Follow the wafting smell of freshly-popped Kettle Korn and the sounds of a brass band for a fun and entertaining day at Fairfax History Day 2022, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., April 23 at Historic Blenheim, 3610 Old Lee Highway.
Wander the landscape to meet a tavern keeper, a laundress, a suffragist, a blacksmith, and a “Yankee School Marm” along with many other living historians portraying jobs and life in the nineteenth century. Sign your name (with a quill pen) to a paper to become a soldier in the War of 1812; practice your drilling skills with Civil War soldiers, play popular children’s games of the past, and hear about daily life and food ways of enslaved people.
This year’s Fairfax History Day features demonstrations of Domestic Arts including weaving, spinning, needlework, quilting and women’s dressing along with Building Arts of brickmaking, blacksmithing, and carpentry. Or if you prefer, engage in conversation with a naturalist, doctor, attorney, or phrenologist. Did you know a phrenologist studied the shape of a person’s head to determine their traits and characteristics?
The ca. 1859 Historic Blenheim House will be open for timed tours of the first floor where docents will talk about the newest research and discoveries of Civil War soldier graffiti and ongoing preservation projects. Be sure to secure your tour reservation at the entrance tent.
You will want to save time for wagon rides and delicious food options (including Kettle Korn). Sit on a hay bale or chair while you eat and enjoy the sounds of spirituals and string and brass bands.
Don’t forget to visit the museum gallery and gift shop inside the Civil War Interpretive Center. Remember Fairfax History Day with a souvenir or book to take home.
Admission is $6.00 for adults; $3.00 /12 and under, and free/ under 2. Fee includes all activities, including historic house tours and wagon rides. Free parking is available at Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run where free CUE Bus shuttles will take you to and from Historic Blenheim. There is no parking at the event site.
Admission: Sales at gate only * Cash, Visa or MasterCard accepted
$6/Adults $3/ Youth (ages 3-12) Free/ (2 and younger) 3610 Old Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030 ★ www.fairfaxva.gov ★ (703) 591-0560
No parking at Blenheim site
FREE handicapped accessible shuttle from Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run (Shuttles stop at Door #7 of Fairfax High School on the side of building parallel to Old Lee Highway).
Click here for shuttle parking map