Good morning Prince William – Summer is getting busy but don’t let it get past you without providing a little volunteer service. You will be glad you did!

· Volunteer Prince William invites you to shop at www.smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1177488 this Tuesday, July 11. Amazon’s third-annual Prime Day will feature more than 1000,000 deals for Prime members and if you use the link shown above, Amazon will donate to Volunteer Prince William. Thanks for your support!

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PotomacLocal.com is the newest tenant at CENTERFUSE, the budding co-workspace in Downtown Manassas.

The seven-year-old digital media company with a focus on local news, politics, and transportation issues in the Prince William County region will not only produce news coverage and content at the Manassas co-working center but will engage with readers and local business owners there, too.

"My job as an entrepreneurial journalist on any given day requires me to be in multiple places in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park. While a traditional office has never been in our plans, the flexibility, open work environment, and business support from the staff at CENTERFUSE are just what our company needs to grow," said Potomac Local Media Founder and Publisher Uriah Kiser.

With Potomac Local's acquisition of a dedicated workspace at CENTERFUSE, the company will launch a new podcast to discuss issues facing area residents. Additionally, Potomac Local will hold community events at CENTERFUSE to engage readers and residents, as well as hold scheduled publisher's "office hours" where readers may visit with Potomac Local writers to share story ideas, as well as voice
neighborhood concerns in a one-on-one setting.

"We’re very pleased to welcome Potomac Local as our newest member of CenterFuse.  Our facility, located in Downtown Manassas lends a perfect opportunity for Uriah to connect with areas of Prince William County while working in a pristine location in the City of Manassas," said Historic Manassas Inc. Director Debbie Haight. 

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Good morning Prince William – have a safe and enjoyable July 4th celebration!

· Please mark your calendar for July 22 and join the Independence Empowerment Center for their 10th Americans with Disabilities Act Celebration. It will be held from 10am until 2pm at the Harris Pavilion in Old Town Manassas. Lots of fun is planned including a live singer, many informational vendors, games for children, and a silent auction. Phat Yummies will be back! Come visit after you leave the Farmers’ Market.

· House of Mercy has just kicked off their Shoes for Kids Drive and need your help collecting new, trendy school shoes by July 22nd for their kids. The goal this year is 192 pairs of fun shoes to start the new school year. You can drop them off at the center located at: 8170 Flannery Court Manassas or check out their website for more info at: houseofmercyva.org.

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Good morning Prince William – Historic Manassas needs volunteers for their Celebrate America event on July 4th in Old Town Manassas. Duties include direct vendors from 11:30-3pm, escort characters around from 5:30-8:30pm, check-in contestants from 2:30-5:30pm and lastly VIP rooftop assistance from 4-10pm. Please email Erin at:[email protected] with your choice. Happy Birthday America!

· House of Mercy has just kicked off their Shoes for Kids Drive and need your help collecting new, trendy school shoes by July 22nd for their kids. The goal this year is 192 pairs of fun shoes to start the new school year. You can drop them off at the center located at: 8170 Flannery Court Manassas or check out their website for more info at: houseofmercyva.org.

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Good morning Prince William – The SERVE campus of Northern Virginia Family Service is in Urgent need of volunteers on Wednesday, June 28th, 2016 from 9AM-1PM and 1-4PM to help warehouse staff take a complete inventory of food and supplies in our 8,000 square foot warehouse. Up to 15 volunteers are needed each shift. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and should be prepared to do moderate lifting. This is a great one-time opportunity which will help the agency to improve its food assistance program to the 650+ households who visit each month for help! Volunteers can feel good knowing they are helping us to make sure fresh food is given to families. Volunteers will also help us identify urgent food needs for clients. Please click here to sign up: https://signup.com/go/TMXRPOP or contact Navara Cannon at [email protected]

· Save N Serve Thrift Store is closing their doors and volunteers are needed both June 19-20 to help pack up the merchandise to transfer to another thrift shop. Shifts on Monday are 10-1pm and 1-4. Tuesday’s schedule is 10-2pm at the 10360 Portsmouth Road location. You need to anticipate moderate to heavy lifting. Please register at: https://signup.com/client/invitation/6775657374/1923437/false#!1923437/false/false

· You don’t want to miss this! Join in the fun with Super Hero Bunco Game Night on Friday June 30th, 5:30-9pm at the Wellington Community Center. Sure to be a blast to support all the great programs at Project Mend A House. Please call Liz at (571) 264-9228 to reserve your tickets.

· Meals on Wheels has an urgent need for drivers to deliver a warm meal at mid-day to a homebound senior. This is a fantastic job to meet a few neighbors and bring joy. You can sign up for a regular day or be a fill-in driver. It’s very easy to do by just picking up a few meals at either Senior Center kitchen and delivering them out to your route. It only takes 2 hours or so! If you are age 55+ then please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 to be part of the RSVP team. Adults age 54 and under please call Melodee at (703) 792-4583.

· The food pantries are low just as kids are getting out of school and families will be more stressed to meet their basic needs. Please pick up a few extra basics of canned vegs, meats, pasta, sauces, cereal and such for both the SERVE pantry and the ACTS pantry.

· Prince William SPCA is looking for interested candidates to serve on their Board of Directors. Must be dedicated, love animals and have willingness to carry out their mission. Commitment includes attending evening monthly Board meeting and serving on one program committee. Term is for 1 year. Please email: [email protected] for a nomination form.

· Prince William Health Department needs volunteers on Friday mornings, 8am-9:30am at the Woodbridge office to help with client screenings and referrals to their SBRIT Program. This program assesses the severity of substance use and identifies appropriate level of treatment. Please call Isabella at (703) 792-7341 to learn more.

· Good News Community Kitchen in Occoquan has lots of volunteer opportunities to serve the hungry in Manassas and downtown DC. They also have several fun fundraisers coming up to support all of their programs. They are raffling off a 2017 red Mustang Coupe for just $20/ticket. They are having a wine tasting at the Bottle Stop Wine bar on June 26th as well. Check out their website- www.tgnck.org for all the super activities and volunteer opportunities in the coming months.

· If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Jan can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group project and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our newly re-vamped website at www.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

Good morning Prince William – You don’t want to miss this! Join in the fun with Super Hero Bunco Game Night on Friday, June 30th, 5:30-9pm at the Wellington Community Center. Sure to be a blast to support all the great programs at Project Mend A House. Please call Liz at (571) 264-9228 to reserve your tickets.

· Meals on Wheels has an urgent need for drivers to deliver a warm meal at mid-day to a homebound senior. This is a fantastic job to meet a few neighbors and bring joy. You can sign up for a regular day or be a fill-in driver. It’s very easy to do by just picking up a few meals at either Senior Center kitchen and delivering them out to your route. It only takes 2 hours or so! If you are age 55+ then please call Jan at (571) 292-5307 to be part of the RSVP team. Adults age 54 and under please call Melodee at (703) 792-4583.

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Prince William Beer (and Spirits) Trail

Editors note: This is the second in a series of posts showcasing breweries in Prince William County, Virginia.

Locally sourced and handcrafted in the heart of Bristow, MurLarkey’s officially opened its doors on January 6th, welcoming all who enjoy spirits and a good time.

Guests who visit MurLarkey will notice a beautiful array of names for their spirits featured on their website such as imagination, divine clarity, and justice. Spirit names are taken seriously at MurLarkey’s, just as seriously as the process of naming the establishment was.

A brainchild of first cousins Mike Larkin and Thomas Murray, they struggled to find a name that they could both agree on as well as pay homage to their Irish roots.

“After pondering the names Murray, Larkin and Kelly over a few drinks, they eventually came up with Mur.Lar.key,” said MurLarkey’s Founder and CEO Thomas Murray. “The coincidental play on the word “malarkey” (Irish for nonsense) made it all the better.”

One of their most popular products is their lemon infused Clemoncy whiskey. According to Murray, a restaurant in Fairfax used MurLarkey’s whiskey as a base and created the “Clemonade” — a drink so popular, that it spread from the Fairfax bar scene to Arlington.

MurLarkey’s is locally sourced and handcrafted, but they take it one step further. All of their infusions are done using old-world infusion methods in oak barrels.

“MurLarkey’s authenticity sets it apart from virtually any other distillery in the area,” said Murray. “From an award-winning pure potato vodka to all-natural infused whiskeys, there’s a spirit to please every pallet.”

Good morning Prince William – The Stuff a Truck Event to support Northern Virginia Family Service- SERVE Campus is Thursday June 8th, 10am-4pm at the Manassas Mall entrance 4. They are collecting nonperishable food items, diapers, wipes, toiletries and paper products to kick off a busy summer in the food pantry. They are unable to accept clothing, toys and housewares. It’s the perfect time to pick up a few extras while shopping this week to help our neighbors.

· You don’t want to miss the 3rd Annual Cajun Occasion Crawfish Boil on Saturday June 10th, noon- 4pm on the Manassas Museum Lawn. This fun event includes all you can eat Louisiana Buffet, live music featuring Kitty and the Fat Cats and beer and wine garden with Louisiana beers available on tap. Bring your blankets, chairs, pop-up tents and set up on the lawn. Proceeds from the beer and wine garden benefit the Un Trim A Tree Holiday Gift program for over 5,000 needy kids in our community. Tickets can be purchased at: www.cajunoccasion.net.

· Save the Date! – June 30th. To join in the fun with project Super Hero Bunco Game Night on Friday June 30th, 5:30-9pm at the Wellington Community Center. Sure to be a blast to support all the great programs at Project Mend A House. Please call Liz at (571) 264-9228 to reserve your tickets. Read More

Prince William Beer Trail

Editors note: This is the second in a series of posts showcasing breweries in Prince William County, Virginia.

After Prince William County had changed a zoning code that longer restricted breweries to industrial areas and allowed them to open in neighborhood shopping districts, Water’s End Brewery chose Dillingham Square in Lake Ridge, and the rest is history.

Owners Zach Mote, Ryan Sharkey, and Josh Fournelle are dedicated owners; you can always find them behind the bar serving customers. As of now, the brewery doesn’t have any other employees, but Ryan Sharkey, one of the three co-owners, noted that when they do start hiring employees, an owner will always remain present.

“We receive constant feedback and the raw experience of serving our customers face to face makes us focus intensely on producing the highest quality beer we can,” said Sharkey. “Our brewer has actually taken a "taproom vote" on which style of beer to brew the next day- that's not something that would happen at most other breweries.”

Their most popular drink is “Damn Beer," which they promise to always have on the menu. Sharkey describes it as an “easy-drinking golden ale that is often referred to as their ‘gateway beer."

Sharkey notes that many customers are new to craft beer and it can be difficult to distinguish a brew that customers like. The Damn Beer gives an easy introduction for newcomers and provides a break from stronger flavors seen in stouts and other darker brews.

“Sometimes you just need a Damn Beer, and our craft beer aficionados will order it too as a break from the big flavors of some other beers,” said Sharkey.

There’s also a method behind the naming madness of each brew courtesy of their brewer, Zach Mote.
“Our Adventure Hat, strong American black ale, describes the hat Zach would like to wear while on brew days on the back deck,” said Sharkey. “You'll find the hat proudly hanging behind the bar.”

The HopDrop, a white IPA, describes Water’s End logo; Sharkey explains that it’s a water droplet transforming to hop cone as “water ends and the beer begins.” Some names will also have references to the community.

Make sure to also keep an eye out for their Beer Club, one that sports 270+ members who can enjoy larger pours, discounts, special events, and beer releases.

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Good morning Prince William – you don’t want to miss the 3rd Annual Cajun Occasion Crawfish Boil on Saturday, June 10th, noon- 4 pm on the Manassas Museum Lawn. This fun event includes all you can eat Louisiana Buffet, live music featuring Kitty and the Fat Cats and beer and wine garden with Louisiana beers available on tap. Bring your blankets, chairs, pop-up tents and set up on the lawn. Proceeds from the beer and wine garden benefit the Un Trim A Tree Holiday Gift program for over 5,000 needy kids in our community. Tickets can be purchased at www.cajunoccasion.net.

· Habitat for Humanity has plenty of work to do to get their new Woodbridge ReStore ready to open. Please visit www.habitatpwc.org and schedule yourself on their Volunteer Calendar – slots are open for more volunteers June 1 through June 3! Lunch donations for volunteers on this project would also be appreciated. If you have an interest in home ownership or are in need of home repairs, applications are available on their website.

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