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●       Opening Note

●       Weather

●       The Lead

●       Weekly News Brief

●       New Businesses

●       Community

●       Events & What's On

●       Save the Dates

Hello, neighbors.

This is the last Monday of August, which always feels like the hinge of the year around here. Summer hasn't quite let go — the waterparks stay open through Labor Day weekend, and then that's it until next spring, so if anyone in your house has been meaning to get one more afternoon on the lazy river, this is the weekend for it. But fall is already crowding in behind it, and it's crowding in fast.

Apple picking has started at the orchards out west, though this year it comes with an asterisk. A hard spring freeze hit Virginia's fruit trees while they were in bloom, and some orchards lost their entire crop — including places families have been driving to for generations. Others came through fine and are picking right now. We're sorting out who's who, and we'll have the full picture for you next week. In the meantime, there are two farms we can vouch for, and you'll find them down in Events.

Pumpkin patches open around the middle of the month, and the Occoquan Fall Arts & Crafts Show returns Sept. 26 and 27 — three hundred-odd artists, the streets closed to cars, and the whole town turned over to it for a weekend. Manassas Ballet opens its new season on the 19th. We'll have more on all of it as the dates get closer.

There are some new openings in Prince William County, too. Carbonara, the Arlington Italian supper club that's become one of the hardest reservations in Northern Virginia, is bringing its second location to Virginia Gateway in Gainesville next week. A national thrift chain just opened in Manassas. And there's more coming that we're not quite ready to talk about yet. We have a Beebop opening in Stonebridge coming soon. No date on opening yet.

One practical note before you go: if you drive I-95 south, there are lane closures at the Route 123 interchange tonight, and the traffic pattern that goes in afterward is staying put until 2027.

Have a wonderful week.

Marie Clementi

A hot one ahead. Four straight days in the 90s to start the week, topping out near 98 on Wednesday and Thursday, with afternoon thunderstorms likely Thursday. Then a real break: temperatures drop into the low 80s just in time for Labor Day weekend.

●       ☀️ Mon, Aug 31 — Partly cloudy, high 93, low 73

●       ☀️ Tue, Sept 1 — Partly cloudy, high 96, low 75

●       🔥 Wed, Sept 2 — Partly cloudy, high 98, low 76

●       ⛈️ Thu, Sept 3 — PM thunderstorms, high 98, low 75

●       ⛅ Fri, Sept 4 — Partly cloudy

●       ⛅ Sat, Sept 5 — Partly cloudy, 22% chance of rain

●       ⛅ Sun, Sept 6 — Partly cloudy, high 83, low 65

Buzz Bookstore Sets Its Opening Date: Sept. 26

The rare and vintage bookshop in Occoquan's 1750 Ferryman's House will open on the first day of the Fall Arts & Crafts Show.

By Marie Clementi

Ben and Rebecca Pagel will open their rare and vintage bookshop at 406 Mill Street on Saturday, Sept. 26 — the first day of the Occoquan Fall Arts & Crafts Show, when the town closes its streets and draws the largest crowd Mill Street sees all year. It is either the best or the most nerve-racking day to open a small business, and probably both.

The shop occupies the historic Ferryman's House, a structure dating to roughly 1750 and one of the oldest surviving buildings in town, from the era when travelers crossed the Occoquan River by ferry. It's a contributing structure in Occoquan's Old and Historic District.

The Pagels have been working toward this for more than a decade — since the day Ben bought 2,000 books off Craigslist for $400 and hauled 57 Rubbermaid tubs into a 14th-floor studio apartment by shopping cart. They named the shop on their fourth date. When it opens, expect rare and collectible books alongside vintage copies of familiar titles.

Read the full story

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/Weekly News Brief

Overnight Lane Closures on I-95 South at Route 123 Tonight — Southbound I-95 will have alternating single- and double-lane closures at the Route 123 interchange (Exit 160) between 9:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, and 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, weather permitting. VDOT is shifting southbound traffic to the right onto a newly built section of the bridge over Occoquan Road so the rest of the existing bridge can be demolished and rebuilt. The shift stays in place until summer 2027. The work is part of the I-95 and Route 123 interchange improvements project, which is also replacing the northbound Route 123 loop ramp to southbound I-95 with a signalized left turn, widening the southbound Route 123 ramp from one lane to two, and adding a shared-use path along northbound Route 123 between Annapolis Way and Devil's Reach Road. Southbound construction is scheduled to finish in late 2027, the full interchange in late 2028.

Source: Virginia Department of Transportation

Third Lane Opens on Route 123 Northbound Near Fairfax County Parkway — Northbound Route 123 now has a third travel lane from Chapel Road to the bridge over Fairfax County Parkway, VDOT announced Thursday. It's part of the $126 million Fairfax County Parkway widening south project, which is also taking about two miles of the Parkway from four lanes to six between Route 123 and Nomes Court, adding a shared-use path, and rebuilding the Burke Centre Parkway intersection. That project and a companion widening to the north are both scheduled to finish in mid-2027, which will give the Parkway six continuous lanes across roughly eight miles from Route 123 to Rugby Road. A third left-turn lane on the southbound Parkway ramp to Route 123 opened earlier.

Source: Virginia Department of Transportation

Your Virginia Driver's License Now Fits in Your iPhone — Virginia became the 15th state to offer a digital ID through Apple Wallet last week. For Prince William County residents, the most immediate use is at the airport: digital IDs are accepted at more than 250 TSA checkpoints nationwide, including Dulles and Reagan National. Closer to home, they work at all Virginia DMV locations — including the Woodbridge center on Caton Hill Road and the Manassas center on Bulloch Drive — at pilot Virginia ABC stores, with Virginia State Police, and at Apple Federal Credit Union branches. The DMV says drivers still need to carry the physical card as a backup.

Source: Woodbridge Gazette Staff

New Executive Director Takes the Reins at Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center — Maddie Gierber has become executive director of the Haymarket nonprofit, succeeding Inga Janke after 11 years. Gierber joined Rainbow as weekend barn manager in 2012, qualified as a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor in 2020 and became program director in 2024. She wrote that she is "excited to build on Rainbow's incredible achievements." Janke is staying on as senior advisor, supporting development and finances through the transition. The center has also hired Victor Roman as barn manager, overseeing its herd of 10 therapy horses and its indoor and outdoor arenas, six paddocks and grounds. Established in 1985 and located at the entrance to Silver Lake Regional Park, Rainbow provides equine-assisted activities for children and adults with physical, cognitive, emotional and mental health challenges.

Source: Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center

Belvedere Plantation Owners Confirm Data Center Plans — The Fulks family, who have farmed the 600-acre Fredericksburg property since 1968, confirmed in a Facebook post last week that a "technology campus" is planned for the land, which dates to the 1760s. The family said the decision was made around their dining table with the fifth-generation present and was not made lightly, and that they have begun working with an organization looking to site the campus on the property. Local outlets had earlier reported plans to rezone part of the farm for a data center. The farm's Fall Harvest Festival opens Sept. 12, and runs select days through Nov. 7.

Source: Northern Virginia Magazine

Manassas Now Has Its Own License Plate — The City of Manassas custom plate is available through the Virginia DMV, either for your vehicle or as a souvenir to display. The design pairs the city seal, featuring town hall, with the slogan "Historic Heart, Modern Beat." It was first envisioned as part of the city's 150th anniversary in 2023, when the Manassas Historic Resources Board created it, and has been working through the DMV's design and approval process since.

Source: Virginia DMV

Carbonara — Arlington's acclaimed Italian supper club opens its second location at Virginia Gateway, 14081 Promenade Commons Street, in the former Bar Louie space. Chef Mike Cordero expects to open Sept. 9, pending final inspections. The 6,300-square-foot restaurant seats 240 and brings the full old-school New York treatment: housemade pasta finished tableside in a flaming Parmesan wheel, tableside tiramisu, and a Frank Sinatra band on weekends. Dinner service to start, with lunch and an 80-seat patio to follow. Menus at carbonarava.com.

Buzz Bookstore — Ben and Rebecca Pagel open their rare and vintage bookshop at 406 Mill Street, Occoquan, on Saturday, Sept. 26, inside the historic 1750 Ferryman's House. Rare and collectible books alongside vintage copies of familiar titles. Shop online at BuzzBookstore.com.

Red, White & Blue Thrift Store — The national thrift chain has opened at 10318 Portsmouth Rd. in Manassas, with a ribbon cutting held Aug. 27. The store is open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Red White & Blue operates more than 30 stores nationwide and has been in business over 60 years.

Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center needs fall volunteers — Every lesson needs at least one volunteer and some need three, from horse prep and grooming to walking alongside riders who need extra support. A couple of hours a week makes a difference. Email [email protected].

●       Are you a local business owner? Reply to this email — we'd love to feature you.

Mon, Aug 31

Sat–Mon, Sept 5–7

Farmers Markets This Week
Markets are running through the fall. See our complete guide to farmers markets in Prince William County for hours, locations and what each one does best.

Open daily: Buckland Farm Market isn't a weekly market — it's a year-round country market on a 150-acre working cattle farm at 4484 Lee Hwy. in New Baltimore, between Haymarket and Warrenton. Produce, meat, cheese, eggs, jams and honey, plus an on-site bakery. Open every day, 9am–6pm.

Pick your own apples

Thanks for reading.

Marie Clementi — Editor · The Woodbridge Gazette

Domenic Clementi — Military & Veterans Editor · The Woodbridge Gazette

woodbridgegazette.com · [email protected]

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