Residents and visitors across Northern Virginia have two downtown First Friday celebrations to choose from this evening, Aug. 7, 2026.
“It’s shaping up to be an awesome First Friday (8/7/26) here in Historic Downtown Manassas” with a “Dog Days of Summer” theme, live music, vendors, and dog-friendly amenities including misting tents and water bowls, the City of Manassas reported on Facebook.
“Stafford County is pleased to announce the hiring of Thomas “Tom” Ellsworth as the County’s new Planning and Zoning Director,” Stafford County reported. Ellsworth joins from Maricopa County, Arizona, where he served as Director of Planning and Development in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions and a major data center hub, bringing more than 25 years of experience in development review, zoning policy and organizational leadership.
In Stafford, Ellsworth will oversee development review, the Planning Commission, long-range planning, zoning, land conservation and data centers. County Administrator Bill Ashton said his background will allow him to contribute immediately to strengthening processes and guiding growth in the Northern Virginia locality.
“Virginia’s 3-Day Sales Tax Holiday runs August 7-9, 2026, starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ending at 11:59 p.m. Sunday,” Virginia Tax reported. Shoppers can buy qualifying school supplies ($20 or less), clothing and footwear ($100 or less), certain hurricane and emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star or WaterSense products ($2,500 or less) without paying state sales tax.
The holiday offers Northern Virginia families a timely chance to save on back-to-school essentials and preparedness gear as the new school year approaches. Full lists of eligible items are available in the official Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines on the Virginia Tax website.
Good Afternoon
The American Legion Post #28 (Buck Keyes) in Triangle, Virginia is celebrating 100 years of comradery and community service to the state of Virginia and the United States of America. The Post will be hosting a Centennial celebration on October 10th, 2026, from 12 noon until 6 pm. Free food and fun for all! Please publish our invitation to the public as you possibly can. Thank you. The address and the Point of Contact are as follows:
Virginia’s delayed primaries finally delivered nominees, and the story is less about who won than how few people bothered to vote. Bert Mizusawa, the retired Army major general, secured the Republican Senate nomination with just over half the vote and will now face Mark Warner.
In the closely watched 7th District, Doug Ollivant posted a commanding win and sets up a November rematch of sorts against incumbent Eugene Vindman in one of the Commonwealth’s true purple seats. Dave Beckwith ran away with the 10th District Republican primary and will challenge first-term Democrat Suhas Subramanyam.
“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.
In a separate case, a 16-year-old girl was arrested in Gainesville after allegedly assaulting a family member and then grabbing an officer’s holstered firearm during a domestic dispute.
Prince William County officers also investigated a road rage incident in which a driver reportedly brandished what appeared to be a firearm and arrested a man who shattered apartment windows and entered a residence in Woodbridge. Stafford County deputies arrested a Fredericksburg woman on DUI charges and responded to a collections agency scam report.
The Prince William County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is inviting the community to a free Candis King 1.5-Mile Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Memorial Walk and Blood Drive on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School, 13833 Dumfries Road near Dale City. The event will feature the walk, free sickle cell trait screening, education about the disease, and an American Red Cross blood drive, with donations appreciated to support scholarships in Candis King’s honor and sickle cell research.
Candis Gabriella King, a Colgan High School student known for her involvement in choir and color guard, died in October 2025 at age 15 from complications of sickle cell disease. Her story helped inspire Virginia’s first-in-the-nation Queen Candis Sickle Cell Act, signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger in June 2026 to improve training, awareness, and coordinated care.
