It seems a fitting follow up to my last post to write about the Waterford Fair. The same professor who taught me how to look for clues to the past is also who first told me about the annual festival in Waterford, Virginia. My teacher was from the little Loudoun County town, which was established by Quakers during the 18th century. It has a wonderful collection of buildings, mostly residential and built during the 1800s and 1900s, surrounded by farmland. It is a place that seems almost untouched by time, due largely to very early community preservation efforts. In 1970, it became a National Historic Landmark.
This weekend, the Waterford Foundation is hosting its 74th annual fair, which benefits preservation and education. It is only about an hour from Washington, and I put it on my calendar every year. I headed out this morning with my friend Cathy, and we met up with my cousin Sterling and her fiance and future mother-in-law. There were wonderful art and craft exhibits, history demonstrations, food and wine tastings, and home tours. While there are a lot of fall festivals, there is just something special about this one. I think it is the picturesque, storybook quality of Waterford itself. Tomorrow is the last day, but it is seriously worth marking on your calendar for next October if you missed it. I’ll see you there.
