Tag: parks
Bring kids to Hidden Oaks Nature Center for lots of drop-in activities
Nature Playce, an all-natural play area. Annandale’s Hidden Oaks Nature Center offers lots of nature programs for kids (such as science lessons, animal encounters, campfires, tea parties, and nature-related crafts) that require advanced registration and fees. But there are also a variety of drop-in activities at Hidden Oaks: Nature Playce – An unstructured woodland play … Continued
Restoration of Wakefield Run in Annandale to start this summer
Wakefield Run [Photo by Friends of Accotink Creek] A project to restore Wakefield Run, a tributary of Accotink Creek in Annandale, is expected to start this summer. Wakefield Run begins near Heritage Drive behind Braddock Elementary School, goes under the beltway, and flows into Accotink Creek in Wakefield Park. The stream receives heavy runoff from … Continued
Plans drawn up for Annandale ‘skate spot’
The plan proposed by the county. Fairfax County officials have drawn up preliminary plans for a “skate spot” at the old basketball court between the Annandale Fire Station and the Annandale Christian Community for Action building on Columbia Pike. All that’s needed now to make it happen is the money. Implementing the plan would cost … Continued
Mason residents disagree about need for cell tower at Parklawn pool
Parklawn resident Michael Gates of PACACT argues against putting up a cell tower at the Parklawn pool. As people for and against the proposed cell tower at the Parklawn pool argued their positions at a lively meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee March 26, it basically boiled down to aesthetics vs. coverage. People … Continued
Preliminary schedule of Mason District summer concerts announced
The amphitheatre at Mason District Park. A preliminary 2013 schedule of free summer concerts at the amphitheatre in Mason District Park has been published in Mason Supervisor Penny Gross’ newsletter. The Spotlight by Starlight shows, presented by the Fairfax County Park Authority and Friends of Mason District Park, are 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and … Continued
Outdoor natural play area planned for Westlawn Elementary School
Westlawn Elementary School Westlawn Elementary School is developing plans for an “outdoor discovery area” where children can play and climb on natural features like boulders, logs, and tree stumps. The area would have some raised garden beds for children to learn about growing plants and healthy food choices. The play area would also be available … Continued
150th anniversary of the raid at Accotink and Burke commemorated
John Vrana, in a coat like those worm by the Confederates, sets fire to a photo of the old Accotink bridge. A bunch of history enthusiasts gathered at Lake Accotink Park Dec. 30 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Confederate raids on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad trestle bridge and the railroad station in … Continued
Belvedere students get some help from the Air Force drill team
Drill team performs for students. The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team “spun, flipped, and tossed” their 11-pound M-1 rifles in a precision drill for third through fifth-grade students at Belvedere Elementary School Nov. 26. After the performance, members of the drill team helped 45 fifth-graders plant trees and shrubs in Belvedere Park, an … Continued
Stuart Park clean-up exemplifies power of volunteerism
Students working in Stuart Park. Stuart Park is looking much nicer after three clean-up activities this fall organized by JEB Stuart High School teacher Lauren Kinne. More than 100 volunteers bagged and removed nearly 200 bags of invasive species, primarily porcelain berry, knotweed, and English ivy. Students from Stuart High School, Bailey’s Elementary School, and … Continued
DeerDeter system prevents deer-vehicle collisions
Dead deer on the side of Gallows Road, Annandale, inside the beltway. With deer-vehicle collisions a growing problem in Fairfax County, a non-profit group called 21st Century Deer Management is teaming up with a private company to urge the county to adopt a humane, high-tech system to keep deer off the roads. So far, in … Continued
Skate event highlights need to develop park in central Annandale
D.C. Roller Girls try out the ramps in the Annandale Fire Station parking lot. Several skateboarders and community members came to a temporary “skate event” with portable ramps and ledges in Annandale Fire Station parking lot Saturday to show their support for the development of a skate plaza and park in a nearby vacant lot. … Continued
Volunteers clean up Stuart Park
More than 50 volunteers collected nearly 100 backs of invasive species debris and a truckload of logs at the first Stuart Park Cleanup event Sept. 29. J.E.B. Stuart High School students and faculty, Ravenwood Park residents, Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club members, and other volunteers participated in the clean-up, which was organized by Stuart biology … Continued
Concerns raised on toxic chemicals in synthetic turf fields
A soccer game on the turf field at Pine Ridge Park in Annandale. Every day, kids and adults throughout Northern Virginia play soccer, football, and lacrosse on athletic fields with artificial turf. Yet few people are aware of the toxic materials in these fields. A group of parents, several of whom are scientists, have formed … Continued
Stuart HS community launches project to clean up Stuart Park
J.E.B Stuart High School teacher Lauren Kinne, along with students and volunteers, will be spending three mornings during the next few weeks cleaning up Stuart Park, and the public is invited to join them. The first activity of the J.E.B. Stuart Park Rejuvenation Project takes places Saturday, Sept. 29, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Stuart students in … Continued
Fall Garden Day at Green Spring Gardens
Asters, winterberry, lilac, butterfly bushes, and Montauk daisies were among the biggest sellers at Fall Garden Day at Green Spring Gardens Sept. 22. The annual event, featuring 21 plant venders, non-profit organizations, a silent auction, crafts, and musical entertainment, benefits Friends of Green Spring (FROGS). Pitcher plants from the Carnivorous Plant Nursery of Derwood, Md.