On the last weekend in May, most Stafford families were abuzz with the excitement of summer’s arrival. The Allwine family was abuzz with excitement over the annual AA Farm Honey harvest.

AA Farm Honey Co., founded by Kenny Allwine, is in its third year of honey farming. Allwine, who works in software technology, started with two hives, which grew to 15 the next year, and jumped up to 25 this year. Allwine, a Stafford resident, got into beekeeping because he was curious. He reached out to local beekeeping groups to learn more, taking classes and working with a mentor from King George’s Gateway Beekeepers Association. Allwine said the classes are a valuable resource, and having a great mentor is the key to success.

Allwine keeps hives at his father’s farm in King George, just over the Stafford County line, where the colorful boxes line the gravel driveway beneath the trees. Allwine’s son and nephew have enjoyed helping paint the boxes over the years: one is inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while another boasts the blue and grey of the University of Mary Washington (UMW).  Allwine, his wife Stephanie, and his brother Kyle are all UMW alumni; Allwine also serves as an adjunct professor at the campus. Kyle was Stafford’s Economic Development Director before taking a role at Northern Neck Cooperative.

Allwine visits the hives every week, checking whether they need new layers of boxes to keep growing and making sure they seem healthy. Some of his hives have come from calls for honeybee relocation, and some just showed up on his father’s farm, swarming on nearby trees.  Honeybees can travel up to five miles to visit flowers, their main food source.

After monitoring the bees throughout the year, adding sugar water during leaner months when nectar is scarce, the annual honey harvest is the biggest event for the farm.

On harvest weekend, three generations pitch in: Allwine’s father and son, both named Kenny; and his brother Kyle with his own son, also named Kyle. After removing frames of honey from the hives, the group spends the weekend in Kenny Senior’s workshop slicing the thick wax coating off of the honeycombs before inserting the comb trays into a centrifuge. The machine spins out the honey, which then flows out of a spigot at the bottom like liquid gold.

The honey is then filtered several times before being jarred. This year, they harvested 250 pounds of honey; last year, they pulled 60 pounds. Allwine sells the honey online, notifying subscribers by email when they are available for purchase. Last year’s offering sold out in days.

Allwine’s father, Kenny Senior, said the bees have not attracted any bears so far, but they are popular with the local skunks. He said the skunks will “knock” on the house to make bees fly out, then catch the bees for a quick snack.

Allwine said the most rewarding part of beekeeping has been spending time outside sharing the buzz with his kids — and passing down a love of nature, one hive at a time.

Every Tuesday, hundreds of people gather in a Fredericksburg park for one reason: lunch, music, and community. What started in the early 1990s as “Lunch at Hurkamp Park” has become a regular community event known today as Picnic in the Park. Organized by Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation, the event is held on Tuesdays in May and June at Memorial (Kenmore) Park. The event was originally created by a former Parks and Recreation Director as a way for downtown employees to take a lunch break outside. Over time, it grew into a weekly event for families, drawing larger crowds and offering a wider range of activities.

When Sammy Walker took over the event planning in 2018, attendance had already outgrown Hurkamp Park. The event was relocated to Memorial Park to accommodate more people. Walker said an average of 300 to 500 people attend in May. Once school ends for the summer, attendance rises to 500 to 800 each week.

Picnic in the Park now includes themed Tuesdays, such as May 20’s Farm Day featuring a petting zoo provided by The Good Steward Farm, and the upcoming Community Day on June 10 featuring hot dog grilling by the Fredericksburg Sheriff’s Department. Beach Day, scheduled for June 24, will feature sprinklers, baby pools, and other water-related activities. Themes are selected through public voting or sponsor input.

Whimsical Faces, a local face painting business run by Opheilia Gualtieri, was added as a new vendor this year. Walker called Gualtieri “the best face painter in the burg.”

Planning for the series begins in December, following the city’s annual Christmas Parade. Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation manages the event, with financial and media support from several sponsors. B101.5 and Fred Parent Magazine have been media sponsors since the event’s early years. Monetary sponsors include Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, Brompton Community School, Weecycled Wardrobe, Wilderness Resort, and Fredericksburg Christian School. New sponsors in 2025 include Urban Air, Funland, and Healthy Minds Therapy.

While the City of Fredericksburg allocates funding for the series each year, the event also depends on sponsor contributions to cover costs.

Accessibility features include ADA parking, accessible restrooms, a playground, and seating close to the stage. The event is held in a residential area to allow access for attendees from nearby neighborhoods. There is no shuttle service, as the event runs for only two hours, but transportation remains a long-term goal.

The event currently takes place in May and June. A fall concert series was previously held, and organizers say it could return depending on interest and resources.

Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation plans to continue the series as long as there is community demand.

For the first time, Stafford County will host a Relay for Life event, bringing the community together for a day of remembrance, celebration, and action in the fight against cancer.

The May 10 event is the result of months of work by organizer Tracey Phillips, a longtime supporter of the American Cancer Society. Phillips was inspired to bring Relay for Life to Stafford after years of participating in events in neighboring counties, including an unforgettable first experience in 2009 in Loudoun County.

“It was such an overwhelmingly awesome experience,” Phillips said. “I made a commitment then that I’d always be a part of Relay. It’s become one of my family’s favorite things to do together.”

Phillips has a deep personal connection to the cause. She honors the memory of her uncle, who passed away from cancer 20 years ago. More recently, her husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer last fall. These personal experiences, combined with a desire to raise awareness and strengthen community ties, pushed her to bring a Relay event to Stafford.

“There’s never really been a Stafford Relay—at least not in the last 30 years,” she said. “So we wanted to start something here to bring people together and let survivors and families know they’re not alone.”

The event, titled “Night of Hope,” will take a scaled-down approach to the traditional 12–18-hour Relay model but will carry the same spirit: honoring survivors, supporting caregivers, remembering those lost, and raising money for cancer research. The goal this year is to raise $15,000 and draw around 200 participants, with plans to grow the event annually.

Highlights of the evening will include:

• A Survivor Lap and Survivor Dinner to celebrate those who have battled cancer

• A Luminaria Ceremony, where the track will be lit by donated luminary bags in memory and honor of loved ones;

• Family-friendly entertainment, including music, a silent auction, and demonstrations by the Stafford Sheriff’s Department, McGruff the Crime Dog, a drone team, K-9 unit, and local taekwondo and gymnastics teams;

• Activities for kids, photo opportunities, and lap-tracking beads to help participants beat their own records year over year; and

• Food Trucks like Taco Tuesday and The Dog House.

Planning officially began in late April, and as with many new grassroots efforts, the road hasn’t been without obstacles. “Funding’s not guaranteed when you’re just starting out,” Phillips said. “But we’ve got 12 teams so far and incredible support from the sheriff’s office and local businesses.” Stafford businesses like Paddy’s Public House, The Bearded Monkey, Jersey Mike’s (Windsor Road location), Cinnaholic, and more all hosted fundraising events for the new relay.

The Relay for Life of Stafford is part of the American Cancer Society’s 40th anniversary of Relay events nationwide. The goal is not only to raise money, but also to ignite a new tradition in Stafford that brings together families, schools, businesses, and service members in a shared mission.

Anyone interested in participating—whether as part of a team, as an individual, or as a volunteer—can find registration links and donation information through the event’s Facebook page or by contacting the organizing team via email.

“We’re hoping this is just the beginning,” Phillips said. “This is a chance for Stafford to stand together for hope, for healing, and for the future.”

Stafford’s Relay for Life will be help Saturday, May 10 at Kate Waller Barrett Elementary, 150 Duffey Drive. The 12-hour event begins at noon.

Parents, mark your calendars: Stafford’s Duff McDuff Green Park's new playground will open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 26, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. The event is open to the public.

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

The Fredericksburg Symphony Orchestra (FSO) will bring its Lolli-Pops concert, an interactive program designed to introduce young audiences to the world of classical music, to James Monroe High School on March 15. The concert's theme is "A Salute to Mother Earth."

This article is exclusively for our Locals Only members. Please Sign In or upgrade to become a Locals Only Member today!

Your support helps us continue delivering more in-depth community news that matters to you.

After serving in the Navy for 10 years and working in corporate America building data centers, Dan Umpa has launched USA Ninja Challenge Stafford, an indoor obstacle course training program that combines basic skill sets from gymnastics, climbing, cross training, and track and field.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

The George Washington Foundation:

Past, present, and future bumped into each other. It was a tense moment.

Gingerbread House Contest Theme is Holidays: Past, Present, and Future

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

Santa will visit the Fredericksburg Visitor Center on select dates for Pictures With Santa 2024, offering families a chance to meet him and take photos. Tickets are $5 per family, with each visit lasting 5 minutes.

Press Release from the City of Fredericksburg:

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

Stafford County Parks, Recreation and Tourism is hosting its annual Candy Cane Hunt on Government Island on December 14. The family-friendly event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and registration is required in order to receive the activities bag, which contains the scavenger hunt information.

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.

The George Washington Foundation’s (GWF) 38th annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit returns to the Visitor Center at Ferry Farm this December, inviting creative confections with the theme “Holidays: Past, Present, & Future”. 

This article is FREE to read. Please Sign In or Create a FREE Account. Thank you.