8 events coming to the Richmond Highway area in August

Wondering what to do during the final weeks of school vacation and the waning days of summer? Here are eight nearby events and activities for your consideration:

1. 2nd Annual Samuel Kwarteng Scholarship Tournament. As we reported last week, this full-day basketball tournament from August 4-5 at 9 a.m. at Mount Vernon High School (MVHS) will honor MVHS student Samuel Kwarteng’s legacy while raising money for a scholarship for a Mount Vernon senior pursuing an engineering degree. Music, food and vendors will be available on-site. Admission is $5 for one day, $8 for the whole tournament.

2. Jholie Moussa Remember… 1st Annual Missing Children’s Awareness Day. Organized by Not a Runaway, Inc. — a 501©3 non-profit founded by family and friends of Jholie Moussa — this is a free, region-wide missing children’s awareness event serving families and children of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan community. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 4 at the Springfield Town Center’s Community Room. It will feature a community forum about the AMBER Alert, a Missing Children Awareness Expo, personal safety workshops and other activities. Teens are encouraged to attend. Free food will be available.

3. Workhouse Brewfest. For the third consecutive year, the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton is bringing together local and regional breweries and distilleries for a day of sampling and musical entertainment on August 4 from 1 to 8 p.m. The Workhouse Brewfest — produced in partnership with Celebrate Fairfax, Visit Fairfax and the Fairfax County Government — will feature local breweries like Forge Brew Works and Fair Winds Brewing Company, as well as whiskeys from the Distillery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The Workhouse’s studios and galleries will be open as well. Information on tickets is available here.

4. Ongoing exhibition & new weekly farm stand at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House. Visit the ongoing exhibit, “Makers in the Mansion: A Transformed African American Community,” Fridays through Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit focuses on how African American craftsmen interpret the story of a Virginia plantation that became a dynamic, free community in Fairfax County. Tickets are included in the price of admission to Woodlawn Mansion. One of the “Makers,” furniture upholsterer Nicole Crowder, will hold a special upholstery workshop on August 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. Additionally, the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture’s new weekly farm stand is open on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. in front of the historic bank barn just off Richmond Highway.

5. National Purple Heart Day Ceremony. Mount Vernon and members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart will hold the estate’s official National Purple Heart Day Ceremony on August 11. The U.S. Marine Band Brass Quintet will perform at 10:10 a.m., followed by the ceremony, which includes presentation of the colors, a musical performance by the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and remarks by General Washington. Author Patrick O’Donnell will be the keynote speaker. The ticket cost is included in general admission to the estate.

6. Backpacks for needy families near & far. United Community Ministries is looking for backpack donations and funds for school supplies by August 6 for its annual Back to School 2018 event. Meanwhile, Sip and Sew Old Town — a group that holds sewing and crafting classes for all skill levels — is organizing a Hurricane Relief Love Project to benefit those affected by hurricanes in the past year. Participants will convene at Fabric Place Basement at 6660 Richmond Highway on August 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. to sew drawstring backpacks and stuff them with essentials for shipment to Puerto Rico. Those interested can reserve a seat here.

7. Drinks & Deals (& Movies) at Cedar Knoll. Mix business with pleasure by attending the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce’s networking event on August 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cedar Knoll and sticking around to watch the restaurant’s monthly “Movies on the Patio” presentation of “Hook.” The event is free for Chamber members and their guests, and $25 for non-members. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

8. Final Summer Concerts. Lee District Nights and Mount Vernon Nights will be wrapping up their summer 2018 musical programs in late August. Make sure to catch one of their final performances.