RCC Announces 22^nd Annual Preakness Party Supporting Student Scholarships
 

Rappahannock Community College’s Educational Foundation invites the community to the 22nd Annual Preakness Party on Saturday, May 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Ditchley in Kilmarnock.

Guests will enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres from 1710 Tavern, Act XII Wine and Provisions, Ditchley Cider Works, Excellent Eats, Indian Creek Yacht & Country Club, and RCC Culinary Arts. Beverages will feature regional wines from General’s Ridge Vineyard, Good Luck Cellars, and Ingleside Vineyards, along with cocktails, beer, and non-alcoholic options.

The afternoon will include live and silent auctions featuring unique experiences and one-of-a-kind items, as well as the popular “Most Audacious Hat” and “Best Dressed Man” contests. The event concludes with a live broadcast of the Preakness Stakes on big screens under the tent.

RCC students often balance work, family responsibilities, food insecurity, and unexpected challenges while pursuing their education. Through support from the RCC Educational Foundation (EFI)—including proceeds from the Preakness Party—students receive critical resources that help them stay on track and complete their goals.

“The Preakness Party is a highlight of the year—fun, festive, and deeply impactful,” said Dr. Shannon Kennedy, RCC President. “This year’s celebration not only supports scholarships but also invites our community to play a role in shaping the future of our students.”

Tickets are $100 per guest, with half of each ticket tax-deductible. To purchase, contact the RCC Educational Foundation at 804-333-6707 or visit www.rappahannock.edu/preaknessparty.

Abingdon Ruritan Club Seafood Festival

 

The Abingdon Ruritan Club of Gloucester is proud to announce its highly anticipated Seafood Festival on Wednesday, May 20th. This beloved community event will take place on the festival grounds behind the club building at 8784 Guinea Road, Bena, VA. Gates open at 2:00 PM, with food service beginning promptly at 3:00 PM following the National Anthem — a Ruritan tradition honoring citizenship and patriotism. The event runs till 8:00 PM. This all-inclusive seafood celebration features unlimited food/drinks with the purchase of your ticket, including: • Oysters – fried, roasted & on the half-shell • Clams – chowder, fritters & half-shell • Scallops – fried & grilled • Fried fish • Hush puppies • Steamed shrimp & Hawaiian garlic shrimp • Steamed crabs • BBQ with coleslaw • French fries • Cake • Ice cream • Beverages: Beer, wine, mixed drinks, soft drinks, tea, coffee and water. (Alcohol stops being served at 7:30 PM) Guests will also enjoy live music, free parking, and local sponsor booths, making it the perfect afternoon and evening outing for seafood lovers and families alike. Enjoy seating in a covered pavilion or bring your own fold-up chairs and small fold-up tables. TICKETS Don’t wait—tickets will go FAST! Sales open in March 2026 and can be purchased: • From Abingdon Ruritan Club members • Online at www.AbingdonRuritanClub.com • At select local retailers: -Milk Panda 2268 York Crossing Dr Hayes -Tillage Auto 1925 George Washington Mem Hwy Hayes -Whitley's Peanuts 1977 George Washington Mem Hwy Hayes -Weatherwax Insurance Agency 4435 George Washington Mem Hwy Hayes -Hogge Real Estate 6800 Main Street Gloucester

Website: http://www.Abingdonruritanclub.com

Phone: 7573441792

MATHEWS MUSEUM TO OPEN

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EXHIBIT

The Mathews Museum is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit highlighting the indigenous peoples who lived in Mathews centuries ago.

The exhibit will open in two stages. The public is invited to visit during regular museum hours, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and step back in time through a remarkable collection of artifacts and interpretive displays.

“The exhibit has been more than a year in the making,” says Museum President Tom Robinson.  

The exhibit features original artifacts, a hands-on touch table, and a vintage hand-crafted dugout canoe, offering visitors an immersive experience. Indigenous people are believed to have lived in the Mathews area for thousands of years — from as early as 22,000 years ago until the Kiskiack Tribe was driven out in the 1670s.

Chairman Robinson invites community members with Native American heritage to share their stories and family histories. Those interested are encouraged to contact the Museum at 804-505-1277,  or email info@mathewsmuseum.org, or, simply stop by for a visit. Visit the Museum at mathewsmuseum.org.  

Gloucester Parks, Recreation & Tourism Events

GYMNASTICS TRIALS (NEW PROGRAM)

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Gymnastics Trials as a one-time experience to help determine your child’s interest before enrolling in a full session. Sessions offered at Botetourt and Achilles. For ages 3-16. Check our website for full list of offerings!

FREE FLOW YOGA

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Free Flow Yoga on Tuesdays in May from 5:30-6:45 PM at Whitcomb Lodge.  The fee is $40 for the whole month or $9 per drop-in session.

INCLUSIVE SOCCER DAY 2026

Join us for a fun and inclusive soccer event hosted by the Gloucester High School Key Club and sponsored by Gloucester Parks, Recreation, and Tourism on Saturday, May 16th from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at Abingdon Park This event is designed for individuals with special needs of all ages and abilities to come together, enjoy the game, and experience the joy of teamwork. This program is free, but we ask that you register online by Sunday, May 10th.

THE FULL HIKE

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring The Full Hike on the 3^rd Saturday of May at 9:00 am.  Join us at Beaverdam Parks Main Entrance, at 8:45 am we will shuttle you to the Fary’s Mill Road Park Entrance where you will hike the trail back to the Main Entrance.  The hike is approximately 9 miles.  The registration fee is $5 and the deadline is 1 week before the hike.

SENIOR BINGO 

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Bingo for ages 50 and over on Wednesday, May 27th from 10:30 am to Noon at the Stewart Building.  Winnings are prizes, no cash.  The fee is $10 and the deadline to register is Tuesday, May 26th. 

CAPE CHARLES BEST YEARS TRIP

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip to Cape Charles on Thursday, June 4 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.  Spend the day on your own strolling the streets and have lunch along the way.  The fee is $35 and the deadline to register is Thursday, May 28th. 

YOUTH TEE BALL & WIFFLE BALL 2026

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Youth Tee Ball and Wiffle Ball for ages 3 – 7 in June. Practices and games will be at Ark and Abingdon Parks. Please see our website for more information on ages, dates and fees!

KID’S FREE FISHING DAY

The Department of Wildlife Resources & Beaverdam Park are sponsoring a free day of fishing for children at Beaverdam Park on Sunday, June 7th from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.  No freshwater fishing licenses are required statewide during the first weekend in June. We will have a Conservation Police Officer on site; they will provide Fishing Poles and Bait to registered participants. After fishing, lunch will be provided by the Abingdon Ruritan Club. This program is free, but we ask that you register online by Sunday, May 31st.

JUNE BEST YEARS SOCIAL  

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring the June Best Years Social for ages 50 and over on Tuesday, June 2nd from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Beaverdam Park’s Whitcomb Lodge. Come on by and enjoy light refreshments and a great time socializing, learning about upcoming trips and helping us get the word out about these trips! If you’d like to help with refreshments, please send an email to ekeefer@gloucesterva.info or call (804) 693-1264. Free event.  

KID’S SALTWATER FISHING WORKSHOP

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Kid’s Saltwater Fishing Workshop for ages 12 – 15 on Saturday, June 13th from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Machicomoco State Park. The fee is $15 and the deadline to register is Saturday, June 6th.

KID’S SUMMER FISHING TOURNAMENT

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Kid’s Spring Fishing Tournament for ages 5 – 15 on Sunday, June 14th from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Beaverdam Park. Prizes will be awarded based on age divisions and shore/boat divisions. The fee is $15 and the deadline to register is Sunday, June 7th.

SPRING 2026 ADULT PICK-UP FIELD HOCKEY

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Adult Pick-Up Field Hockey on Sundays from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM at the Old Page Grounds Field Hockey Fields until May 10 with ongoing registration and drop-ins welcome. For ages 18+. Please see our website for more information!

ADULT COURT COLLECTIVE: PICK-UP BASKETBALL

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Adult Pick-Up Basketball on Friday evenings in June and July at Ark Park with ongoing registration and drop-ins welcome. For ages 18+. Please see our website for more information!

PARK AFTER DARK

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring Park After Dark on Friday, June 26 from 8:00-11:00 pm at Beaverdam park’s Main Entrance (only).  Participate in fishing, boating, biking or hiking after hours.  All activities require head lamps.  The fee is $5 and all rental fees apply; the deadline is Friday, June 19th.

PLAY ALL DAY VA

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is celebrating the longest day of the year as part of the Play All Day VA initiative by the Virginia Recreation and Parks Society on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21 at Beaverdam Park. Enjoy many activities for kids and adults. Activities include painting rocks, making wooden ornaments, and creating a Father's Day craft. You can also enjoy landscape painting, terrarium making, and more!  This program is free, but we ask that you register online by Saturday, June 20th.

DOLPHIN WATCHING

Parks, Recreation & Tourism is sponsoring a Best Years Trip of Virginia Beach for Dolphin Watching on Wednesday, July 8th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.  The fee is $70 and the deadline to register is Wednesday,  June 24th.

For more information on these and other activities call PRT at 804-693-2355, email prt@gloucesterva.info or stop by our office 6382 Main Street.  For online registration visit https://gloucesterva.info/civicrec

Mathews Marathon - A Boston Qualifier Race

From 7:00AM to 1:00PM

On Saturday, October 17th from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. come out and run along peaceful, rural backroads in beautiful Mathews County, Virginia - as we like to say - the world's flattest race course! This course was officially registered as a Boston qualifier in 2025. Enjoy the fast, flat course that winds through dirt, gravel and paved roads and past the serenity of one of Virginia’s great countrysides. The Marathon route will take you to 3 of the county’s beaches. You can also register for the Half Marathon or run the marathon course as a relay! Find out more information and register here: https://mocva.net/marathon/ Organized by the Mathews Outdoor Club

Location: Put In Creek Pavilion

Website: https://www.mocva.net/marathon/

Wharf to Wharf Swim

 

Swim out-and-back along the calm waters of the East River in Mathews County, Virginia. On Saturday, August 15th, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., challenge yourself to a one mile open water swim starting and ending at Williams Wharf Landing. Swimmers set out in waves and return to a post-race award ceremony and celebration. Find out more information and register here: https://mocva.net/w2w/ This event is organized by the Mathews Outdoor Club.

Location: Williams Wharf Landing

Website: https://www.mocva.net/w2w/

Islander Regatta - Paddle Around Gwynn's Island

Circumnavigate one of Virginia's few inhabited Islands at this annual 9 mile paddle event around Gwynn's Island in Mathews, Virginia! On Saturday, June 27th, from 8am to 1pm Paddle along 3 bodies of water: the Milford Haven, Piankatank River & Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy full water safety support from the US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 66, rest stops, a post-race celebration & the Gwynn's Island Festival. Find out more information and register at https://mocva.net/regatta/ This event is organized by the Mathews Outdoor Club.

Location: The Islander Hotel, 633 Old Ferry Road, Gwynn VA

Website: http://www.mocva.net/regatta/

THE TOUR de CHESAPEAKE Cycling Event RIDES AGAIN IN MATHEWS COUNTY!!! 

JOIN US THIS YEAR ON Saturday, May 16th!!!

It’s the 27^th Annual Tour de Chesapeake in Mathews, VA!!!  Enjoy over 100 miles of great FLAT routes with views of the Chesapeake Bay everywhere you turn, delicious local eats, toe-tapping music, and nice, down-home folks to help you with whatever you need!

We are the only cycling event with a WATER TAXI on a beautiful Chesapeake Bay Deadrise boat!

Tour de Chesapeake is a family-friendly cycling event located in Mathews County, on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula.  The supported ride is all day on Saturday, but we hope you will make a weekend of it and see all Mathews has to offer. 

TOUR DE CHESAPEAKE IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

QUEENS CREEK MARINA

LENNON DENTAL

RIVERSIDE WALTER REED HOSPITAL

CANDACE SEGALINI, REALTOR

MATHEWS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Cyclists can register at Thomas Hunter Middle School on Friday, May 15^th, from 4-8:30 p.m. or Saturday, May 16^th, from 7-10 a.m.

This weekend is not just for cyclists anymore!  The public can enjoy the “Art deTour”, a gathering of artists on Main Street at the Bay School Community Arts Center on Saturday as well as the ever-popular Saturday Night Party at the Wharf at Williams Wharf Landing.  It’s FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC on Saturday, from 5 until 9 p.m.  There will be food by Mouth of the South, a cash bar by the One Man Liquor Stand and Dance Music by Lynda Smith & the 7^th Street band.

Visit our website at www.tourdechesapeake.org for MORE INFORMATION!

Registration is now open for the 2026 Reedville Fishermen's Museum's Family Boat Building weekend. It will be held Friday-Sunday, June 19th-21st in the pavilion on the museum's campus, 504 Main St., Reedville.

Families are partnered with museum volunteers to build a wooden skiff to take home. The cost is $1,000, which includes the boat kit, oars, two T-shirts, lunch on Saturday and admission to the museum.

Limited openings are available; the event always sells out. A $250 non-refundable deposit will secure a space.

For more information, call 804-453-6529 or e-mail office@rfmuseum.org.

The Reedville Fishermen's Museum is now open for the season, with four new exhibits on view through 2026. The museum is full of artifacts and memorabilia telling the story of the Northern Neck's historic commercial fishing history. Outside on campus are several classic boats, at the dock and on shore. Activities being planned for the year include concerts, skipjack cruises, family boat building, golf cart party, fireworks, crabbing for kids, antique boat show and holiday celebrations.

Three new exhibits are in the Watermen's Gallery: Images by Kodachrome, a photographic tribute to the area's watermen by Mike Fontaine; Northern Neck Master Gardeners' Shoreline Evaluation Program; and Smith Point Sea Rescue.

Chesapeake Bay Quilts by Logan O'Bier are on exhibit in the museum lobby and the Walker House.

The museum is at 504 Main St. Hours until late May are 11 am.-4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Admission includes entrance to all museum exhibits: $10 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and above; $5 for veterans; free for children 17 and under; and free for active duty military members. For more information, call 804-453-6529 or e-mail office@rfmuseum.org.          

The Disabled American Veterans Chapter 58, located in Gloucester VA, at 6265 Professional Drive, directly behind the radio station. Their Certified Claims Service Officers can assist ALL Veterans and their dependents with submitting claims to the Veterans Administration at no cost. No appointment necessary, you’ll need a DD214, hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 2pm and they can be reached at 804-695-1558.

For a ride to Richmond or Hampton for appointment, call Keith Davis at 757-728-3148 to make arrangements.

Gloucester County Unveils New Driving Tour Exploring the
1781 Battle of the Hook
The Gloucester Museum of History proudly announces the launch of the Battle of the Hook Driving
Tour, a new self-guided driving tour exploring the events, people, and key sites of the Battle of the
Hook, the largest cavalry engagement of the American Revolution and a crucial Franco-American
victory. The tour brochure is available at the Museum of History and Gloucester Visitor Center, at
no cost, and an online version is also available.
 

The October 3, 1781, Battle of the Hook is one of the most important episodes of the siege of
Yorktown, when the Duc de Lauzun's famous Legion of hussars with 300 troops of the "Infanterie
de Marine,” and Lieutenant Colonel John Mercer's Select Battalion of Grenadiers, under the overall
command of French Brigadier General Claude de Choisy, defeated Lieutenant Colonel Banastre
Tarleton's British Legion and a detachment of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The fighting at Gloucester
helped cut off British escape routes from Yorktown, directly contributing to their surrender just
sixteen days later, on October 19, 1781.
 

The driving tour guides visitors to pivotal locations throughout Gloucester County, including the
historic Tavern at Gloucester Courthouse (now the Gloucester Museum of History), Ware
Episcopal Church, Abingdon Episcopal Church, and Seawell’s Ordinary. Each site reveals how local
landscapes became strategic military positions during the final campaign for American
independence.
Additional highlights include the Second Surrender, memorialized at Tyndall’s Point Park, where
British troops garrisoned in Gloucester surrendered to French forces one hour after the October 19,
1781, capitulation at Yorktown. The tour also directs visitors to Abingdon Elementary School,
where they may experience interpretive signage and a new memorial honoring the five French
soldiers who fell during the battle.
“This tour invites locals and guests to explore Gloucester’s beauty and history while visiting
landmarks where decisive moments in America’s fight for independence unfolded,” said Robert
Kelly, Gloucester’s Historic Resources Supervisor. “As we commemorate the nation’s 250 th birthday,
the tour is a powerful way to connect Gloucester’s history and landscapes with the broader story of
America’s founding while also honoring the importance of the Franco-American Alliance.”

Registration is now open for 4-H Camp for Gloucester, Essex and Middlesex. Camp will be held June 8th-12th at the Jamestown 4-H Center.

Do you have concerns regarding your preschooler's development? Gloucester County Public Schools conducts screenings for preschool children as part of their Child Find Activities throughout the school year. Parents/Guardians should consider having their children screened if they are experiencing difficulty walking, talking, playing, and meeting developmental milestones. If you are interested in having your child screened, please contact your child's zoned school. Any further questions please contact the Special Education Office at 804-693-7880 or 804-693-7944.