✉️ Opening Note

Dear Neighbors,

Memorial Day weekend is here — and with it, the fullness of a Northern Virginia summer arriving all at once. Pools are open, parks are buzzing, and the county is humming with the kind of community energy that makes this place worth writing about every week.

This week we have a lot for you: a meaningful guide to marking the holiday right here at home, a community garden opportunity that's almost too good to be true at $15 a year, a look at a big week in county news — from a $67 billion utility deal that could affect your electric bill to a supervisor raising eyebrows with a side job in data centers — and a look ahead at what's coming in June, including two events on the same weekend that might just make it one of the best of the summer.

We also want to take a moment, before the barbecues and the beach traffic, to say thank you. Memorial Day is not about the long weekend. It's about the men and women who gave everything so we could have one.

Dom has more on that below.

— Marie & Dom, The Woodbridge Gazette Photo Unsplash

🌤️ This Week's Weather

Summer has arrived — and the carnival is still free this week

🌧️ Monday — Hi 73°F / Lo 58°F — Rainy, chance of showers

🌧️ Tuesday — Hi 73°F / Lo 59°F — Continued rain

🌧️ Wednesday — Hi 77°F / Lo 62°F — Showers likely

☀️ Thursday — Hi 86°F / Lo 65°F — Clearing up nicely

🌤️ Memorial Day Weekend — Warming and mostly sunny

🎖️ Memorial Day — Honoring the Fallen

Memorial Day is easy to lose in the noise of a long weekend. But the day has a specific purpose — and it isn't barbecues or beach traffic. It belongs to the fallen. To the ones who didn't come home.

Here in Prince William County, we are never far from that history — or from the people who carry it. This weekend, there are meaningful ways to mark the day close to home.

Manassas National Battlefield Park hosts special Memorial Day programming all day Monday. A ceremony will be held at the Patriots Monument on Henry Hill — one of the most moving settings for this kind of tribute in all of Northern Virginia. Park rangers will lead "Faces of the Fallen" guided tours through the battlefield, following individual soldiers through combat, and in the afternoon, staff will recite the names of more than 3,500 soldiers killed at First and Second Manassas — echoing out over the hillside where they once fought. Free. Deeply worth your time.

📍 12521 Lee Highway, Manassas · nps.gov/mana

Arlington National Cemetery hosts the National Memorial Day Observance — about 30 minutes north, and always powerful. Worth the drive for families who want to mark the holiday with weight and meaning. Arlington National Cemetery - Home

If you know a Gold Star family in our community who should be recognized, reach us at [email protected].

📰 Your Weekly News Brief

Data Centers: Three Stories, One Big Picture

It was a big week for data center news in Prince William County — and all three stories connect.

QTS Appeals to Virginia Supreme Court The Digital Gateway isn't dead yet. Compass Datacenters walked away, and the Board stopped defending the project after spending $1.72 million in legal fees. But QTS — backed by Blackstone — filed a last-minute appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court. The court hasn't decided whether to take the case. We'll keep watching.

A Supervisor and a Data Center Side Job Occoquan Supervisor Kenny Boddye has worked since last July as director of government affairs for a firm now marketing a West Virginia property to data center operators. Legal experts say there's no conflict of interest — as long as nothing related comes before the Board. Some residents aren't satisfied. Worth watching.

Your Electric Bill and a $67 Billion Deal NextEra Energy announced plans to acquire Dominion Energy — your electric utility — in a deal worth approximately $66.8 billion. Local supervisors are already raising concerns about affordability for everyday residents. This one will play out over months. But it starts now.

Special Election Coming for District 20 Delegate Maldonado's resignation takes effect May 31. A special election for House District 20 is expected soon. We'll have updates as they develop.

Veterans Treatment Docket Graduates Five Five Prince William veterans completed the year-long diversion program this month. Real second chances. Congratulations to all five.

Senior Center Without Walls Launches The county's first mobile senior programming launched at Veterans Park — bringing services directly to seniors. A small idea with real impact.

Young Artists Celebrated at Old Manassas Courthouse Clerk of Court Jacqueline Smith hosted the 6th Annual Law Day Award Ceremony at the historic Old Manassas Courthouse, honoring local student artists whose work explored this year's theme — "The Rule of Law and the American Dream." Students from grades 1 through 12 across Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park all submitted work. The winning artwork is now on display at the Manassas Park City Library, 100 Park Central Plaza — worth a visit if you're in the area.

A PWC Speller at the National Bee 🐝 A Prince William student is among 247 spellers at the Scripps National Spelling Bee at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C. Semifinals Wednesday May 27 on ION, finals Thursday May 28. Cheer them on!

🌱 Community Notice — Garden Plots for Rent in Woodbridge

Here's a gem for anyone who has been meaning to grow something this summer. Raised bed community garden plots are available to rent for 2026 right here in Woodbridge. Each bed is 3 feet by 8 feet, filled with compost to give you a healthy start, and the cost is just $15 for the entire year.

That is less than a bag of potting soil for a full growing season.

To find out more and reserve your plot, search "Community Garden Plots Available" on Woodbridge Patch at patch.com/virginia/woodbridge-va — or respond directly to the listing for location and contact details.

📅 Events & What's On

🎡 The Spring Carnival Is Still Running — And This Week It's Free

If you didn't make it out to the PWC Spring Carnival over Memorial Day weekend, good news: the carnival runs through May 31 at the Prince William County Fairgrounds, and admission is free from today, May 26, through Thursday, May 29. Rides, carnival food, monster trucks, live entertainment, and animal exhibits. Opening times this week are 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, then 2 p.m. on the final weekend (May 30–31, admission $10). Children 4 and under are always free.

A perfect after-school outing while the free days last.

📍 Prince William County Fairgrounds, 10624 Dumfries Road, Manassas

🏊 Pools and Waterparks Are Open

County community pools and waterparks are open for the season as of Memorial Day weekend. Online reservations are also now available at Lake Ridge Marina. Summer is officially on.

🎬🎶 Drive-In Movie Nights & Fridays at 5 Are Back

Prince William County Parks & Recreation has brought back two beloved summer staples — free Drive-In Movie Nights and Fridays at 5 outdoor concerts in local parks. Check pwcva.gov/parks for the full schedule as dates are released.

🎆 Worth the Drive — June Is Stacking Up Beautifully

Mark your calendars now. The first weekend of June is shaping up to be one of the best of the summer in our corner of Virginia.

Occoquan RiverFest & Craft Show — June 6–7

The annual arts, crafts, and river festival returns to historic downtown Occoquan. Free admission, hundreds of artisans, food trucks, a beer and wine garden, pontoon boat tours on the river, and a rubber duck race Sunday afternoon. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Full preview coming next week.

📍 Historic Downtown Occoquan—Festival Schedule | Fall Arts & Crafts Show

32nd Annual Historic Manassas Railway Festival — June 6

The very same Saturday, Old Town Manassas hosts its beloved Railway Festival — now in its 32nd year. Free admission, model train displays, train memorabilia, and specialty vendors throughout the day (9 a.m.–3 p.m.). The main draw: VRE excursion train rides departing from the Manassas Railroad Depot to the historic Town of Clifton and back, with trains at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. Train ride tickets are $9 per person and sell out — book ahead at historicmanassasinc.org.

A weekend itinerary writes itself: trains in the morning in Manassas, then down to Occoquan for the afternoon.

📍 9431 West Street, Old Town Manassas · historicmanassasinc.org

Juneteenth & Me Festival — June 19 🎉

The second annual Juneteenth & Me Festival comes to Pfitzner Stadium right here in Woodbridge on June 19. Last year drew nearly 5,000 people — this year promises over 100 vendors, live performances, food trucks, and family-friendly activities. One of the most joyful community events of the summer. More details in the weeks ahead.

📍 Pfitzner Stadium Complex, Woodbridge

🍦 Now Live on the Website

Our Guide to the Best Ice Cream in Prince William County

We promised it last week — and it's here. From classic soft-serve to artisan scoops to spots that welcome four-legged customers, we rounded up the best ice cream in Prince William County and put it all in one place.

👉 Read the full guide at woodbridgegazette.com

📚 Lifestyle — A Bookstore Moment Worth Savoring

A Full First Look: Cozy Calico Books & Sleepy Dragon Books

Prince William County had a remarkable spring for independent bookstores — two opened their doors on the same April weekend, and both are already becoming the kind of places people return to again and again.

In Old Town Manassas, Sleepy Dragon Books at 9101 Center Street brings a fantasy-forward sensibility to everything from picture books to adult fiction, with charming blind-date-with-a-book packages wrapped in kraft paper and tied with twine. In historic Occoquan, Cozy Calico Books at 199 Union Street — owned by published author Tracy Blanton and her husband Andy, a retired Army veteran of more than twenty years — has already won hearts with its stunning chandelier and beautiful floral nonfiction wall.

Full feature is posted on woodbridgegazette.com on Sleepy Dragon Books. Worth the visit to both — and if you pair Cozy Calico with lunch in Occoquan, you've got a perfect summer afternoon.

🎖️ Military & Veterans

By Domenic Clementi, Military & Veterans Editor

Memorial Day — The Day That Belongs to the Fallen

Armed Forces Day honors those in uniform today. Veterans Day honors all who have served. Memorial Day is different. It belongs, specifically and entirely, to the ones who didn't come home.

In Prince William County — with Quantico down the road and Fort Belvoir up it, with Gold Star families living on these very streets — that distinction is never abstract. This Monday, I hope you'll take a moment that goes beyond the cookout. Visit the Battlefield. Recite a name. Tell a child why the flag flies at half-staff until noon.

The Veterans Treatment Docket graduation this month was a reminder that honoring service doesn't end with a ceremony. It's ongoing — in courtrooms, in community centers, in the small decisions communities make about how to treat the people who served. Five veterans completed that program this month. Five people who served this country got a second chance. That matters.

If you have a veteran or Gold Star family member you'd like recognized in the Gazette, write to us at [email protected].

Honoring service. Covering community.

— Dom

🔭 Coming Up Next Week

A story we think deserves your full attention: the 118-year-old Bennett School in Manassas — completed in 1908, used as a neighborhood elementary school for generations, and dark since 1989 — is slated for demolition as part of the county's $233 million judicial center expansion. It's a story about history, community identity, and what we choose to preserve. We're giving it the space it deserves. Full feature next week at woodbridgegazette.com.

Also coming: our full preview of Occoquan RiverFest & Craft Show (June 6–7), a complete feature on Cozy Calico Books and Sleepy Dragon Books — two independent bookstores that opened this spring and are already becoming beloved local gathering places — and updates on the district 20 special election as they develop.

As always, tips and stories to [email protected].

💛 Until Next Monday

Have a meaningful Memorial Day weekend, neighbors. Enjoy the pools, the parks, and the long evenings. And sometime between now and Monday night, find a quiet minute to remember why the day exists.

See you next Monday.

Marie Buckley

Publisher & Editor · The Woodbridge Gazette

Your weekly neighbor along the Potomac.

Domenic Clementi

Military & Veterans Editor · The Woodbridge Gazette

Honoring service. Covering community.

woodbridgegazette.com · [email protected]

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