Volunteers clean up site of Annandale’s pop-up park

Crosby Lester (with white hat) chose the pop-up park cleanup as an Eagle Scout project.

Boy Scouts, Fairfax County employees from the Office of Community Revitalization (OCR) and Park Authority, and other volunteers spent several hours Saturday cleaning up the future site of Annandale’s pop-up park.

The park, located between the Annandale Fire Station and the ACCA Child Development Center, officially opens June 29 with the first of several community events organized by OCR.

Many bagfuls of invasive plants were removed.

“We want to make this something people can enjoy and a place where they connect with each other. It’s all about community,” said Laura Baker, program manager at the OCR.

Crosby Lester of Boy Scout Troop 1523 took on the park cleanup as an Eagle Scout project. He rounded up a group of scouts and classmates from Woodson High School to help with weeding, mulching, clearing out invasive plants, and picking up trash.

“It’s a great day to give back to the community,” Crosby said.

Volunteer Karen Sokol (right) learned about the cleanup day from the Annandale Blog. Beth Elliott (center) is from the Office of Community Revitalization.

A concrete area newly painted blue will become a civic plaza during the summer months with outdoor furniture and a refurbished piano decorated by an organization called Community Art for Everyone. The piano will be in a hutch to protect it from the worst weather.

The June 29 event, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., will feature live animals from Hidden Oaks Nature Center, a gardening clinic presented by Green Spring Gardens, golf tips from Pinecrest Golf Center, an educational display and fire trucks from the Annandale Fire Station, and a scavenger hunt. Visitors will get a special bead as part of the Park Authority’s Mason District Beadin’ Path program.

The park area has been overgrown with weeds and invasive plants.

On July 27, there will be an art-theme gathering at the pop-up park with chalk drawings on the ground led by Community Art for Everyone, rock painting, and possibly a children’s story session hosted by George Mason Regional Library.

There will be fitness-themed event on Aug. 24, and the final pop-up park gathering for the season will be on Oct. 5 during the Taste of Annandale, a community festival across the street along Tom Davis Drive.