Are you ready for the hottest summer festival and fashion show in Northern Virginia?

At the Silent Disco Stage on June 8 at 5:30pm – 6:30pm, is the third annual Rock the Look Fashion & Beauty Show presented by W Salon (www.wsalonva.com). Rock the Look is a fabulously fashionable fiesta delivering pure outdoor fashion fun. The show is co-produced by Stara Pezeshkian, Founder of Stara Glam (www.staraglam.com), the area’s top fashion stylist gracing covers of local publications, fashion shows keen eye for fashion! Stara’s captivating vision on fashion and creative expertise will be unveiled onstage at this year’s show.
Styles for Rock the Look will be provided by Undeniable Boutique (www.undeniableboutique.com) and DMilikah swimwear (www.dmilikah.com).

Calling all Fido’s and Sparky’s

Do you think your furry companion has what it takes to be the next Dock Dog Champion? Well you are in luck! The world’s premier canine aquatics competition is coming to the Celebrate Fairfax Festival. The three competitions will include Big Air – equivalent to long jump for dogs, Extreme Vertical – equivalent to high jump for dogs, and Speed Retrieve – each dog races against the clock to retrieve a DockDogs designated object from a modified extender arm. For registration information, you may contact a DockDogs representative at (330) 241-4975 or via email at registration@dockdogs.com. DockDogs rules and regulations, event details, event results and other information can be viewed at http://www.dockdogs.com.

For more information, visit: http://www.dockdogs.com/event-reader-ers/events/2013-Celebrate-Fairfax-Festival.html

31 Days of May: Day 2

Ever needed a way to keep your kids busy during the summer? Well, we have just the craft that your kids will love. (Parents will love it too, because it is so easy and not messy!)

How to Make a Rainbow!

Supplies:
Construction Paper (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo(Blue-purple), and Violet)
Scissors
Stapler
Ruler

Instructions:
1) Measure and cut the construction paper into 1” wide strips.
2) Measure and cut each of the strips into the following lengths:
a. Red= 11 inches
b. Orange=10 inches
c. Yellow=9 inches
d. Green=8inches
e. Blue= 7inches
f. Indigo=6inches
g. Violet=5inches
3) Stack all the strips together in the order of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
4) Align and staple.
5) Align other end by creating the rainbow arch. And staple.

You are all done! Now you have your very own rainbow!

31 Days of May: Day 1

 

Celebrate Fairfax! will begin selling discounted tickets at Wegmans today May 1^st through Thursday  June 6^th, 2013. The tickets will only be sold at the Fairfax, Sterling, and Gainesville locations and you may purchase them from the service desk inside the store. Tickets will be sold at a discounted price of $9 for adults and $4 for children and you may only pay with cash. The tickets will have no fees attached (online sales include a service charge) and this deal does not include combo tickets. 

 

Photo Contest Announcement!!

THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED! We are still accepting entries for this year’s contest until Friday May 15, 2013 at 4pm! In order to enter into this contest, you must submit a photo of something beautiful you see in nature around Fairfax County. Let the county be your inspiration! The photo must be displayed on a black mat in order to be considered for the contest. The top 75 entries submitted will be displayed during the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, which will be held June 7-9th, 2013. (There will be 50 finalists in the open division and 25 finalists in the youth division.) The top 50 finalists chosen in the open division will be eligible for cash prizes.
Grand Prize: $150. Second Place: $100. Third Place: $50.
You will now be notified by email by May 22, 2013 whether or not you have been chosen as a finalist. We look forward to seeing all the beautiful pictures of Fairfax County that you have been able to capture.

Spotlight On Our Food Vendors

Here at Celebrate Fairfax HQ, we are beginning to experience the changing conditions that only mean one thing: it’s festival season. With only six short weeks until our gates open, our work days are getting longer, volunteer and exhibitor registration spaces are quickly filling up, and there’s an air of anticipation and excitement that can be felt around the office at any given time. Recent conversations have revolved around comparisons of daily tasks, memories of previous festivals, and the components of the event that stand out. While we all have different opinions and perspectives of what makes the festival truly magical to each of us, we can all agree on one thing that we enjoy and sets the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival apart from other fairs: our food vendors.
With over 40 food vendors dispersed throughout our site, menus offered reach far beyond what is expected at a festival. For those of you who particularly enjoy the fried specialties that regular carnivals and outdoor events, don’t worry, we have vendors on site who sell delicious carnival foods such as funnel cakes and boardwalk-style french fries. While our festival simply wouldn’t be a festival without these items, they are only one component of what comprises our diverse list of delicacies. This year, we’re excited to welcome a few new vendors selling items such as gourmet breads and old-fashioned sodas, as well as some of our festival veterans whose menus include pulled pork barbeque that practically melts in your mouth and crab dip, so rich that it’s habit-forming.
While it was my intention to have mouths watering and eagerness building by the end of this post, unfortunately the festival is still over a month away. Of course nothing beats the real thing, however In the meantime, to keep your appetites at bay, below are some recipes to try at home that will be featured at the festival. Be sure to be on the look out for these items during the event!

Deep Fried Oreos
Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup of milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 ½ cup of pancake mix
1 package of oreo cookies
Powdered sugar
Instructions:
1. Heat deep fryer to 375°
2. Mix pancake mix, egg, milk, & vegetable oil until smooth
3. Add oreos in a few at a time, coat them with batter by flipping them over
4. Place oreos in fryer a few at a time. Fry for one minute on each side (until golden brown)
5. Drain on paper towels and dust with powdered sugar

Gourmet Crab Dip
Ingredients:
2 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 tsp diced yellow onion
1 tbsp butter (softened)
¼ cup sour cream
¼ tsp seasoned salt
1/8 tsp paprika
1 tbsp mayonnaise
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (6 oz) can crab meat (drained)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 350°
2. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and butter until smooth
3. Blend in seasoned salt & paprika
4. Stir in yellow onions, crab meat, and mozzarella cheese
5. Place in a lightly greased baking dish and place in oven for 10-14 minutes (until mixture bubbles)
Serve with corn chips.

Noteworthy Festival Foods from Our Staff:
Be sure to keep an eye out for some of our staff’s favorites while you’re at the festival!
1. Red velvet funnel cake- Lisa’s Lemonade
2. Chicken on a stick- Thai Town
3. Jerk chicken- Caribbean Grill and More
4. Coconut shrimp skewers- Black Jack Grill

Recipes courtesy of:
1. http://copykat.com/2009/02/02/joes-crab-shack-crab-dip/
2. http://thespringmount6pack.com/2012/03/deep-fried-oreos/

Ever wondered how you could be a part of the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival?

Well here’s your chance! Volunteers are needed for our event on June 7th – 9th, 2013 at the Fairfax County Government Center. Without the help of more than 1,500 volunteers to run the gates, programs and logistical operations the event would not be possible.

Just register online at our website, http://www.CelebrateFairfax.com. When you volunteer for one 3-4 hour shift, you receive a Celebrate Fairfax! t-shirt, free admission for the day, a coupon for free beverage and snack as well as a chance to win great raffle prizes!

For more information or questions about volunteering, please visit our website http://www.CelebrateFairfax.com or call 703-324-5204.

Let’s Play Ball!

Celebrate Fairfax’s First Ever Youth Sports Day is on Sunday June 9^th! We at CFI want to encourage and reward children for participating in athletics within Fairfax County. So this year every child 12 and under (accompanied by an adult) who is involved in a youth athletic organization in Fairfax County, will be granted free admission to our Festival on Sunday June 9^th, 2013.  If you think your athletic organization might interested in participating, contact our Development Coordinator Stephanie Ratigan, and she can get your organization setup with a special promo code for ticket purchases! Visit our Youth Sports Day page at our website celebratefairfax.com or contact Stephanie at Stephanie.Ratigan@fairfaxcounty.gov to sign up your group!

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