This summer is a special time to be an American, and beyond that, a historic time to live in Gloucester County. Did you know that we're celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and the 375th anniversary of Gloucester's founding?

The folks on the Gloucester Parks, Recreation & Tourism team have been pouring their hearts into planning celebratory events. There are so many ways to learn about our history, and commemorate our journey, that we had to line them up for you in one place.

4-H Camp is a terrific opportunity for youth to learn citizenship, leadership, and life skills through hands-on experiences while making lasting friendships and enjoying a fun-filled week on the James River. Campers enjoy being part of a larger group and participating in campfires, recreation, and classes which may include archery, dance, canoe, kayak, swimming, arts and crafts, outdoor living skills, challenge course, marine science, air rifle, woodworking, and more!

Even beyond the traditional overnight camp at Jamestown, our 4-H staff has set up day camps for kids of all ages this summer, where they can explore everything from crafts to cooking to local farms.

For more information, check out https://www.facebook.com/GloucesterVA4H or call 804-693-2602.

Did you know that Gloucester County Animal Control organizes low-cost rabies vaccine clinics for cats and dogs every month? How about spay/neuter services? Or their standalone animal shelter, full of adoptable dogs, back behind Tractor Supply?

This department is involved in every facet of animal welfare. They have the power to rescue pets from bad situations, and the hearts to connect them to good homes.

The next drive-through rabies vaccine clinic will be on May 2, from 1-3 p.m., and it's $10 cash to vaccinate a cat or a dog. If you miss that, or you'd like to get help with a low-cost spay/neuter, call 804-693-5290.

Learn more by going to gloucesterva.gov/animal-control or checking out their volunteer-run Facebook page.

Adoptable dogs: https://www.petfinder.com/search/dogs-for-adoption/us/va/gloucester/?shelterRescue=3b9fd8c5-a1b7-4e7c-b6eb-6732ac167c4f&includeOutOfTown=true

Later this month, thousands of people will visit Gloucester to attend the 40th Daffodil Festival. This milestone festival, scheduled for March 28-29, has some new additions, brings back some longtime favorites, and promises to offer something for everyone!

For Part 1 of this month's podcast, we sit down with Hunter LeClair, Gloucester's Tourism, Marketing & Special Events Manager, and Susan Ammons, the County's Tourism & Marketing Supervisor, to learn about what festival-goers have to look forward to! These two ladies, along with other County staff members, and countless volunteers, have worked many hours to ensure this year's event is a huge success!

To learn more about this year's festival, visit https://www.daffodilfestivalva.org/.

For Part 2 of our podcast on the 40th Daffodil Festival, we talk with longtime volunteer Mary Boerner, who has helped with the event since 1992. She shares over three decades of memories, how the festival has evolved over the years, and much more! You won't want to miss this episode!

For more information on the 40th Festival March 28-29, visit https://www.daffodilfestivalva.org/.

The Gloucester County Educational Foundation has been raising money to support Gloucester County Public Schools for almost 30 years - and the main way they achieve their goals is by hosting an annual race. Fit for walkers and runners of all ages, this is an amazing way to fund teacher mini-grants and the Teacher of the Year program here in Gloucester. There's even an option to participate virtually, if you're not able to attend on March 14.

In this podcast, Helen Worthington and Michelle Stone share the goals of the Ed Foundation, details of the race, and share some of the ways this fundraiser has contributed to students in the past.

Interested in signing up? Here's a link: https://gets.gc.k12.va.us/o/gcps/page/gcps-educational-foundation

https://www.gloucestervaedfoundation.org/

Gloucester County has announced the completion of its 2026 Real Estate Reassessment, an important process that ensures all properties in the county are assessed equitably and reflect current market conditions. The updated assessments represent fair market values as of January 1, 2026, and all property owners should receive notices of reassessment in their mailboxes in early December.

This month, we sit down with Dan Thomas, Gloucester County's Assessor, to discuss the process of a general reassessment and explore what property owners need to know about how their values are determined, and how to appeal if they believe there are errors in their assessments.

For more information, visit https://gloucesterva.gov/real-estate-assessment.

This month, we are joined by Hunter LeClair, our Tourism, Marketing & Special Events Manager, who tells us all about a new event to the County - the Fall Homestead Market! This is scheduled for Oct. 19 from 12-5 p.m. at the former Page Middle School grounds. For more information on this event, visit https://www.facebook.com/share/1CL5WyU31k/.

Hunter also tells us about many other fall events that the County is hosting and announced that registration for the 2025 Christmas & Holiday Parade will take place throughout the month of October by visiting www.gloucesterva.gov/civicrec.

For information on all events, visit https://gloucesterva.gov/tourism/events.