Loudoun is Celebrating America's 234th Birthday!

America turns 234 this year.  I think we look pretty good for our 234th Birthday, don't you?  Here in Loudoun, we're gettin' all fancied up in our dress red white and blues, because we're serious about celebrating our indepedence!  There's so much do to here we have to spread it over three days!

Friday:  Leesburg is the place to be!

As a kickoff to their "Hometown Friday" segments, Fox 5 is broadcasting LIVE from the courthouse lawn and Dodona Manor, Friday morning between 6am and 10am.  There will be cooking demonstrations, wine pairing, tastings from Mom's Apple Pie, a historian, a representative from the Redskins, live music and MORE.  We hope you'll join us... and maybe even get your 15 minutes of fame!

Then, around Happy Hour "First Friday" starts downtown.  We do this the first Friday of every month...so if you miss this weekend, catch us in August.  Most of the shops are open late and hosting  a special event.  There are art exhibits and auctions, several live concerts, a luau, some special Independence Day parties, a live comedy show, give aways and more.  Check out http://www.firstfridayleesburg.com/ for more information.

ONLINE:  If you can't be with us physically, be with us VIRTUALLY!  All day we'll be doing fun contests with fans and giving away prizes via social media - check out www.facebook.com/leesburgva for more info!

Saturday

Hillsboro has an authentic hometown feel to their celebrations, where festivities start at 6pm. Boy and Girl Scouts will support the Hillsboro Community Association, pulling together to provide patriotic presentations, music, facepainting, sack races, and good old fashioned fun. The Ruritan club will have meals available for sale (think hot dogs and BBQ), and there will be free ice cream for all! Local businesses and citizens contribute many goodies for raffles and bake sales with proceeds going to preserve the Old Stone School. Aerial and ground fireworks begin after dark. The event (except for fundraisers) is free, but donations are tax deductible and welcomed.

http://www.hillsborova.org/events.htm

Lansdowne (Eastern Leesburg) Resort is celebrating from 7pm to 10pm...enjoy live music and fireworks from outdoor terraces or bring a blanket and find a comfy place on the lawn. Concert and Fireworks are free, refreshments and picnic baskets are available for purchase.

http://www.lansdownesensations.com/

Lovettsville is hosting a celebration starting at 530 with a parade, ending with the fireworks display that starts at 915.  Sandwiched in between will be fun family activities, live music, and refreshments!  (Free)

http://www.lovettsvilleva.gov/

In Sterling, the Sterling Golf Club invites us all to join them at the pool at 1, and then to enjoy food and festivities with them until the fireworks display, which start at 915.  (Free)

http://www.sterlinggolfclub.com/

Sunday

Ashburn Village gets its party started at Fincastle Field where neighbors decorate bikes, wagons, and strollers and show off their spirited garb in a great old fashioned parade (starting at 1030)! Then, on to other fun, like enjoying the live DJ, dunk tank, inflatibles and more!  The pool party is 11 to 4, and there's live music and fireworks which start after dusk.

http://avsp.squarespace.com/

Leesburg's festivities begin at 10am with a downtown parade.  Dodona Manor will be open from 2:30 to 5:00 for free tours and an ice cream social with live music.  There's a little time to do some browsing in our downtown shops before or after the ice cream social.  Then, festivities continue at Ida Lee Park at 6pm, with live music starting at 7, and then fireworks (timed with the music) starting at 930.  ($1 donation for ice cream; all other activities are Free)

http://www.idalee.org/

Middleburg's party starts at the pool at 11am....then they add games, music, contests and food and and fun is had by all.  The pool closes at 6pm.  Middleburg Fireworks begin at 9.  (Free)

http://www.loudoun.gov/middleburgcc

Purcellville has activities EVERYWHERE!  Starting at noon is the Firemans Parade (from Emerick Elementary to Loudoun Valley High).  At 1:30 other festivities begin with childrens rides, food, crafts and live music (nominal fee for childrens rides).  Then, at 6pm, head on over to Franklin Park where you'll enjoy more live music and great food until fireworks start soon after dark.  (Suggested donation is $5 at Franklin Park, Town activities are free)

http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=914

Sterling has an event on the 4th, too!  This one is at Claude Moore Park (Lanesville Heritage Area)... an Ol'Time Celebration! A pie eating contest, wagon and pony rides, crafts, live music and more!   It's all going on 10:30am to 3:00pm. 

http://www.loudoun.gov/claudemoorepark

No matter what corner of our county you're in, there's sure to be fun nearby!   I think John Adams would be proud!  Did you know that he predicted we'd celebrate our Indepedence in just such a manner?  Wherever you are, whatever you do, stop for a minute this weekend to reflect upon the courage it took our forefathers to create this great nation... and the courage and sacrifice made every day by our leaders and soldiers and fellow countrymen to maintain America~ Land of the free, and Home of the Brave!

PS One more tip - try out fireworks 3d glasses - they make fireworks (and just about any light) look like this:

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Thinking of buying or selling a house in Loudoun? 

Check with a local expert:

Vicky Chrisner

Keller Williams Leesburg

703-669-3142

Pop!Bang!Boom! Loudoun Is Celebrating This Weekend!

It’s time to celebrate America’s Birthday and no one is more proud of our heritage than Loudoun. All across the county, our residents will be celebrating in style! There are at least 10 public fireworks displays; and many other festivities being hosted in our various towns, villages and communities.

Everywhere you turn this weekend, you’ll see red, white and blue. The air will be scented with the smell of charcoal. Quiet meadows will come alive with make shift stages and homegrown music. Our local parks will be filled with families and friends. Little boys and their dads will be catching crayfish in our streams. Children will be playing ball, riding bikes, and climbing trees. Fishermen (real or wanna-be's) will crowd our riverbanks. Our waterways will look like marinas, with boaters positioning themselves for the best view of the fireworks. Pools, public and private, will be overflowing. Fireworks – legal and otherwise – will inevitably fill the nighttime heavens.

Pop! Bang! Boom! Get ready… Loudoun is celebrating this weekend!

We kick it off early here in Loudoun with 6 celebrations on Friday the 3rd!

Lovettsville starts us off right with a hometown parade followed by activities at the Community Center ball field; a concert by DC3, and awesome fireworks. Festivities begin at 5:30. Tickets are $3 for kids, $4 for adults.

Landsdowne, just east of Leesburg, will hold their Sounds of Summer show from 7:30 to 10:30 with fireworks starting at 9:20.

South Riding begins festivities at 6 with a parade from Center Street & South Riding Blvd, making a right on Upper Clubhouse to South Riding Golf Club. Bikes, trikes, small floats, and wagons are welcomed. Food will be available for purchase during the King of Swing concert beginning at 7. Fireworks start at 9:30, and blankets, lawn chairs and picnics are encouraged.

Sterling Park has fireworks beginning at 9:15.

At the Old Stone School in Hillsboro, see the Blue Ridge Thunder Cloggers perform, hear live music by Hewn By The Mountain. There's a BBQ dinner, bake sale, and free ice cream and picnics are welcomed. Kids will enjoy the moon bounce, games and prizes. Then, the family can settle down to watch the fireworks display at dusk.

The Town of Waterford is so hyped, they are having a 2 day party! At 4pm on Friday the 3rd, the town will host a softball game at Waterford Elementary. At 6, the music and potluck dinner starts at Bond Street Tanyard; followed by fireworks at Water Street Meadow.

On the 4th, festivities really get rockin!

Waterford continues their celebration with an 11am parade down Factory Street to the Bond Street Tanyard. At 11:45 there will be patriotic songs and remarks; more music, photos, and of course... more food. Then, the Greystone pool will be opened (fee for non-members).

Nearby Paeonian Springs also has a parade beginning at 11. It starts at the upper end of Highland Circle and ends at the McLaughlins' at the lower end. Motorized vehicles are prohibited. All are welcome to join in the "after party" at the McLaughlins'.

The Celebration here in Leesburg, in the county seat, will begin at at 10am on the 4th, with an old fashioned Independence Day Parade in the downtown area. The parade will start at Ida Lee park and travel down King Street to Fairfax Street (just before the intersection with Catoctin Circle). Residents are encouraged to dress in their very best Red, White and Blue outfits! Then, it’s off to enjoy your favorite summer time activities. Ida Lee rec center and AV Symmington Aquatic Park will be open for all to enjoy. At 6, the gates at Ida Lee will open for the evening celebration where your family can enjoy Jimmy Buffet tunes played by the Land Sharks (a nationally recognized band featured with Jimmy Buffett at Margarittaville). Be sure to bring a little cash – there is usually a suggested entrance donation; and the concession stands there are the bomb! Be sure to line up early for the funnel cake; one year I nearly missed the fireworks waiting for mine! Fireworks begin at 9:30 and are synchronized to explode in time with a medley of patriotic songs. The combination of “hearing” and “seeing” synchronized celebrations of patriotism truly adds to the experience. If you can’t be within hearing distance, but are watching the display from elsewhere, check the local Leesburg radio station – Wage AM 1200, as they usually broadcast the songs, too! Don’t miss the full experience.

Ashburn Village has an entire day planned. At 10:30, you're invited to join in the one mile parade, which begins at Fincastle Field featuring residents with decorated bikes, wagons and strollers. At 11, the party gets going with inflatables, food, swimming and games at the Sports Pavillion. Just after 7, the music kicks into gear, with the Suburban Rush band. At dark, they'll finish off the night with a "low flying" fireworks display from the island in Ashburn Lake.

At Claude Moore Park in Sterling, from 10:30 to 3:00 there is an old fashioned July 4th celebration with live music, crafts, nature and reptile exhibits, historic tours, and even pony and wagon rides. All this is offered for a small suggested donation of only $5 per family. The Heritage Farm Museum at Claude Moore will have an open house, offering free admission throughout the day. They will also have a special celebration for our “Heroes on the Homefront”; in recognition of the contributions of Loudoun Farms during WWII.
In Middleburg, the Community Center pool will be open from 11 to 6; and the family can enjoy evening music, games, and contests. Fireworks there begin at dusk.
Purcellville’s Franklin Park hosts the Polka Dots, a local folk group, and Acoustic Burgoo, the headlining bluegrass sensation. Fireworks begin at dark. Gates will open at 6; admission is $5 per car.

Please, make this a wonderful weekend. Keep re-applying the sunscreen – especially on the kids. Make sure everyone stays hydrated. Keep the potato salad refrigerated. Carefully supervise the use of personal fireworks, and keep it legal for your own safety. Have a designated driver, and don’t over indulge in the spirits. Your pets will be scared, so keep them inside.

Loudoun is a great place to visit, and an even better place to live. Although we have high quality emergency response teams and very good hospitals; I really want you to never have to know it. Be safe and be well… Happy Birthday, America!

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For more information on public festivities offered by the Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County Parks and Rec, visit http://www.leesburgva.gov/index.aspx?page=568 and http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=328&fmpath=/Current%20Activity%20Guides .

To learn about our local real estate market, please visit http://www.therealestatewhisperer.blogspot.com/ or http://www.vickychrisner.com/.