On Friday, the 30th of this month we will be hosting our first ever beer dinner featuring Dogfish Head beers. Devin Arlowski, who works for Dogfish Head, will be here to answer any beer-related questions. I selected the beers based on which ones I thought were the most food-friendly and Olde Virginia Catering will be providing the food. Click here to see the full delicious menu and which beers will be paired with it. For the main course, the chef will be making spareribs that he will cook with the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale. I can’t wait.

If you’re not familiar with Dogfish Head, check out their website. They are probably the most innovative craft brewery in America in terms of coming up with new ideas for beer styles. For example, one of the courses in the dinner will be paired with the Dogfish Head Red and White, a beer brewed with a bit of Pinot Noir juice and then aged in Pinot Noir oak barrels.

So come on out and enjoy some great beer and food. The event will be held at the Plank road store (next to Ukrops) and costs $60 per person, which includes tax and tip. You can sign up online by clicking here or by calling (540) 548-3339 (payment must be made in advance to secure your reservation). There is a limited amount of seating so sign up fast!

Saturday, 19th [April 1862] The truth must be told. Fredericksburg has surrendered to a force that is afraid to come and take it! The town raised three white flags, to show that they were trebly submissive I suppose. I believe t…

The SPC convective outlook for tomorrow shows a probability of thunderstorms just east of I-95 in Virginia, and a slight risk of severe weather closer to the Chesapeake Bay. I’ll be keeping my eyes (and my options) open in case the chasing potential l…

Here are your opportunities to try some new beers around Fredericksburg this weekend.Also this weekend, the SAVOR, American Craft Beer and Food Experience takes place in Washington, DC.Friday, May 16 – 5:00 – 8:00pmTotal WineFriday 5 @ 5 Beer Tasting:B…

Rocky Lane leading from Caroline Street to what is now known as City DockFredericksburg, VirginiaThis is probably the route Betty Herndon Maury walked to the Rappahannock River on April 18, 1862. See Diary entry for that date.View of the Rappahannock R…

Good Friday, April 18th [1862] Last night we heard that the enemy were four miles from Falmouth. did not know their strength. Our forces went across the river to meet them. I believe they had a short skirmish in the night. Whi…

I’m an Air Force brat. The sound of an USAF fighter plane streaking low overhead is about the most comforting sound I can imagine. This must relate back to growing up on USAF bases where the sound was just part of the everyday fabric of life. A few specific remembrances that come to mind…

Playing baseball in the field at the end of our block on Grissom AFB, IN and hearing the “crack” as jets broke the sound barrier overhead. This was 1976ish so I’m going to guess they were F-101’s? Another specific instance in 1997, we are on Shell Island just across the bay from Tyndall AFB. F-16’s start practicing touch and go takeoffs on the runway not more than a mile or so across the water, and they roar directly over our heads at very low altitude. It was a parade of jets, so loud the ground shook, so low you could almost feel the exhaust. I was enthralled, as was my then 3 year old son. I also remember running to the window in our condo every time I heard a jet that whole week. Fighter planes frequently streaked up and down the coast.

That sound just makes me happy. I can’t really explain it any other way.

Our current home sits directly between the Quantico Marine Base and Fort AP Hill. We don’t get many jets, but the low flying squadrons of military helicopters are a suitable substitute. And yes, I race to the window or out on the deck for a look anytime I hear them coming.

This Friday night, we’ll be seeing Jim Scott in concert at 7:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 1115 Caroline Street. From his press release: “Jim Scott, an acclaimed acoustic guitarist, will perform an evening of his songs of peace …

The recent Brasserie Beck newsletter brings word of an interesting, if pricey, Samichlaus beer dinner. I was fortunate to taste some vintage Samichlaus recently and enjoyed it quite a bit.On Tuesday, June 3rd, Brasserie Beck holds its first-ever Beer D…

This is to announce that The House on Caroline Street has created a web page for the publication of related items concerning Virginia in the Civil War. The first article to be published there is an article originally published in Appleton’s magazine on…