Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta: “On Saturday, June 3, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., there will be a live auction during Occoquan’s RiverFest and Craft Show. The owner of the Mill at Occoquan project has agreed to allow us to auction off a variety of old Occoquan items that remain on the property, with all the proceeds going to the 501(c)(3) Occoquan Historical Society.”

“To access the auction, patrons will need to travel on the sidewalk behind the vendor tents just to the west of Ellicott Street on the river side of Mill Street (modest signage will be near the entrance) and enter through the property’s gate.”

“Advance viewing of the items will take place from noon to 1:00 p.m., with the live auction starting shortly thereafter. Cash, personal checks with ID, and credit cards will be accepted. Winning bidders will be able to arrange for the pickup of items in subsequent days if necessary. All items are auctioned as is with no warranties of any kind.”

The Workhouse Arts Center announces BrewWorks, an outdoor beer, wine, and spirit tastings festival, on May 20.

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Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta says the town's "Whatever Floats Your Boat" parade is this Sunday, June 4, 2023.

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Set a reminder to join us on Monday.

We will talk with Karla Justice, seeking the Occoquan seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

The conversation will be live on Twitter Spaces (click below) at 2 p.m. Monday, May 15, 2023.

Twitter Spaces allows you to listen to a live audio conversation like a radio broadcast or live stream. I’ll also record the conversation so you’ll be able to listen to the conversation afterward, the same way you would listen to a podcast.

I look forward to talking with Justice and learning more about her platform. Please feel free to Tweet me questions during the conversation or ahead of time on our Twitter page, @PotomacLocal, and I might use them during the conversation.

Overall, I hope our conversation on Twitter Spaces is a success. I’ve listened to and participated in other Twitter Spaces conversations, from the environment and state politics to Star Trek.

The platform allows people to connect easily and discuss topics that matter to them.

As 2023 is a major election year, I am to have more candidates seeking local office on our Twitter Spaces.

I’ll be talking with Karla Justice @justiceoccoquan about her campaign for @pwcgov Occoquan Dist. Supervisor. She’s challenging @KennyBoddye whose held the seat since 2020. Hope you join us. https://t.co/vrOVf7xLOl

— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) May 11, 2023

To honor the upcoming Earth Day, April 22, 2023, Friends of the Occoquan organized a river cleanup across seven parks and marinas along the Occoquan River on Saturday, April 15.

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Town residents, who must go to the post office to pick up their mail, may still do so. Meanwhile, the postal service encourages residents who have other USPS businesses to go to other post offices in Woodbridge or Lorton. A statement from the USPS is posted below.

Meanwhile, the USPS did not provide PLN with a damage estimate or if a police investigation led to charges. Occoquan Police Chief and Town Manager Adam Linn referred us to the postal service for those answers, saying it’s a federal case because the post office is a federal facility.

A vehicle struck the Occoquan Post Office on Friday after normal business hours. The Post Office was damaged, which has caused temporary closure of the retail counter. P.O. Box customers can still pick up mail and packages. Customers can also mail prepaid packages and stamped mail. However, retail services requiring a transaction, such as purchasing stamps, are not available at the Occoquan Post Office at this time. The nearest locations for full retail services are the Prince William Post Office, located at 3360 Post Office Road in Woodbridge, and the Lorton Post Office, located at 7726 Gunston Plaza in Lorton. We look forward to reopening the retail counter when the property owner makes repairs. We thank customers for their understanding.

Philip Bogenberger, USPS spokesman

Someone drove into the Occoquan town post office today, at 202 Mill Street, spelling trouble for town residents who must come to the post office to pick up their mail.

No one was injured.

Town Mayor Earnie Porta says:

Our understanding is that someone pulling in to get their mail accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the brake and thus ran into the wall. As a result, the retail operations (i.e. counter service) in the post office is closed until further notice. Box owners can still pick up mail, but we do not currently know how USPS will be processing the mail. They have told us that they can no longer accept or receive packages for the time being.

The Workhouse Arts Center announces BrewWorks, an outdoor beer, wine, and spirit tastings festival, on May 20.

In addition to sampling microbrews, wine, and spirits, participants can enjoy food and lawn games while listening to local bands throughout the day.

A variety of food trucks will be on campus for the duration of the event. During the festival, the art galleries, artist studios, gift shops, and Lucy Burns Museum will be open.

This year’s event will showcase approximately 15 local breweries, three wineries, and two-spirit distilleries. While the details are still being finalized, the anticipated participating vendors include:

• Bunnyman Brewing
• Ono Brewing Company
• Settle Down Easy Brewing Co.
• Väsen Brewing Company
• Fair Winds Brewing Company
• Mustang Sally Brewing Company
• Buskey Cider

General Admission tickets are $40; Premium Admission tickets $75. Designated Driver and Child Admission tickets are available.

The Workhouse Arts Center sits at 9518 Workhouse Way in Lorton.

Crews will be blasting near Occoquan between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Residents will hear horns blowing.

Mayor Earnie Porta says:

The construction of the tunnel under the Occoquan River will involve occasional underground blasting procedures starting this month and projected to end in September. Such blasting will consist of a single, one-second blast every other day, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. No blasting will take place on Sundays. When blasting is scheduled, there will be a temporary 30-minute closure of the pedestrian footbridge, River Mill Park, the Mill Street cul-de-sac, and the access road on the north side of the river. There will also be audible air horn signals 5 minutes and 1 minute before any blasts and an all-clear signal after. It is not expected that anyone will feel any vibrations from the blasting.

The Occoquan River Crossing project, as it’s called, is a joint effort between Fairfax Water, Prince William County Service Authority, and Virginia American Water to increase drinking water transmission capacity and enhance system reliability in eastern Prince William County.

This project will replace aging potable water transmission lines with two 42-inch mains inside a 400-foot-long tunnel to cross beneath the river. Construction should wrap up in late 2024.

Blasting will occur through September 2023.

The project is funded by the Prince William Service Authority and Virginia American Water.