Annandale Residents' Guide to Celebrating July 4

Annandale residents looking for a little fun and escape from the continuing power outage can seek solace in the Fourth of July events happening in our area on Wednesday.

What: City of Fairfax 2012 Independence Day Parade
When: 10 a.m. - Noon
Price: FREE

The parade route goes through historic Old Town Fairfax and will include floats, balloons and historic vehicles.

What: An American Celebration at Mount Vernon
Where: Historic Mount Vernon
When: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: $15 for adults

This Independence Day celebration is a little far away from Annandale, but you can enjoy daytime fireworks, reenactments and free cake at the home of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

If you’re looking for a place to watch the fireworks, here are some local displays in our area:

What: City of Fairfax Evening Show & Fireworks
Where: Fairfax High School
When: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Price: FREE

You can also in Annandale.

County RECenters Open for Extended Hours Due

All Fairfax County RECenters, including the in Annandale, will be open on Independence Day so that residents without power can cool off and recharge their electronic devices.  The fee to use the showers at RECenters will be waived for tomorrow. RECenters will open at their regularly scheduled time. Audrey Moore RECenter opens at 5 a.m.

In addition, Braddock District Supervisor John Cook’s office will be open to all residents without power tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Fairfax County Closures

All Fairfax County government, courts, public schools, school offices, libraries including the , teen center, senior centers, including the Wakefield Senior Center, and community centers.

All Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (NCS) programs, activities and facilities are also closed on Wednesday.

Trash and Recycling Collection

For Fairfax County customers who receive collection service on Wednesdays, July 4 will be a regular collection day. All trash and recycling should be at the curb by 6 a.m. in order to ensure that it will be collected. The Recycling and Disposal Centers at the I-66 Transfer Station (4618 West Ox Road) and the I-95 Landfill Complex (9850 Furnace Road) will both be closed on Wednesday.

Traffic Detours on Wednesday

The following detour advisories are from Braddock District John Cook’s latest Cook Advisory e-mail:

• Fairfax City Independence Day Parade - Vehicles and pedestrians traveling on Route 236/Main Street will be detoured to North Street from 8:00 a.m. until after the parade (around noon). Affected portions of University Drive, George Mason Boulevard and Route 123/Chain Bridge Road traffic also will be rerouted at that time. Parking will be restricted on those roads at that time. 

• Old Fashioned Fireman's Day - University Drive will close from Sager Avenue to Armstrong Street from about noon to 5 p.m. for the Old Fashioned Fireman's Day at Fire Station 3, 4081 University Drive.

• Evening Show - To allow spectators to exit from Fairfax High School after the evening show, no through-traffic will be permitted from about 9:15-11:00 p.m. on Old Lee Highway. If fireworks are postponed to July 5, the Old Lee Highway detours will be in effect at that time. For information, call 703-385-7975.