Recent Stories
Crafters And Re-enactors Visit Colvin Run Mill
Great Falls Parks prepare summer activities
On Sunday, June 7 Colvin Run Mill Historic Site was active with several events at the historic park. Colvin Run Mill was in action with grain grinding demonstrations, and visitors could see millers turn corn into meal and grits, or wheat into flour using the now restored, water-powered grist mill.
Colvin Run Mills Hosts Restoration Celebration
Community attends Great Falls park open house.
Guests and residents of Fairfax County attended a free ceremony and open house at Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls the afternoon of Sunday, April 19. In addition to brief remarks made by local and county delegates, the event was an opportunity for visitors to tour the restored and fully operational mill.
Colvin Run Mill to Reopen
Colvin Run Mill Park Manager Mike Henry is planning for busy weeks ahead. A Restoration Celebration will take place at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site on April 19. There will be an official grand reopening ceremony open to the public at 1 p.m.
Fairfax County Students Win Science Awards
Students from across the county recognized at 60th Annual Fairfax County Regional Science And Engineering Fair.
High school students from Fairfax County schools attended the annual regional science fair held at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, March 20-22, to compete for prizes and recognition.
Fractured Shaft Stops Colvin Run Mill
Tours and interpretations of the Great Falls historic site continue.
Grinding with the main stones at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site has come to a stop for the next few months. Miller Mason Maddox found a crack in the main axle of the site’s water wheel, which catches the water flowing through the millrace and powers the mill.
Riverbend Park Hosts Virginia Indian Festival
Park prepares for 17th annual Virginia Indian Festival.
Riverbend Park in Great Falls will be hosting its 17th annual Virginia Indian Festival on Saturday, Sept. 6. Members of eight tribes will gather on the banks of the Potomac River from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Northern Virginia Family Service Holds 16th Annual Gala
Local donors and supporters recognized at event.
The evening of Friday May 9 at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, the nonprofit Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) held their 16th Annual Road to Independence Gala. The festive event gave community and business leaders an opportunity to celebrate the impact of NVFS on families and children in need. It also recognized donors and supporters dedicated to giving back to the community in which they live making NVFS services possible.
Great Falls Day Celebrated
Visitors learn history of Great Falls community.
On Sunday, May 4, residents of Great Falls and visitors had the opportunity to celebrate Great Falls Day at the Great Falls Grange on Georgetown Pike and learn more about the history of the community. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the public assembly hall was built in 1929, a product of the Grange Movement which swept America after the Civil War. The Grange was a symbol of commitment to community involvement and progress, and has been a meeting and special event site throughout its history.
Filling Empty Bowls in Herndon
Empty Bowl fundraiser held at Floris United Methodist Church.
Friday evening, April 25 the annual Empty Bowls event was hosted by the Giving Circle of HOPE at Floris United Methodist Church on Frying Pan Road in Herndon. All proceeds went directly to Food for Others, the largest distributor of free food to needy people in Northern Virginia. “This is a collaboration between the Giving Circle of HOPE and a local organization,” said Linda Strup, a resident of Reston and member of the Giving Circle of HOPE. The Giving Circle of HOPE was founded in January 2004 with four members. Since then, membership has grown to over 100 individuals. Voting members contribute a minimum of $1 per day and are eligible to vote on grants. Service members do not vote but may participate in all service programs and social events. “This is our seventh year of doing an Empty Bowl event, and we have sold out our tickets,” said Strup.
Colvin Run Mill Goes Back to 1810
Staff look forward to restoration of mill.
Last year Colvin Run Mill in Great Falls entered a contest to win grant money through the Fairfax County Park Foundation. The result was a fourth-place finish among 24 historic sites in the contest and a $75,000 grant for Colvin Run Mill, the largest grant in the site’s history. This money is now being used to fund restoration of the mill. Fairfax County spent about $1 million restoring the mill between 1968 and 1972, but stopped before finishing when funds ran out.