There’s something about Mother’s Day weekend that brings out the best of spring — the wide-brimmed hats, the armfuls of flowers, the particular joy of a pink peony sitting in a vase on a Sunday morning. It sings the praises of May so well. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year, and this Saturday and Sunday Woodbridge is giving us plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy it.
☀️ This Weekend’s Weather
Saturday looks partly cloudy with a high of 63° — bring a light layer for the craft show. Sunday clears up nicely, sunny and 63°. A lovely Mother’s Day.
🎨 Gar-Field High School Craft Show
Saturday, May 9 · 9am–3pm
14000 Smoketown Rd, Woodbridge
Local makers, handcrafted goods, and the kind of finds you won’t get on Amazon. The Gar-Field craft show is a great way to spend a Saturday morning and pick up something special for the mom in your life — or yourself. No judgment.
🚗 Worth the Drive: Old Town Manassas Art Show & Craft Spring Fair
Saturday, May 9 · 10am–3pm
Manassas Museum Lawn, 9101 Prince William St
If you’re up for a short drive, Old Town Manassas is pulling out all the stops this weekend. The Art Show & Craft Spring Fair sets up on the museum lawn with local artists and makers — a beautiful backdrop for a Mother’s Day browse. Nearly 3,000 people are interested on Facebook, so arrive early.
🎖️ From Domenic Clementi: For Our Military Families
Anna Jarvis, Founder of Mother’s Day, c. 1890. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
By Domenic Clementi, Military and Veterans Editor
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” — Diana, Princess of Wales
Few of us remember either the founder or the origins of Mother’s Day. We probably forget too that this second Sunday in May is not merely celebrated, but in fact, has the status of a legal holiday in the United States, thanks to the tireless work of Anna Jarvis, its creator. Miss Jarvis – to use the language of her day – was a tireless campaigner for good causes. Born in 1864, Anna grew up in West Virginia amidst the aftermath of the Civil War. Growing in Appalachian Country, Miss Jarvis understood well the fraught nature of motherhood in those days; the great numbers of children and mothers who died in childbirth or succumbed before their time to diseases and maladies we scarcely think about now.
Anna was deeply moved by emotion for the sacrifices she witnessed by the mothers she saw around her, and indeed by her own mother: When she was 12 years old, Anna Jarvis witnessed her mother offer a prayer at the close of a Sunday school class: “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mothers’ day, commemorating her (Ed, meaning all mothers) for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
Anna Jarvis never forgot her mother’s prayer. Inspired by it, Anna advocated relentlessly from around 1905 on for the creation in the United States of a national holiday honoring all mothers, their love, and their special sacrifices. Her work paid off well. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation in 1914 establishing Mother’s Day in all the 48 states of the Union.
“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” — Abraham Lincoln
Mother’s Day weekend has something special for our military community at Quantico. On Sunday, May 10, Leatherneck Lanes is rolling out the welcome mat — moms bowl free from 1–5pm when accompanied by their children. Base access required; stop by the Visitor Control Center on Telegraph Road in Stafford for a one-day pass.
Not on base? The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle is open to the public and free — a meaningful way to spend Mother’s Day with the family.
Happy Mother’s Day to every mom in our community — you make Woodbridge home.
Until next week,
Marie & Dom
The Woodbridge Gazette