Thursday, May 22, 2008

Strawberry Festival

Celebrate the first fruit of spring at the Delaplane Strawberry Festival at Sky Meadows State Park this weekend. Activities include hayrides, children's games, a crafts show, antique cars, a petting zoo and, of course, eating strawberries. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $20 per vehicle at the gate or $15 in advance, with proceeds benefiting ministries and outreach programs at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Delaplane. For more information, call 540-364-2772 or visit http://www.delaplanestrawberryfestival.com.

Check out the all-day Round Hill Hometown Festival on Saturday, which begins with a 5K race at 8 a.m. and ends with a 7 p.m. concert by the McGinley Family Singers. The free event also includes a parade at 10:30 a.m., a wreath-laying ceremony at 11 a.m., a roundtable discussion by Round Hill old-timers at 1 p.m., the Downhill Derby car, scooter and skateboard races at 4 p.m. and musical entertainment and carnival games throughout the day. Call 540-338-7878 or visit http://www.hometownfestival.org.

Leesburg's Memorial Day observance is at 10 a.m. Monday at the county courthouse. The featured speaker will be Capt. Giancarlo Brizzi of the Virginia Army National Guard, who served in Afghanistan in 2004 to 2005 and Iraq last year and this year. The ceremony also will tie in with the town's 250th anniversary, by commemorating Leesburg soldiers from the Revolutionary War through the present. Call 703-777-1368 or visit http://www.idalee.org. Purcellville's Memorial Day ceremony is at 11:45 a.m. at the Purcellville Teardrop.