I wrote about these concerts in greater detail a couple years ago, but just wanted to remind you about them and post a link to this year’s schedule. The end up summer is sneaking up — only five more Wednesday evening concerts left. Enjoy!

8-4-2010 ETA — Blueberry season is long gone in Northern Virginia. Mark your calendars to start looking into local farms next May!

Hooray! It is blueberry picking season again! We picked 10 pounds Saturday morning to restock our freezer and are still eating fresh berries by the handful.  Everyone I know who visits seems to be complaining about the gnats and recommending dryer sheets to keep them away. Otherwise, they still come away raving. We were excited to find a port a potty on site this year… potty access is always a plus on any adventure with little kids.

Here’s the scoop from previous years:

Eagletree Farm & Vineyard
15126 Harrison Hill Lane
Leesburg VA 20176 (map it)
(703) 777‑5954 or
(703) 851‑0699

Loudoun Valleys Office of Rural Economic Development says:

Eagletree is a private setting with a personal touch.

These folks are right. Located off Rt. 15 north of Leesburg — you turn off 15 like you are going to Temple Hall Farm and then follow the U-PICK signs — the setting is so private that I at first felt like I was trespassing in someone’s back yard, but that is exactly what makes the picking experience so wonderful.

Eagletree’s pick your own blueberries are $4 per pound this year and worth every cent. They are tasty and the experience of picking is perfect. I have been twice and both times it was a serene experience. No chaos, no crowds, no shortage of blueberries… just a nice little family experience and some yummy blueberries to boot.

If you are looking to round out your blueberry picking experience with some literature for little people, check out Robert McCloskey’s Blueberries for Sal. It’s been a favorite since my childhood… so much so that I feel I am shortchanging my children if I don’t manage to hunt down their little metal buckets so that they can hear their blueberries go “Kerplunk!”

I just received this email from Loudoun County and thought I would share. My kids have always loved stopping to watch the skateboarders at the Catoctin Skate Park in Leesburg and are hoping to skate with the big kids someday soon. Maybe your kids feel the same way?

The Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services and the South Riding Proprietary are pleased to announce the opening of the new Dulles South Skate Park on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 1:00 p.m.

The skate facility represents a collaborative effort by the county and the homeowners’ association to provide safe recreational skateboarding opportunities for community youth. The original concept, presented to the public in August 2008, called for skate spots along a planned trail near the Dulles South Multipurpose Center. An alternative location adjacent to the center was later identified, which required only minimum site preparations, and a new design was created by SITE Design Group, Inc. of Solana Beach, California.

The 5,600 square-foot park accommodates skateboards, inline skates, and non-motorized scooters with concrete features including ramps, rails, stairs, stacked ledges, floating quarter pipes, and a pump bump.

Under a memorandum of understanding, the South Riding Proprietary assumed one hundred percent of the costs associated with construction of the skate area. California Skateparks from Upland, California was the general contractor on the project. The property is owned by the county, which will be responsible for the maintenance, operation, oversight, and administration of the facility.

The Dulles South Multipurpose Center is located at 24950 Riding Center Drive.

For more information, call 703–777-0343 or visit www.southriding.net.

The annual Bluemont fair is coming up again this weekend (9–19 & 20). Here’s the scoop from two years ago. Please remember to check their website for this year’s details!

9 S Summit Avenue (map it)
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301–258-6160

The Gaithersburg Community Museum is neither big nor fancy — it is just a one room affair with a model train set up,  gift items for sale, historical displays, and a friendly docent — but it is worth stopping by if you are in the neighborhood!

Gaithersburg Community Museum

Old train outside (for looking, not climbing)

Please ignore the glare!

View from the back of the museum

There is a ramp for strollers and wheelchairs, but the place is small enough that you might find bigger strollers difficult to maneuver.  The museum does not have bathrooms, but there are bathrooms in the building next door shared by the MARC train station and a small cafe.

There’s a fabulous free event coming up in Leesburg on August 29th: the Airport Open House!

Leesburg Airport Open House
1001 Sycolin Rd SE (map it)
Leesburg, VA 20175
August 29th,  10 AM — 4 PM
Free admission and parking

We previewed the event last year and my four year old and his friend had a blast walking around right next to parked planes, exploring a rescue helicopter, and watching another helicopter take off. The event is free, but there were snacks and drinks for sale, so be prepared to spend a few bucks if you stay all day.

The open house coincides with a visit from the touring restored WWII B17 bomber named The Fortress which you can ride for a reasonable fee.

Prepare your children for some loud noises as there will be air crafts taking off and landing during the open house, and remember that the bulk of the attractions are outside, so keep weather conditions in mind. Last year we were hot and very glad to have our sunhats and water bottles with us.

Have fun!

(click thumbnails for larger images)

Woodend Sanctuary
8940 Jones Mill Road
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301–652-9188

We love the Audubon Nature Fair, and look forward to attending each year. We picnic with friends, shop for gifts for upcoming events, meet bee keepers, learn about invasive species, find little creatures in the pond, make cardboard binoculars, enjoy performances geared at both kids and all ages and bask in being surrounded by such a wonderful crowd of folks.

This year’s fair will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the details are all online.

UPDATE: Leesburg Dog Park opens May 9th!

I went walking at Olde Izaak Walton Park this morning with kid and dog and was tickled to see that the fence on the dog park has been completed. I was also greeted by this sign:

The dog park has a picnic table both inside and outside the fence. I’d be pleasantly surprised if it was a kid-friendly dog park, but I look forward to socializing my sweet beast, either way. Once the dog park is ready for use, the kids who come to Olde Izaak Walton to look at the ducks and geese will have one more attraction for their viewing pleasure.

Here’s photographic evidence of the progress that has been made:

For more info on the dog park you can reach the town of Leesburg by phone at (703) 737‑7132. I also read on Everything and the Dog’s blog that their owner is involved with the group that will assist in maintaining the dog park, so she might be a good point person if you want to be involved in some way.

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

We snagged a great book from the library recently! In A Plump and Perky Turkey (written by Teresa Bateman and illustrated by Jeff Shelley) the turkeys all skip town before Thanksgiving and the town-folks try to trick them back, but (after pages of engaging illustrations and rhymes that please me) they end up eating shredded wheat on Thanksgiving. Luckily for us meat eaters, our Loudoun turkeys weren’t quite as savvy as those in the book. I know Thanksgiving has passed, but if you feel like embracing your inner locavore the rest of this holiday season, the folks at Buy Fresh Buy Local Virginia have put together a list of local turkey providers by county.

Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary

Our family kicked off Thanksgiving week with a trip across White’s Ferry to visit the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, MD, where we spent an afternoon celebrating an early Thanksgiving with the Turkeys and participating in a vegan potluck with hundreds of people. The animals at the sanctuary were spread out with plenty of room and the atmosphere was peaceful and inviting despite the freezing temps and the surprisingly large crowd. The sanctuary does not have any upcoming events or visiting hours listed on their website now, but I definitely recommend visiting it.

Turkeys feasting at Poplar Spring Sanctuary

More on White’s Ferry

If you are looking for a change of scenery on a day home with sick kids, a drive through the county and ride across the river on the only ferry still operating on the Potomac River might fit the bill. You can keep your kids and their germs in the car the whole time, but share a special adventure and most importantly get out of the house! A round trip ticket costs $6 ($4 one-way) and the ferry runs from 5am to 11pm year-round.

View from the car on White’s Ferry

There is a great new playground at Brandon Park on Harrison, just off Catoctin Circle (behind the BB&T bank and across the street from the Village Lanes Bowling Center).

Even though there are no swings, monkey bars, bathrooms, or drinking fountains it still gets our thumbs up! Everything is still in mint condition and in my opinion it is one of the easier parks in town for juggling lots of kids. It is also one of the easier parks for toddlers since it has one of those rubber play surfaces made from recycled tires rather than mulch, and none of the play features are too high. The park is not entirely fenced, but it does have some strategically placed fencing to discourage kids from heading towards the street or the creek—or at least slow them down so you can catch them.

If you get bored with the playground there are picnic tables, lots of grassy space for running, and access to Tuscarora Creek. From what I gathered by googling town records, it appears that there is a long term plan in place to connect this park to Raflo Park and the W&OD via a walking trail. Many thanks to the folks who put this in the town’s plan. It was a great surprise to see it being built!

We walk to this park so I am not sure where the best place to park is… there’s some street parking and I think you can park behind the BB&T bank in unlabeled spots, but don’t quote me on that.