Celebrate Father's Day in a Park Near You

Image: The 2013 antique car show at the Sully Historic site (Fairfax County Park Authority).

Release: Fairfax County Park Authority

Father’s Day is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and it all began when a young woman wanted to honor her dad. In May 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., sat in church listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. She decided she wanted to designate a day for her dad. Dodd’s father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, had taken the responsibility of single-handedly raising the newborn and his other five children after his wife died in childbirth.

Her idea gained traction with local officials and the first celebration was held in June 1910, according to the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau. President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers in 1966, but it wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it a permanent holiday. The Fairfax County Park Authority wants to help you celebrate.

Sunday marks the 42nd anniversary of the Sully Antique Car Show, co-hosted by the Fairfax County Park Authority and the George Washington Chapter Model A Ford Club of America. Between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., bring dad to this historic show featuring foreign and American cars, trucks and specialty vehicles through 1990. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children. Free parking is available on site.

More than 400 antique and classic vehicles will fill Sully’s grounds at the largest car show in Northern Virginia. Trophies and plaques will be awarded in all classes at the end of the day.

At the children’s tent, our younger visitors can “drive” mini vehicles in our corn kernel sandbox and special auto-themed coloring books have been created just for this show. Kids can create their own paper sun hat.

Included in admission is a guided tour of the first floor of the 1794 home of Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia’s first congressman. See the original 18th century open-hearth kitchen that was converted into a garage in the 1950s and an exhibit chronicling the evolution of the automobile. Vehicles from Sully’s past are featured in the photos.

For more information about this program, contact the site at 703-437-1794 or click here to visit Sully Historic Site. Visit the Model A Ford club’s website at www.gwcmodela.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at #sullycarshow.

Sully is at 3650 Historic Sully Way, just east of Route 28 in Chantilly. To get there, take the Air & Space Museum Parkway East, ¼ mile north of Route 50 and four miles south of the Dulles Toll Road.

On Sunday, pretend to be a penguin, wolf and beaver dad as you learn about these doting fathers at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale. The Animal Dads program is perfect for children ages 2 to 6 and runs from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Meet live animals and make a craft for your favorite father/grandfather. The cost is $6 per child. For information, call 703-941-1065. To register for this event, click here.

Celebrate Father’s Day with some fishing at Riverbend Park in Great Falls from 5 to 7 p.m. The cost is $8 per person and includes supplies and equipment, or you may bring your own rod and reel. All fish caught will be released, and we’ll give you some tips. For information, call 703-759-3211. The park is at 8700 Potomac Hills St. in Great Falls.

Treat Dad to a special day at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield. Spot soaring eagles and sunbathing turtles while enjoying a 30-minute cruise aboard the Lake Accotink Park tour boat. Cruise times are 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Reservations are required. The park is at 7500 Accotink Park Road in Springfield.

Arrive 20 minutes before your cruise time to pick up your reserved tickets and get ready for boarding. The fee is $3 for Dad, $6 for other adults, $4 for children ages 3 and up. For information and to make a reservation, call 703-569-0285.

Cruises will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather or windy conditions. No refunds for any other reason.

Treat Dad to a free wood carving lesson with the Northern Virginia Carvers from noon to 4 p.m. at Colvin Run Mill Historic Site, for ages 12 and up. There will be a nominal charge for wood blanks. There will also be free mill tours for all fathers accompanied by children from noon to 3 p.m. For information, call 703-759-2771. The mill is at 10017 Colvin Run Road, off Route 7 in Great Falls.