South County Teams Sweep Four-School Cross-Country Meet

South County wins boys' and girls' races; Lee runner posts top individual time

South County Secondary School’s cross-country teams swept a weekday ‘Quad Meet’ at Occuquan Regional Park on Wednesday. Four teams competed: Annandale High School, Lee High School, T.C. Williams High School and South County, with Lee as the official host of the event. South County’s boys’ and girls’ teams both emerged victorious when the results were tallied late Wednesday night. Lee finished second in the boys’ race, followed by Annandale. A delayed school bus caused the T.C. Williams boys’ team to miss their race, so their results were not counted. But they wanted to run anyway, so Lee head coach Jason Rodriguez allowed them to do so in the girls’ race that took place afterward. The Annandale girls’ team took second place in that race, …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (12)

Camela Speer

6:17 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012

Would love to have read about the SOCO team and who placed in the race.   more ›

NVRPA Releases Draft of Strategic Plan

Residents are invited to a public meeting Sept. 20 in Fairfax County.

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which operates Pohick Bay Regional Park and Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, recently released a draft of its five-year strategic plan. The draft can be downloaded to the right or obtained online. Residents are invited to a public meeting to discuss the plan at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the NVRPA headquarters in Fairfax Station. Residents can also send comments via email to executiveoffice@nvrpa.org. Some highlights of the 2012-2017 Vision and Plan: The authority controls 100 miles of trails, including some of the longest in the region—W&OD at 45 miles, and Bull Run/Occoquan at 18 miles—and has plans expand its role as a leader in developing and promoting major trail systems in Northern Virginia…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)
• Documents (1)

Sally Spangler

12:37 pm on Sunday, August 12, 2012

Thoughts? Give it a good name and nothing else? NO Get the parents totally involved in the proposal? YES! But I wonder how many parents would get going and provide guidance in all things of a healthy life style. The is lots of land. There are many "things" to become interested in one this piece of land which is Mason Neck. I became interested in the outdoors when my home was on the edge of Rock …   more ›

Lorton Photos of the Day

Photo of the Day: The Calm Before the Storm at Occoquan Regional Park

It was a quick rainstorm, and it brought back memories of the big one a week-and-a-half ago.

If you took a nap this afternoon, you may have missed a thunderstorm that swept through Northern Virginia. It came and went, and now, the ground is already dry again. Patch arrived at Occoquan Regional Park just as the weather started to turn, and we witnessed the temperature fall from 103 to about 82 degrees in a matter of minutes. The rain, which flew down in sheets, was accompanied by lightning and strong winds. The only people in sight were Tomas Ovalle and his brother Nick, who were hurriedly hooking their boat to a truck at the Occoquan pier. We took their picture just before the deluge. Enjoy the photo, and also this temporary reprieve from the heat!

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)

James Cullum

1:25 am on Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Nice! Thanks Craig!   more ›

Great Escape

PHOTOS: Rivershore Charters Gives Tours of the Occoquan River

Got time for a relaxing cruise? This local business offers regular weekend tours on the water from Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton.

Every weekend of the year, Rivershore Charters cruises along the scenic Occoquan River. The 50-foot pontoon touring boat can hold 46 passengers—all of whom can see birds of prey, get dropped off at local restaurants and receive a lesson in Occoquan history. Meet the Captain  There's no doubt about it. One of the best decisions Captain Mark Perry ever made was buying the 16,000-pound water taxi named the "Harbor Lady" in 2004, he said. The 57-year-old Perry worked as a real estate agent since 1976, and found his calling after talking with the owner of Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant & Crabhouse in Dumfries.  "I'm a boater and spend 300 days out of the year on the water," Perry told Patch on a recent cruise. "The only time I take the boat out of…

• Photos (12)

Photos of the Day: Canada Geese and Seagulls at Occoquan Regional Park

These birds were hard to photograph in the rain!

Like toys, the Canada Geese at Occoquan Regional Park marched single file and away from Patch on Wednesday, September 7. It rained all day, and the geese and seagulls hung around the soccer and baseball fields.  Enjoy the pictures!

•  2 Comments
• Photos (8)

James Cullum

4:06 pm on Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thanks, Sally!   more ›

Photos of the Week: Hot Weather!

Stay inside and turn on the A.C.

Wow. The heat set records this week, and the Heat Index value peaked on Friday at 121 (the actual temperature was 102 degrees). The next few days may be interrupted by thunderstorms, which will improve temperatures.  Enjoy the pictures!   Know someone or something ready for its closeup?

• Photos (18)

The Park's Authority: a quest for serenity through Occoquan Regional Park

Can a day at the park bring enlightenment, or at least a better mood?

When I was young, I liked to spend my time in playgrounds. As I matured, I preferred a mature park, one with bike trails, an abundance of nature, a pond or babbling brook.  There were two county parks in my town. I visited them often to in-line skate with my high school boyfriend or bird watch with my best friend, who is a biologist. My time in those parks allowed me an escape from cookie-cutter suburbia. Returning to nature week after week, I began to feel like a transcendentalist. But can a park really transcend us from our everyday 9-5 existence? To find out, I went to spend an afternoon at Occoquan Regional Park off Ox Road in Lorton. Entering the park, I was greeted by a scenic bike path through a forest of greenery. Looking past the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (24)

Sally Spangler

7:24 pm on Sunday, July 10, 2011

I grew up very close to Rock Creek Park. A 2 block walk and I was in the middle of an old forest! Well, I suppose I could think it as such. Actually it was not. Another 10 feet or so was the road and the cars and their stink. But I could go higher up the hill and almost not hear the cars or smell their stink. Yes, much had been said about going into the park. At 12 or so, who thinks about that. …   more ›

Catch Miss Rivershore in Lorton Once Again

Charter boat is important player at Occoquan Regional Park

Nurturing its waterfront is vital as Occoquan Regional Park charts a new course, and a pontoon boat plying the Occoquan River has a key role to play. Rivershore Charters’ Miss Rivershore is back on the river for a seventh season, continuing a rich history of ferry service on the Occoquan dating to 1684. After a stop behind Madigan’s restaurant in the town of Occoquan, Capt. Mark Perry describes various points of interest along the way to the Belmont Bay community before returning to Lorton. Perry points out the multi-million dollar homes on the Prince William County side of the river without missing a bald eagle or osprey along the way. He delights his passengers with little known tidbits of history. Did we know that we were passing …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)

Cindy Jones

5:11 pm on Friday, April 8, 2011

Miss Rivershore is a great way to see the benefits of the Potomac River Communities. Spotting Balding Eagles and Osprey is a delight for everyone. Many people living in the area don't know the rich history of the Occoquan River and Capt. Mark does a great job of filling passengers in. Cindy Jones   more ›

Workhouse Artist of the Week: Gwendolyn C. Bragg

Winter white: snowy local landscapes

“I hope people haven’t shoveled so many walks that they won’t want to come see my pictures of snow,” said Gwendolyn Bragg, a February Featured Artist at the Workhouse Arts Center.  Bragg’s exhibit, Winter White: Snowy Local Landscapes in Transparent Watercolor, is on exhibit in Building W-6 of the Workhouse Arts Center through the end of the month. At first the artist was not excited about drawing the month of February for her exhibit, since cold temperatures sometimes limit attendance. But then she had an idea. “I have winter scenes, I paint winter scenes with my class, and I like painting winter scenes,” she said. “I had the theme for my February show.”  “Painting snow-covered landscapes is a challenge in watercolor, but also lots of fun…

• Photos (1)

Occoquan Regional Park Looks to a Bright Future

Recent lease-signing gives rise to big plans

When officials with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) signed a 99-year lease in December for Occoquan Regional Park they recognized that the arrangement, made with Fairfax County, presented them with a unique opportunity. The agreement allowed officials to look at the park in a new way, even though it has been established since the 1970s. Furthermore, it is not as if the park suffers from lack of use. With its access to the Occoquan River, the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, numerous playing fields, several trails and two snack bars it is already a popular destination. Still, given its location—wedged between the Workhouse Arts Center and Historic Occoquan—the park is rife with possibilities. With this in mind, NVRPA…

• Photos (3)