Today’s a pretty cool day around here. It’s my birthday! Are we doing anything extravagant? Absolutely not—if you know me, I ain’t about that life. We’re doing something completely simple. I asked Kody (my husband) and our son, Colton, to take me rockhounding.
That’s exactly what it sounds like. We’re going to a creek to look for shiny rocks, and then we’re ordering a pizza for dinner. I’m also especially excited about the $14 T-shirt I bought for the occasion: “Rock bottom isn’t that bad if you’re into collecting rocks.” It makes me giggle.
Want a unique way to celebrate with me today? Then I have a challenge for you! Go outside and find a rock. Any rock. It doesn’t have to be especially large or super shiny—just one that looks cool to you. Pick it up, bring it inside, and put it somewhere that brings you joy. You can even send me a picture of it if you like. That way, today and everyday, you’ll remember that I’m so glad you’re here.
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The 250th Celebration with 4th of July Flair was originally planned as a July 4th event but was rescheduled because of the heat. (Hanover Arts & Activities Center)
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By Aila Boyd
Here’s what you need to know: While Labor Day can feel a bit solemn because it serves as the unofficial end of summer, it doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. Across Virginia, communities are holding a range of free Labor Day events that are aimed at bringing people together for one final hurrah before we transition into fall.
Fun, free festivities:
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Participate in a longstanding Saltville community tradition by attending the 55th Annual Labor Day Weekend celebration. The free weekend-long festival runs Sept. 4-7. Live music starts each day at 4 p.m. There will also be food trucks and arts and crafts vendors.
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Celebrate Labor Day and the legacy of a great country music singer by attending the 16th Annual Patsy Cline Block Party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Patsy Cline Historic House in Winchester. The day falls on Cline’s birthday.
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Running from Sept. 5 to 7 in Virginia Beach, the Super Girl Surf Festival is the largest women’s surf, music, and lifestyle festival in the world. Aimed at inspiring women leaders and athletes while celebrating surf culture, it’s free to attend, but preregistration is required.
Want more ideas? We’re keeping the good times rolling at the link below.
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Kody Knowles enjoys a ribeye for his 37th birthday at The Colonial Restaurant in Rustburg. (Amie Knowles/Dogwood)
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By Amie Knowles
While I’m looking forward to a really yummy pizza tonight, my guy loves a great steak—so for Kody’s birthday last week (Aug. 18), we went to The Colonial Restaurant in Rustburg.
It’s the second time we’ve eaten there; the first time was eight years ago, and it was just as amazing then! Granted, at that point, we were brand new parents. We were on our way to Lynchburg, and we were hungry, so we stopped in to order a lunch special. Kody put Colton’s carseat on the table, we ordered, and had a fantastic time. When it was time for the check, the waitress informed us that another diner had commented about what a cute family we were, and he’d paid for our meal.
We never forgot that sweet experience, and we still talk about it from time to time. So, on Kody’s birthday, at dinnertime, he decided he was in the mood for a steak. We knew just where to go. I wish I could describe the flavor, but the rub they use has such a classic American West flavor, my attempt at a description could never truly do it justice. At $25.75 for a 10 oz. hand-cut Angus ribeye and two sides, it’s well worth the drive to try it for yourself.
And no, for the record, it won’t be another eight years before we make it back up that way. We’re already planning another dinner in the fall.
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We had quite a few people respond to our Virginia trivia question this week—but did you get it right?
We asked what name the City of Chesapeake went by prior to 1963, offering multiple choice options. If you picked answer “C,” you’re correct!
Before becoming the independent City of Chesapeake in 1963, the area was known as the City of South Norfolk and Norfolk County. The two merged to form the city we now know and love.
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Sonia Vásquez Luna is running in the special election to represent Manassas in the Virginia House of Delegates. (Henry Vásquez)
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By Michael O’Connor
Of the many candidates on the ballot across Virginia this fall, some have stronger ties to the labor movement and the fight for workers’ rights than others. And that’s especially true for two candidates running in Northern Virginia.
Sonia Vásquez Luna is the Democratic candidate running in the special election to represent Manassas in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Vásquez Luna is the business manager for a local union with the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), and she serves on the Manassas City Council.
After Vásquez Luna came to the US from El Salvador in 2001, she got a job cleaning offices. She worked for the federal minimum wage, which was around $5 an hour at the time, and didn’t get any benefits. Later, she heard that working under a union contract would get her better pay and became a member with LIUNA.
Like Vásquez Luna, Yasmin Shafiq fights for workers’ rights and is running for office.
Shafiq is running for the Herndon Town Council. She’s a Fairfax County worker and a member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512. Helping to negotiate a first union contract for her and her fellow Fairfax County workers was a powerful one, Shafiq said.
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Farmville is losing neurology care after the area already lost labor and delivery and urology services—another blow for rural patients who already have fewer options close to home. A local doctor warns people across surrounding counties will now be pushed toward Lynchburg, Charlottesville, and Richmond for care. (Watch here)
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Carolina Molina, a Virginia resident, said she was threatened at gunpoint by a federal immigration agent who pointed a firearm at her head and accused her of attempting to hit ICE agents with her car during an encounter in Falls Church. (Watch here)
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For Virginians, opening the monthly energy bill has become an exercise in dread. Cheaper, faster solar energy is here to help, driven by Gov. Abigail Spanberger and several bipartisan bills she’s signed. (Watch here)
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Would you share this newsletter with a friend?
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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Amie Knowles. Amie is a lifelong Virginia resident and mom to a fantastic 8-year-old who loves Pokémon. This edition includes stories from Aila Boyd, Michael O’Connor, the breaking news team, and Jonny Lupsha. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.
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