Mid-November may not be the traditional time for fireworks, but in light of the way the pandemic has thrown everything else off-kilter, sky rockets less than two weeks before Thanksgiving may make perfect sense.
King George County is throwing an outdoor festival, capped by shimmering explosions overhead, on Saturday in honor of its 300th anniversary. Because of COVID-19, many of the monthly events planned for 2020 had to be canceled, but the county is proceeding with its “Light Up the Sky” tricentennial grand finale.
Of course, that’s after the original event, planned for the Fourth of July at the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, was postponed. And the earlier setting for the Nov. 14 outdoor festival and fireworks show—at King George High School—had to be scrapped because health officials at Heritage Hall nursing home, next to the school, feared the loud booms would trigger flashbacks for the older veterans in the facility.
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Members of the county’s 300th committee regrouped and decided to offer Saturday’s grand finale at Sealston Sports Complex, 11050 Fletchers Chapel Road, just off State Route 3. It’s free and open to the public.
A festival-type event starts at 2 p.m. and will include live music, arts and crafts and multiple food vendors. Gravatt Entertainment, which had been contracted to work with King George on its anniversary events, will present a slideshow commemorating the history of the county. That’s scheduled about 5:20 p.m.
Fireworks are expected to go off, starting at 5:30 p.m., and last about 30 minutes.
County officials consulted with the Rappahannock Area Health District about crowd size and were told attendance would have to be limited to 1,000 people, said County Administrator Neiman Young. That's the maximum number of people allowed at outdoor events under the state's Phase 3 guidelines concerning the pandemic, said Allison Balmes-John, spokesperson for the local health district.
She stressed that crowds do pose a risk for spreading the virus and encouraged participants to wear masks, stay 6 feet apart and bring hand sanitizer. Those who are not feeling well should stay home, she said.
King George has set aside almost $40,000 for the fireworks and contingency expenses, such as outdoor heaters in case the weather is too cold, Young told the King George Board of Supervisors last month.
On the topic of how the county had paid for 300th anniversary events, Young said he wanted to “put out any concerns [that] events are funded with King George taxpayer money.” He stressed that the county’s tourism fund—which comes from the transient occupancy tax paid by hotel guests—has covered the events. Most of the hotels and places of lodging are in the Dahlgren area and serve either sailors who are training or military people coming to the base for conferences, Young said.
“It’s not traditional King George money, like real estate or personal property tax,” he added.
Tourism funds have to be spent on efforts to generate more tourism, and King George in the past has allocated money toward in-county festivals and jazz events, signs and promotions and even trees that beautify the median along State Route 3.
Even though the county hadn’t been able to offer as many 300th-related activities as planned, Young said heard people at the few events that did occur say they “didn’t even know King George County” had various venues, such as bed-and-breakfast facilities or venues for weddings.
His detailed explanation about tourism funding came in response to an email sent to county officials after a Free Lance-Star story about a formal event planned last month at a local winery. Officials had announced that the dress was black tie or business attire, and residents Brian Feegle and Mary Trout-Feegle were “appalled” that county funds would be used for an event that many people couldn’t attend because they didn’t own the right clothes.
Young told the couple in an email that no one would be turned away at “An Evening Under the Stars,” and reiterated that only tourism money, not general tax revenue, was used to pay for the $33,000 event.