Tag: history
Vietnam veterans sought for an oral history project
The Fairfax County History Commission is encouraging county residents to participate in an oral history project about Vietnam War veterans. Interviews will be conducted through early May 2027 and will become part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect and preserve firsthand remembrances of … Continued
An interpretive sign honors a Black community displaced by eminent domain
A few decades ago, there was a thriving close-knit Black community called The Pines in what is now Pine Ridge Park on Woodburn Road in Annandale. It was a place where everyone was related or knew one another, where children played outdoors all day, built forts, and picked blackberries and cherries. It’s also the site … Continued
A former Annandale ambulance deployed on 9-11 repurposed as a mobile museum
When Dylan Hackworth and his wife, Tamaria Cooper, launched a mobile museum in West Virginia last January dedicated to the state’s firefighting history, they had no idea the truck they were using was historically significant. They later learned it had been an ambulance from the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department that had been deployed at the … Continued
Annandale’s Oak Hill: Lots of history, no ghosts
Members of the public got a chance to tour Annandale’s oldest house and explore the property’s 275-year-old boxwood grove on Oak Hill Day on Sept. 25. The owners of Oak Hill, currently Joe and Laura Braceland, are required to open the home to the public once a year as required by a county easement. … Continued
250th Commission hosts free screening of “1776”
The Fairfax County 250th Commission is sponsoring a free screening of the movie “1776” on Sept. 18, 7 p.m., at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church. The movie depicts the struggle to pass the Declaration of Independence. It is based on the musical of the same name. Set in Philadelphia during … Continued
Mason Arts 250 mural installed in Annandale
A new mural brightens up Annandale. The artwork, featuring the Statue of Liberty, was installed on July 24 on the fence around a construction site on John Marr Drive. Several volunteers painted the mural on June 27 at an Asian Night Market in Annandale under the direction of Omaid Sharifi, the president and co-founder of … Continued
Mason District Arts Council brings history to life
Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Adams, suffragist Amelia Walker, and other figures from American history commemorated the nation’s 250th anniversary in a series of performances organized by the Mason District Arts Council. The free show “Passages: One-Act Plays and Oratorios” was presented at the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia on June 20. It … Continued
Mason Arts 250 invites the public to a free theatrical event
By James Albright, chair of the Mason District Arts Council Our community’s busy celebration of the nation’s founding continues Saturday, June 20, with “Passages: One-Act Plays and Oratorio.” The program begins at 2 p.m. at the Pozez Jewish Community Center at 8900 Little River Turnpike just west of Annandale. Sponsored by the Mason District Arts … Continued
Flag display honors community members’ heroes
In commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday, the Annandale Rotary Club’s Flags for Our Heroes program placed 250 American flags at the Eileen Garnett Civic Space and American Legion Post 1976. Community members were given an opportunity to sponsor a flag in honor of one of their heroes, such as a veteran, family member, or … Continued
The community is invited to a free America at 250 concert on June 13
By James Albright, chair of the Mason District Arts Council Cellos, violins, and a euphonium take center stage this Saturday at a community event in honor of our nation’s semiquincentennial, also known as the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence. The Mason District Arts Council’s Mason Arts 250 program is presenting “America the Beautiful … Continued
An annual ceremony commemorates a tragedy at Howrey Park
By Julia Key On Monday, the fifth annual memorial ceremony was held at Howrey Field in Annandale to commemorate the 58th anniversary of a tragic accident that claimed the lives of six soldiers. The soldiers, from the 77th Port Construction Engineer Company at Fort Belvoir, were developing what is now Howrey Field Park as a … Continued
The NoVA Lights Chorale hosts a free ‘America Celebrates 250’ concert
The NoVA Lights Chorale invites the public to a free concert next Sunday celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The concert will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 3439 Payne St., in Bailey’s Crossroads, at 4 p.m. on June 7. A free reception will follow the concert. This event is … Continued
Write a brief play for a Mason Arts 250 performance
A new call for one-act plays or recitations joins a busy cultural summer season in Annandale. The Mason District Arts Council is looking for community members to pen original short-form scripts or perform recitations of historical narratives. This project is part of the larger Mason Arts 250 initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration … Continued
The Mason District Arts Council hosts a poetry contest
Calling all poets, including those who’ve never written a poem before: Submit a poem to the Mason District Arts Council’s poetry competition. The contest is part of the council’s community art events aimed at reimagining the ideas of the American Revolution and engaging the public through the arts. The council is convening a series of … Continued
Mason Arts 250: Reimagining the Ideas of the American Revolution
By James Albright, chair of the Mason Arts Council This summer, the Mason District Arts Council is sponsoring a community-wide commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. The Mason Arts 250 program is aimed at engaging the public through the arts based on the ideas at the heart of the American Revolution. Artists and community members … Continued