Tag: parks
FCPS will not use Justice Park for parking
Community members gather on the spot in Justice Park where the parking lot was proposed for a presentation Sept. 18 on the Black families displaced when the park was created. In a huge victory for community members, Fairfax County Public Schools has backed away from creating a parking lot in Justice Park to accommodate the … Continued
Construction underway on Hidden Oaks expansion project
Construction is underway on an expansion and renovation project at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. The $1.2 million project includes 2,000 square feet for new offices and a new multipurpose room, accessible restrooms, an additional exhibition area, and improved stroller parking.
Fairfax County forced Black families to vacate land for Justice Park
Edwin Henderson (right) at Justice Park. On the left is Spanish translator Fernando Ferrufino. Long before Justice High School and Justice Park were built on Peace Valley Lane in Seven Corners, the land was owned by a handful of Black families. The community learned about that “hidden history” at an event at Justice Park Sept. … Continued
Park Foundation honors Valis family for contribution to Pinecrest Golf Center
Angela and Wayne Valis (on the right) with other family members at the unveiling of the TrackMan 4 Golf Simulator at the Pinecrest Golf Center. The Fairfax County Park Foundation has named the Valis family of Bailey’s Crossroads as one of three winners of this year’s Eakin Philanthropy Awards. Wayne and Angela Valis are being … Continued
Annandale Greenway Alliance seeks community support for a path connecting seven parks
The Greenway would go along a pedestrian path between two sections of Alpine Drive. A group of Annandale residents is committed to the Annandale Greenway project and encourages other community members to join the effort to make it happen. The proposed Greenway is a four-and-a-half-mile-long path along existing park trails and streets through Annandale between … Continued
Public invited to event highlighting the hidden, Black history of Justice Park
Justice Park The community is invited to “Discover the Hidden History of Justice Park” at a special event Sept. 18 hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Committee. Edwin Henderson, founder of the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, will talk about the Black families who once owned land on the site and were … Continued
Deer hunting allowed in parks, beginning this Saturday
Signs like this are posted on trees in parks where deer hunting is allowed. Deer season in Fairfax County parks begins this Saturday, Sept. 11, and runs through Feb. 19, 2022. During this period, qualified groups of hunters are authorized to use archery to kill deer in designated areas across the county.
Community members invited to get involved in the Annandale Greenway project
The Annandale Greenway would incorporate this trail in Manassas Gap Railroad Park in Annandale. The Annandale Greenway is moving forward, and there are two upcoming opportunities for the public to get involved. In March we published an article by James Albright about his proposal to create a trail through Annandale between Annandale Community Park and … Continued
Explore a Park: Spring Lane Park, a green respite in Bailey’s Crossroads
This article is part of our series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. Recent articles covered Poe Terrace Park and Pine Ridge Park in Annandale. The 5.2-acre Spring Lane Park is located at 3400 Carlyn Hill Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads close to Columbia Pike and the Arlington County border. It’s surrounded by Spring Lane, … Continued
Summer concerts end this weekend
The LUA Project performed Mexilachian music, combining Mexican and Appalachian elementary, at Ossian Hall Park earlier this month. If you haven’t taken full advantage of the free summer Spotlight by Startlight concerns in Annandale yet, you’ve only got two more chances. The last show at the Mason District Park Amphitheater is tonight, Aug. 20. The U.S. Navy … Continued
Park Board to recommend construction of large pickleball facility
A draft report on the Park Authority’s Pickleball Study recommends at least one large pickleball-only facility suitable for large groups and tournaments, with six or more courts. Funding would come from the 2024 park bond or another source. The public is invited to a community meeting Sept. 14 to learn more about the Pickleball Study. … Continued
Park Authority Board endorses dog park report
Mason District Dog Park The Fairfax County Park Authority Board endorsed the Dog Park Study report, which will serve as a guide for the planning and maintenance of future dog parks. The study is based in part on a survey of dog park visitors, as well as research, policy analysis, and identification of best practices. … Continued
Del. Kory wants to improve Park Authority transparency in light of Justice Park parking lot conflict
Del. Kaye Kory talks to a reporter at an open house at Justice Park in June hosted by opponents of the parking lot proposal. Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Park Authority were able to push a proposal for a parking lot in Justice Park without public hearings because they used a section … Continued
An open house at the White Gardens reveals how much work a resident curator would have to take on
The foyer in the White House. Potential resident curators and curious neighbors got a chance to look inside the house at the Margaret White Gardens at an open house on Aug. 7. The Park Authority is seeking a resident curator to fix up the house. The curator would pay for the needed repairs and maintenance … Continued
Margaret White wouldn’t have wanted a ‘resident curator’ for the park that bears her name, her son says
The flowering plants at the White Gardens are being overtaken by invasives. The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking a “resident curator” to live in and restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens, but that’s not what Margaret would have wanted, says her son Doug White. “She didn’t care whether the house was torn … Continued