(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) The formal announcement of a “big” new annual Labor Day event along the W&OD Trail took place in Arlington’s Bluemont Park this morning.
Few details about the event were revealed ahead of time, but with the announcement featuring remarks by County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman and local lawmaker Del. Patrick Hope, one could reasonably assume that the bulk of the new event was to take place in Arlington, right?
Wrong.
The “Dominion Trail Mix” Labor Day community event will largely take place in Loudoun County, as it turns out. “The Great Skedaddle” — a bike, run, walk event along the W&OD Trail — and “TrailFest” — an outdoor festival featuring pop-country group Gloriana — will both take place at Farmwell Station Middle School in Ashburn.
A third Trail Mix event — the “Hail the Trail” clean-up event — will take place at eight nine different stations along the trail on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 3. According to the newly-updated Trail Mix web site, the station closest to Arlington will be located at Veterans Common at 507 Little Falls Street in Falls Church. The event will encourage volunteers to pick up trash, perform kiosk maintenance, weed and plant along the trail.
Among those on hand for this morning’s announcement were Virginia First Lady Maureen McDonnell, Dominion CEO Paul Koonce and Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Executive Director Paul Gilbert.
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in Arlingtonpriceless. We got gypped!
Can we have one of Loudoun’s Wegmans. FREDTERP
Sometimes I forget I live in the South. I am soon reminded, however, such as when a government-funded event is described as a “skedaddle.”
Very southern/confederate as “The Great Skeddadle” is the name given to the panic retreat of the Union army after the battle of Bull Run.
We were visionaries – just trying to avoid the high taxes and aggressive towing practices we knew were coming. We didn’t count on the Trader Joe’s hoopla – oh well – as Jefferson Davis found out, you win some, you lose some.
So the announcement of an Ashburn party was made in Arlington to alert us we get to pick up some trash the next day? I’ll take a pass thanks.
Gloriana??? This is the major national act?
Wow…
Is Loudoun County in Virginia?
Let’s celebrate the trail by driving out to Loudon county!!!
(Yes, I realize you could bike out there; I’ve done the whole W&OD and back in one shot before. But most people will be driving.)
take the metro in 2025
Not if the Va. guv has anything to say about it. Loudoun can keep anything named McDonnell.
Too bad. We need more live music with dancing in Arlington.
Got a permit for that, son?
So Dominion’s going to help celebrate the trail it pretty much wants to clear cut? Have fun, Loudoun County.
We can take the Dulles toll road to Ashburn and pay them 5 bucks each way for that pleasure,,,,no thanks.
Yawn
DITTO
I can’t wait for the 2012 Arlington Triathlon in Danville VA.
Was the picture of Zim and Hope taken at the moment they found out Arlington’s part in the event was to pick up its trash? They look a bit bemused.
It’s only $2 each way if you skip the Greenway and take Route 28 to Waxpool. You could also take Rt 7, but that would take forever with all the lights.
So why was this event announced in Arlington and not Ashburn? Dominion PR = FAIL
Googlemaps says the event is approx 25 miles from Shirlington. The whole trail is 45 miles. That’s pretty close to half way. Makes sense to me. If I go I will ride there.
That was incredibly lame.
The “Hail the Trail” link above lists nine locations for the clean-up event. None of them are in Arlington proper, but one is just across the line in Falls Church.
When we looked at it earlier today there were no locations listed. We’ve updated the article to reflect the new information.
Funny leftover comment error on the “Hail the Trail” site – see the Wiehle Avenue entry.
Good catch.
YES! That’s very funny.
http://www.dominiontrailmix.com/events/hail-the-trail.htm
And, of course, the big musical artist is…some country band I’ve never heard of but will be a big hit in Loudoun.
Just say “No” to pop-country music.
Maybe they got Bluemont Park mixed up with the real Bluemont.
Do they have a Testicle Festival?
The only thing I can figure it there is more space for the event and the trail tends to be less crowded the further away from DC you get. The ride from Reston to Purceville is very nice actually. I ride the trail fairly often (all parts of it) and would encourage you to ride your bike from Arlington to/from the event if you are going.
I really don’t get all the negative comments on the location. Do all of the commenters promptly stop at the county line? I’d guess they use most of the trail. Why not help keep all 44 miles clean?
It’s a few miles from the midway point and there isn’t much room to hold the event at one of the little bathroom / parking lot clearings in the Arlington portion.
Yea whats up with all the outside the beltway hate
Go outside the Beltway to Ashburn, a place without sidewalks, where driving a car is the only transporation to pick up trash in Ashburn…not without a court order. What a waste! They could not find an event in West VA?
Good thing I read through that again. I though it said volunteers were encouraged to smoke weed on the trail.
I like the fact that this event took place a mere few steps away from where Virginia Power raped the trees alongside the bike trail and utility lines in the “name of safety”. Clear cut miles of trees; drove a truck across a pedestrian bridge; and now we celebrate how they care about the trail.
Zimmie should fire whoever told him to be at this event.
I’m happy for Loudon. Really, no cause for jealousy at all — hope they feel the same toward Arlington for not having anything to do with with this “major event” that can be neither spelled or described.