Paris Banh Mi Café & Bakery will be opening in the next couple weeks in Fredericksburg. The chain offers traditional Vietnamese banh mi along with croissants and assorted pastries made daily. A traditional Banh Mi is a sandwich that reflects a blend of Vietnamese and French culinary influences.
The café also features a line of specialty drinks with add-ins like Boba bubbles, flavored jelly, and fruit slices. They were unable to provide an exact opening date, but list July 2024 on their website.
Fredericksburg Main Street has announced “Downtown Movies in the Park,” which will take place at Riverfront Park. This community event invites residents and visitors to enjoy movies under the stars with family-friendly films, themed activities, and more.
Starting at 6:30 PM, attendees can engage in activities before the movies begin at 7:00 PM. The series offers a lineup of movies and themed events to enhance the experience.
Fredericksburg’s City Planning Commission will have a regular meeting on July 10. On the agenda are multiple applications from Micah Ecumenical Ministries and Mary Washington Healthcare in regards to The Jeremiah Project.
The project is a planned housing community for the city’s homeless. On the agenda is rezoning the 32- acre parcel near Roffman Road and Bakersfield Lane. A special Use Permit for institutional housing and vacation of right of way, will also be reviewed. The plan includes 189 units between an 80-unit building and 109 single or attached dwellings, in addition to three community buildings, a church, and a medical clinic.
Fredericksburg’s Summer Restaurant Week returns this year from July 26 through Aug. 4, 2024. The city has held a Restaurant Week each year since 2005, eventually adding a second week. In Jan. 2024, Winter Restaurant Week had 18 participating restaurants.
During the week, restaurants offer special menus with a set price. These prices often reflect the current year – $20.24 for an appetizer and an entree, or $10.24 for a lunch combo.
The Fredericksburg City Council and the Fredericksburg Fire Department announced a public unveiling of a sign marking the location of the new Fire Station #3. The celebration will take place on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. at Snowden Park, and marks the start of construction on the new station.
The Fredericksburg Fire Department currently serves an area of 11 square miles with a population of approximately 25,700 people. The department operates two fire stations, staffing them 24/7/365 with two engine companies and one ladder/tower company. Additionally, the department operates two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances 24/7/365, with all fire suppression personnel certified at the EMT level or higher. Mutual aid agreements are in place with Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
Central Rappahannock Regional Library held its 21st annual Claudia Emerson Teen Poetry Contest in June.
The event was named in memory of Claudia Emerson, an advocate for teen poets. Emerson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former professor at the University of Mary Washington, played a key role in the annual Teen Poetry Contest. She judged the contest and hosted Teen Poetry Night, providing thoughtful feedback to young poets. In 2022, she was named a Changemaker in the Virginia Women in History program.
George may have a Federal holiday, but Historic Kenmore is making sure his sister Betty has a party of her own. Betty Washington’s 291st birthday celebration will be June 22 at her Fredericksburg home Kenmore.
Betty Washington Lewis and her husband Fielding Lewis began construction on Kenmore in 1769, and the family moved in by the fall of 1775. The Fredericksburg plantation originally covered 1,270 acres, now reduced to a single city block. Kenmore is notable for its 18th-century decorative plasterwork ceilings. After Fielding’s death in 1781, the property passed to his first-born son, John, while Betty stayed on for 14 more years. Kenmore has had eleven owners and has been owned by The George Washington Foundation since 1925. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
The City of Fredericksburg has announced the revival of its “Around the Town” free trolley service to downtown for the upcoming summer season. Operated by Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg, the service will run on Friday and Saturday evenings from May 31 to August 31, offering residents and visitors a convenient way to explore downtown attractions.
The trolley will make a 20-minute loop around downtown with stops at six locations, including popular spots such as the Fredericksburg Visitor Center, Carl’s Ice Cream, Mason Dixon Café, Haley’s Honey Meadery, Red Dragon Brewery, Harry’s Downtown, Mellow Mushroom, Castiglia’s, and Rebellion Bourbon Bar and Kitchen. Additionally, on the first Friday of each month, extra stops will be added for art gallery openings. The free, family-friendly rides are available from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
