The Occoquan River Festival will be reborn this Saturday in the Historic Town of Occoquan. This year the Occoquan Merchants Association will be hosting the event, which will include a petting zoo, pony rides, craft demonstrations, costumed reenactors, live music, sidewalk sales, boat tours, a Taste of Occoquan. The OMA website has complete details!

Congratulations to challengers Liz Quist & Patrick Sivigny for winning seats on the Occoquan Town Council. Once again, congrats to Earnie Porta for being re-elected as Mayor for his third consecutive two-year term. InsideNova has more information about the Occoquan Election Results.

Two very interesting articles about the future development of the Occoquan waterfront region were published last week. The first article, from the Washington Business Journal contains details about the construction of Belmont Bay and the Rivergate. Teaser:

In the past decade Belmont Bay has constructed nearly 1,000 condos and townhouses — all overlook the bay. Just 23 remain unsold. Belmont Bay can build out an additional 873 condos and townhouses, something that Miller predicts will take 10 more years — at least — to complete.

The second article, published in the Washington Post, details a dense development plan to revitalize the north Woodbridge area situated between historic Occoquan and Belmont Bay. It also has some interesting road construction details. Teaser:

The vision for north Woodbridge, an area county officials said extends from the Occoquan River to Occoquan Road and from Route 1 to Horner Road, is to develop up — not out — and to have office and commercial space on one level with residential units above.

The plan calls for 2,500 to 3,500 multifamily units, up to 750,000 square feet of office space, up to 500,000 square feet of retail development and a hotel. The development would be phased in, so residential development does not outpace commercial, county officials said.

Finally, the Town of Occoquan Merchant Association is hosting the Second Annual “Art on The Occoquan” Art Walk this Saturday, May 08, 2010 (4:00 PM-8:00 PM). Enjoy an eclectic showcase of creative, fine arts in various mediums from local artisans. More details

Time to vote again! In May 2010 the residents of Occoquan will once again have the opportunity to elect a Mayor and new Town Council. Voting will take place at Town Hall from 6:00am – 7:00pm on Tuesday, May 2. Reminder, you must be registered to vote by April 12 in order to participate.

The big news is that there are more candidates than available seats on the Town Council this year. Here is a look at the slate of candidates:

Mayor:

Earnest W. Porta, Jr.

Town Council (Vote for 5):

Elizabeth A. “Liz” Quist
Ken T. Brunsvold
Denise M. Bush
Patrick A. Sivigny
James N. Walbert
Joao Paul “JP” Cunha

Before I endorse anybody, I’d like to hear a bit more from the candidates! Who is pro-growth? Who is pro-parking? Who will do the best job promoting the Occoquan waterfront?

As previously noted, Belgique Gourmande has been sold and a new restaurant is about to open in its stead. The new restaurant will be known as the Cock & Bowl and the new owners plan on taking the Belgium theme and running with it. In their own words, here is a tastebud teasing preview of what’s to come:

“It’s all shiny clean and brightly decorated, with an eclectic mix of Euro-Belgian-French stuff we have collected over our travel years.”

“Our concept is to be casual & fun “Mussels and Fries” joint, a variety of mussel flavors, the real-deal fresh cut & twice-cooked frites and mayo, and fresh-baked crusty bread for dipping. Other bistro fare to include salads, sandwiches, classic appetizers & waffles, and a daily special board for the chef to pull together something according to season & whimsy.”

“30+ Belgian beers, and a nice selection of tasty and affordable small production wines. Our kitchen is TINY, so our focus is very tight. Our layout is quirky, so our service is to be very casual. We just love the patio!”

As previously noted, Belgique Gourmande has been up for sale. The authentic Belgian restaurant is located right in the center of town and has a very nice outdoor eating area on Union Street. My wife & I have eaten there many times (ice cream & waffles for breakfast, yum!) and although a bit dingy, the food is tasty and the location convenient.

Now comes word that the restaurant has been sold! The new owners are planning to rebrand the restaurant the Cock & Bowl. This is great news, I’m looking forward to having a new restaurant in town. Will post more details as they become available.

2010 has arrived and Main Street continues to slump (well, in this case Mill Street). The Great Recession has not relinquished its icy grip on the world and small towns far and wide continue to struggle, including Occoquan.

Now word comes that two fine restaurants, The Garden Kitchen and Belgique Gourmande, are both up for sale. Apparently, each restaurant has been listed on craigslist (although, I was unable to find either listing).

That’s not all. The well-known local shop Country Morning is also for sale. Sadly, Irish Collection has become the latest business to announce that it will be closing.

What can you do? Shop and eat locally! If you have other ideas on how to help, sound off in the comments or drop me a line. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The season of giving is upon us and once again the Town of Occoquan is counting on local generosity to help the homeless. To get involved, you can buy a $5 ornament, sign it and hang it on the tree at Occoquan Town Hall.

Ornaments will be available for purchase until Dec. 31 for a minimum donation of $5 at Simply Country, located at 311 Mill Street.

In the past 10 years, the Tree of Hope has raised over $8,500 to help the homeless. Proceeds from the Tree of Hope go to the Resident Rent Fund at the Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center.

Just read an interesting article about Occoquan on InsideNova.com that highlights the struggle of small town merchants during the great recession. The article does a good job summing up the efforts of local government and the Occoquan Merchants Association to increase the foot traffic in town.

Between the Summer Trolley Tour and the upcoming third annual 5K race in October, I am pleased to see such effort! I really hope the creativity pays off and our local merchants will survive and thrive.

PS – The battle over the Gaslight Landing project in the comments below the InsideNova.com are comical.

The 2009 Occoquan Spring Craft Fair will take place in Historic Occoquan, this weekend, June 6th & 7th. Per the semi-annual tradition, it will feature lots of greasy food and crafts from an array of artists and vendors.

You can park in nearby commuter lots and take a shuttle to Occoquan for $4/person (kids free). If you don’t mind a little traffic, there is parking to be found in the neighborhoods surrounding the fair.

UPDATE: Here are some pics from the craft fair:[Gallery not found]