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Hey neighbor! 👋
Happy Saturday! There’s plenty happening this weekend, starting with Quacktoberfest at Riverfront Park this afternoon at 2 PM. Tomorrow, New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano is at Tales & Tails Book Cafe signing her new holiday rom-com thriller, Home for the Homicides, and adoptable puppies named after her characters will be on the patio from 1 to 3 PM. I can’t promise anyone will leave empty-handed.
Looking ahead, Potomac Point Winery’s heated wine tents return Thursday, just in time for sweater weather, and the Savannah Bananas ticket lottery for Nats Park closes October 31, so get your name in soon. We’ve also got a look at Art Cart Kids in Stafford, plus a new House Hunch with 20 acres to dream about.
Grab your coffee and let’s dive in. 🌊
Dori
Local Pulse: FXBG Edition
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Meet a New York Times Bestselling Author Right Here in Fredericksburg 📚
Calling all book lovers! New York Times bestselling author Elle Cosimano is coming to Tales & Tails Book Cafe on Sunday, October 18, to sign copies of her brand-new holiday rom-com thriller, Home for the Homicides.
If you've read Elle's Finlay Donovan series, you already know her books are equal parts laugh-out-loud funny and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. And here's a fun fact: the Finlay Donovan series is set right here in Northern Virginia!
Your $30.54 ticket saves your spot in the signing line and includes a copy of Home for the Homicides. Tales & Tails will also have extra copies and many of Elle's other books available, so you can stock up on holiday gifts for the readers in your life.
And there's more! Adoptable puppies from the Old Dominion Humane Society, each named after one of Elle's characters, will be on the patio from 1 to 3 PM. 🐶
And there's more! Adoptable puppies from the Old Dominion Humane Society, each named after one of Elle's characters, will be on the patio from 1 to 3 PM. 🐶
Author Signing with Elle Cosimano
Sunday, October 18
Tales & Tails Book Cafe, 1010 Charles St., Fredericksburg
Signing spots may be available without a ticket, but they aren't guaranteed, so grab yours early!
Photo courtesy of Potomac Point Winery
Wine Season Doesn’t End When It Gets Cold: Heated Wine Tents Are Back
Who says you have to say goodbye to the vineyard when the temperature drops? Starting Thursday, October 22, Potomac Point Winery’s private heated wine tents return, giving you and your favorite people a cozy hideaway above the vines and a dedicated server for a 2.5-hour feast of artisanal cheese and charcuterie, warm small plates, dessert, and world-class wine.
$180 per tent, seats 4 to 12 guests (food and beverage minimum applies)
$50 off Wednesday through Friday tents before 5 PM with code WEEKDAYTENT
Dress in layers, and warm up with the signature grog (mulled wine)
Reservations open 30 days ahead at 9 AM. Book at exploretock.com/potomacpointwinerybistro.
Photo courtesy of the Savannah Bananas
Banana Ball Is Coming Back to Nats Park, and the Ticket Lottery Is Open
Savannah Bananas fans, get your yellow ready. Fresh off hosting the league’s first-ever Banana Bowl Championship, DC’s Nats Park will welcome Banana Ball for two games in 2027, and fans can apply for tickets through a lottery list.
The Party Animals take on the Firefighters on May 22 and 23
The lottery list closes at midnight on October 31
Join the lottery list at lottery.fansfirsttickets.com.
A big thank you to our sponsors for keeping this newsletter free for the community🙏 Want your business in front of 52,000+ Fredericksburg-area neighbors? Become a sponsor. [email protected]
The Studio Where "There's No Right Answer" Is the Whole Point
Stephanie Cox, Owner - Art Cart Kids
Walk into a 1957 house in Stafford County on a weekday afternoon and you will find kids making decisions. That is the actual curriculum at Art Cart Kids Enrichment Studio, where Stephanie Cox has built something for ages 4 through 12 that looks like an art class and functions like confidence training. No step-by-step projects, no model on the wall to copy.
She started it in 2019 as a mobile art school and bought the building in July 2023, bringing 31 years as an educator with her. "The focus isn't on creating perfect artwork," she says. "It's on helping children trust themselves." The artwork goes home on the car ride. What she is after lasts longer than that.
Daytime and after-school sessions for ages 4 to 12, with a Crow's Nest Elementary bus stop at the driveway
Seasonal camps and creative birthday parties
Free Friday evening sessions for local kids through Stafford Junction
House Hunch FXBG
Can you guess the price of this real estate listing in Spotsylvania based on just one photo? Here’s a hint: 4 bd, 3 ba, around 4,100 sqft. on around 20 acres.
Want to feature your listing in House Hunch FXBG? Respond to this email for info!
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Is Your Business the One Everyone in Town Talks About? Find Out in Five Minutes
The Local Visibility Score is a free tool for local business owners. In ten questions and about five minutes, you get a score out of 30 and a breakdown of where people are missing you, from whether the right people know you exist, to whether they trust what they find, to whether your name comes up when you aren’t in the room. Most owners assume awareness is the problem, but for about half, it isn’t. There’s no login, and results land in your inbox. Take the Local Visibility Score at doristewart.com.
What’s Happening In & Around the ‘Burg
Here are some of the top events happening soon. Always check with the venue for the latest details. Got an event coming up? Add it to our calendar.
Saturday, October 17
Anthony James Band | 6:00PM
Location: Laudenbach Brewing, 45 Centreport Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: It's going rock and it's going to roll, one may even say it will ROCK AND ROLL!
Location: Tales and Tails Book Cafe, 1010 Charles St, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: A book club and craft session where participants make witch hat book stack shelf accessories and chat about their latest reads.
Fall Farmstand Crawl | 10:00AM (through Oct. 18)
Location: Stafford County + King George County
Description: A self-guided weekend created to connect our community with the people growing, raising, baking, and making food right here in our own backyard.
Greenberg Train & Toy Show | 10:00AM (through Oct.18)
Location: Fredericksburg Convention Center, 2371 Carl D Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Explore hundreds of tables featuring trains, accessories, scale models, and collectible toys for sale from dealers across the country.
Maltese Brewing Co. Chili Cook-Off | 5:00PM
Location: 11800 Main Street, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: A chili cook-off at a local brewery, with plenty of spicy competition and a casual bar atmosphere.
Paint Pawty | 2:30PM
Location: Old Dominion Humane Society, 3602 Lafayette Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Unleash the inner artist, where guests create a portrait of a beloved pet.
Location: 10819 Courthouse Rd, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: A fall adoption event with sponsored adoption fees for cats and dogs, plus trunk-or-treat, interactive activities, and a bake sale to support the SPCA.
The Josh Hardy Superhero Celebration | 6:00PM
Location: Strangeways Brewing Fredericksburg, 350 Lansdowne Rd, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: A superhero-themed family celebration with pizza, drinks, and a cake walk, benefiting families facing pediatric cancer.
Quacktoberfest | 2;00PM
Location: Riverfront Park, 701 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Brings a seasonal celebration to the park, inviting the community to enjoy the autumn together.
Sunday, October 18
Mahjongg with Dragon 152 Club | 1:00PM
Location: City Vino, 100, Hanover Street, Maury, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Come tickle the tiles and your taste buds!
Rebel Roses Health and Wellness Fair | 11:00AM
Location: Ron Rosner YMCA, 5700 Smith Station Rd, Fredericksburg, VA
Desription: A health and wellness fair featuring fitness demos, local products, Double Dutch performances, and networking.
Location: Strictly Ballroom Dance Studio, 125 Olde Greenwich Dr, Suite 190, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: A West Coast Swing social with your choice of beginner or beyond-beginner lesson, followed by a dance.
