Workhouse Quad gets final touch-ups before major fireworks show

Construction work on the central Quad at the Workhouse Arts Center is close to completion.

Three months after embarking on an extensive renovation of its central Quad, the Workhouse Arts Center at Lorton is wrapping up construction — just in the nick of time — for the Workhouse Fireworks 2018 festivities this upcoming weekend.

Recent rainfall slowed down renovation activities, according to Workhouse marketing director Frank Pappas, but the construction team now is completing irrigation work and making final adjustments to the 82,500 square-foot space. The Quad’s new walkways and the concrete base for its Rizer Pavilion tent are in place, surrounded by newly planted grassy areas designed to avoid sagging.

By Saturday at 5 p.m. when festivities start, the 5,000 square-foot pavilion tent will be erected with a brand-new stage beneath it, said Pappas. Performing on stage that evening will be the U.S. Navy Band Commodores, the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, which plays a mix of big band, jazz vocal arrangements and new instrumental music. The Workhouse’s pre-Independence Day celebration will also feature food trucks, kids’ activities, art exhibits in 12 galleries, a first-aid tent from Inova HealthPlex-Lorton and a 30-minute firework show to cap off the evening.

The Workhouse’s improved trail system is also nearing completion, said Pappas, with final construction walk-through set to take place this week. The upgraded multi-use trail will provide direct access to neighboring Occoquan Regional Park, which itself just underwent a makeover.

While fundraising for the Workhouse’s new Lucy Burns Museum in Building 2 is still ongoing, Workhouse staff have temporarily opened the facility — located in a former cell block building — to feature a few small photography exhibitions through mid-August. “In Lorton’s Dark Room” is an exhibition highlighting a 1980’s-era photography workshop at Lorton Prison, while “What Remains Behind” features photographs taken of the newly closed Lorton Prison back in 2002.