🌱 Crossroads Music Festival Date Announced + Wayde Byard Trial Begins

Hello again, everybody! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Leesburg Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in town today.

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Now, your local weather:

• Wednesday: A passing afternoon shower. High: 71 Low: 60.
• Thursday: Some rain and a thunderstorm. High: 72 Low: 67.

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Here are the top three stories in Leesburg today:

1. BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival is set to take place in downtown Leesburg on Saturday, Sep. 16. The music festival will feature nearly 30 musicians and bands that will perform original music at 12 different venues downtown. You can purchase festival passes in advance online for $20, or on-site for $30. You can purchase tickets here. (Loudoun Now)
2. Yesterday, the trial began for Wayde Byard, the Loudon County Public Schools spokesman who is accused of lying to a grand jury while under oath during a look at how the school district handled two sexual assaults committed by the same high school student. During his testimony, Byard said that he didn't know about the first sexual assault until after the second assault took place at another school. Byard has pleaded not guilty to lying and is currently on administrative leave from his position with the school system. (NBC4)
3. The Dell Food & Brew Hall — a new brewery, bar, and food hall in Leesburg — is currently brewing its first five beers. After a private launch of the beers on Jul. 11 for beer club members at The Dell, the five brews will be served on tap at the bar. The first five beers include Damn Beer, The Stout, Trip to Tahiti, HopDrop, and Don’t Haze Me, Bro. (The Burn)

Today and tomorrow in Leesburg:

Wednesday, June 21

• Wine Industry Day At October One Vineyard Wine Tasting Shop (12:00 PM)
• Trampoline Fitness At Loudoun Station (6:00 PM)

Thursday, June 22

• Movie And Craft: The Emperor's New Groove At Rust Library (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• On Tuesday, Jun. 27, the county Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services will host a public meeting about the Westpark Improvements project at 6:00 p.m. Residents interested in providing input about the park's design will have the chance to do so at the meeting, or you can submit online comments here. (Loudoun Now)
• If you have household hazardous waste to get rid of, you can bring it to the upcoming Loudoun County-sponsored collection event on Saturday, Jun. 24 from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Freedom High School. View a list of items that will be accepted here. (Loudoun County Government via Facebook)
• It's almost sunflower season in Virginia. Beginning Jul. 1, you can make the roughly 25-minute drive to Great Country Farms to take photos in the sunflowers fields and pick your own flowers for $1 per stem. Make sure to purchase tickets before heading to the farm. (Great Country Farms via Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you back in your inbox soon with your next update.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.