press reported that correspondence sent to board members showed Jones was the only candidate to draw written public support from residents, with 15 people urging his appointment. Read the Free Press report here.
“Rep. Eugene Vindman faced a heated confrontation with transgender constituents and local Democrats in King George County over his May vote for Republican-backed H.R. 2616, legislation that would require parental consent before schools change a minor student’s gender markers, pronouns, or accommodations, leading to a profane hallway exchange and his abrupt departure,” The Advocate reported. Attendees challenged the first-term Democrat’s support for the measure, sharing personal accounts of being outed to unsupportive parents, while Vindman defended the vote as rooted in parental rights before later issuing an apology for failing to listen.
The clash occurred during a Tuesday meeting with the King George County Democratic Committee in the solidly Republican locality within Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, where Vindman has held no prior public town hall and where local LGBTQ+ students recently sued over the denial of a gay-straight alliance at the middle school.
Editor’s note: This article was submitted by Sue Nelson Sargent, a Fredericksburg resident who has her finger on the pulse of the community and has previously contributed to Potomac Local News.
The Fredericksburg community was treated to a free evening of live music at downtown’s Hurkamp Park on Thursday when the Fredericksburg Concert Band presented “Dear John” – a breakup letter featuring movie music from composers other than John Williams.
Mike Salmon was on hand Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, for the ribbon-cutting at historic Goolrick’s in downtown Fredericksburg.
The long-awaited reopening of the landmark soda fountain and lunch counter brought neighbors together at 901 Caroline Street. Watch the video below for the sights and sounds of the celebration.
“The majority of Fredericksburg’s City Council members have announced opposition to Penzance Development’s proposed million-square-foot data center at 1500 Gateway Boulevard in the Hylton Tract,” FXBG Advance reported. Ward 1 Council Member Matt Rowe cited the site’s proximity to residential areas and required power lines near Hugh Mercer Elementary and Cowan Boulevard, while Ward 3 Member Susanna Finn, At-Large Member Will Mackintosh, and At-Large Member Jannan Holmes pointed to the project’s location outside the city’s Technology Overlay District and prior council decisions limiting data centers in the city.
Penzance has proposed financial proffers totaling tens of millions for city capital projects, schools, and public safety plus tax revenue estimates, yet the four members maintain the site remains unsuitable. The Advance is awaiting responses from Mayor Kerry Devine, Vice Mayor Chuck Frye, and Ward 2 Member Joy Crump.
