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.
Stafford County Government announced a free event for disposing of unwanted, expired or old pesticides, Stafford County Government reported. The 2026 Fredericksburg Area Pesticide Collection Event, organized with Virginia Cooperative Extension-Stafford and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will be held September 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Greenline Service Corp., 11417 Tidewater Trail, Fredericksburg. It is open at no charge to commercial applicators, farmers and homeowners, and accepts large-volume and commercial-scale pesticides.
Pre-registration is encouraged and required for large quantities, unknown pesticides, or more than 5 gallons or 50 pounds. Residents can learn more and pre-register at vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticide-collection.shtml or contact local agent Grace Kunkel at [email protected] or 540-658-8000 during business hours.
The City of Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg Main Street will host the first Quacktoberfest on Oct. 17, 2026, from 2 to 6 p.m. as a free community festival featuring fall activities, vendors, carnival rides, live music, the rescheduled Rubber Ducky Derby and a Movie in the Park screening.
The derby, postponed from the Fourth of July due to extreme heat, starts at 3 p.m., followed by a 25-minute episode of Darkwing Duck and a dusk showing of Hocus Pocus. Residents can still adopt rubber ducks for the race at riverfriends.org/product/fxbg-rubber-ducky-2026, with prizes listed on a related Facebook post; the release notes ducks are selling quickly.
Fredericksburg’s College Heights neighborhood came together Tuesday evening for National Night Out 2026, drawing 62 residents to the playground and sidewalk at Christ Lutheran Church on Augustine Avenue.
Goolrick’s, the downtown Fredericksburg landmark home to what it calls America’s longest-running soda fountain, reopens Friday, Aug. 7, after a four-year restoration of the 1808 building at 901 Caroline Street. Jarrell Properties Inc. will host a ribbon-cutting before doors open at 11 a.m., with the first 50 guests in line receiving free merchandise. Regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The lunch counter returns with restored original tin ceilings, hand-laid tile, and classic menu items such as chicken salad, egg salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches, plus hand-mixed sodas, milkshakes, and malts. Executive Chef D’Andre Sykes, who previously worked at Michelin-starred Elske in Chicago and other notable restaurants, will lead the kitchen.
The University of Mary Washington will open its Fall 2027 application on Aug. 1 through its website or the Common App and has joined the Common App Direct Admissions program for eligible Virginia students, the University of Mary Washington reported. Direct admission offers are non-binding, waive the application fee and give students an early indication of acceptance along with details on more than 100 majors, scholarships, the new Piscopo Rodgers Science Fellows program, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and other pathways.
The Fredericksburg-based public liberal arts university said the initiative reduces barriers in the college search process and aligns with its longstanding focus on access and student success for Virginia applicants, who can activate it simply by adding UMW to their Common App list.
– Info from Sue Nelson Sargeant
Residents, activists, and local officials gathered Tuesday, July 21, for Community Forum #1 on data centers in the Fredericksburg area. The event, titled “Are We the New DATA CENTER Alley?”, featured a video screening, discussion, and Q&A.
