Prince William
Prince William Parks & Recreation, Amazon, and KABOOM! will build a kid-designed inclusive playground Friday, Oct. 23, at George Hellwig Memorial Park, the county said.
Volunteers start at 8 a.m. A build-week celebration, with remarks and photos, is set for 2:30 p.m. The park is at 14420 Bristow Road in Manassas, next to the Dr. Richard Tami Miracle Field. The county said the playground should serve more than 900 children a year.
Expanded testing found no lasting harm to the Potomac River from January’s collapse of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, DC Water said.
“These results are reassuring. They reconfirm what earlier testing indicated — that the river has returned to normal,” Interim General Manager Matthew T. Brown said.
Prince William County added boys volleyball at all 13 of its high schools this fall, WTOP reports.
A school spokesperson put the startup cost at more than $176,000. Colgan’s team opened the season 8-0.
Prince William County Parks and Recreation is taking registration for the 2026 First Tee benefit tournament on Friday, Oct. 23, at Forest Greens Golf Club in Triangle. The department said in an Oct. 1 advisory that a $115 ticket covers 18 holes, a cart, range balls, a post-round lunch and prizes, and that last year’s tournament raised more than $3,000 for First Tee of Prince William County.
Check-in is at 8 a.m. and the shotgun start is at 9 a.m. at 4500 Poa Annua Lane. The advisory does not give a registration deadline, and it does not list sponsorship prices. The county’s 2025 advisory for the same tournament said the prior year raised over $9,000. This year’s note says more than $3,000. The release does not explain the gap.
Prince William County is getting into the home repair business. Supervisors on Tuesday awarded $200,000 under the county’s new Foundation and Soil Management Program to seven eligible projects.
The Board of County Supervisors approved a prorated distribution of the $200,000 pot. Staff had received applications from May 1 to June 15. Of those, seven met the rules. The full cost of the eligible work was $356,831; the board had only $200,000 available, so each award was reduced based on ranking and requested amount.
House of Mercy has about $75,000 in cash and another $25,000 in pledges toward the $350,000 it says it needs to lease two adjacent bays and reopen thrift-store floor space near Gainesville, Executive Director Jessica Root said Monday.
The nonprofit closed roughly one-third of its thrift-store sales floor to customers after losing about 75 pallet spaces of storage. That section remains closed and is likely to stay closed through the end of the year, Root said. In the first month after the closure, furniture revenue fell about 44 percent, and household-goods revenue fell about 18 percent.
IKEA will close its Plan & Order store in Fairfax on Nov. 30, FOX 5 reports. The Woodbridge store at Potomac Mills remains open.
The Fairfax location is a smaller planning and order point, not a full showroom. Woodbridge is the full store for the area.
Prince William County Parks & Recreation is taking registration for a Halloween lineup that runs through Oct. 31. The Great Pumpkin Party is almost full.
Take a Sip of History is Thursday, Oct. 15, free, no registration, at Water’s End Brewery with Prince William Historic Preservation. Adapted Recreation Spooky Snacks is Wednesday, Oct. 21, for people with disabilities. The Great Pumpkin Party is Friday, Oct. 23, for ages 2 to 8 with a parent. The same night, Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre has a free outdoor showing of its 2009 Ghost Hunters episode. The ghost tour is ticketed.
All Prince William Public Libraries will be closed Monday, Oct. 12, for staff training and development. The digital library stays open.
The county hours page lists the Monday closure with the rest of the 2026 holiday schedule. Veterans Day is the next systemwide closure, Wednesday, Nov. 11. Branches close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, and stay closed through Sunday, Nov. 29.