Cookouts for historic building restoration

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It was about noon on a sultry Saturday in July, and the aroma of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs wafted down a small side street in downtown Leesburg. Although the temperature was already in the 90s, friends had gathered under the hot sun in front of a plain white stucco building on Liberty Street for their weekly cookout.

Most of the friends were associated with Masonic organizations — the Prince Hall Masons and the Order of the Eastern Star — and they had come for more than food and fellowship. On Saturdays for the past three years, the group has organized cookouts to raise money for the preservation and restoration of their Masonic hall, a building whose rich history is belied by its modest appearance.

August 19, 2013

Symington Press

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Local authors who are looking for a publisher do not have to look any further. They can publish their own books at the Rust Library in Leesburg.

The library has launched the Symington Press, a print-on-demand machine that can print, collate, cover and bind a single paperback book in a few minutes. Library patrons may use the machine to publish their books or print from a database of downloadable books by other authors.

Washington Post, July 31, 2013

Presbytery sells Meadowkirk

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Meadowkirk, a 358-acre conference and retreat center near Middleburg, has been sold, according to officials of the National Capital Presbytery, the property’s previous owner. Loudoun County land records confirm that the property was sold July 15 to Delta Farm LLC for about $11.6 million.

Washington Post, July 28, 2013

Parents oppose walking routes

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Parents of schoolchildren who live in and around the Exeter neighborhood in Leesburg are organizing to keep school buses running in their community.

Some Exeter residents say that new walking routes proposed for their neighborhood are dangerous and that parents who drive their children to school instead of allowing them to walk will add to congestion on North King Street near Tuscarora High School and Smarts Mill Middle School.

Washington Post, July 15, 2013