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Community Corner

Falls Church Goes Back 150 Years for a Weekend Long Celebration

Civil War enthusiasts wrapped up a weekend of re-enactments with an 1860s style picnic in Frady Park.

The Falls Church Civil War 150th anniversary committee capped off a Thaddeus Lowe Commemoration weekend with a traditional Civil War era style picnic at Donald S. Frady Park, fittingly one of the city’s original Victorian era parks still standing today.

As cars whizzed by on East Broad Street they peered in on ladies dressed in top hats and jewelry along with their traditional long and overflowing Victorian style dresses exchanging pleasantries, snapping photos, playing croquet and eating out of picnic baskets along the grassy fields.

The Silverbrook band provided live music via 1860s era instruments such as the hammered dulcimer and the concertina.

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“What we’re trying to do is be evocative of people what people what do on the weekends back then,” said Barb Cram, a member of the Victorian Society and the Falls Church Civil War 150th anniversary committee. “Instead of going to parties and driving to the mall, this is what they did, to gather and see each other. We’re trying to get people to see how simple life was and it’s kind of fun.”

Cram also shot a video of the entire weekend that will soon be available on the Falls Church City Television website.

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Creative Cauldron staff was on hand to provide Civil War style children’s activities.

It was the final event of a three day collaborative effort amongst the City of Falls Church, the Victorian Society at Falls Church and the Village Preservation Society.

“We ladies are lucky that its not very sunny out today because it was considered inappropriate for a woman to get a sun tan or freckles,” said Linda Lowe, a member of the Victorian Society at Falls Church dressed in traditional Victorian era fashion. “There’s a whole set of rules that you have to follow even when you’re at a picnic, if your in the Victorian era.”

Lowe was also handing out Saratoga chips, a traditional 1860s snack to go along with other refreshments available to picnic attendees.

The Victorian Society of Falls Church participates in Victorian era inspired events throughout the year in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, including the annual White House Easter Egg roll.

“This is to me a very important park, because its’ the only park on Route 7 that all the thousands of people that drive through the city can see, they don’t see Cherry Hill, you have to know where it is,” said Nidge Wang, also a member of the Victorian Society.  “Everybody going all the way out to Leesburg and beyond, they go right past here, we’re very visible here.”        

 

 

 

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