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Fredericksburg Names New Economic Development and Tourism Director

By Kelly Sienkowski
Josh Summits

Josh Summits has been appointed as the new Director of Fredericksburg’s Economic Development and Tourism Team, starting mid-August. Summits has fifteen years of experience in urban redevelopment, community revitalization, and economic development. He joined Stafford County’s government in 2019 and most recently served as Business Development Manager.

Summit said he has “spent the past five years working with Stafford to bring transformative economic development projects to the Fredericksburg Region. Each locality offers diverse and unique attributes and opportunities. The City of Fredericksburg has a robust list of amazing amenities and a thriving historical downtown. My core focus and energies will target corridor redevelopment, and expanded business attraction and retention efforts.”

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America’s Oldest Fair Opens July 26

By Kelly Sienkowski
2023 Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair (Instagram: FxbgFair)

Fredericksburg’s annual Agricultural Fair kicks off Friday, July 26 and runs until Sunday, Aug. 4. The Miss Fredericksburg Fair Pageant will be held Thursday, July 25.

The Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair’s website says it was established in 1738 and is the oldest fair in both Virginia and the United States. The range of entertainment has varied over the years, from Williamsburg comedians in 1752 to horse racing by the Fredericksburg Jockey Club in 1774, then hot air balloons in the 1880s. The fair has weathered interruptions with no events from 1881-1886 and during the Great Depression in the mid-1920s. It was revived in 1948 by a group of local farmers and the Jaycees, a non-profit community organization.

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CSX Attributes Train Derailment to Human Error

By Kelly Sienkowski

The train that derailed on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Cobblestone Square, an apartment complex in Fredericksburg, had been experiencing mechanical issues, so the train was parked at the city’s Virginia Railway Express (commuter rail) station before moving to its final destination in Richmond. The two crew members on board did not secure the train cars properly, resulting in five cars derailing, said Randy Marcus, a CSX spokesman during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Marcus said the crew’s whereabouts at the time of the derailing are not known, and the company plans to have them complete additional training and education programs. No one was injured in the derailment.

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Fredericksburg Gears Up for Summer Restaurant Week

By Uriah Kiser
Photo by Cork and Table restaurant

Fredericksburg’s biannual Restaurant Week kicks off this Friday, July 26, and runs through Sunday, August 4, 2024, offering patrons a variety of dining experiences. According to Danelle Rose, Tourism Marketing and Communications Manager for the city, this summer’s event promises a diverse range of specials across over 30 participating restaurants and businesses.

“Restaurant Week allows the restaurants to showcase their creativity with the flexibility to offer specials that suit their capabilities and resources,” said Rose. Each establishment has the autonomy to design its menus, ensuring that offerings cater to all budgets—from gourmet three-course meals to budget-friendly treats like cupcake specials at coffee shops.

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Stafford County Public Schools Revamps Bus System, Bans Cell Phones for 2024-2025 School Year

By Uriah Kiser

Stafford County Public Schools is set to implement significant operational changes for the upcoming school year, which begins on August 13, 2024. The school division has introduced a new system for identifying school buses and a district-wide ban on cell phones in the classroom.

Starting this school year, buses will no longer be identified by fleet numbers but will use route numbers instead. This change is designed to streamline the process of locating and tracking buses, especially when substitute buses are deployed. Sandra Osborn, the spokeswoman for Stafford County Public Schools, explained the decision, stating, “Identifying buses by route number simplifies the sub-bus process as any bus may be identified quickly with the route number. We no longer need to issue updates to which bus number a family needs to look for – they will simply look for the route number on any of our buses.”

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Viva Las Vegas: Fredericksburg SPCA’s Fur Ball Gala Returns

By Kelly Sienkowski
SPCA Fur Ball Gala 2023 (Bryant Cox Photography)

The Fredericksburg SPCA Fur Ball Gala will be held Aug. 24 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.

This year’s theme is Old Vegas, in the style of the Rat Pack. In addition to a silent and live auction, the 6 p.m. event will feature specialty cocktails and entertainment casino games.

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Sally Struthers Returns: Riverside Center for Performing Arts presents ‘Love Letters’

By Uriah Kiser

Riverside Center for Performing Arts showcases “Love Letters,” featuring Sally Struthers and Patrick A’Hearn, for a limited two-week engagement ending August 4, 2024.

“Love Letters” centers on the lifelong correspondence between Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, childhood friends from affluent backgrounds. Their story unfolds through exchanges of letters and postcards, revealing their personal journeys and romantic tensions spanning decades. The play navigates their separate paths through school, careers, and tumultuous personal lives, culminating in a poignant conclusion.

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Pied Piper Theatre’s Senior Intensive Presents Anastasia the Musical (Youth Edition)

By Uriah Kiser

Bricks & Minifigs of Woodbridge sponsors an ARTfactory Pied Piper Theatre Intensive, Anastasia the Musical.

Anastasia: The Musical is a 60-minute adaptation of the Broadway musical. The story unfolds from the end of the Russian Empire to the 1920s Paris. A young woman seeks to resolve the mystery of her past while a Soviet officer tries to stop her. She teams up with a con man and a former aristocrat on a journey to find a home, love, and family.

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3 Arrested After Chase on I-95 in Stafford County

By Uriah Kiser

Three men, including two wanted suspects, were apprehended following a high-speed chase that started and ended near Centreport Parkway, involving maneuvers by deputies and state police to stop and capture the suspects. The pursuit involved a series of events, including a vehicle being pushed off the road, deputies sustaining injuries, and foot chases leading to the capture and arrest of all suspects on various charges, highlighting effective coordination among law enforcement agencies.

Three men, two of which were wanted, were found and captured after a pursuit that started and ended in the area of Centreport Parkway.

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New Athletic Training Center to Open in Stafford

By Kelly Sienkowski

Champions FC Training Center will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new multi-sports complex in Stafford on August 23.

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