“It was a real feel-good measure.”
Occoquan Mayor Elizabeth Quist is recounting the history of a 2017 law that lets multiple Virginia jurisdictions form shared arts and cultural districts, a piece of legislation that won bipartisan support in a national climate marked more by discord than harmony. “It was a really nice, pleasant thing to pass.”
Workhouse Arts Center CEO Ava Spece came to Quist and NoVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert in late 2016 with the idea to cement an existing but then informal alliance among Workhouse, the town of Occoquan and Occoquan Regional Park. But, as Del. Dave Albo (R-Fairfax) had informed Spece, they would need not only local but state approval.
By July, a bill amending prior law to let multiple entities form cultural and arts districts had unanimously passed the General Assembly, and the three governing bodies for Occoquan, Fairfax County and Prince William County had approved the NoVA Arts and Cultural District—the first of its kind in the commonwealth.
The branding strategy is still in the works, but organizers are actively planning a by-invitation champagne kick-off and bus tour and plan to continue partnering on events such as River Fest and Winter Fest. A decade from now, Spece says, she hopes grants will be rolling in and a more robust transportation system will serve the community as it becomes a recognized tourist destination.
Spece is excited about the strength that comes with their combined assets. “You’ve got more than 500 acres of attractions and events and parklands,” she says. “And we have together more than a quarter of a million visitors annually.” The center she oversees presents dozens of performances and more than 800 education opportunities per year and is developing plans for a new event space.
The town of Occoquan is home to a semiannual craft show, several galleries, a museum and a growing roster of restaurants, Quist says. She points out that in a few years, Occoquan Regional Park will host the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, an addition that inspires a moment of personal reflection.
“A hundred years ago they were imprisoning women for picketing President Wilson. They imprisoned them at the Occoquan Workhouse, and they were force-fed,” Quist says. “Across the river, I now am a mayor of a town, and I couldn’t vote here a hundred years ago.”
Several new spaces are in the works at Occoquan Regional Park, including The River View at the Jean R. Packard Center, a wood-and-glass building ideal for weddings and events for up to 300 people. The 1608 Room will educate visitors on the local travels of British explorer John Smith, an open-air pavilion at the park’s rear will seat up to 2,000 visitors, and a 5K trail will wrap around the park, says park manager John Houser.
“There is this arbitrary line that goes between us, which comes in the form of a county line that is also bound by the Occoquan River as a dividing line between us and the park and the town,” Spece says. “What we’re shouting from the treetops is the idea that these arbitrary lines don’t divide us but really unite us. And that we are all connected to that river. We are all connected to this valley and this region.”
