Weekend Roundup: Outdoor Fun in Loudoun

By Ryan Lytle

Thursday, July 23, 2009

This weekend, take advantage of the outdoors by making plans in Loudoun. There will be a blackberry festival in Bluemont, an outdoor play in Leesburg and a car show in Purcellville. If the weather becomes a little too hot to handle, Sterling will be hosting an ice cream social to cool things down.

Blackberry Bonanza U-pick Festival

Celebrate the deliciousness of the blackberry with the Second Annual Blackberry Bonanza U-Pick Festival in Bluemont this Saturday and Sunday.

"We've been doing blackberry picking at Great Country Farms for 16 years now," said Great Country Farms Owner Kate Zurschmeide. "We decided to have a festival now to celebrate it."

The weekend will be packed with activities for the entire family, including tie-dying T-shirts, hay rides, a 2,800-square-foot jumping pillow, an 18-hole Cow-Pie Putt-Putt course and, of course, blackberry picking.

"To me, the flavor of the berries is why people should come out," Zurschmeide said. "Just getting out there and picking blackberries with your children is what it's about."

There will also be yoga demonstrations sponsored by Yoga Time Studio of Purcellville on Saturday and Sunday, as well as pottery demonstrations and wine tasting.

"We make a blackberry wine here and people really like it," Zurschmeide said.

The festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m at Great Country Farms, located at 18780 Foggy Bottom Rd., in Bluemont.

Cost of admission is $10 per family.

Princess for a Day Ice Cream Social

If ice cream is more your taste, the Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling is hosting a "Princes for a Day" Ice Cream Social on Saturday.

At this event, families will join the Virginia Dairy Princess Program for princess lessons as well as for some old-fashioned ice cream.

If they feel up for the challenge, girls can show off their newly learned princess skills during a pageant that begins at 1 p.m.

The event begins Saturday at noon and ends at 2 p.m. The first 100 children to arrive will receive a free tiara to wear.

Heritage Farm Museum is located at 21668 Heritage Farm Lane in Sterling.

The cost of admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Call 571-258-3800 to register for the social.

Cruise-in Thunder Car Show

For one day only, the largest, single-day cruise-in show in the state of Virginia will take place this Saturday at Franklin Park in Purcellville.

The Seventh Annual Summer Thunder Cruise-in is a chance to mix with other car buffs and racing fans to check out some very special cars.

“Last year we had over 700 hot rods and 2,000 spectators,” said Summer Thunder Cruise-in Chairman Mary Liz McCauley.

Also available at the event will be live music, food vendors and a new kids’ area. There will also be a raffle for a brand new car trailer.

“The raffle tickets cost $1 and we are giving away a 24 foot enclosed car trailer,” McCauley said. “It’s valued at over $7500 so it’s a pretty good deal.”

The show will take place this Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the cost of admission is free, but donations are accepted.

“All donations we accept are given to a charity each year,” McCauley said.

Franklin Park is located at 17501 Franklin Park Drive in Purcellville.

For more information on the event, call 540-338-7603 or visit www.summerthundercruisein.com.

Not Just Shakespeare, Inc., "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Come out to Morven Park Saturday night for a night of theater in the form of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Enjoy the play under the stars and bring a chair and blanket, as well as a picnic.

Cost of admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Morven Park is located at 17263 Southern Planter Lane in Leesburg.

For more information on the play, call 703-909-4903 or visit www.notjustshakespeare.net.

Tagged: festival, Franklin Park Center, Great Country Farms, Heritage Farm Museum, Morven Park, Roundup

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