In partnership with
Hey neighbor,
Grab your clubs, because we've got two good causes on the green this fall: the Imagination Library Golf Tournament tees off October 3, with every dollar going straight to free books for local kids, and Swinging for HOPE follows on October 9 to fight holiday food insecurity. If golf's not your game, the State Fair of Virginia is basically in our backyard, but the cheap advance tickets expire Tuesday. We're also introducing you to Art Cart Kids, a Stafford art studio built around letting children make their own decisions, and pointing you toward oysters and a dozen Virginia wineries at Stratford Hall this weekend.
Grab your coffee. Let's dive in. 🌊
Dori
Local Pulse: FXBG Edition
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Swinging for HOPE: A Golf Tournament to Fight Holiday Food Insecurity
The Hub of Hope is teeing up its first-ever golf tournament, Swinging for HOPE: The Knights of Pythias Memorial Tournament, on Friday, October 9 at Pendleton Golf Course. It's a best ball format day of golf and fellowship, with proceeds funding Hope for the Holiday Giveaways and the broader fight against food insecurity across the Greater Fredericksburg region.
In partnership with Knights of Pythias Lodge 22, the tournament also honors Lodge Brothers who spent years showing up for charity golf tournaments like this one.
Friday, October 9, registration at 8 AM, shotgun start at 9 AM
Pendleton Golf Course in Ruther Glen
Team entry is $500 for four players, or $125 per individual player, both include green fees, cart, range balls, and lunch
Sponsorships range from $250 to $1,000, including hole, contest, beverage cart, 50/50 Challenge, and t-shirt options
Lunch and awards follow at 2 PM at Hope Heroes Southern Kitchen
Register your team or find sponsorship info at hubofhopeusa.com/golf.
The State Fair Is Basically in Our Backyard, and the Cheap Tickets Expire Tuesday
Doswell sits right off I-95, roughly halfway between Richmond and Fredericksburg, which makes the State Fair of Virginia one of the easiest big outings on the fall calendar. It runs September 25 through October 4 at The Meadow Event Park, and the advance online sale that saves you money closes September 22. That gives you five days.
For more than 170 years the fair has celebrated the people, traditions, and agricultural heritage that make this the Best of Virginia. What that means on the ground is a midway, a rodeo, concerts, competitions, livestock barns, and a food lineup you will think about for weeks.
September 25 through October 4 at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell
Advance online tickets through Tuesday, September 22, priced lower than gate admission
Rides, rodeos, concerts, contests, and barns full of animals to visit
General parking is free, with premium parking available closer to the gate
Presented by Virginia Farm Bureau
She Gave Away Millions of Books. Spotsylvania Is Throwing a Golf Tournament to Keep It Going.
Dolly Parton died on August 25, and tributes have poured in from every corner of the world. Meanwhile, in a mail truck somewhere in Spotsylvania County, her actual legacy is riding around in a padded envelope addressed to a four-year-old.
The Imagination Library she started in 1995 mails a free book every month to every registered child from birth to age five, more than a million books a month worldwide, one in seven American kids under five. The Spotsylvania branch opened in March 2020 and has already signed up close to 3,000 local children, each of whom collects 60 books before aging out. "Brains are built, not born, and the early years last forever," says local affiliate Elizabeth DiDonato.
Here's the part that should get your attention: the Dollywood Foundation covers the overhead, so every dollar raised at the Annual Spotsylvania County Imagination Library Golf Tournament goes straight to books for kids in this county. Not administration. Not a percentage. All of it.
Saturday, October 3 at Lake of the Woods Golf Course
$250 puts your name on a hole sign and on the Sponsor Big Board
$31 buys one child a full year of books, for those of us who shouldn't be trusted with a nine iron
Tax deductible, EIN 54-0855513
Have a little one at home? Register free at imaginationlibrary.com
A big thank you to our sponsors for keeping this newsletter free for the community🙏 Want your business in front of 48,000+ 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
Put On Your Pink and Help Build a House at This Black & Pink Tie Gala
Heels & Hammers: The Power to Build is an elegant fundraising event hosted by Women Build to benefit Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity, bringing together community leaders, local businesses, and supporters for an evening focused on empowerment and building stronger futures for families in our region.
The event takes place September 26 at 5:30 pm at The Silk Mill in Fredericksburg. Guests are invited to wear black and/or pink tie attire for an evening that includes a silent auction, a guest-judged hard hat decorating contest, community connection, and a plated meal with beer and wine.
Saturday, September 26, 5:30 pm
The Silk Mill, Fredericksburg
Black and/or pink tie attire
Tickets are limited; reserve yours at fredhab.org
Oysters and a Dozen Virginia Wineries
There are worse ways to spend a September Saturday than standing on the grounds of an 18th-century plantation house with a souvenir glass in one hand and a coastal oyster in the other. The Wine & Oyster Festival is back at Stratford Hall on September 19 and 20, about an hour from Fredericksburg, with a dozen-plus Virginia wineries, distilleries and breweries on site, live music, artisan booths, food trucks, and a car show.
Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 at Stratford Hall, an easy drive down Route 3
Tasting tickets include wine samples and a glass to take home; distillery and beer sales are 21 and up, so bring a physical ID
Every ticket includes the Visitor Center, Gift Shop, and Great House during select hours
Tickets are good for one day only, and it runs rain or shine with no refunds.
Get tickets and see the full vendor lineup here.
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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.
Friday, September 18
Female Leads Music Bingo | 6:30PM
Location: Laudenbach Brewing, 45 Centreport Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA
John Burton Playing | 7:00PM
Location: Adventure Brewing Company, 4 Hazel Park Ln, Fredericksburg, VA
Pilates Pawty | 7:00PM
Location: Old Dominion Humane Society, 3602 Lafayette Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: With all the little four-legged pups available for adoption, participants may find their workout buddies.
Saturday, September 19
Rappahannock Riverfest | 3:00PM
Location: McDaniel Property, adjacent to Fredericksburg’s City Dock, 130 Sophia St, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: With live music, auctions, drinks, and DELICIOUS FOOD.
Third Annual FXBG VegFest | 11:00AM
Location: Riverfront Park Fredericksburg, 701 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Experience Vegan Vendors, Vegan Food Trucks, Vegan Mocktail and Cocktail Bar, Inspiring Speakers, 1781 Brewing Vegan Beer, Wilderness Run Vineyards Vegan Wine,Cider and so much more.
Puppy Yoga & Mimosas | 10:30AM
Location: The Barking Barley, 1515 Olde William Street, Fredericksburg, VA
Sunday, September 20
Sundress and Sangria | 12:00PM
Location: Eden Try Winery, 6818 River Road, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: An end-of-summer vineyard party filled with sunshine, live music, flowing sangria, and one last excuse to wear your favorite sundress before fall rolls in.
Book Swap | 2:00PM
Location: Strangeways Brewing, 350 Lansdowne Road, Fredericksburg, VA
Taste Through Time: A Scoop of History | 12:00PM
Location: Historic Kenmore, 1201 Washington Ave, Fredericksburg, VA
Description: Explore how enslaved cooks made these indulgences possible and uncover the histories behind a dessert once reserved for the elite.
