Top 10 events coming to the Richmond Highway area in June

As the days grow longer, so too does the list of outdoor events and activities taking place along Route 1. Following are 10 dates you’ll want to mark on your calendar:

1. Free Summer Concerts. Mount Vernon Nights will take place Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. from June 2 to August 25 at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton and Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. from June 1 to August 31 at Grist Mill Park. Meanwhile, Fort Hunt Park will hold concerts Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. from June through August at Fort Hunt Park’s Pavilion A. Lee District Nights will be held Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. from June 20 to August 29 at Lee District Park.
2. Ice Cream Social. Enjoy a bowl of ice cream and entertainment for a good cause by attending the Workhouse Arts Center’s ice cream social fundraiser on June 2 from noon to 4 p.m. Purchase a handmade bowl for $20 and get it filled with ice cream. Other entertainment includes a performance by The Great Zucchini, a dunking machine, live music, raffle tickets and a scavenger hunt.
3. Martha Washington’s Birthday Celebration. Wish the nation’s first First Lady a happy birthday at the Mount Vernon mansion’s piazza between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on June 2 and watch a naturalization ceremony at 1 p.m. Cost is included in price of admission.
4. Clean the Bay Day and National Trails Day. Help clean up the shores of Belmont Bay and trails at Mason Neck State Park from 9 a.m. to noon on June 2. Gloves and bags, as well as drinks and snacks, will be provided.
5. Frank Lloyd Wright Birthday Picnic. On the evening of June 8, Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House will celebrate architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday with a picnic/fundraiser at his Usonian-style Pope-Leighey House. Bring your own picnic, and the organizers will provide themed cocktails and summer wines, birthday cake and pie, live jazz, a trivia game and online auction. Tickets are available online.
6. History and Heritage Fun Day. The National Park Service is holding this free family-friendly event on June 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fort Hunt Park. Activities will include colonial arts and crafts demonstrations, antique cars, reptile show, raptors, climbing wall, kids’ activities, brass band concert and food.
7. Declaration Day. Help commemorate the anniversary of the ratification of the Virginia Declaration of Rights at this special event on June 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gunston Hall. Activities include a naturalization ceremony at 11 a.m., mansion tours, theater performances, a wreath laying at George Mason’s tomb at 2 p.m., and a birthday cake at 3 p.m. Food vendors will be on site. Admission is free.
8. Gum Springs Community Day & Parade. Gum Springs is celebrating the 185th year of its founding on June 16 and will hold a special parade at 11 a.m. which starts at Richmond Highway and Fordson Road, and ends at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Park. Following the parade, free activities will take place in the park until 5 p.m. Food, games and music will be provided.
9. Occoquan Recreated: A Grand Re-Opening! Celebrate the grand re-opening of the park with a free daylong event on June 23 featuring music, tours of the new River View wedding and event facility at the Jean R. Packard Center, the Brickmaker’s Café with riverfront seating, a new 5K loop trail, vendors, food truck and moon bounces.
10. Workhouse Fireworks 2018. On June 30 from 5 to 10 p.m., watch pre-Independence Day fireworks at the Workhouse Arts Center and enjoy a concert by the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble. You also can visit the center’s art galleries and enjoy food, beer and wine purchased on-site. Admission to the fireworks is free, though parking at the Workhouse Campus costs $20 per car (cash only).