You're Invited: Patriots Day at Catharpin Park

Patriots Day is a new county event at Catharpin Park to honor the men and women of public service in our county. It will be held from 5:00 – 9:30 p.m. on Friday, July 1, at 12500 Kyle Wilson Way in Catharpin.

The family-friendly event will have fireworks, food trucks, face painting, a rock-climbing wall, an obstacle course and a trackless train to ride around the park. In addition, there will be a fire truck, police car, ambulance and FBI helicopter on-site for people to explore.

Special events throughout the evening include Magician Flabbergast at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Public Safety Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony will begin at 8:00 p.m. when each chief will honor members from the Sheriff's Office, the Police Department and Fire and EMS. A 15-minute fireworks display will begin at about 9 p.m.

"During this time of year, when we are celebrating what makes this country so great, I want to honor the public safety personnel of Prince William County who work tirelessly to serve and protect our community," said Prince William County Gainesville District Supervisor Pete Candland, who is hosting the event. "This is a family event where we can bring the community together alongside our public safety officers and celebrate with food, games, activities, and, of course, fireworks. My hope is that this will become an annual event in our county, an opportunity to give back to those who give so much to us every day.

Four food trucks – Don Sabas Taqueria, Two Smooth Dudes, which serves loaded tater tots, Big B's Smokin' BBQ and Moo-Thru Ice Cream – will have food for purchase. Free popcorn will be provided, and Wegman's has donated bottles of water.

Satellite parking will be at Sudley United Methodist Church at 5308 Sudley Road. Prince William County Schools will be running shuttles between the two locations.