Well Fed

Want Your Kids More Connected to the Food they Eat? Try Farm Camp

Arcadia Farm Camp seeks to build the next generation of farmers, eaters and chefs.

It would be easy to plunk my kids into endless summer camps that offered the routine round of swimming, games and arts and crafts, but each year I try to seek out something that offers a more enriching experience, something they’ll talk about for years to come. Nature Camp at Tauxemont was one of those experiences when they were preschoolers. Arcadia Farm Camp is poised to become the next. Farm Camp is an outgrowth of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture on the grounds of historic Woodlawn Plantation. Launched by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, parent company of Evening Star and Vermillion, among others, Arcadia seeks to be a center for “local efforts and initiatives around better food.” The farm is an educational …

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National Trust Backs 'No Build' or Southern Bypass Options

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sent a letter to local officials and community leaders regarding its choices for widening Route 1.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sent a letter to local officials and community leaders announcing it would support the southern bypass Route 1 widening alternative as a "Plan B." The letter, dated June 15, states that the National Trust “strongly prefers” the no-build alternative, which would avoid any adverse impact to local historic resources. The Federal Highway Administration is currently discussing three alternatives to widening Route 1 to help ease traffic: Hundreds of residents and community leaders attended a public hearing at Hayfield Secondary School earlier this month to express their concerns about these alternatives. If the Federal Highway Administration says "no" to a no-build option, the National Trust would…

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Sally Spangler

11:18 am on Saturday, September 15, 2012

George Washington's original gift to make Woodlawn a home for his nephew Lawrence Washington and his bride - was 2,000 acres plus a mill and a distillory. The mill came true, but it took to the 20th century to see the distillory .Both places are at times shown as "this is how it is done". Fort Belvoir, (used to be Camp Humphrey) took over much of the rest of the land for married quarters for …   more ›

Arcadia to Host Family Fun Day

Families can visit the chicken coop and participate in farm-based games.

Arcadia Farm will host a Family Fun Day event this Saturday at Woodlawn Plantation.  Kids and their parents can participate in watching cooking demos, visiting the chicken coop, playing farm-based games, participating in arts and crafts,  having face painting and more. Professional guest chefs will also be teaching families how to prepare nutritious snacks. Arcadia’s new Mobile Market will also be available for tours. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online. 

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Mount Vernon District Trivia

Take a shot at this week's trivia question.

Welcome to yet another round of Patch's trivia game! Here are the rules: we ask a question pertaining to the Mount Vernon District, and the first person to answer correctly in the comments section below wins a Patchy prize! Here's the question: Who were the last private owners of Woodlawn before the National Trust acquired it in 1952? Submit your answer in the comments section below. If you have a trivia question you'd like to submit for a future column, please email mountvernon@patch.com.

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Jessie Biele

8:33 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Hey Jennifer! Your guess is correct! Please email mountvernon@patch.com for details about your prize. Thanks to everyone for playing! Jessie   more ›

Behind the Scenes of the Woodlawn Needlework Exhibition

The former owner of Crossed Canoes in Belle View is among this year's judges.

On a muggy, drizzly Wednesday morning in May, 12 women gathered at Woodlawn Plantation to organize and evaluate more than 600 pieces submitted by needlepoint artists across the country. Now in its 49th year, Woodlawn’s annual needlework exhibition will feature hundreds of pieces. Each piece is stitched with a handheld threaded needle. Maggie Bunch of Stafford has been a member of Woodlawn’s needlework auxillary club, Nellie’s Needlers, for 17 years. She has been coordinating the show for the last three years. A petite woman who is passionate about the delicate needle arts, she has a firm hand in making sure the judging process and show run smoothly. That morning, the three judges swarmed around a traditional Swedish costume, submitted by …

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Photos: Green-Way on the Highway

Green-friendly businesses abound in Mount Vernon

On Sunday, hundreds of people visited Woodlawn Plantation. Why? The Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture celebrated local businesses that make the region a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable place to work, shop and live. Vendors included 10,000 Villages, Chipotle, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria and Noodles & Company. Enjoy the gallery!

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