The spooky Caboose will be open for all who dare enter this Halloween. Little ghosts and goblins can also stick their hands in mystery buckets to try to guess the Halloween creature.

Join us at 7:00pm to hear a recap of this year’s dig season with Germanna Archaeology! What have we discovered? What have we learned? This program will be held via Zoom.

Participants will receive a Zoom link prior to the lecture.

This is a Pay What You Can event with a suggested donation of $10. Your donation of any amount will go directly toward supporting this Historic Germanna program and more programs like it as well as research, archaeology, and preservation of our historic sites. Thank you!

Supporters of Historic Germanna who have donated over $1,000 will be recognized at the beginning and end of the program.

If you would like to sponsor the lecture, please make a donation with one of the below levels. We will also recognize these sponsors at the beginning and end of the program.

• $100 Iron Sponsor
• $250 Silver Sponsor
• $500 Gold Sponsor

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Via Colori® Stafford! is a two-day, family-friendly event, taking place from 10:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, September 27, 2025.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:  Due to the rain, Via Colori® Stafford will be a one-day event on 9/28.

The event will be held at the Stafford Regional Airport. Accessible parking and portable restrooms will be available. Food vendors will be on-site should you wish to purchase refreshments. The event is free for participating artists and the public, and you’ll find a number of community organizations and sponsor tables to visit, plus activities for children. Artists will be busy creating their chalk paintings on well-spaced squares, so you’ll be able to walk around and watch them in action.

We’re pleased to announce that Erik Greenawalt, aka “The Chalking Dad,” has been selected as the 5th annual Via Colori® Stafford Featured Artist. A certified “master” chalk artist in the Florida Chalk Artist Association, Erik participates in street painting festivals around the world, creating elaborate chalk drawings. Erik has chalked at the Australia Zoo and for corporate clients such as BBC/Ludo Studio, Under Armour, and Disney.

The Chalking Dad will be joined by 2025 Signature Artist Bethany Ablondi and 70 local artists as they create large-scale pastel artworks directly on the pavement at this celebration of the arts.

In addition to the artists’ creations, there will be live entertainment, nonprofit vendors, food vendors, and a children’s activity area. 

How to get involved:

• Become an Artist: Register to create a 4 x 4, 6×6, or 10×10 square on your own, with a partner, or in a group. The deadline to apply is September 1, 2025 (will close sooner if all spots are filled). No fee to attend; all supplies provided.
• Become a Sponsor: Businesses, groups, families, and individuals are invited to sponsor an artist’s square. Your name will be prominently posted next to an artist’s creation and on the Square Sponsors board. If you’re interested in becoming a Major Sponsor and supporting our beneficiary, Stafford County Public Schools, please email viacolorisales@gmail.com.
• Become a Volunteer: Volunteers are crucial to making this an amazing, family-friendly event to celebrate the arts.

Learn more at: vcstafford.com

Join us for an educational and fun tour of Government Island Park. The tour will include historical details about the sandstone industry in Stafford County by historian, Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor, demonstrations of the mining process by past Stafford County Historical Society President, Rick MacGregor, as well as special stories for the children by the historian largely responsible for the park’s creation, Jane Conner.

An elevated boardwalk enables visitors to explore a nature trail through wetlands and woods.  A scenic heritage trail through the 17-acre island is dotted with interpretive signage enabling the viewer to learn the island’s history from Native American through the early nineteenth century.  The island, with its wetlands and marsh areas, provides a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife. Government Island, “America’s Historic Stone Quarry,” is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

Rain date for the event will be Saturday, September 13 (1pm – 3pm).

Take a Sentimental Journey as we transport you back to the 1940s. Experience historic V-J Day at the City of Fredericksburg’s original USO building!

Jokers, jills, and jivers get ready to swing as the Fredericksburg Big Band takes the reins and brings it home in the tradition of the local Kampus Kats and The Melodiers. Enjoy a Coke and a doughnut, but “Don’t touch that dial!” You may miss HFFI’s radio show.

Join in the patriotic spirit that defined an era as we honor the U.S. Armed Forces and those who helped on the Homefront. Whether you come dressed in your best vintage attire or “Mend and Make Do,” as they said in the song, “I’ll be seeing you.”

Date: August 15, 2025

Location: Dorothy Hart Community Center, 408 Canal Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Time: 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Tickets are limited. Get yours now! Click HERE

Learn more …